I was chatting to an old client and friend of mine recently on our bi-annual Goddess retreat. This client had trained with us at Goddess for years before she recently moved to a different part of Sydney (sniff!). But she’d been doing my online program and had found somewhere to train in her part of town – and long story short, all of us commented on how fit and fabulous she was looking (she’s always looked amazing mind you, but none of us had seen her in a few months so it was even more obvious!).

As we were chatting in the kitchen she told me about what she’d been doing training-wise: she’d found another bootcamp she liked and she was also training in the gym three times a week (no wonder she looked fit!).

And then she mentioned that she had inquired at her gym about doing some personal training sessions on top of that. I was curious, as she was already doing a fair bit of training and it was obviously working, so I asked her why. And her answer surprised me a little. She said she just wanted to speed up the results she’d been getting on her own. “But I suppose I could probably just focus on my food a little more and get the same effect…” she added.

Yes, yes and yes, was my response! Why? Well she was already getting great results. She knew what to do at training and in the gym; and she had been doing all the right things nutrition-wise too. The only reason she was considering personal training was she thought that one-on-one attention might enhance her results further. And if you’ve thought the same in the past, well I want to save you some time and money.

Now I’m all for 1-1 personal training in some instances: if you’re coming back from injury, or newly pregnant, and you want to be confident that your technique is good and you’re not going to hurt yourself… or if you’re brand new to exercise and you haven’t got a clue what the hell you’re doing… or if having a PT holding a figurative gun to your head is the only way you’re going to get out of bed and exercise… then sure, go ahead and do a few one-on-one sessions with a trainer.

But apart from that, I say save your money!  The vast majority of the time when women come to me asking about personal training I tell them they don’t need one-on-one training, what they need is a coach. A good coach (whether online or in a group training environment) will keep you accountable, give you a plan, support your goals and get you back on the right track if you falter. But the vast majority of you don’t need a coach to stand there counting every rep – you can do that yourself.

Sure, I might be knocking back extra business but the thing is, I actually want my clients to get the best results possible. And unless you’re forking out thousands of dollars to see a PT 4-5 times a week, not to mention ensuring your food intake is matched to your goals, then you’d be much better off getting a coach instead.

In other words, someone who coaches you in a group training setting (a good coach can manage injuries and individual needs in a group setting anyway); guides you on nutrition (we know food is just as, if not MORE, important than exercise when it comes to getting results); or a coach who does both – designs an individual training program and nutrition plan for you and keeps you accountable to it (like I do for my VIP online coaching clients.

As it turned out my friend didn’t go through with the PT, which I was relieved to hear as it saved her some money that she didn’t need to spend. She’s going to keep doing what she’s doing – it’s working after all! – and I can’t wait to see just how that consistency, persistence and patience has paid off next time I see her.

If you want to chat about the fastest way to reach your goals (I’ll tell you honestly if I think you need a personal trainer or a coach) then book a call with me here and we can schedule a time to talk.

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