If you’re considering online coaching, you might be wondering what you’d actually be paying for.
Will you be sent one programme and then be left to get on with it?
Will your workouts change as you get stronger?
What happens if you’re travelling, exhausted, injured or suddenly have no time?
And how will you know what weights to use, how hard to work or whether you’re doing the exercises right?
These are sensible questions, especially if you’ve already tried online coaching before, because we all do it differently. This job didn’t exist 10 years ago, and it’s evolved a lot.
So let me explain exactly what my 1:1 online coaching for women in perimenopause looks like, and how it differs from buying a generic programme.
First, we have a conversation before you sign up
I speak to every potential client on a coaching call before they join.
This isn’t a high pressure sales call. I want to find out what you’re looking for, what you’ve tried before, what support you need and whether we’re actually on the same wavelength.
We’ll talk about your experience, your goals, your lifestyle and any concerns you have about training during perimenopause.
I’ll also tell you honestly whether I think my coaching is the right fit for you. Sometimes another option might suit you better, and I’m not interested in signing up someone who doesn’t feel comfortable working with me.
You should feel able to ask questions and get a clear idea of what you’re committing to before you make a decision.
What happens in your first week?
If you decide to join, you’ll complete a full health and lifestyle questionnaire.
This helps me understand:
•What your typical week looks like
•Your goals and priorities
•Your current exercise experience
•Any health conditions, injuries or previous issues
•Your energy, sleep and perimenopause symptoms
•What equipment you have available
•Whether you’ll train at home, in a gym or a mixture of both
•How much time you can realistically give to your sessions
I use all of that information to create the first version of your programme.
You’ll receive it within 48 hours if you’re ready to get started. You’ll also get a full walkthrough of the app, so you’ll know exactly where to find your workouts, how to log your results and what to do in your first session.
The aim of week one isn’t to overwhelm you with a complete lifestyle makeover. It’s to get you moving with a clear, realistic plan and start learning what your body needs.
This isn’t a programme that sits unchanged for months
Every client gets a full programme review and update every four to six weeks.
But that doesn’t mean I only look at your training once a month.
I personally review every workout you complete each week. I look at:
•Which exercises you’ve done
•How many repetitions you completed
•What weights you used
•How many sets you managed
•Your technique and form feedback
•Your effort score out of 10
•Any pain, symptoms or difficulties you’ve reported
For building muscle and supporting bone density, we’ll often work towards an effort level of around 8 out of 10. That doesn’t mean every workout has to leave you exhausted. It means the work is challenging enough to give your body a reason to adapt.
Based on your feedback, I’ll often increase the weight, repetitions, sets, exercise difficulty or overall training volume for the following week.
So your programme progresses throughout the four-to-six-week block, rather than waiting until the end for something to change.
How does progressive overload work in online coaching?
Progressive overload simply means gradually asking your body to do a little more over time.
That might mean:
•Lifting a heavier weight
•Doing more repetitions
•Adding a set
•Using a harder version of an exercise
•Increasing your range of motion
•Improving your control and technique
•Managing more total training volume
You won’t necessarily increase everything every week, and you won’t be pushed to progress if your technique is breaking down or your body isn’t ready.
You’ll log your weights, repetitions and effort in the app. I use that information to decide what the next appropriate challenge is.
You can also send me videos of your technique. If I can see that your form is breaking down, I’ll help you improve it rather than simply telling you to lift heavier.
That’s the difference between being given a programme and being coached through one – it’s all genuinely tailored at every single level.
What if your energy changes from week to week?
Perimenopause doesn’t always make it easy to predict how you’re going to feel.
You might have a week of poor sleep, fatigue, stress or painful joints. You might be travelling for work, looking after family, dealing with a busy period at work or simply have less time than expected.
Because we speak every week, I know what’s going on and can adapt your training accordingly.
That might mean:
•Changing a workout to bodyweight only
•Replacing an exercise that isn’t feeling right
•Reducing the weight or number of sets
•Shortening a 30 minute session
•Switching to a lighter mobility session while you recover
•Reducing the training demand during a period of poor sleep or fatigue
•Creating a travel-friendly version for a hotel gym or small space
You’ll still have direction, but you won’t be forced to follow a rigid plan that doesn’t match your life.
If you’re struggling to complete the number of sessions scheduled, we’ll set some non-negotiables. That might be two full body sessions as your main goal, with a third or fourth session treated as a bonus.
There’s no need to feel guilty because you didn’t train four times during a week when you were travelling, ill or dealing with a family emergency.
Strength training should support your life and give you headspace. It shouldn’t become another thing that drains you.
How do you communicate with your coach?
You can contact me in the way that works best for you.
That might be through:
•App feedback after a workout
•Written messages
•Voice notes
•Video calls
•Form videos
•A monthly coaching call
I reply to all contact within 24 hours.
I also take your communication preferences seriously. If you hate voice notes, you won’t suddenly start receiving long voice notes from me. If you prefer writing things down, we can communicate that way.
You can ask me questions about your training, nutrition or the lifestyle habits we’re working on. You’re never left staring at an unexplained exercise in an app, wondering whether you’re doing it right.
