What does it take to become a personal trainer?

By Greg Lewis of ELITE Trainers

You actually don't need anything to become a personal trainer.

But being certified really helps when it comes to proving you know what you are doing. If you have ever thought about becoming a personal trainer then I should let you know that it is a highly competitive field and that while some personal trainers train people privately and charge a fair bit per hour, most personal trainers work in gyms can get paid less than $20 per hour.

So right away I must warn you that you probably won't get rich by becoming a personal trainer. It really is more about the lifestyle. Most personal trainers are great one on one, but don't expect them to have any skill with memorizing lines or acting ability to get in front of a camera and have their own exercise TV show. (Not saying you can't attempt to do that, just saying that most people lack the necessary skills.)

For many years now my job has been to teach personal trainer certification workshops. I have done this for as part of several organizations, including the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America and the American College of Sports Medicine. I must have certified hundreds of people as personal trainers over the years, teaching classes from New York to Las Vegas, and I must have taught dozens of personal training workships both in the USA and Canada. I even traveled overseas in 2007 to Japan and South Korea to teach sport conditioning classes*, and the highlight of my trip was a class I taught to the Japanese Olympic soccer team.

*Sport conditioning classes are very similar to a personal training class, except that it was tailored more specifically to highly trained athletes looking to get an extra edge on the competition.

So lets “shine some light” on what skills it takes to be a personal trainer for those of you who might be interested in this exciting but not universally well paid profession.

#1. A key attribute of any good personal trainer is to have a good knowledge of how the body works.

For example, human anatomy teaches us without a doubt that leg raises are not done by the abdominal muscles; all you have to do is look at the muscles and bones and it is clear that the abdominals do not attach to the legs, therefore it is impossible for the abs to lift your legs. Hip flexor muscles do this motion. Once you know basic anatomy you can plan an efficient exercise program. Do leg raises for hip flexor work, not for ab strengthening. A good personal trainer knows how to prescribe an effective exercise program for specific goals.

#2. Another key attribute for a good personal trainer is to be a good communicator.

Having a lot of knowledge won't be very useful if you can't explain it to clients in an easy to understand way. A good personal trainer should be able to share this info effectively with others easily and in a friendly manner.

#3. Demonstrate your Knowledge via Writing.

To get certified as a personal trainer with a reputable organization, you will need to pass a test which verifies that you have a certain knowledge level in one or more of these areas: exercise physiology, human anatomy, kinesiology (study of how the body moves), nutrition, exercise program development and prescription, stress control and fitness testing.

Being able to pass the test is a big deal. Some certification companies (and they are definitely for-profit companies) basically just take your money and hand you your diploma. Ideally what you want is to get certified with a respected personal trainer organization that does a really good job of testing you. There are some out there who aren’t worth your time and money because their testing process and reputation is rather weak.

That is why I started my own company when I decided to move to Canada: ELITE Trainers. I checked out the competition here in Canada and noticed that Canadian companies like CanFitPro were basically overcharging people, providing workshops, but not really testing them properly because almost no one going through their testing process fails the test.

Thus with ELITE Trainers my goal was to make a test so difficult that people would fail it regularly - thus confirming that my company is only certifying the best of the best. To do this I crafted 100 essay questions for each test and set the passing grade at 86%. If you score an 85% or lower, you failed the test.

Furthermore I wanted to make certain that people recognized that some personal trainers have more experience than others. Thus I created a ranking system, whereby every new personal trainer I certify is granted a Rank of 1. And they have to complete a higher ranking and more difficult test in the same field to get a Rank of 2, and so forth, all the way up to 10.

Thus we cream away the best people worthy of being certified and people who lack the necessary skills are rejected. Yes, I admit, its a great money making scheme for me if people come back and try to retake the test, but at least I am honest about it.

