Having a personal trainer will help you meet your fitness goals faster, safer and more effectively. People work with personal trainers for many reasons. Whether you’re looking for accountability, fat loss, muscle gain or simply feel that you’d benefit from the structure, hiring a personal trainer can be a great resource.
You might ask me ‘But Eanna, why get a personal trainer? I can find something cheap online that works?’. Of course there is but let’s be real , sifting through all the information and finding out what works for you and your body will take a lot of trial and error you may not have time for depending on your schedule.
I have the knowledge and experience to know exactly how to help people at every stage of their journey and save them time in figuring it out. Today, let’s delve into my top reasons why I think hiring a personal trainer is a great idea if you want to fast track your success and maintain your results.
Reason #1 – Accountability
Accountability is important because it takes consistency for clients to reach their fitness goals. Realistic fat loss or muscle building goals involve taking small actions consistently over time. Research shows when clients are held accountable their success rate is higher. We all know it can be hard to get support from family and friends when you’re making big changes because it can impact social occasions or normal routines.
It’s important to have someone like a personal trainer in your corner. Someone to challenge your norms, your excuses and your belief systems around your abilities. To give you the confidence to try new things and push beyond your limitations.
Whether you’re in the gym or training online with a coach, having someone there to review your form and effort and keep you accountable is priceless. Showing up for your trainer results in showing up for yourself and working towards your goals. Pushing through the times when it seems like nothing is happening is one of the most important parts of training.
his leads me into guidance. Something I pride myself with in my Coaching business is meeting clients where they are. Finding a Trainer who can give you guidance for the specific goals you have is really important. You don’t want to be forced to use a weighing scales or cut out food groups if you don’t want to.
Reason #2- Guidance
That doesn’t promote long-term success which is something I am passionate about. Providing guidance and open channels of communication helps clients interpret new information and question their old beliefs or rigid food rules.
I’ve seen first hand that lasting fitness changes don’t come from obsessing over your appearance, but from an inner enjoyment of exercise and connection to those around them.
I see my job as guiding you down this road building off my experience from all the clients I have coached in the past whilst guiding you towards your goals. You can’t beat good guidance by someone who has not only been down the path but helped many others before you.
Reason #3 – Injury Prevention
Injury prevention should always be a number one priority. Designing a safe and effective training program is an art. Injury prevention is integral to a long and successful fitness journey. Be wary of Online Coaches who haven’t had real world experience. I know I learned so much from my years of working on the gym floor 1:1 with clients before I transitioned into the Online space.
Sure, the ripped guy on YouTube said to deadlift as heavy as possible every session but looking good doesn’t necessarily qualify you to know what you’re talking about. Developing the skills and knowledge to see what moves a client can do and what ranges they can work in is a lifelong process. I’ve invested a lot of money into upskilling to learn about exercise mechanics and limitations in clients. My goal is to help you move as efficiently as possible and get the results you want whilst not pushing your body beyond its potential limitations.
Reason #4- Efficient Workouts
There are many elements to an efficient workout. If you love to attend a few Spin or HIIT classes be my guest but do know if injury prevention is high on your list HIIT classes may not efficient. From my experience, efficiency can come from other areas rather than just time.
Some of my most efficient hacks are the following. Train with a plan .Training without a plan is really common and inefficient. If you put random effort in, you will always get random results. Pushing yourself hard enough. Most of you don’t realise just how strong you are. Doing two heavy sets rather than 5 lighter sets can be much more efficient.
Not asking for help in the gym or from professionals -We exist for a reason, and most of us are passionate about helping you. Training one or two muscle groups per day. Unless you’re advanced you’re better off to do full body or upper lower sessions. Training with poor form, this makes your time in the gym really inefficient. It can only be corrected with time and a watchful pair of eyes (you can correct your own form but it takes years)
Finally one you may not expect, not taking enough days off. Less is not more. Train hard, but recover even harder.
Reason #5 – Healthy future
A good Personal Trainer can educate you on many aspects of health, fitness and exercise. Knowledge is power and when it comes to your fitness goals, having a proper understanding of what is required for you to reach those goals is incredibly empowering.
Your personal trainer can help you learn more about how your nutrition beliefs and nutrition itself plays a role in your fitness journey, correct form, injury prevention and so much more. Being able to ask a trusted Coach rather than turning to Google will result in detailed, educated and personalised answers that will help you succeed. Speeding up your long term success in all aspects of your health and fitness journey.
Mental Health is an important part of the fitness journey and something I am deeply passionate about. Having a personalised routine that you feel confident in and working towards something you can control can be extremely beneficial for your mental health.
Your Personal Trainer can keep you motivated through tougher times, help you adapt your training and nutrition when needed and be an extra person within your support network to lean on.
Reason #6 – Quicker results
Your results are dependent on your ability to be consistent and work your hardest in each session. If you show up regularly and do the work, you will see results faster than if you skip workouts or do them half-heartedly.
Working with a Personal Trainer can help speed this up. They will have assessed your movement, capabilities and be able to provide you with a detailed plan that you can progress well with.
In hand with this an often overlooked part is your nutrition. A great Trainer will be able to help you adjust your food to help you recover, lose fat or gain muscle. Both are equally as important in seeing quicker results.
