How often should one use a personal trainer?

Factors that affect how often you should train with a personal trainer

There are several factors that can affect how often you should train with a personal trainer, including your goals, physical fitness and how much time you have available. Here are some important considerations to keep in mind:

Goals

If you have specific goals in mind, such as preparing for a marathon or adding large amounts of muscle mass, you may need to train with a personal trainer more frequently to achieve these goals. For example, preparing for a marathon requires proper running technique to avoid injuries, a training program that is neither too hard nor too easy, and also working on the mental aspect of running such a long distance. When it comes to increasing large amounts of muscle mass, this requires not only detailed knowledge of nutrition, hypertrophy training and training volume, but also an enormous motivation, self-discipline and ability to implement. When working towards these types of goals, it may be necessary to use a personal trainer several times a week. If your goal is simply to maintain your current physical fitness, it may be sufficient to have PT sessions once or twice a month.

Physical fitness

Your current physical fitness can also affect how often you should work with a personal trainer. If you are new to exercise or have been inactive for a long period, you may need to work with a PT more frequently to get started and also build up basic strength and endurance. As fitness improves, you can reduce the frequency of PT sessions. However, physical fitness should always be seen in light of specific goals that are set. Even a very well-trained person may need close monitoring from a PT if they want to achieve extreme results or prevent injuries through an intensive training regime.

Availability

How much time you have available can affect how realistic it is to work with a personal trainer. If you have a very busy daily life with many commitments, it can actually end up being a struggle with too many PT sessions. In such cases, we recommend cutting down on the number of sessions, but instead maximizing each session's full potential. If on the other hand you have a lot of free time, it is primarily what results you want that affects how often you should use a personal trainer.

Budget

It's no secret that PT sessions can be expensive, particularly if you use a personal trainer with a lot of qualifications and experience. Some of the more expensive personal trainers can cost as much as 4000 kroner per hour. Therefore, you need to evaluate how much you can afford to spend on a PT.

General guidelines when using a personal trainer

As we have already mentioned, there are different factors to consider when deciding how often you should use a PT. Nevertheless, there are some general rules that can be useful for most people.

Start with one or two sessions per week

When you start working with a new PT, much of the foundation for further training is laid. You often map the current form of the client, set up a training plan, practice proper techniques, etc. For these reasons, it can be wise to have a few frequent sessions at the beginning. Frequent PT sessions at the beginning allow the personal trainer to correct any errors, make small adjustments to the course you have set, and also for you to get to know how it is to work with the particular personal trainer.

Increase/decrease frequency as needed

If you find that you are getting a lot out of your personal training sessions and are able to handle more intense workouts, it may be beneficial to increase the frequency of your personal training sessions. Of course, this depends on your personal budget. If you are satisfied with more moderate results and are able to perform your workouts independently, it may be beneficial to use your personal trainer as a training advisor who you can check in with regularly for feedback on your progress.

Consider switching personal trainers if you are not 100% satisfied

There are many personal trainers available, both in-person and online. Personal training sessions can be costly, and you should expect a lot from working with a personal trainer. Therefore, do not hesitate to switch personal trainers if you are unsure if they are the right fit for you.