How to Get the Most Out of Every Personal Training Session
To get the most out of personal training, treat the session as the part of the week where you learn and are pushed, and the other 167 hours as where the results are actually made. In practice that means arriving fed, rested enough and on time; telling your trainer honestly how the week has gone; asking why you are doing each exercise; recording what you lift; and doing the small amount of homework between sessions. Clients who do those five things progress noticeably faster than clients who simply turn up and wait to be told what to do, even on the same programme.
This is not a guide to choosing a trainer or what happens on day one. It assumes you have started, and want every hour to count.
Before the session: the 24 hours that decide how it goes
Eat something sensible
Training on an empty stomach after a long day of meetings is the single most common reason a good session turns flat. A normal meal two to three hours before, or a small snack (a banana, yoghurt, a slice of toast) an hour before, is enough for most people. Our post on what to eat before a workout has an hour-by-hour version.
Arrive five minutes early, not five minutes late
A late start does not just shorten the session. It usually means the warm-up gets cut, and the warm-up is where your trainer reads how you are moving that day. Five minutes in hand lets you change, have some water and start the session properly.
Bring the facts
Your trainer cannot adjust for what they do not know. Before you start, give a quick status report:
- How you slept the last two nights
- Anything that is sore, stiff or new
- Whether you did the between-session work (and if not, that is fine, just say)
- Anything coming up: a trip, a ski holiday, a heavy work fortnight
Thirty seconds of honesty here changes the session far more than ten minutes of effort later.
During the session: how to be a good client
Ask “what is this for?”
Every exercise in a decent programme has a reason. Knowing it changes how you do the exercise. A Romanian deadlift done “for the hamstrings” feels different from one done “to move a bar” because you know where you should feel it. If your trainer cannot give a clear answer to “why this?”, that is worth noticing.
Use the effort scale honestly
Most good trainers will ask how hard a set felt, often as reps in reserve: how many more you could have done with good form. Answer truthfully. Saying “two left” when you had five means the weights stay too light; saying “two left” when you had none means they climb too fast. The scale only works if you use it accurately, and you get better at judging it within a few weeks. There is a full explanation in our post on RPE and reps in reserve.
Speak up about pain, quietly about effort
There is a difference between hard and wrong. Burning muscles, heavy breathing and a set you are glad to finish are expected. Sharp pain, pain in a joint rather than a muscle, pins and needles, or anything that makes you change how you move should be mentioned immediately. A good trainer will change the exercise there and then rather than ask you to push through it.
Rest when you are told to rest
Rest periods are programmed, not padding. Cutting them short on strength work usually means the next set is worse, not harder. Using the minute to check your phone means you come back distracted. The best use of rest is water, a breath, and a brief word with your trainer about the last set.
Focus on one cue at a time
If you are given three things to think about on a squat, you will do none of them well. Ask your trainer which single cue matters most for the next set. Fix one thing, then the next.
Between sessions: where the results are actually made
Even three sessions a week is three hours out of 168. Progress comes from what you do with the rest.
Do the homework, however small
Most programmes include something to do on your own: a couple of walks, a short mobility routine, perhaps one independent session. These are usually designed to take very little time. Do them, or tell your trainer they are not realistic so they can be changed.
Keep a simple log
A note of what you lifted, for how many reps and how it felt. Your trainer should record this too, but keeping your own copy means you notice your own progress, which is one of the best motivators there is. Our guide to keeping a useful training log explains how to keep it short.
Protect sleep and protein
You do not need a perfect diet. You do need enough protein spread across the day and something close to a proper night’s sleep most nights. Both directly affect how well you recover from the session you paid for.
A quick checklist
| When | Do this |
|---|---|
| Day before | Sleep reasonably, drink normally, avoid a heavy night out if you can |
| 2-3 hours before | Eat a normal meal, or a small snack an hour before |
| On arrival | Five minutes early, give your trainer a quick status report |
| During | Ask what each exercise is for, rate effort honestly, report pain immediately |
| Straight after | Note the key numbers, agree what to do before next time |
| Between sessions | Walks, mobility or homework as planned; protein and sleep |
What you can reasonably expect from your trainer in return
Getting the most out of training is a two-way arrangement. You should expect your trainer to have a plan for each session before you arrive, to record what you did, to explain progression (why the weight goes up, or why it does not this week), and to review progress with you every few weeks against the goals you set at the start. At our studio on Archway Road, sessions are 1-1 and the room is yours alone for the hour, so the attention is not split between you and anyone else. You can read more about how sessions run on the Highgate personal training page.
Common ways people waste sessions
- Using the session as their only exercise. It works, slowly. Adding two walks a week makes a noticeable difference.
- Cancelling when tired. A tired session at lower intensity is usually better than no session. Tell your trainer and let them adjust it.
- Chasing soreness. Being sore is not a measure of a good session. Getting stronger over weeks is.
- Not reviewing. If you have not discussed progress for two months, ask for a review.
If you have had a long break, have a heart condition, are pregnant or are managing an injury, check with your GP before increasing training intensity, and tell your trainer what they said. The NHS exercise guidance is a useful general reference.
Questions we get asked
Should I train on my own between sessions?
If you have time, yes, but agree what with your trainer first. An unplanned hard session the day before a coached one can undo it.
What if I miss the homework?
Say so. It usually means the homework needs to be shorter or fit a different part of your day, not that you need more willpower.
How soon should I notice progress?
Most people feel more comfortable with the movements within a few weeks and see steady strength gains over the first couple of months. Visible change takes longer and depends heavily on what happens outside the sessions.
Can I ask for a different exercise?
Yes. If something feels wrong for your body, a good trainer will find another way to train the same movement. Find out more about how we coach on our 1-1 training page or at The Highgate House.
Book with The Highgate House
Ready to start training properly? Email us at [email protected] with the service and the day that suits you, and we will come back to you with times.
Visit The Highgate House · Private personal training
The Highgate House, Archway Road, Highgate, London N6.
