What to expect in your first session

A conversation happens first

Nothing gets booked before you and Jack have talked. It costs nothing and there is no obligation attached to it.

The point is to work out whether this is a sensible fit, in both directions. Jack is trying to establish whether he can help you and whether he is the right person for what you want. If he is not, he will say so — there is a list of who he is not the right trainer for on about Jack, and it is there because that conversation saves everybody time.

Message on WhatsApp, LINE or Facebook, or use the booking form. Whichever you find easiest.

What Jack asks

None of it is a test and there are no wrong answers. Honest answers produce a better programme; impressive answers produce a programme written for somebody else.

• What do you actually want? Not the goal you think you should have. Losing weight, getting stronger, getting off the floor without help, fitting into clothes, keeping up with grandchildren — all valid.
• What have you done before? Ever, and recently. There is a large difference between somebody who lifted for five years and stopped a decade ago and somebody who has never trained at all.
• What does your week look like? Realistically. Two days you will actually keep beats four you will not.
• Where do you live? This decides the format — gym, condo or outdoors — and which areas are practical. See areas we cover.
• What hurts, and when? Current niggles, old injuries, surgeries, anything a doctor or physio has told you.
• Any medical conditions or medication? Jack does not treat or advise on any of it. He needs to know it exists so the session is structured sensibly.
• How long are you here? A two-week visitor and a resident get different plans — see short-term training.

If you have written guidance from a physiotherapist or doctor, bring it. It genuinely improves what can be programmed — more on that in back pain and mobility.

What to wear and bring in this climate

Pattaya changes the packing list slightly compared with training in a temperate country.

• Proper training shoes. Flat and stable is better than a thick soft running sole for anything involving weights. Not flip-flops, and not the sandals you walked here in.
• Light, loose clothing. Synthetic or technical fabric over cotton. A cotton shirt becomes a wet towel within ten minutes and stops helping.
• A second shirt. Sounds excessive; is not. Changing halfway through a humid session makes a real difference.
• More water than you think. At least a litre for a session, and start already hydrated rather than catching up.
• A towel. Two if you sweat heavily. Most gyms expect one on the bench.
• Any medication you might need — an inhaler, for instance.
• Nothing else. No belt, no gloves, no supplements, no gadget. If any of it becomes useful later Jack will tell you.

For an outdoor session add a cap and sunscreen, and expect the start time to be early or after sunset for good reason — see training in Pattaya heat.

The health questionnaire and the movement screen

The first session is mostly information gathering. That is deliberate, and it is why the programme comes afterwards rather than before.

The health questionnaire is a written version of the conversation: medical history, medication, injuries, surgeries, anything that has been assessed by a clinician. Answer it properly. A coach who does not know about the shoulder will programme for a shoulder you do not have.

The movement screen is Jack watching you do simple things and paying close attention.

• A squat pattern — how deep, how it looks, what limits it
• A hinge — whether you can bend at the hip without your back doing the work
• Pushing and pulling — shoulder range and control
• A carry — whether your trunk holds position under load
• Single-leg balance and getting up from the floor, particularly for over-50 clients
• Some breathing and basic joint range

He is answering three questions: what can be loaded now, what needs a regression or a different exercise, and whether anything needs somebody more qualified than a trainer. Jack does not diagnose, treat or rehabilitate anything — if the screen turns up something that needs a clinician, he will say so and point you towards getting it assessed.

You will train in the first session as well. It is not an hour of standing around.

Why there is no maximal testing on day one

Some trainers open with a fitness test: find your one-rep max, run until you cannot, hit failure on everything, leave you unable to walk down stairs for four days.

Jack does not, for three reasons.

It produces bad data. A maximal effort from somebody who has not warmed into a movement, in an unfamiliar gym, in a climate they may not be used to, tells you about their nerves and their acclimatisation rather than their strength.

It is how people get hurt. Maximal load with unrefined technique is the highest-risk thing in a gym. Doing it in session one, before anybody has seen how you move, is indefensible.

It puts people off. Being crushed on day one and unable to move for most of a week is a well-established way to make somebody never come back. It signals effort on the trainer’s part and produces nothing.

