We’ve heard the objections….. “Personal training is too expensive!”….. “I can get all of my exercises from instagram for free”
Or even “If they push me too hard I might get injured!”…
We understand that visiting a personal trainer frequently is an investment in time and money. However, as Physio’s we see so many treating gym injuries brought on by incorrect form or going too hard, too fast. Both of which could be avoided by using a PT at the beginning of your program, practicing correct form, and progressing your workload at a measured pace.
Shane Grant, owner of The Coaching Zone in Ferntree Gully loves motivating his clients.
It’s currently estimated that 30% of all Australians have gym memberships. While that’s great, it’s also estimated that 27% of gym members attend the gym less than once a week! With an estimated $1.8 billion dollars wasted each year on unused memberships, we think it’s worth the extra expense just to make sure you’re actually making the most of the investment in yourself.
As health professionals helping people that are in pain everyday, we see a strong correlation between those that live a sedentary lifestyle, and increased pain. People that have a good exercise – work – life balance, are less likely to suffer pain and injury.
So does that mean you need to race out and find a great PT to exercise? Well, not exactly, but we do highly recommend it for the following reasons –
- Personal Trainers keep you Accountable!
Picture this, it’s 5:30AM when your alarm goes off. Within that instant you need to make a decision….get up and go to gym, or stay in your cozy, warm, comfortable bed?…..you know there’s someone waiting for you at the gym, who’ll call you if you don’t show up….FINE, I’m up!!
Living a healthy, active lifestyle takes a certain level of discipline. And while you may not have to schedule your workouts at the crack of dawn, finding a time that works for you and committing to it is essential to feel the benefits of consistent exercise.
- Their brain is like an Encyclopedia for exercise
While level of training and experience levels may fluctuate, a recommended PT has an Encyclopedia (remember those?) of exercises in their brains, along with alternatives, modifications, progressions and regressions to deal with any issues, pain or problems you may be having with a particular exercise.
It’s like running a small business and employing a great book keeper. Sure Xero is beautiful software, but bookkeeping is time consuming if you don’t know the tips, tricks and work-arounds, and it can end up costing you.
While we can all google “Best exercises to make my butt look like Kim Kardashians”, but why not leverage the expertise of a PT who gives exercises to people every single day, to find out which exercises will work best with your body.
A study out of Harvard Business School, found that the 14% of the population who set goals are 10X more successful than those that don’t. Furthermore, when the goal is actually written down, these people are 3X more likely to achieve them.
We’ve all been there….drifting around the gym, wondering which exercise to do next without a clear direction.
Or better yet, after a long day at work thinking, “Well I did leg day last week, I’m a bit tired so maybe I’ll give it a miss today”… Next thing you know your friends are saying you have chicken legs and you realise you haven’t done a squat or a deadlift for 3 months.
Not only does having clear fitness goals help you stay on track, but they make you more purposeful with your workouts. A PT will tailor your program to your goals, and prevent you from getting distracted. Having a clear goal also helps your celebrate wins by giving you milestones to reach. There’s nothing more motivating than pursuing that sense of achievement!
- They keep you work out interesting
Get bored easily? Sick of using pin-loaded machine weights and the treadmill or exercise bike? Why not mix it up with some boxing? Or get out the TRX bands, foam rollers, kettle bells and battle ropes, etc, etc, etc
A PT will spice up your workout to keep you engaged and challenge your body in different ways.
- They can fit into your schedule
Most PT’s understand you’ve got a life – work grind to get to, baby’s and kids to look after, study to finish…so they’ll happily fit into the schedule of even the most time poor person.
Whether it be at the crack of dawn, after school drop off, during your lunch break or after work. Have you ever met anyone happier than a PT at 5am?
Never before have we had more reasons to exercise!
We know that regular exercise leads to more balanced lives, better physical, mental and emotional health, greater energy levels, improved concentration and focus, optimised performance, less chronic disease and a healthy weight.
If you know this but are struggling for motivation, then it’s time to go get some help.
At Pathways Physiotherapy we work with a number of Personal Trainers throughout the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne. If you’re looking for someone who can help you, talk to your Physiotherapist about who they recommend is the best fit for you.
For more information on training with pain, check out our Blog – “Training with Pain: Should I push through it?”