There are some very knowledgeable personal trainers out there. Unfortunately, there are way too many that simply have no clue. I’ve seen personal trainers blindly use workouts from magazines or TV, give outdated, incorrect, or even dangerous advice. I won’t even mention out-of-shape young trainers, since some of them can be knowledgeable. But overall, a beginner would have to be lucky to find a good trainer. Since personal trainers usually work with newbies, these newbies will experience “beginner gains” by doing pretty much any kind of a workout, so these personal trainers often never learn how to create most effective workouts, they become set in their ways and too sure that they know what they are doing, and their beginner clients are happy nevertheless.
Most of them aren’t worth a dime out of your pocket. If you want to get in shape you can just as easily do it yourself. I never had a trainer and I have stayed fit my whole life. It probably doesn’t hurt that I ran x-country for four years in high school and wrestled in highschool and college. I learned early on how to weight lift, work in cardio, any kind of exercise you can think of. I guess it comes down to what you do or don’t know. I personally have known some trainers that didn’t know what they were doing. I used to be amazed at some of the stuff they would tell people. If your motivated enough you can train yourself. Of course I would admit if you are just starting out for the first time, then yeah it wouldn’t hurt to have someone who know’s what there doing guide you to working out the proper way. I started working out in 8th grade. I did this mainly for an advantage in wrestling. Not all wrestlers work out with weights. Most of the really good ones eventually add it to their program, but I have known many who didn’t. A good friend of mine who was a few years younger won states in NY, he never worked out. Didn’t look that strong, but he was. He went to Michigan for a scholarship were he ended up dieing, trying to make weight. His name is jeff Reese. You can look it up if you don’t believe me. He was like a little brother. I always thought that he should have worked out more properly in high school. Maybe his body would have been more prepared. But what could you say to someone who won all of their matches, and goes on to win states. Then with a gimp leg, he took 3rd in nationals. For those who don’t know thats the best wrestler of each state. That’s pretty good if you ask me for never working out with weights. Of course he was a wrestler so it’s not like he didn’t get some work outs in. He just never hit the weights. Who knows, maybe it had nothing to do with how he died. Of course, I never heard of another wrestler that died trying to make weight. But I haven’t looked to see either. I personally did workout. I didn’t do it to become like Arnold swarzenegger. More to stay strong. I worked more lean muscle. But I was fortinate enough that when I started to work out at 13 or 14 years old. I had already had about 6 years of wrestling camps in me so my body was already in wrestling form. I had an amateur weight lifter teach me. Nice guy. Lived up the block from me. He knew that I was a serious wrestler and he taught me how to put on muscle the right way. I am grateful for what he taught me. I have used it my whole life and I am still in really good shape. I am mid thirties, but besides the last year (been injured) I am usually in stellar shape. I run any where between 3 and six miles in the morning. Then do about 45 minutes of lifting. I am not saying trainers aren’t needed. In some cases they are, but they are definately not for everyone.
