I've recently changed personal trainers - not because I didn't like my previous trainer anymore,…read morebut because I changed offices and it wasn't convenient for me to go to the City (Moorgate), when working in West London (Marylebone). However, you may wonder about the fact this new trainer is in North London...well, that's because I figured it would be great to see a trainer near my house. And I'm really happy with that decision, especially since it's with Matt at New Leaf Training in Archway/Holloway. Here's what I like about it: ++ Matt's approach to PT seems to be quite different to most other trainers - it's way more down-to-earth. Matt is like the guy from next door, which makes him very approachable. ++ While his studio is tiny, it has everything you need! In fact, I find the small size actually quite nice, as you can do a lot of exercises without having to walk across the gym floor and - in the worst case - having to wait for other people to finish their exercise. Here it is just you and Matt...and the Top 50 charts! ++ Matt is really providing a service in the truest sense of the word: he hands me the weights, hands me a towel when I need it, and re-fills my water bottle after an exhausting sport on the treadmill or rower. ++ I find he has a great balance between pushing you, but at the same time encouraging you with positive feedback. In fact, it's his positive attitude that I appreciate most about him. (He's the opposite of the typical drill-instructor.) ++ Last, but not least. Matt does lure me with an occasional perk: a free home-made protein shake at the end of the session. This shake is really great - so simple, but so tasty. (Whey protein, cocoa powder, desiccated coconut and vanilla-flavoured rice milk). Seriously...I'm looking forward to every new session and I'm walking home very content & satisfied afterwards!

Do you like to engage in exercise-exhibitionism?…read more Then you'll really like Tim Hayes Fitness, as the training takes place in the open...in fact, you can choose in which of the many beautiful London parks you can actually work out. And I take advantage of this opportunity quite a lot: living in North London I have so far had training sessions in on the Heath, at Waterlow Park, at Whittington Park...and the most unusual, but also a quite effective location was the grand staircase leading up to the Arsenal Stadium. When I first wanted to sign up, I spoke with Tim Hayes about my goals, my motivations and my availability. He then set me up with Mustafa, one of the trainers in North London, and soon after I met up with Mustafa for a coffee/tea to discuss my needs. I right away had a good feeling about Mustafa and signed up here and there...my first session was the following weekend. The first and all the subsequent sessions have been spot on ever since. Mustafa is a really nice guy and he's making you work really hard - which is good, because after all it's winter right now and you better work up a sweat, or else you'd be freezing. Also, Mustafa was/is a professional boxer and so he sometimes incorporates boxing into his sessions. To be honest, I'd never watched a boxing game in my life, but I'm liking this a lot. It made me realise how intense this sport actually is and how much of it is actually good technique, as opposed to strength (as with most sports!). Aside from the occasional Kettlebells or medicine balls, the training is mostly body weight training, which is what I wanted. (So don't sign up for this, if you want to beef up!) So, expect to do a lot of lunges, squats, press-ups and crunches...or any kind of variations on these. In fact, I find it amazing, as to how many different exercises there are - I believe we've not yet done the same exercise twice! The other thing that I really about Tim Hayes Training is that you can bring a buddy for free...which is exactly what I do. Usually, my neighbour Dan and I meet Mustafa on a Sunday morning and we let him torture us.

Training with Tim is amazing. It's energizing, life and body changing. I recommend him very highly…read more Noura

This fitness centre has recently been refurbished. Which I am thrilled about, as this was the gym I…read morewent regularly during my student time living in Fulham . For once you can jog there, as the roads in Fulham are not overcrowded and there is even a Park near Fulham Palace Road, where you can do your warm up when the sun is out! Through the Fulham & Hammersmith library I was able to get a discount pass as a resident which only cost me a couple of pounds when joining a class and the lowest member ship rate I have researched so far for any gym in London. Lillie Road has an energetic team of instructors who know you by your name after a while. I booked an appointment with a German instructor, who took my inquiry very serious: getting back on track again. As at this point I had serious back problems. With an gym program tailor-made for me I conquered the gym and diligently made my exercises. Getting bored by this after a while, I went back and asked for more exercises. Which was not a problem. I also started to join the yoga classes, I have to say there were different types of instructors, one even lighted candles and made us hum in the relaxation phase. I could not hold it together and burst into laughter. So please do please ask which day of yoga lesson is the best for you. Also there is a crèche available for little children.

No Aircon, no fans, it's boiling. As it's so hot all the machines are sweaty and smelly, it's so…read moregross. The bathrooms are never cleaned and are disgusting. I've tried at least 15 different London PureGyms and it's the same everywhere, except Limehouse, that one is ok usually. For paying £50 a month this is appalling. Customer service is awful and never helps.

Nice place to train. Not easy to get in if you are for just one day. Staff are usefulread more

I just wanted to say a big thank you to Peacock , I really did have a great first session !! It…read morewas challenging yet fun and got a really good workout out of it !! will definitely be gong back for more ... Thanks again and keep up the good work Simon Kane

My husband and I were looking for a great Reformer Pilates Studio in London. We have both been…read moregoing to Peacock since they opened. We were trying to find something which would keep us fit but most importantly that we wouldn't get bored of and would commit to. It is most definitely the best Reformer Studio in London and the most exciting part for us is that they even have a trampoline for cardio. Peacock are fantastic at adapting to ones specific needs and they have transformed our bodies and minds. We look forward to every session. I would highly recommend this to anyone of any age or fitness level.

