What is it like working at Puregym Preston?

So I've been working at Puregym Preston for almost 4 years now.

And I can't talk for anyone else who's worked here, but this is my take on the place.

We've had a few different managers within my 4 years.

Fitness instructors have come and go.

Equipment has broken and plenty of engineers have come in to fix them.

The changing rooms are located up the stairs and down the corridor.

And yeah, the water fountain isn't working right now, but you can use the Yanga water machine for free.

One thing that has stayed the same is the high rent price they charge us personal trainers 😂

It can be really noisy during peak times when certain classes are on.

And for some reason, we can never have enough cable machines to match demand.

But in all honesty, you get these issues in every gym.

We got a full gym refurb in 2022 and that's utilised the space much better.

This time of year (January), it gets swamped in the evening.

If I'm with a client, chances are I have to substitute a few exercises that are on my plan due to other pieces of equipment being in use.

Before the refurb, this would've been almost every exercise.

It was a nightmare because we couldn't really stick to the plan.

But it's much better now.

I sometimes still face that issue, but that's the reality of working in a commercial gym.

We've got a nice open floor plan, so you don't have to walk over to a different area of the gym only to awkwardly walk back because the equipment you wanted to use is in use. You can just look over to see if it's free or not.

All of the staff are friendly and approachable.

And my favourite part?

The gym members!

When I'm not in the gym training clients, or at home programming their training plans, or doing some other type of admin, I love walking the gym floor and chatting to the members.

Some have been here for years and I see them all the time. We have a nice catch up.

Others are new and might want a bit of help.

Regardless, having a good chat with a gym member is always a good part of my day.

Maybe because it's unexpected or random. I don't know.

Otherwise, I wake up at 4.30am some days, other days I leave the gym at 8pm.

It's all a part of being a personal trainer, and there aren't many jobs I could ever see myself doing to be honest.

I remember back in 2020 when I first started, one of my first clients high a big milestone in their weight loss journey.

I went back upstairs to the staff room with a big grin on my face.

One of the other coaches said, "It's the best when a client hits a milestone, isn't it?".

We had a nice discussion before my next client was in and we concluded that having this job as a personal trainer, where I am literally helping people change their life, is so rewarding and undoubtedly a better fit for me than nagging someone to pay their late mortgage payment.