Why Don’t You… Try Nano Training at the Gym (Or Getting Fit At Fifty In St Albans, A Gymtro Journey)
- Jez Farmer
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
If like me, the gym feels like an alien environment – strange machines, frosty atmosphere, intimidating clientele – you might like to try Gymtro. They have created a smaller, more intimate environment where they can deliver personal training programmes to groups of 5 or less.
The Trouble With Gyms
There are a lot of gyms out there. Pay daily, pay monthly, banging techno, big, small… But the one thing they all have in common for me, is that I can honestly say that I wouldn’t have a clue where to start. Which machines? How to use them? In what order? What to do if something goes wrong? What should I do if I’m carrying an injury? Many (many, many) years ago I paid a subscription to a new shiney gym, had a 30 minute tour, promptly forgot what I was told, returned once and wasted a lot of money. I have also used a PT, which is great while it lasts, but soon becomes prohibitively expensive. So when Gymtro got in touch and started talking about “nano training” (AKA semi-private or small group training), I went along to find out more.
Nano Training – What the What?
I was met by Baba, the founder, who explained the ethos – provide tailor made programmes, creating a PT experience, but delivered in small groups (between 2 – 5) which provides two major benefits –
1. Cost – yes, its more than the most basic gym memberships out there, but certainly less than going down the PT route
2. Atmosphere – everyone training knows each other, and if they don’t, they get introduced and everyone knows each other by the end of 60 minutes. And that makes for a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere, and also helps with your training. A bit of encouragement from your training buddies goes a long, long way!
The gym itself is not a mega complex, but a small space with a carefully selected collection of machines and weights which makes it feel less intimidating and more practical - and my first thought, less to learn (or forget).
The other thing that you’re going to realise straight away is this is structured training and you’re going to fit a hell of a lot into every single 60 minute session. And what do I mean by that exactly? This is what…
Ok St Albans, what should you expect in a typical session?
In my first training session we had an initial chat about goals and targets, previous gym experience and safety and then I joined a group of 2 and the training started. Session one included all of the following:
Warm-ups
Row
Cycle
Hamstring walkouts
Overhead press
Core
Weighted sit ups
Planks
Leg raises
Prep and Prime
Incline press – working chest, delts and shoulders
Chest supported row – working back and biceps
Main Section
Bench press – compound movement working the chest
Secondary Section
Goblet and Barbell box squat – working the legs
Lat pull down – working the back and biceps
Finisher
Row
Cycle
And what is it like?
You don’t need to be a regular gym bunny to see that that is a really packed hour!
What I especially liked is that when you go regularly, the Main and Secondary section are tied together. When I do Bench again, I will also do goblet & barbell box squats plus the lat pull downs, and Gymtro gets you to record your reps and weights so that you can follow your progress in the upcoming weeks and months. Simple but effective. And when I checked with my gym buddy regulars, surprisingly this is not something that most of them do (how can you do anything without data????).
The Nano training is also really clever. Our group did the same “warm-ups” and the same “core”, after that we all did our separate programmes, but because we were a small group our coach was able to give everyone a lot of attention – whether it was teaching the basics (how to do a bench press for total newbies like myself), improving techniques, suggesting different exercises for those with injury concerns, or spotting for those who were trying to beat their personal bests.
But most of all I really enjoyed the atmosphere. Super friendly (coaches and class mates), everybody helpful, a wonderfully mixed group - men and women, very different ages, very different levels of fitness, and different motivations - and a lot of fun (I know - who’d have thought it!)
Final thoughts
Would I do it again? Well, actually I am. Baba has challenged me to stick with the programme for 5-6 weeks. He’s promising me transformation, and I’m willing to give it a go. And yes I will be reporting back, so watch this space.
The Facts:
Gymtro have two gyms, one in St Albans and one in Markyate. Both offer Nano Training and PT’s and are open every day from 6am
Gymtro specialises in fitness and strength training, if you are looking for a gym that specialises in martial arts you could try Combat Gym (Boxing and Kickboxing), or Fensoms Gym (Muay Thai)
Commentaires