Why Is My Personal Trainer Wasting My Time?

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“I am spending well over $2000 on personal training sessions and instead of helping me get in shape my personal trainer is wasting my time. I am paying for 45 minute sessions but we only spend 30 minutes on the actual workout.”

Obviously John isn’t too happy with his personal trainer. But, is he really the victim of a lazy personal trainer who is trying to swindle him out of the personal training time he has paid for? To find the answer to this question we need to take a closer look at John and his profile.

Name: John Smith

Age: 42

Height: 5’10”

Weight: 220 Pounds

Occupation: Information Systems Engineer

Lifestyle: Sedentary

Medical Conditions: None

Health Complaints: Occasional Back Pain

• John’s Fitness Goals

1. Loose 30 pounds of fat.
2. Increase lean muscle mass especially in the upper body region.
3. Strengthen, define and sculpt the abdominal muscles.
4. Look strong and fit for an upcoming College reunion in 3 months.

• John’s Past Workout History

1. John plays golf occasionally on the weekend.
2. John does his own gardening.
3. John joined the gym 3 months ago but was not able to reach his fitness goals alone.
4. John has had two previous sessions with this personal trainer.

• Personal Trainer’s Goals

1. Increase client’s metabolic efficiency
2. Improve client’s cardiorespiratory efficiency
3. Increase client’s muscular endurance
4. Improve client’s overall posture, flexibility and balance

So, how exactly is john’s personal trainer wasting 15 minutes of John’s actual “workout”?

Before we can answer this question we need to take a very basis look at one of John’s personal training sessions:

• Warm-Up: 10 minutes
• Cardiorespiratory Training: 15 minutes
• Resistance Training: 15 minutes
• Cool-Down: 5 minutes

It’s obvious that John objects to the fact that his personal trainer has implemented a warm-up and cool-down component within the 45 minute time frame of the sessions he is paying for.

So, why is John’s personal trainer insisting on this warm-up and cool-down component of the workout?

To be fair to John I must mention that within the athletic and scientific communities there is a great deal of speculation regarding whether or not a warm-up is essential in preventing injury. Even though warming up prior to exercise is not directly linked to injury prevention, warm-ups are essential for enhancing overall performance. This is especially true for individuals like John whose bodies are not accustomed to physical activity.

What are The Benefits of a Warm-Up?

1. Warm-ups increase heart and respiratory rates
2. Warm-ups increase blood flow to muscles
3. Warm-ups increase the metabolic rate
4. Warm-ups increase muscle flexibility
5. Warm-ups increase our mental readiness for workout

What are The Benefits of a Cool-Down?

1. A cool-down is meant to help bring the body back into a steady state of rest
2. Effective cool-down methods help improve flexibility
3. For clients such as John a cool-down may help prevent dizziness or possible fainting as a result of exercise stress
4. Cool-downs can help minimize muscle soreness
5. Cool-downs can help clients regain their emotional balance after the stress of exercise

Once a client’s overall fitness level improves and he becomes more accustomed to the routine of exercise he may perform the warm-up and cool-down components of his fitness plan on his own time. Till that time though it is imperative that his technique be monitored by a fitness professional.