Anyone ever hire a personal trainer? I'm closing in on 250 pounds loss but I have done it mostly with cardio. I'm looking to start lifting and getting more athletic. I went to the gym and I just don't seem to be doing the machines right as I seem to strain other parts of my body. I would like to work with someone to show me how to use the machines properly, how much weight to use, when to increase weight, and how and when to target muscle groups. I'm looking at 3 times a week max as I do most of my cardio at home. I'm not sure where to look for a trainer and what is a reasonable price. LA Fitness near me offers trainers. Maybe I'll try a free consultation there but I'm not sure where else to look.

I made the decision a while ago that I wanted to get to my goal weight and then hire a trainer and add muscle. I know me well enough to know that if I start that now, it will affect my loss, and even though I'll still be burning fat, the scale numbers will bother me.

That being said, my partner, who has lost 115 pounds himself, took another approach and started working with a trainer last fall. He actually went through one of the local universities and was able to buy blocks of training time at a more reasonable rate. I want to say that he ended up getting ten one-hour sessions for $300. When he used those ten, he bought another ten and so on. His trainer is certified and is a PhD candidate in kinesiology, so he is very conscientious about their work together. He's been pleased with the results.

Good luck!

i use a personal trainer once a week, wish i had the money to do more than that. i am 16 months post op, below my goal weight and training for an ironman triathlon, so it was important to me to get at least 1 PT workout in a week. go for it, they are everywhere, some are better than others. mine came highly recommended and really knows his stuff. he designs my workouts around endurance sports for me.

I had a PT for about a year prior and still use him. It's amazing. It's built confidence in myself at the gym. It also holds me accountable Bc I'm spending the money. Def do it.

I use the personal trainer at Planet Fitness. He has intro classes and actually classes. When no one signs up which usually happens, he uses the 30m -1hr to assist me with my workouts.

2 hours ago, blizair09 said:

I know me well enough to know that if I start that now, it will affect my loss, and even though I'll still be burning fat, the scale numbers will bother me.

What does this mean, does weight loss slow if you exercise? i'm getting sleaved in a month.

4 minutes ago, queendeborahbee said:

What does this mean, does weight loss slow if you exercise? i'm getting sleaved in a month.

When you do weight training, you are building muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. It is a positive thing, but from what my partner went through, it sometimes affects the number on the scale (e.g., you have actually lost fat, but since you replaced it with muscle, your weight stays the same or goes up).

This was a personal decision on my part. It is no better path than working out during the loss. It just fits my needs better.

What does this mean, does weight loss slow if you exercise? i'm getting sleaved in a month.

Think long term, not short term. "Numbers" are short term. I am 16 months or so post op. My weight hasn't changed much in the last 6 months or so, but I have defintely dropped body fat. That has to translate in to an increase in muscle. I train regularly, hard. So defintely keep the big picture in mind and not just some numbers on the scale.

5 minutes ago, Ryan TN said:

Think long term, not short term. "Numbers" are short term. I am 16 months or so post op. My weight hasn't changed much in the last 6 months or so, but I have defintely dropped body fat. That has to translate in to an increase in muscle. I train regularly, hard. So defintely keep the big picture in mind and not just some numbers on the scale.

I do agree with you that keeping the big picture in mind is always important, but "numbers on the scale" are important and a big part of the long term journey, too -- especially if you started out at 400 pounds and are still in the loss phase...

I question the wisdom of waiting until goal to start weight training.
Full disclosure: I really enjoy weight training.
Having attended numerous classes, read books and articles, and worked with several trainers...my concern would be losing muscle while on your path to goal. For women building muscle is a lot harder to do than for men. It usually requires supplements and hormones etc...to become a body builder type.
Moderate weight training will make what muscle you have more efficient and keep it in tact while you are going through the dramatic weight loss post surgery.
I had one of those body scans done and at around 360 lbs I was 150 lbs of muscle. That tells me that I'm not aiming to be 120 lbs. And that I want to make sure I do the work to keep as much of that 150 as possible. I won't need all of it to haul around my 350plus weight anymore, but I want to lose fat. That means keeping my muscles working.

