about alex hopkins
I'm Alex and I am a Personal Trainer (PT) based at The Personal Training Pod in Chepstow/Caldicot. I help people from all walks of life to improve their health and fitness and lead happier lives through sustainable habits. The secret to success is learning to achieve these goals whilst still living a balanced life. I promise you nothing is impossible.
I know how it feels to be out of shape, manage a business and family, and deal with conflicting family priorities and values. I'm 43 and have three wonderful children, two of which are grown up and living away. I qualified as a Personal Trainer (Diploma in Fitness Training and Sports Therapy) way back in 2000 but worked as a Civil Servant and Project Manager for over 20 years! During this time, though I kept a keen interest in physical fitness, health and well-being alongside living on my own with my own health and weight struggles. Like many people COVID caused me to revaluate what I wanted out of life. I started my own business, Optimal Exercise, alongside my full-time job and set about updating my knowledge. To ensure I was giving the best service to my clients, I invested in coaching mentorship where I was supported by some of the best coaches in the UK. I'm a firm believer that we never stop learning and improving and I continue to invest in my education to this day.
Steve Jobs is quoted to have said: "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to to do what you believe is great work. The only way to do great work is to do what you love."
A little about you:
I've worked with a variety of clients with different levels of expertise, compliancy, effort and desire. Clients in their 20's to clients in their 60's. I've helped people with pre-menopause/menopause symptoms, anxiety, depression, disordered eating, digestive issues, diabetes, kidney disease, autism, high blood pressure, total hip replacement, general aches and pains, previous heart surgey, weight loss goals, muscle gain and body re-composition goals. I pride myself on working with you, as a unique individual, so that you feel supported on your personal journey. Working with my six key pillars of sleep, stress, digestion, mindset, nutrition and exercise, I will show you how you can each beyond your initial goals while still living a balanced life.
Do you want to move a little bit easier? Fit into clothes you once loved? Reduce pain? Be able to be more active with your partner, children or grandchildren? Perhaps you want to go further and undergo total body re-composition and do a fitness photoshoot? Whatever your goal, how.ever big or small, I can tailor our time together to ensure you achieve it!
Nobody says that you must go as far as a photoshoot, but just imagine how it would feel to be healthier, fitter, happier and stronger, both physically and mentally than you are now. Sound good to you?
You should consider working with me if you want to:
· Co-design a plan that is tailored around your unique needs
· Improve Health
· Improve Fitness
· Increase Muscle
· Lose Body Fat
· Lose Weight
· Address specific ailments
· Improve nutritional understanding and how your body works
· Invest in yourself and understand life balance
· Feel better in yourself
· Work with an expert to set realistic goals that can build up over time to achieve
amazing things
My coaching is not for you if:
· You expect instant results - I will discuss timeframes for your goals with you.
· You don’t intend to hold up your end of the commitment – I can’t do this for you!
· You want me to tell you exactly what to eat and when
- this is outside the scope of the vast majority of PTs unless they have very specific nutrition qualifications or are a registered dietician.
· You want to be screamed and shouted at like a Drill Sergeant! There are bootcamps for this type of approach.
I know how it feels to be out of shape, manage a business and family, and deal with conflicting family priorities and values. I'm 43 and have three wonderful children, two of which are grown up and living away. I qualified as a Personal Trainer (Diploma in Fitness Training and Sports Therapy) way back in 2000 but worked as a Civil Servant and Project Manager for over 20 years! During this time, though I kept a keen interest in physical fitness, health and well-being alongside living on my own with my own health and weight struggles. Like many people COVID caused me to revaluate what I wanted out of life. I started my own business, Optimal Exercise, alongside my full-time job and set about updating my knowledge. To ensure I was giving the best service to my clients, I invested in coaching mentorship where I was supported by some of the best coaches in the UK. I'm a firm believer that we never stop learning and improving and I continue to invest in my education to this day.
Steve Jobs is quoted to have said: "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to to do what you believe is great work. The only way to do great work is to do what you love."
A little about you:
I've worked with a variety of clients with different levels of expertise, compliancy, effort and desire. Clients in their 20's to clients in their 60's. I've helped people with pre-menopause/menopause symptoms, anxiety, depression, disordered eating, digestive issues, diabetes, kidney disease, autism, high blood pressure, total hip replacement, general aches and pains, previous heart surgey, weight loss goals, muscle gain and body re-composition goals. I pride myself on working with you, as a unique individual, so that you feel supported on your personal journey. Working with my six key pillars of sleep, stress, digestion, mindset, nutrition and exercise, I will show you how you can each beyond your initial goals while still living a balanced life.
