If you wish you had a Personal Trainer or went to the gym, what stops you?

[Watchkeys]

I'm curious about this, as a PT myself. I'm sure there's billions of people out there who are too shy or not financially able or... well, I wonder what else stops people. I train beginners and my aim is to get non-starters started, and build confidence.

What would help you get started?

Absolutely! I'll prefer this.

I can afford it and I need it, but there is nowhere to fit it into my life. So I guess time is the issue. Three teenagers, full time full on job - I'm fat but no energy to do anything about it...

Money, and also the effort I'd have to put in to find someone who is the right fit for me with the same outlook on fitness and women's bodies.

I had two PTs through the gym for years who were good but I wouldn’t say they were great. It often felt like it was “workout of the week” rather than a personalised training plan for me but it made me do things I wouldn’t have done myself and I lifted heavier weights that I would feel safe doing on my own so I kept with it. Then when the last guy left to work elsewhere his replacement hardly ever had any availability, used to cancel at short notice and was more trouble than he was worth so I ditched it. I’ve since moved gyms and have totally lost all motivation for it to the point where my membership is currently suspended (partly due to other circumstances like hardly being at home too but if it was really keen I’d make the effort to go when I’m here). A PT needs to be someone I get on with and enjoy their company, I wouldn’t want some macho shouty army type person hollering orders at me across the gym!

For me it's the cost. I could pay it but I can't justify it, when in theory there's nothing you do that I couldn't do myself.

I know the reality is that I probably won't do it, but I should be able to.

Childcare, although it's not so much that I couldn't get childcare or afford it, but I'd rather spend time interacting with my baby right now than be separated from them (or doing a fitness class where they are strapped in a buggy and watching). I plan to get back to the gym (or fitness at home) when my dc is in preschool.

Having a personal trainer doesn't appeal to me, despite being able to afford one comfortably. I would prefer to just get on with it on my own, or in a group class. I can reaearch diet and training myself, and have been motivated to improve my fitness significantly before (pre-dc) so don't feel I need someone to tell me.

Please don’t let age put you off. I am 56 and it’s the first time in 30 years since I stepped back into a gym. I always put kids and family first but now I have to do something for myself. I feel and look better already. When I first started to lose weight, I was 23 stone when I could finally get scales to weigh myself, I started walking. Each week I walked a bit more and it helped my mental health as well. I am now down to 17 stone. I have a long way to go but each day I feel better. If I have a bad day I know I will try harder the next. Now I have help with a great PT and she pushes me each session and I know that’s what I needed.

The thing is, I don’t want to be pushed by some fit young thing like I’m back in a school PE lesson - I want to be encouraged and supported by someone who completely gets my mindset.

I don’t like gyms because I don’t like exercising indoors, so I don’t sign up for one. Any exercise I do is outdoors in all weathers

i don’t want a personal trainer

i don’t like exercising with other people, other than going for a long walk

Not feeling competent at any angle of the whole experience. I would be wearing the wrong thing or something hideously unfashionable, would not have something I didn't know I needed to bring, would misunderstand what the trainer meant or use the machine wrong, would fart or drop something or break something, and look a hideous freakish mess when I'm exercising (I know no one looks great but I really do look awful).

I'm not anxious about many areas of life but public exercise, fuck no.

I had a PT for a while and we did have some good (aka tough!) sessions but it all seemed a bit haphazard and it didn't seem entirely tailored to what I had asked for. I'd asked for a plan for a programme that I could do in between sessions with my PT but never got one, we seemed to do different things every week so it was hard to see progression, and I was finding the stress was getting in the way of my other training (triathlons so pretty time consuming). I did learn some new moves some of which I still do, and it was good to get feedback on form, but overall it wasn't quite hitting the spot.

I stopped after 7 sessions saying that I was finding it a bit much in the build up to races etc which was true but really because it wasn't working out for me. I would like to try another PT but now feel a bit awkward asking one of the other PTs at the same gym. I'll probably try to pick up again in the autumn once my races are over.

What is the citric acid cycle?

I wouldn't use a PT as I have a quite complicated musculoskeletal problem and really only trust a sports physio to advise me about how to exercise without injuring myself.

I had one when I was a member of Virgin Active in London. He was v good, younger than me, but didn't make that an issue. Listened to what I wanted ( to increase core strength). Was all going well until he got a job offer to work in the Caribbean!t

at end of lockdown I was feeling pretty unfit so looked online for a P T. Found a guy who came to my house for a chat. He had some sexist attitudes that i found unacceptable and also made an offer to massage me for free, which I thought was a bit creep y. I d still Really like a decent trainer who could push me, but also understand my limits.

So sad that many women are put off exercising in gyms due to feeling intimidated by men. I'm a confident gym user of nearly 30 years but still face this shit. In my next life I'm going to open a Women's Only gym - there will be martial arts classes, Pilates and yoga, LBT, spinning, dance classes, HIIT, Body Pump and a big weights section. And power showers and a coffee shop 😁

I tried working with a PT for a month but found it expensive and very boring.

I've had them before and I just can't stand 'two more, two more, now two more, two more.....' JUST TELL ME EIGHT! Honestly it makes me want to slap them, tell me eight and I'll know when it's over, I hate most of what I'm being asked to do so it is NOT motivational for it to be never ending drips of awfulness

That I look fat, (16) and yes I know there's bigger people that go.

That id not know how to do stuff

Time/energy/ shitty menopause. I rarely have time (juggling job/ minding grandson & 92 year old DM. When I have time I'm too tired. I used to run 4 times a week. Now feel too tired to run at all.

Oh and quite often it's just the same old stuff, so it doesn't feel like a) it's tailored to you b) you really need to be paying someone stupid amounts to stand there telling you to do exactly what they have told you to do for the last 5 weeks, you could print it out and get the same effect

I have a brilliant PT who is much younger but really really knows what he is doing and works with me to achieve my goals. Most of all, he has terrific interpersonal skills. I looked at the social media of all of the PTs who work at my gym, and made sure I had watched and listened to how they interacted with a current client. I spoke to the gym staff as well. I think if you get the right fit for you, it can be very motivating.

Money. I'm on the Australian carers' pension.
Time. I would have to drive to any place.
I hate gyms and their noise and will absolutely not use changing rooms or showers that have men coming in.

Why would a PT being doing the job of a nutritional therapist?!

I honestly cannot think of anything worse...
I find the gym soooo boring, I cannot even fathom having someone telling me what to do and pushing me to do more.

Money and motivation (aka lazy).
Insomniac so always exhausted.