I should add that a person’s life experience in the fitness field can add greatly to being a good personal trainer. Yes, you can take workshops and get certified by a variety of companies, but quite frankly, I know some people who don’t have a any formal certification or a college degree in a field such as exercise science, but they know a great deal through self education, and I would still highly recommend them if someone asked me whom to refer. For example one of the people I have certified in the past now runs a personal training company here in Toronto and while I realize he mostly sticks to sports instruction, I know for a fact that is highly skilled at helping people lose weight. Having his certification is really just a way for him to prove he knows what he is doing.

In the past many people have pointed out that personal trainer certifications is basically just a big money-making scam. Even personal trainers and myself will admit to this. However it does serve a purpose.

Having the certification process in place protects the fitness industry from having too many trainers out there that don’t know their biceps from their buttocks!

Many companies out there operate three to five day workshop that you will need to attend. Study materials will be sent to you hopefully before the workshop or provided at the workshop. Most organizations will require both a written exam and a practical exam, with a passing rate of 60 percent or higher. Some places are lower and basically don't even grade you. A few reputable companies similar to ELITE expects a final grade of 80% or higher. The exact amount differs among certifying agencies, but the practical exam will consist of individuals actually demonstrating exercises, administering fitness tests, and answering questions orally. Sometimes this aspect of certification creates some stage fright, as you have to “think on your feet”.

Prices vary for these workshops, but you will pay around $400 to $600 for the three to five days of classes. But that is an investment that can easily be recouped in a short time once you are out there training your clients. (Assuming you get clients - Some people get their certification and then have trouble attracting their first clients.)

If you are thinking about becoming a personal trainer, there are many aspects to consider. Talk to people who are already working as personal trainers, study websites pertaining to personal training, and of course, consider getting your certification from ELITE if you think you have the skills to pass a really difficult test. Personal training is an exciting profession, can pay well if you manage to find a niche market, and can be very rewarding because you are helping others to lose weight, gain muscle and live healthier lives.

McDonald's Oatmeal = WRONG

When McDonald's released their salads, with just as much fat as a Big Mac, you might have thought it couldn't get any worse.

 

Well it has.

 

Apparently McDonald's can't even make Oatmeal without somehow filling it with extra sugar and fat.

 

McDonald's is always looking to cash-in on a new breakfast dish, and cooked oatmeal, made with dried fruit sounds like a good idea right? Well it's not!

The 11 ingredients, (some of which you may not recognize because they're man-made chemicals) in this surprisingly expensive breakfast includes cream, brown sugar, sweetened dried fruit and has as much calories as a McDonald's hamburger.

The marketing gurus at McDonald's claim that their menus are customizable. There is apparently the option to ask for no brown sugar, or non-sweetened dried fruit. It's as though they want to be able to say they have healthy options, even though they really don't expect anyone will ever buy it with the hundreds of other food options available, never mind modify it to suit health concerns.

Begging the question, if you go into McDonald's and ask for the oatmeal - and then ask for the no brown sugar and non-sweetened dried fruit - will they even have it in stock???

Many people will see oatmeal on the menu and automatically assume that they are making the right choice because normally oatmeal is healthy. But instead it's like those instant oatmeal packets with flavours such as apple and brown sugar, or peaches and cream. What you are essentially ordering is preservative filled sugar packets.

And then there is the price of the McDonald's oatmeal, combined with the sugar and fat content, the convenience simply isn't worth it. Oatmeal can be prepared while you're unloading the dishwasher, and saved and reheated at work, so if it only takes 1 minute to make it at home why would you bother to pay McDonald's to make it for you?

The end result is that if you're eating at a fast food joint and McDonald's is trying to add the appearance of being healthy when in reality they're just tricking you into more sugar filled treats.

Toronto Spas Suck

From a male perspective, spas suck in general.

How I came to this conclusion was I bored one day and thought hey, why don't I go to a spa?

Not for a manicure or a pedicure... or a body scrub or a facial. Just go there and relax, swim in the hot spa baths.

