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Get Personal

6 ways a personal trainer could give you an edge

By Karen Buscemi Photo by Rosh Sillars

1. Setting reachable goals
Are you trying to lose weight? Get more energy? Build lean muscle? Rehabilitate a knee? A personal trainer will work with you to figure out what you want to accomplish and the best way to get you there.

"Helping my clients find reasons why they want to reach their goals is key," says Linda Geyer, co-owner of Peak Physique Fitness Training in Troy. "Often the ones who have dieted and gained it back need extra goals to change their choices."

2. Staying motivated
Ronnette Ramseur, 35, of Detroit, says going to the gym was hectic and it was easy to find a reason not to go. “I never know which machines to use and I need someone to push me when I don’t want to work out,” she says.

After one month of training at Charlie Sanders Private Training in Auburn Hills, Ramseur says she has more energy and the pain in her arthritic shoulder has decreased. "I wouldn’t have all these results if I were doing this on my own."

Tom Spring of Cardiovascular Training Specialists, a Huntington Woods-based company, says, "It’s convenient, and there are no excuses. You’re not going to pick up the phone and explain to me why you don’t feel like exercising."

3. Getting the total package
Personal trainers generally work with clients on diet and nutrition, too. Charlie Sanders Jr., a former Ohio State football player who owns a private training center, goes over clients’ diets with them. "I analyze that information with them and give them recommendations, introducing a regimen they can follow."

4. Pushing past your comfort level
Geyer says people often don’t work at a high enough intensity level. "They have good intentions and spend a lot of time on cardio, but they are going through the motions," she says. "A trainer can get you to the correct intensity."

5. Mixing it up
Trainers keep clients interested in exercising by varying routines and introducing new equipment and moves. "I mix it up a lot with high repetition weights, cardio boxing and step aerobics," says Sanders. Spring says he brings equipment that enhances what his clients have in their homes, including resistance bands, ankle weights and stability balls.

6. Learning to make it on your own
Though visits to the trainer can vary from once or twice a week up to five times (depending on how much money you want to spend), the ultimate goal is for you to have enough knowledge, motivation and discipline to wean yourself from one-on-one training.