Last week, I worked out with a personal trainer. Now, I should say this was part of Gold’s Gym’s effort to sell me a membership, but it was rewarding all the same.
The guy they paired me up with was great, and with a Physical Therapy background no less! We talked about my goals, and put a number to how much more weight I want to lose (114 pounds – seems like a lot).
Quick aside, 132 is the weight I think I will need to be at to fit into a size 8, however if I’m putting on a lot of muscle (which the gym’s electro static (or something) test confirmed), size 8 could happen at a higher weight. In fact the test suggested that with working out a lot and eating right and all that, my ideal weight might actually be 160 lbs, with 18% body fat. I have no idea how this compares to others, so at 240+ pounds, I am taking their word for it. I’ll question them when I hit 160 and wear some other size.
So after talking about goals and medical concerns, he took me out onto the gym and set me on an elliptical (because of my hip). He said this will be the best piece of equipment for me (because of joints), and it mimics running. Then, he put me to work.
Now, cardio equipment has all kinds of lights and information to watch while you run. When you put in your age, there is a little heart rate scale that indicates where your current heart rate lies. On similar machines, I cross over from “weight loss zone” to “cardio zone” at about 140 beats per minute. So, when I’ve worked out, I’ve tried to keep my HR above 150. The machine also indicates a “peak” zone, which lights up red, which I always thought was “dangerous.”
Apparently not. And the way the trainer approached the machine was SO different that I’d ever approached a cardio machine before. He had me focus on speed first, HR second. He said, “See that number? I want you to keep it between 100 and 110 for 5 minutes.”
At the end of 5 minutes, my HR is at like 167. I keep my speed at 70-80 for 1 minute, then I jump up to 110-120 for 4 minutes. The whole thing goes something like this:
5 minutes: speed of 100 – 110
Heart rate = 167
1 minute: speed of 70-80
4 minutes: speed of 110 – 120; goal = exceed last HR
Heart Rate = 178
1 minute: speed of 70-80
3 minutes: speed of 110-120 (Note: he thought I looked pretty winded at this point, otherwise he would have upped my speed here)
Heart Rate = 172 (oops! It was supposed to go up! Guess I should have upped my speed on that last round).
1 minute: speed of 70-80
2 minutes: speed of 120 – 130
Heart Rate = 180+
1 minute: speed of 70-80
1 minute: speed of 130+ (“You can do ANYTHING for a minute,” he says)
Heart Rate = 200+ (Whoa)
3 minutes: recovery – waiting for my heart rate to get into the 140s, which it never does while on the machine, and we have to move on.
My trainer points out that my conditioning isn’t that good. If it was, my HR would have dropped faster during recovery. While this doesn’t surprise me this is NEW INFORMATION (something my nutritionist never really got to me). For one, I was going too easy on myself on cardio machines before, thinking my max was about 170, and trying to keep it from 150 to 170. And yet, every time I played a tennis match, I was frustrated that I would become so easily winded.
He and I didn’t have time for weights, because we (well, it was more for my benefit) had to go hear the sales pitch again.
I am now really convinced that a GOOD trainer is worth every penny (a good nutritionist probably is too, but I haven’t found one of those). This guy was smart, professional and personable – and he gave me NEW information. He pushed me in a way I didn’t know I could be pushed.
As it’s my intention to join Gold’s Gym in the next few weeks (after the FREE Camp Gladiator Arena trial is over), I’m taking a hard look at my budget to see if I have the funds to squeeze in some personal training. It’s $570 for 12 sessions, which they of course suggest three times per week. At $47.50 per session, this is far cheaper than ALL the top gyms I looked at (where the going rate is $75 per session). If I sign up for 24 or 36 sessions, the price drops to $45 per session (though you still pay in a chunk). This is still QUITE a hefty payment (think: car payment). But, if I had the budget, I would so do it. Still thinking about how I can work this into my budget and what it means giving up in return.
What are your thoughts on personal training/personal trainers? Have you had any particularly good or bad experiences with training?
