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).

I like the general concept but the timing really is an issue. I only get an hour lunch break, but I’d probably need 10 minutes either end to account for walking over to the gym/work and getting changed. That’s presuming I’m not going to be sweaty getting back to work too. My office has the bloody heating on at all times; can imagine giving myself a migraine being flustered from gym, rushing back, getting dressed/putting extra clothes on just to sit in a sweltering office.

I am looking for new jobs. But until then, I need a PT outside of work hours or just delay the programme until after I start a new job (with WFH).

Surprisingly peloton has a 92% rate of people still using it after a year!
I adore mine, well worth the money (and £40 a month)

If I had loads of money and the time I would love to see what results could be achieved in 12 weeks with someone to coach and really push me. I think that could be the motivation to keep going (somewhere cheaper) at the end of the 12 weeks.

If you don't have the time though there's no point chucking £1k away. For that price I'd want it to be convenient and flexible which it doesn't sound like this is.

There's a place near me which sounds similar, but it's called a 'body transformation' rather than a gym; it's an intensive programme which includes everything including a diet plan and some hardcore PT and it costs more than the one you describe 😳

I was pretty cynical about them until I met someone who tried it after gaining a lot of weight and losing fitness, and apparently it was properly lifechanging; it's the sort of regime Brad Pitt would have done for Fight Club or Uma Thurman for Kill Bill but as PP have said, you need to figure out what you'll do after the 12 weeks (or whatever) is up.

My gym is £200pm and worth every penny to me. The best value gym is the one you go to.

Why do you 'need' a PT? Once you know the basics re form and a plan in place what are they doing for you? Motivation usually.

There are plenty of PT's who can teach you the basics, be available for follow up sessions if needed and will write you a personal plan all for much less than £1080. You could join whatever gym suits your own requirements or even kit yourself out with equipment at home.

Sorry can't vote as on the app, but no I wouldn't be signing up to this.

The main issue is the lack of flexibility. It's ridiculously expensive even assuming you manage to get 3 lunchtime slots a week and nothing ever happens- rogue meetings, not feeling 💯, to interfere with that.

Plus if your lunch hour is strictly set at an hour only you need to get changed before and after so realistically only 40 minutes per session.

IMHO you'd be better off signing up to a normal gym - mine is £20 a month- and paying for PT sessions separately. If you get one a week they'll show you what to do at the gym in the interim and the advantage is you can go evenings and weekends.

Keep looking, there's going to be other options. I used to go to one with 3 weekly group sessions (max 8 people) fully guided plus you could use the equipment during certain hours when no sessions were running without 1:1 (but max 10 users with a pt on hand) wasn't cheap but at £99 a month it was doable

No I wouldn't.

Find a different gym.

£30 p/h for a PT is cheap. Mine is £58 one on one.

BUT I wouldnt sign up for 3x once a week. One once a fortnight or even every month and you follow the training plan they give you in between. Plus it doesn't sound like you can even make the session.

You need a different gym.

If you can afford it - this is the absolute gold plated way to get in shape, it is unparalleled. Online courses or plans just don't compare - it is just very expensive as you are paying for the time of a professional

Very few better things to invest in, if you can manage the spend

Put the money in an ISA instead!

Mealplan? Here you go:

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. Plus moderate amounts of lean protein. Stay clear of refined carbs and sugar. Don't drink calories. Mediterranean diet is best - some suggestions here:

www.eatingwell.com/gallery/7941261/one-pot-mediterranean-diet-dinner-recipes/

Fitness? Get yourself a pair of dumbbells and look up a few trainers on YouTube. Work out for 30-45 minutes 4-5 days a week. Go for lots of long walks, at a vigorous pace.

Online trainer suggestions:

If you are a beginner: Lucy Wyndham Read or Rebecca Louise
Intermediate: Heather Robertson or Cindy Cummings
More advanced: Caroline Girvan (absolutely the best, but challenging!)

Sorted 😀

Hmm, not an automatic no from me, but it does depend what your aims are and how long you want to do it for.

