“In my eyes, the UP Trainer of the Year is the trainer on the gym floor who overall has produced the most results and had the most influence on others…that’s it.” Nick Mitchell.
Ultimate Performance are known as the ‘World’s Leading Personal Trainers’, boasting some of the most famous body transformations known within the fitness sector and of course, being founded by industry leader and fitness columnist Nick Mitchell, a name that will be slapped across anything ‘muscle related’ whether you like it or not. By employing over 100 of the most credited personal trainers across 7 different locations Worldwide including the UK, Marbella, Singapore, Hong Kong and soon to expand to LA – UP is known by anyone and everyone for being ‘the best’ so it’s no surprise that to have this kind of world class reputation, the process to becoming a personal trainer at UP Fitness and STAYING THERE is second to none.
If a personal trainer manages to make it through the brutal process of being interviewed, challenged and evaluated with a fine tooth comb, it certainly does not mean they’ve ‘made it’ at UP. To continue to survive within the high standards that Nick Mitchell has set, you have to strive to be the absolute best every day you step into that gym and those that do, will not only be noticed by the ‘boss’ but he/she will achieve the best results for both trainer and client. To celebrate the hard work that the UP trainers put in to achieve the high standard of training and service to their clients, UP selects just one trainer to be awarded with the almighty title of ‘UP Trainer of the Year’.
UP’s Trainer of the Year 2016 – Sean Murphy
Sean’s Story
After completing my degree in Sport’s Science, I had no idea what to do next. I decided to stay on an extra year to complete a MSc, mainly to delay deciding which career path I would take if I’m completely honest with you. I didn’t want a boring job, I wanted the opportunity to earn good money and to see the fruits of my labor – to make a difference. So I decided to opt to stay in further education.
I had been working as a Fitness Instructor for just under 4 years but as I was funding my full time Masters Degree myself, I had to start earning more money and decided to start to personal training. I had never thought about being a Personal Trainer as a potential career as I had been in commercial gyms and seen what the job entailed…it didn’t interest me, paying to count reps and the clock. But as I started to work more closely with clients, I began to get emotionally involved and my passion quickly grew.
I had always been interested in weight training, but had always trained to be in okay shape and to assist my sport. I started to read more and the more I read, the more my interest for weight training grew. The more I read, the more I realised that I could really make a difference to my clients and help them achieve the goals.
I stumbled across Charles Poliquin and really liked his writing style and approach and read everything I could find that he had written. On his website I read an article about Nick Mitchell and Ultimate Performance – then it started. I read all of Nick’s work, started following Ultimate Performance on Social Media and I soon realised that this was the place I needed to be at but at the time I didn’t feel I had enough experience to work at such a place.
It wasn’t too long after that UP advertised about a Junior Position…I immediately applied and was offered the first ever Junior position at UP Mayfair.
I had so much to learn but I threw myself into the role and tried to soak up as much knowledge as I could. I know now that many of the trainers, and maybe even Nick himself, found me slightly annoying, as I would always be asking questions at every opportunity.
I was promoted a few months early from my Junior contract, but just before I was, Nick spoke to me about becoming a mentor. I’ve always wanted to be the best that I can be (and better than everyone else – I’m a little competitive) in whatever I do, especially when it was something I cared about. I wanted to push myself forward at UP and becoming a mentor was definitely the next step.
I’ve quickly risen through the ranks at UP over the last 4 years. Nick of course has been instrumental in this and helped me every step of the way. Nick is a demanding boss, always wanting more, always wanting to be better. He has pushed me to become the trainer, mentor, manager and person that I am today. I could not be more grateful for the opportunities that he has given me and will continue to push forward at UP to repay Nick for the opportunity that he has given me. I hope that I have started to do this already.
I also realise that I have taken these opportunities, when many others have not. You get what you put in. What’s the point if you don’t give it your all? Like Nick, I am never satisfied and always want more. Hopefully this is just the start.
Why did you choose Ultimate Performance to build your PT career?
UP are the industry leaders for Personal Training and I want to be the best at the best company…it’s as simple as that.
