Foo - Personal Training at the Gym

I am about to join a gym again and want to get personal training. I've never used free weights so I want someone there to prevent me from injurying myself. And there are so many different opinions out there on different workout routines, I have no idea which one is best for me. My goal is to put on about 20lbs of upper-body muscle.

How much do you pay for a one hour session? The gym I am looking at (http://www.miramontlifestyle.com/)joining is $35 a month, and $33 per one hour training session.

I am really looking forward to trying out the cycling classes and the massive rock climbing wall!

I just recently joined where the wife goes. It has been a long time since working out for me. The trainer I have put me on all machines to start. Later we will move to free weights. Thirty five bucks is lower than what I pay, $45. The cool thing is the gym is 24hrs.

Here is a link to my gym with pricing info for trainers.

Peak Fitness (http://www.peakfitnessusa.com/default.asp?upage_id=6204&apage_id=1)

I joined a gym one time where I paid $100 per 1 hour session!! The cool thing is that before you even start your work out, they run you through a series of tests, they call the blue print. It tests everything like your body fat, how much water you have, what minerals you have in your system, what you have to eat, what vitamins/minerals your body lacks, down to what excersie works for you, and which one doesn't! After everything, you tell them what your goal is, and they set a date for you, and they promise you that if you follow their diet, you'll reach your goals or they'll train you for free every day afterwards till you've reached that goal.

Sorry, I went off on a tangent there, but anyway, I would be careful with those "cheaper" trainners. I've been to lots of gyms, and had paid for a fair share of personal trainners, and I can say, you get what you pay for. I think you'll be better off if you hire a personal trainner and use him/her for a few sessions till you've gotten familiar with all the machine and then drop her, and find a friend or workout partner. From my experience a personal trainner was just a spotter/motivator and form corrector. A good workout partner can do all that and they're free of cost! Then use the money you've "saved" and hire a nutritionist to analyze your diet them for a few sessions till you know what you're doing. Then drop that and do what you need to do, and if you ever need more info on stuff, just go online and read up on it.

So, all this stuff I'm telling you, is coming from a guy thats working on becoming a personal trainner. haha, sorry, I know this is wayy more then you're asking, but whenever anyone ever asks about workouts and gym related things, i have oral diarrhea.

The gym I belong to charges $35 a month and $40 per hour for a personal trainer. Before you commit to a trainer, ask around for recommendations, ask if the trainer is certified. Spend some time explaining to the trainer what you want to achieve. Arrange for a couple or three 1 hour sessions to get your workout routines set up and tried out. Then go it on your own for two or three months. If you think it's necessary, get another session to have a new program set up for you every two or three months.

What a screamin' deal! Are the trainers certified? By what organization? What are their specialties?

I spent over 20 yrs. as a personal trainer. Loved practically every minute of it. I was current on my cerifications, my cont. ed. credits, etc., and had a handful of clients who were willing to recommend me to others.

Be sure your trainer listens to your concerns, accounts for your injuries/weaknesses, takes measurements, keeps records, and is willing to take feedback. Some of the hardcore bodybuilders who trained at the places I worked thought that if their clients criticized them, that the clients were lame. Um, no. Remove the ego, add the brain.

Anyway, good luck with that! I hope you get the program you're looking for.

If you're self motivated, I firmly believe you can accomplish what you desire at home with few, if any, weights, and the internet. Bodyweight training is good training if executed properly.

you can bittorrent something like p90x which you can do at home with a chin up bar and a set of adjustable dumbbells and save a bizillion dollars

you could also follow the crossfit website if you're psychotic

I'd spend the money on Rippletoe's book Starting Strength (http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-Mark-Rippetoe/dp/0976805464/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-6814601-1238350?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189001806&sr=8-1) and spend some time on www.exrx.net to check out various lifts (they have movies of most any lift you'd ever want to do). BTW, what is your motivation for wanting to train only your upper body? Unless you've already been training your lower with squats, deads, calf raises, etc., and you want to focus on upper to balance yourself out, you're making a big mistake by focusing only on your upper body at this point. Train your whole body. And don't spend a lot of time on isolation lifts either- curls, for example. Learn to do the "Basic Four" (squats, deads, benches, and rows) perfectly, with absolutely perfect form (and yeah, you might need a trainer to get these down, but make sure s/he's certified and experienced, and that you click with him or her).

After you learn the lifts, figure out exactly what your goals are- strength? size? both? Then work out a program- this isn't rocket science, but there are some basic things you should know- Rippletoe will gives to you. You could also check out www.hypertrophy-specific.com. It's a great web site with an excellent size-building program and lately they've beeen getting into strength programs as well.

Before you take another step, though, try to map out your goals. What do you want to accomplish over the next three months? SIx months? By this time next year? If you can get a handle on your short-, medium-, and long-range goals before you talk to a trainer, you'll be a more educated consumer. Of course, your goals will probably change after you consult with a trainer, and almost definitely over the course of a year, but that's OK.

Good luck! If you do go the trainer route, just make sure you hook up with a good one- there are a lot of duds out there. Personally, I'd be very suspicious of any trainer costing less than say, $50-75/hour.

Trainers can be good for making sure you don't injure yourself but also remember that the internet is filled with a wealth of knowledge and information. You can do yourself a fair amount of favor by doing some research.

If you're self motivated, I firmly believe you can accomplish what you desire at home with few, if any, weights, and the internet. Bodyweight training is good training if executed properly.

i totally agree. later.

University gyms are often cheaper, though more crowded and sometimes not open to the public. I paid $25 for ~1.5 hour sessions, after which I would be emailed my "homework" for the rest of the week. I completely agree that gyms aren't really necessary in the end, complex machines dont give you as good of a workout as a simple set of weights. Once you learn the ropes, I say just stay at home, as long as you're motivated.

i totally agree. later.

Plus, you gotta expect the quality of personal training to vary widely from gym to gym and trainer to trainer. The position of "trainer" is not a highly credentialed position, and the title "personal trainer" is often obtained fairly easily with only a modicum of actual expertise or experience. I knew a guy who basically had no experience with weights, but somehow got a job as trainer at Bally after a very short period of time.

Most of us guys have been in the gym at some point in our lives, enough to know the basic machines and exercises, and the Internet can supply all the info needed for more advanced training and goals. However, for someone like you who has never set foot in a weight room, I can see the value in maybe purchasing a small quantity of sessions just to familiarize yourself with the equipment and get you started.

I know some well-to-do professionals who hire a trainer as a motivator (or else they'd never do it themselves), but you can burn a LOT of money paying a trainer at customary rates. Doesn't seem like the smart money would pay for weekly sessions.

If you're looking strictly to build mass, check out the X-Size program developed by Oliver Wolter.
If you need the instructions on form and technique, then talk to a trainer at the gym and get the hints that you need so you don't hurt yourself.

If you're really interested in hitting the climbing wall, don't try and pack on 20 additional pounds of upper-body mass. Dragging around extra weight isn't going to help you on the wall. It's all about balance and form (unless you're doing crazy overhang pitches or lunges, then you need some strength, too.)

That's just one way of looking at it. It's good to be light for climbing. It's also good to be ungodly strong.

One of my best friends trained with an ex Mr. Universe. He maintained that all you needed to be huge was a 45 lb bar and a bench. Of course he had thirty years of body building experience.