Personal Training and You - or rather me

[maleficent]

One of the perques I get with my gym membership is 3 personal training sessions at a pretty reasonable price...

I'm sure I can look this up - but i'm curious to know about your own experiences with personal trainers - ever been? How'd you like it? I know all experiences will be different - but I'm just curious if it's worth the added expense?

My head says, yes you need it because while you've mastered the treadmill and walking you know virtually nothing about how to use the other equipment.

The other side of my head says, after watching a personal training session with another woman who was much younger than I and she appeared to be very fit, she was struggling with the session.. wher the PT had her doing lunges carrying 10 lb weights in each hand. The bad voice in my head says - they'll make you do stuff that you can't do and you'll get frustrated annoyed and just quit (when I was younger and fairly athletic, i couldn't do a sit up or pushup to save my life)

There's a fine line that a personal trainer has to walk with me between getting me to do stuff that is in my capalities right now and making it too easy on me... as opposed to the other end and having me do stuff that i'm just not capable of right now.... (and i have considered breaking those 3 sessions up over several months where I can work towards a goal)

I'm 42 years old and while i've lost just over 100 lbs over the past 10 months, I still have a little over 100 to go and my fitness level is the major suckage.

I've no experience with personal trainers- so if you've been - how do you get them to walk that line?

 

[dswithers]

Any decent personal trainier will both be able to tell somewhat and will ask you detailed questions about your current fitness level and your goals. That said, there are a lot of lousy personal trainers out there, in fact, sadly, I'd say the vast majority of personal trainers are sub-par.

So, you must tell them very emphatically, what you are want and what your limits are. One option is to just ask them to demonstarte the proper use of all the machines and some standard free weight barbell/dumbell exercises and then go from there and create your own program. You can find a lot of guidelines here on creating your own program and a lot of help here as well, if you ask.

 

[stingo]

They should include showing you how to use the equipment in your membership dues, so I'd not use any of your training sessions for it.

I started out roughly where you were - at 38 years old and 344 lbs I decided to join a gym and pay for an experienced trainer to get me started (I'm now 40 y/o and 247 lbs). The woman they gave me was excellent - motivating, varying the routine and making it interesting and such. Then she left and I got a guy who was pretty good, but not at the level that the woman was. He left shortly thereafter too - which is one reason I cancelled my membership - they couldn't hold on to their trainers. But, see which trainers are available in the time slots that are convenient to you, and then audition/interview to them and see if there's one you'd like to work with, and if so, schedule one of your training sessions with him/her. As you get more comfortable with the equipment and as your body improves, you might find you will need the personal attention less and less, and just need a few sessions here and there to make sure you're still in proper form, and/or to get a new routine. Hope this helps.