Personal trainer?

dancing in the gray started this discussion · 9/20/2012

So here's the deal. I'm feeling very stuck in my pole journey due to my weight. Having a hard time gaining the arm and back strength I need for controlled inverts because I can't hold the extra weight up. I have cleaned up my diet and joined a gym. My question is: is hiring a personal trainer worth the money? For 1 session a week, I would be paying nearly $200/month, which is roughly what I pay in pole class cost. I need to realistically lose 40-50 lbs, and I have a hard time isolating certain muscle groups. For example, I don't engage my abs the right way during leg lifts, or when I do anything on my stomach that requires my butt to be in the air, so I get shooting pain in my lower back. Chiro and PT says that it's from tight glutes and hip flexors because they are compensating for my abs. I know that with accountability, I can make having a trainer work for me and help better me for pole. But is it worth the crazy expense for one day a week?

14 replies

reenie aka Mysfit · 9/20/2012
Hey there....I am a Personal Trainer, so I thought I would share my thoughts... First---I don't see 40-50lbs to lose on that frame of yours in your profile picture.....are you sure you aren't just being over critical of yourself? At quick glance....with a small pic like that---I would say you are about 5ft 3 or 4in and 130-140lbs? Second-- $50/hr is a decent rate. As trainers, for every hour we train a client, we average about an hour of background work... When I take a new client on, designing their initial program(which is reviewed and changed as needed) takes me about 2hrs.....after every training session, I take notes in their files......this may take 10-30mins depending on the type of session. I also communicate with them daily when needed to motivate them, help them when they are having a bad food day, and just need an ear. They also get home programs to work with on the days they do not come to see me. You may want to look at this more from this point--- If you are wanting to lose 40-50lbs (to do it safely) will likely take 6 months to a year. I encourage no more than 1-2lbs per week. We achieve this by causing a calorie deficit and exercise. A pound is worth 3500 calories. so---I usually have them lose 250-500 calories/day by food and exercise to work off the other. It varies from client to client...especially those with health issues. I send them to a registered dietician if they need/want meal planning. I am not certified or qualified as a BCRPA Personal Trainer to offer anything outside of nutrition counselling. Food is tricky and messing with it can cause a whole lot of problems. I am currently enrolled in the Cory Holly Institute to complete a certification diploma that will allow me to provide meal planning...but even then---I will still refer Special Pops (diabetes, Celiacs etc..) off to a dietician. A trainer will alleviate the imbalances you have described between glutes, hip flexors etc...and assist you in achieving the goals you want. My suggestions-- Meet with the trainer and take questions. Everything you want to know....from contract details, sickness/injury related absence, length of time etc... Listen to your spidey senses.....If you aren't comfortable with them.....interview someone else. You need to like this person, be comfortable with them...........you will have a fair amount of contact with them. If you have any questions....let me know. I can share my thoughts and perspectives....There are several of us on here that are Personal Trainers---Veena herself! Hugs reenie
dancing in the gray · 9/20/2012
Thanks for your response! I am 5'2, and it makes me feel pretty awesome to know I can hide my weight in photos lol. But in all seriousness, if I lost 50 lbs, I would still be considered "overweight" on the BMI chart. I know that's not the be all, end all, but I really do need to lose the weight to be healthy. The trainer I would be using would be from LA fitness. They told me to book a session with each trainer so I could see who I mesh with the best. If Ican't make an appointment, my missed classes roll over so I don't lose them. I got a really good vibe from the gym, the sales person, and the GM who I had a conversation with. It's just a lot of money, which I'm sure a good trainer deserves! My brother works in exercise physiology so he would definitely be able to help me, but our schedules are hard to mesh so that's why I was even considering this as an option. I can't really afford anything more than $150-160/month, so I am going to see if they can work with me on price at all. I really want to do this, but I am also trying to pay off the rest of my credit card debt, student loans, and I am heading into slow season at work where my paychecks get cut in half.
