This question is quite appropriate given that it is possible to train and practise a sport without dealing with a specialist in the field. I often hear diametrically opposed arguments as to why you shouldn’t do business with a private trainer. On the one hand, I’ve heard the classic “I don’t need a trainer because I’ve been training on my own for 10 years”. On the other hand, I’ve heard: “I don’t need a trainer because I’m just starting out and have no intention of going to the Olympics”. In both scenarios, these individuals fail to understand the real added value of a private coach
Let’s start with the beginner who is just starting out in the world of coaching. This person has recently decided that it’s time to get back into shape and lose some weight after years of physical inactivity. He says he used to train in his twenties, but hasn’t done so for the last 10 years or so. The first reason I’d suggest he follow up with a private trainer is to make sure he’s sticking to his new lifestyle.
Motivation
One of the most fundamental aspects of achieving health goals (fitness, weight loss, muscle gain) is consistency in carrying out this new lifestyle habit. Whether you decide to train three times a week, eat better or simply walk 10,000 steps a day, if you do this irregularly, the results will not be there. Most of the time, delayed results lead to you abandoning those habits you were so keen to incorporate into your lifestyle.
When you undertake a change in your life, you need to give yourself the tools to succeed. Your coach is there for you. He’s there to give you those tools and help you find solutions when motivation is no longer there. There’s a reason why you’re not already training 3 times a week, or why you haven’t lost that excess fat that’s making you so tired. I’ve often heard: “I managed to train for a few months, but then I got a new job and didn’t have the time”, or “I lost some weight, but then I got injured and put it all back on”. Unfortunately, the excuses you use to justify yourself won’t help you achieve your goals. I know company chairmen who work 60–70 hours a week and still find time to train. I’ve trained people who were injured and we still managed to achieve our objectives.
Humans often tend to be wilfully blind. We have to stop trying the same techniques and hoping for different results. Why not start your new adventure in the world of fitness with a trainer? In short, I’ll come back to the subject of motivation in more detail in a future article.
The second reason for working with a private trainer is to cut down on wasted time.
Time and training optimisation
When I train in commercial gyms and watch people training, I often feel astonished and disappointed. I see people who are motivated to come and train and who do it day after day, but who don’t do anything. It saddens me to see motivated people who get little or no results because of their lack of training knowledge. We all know that it’s not always easy to find time to go to the gym. My aim as a trainer is therefore to optimise the time my clients invest in their training. We make sure that the 30-45-60 minutes you spend training are a worthwhile investment.
Imagine you’re having a session with a private trainer. The trainer shows you how to do the movements and adapts them as necessary. They manage the intensity of your workout, pushing you when you need it and lowering the intensity when you need it. They discuss your goals with you and educate you on how to achieve them. Now imagine a training session without a trainer… Now tell me, which of the two sessions will bring you closer to achieving your goals?
Both a beginner and someone who has been training for 10 years will benefit from a private training session. After all, don’t Olympic/professional athletes like Michael Phelps and Georges Saint-Pierre also have coaches?
Whether we like it or not, movement, sport and training carry a risk of injury.
Reducing the risk of injury
Traumatic injuries
Even if, in theory, strength training in the gym is considered a controlled environment, injuries can happen to anyone! When we talk about injuries, we often think of traumatic events, such as a sprain or fracture. These injuries can easily be avoided with safe training programming and good intensity management.
Wear and tear injuries
However, the most common injuries in training are wear and tear injuries. These refer to the premature use of certain joints. Examples include osteoarthritis, tendonitis and stress fractures. These injuries are insidious, because you can train for years with poorly executed movements without feeling any pain and then suddenly have a pain in your knees that doesn’t seem to want to go away. The human body is complex and each individual has different anatomical features. So it’s the trainer’s job to prescribe exercises and adapt them to your body’s needs. It is also the private trainer’s duty to ensure that all the constraints of the exercise are respected. The execution of a movement may appear correct to the outside eye, but if every detail is not executed to perfection (poor knee placement, poor grip on the bar, stroke in the wrong position, etc.) we increase the risk of injury.
Postural problems
We also have cases of pain created by muscular imbalances. An unbalanced training programme can lead to muscle imbalances and compensations. Secondly, even if your programme seems balanced, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s right for you. For example, if someone has a shoulder curl problem linked to their working position and we build a balanced training programme with this type of individual, we won’t necessarily be optimising the correction of the posture and associated pain. Obviously, a competent trainer will be able to help you programme your training so that it’s adapted to your anatomy.
In conclusion, here are three of the many reasons why you should work with a private trainer. I myself trained for years without a trainer and without any knowledge of the field, and I’m still paying the price today. Don’t be like me and give yourself the tools you need to succeed effectively and safely. Schedule your OBJECTIV meeting today to discuss your goals with one of our coaches.