For those who have either reached a plateau in their fitness journey or are simply new to it, personal training may be the missing piece you need to meet your fitness goals. Working with a personal trainer can bring your fitness journey to the next level in a variety of ways.
No matter where you are, it can be helpful to have some insight into the benefits of personal training and to see if this option is something you should consider.
Let’s take a closer look at personal training, its benefits, and how we the personal trainers at Carbon Performance can personalize your training needs.
Who is a Personal Trainer?
A personal trainer, also known as an exercise trainer, is someone who is knowledgeable in the world of fitness and can strategically help clients or small groups meet their weight, fitness, or health goals. Typically personal trainers can meet with their clients at a local gym or can meet the client in the comfort of their own home. Your fitness trainer can help you narrow down your goals and create a personal plan for you to reach them with the help of a consistent workout schedule and proper nutrition.
Are Personal Trainers Certified?
Most personal trainers are certified through NCCA accreditations, like NASM or ACE. These programs provide fitness instructors with the knowledge, expertise, and training required to not only be personal trainers but also give them the credibility, experience, and confidence to train and coach clients. When looking for a personal trainer, be sure to inquire about their qualifications and credentials, as this shows their dedication to their role and their care for you as a client to safely provide you with the best possible knowledge. In the same way that you would not visit a health professional who is not licensed or certified, your approach to finding a personal trainer should be the same.
How Personal Trainers Tailor Workouts For Your Goals
One of the most unique aspects of a personal trainer is that they can tailor workouts that are specific to your goals. For example, if you’re looking to lose weight, your personal trainer will create a schedule that is focused on strength training, cardio, and a specific meal prepping plan.
Before a personal trainer can tailor a workout for your goals, they typically use a “5-Step Plan” to ensure they are covering all their bases. Here is how a trainer could curate a workout plan for you:
- Assessment: First and foremost, your trainer will review your body composition, which consists of your fat mass and lean mass. Usually, these markers can be determined with non-invasive scans to get a better idea of your current body makeup and build. During this time they will also discuss your current fitness level and if you are facing any mobility issues that could interfere with specific workouts. Think of this kind of assessment as the starting point for your trainer to ensure they are creating a plan that makes sense for you, and only you!
- Set Goals: Your personal trainer will want to know your goals regarding your fitness and health. At this point, it’s important to get specific on what your goals are such as if you’re wanting to lose weight, meet a certain weight by a certain time, gain muscle, or simply improve overall fitness.
- Curating Your Plan: Now that your trainer has a better understanding of you and your goals, the fun part of creating your personalized workout plan comes to life. You and your trainer will discuss what your current schedule looks like, and what time you can devote to meeting up for your workouts. Let’s say you’re someone who can only workout 4 days a week, with a goal of gaining muscle, but losing excess weight, then your personalized workout plan may look like this:
Sunday: Rest day
Monday: 45 – 60 minute cardio focus
Tuesday: 45 – 60 minute strength training (lower body)
Wednesday: Rest day
Thursday: 45 – 60 minutes strength training (upper body)
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 45 – 60 minutes cardio focus. This is just a general idea, but your personal trainer is there to guide you during each of these workouts. During strength training days they will coach you through specific movements and repetitions that focus on either the upper body or lower body. Whereas on cardio days they may incorporate the treadmill while using speed and incline to keep the blood flowing. - Implement Cardio or Strength Training: Depending on your goals, your personal training may recommend cardio more than strength training and vice versa. Cardio is excellent for heart, lungs, and overall health. While strength training is ideal for the person whose goal is build muscle, improve bone density, and lose weight. Both cardio and strength training are excellent forms of exercise, and with the knowledge of your trainer, they will be able to determine where to sprinkle these forms of exercise into your plan strategically.
- Implement a Nutrition or Diet Plan: Your fitness goals are only as good as your nutrition! With this in mind, your trainer can help create a clear and direct nutrition plan for you. This can look like creating a plan for meal prepping, determining how much protein to intake, and ways to limit processed foods and sugars. Since food is fuel, the goal here is to curate a helpful nutrition plan that works for you, not against you.
