I just joined a local 24 Hour Fitness gym after losing access to a gym I was using before due to the economy. I was able to join under a discount program and so already attractive pricing got even better for me. Upon sign-up I was offered a special deal to get some sessions with a personal trainer. While I have worked with several people over the years, none of them was a certified personal trainer and so I took the opportunity that was offered to me.
Today I had my first session with the personal trainer. I was matched with a trainer specializing in the same area of my fitness and workout interests. Since I am a runner it made most sense to work with a trainer who knows a lot about running and the related workouts, too. I am very glad that I signed up for these sessions because the first session today was like an eye-opener to me in several areas. As an example I knew about the importance of having a strong core and back for running, but the exercises I went through today were very different from what I had been doing by myself in the past. I could tell that I am actually hitting quite a few different muscle groups with these different workouts and the explanations I got from my personal trainer totally made sense. Also, having someone watching you while working out and correcting you when you do certain exercise makes the workout so much better. I did not realize this before when doing my own thing, but after that experience today I felt that my workout was of much higher quality than before. I am probably paying the price by feeling sore tomorrow, but that is actually something that motivates me. I know that the more I practice and work out, the better I will feel in just a few days.
This was the first time for me at 24 Hour Fitness. Initially I did not know what to expect since I associated 24 Hour Fitness with the negativity of a chain type of business. When I received my tour of the facility yesterday I saw the stereotypes of people that you would expect in almost any gym. Men, bulky and full of muscle (I do not mean this in a bad way). Women, Barbie-style, blond … (again, I do not mean this in a bad way). But visiting the gym at a different time totally changes the audience and the people working out look completely different. I reminds me that with so many things in life these type of things are a great mix of the environment we live in. What do I mean by that? Well, if you are into body-building then there is a place and a certain time for you where you will find like-minded people at a gym. If you are just a fitness-geek with the desire to “bulk up”, there is a time for you in the gym as well. With 24 Hour Fitness you can also visit other facilities without paying extra in most cases and so you can expand your reach and find the best time for your workout in a gym near you. That’s where I have to say it really comes in handy using 24 Hour Fitness. I am Gym Rat so to speak and while there might be Fitness Clubs that offer a more sophisticated and higher quality experience, I am perfectly fine with what I found at 24 Hour Fitness – especially for a price that does not break the bank. My Personal Trainer updated my account with the training session information from today. She also gave me a plan to work on until our next session. I used to read magazines and follow their workouts, but the personalized experience I got through the personal trainer is definitely something that makes a difference.
Update: Read about my second session with the personal trainer here. Read about session 3 here.
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