A UCLA study comparing self-training versus working with a personal trainer showed the PT-trained group gained over 2.5 pounds of lean muscle mass versus no gains in the self-trained group. They also lost twice the body fat and did it in less time every week.
If you’re asking yourself, “Do I need a personal trainer to stay motivated?”, you’re not alone. But motivation is only one piece of the puzzle. Let’s look at 7 reasons you should work with a personal trainer.
Table of Contents
1. Education
A personal trainer will help educate you about your health and fitness as well as creating a plan for you to follow. It’s one thing to know what to do but it’s just as important – if not more so – to know why you’re doing it.
A trainer can help you understand how your workout plan fits together with your diet and why you’re doing the specific things you’re doing.
2. Avoid Injuries
If you don’t know how to use the equipment in your gym or you don’t take time to rest so your body can recover from your workouts, you can end up with injuries. They could be minor annoyances or they could sideline you for weeks or even months.
A personal trainer can help you avoid these by ensuring you’re not overworking yourself and you’re using the equipment correctly.
3. Motivation and Accountability
One of the biggest benefits of hiring a personal trainer is having someone to keep you motivated and accountable. When you’re doing it on your own, it’s easy to decide to skip the gym for a day. If you’re not careful, a day can become a week, a week can become a month, and you end up back where you started.
4. Personalize Your Workouts
When you’re training on your own, it’s easy to find a workout in a magazine or online and follow that but those workouts aren’t necessarily the best plan for you. A personal trainer will be able to develop a customized plan that suits your body, skillset, lifestyle, and preferences.
5. You’ll Be Challenged
When you’re working out on your own, it’s easy to let yourself fall into a routine that isn’t pushing you to extend yourself. A personal trainer will help you see what you’re capable of and push you a little bit further to get better gains, more quickly.
6. Mix Things Up
Once you’ve been following a fitness routine for a while, it can start to feel stale and boring. That can lead to less motivation to get into the gym or plateaus in your gains. A personal trainer will be able to offer a variety of workouts that all help you work towards your goal but by doing so in new and interesting ways.
7. Customized Training Plan
If you’re training with a particular goal in mind, such as a 5K race or half-marathon, your personal trainer will help you develop a training plan to prepare you for that target. They’ll know what’s required to reach that goal and what you don’t need to focus on while getting prepared.
Do I Need a Personal Trainer?
Most people who are working on their fitness to get healthier end up asking do I need a personal trainer? The bottom line is you don’t need one but by working with one you’ll reach your goals faster, you’ll be more likely to avoid injury, and you’ll be more likely to stick with it for the long-term.
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