Is A Personal Trainer Worth It?

When you’re wondering if a personal trainer is worth it, it’s probably because you’ve tried what seems like everything to lose weight and feel better. And maybe, you’re frustrated, self-conscious, and feeling completely defeated.
Maybe you’re stuck, trying to hit a new free powerlifting goal or struggling to build the endurance or strength needed for an upcoming competition.

Or maybe you’re ready to take control of your health and need someone to help encourage you and keep you on track.

Whatever the reason you’re investigating whether or not a personal trainer is worth it, we believe your health and your goals are 100% WORTH IT. The old adage, “We are nothing without our health,” is completely true! Your health is critically important.

We’re a personal training center, so obviously, we’re a little biased. But we believe personal training is the absolute number one way to reach your weight loss and fitness goals.

How is working with a personal trainer different?

No matter how experienced you are, we know that eventually, you aren’t sure what to do next. This is especially true if you’re a fitness newbie. At First Class Personal Training, we are especially good at helping you comfortably break into a new fitness routine.

When considering the value of a personal trainer, consider this. We’ve listened to our clients year after year and discovered a common thread: many (maybe even most!) of our personal trainees at one point had a gym membership but never went to the gym. The money they spent on their memberships — anywhere from $20 to $100 a month — was wasted.

In contrast, our trainees always show up at our personal training sessions.

Why?

We believe it’s because of 3 things that you can’t really put a dollar value on.

The Three Main Benefits of Personal Trainers

1. Accountability
2. Knowledge
3. Personal Plans

Accountability

Getting in shape is difficult. It’s even more difficult when we’re on our own.

Let’s face it, we’re our own worst enemy.

“It’s been a crazy day, I’ll go tomorrow.” “I’m just so tired. I’ll get up early and go.” “I forgot my earbuds.” There are a hundred reasons to skip going to the gym every single day, and most of the time, if we don’t have someone to hold us accountable, we’ll tell ourselves our reasons for putting it off are justified.

This is especially true if we’re just starting out and we’re not seeing the payoff for our hard work.

But when you have a personal trainer, you have someone keeping you accountable for your attendance.

Our trainers (like many personal trainers) aren’t annoying about keeping you accountable. They want you to succeed, so they:

• encourage you to show up to your session
• remind you of how far you’ve come
• help motivate you and keep your sessions challenging but fun
• tell you about all of the progress they are seeing that you might not be able to see yet

Our clients tell us all the time that having the accountability of a trainer makes all the difference in their success.

So while having a personal trainer costs more than just having a gym membership, we would say it’s absolutely worth the extra money since you’re far more likely to attend regularly and see better results.

Knowledge

Understanding our bodies and exercise science is not your full-time job. It is, however, the occupation of a personal trainer — and ours are exceptionally good at it.

Our trainers are all certified with years of experience before they come to work for us, and then trained in our methods and proven strategies for helping you get the best results possible.

Why does this matter? Because it eliminates this common scenario:

You arrive at the gym and look around. You see the treadmill, elliptical machine, rowing machine, stationary bikes, and a hundred unique weight machines. Which do you choose? What should you focus on: weight training or cardio? Then there are all the questions you’ve had. Are you eating enough carbs? Too many? Is your regular lunch of hummus and celery helping or hurting you? Why haven’t you lost weight? And you don’t know where to begin.

This is when the knowledge of a personal trainer becomes valuable! Imagine having all of these questions answered for you, specifically about YOU, and by someone who KNOWS YOU!

Imagine not having to Google the answers to your questions, and imagine feeling comfortable trying new exercises because you have someone there to help you.

So yes, having a personal trainer is more expensive than going to the gym on your own, however, we know how incredibly valuable your trainer’s knowledge is. Remember, you aren’t just paying for their time, but for their years of experience, expertise, and training.

Personal Plans

A gym membership is access to gym equipment. But a personal trainer is access to a unique, dynamic fitness plan developed around your goals and preferences.

You aren’t like everyone else so your body needs a specific plan for how to lose weight or become more physically fit. Yes, you can go to the gym and work out, and if you manage to keep going on your own, you may eventually see some results. But accomplishing your goals comes much, much faster when you have a personal trainer that’s developing a plan specifically for you.

Some of the things our trainers take into account when they develop a personalized plan just for you.

• Your current stage of life (whether you aren’t sleeping much, working a lot)
• Whether you are dealing with any health issues or managing a chronic disease like diabetes
• If you have any injuries you’re recovering from or that you should modify your routine to accommodate
• Your food preferences and allergies
• Your schedule
• What your goals are (lose weight, bulk up, build endurance)
• Your body type
• Your current fitness level
• Your exercise preferences, strengths, and weaknesses
• What mindset struggles you are dealing with

Almost every single thing on this list has the potential to derail your fitness goals immediately if you’re on your own.

But a personal trainer knows how to balance all of these preferences and lifestyle considerations so you have a much better chance of sticking with your goals.

Your personal plan will include exercises that meet and challenge (without overwhelming) your current fitness level. It will include suggestions for dietary changes you can implement to support your goals. We’ll also make sure you know what to do when you’re on your own, whether that’s at home or at the gym, so you don’t lose momentum between your sessions.

Having a fitness professional develop a specific plan just for you is worth far more than going to the gym without a plan.

Not all personal trainers are created equal.

We do have one caveat to add: Not all personal trainers are the same. So it’s possible that personal training CAN be a waste of your time and money, and not worth it at all.

So how do you make sure your personal training budget is well spent? Consider these qualifications when choosing a personal trainer:

1. 1. Look for a training company that’s ‘boutique.’ We know that huge gyms with dozens of trainers are likely not providing quality personal training. In many cases, these facilities have quick turnover of staff and aren’t providing the same level of personal care that a smaller, more focused personal training company can.
      At First Class Personal Training, we have many long-term staff who are invested in the success of their clients. We spend all our time and energy on personal training — it’s not just a part of our business: it IS our business, and we take it very seriously.

• Find a trainer that’s certified. You’ll want to find a trainer who is a CPT (Certified Personal Trainer). These trainers aren’t just fitness enthusiasts or cross-fit competitors. They are qualified, educated professionals who are capable of giving you critical, expert guidance.
  At First Class Personal Training, all our trainers are CPTs and are prepared to help you no matter where you are in your fitness journey.

If you really want to know if a personal trainer is worth it, give us a call or contact us for a free consultation where we can discuss your goals and explain how we can help you.

Each of our trainers is an expert in a specific area, so it’s likely we have someone on our staff who is uniquely qualified to work with you! We’d love to hear from you and help you take the next steps to finally reach your health and fitness goals.

July 5, 2021