Why Hire a Coach/Personal Trainer?
I’ll admit that when I started my course to qualify as a coach/PT, I didn’t have any experience as a one-to-one PT client. And, frankly, I could not imagine paying for one if I had the money. “It’s a lot of money to hire a PT!” - I thought. “Why would I ever do that?” - I asked. Well, it is a lot of money - relatively speaking. Why would you do it? Why would an ordinary person spend their dosh on paying for a coach or trainer?
Here’s a story about Blake, one of my current clients, and how he - as a fairly ordinary bloke - has used my services in a cost effective way to help him progress his health, fitness and running goals. His story may shed some light on the why? question.
Blake (real name concealed) is a 40-something male who is married with a couple of kids and works full-time in the construction industry. He’s an active guy - playing hockey twice per week. He goes to the gym to use the cardio machines and take an occasional swim. He took up running in the first covid era lockdown and has really enjoyed it, but he developed an achilles issue which limited his running.
Blake did a running assessment with me, with the aim of improving his technique and looking for technique changes which may possibly unload his calf and achilles a little. We did this, gave him some technique input and drills to work on. I raised the prospect of strength training to support his running, hockey and general health reasons. He had been thinking along these lines so we started talking about how that may work.
Blake did a follow up running technique session, and we worked on consolidating the technique changes we discussed, plus reviewing the drills provided and taking some baseline strength measurements that are particularly relevant to running.
From there, we did a block of four, one-hour strength training sessions over 8 weeks and Blake was also provided with a program to follow in his gym. We worked on the fundamentals of strength training with basic exercises targeting major muscle groups using compound (multi-joint) movements: squat, hinge, push, pull and others. Blake progressed from weight machines to barbells; and from double leg lower limb exercises to some single leg training to support running and hockey performance.
Blake has now finished this 8 week training cycle and he’s training under his own steam in the gym. He intends to get a custom program from me at some point in the future when he’s ready to increase the load or complexity of his workouts.
The benefits
Here’s what Blake has been able to do and achieve in the time he’s used me as a coach/trainer:
Screen for major running technique issues
Optimise his running form using drills, postural cues and technical input provided in the initial assessment and followup
Learn the fundamentals of good form and sensible running training progression (and in so doing, taking care of his achilles tendon issue)
Learn the basics of strength training and acquire skills in executing sensible and effective training
Become a self sufficient strength trainer, possessing enough knowledge and skill to train strength under his own steam or with a custom program
Arm himself with the know-how to maintain or increase his strength and muscle mass, which is important as one moves from 40 to 50 then 60 then 70 ……
The cost
Here’s the breakdown on the dollars side:
Initial running assessment - $95
Followup running assessment - $55
Four, one hour PT sessions - $280
Custom training programs for two months - complimentary
Total = $430
There you have it. $430 to work on some quite specific areas and then some general skill building to be set up for long term self sufficiency. I consider that to be a worthy (and highly cost-effective) investment for the sake of health and wellbeing.
For what it’s worth, I did end up hiring a trainer/coach! And my journey has been similar to Blake’s. I used Ben Jewett from West Coast Barbell to help me learn the basic barbell lifts (squat, bench press, deadlift) so that I could teach them effectively to others. My wife Deb and I were with Ben for a few months - and for some of that time Deb was participating in his groups and I was using his online services. We’ve exited from his care being equipped with the knowledge and skills we need to be mostly self-sufficient in our own strength training to support our health, running, hockey, and hiking aspirations! We gained a great deal from receiving a coach’s input, including preparing for an informal powerlifting competition. Deb and I were not on a high income when we used Ben - far from it. Yet we knew it was for a limited time to build skill and knowledge. Plus, we enjoyed the opportunity to train together as a couple. It was like date night for weird fitness people - with coach Ben as the third wheel :)