To pay over £1k for a PT?

[itswednesdayy]

I’m trying to sign up to a local gym, but it is a private service with 1-1 personal trainers, complete with personalised diet plans.

They give you 3 60 minute sessions per week for 12 weeks (you can’t visit the gym outside of these sessions). There wouldn’t be anyone else visiting the gym during these sessions to ensure the equipment is free and that you get a complete/consistent coaching service. They are very popular online & seem to deliver results.

The downside is the price, would you pay £360 per month for this? YABU = No. The total cost is £1080 which works out to £30 per session. I’ve never been to a gym before so unsure if I need this level of support.

I work 9-5 and they run these sessions during that time. So I’d have to try and squeeze the sessions in during my lunch breaks @ work and not sure how I’d get changed in time as I work in-office in smart clothes (though the gym is next door to my office).

God no.
Id download a good free plan and join a normal pay monthly gym. I pay £27 which includes all classes, swimming and the sauna

Exactly, the cost of 1 session is similar to a monthly gym membership. I wish they just had a normal membership fee as the location is ideal.

Good Lord, no.

No! It’s not even convenient for you.

Keep looking.

Lunchtime sessions will be super popular, you’ll never be able to go. Mad idea if you’re not a gym bunny already.

Absolutely not. As they don't allow others to use the gym when they're seeing people on a 1-1 basis, it sounds like you'd be very limited as to when you could use it anyway.

Location isn't the deal-breaker here - the service offered and price is. Travel further to a normal gym!

How do they close a gym to other people at lunch time?

Definitely not!! I’m quite a gym bunny and pay £40 pm for gym/swim etc and then £32 a week for my pt who also programmes my sessions when I’m in on my own. You’ll end up paying a fortune for a service you can’t even use.

Cause it’s not a public gym and they don’t do standard memberships. You get booked in for 3 sessions per week at set times. You can’t visit outside of those times. Therefore they don’t have a lunchtime rush.

I would invest in it for 12 weeks to get you set up so you know how to use equipment, the weight levels to use, correct form etc etc. you’ll see good results in 12 weeks and hopefully form a good habit of going. Then, I’d reduce sessions to one weekly pt and 2 sessions on your own.

If you can afford it, I can think of no better way than working out. £30ph is very good.

Next best alternative is small group gyms (eg 3-6 members to one PT per session).

There’s no point listening to people who say it’s a rip off simply because their gym is £25 pm and it has a sauna. You’re paying for personal attention and expertise, plus the accountability and motivation that comes from being pushed.

Depends on your motivation and the level of flexibility you enjoy at work. If you could start late or go mid afternoon and stay longer at work in the evening then you could make it work. Your 3 hours will probably be far more productive with a PT.

However a 9-5 "service" doesn't offer you any real flexibility and this time of the year you will find their coaches will have committed all their peak spots.

Suspect it will be a damn sight cheaper or more flexible by March/

You could get an annual gym membership at a nice gym with a pool for that and go whenever you want. You may even have enough left over for a PT for a session a week for 3 months.

Oh I see. Lunchtime would be in demand I reckon with others too, is it available?

Goodness no! I used to pay nearly £80 a month for gym membership and PT about once a fortnight and I thought that was expensive. Join a gym that's convenient for you that will build you a programme you can execute yourself and get reviewed every couple of months. Also, forget about diet plans from personal training unless they have any sort of nutritionist training (most don't and just rant about eating more protein).

Have you thought about what you would do after 12 weeks? Would you pay £1K+ again for the following 12 weeks?

I'm a member of an exclusive members club which includes gym membership but nowhere near that range. Keep looking!

Yes that’s right. Just say I’m booked in for a 3pm-4pm session three times a week. I cannot visit the gym outside of those sessions at all as they tell you everything you need to do during your sessions apparently

It’s a good question because I suppose I’d have to maintain my newfound fitness at a different gym. I think they allow people who have passed the 12 week programme to visit the gym on a rolling basis, but presumably the timings are going to be tight to allow for their 1-1 coaching.

the lunchtime session is free but I’d be more interested if an evening session was open.

No way! Plenty of free gym programmes online; or get yourself an online coach - they usually have videos that go along exercise plans to help you understand what to do!

I would become a member of a gym that would let you use their space whenever you need it and be able to access different classes which are included in the price. You can get personal training say once every fortnight or once a month who will then give you a programme to work on until the next session.

Yes, I'd definitely do it for 12 weeks. I've always exercised. Apps are great, and I use them all the time, but one to one classes tailored for your needs would be amazing.

Yes & No. It all depends on you, your finances and how you would make the most of it.

In the grand scheme of things £1080 is the cost of an expensive piece of home gym equipment, say a Peleton bike or a multi gym. I bet thousands of people spend much more than that on stuff they never make use of.

However, its a lot of money to some. Its not throw away money and you need value. So what would value look like? Not some 'get in shape quick scheme'. Not a boot camp where they train you to death. There are hundreds of these type of groups you can join in and get fit.

But what if it is a course where they teach you skills for the rest of your life? You are not part of a group muddling through but get serious 1-1 help, personal to you. What if they give you 36 hours worth of conditioning expertise on a 1-1 basis? What if you come out of it knowing you have safe form in exercises and are able to put together your own training plans safely.

I have no idea how much value for money this is but if its just a glorified PT in a private gym then no it isnt worth £1080. If its a structured plan to teach you and come out with a lifetime of knowledge then ......depending on your finances it could be worth it.

Have you looked at other PTs? It sounds like you're paying for the exclusive venue use, as well as (hopefully) the skill of the PT.

I would ask around locally for PT recommendations, meet a few and see which one seems like they'll work well for you. It sounds like you want to do some intensive training, in which case you'll need a great relationship with the PT.

For that price you could pay for a PT for way longer, go to the gym when it suits you etc.

If you're already thinking that it'll be hard to get to sessions then I don't think this is the one for you.

It sounds like you are a city-based professional and the gym is capitalising on a good market (good one them!).

I'm going to be a complete pain in the arse here and say it depends on your income / disposable income.

I wouldn't pay it - I couldn't pay it, but if I was on a six figure salary I might.

I guess you just join a normal gym when you've had your 12 weeks?

If I was going to pay that much money I'd want convenient times and to be able to go to train at other times whenever I wanted to. I'd also want a pool.

This isn't in the centre of Manchester, is it?

I assume if you're even entertaining the idea then a grand isn't that big a deal to you, in which case... maybe? I don't mind busy gyms and there's enough on google to work out your own meal plan, so it'd be a no from me.