Questions about coaching
Nine straight answers. If yours is not here, write to [email protected] or use the form on the contact page. I reply within one working day.
Before you book
Most of the questions I get are about whether one-to-one is “too much”, whether you need to arrive already fit, and whether I can work around a sore back. The short version: I write from what you can do on day one, you do not need a base of fitness to start, and everyday soreness is something I coach around. Clinical problems belong with a clinician first.
Answers
I haven't trained in years — is one-to-one coaching too advanced for me?
One-to-one is often the easier way back, not the harder one. I write the first block from what you can do on day one, not from a programme I keep for people who already lift. We start with a movement screen and a conversation about your week. Loads stay in a range you can repeat. Most people I coach after a long break train three times a week for sixty minutes. If a lift feels too complex, I swap it for a simpler version — a box squat instead of a free squat, a kettlebell press instead of a barbell press — and we build from there. You do not need a base of fitness to book. You need a week we can plan around and a body we treat with some patience.
Do I need to be fit before the first session?
No. The first session is where I find out what fit means for you in 2026. I will ask you to squat to a height you can control, hinge, press, and walk or row at an easy pace. I am looking for control and a calm breath, not a performance. Wear trainers you can squat in and clothes you can move in. If you get out of breath on the stairs, we will use that as information and write the week accordingly. Plenty of people I coach spend their days at a desk and arrive with a stiff back and modest stamina. That is a normal starting point.
How often should I train to see change?
Most people I coach train three times a week. That is enough to move working weights and to keep the habit without living in the studio. Two sessions will still do useful work if your week is tight; I write those two as full-body days so nothing important sits for ten days. Four sessions can work if sleep and food are in order and if you actually attend. I would rather see three sessions you keep than five you half-finish. Change in strength and in how you feel at the desk usually shows across a twelve-week block, not in the first fortnight. We retest at the end of the block and decide the next one from those numbers.
Can you work around a sore back or a knee that complains?
Often, yes — when the soreness is the everyday kind that comes with sitting, old training, or a clumsy week. I will ask where it is, what sets it off, and whether a clinician has already seen it. If you have had surgery, a recent injury, or pain that wakes you at night, I will ask you to speak to your doctor or physiotherapist first. In the room I change range, stance, or implement: a box squat, a supported hinge, a goblet instead of a back squat. We keep training the rest of you. I do not diagnose and I do not run rehabilitation. I coach the session you can do that day.
What happens in the first 75-minute assessment?
We talk for the first part — how you train now, how your week is built, what has hurt, what you want from the next block. Then I take you through a movement screen: squat, hinge, press, pull, and a short piece of easy conditioning. I write as we go. The last stretch is a conversation about the plan: how many days, which format, and what the first four weeks will look like. You leave with a written outline, not a verbal list you have to remember. Wear kit you can move in and bring any notes from a clinician if you have them. Come a few minutes early so we do not spend the screen on the door.
Is online coaching worth it if I train at a public gym?
It can be, if you will film a set when I ask and if you will read the notes I send. I write the week around the kit you actually have — a rack and a bench, or a pair of dumbbells and a patch of floor. Twice a week I check your session notes and the videos. Every two weeks we speak. I cannot spot you in a public gym. I can change the next session before you repeat a sloppy pattern. People who do well with this format already have a place to train and a week they can protect. If you want me in the room, book the studio instead.
Do you give meal plans?
I do not. I am not a dietitian and I will not write a menu. I will ask, in broad terms, whether you eat enough to support the work, and I will tell you if the training is too hard for the way you are eating. If you want a detailed nutrition plan, I will point you towards a qualified professional. Training still works without a spreadsheet of meals. Sleep, a regular protein source, and not turning up empty will cover most of what I need from you in a twelve-week block.
What's your cancellation policy?
Give me twelve hours. If you cancel or move a session before that, I will rebook you inside the same week when I can. Inside twelve hours, or if you do not arrive, the session is used. Packages of ten last four months from the date of purchase. I take payment by PayNow or bank transfer before the block starts. If I have to cancel — illness, or a closed building — I will move you at no cost. Write or call; I read both.
Can two of us share a session?
Yes, if you want the same hour and you can work on a similar pattern. I treat that as a two-person group: same structure, individual loads. The small-group rate applies rather than two one-to-one fees. Tell me when you book so I set the room and the plan for two, not for one plus a guest. If one of you is returning from a long break and the other is already lifting heavy, I can still run the session, but I will be honest if the gap is too wide for one hour. In that case I will suggest one-to-one for a block and a group later.
How I answer new questions
I answer from the way I actually run the room, not from a script. If I do not take a certain kind of work — meal plans, post-surgical rehabilitation, all-day messaging — I say so. I would rather a clear no than a booking that fails in week three.
Still unsure?
Send a note about how you train now. I will tell you which format fits, or I will tell you I am the wrong coach for the work you want.