UP will soon be opening in L.A and Nick has given me the opportunity to go with him to help him make UP a success in the States. Where else do you get a chance to do something like this as a PT? Where else is there the opportunity to build a career as a PT, other than UP?
What Have You Learnt?
Everything. I honestly do not know where to start. Completing an undergraduate degree and a Masters degree taught me how to learn but UP has forced me to learn, in fear of being left behind or not being the best at what I do. As a mentor I have to teach other trainers, trainers that have passed a rigorous interview process (that I have helped create) that 100s of trainers fail to pass.
The trainers we hire and teach are industry leaders in their own right, as we only take on the best. Therefore, I have to truly understand a whole host of subjects to explain complex subjects clearly and succinctly, as they will see though any bullshit. This forces me to keep learning, to try and stay ahead of the curve. However, the more that I learn, the more that I realise how little I know and still have to learn.
What Do You Enjoy Most About The Job?
Changing clients’ lives – I genuinely believe that this is what we do here at UP.
Body image is a very big issue for many individuals and getting clients in shape, improving their health and educating them along the way is very rewarding. I’m a control freak, I enjoy implementing diet, training and psychological strategies to help my clients achieve their goals. I take my job personally and always want to do the best that I can.
My role at UP has developed to be more than just a Personal Trainer; recruitment, mentoring, teaching and managing trainers all present great challenges. I never want to take the easy option and want to succeed in everything that I do. Whilst all aspects of my role at UP are not easy, I enjoy each and every one of them as I am challenged each and every day.
Sean ‘BY NICK’
“Sean was UP’s first ever junior trainer. Originally I didn’t want to hire him because I thought he had a bad attitude, didn’t give much away and was quite dour. He did however have a very inquisitive mind, always asking questions, always wondering why and how and this just showed that he was always thinking.
Sean overthinks EVERYTHING, he over-analyses but in this industry, it certainly isn’t a negative. One of the secrets to being a good trainer is overthinking without paralysing your own thoughts. What can I do better with my client? How can we make this better? He is always examining every little detail and does what I have always done, he takes client’s results personally and any good, professional trainer in their right mind will do that. He is very much into his own training but is more focused on his client’s training. All of the trainers out there would be better if they followed his way of thinking.
That is Sean’s secret.
Sean has been the best overall and has achieved the best results for his clients. It’s as simple as that. With Sean, other factors come into play – he’s the lead mentor in Mayfair and has been leading the way with how we educate trainers, manage them and creating the training syllabus.
Sean is so good that I have chosen him to go to Los Angeles, which is going to be the spearhead of UP’s US expansion, making the LA opening more important than anything we have done recently. I want someone there who is ultra pro, reliable, smart, presentable and can get results with clients. As well as someone who can help us bring new trainers through in the USA. The critical thing will be bringing the trainers through and Sean in my opinion is fantastic at all of that, including running the gym itself.
These are all huge factors that play a part in Sean being selected for trainer of the year but what makes him really stand out is the finer details. He is always thinking about the smaller but vital parts of running a gym such as the cover procedure, the gym’s processes and these examples of being thorough and professional is an example for all other trainers.”
Nick Mitchell, Founder of Ultimate Performance
What Other Trainers Have to Say About Sean?
“There are many words and ways to describe Sean.
His relentless, sometimes obsessive quest, to succeed combined with his unwavering loyalty and passion to help colleagues and clients a like, is something rarely seen in any walk of life. They are qualities that command the respect and attention of everyone that has the pleasure of learning from him.
He is admired for his constant thirst for knowledge, but more than that how he applies often complex subjects and translates that knowledge in such a way as to get the absolute most out of each and every client and the best out of his colleagues.
His balance between the exploration of complex subjects and the exploitation and evolution of existing concepts allows himself, the team and UP itself to continue on as innovators in the fitness industry
For me there is no-one better at this.
He is open and honest with his feedback, is always pushing his colleagues to achieve more and is always happy to impart his own experiences and knowledge onto whoever wishes to listen. Week in, week out, his selfless approach to his peers, his precise approach to clients and his ability to get the best out of each situation has been engrained into the very foundation of what makes UP what it is today.
