Does having a trainer make you lazy?

[SteelWeaver]

If you work like a wild animal on the days you work with a trainer, do you find yourself slacking off slightly on the other days?

I'm finding that when I train with my trainer, I'm so psyched that I'm smashing through pain barriers I didn't even know existed, but on days not with her I'm not pushing myself in as driven a manner as I used to alone. I mean, of course I'm still training intensely, but either it just doesn't SEEM as intense as it used to, in comparison, or it simply isn't. This may be a good thing, since if I had to train the way I am with her and then still push myself as hard as I used to, I'd probably crash, but it's sort of mentally disconcerting. Anyone experience this?

 

[velvett]

I would love to have a trainer.

Years ago when I had a skating coach there were times of great slacking but a lesson was always the fastest way to snap you out of it and motivate yourself.

 

[The Shadow]

A GOOD trainer will make you work harder and accomplish more than you ever thought possible.

A BAD trainer will allow you to be complacent and take your money as well.

 

[The Shadow]

.

 

[monstertruck]

Agreed, Corn.

 

[SteelWeaver]

A GOOD trainer will make you work harder and accomplish more than you ever thought possible.

Yes, that's exactly what she's doing - she's fucking brilliant. I'm achieving levels of intensity with her that simply can't happen training alone - like training to concentric failure, then having her help with a few forced reps, then resisting for dear life on the negative while she pushes down on the bar or whatever. I've never been able to get to complete eccentric failure before, simply because of the logisitics of it. WOW! And of course she's teaching me a bunch of other techniques as well.

I'm more motivated than I've ever been. If I was driven before, I'm obsessed now, heh he. I can't WAIT to get in the gym and train. I wish I could train every day. I'm so fired up I'm in a constant cloud of pure pleasure and excitement.

I'm just wondering if I'm slacking on the days I DON'T work with my trainer. It's so intense with her, it seems so much less intense on my own.

 

[Sassy69]

Before you worry about maintaining that intensity, I guess it depends on how often you work with her and how often you work without her. If your schedule is partially w/ her and partially on your own, then you are slightly limited on those days you don't have her because you don't have a dedicated spotter to support you. If you work with her all the time, then days that you aren't with her you might need to take as lighter days or off days anyway - depends on what your schedule w/ her is.

I trained w/ one guy 2 days on/ 1 day off for 3 months -- never worked so hard in my life -- I was pushing more weight and more reps than most of his guy clients. HOWEVER I also developed some wonderfully crippling tendonitis. Aside from that, I couldn't do a day on my own if I wanted to because I needed that day off for recovery and also a large part of my training was dependent on having somene there to spot me.

Personally I prefer to get the guidance of a trainer, but to learn to seek my own limits on my own. Since I generally don't get to work with a trainer I really need to pay attention to what I can do pushing it, but pushing safely. Also watching my form that I know I'm doing what feels right and doesn't end up hurting me just because some trainer is pushing me and tells me I'm a wuss if I can't finish out that last set of reps.

Ultimately I think you don't want to become dependent on a trainer - instead use a trainer to enhance and guide what you already do. Its still up to you to maintain the intensity because your trainer can't always be there.

 

[The Shadow]

I'm just wondering if I'm slacking on the days I DON'T work with my trainer. It's so intense with her, it seems so much less intense on my own.

Are you hitting the same rep/weight/set scheme when you train w/o her??

If so, it's just in your head...



If not...find a spotter in the gym to help with extended sets and forced reps etc.



btw - IMHO a trainer should not necessarily have you do these extra streesful training techniques...I think training to failure is intense enough for growth....remember harder is not better - better is better.

 

[goldeneye]

I have been seeing my trainer 3 times a week for 6mths now and see a HUGE difference on the days that I do not see him. I have also made some great changes as far as strength goes and have made improvements on weak bodyparts. But I have been wondering what things will be like when I no longer have him to rely on. I lift much harder then when I am on my own.....

 

[SteelWeaver]

Do you mean concentric failure? Or absolute failure - which is the same as eccentric failure, right? I've only had a few sessions with her so far, so I don't know if we'll always go so far with the set extension techniques, but she doesn't send every single set to absolute failure. I kinda like training that way, though - I'm understanding now how people can be toasted after (what I thought was) the minimal number of sets respected folks on these boards recommend. Remember the big long thread I had a while back about short intense sessions?

As for the same rep/weight/set scheme w/o her - well, no, because a forced rep can't really be done without a partner, nor can negatives. I often end up using MORE weight, especially on the second or third sets, because I can't get the same intense burn/failure without a partner on the first set. I throw in drop sets or rest-pause when I feel like it. I often get gym staff to help with forced reps. But it's not the same going and getting someone who's just browsing around, compared to having someone who is rapidly becoming intimately acquainted with exactly how strong I am, when I'm likely to fail, how far I'm capable of pushing myself, how far she can goad me after that, or when she should just leave me be if I can't finish.

"remember harder is not better - better is better" - sigh. I don't understand Corn When I put up the thread about short intense sessions, and most people said I was overtraining on volume, I dropped the volume, and increased these types of techniques to compensate, but now you say that's not necessarily best? What is BETTER, then? If longer is not better, and harder is not better, then what is better? Of course I know what is BEST - that would be what I discover through months/years of trial and error to be fitting for ME ...

I do 2 days a week with her and 2 on my own (can't afford more ) Maybe being a little less intense (instead of framing it as slacking) on my days NOT with her is actually a good idea. Guess I'll go with it for a little while and see if I start bursting out of my shirt like the Incredible Hulkess, lol