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Personal training in Newcastle

How to Choose a Personal Trainer in Newcastle

Newcastle has more gyms and more trainers than anywhere else in the North East, which makes choosing harder, not easier. Here is how to narrow it down, from a PT who coaches women in the city.

Written by Ashton Alderson  ·  Personal Trainer & Online Coach, Durham & Newcastle

01Pick the gym you will actually get to

You will need to be a member of the gym your PT works from, so start there. Twice a week, for months. If it is forty minutes across the city at rush hour, it will not happen. I coach at Hii Club in Gosforth, which works for the north of Newcastle, Kingston Park, Ponteland and anyone coming off the A1 or the Metro. If you are south of the river or in Durham, UltraFlex Durham might be the easier drive.

02Check the qualification, then the specialism

A recognised PT qualification is the floor, and asking about it is normal. What matters more is what they are good at. If you want shape, strength and glutes, you want a coach who programmes that on purpose. If you are training around a cycle, or in your 40s and 50s, you want one who understands what that changes. Ask what most of their clients are working towards. My answer is on my about page.

03Ask to see how they programme

A coached session should be part of a plan that builds week on week, with weights logged and beaten. "We keep it varied so you never get bored" is a warning sign. Progress comes from doing the same important lifts better and heavier over months, and a good PT will say so.

04Make sure food is part of it

If your goal is fat loss or building muscle, nutrition is more than half of the result. A PT who never mentions food is coaching half of it. A PT who hands you a restrictive plan is coaching the wrong half. You want targets that fit your life and get adjusted, with no guilt attached. Protein is where most women are furthest off, and it is usually the first thing I fix.

05Meet them before you pay

A free consultation, in the gym, with no sales script. See the space, ask your questions, and decide afterwards. If the first contact is a price list and a card machine, keep looking.

06Know what a fair price looks like

Newcastle PTs charge by the session, blocks bring the per-session cost down, and semi-private sessions with a friend cost less again. I have written up honest local prices so the number on the day does not surprise you.

07Consider starting in person and moving online

A lot of women do a block of coached sessions to learn the lifts, then move to online coaching for the programming and check-ins at a lower monthly cost. It is a sensible path and a good PT will not be precious about it.

Questions for the first meeting

• What qualifications do you hold?
• What are most of your clients working towards?
• What would my programme look like in month one and month three?
• How do you handle nutrition?
• How do you track progress and when do you change the plan?
• What does the gym membership cost?
• Can I train with a friend, and what does that cost?

If you would like to put those to me, here is how personal training in Newcastle works, and here is the gym.

Questions people ask

Where in Newcastle should I look for a PT?

Wherever you will actually get to twice a week. Gosforth suits the north of the city, Ponteland, Kingston Park and anyone on the A1 or the Metro. City centre suits people who work there. Pick the gym you will go to, then the trainer in it.

Is a boutique gym better than a big chain?

For coached sessions, often yes: a proper free weights set-up and fewer people queuing for the rack. For training on your own, a chain's opening hours might matter more. It depends on how you will use it.

Should I choose a female PT?

If it gets you through the door, yes. Beyond that, choose on how they programme, whether they coach women's goals as the main thing, and whether the food is part of the service.