5 Key Benefits of Working One-on-One With a Certified Personal Trainer
Beyond a personalized workout and nutrition plan that comes with a personal trainer, there are additional perks that they bring. Some key benefits of working one-on-one with a certified personal trainer include:
- Accountability: Many people work hard to not disappoint those in their lives, and when you work out with a personal trainer, that accountability is at an all-time high, which is a plus! Having strong accountability from a personal trainer can ensure that you are meeting the right benchmarks to further push you toward your goals. Your trainer can hold you accountable by checking in with you via text or call weekly or daily. The idea of knowing someone is waiting for you at the gym to show up and show out can prevent you from backing out. Instead, you will hold yourself accountable to not only make your trainer proud but also future YOU proud!
- Balanced Workouts: Since personal trainers have received extensive training and certification in their field, you can trust you will be getting top quality and balanced workouts. What this means is that you will not have to worry about neglecting certain parts of your body when it comes to working out. Balanced workouts look like adding variety to your workout routine, such as some days being devoted to the upper body, other days to the lower body, and the rest focusing on cardio.
- Nutrition Guidance: Knowing foods to add, or limit, in your diet for the sake of reaching your physical goals can be daunting. With a personal trainer, they will help you create a realistic plan for what your nutrition should look like. Protein plays a vital role when it comes to losing weight and gaining muscle, and having a guide to help you know how many grams to get in a day can be incredibly helpful. In addition, your trainer can also remind you that it is ok to have a “cheat” day here and there!
- Injury Prevention: Workout injuries are common, but you can easily prevent them when taught the correct form. Personal trainers fill that gap by coming alongside you to ensure that each movement of your exercise is correct from head to toe. Similarly, they can help you to pace yourself on the treadmill or when weight lifting. Injury prevention is important, and by decreasing the risk of injury in the gym you are increasing there time you can spend at the gym pushing toward your goals.
- Flexible Schedule: We all have busy schedules and lives, and at times going to the gym can be at the bottom of the list. Some gyms only offer workout classes during the middle of the workday, or are not open during the times you are available. With a personal trainer you are afforded the option of having a flexible training schedule. If you’re someone who can only go to the gym three times a week on certain days, at specific times, then a personal trainer might be the right option for you. Typically, personal trainers are not limited to one set schedule but rather work around their client’s schedule to better serve them and their needs. Similarly, if you are only able to devote 30 minutes, then trainers can honor your time while still working towards your health goals.
Who is an Ideal Client for a Personal Trainer?
Almost anyone can benefit from working with a personal trainer, no matter where you land on the fitness spectrum. More specifically, clients who are experiencing or wanting the following may see growth from working with a personal trainer:
- Experiencing a plateau in their fitness journey regarding their weight loss, muscle gain, or nutrition
- Wanting further accountability in the gym
- Wanting clear, direct, and personalized structure in the gym
- Wanting to further invest their time and money into working out one-on-one with a trained fitness coach
- Wanting to be consistent and disciplined in their fitness journey
How Long Until I Can See Results From Personal Training?
The most common question we hear in the gym is, “How long until we see results?” And while we wish we had a clear answer, the reality is that achieving results looks different for everyone. Factors to consider include the starting weight and overall fitness of the client, how often the client meets with their personal trainer for training, and how dedicated the client is to their plan. In some cases, clients can see initial results in their energy and sleep within 1 month, while more physical results can be seen in 3 – 4 months.
The bottom line is that discipline and consistency are key pieces to seeing those results within a few months. And the goal of our personal trainers is to offer not only accountability, but also support and encouragement.
Alternatives to Personal Training
If you’re someone looking to elevate their current fitness routine, but working with a personal trainer is not an option, then there are alternatives to look into. Instead, you may want to consider group fitness workouts like yoga, cycling, or pilates. In these group settings, you are still guided by a trained fitness group, but performing the repetitions and movements with other gym-goers. The benefits of group training are similar to the benefits of personal training as far as further accountability and decreased risks of injury. They can also provide a stronger sense of community with those at your gym.
Carbon Performance’s Personalized Approach to Fitness
Our personal trainers at Carbon Performance are here to help you on your health and fitness journey. We provide top-quality customer service in personal training by offering:
- Custom nutrition plans
- Custom workout plans
- Supplementation list
- Weekly check-ins
- 24/7 communication and access
- Up-to-date information on the latest research and science on fitness
Don’t believe us? Find out for yourself by scheduling a FREE consultation with one of our personal trainers today. They will be happy to answer any questions you may have and help you determine what next steps to take to meet your fitness goals.
With a location in Franklin and The Nations, our mission remains the same; helping clients transform their fitness story by allowing each client to experience the difference with Carbon Performance. Connect with us today!
