CLIENT STORIES
LDJ Fitness would not be anything without our wonderful clients. Our youngest member is 11, our older members in their 50s - and we have every age and ability inbetween. Every person is on their own journey - and with the support of us and their fellow members, our clients have gone on to achieve some amazing things.
KAREN
Sometimes it's only when you look back that you realise how far you've come. A picture paints a thousand words... this is what James and the gym have done for me...
I've always been a runner, but tended to focus on running more in order to improve my times. After starting at LDJ and working on my strength and intensity of training, my race times got progressively faster; to the point where I ran my fastest marathon PB of 3 hours 21 less than 6 months before my 50th birthday. There’s gyms and there’s LDJ Fitness. If you want to work hard to get fit with like-minded, friendly people, then this is the place for you.
RICH
IZZY
My mental health was in my boots...I was struggling and thought I was going mad! Then I stumbled across this lot and now realise I am totally mad - but in a good way!
I have always had the attitude “I can’t do that” and with the support and encouragement from James, Bianca, Lisa and like-minded people in classes, I still say I can’t do it - but I do it anyway! I have run across fells and raced horses up hills in Wales, done a duathlon (which I didn’t even know existed), sadistically enjoyed a good death by spin - and even learnt to love a burpee! There’s nothing like holding onto the contents of your stomach whilst trying not to pee yourself!
AIDEN
I’ve been at the gym for 3 years now and I have never known a family like it. I originally joined the gym after being medically discharged from the marines and told James it was my aim to re-join. His words were: “we’ll get you there”. I thought this would be the best gym after seeing how versatile the workouts were, from spinning to Muay Thai to body weight circuits and running clubs. The beauty of it is you never know what to expect before getting through the doors (sometimes it’s best not to know).
I still remember to this day being put through my paces on my first session, and I got home to a message saying “showed true grit tonight mate, you’re welcome at my gym anytime”. And that’s all LDJ Fitness asks for - that you put in 100% of whatever you’re capable of, and they’ll help you find that extra 10% you never even knew you had.
It’s not just a gym, it’s a second home! I couldn’t think of a better group of people train with.
I loooove this place! It really challenges the idea that if you are a woman of a certain age real gyms are not for you. I’ve never been pushed so hard or encouraged so much. A really supportive (if tough) team; Bianca and James take no excuses and help you to realise what you are capable of. I’ve lost weight and grown stronger and fitter than I’ve ever been before!!
JAYNE
MAISIE
When I walked into LDJ Fitness it had been 5 years since I walked through the door of a gym. And this place is so much more than a gym, it’s full of supportive people that made it so much easier for me to get back into fitness. Bianca and James put on classes that make you push yourself every week and I have a new found love for Boxing and Thai Boxing.
I’ve had PT sessions with Bianca since April 21 and ‘thank you’ isn’t enough for the support she has given me to get me back into fitness and in helping through the recovery from unexpected surgery in October 21. Each session is varied and tailored to me and my long-term goals. I’ve struggled with my weight and have always obsessed about the scales. She has taught me scales are not the be all and end all. Training hard and a balanced diet has become my focus and the weight loss has followed. Bianca continues to push me and I will always be grateful for her support. This gym has given me the confidence to train again.
PAUL
I have always 'trained'. Since I can remember, I have competed in running, triathlon and duathlon competitions and been generally fit and healthy. However, when the pandemic hit life became quite hectic. I began drinking alcohol daily just to 'unwind' and was making poor diet choices. I basically began on a downward cycle that I felt trapped within.
One day in July 2020 out of nowhere I suffered a major seizure and ended up in hospital for a short time, this was rock bottom for me and left me with migraine problems, visual impairment and exhaustion for some months afterwards. In this time I piled on close to 2 stone and felt exhausted.
All gyms were still closed due to the pandemic and so it was really hard to find the motivation to begin by myself again. I came across LDJ as I had previously known James through a different gym and sent him a message regarding borrowing a piece of equipment to help me get started at home, this one text message is where everything changed for me.
Quickly welcomed into the fold, I was invited to attend the at the online 'beasting' that was circuits from home. Oh my god, I was trying to compete with these LDJ machines that were on the other end of a zoom screen whilst they Planked, performed endless sit ups, burpees & press ups. I was USELESS, I couldn't quite believe it, only 4 years previous I had been competing at high level duathlon and I couldn't even hold a plank for longer than 30 seconds.
Slowly and painfully James and Bianca changed my mind set on training completely: give it everything, every session, until deaths door. Now I’m 1 year into training with James and Bianca, and alongside a lovely group of 'ordinary' people that can all in their own way produce extraordinary results of themselves during training sessions.
We all know it is going to be horrible, painful and at times excruciating, but somehow as we cross the threshold of Unit 16 there is such an overwhelming feeling that we are all in it together - and the results are amazing. I’ve never felt stronger, more alive or happier to be training again. Thanks to LDJ for pulling me out of the depths and showing me a different path back to fitness.