By: Josh Anderson. Josh (M.S., Personal Trainer) is the Founder and Editor of Become A Personal Trainer HQ and DIY Active.

Congrats! You just purchased a gym membership and are ready to start this year off right!

Your motivational level is through the roof and you are so pumped to finally get in shape that you are even telling your friends that this is the year! But should you have purchased a few personal trainer sessions as well? Does it even matter? Let’s dive in.

Your Knowledge Level

Many people just getting back to the gym are, for lack of a better term, newbies. Meaning they really don’t have a clue on how to set up a complete workout that incorporates both strength training and cardio to reach a specified goal.

Are you one of them? Do you know how to properly do the exercises you find online? Sure, an online workout is great but when you only have 2 pictures to replicate (if that) you can easily screw up the form. Bad form basically means the exercise won’t be as effective or it can lead to you seriously hurting yourself.

What this all means is that for those newbies out there, it can be INCREDIBLY beneficial to engage a personal trainer to help instill a solid exercise foundation that you can take with you for years to come!

Your Motivation Level

Here’s the #1 reason you need to get a personal trainer this New Year – improved motivation and accountability. How many millions of people out there each year start off with high hopes to lose 5, 10, 15+ kilos of weight this year?

How many actually reach that goal? Not very many and you know why? They simply run out of steam a few weeks into the year!

How can a trainer change this?

First of all, who wants to waste money? If you drop $35 per session (conservative estimate) and buy 10 of them, you aren’t going to waste those non-refundable sessions. That will at least motivate to get your butt to the gym for those sessions. As you exercise more, build your knowledge base, and start to see small results that will cause the motivation to start building and get the ball rolling!

Not only that, but a personal trainer is a great form of accountability. For the money you are spending, they should be there to help motivate you through your rough days and stay on a healthy path but on the flip side they can help keep you accountable. They will know when you haven’t hit the gym in a week or if you’ve hit the buffet line too much and they better remind you what you a working for.

Accountability and motivation is exactly what you will get from a good trainer, but how do you know who is a good trainer?

How to Choose a Trainer

First and foremost, you need to find a trainer you get along with – this means actually talking to them and discussing your goals and seeing if they think they can help you reach them.

Likewise, you need to find a trainer you feel comfortable with. If you are a woman and are more comfortable exercising with a female trainer then go that route. Finally, ask around your circle of friends for a review or their experiences with personal trainers in your area.

Once you find a trainer that you can easily communicate with, feel comfortable around, and has a proven track-record then it’s time to sign up for a few sessions and get to reaching your goals!

Wrap-Up

If you are just beginning your fitness journey, a great option is to give a personal trainer a try. If you have lacked the motivation, accountability, and knowledge in the past then it’s your best bet towards reaching your goals. Plus, a few hundred dollars over the course of a few weeks is worth finally getting healthy, right?

Thanks Josh for providing the brilliant tips. Of course, at EFM we offer personal training to clients, but we also offer you Personalised Training in every single workout. It’s just like having a personal trainer, but at a fraction of the cost. Take a look what real members have to say about their experience with EFM Personalised Training: