SERIES ONE – EDITION EIGHT
In the eighth edition in the Faces behind the business series we caught up with Connor O’Brien, aged 28, Personal Trainer & Manager of Absolute Body Solutions; a Premium Personal Training gym.
When did you first get into the industry?
I qualified as a personal trainer at the age of 16. It was after doing a session with another personal trainer that inspired me to take it up as a career myself. I had been an amateur boxer and it felt like a natural step.
Initially, I could not get a job as a personal trainer within the main commercial gym chains due to my age, so I started to train friends and family at their houses. At the same time as this, I was travelling around the UK and to America to learn from the best strength coaches and personal trainers, so I could apply it with my clients at home.
How long have you worked at Absolute Body Solutions and what is your job role?
I set up ABS from a shed in my parents garden 10 years ago. At the beginning I slowly built up my clients and was doing over over 60 PT sessions per week.
This led me to opening my first gym in South Liverpool in 2013. My wife joined me as a personal trainer and we worked alongside each other, working hard to develop the business, our client base and a team of PT’s. This kickstarted the growth of the facility and led to us opening our Liverpool City Centre location in 2017.
At this point my role changed from taking personal training sessions to managing and running both facilities. A couple of years later we took a big step, and opened a state-of-the-art gym facility in Manchester City Centre.
I now oversee the management of all 3 locations and lead on expansion plans to new locations.
What is Absolute Body Solutions ethos?
Regardless of goals, fitness levels or lifestyle, we work tirelessly to help any client that walks through our doors to achieve the very best results possible.
Service is key. We are a premium service and we invest so much time in making sure our clients receive the service they deserve.
What’s the best bit of advice you could give to anyone looking at working in your line of work?
Learn as much as you can. The basic qualification ensures you’re qualified, but if you stop at that, you are not going to last in the industry. Learn from the best and constantly look to improve your knowledge. Apply what you learn to your clients to see what works and get them results. At ABS, we have a minimum of 15 hours per week education booked in across the 3 facilities as standard for our trainers to attend. Education is the key.
What do you love most about Liverpool?
The people, the charisma and the ability to get along with anyone and have a laugh. This is something you don’t find in many cities.
If you could describe your business in 3 words what would they be?
Results. Professional. Quality.
You can check out more information about Absolute Body Solutions on Instagram @absolutebodysolutions
Are you a business in the Liverpool City Region and want to feature in our Faces Behind the Business series? Contact us now by emailing hello@explore-liverpool.com or get us on WhatsApp on 07568 532 537
