Five of the UK’s best personal trainers

With more than 20,000 personal trainers across the UK, standing out—or finding the right coach for your own goals—can feel overwhelming. Whether you’re just beginning your career as a PT or looking to partner with a professional to elevate your health and fitness, it helps to understand what truly sets a successful trainer apart.

A recognised personal training course and qualification may be the starting point, but it’s only the foundation. So where do the best go from there? To find out, we spoke with five of the UK’s most respected personal trainers—each of whom has carved out a distinctive presence and stands out from the crowd. In no particular order, here’s what they had to say about what it really takes to rise above the rest.

Luke Worthington

Over the last 25 years, Luke Worthington has become one of the most sought-after personal trainers in the world and is one of the leading specialists in physical preparation for actors and performers. With over two decades of experience, he works closely with major film and television studios, including Marvel, Netflix, Amazon MGM studios, and Lucasfilm. He provides role-specific aesthetics and strength and conditioning training, and has been trusted to prepare some of the most recognisable physiques on the big screen.

Alongside his work in film, Luke holds advanced qualifications in sports science, biomechanics, nutrition, and sports therapy. He spent five years consulting with Nike on the technical aspects of training, wrote and delivered the Nike Personal Training certification and provided personal training support to athletes and entertainment talent. His experience with the British Action Academy has also given him valuable insight into action and stunt preparation, allowing him to bridge the gap between performance, safety and the physical demands of storytelling.

We asked Luke what he believes success as a personal trainer is built on, and he said:

“Success in this industry comes from mastering the fundamentals and applying them with good judgement. It’s built through years of coaching real people, understanding individual mechanics and delivering results safely and consistently. Trends come and go, but what endures is the ability to create meaningful change without compromising a client’s long-term health or availability. Longevity as a trainer comes from the standards you hold every day, not the moments that get attention.

“Fads benefit brands. Fundamentals benefit clients.”

Louise Parker

Louise Parker is a multi-award-winning exercise professional and author. She founded her company, The Parker Practice—formerly known as Louise Parker Personal Training—in 2007. Since then, she has gone on to transform the lives of thousands of clients across 47 different countries. She leads a strong team of registered dietitians and personal trainers from her two London clinics. Her books, which include Lean for Life and Lean for Life the Cookbook, are both Sunday Times bestsellers.

When we asked Louise what it takes to become the best, here’s what she had to say:

“From the outset when I started as PT, to now where I am running my company, I’ve always kept a laser-like focus on two things. Firstly, I’ve always sought to deeply understand my client’s needs and how I can help them. For example, your shared goal with a client needs to go beyond ‘weight loss’ and explore why they want this and how they’ll feel once they get there. It needs to be a technicolour vision.

“Secondly, you need to obsess about your values and service standards with everything you do. You can be the best trainer technically, but without these, your true value to a client is zero.”

Matt Roberts

Matt Roberts is a veteran of the fitness industry with almost 30 years of hands-on experience as a personal trainer. His business, Matt Roberts Personal Training, has delivered more than a million hours of sessions in this time, and his facilities occupy some of London’s most expensive postcodes, including Mayfair, Fleet Street, Kensington and Chelsea. He has published 13 books in 24 different countries and has his own line of branded fitness equipment.

Matt’s client database reads more like a guest list at a swanky party hosted by the Beckhams than a PT’s diary. He’s reported to have worked with an unnamed royal, Tom Ford, David Cameron, Michael McIntyre, Amanda Holden, Mel C, Naomi Campbell, Natalie Imbruglia and countless others we don’t know about.

When describing what it takes to become one of the UK’s most successful personal trainers, here’s what Matt had to say:

“In a word…hard work! Personal training is a results business, and we’re here to ensure that our clients get what they want for their hard-earned money. The brand extension stuff is fantastic (books, products, celebrities etc), but the mainstay of the business is about regular people achieving real and measurable results. You have to be able to deliver those results in a relatable way.”

Nick Mitchell

Nick Mitchell is a best-selling author, fitness expert and founder of Ultimate Performance (UP), one of the world’s leading personal training businesses. Ultimate Performance is the only global personal training business with its own facilities which operate on four different continents.

