MEET THE TRAINERS — Fitness Ring Private Boxing Studio, Boxing Classes, Richmond, Melbourne Fitness Ring

LET'S GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH YOUR TRAINERS.

We pride ourselves on making sure that we have not only the best trainers, but the type of people who inspire and bring lift those around them with their positivity and energy. It is imperative to create an environment that people not only are drawn to, but feel comfortable in and walk away feeling content and acknowledged.

By way of getting to know the trainers at Fitness Ring: Nick, Tonia, Luke, Caz, Blake and Julie - below are some insights into what they are passionate about and why they became trainers:

Q1: What do you teach at Fitness Ring?

Nick: I teach Boxing, kickboxing, and Muay Thai group classes. Most of my day is spent teaching personal training sessions.

Tonia: HIIT, Functional circuit and Abs Classes.

Luke: I teach boxing group classes as well as private lessons, abs classes, and my specialty HIIT.

Caz: Although I am currently overseas, I teach the combination classes - Boxing & Yoga, Muay Thai & Yoga and the occasional HIIT class!

Blake: Boxing, kickboxing, group fitness, personal training.

Julie: I hold the Yoga Workshops and teach various styles of Yoga and Meditation.

Q2: WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND IN FITNESS AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE IT AS A CAREER?

Nick: I was a fighter for 20+ years. During my years as a professional fighter, I started to train a handful of clients during my spare time. After I retired in 2003, I decided to keep teaching private clients. Boxing is my life. I live and breathe it. It’s very rewarding to see how far all of my clients have come since they started as beginners.

Tonia: My background was in the corporate weight loss industry. After I gave birth to my son, I decided to help my husband Nick with his business. I had so many ideas on how we could expand Fitness Ring from just personal training sessions, to something that more people (especially woman) could access. Initially I chose it as a career because I was able to work from home doing all the back end stuff and also teach classes a couple of days per week.

Luke: I was always involved in sport from a very young age and keeping fit was something I valued so I performed better in sporting competitions. It really just became a way of life for me and has always been my outlet. After spending pretty much every minute of my youth with a basketball in my hand, I discover Muay Thai and boxing in my late teens. I started my own gym which I ran for five years before selling and then working at Fitness Ring.

Caz: I am relatively new to the fitness industry, however have for the last 15 years been training in some form of dance, yoga or barre. I did my 200hr yoga teacher training and whilst I had been training at Fitness Ring for almost two years, Nick and Tonia suggested I do my fitness certification under the mentorship of Nick - and teach beginners Boxing and Muay Thai in partnership with yoga. The best combination!

Blake: I grew up competing in gymnastics and in my 20's transitioned to various martial arts (Kung Fu, BJJ, Muay Thai, Boxing, MMA). I started teaching gymnastics at 14 and have never really stopped teaching people physical movement skills.

Julie: My background is prominently in Yoga, Restorative Yoga and Yoga Nidra. My passion lies in helping people transform from within which is why my main focus in on emotional release using a spiritual and holistic platform that then creates an overall sense of wellbeing through physical growth using deep relaxation practices such as yoga and meditation.

Q3: WHAT ARE YOUR SPECIALITIES AND YOUR PERSONAL APPROACH TO TRAINING CLIENTS?

Nick: As Head trainer of Fitness Ring, my specialty is teaching the art of Boxing with passion and enthusiasm.

Tonia: I specialise in teaching people about nutrition and keeping them accountable. My approach is firm and I love to remind people of how far they’ve come since they started. It’s important to celebrate every step of the journey together while pushing each person to do better than they did yesterday.

Luke: My specialty has always been boxing, and in the past I've cornered over one hundred amateur fights and also coached a pro fighter into his debut. I therefore enjoy shaping people into a good style and making sure they have solid technique. I also really enjoy training and teaching HIIT. I feel it's a highly efficient way to train that gets you 'match-fit' for any sport, or just shreds your abs and gets you super strong!

Caz: Make it fun. As long as you are enjoying yourself then exercise shouldn't be a chore. My speciality is to help bring people gently down to a more restorative level after boxing and guide them into a more relaxed state in yoga.

Blake: Bodyweight, Kettlebells, TRX, boxing/kickboxing, mobility. I want to empower people with a greater understanding of their bodies and unlock their potential to use them.

