Reasons to Have a Personal Trainer

To be honest, as a former competitive athlete and current high school coach, I never felt the need to have a trainer work with me. I just have always figured that by the sheer virtue of being athletic I should be able to take care of business in the gym by myself. Most people who have to employ the assistance of a trainer either have suffered injury or have been "out of the game" so to speak when it comes to exercising.

I think this is the way most folks feel. I mean, why waste the money to have someone tell you something you either already know or can determine all by yourself? Why have a person follow you around the place, making you look like the new kid or the one who needs "help"? Why waste time doing what someone else feels is right for you rather than making decisions for yourself?

All good questions, but maybe, just maybe, they're a bit off balance.

As time has gone on and I have grown from a diehard baseball player (at thirty-nine the idea of catching up to a fastball with even a little giddy-up on it seems like a fantasy lived long ago) into a hopeful triathlete, I have started to see the value in what a trainer can do.

Times change and the knowledge of how to prepare the body constantly becomes more precise and intricate. And no one, and I mean no one--unless you are in the fitness business, can keep pace with the ever-changing world of physical training.

So, even though I have yet to run out and hire one, I do think that a personal trainer could do me some good, and here's why.

1. Obligation: Life has a ton of responsibilities, most of which can turn into some convenient excuses to skip a workout. Given this, having designated appointments with a trainer will keep you on task more often than not.

2. Knowledge: You won't just push the weight up and down on the bench, wait three minutes, chat with a friend, and then repeat. A trainer is going to keep you moving and make the workout far more dynamic than you would, in all likelihood, if working out alone.

3. Avoid distraction: Some people own an incredible sense of discipline; however, most can get easily distracted if given the chance. With a trainer by your side, you have a person to keep you from hanging a little too long at the water fountain and buying a touch too much rest or socialization.

4. Form: Even if you have been lifting weights your entire life, I bet there exists something in your form that can improve. A second set of knowledgeable eyes will make you better quickly, thus getting more productive results.

5. Tracking: Rarely do people record what they do, so it's tough to recall with true certainty what you did. Therefore, how exactly will you know your progress? Your strengths and weaknesses? A trainer will log all you do and give you the safe increments at which to move forward.

6. Resource: After several sessions, maybe you decide to stop and try on your own again...sometimes that's a financial call. Yet, once you have worked with a trainer, you have a constant resource with whom to check in if you have a question.

7. Sounding board: In the workplace, people become extremely productive in a collaborative setting. Much is the same in the gym. Having a trainer there to bounce ideas off of and to converse with about the process is important.

In the end, like I said before, I have not taken the initiative and used a trainer yet. But, after thinking about it, I am far more open to the idea. In fact, if I want to make strides, especially as I get older, it may just be a really good idea.