Hi, I'm Charlotte and this is my story.

Back in 2018, I joined a boxing gym for teenagers which was the first time I started exercising regularly. I loved it and started to build up my confidence and my fitness. Then in 2022 I discovered PureGym and met Ellie.

Ellie was my Personal Trainer, and I've worked with her for 2 years. I have cerebral palsy, so we started out slowly, finding what movements were good for me and what worked best. Ellie also worked with the advice from my physiotherapists, targeting my biceps, triceps, and glute medius, as they had highlighted these areas as needing more attention.

I really enjoyed working towards goals that Ellie and I set together. One of my big goals when I started the gym was to be able to do the sled push. I wasn’t quite strong enough to use it to begin with, but I can now which really motivates me that I can clearly see my progress.

I’ve also seen an improvement in my grip strength too which is really important. With my cerebral palsy I get sporadic release of my hands, so the muscles sometimes let go when I’m holding or gripping something. Ellie started me off with hook grips, which helped me to lift the weight without reliance on my grip strength – but after about 2 months, I felt like I didn’t need them anymore!

I also really enjoyed when Ellie helped me learn and try new exercises and styles of training. She introduced me to the hip thrust and I've been able to see myself progress with the number of reps and weight increasing. Now, I love to do a combination of weights and cardio, with a focus on building my strength. I trained with Ellie twice a week, one upper body day and one lower body day -- but I love a leg day most!

Overall, the gym has now become such a massive part of my physiotherapy routine to help my Cerebral Palsy. My support worker and Physiotherapist have also noticed a huge improvement in my physical well-being since doing the sessions with Ellie at PureGym. Ellie, my support worker, and my physiotherapist all work together to ensure the sessions are targeting the areas we are aiming on improving.

If I can give one piece of advice to others looking to start their gym journey, it would be to just go for it. PureGym feels welcoming and inclusive. Nobody judges each other and I've always had support and encouragement from others in the gym. I believe starting your gym journey will 100% make you feel better and give you a more positive outlook on life and a positive attitude towards making progress!

You can check out more inspiring gym member stories here. If you're ready to start your own journey, find your nearest gym here.