People work with personal trainers for many reasons. Whether you want to develop an individualized program to support weight loss goals, get in shape, or simply feel that you&#8217;d benefit from the additional accountability or instruction, a personal trainer can be a great resource.
But sometimes people are cautious about investing in a trainer. Cost can be an issue, and some people might feel intimidated by working with a pro. But certified fitness professionals are trained to work with clients of all backgrounds and fitness levels. And many can work out package deals to make the service more affordable.
If you are just starting out with an exercise program or you aren&#8217;t seeing results with your current routine, a personal trainer might be your best option. Here are 10 reasons why you might want to hire a personal trainer. 
<img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-35" src="http://167.71.128.139/admin121wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/trainer-guiding-woman-at-weight-machine-490636329-595d701a5f9b58843f676224-300x200.webp" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="http://167.71.128.139/admin121wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/trainer-guiding-woman-at-weight-machine-490636329-595d701a5f9b58843f676224-300x200.webp 300w, http://167.71.128.139/admin121wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/trainer-guiding-woman-at-weight-machine-490636329-595d701a5f9b58843f676224.webp 614w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<h2>You&#8217;re Not Seeing Results</h2>
If you&#8217;ve been exercising consistently for several weeks or months and aren&#8217;t reaching your goals (whether you are seeking to lose weight, improve your performance at a sport, or build strength), there are a few ways a trainer might be able to help.
Evaluate your current program: By looking at what you&#8217;re already doing, a trainer can suggest ways to change or tweak your workouts to make them more efficient and effective. 
Examine your goals: A trainer can help you figure out if your goals are realistic. 
Help you stay motivated: Knowing you have an appointment with a pro can help you maintain motivation to exercise. 
Push you a little harder: People often don&#8217;t see results because they&#8217;re not working as hard as they could. It&#8217;s easy to slack off when you&#8217;re by yourself, but having someone to challenge you (and cheer you on) can make a difference. 
Hold you accountable: A trainer can help you set weekly goals, then check in on a regular basis to see how you&#8217;re doing. 
Teach you: Whether you want to learn how to lift weights properly or how to do a new exercise, a trainer is a wealth of knowledge. For example, you might think you need to focus on cardio to lose weight, but you need strength training and core training, too,1 and a trainer can help you set up a plan. 
It may be that you are getting results—just not in the way you expected. You might be gaining muscle and losing fat, changing your body composition while your weight stays constant, for instance. A trainer can see your situation more clearly from the outside and offer you a new perspective.
You might decide that you only need a few sessions with a trainer to hone your skills or get inspired. Once you get some new ideas for exercises and workouts, you might be ready to get back to a routine on your own.
You Don&#8217;t Know Where to Start
We&#8217;re not born knowing how to exercise, or how to design a complete program that includes cardio, weight training, and flexibility training, which specific exercises to do for each of those, and how to fit it into a busy schedule. Facing the task can feel so overwhelming that you don&#8217;t do anything.
A trainer can help you with the basics. The workouts you do should be based on the F.I.T.T. principle: You choose the frequency, intensity, time, and type of workout and manipulate these elements over time. A trainer can help you navigate the process, which includes:
Suggesting activities that work for your body, schedule, and available equipment 
Helping you figure out how hard to work during exercise and how to monitor your exercise intensity 
Showing you how to choose exercises, weights, reps, and sets 
Using different tools (such as a heart rate monitor or activity tracker) to enhance your workouts 
Teaching you how to get the most out of your workout, while also making sure you don&#8217;t overdo it 
You&#8217;re Bored With Your Workouts
If you&#8217;re an experienced exerciser, you may not have considered working with a personal trainer. However, it can be a great choice if you need some variety in your workouts.
It&#8217;s easy to fall into a workout rut, doing the same workouts over and over. This isn&#8217;t just boring; it can also lead to weight loss plateaus, overuse injuries, and burnout.2
If you&#8217;re already workout-savvy, you might consider hiring a personal trainer:
For a fresh perspective: A trainer brings an objective eye. They might see areas of your program that could be adjusted to make your workout more interesting, more challenging, or just more fun. 
