Is a personal trainer worth it?

Not really sure where to post this but my question is, even as an advanced lifter who knows his way around the gym, and what he is doing, would having personal trainer be worth the money??
I did a free session with one last week, and my workout was much more intense. I felt like i gave 110 percent instead of 90. I like having somone to force the extra reps in, spot me , correct my form and critique me. I dont need a workout plan, im very confident in my knowledge of training skills, techniques, nutrition and supplementation. I know there will always be room for improvement , but trainers are pretty expensive. So would it be worth the money hiring a trainer just for those reasons; the motivation, extra reps ,spotter, form critique, and recording of stats??(weight, reps, time, ect)

Please helppp! Thanks

[QUOTE=eddielenzer;1333503041]Not really sure where to post this but my question is, even as an advanced lifter who knows his way around the gym, and what he is doing, would having personal trainer be worth the money??
I did a free session with one last week, and my workout was much more intense. I felt like i gave 110 percent instead of 90. I like having somone to force the extra reps in, spot me , correct my form and critique me. I dont need a workout plan, im very confident in my knowledge of training skills, techniques, nutrition and supplementation. I know there will always be room for improvement , but trainers are pretty expensive. So would it be worth the money hiring a trainer just for those reasons; the motivation, extra reps ,spotter, form critique, and recording of stats??(weight, reps, time, ect)

Please helppp! Thanks[/QUOTE]

Yes. Or having a friend/training partner who can do the same.

Personal trainer is like any other high end service. It is worth it if two things apply: 1) The service you receive is the service you are paying for. 2) You can afford to pay for the service for the duration of time required to reap the benefit(s).

no. bunch of morons certified in broscience and trendy "diet plans". all they do is copy paste the same bullchit they give everyone else or u can find online

[QUOTE=eddielenzer;1333503041]even as an advanced lifter who knows his way around the gym[/QUOTE]
What constitutes being "advanced"?

[QUOTE=ectobruh;1333619351]no. bunch of morons certified in broscience and trendy "diet plans". all they do is copy paste the same bullchit they give everyone else or u can find online[/QUOTE]

I hate to break it to you but unless you have a college degree in exercise science, exercise physiology, kinesiology, sports medicine or other under graduate degree OR you are certified by one of the respected certifying organizations OR were taught by someone who possesses one or more of the aforementioned credentials...everything you know IS 'broscience'. So ask yourself...

[QUOTE=eddielenzer;1333503041]Not really sure where to post this but my question is, even as an advanced lifter who knows his way around the gym, and what he is doing, would having personal trainer be worth the money??
I did a free session with one last week, and my workout was much more intense. I felt like i gave 110 percent instead of 90. I like having somone to force the extra reps in, spot me , correct my form and critique me. I dont need a workout plan, im very confident in my knowledge of training skills, techniques, nutrition and supplementation. I know there will always be room for improvement , but trainers are pretty expensive. So would it be worth the money hiring a trainer just for those reasons; the motivation, extra reps ,spotter, form critique, and recording of stats??(weight, reps, time, ect)

Please helppp! Thanks[/QUOTE]

I have a PT certification myself (3 month course) and while you learn the correct technique for most of the movements, a lot of the course is dedicated to marketing and keeping the clients come back.

If you are a serious lifter, I would rather advice you to get some sort of education related to lifting yourself, such as excersice science or a PT course, being dependant on a PT is not ideal, you should get a understanding of the human body yourself.

It is a different story for a guy in his 60's who have never been working out in his life though.

and yes, MOST (I would assume 70%+) of people who do get a certification are not really qualified AT ALL.

[QUOTE=3ScoopsOrDieTry;1333631581]I have a PT certification myself (3 month course) and while you learn the correct technique for most of the movements, a lot of the course is dedicated to marketing and keeping the clients come back.

If you are a serious lifter, I would rather advice you to get some sort of education related to lifting yourself, such as excersice science or a PT course, being dependant on a PT is not ideal, you should get a understanding of the human body yourself.

It is a different story for a guy in his 60's who have never been working out in his life though.

and yes, MOST (I would assume 70%+) of people who do get a certification are not really qualified AT ALL.[/QUOTE]

I concur with the last part for sure.