After all, that is where the word "spa" comes from. The baths. They're really more like small pools, but with nice hot water and a relaxing atmosphere.

But the baths isn't how spas make their money. Its their cosmetics services like facials/etc that they make lots of money off of. And they also have food, juice bars, massage, and if you want you can basically get any kind of food scrubbed on your body - including chocolate - supposedly for its therapeutic benefits.

Except most of that junk - with the exception of the massages - most manly men have zero interest in. We are not going to pay $60 for someone else to trim our toenails and scrub our feet.

The photos above and below are from one of the best spas you can find in Toronto, the Elmwood Spa, but their list of services don't really appeal to men very much. At most I could see myself going there to lounge around in the spa, soaking in the heat and then get a massage. I don't think I would even try the food because frankly the food they serve at these places are both overpriced and what Vernon Dursley would correctly describe as "bird food".

I've had better meals at the Hare Krishna temple and that is Vegan food. But at least its hearty food and made with love, as opposed to the overpriced garbage you'd get at a spa.

Plus here is another draw back. You can't just randomly decide to go to a spa one day... Because they're booked up days or even weeks in advance. That to me is a huge draw back.

Really what I need is something akin to a Japanese style bath house or Japanese hot springs. But in Toronto, of course. So in theory what would be nice is if someone built and opened up an artificial hot springs, made with stone and designed to look completely natural, decorate it with Japanese flora, the interior architecture is all authentic (but not overdone), all in the effort to capture the feeling of going to a real hot springs in Japan.

But since nobody has done that, I shall try for a bath house instead... So I google Japanese bath house Toronto... and there isn't any. Instead it shows results for spas in Yorkville - which are not Japanese and the same thing I am trying to get away from because they are so gawdawful.

Conclusions? Toronto Spas Suck Donkey Balls. Zero Stars out of Five.

They're basically catering to one segment of society - wealthy yuppie women who apparently too lazy to scrub their own feet and trim their own toenails. There is basically nothing out there for a man who wants to go to a spa / bath house and relax.

I will admit they do look pretty - and they should. But they're a huge waste of time and space since they only serve a tiny portion of society who apparently are just really lazy.

The 17 Day Diet - Book Review

The following is a book review for the book "The 17 Day Diet" by Dr Mike Moreno.

I am going to do this review in point form... hope you don't mind.

#1. This is a weight loss book, and yes, if you follow its complex 17-day instructions to the letter you will lose weight.

#2. Most people don't follow instructions. The more complex the instructions the less likely they are to actually follow the instructions.

#3. The book does have lots of helpful nutritional and exercise advice, but its the sort of thing you could find for free on a website like Cardio Trek, a free nutritional / exercise website run by a personal trainer in Toronto. So while the advice is good, its nothing special.

#4. The book also has BMI charts. Again, something you can find for free online.

#5. The recipes in the book are okay, although some of them contain weird ingredients that most people wouldn't purchase. Again, you can find that online for free.

#6. The 17 Day Diet isn't really "17 days". It is actually a 17 day cycle which is meant to repeated again and again... forever. So the title is really false advertising.

#7. At the back of the book there is more information on dining out, holiday eating and substitutions for "bad" foods. Again, very helpful and thorough information - but also available for free online.

#8. The 17-Day Diet works on a 17 day phasing cycle and the first cycle is the most restrictive for accelerated weight loss. Then each subsequent cycle introduces new food into the meal plan. If you have not reached your goal at the end of all the cycles, you start again.Yes it is not realistic to be on a diet for 17 days and expect serious results anyway, but I really don't like books that are wishy washy and promise instant results and then fall back on things that you can find for free online in the first place.

#9. The diet isn't exactly revolutionary. The Core Balance Diet and South Beach Diet have a very similar concept in that the first portion is low carb, high protein and vegetables with carbohydrates gradually re-introduced. Same concept, old news.

