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Charlotte Hopkins

before personal training
after personal training

After moving to Glasgow at the end of 2011, I was looking for a way to get back into sports or some form of training to increase my fitness, lose weight, and generally feel healthier and happier. Dragging my best friend along to DMC Fitness to try out a kettlebell class was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. One class was all it took for me to realise this was something I was going to commit to 100%.

I’ve always been active, particularly enjoying the outdoors and less conventional sports such as scuba diving and snowboarding. However, after a stressful year at University, I found I’d put on weight and was unhappy with my appearance. Making excuses such as “I’ve got too much work to do and no time for the gym” and telling myself that I could only keep working with lots of chocolate within a reachable distance on my desk, I gained weight, lost energy, and motivation and had lost my confidence.

Finishing at University and moving to Glasgow to start my career was the clean slate I needed. Getting a leaflet through my door from DMC sparked my interest in kettlebells and I was soon hooked! Seeing my strength greatly increase week by week gave me added motivation to stick with it. When Davie told me I was ready for my first competition, I was thrilled! Competition day was nerve-racking. I had no idea what to expect. However, 10 minutes later I felt I had really achieved something. Watching everyone else compete was an extra inspiration, especially the ladies competing with heavyweights. With the start of the Glasgow Kettlebell Club, I entered two more competitions. At a national competition in Cardiff, I achieved personal bests in both events in the kettlebell biathlon and I’m now working towards competitions with a heavier weight.

Outside class, I was much more energetic, finding I had loads more energy and drive to commit to a true lifestyle change. I climbed Ben Nevis (the hard way!) for the first time this summer, began actively scuba diving again, and even took part in a 50 mile cycle ride to Edinburgh, despite not having been on a bike for about 10 years!

Witnessing the great results people had achieved with DMC personal training, I decided to see what I could achieve with a one-to-one session every week. My 10 weeks of training with Pablo were amazing! Every week was a new challenge for my strength and fitness. The nutrition advice was great. I already knew a lot of the things I should be doing, but with the extra incentive of keeping a food diary, and having to show it to someone, I found the nutrition incredibly easy to maintain. I couldn’t believe it when Pablo told me I had reached the stage of deadlifting more than 40kgs and was now doing band-assisted chin-ups. Feeling that strong was fantastic.

Looking down at the scales for the final time and being overwhelmed at what I’d achieved was such an amazing feeling. I’d lost 15 pounds and 4.1% body fat, decreased my BMI by 2.57, and lost a huge 25 1/2 inches in 10 weeks! I went out the following day and bought the same dress I had tried on 4 weeks earlier a size smaller! I never once found either the kettlebell classes or training sessions a chore. I truly enjoyed every second, even when I thought I was pushing myself to the very edge of my capabilities.

Even after everything I’ve achieved this year, it’s only the start! Now I have this as my starting point, I can’t wait to see where I’ll be in another year with DMC Fitness and GKC.