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Personal Trainer- worth it?
Posted on 11/13/25 at 5:16 am
Posted on 11/13/25 at 5:16 am
I’ve been considering for years engaging a personal trainer to help me hit my fitness goals.
Curious if anyone has experience using one and if they’re worth it. What should I look for or ask about to determine a good fit?
Curious if anyone has experience using one and if they’re worth it. What should I look for or ask about to determine a good fit?
8
Posted on 11/13/25 at 5:18 am to Quatre Pot
What are your goals?
What are your current measurements?
Hiring someone for your diet and food could be more beneficial than a fitness trainer
What are your current measurements?
Hiring someone for your diet and food could be more beneficial than a fitness trainer
Posted on 11/13/25 at 5:45 am to pwejr88
Currently 6-3 250 at 42.
Trying to get back from a pretty rough accident and build muscle before it’s too late
Would like to get to 230
Trying to get back from a pretty rough accident and build muscle before it’s too late
Would like to get to 230
Posted on 11/13/25 at 7:22 am to Quatre Pot
A personal trainer might be useful for a short time if you are intimidated by the gym and can’t learn proper lifting form on your own. What you really need is the discipline to eat a lot less and a lot healthier.
1800-2000 calories per day tracked religiously. Focus your meals on protein (better if it’sa lean protein). Eat some rice or potatoes with your protein. Mix in veggies and fruit.
Eliminate fried food, added sugars, bread, and alcohol.
Lift 3-4 days per week. Walk 10,000 steps per day minimum.
230 is a good intermediate goal, but I suggest closer to 190-195 as a long term goal.
1800-2000 calories per day tracked religiously. Focus your meals on protein (better if it’sa lean protein). Eat some rice or potatoes with your protein. Mix in veggies and fruit.
Eliminate fried food, added sugars, bread, and alcohol.
Lift 3-4 days per week. Walk 10,000 steps per day minimum.
230 is a good intermediate goal, but I suggest closer to 190-195 as a long term goal.
Posted on 11/13/25 at 7:26 am to Quatre Pot
quote:
Would like to get to 230
Baw you need to lose much more than that. 50 pounds minimum.
Posted on 11/13/25 at 9:17 am to Quatre Pot
The most popular trainer at my gym has trained chicks in fitness competitions. But most of his clients are just soft women with clearly shitty diets. So, YMMV.
You're using not having a trainer as an excuse, though. Considering a trainer for years? You probably spent less time buying your last truck than you have navel gazing about a trainer.
Pick someone that gives you diet advice and exercises you think you can sustain. Give it two months. Switch if you don't like. You're out $300 if it doesn't work out. The next right move is just to take a step.
You're using not having a trainer as an excuse, though. Considering a trainer for years? You probably spent less time buying your last truck than you have navel gazing about a trainer.
Pick someone that gives you diet advice and exercises you think you can sustain. Give it two months. Switch if you don't like. You're out $300 if it doesn't work out. The next right move is just to take a step.
Posted on 11/13/25 at 9:29 am to Quatre Pot
Depends on the PT and if you have your eye on the ball.
For years at my gym I watched a female PT pick the pocket of overweight women who were only to happy to give her their money. This chick was a 10/10, absolutely perfect. She looked exactly the way the big girls wanted to look.
The scam was she would put them on a restrictive diet to start them mostly with cardio. First month fat women lost weight and everyone was so happy. Then she cut back on the diet and they started doing "strength" training on machines, no cardio. Second month fat women put the weight back, everyone was sad.
So back and forth like that for years in some cases. Why? they were best friends and no way would ol girl could be working them over.
There is no money in it for the trainer if you get to goal in 60-90 days (and you probably can).
You can do this yourself and save money.
For years at my gym I watched a female PT pick the pocket of overweight women who were only to happy to give her their money. This chick was a 10/10, absolutely perfect. She looked exactly the way the big girls wanted to look.
The scam was she would put them on a restrictive diet to start them mostly with cardio. First month fat women lost weight and everyone was so happy. Then she cut back on the diet and they started doing "strength" training on machines, no cardio. Second month fat women put the weight back, everyone was sad.
So back and forth like that for years in some cases. Why? they were best friends and no way would ol girl could be working them over.
There is no money in it for the trainer if you get to goal in 60-90 days (and you probably can).
You can do this yourself and save money.
Posted on 11/13/25 at 10:13 am to Quatre Pot
This is going to sound crazy but it’s true:
This forum is your personal trainer for now.
Most you would need from a personal trainer has already been talked about on here. Search through topics and if you can’t find something, start a thread asking about it. Everyone on here loves giving real advice from proven methods.
The advice here can be as beginner, intermediate, or advanced as you like or feel comfortable with but the gym, although crucial for success, is a distant second to diet.
For me and your current situation…
Start easy and make diet the priority. If you can’t make diet changes the gym won’t change your body like you want it to. Start by tracking your daily calories, aim for 1,800-2,000, and get some Premier Protein shakes. Hit 150g of protein a day as you make your way to a goal of 200g a day. Stop drinking sugar in coffee, tea, soft drinks, and alcohol. In the gym, just pick a body part and go work it out for 40 minutes then spend 20 minutes walking on treadmill. Do it all for 4 days a week.
If you can do the above for two weeks you will see some early benefits and can take it to the next step like specific gym routines.
I will add that for me… the gym is what changed my diet. I spent a year trying to out-work a bad diet before I finally gave up and changed my eating habits. Killing it in the gym, and not having results was very depressing. If I would’ve listened to people’s advice sooner, I wouldn’t have wasted so much time
This forum is your personal trainer for now.
Most you would need from a personal trainer has already been talked about on here. Search through topics and if you can’t find something, start a thread asking about it. Everyone on here loves giving real advice from proven methods.