Veena · 9/20/2012
Hi Dancing in the gray! First please don't judge your weight/health by the BMI only.....or even just a scale. We all have very different body types, and being healthy, is the MOST important thing. The scale and BMI are just tools and they don't always give us the full picture! There are very unhealthy thin people and very healthy "overweight"<---- says BMI. Eating right, and exercising should be the goal. Thin doesn't = heath. Reenie is correct about how fast weight loss should be. ......Anyway the rate for a trainer you posted, is pretty standard and finding a trainer you feel comfortable with is very important. Just like pole instructors, your trainer should be able to give you several options if you find an exercise they've given hurts or doesn't work for you. They should be able to give you cues as to how you can get the most out of every exercise. Small adjustments can made a big difference! If the trainer just tells you "do this, like this" and sits there looking around at others, not giving you the attention or direction you need find someone else. I was wondering if you have ever taken the lesson here? I have a lot of conditioning and stretching that could possibly help you with your imbalance! There have been member who have seen great results by doing these exercises here. 🌸
muroo · 9/20/2012
Down with BMI! I'm pretty sure I'm going to spend my entire life in the overweight category, and people still call me tiny. :-) Have you tried classes at the gym too? I've found that just taking the same group exercise classes every week and having the instructor and other people get to know you (even if only by face) was enough. I liked to take the strength classes where they'd still comment on your form which you could carry over to doing weight sessions alone. There's usually a big range of abilities in these classes too so I'd feel comfortable trying something new. But I'm not knocking personal trainers. :-) Just saying it could be a supplemental thing. Cameraderie online, and in gym classes!
Charley · 9/20/2012
I wouldn't spend $200/ week on a personal trainer but I would do is look into cross training at a gym. Do you have a Planet Fitness neariby? I go to PF and they have a 30 minute course set up and you basically use the machines for a minute and then do a min of cardio. They have a PT on staff that will go over how to use the equipment, how much to do, how much weight, etc. I second classes too - are there any bootcamps nearby? I never liked the thought of having to cross train for pole but during my practice for midwest I was pretty artist blocked and just couldn't focus so I took to the gym and found that I LOVED it! I'd get on the treadmill listen to music and dream of pole dancing. I got really excited when I saw my body changing and getting stronger and more flexible. Everyday I went to the gym I felt like I had done something good for myself. My friend has been doing time with a PT because she travels a lot and can't always pole and she's kept all of her tricks. So cross training has it's place and it did make her pole work better - she was able to go longer and with the added strength she was more confident in doing things.
dancing in the gray · 9/20/2012
It's $180/month for one session a week. Breaks down to $45/session. I signed up today, hoping that it will help me out of my pole rut. I am also giving up 1 pole class/week (used to take 2 a week) and will be forced to use my pole at home now. But at least this way it will help me counter some of the cost. I am nervous/excited, but I do think that cross training is going to help with my pole journey. I'm hoping once I can drop 20-30 lbs, I can start poling 3x a week and really start to use some core strength so I have a less difficult time inverting. It's very hard right now to go to class and see people doing aerial inverts while I am still struggling to invert properly from the floor :(
Charley · 9/20/2012
@dancing in the gray - my girlfriend was the same way - a lot of her issues with inverting came from fear. She worked really hard to get it and the trainer has helped her build up strength for sure. Don't look at it as weight to lose, just look at goals - like "I want to feel strong in my invert." Make goals that have nothing to do with weight - that's just a number - make pole goals :) Trust me, I was using the gym with non pole goals and it wasn't fun, when I thought and focused on pole goals - I was super excited!!!!!
TansyRae · 9/21/2012
Do you have a local YMCA? I pay $75/month for the family (but it could be less depending on income) and they offer 6 free training sessions plus have trainers available if you need help. My Y has some awesome Yoga classes which have really improved my flexibility and balance. There is also a program that the Y calls "Move 2 Loose"...basically its 2 sessions a week for 12 weeks in a group-x environment. ...it costs about $150 depending on your location and if youre a Y member or not. Its not one on one but it gives me accountability because my self motivation is crap and still allows me money to budget for pole stuff. Might be another option to look in to....
