Seeking a fitness expert who'll give me the info to exercise on my own
June 27, 2015 10:59 AM

I would like to find someone in NYC who can advise me on designing an exercise program suited to my fitness, age and goals, but not a personal trainer I visit regularly in order to actually do that exercise. Does this kind of person exist?

I'd like to pay someone some money for one or two consultations to help me figure out an exercise program suited to my fitness level, age, my desire to stay flexible and relatively uninjured into old age, my lack of interest in trying to build muscle for the hell of it, etc etc. I don't want a personal trainer who I visit weekly; I want the information to go off and do this on my own, perhaps returning to them every few months for a check-in – just like I don't go to the dentist every time I need to brush my teeth.

But in my (limited) experience, even very good personal trainers are completely unresponsive to the idea of equipping me with this kind of information – which is, of course, understandable given their business model. I'd expect to pay more for the service I'm seeking than an average weekly personal training fee.

Does this professional category even exist? Do you know of anybody in New York who provides it? I'd be immensely grateful for any thoughts.
posted by oliverburkeman to Health & Fitness (9 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
I got exactly this service from my local YMCA. I got an initial sit-down consult and I think three training sessions in three weeks to get started lifting weights, and packages of this kind go on sale a couple times a year.
posted by clavicle at 11:31 AM on June 27, 2015


I just found out yesterday that my friend does this! You want something like this, it looks like? Health and Fitness Advisors and some variation of that seems to be what you're looking for.

Even if you don't want a personal trainer I'm guessing that gyms and fitness clubs might be the point of entry. I'm not familiar with NY, but that should get you started, hopefully.
posted by good lorneing at 11:33 AM on June 27, 2015


If it helps the service you're looking for is "program design".
posted by bimbam at 12:35 PM on June 27, 2015


When I had a PT (too briefly and too long ago and too far away from you), it really worked somewhat like you describe. We had one training session where he working through a program that he had designed for me. And then we had training sessions roughly once a month. I don't know if that was unusual, but he seemed happy with it.

I may be misreading your question, but I'm getting the impression that you have preconceptions about what a training session is that might not be entirely accurate. Exercise is a set of physical skills, so you learn by being shown and by doing. This requires getting out of the office and into the gym.

Have you tried telling a personal trainer that you're looking for help in setting up a new program, you'd like to book a couple of one-off training sessions, and then see how it goes from there? You could even say, either at the beginning and at the end, that you wouldn't be able to make weekly sessions work (if you blame your finances, they can't well argue), but you might be interested in monthly tune-ups.
posted by sesquipedalian at 12:36 PM on June 27, 2015


Just chiming in to say that this absolutely exists. I see my trainer through my gym about once every two months. He sets up a one-month exercise plan, goes through it with me, shows me how to do things, how/when to increase weights, speed, etc. and then I go off on my own and do it three or four times a week.

I make the plan last two months because I don't have unlimited funds. If I had more money I'd happily meet with him every month just to change things up. But we've been doing it this way for two years, so we're both on the same page in terms of "this monthlong plan will really be covering more like two months."

I'm afraid I don't have NY-specific advice. But your request is totally reasonable and doable. Good luck!
posted by veggieboy at 3:20 PM on June 27, 2015


A much cheaper alternative is the Men's Health Home Workout Bible. There really isn't that much to creating a basic workout program. Things only get complicated when you have more advanced or specialized goals.
posted by srboisvert at 3:59 PM on June 27, 2015


Actually most trainers should be happy to do this - I'm a PT in Australia and this is a service I offer - it's great when people have the initiative and just want some guidance, cos I love nerding out about programs. Maybe look up mobile personal trainers if you don't have a gym membership and run it by them? Or if you already attend a gym just ask at reception about assessments and program writeups - they're very much standard practice (at least here).
posted by lifethatihavenotlivedyet at 4:12 AM on June 28, 2015


Regardless of the path you take, it can be helpful to read up on the most recent evidence-based recommendations on exercise. Two good, accessible books are Gretchen Reynolds, The First 20 Minutes (much of it drawn from her NYT columns) and Alex Hutchinson, Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights? Reynolds doesn't provide citations for the studies she discusses; Hutchinson provides citations.
posted by brianogilvie at 8:23 AM on June 28, 2015


I should have thanked people replying here many days ago. Thank you! This is all very useful; I've marked as best the answers that seem likeliest to connect me to a specific person.

(sesquipedalian, my question is based on a little experience of personal trainers, but not much. It seemed to me that the notion of teaching me what I needed to know to become self-sustaining at exercise wasn't something they had any interest in. As I say, I don't blame them.)
posted by oliverburkeman at 10:42 AM on July 4, 2015


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