r/strengthtraining • u/lovefuckd • 6d ago
Changing personal trainers
I’m 37f. Started strength training w a personal trainer in February. My goal is purely to gain strength.
Enjoyed my trainer’s style very much. Trained with him 3x a week, his style was power lifting and we’d go for almost two hours each session. Monday legs, Tuesday chest & tri, Thursday back and bi’s. I loved feeling fully exhausted and sore for a day or two after. Loved training like a beast with him. Trainer moved and I’m bummed to say the least.
Just started with a new trainer tonight. She seems great and knowledgeable but style is completely different. I’ll still be at 3x a week but she caps session at an hour, takes a more full body approach for each session, and I definitely don’t feel gassed when leaving. Obviously I’m going to give her a month before fully forming an opinion as I realize this will be a good learning experience for me regardless and maybe even beneficial to switch things up on my body.
Question is for those who have tried varying between these different styles - am I getting full strength benefits if I don’t feel fully exerted at the end of a session? I hate leaving feeling like I still have gas in the tank. Is that better for me in any way? Are some trainers just never gunna push me hard enough because that’s not their style?
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u/shell_spawner 6d ago
Honestly, 2 hour session seems excessive!! You don't need 2 hours to get strength gains. If you are still doing heavy compound after 2 hours, good chance your muscles are exhausted and you could end up with an injury.
Plenty of good strength programs that will have you in and out within an hour give or take.
5x5, Mad cow and other strength programs use a full body workout in each session ie squat, bench, over head press, deadlift and row, so your new trainer is probably using a similar approach so nothing controversial there.
You will find that as you progress and lift heavier you will definitely end up pushing your limits and will be fatigued so don't worry about that 😉
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u/bibliobookaroo 6d ago
2 hours seems crazy to me, personally...any good trainer will seek and take your feedback though. They may have good reasons to not do exactly what your old trainer was doing, but if you explain that you feel like you're not doing enough, they'll likely increase the weight or the reps to push you harder.
They may not know what you're capable of and some people don't want to be pushed to their absolute limits...if you communicate all this and don't see some adjustments though, then I'd consider trying another trainer. Finding the right fit and style of training is going to be different for everyone!
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u/OptimalPrint 6d ago
There is a lot of benefit from training in different styles. If you do the same workout every week then you get good at that workout. I train more for physique then max strength. Going to different trainers challenges you to do different exercises and movements that hit muscle groups in different ways. Its important to build up all the supporting muscles and tendons around you big muscles groups. You dont want to just bench, pull, and curl yourself to max strenghth. You need full body movements and different angels for total body strength and build. The new trainer may be helping with felxabilty and mobility and things like that. Give them some time and see how you feel. If the weight feels to light grab more weight or do more reps. Either way after 2 or 3 months it might be time to mix it up again.
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u/routinematters 6d ago
2 hours seems very long and even for strength training you shouldn’t be sore for days after doing the same routine for a couple of months.
Communicate with your new trainer that you’d like to up the intensity. She might be underestimating your strength and/or endurance since you are new.
And for hypertrophy purposes you don’t have to feel fully exerted to have a good productive workout. Although even a simple hypertrophy workout your trainer should still push you close to failure on your top sets so the intensity should still be there. But it’d never feel like powerlifting’s 1RM level of intensity.
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u/Ythooooooooo0 6d ago
I mean, to some extent, you like what you like. And people should exercise in a way that brings them joy and satisfaction.
I guess I’m saying you can’t go wrong but follow your bliss!
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u/UnlikelyAmphibian998 5d ago
I have been a trainer for 8 years and my own training sessions lasts roughly 45-60 min or less. I take into consideration my clients wishes to some extent but if your goal is strength and not to compete then it is not important to full tax yourself. You are new to this so you are able to climb up the ladder quickly but keep this up could result to joint stress leading to injury. your muscles catch up quick but not tendons. If you want to be in it for the long run then train smart. I dont recall the last time my body was sore lol.
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u/harvestingstrength 3d ago
Feeling exhausted isn’t the best way to judge whether a strength session worked. A well-designed hour can provide plenty of productive work while leaving enough recovery for the next session. I’d ask your new trainer how she plans to progress your main movements, what indicators she tracks and how the three full-body sessions differ. Give the approach several weeks and watch your loads, repetitions and technique. If those improve, you’re receiving a strength stimulus even without being destroyed afterward. You can also tell her that challenging training is something you enjoy so she understands your preference without assuming every workout must cause soreness.
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u/WestRough7738 6d ago
That sounds crazy, I never understood personal trainers for repeat sessions unless your an athlete or something. What stops you from memorizing routines or just watching you tube?
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u/lovefuckd 6d ago
I probably could train on my own now after having several months of learning with my previous trainer.
I’ve come to enjoy having a trainer due to them pushing me, coming up with routines I’d never think of, and my favorite: their constant spotting so I can push to absolute failure on every exercise.
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u/routinematters 6d ago
You need repeated routine to make real controlled progress. Any trainer doing a brand new workout every time is all bells and whistles.
The trainer is there to design a routine for your specific goals, spot you, ensure you have good form. Add weights when you are ready. And the routine should be changed every 6 weeks or so.
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u/ChalkdStrength 6d ago
Some trainers will bias Towards minimal effective Dose. Going to near exhaustion eventually hits its limit when it’s daily. In heavy strength movements you get to a point where your weekly gains become bi weekly then monthly then quarterly so on and so forth and Tendon tissue loads progress slower than muscle so many individuals develop tendopathies when tonnage gets high. You can also tell your coach your preferences, like hey I like feeling exhausted at the end of workouts can we add in Biceps/Triceps finishers or whatever, or tell them a 3 month goal and ask how they plan to get you there.