“This is not like a ‘normal’ gym. The sense of community is something that you feel from the moment you step through the door.”

Nick managed to drop 30lbs in his first year of training with us. Scroll down to read more.

What made you start personal training at PP?

For a couple of years prior to joining, I had been going through phases of going to the gym by myself in a bid to lose weight but would struggle to stick it out long enough to see any progress. I had always lacked the motivation to work out effectively by myself, but had previously enjoyed the support and encouragement from short-lived personal training sessions I’d had in the past. These were mainly one-off sessions rather than something consistent, meaning I was in a constant cycle of starting a program, and then giving up within a few weeks because I wouldn’t necessarily see any progress. I stumbled across the PP Facebook page randomly after a friend had liked it, and after a quick look on the website, I requested some more information from Jerome, who gave me a call a few days later and talked me through how PP works, and how it would differ to previous experiences with personal training.

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Can you describe how you were feeling physically and mentally before coming to PP?

I’ll be honest and say that I was not in a great place physically OR mentally when I joined PP. I suffer from depression and anxiety, and as a result of a really difficult period a few years ago, I had gradually put on a lot of weight and was in the worst physical condition I’d ever been in. As a result of this, my self-confidence was at rock-bottom and despite various different attempts to shift the weight, I couldn’t seem to do it, which further impacted my low moods.

What did you want to achieve with PP?

My main goals were to drop the weight that I’d put on in the years since leaving university, to hopefully tone up and build some muscle. Mostly, I just wanted to be happier when looking in the mirror, and build up some of the self-confidence I’d lost over the years.

What results have you seen whilst Personal Training with PP?

In my first year at PP, I dropped nearly 30lbs and could see some really visible changes in definition as a result of this. Whilst I have put some of the weight back on, I still notice a huge difference from where I was when I started in terms of muscle mass and definition.

I’d like to point out, however, that It’s not just visible results I’ve achieved that have impacted my life. As a result of getting into a regular training regime, my ability to keep my mood regulated has improved massively. Whilst I still have low periods, where I really struggle to get my motivation back, the support I’ve had from Ethan (and the other trainers) has allowed me to maintain a much healthier mental state.

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What has been your motivation throughout your journey?

My main motivation at the beginning was to develop my self-confidence, which I initially attributed to my physical appearance and feeling ‘attractive.’ As cliche as it sounds, I will always be determined to have washboard abs and some proper ‘guns’. However, as my confidence in my appearance has increased, I’ve become more motivated to become more confident in what I’m doing in the gym, to train more effectively and to become better educated with regards to the importance of nutrition.

How would you describe your training sessions, the technical quality, and the intensity?

My one-on-one training sessions vary week-on-week. Ethan is really good at tailoring them depending on my mood and energy levels. Whilst he’ll always push me to ensure I get the most out of each session, and to keep me motivated to ensure I’m hitting my weekly exercise targets, he recognises that there are weeks where I physically and mentally can’t push myself that hard and adjusts the intensity accordingly. It’s also important to note, that no matter my energy or mood at the beginning of my session, he’ll always have me laughing and smiling by the end….once I’ve stopped gasping for breath after being destroyed by the Ski Erg or the Prowler.

In terms of the technical quality, this is always on point. Ethan constantly observes my technique to ensure I get the most out of each set and each rep, educating me on which muscles I’m working, how improving my form will improve my performance and whilst constantly giving me new tips and techniques that he’s learned throughout his own training.

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Is there anything you’d change if you could do it all over again?

There are no big changes I would make if I had the chance to start over at PP, other than just making sure I pushed myself in each and every session and make the most of the other services offered as part of my membership much sooner, particularly the HIIT and Yoga classes which I’ve only recently started to make use of. I think I would also have tried to complain less about how hard Ethan was working me in my earlier sessions….something which I’m sure he agrees with.

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Would you recommend PP and why?

I would 100% recommend PP for so many reasons, and everything I’ve mentioned above with regards to my experience in the past two years should be reason enough. This is not like a ‘normal’ gym, you get so much more support from all of the trainers as well as from the other members, more so than in any other gym I’ve been to before. The sense of community here is something that you feel from the moment you step through the door. Regardless of whether you do one-on-one, or semi-private personal training, from the beginning, you feel like part of a team. This is something that I’d never really felt a part of before, having never had the confidence to join any sort of sporting club before, and the friendships I’ve made as a result of joining PP have made the whole experience that much sweeter.