Does this price for a physical trainer sound ridiculous?

[matrix124]

I had a free personal training session at a gym today. The trainer said he charges $20 per session, & for 3 times a week for a total 12 weeks, it would cost $720! Does this price seem outrageous, do you think it would be worth it? I could just join the gym for $25 a month ($300 a year). I really want to get in shape, but I don't want to spend a lot of money to do it. Are any of you fitness people, do you think having a physical trainer is worth the cost, or just joining a gym is enough? If I join the gym, I can have 24/7 access, & work out as long as I want. Thanks

[Theguyoverthere]

OK So here's the deal. Personal trainers work on commission. If they're in a gym, they get a cut per appointment. They usually sell their services in "packages." Now I go to the gym 5-6 days a week and honestly cannot recommend personal trainers based on what I see unless you know the trainer personally as a friend and know that he is into fitness.

To become a personal trainer at a gym all you really need is to pass a silly pen and paper test from a recognized agency. This explains why there are so many out of shape BS trainers out there. However, most personal trainers are just people who got into fitness, made a few results, got a few endorphin rushes, and suddenly think they're a know-it-all. You'll constantly see them commenting on YouTube videos criticizing people and they're the ones you do NOT want to call for a spot when weight training because they'll lecture the hell out of you and disrupt your sets and try to possibly ego train you.

Now, as you can probably tell, I'm really not a fan of personal trainers. I went through a free course like you did, and it was ok, but I didn't feel it was necessary in my case. If you have one that's good at motivating you and such, it's a maybe. But there's a lot of practices within the business I'm going to point out. The one big one many personal trainers do drag out their appointments to keep you coming back. They'll makeup these "programs" that take weeks to "prepare" you for exercises you can probably already do. They'll makeup these "3-4 week preparation programs" where you're just "preparing" for the real course. So that'd be roughly... $180-$240 right off the bat when you could've been put right onto the program they personally feel would help you out. But since they're on commission, they want you to keep going through all these appointments.

My personal recommendation, assess your specific goals and tackle them yourself. Look around online at possible ideas for routines you can follow on your own.

[matrix124]

Do you workout at a gym, do you feel like you get good results working out on your own?

[Theguyoverthere]

I do 5-6 days a week at my local gym. I've gotten great results and continue to do so without a personal trainer. Keep in mind I started out skinny so I was able to jump right into muscle building unlike others who have to burn a bunch of fat first.

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

$20 for personal 1 on 1 training? Yeah, that's a pretty good deal in terms of a personal trainer. It's also an indicator that he doesn't have a very large clientele because successful trainers charge $50+ per hour long sessions. It either means he hasn't been a personal trainer long, or he's not good enough to draw attention to himself.

If you can motivate yourself, you don't need a personal trainer. You just need a work out plan. If you can't motivate yourself and historically your fitness has lagged because you don't motivate yourself, personal trainers are extremely valuable. They have expectations for you-- they expect you to show up to the session you paid for, and you neither want to look bad to them or waste your money.. this solves your motivation problem.

Joining a gym does nothing for you.. it's just a tool you use to workout with. But if you want to workout you will, and if you don't you won't. Gym access won't affect your motivation. A personal trainer will, by giving you some amount of commitment and obligation.

I would suggest you try finding a workout routine that suits your goals and trying to stick to it. If you skip days, get a personal trainer because you lack the focus to do it on your own. If you don't skip days, a personal trainer will just be a waste of time and money.

You don't pay for a personal trainers scientific expertise-- trust me. They're just as dumb as the next guy and they're certification requirement is extremely brief, inexpensive testing. You pay for someone to keep you on track with whatever your fitness goal is (and the difference between bad, good and great trainers is how well they keep you on track). And to many people, that can be extremely valuable. But ultimately I can't tell you if it is for you, you have to consider all I've said and determine that on your own.

[matrix124]

Thank you, this is a great comment. I live in a small town, so I think the prices might be low because of lack of clientele. I rarely ever see people at this gym, which is kind of sad because it's a really nice place.

