“At the height of the pandemic, I went looking for a dedicated trainer to work with me on a very specific request. I was in pain. I needed knee replacements and I was so afraid of surgery. I had tried a, shall we say, “commercial gym”, and I found the experience anonymous and generic; it simply didn’t fit my needs. I was really at the end of the road and there were roadblocks everywhere.
Whilst I was excited about what Sphere said they had to offer, I had a fair amount of apprehension about paying for “more of the same”.
Once I met John and explained what it was I needed – I felt I was in professional hands. I have played tennis for years and in the previous 2 years to joining I was plagued with various injuries ranging from minor, to (literally) game-changing. In fact, I had been told by one medical professional that I would never play tennis again. John simply pushed that thought aside and got to work on my objectives. He didn’t try to sell me the dream; he didn’t even attempt to tell me that he’d make everything better. What he told me was that playing tennis again would be possible if I was prepared to trust him.
When I walked into the gym in July 2020, I had a limited range of movement in my legs (which are kind of important tools in tennis!), due to the pain I was experiencing in my knees. Without demonstrating any level of hubris, John worked with me on building my core strength and stability, to avoid unnecessary pressure on my knees. Because of his exceptional knowledge of body mechanics, he tailored my training to suit my sport. When I saw my orthopaedic consultant again, it was not knee replacements I needed, but simple surgical tweaks. The consultant told me that it was because my legs were so strong, I could now safely support my knees. I bounced back to the gym a few weeks after surgery……and I bounced back onto the tennis court after lockdown!
What John and his team did for me was make me realise that nothing was impossible.
What I would say is this, though, by way of a caveat: if you are not prepared to put in the work, you won’t see results. There are no fairy godmothers with magic wands at Sphere. If you want to chase a pipe dream, there are plenty of commercial options out there.
If you genuinely want it (whatever your “it” is), just go for it. John and his amazing team are superbly supportive and extremely knowledgeable and encouraging. It’s a real partnership approach, and what I mean by that is, not only does the team at Sphere work with you on your specific goals, but in my case, working with the team enhances my performance on the court.
Because of Sphere, I am back playing the sport I love, the sport I started playing in 1979.
Thank you, Team Sphere!”
