Is posture correction and fitness personal training useful? How much does it cost?

Posture correction personal trainers who are formally certified and understand the logic of exercise rehabilitation are indeed useful. The cost of a single class is generally in the range of 200-800 yuan. The specific price fluctuates according to the qualifications of the coach and the consumption level of the city where the coach is located.

I have been working in the fitness industry for almost 7 years. I just received a referral a while ago. I am an e-commerce operator. I am busy staring at the computer + packaging and shipping for 12 hours a day. When I came to see me, my head was stretched forward 7 centimeters, and the shoulder height difference was almost 2 centimeters. When wearing a T-shirt, one sleeve is always long and the other is short. Every time I get off work, my trapezius muscles are as hard as frozen meat. I have followed online tutorials for 3 months. My round shoulders have not improved, but my trapezius muscles have become more bulging with practice. I said with a sad face that I was afraid that I was born with thick shoulders. I first evaluated her body posture and found that she not only had an upper cross problem, but also had thoracic spine rotation and pelvic side tilt caused by carrying a shoulder bag all year round. The entire posture is a chain of compensations, which cannot be solved by just shoulder and shoulder exercises. I adjusted the force generation mode, added core stabilization and pelvic repositioning training, and practiced twice a week. After 11 classes, my head straightened, and the shoulder gap shrank to less than half a centimeter. The shoulder and neck pain that I had to apply plaster three times a week now does not occur once a month.

But I have to be honest, not all personal trainers with the title of "posture correction" are useful. The threshold for this industry is too low now. Many trainers have taken the most basic fitness instructor certificate and watched short video posture tutorials for half a month before they dare to open their mouths and take orders for correction. They don't even understand the basic compensation logic. They ask you to train your core and shoulders and back vigorously, but the more you practice, the more serious the problem becomes. Last month, a young man came to my rescue. He said that he bought 12 posture classes at a gym near his home. The coach asked him to practice deadlifts and planks. He said that his weak core caused back pain. After 20 days of training, his waist hurt so much that he couldn't bend down. When he went to the hospital for a X-ray, it was discovered that he had mild spondylolisthesis. The coach didn't even do the most basic medical history inquiry and mobility assessment.

As for the huge difference in fees, it is not unreasonable. Regular personal trainers in ordinary gyms take orders for posture correction, and the general quotation is 200-400 yuan per session. If you find a studio that has the qualification of a sports rehabilitation teacher and even cooperates with the rehabilitation department of a local hospital, the coach can understand X-rays and can connect with the doctor's rehabilitation methods. If you are looking for one, the fee will be 500-800 yuan per session. If you are in the core business district of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, you can find the kind of well-decorated celebrity rehabilitation studios with quotations of thousands, but most of them are environmental premiums. If you really want to find one, there is no need to join in the fun. Just focus on the qualifications of the coach and past correction cases.

One last thing to mention, if you already have pathological problems such as scoliosis or lumbar spondylolisthesis of more than 20 degrees, don’t go to a personal trainer directly. Go to the rehabilitation department of the hospital to listen to the doctor’s judgment first. Personal trainers cannot solve problems beyond the indications for intervention, so don’t delay treatment.