Is a personal trainer worth it? How do you decide if you should spend money on personal training? This article is going to explore different scenarios in which hiring a personal trainer or an online fitness coach would be worth your time and money.

Types of Personal Training Options

When you think of personal training, you likely think of being in the gym, with your coach right next to you, telling you exactly what to do and how to do it. That’s pretty accurate when it comes to in-person personal training. But with technology and social media, another option has become widely popular: online fitness coaching. 

Online fitness coaching differs from in-person training in that you will work remotely with whatever coach you choose to hire. They prescribe you a workout program that they deliver through an online platform, you do your workouts independently, and then you update your coach with whatever system they’ve set up to track your progress.

What Do Personal Trainers & Online Fitness Coaches Do?

Personal trainers and online fitness coaches are responsible for making you an individualized workout program based on your current training level, any restrictions you may have (injuries or other limitations), and the goals you’re looking to achieve in the gym. 

Common goals people usually have when they hire personal trainers and online fitness coaches include weight loss, muscle gain, the ability to move pain-free, and performance goals such as preparing for a race. 

Some coaches also complete the education and earn the certifications necessary to take on nutrition coaching with their clients. Nutrition is a crucial component of fitness and health, and coaches with this knowledge can make a big difference in helping you see the results you’re looking for by providing you with guidance on what you should be eating.

4 Benefits of Working With a Personal Trainer

There are a number of major benefits to working with a personal trainer or an online fitness coach. Let’s take a closer look at some of the positive outcomes you can expect if you choose to take this step in your fitness journey.

1. Someone Is There to Help You Along the Way

In today’s world, we have a big problem with how much pressure we put on ourselves. With phones in our hands and Google just seconds away from answering any question that pops into our minds, we have so much information at our fingertips. It’s a miracle, but it also means we feel easily ashamed when we don’t know something. Because, after all, we should be able to figure it out on our own right? The answer is out there. There’s certainly no lack of resources.

There’s a reason there’s an entire industry of people who create, guide, assess, and progress workouts for people (i.e. personal trainers). Because there is SO much information out there, if you’re not a professional who has spent time properly learning this material, it’s near impossible to know who’s advice to follow or how to decipher helpful information from misleading or harmself advice. 

The biggest benefit of working with a personal trainer is giving up the pressure and responsibility for coming up with your own workout plan. I really want to give that #1 benefit space to sink in. Because it’s huge. Giving up control to a professional can be one of the best choices you’ll make in your health and fitness journey.

2. Accountability & Motivation

I like to say motivation is like a bad friend. They’re great when they’re around, but they’re never there when you actually need them. How often have you just wished you felt more motivated? The reality is, you can’t wait around for motivation. One of the biggest misunderstandings about motivation is thinking it’s needed in order to take action. But it’s the other way around; action drives results, and results drive the motivation to continue taking action.  

So, it all starts with taking action. One of the ways you can choose to take action is by hiring a personal trainer/coach. This is a great way to help you stay accountable with your goals. If you’re investing money and scheduled time into your health and fitness goals, you’re going to be more likely to want to stick to those goals in order to make the investment worth it.

You’ll also have to worry less about when you’ll have time to workout because your trainer can make your schedule. If you have structured time each week that you’ve committed to working out, either agreed upon remotely with an online coach or during actual in-person sessions with your trainer, you’re much less likely to skip your workouts and stay consistent.

Your coach should also be there for you to help provide some motivation and help with accountability when you need it. A good personal trainer understands there will be ups and downs in the journey, and you should feel supported by them at all times.

3. Education & Guidance

I cannot stress this one enough: when you hire a personal trainer or online fitness coach – ASK AWAY with any and all questions! A major benefit of working with a personal trainer is the amount you can learn about your body and your health. This is where having a coach with education on nutrition can be especially beneficial in helping you reach your goals. 

Your coach should always have a why for what they’re asking you to do. You’re hiring somebody to help you make changes to your life and body. That is a very personal – and at times vulnerable – relationship. So don’t ever hesitate to ask questions. They are there to be your guide. You should be taking the opportunity to learn from them so you can understand the valuable information they offer and feel capable of maintaining the healthy lifestyle they help you build.

4. Personalization & Variety

Who doesn’t love feeling special? I’d have a hard time believing you if you told me you’d rather follow a generic workout plan over one that is made personally for you.

You might be a novice in the gym. You might have 5+ years of training experience. You might be finally working out again after an ACL tear. We all have special needs and considerations that come into play when working out. That leads us into the next major benefit of working with a personal trainer: the ability to personalize your workout plan to your specific needs, goals, level of fitness, etc. 

Not only will your workout plan be individualized to you, but you have the opportunity to give input and provide feedback. Being able to communicate what is and isn’t working to your personal trainer means you will have a professional providing the most optimal recommendations, substitutions, or modifications. This will greatly increase how much you 1) enjoy your workout program, and 2) actually adhere to your workout program.

The 4 Best Times to Consider Working With a Personal Trainer

There are certain situations in which it makes the most sense to work with a personal trainer, or you can really get the most out of that relationship. Let’s take a closer look at 4 different circumstances where working with a personal trainer could be a game changer.

