If you're reading this, there's a fair chance you've been thinking about getting a personal trainer for a while. Maybe you've driven past a gym a few times and not gone in, or you've tried before and it didn't stick. I'm Macca, I'm 19, and I'm building MJP Coaching a client at a time, so when you train with me, you get me.
What a session with me actually looks like
Every session is planned before you walk through the door. I write your plan around you, so it starts from where you are now and heads towards what you actually want, rather than some template I hand to everyone. Then in the gym I'm right there for every set, watching how you move, telling you what to change and why, and catching the little habits before they turn into big ones. You're never stood there squinting at a sheet on your phone, wondering if you're doing it right.
Food and habits come into it too, because what you do between sessions counts for a lot. I won't hand you a diet or ban your favourite tea, but I will help with the everyday stuff, like eating in a way that gives you enough energy to train and building routines you can still keep when work and life get busy.
Who 1-1 coaching is best for
Honestly, 1-1 is where I'd point most complete beginners. Learning the moves properly with someone watching is so much easier than trying to piece it together from videos, and you get to make your early mistakes with a coach beside you instead of guessing on your own. It's also the one I'd recommend if you're coming back after a long break and don't quite trust your body the way you used to, or if you've trained for years but nobody's ever really checked your form.
If you've got a mate or a partner who'd train with you, or your weeks are too unpredictable for fixed sessions, have a look at the other ways I coach before you decide. And if you can't decide, the chat is exactly for that. I'll tell you straight which one I think would suit you.
Where I do 1-1 personal training in Barnsley
All my face-to-face sessions are at HM Fitness on Cannon Way in Barugh Green (Unit 46, S75 1JU). It's a small, private gym with a homely feel and a really supportive community, and it's women-focused, so if big, busy gyms have always put you off, it's a very different place to walk into. Men train with me there too, outside the main hours, so if that's you, it's still on the table. Just mention it when we talk.
For 1-1 work I think a smaller gym is better anyway. It's a lot easier to concentrate on what you're doing when you're not worrying about who's watching, and the first few weeks are when it counts most, while everything still feels new.
Your first month: finding your feet
I always tell people to give themselves six months, and I call the first of those finding your feet, because that's exactly what it is. We work out what your body can do right now, learn the main movements properly and get you used to turning up. Nobody's expecting you to be good at it yet. We go at your pace, and this first month is the part where I'm there for you most.
After that the months build on each other: the habit sticks, you get stronger, you start to own it, then you push on, and by the end it's just your new normal. I won't promise you a number on the scales or a date when you'll look a certain way, because nobody honest can. What I can do is coach every session properly and keep you coming back on the days you'd rather not.
What people say after training with me
I'd rather my clients did the talking here. Finlay called it "comfortable and achievable". Gerard said I'll "hold you accountable", and then added that the showing up is down to you. He's right about that second bit. I can plan, coach and chase you, but the turning up has to come from you, and I'll do everything I can to make that the easy part.
Book a free chat
Starting really is the hard bit, so let's make it as easy as I can. Book a free chat and tell me what you want to change and what's held you back before. There's no commitment, it's just a conversation, and you'll come away knowing exactly how I'd coach you and what it would cost.