My husband and I are thinking about getting a personal trainer at our new gym. His name is Tai and he is actually a very intelligent guy who obviously knows his stuff. I’ve had a trainer before and know it helps me stay on track, but they are expensive. Here are the pros and cons as I see them:
Personal Trainer Pros
- He would motivate us to show up for our appointments and work out.
- He would show us how to properly use the machines.
- He’d give suggestions if we have specific problem areas or questions.
- He’d keep a ledger of our progress so we can see how we are doing down the road.
- He already gave us a free beginning assessment.
- He’d also keep a record of our weigh-ins and measurements, but we already do that for Weight Watchers.
- Having a trainer would motivate us to show up more between sessions just so we don’t look like wussies.
Personal Trainer Cons
- They are expensive. We can buy a certain number of sessions in advance in packages in order to avoid a contract, but we are still talking about a $40-$50 per 30 minute session depending on how many we buy. The contract rates are actually more expensive, so I bet the personal trainers at our gym make more off of the pre-sold packages.
So, do we shell out $500 for 10 sessions and see how it goes?
Best case scenario, we kick butt, get into even better shape, and miraculously find the self-motivation we have always lacked to start exercising at the machines regularly on our own. Realistically, we get into slightly better shape and continue to need Tai to keep us in line.
Total Cost
If we both go once a week for 45 weeks of the year (I figure we won’t be perfect), we would be looking at $2250 per person, $4500 total every year just for our personal trainer. Their best rate is $35 for buying more than 30 sessions in advance, but that’s still $1750 per person, $3500 total a year. That seems excessive.
Final Thoughts
We’ve been members of our gym for a bit more than a week now. So far, I’ve gone to play racquetball 3 times on 2 separate days, walked on a treadmill for half an hour once, did an upper body workout once with Tai for the 30 minute assessment, and went swimming once. Based on all of that, I only really enjoyed racquetball and think swimming would be fun with a friend. The machines really bore the crud out of me and I truly doubt I’d use them without a personal trainer egging me on. I wonder if I really need to use them at all? I mean, I went from being a complete couch potato to getting some forms of exercise…isn’t that good enough overall?
So, if you were a workout machine-hater like me, what would you do?
If I were a workout machine hater like you, I would look into body weight exercises and doing the stuff at home, dropping the gym and taking walks and runs and stuff at the public parks in the area. I would make more of a practice of lifting heavy things, and use my husband as a source of encouragement (as you would be for him) to become more all around fit.
On the rainy days, you could go to the mall and walk around, too.
I am so impressed you are working out so much. I find it so hard to motivate this time of year.
The only way I’m able to stick with an exercise program is doing something I really love, so if you hate it, it may not be a long-term solution.
With respect to the cost. I always think it’s worth it to spend money on my health, but only if I use it and can afford it. So using this framework, I’m not sure this is a good investment for you if you don’t think you use the weight outside of your once a week training session. Is once a week enough to see results?
Are there options to get a swim coach for a few weeks or something? That seems to be something you like a lot more and are more likely to stick with it in the long run.
You can definitely try the Crossfit style workouts at home. There are thousands of videos online about how to do the workouts, and you and your husband can keep each other motivated. You can buy all of the equipment you need for a fraction of the price of your personal trainer, and get real results. I love Crossfit, but I would never pay the crazy $200+ per month membership fees to join one of their gyms when you can do the same thing at home.
You have no debt and your mortgage is going to be paid off by the end of next year. Why not?
FWIW, a gym membership where I live costs $89 a month, and an hour long session with a personal trainer is > $100.
I’d give the trainer a shot if I thought he was good. I hired a trainer in the past that wasn’t so great and I wasn’t happy with the results. My plan all along was to go to 5 sessions to get a good routine going and then take it from there on my own. That plan didn’t work out as well as I’d hoped, though.
I’m not a trainer, but I would recommend doing a few minutes of free weights instead of machines if you can. Maybe even as little as 15-20 minutes, 3 times a week doing some bicep curls and things like that would be a good addition to a cardio workout.
