Choosing a personal trainer is a strange purchase. You're committing real money and — more importantly — months of your life to someone you've usually known for one conversation. Get it right and it changes how you feel every single day. Get it wrong and you'll conclude, unfairly, that "personal training doesn't work for me".
We've coached in Blackheath since 2016, and we'd rather you choose well — even if that's not us. These are the seven questions that do the filtering.
1. "Where will we actually train?"
The room shapes the session. A trainer renting floor space in a busy commercial gym competes with every other member for equipment — expect waiting, noise and compromised programming at peak times. Park sessions live and die by London weather. A private studio means the whole floor, every piece of kit and the coach's full attention are yours for the hour.
Whatever you choose, make sure the answer is specific. "We'll sort something out" is not a plan.
2. "Can I try before I commit?"
Good coaches offer a low-risk way in — a free or cheap introductory session — because they know the fit matters and they're confident in what you'll experience. Be cautious with anyone whose first move is selling a 20-session block before they've seen you move.
3. "How will my programme be built?"
The answer you want mentions you: your goals, your training history, your injuries, your week. The answer you don't want sounds like a template — because it usually is one. Ask a follow-up: "what would you change if my knee started complaining?" A real coach answers instantly; a template-seller stalls.
4. "Who do you usually work with?"
Specialisation matters more than certificates on a wall. If you're a woman navigating perimenopause, a beginner in your 60s, or coming back from injury, ask directly whether the trainer works with people like you — and how their approach differs. Generic answers to specific situations are a warning sign.
5. "Where can I read your reviews?"
Not testimonials on their own website — independent reviews they can't edit, ideally on Google. Read the recent ones and the critical ones. A long history of considered reviews from local clients tells you more than any before-and-after photo.
6. "What does it cost — all of it?"
Clear pricing, published openly, with block discounts explained — that's the standard to expect. Vague answers, pressure towards long contracts, or prices that only appear after a "consultation" are all choices a trainer makes, and they tell you something.
7. "Why do your clients stay?"
The best trainers keep clients for years, not weeks. Ask how long their longest-standing clients have trained with them. The answer — and the stories behind it — is the single most honest measure of coaching quality that exists.
The Blackheath advantage
One local note: convenience is a results multiplier. A trainer two minutes from Blackheath station fits before work, after the school run, or into a lunch break — and sessions that fit your life are sessions that happen.
If you'd like to put us through the seven questions, we'd genuinely enjoy it. Book a free 30-minute introductory session at our private studio on Lee Road — we'll talk goals, check how you move, and you'll leave with an honest answer either way.