Every exercise includes:
•A demonstration video
•Subtitles, so you can watch without sound
•Written technique points
•A verbal explanation of the main things to focus on
You can learn by watching, reading or listening. The important thing is that you know what to do and why you’re doing it.
What support do you get with nutrition and lifestyle?
The important word in 1:1 online coaching is coaching.
I’m there to support you, not just upload workouts and disappear.
If you want to share a food diary or track your macros, I can give you guidance and feedback. But I don’t give you a rigid meal plan, tell you exactly what to eat or expect you never to enjoy a meal out.
I’m much more interested in helping you find an approach that fits your real life.
We might look at:
•How you’re recovering between sessions
•Your sleep and energy
•Your stress levels
•Your nutrition habits
•Your confidence
•How consistently you’re managing to train
•Whether your current routine feels sustainable
If fat loss is one of your goals, nutrition will be part of the conversation. But weight loss isn’t the only measure of success, and it isn’t always the most useful one.
You might also be getting stronger, sleeping better, feeling less stressed, having more energy or simply feeling more like yourself again.
A client example: when a static programme wasn’t enough
Let’s call this client Jane.
Before she came to me, she’d worked with an online coach who gave her a programme and left her doing the same thing three months later.
She had no clear guidance about what weights to use or when to increase them. She was worried about injuring herself and had a demanding job that involved frequent travel, but nobody had adapted the programme around that reality.
When she joined me, we set two non-negotiable full body sessions that she could do first thing in the morning in her spare room at home.
She also had an optional third session in a gym. If she was travelling and had access to a hotel gym, she knew what she could do. But if she was at a conference, out for client dinners or preparing presentations, she didn’t need to feel guilty about missing it.
The two home sessions were enough to keep her moving forward.
She knew what to do when she opened the app. She knew why she was doing it. She knew how hard to work, and she knew she could message me if her routine changed or she needed help.
The result was more consistency and more confidence, not because she suddenly found loads of spare time, but because the programme finally fitted the time she actually had.
How will you know it’s working?
We’ll look at the measures that matter to you.
That could include body composition, measurements or photos if you want to track them. But there are so many other useful progress markers, including:
•Lifting heavier weights
•Doing more repetitions or sets
•Using a harder version of an exercise
•Improving your technique
•Managing more training volume
•Recovering more easily between sessions
•Feeling more energetic
•Becoming more consistent
•Feeling more confident in a gym
•Sleeping better
•Feeling less stressed
•Finding everyday movements easier
You might notice that getting out of the car, standing up from the sofa, carrying shopping or playing with your kids feels easier.
We’ll decide together what progress means for you and review it over time.
How is 1:1 coaching different from Strength Essentials?
I also offer a programme-only option called Strength Essentials.
Strength Essentials is still progressive. It changes every month and is designed to help women in midlife build muscle and support bone density.
The difference is that it isn’t personalised to you.
With Strength Essentials, you’re responsible for adapting the programme around your equipment, preferences, energy and schedule. It doesn’t include individual nutrition guidance, weekly personal feedback or exercise changes based on your specific circumstances.
That can be a great option if you already exercise, don’t need accountability and feel confident monitoring and progressing your own training.
But if you want someone to make those decisions with you, check your workouts, adapt the plan and help you stay consistent, then 1:1 coaching is the better fit.
Neither option is a generic PDF that you download and never use. Both include progression. The difference is the level of personal support around that progression.
Who is 1:1 online coaching best suited to?
It’s particularly useful if you:
•Are completely new to strength training
•Have tried online programmes before and felt left alone
•Aren’t sure how heavy your weights should be
•Want help with progressive overload
•Have previous injuries or concerns about your joints
•Need accountability to keep showing up
•Have a busy or unpredictable schedule
•Want your training adapted around perimenopause symptoms
•Don’t want to work out the plan and progression yourself
•Want support with nutrition and lifestyle habits as well as exercise
You don’t have to be fit or experienced before you join. You do need to be able to complete workouts independently, because I can’t physically be there beside you for every session.
My job is to remove the guesswork, make the programme realistic and give you enough guidance and confidence to show up.
What if you’re worried you’ll sign up and then not do it?
A lot of women worry about this, especially if they’ve bought programmes in the past that ended up gathering dust.
I can’t force you to complete your workouts. But I can make sure you know exactly what to do, that it fits the time and space you have, and that you have support when something gets in the way.
If you can show up and try the first ten minutes of a session, nine times out of ten you’ll find it easier to carry on. Over time, those sessions become a habit.
And if you don’t manage to complete your workouts, you’ll hear from me. Not because I’m going to tell you off, but because it’s my job to help you work out what got in the way and what needs to change.
Online coaching shouldn’t mean signing up and then never hearing from your coach (because to put it frankly, that’s not coaching).
Is online coaching right for you?
The best way to find out is to have a conversation.
You can book a free coaching call with me. It’s a friendly, no-obligation chat to find out what you’re looking for, answer your questions and see whether we’re a good fit.
There’s no pressure to sign up, and my coaching won’t be the right option for everyone.
But if you’re looking for a progressive strength training programme that adapts around your life, regular personal feedback and a coach who is genuinely in your corner, this is what 1:1 online coaching is designed to give you.
You don’t need to find more time, become perfectly motivated or work everything out on your own.
You just need to be willing to show up and try.