How Many Personal Training Sessions Should You Have A Week?
By: Zack Mathews
When determining how many personal training sessions you should have a week, the main factors to consider are budget, experience, goals, and session length. For most people, the sweet spot lies between 2 - 4 sessions per week.
There is not a one size fits all approach to personal training.
Everyone is unique and needs a plan that is going to meet them where they are at.
That’s what is so great about personal training…it’s personal!
Your coach should want to work with you to determine what is going to be best for you, rather than for their wallet.
Let’s break down the question, how many personal training sessions should you have a week, into the 4 points above:
If you find a coach that you believe can help you reach your goals, the first thing you need to do is consider your budget.
How much are you able to spend each month on your health?
Most personal trainers will have pricing options that are either based on how many times you workout each week or based on session packages.
Sometimes trainers will offer discounted rates for more sessions per week or for a high session package.
Additionally, based on your commitment length, you might get an additional discount.
For example, a trainer might have a per session rate of $100 with a 3 month commitment, $90 for a 6 month commitment, and a $80 per session rate is you commit for 12 months.
Lastly, when considering budget, if you want to save money each month and are comfortable doing exercises on your own, online coaching could be an option.
If you are new to a gym setting and want to learn quickly and overcome any fear of the gym you might have, it will be worth the investment to see your trainer multiple times per week.
Not only will you learn the ins and outs of the gym, but that additional time with your trainer will allow you to learn more about nutrition, supplements, and other factors that affect your health like stress and sleep.
If you are experienced in the gym, going on the lower end, 1 or 2 times a week might work for you.
Most personal trainers will design a workout plan for you that has 3 or 4 workouts per week. If you feel comfortable working out on your own, you can see your trainer 1 or 2 times a week to work on your plan together, and then you would do the rest on your own.
The next thing to consider is your goal and the timeframe you are trying to hit it by.
Similar to the experience point above, the more time you have with your trainer, the more time you will have to be able to discuss your goals, what’s working, what’s not working, and be able to make tweaks to your plan.
A good idea would be to know in depth what your goals are. If you need help going deep with your health and fitness goals, check out this article I wrote about goals.
An interesting approach I’ve noticed some of my Virginia Beach personal training clients take is to start by coming more times per week when they first sign up, and then phasing that down as they get more experienced and have less questions about their goals.
For example, a sequence of events might look like this:
- Month 1 - 2: 3 times per week
- Month 3 - 4: 2 times per week
- Month 5 - 6: 1 time per week
- Month 7+: Online
You will have had 6 months with your trainer to focus on your goals and learn as much as you can, and then you go online to continue with your program at a much cheaper rate.
The last factor to consider when the question "how many personal training sessions should you have a week” gets brought up is session length.
A 30 minute session at half the rate of the 60 minute session might allow you to see a trainer 3 - 5 times per week.
Is a 30 minute session right for you? I break down the pros and cons here.
At the end of the day, whether you see your trainer 1 time per week or 7, the fact that you are reaching out for help is a step in the right direction!
Most personal trainers will be flexible and willing to work with you to find a plan that you feel comfortable with.
Goodluck!
If you are looking for Virginia Beach personal training, click here to learn more.
