My First Time Working Out with a Personal Trainer

Even though I became certified as a NASM personal trainer last fall, I haven't trained anyone myself yet. My physical therapy office recently offered me a free trial of a nearby gym and a fitness assessment and one personal training session. I didn't need the gym membership, but I was happy to be able to work out with a trainer for free!

Fitness Assessment

Four days before my actual training session, I met with the trainer assigned to me for about a half hour for the fitness assessment portion. She had me fill out the PAR-Q to see if I had any medical conditions she should be aware of, particularly any undiagnosed or diagnosed heart conditions.

We moved onto her asking me about my goals for the session and with my fitness/body in general. Like most people, I'd love to lose some weight and admitted that maybe I am not working hard enough at the gym. My trainer said that we'd work my entire body, but I told her I wanted to focus more on core and arm exercises.

Next, we discussed nutrition and she wanted to know what I ate in a typical day. I told her I was a vegetarian and she said it sounded like I was getting enough protein.

My least favorite part came last--the weigh-in, body fat calculation and measurements. Now I know how clients would feel about this emotionally, especially since I don't typically have issues with my body.

The training session

We met for a 45 minute workout. Admittedly, I was a little nervous! I only completed two sets of these exercises, but she recommended three total sets of 15 reps.

Core:

• plank on a Swiss Ball for 60 seconds
• pass throughs
• back extension
• Roman chair

Total body and legs:

• Kettle bell squat
• walking lunge
• step up shoulder press

Arms:

• Incline pushup
• bent over row
• lat pulldown
• tricep pushdown

I recovered with one of these drinks, which my mom purchases at Costco. It tasted great and has a whopping 30 grams of protein!

For the next two days, I had DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and I'd say that the trainer did her job!

I never told my trainer that I was recently certified myself, as I wanted to ask some questions about her career, the long hours, the fulfillment she gets from helping people, etc. In the end, I concluded that I would love to train people part-time, but shouldn't ever consider it for a full-time job because the long hours and weekends would probably frustrate me.

I plan to incorporate the exercises she taught me into my regular routine and I think that if I feel bored at the gym ever again, it would be fun to hire a trainer.

Have you ever worked out with a personal trainer?