A Cwmbran man who left school at 15 for college says it was a “game changer” to start studying to become a personal trainer.
Joshua Copsey, now 18, was awarded a pre-16 placement at Coleg Gwent and is about to begin the next stage – level four – of his fitness and nutrition qualifications.
I met him last week for a coffee shortly after he finished a shift at the new JD Gym in town, where he works as a self-employed PT.
‘Found his niche’
Natalie Magor, his mum, sent me a message to say he “finally found his niche” and how “super proud” she is of the former Cwmbran High School pupil.
Joshua is dyslexic and has hypermobility in his hands, both health issues causing him difficulties in the classroom.
He admitted that in year ten, he felt he “wasn’t going to achieve anything in school.”
With the support of his mum and Ms McCallum, “a very important teacher to me” who he also described as “amazing”, he was given a place in college.
He completed an IT course in his first year before moving into personal training and a love of helping people get fitter.
He said: “The gym has saved me, it really has saved me. It’s given me a really good experience. Every time I go in there, people are understanding, everyone is kind.
“I’ve made significant progress. All the members are amazing. It’s been a really positive experience for me.
“My aim for personal training is to give that same positive experience to other people and help them achieve their fitness goals.”
He said every session is about making progress, “whether it’s mental progress, physical progress, getting stronger, getting closer to a goal, it’s a really good feeling.
“When you do get to the end of your workout, that’s the best part of my day over now, and you wish you could go back and do the workout all over again.
“When I see someone on the bench press, for example, if I see them hit a PR (personal record), I smile. It genuinely makes me happy seeing people get stronger and feel better about themselves.”
He also thanked his tutors at Usk Campus for their support.
Contact Joshua Copsey
Email [email protected] or message on Instagam at @jcopseypt to find out more about his personal training.