The advice here can be as beginner, intermediate, or advanced as you like or feel comfortable with but the gym, although crucial for success, is a distant second to diet.
For me and your current situation…
Start easy and make diet the priority. If you can’t make diet changes the gym won’t change your body like you want it to. Start by tracking your daily calories, aim for 1,800-2,000, and get some Premier Protein shakes. Hit 150g of protein a day as you make your way to a goal of 200g a day. Stop drinking sugar in coffee, tea, soft drinks, and alcohol. In the gym, just pick a body part and go work it out for 40 minutes then spend 20 minutes walking on treadmill. Do it all for 4 days a week.
If you can do the above for two weeks you will see some early benefits and can take it to the next step like specific gym routines.
I will add that for me… the gym is what changed my diet. I spent a year trying to out-work a bad diet before I finally gave up and changed my eating habits. Killing it in the gym, and not having results was very depressing. If I would’ve listened to people’s advice sooner, I wouldn’t have wasted so much time
This post was edited on 11/13/25 at 10:18 am
Posted on 11/13/25 at 10:56 am to Quatre Pot
Main reason to hire a personal trainer, unless you're getting some kind of sports-specific training (you aren't), is for accountability and motivation. A lot of people need someone to hold them accountable and to keep them returning to the gym (plus, sinking the money into it acts as another accountability level). My wife does group fitness for this reason. The social group of people asking, "Where were you Monday morning?" helps her to stay motivated.
As others said, I would also get one who is interested in your diet and will help you with that, even if that's an "add-on" that you can opt out of once they teach you how to track calories and eat properly.
All that being said: the amount of people I see paying for a session who spend the majority of that time flapping their jaws with the trainer instead of actually putting in work is insane. It seems like they're paying for a friend to talk to them while they pretend to lift weights more than someone who is actually going to put them to work.
As others said, I would also get one who is interested in your diet and will help you with that, even if that's an "add-on" that you can opt out of once they teach you how to track calories and eat properly.
All that being said: the amount of people I see paying for a session who spend the majority of that time flapping their jaws with the trainer instead of actually putting in work is insane. It seems like they're paying for a friend to talk to them while they pretend to lift weights more than someone who is actually going to put them to work.
Posted on 11/13/25 at 11:05 am to hogfly
Personal trainers people can afford suck arse and the personal trainers that would actually provide you value are either really expensive or not taking new clients
Posted on 11/13/25 at 12:46 pm to WDE24
quote:
A personal trainer might be useful for a short time if you are intimidated by the gym and can’t learn proper lifting form on your own. What you really need is the discipline to eat a lot less and a lot healthier.
Yep. They are great if you really don't have much experience working out or really struggle with pushing yourself when you do workout. Ultimately though, you can learn the workouts they have you do and if you can do them yourself, there isn't a huge need for one after that.
Plenty get a good return out of them, but like most services, there are good and bad trainers out there too.
Posted on 11/13/25 at 1:07 pm to Quatre Pot
For most of my life I would have said, "no-you can do it yourself." And I always did.
But, a couple of years ago, after my kids were born, I got serious about my health. I can handle the food side. But accountability in my workouts and staying motivated to keep up my physical activity because of my high hour, high stress job was the difficult part. So I hired a PT.
It was the best health decision I ever made. He creates the workouts. He calls for accountability when I am in the gym, out of town with dumbbells I now travel with, and in cycling, which he got me in to. He knows I am a Type A, goals-oriented person, so he knows what buttons to push to get the most out of me.
It is expensive, no doubt. But I have probably saved money by drastically cutting back on drinking and not running with that crowd anymore and not eating out so much (not taking into account an expensive cycling habit
). And the price to be healthy and to live a better (and hopefully longer) life for my kids is invaluable. I am in the best shape of my life now. I told my wife that some guys get a divorce, girlfriends, and fast cars as a result of their midlife crisis. I got a gym habit and a fast bike. And she's fine with that.
But, a couple of years ago, after my kids were born, I got serious about my health. I can handle the food side. But accountability in my workouts and staying motivated to keep up my physical activity because of my high hour, high stress job was the difficult part. So I hired a PT.
It was the best health decision I ever made. He creates the workouts. He calls for accountability when I am in the gym, out of town with dumbbells I now travel with, and in cycling, which he got me in to. He knows I am a Type A, goals-oriented person, so he knows what buttons to push to get the most out of me.
It is expensive, no doubt. But I have probably saved money by drastically cutting back on drinking and not running with that crowd anymore and not eating out so much (not taking into account an expensive cycling habit
). And the price to be healthy and to live a better (and hopefully longer) life for my kids is invaluable. I am in the best shape of my life now. I told my wife that some guys get a divorce, girlfriends, and fast cars as a result of their midlife crisis. I got a gym habit and a fast bike. And she's fine with that. This post was edited on 11/13/25 at 1:16 pm
Posted on 11/13/25 at 5:34 pm to Quatre Pot
Good work out partners are probably more valuable than trainers.
Someone who with a good attitude, consistent, won’t miss, and help keep you accountable. And you for him.
Someone who with a good attitude, consistent, won’t miss, and help keep you accountable. And you for him.
Posted on 11/13/25 at 7:51 pm to Wee Ice Mon
quote:
Good work out partners are probably more valuable than trainers.
I want to use a new gym but I’ve got a good group of people that I lift with now at my gym.
Posted on 11/13/25 at 8:08 pm to Quatre Pot
I have one through work and I love it. Idk if id pay for him but its nice having all my workouts programmed and somebody to push me to do stuff I wouldn't normally do. Plus after 5 years we are buddies and verbally abuse each other for the entire hour every day.
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