aps Coaching

Home
United Kingdom
Reading
aps Coaching

Personal Training to help you feel strong, capable and confident to do all the things you love! There are no opening hours, as we are there by appointment only!

26/10/2026

There’s that thing in the diary you're looking forward to but you're worried your knee won’t hold up.

I hear some version of this most weeks in our private gym near Sonning Bridge…

The pain's less, and you're doing most normal stuff again, maybe tail end of physio and been given the green light,

You’re kind of back, but progress has slowed,

You're still getting niggles around the kneecap.

Stairs feel iffy, and part of you is half-expecting it to go again if you have to twist.

Meanwhile, that big holiday, ski trip, race or whatever it is, is getting closer.

You don't want to have to hold back, worrying about your knee or worse, hobbling through and hurting it again.

You want to feel strong, enjoy yourself, ideally not have to think about your knee

Just trust it.

‘Kind of better’, was never meant to be the finish line, and you know you probably need to push things on to get there.

It's just knowing how, and feeling confident enough to do it, that's the tricky bit.

That's the gap I love helping people bridge.

Got something in the dairy you're not quite sure your body's ready for?

22/10/2026

“My lower back keeps playing up, but it’s because my core isn’t strong enough” 😟

“I think my shoulder hurts because it’s weak”. 😠

We hear things like this all the time, and getting stronger might well be part of the answer ... But it doesn’t tell the whole story.

When pain or injury stops you from playing sport, keeping up with your kids or even from going to work, it’s natural to look for answers. When you do, the idea that “weakness can cause pain” will inevitably pop up. 👋

The problems come when we assume weakness is the whole explanation:

1️⃣ It ignores the bigger picture. Long-term pain is rarely about just one thing. If everything always comes back to “strengthening the core”, other factors that affect how you feel can get overlooked. Things like getting quality sleep, managing stress, or eating enough protein. All of which can be crucial pieces of the puzzle.

2️⃣ It can make you feel constantly weak and fragile. Even the strongest athletes on earth get injured. Feeling like we’re not strong enough and endlessly chasing strength can cause its own issues with both confidence and injuries.

3️⃣ Most people aren’t actually loading enough. This is a big one, and it’s not an issue with the concept, but the implementation. Often the people that feel they need to get stronger aren’t lifting loads heavy enough to cause a change in strength. An exercise that challenged you at first will need adjusting as you improve. That could be by simply increasing the weight, or modifying things like reps, tempo or even the exercise itself. But if we don’t gradually increase the challenge, we can’t increase our strength.

The fix? 🔧

Blend strength training into a well-rounded routine. Make sure to train for your life and sport, not just getting endlessly strong. And finally, use weights heavy enough to create strength adaptations within the body.

Do you have a muscle or joint you feel needs to be stronger so you can get back to the things you want to do? More importantly do you know how to do it?

Leave a comment or message me with what you’re dealing with. I’d love to help you figure out the next step. 😊

19/10/2026

⏰“I just can’t find the time to fit it all in” ⏰

Not having the time to exercise or look after yourself is one of the biggest hurdles we all face. Especially as you get older and you’re desperately trying to cling on to some form of strength and fitness!

And social media loves to frame it as “not making yourself a priority”. But being told you’ve got the same 24 hours as everyone else doesn’t make your week any less busy, demanding or stressful.

On top of that we’re constantly told all the things we need to include in our week:

🏋️ Strength training
🏃 Cardio
🧘 Yoga and Pilates
😴 Sleeping 7-9 hours
🥕 Eating the “right way”

It’s a massive ask.

And after a day’s work, walking the dog, sorting out the kids and all the other chores on your to-do list, a bit of exercise can seem like a step too far.

But you need something, right?

Something to help with your physical and mental health. Something so you don’t get laid up after some gardening or chasing the kids. Something to help you enjoy your weekly run or round of golf.

So how are you going to fit it all in?

The truth is … You’re not. ❌

And you don’t need to. ✅

Most likely, you need to make the ask much smaller, zone in on what’s useful for you right now and tick off a couple of quick wins.

This could be:

☕ 2 minutes of mobility work whilst the kettle boils.
💪 1 exercise to do in the evening before dinner.
🛌 Getting to bed 10 minutes earlier.
🍳 Or an extra portion of protein through the day.