I sent you a PM

[QUOTE=eddielenzer;1333503041]Not really sure where to post this but my question is, even as an advanced lifter who knows his way around the gym, and what he is doing, would having personal trainer be worth the money??
I did a free session with one last week, and my workout was much more intense. I felt like i gave 110 percent instead of 90. I like having somone to force the extra reps in, spot me , correct my form and critique me. I dont need a workout plan, im very confident in my knowledge of training skills, techniques, nutrition and supplementation. I know there will always be room for improvement , but trainers are pretty expensive. So would it be worth the money hiring a trainer just for those reasons; the motivation, extra reps ,spotter, form critique, and recording of stats??(weight, reps, time, ect)

Please helppp! Thanks[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Ronin4help;1333603561]Personal trainer is like any other high end service. It is worth it if two things apply: 1) The service you receive is the service you are paying for. 2) You can afford to pay for the service for the duration of time required to reap the benefit(s).[/QUOTE]

This. Just be sure it is someone that can tailor make a program to you, your goals, and your psychology. A trainer is more than just someone that is going to motivate you. A friend can do that. A trainer should be there to teach you proper technique and provide information that will allow you to grow and be able to perform/train on your own. They should be just like a good teacher/coach.

[QUOTE=ectobruh;1333619351]no. bunch of morons certified in broscience and trendy "diet plans". all they do is copy paste the same bullchit they give everyone else or u can find online[/QUOTE]

Unfortuneately many clients are like this, however the good ones are not. I have a good number of clients on the side of my full time job as a teacher and not one of them is doing a cookie cutter program or diet. I do know many trainers that utilize these programs though. Speak with the trainer and get to know him/her. Talk to clients. Find out what they are all about and if they are going to work FOR you and not just with you.

Most people have a need to be accountable to someone (this is no different).

Since you know your way around the gym and really just looking for that extra boost... May have been why you feel like you had a 110% workout.

I'm sure a little extra male ego played into it as well, even though it was a free session.

See if the trainer has a specialty or a niche they are known for or philosophy that fits you style. Plus, ask them questions to see how he/she will benefit you by spending your hard earned money.

Keep us posted on what you decide

The majority of the personal trainers at my gym don't know what the hell they're doing. There are a few that actually look fit but the rest of them are just a bunch of skinny chicks, one skinny dude and a few flabby guys.

In Canada the most popular certification program for personal trainers is CanFitPro. For $500 you get a bunch of material, a three-day course followed by a written and practical exam. With that minimum amount of training, you can get a job as a personal trainer. Goodlife Fitness is always hiring personal trainers and it is a revolving door at that place when it comes to staff. The turnover rate is huge!

Don't get me wrong, I've seen a lot of really good personal trainers who've been able to transform their clients' lives and physiques but they're few and far between. I shouldn't have to mention that diet is a huge factor when it comes to getting fit because we all know that; however, in Canada personal trainers are not allowed to give nutrition advice unless they have the required qualifications so in my opinion, that's where they fall short. If you spend a ton of money a personal trainer (In Canada) you're only getting one part of the entire picture. They'll train you hard but if you don't know how to eat right then you're aren't going to achieve the results you really want.

I wouldn't waste my money on a personal trainer. Just do what I did and start lifting with some people who know what they're doing and research some meal plans and what not.

Is it worth while to have a personal trainer, even if you are advanced?

Yes, given the personal trainer you're working with is on board with your goals and plans.

Your trainer should be able to push you forward through custom routines that fit your goals and plans. I've been working with a personal trainer for over a year, and we moved from heavy lifting to volume lifting; something I wouldn't have considered because I never believed in volume. However the gains that I'm seeing today wouldn't have happened with out my trainer.

Some people use the approach of asking the guy who looks the way you want to look to work with you. I guess that has some ground of sense, however I asked my trainer about everything I could think of before we began working together.

I think it can be worth it....I didn't pay for a trainer, but a good friend of mine actually worked at my gym and I always lifted at odd hours so he was just hanging around to give advice and lift with me. Definitely made a huge difference...I recently moved and am deflated over that loss (pun, sorry)

I'm actually working on building a tool though that will help you figure out that question, hoping it's useful to a lot of people. I've got just like a preview/landing page up now, but I think it's worth checking out!

