Our Training Philosophy

We offer a pioneering and fresh approach to personal training and lifestyle coaching...

Instead of the usual, well-worn routine of standing in a gym, paying homage to exercise machines for as long as your mind and/or body can tolerate, our solution is very different.

We offer a completely holistic, rounded and all-encompassing solution, which starts initially with a consultation about exactly what you want to achieve from the coaching, coupled with a bespoke programme of exercises together with nutritional advice. This is less reliant on traditional gym equipment and more geared towards achieving lasting results, borne from a considered combination of mind and body well-being. Here's what we believe works....

FREE WEIGHTS - All those 'fixed resistance' machines in the gym are fine for isolating muscles, if you want larger biceps that is, but they do nothing for your core strength, coordination, and posture. Plus you can't exactly take them home to practice on can you? With your own body weight and a few free weights, your core muscles HAVE to be engaged; you must LEARN correct techniques; your posture becomes more balanced and there is nothing stopping you from trying some if not all of the exercises at home. I have yet to understand why a huge metalic contraption is necessary to do calf raises...
MENTAL STIMULATION - Question: Why do gyms find it necessary to put up televisions whilst people are training? Answer: Because people are no longer required to 'think' whilst their fitness programme consists of 20 mins on the treadmill, 20 mins on a stationary bike, 20 mins on cross-trainer, 20 mins on the stair climber. And they wonder why they don't enjoy going to the gym and why they find it boring! So why train like that? Being fit and healthy shouldn't be a punishment, something to be endured, it should be mentally challenging and rewarding!
VARIETY - Imagination is just as important as knowledge for a personal trainer. If you have limited equipment or space, that shouldn't mean you are destined to train in the (expensive) metal scrap-yard of a gym. Where do you live? What equipment is there already which you don't even realise? That's our job. There is no excuse for boredom in your training sessions. When you get the hang of it, you will be able to put ideas together yourself and see it as a challenge to find the most unlikely yet effective way of getting results using what you already have!
INSPIRING SURROUNDINGS - Who wants to stare at a television screen, traffic or a blank wall when training? I don't. Isn't that what we are trying to get away from? Our studio in Mytholmroyd looks out onto the most glorious views of the Pennine Way. The only onlookers you are likely to see are wild geese and the occasional deer. And all this is just a few miles out of Halifax, not in the Outer Hebrides.
ONGOING SUPPORT INBETWEEN TRAINING SESSIONS - Do you tend to flag and lose motivation quite easily? As part of our Personal Training packages, we offer continuing support via email and text messages with exercise and nutrition goals and feedback. The training doesn't begin and end with the one-hour session. It is what you do OUTSIDE of the sessions that will make a difference. We will guide you through the tougher times. If you particularly enjoyed a session, we can email it to you. If you want a session adapting to do at home, we will do it.
HAVING FUN - This goes without saying. When was the last time you hula hooped or jumped about on a trampette? Laughing uses up more energy and is great for the core muscles!!
GETTING OUTSIDE (WEATHER PERMITTING!) - One of the craziest things I have ever seen is on a glorious summer day, people going INTO the gym to run on a treadmill! WHY??!! Do they think that running on a treadmill is somehow more effective than running outside? It isn't. Infact, the opposite is true. Do you prefer stale air or fresh air? Training outside is invigorating, challenging and rewarding. If you have a dog, bring it along too! (Yes, that has happened. It was a great success!)
YOU'RE NOT ALONE - We are always here to advise and support you. If your goal is to run 5k, yes we can help you train for it but we can also run it with you! We actively encourage our clients to support and encourage each other too. You can meet like-minded people, and make new friends.
EMPATHY - The reason we do all of the above is because we understand what it's like to feel trapped in an unhealthy body, frustrated, lethargic and demoralised.