Do you want to move a little bit easier? Fit into clothes you once loved? Reduce pain? Be able to be more active with your partner, children or grandchildren? Perhaps you want to go further and undergo total body re-composition and do a fitness photoshoot? Whatever your goal, how.ever big or small, I can tailor our time together to ensure you achieve it!
Nobody says that you must go as far as a photoshoot, but just imagine how it would feel to be healthier, fitter, happier and stronger, both physically and mentally than you are now. Sound good to you?
You should consider working with me if you want to:
· Co-design a plan that is tailored around your unique needs
· Improve Health
· Improve Fitness
· Increase Muscle
· Lose Body Fat
· Lose Weight
· Address specific ailments
· Improve nutritional understanding and how your body works
· Invest in yourself and understand life balance
· Feel better in yourself
· Work with an expert to set realistic goals that can build up over time to achieve
amazing things
My coaching is not for you if:
· You expect instant results - I will discuss timeframes for your goals with you.
· You don’t intend to hold up your end of the commitment – I can’t do this for you!
· You want me to tell you exactly what to eat and when
- this is outside the scope of the vast majority of PTs unless they have very specific nutrition qualifications or are a registered dietician.
· You want to be screamed and shouted at like a Drill Sergeant! There are bootcamps for this type of approach.
My own health journey – for those who want to know more
I’ve always had a keen interest in health and fitness, participating in Rugby and Judo from a young age. After a significant injury I moved onto running and then triathlons, completing
the Edinburgh Marathon in 2011 and the Ocean Lava Half-Ironman Triathlon in 2015.
You’d be forgiven for thinking “Oh, Alex is one of those guys that’s always been fit and healthy, always in the gym and can eat whatever he likes.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Although I’ve always loved the science and theory behind training, my application often left a lot to be desired. I have also struggled with my weight for many years.
In between marathons and triathlons I often let life take over. Work and life pressures became a convenient excuse to not look after myself. I love food and I like a beer, just being honest!
As a result, my weight would balloon drastically and I would be very self-conscious, which impacted my self-esteem. I also started to develop health issues, requiring sleep studies for sleep apnoea and also suffering with constant digestive issues.
I really got into a space where I was deeply unhappy with how I felt and looked. So in 2019 decided to apply some of my knowledge and get myself back in the gym. Of course, Covid hit in 2020 but I was determined to continue, working out at home and getting my own coach to work with me remotely.
Over the course of 1 year, I worked out mostly at home only increasing my time in the gym when lockdown restrictions allowed. In May 2021 I did my first fitness photoshoot, showing that anything can be achieved, even at a so-called ‘later’ age of 40!
I’ve always had a keen interest in health and fitness, participating in Rugby and Judo from a young age. After a significant injury I moved onto running and then triathlons, completing
the Edinburgh Marathon in 2011 and the Ocean Lava Half-Ironman Triathlon in 2015.
You’d be forgiven for thinking “Oh, Alex is one of those guys that’s always been fit and healthy, always in the gym and can eat whatever he likes.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Although I’ve always loved the science and theory behind training, my application often left a lot to be desired. I have also struggled with my weight for many years.
In between marathons and triathlons I often let life take over. Work and life pressures became a convenient excuse to not look after myself. I love food and I like a beer, just being honest!
As a result, my weight would balloon drastically and I would be very self-conscious, which impacted my self-esteem. I also started to develop health issues, requiring sleep studies for sleep apnoea and also suffering with constant digestive issues.
I really got into a space where I was deeply unhappy with how I felt and looked. So in 2019 decided to apply some of my knowledge and get myself back in the gym. Of course, Covid hit in 2020 but I was determined to continue, working out at home and getting my own coach to work with me remotely.
Over the course of 1 year, I worked out mostly at home only increasing my time in the gym when lockdown restrictions allowed. In May 2021 I did my first fitness photoshoot, showing that anything can be achieved, even at a so-called ‘later’ age of 40!
Client results
Deena - Getting fit at 50! From complete beginner to fitness photoshoot for her 50th - it’s never too late to start
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Sean - Improving health and wellbeing while having a busy, manual job. Improved posture and mobility plus reduced pain levels. Not to mention losing 7kg in 4 months in a sustainable way!
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Zoe - Gone from hiding away on the cross trainer to learning how to build confidence within the gym and for herself - “You genuinely care for your clients and you have helped me turn my life around"
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