The honest answer is that it depends on four things: the format, how often you train, how long each session is, and what you get between sessions. Two trainers in Paisley can quote very different numbers and both be fair, because they are not selling the same thing.
So rather than a number, here is how to work out what you are actually being quoted for, and how to tell whether it is good value for you.
The format is the biggest lever
One to one in person is the most expensive way to be coached, because you are buying somebody’s full attention for the whole session. You get your form watched on every set, the session adjusted on the spot, and somebody standing there expecting you at a set time.
Small group training splits that attention across a few people, so each person pays less. It suits people who already know the basics and like the company. It suits a nervous beginner less well, because the coach cannot watch everybody at once.
Online coaching is usually the cheapest, because you are not paying for somebody’s hour in the gym. You are paying for a plan built round your week, video feedback on your lifts and regular check-ins. I wrote a whole post on whether online coaching is worth it if that is the one you are weighing up.
How often and how long
Two sessions a week costs more than one. Obvious, but people forget it when they compare a single session price with a monthly package.
Session length matters too. A shorter session is not automatically worse value. If the trainer has the plan ready when you walk in, a focused session can do more than a long one spent wandering between machines.
When you compare quotes, put them on the same footing. Work out what each one costs over a month at the number of sessions you will actually do, not the number you hope to do.
What is included between sessions
This is where quotes that look similar stop being similar. Ask what you get outside the hours you are in the gym with them:
- A written programme for the days you train on your own
- Nutrition support, and what that actually means in practice
- Check-ins, how often, and whether it is a conversation or a form
- Messaging, and a realistic reply time
- What happens if you miss a week or need to move a session
A trainer who only exists for the hour you are booked is a different product from one who keeps the other six days on track. Neither is wrong, but you should know which one you are paying for.
Why the cheapest per session can cost more over a year
The price per session is the number everyone compares, and it is the least useful one.
If the cheap option has no programme between sessions, you will make slower progress on the days you train alone, or you will not train on those days at all. If it sells a big block up front that expires, you pay for sessions you never use. And if it is a poor fit and you quit at week six, you start again in January and pay twice.
The expensive mistake is not paying a bit more per session. It is paying for a year of starting and stopping.
What to ask before you pay anyone
- What qualifications do you hold, and are you insured?
- What exactly is included in that price, and what costs extra?
- Is there a minimum term or a block I have to buy up front?
- What happens to sessions I cannot make?
- What is the first session, and do I pay for it?
- If I have an injury or a medical condition, how do you handle that?
On that last one, a good trainer will tell you to see your GP or a physio first and work alongside their advice. If somebody offers to diagnose or treat a problem, that is outside what a personal trainer is qualified to do.
Why I do not put a price list on the site
Because a price list answers the wrong question. Whether in-person or online makes more sense, how often you can realistically train in a week, and what you need between sessions are all different for everybody, and they decide what you should be paying.
So the first consultation is free. We talk through your week, what you want and what has gone wrong before, and I tell you which option fits and what it costs. If it does not suit you, you have lost nothing but a conversation. WhatsApp is the quickest way to set it up.
Where to go from here
If you want someone in the room with you, that is one-to-one personal training in Paisley. If getting to a gym at a fixed time is the problem, have a look at online personal training instead.