#10. The meals don't easily work for a Vegetarian or Vegan diet, even though the book claims otherwise. It was obviously written by an omnivore who is clueless about veggie diets. Many of the lunches and dinners are chicken and vegetables. Plain tofu (or high protein alternative) without seasoning and preparation instructions just wouldn't cut it for a Vegan. Using beans as a substitute also wouldn't work due to the high carb content. It would defeat the intention of the initial phases of the cycle.

#11. The diet claims that you will not be hungry. However most people couldn't follow this diet because either their activity levels are too high for the meal plan - or they would find the diet too restrictive. If you start this diet with very little energy output levels, you could remain satiated in between meals. But if you exercise regularly (like the book recommends) then you will definitely end up feeling hungry between meals.

#12. He is trying to push his own brand diet - to make a name for himself. He wrote this book so he could become famous, but while, yes, you would lose weight if you followed this diet, I guarantee if you are living an active lifestyle that you would be feeling starved and miserable by day 17.

#13. Many people need a diet which feels like they are achieving a nutrition goal. Just find a healthy and balanced regimen with small portions that works for you and you will be happy. Fad diets and crappy books like "The 17 Day Diet" will only result in wasted money and yo-yo dieting.

ZERO STARS OUT OF FIVE.

Crank Flash Light from SunForce

Broke the very first time I used it. Complete piece of junk.

I got it as a gift for xmas.

I have been wanting to write an angry letter to SunForce complaining about the quality of their flash light but haven't got around to it yet.

Why Gun Safes are Important

Target shooting is great as a sport for recreational purposes. Nancy Lanza of Newtown Connecticut enjoyed the sport up until the point where her son, Adam Lanza, stole her two handguns and her .223-caliber Bushmaster rifle... and then killed her with them.

Adam then went to the local elementary school, where he murdered 26 people, including 20 children, before shooting himself with one of the handguns.

Police and politicians (including President Obama) are now speculating as to how this horrible and horrific crime might have been prevented.

I have a very quick and easy solution: MAKE GUN SAFES MANDATORY.

If you own a gun, you must store it in a secure gun safe. Easy.

It prevents theft. It prevents family members from taking your gun and killing you or other people with it.

Gun theft is a huge crime in the USA.

According to a State-by-State analysis of firearm theft and crime in the USA, 1.7 million firearms were stolen from homes and elsewhere over the period between January 1993 and August 2002.

The States of Alaska, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Georgia had firearm theft rates greater than twice the national average because they don't have any laws governing the storage of firearms in gun safes. Firearm theft rates were dramatically lower in States with safe storage laws.

The same study suggests that there is a need for a federal law concerning the safe-storage of firearms as a means to reduce firearm theft.

Now some people think, hey, safes can be cracked or what if you share your code for opening with the wrong person... Well, there is a solution for that too. They now have biometric safes on the market that use fingerprint scanners. That means quick and easy access for the person who needs it, and futility for the would be thief.

And in the aftermath of the Newtown Elementary School Shooting I think it is perfectly logical that citizens carefully consider where they lock up their guns. If America wants to have the right to bear firearms, fine, but they should be storing those firearms in a safe location where they cannot be stolen so easily.

Let alone be stolen and be used to murder children.

There are plenty of other kinds of safes one might consider buying too.

Cannon Safes - Large heavy duty safes for storing multiple guns.

Drawer Safes - Good for home or office desk drawer.

Fire Resistant Safes - Self explanatory. A lot harder to get into, even with a cutting torch.

Personal Safes - Great for storing jewelry or a small handgun in.

Pistol Safes - Great for storing your favourite handgun.

Quick Access Safes - Similar to biometric safes, but with several other options.

Standard Home Safes - Usually used for storing family photos, legal documents, but can still be used for gun storage.

Wall Safes - Multi-purpose and looks great behind a painting.

Waterproof Safes - Self explanatory.

I think the end result is there is a lot of options out there for people that want to be responsible about how they store their belongings. Especially something as dangerous as a firearm.

