I have never hired a personal trainer before but I have had friends who have, I've met plenty of them, and even have a family member who is one. All of the fitness trainers I've met were very knowledgeable. I think having one can be great for motivation but is it worth it to continue paying them if you are not getting results?
I had one friend of mine who used two personal trainers. She didn't get the results she wanted from either. One trainer was great with teaching her about a healthy diet but never really got around to getting her to exercise and the other got her to exercise but didn't really teach her anything about nutrition. Wouldn't you agree that when you hire a fitness professional and discuss your overall goals, it is their job to help you reach those goals in the best way possible?
I agree that the client must do their part also. No training or nutrition program is going to work if you slack off when your trainer isn't around watching you. However, I think there are ways that a personal trainer can keep you on track, particularly with eating. One trainer I knew of would make his clients carry around a food journal and log everything they ate for each meal. He would then go over it at every workout session. Since diet determines at least 85% of your results, that is a simple and smart thing to do to help the client.
When is it Time to Fire Your Personal Trainer?
You are paying a professional fitness trainer for results. Almost anyone can become a certified personal trainer but whether or not they can deliver is another question. Below are some things to consider if you feel you're not getting results:
- Your trainer isn't helping you with nutrition.
- You seem to be chit-chatting more than working out.
- You don't feel accountable to your trainer for workouts and diet.
- Your trainer doesn't set goals with you or track your progress.
- You've spent months with your trainer and you have nothing to show for it.
Some people need the guidance and motivation of a good CPT. However, you shouldn't be wasting your time and money on someone who isn't getting you the results you're paying for.
Have you ever had to fire a personal trainer? If so, why?
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very true, that is why in our packages we even offer free apointments with a fully qualified dietitian!
That’s great to include a dietitian in your packages as diet is essential for good results.
Hi Eartha,
This is a great article. As a personal trainer, I have to agree with you on a lot of the points you make in this post. I especially agree with the fact that if you are not seeing any results, after a reasonable amount of time (3 months) has past, than your personal trainer is not doing his/her job.
However, please understand that most personal trainers are not certified to provide nutritional information, especially to clients who have special nutritional needs such as those who are obese or those who may have diabetes, heart disease and so forth. While food journal are a good tool and do help a lot of people take charge of their diets, it is not fair to say that a personal trainer is not doing his/her job if he/she does not help you with nutrition. If a client feels that he or she needs help with nutrition than it is that person’s responsibility to check in with his/her family doctor or a certified nutritionist.
Hi Paulin, thanks for making it clear about the personal trainer’s role with nutrition. It isn’t fair to to use that as a primary reason for determining how well they are doing their job.
My Trainer fired me a few times for not having correct form. LOL She’s
my girlfriend and has stuck with me, teaching me form and only fires me once in a while these days.
With her help I have improved my workouts, eating habit and the results show.
Alan
That’s pretty funny Alan.
Research shows that exercise alone is not very good for weight loss. Thus, if someone sees a trainers 3x a week (1 hr each session) that’s only 3 hours a week working out. What about the other 165 hours a week?
I know right? Doesn’t seem like much time at all spent working out when you look at it that way.
Hello Eartha,
I just wanted to add to Paulin’s statement about personal trainer’s and nutrition. Personal trainer’s have to be careful with what they suggest to their clients when it comes to nutrition. In most states, a personal trainer is very limited in what nutritional advice they are allowed to provide their clients, unless they are a registered dietician and/or nutritionist. Even if a personal trainer has a specialized certification in nutrition, they must follow their state statutes, laws and regulations when it comes to providing nutrition advice. Great article.. thanks for the info.
Hi Robert, thanks for sharing that. I never knew CPT’s had to be that careful about clients and nutrition advice until now.
Great article. As a Personal Trainer, you have to give a full support solution to your client’s goals. You need to set realistic goals, assess the starting point, and track along the way.
If your client wants to lose weight, then it’s definitely a combination of cardio, strength training and the right nutrition.
I had clients who were working out hard on the cardio and strength training, but could not get themselves to eat right. Initially they did lose inches, and changed their body shape, however the scales didn’t bulge much. I kept on telling them they have to change their diet, and suggested a plan. When finally they gave it a go, the scales started moving down as well. It’s definitely up to the trainer to encourage, however if the client doesn’t want to make the changes, there is just so much a trainer can do.