My name is Alan Middlebrook and I have been a personal trainer, sports massage therapist and nutritional advisor for the past 3 years.  I consider myself to be a serious runner, although the truth is I'm never likely to threaten any Olympic hopefuls. However, I do regularly take part in 10k runs and half marathons, not to mention the odd marathon, where I've recorded personal bests of just under 36.5 minutes, 1 hour 23 minutes and 2 hours 55 minutes (in the 2010 Virgin London Marathon), respectively. Before becoming a personal trainer I worked as an English Teacher in Spain. I had to give this up when my Director of Studies realised that my students were very good at telling jokes, but had terrible spelling. Prior to that I worked as a project manager with Cambridgeshire County Council, where I worked on a number of large transport projects in and around Cambridge. It was whilst working for the County Council that I started running. This was how I dealt with the pressures of work. Running was my time for me to clear my mind, and a low cost way to stay in shape.

I'm also a keen scuba diver, cyclist and hill walker (obviously not in Cambridgeshire). In the past I've dabbled with rowing and have taken part in the Cambridge Town Bumps. I've also taken part in most team sports at some point, i.e. football, rugby, cricket, rounders, etc., for which I would have to be classed as an enthusiastic amateur. Racket sports and golf have also proved to be overly challenging for my hand-eye co-ordination. However, my knowledge of these sports and my training does mean that I can assess a clients current physical condition and design a functional fitness programme to help them improve in whatever sport they participate.

Qualifications

• Premier Training International Level 2 Certificate in Gym Instruction
• Certificate in Basic Emergency First Aid
• Premier Training International Level 3 Certificate in Personal Training
• Premier Training International Level 3 Certificate in Nutritional Advice
• Premier Training International Level 3 Certificate in Sports Massage Therapy
• Qualified Kettlebell Instructor to Advanced Level
• Member of the Register of Exercise Professionals