Meet the Liverpool trainer who transforms the lives of people who believe they are ‘lost causes’

A Liverpool personal trainer who specialises in transforming the lives of people who believe they’re ‘lost causes’ has been named PT of the Year for the fifth time.

Kevin Poole works with clients who have disabilities, chronic illnesses or conditions, and those with extreme weight loss.

Kevin, who’s based at Fitness For All gym in Woolton Village, won the title at the British Fitness Awards held in Liverpool’s Hilton Hotel.

The 33-year-old from Huyton has been a PT for 12 years after leaving his previous sports science job with Liverpool FC.

He took redundancy from the club when there was a change of manager and backroom staff and started up his own business.

“When I was at Liverpool I was working with the players on injury prevention, strength conditioning and nutrition,” he explains. “They’re not just footballers now, they’re athletes so it’s all about allowing them to take that next step up. That’s what my job was, to make sure they were at the top of their game and fit for as long as possible.

“I was only 22 when the manager I was working under left, so when I got offered a redundancy package I took it.

“I’d done a degree and a masters in sports science so that allowed me to step into different roles in the sports industry.

“While I was looking for another job in professional sport, I set up my own consultancy, getting cage fighters and boxers prepared for fights from a nutritional point and then alongside that I was doing personal training. 

“Once I started working with the general public I didn’t look back, I knew that feeling of making a difference to someone’s life was what I wanted.”

Kevin’s education and previous experience meant he was soon getting referrals from clients who needed very specific help.

“Because of my background I was more in tune with human biology and how to deal with people on a psychological level as well, the emotional and mental aspect.

“Being able to relate to people is key to get the best performance out of them, and I’ve never been afraid to work with people who’ve got disabilities or conditions. 

“I started helping a friend from school to lose a serious amount of weight – 10 stones inside a year – and that changed his life completely. He’d never had a girlfriend but now he’s married, and has baby on the way, so his life is starting at 31 years old.

“I had another client who lost 10 stones within a year, she had type 2 diabetes and we reversed that, turned her life around and got her back into employment.

“That was when the business snowballed because people could see other people in similar positions being helped. They went from having no hope to believing there might be a small chance that someone might be able to help them and they were coming to me for that chance.

“Because I feel confident in what I’m doing I could take them on and see where I could go with them.”

Kevin’s client list includes those suffering with Parkinson’s disease, anorexia, auto immune conditions, hip replacements, knee replacements, PTSD, and arthritis.

“One, who has Parkinson’s disease, is a really close friend now. I trained Liz to row the Atlantic Ocean a couple of years ago as part of a research project and because of her diet and strength training she’s in a position now where she’s really able to love the life she lives.

“She even asked me to walk her down the aisle when she got married last year. That’s what I love most about this job, the relationships I build. You’re adding years onto people’s lives and you can’t buy those feelings.

“Often people don’t ever ask for help because they think they’re beyond it, they’d call themselves lost causes, so when they see someone who they can relate to who’s been through a transformation it gives them a little glimmer of hope. 

“The kind of client I take on now isn’t the one who’s going on holiday and wants to shift a couple of pounds. I want to really be making a difference to people’s lives.”

Follow Kevin on Instagram HERE.

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