How to save on personal training sessions in the gym?

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2015-04-01

All visitors to fitness clubs know that a gym membership itself isn't too expensive and is quite affordable for most people. However, personal trainer services are a costly luxury. In medium-sized cities, one personal training session typically costs 500–700 rubles, while in larger cities, it ranges from 700 to 1500 rubles. And I won’t even mention Moscow and St. Petersburg.

So, there often arises a situation (actually, not just often, but almost always) where a person buys a membership, but then there’s no money left for a trainer. It's fine if this person has at least a year of training experience. Then they know the techniques for most exercises and can create a somewhat suitable program based on their own experience.

But what about beginners? They don’t know the exercises. Of course, there are plenty of videos online, but those who have tried to learn techniques from videos understand that no matter how good the video is, a live trainer can explain everything much better. At least, if the trainer is good.

Thus, this article will be mainly useful for beginners who may not have much money. Such people make up about 50% of gym-goers. So now I’ll tell you how to save on personal training without compromising your workouts.

Method #1

Take a few personal training sessions to learn the techniques of the exercises. If you're quite sharp, a month will be sufficient. If you train three times a week, that’s about 12-13 sessions.

Yes, you’ll have to spend some money at first. But consider it an investment in your health. Proper exercise technique is the key to effective workouts and minimizing injuries.

By the way, you don’t have to hire the most expensive trainer. Typically, fitness clubs categorize trainers not based on their professionalism but rather on how well each trainer markets their services. And, as you can understand, this is not always tied to their professional qualities. You can read about how to choose a trainer here.

Once you’ve selected a trainer, be upfront with them that you don’t intend to train with them continuously. Tell them that your goal is to learn as many exercises as possible in a month and to understand what each machine is for. This is a fairly common practice, and many trainers are understanding of such requests.

After about a month, you can go into “independent swimming.” With the technique learned, visit my website to choose a suitable workout routine for yourself.

Method #2

If you don’t have enough money for even the first 10 to 15 personal training sessions, then this method is for you. It’s less effective but much cheaper.

The essence of it is that you can skip personal training altogether, but you need to be able to analyze and think critically. And that’s a rarity in our time. You simply observe how other trainers coach their clients and try to learn the techniques from a distance. You can also watch experienced individuals as they perform various exercises.

By the way, this method is probably the most common since it’s the cheapest. However, there’s a high risk that you will learn completely the wrong techniques that you actually need. You really need to be perceptive and observant. I would reserve this method for extreme cases when there’s absolutely no money.

Method #3

This is an illegal method. You might try to negotiate with a trainer to pay for their services directly, rather than through the cash register. The thing is, instructors usually get 35% to 45% of the cost of a personal training session. Therefore, this way you could save about 50% on the cost of a workout.

However, trainers can face harsh penalties for such tricks. In some clubs (especially expensive ones), there are cameras, and managers keep an eye out to ensure that instructors train only those who have paid through the cash register for their sessions. It sometimes happens that if a trainer simply gives someone a tip, the manager rushes over and starts yelling that the trainer has no right to give advice. This, of course, is an extreme case, but I have often heard about it from the trainers themselves.

So, if the club “allows” it, you can negotiate with the trainer directly. In any case, if something goes wrong, the trainer will be the one who faces the consequences, while you can continue training peacefully.

Conclusion

You must clearly understand that, IN ANY CASE, your primary task is to learn the exercise techniques. Typically, a person uses about 50 to 60 exercises in their practice. It doesn’t matter whether you have money for a trainer or not; you need to know the technique. This is the key to effective workouts.

Whether you learn it from videos, observe others, or invest in a trainer—those are your choices. Everything depends on your financial situation, the specific gym, and your understanding of the necessity of various aspects. If anyone else has methods to save on personal training, feel free to suggest them in the comments. Good luck!