10 Reasons to Hire a Personal Trainer

Personal trainers are an excellent resource for exercisers of all levels. Whether you are just starting out in the gym or are a fitness veteran, you can benefit from the help of a trainer, provided that you hire the right one.

I’ve listed below 10 important reasons why personal trainers are worth the investment. After all, you are investing in your health and there is no greater wealth than health.

1. A trainer will help you clarify your goals. Trainers know how to help clients set achievable, clear and measurable goals. This means that the chances that you will succeed at reaching your fitness goals improve drastically. When you are not clear about your goals, how do you know what actions you should take, where to go and when you get there?

2. A trainer can evaluate where you’re at with fitness. Having a benchmark from the start is the best way to find out how far you’ve come along. Seeing improvements over time is very motivating and the only way to notice some of those improvements is to know where you started. Although you most likely will not see outward changes right away, but if you are able to run 4 minutes longer than you used to or decreased your body fat % by 2%, then that’s progress.

3. Prevent or decrease the risk of injuries. Trainers know how bodies are supposed to move, which means that they will design safe exercise programs that suit your needs. They know how much you should be lifting without hurting yourself, how often you should train to avoid over-training, how much you should exert yourself as well as how to design a program that incorporates a combination of strength, endurance, flexibility and cardiovascular conditioning.

4. Motivation and moral support. Trainers are a great source of motivation for people. When you set up a session with your trainer, you feel more accountable to them for your workout. Also, when you lack the support that you need from friends and family in reaching your fitness goals, your trainer will be there for you.

5. Comprehensive program design. Trainers know how to design a program that covers all elements of fitness. In order to achieve your optimal fitness level, it is necessary that your fitness program covers the following areas: muscle strength, muscle endurance, flexibility and cardio.

6. Trainers keep things interesting. Doing the same workout routines day in and day out can be boring. A trainer has a wealth of knowledge of different exercises. This means that a trainer can bring new ideas and new challenges to your workouts.  Trainers know several exercises that you may not have seen and/or tried and thus can bring variety to your workouts.

7. Increase efficiency of your workouts. When you’re working out by yourself in the gym, it’s easy to spend too long at the gym and not get the best quality of a workout. A trainer will help ensure that you stay on track and that you’re exercising at the right intensity, for the right duration and doing the right type of exercise to get the best results.

8. Monitor your progress. Trainers have the ability to measure your progress through body composition analyses, flexibility tests, etc. They also keep track of all the measurements so you don’t have to.

9. A trainer can help you overcome plateaus. If you’ve noticed that there has been a decrease in the results that you’re getting from your workouts, then a trainer can analyze your current program in order to design you a newer and more effective program.

10. You can ask them questions. If you have any questions about fitness and goal setting your trainer should be able to answer it or find the answer.

I will be talking about things to look for in a trainer before you spend the money in later posts.

Happy training!