Personal trainer?

[Goostacean]

Am 4 months pp with DC2, and had promised myself a series of sessions with a PT during my mat leave to get me heading back to how I was before. Obviously will have to wait til this pandemic business is under control, but generally speaking what are people’s experiences with personal trainers? What did you look for in one and how has it been? Worth the investment?

2 sessions a week, plus following the programme they gave me the other 5 days a week. 100% worth it in my opinion.

I think I have had four or five personal trainers. The first was excellent as a trainer. I liked to be pushed hard and she understood that. Unfortunately, she also had a tendency to cancel sessions at very short notice due to childcare issues. Eventually she gave up all together. The others I tried, male and female, just didn't push me hard enough. In my case, not worth the money.

I ended up joining a gym where I train in a small groups (four max) for weights and larger groups for HIIT sessions. It suits me down to the ground. The groups are mixed and the sessions push me to my limits. It is also quite competitive which I find helps, even though I had never thought of myself as being remotely competitive before. Definitely worth the money.

I've been seeing my current PT for about 5 years, currently fortnightly (though he also does an open circuits session weekly which I also try to get to). Initially it was about getting fitter, now it's about maintenance. I'm not the fittest person around, but seeing the PT has helped keep me accountable to maintain my fitness levels, and has turned me from someone pretty exercise shy, into someone who gets a bit angsty if I've not done something for a couple of days.

Since the lockdown though, I've slacked off quite a bit (instead of HIIT, have been doing lots of long walks and yoga, with the odd run and bike ride thrown in), so have a bit of the fear about getting back to it. I really ought to do some HIIT stuff to get back to it...

Sorry, I've not answered your question at all!

I went with personal recommendation - he had worked with various friends and acquaintances, with great results, he's part of our local community, and he's well qualified. TBH the qualifications were quite important to me. He'd also worked with a world class sports team, so I liked that he'd gained that experience as well.

Helpful, thanks! I’ve never been hugely sporty but would like the accountability, fast results and professional support/advice as I had a third degree tear. Need to look into prices and work out when I’d have time...

The important thing is to find a trainer that you can gel with,
I have attended a gym for years and there were many class teachers offering PT sessions. They were decent people, but I knew that that they wouldn’t be the best trainers for me.
I eventually found a trainer who is very relaxed and friendly, but really pushes me.
So you may have to try a few trainers, before you get the right one for you.