I did a very similar thing on a rolling basis for about five months - only it was two PT sessions a week (so around £240pm), and they certainly didn't discourage me from going to a normal gym independently on other days.

I don't regret it in the slightest - I did it because I wanted to learn how to weight train properly and effectively without injuring myself, despite having had sciatica for years and early-onset dodgy knees. My aim was to learn what to do while I had the luxury of being able to afford it without massive financial hardship, then join a normal gym when I was more confident in what I was doing.

That's basically exactly what happened. I stopped my PT sessions about 8 months ago and have been at a normal (£50pm) gym since. I can honestly say it is the best thing I've ever done for myself. I just love it, all of it, and I feel utterly transformed physically and mentally. I feel fitter and stronger than I ever have done and being at the gym is a genuine thrill rather than the grim slog of cardio-only sessions I used to force myself through. My sciatica is gone and just being alive (walking, sitting, standing, etc etc..) feels about 75% easier and more comfortable. I'm utterly addicted, LOVE feeling strong for the first time in my life, and can't imagine ever stopping.

So I'd say definitely don't rule out seeing a PT (£30-£40ph seems about the going rate) - anyone COULD learn how to weight train independently of course, but how many more WOULD if they were shown, one-to-one, exactly how to do it well? The concerning bit about the set up you refer to, OP, is the fact that they discourage trips to other gyms. That will just feel like being held hostage and won't give you the opportunity to make to the move to a normal gym so easily.

@GidgetGirl

Thats kinda what i was trying to say on my first post. If you intend to learn from it and take it on yourself after the course it could be money well spent. Sounds like you have made the most of it.

Seems about right based on my experience. I use a personal trainer twice a week at £40 a session. We can stay in the gym after the session if we’d like but can’t use it other times without an additional membership. My previous PT was £35 a session but they came to the house, so no gym involved.

Not sure if they specifically discourage going to other gyms, but they don’t allow you to visit their gym outside of your PT sessions. I don’t think they’d find out if I went to another gym on the side…

I like the idea of the program teaching me correct habits, then switching to another gym afterwards. But the time slot offered won’t really work, right? I mean, I assume people leave the gym a bit hot and sweaty so it’s wishful to think I can jump straight into a hot, public facing office without issue.

Presumably the trainers at this gym got fit without the programme themselves so it’s not the be all and end all

Nevertheless, you can bet that the lunchtime slots went a long time time ago.

I'm going against the grain a little to say no I wouldn't pay it BUT I don't think they're overcharging you. £30 a session is about right for a PT and you're getting a lot out of it.
I think if you can afford it and really want the kick start then do it. If you are going to use it then do it. If you feel you can do it another cheaper way and stick to it then obviously that's the better choice. However I do see why someone would pay that.

Have they guaranteed a slot which is convenient for you? Say everyone wants a lunchtime one (which they might as it’s during the day) is your work flexible enough that you can have your slot at 3pm?

I know money is relative but thats such a lot of money @Hillary17

I’ve been in contact with them today (phone call & email) and it’s available. I have all week to confirm. Bare in mind, they hand select who they work with so it’s not like the public are booking in online or anything.

plus I think the truly popular slots are the evening ones as their website does say they offer a range of slots but I’ve got an awkward 1pm-2pm to work with.

£30 a session for private PT is good value. It's not an open gym. It's private PT. If the time table doesn't suit then go elsewhere.

I wouldn't because it's really easy to find workouts & fitness programs online for free. Or you could invest in a fitness app. It definitely doesn't make sense to pay that much if you've never even been to a gym before. What if you don't like it? Or you struggle to make the sessions during your work lunch break?

£30 per hour is cheap for a PT ,- but you won't be able to have a full hour surely, as you will need to change etc for work?

I had to apply to train with this gym (like a job application). This was back in November and they’ve got back to me now as the next 12 week course is due to start. I’m thinking they offered the better slots of this intake of the course to the people they liked the application of the most. I wrote the bare minimum on the form tbh. My work is not flexible at all and I don’t think 3pm would work.

If you can do an hour lunch time - go for it!