How do personal trainers work?

[MidnightVelvet9]

So I'm getting married at the end of this year & am part of the way through my weight loss journey. I'm thinking of getting a personal trainer to lose as much weight as possible til August. I've found a PT at the local gym, whose bio I like and who has lost a lot of weight herself before becoming a PT. I've emailed her.

How do PT's work, given they look as though they charge approx £40 per session, if you go 3 times per week that's £120 per week on top of gym membership fees, is that right?

That's pretty much how they work. TBH I think they totally overcharge. I have been to a couple of different ones and most of them don't really strategically plan what they are going to teach you and give you no input concerning diet.

My best advice, is to do your research and tell them exactly what exercises you would like to learn and ask them to teach you those particular lifts etc.
Or tell them which part of your body that you want to work on. Now I see my PT just once a month, but at the beginning I saw him twice a week, he taught me new exercises and helped me improved my form. Now I know the exercises I go it alone.
Some personal trainers will give you a plan. They teach you how to do all the exercises in that plan and each week they make a new plan. By doing that you build a repetrior of exercises.

Could you go with a friend and split the cost? That’s what I do, and it makes the sessions much more enjoyable, as we have a natter as we are working out!

Yes that’s how it works.

But do you need three a week? Normally max one a week, they show you what to do and set a routine then you go and do it,

I see mine every 10 days and pay £23 an hour. She is great at nutrition too.
I go to the gym 3-4 days a week for weights.

You probably don't need to go 3 times a week. Once a week with a program for you to follow by yourself in between PT sessions would be enough if you have motivation. Twice a week to start with if you feel that you need it, perhaps for the first month.

I used to see mine once a week and the other 2-3 sessions I’d do on my own using the plan he wrote for me.
Before I met him, I used to just stick to cardio and a few machines, not really enjoying myself (and inevitably quitting the gym after a few months), but he introduced me to weight lifting and ignited a passion for it. He taught me so much and it was worth every penny. I don’t have a PT anymore but don’t really feel I need one now. I’ve learnt a lot about technique and form which I might not have learnt without his assistance.