Transformation, Community, and Early Mornings: A Chat with Coach Jenny
What inspired you to become a trainer, and what's your favorite part of coaching at Primal Gym?
During lockdown I was working in hospitality and therefore furloughed; I started working with a PT. It was a great experience overall and I 100% appreciated the value that having a coach provided. I became a very different human! I had previously trained as a life coach but that didn’t work out so well for me in terms of it becoming my livelihood. Once lockdown ended, I decided to train to become a PT and haven’t looked back – I guess I found my coaching niche and home at the same time! I get up at 4.30am most days and absolutely love what I do. I love coaching at Primal as it allows me the freedom to be more creative with my programming plus it’s such a supportive and friendly environment to work in.
Can you share a success story from one of your clients that really motivates you?
This question is so hard as they all inspire me in different ways!! Rather than it being one big noticeable achievement, it’s the day to day messages that I get that keep me getting out of bed at 4.30am. Like when I got a message from Natalia thanking me for my help as she had been surfing and managed to pop up 10 times! Or when Karolina messaged from her holidays to say thank you – she’d decided to hike up a mountain on the spur of the moment and she said she’d never have been able to do that before training with me. We can all train for the big things but it’s when your day-to-day life gets easier or you just have belief in yourself now – for me that’s where the real wins lie 🙂
What's your go-to workout song or pump-up anthem?
Blink 182 – All the Small Things is my go-to finisher song. Ready to Go by Ruplica has to be up there too!
Outside of the gym, what's your favorite way to stay active or recharge?
I run, spend time in the hills - mainly training for my next obstacle course race. I’m trying to be better at the recharging bit as I feel like I live at 100 mph the majority of the time but it’s a work in progress! When time allows I love to hit the sauna and cold plunge.
What's one piece of advice you'd give to someone who's just starting their fitness journey?
Consistency is key. Not every training session is going to feel amazing and you’ll need to put in the effort. But absolutely stick at it as the rewards will just keep on coming. Keep turning up and take one step at a time.
What's your favorite discipline to teach at Primal Gym and why?
I don’t teach many classes these days as my time is spent doing personal training or taking care of the day-to-day running of the gym. But my favourite would be the DEKA classes. A combination of banging tunes, a great group of people working hard together with a sprinkling of obstacles thrown in to boot. That feeling when someone nails the wall or the stairway for the first time in class!
What's something people might be surprised to learn about you?
Although I’ve always had an active job, I didn’t start exercising formally until I was 44 when I ran my first Spartan 5k. That was in 2019. In 2022 I ran my first Spartan Ultra but I’m yet to run a Parkrun! This is one of the reasons I believe it’s never too late to start working on yourself and your health and fitness.
Why is Primal Gym the best place for someone to achieve their fitness goals?
At Primal you have the freedom to be you. It’s a super supportive environment where everyone is on your side – the team, the members, the owners – literally everyone wants you to do well! It’s the happy place for so many of our members and, given the demands and stresses of everyday life, we all need a happy place 🙂