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.

Strength Training Over 35: Why I Use More Machines for Lower Body Training

ianwoodsc
1 day ago
3 min read

Strength training over 35 looks different than it did in your twenties, not because you can’t train hard anymore, but because the margin for error gets smaller.

I still squat, deadlift, and lunge. I still programme those movements for clients every week. But in my own training, I’ve deliberately increased my use of machines for lower body training, and it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made for long-term progress.

This isn’t about avoiding hard work. It’s about training intelligently so you can keep getting stronger without accumulating unnecessary joint stress.

Why Strength Training Over 35 Requires a Smarter Approach

Most people don’t run into problems with strength training over 35 because they lack discipline. T hey run into problems because they keep training exactly the same way, despite changes in recovery, stress tolerance, and training history.

Years of sport, lifting, and life add up. That doesn’t mean your body is fragile, it means it’s experienced.

Lower body training, in particular, tends to expose this. Heavy barbell work performed week after week can slowly increase fatigue, joint irritation, and recovery demands, even when technique is solid.

The solution isn’t to stop training hard. It’s to use better tools.

Using Machines for Strength Training Without Losing Results

One of the biggest misconceptions in fitness is that using machines means you’re compromising results. That they're either only for beginners, or physique obsessed bodybuilders. That they're not "functional".

In reality, machines often improve the stimulus-to-fatigue ratio, especially in lower body training over 35. High-quality machines allow you to load muscles heavily while controlling range of motion and reducing unnecessary joint stress.

Hack squats, pendulum squats, leg presses, and seated hamstring curls let me push intensity without the same systemic fatigue that often comes with barbell-only training.

That’s not training “soft.” That’s training sustainably.

Machine vs Free Weights: A False Debate

The machine vs free weights debate misses an important point: both are tools, not ideologies.

If you look at specificity honestly, barbell squats, hack squats, pendulum squats, and leg presses all sit extremely close together on the strength spectrum. Actual sports performance, sprinting, cutting, jumping, sits far away at the other end.

All strength training is general by nature. Its role is to build muscle, increase force production, and improve tissue tolerance.

Machines do that exceptionally well.

Joint-Friendly Leg Exercises That Still Build Strength

One of the main reasons I’ve shifted toward more machine-based movements is joint health.

If your current “functional” training leaves you with lingering soreness, hip irritation, or knee pain, it’s worth questioning whether it’s actually helping you stay functional.

Joint-friendly leg exercises like seated hamstring curls or supported squat patterns allow you to train muscles through long ranges without constantly negotiating joint discomfort. For many lifters over 35, this makes the difference between consistent progress and constant frustration.

Importantly, this isn’t about eliminating free weights, it’s about balancing them intelligently and understand which ones work for you, and accepting the ones that don't.

Some Machines Are Simply Irreplaceable

There are certain movements where machines outperform free-weight alternatives entirely.

Seated hamstring curls load the hamstrings in a lengthened position that free weights cannot replicate effectively. Lat pulldowns provide a better strength-building progression than pull-ups for newer trainees or anyone managing fatigue.

Ignoring these tools in the name of purity doesn’t make training more effective. It just makes it harder than it needs to be.

Training for Longevity Means Asking Better Questions

The biggest shift in my own strength training over 35 hasn’t been exercise selection, it’s mindset.

Instead of asking:“How much can I tolerate?”

I now ask:“What allows me to train hard, recover well, and repeat this for years?”

Machines help answer that question. They reduce joint stress, simplify loading, and allow consistent progression without constantly pushing the body to its limits.

Final Thoughts on Strength Training Over 35

Strength training over 35 isn’t about doing less, it’s about doing what works for the long term.

Free weights still have a place. Machines deserve one too. When used intelligently, they help you build muscle, maintain strength, and stay resilient without unnecessary wear and tear.

Train hard. Use good tools. And focus on progress you can sustain for decades, not just weeks. Click here to learn more about how I can help keep you lifting heavy for longer with expert programming and coaching.