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Personal Trainers vs BODYPUMP
Nov 13 2011 11:40 PM | Mel in Non-instructors
Now I've carefully chosen the title of this topic, not to imply that there should be competition between the two, but rather, to reflect my observations on what really happens out there in the real world. It seems to me that Personal Trainers and BODYPUMP instructors don't often mix and don't often recommend their clients to each other.
My belief is that you can have a Personal Trainer (PT) AND do BODYPUMP classes, but it's not all that often that you see people do both. Now I know there will be some people out there who will say "oh but I do both!", but when you generalise there is always going to be a percentage of people that this doesn't apply to.
So what is the problem? Personal Trainer's think that they've got the best formula and get the best results, and they're probably right. BODYPUMP is one of the fastest ways (according to the slogan) "in the universe to get in shape". So which is better?
I say "both".
Pros for Personal Training
Pros for BODYPUMP
Doing 1 or 2 pump sessions as well as 1 PT session per week is, in my opinion, a perfect formula. Doing the same thing week in and week out is never the best thing for your body (the body adapts to what it's doing and the workout becomes less effective), therefore changing it up a bit will never do any harm. Some PT's will try and claim that their targeted weight training with lower repetitions is better, and they could be right. But doing a BODYPUMP class rates much higher than no exercise at all, and is likely to be far better than doing weights on your own in the gym. Unless you know your technique is pretty top notch, doing a BODYPUMP class is going to serve you better.
Of course, wouldn't it be a perfect world if we could all afford a Personal Trainer 5 times per week (can I hire a cook as well?)!
My belief is that you can have a Personal Trainer (PT) AND do BODYPUMP classes, but it's not all that often that you see people do both. Now I know there will be some people out there who will say "oh but I do both!", but when you generalise there is always going to be a percentage of people that this doesn't apply to.
So what is the problem? Personal Trainer's think that they've got the best formula and get the best results, and they're probably right. BODYPUMP is one of the fastest ways (according to the slogan) "in the universe to get in shape". So which is better?
I say "both".
Pros for Personal Training
Assuming you get a very good PT, your training is going to be targeted specifically for your body and the results you want. The PT will push you that little bit further, back off at the right time and ring you or send you text messages every week to make sure you turn up.
Having a PT you're also going to get one on one technique correction, helping reduce the chance of injury and getting the most out of your exercise. There are also further benefits to doing the sets and lower reps of weight training. Depending on your goals, it's not necessarily better, just different.
Having a PT you're also going to get one on one technique correction, helping reduce the chance of injury and getting the most out of your exercise. There are also further benefits to doing the sets and lower reps of weight training. Depending on your goals, it's not necessarily better, just different.
Pros for BODYPUMP
Let's face it, PT is expensive. And even if you can afford PT, the chances are it'll be only 1 session per week rather than the recommended 3 weighs sessions per week you need. Some of your PT sessions may include cardio aswell, therefore the number of weights based supervised sessions are pretty limited.
BODYPUMP means you can do a balanced workout, supervised (and if you have a good instructor hopefully they'll correct your technique) and for no extra cost than your regular gym membership.
Each BODYPUMP track also lasts around 4-5 minutes with a lot of repetitions, which means you start targeting the aerobic zone as well (this is the huffy puffy stuff). Going into the aerobic zone will mean slightly higher calorie burn, whereas doing weights will improve your metabolism by increasing your muscle. Doing so many repetitions also means you get more endurance strength, rather than maximal strength, but the good news for girls is that this will be likely to help create a leaner muscle, rather than bulky muscle (I guess that's why we don't see body builders in BODYPUMP?)!
BODYPUMP means you can do a balanced workout, supervised (and if you have a good instructor hopefully they'll correct your technique) and for no extra cost than your regular gym membership.
Each BODYPUMP track also lasts around 4-5 minutes with a lot of repetitions, which means you start targeting the aerobic zone as well (this is the huffy puffy stuff). Going into the aerobic zone will mean slightly higher calorie burn, whereas doing weights will improve your metabolism by increasing your muscle. Doing so many repetitions also means you get more endurance strength, rather than maximal strength, but the good news for girls is that this will be likely to help create a leaner muscle, rather than bulky muscle (I guess that's why we don't see body builders in BODYPUMP?)!
Doing 1 or 2 pump sessions as well as 1 PT session per week is, in my opinion, a perfect formula. Doing the same thing week in and week out is never the best thing for your body (the body adapts to what it's doing and the workout becomes less effective), therefore changing it up a bit will never do any harm. Some PT's will try and claim that their targeted weight training with lower repetitions is better, and they could be right. But doing a BODYPUMP class rates much higher than no exercise at all, and is likely to be far better than doing weights on your own in the gym. Unless you know your technique is pretty top notch, doing a BODYPUMP class is going to serve you better.
Of course, wouldn't it be a perfect world if we could all afford a Personal Trainer 5 times per week (can I hire a cook as well?)!
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