I have an appointment to see the head trainer at the new fancy gym I am thinking of upgrading to on Monday. We will asses my current fitness level and go from there I guess.

Really, what I want is someone to show me how to do things properly, so that I can have the confidence to do it on my own. I am not looking for a long term commitment to a trainer (I SOOOO cannot afford that, at 50-80 bucks an hour!)

Have any of you had a personal trainer?

How much did it cost?

Did you feel you got your moneys worth?

How often did you go?

Do you wish your trainer had done anything differently?

Questions I should ask?

I've used personal trainers off and on over the years. My first continuous personal trainer (multiple sessions over a year) was a former competitive body builder and she was awesome. She taught me a lot about weights.

Right now, I'm using a personal trainer on a weekly basis. She is a former trainer of professional and collegiate athletes. She definitely knows how to modify workouts though for those that aren't in top physical shape. One thing I like about her is she pushes me harder than I can push myself.

How much did it cost?
It definitely varies, usually the gym sets the price of personal trainers within the gym. Right now, I pay $60 session.

Did you feel you got your moneys worth?
For my personal trainer right now, definitely. I've had 'introductory' sessions with personal trainers and some have been good, some not so much. Some personal trainers are willing to put you from machine to machine, counting reps for you. If you find a personal trainer that helps you push yourself, I think it is worth it. If you were going for just a couple sessions, you'd want someone who would help you build out a plan and check your form.

How often did you go?
Right now, I go once per week.

Do you wish your trainer had done anything differently?
With the intro free session ones, I think it would've been nice if they had varied the workouts beyond the machines in the gym and provided a variety of options.

Questions I should ask?
For you, I think you should just lay out your expectations. Tell them what you want and what you hope to get from them. Also, if you like the personal trainer, you may want to try to schedule another session in a few months.

Thanks nelie, just the sort of response I was hoping for

I tried to lay out my expectations as best as I could when I initially contacted them, but I will be sure to make it clear that I really am just looking for some help getting going, not a full on training program. Monday is the day so we will see how it goes! After having to cut my gym day short yesterday because so many machines were full and or broken, I am starting to really look forward to the new fancy gym. Not to mention a steam room!! I may just never leave. I do feel though that with the hefty price tag, I will be far far less inclined to skip a day ever!

I hired a personal trainer to show me how to lift weights properly (correct form and choosing weights). I wanted to gain muscle strength to get stronger and burn fat.

I paid about $60 per hour but it was worth every penny. He was a weight lifter and we ran through several standard weight lifting exercises. The right form is important to prevent injury.

He did overestimate the initial weight I could handle, but quickly compensated.

Decide what kind of exercises you want to do and then have the trainer run you through them for form. If you can get several workouts designed, you can change them up every few weeks.

I signed up for a 12 week into program. She understood my money concerns (as in - I don't have 300 bucks to drop today!) So they were flexible and I am able to pay per session.

She will create 12 different routines for me, and we will train together for half an hour every Monday, and I will continue the routine on my own, Wednesdays and Fridays.

I think this will give me the best bang for my limited buck.

We did a sample workout yesterday and I definitely feel it!! No doubt about that.

Sometimes the expense is the best motivator. I paid my gym/pool membership for three months yesterday so that I would go & not throw away that $125.

Keep us posted. A trainer is something I'm considering trying out.

Using the high price tag as motivation was definitely part of my justification for spending so much! Are there trainers at the gym you go to? If so, I'd ask them if they could do a sampler with you? See if it's what you're looking for.

EXPECT up-sells!!

I use the community leisure complex, which I expect is similar to your YMCA, but I know that there are trainers that work out of the gym there. Can't hurt to test the waters.

Go for it!!

and I'd love to tell you it doesn't hurt. It's 2 days later and muscles I didn't know existed still hurt. Totally worth it though

Now that I have only one session left of my "Intro Package" I thought I'd come back to this and post a little update!

What I got was a 12 week into package, each just half hour sessions, basically a quick warm up, quick circuit and some cool down.

My goal was to learn HOW to use the free weights and a few machines that I wasn't already familiar with. I wanted to be confident and comfortable using free weights, and have proper form! Each week has been a different set of exercises. Some body weight, some using the TRX, some using cable machines and everything else with free weights. Every day was a total body workout too, while it wasn't the MOST challenging, it was more about learning than pushing hard. Which was ok, because I then took what I learned and pushed myself!

My trainer was FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC. Super supportive, funny, and friendly and able to modify things that just weren't working for me. If I had unlimited amounts of money, I'd give it all to her to have her train me forever! It was a really fun time.

Personal Trainers are expensive. Like REALLY expensive. 25-60 bucks an hour. I'm thankful that I was able to pay per session, it really made it manageable for me! I'm curious to know how much of that money makes it to the trainer and how much the gym gets.... That being said, I feel as though I got my moneys worth. I think I'm worth it. 110 dollars a month is quite a bit of money to spend on fitness though. My wallet is happy this is over don't get me wrong!

I would recommend at the very least, trying it out. Start with the most basic, free/cheap deal you can find and see if it works for you. Most importantly, finding a trainer that works for you! You are not going to have a good time if you hate the person you are trying to work with!

Anyway.

Totally. Worth. It!