If you ever venture upstairs at Bodywise you’ll find a changing room, showers, etc. But that’s all about clothing.
Most people who sign-up to a Bodywise programme are looking to change something about themselves. Their health, wellbeing, strength, body shape, weight, self-confidence, metabolic age – any one of many things you can do with a structured strength and conditioning routine. In which case it is the gym that becomes the changing room, the place where bodies are transformed.
But here’s the thing. If you’re not familiar with the environment of the gym, with the machines and the loose weights, the dumbbells and the kettlebells, the bars and the benches, a gym can be a bit of a jungle. And in any jungle it’s always best to take a guide – or better still a mentor. Not just someone who points the way, somebody who can also make sure you make the most of the experience and reach personal milestones.
You need a mentor/trainer, or as we call them at Bodywise, a Fitness Coach who will make it personal to you.
LET’S START BY TALKING ABOUT STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING
As we grow up and move towards the prime of our lives nature ensures we’re normally strong and that our bodies are in good condition. But mother nature is a deceptive mistress – by the time we reach 35 muscle mass is already starting to deteriorate. In our 50s and 60s the deterioration speeds up. Older people need to work to keep in shape. Actually the majority of older people need to work to get back into shape in the first place.
Strength and conditioning are related but distinct aspects of physical training:
- Strength focuses specifically on the ability of muscles to produce force, typically developed through resistance exercises like weightlifting. It emphasizes maximal power, muscle growth, and improvements in lifting capacity over time.
- Conditioning, on the other hand, refers to the body’s overall ability to sustain physical activity. It includes cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, agility, and stamina, often trained through activities like running, circuit training, or high-intensity intervals.
While strength training builds the foundation for force production, conditioning ensures that the body can perform efficiently over longer periods or repeated efforts. For example, a person may be able to lift heavy weights (strength) but struggle to maintain performance during prolonged activity (conditioning). Ideally, a balanced fitness program integrates both, as strength supports better movement and injury prevention, while conditioning enhances endurance and overall physical resilience.
This is where having the right Fitness Coach becomes so important. Especially when it comes to lifting weights, good technique is essential to maximise results while reducing the risk of injury.
SIGNATURE SMALL GROUP PERSONAL TRAINERS AT BODYWISE
There are two brilliant things about working on strength and conditioning at Bodywise:
- The first is that that personal training needn’t be 1-2-1, it can be in small group sessions of up to 6 people working with a trainer.
- The second thing is that because Bodywise has a team of personal trainers “Fitness Coaches” you get to experience a wide variety of tasks and routines that keep everything fresh. They all have their own ‘signature’ techniques and favourite moves which keep things fresh from session to session.
LIZ: 42
CALL SIGN: ‘HEAD GIRL’
MANTRA: Do as you’re told and you’ll find that you can!
Having babies caused Liz to have a condition called diastasis recti which affected her core muscles. She sought help through Pilates and realised how powerful the body can be when trained properly.
In 2018, at the age of 35, she saw an apprenticeship offered online, came to Bodywise and has been here ever since. She is now a Level 4 strength and conditioning coach who loves the theory and science behind the moves as much as the moves themselves.
Her favourite Signature exercises are the big, satisfying, compound lifts – back squats, deadlifts, military press, bench press and Bulgarian split squats. As Head Girl she’s a big fan of unilateral training – working one limb or side of the body at a time. Most of all she loves showing people that they can go beyond their expectations.
JON 46
CALL SIGN: ‘NINJA’ (or Little Ninj!)
MANTRA: Follow the 7 for fantastic functional fitness!
John is that unusual human (in the nicest sense of the word), a career Personal Trainer with 25 years’ experience.
He originally trained in Brighton and after various posts came to Bodywise in late 2024. He’s all a bit classically Zen about training, his signature style focussed on the ‘7 key functional movement patterns’ – squat, hinge, lunge, push, pull, gait, carry.
His SGPT sessions set put to combine these to create a uniquely challenging sessions that are interesting and engaging. Over years of working with a diverse range of people he is focused on the small wins that add up to be the big ones. He loves it when people realise that they are stronger than they think.
CLAIRE 42
CALL SIGN: ‘SMILING ASSASSIN’
MANTRA: It might feel good today but it’s going to kill tomorrow!
Like Liz, Claire also came to personal wellbeing following the birth of her children, becoming fascinated by both ‘food and medicine’ and ‘movement as medicine’. She was amazed to find the impact lifestyle choices could have on her own health and became passionate about helping others make positive and sustainable changes.
Claire came to Bodywise 5 years ago and qualified here and is very much the smiling face of member support. Her Signature style is very hot on developing good technique, repeating key compound movements so class members become familiar with them, improve, and progress over time. Her sessions are designed to make optimum use of the gym space and equipment, all the time keeping the routines fresh and fun (at lest until the DOMS sets in!).
Her biggest rewards come when people are surprised by the progress they can make after only a few weeks.
RHYS 27 AND BRANDON 27
Rhys and Brandon are relative newbies here at Bodywise. At time of writing Rhys, has been here 18 months and Brandon has only recently joined the team. It’s great to have some young talent on the gym floor but it’s perhaps a bit early to be giving them a Bodywise ‘call sign’ yet’.
Meet Brandon and you’ll immediately see it’s mostly about the muscle. So we’ve been thinking of ‘Big Bad Bran’ with the mantra – the badder it is, the better it gets. Brandon happily admits that fitness is his passion and that he’s a bit OCD – he loves the weight plates and barbells to be in strictly ascending order. The fact he enjoys ‘people’s’ exhausted smiles’ at the end of a session tells you all you need to know!
Rhys is something of an enigma. He certainly has an enigmatic smile from the moment he arrives until the time he checks out, so perhaps his call sign should be ‘Mr Happy’. We’re not quite sure that the late lamented Roger Hargreaves ever envisaged Mr Happy in an SGPT session – perhaps he’d have opted for ‘Mr Plank’. Certainly push ups, planks and ball slams are some of Rhys’ signature moves. For the time being how about ‘slam it, push it, build it’ as a mantra for Rhys?
SO HERE’S THE THING – SGPT NEVER GETS ANY EASIER
They say variety is the spice of life. Certainly working with different trainers brings spice to small group personal training (SGPT) sessions. And here’s the really bizarre thing – every week you come along feeling you’ve improved and feeling pretty good about yourself, and every week it never gets any easier. But that’s the point.
Guided by expert mentors SGPT rally puts the ‘personal’ into personal training. They look after you, they know what you’re capable of and, even in a group of 5 or 6 people they have the time to ensure that you can perform to your best, week by week.
But they’re tough taskmasters into the bargain. Every week you come back they’ll expect (demand) just that little bit more. They’ll ensure it never gets any easier. But that’s the point. That’s how you improve.
HOW TO ACCESS SMALL GROUP PERSONAL TRAINING AT BODYWISE
There are various SGPT sessions throughout each day at Bodywise. Each can accommodate up to 6 members and can be booked via the App or at reception. The App doesn’t give details of which trainer will be leading the session – but, when you start, that’s the fun of it as it’s great to experience the various Signature styles.
If you find a Mentor you prefer, you can always ask reception for their detailed schedule.
By Al Campbell, The Bodywise Member and Author