Something as simple as two kids playing cops and robbers for example could end in a deadly accident if one of them finds an unlocked gun. In a 1987 episode of the TV show Dallas, Christopher and John Ross have a mock gunfight, and Sue Ellen sends them to play outside. Unable to find a toy gun, Christopher takes Bobby's revolver and after some hide and seek, he takes a shot at John Ross; he misses, only shattering a screen door.

But that story could have ended very differently.

And it does. Gun accidents in the USA kill over 600 Americans per year. Accidents that could have been prevented through proper storage and behaving responsibly.

Medical Claims, Forms and Insurance

I have never had to fill out a form for a medical claim.

Now part of that is that I've never been seriously sick, never broken an arm or a leg, and I've never needed serious medical attention.

Another part is that I live in Canada - where health insurance is free and paid for by the Canadian government.

Thus filling out forms for medical claims to be emailed to insurance companies... well, I've just never needed to do so.

Furthermore when traveling overseas my only worry has been travel health insurance. Which to be fair, I've never been forced to use.

Now there was that one time I nearly fell off a cliff I was climbing in Jeollabuk-do province in South Korea... I was doing some freehand climbing (no ropes) and I slipped, and I could have fallen to my death or at least been seriously injured.

But I didn't fall thankfully.

Also I am pretty fit. I admit I went through a fatter stage years ago, but I've since lost 40 lbs of fat and put on a healthy chunk of muscle. Basically the point I am making here is that I am unlike the typical American, who is either overweight or obese, and therefore has a lot more medical problems.

Thus as a non-American I have never had to fill out any UB04 claim forms. I barely even know what an UB04 claim form is.

Call it a fundamental difference between the USA and Canada. In Canada we have a health card. When we go to a hospital or a clinic we just pass them our health card to prove we are Canadian. Its a bit like having a credit card with unlimited access. In the USA its all about money being funneled through the insurance industry and then they scratch their heads and wonder why health care in the USA is so darn expensive because its never occurred to them to cut out the middle man.

Put simply an UB04 claim form is a very commonly used document in the USA and is a reimbursement claim form submitted by:

• ambulance companies and helicopter ambulance companies
• ambulatory surgery centers
• home health care agencies / clinics
• hospice organizations
• hospitals (emergency department, psychiatric department, inpatient, and outpatient services)
• psychiatric drug/alcohol treatment facilities (inpatient and outpatient services)
• skilled nursing facilities
• sub-acute facilities
• stand-alone clinical/laboratory facilities
• walk-in clinics

 And so forth. Basically any medical facility in the USA you go to they probably have a few of the forms kicking around.

Now the thing is that companies that manufacture such forms (somebody has to print them out after all!) sell these forms by the truckload to various facilities and insurance companies. Its a lot of paper being wasted, and some of it is presumably recycled, although often such things are placed in warehouses full of records, because insurance companies are perfectionists about keeping old records for everything.

Now the good news however is that some companies are now creating these documents electronically, which means they can also be submitted electronically... Which is great. Saves on postage and shipping costs. Saves on trees too.

Although to be fair, I once worked for a pension plan company, and they also track health claims (because if somebody is off work for 6 months, then in theory they aren't entitled to a pension for that time period unless they can prove an illness or disability with a doctor's note)... And do you know what the company does?

They receive the document electronically and then they print it out as a backup copy (which is then placed in a warehouse full of old records, because pension companies are also perfectionists about keeping old records).

So what is the moral of this story?

Move to Canada maybe? No, not really. We don't really want hordes of Americans moving to Canada. Sounds like a really bad idea.

Is the moral that we do things electronically now, but we still print out backup copies anyway? No, not really. These days the recycling / paper industry is pretty self sustaining.

