Fitness is good for you and the New Year is the perfect time to start your adventure to fitness and better health. But have you ever wondered what it’s like on the other side of the coin, working as a gym instructor and managing a hearing loss? If you’re not confident with your communication skills, this is kind of putting it right out there!

Some years ago, I practiced Taekwondo almost every day, I loved martial arts and improving my health. I was as fast as the black belts but not as strong, so I tried to improve my fitness to give me an extra edge. I decided to move to Chicago. Whilst living there, I worked as a fitness instructor so I am aware of the challenges, especially trying to understand strangers! I worked in the best gym I’ve ever seen, with an internal running track which went right around the building, a whole floor for bodybuilding equipment, and a crèche.

I didn’t tell my employer I was deaf, as I was still in denial to be honest! So, as you can imagine, that led to several difficulties. It helped that I wasn’t American, but I don’t think they ever figured out why I didn’t appear when they called for me over the tannoy system, and they had to come looking for me. I joined the Taekwondo classes in the gym and they didn’t pick up on my deafness either. Luckily I’m good enough at lipreading that most people didn’t pick up on my hearing loss and I managed communication fairly well during my own personal adventure to fitness. If I had been more upfront about my hearing loss, it could have been an easier journey. Now that I have two cochlear implants, I’ve backed away from martial arts and potentially getting kicked in the head, and adapted my adventure to fitness to include yoga (with partially deaf instructor Sarah Scott), training with Darren Meade (a partially sighted personal instructor and 3^rd Dan black belt with phenomenal positivity and “can do” attitude) for the London Marathon, and full disclosure!

There are ways to make your personal journey to fitness easier. David Edgington and Todd Garner are helping the deaf community to start their adventure to fitness.

David Edgington

The only major impact that being deaf has on me is the communication barrier, so yes, it impacts my daily life every day but I’m used to it and it’s becoming normal daily life.

The most important key factor when engaging with clients in the gym is to relax, be my true self and be professional. It’s all about breaking the ice and helping clients to feel relaxed and be on a more comfortable level with me.

I’m trying to motivate them more than ever, but there is a long way to overcome that barrier. I hope that the deaf community will have a better and healthier future.

People don’t come across meeting deaf people every day but people in the gym are starting to recognise me better and accepting me for who I am, which is really wonderful feeling that I’m part of that world.

I set up The Deaf Gym on Facebook in 2014 with another deaf personal trainer, Dean Chester, who works at Xercise4Less, like me. The group was set up to provide support to the Deaf community and now has almost 2,000 members with more people joining every day on their adventure to fitness.

There are 900,000 people that are severely and profoundly deaf in the UK. They aren’t getting enough access to exercise because they use British Sign Language as their first language. This is one of the reasons deaf people have a high percentage of problems with both their mental health and physical health and I want to change that by eliminating the barriers of going to the gym.

Contact David on: David.Edgington@live.com

I was depressed and bullied by some students at college, I cried and don’t know what to do anymore. But a few years later I found my amazing personal trainer who taught me everything to become now the right ones a personal trainer gave me the most powerful quote “Don’t give up yourself, I believe in you, you can do it!”

I thanked them ️so then I decided to study YCMA certificate in personal trainer at Exeter College.

I am so proud of myself I achieved my goal!! So now, you guys I believe you, you can do it!!

“No gain and no pain” – remember that.

Jonathan Ryan

The Deaf Gym official website offers many features and tools.

• Training plan
• Meal plan
• Fitness tools
• Discount codes
• Custom workout/meal plan designed by Deaf qualified personal trainers!
• On Demand program – Workout at home at anytime and anywhere!
• Progression track

You can join as a free member with access to limited resources or as a paying member with full access to everything.

Start your own adventure to fitness now – get in touch with David and Todd to kick start a healthier and happier you.

The Deaf Gym website: The Deaf Gym

Email: info@thedeafgym.co.uk