To challenge you: A trainer will look at your workout performance and let you know about any areas you could improve or where you might be able to push yourself a little harder. 
To help you with new ideas and equipment: Trainers are experienced in many different types of workouts. If there&#8217;s one you&#8217;ve been wanting to try, find someone who can show you the ropes. This could mean high-intensity interval training (Tabata training); different methods of strength training, including supersets and pyramid training; or new equipment like the water-filled Kamagon Ball. 
A trainer offers a fresh perspective and new ideas to challenge your body and your mind. Even if you only have a few sessions or meet every few weeks, it can be refreshing to have new workouts and exercise equipment to try.
You Need to Be Challenged
If you feel like you&#8217;re stuck or you&#8217;re ready to take your training to the next level, an experienced personal trainer can help you find ways to challenge yourself by:3
Helping you find and train for competitive events: A trainer can help you find and train for events like a &#8220;Tough Mudder&#8221; (where you run through an obstacle course) or a local race. 
Pushing your limits: If you want to blast past a plateau, go heavy with your weights. A trainer can help you choose the right weights as well as spot you as you do more challenging exercises. 
Being a workout partner: A trainer can also engage in the workout with you, adding a competitive element to your workouts or helping you with partner exercises. 
You&#8217;ll find it&#8217;s very hard to slack off with a trainer standing over you, telling you to do just one more rep. You may even find you have hidden strengths to tap, which can motivate you even more.
You Want to Learn How to Exercise on Your Own
Even if your goal is to create your own workouts and exercise by yourself, hiring a trainer for a few sessions offers the benefit of helping you learn the right way to perform a new exercise. This is especially true if you&#8217;re new to strength training and need to practice. A trainer can:
Bring in targeted exercises: This knowledge is gold, especially for the home exerciser. Knowing a variety of exercises that target different muscles allows you to create your own workouts. 
Demonstrate good form: To get the most out of your workouts and avoid injury, you need to do each exercise in a certain way. A trainer can offer cues to help you get your body into the right position to ensure you are doing each move correctly (and safely). 
Show you how to lift weights: A trainer can help you decide how often to lift weights and how to choose your weights, sets, and reps. They can create a variety of workouts for you to continue doing when you&#8217;re ready to go out on your own. 
Teach you about muscles: Learning about your muscles, as well as how they work, is essential if you plan to work out on your own at home or at the gym. 
Provide workout support: Even after you stop training, a trainer can still be an available resource. Most trainers are fine with you contacting them from time to time for advice and you can always go back to training at any time. 
You Need Accountability and Motivation
Motivation comes from all kinds of places, both internally and externally. You may already have some intrinsic motivation to exercise, such as wanting to be healthier or to get off your high blood pressure medication.4
You also need extrinsic motivators to keep exercising. A personal trainer can be that motivator. By hiring a trainer, you&#8217;re creating motivation in several different areas:
Accountability: Your trainer will probably ask about your week, wanting to know if you did your workouts and how your eating plan is going. Knowing that you&#8217;ll have to report in can make you less likely to skip your workouts. 
Commitment: There&#8217;s nothing like a regular standing appointment to get you in gear for a workout—you don&#8217;t want to let down a trainer or yourself. 
Finances: You&#8217;re investing money into reaching your goal. Just showing up for your sessions to make sure you don&#8217;t lose the money might be all you need to keep going. 
Time: Money isn&#8217;t the only thing you&#8217;re investing—you&#8217;re also putting in the time, which is a precious resource. 
You Have a Specific Illness, Injury, or Condition
If you have a specific injury or condition, your doctor may want you to exercise—but how do you do that if you&#8217;re in pain or have to work around an injury?
That&#8217;s where an experienced trainer comes in. Trainers work with all kinds of people. Many trainers even have specialties that allow them to work with clients who have special needs. A trainer might be able to help you with:
Creating a program that works on the areas you need without risking new or re-injury, as well as dealing with old or chronic injuries 
Coming up with a fitness plan if you&#8217;re pregnant or ​want to become pregnant 
Exercising with a chronic health condition such as arthritis, diabetes, or heart disease 
Increasing your balance, core strength, and stability if you&#8217;ve had a fall or need to work on those areas. 