Despite a number of reservations about hiring a personal trainer, I am so pleased be working with…read moreWildcat Fitness. LJ is a true professional and has the ability to be incredibly motivating and is very knowledgeable. Her love of fitness is really quite contagious, which is a position I never thought I would be in! I especially recommend the consultation session - each session we have done has been tailored so that I get the results I want whether it be toning, weight loss or over-all fitness. I can't wait for my next session and would highly recommend Wildcat Fitness to anyone looking to train, get on board now before everyone here's about it!!

I started working out with LJ in order to help me improve my fitness level before climbing Mt…read moreKilimanjaro this September - a particularly hard feat, as I am not a huge fan of the gym. But LJ approached each session in such a personal and passionate way, that I'm amazed to say our sessions have become one of the highlights of my week! LJ is very thoughtful about each session, and takes the time to explain why we are doing certain exercises and how they will specifically help me achieve my goals. Most importantly, LJ is both extremely supportive while still always pushing and challenging me to work harder than I thought I could. Just try one session with LJ and I think you'll find that, if nothing else, you will be taken in by her positive energy and obvious passion for personal training. Highly highly recommended!

My experience with Ultimate Performance (UP) has been excellent. My trainer, Mike Roson, is…read morefantastic and has helped me every step of the way. He's designed my workouts, he's defined the shape of my meal plan with targets for each of the main macronutrients while leaving it up to me to choose the foods to achieve those targets, he's easily contactable for any questions that arise while I'm away from the gym, whether it be related to training tips or supplements to use to aid recovery. The gym itself has top notch equipment and since every client in the gym is working one-on-one with a personal trainer, I've never experienced overcrowding. Oh, and make sure not to miss the (chocolate) protein shakes after your workout! Bottom-line: it is expensive and requires discipline, but UP will give you what you need to almost guarantee results as long as you commit to their program. And you and your trainer will define what "results" means for you. Areas to improve: no overnight lockers means you must bring everything with you each session. Given the high-end product they offer and the price point, I'd love to see the protein shakes included as complimentary ;)

Where the excuses stop and results begin". This was truly my experience with this gym. There is no…read morefaf. A pure results-driven gym. Location: Great location. Right in central London, so it's likely to be close to your office. Facilities: The gym is fully equipped with all types and variations of equipment. Training schedule: I came in as slightly experienced in weight training. However I still learned a lot and saw quite a big transformation within 12 weeks. Price: The reason why I have rated 4 instead of 5 is because I found the price to be quite high relative to other gyms.

I have never been to one of his session as I am training from 7 for rowing on a Saturday morning,…read morebut for the days when I have land based training during the week, some of things he posts up on Facebook are great fun to try out. I like how he add little add ons, such as how long it takes, but not only does he ask how long you take he says how long he takes. A great comparison! I especially liked the '12 Days of Christmas' workout that involved some tough exercises (especially on day 11/12!) but it did help me keep in shape over the Christmas break. He is a great trainer and advises people on new ways to get fit - a great way to shake up the boring fitness plan.

Right lets call it what it is - THIS WILL MAKE YOU FEEL PAIN, BUT most definitely in a way that…read moreonce you have showered the mud and sweat off you will look at yourself and think DAMMMMMN, I look good!! OK, so the thought of training at 9am on a Saturday morning doesn't appeal to most, once class with Mark and you will totally change that mentality! I went along with my mate Matt (who whilst doing star jumps was described as looking like a ballerina ha) both of us train at the gym regularly and stay pretty pretty active! So the class was 7 of us, 5 girls to us 2 boys, and we started off with a warm up, so far so good, get the bloods flowing, warm up (its a Mid January morning), a star jumps, lunges, laps, sprints, knee ups etc., Section 1: rotations on plank, press-ups, run and weights, set 1: OK, I am doing good, set 2: slowed down a tad (Mark wont let that stop me pushing myself), set 3: Mark continues to make sure none of us cut corners by motivational speaking to all of us as he notices we begin to lag! Section 2: a run carrying a canister filled with 10KG of water, carrying over my head for what felt like a mile (was actually only like 250 yards - hey I'm not a runner) Section 3: PAIR UP - so I paired up with a lovely girl named Helen and we now had to compete against another 2 girls and the team that my mate Matt was on (it goes without saying but after he kicked my ass at everything else, I was ready to kick his butt). We start the a tougher version of a leap frog constant for about 100 yards, sprint back tag your partner then do squats while they do it (Me and Helen win - YAY), Next the bear crawl, like a mountain climber cardio exercise but your actually moving, so again 100 yards there and then bear crawls back and tag your partner, then while they do it you do squats (we came second....Matt came 3rd) We then do 4 100 yards sprints, tag again and do sits up (YAY we win again) Now we go back to back with you partner and do squats, by this point I can start to feel my legs buckling under me - me and Helen are out first so as a forfeit we have to run to a nearby tree and back! Section 4: we do section 2 again to return to where we started, and I think the adrenaline has finally started to kick in as I feel like I can carry the 10kg bag back I make most of it before I need a hand, then once back we do a cool down! AND WE ARE DONE! I managed a number of gyms, for a number of years and can honestly say after having PT sessions from a number of people this was hands down one of the best exercise things I've done - Mark keeps you motivated, everyone is constantly involved, its social, and when you feel like you are about to give up someone in the group will give you a boost and you feel like you have to keep going, partially because you don't want to lose to a girl, or your mate, but mainly because you start to feel a huge sense of achievement once you have completed everything! Definitely recommend to people looking for something different, if your in an exercise rut, or just fancy trying something new for 2014!! Will most definitely be making this regular part of my routine! Great work!