The other day a friend asked why I still need a personal trainer when I know what I’m doing in the gym. They said “Doesn’t a trainer just tell you what exercises to do and then yell at you if you don’t do them?” I realized that for someone who has never worked with a trainer, the impact of personal training on a person’s health and fitness journey could seem that simplistic. But a personal trainer is much more than just someone who leads you through workouts. Their role is to guide, educate, and motivate you on your fitness journey and lend you their confidence in your abilities on the days you lack your own. Whether you’re looking to lose weight, gain muscle, improve overall health or train for a specific sport or fitness goal, a personal trainer can provide expert advice and tailored fitness plans to help you reach your goals efficiently and safely. Here are 5 of the ways a personal trainer can help you succeed:
1. Provide Motivation and Accountability
Let’s be honest, making a plan to exercise isn’t usually the biggest challenge we face, often the biggest challenge in fitness is staying motivated and holding ourselves accountable. Whether we are not making our health and fitness a real priority, not maximizing our efforts out of lack of knowledge or simply just don’t want to exercise, it can be hard to stay accountable to ourselves. A personal trainer serves as a source of encouragement and accountability. They push you to go beyond what you realize you are capable of, help you break through plateaus and ensure you stay consistent with your training. Whether it is the accountability of the appointment or their belief in you that gets you in the gym, a trainer is always a great motivator to build consistency in fitness.
2. Create Customized Workouts and Programs
There are moments in your fitness journey where you don’t know what you should be doing, your exercise plan and routines are getting boring or you are just not getting the results you want despite commitment and effort. A personal trainer will create personalized workout programs for you, with exercises you might not even know existed, and build upon those programs over time to ensure you are consistently challenged. In creating your program, they will consider your current physical condition, limitations, and what you enjoy to create an effective, fun routine that targets your specific needs and goals.
3. Help You Understand the Body and How to Exercise Properly
Trying to find out how to utilize weights, weight machines, or perform exercises correctly can be intimidating for anyone. A personal trainer can help you understand the best practices for a workout which includes everything from correct techniques, proper form, stretching, tempo and understanding what and why you are working. They also help you progress over time and build in loading and deloading phases to ensure your body can recover properly. This all not only helps you prevent injuries but also improves the effectiveness of your workouts.
4. Track Progress and Adjust Programs to Help You Achieve Goals
Personal trainers don’t just set you up with a plan and leave you to it. They regularly track your progress—whether it’s through strength gains, weight loss, or skill and endurance improvements—and adjust your program to keep you on the right track. This ensures that your workouts remain challenging and that you’re continually progressing toward your goals. Whether you have a big goal in mind, like a large weight loss or training for a marathon, or simply want to achieve better overall health, a personal trainer is someone who can help you set a realistic timeline and plan. They will also be able to break down large goals into smaller goals that help you maintain consistency and excitement.
5. Educate and Support on Whole Health
Exercise and strength training is like preventative medicine for your body and mind that crosses many disciplines of healthcare. While trainers primarily focus on your workouts, many will also provide guidance on nutrition, mindset, overall lifestyle and offer insight on your total health. Your trainer is the health professional you see most often and can help you understand your body and your health in new ways, leading to positive outcomes both inside and outside the gym.
Whether you are new to fitness and want someone to guide you as you take your first steps or you are ready to take your training to the next level, our personal trainers here at Cornell Performance Academy in Hamilton are ready and excited to work with you. Get educated on the fundamentals of strength training, build longevity and truly understand the impact it can have on your body and life. Personal training at Cornell Performance Academy is for those ready to elevate and commit. Learn more about our trainers (aka performance coaches) here.
