Joe Wicks shares humble beginnings before finding fame as nation’s fitness coach
By Sarah Ping, PA
Fitness coach Joe Wicks has shared his humble beginnings before finding fame during the Covid-19 pandemic with his PE With Joe YouTube videos that amassed millions of viewers worldwide.
The 37-year-old, who is also known as The Body Coach, tweeted a photo of an old trailer box, which carried all of his exercise equipment, that he used to attach to his bicycle during his time as a personal trainer in Richmond, London.
A thread🧵
A little reminder to work hard and always believe in yourself 🙏🏼
This is where it all began for me. When I started as a personal trainer I couldn't afford a van to get to my bootcamp in Richmond with all my equipment so I got this trailer, attached it to the back… pic.twitter.com/r0yp2bS4yM— Joe Wicks (@thebodycoach) March 18, 2023
The fitness YouTuber, who completed a 24-hour workout challenge raising more than £2 million for Children In Need, said he would cycle a round trip of 10 miles between Surbiton and Richmond in the early hours of the morning to meet his clients as he could not afford his own vehicle at the time.
In some instances, “no-one would even turn up” to the fitness coach’s sessions, but he said that “it didn’t stop me”.
Reflecting on his journey from humble personal trainer to fitness star, Wicks tweeted: “This is where it all began for me.”
“When I started as a personal trainer I couldn’t afford a van to get to my bootcamp in Richmond with all my equipment so I got this trailer, attached it to the back of my bike and would cycle 5 miles from Surbiton to Richmond twice a day.
“Rain or shine I would be there at 6am and 7.30pm and sometimes no one would even turn up.
“It upset me but it didn’t stop me. I didn’t give up.
“I would pack up, cycle to the train station and hand out flyers to the commuters before going back home.
“I repeated this every day for months and months until the Bootcamp slowly grew.
“Today I have an office just 20 metres from where I stood.”
The fitness YouTuber hopes to inspire his legion of followers to pursue their goals.
“The moral of the story… never give up,” he tweeted.
“Believe in yourself and keep working hard. You can be as successful as you want to be.
“Go and achieve your goals and win.”
