This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click through and purchase something using my links, I receive a small commission. You can click here to read my disclosure policy ? Thank you!
There are a lot of pros to hiring a personal trainer to coach you through exercise, but one reason why many people don’t have personal trainers is that they are expensive. In the list of things you “have” to pay for, personal trainers fall way, way low on that list. In fact, I’m willing to bet a lot of people consider a personal trainer part of their disposable income costs, and whether or not they choose to have one is based on if they have the money to spend.
However, I’m going to have to come clean here: I have a personal trainer and I love it. I’ve used Trainer Space in the past when I was Boca Raton and I loved that too. Before I’m pilloried in the personal finance community, let me outline some of the reasons why I’ve found a personal trainer to be worth it and why you might find somewhere like Horizon Personal Training might be worthwhile for you… and alternatives to the traditional personal training sessions.
Why My Personal Trainer is Worth It
I was definitely one of those people who thought personal trainers were too expensive. As a frequent gym-goer, I also thought I knew all the machines and how to do basic exercises properly. However, in December, our local YMCA ran a special on personal training sessions, and my mom and I decided to get each other sessions as Christmas gifts. If you are a trainer yourself, why not read rules for keeping your personal training clients motivated as they will help you pick up and retain business!
As I started working with the personal trainer, I realized I definitely was wrong about a couple things. Here are the reasons I’ve found my personal trainer to be worth it:
- Consistency – yes, I’m one of “those people.” I won’t go (or will go less often) to the gym if I don’t have a buddy. By having a once a week, standing appointment with my personal trainer, I go. I go every week. Not only am I paying for it, but there is someone expecting me to be there… and I hate standing people up (especially people I’m paying!)
- Time – honestly, sometimes the only time I go to the gym is that once a week when I meet my trainer. I’m trying to build up my side hustle, plan a wedding, spend time with my family, occasionally hang out with B (I’m glad he’s understanding!), and… you know… spend 10 hours a day with my “real” job (commuting + work).
Even if you’re not that busy, I’m sure you have your own time crunches. Whether it’s a side hustle, family, or other hobbies, the gym is something easy to push down on the to-do list. You can’t really tell you two-year-old to wait while you go to the gym, but you can tell the gym to wait while you potty-train your two-year-old.
For me, my time with the personal trainer is non-negotiable. It’s a lot easier to say “no” to things when a) I’m paying for it and b) it’s only once a week.
- Learning new things to challenge my muscles. This has been one of the best pros to having a personal trainer. I used to be incredibly active: I played sports throughout high school and college, and even in graduate school I signed up for boot camps to challenge myself.
Since joining the working world? Ha, I consider myself lucky if I walk the dog around the park twice. That’s a workout for me (true story). When I go to the gym, I do the standard routine of elliptical (sometimes treadmill), a couple machines, maybe some tricep work with the free weights.
If you’re into working out at all, you’ll know that after a while, your body adjusts to repetition and you need more weights to shake it up. Unfortunately, I just wasn’t progressing. 12 lb. weights were the most I was doing, and that was on a good day.
Now, with my personal trainer, I’ve learned so many more exercises that really tax me. Best of all, I’ve learned how to use my own body weight as resistance, so I can do a lot of these exercises at home if I want. With my trainer, I also get a copy of the exercises we do weekly, which I can bring to the gym on my own and replicate. Even after I stop having a personal trainer, I’ll still keep the exercises I learned from her and continue to incorporate them into my gym routine.
- Price – I would be remiss to note that my personal trainer is not expensive. If the YMCA is close to you, check out their prices for sessions with personal trainers. Right now, I pay $40 an hour for my trainer, once a week.
What if Hiring a Personal Trainer Isn’t an Option?
While I think having a personal trainer is worth it, I do understand the cost may be an obstacle. However, I’d encourage you to check with your local gym and see what specials they are offering. Often around this time of year, gyms are trying to entice people with healthy New Year’s Resolutions to join their gyms and sign up with an introductory (sometimes free!) session with a personal trainer. Here are some additional ways to reduce the cost and fit in more exercise:
- Consider Semi-Personal Training – if hiring a personal trainer for individual sessions is too expensive, check with your gym and see if they’ll let you split the cost with friends or family. When we first started with our personal trainer, Mom and I didn’t want to work out alone; we were looking to work out but still spend time together.
Our gym didn’t offer semi-personal training sessions at all – until we asked. They worked something out where we both paid less but were still able to get a full hour of personal training. However, this never would have happened if we hadn’t asked. So ask! The worst they can say is “no” (and I really doubt a good gym would do that!)
- Stretch Out Your Sessions – you don’t have to visit a personal trainer twice a week, or even once every week. To get the most out of your money, schedule your personal training sessions twice or even once a month. Make sure to get a copy of the exercises you do with the personal trainer – either have your trainer make you a hard copy or email you a copy to review on your phone/tablet, or print it out at home. Doing this will save you money but still get you the access to (and accountability of) a personal trainer.
