The Bally Total Fitness where I workout is offering a Special. You get 3 sessions with a personal trainer for $129.
Has anyone used this kind of service?
Will they just tell me stuff I can find out on my own searching the internet and forums like this?
I just started the 7th week of my weight loss / workout routine on Monday. I'm down about 16 Lbs. I have modified my routine 4 times. Things seem to be working out ok for now.
I am doing 30min of Cardio 6 days a week and I vary my strength training, working different muscle groups durring the six days.
Is it worth the $129 to have a personal trainer help?

~Todd
St Paul, MN

You've said it yourself

just started the 7th week of my weight loss / workout routine on Monday. I'm down about 16 Lbs. I have modified my routine 4 times. Things seem to be working out ok for now.
I am doing 30min of Cardio 6 days a week and I vary my strength training, working different muscle groups durring the six days.You are showing progress
You are adapting as the changes occur
You are mixing cardio and resistance training
$129 seems a tad expensive for only 3 sessions

I'd say keep going as you are, your knowledge base will only increase, and when you hit a plateau, then it's time to try other methods.

Andrew.

It all depends on what you want to get out of a personal trainer. You seem to be doing fine on your own. Are you new to weight training? Are you sure about your form? A good personal trainer can help make sure that you're doing the exercises correctly.

If you're only looking for diet and exercise advice and don't need any "hands on" instruction, then an internet trainer can be an excellent choice. I learned from this and other web sites and only turned to a trainer when I got down to those last few difficult pounds.

I'm new to weight lifting and I don't yet know how to do proper squats, clean and jerks, deadlifts, and other complex multi-joint exercises.

I think in this regard a personal trainer who is knowledgeable would be very helpful.

I've also heard the recommendation of video-taping yourself during specific exercises and posting them on the 'net to get critique on form/pace.

And, for the record, places like Bally's and Gold's Gym are always running "specials." It's like buying a used car - the price isn't really fixed, and they'll "run a special" and quote you a marginally-lower-than-really-marked-up price if they think it'll make a sale. Don't pay them too much mind, let it pressure you into paying more for something than you want to, or cause you to buy something you don't want because you're afraid the "deal" will go away.

Read RIPPED 2
and BEYOND BRAWN. These 2 books will clear up almost any question you may have and make you highly successful. (they worked for me)
After that --- if you feel you need a trainer hire one for 2 visits a month to help you stay motivated and teach you exercises and routines. Look up one in the phone book and tell him what you are looking for (what you want to learn).
You sound motivated, perhaps you need structuring and workout/aerobic ideas based on your personal situation.
If you have dangerous lifting habits (poor form in squats, or whatever) a trainer can be valuable in helping you identify those form problems.
Most people lift "fast and jerky" one of the first things a trainer does is slow a client down and teach them good form on each and every rep.
This is 99% on every client.
Structure: Lift hard once or twice a week. Do 6 to 12 exercises working your entire body. Do aerobics 2 or 3 times a week for 30 to 40 minutes.
Count calories. Eat about 200 to 500 less calories than you need each day.
I hope this helps. I would save my money and avoid the Bally's trainer.

$129 for 3 visits breaks down to just a little over $40 per session. That's pretty cheap for an in house trainer. Something that you could ask is, do you get to take those sessions whenever you want too, or do you have to use them within a given time frame?
I think that spending time with a trainer can be very helpful, as I've stated before. If it helps at all in regards to perspective...how many members in here are paying SwoleCat to work with them? I'm sure that those people could shed some insight as to the positives of working with a professional.

Will they just tell me stuff I can find out on my own searching the internet and forums like this?Yes, definitely. However, how long that may take you should determine whether you think it's worth spending $129. Also, whether you have an awesome personal trainer or somebody who couldn't get a job at best buy and decided to take a course in it, and then got a job at ballys, will also determine whether you should spend the $129, and you won't know the answer to that until you've spent it!

Combine the two "Internet Trainer"
now who do we know that would fit that bill ?

You will find all the stuff that a regular trainer will tell you on JSF although it may be slightly more opinionated on the forum. For instance some say they wont do fasted cardio. Its their choice and i respect that they have made that decision but lots think that its the db.
The forum provides a great starting point for your own research that will get you better results than a gym Personal Trainer imo.
The way to tell a good Personal trainer is quite simple. The good one has clients that are willing to recommend them and can provide photos of clients. Ask to talk to some of their clients and find out what they think of the trainer. Ask them to provide details of a person that has the same goals and timescales as you if possible.
My gym gave me a free consult with a Personal Trainer after mixing up my details and she spoke BS everytime she opened her mouth.
Widers

I tried to talk to one of the personal trainers today, but they were busy doing other stuff. The one PT that had time is about 70lbs over weight him self. I took a pass for today, I'll try again tomorrow.

I tried to talk to one of the personal trainers today, but they were busy doing other stuff. The one PT that had time is about 70lbs over weight him self. I took a pass for today, I'll try again tomorrow.

Unfortunately I've had this experience as well. Very sad indeed.

My experience with in-house trainers is for the most part they are not very good. I find it worth it to find out who is really top notch in the area and when I can afford it, go. I like the suggestion of going twice a month. I have done best when I go once every two weeks, which is what I can afford and then work on my own the rest of the time. He pays strict attention to my form, he never looks away plus he has a very soothing and calming personality. His orientation is functional training that has worked well for me. Unfotunately fo rthe last several months I have been plaugued by a painful knee problem so I haven't seen him for a while.

I would agree with the majority of the people on this forum and recommend you save your cash. The "instructors" at Bally are by no means fitness and nutrition <I>experts</I>, and are probably going to supply you with traditional knowledge that has been tailored for the lowest common denominator and distilled/filtered through ridiculous safety standards to prevent lawsuits. Granted, the equipment you are using IS very dangerous, but a lot of times the trainers make it seem like you are a senile old man who has never touched a weight in his life. In some instances they might recommend out-dated form that could potentially injure you, or at the least slow progress.

Judging by the fact you are on this forum I am going to assume that you are pretty dedicated to achieving your personal fitness goals, but if I am mistaken, let me know. In my opinion there is a far more expansive wealth of information on the internet than there is within the minds of these trainers, however, a lot of this information is also quite conflictive in nature due to the high volume of information available on the internet. Another downfall, is that you can't exactly learn "Hands-on" through the internet, which is something that is vital you do if you are extremely concerned about safety.

If this describes you, and you are extensively afraid of hurting yourself/ have never touched a weight in your life - I would recommend a trainer to show you the very basics of all the machines so you can at least understand how to use them. I would advise to take everything they say with a grain of salt however, and further your knowledge on the internet once you are confident you can execute the basic movements of most exercises.

If you are a fast learner and a bit over-zealous like me, it might be to your advantage to just attempt to figure the machines and movements out yourself through trial and error, and save yourself some cash. Just make sure you are using low weights.

Either direction you go, I'm sure you'll be lifting correctly in no-time.

I used an in-house trainer when I first started a few months ago to show me proper form/technique with the excercises as I had never weight lifted before. However, working with them is free at the gym I currently attend.

I'm currently using Swolecats program (two weeks as of yesterday). I decided to do that based on the fact that I was completely overwhelmed by what I found when I started researching and just couldn't break it down into usable pieces of information. Using his program set me straight.