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Spotlight on our Instructors

Have you tried our on-line Live classes yet? We offer over 20 every week so you can still do your favourites or try something new (while no one is watching!)

The classes are brought to you directly from our studios by our fantastic team of instructors. For our instructors lockdown changes the experience, since they are effectively teaching to an empty studio. They love to hear from members who are doing their classes at home!  

We thought you might like to get to know them a little better. After hearing from Katy, Garry and Jayden last time, we have added two more of our instructors – Caroline and Katie. Let’s see what they have to say……

Caroline

  1. Do you have any nicknames given to you by members/colleagues? Believe it or not I don’t! Or at least not that that I am aware of – perhaps the members can answer that for me! 
  2. What classes do you teach? Quite a few! Yoga, Gently Active, Body Pump, LBT, Body Jam, Aerobics, Freestyle Step, Zumba and Body Balance. I used to teach Swiss Ball (back in the day!) along with Body Attack and Body Step. 
  3. What’s your favourite class? It has to be Yoga. I love that I can be creative and tailor each class so we all have a unique experience each time. 
  4. What’s your mindset when teaching a ‘live’ class? I like to imagine the members are there with me, I try and talk to the camera as if it’s you! 
  5. What do you eat for breakfast? Do you have a favourite pre- or post-workout snack? I’m very naughty and don’t eat breakfast but strong coffee is essential. I have a very sweet tooth (I have been known to make a cake or two……!) I love peanut butter for energy and currently have a penchant for ginger, especially shots and tea!
  6. Please tell us an interesting fact about you that our members might not know? I used to have two pet geese, Graham and Gertrude. They lived in my back garden and used to make an almighty racket! Never had a pet flamingo though……
  7. What are the most amusing moments you have had when teaching? I’ve had a few and have had a fit of giggles myself too many times to mention! I’ve fallen over a few times, once left with a bruise on my bum from the mic pack! The members were too busy laughing to help me up! I laughed when I split my trousers in class but was not laughing when a huge spider crawled across the stage………

You can currently catch Caroline teaching Full Body Barbell at 9am on Tuesdays and Gently Active at 10.30am Wednesdays………..

Katie  

  1. Do you have any nicknames given to you by members/colleagues? No, but I’m pretty sure the members can come up with some! 
  2. What classes do you teach? Pilates. I am also a Pole Fitness and LyraPole instructor.
  3. What’s your favourite class? Pilates of course! I am a die-hard Pilates fan, not that I’m biased! I love that it is accessible to all – no matter what your limitations, you can feel like you have worked hard at your own level. My favourite exercises are ‘Open Leg Rocker and Teaser’, although I’m not sure my members would agree!
  4. What’s your mindset when teaching a ‘live’ class? I like to imagine the members at home all set up ready for the class. Whether they join me ‘live’ or ‘on demand’, knowing they are able to continue incorporating Pilates into their schedule is amazing. 
  5. What’s your favourite one-liner when teaching? Hmmmm I like to say ‘hold in wind and a wee’ – there’s no better image for getting the pelvic floor activated!
  6. What do you eat for breakfast? Do you have a favourite pre or post workout snack? Breakfast is always porridge. I like to vary toppings – sometimes cacao with banana or almond butter, flax seeds, chia seeds and berries. At the weekend I like to make banana pancakes.
  7. Please tell us an interesting fact about you that our members might not know? I appeared on German TV for my school production of Fame. 
  8. What are the most amusing moments you have had when teaching? It has to be the first time I told the class to ‘hold in a poo’ whilst activating their pelvic floor! 

You can currently catch Katie on a Wednesday at 2pm with Pilates……..

Garry Noakes

1. Do you have any nicknames given to you by members/colleagues?
Supergaz! (I think this might be a reference to my advancing years, or my replacement hip, but I am not totally sure! 😊)

2. What classes do you teach?
Body Attack, Body Pump and LBT, but my favourite is undoubtedly Body Attack.

3. What’s your mindset when teaching an online ‘live’ class?
I just imagine that all the members are in the room with me, and we’re going to have a great time working out together. Getting across that I am LOVING teaching the class is really important to me.

4. What’s your favourite one-liner when teaching?
“Let’s bring sunshine into the room and finish this together!” I firmly believe that exercise should be fun and this one-liner sort of helps that feeling of enjoyment and togetherness – I hope!  But I have lots of one-liners – would love the members to tell me what I say all the time!

5. What do you eat for breakfast? Or what’s your favourite pre/post workout snack?
I love to eat porridge every morning with cinnamon, blueberries, nuts and seeds. A great way to start the day!