These things alone won’t make you an elite athlete, but you’re not trying to be, and the daily accumulation can go a long way to help you feeling better in yourself and about yourself.

Plus, once you get started on one thing it usually snowballs into another and before long you’ve developed a routine you never thought you’d have the capacity for.

That’s what we do with everyone we work with. Find them some quick wins and a way to get started. Nothing fancy, but a start.

What’s the one thing you could zone in on right now?

13/10/2026

You're at the tail end of physio but there’s still a gap between where you are and where you want to be.

The pain's settling down, you're moving normally again, back to most of what you were doing before and finally, there's light at the end of the tunnel.

But you're still wary of lifting things,
pushing yourself too much,
even bending over to grab something if you're honest.

And not entirely sure what you're supposed to do next?

Maybe your physio suggests some strength work, something more structured to help you build up.

It sounds sensible. You can see why it might help.

But it’s also unfamiliar... you're not sure what you'd be getting yourself into, whether it'll make things worse, or if it's even what you need.

Going back to what you know, what you were doing before, feels safer.

The same classes. The same routine.
Maybe a bit more treatment.
Just easing yourself back in and hoping things change.

And that's the crossroads, really.

You can stick with what's familiar and hope this time things turn out differently.

But there’s a quiet voice at the back of your mind worried about ending up in the same place, still trying to get back to normal.

Maybe another year going round in circles,
Still working around the same problem or injury down the line,
Still not quite trusting your back

Or you can try something a bit different, even if it feels pretty daunting at first and see where it leads.

Have you reached that point where you're better, but not quite sure what the next step is?

09/10/2026

‘I felt I was becoming the “Dad with the bad knee”’ 🦵

When I first met Adam, he was constantly second-guessing himself. Could he join family and friends for fun weekend activities? Or would one "funny step" hurt his knee and ruin the whole day?

Like when they were at Legoland and he spent most of the day sitting down.

To his credit, he never gave up and he reached out to us for some help.

After plenty of chatting and some basic movement assessments we found a place to start.

✅ We created the first objective - to be able to perform foundation exercises without bothering the knee. Things such as squats and back lunges.

✅ Next, we looked at movements in different directions and doing things on one leg.

✅ Then it was on to more complicated movements and things at speed.

Hard work? You bet.

Setbacks? Absolutely.

But with persistence, effort and a flexible plan, Adam got to a place where:

“I can usually do everything I want, unless you’re asking me to run a marathon! And most importantly I can do everything my wife and kids want to do too!”

Adam has been fantastic at embracing the challenges and tackling things, even when they made him nervous.

I’m really proud of where he’s got to and love hearing about all the things he gets up to with his family.

Great job Adam! 💪

What’s one thing you’d like to stop avoiding?

08/10/2026

🥺”This is the most unfit I’ve been in a long time." 🤦

Pain and injury can slow life down pretty fast.

Suddenly, you’re missing out on family walks or spending Saturday afternoon doing rehab exercises while friends are out cycling or playing tennis.

It doesn’t take long before being less active becomes the norm and suddenly you don’t quite recognise yourself anymore.

When being active has been a core part of your identity; it sucks for it to feel like it’s being taken away.

You feel less capable and less confident. It’s deflating, frustrating and if this is you… you’re not alone.

It’s something we hear all the time from people who walk through our doors in Sonning. 🙋

And it’s not that you haven’t tried to sort things out. But once you’ve tried a bunch of things without getting anywhere it’s normal for life to take over.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 You focus your time and energy on family and friends, rather than yourself.

💻 You throw yourself into work, finishing off that project in the evening, when you used to go to the gym or play football instead.

And these are worthwhile, but it doesn’t change the fact that you miss the active side of yourself.

So now what?

Sometimes you need a fresh start. A fresh direction and a fresh plan to not only reduce your pain and discomfort but get back to the sports and activities you’ve been missing out on.

What’s something you’d like a fresh start with right now?

Address

Unit 5, Mill Farm, Sonning Eye
Reading
RG46TR

Website

http://www.apscoaching.co.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when aps Coaching posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.