This thread is killing me lol

There really isn't any better option than putting together your own plan. I know it takes time ... time to do the research and time to write it all down. But, its well worth it. If you need help I'd be happy to chime in ...

The only reason I see for having a personal trainer is for the accountability part; you have to show up and you have to do the work. I can get all this from a good dependable training partner.

That's all good, maybe you are just missing a little info in those articles ... Finding an appropriate rep scheme just depends on what you want to accomplish.

If your goal is to be as strong as you can then lower reps / higher weight are good. Powerlifters are in this category and generally don't do more than 5 reps on the primary movements with 3 reps per set being the 'sweet spot' for building strength. At 3 reps per set you won't be building mass as fast as possible but your body will be learning to recruit a larger percentage of the muscle fibers it does have. Sometimes Powerlifters will switch to the other scheme in order to build their mass up.

If your goal is body tone and weight control then lower weight / higher reps is key. Crossfit junkies kind of fit into this class but can fit into the previous class too. Body builders push this even further than Crossfitters.Generally speaking, the higher the reps, the better the mass building. Sometimes Crossfitters and body builders will switch to the other scheme in order to build their strength up.

After you get in shape and are looking to get fat again, I can hook you up with a good program.

Thank you, I needed that today.

Probably won't happen, TCHunter really likes the "new" Jsh1904.

Good luck in your search.

Hate to hear you had a bad experience. Keep at it, and don't quit!!!

How To Spot A Bad Personal Trainer

If I may ask, how much does a personal trainer typically cost?

$20 to $50 per hour

Average is probable $25 to $30

You want to be stronger an faster and leaner?? Then get with an Ex drill Sargent and let them run you through a PT session. Then add a little heavy lifting 3 times a week. The army will have you in the best shape of your life. Routines are like this. Strength and conditioning and endurance aw rotated. 3 days one week it will be endurance and 3 days the next will be strength and conditioning. When it is endurance day we did a set of 50 push-ups then 50 scissor kicks 50 sit-ups and 50 jumping jacks along with 10 min of stretching before we ran. An the run was at your group pace. We always ran 3-5 miles. And on strength day we did variations of sit-ups push-ups combatives log carrying and lots and lots of stretching. All sessions were an hour. Never been in better shape on all of my PT tests I could max out all categories which were push ups sit up and the run. Which my personal best was a 13:19 2 mile run. But take my advice for what it's worth I'm a fat arse now. But that's because I hurt too much from Iraq now to do anything

Your reputation and man card.

I'm used to that mentality. First people laughed when I started running. Then they talked trash when I changed my diet. Then they found stupid things to say when I started working out. Haters gonna hate.

I felt like I'd lost my man card when I was 40 lbs overweight and had to roll over like a walrus to get out of bed in the morning. Tying my shoes in the morning about made me pass out. Walking up stairs was like running a marathon. Taking my shirt off at the beach or lake just wasn't gonna happen.

I hired a trainer to help me get out of that phase and I'm sure glad I did now ... 8 years later ... I'm in the best shape I've ever been in at age 53

I'm just kidding with you, pal. I hope you grow nads as big as Phil Army. You are old enough the growth hormone won't leave you vertically challenged.

Don't be meat head Rob Lowe.