Train4Life

What service did you use from Train4Life?  (e.g. personal training, wellbeing day, nutritional coaching, boot camp)

I used 1-1 personal training.

 

Why did you choose that service? What were your goals and what were you hoping to achieve?

I needed to re-start my exercise routine as I had been recovering from hip replacement surgery from the previous year. I had been suffering with degenerative osteoarthritis in my hip for three years and had limited mobility by the time the hip replacement surgery was performed. I was very nervous about pushing the prosthetic hip too far and waited for my first year check up before signing up with Elain. I wanted to strengthen the muscles around the surgical site to aid rehabilitation but also to rebuild the strength in muscles that had deteriorated prior to the op. Essentially, I needed to get my confidence back. Prior to my hip deterioration, I had competed in 5km and 10km distance events, sprint triathlons and duathlons and enjoyed running, swimming and cycling as well as hill walking and trekking.

 

Why did you choose Train4Life?

I met Elain through a networking group and was struck by her professionalism and her passion for achieving “fitness for wellbeing at home and at work”. It seemed obvious when she talked about it but I had never heard any other personal trainer discuss anything except ‘weight loss’ and ‘keep fit’ for the sake of fitness. The fact that she had identified and was going out of her way to combine productivity and wellbeing with getting and keeping fit was something I could strongly relate to – I wanted my own focus to genuinely shift from ‘competing’ (as I am no longer allowed to run) to ‘wellbeing’.

 

What was your experience? What did you find helpful and why? How were your needs met? Were any other needs met that you hadn’t counted on, if so what?

Elain was a very personable, creative, enthusiastic and professional personal trainer. I was really impressed from the outset as to how she was able to accurately assess my restrictions and navigate them. We did a lot of upper body work to get the heart rate going (including weights and boxing) but she constantly checked and challenged my lower body posture with exercises that included lunges and squats. This both reassured me and strengthened my hip. Over the 10 weeks course, my mobility improved significantly and the strength around the surgical site has fully returned. I did lose weight and inches and get fitter too! But I have so much more confidence in my mobility being ‘normal’ now and being strong again.

 

Would you recommend train4life to others? If so, why?

Absolutely, Elain is genuinely very receptive and has extremely adaptable approach to each individual’s requirements and particularly those with restrictions or in a later stage of rehabilitation as I was. She clearly has a lot of knowledge and applies this swiftly, appropriately and effectively to the individual’s personal training program. I felt very comfortable that my needs were both being listened to and met. I could also tell that tangible progress was being made during the 10 weeks we worked together.