That is a great question; one that has no clear answer. I guess to answer this question, you need to ask yourself a couple of questions and the first is: Do I actually need a personal trainer? This question logically precedes the original question because it’s important to establish just how important exercise is to you.

There is no reason to hire a personal trainer and pay him/her a lot of money if you don’t feel that you are dedicated enough to fitness as a whole. However, if it’s important to you, then by all means we can proceed to the next question.

Am I satisfied with my results?

Since it’s crystal clear that you are dedicated to the whole exercising thing, then you need to proceed to the next question which is far more important than the first. The second question is more important because it accesses your footing and your desire to grow and help you determine if hiring someone to guide you is the next step in your fitness journey. When working out, we all see gains. Regardless of what you are into, it’s always present. It’s one of the general perks of sticking to a workout routine. Usually, they come either quickly or slowly depending on how hard and well we workout.

You need to ask yourself how satisfied you are with your current rate of gains and improvements. Are the gains coming fast enough? If they are not, then you might want to consider hiring a personal trainer to help you get those gains much faster. Most people just hop on the personal trainer train right off the bat. Most of them don’t see what they could really accomplish by themselves before bringing someone into it.

This is risky because it not only robs of you of your money, it also robs you of the opportunity of discovering just how good or bad you are at a given field before you have someone help you. Hiring a personal trainer, if you aren’t satisfied with your current gains is a great idea. He or she can help you by showing you some tricks of the trade and improving your technique.

At this point, I would definitely say that it’s a great idea to hire a personal trainer but if you are tight on cash and it’s not a do or die thing, you can always find out if this slow growth or gains is something you can fix or speed up yourself.

Can I fix it?

A reduction or overall halt in gains can be brought about by two factors. The first is physical, as in improper form, intensity, etc. The other is mental. Both factors are incredibly tricky and difficult to overcome alone. Even if you had the help of a personal trainer, it’s still going to be quite a challenge to overcome a plateau. This question cross-examines your ability to deal with your problems personally. Are you strong enough to overcome your plateaus or do you need some professional help? If you need help, then a personal trainer is what you really need.

It’s ok to get a personal trainer if you really need it.

The decision to get a personal trainer isn’t particularly an easy one – or a cheap one. If you are confident that you can push yourself to the next level. I see no reason to get a personal trainer but if you aren’t in intermediate need and just need a little push, then you can be in the beginner’s section and just need someone to show you the ropes of a fascinating and dangerous new world. In this case, research might not be enough and you might choose to hold onto a personal trainer for a couple of months until you break the whole “working out thing” down and get accustomed to everything that comes along with it.

To speed things up.

You could also be an intermediate athlete or an expert and you feel like you might need the personal touch of a professional to speed up your gains because you might be preparing for something big or important. In instances like these, it’s great to hire a personal trainer. Nobody observes and sees your excesses like an outside party. Supervision to maximize gains is never a bad thing.