Working with a trainer

I’ve mentioned before that I work with a trainer and that it has truly changed my life. I’ve had old injuries so it seems pretty excepted that I would get a lot of use out of working with a professional. But what if you don’t have any problems? Is there a point then?

In a word, yes

I’ve been working out with my partner for a good while now. We go to the gym together and most often we do my program. He’s stronger than I am, so most of the time it’s a breeze for him. Some moves he’s been relying more on strength than technique. But we’re heading into territory where we’ll be working with much bigger weights, so I persuaded him to get a short set with my trainer in order to make sure he gets the technique right and doesn’t hurt himself. Turns out, that was a very good thing. 

My partner got himself a five-visit set. One visit to get an assessment of where he is right now, two to go through his program, and two more to check that he was on track. He got a ton of good out of it. Enough that he got a second five-visit set. His technique is a lot better and no doubt the mobility exercises he’s gotten will do him a world of good in the long term as well. 

What do?

So, first of all, have an idea of what you want. Do you want to get stronger? Run faster? Just be without pain? I have three goals in my training; I want to be able to do 10 unassisted pull-ups, I want to be able to deadlift my own weight, and I want to be able to run/jog 10 kilometers. Now obviously, given where I started, these are all very long-term goals.

The next step is finding a trainer you can work with. At least here, all the chain gyms have their own trainers. There are also a lot of independent trainers who need to have access to gyms that you want to work out in. Over the pandemic, and now after, I’ve heard a lot of people talk about virtual trainers who offer their services online. There are a lot of options out there is what I’m saying.

In my experience, whatever your goals, it’s really worth it to talk to a professional about how you can go about achieving them. Especially if you’ve had injuries in your past. It’s good for you. I’ve heard so many women talk about how they don’t want to look muscular. I am here to tell you that you have to REALLY work at it to get that kind of definition. If you don’t lift heavy, there are so many ways in which being stronger can help your daily life. And if you’re covered on that front, good job! Now my friends, go out there and lift the heavy things!