Walk into any gym and you can find equipment for every fitness goal, whether it’s endurance, muscle tone, weight loss, or flexibility. But how do you use it properly? And with this overwhelming selection of tools, which should you even choose?
With a personal trainer, you’ll have a guide who can help you not only define your goals for your workout regimen, but also follow through to reach them. A personal trainer is just as invested in your results as you are. They’ve completed their own training (and often certification) to provide others with reliable fitness and nutrition advice.
You can certainly watch YouTube tutorials or subscribe to fitness magazines to get the same information, but when it comes to demonstrating proper technique, nothing compares to a live person standing by to give you feedback. This can also be invaluable with more complex routines or machines to ensure proper use and avoid injury. With a specialized knowledge of anatomy, a personal trainer can help determine when you can do one more rep or you need to stop and allow yourself to rest.
Instructor-led classes provide a guided workout, and while many people find the group setting to be a helpful motivator, these classes often focus on only one activity (e.g., spinning or aerobics). Engaging with a personal trainer, on the other hand, offers limitless customization to your curriculum. You can incorporate different components into your routine and change them as needed, depending on what best suits your progress.
Lastly, a personal trainer doesn’t have to be a macho man (or woman) — nor do they generally expect you to be. Many focus on yoga, Pilates, and other specialties that are outside the typical “workout factory” environment. In a less crowded setting, you can more easily focus on listening to directions and your body’s response. Total immersion in the experience, in turn, enables your trainer to more quickly know the kind of teaching that suits you best.