What to Do...What to Do?!?!

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gettinfit@42

Cathlete
I have been working out with a personal trainer since the beginning of March, and my last session is next week. Though I could have gotten better results if I was better with my nutrition, I am happy with the muscle gains I have made, and the hurdles I have overcome. Plus this has gotten me back into working out faithfully. I still have alot of weight to lose....................but I can truly kickbutt with strength workouts!! I struggle a bit with cardio because of shin splints, and I hate the elliptical.

I have many of Cathe's workouts (not all, but MANY), have a hard time with some of her complex cardio, I have all of KCM's workouts, Jari's, Firms, Preventions, Tracie Longs......you name it. Saying all that, I want to combine keeping up with gym workouts and home workouts. I still have about 60-70 lbs. to lose (yes, I know I need to clean up the nutrition!!!), but most importantly I want to continue to develop my muscles. I'm nervous about not reaching my full potential without my trainer.

Does anybody have any words of advice or encouragement?!?! lol. Thanks so much!!!! I'm loving the journey so far, and it is one step at a time and one day at a time.
 
Saying this as a Personal Trainer...

I believe you can very well succeed on your own. Personal Trainers are not necessary to achieve your own best fitness potential. However, if you need the encouragement, the occasional "kick in the butt" then stick with a Personal Trainer. Some people need us, some people just think they need us and some don't need us at all...
 
i agree with katerchen. i was a PT for a couple years after i graduated college and i found there were 2 types of clients, generally speaking: 1) the novices who basically needed a package of sessions to learn correct form and a variety of exercises to work their muscles. eventually, these clients moved on to train on their own and were very successful because they stuck with the program. 2) those who needed to be pushed. if youre working out on your own, you dont always test yourself to your max potential, which a trainer will do. not only that, but youre motivated to go to the gym because someone is waiting for you and you dont want to hear it from them later as to why you missed a session.

there are also those who just prefer having some social interaction while they worked out, so they hire a trainer. i had a few clients like that too.

it all depends on your preference and motivational level. if youre comfortable with your form and can push yourself/workout on your own then i say go for it!! you can definitely get in awesome shape that way. good luck!
 
I attended a fitness boot camp after 7 years of working out on my own doing workout dvds. I lost 40 pounds without a personal trainer. I loved going to my boot camp classes because it was different, fun and I met tons of cool people. I left early last year after a situation occurred that I felt was unprofessional between another client and the instructors (a situation in which the instructors thrust me into).

What I learned from attending the boot camp besides learning about kettlebells, was that I needed to push myself more by picking up heavier weights and kicking myself outside of my comfort zone to try new things. I did not need them for motivation and I certainly didn't need to pay them $150/month when I could do it on my own.

I have never been happier. I have been able to marry my love of working outdoors doing boot camp or crossfit style workout with my workout dvds.

I know people that still go boot camp but they need to go otherwise they would never workout. If you feel like you have the self motivation to workout without a trainer then go for it. If not, stick with the trainer.

Congratulations on your weight loss success! :) Enjoy the journey!
 
I think that PTs are great for teaching form, motivation, and also helping clients change up routines so that they continue to get challenged.

It sounds like you don't have any exercise challenges, so maybe your money would be better spent on the advice of a dietitian?

I love working out, and don't have any issues with motivation, or with properly challenging myself. I do struggle with diet though, because I love, love, love to cook and eat. If I had the extra $$, I'd definitely hire a dietitian/healthy chef to get rid of the junk in my kitchen and show me healthier alternatives of the foods I love. Are you in an area that has any of those healthy meal delivery services?
 
You can def. do it on your own. I had a few sessions w/a trainer when I first joined a gym 20 years ago, & I just ran w/it after that. It does take some motivation to stay educated, but you can get plenty of that here. :)

My routine is about half at home (cardio, core & circuit) & half at the gym (a little cardio, a lot of lifting). Working out at home is great for the convenience, but I love the gym for the variety of equipment, classes and, of course, the social aspect.

Don't give up on Cathe's choreo. Preview, preview, preview. Do a few sections at a time, then pop in another DVD you already know to burn the cals. Believe me, you won't regret it. Cathe is like the best trainer ever, & once you get used to her style the choreo gets easier to pick up.

