I have made a lot of investments into myself - financial and otherwise, but if I could choose one of those investments as the one that made the biggest change to my lifestyle it would be an easy choice. I started working with my personal trainer Alex in April 2019, since then I have been working with him consistently to improve my health and fitness. So I thought I would share some of the key benefits I have seen during that time;

A Friendly Face

Having a friendly face in the gym can be a great help, especially if it is an unfamiliar place for you when you are getting started. There is a lot of equipment to get use to and I'll be honest - in the past I was one of those people who avoided the free weight area because it seemed a little intimidating. These days I'm comfortable with all areas of the gym because of the exposure I got to them while working with Alex.

Accountability

Accountability is huge when you are attempting to maintain a habit. As someone who always attempted to go to the gym before working with Alex I could never remain consistent, I would be one of those terrible people that went to the gym in January, and gave up by March. I never managed to stick to it or get to where I wanted to be. A personal trainer helps massively with that, you are booked into time slots and sessions where you need to turn up (unless you want to throw money down the drain). This keeps you going, and as I'm sure you know - consistency is key in almost anything you do to improving. It is more than just turning up though, it is easy to tell if you have not been sticking to your diet, or having one too many drinks at the weekend and your personal trainer will probably give you nudges in the right direction if they catch you.

Knowledge

While I went to the gym before working with Alex, my knowledge was based on the odd YouTube video and mostly making it up as I went along. Not only was not really getting me the results I was after it also came with a higher risk of injury - which is another great reason to work with a personal trainer, not only can they create specific plans to help you achieve the goals that you want, but they can ensure you are working towards those goals in a safe environment. As an example any lifts they can work with you to ensure correct form, and even throughout the workout they can ensure you are not pushing yourself too hard.

Story time. In my first session with Alex, I was restricting my calories a lot more than I should have due to my lack of knowledge. Alex took me through an hour session, now I had not been to the gym in quite a while, and I almost passed out. The main reason I didn't is because Alex spotted I was wobbling and staring into space, so he stopped the session and got me some sugar. Thankfully crisis averted and I felt a lot better afterwards. Alex explained the probable cause and safe to say it hasn't happened since. So I know first hand how important the knowledge personal trainers have is to ensuring you're safe in the gym.

Efficient

When you are booked in for a session with your trainer, you are there to train. You won't be wasting time on your phone, you will be focused in on the exercises you're doing - which means you will be getting the most out of your time at the gym. Plus since your personal trainer will be tailoring each session to yourself you should get to see results much quicker than if you were going it alone.

Breaking Through Plateaus

Plateau's can be hard to break through without a plan of action. Having a personal trainer is a great way to get past any barriers you're facing. Any plateau I have hit Alex has had a great solution for pushing through it. From progression exercises, utilising resistance bands or making use of time under tension. Regardless of what it is your personal trainer will be able to work with you to get you where you want to be.

To Conclude

Working with a personal trainer is one of the best decisions I've made. The progress I have seen since I started has been outstanding and I can admit that I would never have got to where I am on my own. If you are in any way struggling with your fitness I would implore you to do some research in your area and try out a personal trainer for a month and see what the results are.

I am going to leave my personal trainer's instagram page, I really recommend him if you are in the Manchester area.