Do I Really Need a Personal Trainer?

You may have wondered if you really need a personal trainer to get in great shape and achieve the body of your dreams. You have probably seen people working with trainers at your commercial gym or know people who have them. In some cases, it almost seems like a status symbol to say you have one, as if it were a sign of wealth or commitment. However, the personal training industry has its limitations, and thanks to the wealth of knowledge available online mostly for free, in-person personal training is starting to make less and less sense. 

Though there are cases where personal training with a skilled personal trainer can be beneficial for specific goals, the majority of individuals simply need the drive to learn and get into shape to be able to achieve personal fitness. Learning the principles of health and fitness through mostly free online resources will provide a longer lasting foundation that will last you longer than an 8-week personal training package for example.

The Problem With Personal Trainers

Some of the main issues we see today with trainers are inexperience and commercialization. Nowadays, someone can start getting fit or maybe just be genetically blessed to be thin and decide they want to be a personal trainer. They take a 6-month online course and pass a test and boom they are a personal trainer. Suddenly they become more qualified “on paper” than the person in the gym with an amazing physique that has been lifting and learning for 20 years! So you have to be careful and choose a trainer that is both qualified educationally but also has the life experience and passion to help you.

Commercial gyms have also given trainers a bad name. These are generally those with less experience yet are certified on paper. These are the trainers that most have contact with unfortunately. And the gyms are forcing them to become more like salespeople than trainers. They stand there at the entrance trying to get people to agree to a free training session where it’s their job in those 30 min to make them feel that they need a trainer by pointing out where they need to improve and saying how they can fix it. Then they assume the sale asking which plan they want to do.

This isn’t really the trainer’s fault. They are given quotas and bonuses based on how many people they sign up so they are just trying to earn a living. However, they will never just give someone the advice they really need in that free session. Businesswise it just wouldn’t make sense.

There are certainly trainers that don’t fit this mold but generally they are more solo trainers that work with clients. And though they are running a business as well, since they are their own bosses they are at liberty to train and teach how they feel is best. These trainers are generally more experienced as well.

Why You Don’t Need a Personal Trainer

Though there are people that can benefit from a personal trainer, I wanted to go over why you don’t really need one if you are looking to get into shape.

1. There is a wealth of knowledge available online: Back in the day, you needed more one-on-one help from trainers because it was hard to find fitness knowledge elsewhere other than magazines. Nowadays, there is SO much knowledge available even for free online via websites, blogs, YouTube, social media, etc. Because why use a personal trainer when you can just learn the knowledge required to train yourself for the rest of your life for free? There are popular websites such as bodybuilding.com which even give free routines and meal plans and you can purchase other things of course. They even have a detailed YouTube page showing how to perform nearly any exercise. You can also google just about anything. Another great resource is Jimstoppani.com however they are a subscription website. It ends up being about $12 a month, so much cheaper than a trainer, yet you get a whole database of expertly designed programs and an app to use with it in the gym. They have a free YouTube as well. They even have their own supplement brand at Jymsupplementscience.com if you want to take your training to the next level! There are so many resources available for little to no money that can help you along your path which don’t require a traditional trainer, so give them a try!
2. It is not sustainable: Often if you don’t have a quality trainer that cares about your long-term growth, you will have one that simply gives you exercises to do but doesn’t teach you necessary skills to progress without them. They don’t want you to because that’s how they lose money. So what happens is the trainer motivates you and gives you a routine but maybe you are no longer able to pay or move out of the area and don’t have a trainer anymore. You then don’t know what to do and you start training less or stop altogether. You go backwards a lot faster than you go forwards when it comes to your body. So you may then lose all of the progress you made while you were with a trainer making it a waste of your time mostly. And they can be expensive. On average, trainers charge $60 an hour so if you have just two one-hour sessions a week, you are paying $480 a month. Most people don’t have that kind of extra money laying around or can’t keep it up for very long. If you can find a trainer that will actually teach you skills that you can take with you, great! If they just want you to depend on them, move along.
3. You know yourself best: Trainers will always advertise “personalized training plans” when what they really are just templates that they reuse and slightly tweak depending on the client. No trainer has the time to create a completely custom plan for every client. What this means is that maybe that routine isn’t really the best for you and your goals. Maybe the diet is made up of foods you don’t buy or enjoy. This could make it difficult to enjoy your program or see results. If you learn the principles of diet and fitness, you can make a much better workout and diet plan for yourself based on your strengths and weaknesses. (See also How to Create Your Own Gym Routine) 

Who Could Benefit From a Personal Trainer?

Now I know I’ve spoken a lot about if you really need a personal trainer, but that doesn’t mean no one could benefit from one. There are certainly great trainers out there and people who could use a personal trainer for their situation or goals. Here are some people who could benefit from a personal trainer:

Those who struggle to motivate themselves: This is probably the biggest one. Some people just need or prefer someone there cheering them on and getting themselves out of bed for the next workout. This is more important for new gym goers. So maybe try it until you have the discipline to motivate yourself without a trainer.

Those who have plenty of money to spare: If money isn’t an issue, by all means pay for a trainer and save yourself some work. It certainly won’t hurt you to have a trainer so if it doesn’t seem expensive for you, go for it.

Those who prefer not to think about it: Many don’t want to take the time to learn about fitness themselves or build their own routines and that’s why they opt for a trainer. If you have a busy life and really don’t want to think about it, try a trainer.

Those who want to compete: Almost all who compete in bodybuilding or physique competitions have a trainer. However, these are trainers who specialize in those types of competitions and design more personalized and intense diets and routines that you won’t just find online. They also teach other concepts such as posing and motivate their clients to keep going through extreme programs.

So do you really need a personal trainer? If you aren’t competing, probably not, but it can certainly be nice if you can afford it and don’t want to think much about your fitness plan. But for those who are seriously motivated to achieve long-term results and fitness, take advantage of the plethora of resources available and become your own best trainer!