FAQs

Why should I choose an online coach over a personal trainer?

By working with me as your online coach you’ll get the best of both worlds, as I’m a qualified Level 3 Personal Trainer and Level 4 Strength and Conditioning coach. While I won’t be able to physically coach you in your local gym, as an online client you’ll get access to my extensive exercise library showing you how to do all the movements and exercises I set you as part of my bespoke programming. With the opportunity for regular 1:1 video check-ins, where we can run through your plan together and identify any gaps in your knowledge or confidence, my approach is tailored to meeting you wherever you are in your fitness journey.

As an online coach, I tend to have a more holistic approach than most personal trainers; we also look at factors such as lifestyle and nutrition alongside regular exercise to help you achieve your health and fitness goals. This means I equip you with the knowledge you need to achieve lasting change; rather than simply setting you a workout plan and leaving you to your own devices. My time at PureGym in Sheffield taught me that the best personal trainers can provide incredible sessions, but their clients didn’t necessarily have the best transformations because they weren’t getting other building blocks such as food right.

Personal training is great if you want to pay someone a bunch of money so you feel obligated to show up to the gym at least once a week; online coaching is your solution if you want the motivation to show up for yourself, every day of the week.

Why would I work with a male coach as a female/woman?

Although I’m biologically male, I have a comprehensive but deepening understanding of the menstrual cycle and the ways that it can impact training. This means that all plans I write for people who menstruate are tailored to what their body is doing at each stage in their cycle. I’ve also worked with clients who have lost their cycles or are peri- or menopausal, similarly adapting their programmes as required.

I understand that at first you might have reservations about sharing such intimate details with a stranger, but I am always professional and non-judgmental. All information you share with me is treated confidentially – and anyway, after a few weeks of working together, I’d hope that you’d consider me as more of a friend!

What’s more, I’ve worked with several clients who have struggled with health conditions including endometriosis and thyroid issues, helping them manage their fitness goals around often debilitating levels of pain or planned medical procedures.

How much do you charge?

I offer a range of coaching programmes with different pricing tiers depending on how much contact time you require and whether your focus is the gym, food, or both.

From free quick coaching catch-ups, to programmes that run for years, everybody is different.

Book a free consultation call today to find out what you need.

Plans I’ve tried before haven’t worked. What guarantees do you offer?

Without knowing your situation, it’s difficult to say what exactly went wrong for you, or why a programme didn’t work. Maybe you paid for a 6-week programme in the hope of developing visible abs. I hate to break it to you but you can’t spot reduce fat in a specific area… If you want to learn more about that, be sure to download my free fitness guide here.

It’s possible in a week to completely manipulate how you look, but that isn’t necessarily healthy or sustainable. Indeed, the issue with short-term programmes is that while they can help you to look different they might not help you to sustain this for much longer than the duration of the programme. If you don’t learn the habits that come with managing your new physique then you’ll quickly slip back into old ways. If you want to look completely different you will come to look at the world in a different way. Some describe this as ‘killing their clone’!

I’m confident that we can achieve lasting results from working together for a 12-week period, which is my minimum sign-up term. I know that is enough time for you to change your habits, start to see results, and what’s more develop the knowledge and confidence to sustain changes over time. I know it works because I’ve helped lots of my clients reach their initial goals in that time.

If during this time you aren’t happy with the way things are progressing, the first port of call would be a conversation with me to discuss what’s going wrong.

Calorie counting and tracking steps are triggering for me. Can we still work together?

In the next chapter of my fitness journey I won’t be able to track my food or weigh myself every day, two tactics that are reliably shown to contribute towards meaningful fat loss. I will, however, still track my steps and every week use a tape measure to monitor my progress. If you have a body goal, you must have some measure of activity and some measure of your physique that you can repeat over time. Without this, we have no way to say whether we’ve made progress.

The rate at which I lose fat is not of utmost importance to me. If you’re looking to lose fat quickly, I would recommend implementing reliable measurements at least for a period of 12 weeks. If you feel unable to do this then we might struggle to work with each other.

What is your minimum coaching term?

Unlike generic apps that ask for a direct debit of 12 months, we work with each other for a starting term of 12 weeks, with the option to extend if you’re enjoying working together to achieve your health and fitness goals.

By working to a minimum term of three months, I am confident that I can help you see progress and start to inculcate sustainable, long-term habits. My client results – and the fact that many of them have worked with me for longer than 12 weeks – speak for themselves here!

What are your payment terms?

Clients can pay for coaching programmes upfront or monthly (with a minimum commitment of 12 weeks). Invoices need to be settled within 7 days of receipt, but if you aren’t able to make a payment in this time it’s always polite to reach out and let me know it might be settled a day or two later!

Can I still drink alcohol/go out with friends while working with you?

Absolutely! I’m all about encouraging people to build sustainable habits that will help them live healthy, happy lives long beyond the time we spend working together. While drinking alcohol can have negative effects on your body, including impacted sleep and recovery, there are ways of building it into your programme that mean you can still achieve fat loss.

All I ask is that my clients are honest when filling in their sheets, and that they track all calories, including any questionable food choices made while under the influence. I’m not an advocate of alcohol but I don’t want to stop people from having meaningful social lives. How we accommodate drinking in your plan will be specific to your needs and goals.

Gym memberships are already expensive, why should I pay for coaching on top of that?

You wouldn’t buy a car without having driving lessons; just because you go to a gym doesn’t mean you know how to make the most of it. Whether you pay £10 a month or a £100, the knowledge and confidence the most successful people have comes from experience and time – working with a coach helps you to fast-track this. Besides they’ve made all of the mistakes already, so you don’t have to!

Can I work with you if I don’t have access to a gym?

No, unless you have an extensive home set-up with cables and a selection of free weights. This is because gyms have a range of equipment that challenges you muscularly and cardiovscularly.

Working out from home and just using bodyweight could be alternately too challenging and not challenging enough to see results sustained over time.

Also going into a space where other people are working hard can be super motivating, particularly if you work from home!

How do you balance your clients and travelling – how does it work with time differences?

It’s up to me to work hours that suit my clients, wherever they are in the world, even if these are deemed unsociable where you are.