Lewis Meszar
Study Type: School Leaver Vocational
Study Location: Broomfield Hall
Subject Studied: Sport
Former DCG personal trainer students plan to open own gym
Personal trainer Lewis Meszar is looking forward to opening his own gym in Derby early next year.
Lewis, 19, is planning to run his business venture with friend and fitness coach Dom Horton who was on the same course at Derby College Group.
Lewis is currently a personal trainer at Moorways Sports Village in Derby and also works for himself as a sports massage therapist.
After completing the Level 2 Certificate in Gym Instruction and Level 3 Diploma in Personal Training, he returned to Broomfield Hall to take the Level 3 Diploma in Sports Massage Therapy.
He said: “As I see it, we get three years of free college education and I didn’t want to waste it so I went back to Broomfield to learn sports massage.
“I liked the way the timetable was set out and how laid-back college was.
“Calling the teachers by their first names meant there was a better connection between staff and students.
“I liked learning about physiology and anatomy but I enjoyed doing practicals best and being in the gym.
“In one lesson we wore heart monitors and did track exercises to test our fitness.”
Through DCG’s strong links with Moorways, Lewis did work experience there.
As he already had his level 2, he applied for and got a job in the gym as a fitness motivator, which involved delivering inductions and gym maintenance.
He has worked at Moorways ever since and for the past nine months he has been a personal trainer there.
Keen to start his own gym, Lewis loves his job and seeing how clients benefit from his advice and support.
He added: “It’s really nice to see someone who has struggled with their weight get fit – or see a client who found it hard to lift 50kg improve so they can now lift 70kg.
“They are so much happier. I work with everyone – men and women – including people who are my age up to older clients in their 70s.”
With regard to sports massage, Lewis offers his therapy as a side line at clients’ homes and sees it as a natural overlap with his personal training work.
He added: “There are two aspects to it. A sports massage might help if you’ve got a sporting injury such as golfer’s elbow but you might also have one if you’re about to take part in a marathon.
“A sports massage will get your muscles ready, helping you to perform and recover better.”
Lewis grew up in a sporty household and was heavily influenced by his dad, who ran in the army.
A former basketball player, Lewis likes team sports but nowadays does a lot of working out in the gym.
I liked the way the timetable was set out and how laid-back college was. Calling the teachers by their first names meant there was a better connection between staff and students.