Working out one-on-one with a personal trainer can be an ideal way to improve your fitness, beginning with a health assessment and detailed goal-setting session. Depending on your need for external motivation, you might meet up for guided workouts once or twice a week, or more, which can have a significant impact on your monthly budget. If you can’t afford a personal trainer but would like a comparable experience, you have other options.
Fitness Floor Staff
Many gyms and health clubs hire knowledgeable staff to wander the fitness floor during peak workout hours. Fitness floor staff might include university students working toward exercise-science degrees, or personal trainers who work the floor for extra money — paid by the facility — between sessions with clients. These fitness professionals can answer questions about cardiovascular exercise and weight machines, or demonstrate proper exercise technique if you’re unsure of how to execute a certain move. While they won’t assess your health or design a personalized workout program, they’re usually happy to answer your exercise-related questions.
Group Exercise Classes
Most fitness clubs generate their income by selling memberships and personal-training packages. A complete offering of group exercise classes helps sell memberships, because classes are typically included in the price of membership. If you happen to belong to a facility that has a full class schedule, take advantage of it. While you won’t receive one-on-one instruction, the teacher will lead you through a workout, cueing and correcting your form and technique along the way. In some cases, group exercise instructors are also personal trainers. Ask your membership department to recommend a few of the facility's best instructors.
Small Group Training
Small group training is a hybrid of personal training and group exercise. If you can’t afford a trainer’s fee, which can range from $25 to $75 per session, on average, small group training is a more manageable option. Enrollment is usually limited to eight participants, allowing the instructor to focus on individual needs to a much greater degree than possible in a traditional group exercise setting. Most small group sessions run for a predetermined number of weeks and have a specific focus, such as strength-training boot camp, Pilates reformer classes or triathlon training. Since participants split the instructor’s fee, small group sessions can save you a significant amount of money over one-on-one training.
Considerations
If your fitness goals don’t necessitate the constant, watchful eye of a trainer — or you just can’t afford the ongoing cost — consider buying a few initial sessions. In three to five meetings, you can benefit from the assessment process, personalized workout program and detailed instruction on form and technique. Be up-front with the trainer that you only plan to use his services to kick-start your routine. That way, he can impart as much of his knowledge as possible in the few sessions he has with you. You might opt to check back in with your trainer once every eight to 12 weeks, and have him tweak your routine based on your progress.
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