fit tips
Getting the Most
Out of Your Personal Training Sessions
by Joan Burn
When you decide to hire a personal trainer, you are making a significant investment in yourself and your
health, so you want to get the most bang for your buck. Many years ago, I worked out with Dina Saitis for
almost nine months with few results. And I quit. Fast forward a few years – I asked Dina to take me on
again, and now, a couple years later, Dina is still working with me and I am thrilled with the results. So
what made the difference between those two times?
A lot of the difference had to do with my approach. The first time I
hired Dina my results were lackluster. Though I got stronger, I didn’t
really shed any weight. I wasn’t making the time to work out on my
own, and about the only thing I did do consistently was eat junk. All
of that showed in my results. Dina is the best, but an hour a week with
her couldn’t compensate for the damage I was doing the rest of the
week. I’ve learned that if I do the work – in the kitchen and the gym –
during the rest of the week, I get far more out of my sessions with Dina
and I see better results.
Based on what I have learned as a client,
here are my top 5 tips to help you make the
most of your personal training sessions:
1
Find the right
trainer for you.
Finding the right trainer for
you can make a huge difference
– but how do you do that? Start
with your free health assessments. When you join HAC, you
are entitled to two free health
assessments by a personal trainer. If you
haven’t already
used them,
those health
assessments
can be a way
to see what
working with a
trainer is like.
You can
also talk to other
members and ask them
about their trainers. Small
group classes are taught by
trainers and give you a chance to
see them in action. I found Dina
by trying one of the small group
fitness class she teaches. After
taking a couple classes with her,
I knew I was comfortable with
her, liked her sense of humor,
26
HACHEALTHCLUB.COM
and liked the no-nonsense way
she ran her classes.
You can also speak with
someone at the training desk
and they can help match you
with a trainer based on what
you are looking for. You should
consider the trainers’ qualifications and training and how
well they match your
needs and goals.
Perhaps you
want someone
who has experience helping
rehabilitate
people with
injuries, or maybe you want
someone who
has trained competitive bodybuilders. If
your schedule is limited, then
you’ll also want to consider the
trainers’ availability and what
time they are able to train clients.
Once you have narrowed your
search to one or two trainers,
you should meet them and get
a sense of how their personality meshes with your own. You