My Puregym Personal Trainer Experience
What’s it like being a Puregym personal trainer? Well, I will save my consensus about Puregym as an employer for Glassdoor. However, I will share some of the experiences I have had working as a personal trainer at Puregym Luton & Dunstable!
I Was Forced to Be Sociable!
Most people would never know that I used to be crippling shy and still have a lot of anxiety, especially in social settings. If I feel nervous or uneasy, I either completely shut down and smile silently from the sidelines. Or worse, I start babbling uncontrollably 🤣
Working as a personal trainer at Puregym, I was forced to be sociable! Not in a bad way, but it is a part of the job. You’re out on the gym floor cleaning and tidying up a lot. Of course that means a lot of different people want to chat and ask questions. I am naturally a friendly, bubbly person – when I feel comfortable – so it really helped me build confidence.
The big ‘lightbulb’ for me was realising I already have something in common with everyone in the gym – we are interested in exercise! That enabled me to go up to people and ask what they’re training, what their goals are etc. From there my natural personality shone out. I just needed a way to get the door open to flowing conversation!
I Loved Teaching Classes
As a Puregym personal trainer in Luton, I used to teach so many different classes over the years and I LOVED it. I never imagined in my bigger body, that I would be up front and centre. It’s crazy how empowering it is to flip the script!
I always felt like Britney Spears with the head mic on and had to try my best not to sing to the music (I am tone deaf!). Eventually I even learned to project my voice so I didn’t need a mic any more. There’s something really cathartic about yelling at a group of people to work harder!
My favourite class was always spin. I loved the intensity, the movements and the music. Mostly I loved the results – it was where I first saw muscle definition in my quads. It definitely had a role to play in my fat loss too. I learned from different Puregym personal trainers over the years by attending their classes. I compiled all my favourite movements and songs into my own classes. I still miss double spin on Monday evenings – a 45 minute class followed by a 30 minute class! I hated turning people away, but it was so amazing to me how beloved my classes were. Seeing them get overbooked meant the world to me!
Sadly, I don’t teach any more as I’m a “rent” personal trainer at Puregym. This means I pay rent to use the gym environment and equipment to train my PT clients. I miss the classes, the vibes and energy. I definitely recommend trying classes, especially for newer or less confident gym-ers. The people who go to classes are generally SO friendly and community spirited.
There Were Definitely Negatives
One of the biggest issues I had as a female personal trainer in Luton Puregym was the sexism and misogyny! I had so many comments, mansplaining, “helpful advice” conversations and insinuations from male members. Due to my gender I was considered somehow less knowledgeable, capable or skilled. Obviously none of that is true but it was – and still is – a barrier women in fitness (and multitudes of other industries) have to deal with. Now, I stand in my power! I know my years of experience as a personal trainer to both men and women, my own training and my incredible weight loss all make me a force to be reckoned with 💪🏻
My other biggest peeve was tidying up the gym. Puregym Luton and Dunstable is known for having terrible gym etiquette! Members will fail to put their weights back, especially the heavy dumbbells. They will hog machines, move things where they don’t belong and even start fights. Before Covid we didn’t have any cleaning materials, so the hygiene was ropey too! Gym etiquette is a really difficult problem to overcome because it isn’t exclusive to this gym. Without consequences members just carry on with their bad behaviour. That means the Puregym personal trainers are left to go around picking up hundreds of kilos of dumbbells, unloading stacked Olympic bars and taking multiple 25kg plates of the leg press. It is exhausting, because you have already taught classes on shift then you do pick ups. Plus you have to do it multiple times over a single shift!!
Learning and Growth
One of the best things about being a Puregym personal trainer is how much I learned – and not just about fitness. Luton is an incredibly multi cultural place to live and work. I got exposure to ethnicities, religions, cultures and people from so many different walks of life -it’s the biggest blessing. I am so grateful to have such a diverse community around me to expand my understanding of the world we all share!
Another big learning curve for me was the differences between men and women in the gym. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. I came to understand men experience a lot of insecurities, comparisons and feelings of inadequacy like the ladies do. They definitely hide it better though! Men and women are built differently on a biological level, but when we’re in the gym we want to same things. To feel and look better in ourselves. We train for the same reasons – health, appearance, stress relief… Underneath it all we’re not so different.
Puregym Luton & Dunstable Community
Being a Puregym PT exposed me to so many opportunities to interact with the gym members. From people coming in to train to classes and even showing potential newbies around the gym on a tour. The one thing I always loved – and still do! – about the gym is the sense of community. Over the years I have seen lasting friendships form, training buddies link up and the most unexpected interactions happen over a mutual passion for working out. I have personally formed relationships at Puregym that will be with me for a lifetime 💖
Puregym Luton and Dunstable really does have a lovely sense of community. People are generally friendly, open and welcoming – they’ll offer to help, share equipment or spot you without hesitation. If you’re regular, people will recognise you to say hi and chat, you’ll even get compliments on your progress. I have seen so much positivity over the years in this gym that I haven’t felt anywhere else. Maybe I’m biased, but I think it’s rare and special!
My Longest Employment
Between being a staff PT and rent Puregym personal trainer, I have been with the club for nearly 8 years. That’s a record for me! I don’t stick around unless there is good reason. Being a Puregym personal trainer offers me so many great reasons to stay, but ultimately it comes down to the people. From the other Puregym personal trainers, who are mostly lovely and supportive, to the members. It’s a great place to be my full self and share something I’m truly passionate about.
I was a member at Puregym before I joined the team as a personal trainer. I will continue to train there if ever I go into retirement! Puregym Luton and Dunstable is my home and happy place, no contest!
More Than a Job
Being a personal trainer at Puregym is more than just a job to me. It’s partly a calling – I believe I’m here to help people, however I can – and it’s a passion. My mega weight loss set my life onto an entirely different path and journey. With every pound I lost I gained so much more in return. To be able to give that gift to others means the world to me and I wouldn’t change it for anything!
In addition, my love of fitness, exercise and different training styles never goes away. I’m constantly learning and evolving. Even when my motivation is low, or life gets hard and busy, I know I have a place to go and people who will build me up and bring me joy 😊
