The Session: How To Maximise Time With Your Personal Trainer

In part one of this three part series, we asked Trainer and Client star couple, Zanna van Dijk and Becca Smith, how to find the perfect Personal Trainer. With The Checklist now firmly in tow, we moved on to the next most vital aspect of the PT experience.

In our second round of chats, we wanted to find out how to maximise the session itself. What will see us get the most out of £60-100 per hour? What should we demand from our trainers?

With a track record of incredibly ab-defining success, the insights Becca and Zanna provide are reason enough for a 100% success rate with your personal trainer. If at any time you’re thinking “wait, my trainer never does that” or “hang on, I never get that from my PT sesh”… then it might be time to find a new one.

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THIS IS… THE SESSION: 

> BECCA (THE TRAINER)

Becca, how important are goals and should your client know these before they meet with you?

Every client has at least one goal. I always set an initial 15 minute consultation with my clients, to discuss their goals. I ask my client to write a list of their goals, their current training and diet, any health issues (par-q) allergies, injuries etc. to discuss at the consultation. I find it is the best way to start building the trainer/trainee relationship – ensuring they feel comfortable with me and can trust I will put 100% into helping them achieve their goals.

How much should the trainer support a client outside the session?

I always create a full training and nutrition plan for my clients. Again, this will be calculated based on goals, occupation, availability etc. Some clients are happy to follow a full macro calculated nutrition plan. Others prefer more of a ‘guide’ which I’m happy to do as well. All my clients have my mobile number and can contact me whenever they like. If any client has a training query, I’m more than happy to take 15 minutes and go through any exercise/machine in the gym.

All clients follow the same ‘check in’ structure as my online clients. I ask them so send weekly updates to my email address which includes photos and measurements so I can amend their training and nutrition plan where necessary.

Where is the best place to train?

The obvious answer is of course in a gym, a well equipped gym at that. I have a great passion for weight training as from experience and personal progress, have found it to be the best thing for reaching any goal: weight loss, muscle gain, toning, body sculpting. I will incorporate cardio into a session as well as include it in the plan for clients who need cardio for fat loss. Cardio is also great for cardiovascular health so again, depending on the client, I will include various styles of cardio. e.g HIIT, intervals, steady state.

What if, as a client, you don’t like going to the gym?

Although the gym is the best place, it’s not always the best option for some people. This could be due to occupation, availability or lifestyle, and some people generally have anxiety about the thought of attending a gym. There are so many fitness DVD’s, fitness classes, magazines, social media posts nowadays for non-gym based workouts that people can follow. If you can get your nutrition on point, you can get away working out away from the gym. However, I would always recommend the gym and would encourage anyone to try it. This is why a trainer can be great, some people won’t attend the gym unless they are with their trainer.

> ZANNA (THE CLIENT)

Zanna, how would you describe the relationship you have with Becca, and why does it work?

We have a close friendship and a very open client-trainer relationship. I open up to Becca about my feelings and she is very honest with me in return. It works because we are both very driven for my success – she wants to see me do well and I want to smash my goals! We work together effectively to achieve this.

How do you prepare mentally for a Personal Training session?

I don’t do much mental preparation – I am vey internally motivated and driven so don’t need to try and make myself go. I happily walk to the gym and throw myself in my workouts, I love it!

Why do you need a Personal Trainer?

To take the power out of my hands and give the responsibility to someone else. It is not only a mental break for myself but also makes me more strict with myself as I want to keep up with her expectations. I specifically hired Becca because I was preparing for a range of photo shoots with a variety of brands and wanted to get in good shape for them! Everyone is different though and has different reasons.

– Zanna van Dijk is a Fitness Blogger and Vlogger. For tips and inspiration follow her on Instagram or visit www.zannavandijk.co.uk

Becca Smith is a Personal Trainer and Adidas Ambassador, based in Leeds and also coaches clients online. For coaching and inspiration visit www.facebook.com/BeccaSmithBexFit and follow her on Instagram.

Do you have a personal trainer? Are they giving you sound nutrition advice and emotional support? Do you feel like you’re getting the most out of the relationship? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

Stay tuned for part 3 of the series: OUTSIDE THE SESSION.