(url) trainer.fiveme.io

If you get a good one that knows what they're doing, short answer yes.

I would look at the purpose of what you're hiring them for as well. Do you want to achieve a specific goal in a specific time period? Do you need help with a specific exercise? Do you want to compete anytime soon?

Most high end coaches/PT's have trainers/coaches themselves, the accountability of having someone else to please has a large psychological impact on performance and effort put in (probably why you gave 110%). There's also the fact that they can be completely objective and tell you when you suck, it's very hard to do that for yourself or even for close training buddies to give you that honest and sometimes harsh verdict.

Fitness goals from all walks of experience can benefit from a "good" trainer. The case is clearly understood for beginners, but advanced fitness experts should also understand that there is always more to learn with regards to technique, programming, etc. The question simply becomes, what is "good". This is necessarily subjective, but I think there are a few key objective thoughts to share. First, align yourself with a trainer that has proven success and knowledge in the area for your goals, be it weight loss, bodybuilding, powerlifting, flexibility, etc. Next, one should not overlook the less tangibles like: convenience, comfort, level of motivation required, etc.

If one can align themselves with a trainer that has the experience and provides sufficient motivation and convenience, it's hard to imagine a world where the benefits to your fitness aren't worth it.

For purposes of full disclosure, it's worth noting that I work for Mobile Trainers, a personal training company with mobile staff of Dallas Personal Trainers: [url]https://mobiletrainers.com/dallas/[/url] and Phoenix Personal Trainers: [url]https://mobiletrainers.com/phoenix/[/url]

[QUOTE=eddielenzer;1333503041]Not really sure where to post this but my question is, even as an advanced lifter who knows his way around the gym, and what he is doing, would having personal trainer be worth the money??
I did a free session with one last week, and my workout was much more intense. I felt like i gave 110 percent instead of 90. I like having somone to force the extra reps in, spot me , correct my form and critique me. I dont need a workout plan, im very confident in my knowledge of training skills, techniques, nutrition and supplementation. I know there will always be room for improvement , but trainers are pretty expensive. So would it be worth the money hiring a trainer just for those reasons; the motivation, extra reps ,spotter, form critique, and recording of stats??(weight, reps, time, ect)

Please helppp! Thanks[/QUOTE]

I have a degree in exercise physiology and was a trainer in the 80s, a football coach and strength coach for over 20 years. Have trained myself for over 40 years and I WILL TRAIN YOU *or anyone else who needs the help and is coachable * FREE, that includes a lifting plan, progression plan, evaluation and feedback of videos, nutrition plan and motivation and support. Free. 100% why? I love this stuff.

Hard to put a price on it. It is lots of money, and you can answer your questions for free if you take the time to ask several other advanced lifters eventually. I wanted to work certain muscles without straining certain joints. My trainers knew a ton of exercises and showed me the ones that met that goal. Was it worth what I paid? Who knows. I'm not upset.

I've definitely had an over-dependence on PTs over the years, to the point where I'm coming back to working out after not doing anything for 5 years, and I'm only now really learning how to manage my own progress - which is now way more daunting for me than it should be :D

[QUOTE=eddielenzer;1333503041]Not really sure where to post this but my question is, even as an advanced lifter who knows his way around the gym, and what he is doing, would having personal trainer be worth the money??
I did a free session with one last week, and my workout was much more intense. I felt like i gave 110 percent instead of 90. I like having somone to force the extra reps in, spot me , correct my form and critique me. I dont need a workout plan, im very confident in my knowledge of training skills, techniques, nutrition and supplementation. I know there will always be room for improvement , but trainers are pretty expensive. So would it be worth the money hiring a trainer just for those reasons; the motivation, extra reps ,spotter, form critique, and recording of stats??(weight, reps, time, ect)

Please helppp! Thanks[/QUOTE]up to yourself. If your goal is to compete go for it! However, the answer is it depends on your current knowledge on training and nutrition. If your new and can afford a trainer it will save you time spent researching on calories,protein, carbs, fats, as well as optimal training periodization