Your Gym Nightmares – Sorted!

It’s Halloween week, so when Warren Koekemoer, better known as @warrentrains, came in for his monthly visit, we tackled your fitness nightmares.

You sent the questions. Warren, our personal transformation coach here at Cheshire’s MIX56, answered them.

Quick disclaimer: Warren is my own personal trainer. Please don’t hold that against him. He’s very good. I’m just knackered.

“Should I write off the rest of the year?”

Dave in Warrington asked this, and it could have been me. Is it worth starting before Christmas?
Warren didn’t hesitate: start now. Everyone says “wait till January”, but January keeps getting pushed back, and plenty of people turn up with no plan and quit within a fortnight.

The longer you leave it, the more reasons you build not to go. Then January hands you a packed gym, busy machines and no parking. It’s probably the worst month to start.

The good news? He might even let you enjoy your food a bit more over Christmas.

“Brilliant on Monday, gone by Thursday”

Sarah, a busy mum in Knutsford, knows this pattern well. Warren’s first question: do you have a programme? Not one off the internet promising the world, but one built around your week. If Monday’s your busiest day, make it a rest day or an easier session. Fit the plan to your life.

“The gym is always last on my list”

Helen in Northwich looks after her kids and elderly parents, and feels selfish whenever she goes. Warren was kind but clear: we make time for what matters, so the gym needs to move up the list. Essentials first, then training. If it’s always on the back burner, you can’t expect the full result.

Helen also sticks to the treadmill and cross trainer because weights make her nervous. Warren’s tip: start on the plate-loaded or pin-loaded machines, which only move from point A to point B. Dumbbells and barbells can go anywhere, which is what makes them daunting. Build confidence first, then progress.

“Do I need a rest, or am I making excuses?”

James in Congleton trains five days a week. Warren trains four, for the record. Recovery is personal: sleep, stress, protein and how hard you train all count. The aim is to find the most training you can recover from and sit just below it, which takes trial and error. Four or five days is plenty for most.

Takeaways and tracking

Warren’s rule on takeaways is 80% healthy, 20% not. Just know the oils stack up calories you don’t notice.

Confession time: Warren made me write down everything I eat, and it’s made a massive difference.

He gets every client tracking calories. Eat below your maintenance number and you lose weight; eat above it and you gain, however healthy the food. Get the amount right first, then improve the quality, with enough protein, carbs and healthy fats for muscle and energy.

“I’m not cooking separate dinners for everyone”

Rachel in Nantwich wants to eat better without becoming a short-order cook. Warren’s answer is his 30-minute Sunday prep: ten minutes on meat and veg into the air fryer or oven, ten on carbs like sweet potato and rice, ten on snacks. He preps twice a week so nothing sits in the fridge for more than three days. Rachel can cook for the family with her own portions ready, as long as she knows her calories.

“I’m stronger, but I don’t feel different”

Emma in Macclesfield is lifting more but not seeing change. Warren explained that strength doesn’t automatically mean your body is changing. It depends on your phase: dieting, maintenance or building, and building muscle needs a small calorie surplus. Take photos, watch your strength, and be patient.

Who should I actually listen to?

Andy in Crewe is sick of his phone telling him a different way to get fit every day. Warren’s filter: look for qualifications, accreditations and lots of real results, not just someone who looks good and doesn’t tell you what’s behind it.

“I just want to feel better”

Paul in Chester doesn’t want a six-pack. Me neither, Paul. Warren says start small with a goal that matters to you, and the next one will follow. Besides, abs don’t prove fitness. Someone starving themselves for a six-pack isn’t healthier than someone eating well without one.

Why is everyone just sitting there?

Jenny wondered why people at the gym seem to do nothing. Some of it is proper rest: two to three minutes after big compound lifts, a minute and a half to two after isolation exercises. Beyond that, Warren reckons it’s mostly scrolling.

Find Warren

Warren is based in Altrincham and you’ll find him as @warrentrains on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.

He loves your questions; every one is a puzzle to solve. Half muscle-builder, half therapist, as he put it.

He’ll be back next month.