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The Real Cost of Free Personal Training

Free Personal Training.

For a moment, you might think this sounds like a good idea.  But, like many things, you need to dig a little deeper to explore what is really going on here. “Free” personal training has a very real cost, and, once you understand what it is, you will understand why you should steer clear of this type of fitness scam.

Let me explain.

personal trainer

I was once hired by a very nice woman in her 60’s to act as her personal trainer– let’s call her Mary.  Mary hired me to help her with the goal of losing 40 pounds.  She had recently quit a women’s only gym where the personal training was bundled with her monthly membership fee -so, the personal training was included, or “free”.  She had been a member at this women’s only gym for several years.  When Mary initially contacted me, she was somewhat confused, and totally dissatisfied with her membership there because, despite her near religious consistency and her best efforts to complete the workouts she was prescribed, she was not making ANY progress.

In fact, Mary had actually been gaining weight before she left the all women’s gym.

When I asked her to describe her workouts at this all women’s gym, she described it for me.  She reported that the basic format was “strength training” exercises, each and every exercise performed on exercise machines designed to target one specific muscle group at a time, done in a circuit style, performing 12, 15, or as many as 20 reps.  Some workouts they would add a cardio type exercise in between sets with this so-called strength training (performed on machines).




Every 6-8 weeks she was given a new workout. The “new” workout would change the order of the exercise machines and sometimes the selection of specific exercise machine, but the rest of the format would remain the same.  For the uninitiated and the uninformed, this workout format (described above) will seem like something that should work well for losing weight successfully.

Circuit training on machines (by itself) does NOT result in losing body fat successfully, in the short, medium, or long term. 

Additionally, performing cardio in between sets of strength exercises robs you of the benefits of both strength training and cardiovascular training.  Combining  strength training and cardiovascular training in the same exercise session in this manner is INVALID as a constructive training protocol.  You would be better off not exercising at all.

There are several big box gyms and fitness clubs out there who thrive on offering FREE personal training with their already discounted monthly membership rate.

It is very typical of these type of discount gyms that offer free personal training to stick new clients on a circuit of strength exercise machines performing 12-20 reps per set in a circuit style.  Are they doing this maliciously? No, I hope not. They simple do not know what is 100% wrong about this approach.  The problem for Mary was that after the first month or so, there seemed to be no positive effect.  And, now, more alarmingly, after a few years using this approach, she was suffering from joint pain, flexibility issues, and was losing muscle and GAINING fat.

why machines dont work | personal training
Are you trying to increase the size of your muscles, or are you trying to lose fat?

After instructing Mary through her first week of workouts with me as her coach, I observed and confirmed issues I have seen MANY times before with women (and men!) who had been working with one of these free personal trainers– her strength was very low, her coordination was undeveloped, she was suffering from reduced range of motion, lack of flexibility, and postural problems.

IN ADDITION, Mary reported that she had gained about 10 pounds of scale weight in her final 6 months at the women only gym with free personal training. I honestly felt bad for her.  She had been spending all this TIME, in good faith, working on her health, only to discover that she was not getting the service she thought she was.  The good news is that in less than 3 weeks working with me as her coach and personal trainer, she had made more progress than she had made in 3 YEARS of free personal training at her previous fitness club.  What kind of training did I have her doing? Well, I can tell you one thing- she was not wasting time on exercise machines, doing burpees, or jumping on a treadmill in between sets of free weight exercises.



Beginners (people relatively new to weight training) DO NOT BELONG ON MACHINES.

Think about it – you can easily discover the TRUTH for yourself.  Q. What do exercise machines do?  A. THEY ISOLATE THE MUSCLE GROUP THEY ARE DESIGNED FOR.  If you are on the biceps machine, the only muscle doing any real work is the biceps- it’s isolating that muscle for work.  Q. What is the reason you isolate a muscle in strength training?  A. ONE reason – to make it bigger.  A beginner does not need to make individual muscles bigger, they need to develop basic coordination and strength with free weights.  MACHINES ARE FOR BODYBUILDERS ONLY.  If your goal is fat loss, general good health, mobility, and flexibility, you ABSOLUTELY DO NOT BELONG ON MACHINES.

machine inner thigh exercise
Beginners DO NOT belong on machines.

Well, what if I put cardio in between my strength training exercise machines?  Won’t that help me burn more fat and get in shape?  NO.  IT WILL NOT.  I see this one ALL THE TIME.  People want to turn their strength training into cardio. STOP IT.  Strength training IS NOT cardio.  Cardio is cardio.  Strength training is done to GAIN STRENGTH.  All your secondary effects – body fat loss, improved appearance, better health, stronger libido, increased metabolism, deeper sleep, increased mobility, increased flexibility… ALL THESE EFFECTS are a secondary side effect of GAINING STRENGTH.  CARDIO DOES NOT BUILD, OR EVEN MAINTAIN MUSCLE. IN FACT, CARDIO TENDS TO BURN OFF MUSCLE.  Additionally, all you do when you put cardio in between your sets is increase the acidity of the blood and make yourself weaker, unable to display full strength.  Making yourself sweat more HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FAT LOSS.  I can sweat profusely from mowing the lawn or cleaning out the garage, but it IS NOT going to get me into better shape or help me LOSE ANY FAT.


The next time you hear that FREE PERSONAL TRAINING is included with your gym membership at your local fitness club, you should RUN (not walk) away!  The REAL cost of free personal training is your TIME and energy, WASTED.  Don’t be a fool and believe that siren song marketing you are bombarded with every day!  Most mature adults know – nothing good in life is free.the sirens' song