Study Shows Working with a Personal Trainer Gets Better Results than Going It Alone

Good news! A new study that was published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research has confirmed that working out with a Personal Trainer could dramatically increase fitness results – more so than doing self-directed exercise.

The study

The study comes from a team of academics at the University of California Los Angeles who sought to determine whether gym-goers who work out with a Personal Trainer achieve better results than those who engage only in self-directed exercise. It involved a randomised study of male members of one health club in Southern California, all of whom were between 30 and 44 years of age.

The results

The results of the UCLA study showed that those who trained with professionals in the fitness club achieved significantly superior results than those who did not, and measured marked improvements in lean body mass and other fitness indicators. The study follows a recent New Zealand Ministry of Health guide, ‘Going to the Gym’, that offers advice for New Zealanders on how to choose a health club or personal trainer.

What will it change?

The New Zealand Register of Exercise Professionals has since released a statement citing the benefits of personal training as found in the UCLA study. It urged more people to consider working with a Personal Trainer in order to achieve the results they want. They conclude that fitness experts will inevitably provide more effective and results-driven training than working out alone or following an online fitness plan. It’s something we always knew, but there’s nothing like having it confirmed!