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Hiring a personal trainer has many benefits, but we can be understandably cautious about making that kind of commitment.
But we needn’t be concerned. Not only are personal trainers conditioned to work with clients of all backgrounds and fitness levels, but the results you get make the cost beneficial.
The Journal of Sports Science and Medicine conducted research into the effectiveness of personal training on changing attitudes towards physical activity. A whopping 73% of participants showed significant progress after 10 weeks of working with a personal trainer.
Increased Accountability
Sometimes the most challenging aspect of maintaining a workout routine is the discipline that this requires. If nobody is expecting to see you at the gym, you’re far more likely to skip the session. There’s always a temptation to lounge around.
But working with a personal trainer will help to ensure you get your workout. It is, perhaps, the greatest motivation.
In 2016, Dove Medical Press published the results of an 11 year study which found that 60.5% of participants had a greater adherence rate to their workout regimes with the help of a personal trainer. The more accountability we have, the more likely we are to stick to the programme. There’s ample research – such as the study cited above – that show the more support we receive with our goals, the more likely they are to succeed.
Personalised Plans
How many workout programmes are there in the world? A silly question, they’re innumerable!
But just because we have googled a few programmes doesn’t mean they are the best option for us. All of our bodies are different, and we all have our own issues to contend with. A personal trainer is equipped to present you with a personalised plan that will give you the best results.
For example, during a consultation, a trainer might notice that one of your arms is weaker than another, but you had no idea. This is an imbalance that must be addressed with the movements that the trainer recommends; they might incorporate single-arm movements into the workouts, allowing you to correct this imbalance.
In fact, recent research indicates the effectiveness of individualised workout plans just for this reason.
Researchers in both Italy and Poland studied a team of 24 people, dividing them into two strength training groups; one that did not have muscular imbalances and one that did. The results suggested that individualised resistance training provided additional benefits to traditional strength-training protocols to improve muscular imbalances.
We Learn From a PT!
A personal trainer is a highly individual, passing multiple exams and an accredited professional. This means they know a lot about human physiology and body mechanics, behaviour change, exercise science, and more.
So, who better to learn from? How to use specific equipment, which exercises will be most effective for us. PT’s also teach us about greater health and fitness topics that will help you maintain a healthy lifestyle from nutrition to mental health.
We are not only likely see better results and avoid potential injury, but we are given knowledge and tools to carry our health and wellbeing journey forward.