As dad to a nine-month old baby, personal trainer James Connelly knows how hard it can be for new parents to find time for themselves.
That’s why he’s adapted his PT offerings at Westhill Gym, Colosseum, to ensure mums and dads can get the chance to work out.
The 23-year-old’s new post-natal gym class aims to get new mums “back to feeling themselves again”.
Launched around four months ago, weekly sessions are already fully booked.
Mr Connelly started posting clips of the classes onto his TikTok page, with the most recent hitting more than 37,000 views.
Speaking to The Press and Journal, James said he was inspired to start the class after some of his clients dropped out due to childcare responsibilities.
Westhill post-natal class has ‘taken off’
“It became a recurring issue that my clients couldn’t get along to classes because of childcare,” he said.
“Personal trainer sessions are up to an hour and some parents just don’t have that luxury sometimes.
“So we had the great thought of getting the kids along with their mums, and to get them involved too.
“Since then, it has taken off.”
James has had “great feedback” from mums who take part already.
He added: “Clients have been saying to me that they are just so chuffed to be in a safe environment where their kids can come along.
“It doesn’t matter if they are screaming, or they need a feed or a change – it’s super flexible that way.
“It’s just great to see them back working out and back to their normal selves. They all seem to love it.”
New dad James understands how hectic parenting can be
James, along with partner Megan, welcomed baby Blake into the family nine months ago.
He said that Megan, also a fitness enthusiast, was hit with the same problems of finding time to go to the gym.
He continued: “We have got a nine-month old now and my girlfriend had been to all of the baby classes in Aberdeen, but we were hit with that same issue of not having enough time.
“Finding childcare to get back into the gym can be difficult for people, and some are even nervous to start back in the gym after having their baby.
“We are quite flexible. We try to merge the classes when we can to get enough numbers and keep it busy.”
James goes viral with post-natal gym class TikTok
James’s post has been his most successful yet, having amassed over 37,000 views in just over two days.
The post also had more than 2,000 likes.
The viral video can be watched here on James’s TikTok profile.
Would you use a post-natal gym class? Let us know in the comments below.
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