The first session should leave you thinking that was useful and I could do that again on Thursday. Progressive overload does the rest, and there is more on how that works on strength training in Pattaya.

Gym entry, and who arranges it

If your session is at a gym, you do not need a membership.

Jack is not tied to one facility, so he suggests somewhere practical for your area and the kind of session you want. Most clients pay a day-pass entry on the door. That entry fee is separate from coaching, and it belongs to the gym rather than to Jack.

What he sorts out: which gym suits your area and goals, whether that gym permits an outside trainer, and whether it will be crowded at your preferred time. Not every facility allows external coaches, and filtering that out before your first session is part of the job.

What you do: turn up at the agreed place and time, and pay your entry at the desk. Bring a small amount of cash for it — not every gym takes cards.

The full detail is on gym personal training. If you are in a hotel, hotel gym training covers the different set of questions that applies there.

If your session is at your condo instead

Different logistics, same session.

Jack comes to you with portable equipment and works with whatever the building already has. Before the first session he will ask what your building offers — a gym room, what is in it, whether there is space in your unit, and whether the building allows an outside trainer in as your guest. That last one is worth checking with your juristic office or reception in advance, because policies differ between buildings.

Practical notes: clear a few square metres, have the air conditioning on before he arrives, and let reception know you are expecting a visitor if your building signs guests in. If your condo gym is unusable or occupied, the session can move outdoors or to a gym — see condo training and outdoor training.

Paying

Ask when you enquire. Payment methods and whether sessions are settled in advance or afterwards are best confirmed directly rather than read off a web page, and this site does not publish details it cannot keep current.

What can be said: pricing depends on session length, location and package, so there is no single number to quote. There are no lock-in contracts, and you are not signing up for a block in order to have a first session. The factors that move the price are set out on the prices page, and a specific quote takes one message.

Gym day-pass entry, where it applies, is separate and paid to the gym.

How long before you feel something

Honest timeline, assuming you turn up consistently.

• Session one to three. Some muscle soreness, usually two days later, and usually less than you feared. It reduces quickly as your body gets used to being trained.
• Week two to three. The movements start to feel like yours. Coordination improves before anything else does, so the weights go up faster than your body changes.
• Week four to six. Noticeably stronger on the main lifts. Everyday things get easier — stairs, shopping, standing up out of a low chair. Sleep often improves.
• Week eight to twelve. Visible change, if that is the goal and eating supports it. Clothes fit differently before the scale does much.
• Month six and beyond. This is where the interesting part is, and it is why the programme keeps getting adjusted rather than repeated.

If you are unacclimatised to the heat, add a week to the front of that. Everything feels harder until your body adjusts, which generally takes around ten to fourteen days.

If you decide it is not for you

Then it is not for you, and that is a perfectly acceptable outcome.

There is no lock-in contract, so there is nothing to extract yourself from. Say so — a message is enough, and an explanation is welcome but not required. Nobody is going to pursue you about it.

If the issue is the format rather than the coaching, say that instead, because it is usually fixable. People switch from a gym to their condo, from mornings to evenings, from three sessions a week to two, or from in-person to online coaching. Any of those is easier than quitting.

And if you would rather read more before committing to anything at all, the guides are all free and none of them require an email address.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to be fit before my first session?

No. That is precisely backwards. The first session is a movement screen and a light introduction, and Jack expects you to know nothing. Turning up unfit is the normal starting point.

Will the first session leave me unable to move?

It should not. There is no maximal testing on day one, and a session that wrecks you for four days is a badly designed session. Expect some soreness two days later and expect to be able to train again that week.

What should I bring?

Training shoes, light technical clothing, a spare shirt, a towel, at least a litre of water, and any medication you might need. Nothing else. See what to bring.

Do I need a gym membership?

No. Most clients pay a day-pass entry at whichever gym suits them, and that is separate from coaching. Bring some cash for the desk. Condo and outdoor sessions need nothing.

How do I pay for sessions?

Ask when you enquire. Payment methods are confirmed directly rather than published here. Pricing depends on length, location and package — see the prices page.

What if I stop after one session?

Then you stop. There is no contract and nothing to cancel. If the problem is the format rather than the coaching, say so — changing the location, the time or the frequency usually solves it.