Personal Trainers Share The Things Most People Don't Understand About The Gym

Personal trainers spend their days watching people work out. Here’s what they want you to know.

Culture & Parenting Reporter, HuffPost

Whether you’re a first-timer who’s barely touched a free weight or a seasoned regular who’s been hitting the same machines for years, you can still learn a lot from personal trainers.

HuffPost asked fitness professionals across the country what they wish more gymgoers understood about exercise. Their answers might just change the way you work out.

1. Consistency beats perfection every single time

“I wish people knew that consistency beats perfection every time,” Thomas Banicky, senior district fitness manager at 24 Hour Fitness, told HuffPost.

“You do not need a flawless workout plan or a two-hour gym session to make meaningful progress. Showing up regularly, building sustainable habits and focusing on gradual improvement will almost always lead to better long-term results than trying to do everything perfectly for a few weeks and burning out.”

You don’t need to overcomplicate your workouts or pressure yourself to make the “perfect” program.

“Fitness isn’t all-or-nothing,” said Denise Chakoian, a certified fitness trainer and owner of Core Cycle and Fitness LaGree.

“Too many people think that if they can’t exercise for an hour, six days a week, then they shouldn’t exercise at all. That’s simply not the case. Consistency will always trump perfection – 20 to 30 minutes of movement is better than none at all and can have huge benefits for your health.”

“The people making real progress are rarely the loudest ones in the room,” echoed April Medrano, vice president of programming, education and experience at STRIDE Fitness.

“What I wish more people understood is that progress is built in the unglamorous middle. Everyone wants the transformation, but the magic is in the boring repetition – the same lift, the same habits, the same showing up week after week.”

2. Results take months and years, not days and weeks

“Good things take time,” said Mallory Fox, a National Academy of Sports Medicine master trainer and wellness coach.

“Clients often have unrealistic expectations about the time required to meet their goals. While everyone’s progress is different, a good rule of thumb I like to share is that they’ll start to feel results in the first four weeks and see results in the first four months.”

While that timeline might feel slow and discouraging, it sets a realistic standard that promotes consistency, sustainability and injury prevention.

“We live in a society of instant gratification, but your body doesn’t work that way,” Chakoian said. “If you want to see changes in your strength, body composition and overall health, it’s going to take months and years of consistency, not days or weeks.”

“Fitness isn’t about punishing your body. It’s about building a........

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