Deciding to work with a personal trainer to help you reach your fitness goals is only the first step towards actually reaching them.
A personal trainer is someone who will share their knowledge with you, make you feel confident and comfortable in the gym, inspire you, keep the workouts interesting, encourage you and motivate you to keep going even when the going gets tough.
Admittedly, we’ve all been there. We start a fitness program, but then we end up not adhering to it for one reason or another.
Then, we blame ourselves for quitting and we spend all this time beating ourselves up over something that could have been fixed before we started the program in the first place. In some cases, we blame our trainers for not getting results.
As a trainer myself, I understand that the client-trainer relationship is a two-way street. Therefore, I make it clear to my clients that their results depend on their own input into the program that I’m designing for them.
I will always be putting my 100% effort into helping my clients reach their goals through effective and interesting workout programs, but I make them aware that in order to succeed, they must uphold their own end of the bargain (and money has absolutely nothing to do with it).
Read the following 5 tips below on how to get the most out of your personal training sessions because I believe they will help you get the most value for your money.
Above: Location-Studio 4 Athletics, Clothing-Public Myth.
1. Set clearly defined fitness goals. Your initial consultation with your trainer and/or your first session is the perfect opportunity for you to discuss your goals with the trainer and to get to know each other.
The trainer will help you set goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely.
No matter what your goals are, don’t be afraid to share them with your trainer. The more detail you give the trainer, the better the trainer will do in designing your fitness program.
2. Ask questions. If you are unsure about anything at any point during either the consultation or anytime during a session, please ask. The only stupid question is one that has not been asked.
As a trainer, I love questions. Questions allow me the opportunity to share valuable knowledge with clients. If there is ever a point where I don’t know the answer, I will find it. So, don’t be afraid to ask.
3. Tell the trainer how you’re feeling. If you’re feeling a little bit under the weather but are still ok to work out, let the trainer know.
It’s usually not a problem for a trainer to make a less-intense version of the workout for you so that you are still able to complete the workout, feel accomplished for the day and recover.
4. Communication. This ties back into #3. If there is something that you don’t like about a fitness program, if you feel pain, if you want something modified or changed, let the trainer know as soon as possible so that something could be done to fix it.
If you’re in it for the long haul, you must make your trainer aware of any changes to the program early on. Let the trainer know what you enjoy and what you don’t enjoy so that the program is truly designed to fit your lifestyle, goals and needs.
As trainers, we aren’t mind readers so you must tell us what your needs are so that we can do everything we can to meet them. If your trainer gets seriously offended by your feedback or if you feel uncomfortable giving your trainer feedback, then you should look for a new trainer because chances are you guys just don’t click.
Feedback makes us better and you will have a much higher chance of success if you give your trainer feedback.
5. Keep track of your workouts. Whether you workout with a trainer once a week, twice a week, or three times a week, keep track of your workouts. Keeping track allows you to measure your progress and helps you stay on top of your goals.
Every time that you do physical activity during the day, write it down. Then, as your review your goals and the steps that you’ve taken towards reaching them, you will see that you’re making progress and that it’s only a matter of time before you get to where you want to be.
***BONUS TIP***
Have fun with it! Enjoy the process! Fitness is a journey, not a destination.
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