Trixie Kicks · 9/22/2012
For what it's worth, LA Fitness can negotiate prices with you. I used to be a member there and I was able to haggle prices.
reenie aka Mysfit · 9/22/2012
A bit of food for thought... If you are going to try to negotiate pricing with a gym.... Please check to make sure that it is the GYM who is taking the cut and not the trainer....or that they at least have something in place to balance that out. In most cases---Trainers who are employed by gyms..............only get a portion of what you are actually getting charged for the sessions. If the average Training rate for one on one in your area is $50----the trainer is likely getting paid $20-$25/hour out of that. (the percentage split varies from gym to gym and areas) and depends on the level of certification and experience a trainer has. Here--Most trainers are charged out between $55-85/$90 per hour.........They only see half of what they are charged out at. Which works for some trainers as they don't have to worry about any huge overhead or capital costs/assets and they have a fairly steady stream of potential leads. I prefer being independent. I work damn hard and I will keep 100% of that....Being independent also gives me the flexibility to work in line with what my clients can afford. I am not being pushed by a corporation to constantly upsell them..... For every client a trainer works with----there is a good deal of extra work in the background that no one realizes exists. We are health care professionals and we keep health charts much the same as a Dr. After the initial consult, we spend several hours researching, developing and writing programs for each individual to ensure we can help them achieve their goals safely and without injury or incident. We also spend a good deal of money on gaining qualifications, experience and continuing education......all of these types of costs are and must be factored in. So, just sharing some food for thought.... If your boss walked up to you and told you he had negotiated your wage down because the new company/client he took on, didn't want to pay your wage hourly and you were never consulted or asked if this was okay with you.....You would likely tell him to jump off a bridge. I know trainers who have quit working in gyms for this very reason. It isn't that they were opposed to taking a bit of a cut---it was that they were never asked or consulted with.....corporate just decided that if anyone was taking the cut due to economic distress---it would be the trainers........not the the corporation.
JhennD · 9/23/2012
Have you paid for Veena's lessons? Are you a type (I am) that needs a specific place, time, person to be motivated to workout? Have you thought about the fun BodyRock.Tv website (FREE) other than some tools which you can modify. Cheers to you for taking a step, progress is progress, like the proverb states Its the journey, not the destination, that makes us who we are.
hookedonpole · 9/23/2012
I found a bootcamp workout place near me and tried it months ago. I LOVE it. I need a class to work as hard as I need to. I started private training once a week also and it is helping tremendously with strength, toning, balancing my body/muscles. The trainer knows I pole and is excited about strengthening me for it. My practice this weekend was wonderful as I felt a lot of strength improvement. Years ago I tried the gym thing with machines, etc. It didn't work for me. The bootcamp workout is awesome, using own body weight. If you look at my profile, you'll see I'm on the thin side, however, this summer I didn't work out much and had a fun time with road trips, etc which ended up a lot of "vacation eating." I got quite out of shape in my mid-section (middle-age also contributes), that's when I decided to start the private training and improve some eating habits. Hopefully you'll get a trainer that will meet your needs/goals and not just do the typical thing that everyone does. Oh, since I started poling years ago, I have tried to learn basic handstand. Friends, instructors, workshops have tried to help me, but I would panic and even get teary-eyed with fear. I just couldn't figure out how to hold myself up. My fitness trainer started me on handstands this past week. He saw how scared I was and talked with me for about 15-20 mintues to get me to trust him spotting me. I am not able to get all the way up by myself, BUT he spots me and gets me up to a wall and I can hold myself in handstand position!!!! That's due the strength training he has me on and I feel stronger...now I just need to learn technique to get myself up :) Long story short, I've heard cross-training helps with pole and it's true!! Like others said, look at it as getting stronger, fit, etc. the body changes will come. Keep us posted :)
JhennD · 9/23/2012
I was an infomercial exercise junkie. But I needed a place time and others to committ to. So I did bootcamp at my pole studio. Some instructors I gave them my Brazilian Butt Lift and Pilates and insanity discs to mix it up luv that they're being put to use by me one way or another. I want to get flexibility DVD but I know I need a class to attend (eye rolling) in order to actually do it. Whatever makes it work, works!
minicoopergrl · 9/24/2012
Im also a Planet Fitness Client. You can always book a session with a PT and they will work with you about creating a workout plan that you can use everytime you go in there. Plus its part of the membership package. After awhile and you need to change it up, you can book another appointment and adjust from there.