Personal training is often associated with weight loss, building muscle or simply having someone push you through a workout.
But good personal training should start with something more basic:
- Where are you now, and where do you want to go?
Why Personal Training?
- Everyone comes into the gym with a different starting point.
- Some people want to get stronger or lose body fat. Others want to return to exercise after years away, improve their performance in a sport, or simply feel more confident training in the gym.
- A personal trainer can help turn those goals into a structured programme rather than relying on random workouts.
This may include:
Strength and resistance training
Cardiovascular fitness
Mobility and movement work
Body composition goals
Sport-specific training
General health and fitness
The programme can then be progressed as your strength, fitness and confidence improve.
What If You Have Pain or a Previous Injury?
This is where things can become a little more complicated.
Having a history of back pain, shoulder pain, knee problems or a previous injury does not necessarily mean you should avoid exercise.
However, it may change how you start and how your training is progressed.
Understanding your current movement, symptoms, training history and physical capacity can help determine what exercises are appropriate and how much load you can reasonably tolerate.
When necessary, input from a physiotherapist or chiropractor can also help identify issues that may need clinical assessment or treatment alongside training.
The BerryFit Approach
At BerryFit, personal training and clinical care can work together.
For clients who have pain, previous injuries or concerns about returning to exercise, a Physio or Chiro assessment can be completed before or alongside personal training.
The assessment may look at:
Pain and current symptoms
Range of motion and movement
Relevant clinical tests
Previous injuries and medical history
Training goals
Our personal trainer can then use this information when planning and progressing your training.
If an issue develops during the programme that requires further assessment or treatment, our Physio and Chiro team are available to work alongside the trainer.
For someone without pain or injury, the process can be much simpler — establish your goals, assess your starting point and get training.
Training Should Progress With You
There is no single “best” exercise programme for everyone.
A beginner returning to exercise after ten years needs something different from someone preparing for a sporting event. Someone managing a previous injury may need a different starting point again.
Good personal training is not about making every session as hard as possible.
It is about starting at the right level, progressing over time and training towards something that matters to you.
— BerryFit Rehab & Performance
