Go walking in any popular park where people enjoy exercise and you'll find fit people working out with a personal trainer.

Seeing this might lead us to conclude that personal trainers are just for fit people and not for those of us with weight loss goals who haven't exercised for a while.

We asked a couple of our favourite personal trainers to see what they had to say about this myth and added our own thoughts.

The truth about personal trainers

The truth is that all of us can benefit from the services of a good personal trainer, especially those of us who haven't exercised before, or for a while, and who have weight loss goals.

Here's what our favourite personal trainers have to say on this issue:

Sonja Falvo - Personal Trainer - Brisbane.

"I think a lot of people feel that they have to be fit before hiring a personal trainer and nothing could be further from the truth."

"In fact, there are some very good reasons why people new to exercise should hire a personal trainer. Two of the best reasons revolve around safety and getting better results faster."

Here are some of the most common questions Sonja is asked and her standard replies to those questions:

Q. What if I have never exercised before?

A. All the more reason to have a personal trainer! We are here to help you get maximum results by personally tailoring your training sessions. We believe in coaching and motivating you to do your best - our aim is not make you sore for days or to look like a body builder (unless of course that is your goal).

Q. Do I need to be fit before I start?

A. We will help you to increase your fitness regardless of what level you are starting from. And at a much faster rate than if you were training on your own. We have training programs to suit all levels of fitness.

Q. Should I diet first to get the most out of my personal training sessions?

A. If you want to lose 'fat' then we can help you to do this by turning your body into a 'fat burning machine' with a safe and effective training program. Dieting can actually cause you to lose a lot of muscle and water, which in turn causes your metabolism to slow down and increases your 'fat storing' ability in the long term.

Q. Aren't personal trainers just for elite athletes and for young people who want to look good?

A. Personal trainers are for everybody! We help women of all ages to achieve many different and varying health and fitness goals including; fat loss, increased fitness, better quality of life, lowering blood pressure, reducing stress and healthy living just to name a few. Whatever your health and fitness goals - we can help you achieve them!

Travis Bell - Personal Trainer - Melbourne.

"A lot of our new clients are first time exercisers."

"In fact, I'd say we specialize in beginners because when they come to us for the first time, around 70% of our new clients are beginners and around 40% have never exercised before."

"And this makes perfect sense when you realize that a lot of people, especially those that want to lose weight:

• Are intimidated by gyms

• Realize that some gyms are image conscious

• Prefer one-on-one exercise sessions

• Have technology issues with all the latest exercise equipment

• Need fully individualized and tailored programs

• Prefer private studios that are not full of mirrors

"Our goal is to help people to achieve their goals and we do this by building their confidence and making them feel safe while exploring the boundaries of their fitness."

"And critical to achieving both of these aims is to construct a health profile of each client as soon as they start working with us."

At New Level Personal Training, this profile is built with a self assessment, where each client rates their own fitness (on a range of factors) using a scale from one to ten, and a fitness test.

Results from these two assessments are then used to build the profile and set benchmarks which are used to construct an individual exercise program and track exercise progress.

"Although it can sound pretty scary, there's nothing to fear about our fitness test."

"For safety reasons, we never go above 70% of our clients' estimated maximum heart rate."

"At this intensity level, most people start to perspire and breathe a little bit harder but it isn't painful and most people don't feel too out of breath."

Personal Trainers and fit people

So why do we see so many fit people exercising with personal trainers in the park?

We think the reasons are threefold:

1. Because fit people get the same benefits using a personal trainer as the rest of us
   
2. Because most of us with weight loss goals prefer to workout in private
   
3. Because fit people have reached a level of fitness that benefits from greater variety

Fit people get the same benefits using personal trainers as the rest of us

The most important things personal trainers do is:

• Motivate us

• Ensure our exercise is at the correct intensity and is progressive

• Ensure that our exercise technique is correct so we avoid unnecessary injury

• Ensure we achieve our goals as effectively and efficiently as possible

And everyone needs help with these things regardless of their fitness level.

Most of us with weight loss goals prefer to workout in private

Working outside sometimes can be fun, but not if we are very self-conscious.

Most of us with weight loss goals that extend beyond losing just a few kilograms are inclined to prefer working out in private until our fitness level improves and we get a little closer to achieving our goals and start to feel better about ourselves.

Because fit people have reached a level of fitness that benefits from greater variety

If we see fit people working out with their personal trainer in the park, chances are that they are doing it as much for their mental stimulation as their physical fitness.

As well as being good for their fitness (doing new exercises or exercising in a slightly different way can provide new physical challenges for our body), working out outdoors can provide the change of scenery needed to kick-start a potentially flagging motivation or just add a new dimension to an otherwise enjoyable exercise routine.

Conclusion

Go walking in any popular park where people enjoy exercising and you'll find fit people working out with a personal trainer.

To the casual observer, this phenomenon might lead us to conclude that personal trainers are just for fit people and not for those of us who have weight loss goals and who perhaps haven't exercised for a while.

We asked a couple of our favourite personal trainers to see what they had to say about this misnomer and added some of our own thoughts on the matter.

We hope that through this article we've helped to dispel this common myth and in doing so encourage those of us with weight loss goals who want to improve our health and fitness through weight loss and exercise to make an appointment with a good local personal trainer to get the help we need.

To find a personal trainer in your area, please visit our personal trainers directory.

Good luck with your weight loss and thanks for visiting weightloss.com.au.