To have a true leader in Sean as a mentor, a role model and most importantly a friend is something that everyone within the industry should be fortunate enough to have.”
Matt Warner, Head of Personal Training at UP Manchester
“Ultimate Performance is by far the leading Personal Training business in the fitness industry. It’s a fiercely competitive, high pressured, extremely hard working company that can chew you up and spit you out if you’re not cutting the mustard.
Eye watering long hours, energy requirements of an olympian, relentless passion and a non stop quest to get the most out of your clients possible – have these in abundance and that will just about get your foot in the door. Consider those attributes of the basic level of UP trainer, fast forward past the tens of extremely high elitist trainers to the very top of the tree…enter Sean Murphy.
Hailed as the top UK UP trainer is no mean feat and to do it in consecutive years is borderline ridiculous. Out of over 50 of the best trainers in the world, Sean Murphy sits at the number 1 spot. Never could I think of a more appropriate winner.
Working along Sean for the past 3 years I have been able to see first hand how he has surpassed all expectation and has grown from strength to strength as a trainer, mentor and a boss. Sean lives it, breathes it and sleeps it. He absolutely does not stop. Always working on getting better results with his clients, always improving his own knowledge and understanding, always looking for ways to improve the business, always wanting more and never ever taking his foot off the gas.
Sean is quickly carving his way into the history books of personal training by churning out result after result with his clients. Whatever city Sean ends up in one thing will be for sure – he will become THE go to guy for personal training transformation results.
Sean is every boss’s dream employee, every employee’s dream leader and most importantly, every client’s ultimate dream trainer. There simply is no one better, trust me.”
Lucas Sheehan, Senior Personal Trainer at UP Mayfair
“Sean is a great trainer and mentor, his knowledge, experience and willingness to both teach and learn are what sets him apart from most other trainers. His attention to detail is second to none and the connection he has with his clients is something I can only aspire to at this point.
His results speak for themselves and the honour of holding PT of the year status is highly deserved. He is one of the most dedicated and professional Personal Trainers I have ever met.”
Ben Murray, Junior Personal Trainer at UP Mayfair
“In my eyes, Sean is the hardest working trainer UP has. It should come as no surprise that he has risen to the top of the company and continues to produce the best results in the industry as a whole.
Despite this however, Sean’s relentless hard work and skill as a trainer is not what makes him stand out from the crowd (although it helps), his willingness to help those around him and educate other trainers is what separates him from the rest. Sean has helped me immeasurably since I started UP as a junior and I cannot thank him enough for the time and effort he has put into my development. I owe a lot of my success to him and I can vouch for many other trainers at UP who feel the same way.
He doesn’t have an ego, is always approachable, is open to criticism and always wants to improve his work. He is meticulous with his work in every sense of the word and will always give 100% whatever the task may be.
Deserved trainer of the year. “
Harry Purvis, Personal Trainer at UP Mayfair
“Sean is without doubt the number 1 trainer at UP. Both his knowledge and desire for transformations has produced results across all demographics: ectomorph, skinny fat, females, everyone. The fact that so many UP trainers cite Sean as their role model and mentor speaks for itself.
I owe my development as a PT almost entirely to Sean. Not just for the advice and support, but for inspiring me try and match his achievements. In my opinion, Sean is the driving force behind what makes UP the number one personal training business. He is never selfish with his time or knowledge and prioritises improving UP as a whole above all else.”
Jonny Taylor, Personal Trainer at UP Mayfair
“Coming to UP was a huge step up from my previous PT job not only in the expectations of you as a trainer but the knowledge and experience of those around you. There were points where I felt completely out of my depth.
Not once when I was speaking to Sean about anything was I made to feel stupid. He always took the time to listen to any questions I had, however simple or obvious they may have been for him, and still does. Though I’m happy to say we can know have some more interesting back and forth discussions rather than him pointing out the obvious to me!
My increase in knowledge in itself is partly down to Sean, his constant drive and desire to improve not only himself but those around him, and UP as a whole forces you to take it upon yourself to read, learn and strive to become a better PT to try and keep up with him!
