The Takeaway: Although there are many reasons why people hire personal trainers, every trainer should help you reach your health and fitness goals.
I often think about why people come to me for personal training. So many times, trainers commence with programs without even considering the true reason why individuals sought their help in the first place. It’s all too common for trainers to provide cookie cutter programs, or worse, no program at all. The ugly truth is that it’s easy to make gym-goers to feel like they’re working toward their goals by making them break a sweat or leaving them sore the next day. But the good trainers will tell you that there’s so much more to it than that.
In my experience, I’ve learned that people seek trainers for a variety of reasons, and fitness goals are not always among them. For some, they feel a sense of accomplishment from just “having a trainer.” Others need someone to hold them accountable. Then there are those who need encouragement in one form or another. Trainers can provide help in each of these areas, but ultimately, achieving fitness goals and making you a healthier person is what every trainer should strive for.
But if living a healthier life is all there is to it, why not just start an exercise program yourself? After all, even small changes can be helpful, and some exercise is better than none at all right? You don’t need a trainer to tell you to walk for 20 minutes a day. So why spend the extra money? What can we provide that you couldn’t a) do cheaper, and b) do without the hassle and stress of having to report to me?
I believe the answer lies in expertise. If we look at fitness as a simple scale of 0 to 10, with zero being no fitness at all and 10 being very intense, daily workouts with no rest from day to day, there’s a point on the scale where each person’s goal should fall. This point varies from one individual to the next. For someone who’s obese, the simple addition of small amounts of physical activity (at the level of 1 or 2 on our scale) might be appropriate. Someone who’s fit but wishes to add more muscle may fall within the 5 to 6 range. An elite athlete, someone training for a marathon, and a postpartum mom may each fall within different ranges on the scale.
So how do you decide how much to workout? How much should you lift? How much rest should you take between sets or between workouts? How often should you run or work your legs? There are an infinite number of positions on that 1-10 scale…where should you fall? That’s where a good trainer comes in. When you’re looking for precise results, your fitness regimen must be precise.
Ultimately, it’s a balance between preventing injury and protecting what is probably our most valuable resource…time. Sure, you could walk 10 minutes a day and it’s possible to lose weight at a very slow rate, but there are more effective and efficient ways to accomplish that goal. Similarly, you could run for 2 hours daily and reach your weight loss goal, but you risk injury and overtraining. The key is in finding the sweet spot in the middle of the two extremes that makes the most of your available time while minimizing the risk of injury.
Not everyone needs a trainer, but if you have one, hold them accountable. Our job as trainers is to help you become a healthier person and to help you reach your fitness goals. If things aren’t working, we (the trainers) need to find a better way. Otherwise, what good are we?
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