earths wyndham: STEVE RICHARDSON INTERVIEW

Top London Personal Trainer Steve Richardson has recently moved to Brighton and has brought with him a wealth of fitness & nutrition knowledge, as well as his highly energised Zumba classes. What?s more, Steve is looking to change the way that women think about their health forever with the launch of Brighton?s own Arete fitness community. With all this going on it?s amazing that he found time to sit down and chat to us!

Hi Steve! First and foremost, welcome to Brighton!!
Thank you. It really is great here. Since moving down from London in December I?ve loved every minute of it. It?s such a nice open space, everyone has time for everybody and it?s great that there is such a strong emphasis on fitness down here. It truly is an amazing town.

I?m sure the Brighton residents are happy to hear that you?re so fond of things. So how did you begin your fitness journey?

I started off as a professional dancer for 12 years since 1997. I absolutely loved it and had the privilege of working for some amazing clients such as Toni & Guy, Adidas, Nike and the Clothes Show Live. I also worked with pop artists such as the Spice Girls & Take That on things like The Brits and The Royal Variety Show

I was always fascinated by with human body, and so during this time I also became a Personal Trainer. I spent a good year working for a well known gym chain in London where I soaked up as much information about the industry as I could. This year had me training a lot of great clients and time absolutely flew by! There was a whopping 42 Personal Trainers also in the gym I was working for so competition was fierce, but it was good in other ways as we all could feed off of each others knowledge.

Steve Richardson is set to bring his exciting new women?s only fitness classes to Brighton, as well as Zumba classes and 1-on-1 Personal Training

So what happened after this year of working for the London based gym?
I was extremely confident in my own ability, so the time seemed perfect for me to take all the knowledge that I had acquired and become a fully fledged freelance Personal Trainer.

A lot of my clients came with me and I began working out of a fitness studio on Liverpool Street. Some clients I would see once a week, others two or three times each week. There were people of all ages and fitness levels who came to me, as well as people with hip and shoulder injuries and people training for marathons and endurance events.

I also got involved with fitness DVDS. I was co presenter, co choreographer & fitness consultant for Camilla Dallerup (Strictly Come Dancing) on ?Camillas Cardio Dance Workout?. I had the pleasure of working with dance group Diversity as their fitness consultant for ?Dance.Fitness.Fusion?, as well as being the presenter / creator of the workout. I was also Personal Trainer for Mikyla Dodd (former Hollyoaks star), helping her lose 3 stone in 3 months. So I think it?s fair to say I know about weight loss!

I worked on Liverpool Street for an amazing seven years before deciding to move here to Brighton.

You are also a Zumba Instructor. Was this an easy transition for you to go into given your impressive dance career?
Yes it was if I?m honest. I?ve been a Zumba Instructor since April 2012, and it was such an obvious field for me to go into given my dance experience. I was teaching to classes of around? 65 people, week in week out!

Zumba is such fun, and the best thing about it is that no two classes are ever the same. It?s a fantastic way to keep fit and is a hell of a good laugh having a shimmy and a shake! Fitness can and should be fun too. . .

Are you bringing your Zumba classes to Brighton?
Yes I am! They are taking place at the Manor Community Centre just around the corner from Brighton Hospital each and every Wednesday from 6:00-7:00pm. Everyone is welcome to come along to my class, and the first one is completely FREE!! After that each class is just ?5.

Now then, tell us more about your exciting ?Arete Fit? project that we have heard so much about.
Ah yes, the pi?ce de r?sistance you might say. Arete is a women?s only fitness class and community that has already been a huge success in London. I?m now bringing this exciting new female fitness sensation to Brighton!

The ultimate mission of Arete is to transform women?s lives with sound fitness techniques and nutrition advice. There is so much bad advice going around from fad magazines and diets and I want to set the record straight on these issues!

Through eating well and training hard I want to create an amazing community of strong confident women, and help their health and fitness levels become the best that they can be.

Half hour Arete fitness classes are now running every week on a Tuesday in the main studio at Alive Fitness & Natural Health, on Castle Street in Brighton (just off of Preston Street). The first class is at 8:00am-8:30am and the second shortly after at 9:30am-10:00am.

This all sounds great Steve! Do you mind if we ask why a male such as yourself is choosing to run a female fitness class?
Not at all, I can understand that it might be on people?s minds. The reason though is simple, and that is because for years now I have primarily been training female clients. It?s something is second nature to me, and without tooting my own horn is something that I believe I am very good at.

I?ve had the absolute pleasure of working with so many amazing women over the years and have helped them become fitter than they ever could have imagined. Now I want to use my talents and knowledge to helping the people of Brighton and Hove.

What can women expect then from being a part of your new Arete community?
They can expect to get fit through some amazing workouts each week! These half hour sessions will be full on and will be a mixture of constantly varied exercises that will keep the body challenged.

As well as the fitness class side of things I will be putting an important focus on nutrition. I will be providing them with meal plans, as well as information on what foods to enjoy. I want to delve deep into this subject and will always be available for people to ask me any questions about anything that is on their minds.

I also want to create just that ? a community! I want the Arete ladies to share stories, tips and socialise where possible. I will be there along for the ride as well of course!!

What makes your female Arete fitness classes different from others in Brighton?
The fact that the Arete fitness classes are based indoors is a huge benefit. It means that we will never be at the mercy of the weather or have to worry about onlookers. The studio at Alive Fitness and Natural Health is in fact the largest fitness studio in Brighton, so there is plenty of space for us to have some fun in! It?s also bright and airy.

The whole system is structured to fit around a busy schedule and work with the clients lifestyle, not to consume it all. People think they need to dedicate hours a week to get an outcome, but we are teaching the world that when you do it right, 30 minutes a day is all that you need.

The other reason is that women will get me training them! With my knowledge and expertise on every aspect of health and fitness, as well as my lengthy experience training women already, I am the perfect person to help women of all fitness levels. With my help I will improve your exercise technique, educate you on nutrition and I will make you stronger and more confident. I will also always be available to talk to people if they have any queries either in person, over the phone, via email or on Facebook. I genuinely want to help them be the best that they can be.

The only stipulation I have is that when its your turn to play your iPod there can be no Gloria Estefan or Mariah Carey music played in the classes. Other than that, anything goes!

What would you say to a woman wanting to take that first step to training with you?
I would say to give me a call or drop me an email and let?s discuss how I can help you. Let me know of any issues or concerns you may have and I will be sure to make your experience anything and everything you want it to be.

It?s their workout and is their community as well. I want to make sure it is exactly what women want to see and want to be a part of.

Finally Steve, can people train with you on a 1-on-1 basis?
Women and? men, can train with me in Brighton. They can either train at home, outside or in a studio. I also offer? a FREE fitness consultation to all new clients for me to learn more about your goals, and for you to learn more about how I work.

Sexy in the City