1. You’re Trying to Build Muscle

If you’re trying to build muscle, having a personal trainer is a great idea. A lot of people think if they start going to the gym, they’ll start gaining muscle. But if you’ve spent any amount of time strength training, you know how hard it actually is to build muscle. 

It can absolutely be worth it to hire a personal trainer or nutrition coach to help you build muscle. They know what your program should look like in terms of sets and reps, intensity, weight used, rest time. That’s right – there’s a lot that goes into it. And although things like rest time might seem little, it’s all very important. Especially when it comes to a goal like building muscle. In order to stimulate your muscles for growth, you need to be working them with enough intensity that you’re actually breaking them down so that they can repair and rebuild stronger.

The other reason it could be worth getting a personal trainer for a muscle growth goal is to help you with nutrition. If you’re not eating enough calories and protein, you’re not fueling yourself in a way that will help you get the most out of your weightlifting. So ask yourself, do you know how many calories and how much protein you need in order to build muscle? If the answer is no, a personal trainer can help.

2. You’re Trying to Lose Weight

Trying to lose weight may be the most common reason someone hires an in-person coach or online trainer. Trying to lose weight can be a daunting, difficult task. Hiring a personal trainer may be especially worth it if you’ve been trying to lose weight for a while on your own and not seeing the results you want. 

Similar to building muscle, there’s a type of program that can help you achieve this goal better than others. And of course, proper nutrition is the biggest priority when it comes to losing weight. In order to lose weight, you must be in a calorie deficit. That means you must know how to count and track your calories, exactly how big your deficit should be to sustainably lose weight and maintain that weight loss, just how long to be in this deficit for, and what to do once you’ve lost the weight. 

I can imagine that, just from reading all those different components of a successful weight loss plan, you understand why it’s worth it to hire a personal trainer if you’re hoping to lose weight.

3. You’re a Beginner, and You Don’t Know What to Do

You may not think you want a trainer until you go to the gym and realize you have no clue what to do. I always advise anybody new to the gym just to show up and walk around the first day. That could be all you do, just do a lap or two of the gym. Become familiar with it. Then the next time you go, hop on a piece of equipment like a treadmill, walk, and people-watch! You can learn so much from watching how others use the weights, cables, machines, etc. 

You do have to be careful with this because unless you’re watching a professional like a trainer or a coach, there’s lots of people out there who do some crazy things in the gym! So, think twice before replicating exactly what you see someone else doing. Or even better, hire a trainer who can help you get started with all things fitness.

4. You’re Experienced, and You Don’t Know What to Do

You’re experienced, and you don’t know what to do. That’s right. As a personal trainer I work with many people who have years of experience with training. These clients usually have a new goal that they don’t know how to achieve, have been working out but unable to reach their goal, or are looking to learn some new styles of training. 

The thing about exercise is, once you get good it gets harder to keep getting good. What I mean by that is, you’ll likely see a decent amount of progress when you first start working out. But after a month or two, those gains may plateau. You might have gained a little muscle and lost a little weight, but you want more. There are very technical ways you need to go about your training and nutrition when progressing from a beginner to intermediate to advanced in the gym. Hiring a personal trainer or online fitness coach is worth it if you find yourself in this category.

How to Find the Right Personal Trainer

You’ve decided you want to hire a personal trainer. How do you decide who you want to work with?  Here are some things you should consider when looking to hire a personal trainer. At the end of the day, what will make personal training worth it for you all depends on the coach/trainer you hire.

How Do You Feel About Communicating With Them?

If you’re going to be working with a personal trainer or online fitness coach, you want to make sure you feel comfortable. There will need to be a lot of honesty and transparency in your relationship when it comes to talking about things like weight, food, decision making, lifestyle habits. Some questions and conversations you have with your coach are going to be personal. It’s important that you feel comfortable being honest with them because if you’re not, they won’t have the most accurate information about you that they need to help you succeed. 

Remember, hiring a coach is a big deal. It’s okay to have conversations with a few different coaches before deciding who you feel best with.

Do They Take Your Input Into Account?

As you begin working with your trainer, whether you’re doing in-person or online training, you should feel heard and understood. If you feel like your trainer doesn’t listen to you and what you’re telling them, that coach is not for you. 

Hopefully, it’s not intentional. It might just mean your communication styles don’t mesh, and that’s okay! As we talked about, a benefit of working with a personal trainer is having someone that makes adjustments to your program as needed and takes your individuality into consideration. You should feel like your input and feedback is a priority.

What Is Their Background?

One of the most simple ways you can decide if a personal trainer will be worth it is looking at their background. Explore their website. Do they have testimonials from previous clients? Success stories and progress photos? Evidence from real people goes a long way in this industry. A great way to know if a trainer will be worth your investment is if you can see for yourself that they have helped people like you.

So, Is Personal Training Worth It?

So, is personal training worth it? I’m a personal trainer, so I’m a little bit biased 😉, but yes, I think personal training is worth it. But this article isn’t about me. I wrote this article with the hope that I could help you decide if personal training is worth it for you. 

Whether you’re a beginner in the gym, trying to lose weight, or just looking to take all the hard work and planning out of making your own workouts, hiring a personal trainer is a great investment in yourself that can completely change your health and fitness journey for the better. If you’re interested in getting started or learning more, fill out my inquiry form to jumpstart the conversation.