Is Personal Training worth it? It’s a great question. Is it worth spending extra money on hiring someone to help you train? The answer for me is yes and no.

Firstly it depends on the trainer concerned, and can they deliver results? Unfortunately many trainers can’t. The reason I say this is that having worked in the industry for a number of years, I have seen and heard many trainers deliver utter garbage, and spend more time checking themselves out in a mirror, watching what others are doing in the gym and showing little attention to what they are there for; the client. A vast number of Personal Trainers are primarily in it for one reason; money. Potentially we can get paid huge amounts of money for just a few hours work a day. It’s not quite as straight forward as that. It can look a really easy job, but this is where the misconception comes in. I love my job, I have a laugh and a joke with my clients, but they work hard each time they’re in to see me. Their programme is planned out and they stick to it, hence why they generally achieve results. What people don’t see is all the work a Personal Trainer should be doing outside of the gym. The planning of programmes, the nutrition plans etc, all the stuff that without the client may not achieve the results they want.

If you are considering hiring a Personal Trainer do your homework. Watch how they train their existing clients, ear wig and listen to what they’re saying, are they devoting all their time to the client. Do your homework and take your time, shop around. Most Personal Trainers will offer a free consultation, so it gives you the perfect opportunity to quiz them.

But what should you ask?
Ask the trainer about their experience, not only in their training but in how they achieve results. Ask for examples of how they have trained clients who achieved these results, do they have a system? Ask for testimonials. Ask how a typical training session with them is structured. You could even speak one on one with some of their clients. If the trainer is at all hesitant about anything you ask, there is probably a reason why. Leave them and move on. Any Personal Trainer worth their weight should be more than willing to spend a little time discussing their training beliefs, philosophy, and their own background.

All this being said every Personal Trainer is different, we are not all created equal, we shouldn’t be, but we should all have one goal in common; that is being committed to helping our clients achieve their health and fitness related goals…that is it. Nothing else, no other agendas, no other worries.

I’m digressing a bit now so back to the original question. Are Personal Trainers worth it?

I’ve written about what to look out for with regards to Personal Trainers, but now I’m going to discuss the part about you. Yep that’s right, you! Are you worth it? It’s all about you!

If health and fitness are important to you a good quality, experienced Personal Trainer is totally worth it. In general people are quite happy to spend crazy amounts of money on cars, clothes, going out and getting drunk every weekend, yet neglect their own bodies. How many people do you know that go out on a Friday or Saturday night, blow £60-£100 on beer and fast food each night, and then moan that they feel like crap and have little or no energy? Is that you?

That amount of money, on average, could potentially get you 2 Personal Training Sessions…if you think that your health and fitness are worth it. Many trainers, and myself included have clients who can’t figure all this out themselves, they need to be told what to do, through a structured progressive programme. Let’s face some facts here, fitness, nutrition, toning, strength training, rehab, is not straight forward, regardless to what Men’s Health tells you. If it was I wouldn’t spend thousands of pounds every year continuing my education. I’m committed to my career I am still learning each and every day.

Before you think about hiring a Personal Trainer you should ask yourself a few questions, and importantly be honest with yourself. Don’t try to kid yourself. You need to be honest with yourself and honest with any Personal Trainer you may decide to hire. We will know if you lie! It’s our sixth sense. So the questions you need to ask are…

• Can I figure all of this mixed information out on my own and still get the results that I want?

• Can I budget enough money to afford a good quality Personal Trainer to help me achieve the results I want?

• When I have found a highly qualified, results oriented Personal Trainer do I know the questions to ask to find out if this person is qualified to train me?

If you answered yes to these questions, good luck to you. I’m betting that you said no to more than one of the questions. If you did, it doesn’t mean you must now go and track down the most expensive Personal Trainer you can find. They may be expensive, but doesn’t make them any better than the next trainer. I generally charge £40 per training session, but then at the same time I know many people just can’t budget for it, so I also offer small group training sessions at £10 per person. They will gain all the same benefits and experiences as in a 1-2-1 session but they now get educated, fit and blast fat with others. It’s a pretty cool environment!

Remember, don’t rush into hiring a Personal Trainer, take your time, shop around, and ask friends you know who have hired Personal Trainers and how they found the experience. Whoever you choose make sure the person has your best interests in mind.

So back to the question, are Personal Trainers worth the money?

The answer is ultimately up to you, based on your own self worth and your goals.