Expert Annie Deadman debates whether paying more and getting a personal trainer means better results. If you usually skip my column and head to those nice cookery and travel bits at the end, then just give me a moment. Earlier this year, you may have been one of the thousands who ‘joined a gym’. Box ticked. Phew, you feel fitter already.
The fantastic range of classes that most health clubs offer do hit the spot. Yoga for flexibility, Bodypump for strength, Zumba for uplifting cardio, spinning for cyclists and weights for lifting. You like going, you feel good afterwards and the cafe serves great coffee. So the choice between joining a health club (lots of classes, danger of faffing) and trying a personal trainer (you do what they say and no faffing) might sound like no contest, but a PT could be a better bet. But before you spit the word ‘cost!’ at me, hear me out.
A monthly gym subscription might set you back quite a lot per month (especially for one with top-notch equipment and facilities). But to get your money’s worth, you have to go – like turn up without anyone expecting you. If you love it and you don’t need anyone to tell you how it’s done, great. If not, you could be heading past Dedication Drive to Comfort Close, with no progress.
The body needs challenge to make change, to move away from the average into the ‘Ooh, I dunno about that’. That requires discipline. Take training for a half-marathon, for example. It means not just endless running, but strength work to avoid injury. Building lean tissue means activating muscles with correct posture, increasing the load by reps or weight regularly. Losing fat means complementing that lean tissue with a nutrition plan and a calorie deficit.
Being accountable to that personal trainer will help you with that discipline. A block of 12 sessions might cost around R5 000. ‘HOW much?!’ you splutter. Exactly. You sure as hell ain’t going to be wasting an hour sipping latte for that price. If you’ve paid handsomely for a training session, you turn up. If you pay a monthly gym fee for a choice of 80 classes, which you could attend whenever you like, is there the same motivation? Possibly not.In your one-a-week PT session, both you and your trainer will be focused only on you and your goals. You will work harder than you ever would on your own or in a group class. You will understand your training programme and what those dead lifts are doing for your glutes, you’ll count your reps, your kilometres, your calories, and you’ll be beholden to your trainer at the end of each week. Accountable.
A good coach will want to know anything that might affect your training, such as work stress, divorce, sleep patterns, menstrual cycle, self-esteem.In my days as a PT, sessions often became outlets for clients. There were tears (‘I need HRT’), laughs (‘I’d better be a size 10 by the end or you’re finished’) and confessions (‘I had sex last night and it wasn’t my husband’). Striving, achieving and changing are inextricably linked to emotions. It’s the most fulfilling job in the world, but I’m biased. So however much you’re shelling out, make sure you’re getting what you want. Your best bet is not just word of mouth. Go on local social media groups and if the same name keeps cropping up, that’s a very good start.
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Photo by Karolina Grabowska