Overcoming back or neck pain 
Before you start working with a trainer, there are a few important things to keep in mind:
Always talk to your doctor and get clearance for exercise. If you have a specific medical condition, your trainer might require your doctor&#8217;s OK before they will work with you. 
Work with your physical therapist (if you have one). Your trainer might want to get in touch with your physical therapist to find out what exercises you should (or shouldn&#8217;t) do. 
Make sure your trainer is experienced with your condition. Ask about any classes or certifications they have taken to make sure that the trainer knows what they&#8217;re doing. 
You&#8217;re Training for a Sport or Event
An experienced personal trainer can be a huge help if you&#8217;re into a specific sport or you&#8217;re training for an upcoming event.
Whether you&#8217;re a golfer, a runner, or into cycling, there&#8217;s likely a trainer out there who can help you to up your game. Just make sure they have specific education in an area like sports conditioning or a related field. Specialized trainers can:
Come up with the right workouts: A sports conditioning trainer knows what exercises to do for a specific sport, such as golf or basketball. They can help you come up with workouts to strengthen the areas you need to work on while avoiding overdoing it. 
Create a good training schedule: Training is about more than working out. You also need to have the right amount of recovery time. A trainer can help you create a schedule that allows your body to get the most out of your workout while also giving it time to heal and recover. 
Help you avoid injury: One major concern in sports is that doing the same motions over and over again can cause an overuse injury.5 A trainer can help you with cross-training, which allows your muscles to rest or work in a different way. 
You Want Supervision or Support During Workouts
Even if you know how to exercise and do so correctly, you might like to have a trainer around for support and supervision. A trainer can help you by:
Being a workout buddy: A trainer can do more than tell you what to do; they can guide you through your workouts and even do them alongside you. 
Keeping you in line: If you know you tend to slack on your own, a trainer may motivate you to work harder because you know they&#8217;re right there watching you. 
Motivating you: If you find it hard to exercise on your own, having someone arrive at your door (or having an appointment to hit the gym or fitness studio) can get you motivated to show up and do the work.3 
Spotting you: If you&#8217;re lifting very heavy weights, a trainer can help keep you safe and rack your weights as well.
You Want to Work Out at Home
If you&#8217;d like to exercise at home but you don&#8217;t have a lot of equipment or aren&#8217;t sure how to use what you have, in-home personal training is an excellent choice.
Look for trainers in your area who offer that option and you&#8217;ll experience lots of benefits including:
Convenience: You don&#8217;t have to pack a bag or drive to the gym if your trainer comes to you. 
Equipment ideas: A trainer might bring equipment with them but can also make recommendations for home exercise equipment that will help you reach your goals (i.e., equipment that&#8217;s worth the investment). 
Instruction: A trainer can show you how to use common workout tools like resistance bands, dumbbells, and an exercise ball. A good trainer can also show you how to use unexpected equipment like a staircase, the couch, a chair, or even paper plates. 
Privacy: Working out in your own space, instead of a gym. can be more comfortable and make you feel less self-conscious. 
Variety: A trainer can also change your workouts as often as you like to make sure you don&#8217;t get bored. 
What to Look for in a Personal Trainer 
Most gyms have personal trainers on staff and offer attractive packages for personal training. You can also look online or use IDEA Fitness Connect to find trainers in your area.
The cost of a personal training session will vary depending on where you live and your trainer&#8217;s experience and education.
The cost for a personal trainer is typically anywhere from $30 to $100 a session.
When you&#8217;re choosing a personal trainer, look for these credentials and qualities:
Business policies: The trainer should have liability insurance and provide a copy of policies and procedures for services, costs, cancellations, and refunds. 
Certification and qualifications: A personal trainer should be certified through a reputable personal training organization, such as ACSM, ACE, IDEA, YMCA, or NSCA. Your trainer should have an updated certification in CPR and/or first aid. 
