Who is the best personal trainer in Poole?

Ian Wood is a highly experienced personal trainer in Poole, specialising in strength training, fat loss after 35, and practical, real-world coaching for busy people.

How can I lose fat after 35?

Losing fat after 35 is about moving consistently, doing strength training to preserve muscle, eating sufficient protein, managing stress and sleep, and following a simple, sustainable nutrition plan.

Do I need to train 6 days a week to see results?

No. Most people see better results with 3–4 focused strength sessions per week, combined with proper recovery and simple, consistent nutrition.

Can I still drink alcohol or eat out and lose fat?

Yes. Occasional alcohol or restaurant meals are manageable if the rest of your nutrition is consistent. Planning matters more than perfection.

What are the best exercises for fat loss after 35?

Compound movements like squats, deadlifts, push-ups, rows, and presses are highly effective. Adding some high-intensity intervals or circuit training can also boost calorie burn while preserving muscle.

How should I fit training around a busy schedule?

Short, structured workouts 3–4 times a week are often best. Focus on compound lifts and full-body sessions. Even 30–45 minutes per session can yield results if consistent.

How much protein should someone over 35 eat?

Aiming for 1.5–2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day helps maintain muscle, improve recovery, and support fat loss. Spread it across meals for best results.

What are the benefits of online coaching?

Online coaching allows flexible, structured programs, tailored guidance, and accountability without needing to travel to a gym. It’s ideal for busy people or those who prefer home or remote training.

Why should I hire a personal trainer in Poole?

A personal trainer can design a personalised plan, ensure exercises are done safely and effectively, provide accountability, and help you achieve strength, fat loss, and fitness goals efficiently.

Can I lose fat without dieting strictly?

Yes. Sustainable fat loss is built on habit consistency, balanced nutrition, and portion control — not extreme restriction. You can enjoy your favorite foods in moderation.

How do I stay consistent when life gets busy?

Focus on building repeatable, simple habits. Plan meals and workouts in advance, track progress, and allow flexibility for life events — consistency over perfection.

What results can I expect from online nutrition coaching?

Clients typically lose 3–6kg in 6–12 weeks, build better habits, feel more in control of their nutrition, and maintain results long-term without obsessive tracking.

Should I do cardio or strength training for fat loss?

Strength training should be your foundation — it preserves muscle and improves long-term metabolism. Cardio can supplement calorie burn but is less important than consistent resistance training.

How can I track progress without obsessing over the scale?

Use weekly averages, photos, measurements, and performance metrics instead of daily scale checks. This reduces stress and provides a clearer picture of progress.

Is fat loss slower after 35?

Not necessarily. Fat loss may feel slower due to lifestyle factors like reduced activity and recovery demands, but the same principles of nutrition and strength training apply.

Online vs in-person coaching — which is better?

Both can be effective. In-person coaching is ideal for hands-on guidance and motivation. Online coaching is flexible and perfect for busy lifestyles. Many clients combine both approaches.

Can I gain strength and lose fat at the same time?

Yes, especially for people over 35 who are new to structured strength training. Prioritising protein, compound lifts, and a moderate calorie deficit makes it possible to build muscle while losing fat.

How does sleep and stress affect fat loss?

Poor sleep and high stress increase hunger hormones, reduce energy, impair recovery, and make it harder to stick to nutrition plans. Managing these is often more impactful than supplements.

Charlotte's Incredible Fat Loss Transformation 🚀✨

ianwoodsc
Jun 19, 2024
4 min read

Charlotte embodied everything that it is to be an everyday athlete on her way to achieving this incredible fat loss transformation in time for her wedding this week in Crete. Not only did she lose a jaw-dropping 13.7kg and 15.5cm from her waist, but she also hit numerous PB's in the gym on her back-squat, power clean and hitting her first unassisted strict pull-ups.

But what is most impressive to me, and most important to you reading this, is her approach to her transformation. Everyone looking to unleash their inner athlete can learn something from how Charlotte achieved this incredible fat loss transformation.

