Sam Blakey (Fitness)
I moved back to the UK in 2017 from Singapore, where I had built up an award-winning fitness company. As an older PT with over 14 years in the business, I focus on helping people find and maintain their fitness levels, despite the natural changes that occur in our bodies as we age. I am a big believer in finding the body’s boundaries and respecting these, whilst pushing to new challenges. Circuit training and strength and conditioning programmes are two of my favourite things.
As well as being a Personal Trainer - qualifying with The American Council on Exercise, The Singapore Sports Council and the United States Sports Academy - I am a certified TRX coach, Thump Kick-Boxing instructor and a classically trained Matwork Pilates teacher.
I recognise the importance of designing programmes to carefully restore strength from the inside out, and this is a core part - pun intended! - of any of my classes, as it should be.
Whilst living in Singapore, I was able to build up a strong reputation across the island, culminating in my company Ooberfit being awarded the accolade of Best Fitness Provider by a national magazine, two years in a row (2015 and 2016). I also featured as a headline trainer at Singapore's inaugural fitness event, FitnessFest 2017, and introduced a groundbreaking pelvic floor restoring technique called Hypopressives over there. I am also the only senior trainer in this method in North Yorkshire. Since arriving back in the UK, I have twice been a finalist in the annual Harrogate Mumbler Awards.
When I’m not training clients, you might catch me writing an article or two on fitness and health, drawing on my previous skill set as a journalist and sub-editor on daily, evening, and national publications.
Aside from offering weekly classes and one-on-one sessions, I also lead corporate workshops and staff wellness sessions and teach Pilates in schools.
Why work with me?
Although I played sport at a high level in school and at university, I stopped training once I became a mum and only got the bug again after the birth of my third child to help me lose the baby weight. I didn’t start running until just before turning 40, taking part in my first 10k two months later. I entered my first marathon nine months on from then and have now run eight marathons on three continents - in the cities of London, New York, Paris, and Singapore.
My goal is to show other people, particularly those with little or no history of exercise, that fitness is not an exclusive club, but something everyone can do, whatever their background. The part of my job that gets me out of bed every day is the part where I help a client to be the best they can be; so, they can feel great about themselves!
To keep fit, aside from doing Hypopressives and Pilates, I run for headspace and love working out with my TRX (I’m a certified instructor), one of my favourite pieces of equipment. But I can also do couch potato like a pro, you cannot beat a lazy afternoon or evening watching TV!
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