Advice on getting a Personal Trainer please.

[Bookaholic73]

I’m joining the gym and am considering getting a PT. My goals are far loss and building muscle, and I’m starting from scratch (overweight & very unfit).

I’ve never hired a PT before so am unsure of what this looks like.
How often do you see a PT? Weekly? Or just a few times where they tell you what you should be doing?

Thanks!

It's really and truly up to you. Some people just want a jumpstart and then carry on by themselves. I see my PT every week because I want the constant challenge and accountability. It costs me, but it's worth it - it is my one big personal indulgence. I have no intention of stopping especially as we're building up the weight I lift.

I’d say to consider a few different people, look up their social media to see their approach and possibly also reviews. How long have they been working? I think it is finding someone you get on with and that can understand your goals and how you can fit and adapt your lifestyle to achieve what you want. I train once a week for the push and accountability and programming and also for the variety of exercises I have learnt so much. It makes such a difference to my week and training and I think I save from eating better overall.

Thank you both.

I think I’d just like someone to show me how to use the machines and then check up on me maybe a few times a month to see if anything needs changing or improving.

You don't need a PT then! At the gym they will usually give you an induction session when they will show you all of the machines and they should also suggest a workout for you, which should help you achieve your goals.

I agree with @Florence4170 that should be part of your gym induction and ongoing membership.

Thanks all.

What is it that a PT actually does then? There are a few at my local gym and I want to invest money into getting help to hit my goals, but don't want to waste money if I can get that for free anyway.

Would a PT come up with s specific diet plan for me?

@Bookaholic73

Thanks all.

What is it that a PT actually does then? There are a few at my local gym and I want to invest money into getting help to hit my goals, but don't want to waste money if I can get that for free anyway.

Would a PT come up with s specific diet plan for me?

They hold you accountable, correct your form, constantly mix up your workout, ensure you push yourself. Some will also give you support with diet and weight loss - check their background and profile.

A gym will give you a starter plan but then it's up to you to execute it. A lot of people find it helps a lot to have a human helping them through it. And some of course prefer not. It depends.

A gym instructor will typically give you a program to follow and the gym will usually allow a follow-up session every 6 weeks or so. Otherwise you are left to your own devices to work out when you need to up your weights and such like. Depending on how helpful the staff are you may be able to get a fair bit of input in between formal reviews, but you may not.

A PT means you have the same person at whatever frequency you agree. They make sure you know what you are doing and don't slack off on form, which can be easy to do if you are working on your own. You are more likely to do the work if you are paying for a session and may also be more likely to do any "homework" they set. On your own it is easy to slack off. Also if you get bad patches they can be very motivational. They will know when to tweak your program rather than you waiting until the next gym review or trying to work it out yourself. I am prone to pushing a bit too hard at times and my PT sometimes has to rein me back rather than spur me on.

You'd have to check with the individual PTs as to whether they do diet plans or not.

I'd recommend seeing a PT weekly, at least initially. As time goes by you may feel you can reduce the sessions (or you may get hooked, like I did). But for a totally new activity you would probably benefit from a reasonably intensive start.

I forgot to say - the quality of PTs varies hugely. As there are several at your gym I would keep an eye out to see who they train and then try to speak to those people for an honest opinion of what they think. As for the PT - it's worth finding out how long they have been working as a PT and what their qualifications are. If any of them have a sports science degree or similar, rather than just the basic PT qualifications, you will be far better off. Find out what sports they are interested in and actually do themselves, as this might inform your decision.

Most PTs will give you a workout plan and give you guidance on nutrition ie calories and macros personalised to you/your goals and your workouts.

Personally it’s the only way I keep to diet and exercise- the weekly accountability really helps motivate me.

It’s important you find a trainer you gel with though I’ve had bad ones and then ones that have been worth every penny. If you know anyone in the gym I would ask for a recommendation.

If you are weight training PTs are great for pushing you to up your weights while correcting your form so you don't injure yourself. Also for spotting you on bench press and squats etc. Otherwise a gym instructor to set a program and revisit it every now and again is fine.

When my husband used to go, his PT would literally stand over him and count how many reps he had to do, tell him to do 10,count down, then just as he was about to collapse would make him do another 10 more!
Basically goad you, shout at you, cajole you into pushing you way more than you'd do on your own. While at the same time making sure your posture is correct, that you warm up properly, don't cause damage to yourself etc etc.
Way more than just someone showing you how to use the machines.

I started with a PT for the first time this year and he is amazing! If you can afford it, it's definitely worth it. He spends a lot of time on my form and can advise on different exercises to correct various imbalances - e.g. I've got a slightly dodgy knee due to a stiff ankle and one weak glute! So we are working on those before loading up with weights. He's very knowledgeable and gets me to push myself, but not injure myself. I see him every week for an hour and then he gives me things to do in between.

Thank you ever you one for your feedback.

After chatting to a few of the PTs at my gym, I’ve decided on a PT and will be having weekly sessions.

He pushes me, which is exactly what I need! He corrects my form, explains what muscle groups to what, chats about dietary changes to help me, and is a really good motivator.

I am weight training, not cardio, so I feel the PT is really needed.

It’s also not as expensive as I thought it would be! I thought it would be a LOT of money. It isn’t cheap, but I feel it’ll be worth it.

We had our first session 2 days ago and my arms are still killing me 😂

That's great!

I was just about to say, for weight training you can waste loads of time and effort, risk injury, and not progress, unless you know what you are doing. So very much worth it I think to get some PT, really learn how to build solid foundations safely, and try a variety of exercises and ways approaches.

Then if you need you can scale it back but if you've got a good relationship, you might be able to get one-off top ups.

He suggested weekly for the first 6 weeks @MsMartini, which I’m happy with.
Then we will see how my form etc is and go from there.

I’m really happy with that plan, and can really see a benefit from having him around to encourage and push me.

Brilliant. Enjoy .