There are many advantages to using the services of a personal trainer. For example:
- Optimises your training program to suit your goals and level of fitness
- Advise on exercise form so that you get maximum benefit from your time in the gym
- Having an appointment with your trainer motivates you to get to the gym when you might otherwise skip a workout
- Having scheduled training times helps you to prioritise your training instead of just doing it when you have spare time
But one of the most important advantages is the regular testing of your fitness so that you can monitor your progress and identify areas that may need extra attention. This monitoring of your progress also ensures you are moving toward your goals.
I’ve been training at One80 for two months now (read my post about why I am doing this here) and they test my fitness after each month. This is great for monitoring my progress and fantastic for seeing how far I have come, a brilliant motivator.
The fitness test has two elements, the physical test to see how much you can push, lift, etc. Then the body test which measures your body fat, weight, etc. So, is One80 working for me? Well, let’s take a look at the results.
On the physical fitness side, in the 2 months I have been training:
- My row for 1,5km has improved by 15%
- My 1km run has improved by 30%
- My pushups in 1 minute have increased by 25%
- My situps in 1 minute have nearly doubled
- My stretch distance has nearly doubled
In terms of my body, my body fat has improved by 20% (dropped from 25% to 20%) while my weight has remained the same. This is mainly due to all the restaurant reviews I do. If I was dieting properly, I would have lost some weight.
Now that I am in the 3rd month of training and have acquired some base fitness, the program becomes more intense and the results should also continue to improve.