Experience: Make sure your trainer has the experience, especially in relation to your goals. For example, if you&#8217;re a bodybuilder, you want someone knowledgeable in that area. 
Specifics: If you have a specific medical problem, injury, or condition (such as being pregnant, difficulty getting pregnant, heart problems, diabetes, etc.) make sure your trainer has an education in these areas and will work with your doctor. 
An effective personal trainer:
Is a good listener: They will listen closely to what you say and make sure that they understand your goals. 
Pays attention: They will be focused only on you during your sessions. 
Tracks your progress: They will regularly assess your progress and make changes if necessary. 
What a Session Is Like 
A personal training session usually lasts about one hour. Your first meeting with your trainer will be devoted to assessing your fitness level, taking body measurements, talking about the exercise you already do, getting a health history, and setting some goals.
Be prepared to step on a scale, have your body fat measured, and answer specific questions about your fitness goals.
After your initial meeting, you&#8217;ll spend each session doing cardio, weight training, flexibility exercises, or other activities depending on your goals. A trainer will show you how to do each exercise, help you figure out how much weight to use, and give you pointers for getting the most out of your workout.
A Word From Verywell 
Hiring a personal trainer is an important investment in your health. It&#8217;s a good idea to take some time to be sure that you hire someone that accommodates your specific needs. Ask friends or colleagues for recommendations, but keep in mind that if their goals are different than yours, their trainer may not be the best fit. Once you&#8217;ve hired your trainer, keep the lines of communication open. Provide constructive feedback to help them guide you to success.

10 Reasons to Hire a Personal Trainer

Exercises and tips to help alleviate muscle tension caused by poor sitting and standing habits.
Physiotherapist Nick Sinfield describes 8 common posture mistakes and how to correct them with strength and stretching exercises.
If you have back pain, improving your posture is unlikely to address the root cause of your pain, but it may help alleviate muscle tension.
&#8220;Correcting your posture may feel awkward at first because your body has become so used to sitting and standing in a particular way,&#8221; says Sinfield.
&#8220;But with a bit of practise, good posture will become second nature and be 1 step to helping your back in the long term.&#8221;
Slouching in a chair 
Picture of a woman slouching in a chair 
Slouching doesn&#8217;t always cause discomfort, but over time this position can place strain on already sensitised muscles and soft tissues. 
This strain may increase tension in the muscles, which may in turn cause pain.
Get into the habit of sitting correctly. It may not feel comfortable initially because your muscles have not been conditioned to support you in the correct position.
Exercises to strengthen your core and buttock muscles, and back extensions, will help correct a slouching posture.
Exercises to correct a slumping posture:
bridges 
back extensions 
plank 
Find out how to adjust your office seat, desk and equipment to improve sitting posture.
Sticking your bottom out 
Woman sticking her bottom out 
If your bottom tends to stick out or you have a pronounced curve in your lower back, you may have hyperlordosis. This is an exaggerated inward curve of the lower back that creates a &#8220;Donald Duck&#8221; posture. 
Woman standing with good posture 
Core and buttock strengthening exercises, hip flexor and thigh stretches, and making a conscious effort to correct your standing posture are recommended to help correct a sticking out bottom. 
Wearing high heels, excessive weight around the stomach and pregnancy can all contribue to a &#8220;Donald Duck&#8221; posture.
Exercises to correct a &#8220;Donald Duck&#8221; posture:
plank 
side-lying leg raises 
hip flexor stretches 
standing thigh stretch 
To help correct your standing posture, imagine a string attached to the top of your head pulling you upwards.
The idea is to keep your body in perfect alignment, maintaining the spine&#8217;s natural curvature, with your neck straight and shoulders parallel with the hips:
keep your shoulders back and relaxed 
pull in your abdomen 
keep your feet about hip distance apart 
balance your weight evenly on both feet 
try not to tilt your head forward, backwards or sideways 
keep your legs straight, but knees relaxed 
Watch a video on improving your posture.
Video: NHS Strength and flexibility &#8211; posture 
In this video, Laura from the NHS Couch to 5K programme, shows you how to have the correct posture.
