A former soldier, who uses his military experience to help others to get fit, has beaten hundreds of other entrants to be shortlisted for the prestigious Personal Trainer of the Year award for the second year running.
Glenn Hill, a personal trainer at Bannatyne Health Club Chester le Street, was nominated by several of his clients and, after having his programmes scrutinised by the judging panel at the National Fitness Awards, has made the final seven.
This is the second year that Glenn has made the shortlist at the awards having made the final last year in the Best Personal Trainer and Best Ladies Gym categories. He hopes this year will be the year he takes home the highly-coveted award.
40 year old Glenn said: “It’s an honour to make the final short list for the Personal Trainer of the Year award. Hundreds of excellent personal trainers enter, so to get this far alone is an accomplishment in its own right. It makes it even more special that I was nominated by my clients.”
Glenn spent 18 years in the Army as a physical training instructor, but also underwent operational tours as a member of the Royal Engineers in Bosnia, Northern Ireland and Afghanistan, where during his final tour of duty on New Year’s Eve 2012, Glenn was injured in a roadside bomb attack.
Having taking voluntary redundancy from the forces, Glenn set up his own business, Ladies Gym. After struggling to keep the business afloat, he finally closed the doors for the last time in 2014.
Keen to continue to help people feel better about themselves and improve their health, he pursued a career in personal training, which led him to work at Bannatyne Health Club Chester le Street. There he combines training methods he learnt in the Army with ultra-modern techniques such as applied movement neurology and body map.
Glenn said: “After leaving the Army and losing a business, many people would have stuck their heads in the sand, but if there’s anything that I believe in, it’s perseverance. You have to push yourself if you want to achieve results, which is something I try and instil in my clients.
“It was during my time in the Army that I learnt the basics of personal training. I found I thoroughly enjoyed helping thousands keep fit and healthy.
“However, I’m not the stereotypical Army instructor that many people imagine. I have developed my own regime by cherry picking the very best parts from a multitude of training disciplines, including some rather new-age techniques, such as applied movement neurology and body map, which has its roots in reflexology.
“I don’t believe in fads or gimmicks. I only use progressive, intelligent training that prevents my clients from getting bored and simply delivers excellent visible results.”
Nicola Turner, General Manager at Bannatyne Health Club Chester le Street, said: “Glenn is always busy on our gym floor. His Body Metabolic Blast class is one of our most popular classes and is regularly fully booked.
“I’ve witnessed first-hand the excellent results he has achieve with his clients, so it came as no surprise when I heard he had been shortlisted.
“We wish him the best of luck and hope he brings home the award. If there’s anyone who deserves to win, it’s Glenn.”
The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Friday December 4 in Leicester, which will be hosted by fitness entrepreneur and TV personality Katie Bulmer-Cooke and Olympic swimmer and commentator, Steve Parry.