In a nutshell, the benefits of training with a personal trainer can be described in one word: results!
Working out can be fun and enjoyable, but let’s be honest: most people have some kind of goal in mind when they’re putting miles behind them in a park or on a hill, huffing and puffing under an overhead weight, or trying their best to complete just one more rep. Whether you’re working out to get jacked for the beach, want to look as good as possible on your wedding day, are trying to rehabilitate an old sporting injury, or have made the decision to be more healthy, it’s the attempt to reach these self-imposed goals that has us coming back to the gym again and again. Going home sweaty, shaky, and sore again and again.
Enter the personal trainers – the black belts of hitting fitness goals.
Personal trainers spend years studying the physiological effects of exercise on the body. They understand the interplay between exercise, nutrition, sleep, rest, and physical development and, equally as important, the psychological and motivational techniques that keep their clients motivated and not have them give up when the going gets tough. Combine all of these traits and skills with being able to set actionable and realistic goals, and you’ve got yourself someone who can help you reach your health milestones safely, effectively, and consistently.
While you could easily scan through a long list of bullet points highlighting the many benefits of training with a personal trainer, this article will focus on and discuss in detail the three main benefits that help us achieve our desired results.
1. Goals goals goals!
This is a word that’ll get thrown around a lot in this article, and with good reason. After all, it’s why we make the effort to work out in the first place. Unfortunately, many of us simply don’t know how to set or define realistic and actionable fitness goals. While there’s nothing wrong with saying “I want bigger muscles”, “I want to be stronger”, or “I want to lose my belly fat”, these goals are vague and difficult to measure, and, even if you make some progress towards them on your own, any setbacks or slow progress is likely to leave one demotivated and discouraged.
Even worse is falling for completely unrealistic or even nonsensical fitness goals found on the internet and in shady magazines. Clickbait articles promise this one exercise for a full-body workout or eat this new miracle food and watch the pounds melt away, only to leave those who believed the lies demoralised and angry. In the same vein, even well-meaning and well-researched advice on the internet won’t take your unique situation, current health and fitness levels, body composition, or other important factors into consideration. Personal trainers will.
Personal trainers use their wealth of knowledge and experience to help each individual client set realistic goals. This goes beyond just an end goal and includes roadmapping a plan, defining ways of measuring progress, dealing with both positive and unforeseen adverse developments, and ensuring that it is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
2. Workouts that work!
As previously mentioned, there’s a lot of misinformation on the internet when it comes to exercises and the promises about how effective they are. This misinformation isn’t limited to the internet, and many of us hold onto outdated or biassed ideas about certain exercises or health and fitness in general. Prime fitness myths and misconceptions that a lot of people walk around with include the belief that you can target fat-burning in specific parts of the body, that your muscles can turn into fat if you don’t work out, or that situps are the holy grail of ab workouts.
When you rely on the expertise of a skilled personal trainer, you can rest assured that you won’t be wasting your time on exercises that aren’t effective or, even worse, dangerous. Similarly to other fields, our understanding of health and exercise is constantly evolving as we learn more about how our bodies work and develop new tools and technologies. Dedicated personal trainers will take it upon themselves to stay up-to-date with these developments, allowing them to provide their clients with the latest and most relevant information published in reputable and peer-reviewed health and fitness journals.
‘Workouts that work’ only do so if they work for you, the client. We all have our workout preferences, with some people actually enjoying their time on the treadmill and others loving the weight on their backs. Personal trainers can take these preferences into consideration when designing your workout plan to ensure a combination that is effective while still being enjoyable. Left to our own devices, we might easily just stick to what we know or like, slowing down or halting progress towards our goals.
One final thing to keep in mind is that health, fitness, growth, rehabilitation, or weight-loss goals can’t be achieved by working out alone. Any half-decent personal trainer will absolutely take all of these factors into consideration, taking the time to discuss their importance with you and answering any questions you might have. By ensuring that their clients have a clear understanding of these factors and how they will influence their progress, personal trainers can make sure that every calorie spent under their supervision counts.
3. Massive Motivation
Sticking to a workout plan is hard. A 2020 study of 6513 individuals by the Singapore Management University found that 65% of people only managed to visit their gym less than 10 times over a 16-month period (Radhakrishnan et al.), with a massive 38% reporting a lack of personal trainers as the reason. If you’re serious about any sort of long-term health and fitness priorities, having a motivated and inspiring personal trainer by your side could dramatically increase your chances of hitting those goals.
Personal trainers have a number of tools at their disposal to keep their clients motivated. First and foremost, working this close with people – and on such a personal level – requires exceptional human skills and empathy. If you have any experience with personal trainers, you’ll have seen how they are almost always inspiring and positive individuals. If nothing else, this positivity and enthusiasm for what they do go a long way in keeping their clients eager to go back for the next session.
Other ways that personal trainers can motivate their clients to keep pursuing their fitness goals include increased accountability by being someone who is waiting for you at the gym, meaning you can’t just simply decide not to go; helping new clients with zero to little gym experience overcome beginners’ anxiety about gym etiquette or doing something embarrassing; and highlighting your progress and development on a technical level when you don’t really see any physical results yet. Making use of technology in the form of fitness-, nutrition-, and sleep trackers can also help personal trainers keep their clients motivated and accountable between sessions.
It’s so easy to give up on a fitness regimen! Give yourself the best possible chances of success with a motivated and motivating personal trainer.
Personal trainers at Studio Society
If you’ve ever stepped into a gym and felt overwhelmed by the array of equipment or started a new workout routine only to find yourself plateauing after a few weeks, you’re not alone. Studio Society is fast establishing itself as the most innovative and unique fitness studio in the UK, and we have the trainers, equipment, and community of fitness enthusiasts to help you realise your fitness goals in dozens of fun and engaging ways.
With a diverse and highly qualified team of personal trainers that includes former international athletes, wellness champions, and specialised trainers in various fields like martial arts and weight training, you’re not just getting a workout—you’re receiving a tailor-made fitness journey designed to meet your individual needs.
Visit our Personal Trainers page to find the perfect fitness partner for you and experience the benefits of training with a personal trainer for yourself.
Work Cited
Radhakrishnan, M., et al. “Gym usage behavior & desired digital interventions: An empirical study.” Institutional Knowlede at Singapore Management University, vol. 10, 2020. Singapore Management University, Accessed 12 09 2023.