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.

RECOVERY: 3 Do's And 3 Don'ts

ianwoodsc
Apr 16, 2021
4 min read

love to think of recovery like your finances (I even made a video about it). Make too many withdrawals from your fitness bank account and you'll go overdrawn, or even fully broke. Take regular withdrawals alongside sufficient deposits and your balance will look healthy indefinitely. The bigger the withdrawal, the bigger the deposit needed. And if you make some additional deposits you may even set yourself up nicely for a big withdrawal without any negative impact. Simple concept, but very real. So to help you implement this, I've put together "The 3 Do's And 3 Don'ts Of Recovery", which should make sure that you're depositing pounds not pennies, and that you know when YOU'RE in good shape to make a significant withdrawal. DO: Sleep Sleep is the most important thing you can do for your recovery, and if you want to make the most of your training and it's of significant importance in your life, you need to work on your sleep. Now I'm very aware that I'm in a sleep privileged position of having no kids yet, which makes my actual hours of sleep quite predictable. Even if there are obvious reasons why you can't sleep more by going to bed earlier and sleeping/waking at consistent times, there are things you can still do to sleep better.

No phones an hour before bed.
Read for 10 minute before sleeping.
Buy some blackout blinds.
Control your room temperature.
No caffeine within 8 hours of bedtime.

Just as a few examples. If you want more great info about sleep and training, check out Chris Bundell. DO: Eat Enough Food also plays a huge role in your recovery. In the simplest possible way protein provides the building blocks for structural repair, and carbs/fats provide the energy to put them in place. And mainly if you don't eat them in a sufficient quantity, you won't schedule enough work to repair the damage you're intentionally doing to your body when training. Which is why you feel significantly worse when cutting than when you're maintaining/bulking. Fewer calories in than you burn = negative energy balance. Which might be ideal for fat loss, but not for recovery and subsequent performance. DO: Continue To Move There are huge benefits to continual movement and "active recovery". I'm a big believer in motion being the lotion, because one of the main mechanisms for recovery is delivering nutrients to the areas which need to recover, which is done via blood-flow. The best way to promote blood-flow? It certainly ain't sitting on your ass. Walking, slow jogs, slow cycles, mobility work. Massage and soft tissue work can help too, but walking is cheaper and you can do it every day without killing your actual finances. All of these things that get your joints moving, muscles lightly flexing and heart rate up slightly will increase your blood flow without adding additional recovery demands on top. DON'T: Train Again Rather Than Actively Recover Current fitness fashion is to "actively recover" with something like an alternating EMOM of Assault Bike and Burpee Over Bar. This is dumb. That is a workout. Yes it will increase your heart rate, yes it will promote blood flow, but yes it will also require time to recover from. So by the end of your active recovery, you have more recovery to do. It's a quick-fire way to start making too many withdrawals and head into your overdraft in the near future. Sometimes the easiest way to recover better is to do less in the first place... DON'T: Prioritise Minutia As a coach I get asked things like:

What do you think of massage guns?
Whats the best recovery shake?
Are you coming to swim in the sea at 6am tomorrow?

Much more frequently than I get asked things like:

How can I sleep better?
Am I eating enough?
Should I train tomorrow of just go for a walk?

You can drill your quads with a massage gun all day if you want, but it won't help if you train them again tomorrow, and the day after that. You can have 22g protein, 33.4g carbs and 0.7g fat within 43 minutes of your workout, but still be in negative energy balance and not recover properly. You can go swim in the sea at 6am for the cold therapy, but another hour in your warm bed will likely do a whole lot more. It's like putting cherries and icing on a cake that you forgot to put the eggs in.

It might make it look better, but put it to the test and it will still be a crap cake. Build the base FIRST, THEN optimise further. DON'T: Take Zero Action On This Information The only way you will know if I'm telling you the truth or not (I am), is by taking action on these do's and don'ts and experiencing improved recovery yourself. So here's what I would do:

Look at your sleep and pick 1-2 ways you can improve it OR your sleep routine.
Look at your training week and schedule your recovery days.
Look at your nutrition and understand if you've been in a negative energy balance for too long.
Then, and only then, add in additional recovery methods that you feel work best for you. Trial and error works here.

RECOVERY: 3 Do's And 3 Don'ts

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