Personal training is an excellent way to keep yourself accountable and motivated. And there are numerous other benefits. When someone is watching you, you can’t exactly slack off or cut short an exercise.
Yet, you’ll always hear people say that personal training isn’t for them. Or it didn’t work for them. Or they think it’s a waste of time and money.
This proves true if you don’t put in the work. Or you didn’t maximize your investment. Or you didn’t stick with it.
Consistency is always the key. And even a few training sessions with a personal trainer can help you get a consistent and planned routine or exercise program down.
But how can you maximize your results? How can you ensure you make it worth your while?
1. Show Up on Time.
You’re paying for their time. You want to make sure you get the most of it - and that means showing up on time or even better, showing up early. If you arrive with time to spare, warm up properly. A 5-10 minute warm up consisting of any physical activity that gets your heart rate up should do the trick.
If you’re 5-10 minutes late, you’ll always be robbing yourself of that time you could’ve had with your personal trainer. Schedule it in the calendar. Set reminders. Don’t be late!
2. Set Goals.
If your trainer doesn’t bring it up, make sure you do. It’s a good idea to get these out in the open during your first session. And make sure they are S.M.A.R.T. goals. S.M.A.R.T. stands for specific, measureable, attainable, realistic, and time-oriented. It ensures you keep track of your progress and enables you to know when you’ve hit or haven’t hit your goals.
And don’t be shy! Express where you want to be. Or else, you may never get there.
3. Keep Track of Your Progress.
While you and your personal trainer may do this together, it’s a good idea to have your own record. For instance, sessions you perform on your own time - you may want to record. This way you’ll have something to show at your next session. And you and your personal trainer can build not only on your sessions together, but on sessions you do on your own.
There are a variety of useful phone applications you can use for this as well. MyFitnessPal is one of the many options out there. It even allows you to track your daily food intake - keeping you on track in both exercise and diet.
4. Communicate with Your Trainer
Do you have past injuries? Do you find the exercise you’re performing just doesn’t feel right? Communicate it! Let your trainer know. They can adjust your program to prevent recurring injuries. And they can find exercise options that feel good.
Get the most out of your personal training sessions! After all, they are about improving you and your life. Start your journey toward accomplishing all your fitness goals today.