This almost made me quit

You ever feel like you’re doing everything right with your fitness…

…and still not getting the body transformation results you hoped for?

That was me, not that long ago.

I was a personal trainer in London, spending 8+ years in gyms, following every protocol the fitness industry preached, working with clients who trusted me to help them transform their bodies.

The industry said:

“Just lift heavier weights in the gym, follow this diet trend… then that one, and it’ll build the body you want.”

It didn’t.

I kept pushing harder.

Loading more weight on the bar.

Experimenting with complicated programs.

Trying every new diet trend that came along.

And my clients?

They struggled to make sessions because of their busy schedules.

They felt intimidated by the packed, ego-driven gym environment.

They regarded working out as “a must-do chore” instead of something they enjoyed.

Their results were slow despite significant time investment.

Mine weren’t much better, despite living and breathing ‘gym culture.’

And I started wondering…

Is this just how it is?

Is being chained to a gym and battling toxic fitness culture the only path to a strong, lean body?

Turns out… it’s not.

Everything changed when I stopped mindlessly moving heavy weights to impress others in the gym…

…and started focusing internally on isolating specific muscles, slowing down movements, and creating powerful mind-muscle connection.

In 2016, I made a decision my colleagues thought was career suicide:

I walked away from traditional gyms and London city life completely.

With just a backpack and TRX suspension trainer, I left to travel South America.

I was determined to prove you could build a strong, lean body without being chained to a gym.

I quickly realized there was NO ONE teaching people how to use a suspension trainer to actually build lean muscle effectively.

Sure, there were apps and YouTube videos….

But they all focused on “movement-centric technique”…

…mindlessly moving through exercises, working up a sweat, but sharing the load across multiple muscles.

Good for cardio. Useless for body transformation.

So I started experimenting based on bodyweight muscle-building science.

I immersed myself in research.

Tested relentlessly on my own body.

And developed what I now call “Muscle-Centric Suspension Training Technique”…

Isolating one muscle at a time using slow, controlled movements and powerful mind-muscle connection.

The difference?

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With movement-centric technique, your body weight is shared across multiple muscles.

Your chest, shoulders, triceps, and back all help during a chest press.

So no single muscle gets challenged enough to grow.

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With muscle-centric technique, you isolate the target muscle and don’t let others help out. 

The majority of your body weight goes onto that ONE muscle…

…creating the powerful stimulus needed for real lean muscle growth.

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After just 3 months using this approach,despite working out LESS than I did in the gym, I was in the best shape of my life.

My physique transformed with visible lean muscle.

My nagging shoulder pain disappeared.

My body felt functionally stronger for real life, not just “gym life.”

But the biggest transformation wasn’t physical, it was mental.

By combining muscle-centric suspension training with mind-muscle connection principles,

I turned workouts into moving meditation.

My mental clarity and focus improved dramatically.

No more ego.

No more external distractions.

No more toxic gym culture affecting my well-being.

Just me, connecting deeply with my body, finishing each session feeling stronger physically AND calmer mentally.

I called this new approach “Fitness Freedom.”

And that shift?

It’s the reason I started Fitness Freedom Athletes.

Because I realised, if I had known this earlier, I could’ve saved years of frustration, wasted gym memberships, countless hours commuting to crowded gyms, and the mental toll of toxic fitness culture.

Not to mention, I could’ve helped my clients transform their bodies much more effectively from the comfort of their own homes, on their own schedules, without the intimidation and inconvenience.

So now, I share what I wish someone had told me:

• You don’t need a gym to build lean muscle. You need the right technique. Your muscles don’t know what you’re holding or where you are. They only know the tension you place on them through a range of motion.
• Movement-centric technique keeps you spinning your wheels. If you’re not isolating and overloading the target muscle, you’re leaving muscle and strength growth on the table with every single rep.
• The mind-muscle connection is your secret weapon. When you place your mind inside the muscle you’re targeting and focus on nothing else, you not only build muscle faster, you turn workouts into meditation that transforms your mental well-being too.

I left the gym world in 2016 and never looked back.

My body is stronger and leaner than it ever was during my years as a gym-based personal trainer.

And my workouts are now a form of meditation that I genuinely look forward to every day.

If you’re tired of the gym grind and ready for a better approach, start with my free suspension training workouts here.

The technique and mindful approach might just change everything for you like it did for me.

Here’s to your Fitness Freedom

Coach Adam
Founder, Fitness Freedom Athletes