Your results also depend on your trainer’s knowledge and effectiveness. A good trainer will do more than just sit and watch you train and chat with you. They’ll skilfully adjust the load and intensity to make sure you’re being challenged. They’ll also motivate you to work harder and be consistent with your goals and diet. Choose a trainer with a proven track record for getting results.
Reason #7 – You have a tight schedule
I work with a lot of people who work 50-60 hours per week. If you have a really demanding schedule, you can definitely still fit in time for training but you just need to be smart about it. It’s not a case of ‘wanting it more’ but just being more structured and efficient with your time.
Working out with a trainer at home has become really commonplace thanks to COVID . Having someone on hand to provide you with time efficient, personalised and effective training sessions is a massive step in the right direction towards your goals.
For some of my own busy clients, ticking off the non-negotiables and fitting in training is the key to their success. Getting a good grocery shop done to ensure they have enough good quality food ready to go at all times. Scheduling in their training. Whether it be 2 sessions or 5 sessions per week, having it in the books with the plan from me ready to go saves time and overwhelm.
Reason #8 -Get nutritional advice
The best exercise program in the world won’t be effective if you’re not casting an eye over your nutrition. As a coach my aim is to normalise eating all foods. To teach my clients that good and bad foods don’t exist just the quantities in which you consume them.
You may not expect to hear it from a Trainer who wants to help you reach your goals but you need less rigidity and ‘dieting’ and more freedom of choice. Less ignorance and strictness, more self-awareness and compassion. A strawberry and a cookie are very different for obvious reasons, but neither need to be removed entirely. Rigid food rules and labelling foods as good or bad is often a problem I see with clients starting out
I’ve spent some time studying and gaining certification with Precision Nutrition to help guide clients through total body and health transformations whilst educating them on their food choices and getting rid of rigid food rules.
What are the costs in getting a personal trainer?
When it comes to prices you can expect to pay for a personal trainer it is largely dependent on their education, experience, and ability to get results. Cheaper is not better by any means. Put another way you get what you pay for and much like a luxury hotel costs more than a two star. You should expect to pay a higher rate for a high quality, experienced, knowledgeable trainer.
Because they are so specialized they can (and should ) charge more for their services and it’s’ not uncommon to see rates well above €50/hr and more in Ireland for in person or €250-€300 per month for online coaching. Although it may seem like a costly up front investment the long-term benefits definitely outweigh it.
Hiring a personal fitness trainer might seem like a luxury if you are on a tight budget, but if you really want to get the most out of your workouts, a trainer is a great investment. The improvement in your health and fitness levels can have long-term investment in your quality of life, and even decreased health care costs. Not to mention the money you will save on unnecessary plans, magazines, fat loss pills, or buttery coffees. It is an investment, but it’s also going to save you spending money on things that don’t work.
Where to find a personal trainer?
Every Trainer has a different approach and style and it is important to find one that works for you. Taking into consideration everything we’ve looked at so far it’s important to really spend time in this phase and invest wisely.
My first suggestion would be to ask your family or friends for their recommendations of someone they have worked with. Many of my current clients have been referrals from older clients who had great results and experiences with me. I’m in the business of helping people feel better about themselves and I think that shows through for myself and other passionate trainers.
Like I said, I recommend really spending time researching someone here. Consume their social media content, listen to their podcasts or videos and ask questions to the person who recommended them. I speak openly on my podcast about my coaching approach and past client experiences to give potential customers a feel for who I am as a Coach.
FAQs
1.Why is a personal trainer important?
A Personal Trainer can help you fast track your success with the best personalised advice and support to help you reach realistic and achievable goals. Otherwise you may just be wasting your time, money and ability to progress.
2.What does a personal trainer do on a daily basis?
Personal trainers work with clients to assess their strengths and weaknesses in body and mind relating to exercise, nutrition and self-belief. From that we create customized workout and nutrition plans to help them achieve their goals. We provide physical and mental guidance but more importantly we make it fun and help you enjoy the journey.
3.Do I need a personal trainer to build muscle?
Short answer no, long answer it depends. A personal trainer is useful when you need someone to give your journey structure and to push your limits . Our goal is to safely challenge you to do more and achieve more.
4.Do I need a personal trainer to lose weight?
Hiring a Personal Trainer to help you lose weight is a wise investment. Not only will they hold you accountable when it inevitably gets tough but they will also fast track your success with their experience. The right Trainer will be your biggest cheerleader. Their support, expertise, and advice are essential in staying consistent, achieving your goals and avoiding injury.
A note from me
I’ve been in the Fitness Industry since 2014 and one thing I know for sure is that hiring a Personal Trainer can be a life changing decision. Like with any big decision it’s always a good idea to take your time and be sure that you hire someone that you connect with and that accommodates your specific needs.
If I could rewind to 2014 at the start of my own fitness journey I would invest my money in a good coach, it would have saved me so much time doing the wrong things and I’d have seen much greater results when it mattered the most. I have worked with 3 different coaches and preach from the choir.
Hopefully this article will give you a good framework on what you should be looking for and what questions to ask. Once you’ve hired your trainer, keep the lines of communication open. Us Trainers’ want the best for you but it’s a two way relationship.
Need help with your goals?
Book in for a FREE CONSULTATION to get results like my clients.
