John Gilbert
I had been a regular gym user for over 25 years, mostly at a work gym but as I had left the company I needed somewhere new, and I joined Fitness First in September 2011. At that time I had decided to enter the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Marathon and wanted to get fit and ready for the race in 2012. The race was 125 miles over a 24 hour period without any stops, and I needed to achieve a peak level of fitness by April. I had a taster session and quickly decided that a Personal Trainer was the only way to reach my goals. I started training with Stephen and we worked through a programme to develop my core strength and stamina. Stephen had not worked with a canoeist before but he took a keen interest in my sport and the race preparations and he introduced a number of specific exercises and routines that helped my balance and conditioning for endurance racing. We also talked about the nutritional elements and he guided me well, ensuring that I had the right types of energy foods to keep me going over long periods on the water.
We worked together on a regular basis and Stephen pushed me hard, but we kept my goals in mind and I was able to see significant improvements in my speed and increased capacity to sit in the canoe for several hours at a time when I was training on the water. It wasn’t just about the work that we did together in the gym, we also had many conversations about my preparation and how I could get the most from my race. Stephen is very motivational and worked hard to keep the programmes varied and interesting. When I entered the race at Easter I felt absolutely ready and was at the level of fitness required for the gruelling task of canoeing non-stop for 24 hours. I had a good race and despite a few incidents along the way it was an awesome experience that would not have been possible to enjoy without the level of fitness that I had gained. It is definitely worth making the investment in a Personal Trainer to help you reach your goals, and I will continue to work with Stephen. I have some new challenges in mind, so I will be looking forward to more sessions to produce the levels of fitness and results I need. I recommend that you give Stephen a try, he is a great Personal Trainer and you will see benefits in a number of different ways.
John Gilbert