Extend Your Fat Loss Timescale The goal from the get go was to get in the best shape of her life in time for her wedding in Crete this week (June 2024). We initially started working together in January 2023 (read that again). Charlotte bucked the trend of fast fat loss transformations, got to work 16 months ahead of time, and has seriously reaped the rewards.

By starting early, taking pressure off herself, and hiring a coach, she allowed herself to make excellent decisions. Decisions which will not only serve her in her immediate short term fat loss goal, but decisions that will continue to serve her in her longer term goal (i.e. still being in incredible shape 16 months later). I'm firmly of the belief that everyone will benefit from extending their timescale. Want to lose 5kg in 8 weeks? Great, STRONG IN 60 will help you achieve that. But what if you did it in 16 weeks? Is that such a deal breaker? Would doubling that timeframe be a negative thing, or would it take pressure off yourself, help you make better long term decisions, and make you commit to actions you can sustain for a longer period that just 8 weeks? Extending your fat loss timescale in my opinion will massively increase your chances of long-term success.

Tweak Your Fat Loss Goal

Charlotte and I worked together in two separate blocks over 16 months. We did 16 weeks between January and April 2023, and 16 weeks between January and April 2024, resulting in her incredible fat loss transformation.

One thing that set Charlotte's apart from most fat-loss clients was her goal setting.

Sure, she wanted to lose body fat and get in the best shape of her life for her wedding.

But she wanted to lose that body fat for good. Never to return. She wanted to be Forever Athletic.

This was part of her unique long term approach to her diet and lifestyle. After her first 16 week block she had lost over 10kg and 10cm from her waist, but she was still over a year away from her big day.

She did this because she wanted to learn how to maintain her fat loss, with there being no bigger motivation to learn how to do this than her wedding day.

Between June 2023 when we finished our initial block of working together, and January 2024 when we started up again, she maintained all of her progress!

She had lost an additional cm from her waist, and gained only 0.5kg in weight over the 7 months we weren't working together.

If that isn't the definition of sustainable fat loss progress, I don't know what is. We then lost an additional 3.5kg and 3cm in our second 16 week coaching block, bringing her perfectly into her final dress fitting. Tweaking that goal from 13.7kg of fat loss to 13.7kg of sustained fat loss was huge. It's a massive shift from fat loss at any cost, to fat loss within an enjoyable lifestyle. It changed countless decisions, tactics and thought process, all of them for the better. So when setting your goal, tweak it to what really matters to you, which is probably something to do with being in shape for the rest of your life.

Fat Loss Diet vs Fat Loss Lifestyle

The final thing I want to share that I think Charlotte did so well, was balance her goal and her progress alongside an increasingly hectic lifestyle.

Wedding planning itself gets more and more manic the closer you get to the big day (and I imagine that is amplified when getting married overseas).

But during our second coaching stint Charlotte was juggling a new job with increased pressure and travel.

She was teaching her passion of dance at the weekends in addition to her day job.

She was fitting her CrossFit training in at 6:30am every day as it's the only time that's guaranteed to be protected, and making time to prepare homemade meals and stick to her plan.

She overcame her biggest challenge of snacking, learning how to be proactive to allow her to eat the snacks she had always struggled with, but in a way that allowed her to enjoy them without any guilt or negative impact on her progress. And she kept an open dialogue. Asking for help, creating plan to negotiate new challenges like travelling and staying away for week we meals being provided an out of her control. And she SMASHED IT every step of the way. Not because she was always perfect, but because she was always adapting, learning, and open to implementing new skills and routines.

This wasn't a diet. This was a lifestyle change. I'd encourage you to see it the same way. She was the definition of an everyday athlete successfully balancing her increasingly demanding lifestyle with her training and nutrition.

And I could not be happier for her.

She's achieved something hugely impressive, and helped me redefine what is possible for an everyday athlete when it comes to long term fat loss progress. Ian.

If you want to work 1-1 with me on your nutrition like Charlotte did, drop me a WhatsApp message here saying "Fat Loss", and I'll get back to you ASAP.

Charlotte's Incredible Fat Loss Transformation 🚀✨

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