Since I began my entrepreneurial journey at the age of just 20 I’ve always been accompanied by the dreams and aspirations of fellow entrepreneur Aaron Paul at The Fitness Rooms. Who set up his first business, a stage school at the same time as I set up my bricks and mortar store.
Our paths crossed over the years and we helped each other with ideas. Suggesting ways that we could help our different businesses grow. Aaron went travelling to Thailand last year for a year where he had the most fantastic time. Became a diving instructor and made some memories to last a lifetime.
He returned home and opened a smoothie bar. However, his heart wasn’t in blending fruits that made him reminiscent of his travels. His passion was in personal training.
Fast forward 6 months and he’s just launched his personal training career with a bang at the highly esteemed ‘Strong Man’ gym The Fitness Rooms. I went along for a catch-up and a training session.
What Type of Training Can I Do at The Fitness Rooms in Benton?
If you’ve never been to The Fitness Rooms, Benton you’ll find them on the trading estate. In a massive unit where all the rollers are painted a bright lime. You can’t miss it.
Muscle Beach Vibes at The Fitness Rooms
When I arrived I noticed the gym was pretty old school and no-frills. But it had a Muscle Beach feel about it. I was transported instantly back to LA.
We went through the mandatory forms. I’m going to start carrying my own copies to hand out to gyms and PTs. Then we started a warm-up. Starting on the rowing machine of 1000m in 100m bursts of fast and then normal pace.
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As we were warming up I was talking about my love of KERN (the EMS training I do which is absolutely revolutionary and compliments PT sessions).
I asked Aaron why he got involved in fitness and the road that led him to become a PT as I knew fitness was never at the forefront of his studies during high school.
“When I was travelling in Australia and Thailand the lifestyle was cleaner and everybody was health-conscious. As I was a trained diving instructor when I was out there I began to fall in love with fitness and personal training. When I came back to Newcastle I was unsure the route I wanted to pursue and after taking part in the Whitley Bay Park Run with my girlfriend. It lit a spark and I knew that fitness was what would make me happy”
Once we had finished our rowing we headed over to a circuit where I was firstly greeted by some battle ropes. Looking around the expansive gym I noticed that about 3/4 of the equipment I wasn’t familiar with. There was a concrete ball that you’d struggle to get through a regular door.
With tractor tyres in all different sizes and thicknesses. There was this suspect looking thing on the track in the middle of the room called the prowler which apparently is NOBODIES FAVOURITE!
Strong Man Gym
This really is a strong man gym! Don’t let this fool you. There’s a large female base at the gym and not everybody is all about bulking up and competing to lift. Aaron Paul specialises in fat loss and toning which is just what I need!
We began the circuit I had 50 seconds doing battle ropes. If you’ve never shaken some battle ropes before then lucky you. They’re heavy and the time is never-ending but you can feel your triceps working from the get-go. Aaron pushed me when I was slowing and kept me motivated throughout.
My next station was medicine ball slams. A personal favourite of mine that works your abs (and releases a lot of anger). Finally kettlebell swings. Perfect for your quads and triceps. After 3 rounds I was sweating and shaking.
We headed to the prowler where I pushed it along the track and ran back with it. My goodness, that thing was heavy and it had no weights on!! I could feel it working for different muscle groups instantly!
After this, we cooled down where I continued to chat with Aaron Paul whilst we sat at the power bar. Where you can get a selection of shakes, coffees and teas as well as pre and post-workout snacks.
The Fitness Rooms equipment
He began to explain to me in-depth about the different pieces of equipment and what they worked. He told me that come 17:00 the gym is extremely busy with all kinds of gym-goers from those wanting to lose weight, improving their fitness, that building muscle and those who are training to compete.
I initially when entering felt quite overwhelmed by the gym but by the time my first session was over I felt comfortable and knew that it was a gym that produced results. Enjoying an old school way of training and really felt the benefits the next day.
I would highly recommend Aaron Paul Fitness if you’re looking to lose weight and tone up for the Summer.
His session costs vary between £25-£35 depending upon session length. He also takes boot camps and classes at The Fitness Rooms so reach out to him if you’ve got a Summer body goal.
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