Home » People: Local Glasgow West End Characters » Paul Rutherford, Personal Trainer/Lifestyle Coach – feature by Theresa Talbot

Paul Rutherford, Personal Trainer/Lifestyle Coach – feature by Theresa Talbot

I have to admit I’ve always been slightly scared of personal trainers; Convinced they’d make me do things I didn’t want to do and yell at me if I didn’t reach peak fitness in less time than it takes to throw off my high heels. But my opinion changed dramatically when I met Paul Rutherford.

Paul runs ‘BusyFit’ in the city’s west end. A small gym where clients can have one to one sessions in private, tailored to suit their individual needs.   I started by asking him why people need a personal trainer.

‘I’m not keen on the term personal trainer’ he replied. I’d rather think of myself as a life-style coach. Getting fit isn’t just about doing some token exercise three times a week to fit into the Christmas Party dress; it’s about making small changes to daily habits that over time have a long term impact. ‘

I was surprised to learn that fitness hasn’t always figured in Paul’s life. ‘I was the original wimpy kid at school who was always last to be picked for games. No one, and I mean no one wanted me on their team. Even if I was the extra man, the other guys thought I’d be more of a liability than any help.’

As I say this came as a surprise as Paul is now a world class powerlifter with a string of titles under his belt.  A far cry from the skinny kid at school. ‘I was told I’d never make it as a powerlifter, now anyone who knows me will realise that this is a red rag. It was just the incentive I needed to prove them wrong. It took hard work and dedication, it didn’t happen overnight, but eventually I won my first title and never looked back. ‘

Paul’s clients are a mixed bunch, he doesn’t rely on word of mouth as many of the people who come to him don’t like to admit they go to a personal trainer. ‘a lot of my clients are very private about this.  For one reason or another they don’t feel confident going to a main stream gym and exercising.  This way they can take it at their own pace and only do what they feel comfortable with. I encourage people to step outside of their comfort zone, but I’d never push them into doing something they didn’t enjoy.’

Clients often ask Paul for diets sheets to go along with the exercise, the first thing he does is to advise them to drink 2 litres of water a day.  ‘After 2 weeks I ask them how they got on.  That’s when I know who is and who isn’t ready for a change in diet. If they can’t factor in such a small thing as an increase in their water intake then they’re unlikely to be able to have a drastic change in their eating habits. I’m in this for the long haul, and I make sure my clients know they can rely on me every step of the way. The quick fix won’t work. It may work in the short term but very quickly old habits sneak back in and the weight will pile back on. And it’s the same with exercise. It should be manageable and something which can be factored into a busy lifestyle. There’s no point in making false promises saying you’ll be at the gym every single day, and you’ll stick to 1000 calories a day.  That’s almost guaranteed to fail.’

Paul has an initial consultation with clients to find out about their lifestyle, what they want to achieve and why they want to make the change in the first place. ’Not every guy wants huge muscles, not every woman wants to be a size 6, and that’s great. I help people be the best version of themselves possible. ‘

I asked Paul what the best part of his job is, he didn’t hesitate, ‘helping people.’

Theresa Talbot

Contact Paul at BusyFit:

Personal Trainer Glasgow
29 Old Dumbarton Road Glasgow  G3 8RD

Mobile:077 169 12968

 Theresa Talbot (debut novel Penance)

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