My Break-Up With My Coach (It's Complicated)
I want to tell you about a break-up. Before you worry - it's all good between us. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel bereft.
After three and a half years, I've parted ways with my personal trainer. And it feels every bit as emotional as that sounds.
How It Started
It was November 2022. I was at my lowest mentally and my highest in weight. I'd made the decision to join a gym and find a trainer - and that's when he accidentally picked up my phone off the bench, thinking it was his. I still tease him that he was stealing it.
That accidental moment changed everything.
What He's Seen
He has seen me at my absolute worst. I cried on our very first Zoom call. And I cried even more on our last one.
In between, he's seen everything. He knows about my menstrual cycle, my HRT, my bowel movements. He was there when I broke my ankle just a few months into starting. He's coached me through social events and holidays, taught me the difference between hard work and maintenance periods, and built my confidence in the gym to the point where I'm now doing quite advanced resistance training - something I never imagined possible.
He's less like a personal trainer and more like a therapist who happens to know a lot about progressive overload.
What We've Been Through Together
Over three and a half years, our relationship has gone far beyond sets and reps. He and his wife were guests at my wedding. I've watched him become a father. We've shared the big moments - the hard ones and the joyful ones - and somehow that's all woven into this fitness journey of mine.
He's been my rock. My confidant. The person who believed I could do things before I believed it myself.
Why Now
It's simply time. After three and a half years, I've built enough knowledge, confidence, and self-trust to go out on my own. That's actually the mark of a brilliant coach - when they've given you everything you need to not need them anymore.
I'm scared. I won't pretend otherwise. But I also know that everything he's taught me is still with me. The education, the mindset, the confidence in my own body - that doesn't leave when the sessions end.
What I've Learned
If you're on a fitness journey and you're wondering whether a personal trainer is worth it - for me, the right one was life-changing. Not just physically, but mentally. The best ones don't just tell you what to do. They teach you why, build your confidence, and eventually make themselves redundant.
That's exactly what he did. And I'll be forever grateful for it.
Here's to the next chapter - going it alone, a little scared, but stronger than I've ever been. 💪
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