Do You Need a Personal Trainer to Get Results?
Personal trainers are experts when it comes to the fitness world, that’s why so many people hire them to help them achieve their goals. But do you need to spend hundreds of dollars to get results?
When you're new to strength training or working out in general, you may be tempted to hire a personal trainer to help get you started on reaching your fitness goals. Even those who want to improve the quality of their workouts consider hiring one! Personal trainers can be a great resource for those wanting to start or hit new heights on their fitness journey. However, they can be fairly expensive. So, the question is... are they worth it?
The answer is not quite simple! While many achieve success through personal training sessions, it may not be ideal (or budget-friendly) for everyone. So, we're going to give you all the details on personal trainers, what they do, the average cost per session, and who would actually benefit from hiring one. That way you can decide for yourself if it's worth your while – and if it's not, we'll list a few alternatives that can be just as helpful and cheaper!
What does a personal trainer do?
To fully understand whether you'll benefit from a personal trainer, you have to first understand what they do. Personal trainers typically work with clients in private sessions, but some also provide their services in group settings. Their main duty is to help their client with their goals, this can include muscular endurance, muscle, and strength building, achieving fat loss, or even as simple as increasing a client's flexibility. Depending on the client's goals, they develop an effective workout program and at the same time educate them about health and fitness, and offer motivation and encouragement throughout their workout sessions.
As you can see, a personal trainer does more than just follow you around during your workout and tell you what exercises to do and how to do them. They help you achieve fitness success while educating you in the process so you can maintain your results and continue succeeding in the future.
How much does a personal trainer typically cost?
The cost of a personal trainer is typically what scares people away from hiring one. On average they charge $40-70 per hour session and $60-100 per 90-minute session. Group training can cost up to $35 per class. In terms of how much you'll be spending a month, you can expect to pay $250-400 per month which includes two one-hour sessions a week – and that's just an average personal trainer cost! Working with a personal trainer one-on-one at a higher-end gym or at home can cost you even more per session.
Is a personal trainer worth it?
A good trainer knows more about fitness than the average person, they typically have a personal trainer certification from an accredited training program. Certified personal trainers know more because they have the education for it. So, they are worth it because they have the education to back it up. However, that doesn't mean it's beneficial or in-budget for everyone.
Here's when a personal trainer is worth it:
- You're completely new to working out.
- You lack discipline and motivation.
- You're recovering from an injury.
- You've hit a plateau that you can't get out of.
- You have a special event in the near future.
If you fall into one of these categories then a personal trainer can be worth it, but again, sessions can get pretty expensive! Fortunately, there are other resources you can try that aren't as expensive and some are even free!
Alternatives to a personal trainer
A personal trainer is not at the top of everyone's budget, and that's okay! Although they are worth it and can help you succeed in fitness, you can still achieve success on your own. Various people of all fitness levels have been able to succeed on their fitness journey without hiring a trainer, and you'll be able to too!
To get you started on the right path, here are three low to no-cost ways you can start achieving your fitness goals...
Download a fitness app
A fitness app is perfect for those who want someone to keep them accountable, or need some motivation to keep going. Fitness apps are relatively cheap, ranging anywhere from $10-20 a month. Most of them work the same, they generally provide you with workouts and also offer other features, like video and written instructions, progress tracking, and more.
Some offer a wide variety of workouts from HIIT, to strength training, to yoga. While others focus on a specific type of style of training. You can easily find a great fitness app that fits your budget, fitness level, and preferred style of training! Be aware, that there are some fitness apps that don't update their workout plans frequently, this can lead to a plateau and unwanted frustration so read reviews, and test different apps until you find the perfect one!
For those who prefer lifting weights, or are just getting started – the One Fitness app is the app for you! The One Fitness app is unlike any other fitness app. Here's why so many people love and what sets it apart from the rest...
- Follow a goal-focused workout plan to get actual results: One Fitness offers six goal-focused workout plans to choose from. Two of them are home-focused (Tone up At Home and Lose Weight at Home), and four are gym-focused (Tone Up at the Gym, Build a Booty at the Gym, Build Muscle at the Gym, and Lose Body Fat at the Gym). That way you're able to follow a workout plan that fits your goals. Each goal has different workouts with specific exercises that are selected for effective results. For example, the lose weight and body fat programs offer more cardio, HIIT, higher reps, lower weight training. Opposed to other goals, like building muscle which places a greater focus on heavy weight lifting.
- Every workout plan is updated every week by Iulia herself: The app is smart and can do a lot, but it doesn't plan your workouts, Iulia does! Iulia updates each workout plan with a fresh set of exercises every Sunday, that way you get a variety in your routine needed to drive progress.
- Practice progressive overload directly on the app: Progressive overload is important for driving results, and instead of writing everything on your phone or in a notebook, you can directly track your progress on the app. Swipe up on any given exercise to enter the number of reps and sets completed, and enter the amount of weight used in each set. Whenever that exercise comes up in your workout plan again, the numbers you last entered will repopulate so you know whether you should increase the reps, sets, or weight. You can also access your History under your Profile that way you can keep track of all the exercises and progress you've made!
- Track your personal progress: Aside from tracking your exercise progress, you can also track your personal progress to keep you motivated! Track your measurements, weight, and even take progress photos so you. can see how far you've come.
- Workout anywhere without the use of WiFi: All workouts are available in offline mode, this means that you can download workouts and follow along without the use of WiFi. No need to rely on spotty Wifi at the gym!
- Calculate and track your macros to take your fitness to the next level: You can't outrun a bad diet! A healthy diet paired with a great workout plan is what will drive effective results. One Fitness offers two ways to calculate your macros, and gives you a space to accurately track them. Now, you don't need two separate apps for your workouts and meal tracking!
You get all these amazing features and more for only $12.99 a month (compared to spending hundreds on a personal trainer)! And luckily, you can try it at no cost for the first 7 days! Everyone is eligible for a free 7-day trial which allows you to explore everything the One Fitness app has to offer. You can either continue your subscription or cancel it before your trial is up to avoid the subscription fee.
Try free online workout videos
If you need something at no cost, there are plenty of free resources online! Youtube and Instagram have hundreds of free workout videos you can follow along and learn from at the beginning of your journey.
The downside to free online workout videos is that they're not personalized to your fitness goals or fitness level. They make for a great resource when you're barely starting out on your journey and need workout and exercise ideas, but eventually, you'll need a personalized workout plan to help you avoid hitting a plateau.
Do your research and develop your own workout plan
Another better free alternative to hiring a personal trainer is educating yourself and developing your own workout plan! There are so many certified personal trainers that have their own blogs or are on Instagram, and Twitter that share great tips on how to train and eat effectively. You can also do your own research on the type of training you want to do and learn how to create a workout plan that works for you, instead of relying on what others are doing online.
So, many lifters and gym-goers start this why. They simply get educated and start training at their local gym! Fitness is a never-ending journey, and you'll learn more as you continue on that journey... all you have to do is take that first step!
You can achieve your goals without a personal trainer
A personal trainer can be worth it, especially for those who have no idea where to begin on their fitness journey, but they can break the bank. If a personal trainer doesn't fit in your budget, don't give up! Try one of the alternatives listed above to get yourself on the right track. The most important thing is to take the first step, and if you need help getting started One Fitness has your back!