Julie: I have been lucky enough to work and learn from like-minded professionals in the alternative therapies industry studying Accelerated Light Healing and Intuitive Counselling, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Hatha and Restorative Yoga, Reiki for Animals and Relaxation Massage. My experiences and desire have always been key in helping me unlock my own natural abilities, striving to help bring out that state of creativity, inspiration and bliss that is within us all.

Q4: HOW DO YOU GET THE BEST OUT OF YOUR CLIENTS?

Nick: I always try make them feel welcome from the start by showing them technique and building their confidence each session. Then I’ll throw in more complicated combinations as they progress.

Tonia: I think it’s really important to set realistic goals from the start. Keeping clients accountable (especially using the body composition analysis) really helps clients stay focused and on track.

Luke: I find that if the client has committed to training with me and booked in regular sessions, then I know that they are committed, and want to be there. So all I have to do is direct the action, make good advice, and give a little nudge when it's needed! If a client is ever having an off day, and really not performing, i'll ask probing questions so that hopefully they remember why they are there and what their goals are.

Caz: Acknowledge each and every person you work with. Smile and them and genuinely ask them how they are. Listen. Encouragement and guidance in order to get stronger physically, mentally and emotionally.

Blake: By staying up to date with the latest real science and knowledge involved in various aspects of human movement while also drawing from decades of experience in multiple fields of training.

Julie: Because of what I teach, my intuition and listening to my clients is vitally important. I get the best out of my clients because work together to reach a desired outcome; smaller achievable steps are put in place. We work on the core of the issues so that the present is more manageable.

Q4: WHAT IS A TYPICAL DAY IN YOUR LIFE AND HOW DOES TRAINING AND NUTRITION PLAY A PART?

Nick: I wake up at 4:45am most days of the week. My first class is 6am Boot Camp. I’ll eat some fruit and always start my day with a Greek coffee. My schedule varies with personal training sessions throughout the morning. I usually have the same breakfast every day. Steel cut oats with yogurt and berries, and a poached egg on toast. I eat every few hours (small light meals).

Tonia: My typical day starts off by taking my son to school. I love to go for long walks in the morning and stop at a local cafe for a coffee. I then head to Fitness Ring to do a personal training session with Blake (3x’s per week). I’ll then head home to make lunch for Nick and myself. It’s something light such as a chicken wrap, tuna stirfry, or a salad. I’ll then get stuck into admin work and touching base with clients, follow ups, confirming sessions, and social media posts before picking up my son and doing the evening Mum shift.

Luke: Probably to most people's surprise I'm certainly not a morning person! So my typical day won't see me out of bed before the sun rises (and I dare not say what time I sometimes get up!). I eat the same breakfast every day, quinoa porridge with organic raspberries and coconut yoghurt. I then hunt for coffee (long black). I'll then run any errands I need to, and usually teach 1-2 classes late-morning. Lunch then arrives, followed by some personal study. Most early afternoons i'll hit the gym or see my own boxing trainer. Then it's onto lesson planning before heading to work for the evening!

Caz: Living in Antalya, Turkey at the moment has changed my mornings from getting up at 5am to now a wild 6:45am! I usually start the day with some yoga and meditation, then jump online to to deliver projects for my copywriting clients. I will go for a walk along the beach after lunch most days and train for 1.5 hours 3 x times a week at Antalya Boxing Club. I have had to be creative here, not being able to get certain foods I usually would - but I stick to fresh and non processed foods, all the colours of the rainbow every meal.

Julie: Typical day for me consists of being very productive and active; I’m always walking everywhere possible whether it be to the shops, to see clients or volunteering to walk my neighbours dogs. I take time out for myself to train in what I teach plus boxing. I always make time for my family and most importantly I make time for myself. I tend to eat a healthy diet full of vegetables and lean protein but I also like the flexibility that when my body craves something that I do not deprive it.

Q5: LIFE MOTTO?

Nick: Enjoy life and do what you love.

Tonia: Be kind, be brave, know your worth, take no shit.

Luke: You get out what you put in.

Caz: "Get up, get into it, get involved" (James Brown)

Julie: Be bold, feel beautiful… just be!