He has also directly helped me with suggestions of articles, books, podcasts and courses that have increased my ability in numerous areas of training, nutrition and coaching. On top of this he constantly offers advice and well placed constructive criticism on areas for improvement, be it coaching on the gym floor, ways to tweak a nutrition programme or help getting inside a client’s head.
Sean is never satisfied and this translates to how he trains his clients. The constant observation and attention to detail be it exercise form, weight selection or food diaries all combine to create an environment for that client to achieve the best result possible.
It is not hard to see why he has won UP Trainer of the Year as his passion, desire and commitment to getting the result for the client are clear. This is infectious, and his clients have no other choice but to buy into him and the process which in turn produces outstanding results.”
James Appleton, Personal Trainer at UP Mayfair
“Sean Murphy embodies what Ultimate Performance is all about. He is relentless in his pursuit of show stopping results for hispersonal training clients and does this with an unbreakable work ethic and dedication to his craft.
From a personal standpoint, Sean has been a great help to me and many other trainers that work with him. His work ethic transfers into his role a mentor and he is responsible for a large part of the personal development of new recruits at UP.
I can think of nobody more deserving than Sean for trainer of the year 2016.”
Tony Folland, Personal Trainer at UP London
“Throughout my time as a trainer at Ultimate Performance, Sean has consistently shown me what it takes to succeed as a top trainer. The amount of work that Sean has on, not just training clients, mentoring trainers and ensuring U.P standards are kept to the highest, does not get in the way of achieving consistently great results.
I have been able to learn a lot from him as a mentor, with the time that he gives me with scheduled mentorship meetings, and also outside of these when needed. I have shared a few clients with Sean, so have been able to learn from his program writing, nutritional strategies and even client motivation outside of the session. The way that Sean always questions your methods and asks for reasons behind client exercise and nutritional decisions results in a more in depth thought process when planning sessions and all other client issues. As long as you have a reason behind your choice he will always listen, and then ensure you understand the argument against this, resulting in a good decision made.
I know there is a lot more that I will learn from him, as well as all of the other trainers at UP in my development as a trainer at U.P.”
Matt Parsons, Personal Trainer at UP London
Sean’s Client Transformation’s
“I have been fortunate to be working with Sean Murphy who has constantly changed my diet and training over time so I have been exposed to a lot of interesting programmes for eating and training. Overall I have learned far more than I can report here, however substantial valuable information about nutrition and training. When I travel and train at other gym
s I often have people asking me about certain exercises I am doing as the general public has not had the good fortune to learn from Sean.”
Rob Frost – 1 Year Transformation
“I have had absolutely fantastic results so far in terms of fat loss and improved muscle tone and am really thrilled. I genuinely look like a different person in my 12 week comparison photos. However, in all honesty, I do not feel as though my results are my achievement at all. I was extremely lucky to be matched with Sean Murphy, a trainer with a very intelligent and detailed approach to my transformation.
He was so precise and his instructions so clear I really didn’t have to do anything other than follow them. Sean made the whole process really easy for me. He is the epitome of professionalism but also a genuinely warm and friendly person. I felt immediately at ease with him and trusted him implicitly. With a young baby, full time job and many other responsibilities I have to think and plan constantly from the time I get up in the morning until I go to bed at night. However, this was one area of my life where that stress was taken from me.
I didn’t have to think at all, just do as Sean asked. Surprisingly, for a complete control freak like me, I was able to do this quite happily as I had no reservations about Sean’s ability to deliver what he promised given what I have seen in terms of his results with previous clients.”
Victoria Ferris – 12 Week Transformation
Sean is an incredibly gifted PT who I am fortunate to be able to train with. He is a gold mine of information with regards to human performance and nutrition. I feel like my own knowledge of training has improved a lot during my time at UP and Sean was very patient with me when answering the millions of questions that I had.
Dedication. Consistency. Focus. The small things. Throughout my training with Sean I have understood the importance of each of those things and I carry that knowledge into other aspects of my life.
Robert Lofthouse, 14 Week Transformation
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