Nick is widely recognised as one of the world’s foremost personal trainers and body composition experts. He launched the UP business in the City of London in 2009, and it has now expanded operations across four continents, with an ever-evolving team of 250 elite personal trainers.

His books include 12 Week Body Plan, Your Ultimate Body Transformation Plan, Principles of Muscle Building Program Design, and most recently Body Transformation Meal Plan Design.

We asked Nick what he believes it takes to become one of the best PT’s in the business and it takes to become an elite personal trainer:

“What makes a great personal trainer can never be merely one thing! We have to wear a ridiculous range of hats in order to best serve the extremely diverse requirements of our clients.

“Great trainers can come in many forms and guises, but they all have just one single thing in common—they take their client’s results personally. A great trainer is invested in their client’s progress, is aggravated and annoyed enough when they do not progress to really dig into the problems and get under the skin of the client, all of which takes time and effort far above and beyond the usual gym babysitting job done by 98% of the industry.

“The benefits of approaching your PT work in this manner are critical because results don’t just make the job more fulfilling, preventing the usual burnout and ennui suffered by more mature trainers, but perhaps even more importantly results should be the lifeblood of how you grow your personal training business and create a lucrative and financially rewarding long-term career for yourself.”

Shaun Stafford

For most people, Shaun Stafford needs no formal introduction. He’s a personal trainer and strength and conditioning specialist with an MA from Oxford University. Following a short career as a semi-professional rugby player, he turned to bodybuilding, where he crafted his training skills to become a British, European and World Champion professional physique athlete.

Shaun, the owner of a performance-focused gym in the City of London, is also an accomplished fitness model, writer, and brand ambassador for Optimum Nutrition. He boasts a string of celebrity clients, including TV star Spencer Mathews and England rugby player Mike Worsley.

Shaun is frequently featured in various health and fitness magazines, often on the cover. If you want to get a feel for just how influential he is in the fitness community, check out his social media channels – Shaun has a collective audience of over 1.5 million followers, with over a million on Facebook alone.

When we asked Shaun what it takes to become one of the most successful personal trainers in the country, he replied:

“My biggest bit of advice to personal trainers is to really focus in on what you’re good at. If you’re really good at personal relationships and you can deliver 30 or 40 sessions a week and leave people better off then, that’s giving you the money you want and the lifestyle you want then focus on that. Don’t get caught up with feeling like you need to build a massive online presence.”

So, what does it take to become a successful PT?

While it’s important to be well-versed across a wide range of subjects, remember you can’t specialise in everything. Building relationships with other passionate health experts ensures your clients receive the full spectrum of support they need.

Success as a trainer comes down to understanding your client and creating a blueprint tailored to them. Cultivating emotional intelligence allows you to anticipate stumbling blocks, uncover true motivations, and guide them in the most effective way. Remember, there are multiple paths to the same result—your job is to determine which route fits each client best.

The business side is equally crucial. Early in your career, you are a one-person band: long hours, no guaranteed payoff, and countless behind-the-scenes efforts are all part of the process. Put your clients first, embrace opportunities without compromising your integrity, and commit to the work—it’s the foundation of long-term recognition.

As you grow, it’s tempting to outsource tasks. If you do, make sure you understand the work yourself; otherwise, you won’t know if the people you hire are delivering real value. Many trainers waste significant resources on marketing, SEO, and advertising because they haven’t built this understanding.

Every three months, take a step back and list ten ways you could add more value to your clients, and implement as many as you can. Health and fitness are constantly evolving—don’t fear not knowing something. Treat it as an opportunity to grow, embody your profession, and pass your discoveries on to your clients. Stay curious, stay disciplined, and above all—have fun.

Author

Lee Cain

Writer, Tutor and Experienced Fitness Professional

Lee has over 20 years’ experience in the health and fitness industry and has performed multiple roles, including physical training instructor, strength and conditioning coach, lecturer, writer, tutor, assessor and verifier for vocational qualifications. He has a passion for all things exercise, with his key specialisms being strength and performance-based training.