Why you should NOT make friends with your Personal Trainer?

Have you ever gotten a massage and talked to the masseuse throughout the entire session? I made that mistake once and it was the worst massage I have ever gotten. Why? Not because they were not using enough pressure, or proper technique, but because I was unable to really relax since I was too busy gabbing away. I always appreciate people in that field because so much of their job involves them quietly working without being able to speak. Being the caring person that I was, and a massage novice, I wanted to engage the masseuse and have some light conversation. Next thing you know, I knew where she was from, how many kids she had, what she liked to do on the weekends, how long she had been working there…. You get the point.

                                                  Source: angrytrainerfitness.com via KandidlyKim @ Work It Out, Gurl on Pinterest

So how does this relate to a Personal Trainer?

At most facilities when you work with a PT, you have a dedicated hour to warm up, work out and cool down. The workout is, and should always be, the most intense part of that hour. That is what people pay the big bucks for! While working out with a PT is a completely different experience than getting a massage, some of the same principles apply.


1.The more you talk, the less that person may be able to concentrate on the activity at hand: If you are Miss Chatty Kathy, laughing, giggling, and making jokes… you must not be working out that hard. When you are having an intense workout, you should not be laughing… honestly, you should be feeling the burn and counting down the minutes left in the session so you can get out of your sweat soaked clothes.


2.This is not the time to make friends. You are paying for a service.: PT is expensive. Period. Yes, you can find “more affordable” prices if you look around, or do virtual training, but most of the time you are paying a good amount for each session. The more you talk… the less you are really working out and the less you are getting for your money.

I can honestly use myself as an example, my last trainer and I had a great time every session. Yes, I worked out hard and I thought we were making a good use of the time, but I am really seeing a difference this time around in the quality of my workouts. With my new trainer, who I am not as buddy buddy with, I get through 3 – 4 circuits plus a full warm up and cool down whereas with my last trainer, I only got through 2 – 3 circuits and skipped the cool down most days. James, my new PT, is a nice guy, but he is serious about making sure I meet my goals. And I LOVE that. I mentioned today in our session that I am a tad bit intimidated by him since he is so serious, and he said “We can have fun, but my job is to make you work out hard. If we are so busy laughing and joking; that means you are not working out to your fullest potential”.


3. If you are going to make conversation, make it worthwhile.: In a session, if you must talk, use this time to ask questions about what areas you need help with, nutrition planning, the workouts you need to do on your own, and/or about how long it will take you to reach your goals. Many people forget about these questions because they are too busy talking about what they did this past weekend or the Knicks game last night.


4. Be friendly.: I am a strong believer in killing people with kindness. Don’t have a stone cold expression on your face throughout the workout. You can have fun, but just make sure that your workout and fitness related questions are being answered before you turn your PT into your bff.