Growing up, no one in my family spent money on massages, pedicures, or fancy dinners out. So it came as no huge surprise when my mom explained, after doing her first half-marathon at 49 years old, she would love to have a personal trainer “but they’re just way too expensive!”
This is a commonly expressed mindset, especially in the deal-mentality era. Just like grandma used to clip coupons and wait until groceries went on sale, our generation often waits until a deal is ripe—via LivingSocial, Groupon, or even ClassPass—before jumping on the bandwagon for a week or month of classes. Then, we move on to the next best thing. It makes sense to save money by taking advantage of fitness deals, but what do we get for it in the long run? More importantly, do we really learn how to correctly work with our bodies?
Let’s go back to my mom. Having been moderately active for most of her life, she decided to start running in her late forties—and to train for a half-marathon. She read a few articles online about programs, started (somewhat) following them, and almost managed to make it through race day unscathed… until she began experiencing extreme pain in her hamstring. When I called to check in, I found out she hadn’t spent any time stretching, doing yoga, or any sort of resistance training in the four or so months leading up to the half-marathon. I wanted to hop a plane to Texas—foam roller and stretching bands in hand—as I knew my mom could have felt and performed better had she invested in a personal trainer.
When you go to college, you spend years becoming informed an professional on one single given topic. Upon graduation, you trust other professionals to help with other aspects of life. You pay a doctor to diagnose and treat you when you are sick or injured; you pay a mechanic to work on your car; you pay an accountant to help get through tax season or to handle your estate. If you aren’t trained in nutrition and fitness, wouldn’t it make sense to invest in professional help?
Working with a personal trainer offers a plethora of benefits beyond helping to achieve a toned physique. A trainer can articulate and demonstrate body mechanics, help with alignment, and correct any postural deviations or muscle imbalances you may have (most of which you probably aren’t aware of to begin with). Being able to accurately identify imbalances and understand the science behind them can save a significant amount of money and time—as you’ll spend less time in a doctor or physical therapist’s office, which isn’t cheap.
Beyond serving as a preemptive course of action for personal health, personal training can also help achieve athletic goals more efficiently. A personal trainer will make sure you stay accountable and motivated by offering effective programs design tailored to your goals and schedule. A trainer can also offer rehabilitating exercises and care for special conditions (pregnancy, disabilities, senior clients and more).
When looking for a trainer, ask about his or her certifications, including CPR/AED/First Aid. There are a good amount of self-professed trainers out there who have never had to really learn about anatomy—but there are also many trainers who have buried themselves in valuable knowledge. These adept, well-read, nationally-accredited trainers worked hard for their craft, and a level of compensation follows that.
A common misconception is that trainers only pay a small fee to be certified once, but almost all of the respected national certifying agencies (such as ACE, NASM, and ISSA) require trainers to renew (read: repay) their credentials every two years, including achieving a certain number of Continuing Education Credits (CECs). While we love helping people to achieve their goals, we don’t wake up at 4:30 a.m. to train on weekends just because we “love our jobs so much” (as a client told me recently). Believe it or not, trainers spend a lot of time driving between session locations, learning new fitness and nutrition approaches and staying current in the world of sports science.
While working out with a trainer in person is the best way to learn—particularly due to hands-on adjustments—if meeting face-to-face isn’t possible you can always ask about the possibility of virtual training. Many trainers are open to working with clients via Skype or Google Hangouts. Another option, if you have a group of friends who are also looking to get fit, ask about small group training, where trainers work with three to six people in a session, like a mini- (and more personalized) class.
While you don’t need to make a lifelong commitment to a trainer, a little investment could end up saving you a lot of money. After six weeks to six months of working out together, you’ll be much better equipped to stay injury-free and goal-oriented.
Chelsea Vincent has been teaching fitness for almost ten years. Prior to teaching, she had 15 years of formal dance training. Chelsea has a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University and is a certified power yoga instructor, spinning instructor, barre instructor and weightlifting Instructor, as well as an ACE-certified personal trainer and wellness specialist. In 2014, Chelsea was named as one of SHAPE magazine’s Hottest 50 Trainers of the Year.