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

I live in a small city of 15,000 and there are quite a few trainers making 50+ an hour. Don't make excuses for him :P

If you do think personal training is something you'd benefit from, go to https://www.ideafit.com/find-personal-trainer and search trainers in your areas. You can see how much experience they have (education, years in the industry, certifications) as well as their hourly rates and peer reviews. I would not recommend committing to buying a package of sessions without first having an idea of who you're getting in bed with.

[matrix124]

I am going to do that, thank you!

[Belleza2]

um, I used to have a trainer but for a full year I paid $500.00 not that much but the sessions were for 30 minutes but me and my sister ended up joining together so the session for us turned to be an hour however, do you need a trainer - not really...

ok if you want to get into shape join the gym and usually with that comes free yoga lessons or Pilates or dance classes - mine has yoga and dance and crazy workout dancing so I usually take advantage of that and I can recommend for you to go on YouTube and search blogilates - she knows what she is doing - its free Pilates in your bedroom and she has a different plan for beginners and all that and she is very fun and always happy and I love that but Pilates makes you burn and sweat basically everything that the trainer will show you is based on Pilates and yoga however, the free weights yea I mean I would ask a trainer how to show me how to properly lift and use certain machines and I'd remember it - if you want get like 5 sessions and if not just try Pilates... hope I helped

Also, there is this book um I believe is called the women's health big book of exercises - very informative and fun - I am used to it so I guess I like it lol

[matrix124]

thank you

[Belleza2]

your welcome just do not over do it, do it for your health

[brooke_skye]

I pay $45 a session, so $20 seems like a good deal. I pay this much because I lack motivation and it's a good way to be pushed to your limits. I've had around 10 sessions and I'm loving the results.

[truthbeknown]

I have been going to gyms for about 25 years. You have a very good question, which has more than one right answer. For starters, the amount the trainer is charging is about right. For me, I think they are complete waste of money and are only for people who need the push or have very specific goals. Any gym I have been a member of, your membership included some free training. Most gyms will put together a routine for you and show you the proper way to work out and use the machines. This should work for 95% of the people out there. I encourage you to try the gym without personal training. I find personal trainers go too strong to quickly with people which can turn you off, discourage you and possibly lead to injury. Get a membership, they will walk you through the different machines, they will ask you your general goals and they will make recommendations based on that. That way, you are free to go when you want and go as intensely as you are comfortable with.

[matrix124]

Thank you

[Execu]

Is each session an hour? 20$/hr seems like a legit wage for a one on one trainer, never done that though, I have only gone to the gym. Join a gym forum and look at what they recommend for womens workouts.

[matrix124]

He said his sessions usually last 45 minutes

[Execu]

Yeah so pretty much an hour, cleaner here gets 20$/hour so that seems pretty fair.

[Armada]

It sounds ridiculous because you're paying someone to yell at you to get you to get in shape. Going to the gym is more then enough. For that kind of money you can even have a decent gym setup in your house if you have the room.

[yaddayaddayadda02]

The difference being the trainer keeps you motivated' and coaches you and can make sure you are exercising correctly

[repetron]

Yeah, seems like a good deal.

[Anonymous]

I charge $30...

[matrix124]

Are you a personal trainer? Would you say working with a trainer is more beneficial than working out by yourself?

[Opinion Owner]

Yes I am, and it totally is worth it. We show you how to work out, keep you motivated, and make sure you meet your goal! Going to the gym can be intimidating after all! Do they offer a trial class? $20 is discounted.

[matrix124]

I'm not sure what a trial class is, but I did get a free personal training session today because I'm brand new to the gym & part of the training session was a walk-through of all the different types of equipment. I do feel like I got a good work out today, I definitely felt the burn, lol. The trainer did say that just for 1 session, he charges $25 to $30, so maybe $20 is the discounted price for a program. He seemed like a good trainer, I'm just unfortunately on a budget, I don't know if I can afford $720.