I think the issue is that some companies are idiots when it comes to keeping records of everything. Sure, the USA needs their UB04 forms for everything because that is just the system they use down there. But eventually they need to start recycling all those old documents in warehouses after 10 or 20 years. Or just get rid of the physical backup copies anyway. Yes, I know, better safe than sorry in case something ever happens to the digital copy...

But to be fair if its stored on warehouses of computers (which I estimate takes up a lot less space than thousands of warehouses full of paper records) the only way those records are going to be destroyed is if there's a nuclear bomb or a flood or some kind of horrific tragedy.

In which case, paper records burn anyway. And water from a flood would likewise destroy them. Thus we would have much bigger worries to worry about than a few lost records from old insurance claims.

Thus why not just go completely digital in the first place? Paper documents will just burn anyway.

Just a thought!

The Skylon Tower + Red Bull

Today I am going to be writing two reviews at once.

The first is about the Skylon Tower at Niagara Falls. I went up the tower back in 1985 when I was just a kid and for years afterwards I thought with childish confusion that the Skylon Tower was the CN Tower and that Niagara Falls was in Toronto. Like I said, I was a kid at the time and didn't know any better.

To this day I have been living in Toronto for 12+ years and I still haven't been up the CN Tower. I suppose partially because that distant memory of the Skylon Tower was enough for me. I also recall walking around above the falls and we also got a tour behind / underneath Niagara Falls in the tunnels / caves owned by Ontario Hydro. (I am not certain if they still give tours down there, but back in the 1980s they did.)

Since then I haven't really been up many towers. I recall going up a lookout tower in the Appalachians and I have been up the Seoul Tower in South Korea twice.

What I have discovered I really enjoy however is mountain climbing, something I picked up while living in South Korea. Part exercise, part exploration, part the enjoying the scenery when you reach the top. So to me mountain climbing combines the scenery of going up a really tall building with the exercise and feeling of having accomplished/discovered something.

And lets face it, I live in Canada. And there is a lot of mountains to climb if I want to give myself a challenge. Just so long as I don't fall or get killed in an avalanche.

Which brings me to my 2nd review for today: Red Bull Crashed Ice.

Now before you think Red Bull Crashed Ice is an energy drink with ice in it (which I admit, is what it sounds like) let me explain what it really is: High speed racing on hockey skates.




So yeah... Its not what you think. Its just "Ice Cross Downhill" with a brand name sponsor. Sorry for the confusion.

I actually wish companies would stop purchasing buildings or events like that and then sticking their brand name on the item. eg. The SkyDome in Toronto being purchased by Rogers Telecommunications and being re-branded as "The Rogers Centre". I am sorry but it is always going to be the SkyDome to me, I don't care how much re-branding those marketing morons at Rogers do.


Anyway, back to the whole ice cross downhill topic. It is rather similar to BMX racing like in the video below which I first witnessed during the 2012 Summer Olympics.



There is also Ski Cross and Snowboard Cross, but I have to wonder about the athletes who get into these niche sports and whether they consider it a serious career. If they do, I wonder how many times they've forgotten to wear a helmet and injured their head.

Which begs the question, will be seeing Ice Cross Downhill at the next Winter Olympics? Probably not in 2014 in Sochi Russia, but we might see it become an event at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.

In which case I might find an excuse to visit South Korea and go mountain climbing just so I can be there for the Olympics that year. Should be fun.

Aviator Jackets

I think Aviator jackets are just plain kewl.

I dunno, its like a strange combination of retro militarism and a like of aerial fashion.

To be fair, I just like retro things in general. Not quite steampunk, but retro fashion and items. Pocket watches, old six-shooter pistols, suspenders. Retro fashion is kewl in so many ways.

Take for example Amelia Earhart - feminist icon and aviator.

She looks absolutely dashing in her jacket. And don't forget posing next to the plane. Huzzah!

Thus a website like landingzone.com is great if you're looking for a dashing looking jacket and love that retro adventurous feel. The site has a variety of different styles of aviator jackets and also a guide that helps you pick the jacket that is the right size for you.

