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I hired a personal trainer for 3 months

21 November 2023

Was it worth it?

In July 2023 I decided to hire a personal trainer to help me organise my strength training routine, work on some specific mobility issues, and have someone to hold me accountable for my nutrition.

After a few weeks of research, looking at the wealth of personal trainers both locally and online, I made my decision.

The trainer

I'd been following a trainer called Corey Baird (Corey's Lean Living) for some time. He's based in New Zealand and is a LES MILLS Trainer amongst other things. You'll most likely have seen him in action if you've watched any LES MILLS CORE or BODYBALANCE masterclasses. His socials:

Corey's Instagram

The main reason I chose Corey wasn't his history with LES MILLS, although you could argue I only knew of him because of my own affiliation with LES MILLS. It was that he'd recently turned 50 and looked to be in the sort of shape I want to be in when I get there. I'm not talking six packs. From following him on Instagram, his strength and mobility were impressive, and that was very appealing.

I sent Corey an email and waited. After a few days he came back with a friendly reply, asked a couple of initial questions (location, that sort of thing) and laid out his options. Without going into specifics (he can cover that with you directly if you're interested), there were four:

Whichever you pick, you get a 12 week personalised training program broken into three 4 week periodised blocks based on your goals. You can't pause once it starts, so make sure you can do all 12 weeks in sequence.

The setup

Before we got started, Corey sent over a few things to complete:

The questionnaires were genuinely interesting. They got me thinking about my diet, the niggles I'd been ignoring, my actual training routine including the classes I teach, and how well I was sleeping.

We agreed a start date and I got my first 4 week block via PtEnhance, plus my calories and macro split via iNutritionPro.

Getting started

I wasn't sure what to expect from the nutrition side. I was glad it was calories and macros with some suggested meals rather than a "eat this exact plate of chicken three times a day" plan. That kind of plan would've fallen apart in a week.

I didn't get on with iNutritionPro, so I tracked daily calories with MyFitnessPal instead. I'd used it before, the iPhone app is fast, and tracking food took seconds.

Before I knew it I was cleaning up my diet without much drama. Cookies, chocolate, cake, sweets all went. That surprised me. On my own I'd usually take the "one won't hurt" or "I'll start again Monday" route and end up giving up. Knowing Corey was going to look at my numbers at the end of each month made adherence much easier.

The training was different in a good way. I'd been picking workouts off Instagram or apps like Fiit. Nothing wrong with that, but given the HIIT and cardio I get from teaching, I wanted my own training to focus on strength and mobility.

Corey took what I had in the home gym (he had it from the questionnaires), the time I had each week, and built a plan to suit. Some of the movements he prescribed:

Sets, reps, suggested weights, and notes on form for each one. Varied, with a focus on the weak points I'd flagged. Corey was on the other side of the world, so he asked for videos of the final set of each exercise on WhatsApp where I could. Even a quick "this looks great" was good motivation. He kept asking how challenging I was finding things so he could scale up or down.

Stu working out
Stu working out
Stu working out

Time for a break

Early October we had a week booked in Cape Verde. All inclusive, sit in the sun. The kind of holiday that can undo months of work. Thankfully the hotel gym had just enough kit, so each morning before breakfast we went and got 45 minutes in. Felt good to stick to the plan and set the day up properly.

Nutrition wise, I started strict and loosened up as the week went on. I figured a bit of indulgence wouldn't ruin anything and I could pick it back up at home. I was only there once.

Getting back to it

Back home, my weight bounced around for a few days. Flying, water retention, the volume of food. Once I was back on the plan it settled and started moving in the right direction again.

By then I was into phase 3, the final month. Heavier weights, harder exercises, including:

Communication

Plenty of WhatsApp throughout. I'd send clips, we'd discuss how I was finding things, and Corey always had constructive feedback and praise. That helps when it's a dark cold winter morning.

Three Zoom calls, one a month. The first was 30 minutes, the next two were meant to be 15 each but ended up closer to half an hour. Friendly chat at the start, then nutrition, then workouts. Corey gave me extra context and the why behind everything as we went.

My results

For workouts, we weren't tracking strength or mobility in any formal way. I'd just feed back on how I felt, and I was generally feeling good. I wasn't tight all the time, especially round the hips and thoracic spine, and a lot of the niggles I'd put up with for ages had either gone or were less frequent. Felt positive.

I also liked having a strength plan to follow. It kept me on track, I felt strong as the weights crept up, and it was nice doing less cardio for once given how much I get from teaching.

For nutrition, despite the holiday:

9 August 2023 (start)

27 October 2023 (week 11)

Waist measured at belly button level, first thing, before food. I haven't measured the waist since, but my last weigh in on 20 November 2023 was 86.4kg.

Losing weight wasn't really the point, but 5kg down feels good. More confident teaching topless. Downside: some of my trousers are loose now.

In summary

I can't recommend Corey, or having a personal trainer in general, enough. Good experience. So good I've signed up for another three months focused purely on strength and mobility. I'm happy with my nutrition for now.

From the nutrition side, having a professional set the calories and macros and knowing I'd be reporting in was enough to shift the bad habits. I feel better for it. No tummy issues, and maybe I look better for my age (less sugar will do that).

From the training side, having someone who knew my issues and gave me a plan that matched my goals took the guesswork out of training time. Turn up, follow the plan. Worked even on the days I didn't feel like it.

Not something I'd do forever, but enjoyable in several ways:

If you have any questions, send them my way. Corey's details are at the top, so feel free to approach him directly. Tell him I sent you.