Foundations
For adults new to lifting, or coming back after a year or more away from structured training.
1:1 strength coaching
Training built around the body you actually have.
I coach adults who want to get strong without guesswork — people starting from scratch, returning after a long gap, or working around a shoulder that has opinions. Every block opens with a movement screen and closes with a review you take part in.
How it works
Four steps between your first message and your first block
Nothing here is a sales funnel. The consult exists so we can both find out whether this is a good use of your time and money.
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Consult
Twenty-five minutes, no charge, no kit needed. We talk through what you want, what hurts, and what your week realistically allows. If another coach or a clinician suits you better, I will say so.
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Movement screen
A short look at how you squat, hinge, push, pull and carry. You leave with written notes in plain language — not a score out of ten and not a diagnosis.
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Your first block
Six weeks of coached sessions plus a written plan for the days in between. Loads, tempos and progressions are chosen for you, then adjusted in the room when the day calls for it.
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Review and renew
In week six we retest the same movements, compare them to your first notes, and decide together what the next block should do — or whether you are ready to train on your own.
Programmes
Three ways to train, chosen at the consult
Each one is a coached block with a written between-session plan. Swap between them at a review if your goals or your week change.
Strong Again
For people training around an old injury or a long-standing niggle, once their own clinician is happy for them to load it.
Two Up
For pairs who simply train better with someone else in the room — partners, colleagues, siblings, friends.
Inside a session
Fifty minutes, spent like this
The shape stays familiar so you always know where you are. What changes is the work inside it.
- 0–8 min Warm-up that matches the daySpecific preparation for the lifts you are about to do. No treadmill filler.
- 8–22 min Main liftOne primary pattern — squat, hinge, press or pull — coached set by set, with loads written down as we go.
- 22–40 min Accessory workTwo or three supporting exercises for the areas your screen flagged, usually paired to keep the pace honest.
- 40–50 min Carry, then notesA loaded carry or short conditioning finisher, then two minutes writing down what changed and what you are doing before I see you next.
About
I am a good coach for cautious people
I came to lifting late and badly — too much load, too little patience, and a back that spent a winter reminding me about it. Learning to train properly the second time is what made me want to coach. Most of the people I work with arrive with the same mixture of intent and wariness.
So sessions are quiet and unhurried. I explain what each exercise is for, I write down what you lifted, and I would rather you finish a session certain you could have done one more rep than flattened and unable to walk downstairs the next day. Progress that survives a busy month beats progress that only survives a good week.
I coach from a small studio with a handful of racks and enough floor space to move, and on dry mornings I take sessions to the riverside park for carries and sled work.
- Level 3 personal training qualification, plus a strength and conditioning certificate
- Current first aid certificate, renewed annually
- Continuing study in coaching people with persistent pain, alongside their clinicians
- Insured for 1:1, pairs and small-group coaching, indoors and outdoors
Questions
Things worth knowing before you book
I have never lifted anything heavier than a shopping bag. Is that a problem?
No — it is the most common starting point here. Foundations exists for exactly this. The first two weeks are mostly about learning five movement patterns with light loads, so your body gets used to the work before we add anything meaningful to the bar.
What should I bring or wear?
Clothes you can move and kneel in, flat trainers or bare feet, and a water bottle. The studio has chalk, belts, straps and mats. If you have your own shoes or a favourite belt, bring them; if not, nothing is needed.
I am dealing with an old injury. Can I still train?
Usually yes, once the person treating you is happy for you to load it. I am not a clinician and I do not diagnose. What I do is build a graded plan around the movements that feel fine, keep written notes on what your symptoms do week to week, and stay in step with whatever your physio or GP has advised.
What happens if I miss a session?
Tell me as early as you can and we will find another slot in the same week where the diary allows. Sessions cancelled with less than a day's notice count against the block, because that time is held for you. Illness and genuine emergencies are handled sensibly — I would rather you rested.
Can I train with a friend or partner?
Yes, that is Two Up. You each get your own plan and your own loads, but you share the warm-up, the room and the review. It suits people who are more likely to turn up when someone is waiting for them.
What happens to outdoor sessions in bad weather?
They move indoors. Outdoor work is a choice, not a requirement, and the studio equivalent of every outdoor session is already written into your plan. You will know by the evening before where we are meeting.
Do you give nutrition advice?
Only within the limits of my qualification: general guidance on protein, hydration, and eating enough to recover from the training you are doing. For medical diets, clinical conditions or anything requiring a prescription, I will point you towards a registered dietitian rather than improvise.
Am I tied in after the first block?
No. Blocks are bought one at a time and end at the review. Plenty of people do one block, take the written plan away, and come back a season later for a tune-up. That counts as a good outcome.
Book a consult
Tell me what you want to be able to do
Send a short note and I will reply with two or three consult times that fit around what you have told me. The consult itself is free and there is nothing to prepare.
- Training hoursWeekday early mornings and evenings, plus Saturday mornings.
- Reply timeUsually the same day, and always within two working days.
- WhereWharf Lane studio, with outdoor sessions at the riverside park.