As you go along your fitness or health journey, a personal trainer or one-on-one coach is a valuable resource for achieving your goals. You might think that you can just hit the gym, do your half-hour of cardio, and lift some weights every few days to see results. This might be true, but using an educated professional who is trained to push you just the right amount and in the right ways can take you further than you ever realized.
Education
Personal trainers are certified in physical education, nutrition, and kinesthetics. Not only are they well-versed in the right ways to exercise to prevent injury, good form, and how to combine movements for greater efficiency, they can teach you these skills so that you can take them further into your life.
Knowledge is power. If you know why you are doing something a certain way, exercising and resting in certain patterns, and making specific food choices, then you’ll be more likely to continue with the program.
Correct form is key
A one-on-one coach makes sure that you are holding your body in the correct posture the entire time you’re exercising. Correct posture ensures that your muscles are being worked out in the way that strengthens them the most, while preventing injury.
Eventually, your body and muscles will become so used to doing things in the exact right position that you won’t have to think twice about it. When you have a personal trainer who is watching your individual movements and helping you pinpoint the ways to perfect them, you know that your exercise time is being used to its full potential.
Get individual help
Exercise regimes and nutrition plans aren’t one-size-fits-all. Every person’s body is different, and everyone comes into their journey with different knowledge and goals. As you grow, strengthen, and improve, your goals will change as well. Having someone that can help adjust your plan to your needs ensures that you’re always exercising and fueling your body to maximum potential.
Goal-setting partner
Most people want to see results right away, which isn’t often practical (or possible). A personal trainer knows the process and can help you set goals that are both short- and long-term. They are experienced in health-related journeys, so they can tell you what to expect and help cheer you on as your short-term goals make way for the long-term.
Make plans for events or activities
If you have an event, competition, or race on the docket, a one-on-one coach can help you make a plan for what you need to do each day, week, or month previous. As you go along, these plans can be altered if necessary.
These events don’t have to be your run-of-the-mill marathons, either. Let’s say you want to learn to scuba dive or horseback ride, but you’re over the weight limit. Or you need weight-loss surgery but have to get to a certain point before you qualify. A personal trainer is the best way to help you meet your individual needs.
Accountability
We’d all like to think we’re our own best cheerleaders, but that’s usually just not true. When there’s someone else who we “answer to,” we are much more likely to stay on the true and narrow path. This is often even more true when you’ve paid for a service—you want to make sure you get your money’s worth.
Minimize waste, maximize results
Gyms can be overwhelming, especially if you aren’t well-versed in what the specific machines are supposed to be for. How many people have you seen walk into a gym, half-heartedly use an arm machine, wander over to a leg machine and push for a couple of minutes, then walk out? (If that’s you, we understand.)
If you’re spending your valuable time in the gym, you want to know that every minute is making you stronger, leaner, more capable, and flexible. You definitely don’t want to find out that the months spent doing an exercise a certain way weren’t helping you at all.
A personal trainer makes a plan specific to you so that when you get there, you can get started right away. They’ll also show you exactly how you should be performing each movement so ensure your muscles are working to maximize potential.
Nutritional guidance
Every certified personal trainer is also educated in nutrition. Exercise is important, especially for strength training, but what you put into your body is of foundational importance to a healthy physique. Food is fuel, too, so if you plan on working hard, you’re going to need to fill yourself up with energizing foods that last. A one-on-one coach can develop a plan specific to your body that you’ll enjoy following.
Prioritizing mental health
Physical exercise and proper nutrition are closely linked to mental health. Exercise creates endorphins, serotonin, and oxytocin, all of which are “feel good” hormones that keep you in a positive state. A personal trainer will help you stay motivated, challenge you appropriately, and cheer you on when times get hard. They support you and are often another solid relationship that you can count on.
Consistency and creativity
During your fitness journey, you want to stay consistent, developing strength going forward so that you can accomplish bigger goals with time. You don’t want to concentrate on one muscle group for a little while, then move to only another, and fall off all the way. However, you also don’t want to get bored. A coach will make sure that you’re building on your strengths while switching up exercises and circuits so that coming to the gym continues to be an exciting experience.
Final thoughts
Using a personal trainer or coach is an investment in yourself. You deserve the time and attention that an individual coach can give you. Personal trainers or one-on-one coaches are a valuable resource that can help you maximize your workout time while helping you achieve any goal you set for yourself.
Resources
https://fitness.edu.au/the-fitness-zone/15-benefits-only-a-personal-trainer-can-provide/
