The newest addition to the COACH LONDON team, Nicole, has been working in the UK and abroad with people of all ages and fitness levels for over five years. She specialises in weight training, body composition changes, post injury strengthening as well as pre and postnatal fitness, and pre/post rehab Pilates.
We sat down with her to find out a little more about what makes her tick and why she makes a great addition to team COACH.
Where does your passion for health and fitness come from?
My Father – He trained for the Olympic rowing team as a young adult and instilled a lot of fitness and activity into my life growing up. School was also a huge influence – I did every single sport going; from gymnastics, to volleyball and water polo, but my main sports were 100m sprint, long jump, netball, and hockey. To this day I love working in a team and challenging myself physically.
What do you love the most about working with your clients?
I find the whole process of educating, transforming and changing a client’s body, health and mindset very rewarding. I love the fact that I’m always on my feet moving around, instead of sitting down at a desk.
Were there any challenges you had to overcome when you first started training clients?
Communication is crucial in this job, so in the beginning I had to learn how to work with different personality types – over time I began to understand exactly how to coach different personalities effectively.
What’s your favourite thing to do in the gym and why?
Hip thrusts, Paloff press, and Lat raises; these are the exercises I feel the most and also have the best mind-to-muscle connection.
How does training in the gym help you mentally?
It’s a great outlet for stress, pain and anger. Most of the time when I’m training it puts me in a very concentrated headspace, and gives me a sense of achievement afterwards – that feeling makes me happy!
What are the most common questions you get from clients when you first start working together?
How to lose fat effectively? How to increase strength without putting on muscle?
What is your post-workout recovery routine?
Stretching, Sauna, and a cold shower where possible. I always rehydrate and eat a high-protein meal straight after a session as I get hungry.
What’s the best bit of advice you could give to someone who wants to get fit and healthy but is struggling to get started?
If you want to do something, do it! It’s better to start sooner and take your time with it. Once you get started, you won’t want to stop! Being fit and healthy is a priority, put yourself first and enjoy the process.
If you had to choose only one piece of gym equipment to take with you to a desert island what would it be and why?
A hip thrust machine – to keep my glutes strong, powerful, shapely! It targets very a important muscle group in the body and it would help if I ever needed to run, swim or jump on the island.
Interested in training with Nicole? Email info@coachlondon.uk or speak to a member of our front desk team to arrange your sessions.