If you have ever wondered what it would be like to work with a personal trainer, this blog just might be for you. And if you have in the past worked with a personal trainer, read through these points and think about your encounter – do you feel these were benefits you experienced? Below, I will highlight five things that your personal trainer can help you out with.

Goal setting and progression

A personal trainer can help you to figure out specifically what your individual goals are (through assessments and talking with you) and help keep you on the right track to achieve them. It is the trainer’s job to know which steps you need to follow in order to effectively work toward your goals and how to progress your program. Regardless of whether you are an individual who requires weekly (or even bi-weekly) sessions, or someone who just needs to check in every month with your trainer, a trainer can help guide you toward your goals. Which brings me to my next point…

Accountability

Sometimes, people struggle to keep honest with themselves about their fitness and activity status. Having an objective, honest point of view from a fitness professional can help to keep this in check. Trainers can hold clients accountable for their fitness and activity levels in a more honest way than we can achieve with ourselves. Similar as to above, your frequency of sessions or ‘checking in’ with your trainer will likely be based on your individual needs. Some people require more frequent sessions to stay accountable than others (for example, weekly sessions versus monthly sessions).

Correct form

This one is particularly important. Many personal trainers study human anatomy and movement in their education. Therefore, they know what position various body parts need to be in to execute exercises correctly. This is crucial to getting the most benefit out of the exercises you are performing, as well as to preventing injury. Your trainer will also know where you are in your exercise progression and know which exercises you are ready to include in your program with correct form.

Scheduling exercise into your routine

Time is often cited as a top reason that people do not engage in exercise. We often hear about how in today’s busy world: a task won’t get done unless we schedule a specific time to do it. Exercise and working out are no different in this regard. Knowing you have a set appointment with a personal trainer and that they are expecting you to show up can be helpful for some people who otherwise might skip the gym that day. Trainers can also help you figure out ways to incorporate exercise into your days that you do not have a session with them scheduled.

Enjoyment of your workout

This one might not seem as important as the other points above, but it just might be the most impactful. If you are enjoying your workouts, you are more likely to keep them up. A personal trainer can help keep things interesting for you by showing you different ways to work out and exercise. Each person will be different in how and what they enjoy about exercise, and a personal trainer can tailor your program to these preferences. After all, if you aren’t having some fun, what’s the point?

By Caitlyn Jones  – BPE, CSEP-CPT