Save cash and slim down: How to make the most of your personal training sessions

Feel like you've hit a health and fitness plateau? You're not alone – nearly half of us doing moderate-intensity workouts will stop seeing progress at one time or another. One of the best to get out of your fit-rut is to hire a personal trainer. In fact, working with a trainer has been shown to increase weight loss goal-success rate by 30 per cent. And, I'm not just saying that because I'm a certified trainer. [Insert winky-face, here.] But seriously, fitness professionals are there to help push you, challenge you and make sure that you're doing the best, safest and most effective workout for your body.  At an average cost of $65-$100 per session there is no doubt it can get pricey – but there are ways to maximize your investment. Here are some tricks to make the most of your time with a trainer. 

Warm up BEFORE your session

There is nothing more frustrating than a client that rolls in a few minutes late for their workout. Not for me, but for them. See, regardless of what time you arrive, you have to do at least a ten(ish) minute warm-up to prevent injury. When you come in late – that warm up time eats into your workout – causing you to miss out on up to 200 burned calories and a number of exercise ideas you could be learning from. Show up at least 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment, hop on a treadmill (only use an elliptical if you have an injury – otherwise it's relatively ineffective) and walk on a moderate incline until your trainer is ready for you. It will make sure you make the most of every minute you're paying for and also give you time to mentally prepare for the grueling sesh ahead!

Get a DIY routine

One of the biggest reasons people tend to not workout on their own is because they don't know what to do. The intimidation factor is real. There are so many exercises and equipment options that it can be hella overwhelming and confusing. Instead of giving up on the days you're not with your trainer, ask them (nicely) to make a simple routine you can do at home. I provide interested clients with a new home-friendly workout every month, so that they feel motivated and well prepared to do something on their own on the days they're not at the gym with me. Essentially they're getting two workouts for the price of one. 

Ask more questions

Ever feel like you're asking so many questions that your trainer will get annoyed? Not possible. It is literally our job to answer the who's, what's, where's and why's throughout your workout. Maximize this knowledge! Not sure where to begin? A good question to ask is, "What muscle am I working here?" The answer will help you identify if you're engaging the right parts of the body during the movement. If you don't feel the burn in the right area, you maybe doing it wrong and a small adjustment will make a huge difference in its efficacy and also help to avoid injury. Another good question to ask: "Am I doing this at the right pace?"  Pace is such an essential element of a workout routine. Often doing things slower or faster will completely change what the move is targeting; slowing down helps increase the muscular challenge and speeding up ups the cardio demand. Understanding what your trainer is looking for, pace-wise, could really help make the most of your workouts. These questions will also help when you go to do these moves on your own. 

Obtain nutrition feedback

Full disclosure: personal trainers are not certified nutritionists, but most PTs are more than capable helping you make effective lifestyle and nutrition tweaks. Here's the best way to go about getting their nutritional expertise – make a complete food diary for a week; write down everything you eat (honestly!) in what portion and at what time of day. Email the food log to your trainer and ask them if there's anything they could advise to help clean up your daily habits. Sometimes it only takes a few small modifications to see big results.

Keep track of progress

One of the biggest reasons to see a trainer is to have someone to help you stay motivated and accountable. Another important asset where motivation and accountability is concerned is seeing the physical progress from all your hard work. Studies show that taking regular measurements can be particularly effective in sticking with a wellness plan. Take advantage of all these motivating factors and have your trainer measure you once a month. It only takes five minutes and can be extremely beneficial in helping you stay on track. If you're not a huge fan of numbers, have them keep the exact digits to themselves and only tell you how many inches you've lost as time goes on. That is a much more empowering measure of success than worrying about exactly what size you are.