My Story…

So i’ve officially been a personal trainer for the last 10 years! Wowzaaa how time fly’s! I remember my first ever session at the age of 15, before I became qualified…

It was with a family friend who I trained in my mums conservatory. All I remember is that it was a boiling hot day, the room was roasting (so hot you could cook a roast dinner!). It was just me and a couple of York Dumbbells (you know the cheap plastic ones you buy from Argos for £19.99!). Oh and I had a rusty old squat rack too!

Well that’s all I needed to kick start my personal training career! The first session went well and I ended up doing 3 sessions per week with this chap throughout the school summer holidays. On reflection it’s now completely apparent that it was my destiny to become a personal trainer later on in life!

A Sporty Kid…

I’ve always been into sport and working out. From a very young age I was running around the block, and pumping plastic weights after school. I was inspired by the Rocky Balboa films! I remember once watching Rocky 4 (the one with Ivan Drago!) and being so pumped up after watching it!

I downloaded the Rocky soundtrack (illegally! don’t tell my mum!) and blasted it through my headphones whilst running – in my head I was Rocky! I remember coming back after my run and doing as many push ups as I could, listening to “no easy way out!” haha. Those were the days!

The Teenage Coaching Years…

Although i’m no Andy Murray, throughout college I spent many hrs helping children at my local tennis club.  I spent my spare time running tennis programmes and coaching the kids, I loved every second, enjoying the interaction and seeing these youngsters get better each week. There’s something very magical about seeing someone improve, especially knowing you’ve played a big part in the process.

Uni Days…

Although I shan’t go fully into my uni days (my mums going to be reading this!). To cut a long story short I was a rebel! A typical young lad going out, getting drunk and causing mayhem. Maybe I’ll share the full story in another blog post!

On the more productive side I spent a lot of time reading, and studying sports science. I spent hrs and hrs in the gym applying what I had learned. So much time in fact that my first year attendance at University was a measly 5%! Holy cr*p I was a bad student!

The first thing i’d think of when I woke up was “when am I going to the gym?”. I’d train with my uni friends and then we would all chip in for a massive post workout feast (something along the lines of a full english or spaghetti bolognaise!)

In my final year I finally knuckled down and came to realisation that I was here to get an academic degree, not a degree in partying! I also decided I wanted to start my own personal training company once I left uni, so I set the wheels in motion and made a business plan.

Setting up a personal training business…

It was time to become the best coach I could be and start working with clients. I won’t go too much into the story side of setting up the business but if you wish to find out more you can read the full story – How I Set up my Personal Training Business 

After 6 months of grafting my backside off I managed to establish a full time business. Once momentum picked up it was amazing! I loved working with my clients on a 1-1 basis. I’d also do a couple of group personal training sessions too.

I’ve always considered myself a people person and especially love interacting with individuals who want to improve their fitness, health and well being. I had the knowledge to help these people and it was pretty cool to put my skills to the test.

Apart from the boring admin side (accounts, paperwork, etc) it’s never felt like a job! In fact I feel totally priveleged, lucky and fortunate enough to be able to be passionate about my work and make a living from it.

I became a personal trainer to educate people on the art of getting in shape. All along all i’ve wanted is dedicated, hard working individuals who are willing to listen, and make a positive change to their lives. In 4 years (since starting LEP Fitness) I’ve been extremely fortunate to complete over 7,000 personal training sessions. I’ve officially been in business for over 4 years (1,460 days!) wohooo!

Although I’ve had my fair share of struggles and setbacks I honestly wouldn’t change a thing! I’m extremely grateful for my situation, so much so that I remind myself everyday of how lucky I am.

More than a personal trainer…

If you where to put me in a career bracket, obviously it would be ‘personal trainer’. I do however consider myself more than this. My aim is to listen, educate, and teach the people I work with and help them by providing sustainable solutions to help them achieve their goals. As well as coaching I endeavour to help clients both physically and mentally, helping them in every way possible.

I strive to provide as much value as possible, I do this by providing a 5 star service,  writing free blogs and articles every week, and fully looking after my clients during and outside of sessions. I strive to ‘Go The Extra Mile” in everything I do with the business and even treat the LEP Tribe to presents at Christmas and Easter…

My aim is to build deep, meanginful relationships with the people I work with so I can make a real difference to their lives. If i had to some up my mission in a nutshell it would be…

Anyhow I think it’s pretty obvious that I was destined to do what I do. Thanks so much for reading my story of why I became a personal trainer I really appreciate it.

Speak soon,

Nick