Horsham-based female personal trainer, Becky, takes a bespoke approach to training clients, and focuses on progress with compassion. In this blog post, she shares things that she wishes people asked their personal trainer, plus her answers as a fitness professional…
My gym floor clients ask me lots of questions from, “can I really lift that weight?” to “is there an alternative to split squats?” and “how was your holiday?”.
But there are some things that I’d love to be asked and never am! Whether they’re maybe a bit difficult to raise, or are just too obvious and there doesn’t seem a point, these are those juicy questions, plus my responses. Let’s go…
What’s your availability?
Ok, this does tend to come up pretty quickly. Typically, it gets raised via an initial enquiry. Most PTs set their own hours due to being self-employed, though it is about mutual availability with a client!
When I first started out, I assumed I’d have to give up every sociable (and unsociable) hour of my day in order to make a living, as I’d need to be available when my clients would have free time. The reality has been quite different, mostly thanks to the way schedules have shifted in the last few years, and a lot of people having more flexibility.
My choice is that I don’t work weekends or evenings – I need time off too, and I’m also a morning person, so I work best at that time of day. At the moment, I offer personal training on Tuesdays and Fridays, so if you’re looking at daytime on those days, I could be the one for you!
Can my friend train with you?
Anyone who’s ever worked in sales or marketing knows that new leads are the most challenging ones to come by. And, when it comes to personal services, they are often best generated via word of mouth recommendations. Partly because birds of a feather flock together, and if I’m getting on well with you, the chances are I’ll be a good fit for a friend of yours too.
So, yes! Please do recommend me to your friend who is looking for personal training in the area!
How can I help you improve?
This is one of those awkward ones. And I tend to ask this without asking. I ask people what they’ve enjoyed (they tend to be pretty quick to volunteer what they haven’t enjoyed), and whether they feel like they’re progressing towards their goals, or whether they’d like to adjust those in any way.
If you have your own idea of how my service could work better for you, I’d be really pleased to hear them.
How soon will I see results?
This is an important conversation to have. Whilst the genuine answer is very much, “how long is a piece of string?”, that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about it.
I like to be as realistic as possible with clients and, if anything, under-promise and over-deliver. The reality is that none of us has a crystal ball, so we don’t know what the future holds. Your body may respond amazingly to training, and you zoom along, happily achieving at speed. It could be that, unfortunately, life or an injury happens, and we have to slow down, or change course temporarily. And it might be that you’re somewhere in the middle, need regular encouragement, and ultimately stick at it and get there.
How soon you see results depends largely on what you want, and how much you’re able to do versus what you’re currently doing. There’s also a general curve of progress leading towards a plateau, and a point where it’s more challenging to perceive certain gains. Finally, it’s down to how open-minded you are! If you’re insistent upon only using one metric (such as how much you can lift, or how far you can run), you’re actually ignoring a huge number of other benefits. I encourage my clients to notice their general energy levels, mood, sleeping patters, recovery times, and all sorts of other elements of their lives. Suddenly, a whole new world of progress opens up, and it all feels as though it’s worth it.
Can you help me train by myself?
In a word: yes! I love helping people to be independent. Personal training is not marriage (which is a good thing for all of us!) – we aren’t stuck together forever, nor are we committed daily or weekly.
Some people will always want to train with a trainer – they either have no interest in training solo, or require the active accountability. Others need a little self-belief and then discover that they can go a long way. They check back in at regular intervals, and learn new things to stave off boredom, whilst ticking away at their own pace.
I enjoy both. So whether you constantly need someone to tell you what to do, or want to know what every thingy is called and how to use it by yourself, I’ve got you.
Sound appealing? Get in touch to find out more about working together.