One of our personal trainers (PTs) at Get active @ Beacon, Matt Gibson, was nominated for the Health & Fitness Business of the Year award as part of the 2024 Scotland’s Business Awards, coming in 4th out of over 500 independent PT’s and commercial gyms.

Matt, who has been a PT at Get active @ Beacon for three years, wasn’t aware of the nomination until it came through the post: “It was a lovely surprise to get. It was a bit of a ‘is this real moment.’ The awards are all voted for by the public so a few people at some point have put my name forward.

“I have yet to find out who it was but it’s an incredibly nice thing to have people putting my name forward for these kinds of things. I have subtly been trying to find out who it was but nobody has come forward yet!

“Regardless of who it was, I don’t do personal training for awards or anything like that, but it is nice to know people are taking the time out of their day to nominate me.”

Matt was delighted and the recognition was made even more special with the nomination coming anonymously from his own clients: “It is nice to get the appreciation for my work. I get positive feedback in person from clients a lot which is always amazing. They are really good at telling me what works and what doesn’t.”

“Adapting and changing is important, it really helps me to get better at what I do. Some clients respond differently to different things. Some prefer a quiet approach whereas some prefer me being firmer. Getting that constant feedback is amazing.

“Being put forward for an award on this level was special. Seeing it on a bigger scale is a great feeling and one many people might not get in this business. It was definitely made even more special because it was so unexpected.”

The awards evening was held at Ardoe House Hotel in Aberdeen on Sunday 24 March: “A lot of companies that were nominated did a mystery shopper style assessment to see how everyone runs their business ahead of the event.

“It was a great night with fitness businesses and restaurants amongst others shortlisted for various different categories. It was a busy event but a brilliant night and great to see so many businesses, old and new, celebrating their successes – it was really interesting.”

Speaking about his work with his clients, Matt believes a friendly relationship helps create a better environment: “Purely from client feedback, I tend to take an understanding approach, as I know many clients come in for different reasons and for different outcomes. Many need to take their own pace.

“I try to build a friendship with them. I find it makes the sessions more open and flow better. I actively try to avoid the “client vs trainer” format. I try to chat as if we’re mates in the gym rather than me telling them what to do and they listen.”

“I think it’s important to not only get a good relationship whilst in the gym but also outside it as well.

“When my clients do go out on their own and do their own thing in fitness, they can come to me afterwards and tell me about their journey. It helps to establish a long term relationship from the get-go, rather than only for a set period of time.

“Without sounding big headed, I feel I am a good personal trainer. I am still relatively new to this as three years isn’t a long time in this game, but I have done well to learn from what has and hasn’t gone well.

“I also think I have managed to get a lot of my clients to where they want to be in terms of health, fitness and wellbeing. I have a widespread client base with all different types of people which has kept me on my toes and means I constantly need to keep learning.”

Matt believes that taking the first step is huge for anyone looking to book a PT for the first time: “I always believe the first step is the scariest part. Especially when it comes to opening up to someone new, it’s a huge leap towards where you want to be. It’s all about making that jump, making the change and being pointed in the right direction.”

If you would like to book a PT or find out more about what’s involved, click HERE.