Working Out with a Personal Trainer

I was asked about personal trainers, so I thought I'd share my answer in a post!

This is my second time to have a personal trainer (PT). The two experiences have been pretty different.

Last time, I was at a gym where they train PTs. I didn't have a trainer assigned to me, though I was usually able to get the same guy. We worked out on the weight equipment 95% of the time. Things I enjoyed: him setting the machine for me (weights, seat, etc), pushing me harder than I would push myself, knowing when to increase weights and/or reps, being a 'buddy' while I worked out (so not boring!), having an appointment (that I'd paid for!) so I was determined to go, and being a wonderful cheerleader.

My current PT is quite a bit different. He is the manager of a small gym (part of a chain). At the other gym my workouts were 30 minutes, but with him (Kevin) they are 60 minutes. The cost is the same (per 30 mins), but this time I am paying each time I go instead of a huge sum up front.

With Kevin, we are probably using the machines only 25% of the time. He really mixes things up. He is also a great cheerleader and he pushes me, again, beyond what I'd push myself. But, I'm also really good at saying "that's enough!" when I really don't think I can go any further.

Kevin is really good at correcting my form. It's amazing how many times I need corrected when I think I'm doing it right! And, he's great at checking on how I'm doing. For example, we were doing pushups yesterday and he asked me how my wrists were and I told him one of them was hurting -that it often hurt. So, he got my some weight lifting gloves (I'm official now!!!) and it relieved the pain! I'll be using those when weight training now.

I made a deal with Kevin - he trains me one day a week (upper or lower - we always do core, too) and he plans a 2nd day for me to do at home. I told him what equipment I have available, and this way it costs me less and I don't have to drag my dd to the gym twice a week!

He also incorporates cardiovascular exercises to keep my HR up. He will make this harder as I get more fit.

Here's what we did yesterday:
1. modified pushups - 3 sets... 1st set of 15 was normal... 2nd set - afterwards I sprinted across the gym and did a "bear crawl" back... 3rd set - afterwards I did something I think he called a climber- it was HARD (hard to describe, too!)
2. jump roped 60 seconds
3 & 4. alternated crunches on ball and lat pull down (machine)
5 & 6. alternated chest press (free weights) and lewg raises (machine)
7. dumbbell fly (free weights on bench)
8. dumbbell deadlift... on Bosu!!! That was interesting!
9. cable bicep curl (machine)

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! One questions might be cost. I suppose it might vary according to part of the country. At the first gym, I paid $25 per half hour and now I pay $50 for an hour. There is a PT in my neighborhood that works from her house who also charges $25 per half hour. At the YMCA, the cost varies according to how many session you pay for. And, you can also have 2 people per session and get it cheaper! Oh, and my sister-in-law lives in another state and pays $60 per hour, but hers includes some fancy body testing and nutrition.