FITNESS TRAINING: ARTICLES

(How) Does Personal Training Help?
By John Donadini

A new year, a fresh start. This is an exciting time of year, a time to set new goals and re-evaluate old ones. It’s a time of new opportunities and possibilities. If getting into better shape is one of your goals, you are not alone. Many people resolve to get fit in the new year. Many use their own tired and true routines, but many will consider a personal trainer to try to make this the year that sticks. If this rings a bell for you, you may be wondering: what exactly does a personal trainer do to make a difference? Is it worth it? Can’t I do it on my own?

Perhaps the most important question to address when considering a personal trainer is your fitness goal. What do you want to occur? Something drastic? Don’t answer too quickly. For many, simply exercising for a total of three hours a week for a period of months would be a drastic, if not dramatic success. If you fall into the category of people who have in the past decided, and then forgotten to make exercise part of their life, a fitness professional will certainly have a very positive impact. Most trainers agree that the habit of exercising regularly must be in place before any real changes occur, and failure to recognize this will keep any other objective, larger arms, smaller waist, better posture, more energy, etc., frustratingly out of reach. It’s harder to blow off your workouts when another party is involved, and most trainers come complete with varieties of different workouts to keep things from getting stale. Regular appointments with your trainer are the best way to establish and solidify the workout habit.

If your habit is in place, but the result is not what you wanted or expected, consider the next question: Where did your workout come from, and how up to date is it?

Fitness and health magazines are often loaded with useful knowledge compiled by qualified experts, but it is generic information that is not tailored to your specific needs. Friends and relatives who are in excellent shape may be happy to show you what worked for them, but they may not understand why it worked for them, or why it might not work for you. The workouts you see in magazines don’t consider your painful knees, lower back, or your tendency for shin. Since they weren’t written with you in mind, these workouts are likely to be too aggressive, not intense enough, or even the wrong type of intensity. A complete evaluation, or re-evaluation by a trainer will keep your workouts on track by tailoring your program to your body’s strengths, weaknesses, and imbalances so you can correct imbalances and avoid injury and workout at the appropriate level.

Another important benefit to personal training is exercise progression. Even the ideal workout will get stale and ineffective. Your trainer can gear your program for future changes and progressions. You may find that it’s actually easier to continue your new healthy habit when you establish new goals. To reach these, new workouts designed to shock your body are necessary. Personal trainers use specialized personal trainers for this reason.

This isn’t to say that all training experiences will be completely positive. It may help to have some idea of what type of trainer you need. Do you need someone to keep you focused, or would it be better to have someone whose personality will relax you and lighten things up? The right person can bridge the gap between you and even the most aggressive goal. Talk the process over with a trainer that you like. As with any project, two heads are usually better than one. A little teamwork can make the difference between your good health and another well-intentioned resolution that doesn’t resolve anything.