Your first personal training session at Anchor starts with a complimentary consultation: a conversation about your goals, health and schedule, and it may include an InBody body composition scan and a short baseline workout. From there your coach builds a plan around you, and you choose one-to-one or partner (2:1) sessions. Wear gym clothes and running shoes, bring water, and tell your coach about any injuries or health conditions before you start.
Key Takeaways
- The first step at Anchor is a complimentary consultation, booked online.
- It may include a conversation about your goals, an InBody scan ($55 value) and a baseline workout.
- Your coach uses what they learn to build a plan around your goals, your history and your week.
- You can train one-to-one or with a partner (2:1).
- A 10-session pack includes 2 InBody scans so you can track your progress.
- Tell your coach about injuries, surgery, pregnancy or health conditions before your first workout.
In This Article
Your first personal training session at Anchor is a consultation, not a hard workout. You sit down with a coach to talk about your goals, health and schedule, and the appointment may include an InBody scan and a short baseline workout, so your plan is built on how you actually move.
This guide explains each part of that first visit, what to bring, and how the sessions that follow are set up at our gym on The Queensway South in Keswick.
Who Personal Training Suits
Personal training is coaching built around one person. People in Keswick and Georgina usually book it when they want one of these:
- a specific goal, such as getting stronger, losing body fat or preparing for a sport
- a safe way back into exercise after time off, a baby or an injury
- someone to teach the main lifts properly before training on their own
- a plan that fits around shift work, school runs or a long commute
- accountability, because a booked session is harder to skip
If you are deciding between a coach and our group classes, our guide to personal training or group fitness compares the two. Plenty of people do both.
Step 1: Book the Complimentary Consultation
Everything starts with a complimentary consultation, which you can book online from our personal training page. There is no obligation and no pressure to buy a package on the day.
When you book, it helps to think about three things in advance:
- Your goal, in plain words: "deadlift my body weight", "keep up with my kids", "drop two sizes", "get my strength back after a knee injury"
- Your history: past training, sports, injuries, surgeries and anything a doctor has told you to avoid
- Your week: the mornings, afternoons or evenings you can reliably train
Step 2: The Conversation
The first part of the appointment is talking. Your coach will ask about your goal, why it matters to you now, what you have tried before and what got in the way. They will also ask about your health: injuries, aches that come and go, medication, pregnancy or recent childbirth, and any heart, blood pressure or joint conditions.
Be honest here, even about small things. A knee that grumbles on stairs changes which squat your coach starts you with. If something needs a health professional first, your coach will tell you, and our physiotherapists and chiropractors work under one roof at Anchor if you need an assessment before training.
Step 3: The InBody Scan
The consultation may include an InBody scan, which Anchor values at $55. It is a quick body composition test: you stand barefoot on the device, hold two handles, and a small, painless electrical current estimates your muscle mass, body fat and body water.
The scan is useful because the bathroom scale cannot tell muscle from fat. If you gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, your weight may barely move while your body changes a lot. A scan at the start gives you and your coach a baseline to compare against. If you buy a 10-session personal training pack, it includes 2 InBody scans, so you can see what has changed after a block of training.
Ask when you book how to prepare. Body composition scans are generally more consistent when they are done at a similar time of day and before a workout.
Step 4: The Baseline Workout
The appointment may also include a short baseline workout. This is not a test of how much you can suffer. Your coach is watching how you move:
- how you squat, hinge, push and pull
- your balance and how your joints move
- where you compensate, for example a hip that shifts or a shoulder that hitches
- how quickly you recover between efforts
The weights stay light. If anything pinches or hurts, say so and your coach will change the exercise.
Step 5: Your Plan
After the consultation your coach puts together a plan around your goal, your body and the time you have. It usually covers:
- how many sessions a week make sense, and whether one-to-one or 2:1 suits you
- the main lifts and movements you will learn first
- what to do on days you are not with your coach, such as walking or a class
- how and when you will check progress, including your next InBody scan
As a reference point, Canada's 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for adults recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity a week and muscle strengthening activities using the major muscle groups at least twice a week. A good plan helps you reach that in a way you can keep up.
What to Wear and Bring
- comfortable gym clothes you can squat and stretch in
- clean running or training shoes
- a water bottle and a small towel
- your list of medications and any notes from a doctor or physiotherapist
Eat something light a couple of hours before, rather than training on an empty stomach or straight after a big meal.
Training With a Partner
Anchor offers one-to-one and 2:1 personal training. Training with a partner, friend or family member means you share the coaching and keep each other on track. It works best when your goals and starting points are reasonably close. Your coach can adjust each exercise for each person.
After the First Few Sessions
Expect some muscle soreness a day or two after your early workouts, especially if you are new to strength training. It eases as your body adapts. Tell your coach how you felt, because it helps them set the next session.
Many people do a block of personal training first, then add our coached group classes, such as AnchorHIIT, once they are confident with the main movements. If you are coming back from an injury, our guide on returning to exercise after an injury explains how training and physiotherapy can work together.
Book Your Consultation in Keswick
Ready to start? Book a complimentary consultation from our personal training page, or call (905) 535-4449. Anchor is at 443 The Queensway South, Unit 70, in Keswick, an easy drive from Sutton, Jackson's Point and Pefferlaw, with our clinic team under the same roof.
References
- Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults aged 18 to 64, Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology
Ready When You Are
Book an assessment at our Keswick clinic
No referral needed. Most extended health benefit plans provide coverage, and we direct bill where possible.