- Try Online Personal Training – If you don’t live close enough to a gym, or if the cost of a gym membership plus training would be too much, try online personal training. Sites like FitOrbit.com pair you with personal trainers and cost much less than a traditional, in-person personal trainer.
I haven’t tried a site like FitOrbit for personal training, but I have tried some free online workout videos and, if you have the motivation to do it on a regular basis, those online videos can be awesome resources. Plus, you can do it whenever, wherever in your own home, which is a pretty big plus for a busy individual!
Personally, I’ll stick with my personal trainer for a couple more months. I like having new exercises designed for me, and right now I’m willing to pay for that accountability factor. It helps that I get to go with my mom and bond with her too – it’s some extra time we get together, and I’m keeping her in shape to. It’s not something I’ll stick with long term, just when I need it… like now!
So what do you think? Do you think you’d ever hire a personal trainer, or do you think you’ll stick with the gym, outdoors exercise, or something else? What do you think of virtual or online personal trainers?
I think like anything else personal finance related, it’s totally a personal choice, and if you have room in your budget and it makes you happy and feel good, then hey, totally worth it. Of course I would say it’s a bad idea if someone was in debt (with maybe the exception of mortgage/car loan) or living paycheck to paycheck.
That’s really a good point, Tonya! Someone living in debt or paycheck to paycheck probably wouldn’t be served very well by working with a personal trainer. At that point, just doing your own thing (Youtube videos) or working out outside, if possible, is the best way to get in shape!
I think if it will keep you accountable and you will actually use the services that are paid for, then yes it is worth it. I think, sometimes, it is just too easy to cancel an appointment with the trainer. And before you know it, you end up not going.
That’s so true – it has to be hard to cancel with the trainer. I always hate wasting money though, so luckily by paying ahead, I know I have to go. Not wasting money no matter how much going to the gym stinks sometimes! 🙂
I’ve never had a personal trainer but I worked at a gym during college and there are some huge, huge benefits if you’re working towards a specific goal. If I just want to incorporate some exercise into my week, I just sign up for a class which I’ll get dinged the class fee if I don’t go. That’s usually enough motivation for me 🙂
Whoa, classes can ding you for not attending?! That is great! Honestly, I’d go even more if I were charged for not going. I could see how that wouldn’t work for everyone, but it’d certainly get my butt in gear. Very cool!
$40 a session is a fair price. At the gym I work at they charge $65 per session and you can only by sessions in groups of 10 – so it’s a minimum of $650 just to sign up. But, I do hear a lot of good things about having a personal trainer. Maybe one day?
Whoa, there is a minimum of 10?? That’s rough! The trainers at my YMCA only have a minimum of 4, which isn’t quite as bad. I think 4 is a good number too, because it gives you enough time to fall in love with it. Conversely, if you hate it, it’s only 4 sessions! $65 is still pretty expensive – I don’t know if there are any new gyms popping up nearby you, but brand new gyms usually offer a personal training promotion (so, way less than $65). Or you could do what Tonya from Budget and the Beach does and see if you can work for a few hours at the gym in exchange for a discounted rate, or free personal training sessions? Tonya does it for yoga, so I’m not sure how it would work out for personal training, but you never know!
Thanks for sharing this advice on getting a personal trainer! I agree that it depends on the person, but for the most part, a personal trainer is a great way to stay in shape. Plus, it is true that having a personal trainer helps you make your workouts more consistent. However, you need to make sure that you get the right trainer so that you’re not wasting your time at the gym!
I like how you mentioned your personal trainer has taught you a lot of different exercises. I think that is a huge benefit for me. The science behind muscle building and exercise is not something that I understand that well. I would love to be able to have someone explain it to me as we are exercising. It is hard to find time to go to the gym and even more difficult to find time to learn about the gym at home. The opportunity to learn as I go to the gym is a big selling point. Thank you for sharing.
Well, in my opinion its anyone personal choice what kind of personal trainer he or she wants. A good personal trainer will help you out in many things. I too had apprehensions before finding the right personal trainer.
I’m blessed to have such a good trainer.
For me, I’m not quite ready to work with a personal trainer full-time, for financial reasons. I didn’t realize that semi-personal training was in the realm of possibilities, though! I will have to follow your example and have the courage to ask for something like that if my gym doesn’t offer it!
I agree with you that personal trainers are expensive. Like you say, that’s why a lot of people don’t have them. Although, I can see how they help with consistency in attending the gym. I guess it all depends on how serious you are about getting in shape.
I like your idea to visit your personal trainer a couple times a month. If you write down the routine, there is no reason you can’t just do it on our own or even at home. Half the struggle of getting to the gym for me is leaving my house, so it would make it so much more bearable if I were to do it within the comfort of my own home!
Great post, and SO very true. I went the 4 year bachelors degree route to become a personal trainer, imagining I’d have my college loans paid off in no time. HA! As you said the pay, the hours, the clientele …it is all so very unpredictable. However, I personally stick with it because it is my passion. I too cringe when people tell me they are wanting to leave their 9-5 steady income job. In most cases it takes a lot of time and A LOT of work to build up the clientele to earn a steady, regular income in this industry. It’s certainly not for everyone.