I honestly think anything like that is a waste of money. Working out can be done anywhere anytime, it just depends on how much you want it. There are some tremendous cardio workouts on Youtube, one of which my wife and I started yesterday. I couldn’t even do more than 2 reps of the one before I about passed out. We are supposed to get to 10 reps of each set. It was amazing! I blogged about it yesterday.
If you hate the machines, then I would go with the swimming and racquetball, etc. As long as you can continue to stay active, you should be fine. If not, and you need the regular appointment and accountability or just want to gain strength, then go with the trainer.
I’ve read that you get the greatest fitness gains by going from couch potato to moderate activity. After that, it’s more difficult to see results. (Not that it’s an excuse to not step up your exercise once you’ve become moderately active, but it is something to think about for your current push to become more active). I personally liked having a trainer back when I was still working full time, since it forced me to go to the gym because someone else was counting on me to be there (and I had to pay if I didn’t show) and because despite my years of being a gym rat, I still am intimidated by weight training. But my trainer was only $30 per 45 minute session, so it was easier to justify the expense to myself.
One other suggestion to you for your cardio-machine ambivalence–I “reward” myself with fun magazines or audiobooks that I only read or listen to while I’m working out. Reading US Weekly (total cotton candy for the brain) or listening to a fluff romance novel while I’m working out makes the workout much more fun and it gets me to the gym so I can enjoy my crap reading. Just a thought!
I am absoultely a machine hater (a strength train hater overall). I’ve found DVD’s I can use at home, and frankly – yoga. Yoga is something I enjoy, and while it doesn’t build muscles fast like weight training does, it’s still getting me there (just slower). The only way I think I’d like working on a machine is if I had a workout buddy (which I don’t). Good luck to you, and be proud of the steps you are taking!
$4500 a year is a lot to get motivation! An alternative would be to make a $50 donation to a charity supporting a cause you can’t stand for every session you miss
That way you start at $4500/year if you don’t go at all and go down to $0 if you go all the time.
I prefer weight-lifting, which I’ve been doing pretty consistently with no trainer for almost 6 years. Last week I came across a website called StrongLifts with an interesting program that’s simple (5 exercises, no machines) and pretty motivating on its own with consistent gains at the early stages. All the information there is free including a spreadsheet you can download telling you what to do each day (there’s a $10/month member community but it seems to be closed to new members most of the time). The website is pretty good at selling the potential benefits but from what I know there is something to it.
I would be cautious with any trainer that doesn’t help you focus on the right outcomes or uses a lot of complicated machines. When you lift a bar on your own it’s pretty easy to see that you could do the same thing to a couch or a person. The limited, repetitive, single-muscle motions in a machine are a lot more boring. If you have a few hours to research you can probably learn more than most trainers will teach you. So how much do you need to pay for motivation?
I have used personal trainers in the past and they are very helpful to show you how to perform the exercise well. It can also used formotivation and to push you to higher achievement. Everything depends on how motivated you are to stick with it.
Do it – it seems it will help your motivation. At some point you might find yourself so addicted to the gym that you don’t need the trainer to hang around, but at least he’ll be there to get you over the hump. Money well spent!
I used to be a personal trainer and those prices sound really high to me (unless you were living in a large city). HOWEVER, I think if you need some motivation to get started- go for it! Your health is totally worth it, and you have a great income.
Id consider the free weights crystal – they are also better at developing small, underused muscles that machines cant focus on because they are rigidly controlling your movements.
As for wether or not to sign up for a personal trainer, think about what value you’re going to get out of it – are you “aspirationally buying” meaning that you’re getting a trainer because you think it will help you become fit, or because you want guidance and help getting started that you’d like to continue on your own.
There seems to be advice for both sides.
@Emily, I do take walks around the neighborhood and get where you are coming from. But if nothing else, I will use my gym membership for racquetball.
@NoTrustFund, that swim coach idea is really smart! I should be going to those aquafit classes that they offer too…
@MoneyforCollegePro, we already own a Wii Fit that we don’t use…my husband and I are not good self-motivators when it comes to working out…
@Double A, whoa, that’s expensive!