And congrats on your weight loss & determination! You already have the building blocks, now it's just a matter of consistency. Oh yeah, & diet. ;)
 
Thanks for the replies. I think I've decided to do it on my own. I got part of what I wanted out of this, and that was to get me back into a routine. I used to be a gym rat years ago, and with the hecticness of life I lost sight of me and got a bit depressed. Now I'm loving the gym again and will do a combo of home and gym.

As far as nutrition.....I hate to admit it, but I know exactly what I need to do, it is just doing it! I have gotten better, but need to clean it up even more, and not give into binges!!!

I really appreciate all the encouragement and support!!!
 
Just keep going! If it's about sticking with a routine, write down what you want to work each day on a wall calendar, or, even better, use Cathe's Workout Manager and set up some rotations to follow on a day to day basis! I agree that the nutrition is the hardest part! But you can do it! There are lots of suggestions on the forum about fighting cravings and binges! Do a search and you'll find them.

I can't wait to read about your successes!

Tricia
 
gettinfit@42 said:
Thanks for the replies. I think I've decided to do it on my own. I got part of what I wanted out of this, and that was to get me back into a routine. I used to be a gym rat years ago, and with the hecticness of life I lost sight of me and got a bit depressed. Now I'm loving the gym again and will do a combo of home and gym.

As far as nutrition.....I hate to admit it, but I know exactly what I need to do, it is just doing it! I have gotten better, but need to clean it up even more, and not give into binges!!!

I really appreciate all the encouragement and support!!!
Click to expand...

May I make a suggestion regarding the binging? It helps me a LOT to have a "cheat" day once a week. :)
 
I started back working out on my own in November. For me having a check in group on the other forum is what I needed. The PT was just an appointment I never missed. I also love STS because you don't have to think about what you are going to do each day.
 
this may sound crazy

What works for me is that I pretend I'm my own personal trainer. :D Also, don't be afraid to work to failure. When you get to the point where your trainer would say, give me three more! Give it three more reps! Don't be afraid to make faces and to laugh at yourself. When I'm doing kick boxing, I get all aggressive and bare my teeth-its silly, but thats the point.

I don't think you are going to lose the muscle gains you have made, you may not make huge progress in strength while you are working on losing your weight.
 
Big fat ditto!

JanetP1507 said:
May I make a suggestion regarding the binging? It helps me a LOT to have a "cheat" day once a week. :)
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JanetP1507 - I totally agree about the cheat day. Also, don't keep your trigger foods in the house AT ALL, even on your cheat day. I cannot have ice cream in the house, AT ALL, NEVER EVER!
 
cakebaker said:
JanetP1507 - I totally agree about the cheat day. Also, don't keep your trigger foods in the house AT ALL, even on your cheat day. I cannot have ice cream in the house, AT ALL, NEVER EVER!
Click to expand...

LOL, especially when that TOM is coming!! For me it's chips of any kind....I can eat a whole bag in one sitting without even realizing it until my hand reaches the bottom of the empty bag.
 
If you're concerned that you won't stay on top of your workouts without the trainer why don't you try cutting back on your sessions for now. Maybe you could sit down with your trainer to set some goals and discuss a strategy, and then check back in a month to see what progress you've made. This way you still have that little push that comes from being accountable to someone. And I agree that it helps a lot to get involved in Cathe's forums. I highly recommend a check-in group.

As for hating the elliptical, I just can't ignore that comment :p :D. I have an elliptical, and while I love it, there is NO WAY I'd be able to stick with it without my Cardio Coach workouts. Lets face it, machine cardio is boring!! Believe me when I tell you, CC workouts will make ALL the difference in the world. The time will fly by, and if you're a runner the elliptical is a wonderful way to cross train and help you recover from those shin splints. ;) Just sayin' :p :D
 
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Miss Lee said:
Lets face it, machine cardio is boring!! Believe me when I tell you, CC workouts will make ALL the difference in the world. The time will fly by, and if you're a runner the elliptical is a wonderful way to cross train and help you recover from those shin splints. ;) Just sayin' :p :D
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How did I know that Michele would get her Cardio Coach plug in?!?!! ;):D But, I have to completley, 100% agree with her!!! CC makes all the difference in the world if using some sort of machine or just walking or running outside!!!! I'm a believer. If you don't have any CC, just give it a chance...bet you can't buy just one!!!! :p
 
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