Now for women there is actually a lot more variety of aviator jackets available. Many different styles to choose from. For example the one below is a crinkle cut - which is designed to look weathered. (I bought a backpack once which had the same effect. Everyone was always asking if its dirty and why I don't clean it and I have to explain that is the design.)

And then there is the extra furry designs. Extra faux fur around the neck to make the person feel like they're wearing a fur coat instead of a bomber jacket.

Some jackets will also have more of a motorcycle feel to them too. I think its all the black and the slim fit.

And then there is brown - my favourite. And my reasoning here is that for whatever reason brown jackets look older. Shiny black looks TOO NEW in my opinion.

Now of course, how is an aviator jacket different from any other jacket or coat you might purchase?

Well lets see... There is:

Trench Coats - Also retro, great if you like the Maltese Falcon and film noir. Comes with buttons and a built-in belt.

Chesterfield - Like a trench coat, but with no belt. Uses buttons instead. Looks rather boring.

Duffel Coat - Usually comes with a hood and funky buttons. Reminds me of the new Arrow tv show for some reason, even though Green Arrow's hood and jacket are pretty different.

Polo Jacket - Also like the trench coat, and also uses buttons. TWO rows of buttons. Again, it looks rather boring.

Parka - Really warm, but really only looks right if you live in Alaska or northern Canada.

Pea Coat - A design originally worn by sailors. Fits snugly.

Wrap Coat - More like a trench coat, but with zero buttons at all.

Military Trench Coat - Shorter than the standard trench coat, and has lots of buttons like a Pea Coat.

Cape Coat - Really only looks good on women. It ends up looking a bit like a poncho.

Poncho - Ponchos rock!

Toggle Coat - A bit like the Duffel coat because of the funky buttons, but not made of duffel fabric.


So there you go!

Feel free to contrast and compare, but lets be fair: Very few jackets are as kewl looking as aviator jackets.

:)

How to Use Personal Training Services in Toronto

Personal training services can be used in a variety of ways and customized to suit your goals and lifestyle:

1. Use Personal Training Services in Toronto for Accountability

The most popular reason people hire a Certified Personal Trainer in Toronto is to purchase a block of sessions to guarantee that you exercise/train two or three times a week. If you know that a trainer will arrive at your house or condo as scheduled, there's no excuse to not exercise!

So for example Cardio Trek offers 40 Hourly Sessions for $1,050. Over a 2 month period that is 20 sessions per month and a guarantee that you are exercising, losing weight and gaining muscle (depending on what your goals are).

Some personal trainers are very expensive. $50 to $90 per hour. If you do the math the Cardio Trek offer is $26.25 per hour. That is an amazing price compared to what some other personal trainers are charging.

2. Use Personal Training Services from Anywhere in the World

Customized fitness programs are a way to get the benefits and expertise of a trainer without in-person sessions. This is ideal for someone who prefers to exercise on their own and doesn't want a trainer looking over their shoulder all the time, or perhaps they have no problem establishing a routine but would like a more technical or advanced program so they can challenge themselves more.

3. Use a Combination of In-Home and Online Personal Training Services

A certified personal trainer can customize a program and then come to your home to show you how to use it. This will include form and intensity. Follow-up sessions to re-vamp the program or to monitor progress are also recommended so you don't stagnate/slack off and are always challenging yourself.

Personal training is a fantastic way to reach goals and to learn the correct form to make the most out of every workout.

The certified personal trainer we recommend in Toronto is Charles from Cardio Trek, but you can certainly shop around if that is your desire.

You could hire someone more expensive, or if you're on a budget hire someone who isn't certified. Regardless if you're paying for someone to come to your house or condo and help you exercise, it is going to be more expensive than going to the gym or engaging in frugal exercises to save money.

Regardless of your goals or reasons for wanting to exercise having a personal trainer will help you to achieve those goals faster with much better results.