@Jeffrey, I can’t explain it, but the free weights turn me right off of exercising. They are like an anti-ball for a crazy dog…I look at them and want to leave to get fast food…
@Jonathan, it would be a waste if I wanted to do it on my own. But I don’t. Honestly, if I had my way, I’d be a size 10 and be able to eat whatever in the hell I wanted and maybe take an occasional walk to look at Christmas lights, lol. I am the classic couch/comp potato.
@cashflowmantra, I will be posting updates every two weeks here with how much I am using the gym and I hope that motivates me enough to keep going. That and racquetball is addictive…
@Emily, I use the same reward system for the treadmill, lol. Great minds and all that.
Sadly, that means I am making it through a book every 2-3 months, lol.
@Crissie, good luck to you too! And yay for having the patience for yoga! I feel like an ADD kid around quiet exercises like that, lol.
@Value Indexer, ahhh, that would definitely motivate me! It just seems so negative, lol. But thanks for the idea.
@krantcents, if I prepay for a certain number of sessions, they expire within a year. So I’d be very motivated.
@PKamp3, you are a very solid yes – do you have a trainer or are a trainer?
Thanks for the vote!
@Amanda, I try not to make decisions based on my income since we are using the extra to pay off the house faster, so it really doesn’t exist. But I see your point.
@Jeff, thanks for the suggestion. I just hate free weights. Something must be broke in my brain because they look more boring that calculus to me. And yes, I think it may be an “aspirational” buy, but I know I’d go since I paid. So maybe it doesn’t matter that I only did it on hope as long as I keep going. I don’t know.
Overall, I am leaning towards making sure I go to the gym 3 times a week for 2-3 months straight all by myself before leaping into another big expense. I should probably make sure this isn’t just a for-now thing…
I don’t know that I would plunk down that much cash all at once. I have recently started doing Barre and LOVE it but I am taking it on a month by month basis. I would look into group classes because those sometimes motivate you just as much as a personal trainer.
I asked myself the same question. I found a local gym (not the budget one I belonged to) that offered boot camp classes. I didn’t have to be a member to join but for $20 per session, I had a semi-private boot camp session for an hour per week. 4 of my friends did it with me, and often times the 5 of us were the only ones who showed up. It was like having a private session anyway! I found this was a great way to get in shape; you could tell the trainer what problem areas you wanted to work on and she was always there to ask questions. I feel I got the benefit of a personal trainer without forking over big dough. Just a thought…
I wonder if you could approach working out a different way. Since you already have a workout buddy/accountability partner, why not make a game out of it? Maybe one we could all participate in. Take that $3500 out of your “pay off the mortgage really fast” budget. Every time you go to the gym, take $50 out of it, and put it toward your mortgage. If by this time next year you have money left in that “place” give it away to a random commenter or something. Win-win! Either you shave another $3500 off your mortgage or one of your lovely readers gets some money!
Don’t do machines! I almost never do machines with the exception of treadmill for my cardio. Free weights! Do some lifting and you will see the difference! Lifting works out not just different group of muscles but also your core (for example, lunges with weights) because you have to balance. Machines don’t do that for you.
Okay, here’s the thing about personal trainers… Most of the ones at a gym know just enough to sound like they know what they’re doing. But they’re mainly glorified salesmen.
So, make sure you check out his credentials. For example, Apex training? It’s a 1- or 2- day class you take. And not coincidentally, Apex is a brand of supplements a lot of gyms sell.
All of that said, I had an amazing trainer that I met when he worked at a gym. He had real knowledge: a degree in sports medicine, some background in physical therapy (as an asst) and he then took a couple of years of training at an alternative school to learn kinesiology or some such.
He worked with everyone but was geared toward special populations, which is me since I have chronic fatigue. Only person I’ve ever trusted not to work me too hard. So if he asked me to do a couple more when I said I was done, I would do it. And he got me in pretty decent shape. In fact, I keep trying to convince him to move to Phoenix and whip my butt into shape stat!
In other words, trainers can be invaluable (and worth the $40ish a session) IF they know their stuff.
I’m the same way. I need a work out buddy to get anything done. Maybe ask if you can put up a flyer for a swimming buddy?