Play Video 
Media last reviewed: 3 May 2019 
Media review due: 3 May 2022 
See exercise video safety information 
Standing with a flat back 
Picture of a woman standing with a flat back 
A flat back means your pelvis is tucked in and your lower back is straight instead of naturally curved, causing you to stoop forward. People with a flat back often find it difficult standing for long periods. 
This posture is often caused by muscle imbalances, which encourage you to adopt such a position. Spending long periods sitting down can also contribute to a flat back.
A flat back also tends to make you lean your neck and head forwards, which can cause neck and upper back strain.
Exercises to strengthen your core, buttocks, neck and rear shoulder muscles, and back extensions, are recommended to help correct a flat back.
Exercises to correct a flat back:
plank 
side-lying leg raises 
chest stretches 
seated rows in a gym, or pull-ups 
back extensions 
Leaning on 1 leg 
Picture of a woman leaning on 1 leg 
Leaning more on 1 leg while standing can feel comfortable, especially if you have been standing for a while. But instead of using your buttocks and core muscles to keep you upright, you place excessive pressure on 1 side of your lower back and hip. 
Over time, you may develop muscle imbalances around the pelvis area, which can cause muscular strain in the lower back and buttocks.
Other causes of uneven hips include carrying heavy backpacks on 1 shoulder, and parents carrying toddlers on 1 hip.
To improve this posture, try to get into the habit of standing with your weight evenly distributed on both legs.
Exercises to strengthen your buttocks and core muscles will help correct uneven hips:
plank 
side-lying leg raises 
bridges 
Hunched back and &#8216;text neck&#8217; 
Picture of a woman with hunched posture 
Hunching over your keyboard is usually a sign that you have a tight chest and a weak upper back. Over time, this type of posture can contribute to you developing a rounded upper back, which can cause shoulder and upper back stiffness. 
When hunching over a computer, your head may tend to lean forward, which can lead to poor posture. Using a mobile can cause similar problems dubbed &#8220;text neck&#8221;.
Upper back, neck and rear shoulder strengthening exercises, chest stretches and neck posture drills are recommended to help correct a hunched back.
Exercises to correct a hunched back:
gently lengthening your neck upwards as you tuck in your chin 
seated rows in a gym or pull-ups 
chest stretches 
Poking your chin 
Picture of a woman in a poking chin posture 
The poking chin posture can be caused by sitting too low, a screen set too high, a hunched back, or a combination of all 3. 
Correcting a poking chin involves improving your sitting habits and exercises to correct your posture.
How to correct a poking chin:
gently lengthen your neck upwards as you tuck in your chin 
bring your shoulder blades down and back towards your spine 
pull in your lower tummy muscles to maintain a natural curve in your lower back 
adjust your seating 
Rounded shoulders 
Picture of a woman with rounded shoulders 
A way to tell if you have rounded shoulders is to stand in front of a mirror and let your arms hang naturally by your sides. If your knuckles face forward, it may indicate that you have a tight chest and a weak upper back, giving the appearance of rounded shoulders. 
Rounded shoulders are typically caused by poor posture habits, muscle imbalances and focusing too much on certain exercises, such as too much focus on chest strength while neglecting the upper back.
Exercises to strengthen your core, upper back and chest muscles will help correct rounded shoulders:
plank 
bridges 
seated rows in a gym or pull-ups 
chest stretches 
Cradling your phone 
Picture of a woman cradling a phone 
Holding your phone handset between your ear and shoulder places strain on the muscles of the neck, upper back and shoulders. The neck and shoulders are not designed to hold this position for any length of time. 
Over time, this posture can place strain on the muscles and other soft tissues, and lead to muscle imbalances between the left and right side of your neck.
Try to get into the habit of holding the phone with your hand, or use a hands-free device.
Exercises for neck stiffness and pain:
chest stretches 
neck stretches – gently lower your left ear towards your left shoulder; hold for 10 to 15 deep breaths, then repeat on opposite side 
neck rotations – slowly turn your chin towards 1 shoulder; hold for 10 to 15 deep breaths, then repeat on opposite side