6 Reasons Why Hiring a Personal Trainer is Worth the Money

AND HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT ONE...

Do you have a goal to get in shape in 2016? Are you thinking about hiring a personal trainer to help, but wonder if you should spend the money?

​Working with a trainer can push your fitness level forward much more quickly than working out on your own.  Here are six reasons why hiring a skilled personal trainer is a great investment.

1. Trainers provide accountability and motivation
Do you want to face your trainer and tell her that you didn’t work out yesterday? Sure, you can get this accountability from a dedicated friend who works out with you, but this is the trainer’s job. He or she has a vested interest in seeing that you complete your workouts.

Also, if you’re paying a trainer, do you really want to slack off and feel like you aren’t getting the most for your money? Money spent is great motivation to work out.

2. Trainers provide expertise
A good personal trainer will watch closely to ensure that you are doing the exercises properly to maximize your result and target the intended muscle group.

Sometimes the smallest tweak of an exercise will change the muscle that is targeted and the effectiveness of the exercise. Consistently doing an exercise incorrectly can lead to muscle imbalance and injury.

3. A trainer will push you just enough
A trainer will push you harder than you will push yourself but keep you from rushing ahead too quickly.  This is big! It ensures you are intelligently and progressively overloading your muscles.  This is the key to progress.

If you are like me, you work out until you feel uncomfortable, and then you modify the movement or stop altogether (yes even trainers get lazy, when there is no one there to push them). A good trainer knows how to push you beyond your comfort zone and when to stop before pain or injury sets in.

Expert trainers know alternative exercises if you have difficulty with one, if you have an injury to work around or if you are progressing to a more advanced move. Sometimes a modified version of an exercise is necessary, depending on your fitness level. A good trainer will expertly shape an exercise for you and help you progress through the different levels as you become stronger.

4. A trainer helps you identify and reach goals
A good trainer will help you set your goals so that they are challenging, yet reasonable.  Then she will lay out a path for you to attain them. A trainer will also help track your progress and encourage you by noticing and pointing out improvements that you might not be thinking about.  It's not just about the number on the scale or the way you see yourself in the mirror. This is helpful when discouragement tries to set in.

5. A trainer will personalize your workout
​Quality trainers know how to customize a workout based on your body and your goals. Everybody is different and every body is different.  On top of that an overload of information, new workouts, training plans can be found in any magazine, bookstore and online. Its your trainers job to know all the information and to design the perfect program for you.

6. Trainers can reduce the possibility of injury
An injury can derail a workout program and cause so much discouragement that you could lose momentum and determination to continue. A good trainer will help you to do exercises properly so that you won’t injure yourself.

An expert trainer can recognize muscle imbalances and help correct those before they cause injury.  

Hiring a personal fitness trainer might seem like a luxury if you are on a tight budget, but if you really want to get the most out of your workouts, a trainer is a great investment. The improvement in your health and fitness levels can have long-term payment in quality of life, and even decreased health care costs. That sounds like a good investment strategy to me.

How to find a trainer
If you’re convinced that you would benefit, here are some things that you should look for in a good trainer:

• Make sure to hire a personal fitness trainer who has received certification from a reputable licensing organization. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) are considered the gold standards of certification. The American Council on Exercise (ACE)  is another good certification organization. Your trainer should have expert qualifications, and these organizations help to ensure that by teaching biomechanics, anatomy and physiology, specifics on form and muscle groups, and fitness testing techniques. It is well within your right to ask to see there certification.
• Can your trainer customize workouts to your individual needs? Some trainers are better at this than others. If you aren’t receiving individual customization, you may as well just take a class at your local gym. That individualization is a huge advantage that you get with a trainer.
• Check their personal style. Does the trainer have a military style or a more encouraging demeanor? One style or other may work out better for you. Some trainers offer their first session with you for free to see if they will make a good fit for you.
• Make sure the trainer checks your health history and customizes your workouts based on any previous injuries or health issues.
• Is your trainer focused on you during the workouts? If your trainer is looking at a watch or checking a cellphone, he or she is not focused on you. You are paying for her time and energy. Make sure you get that.

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