I’d give the membership a chance before hiring a trainer – maybe they have some classes that would keep you motivated (although in reality, motivation must come from within).
That said, a friend of mine at work had great success with a personal trainer. She toned up, gained muscle, lost weight and looked great – and she only worked out at lunch. Her trainer sat by her side and counted for her while she did the exercises. He gradually uped the strength and endurance levels in her workouts.
Personally, I would hang in there for another month or so and see if you can’t motivate each other!!!!
I remembering deliberating about this about a year and a half ago and I ended up finding a routine that made sense for me without the training. 75 pounds are gone now and I am in fantastic shape – my wallet is a little heavier though as I skipped the trainer. Good look whatever you both decide and I hope you get in FANTASTIC SHAPE!!!
You should really do the things that you enjoy.
I tried gym for a while, but found it incredibly tedious and boring.
I discovered that I stay way more motivated if I play ball sports, rather than doing gym work. (racquetball sounds fun!) I also found that joining some sort of team sport league, keeps me disciplined to stick to an exercise program (you really let people down if you don’t show up!)and makes you forget that you are actually exercising! (Maybe that is an option for you?) It all depends on what you like to do.
Even with a great Personal Trainer your motivation is coming from outside yourself and won’t lead to a long-term personal lifestyle change IMO.
It might be better for you to pay a trainer *once* to come up with a workout plan based on your needs and goals. Then you can just stick with that plan and bump up times/weights/reps every so often.
I think you shouldn’t listen to us and should go with what your gut is telling you. I have friends that hate to work out but LOVE their personal trainers and it’s made a huge difference for them. If you have someone that you feel is a great fit for you, and you have the money to do it–well, that’s what this column is all about. Good luck w/ your decision.
Popular topic! Hubby and his brother went to a trainer for a few months – it was expensive, but it did get them in the habit of going to the gym, and then they motivated each other (and now hubby motivates me!). I do think it’s important to do weight bearing excercises – so maybe once every 2 weeks? Or once a week until you get into the habit, and can make each other do it?
If you’re looking for someone to push you for less money, I’d consider group fitness classes. From my own experience, I stick to a workout routine best when I find a class I like. The class at my gym is called BodyPump & it’s an hour long session that is weight training that gets your heart rate up. I got a 4 month membership through a Groupon offer and before it even ran out and I could clearly see results and felt so much stronger and fit. I have such a hard time motivating myself to work out long enough or push myself on my own, so these classes have me addicted and I can’t wait until the next one. Monthly membership at my gym is only $40/month and includes the classes as opposed to a personal trainer for $40/30 minutes! I had never taken a group fitness class before and I’ve fallen in love. I even tried the cycling class which kicked my butt (understatement) but helped me get some quality cardio in.
Is that price per person or for a joint training session? The cost doesn’t seem too bad compared to what I have to pay in Chicago. Do ask if you can get a better price if you are both training at the same time; sometimes it’s possible to get a lower price that way.
Trainers can be wonderful for both motivating and showing you exercises that are less boring to you. I’ve worked with a few trainers over the years and have learned some ways of exercising that I find much more interesting than just cardio and weight machines.
As for free weights, you really should get used to using them now. Weight bearing exercises are very important for women to maintain bone density. When you get into your 40s like me, you’ll want to be over that mental block that makes you hate free weights!
This is a tough one! I find the cost of trainers excessive, but… I hate the machines too, and although I have a set of kettle bell weights at home I use, I would never try free weights without the help of a trainer first.
I don’t find his fees to be out of line though – that’s pretty much what they are where I live too.
You may have answered you’re own question, but here’s some free advice (you get what you pay for
)…it sounds like it will be very costly to get a trainer. It is rewarding to have the goal and stay in shape, but at what price? Sounds like you haven’t had the memberships for very long. I’d give yourselves a little bit longer and see what develops and what your patterns are. Could you and your husband motivate each other rather than paying someone else to motivate you? Just a thought.
First of all, free weights FTW and the StrongLifts program rocks. Machines are useless or worse.
If you’re going to hire a trainer, hire one who will teach you to use the free weights, rather than making you dread them. If a trainer trains you on machines, then he’s not worth the money you are spending on him.
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