YOUR PT have supported my career, offered me great advice, and made me feel part of a team.
Mark, 32, is a newly qualified PT working out of York Leisure Centre. Since joining the team at YOUR Personal Training, he has seen his new PT business take off, after a dramatic change of career.
Before Covid struck, Mark worked as a general manager in the restaurant industry and had been thinking of a career change, ever since he caught the fitness bug back in 2018. Mark says: “I applied and got a place at the London Marathon back in 2018 – this was a crucial turning point for me, both personally and professionally. At the time, I led a very sedentary lifestyle and was overweight. The marathon was the kick start I needed. I started to run and work out, and even got myself a personal trainer.”
Mark went on to successfully complete his first marathon in an impressive four hours and 48 minutes, and over the course of his training lost a massive seven and a half stone.
Mark says: “I’d got my confidence back. I felt so much better. I couldn’t believe the difference exercise had made to my life. I started to think that I could turn my new found love of fitness into a career and completed my level two PT training in July 2019. During lockdown, rather than sitting back whilst the restaurants were shut, I worked as a health care assistant and continued to study, gaining my personal training level three in October 2020.
“For someone that has always been in formal employment, managing my own PT business felt like a big step. The fantastic thing about YOUR Personal Training and how they work is that I don’t feel alone. They have supported my career, offered me great advice, and made me feel part of a team. Their induction was invaluable and, as a newly qualified PT, they have really helped to build up my confidence. They gave me helpful guidance about how I should market myself, how to introduce myself to people, and the self-belief to ‘get out there’ and network.”
Mark joined the YOUR Personal Training team in May 2021, and in just three months has built up an impressive 19 clients. Mark says: “There are so many things I like about being a PT. I really enjoy my clients and supporting them with their exercise programmes. From people who are on a weight loss journey like myself, to people who are training for a particular event or coming back from an injury. All are unique and all help me to grow and educate myself more; I’m still learning. I’m able to relate to my clients, as I have been there. I have hit rock bottom and know how hard it can feel at the start.
“It also feels great to be ‘in-charge’ of my own career. I can pick and choose my hours, which gives me independence and a great work/life balance. I’m in control of my own diary and my aim is to have around 35 active clients.”
Mark has also been using the YOUR Wellbeing app to help him manage and schedule his business. He says: “I’ve started using the app with my clients. It’s very good, and much better than others I have tried. My clients find it easy to navigate and the tone and language is great. You can tell it’s British; it doesn’t sound Americanised like lots of others PT apps.”
Mark concludes: “After a tough couple of years for everyone, it feels amazing to be enjoying work and feeling very settled with lots of fantastic opportunities. It’s great to be a YOUR Personal Training PT!”