Is a PT worth it?

[hollyblueivy]

I think a PT is an expensive luxury in comparison to the cost of gym membership.

If you've had one, did you think they were worth it and why?

I'm a year into my gym membership so not entirely sure why I think I need one, to ensure I'm getting the most out of my sessions I guess.

I have one and I’d say it’s definitely worth it. Been using gyms for 20 years and the most progress I’ve made has been in the last six months under my pt. I only see them in person once a week but have a programme to follow the other days.
I do think it depends on what you want from the gym, if you’re happy enough going and doing your own thing and the results are working for you, it is a big expense. You can also use online training apps like Juggernaut.
Having a pt works for me because I like to be held accountable and to be pushed, which I wouldn’t really do on my own. Also if you’re training for something a pt and their knowledge can be invaluable.
Having someone else just tell me what I need to do and not have to think about it is amazing as well.

I have a PT once a week, that's all I do, don't go to the gym any other time.
I started doing it because I was buying a new horse and wanted to be in the best shape for riding.
It has been invaluable, I am much stronger and flexible than I was when I first started going.

I guess its a luxury but I try and think of it more as helping me get the most efficient workout in that I can, in the time we have, so its a good use of money to me.

The amount we can get through together in an hour is more than I could do on my own, because he's the one racking my weights while I'm in between sets and he's collected the barbells from across the room in advance, and has got out all the equipment. I don't need to go and find a random person to be my spotter for the heavy lifts because he's there. He's spent the time planning what to do in session - I just turn up and do what he says and I'm done and dusted in an hour. He pushes me much further than I could do on my own.

I'm in the best shape I've ever been in so for me it is worth the money. I figure that maybe the money I'm spending now will save me money in the future (might be less likely to need lengthy care-home input etc when I'm elderly perhaps if I'm fit and strong now) - I see it as investment in health.

The work we have done on my core has been invaluable for me. It was completely shot post c-section and now I feel very strong and secure throughout the entire posterior chain. I wouldn't have known where to start with that if I was doing it by myself.

I see a PT but haven't belonged to a gym for 20 years! He has his own gym, I see him fortnightly, and then do workouts at home/yoga/run/go to a boot camp (also not in a gym) in between.

100% worth it. He works me harder than I'd ever work myself, he increases weights when I might not have had the confidence to do so. He pushes me for one last rep when I may have already givern up myself. I'm sure I frustrate him with my lack of goals - I largely continue seeing him to remain accountable and make sure I continue with all the other stuff in between - but he keeps across how much I'm doing outside of our sessions and tailors our session accordingly (so if he knows I've been doing boot camp twice a week, plus a yoga class, he'll know he can try to increase a weight for me. If I've been busy at work and struggled to fit other stuff in, he won't over do it. He'll ease me back in if I've been ill or been on holiday etc).

Yes, if even just for a few weeks to get you in to a good routine. Form is important especially when lifting weights. A PT can also provide motivation and accountability- easy to not bother with the gym of a night, not so easy if you are paying for a personal trainer! They can modify the routine as you improve. Also I found I worked a lot harder when with a PT compared to exercising on my own. Many PTs will do a free or reduced taster session if you just want to give it a try.

Yes it's worth it. He decides what I need to do to get most out of my sessions, checks my form to make sure I'm not hurting myself, manages volume and fatigue etc which again prevents injuries, adjusts my programme to include things my body might need.

I'm a powerlifter, so need quite specific training, but I have noticed a big difference in not having injuries or 'niggles' compared to when I was going it alone, despite lifting far far more.

Thank you for your insight so far and it is interesting how many see the value in the expense.

I was thinking of half hour sessions rather than an hour so 4 hours cost could last me 8 weeks with one session per week giving me two sessions per week solo - I can do max 3x per week.

But then if we focus solely on weights then presumably a decent chunk of the 30mins will be spent resting between sets so I'm not sure whether the value will be lost in trying to stretch the sessions.

Just going against the grain slightly; I've been pretty self motivated with the gym and I did a lot of research when I first started so although I tried PTs a couple of times for regular gym work, I didn't find those useful. They were giving me generic plans, not very professional (eg on their phone during the session, booking clients back to back so we'd end up overlapping etc) I didn't get the impression they could tell me anything I didn't already know. They were self employed at major gym chains and I since found out that the courses they had to do were pretty basic to be honest. I think they were quite early on in their careers and didn't have a lot of experience of training a variety of people (eg different ages/abilities/goals)

At other times though, I've paid a PT that I've got to to know through doing specific hobbies and they've been brilliant. One was when I did CrossFit, and there was a woman who was qualified to teach olympic lifting - she was fab. One was a movement/mobility coach who did a mixture of weights and calisthenics, particularly focusing on handstands. They were both really skilled at teaching and giving very individual feedback/corrections which felt really worth it.

I've had a PT since September and love it. I'm the strongest I've ever been and get so much more out of the gym that I did before when I was pretty much doing cardio and a few weights.

I see him 1 x week but he'll message throughout the week, check in on my nutrition and we have a bigger WhatsApp group that all his clients are on which is great for motivation and accountability.

I'm lifting weights I never thought I would as I just wouldn't have been brave enough to get on the squat racks or in the weights section which are always packed in my gym (JD) I now have the confidence to follow all my programmes on my own in the gym and love seeing how I'm getting stronger and more toned.

Is it down to self motivation too though as I have to stick to my nutrition too but he's guided me there too - I've never eaten as much protein!

I'm revising my response to say I agree with what @Proteinpud said. Whilst my coach is great and worth it, some are not very useful at all. There's a massively high turnover of newly qualified self employed PTs in gym chains. And many of those won't know very much, and might just be doing it as a job cos they like the gym themselves, but lack the other skills needed for a good PT. If I was looking for one I'd go to independent strength focused gyms, and look for experienced ones. Someone who coaches powerlifters/weightlifters/strong women generally speaking won't just do that, and will be much more likely to be good for non specialist stuff too. And they won't be doing that unless they're good at their job.

I have a PT and see them twice a week (1 upper/1 lower) and yes, I do think it’s worth it depending on your goals. I have very specific goals in terms of progression and my PT pushes me during our sessions in a way I don’t when I’m on my own. For bench press for example, they will hand off the bar and spot me and keep an eye on my form. I find it’s easy for me to veer of track if left to my own devices for too long! They also program my other training days to maximise my progress.

i would give a PT a try for say 12 weeks and see what you think.

A good PT is worth their weight in gold. I would certainly give it a try and see how you go. I started recently and am amazed at the results achieved in the short time. It’s a mix of the accountability, knowledge, having someone to push you, feeling more confident doing heavier weights because there is a professional looking out for you, all the prep of planning a work-out and increasing the weights and reps etc. I feel so much more confident. My PT is a bloke and really lovely and good with people. It’s important to have some kind of rapport with the PT.

I agree with pp that it can be really worth it but it does depend on you, what else you have available and what the PT is like (and how you get on). I have a PT outside my gym, but at the gym there is one who has offered help and advice a couple of times (he knows I have another PT), chatted generally about what I am up to, and always says hello. I like his manner and can see him really thinking when he is working with other clients. Some of the others are just phoning it in though.

I also depends on your goals, whether you are progressing, getting bored etc. I'd say for strength training it is really helpful to have some professional input (PT or small classes) unless you are very motivated to read up and research yourself.

Some really interesting insight here.

I am doing a lot of reading up myself and I am quite motivated so I'm not too sure what additional value I would be looking for in a PT.

I guess to get the maximum value out of the workout and not waste time.