6. Please tell us an interesting fact about you that our members might not know?
Well I have a bit of a background in the entertainment industry, which really helps when standing up in front of a class – virtual or otherwise. One of my most memorable moments was working with Brian May from “Queen”.

7. What are the most amusing moments you have had when teaching?
Tricky as there have been so many! One of the most entertaining was teaching the set choreography to the wrong track – easily done, but it took me a while to notice – OOPS!

Jayden Halliday

1. What classes do you teach?

I teach Body Attack and Body Pump, and since lockdown, I have recently certified in Body Balance which for anyone who knows me is definitely out of my comfort zone! Let’s just say quiet and calm aren’t words often associated with me!

2. What’s your favourite class?

I love the strength training of Body Pump but for me, nothing beats that feeling of togetherness in Body Attack.  Whether we are all screaming “Hey Hey” in Track 8 or all feeling the burn of intense Plyo Track 4, it’s amazing knowing we have each other to get through anything!

3. What’s your mindset when teaching an online ‘live’ class?

Every Sunday when I wake up to teach my Livestream Attack class, I spend my time getting ready and driving to the Club feeling really grateful for the opportunity to still connect with everyone. I have been waking up early on a Sunday morning for about 3 years now and it’s great that it is still a big part of my life, even in lockdown! Although as the regulars will know, it may involve a tiny hangover every now and then!

4. What’s your favourite one-liner when teaching?

I have been told that I say the most random Australian one-liners whilst teaching, but I never notice them myself. It’s not a one-liner but I am definitely known for a motivational speech or two during my classes. I can’t help myself! When you have a studio or online room of people who all feel determined together, it just comes out!

5. What do you eat for breakfast? Or what’s your favourite pre/post workout snack?

I often train fasted in the morning. But hands down winner is peanut butter and banana on a toasted wholemeal bagel for a pre workout snack in the afternoon. Delicious!

6. Please tell us an interesting fact about you that our members might not know?

I have been doing Body Attack since I was 16 and it helped me lose 23kg during my own health transformation in my life! You can now see why I enjoy it so much…

7. What are the most amusing moments you have had when teaching?

A teaching moment that stands out happened a couple of years ago. I had to go home to Australia  to renew my visa and was stuck for 4 months! (there are worse places to be stuck!) No-one knew if I was going to be able to come back. Luckily, I was granted a visa and I left Perth on a Saturday afternoon arriving in England at 5am the following Sunday morning. What was the first thing I did when I got home? I got changed, came to Club Towers and Team taught Body Attack with my Sunday morning crew after travelling for 24 hours straight! I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Katy Thomas

Katy, our Fitness Manager, better known in the Club as “Killer Katy” or “The Smiling Assassin”. I think we know why! Katy is qualified to teach a whole range of different classes: LBT, GRIT, Body Pump, Body Attack, CXworx, Circuits, HIIT and Aqua. So, Katy…….

What’s your favourite class?

Definitely GRIT! I love the energy that you can put into a GRIT class in just 30 minutes, and my favourite move is (you guessed it!) the burpee! It works the whole body in so many ways and has varieties and options to suit all abilities. I love that this move offers a challenge to everyone, from beginners to the fittest of participants.

What’s your mindset when teaching an on-line ‘live’ class?

I like to imagine all my regular members in their usual spots in the studio and when the workout gets tough, I can almost see their expressions! That’s why you often hear me saying – you better be with me, don’t make me do this on my own!

What’s your favourite ‘one-liner’ when you are teaching?

I have a few! I love “It’s gotta hurt to work!” but I never get through a class without saying ‘what’s better than one……..’

What do you eat for breakfast?

Before my classes I like peanut butter and jam on a toasted bagel; as a treat on a rest day I like protein pancakes with bacon and maple syrup! 

Please tell us an interesting fact about yourself that our members might not know?

I have over 20 years’ experience teaching Group Exercise and I love it with a passion but I actually have an Art College degree. Don’t ask me what happened there!

What are the most amusing moments you have had when teaching?

Well, I once had to teach an inflatable turkey, which takes some beating! But most embarrassing was when I used Spotify to play a relaxing cool down stretch only to be interrupted by my teenage son using my Spotify account to blast out some obscene hip hip lyrics. Recently I saluted a magpie I saw out the window during a ‘live’ hoping no one would notice!

You can catch Katy on Club Towers Live on Mondays with 9.30am Body Pump and 10.30 LBT Express; Tuesdays for 6pm HIIT and 6.40pm Abs/Core and Thursdays with 9.30am Body Attack and 10.30 GRIT Strength.

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