4 hours ago, travelergirl said:

I question the wisdom of waiting until goal to start weight training.
Full disclosure: I really enjoy weight training.
Having attended numerous classes, read books and articles, and worked with several trainers...my concern would be losing muscle while on your path to goal. For women building muscle is a lot harder to do than for men. It usually requires supplements and hormones etc...to become a body builder type.
Moderate weight training will make what muscle you have more efficient and keep it in tact while you are going through the dramatic weight loss post surgery.
I had one of those body scans done and at around 360 lbs I was 150 lbs of muscle. That tells me that I'm not aiming to be 120 lbs. And that I want to make sure I do the work to keep as much of that 150 as possible. I won't need all of it to haul around my 350plus weight anymore, but I want to lose fat. That means keeping my muscles working.

I keep my protein levels above 100 grams per day, so this is helping me to not lose muscle. As I said in an earlier post, this was my personal decision that was made in conjunction with my team and my PCP. If you want to do weight training as you lose, that is a fine strategy; it is just not for me.

On 3/18/2017 at 11:53 AM, sgc said:

Anyone ever hire a personal trainer? I'm closing in on 250 pounds loss but I have done it mostly with cardio. I'm looking to start lifting and getting more athletic. I went to the gym and I just don't seem to be doing the machines right as I seem to strain other parts of my body. I would like to work with someone to show me how to use the machines properly, how much weight to use, when to increase weight, and how and when to target muscle groups. I'm looking at 3 times a week max as I do most of my cardio at home. I'm not sure where to look for a trainer and what is a reasonable price. LA Fitness near me offers trainers. Maybe I'll try a free consultation there but I'm not sure where else to look.

Learning which muscles to use during various movements takes time. I do a mix of machines and free weights when I lift. I prefer free weights because it forces you to really focus on your movements. Machines tend to give you the ability to "cheat" a bit more. Getting a trainer to help learn some basic movements isn't a bad idea. Personally I don't think you'd need to worry about it long term. Get going on some of the core movements and focus on those the first few weeks. When you're ready to progress then you could do another consultation.

As to knowing your limits it really is trial & error in the beginning. Always start light and adjust accordingly if you aren't being worked enough. I big mistake people make is not keeping track of what you're lifting. Keep a notepad with you and record the weight & reps. My rule of thumb is that you shouldn't be able to finish all of your reps on your final set. For instance if you're doing 3 sets of 12 reps I would want to do all my reps for the first two sets and then only get 9-10 reps on the final set. That means you're pushing yourself and forcing your muscles to get stronger. Once I am comfortable with that weight and get all my reps then the next time I'll add 5-10 pounds and start the process all over again.

Some sites like Muscle & Fitness have a ton of videos to show proper movements. There's nothing wrong with going really light on the weight and practicing movements the first few times until you get used to them.

The last time I used a personal trainer, I wasn't ready. I signed up because I felt compelled to, not because I wanted to. As a result, I kept gaining weight despite the intense workouts. @sgc, this almost certainly doesn't apply to you, but just wanted to add it to the thread.

Fast forward to today, I'm checking out a local boxing studio this evening to see about personal training and their classes (boxing, cardioboxing, and kickboxing). I *want* to be more active and try something new. And that's all the difference.

Congratulations check out if your gym has small group training. Mine did. About 6 to 10 ppl. With a trainer. Worked out with them 3x week. 1 hr. Was far less expensive. A lot depends on your gym. Currently doing Aquafit 3x week and when we're out side try to make 5 x

Still haven't gotten a personal trainer but I think I'm going to jump back into weight lifting on my own. I'm thinking twice per week. I'm maybe 15 pounds off where I want to be but notice my shoulders and arms are very scrawny looking. (These are words I never thought I would use to describe myself) Looking now to just tone up. I have stupid questions like how do I know I'm doing the exercises right? How do I know when to add more weight? Last time I tried lifting weights I was over 400 pounds and just didn't fit in the machines. Hopefully it will be better this time around.

Ask for help. Hopefully you don't have to purchase training sessions just to find out how to correctly use the weights and equipment. I'm going back to la fitness in a couple of months and will do just that. I'm all in this time. I'm done being embarrassed.

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