Body Development

"What can I say about Karen? When I first went to Body Development I was extremely stressed out and felt as though my body was not strong enough to cope with the extra stress I knew was coming in my life.

With Karen's gentle understanding, encouragement and coaching I gradually got strong again. She taught me what foods would help me to fight the stress and designed exercises to build my strength and tone my body.

I got everything I wanted. I ate more healthily, lost weight, felt strong and was able to laugh about the things that were previously stressing me out.

Karen was just what I needed and I felt sad to say goodbye - but happy to know I had made a new friend and would always remember how she helped me."

"I was first introduced to Tom over 5 years ago by a family friend who recommended him to help me with a back injury I had sustained playing rugby. My back condition deteriorated once I stopped playing and was becoming so bad that I couldn't play rugby (some say I never really did!) or run properly without cronic pain in the base of my spine.

I thought that I would have to undergo an operation but Tom assured me, after a full assessment in which he determined that it was a probable prolapsed disc problem, that it should be possible to improve my back via a targeted core strength training program.

I was also assessed as having a gluten intolerance and was put on a gluten free diet. Within 3 months I noticed an appreciable improvement in my back. I was able to least walk without the 'gripes' and could run.

After approx 6 months, once my core was working properly again, Tom put me on a program of 'Strong Man' training which is great for improving strength and fat loss. Five years on I train weekly at Body Development with Tom. I can now fully train in a range of disciplines which I thought would have been impossible This training includes strength and conditioning work, rehab for other old injuries, as well as learning Mixed Martial Arts with a great bunch of guys in the 'Fight Club' sessions.

In my experience, Body Development is an extremely professional training environment at their exceptionally well-equipped gym. The staff all possess great all round, and specialist, knowledge in many aspects of top level fitness training and rehab and they are all more than prepared to educate as well as train you. I have learnt so much over the last five years that I find it difficult to remember – much to Tom's exasperation.

In summary I would fully recommend anybody and everybody to come and see Tom and the staff at Body Development, whether its for rehab, or just want to maximise your conditioning for other sports or in an end in itself.

He's a miracle worker he is I tells ya! Gawd bless you Sir!!" [Doffs cap and leaves].

"I have been going to Body Development for 5 months now and have got so much more out of gong there than I expected. I originally went to tone up and loose weight - now 5 months on I have toned up and lost weight and am in the best shape I have been in 10 years.

Tom and his team knowledge is second to none drawing on traditional and alternative sources that treat your whole body – they will educate you, train you and their commitment to helping people transform their physical and mental perspective is brilliant.

I would recommend going to Body Development to anyone in business or anyone who dreads going to the gym or just working out - it is far far more!!"

"As a keen sportsman and someone who still plays basketball at a high level in a West Country league, I found myself drifting in and out of the gym with little or no direction.

Joining up with Tom in the summer of '09 I now have the focus needed and a greater understanding on what training needs to be done to achieve the goals I have set.

Having a weekly session has enabled me to see great results by reducing my weight and body fat, along with improving my strength, fitness and overall confidence whilst playing my beloved sport and within myself with the way I look compared to when I first started. Thanks Tom for all the hard work and pain!!!"

"I joined Strong Girl and found that the group exercise was way more fun and Karen is brilliant at encouraging you to push yourself harder than you would normally.

I saw results quickly and they are now continuous due to the changing routines each week that work different parts of your body. It's hard work but lots of fun!"

"In the time I have been training with Karen I have lost over stone in weight and have seen significant increases in my strength and stamina levels.

I would highly recommend Karen to anyone looking to improve their strength and lose weight."

"Q - Where do the good trainers train?

A - At Body Development in Bath.
The team are highly skilled and knowledgeable and I have utilised their expertise in many forms, most recently at Karen's Strong Girl classes which give me a tough workout whilst training with like minded people in a similar way to the classes I run at Bath Bootcamp.

I often refer clients to the team, if I am unable to schedule them into my diary, confident in the knowledge they are in excellent hands."

"I was introduced to Tom back in 2005 through my brother who was already training with him. Tom initially trained me leading up to my abroad wedding but I have continued to train with him regularly ever since. I now work long hours and have a 16 month old son but the weekly session keep me focused and motivated to a level I would struggle to achieve by solely training alone.

The variety and quality of equipment on offer at Body development is unrivalled to any gym large or small in the south-west. The training programmes created can be adopted allowing me to also train at home complementing the weekly sessions.

I would recommend anyone who is thinking of using a personal trainer to contact Tom Crudgington at Body Development."

"I began working with Tom over five years ago. Over the years we have worked towards various goals including getting in shape for my wedding and more sport specific routines that have improved my speed, strength and agility.

The support that I have received from Tom has enabled me to keep my training interesting whilst continually learning about new exercises, correct form and just as importantly increasing my knowledge regarding health and nutrition.

I have now learnt how to train effectively with regular programmes that are specifically tailored for my physical development and give my training proper structure. Training is made enjoyable at Body Development and you get the results that you've always desired."

"I first met Tom in 1997 when I joined his Thai Boxing class, previous to meeting Tom I had no former interest in martial arts and joined in the hope of trying a different sport. Tom has now been training me for 12 years and he has been a huge influence on me and my work.

From 18 to 23 I was a full time Cyclist, competing and making a living in England and France. Once I stopped competing in cycling, I felt I needed a change of sport. I had heard about Tom and once he had allowed me to join his Thai Boxing club he had me training harder and more diversely than I had ever done before. With his help I progressed to competing in Interclub tournaments across the country and Tom even had me fight at one of his shows.

Getting to know Tom generated my own interest in body and fitness, which inspired me to make a living in this area. I decided to join the RAF as a Physical Training Instructor (PTI) and with a lot of Toms help to "train me up" this was possible. I have now been a PTI for over 10 years and have been posted all over the world. I still however train with Tom at every opportunity I get, as I feel his knowledge as a strength and conditioning coach is second to none. At any work seminar I attend to learn about a new training system it always seems to be something Tom has been doing for years.

Since Joining the RAF I have looked after many gyms, a boxing club, a Thai boxing club and an MMA club, all of which I have sort Toms advice and implemented his training regimes. As a consequence, they have all been very successful and many people in the forces community have great respect for Tom and his knowledge.

Tom is the most innovative, up to date, knowledgeable and inspiring coach I have ever met or heard of, I feel honoured to have had the opportunity to be trained by him for so many years."

"I first visited Karen in July 2007 to help my rehabilitation following an operation. Immediately her knowledge and understanding of the human body impressed me. She set me a personalised programme of exercises and stretches to help strengthen the areas that needed attention. Karen really knew how to get results through setting me with small weekly targets which accumulated into bigger changes over time.

At first I had only intended to have between 5-10 sessions to recover from the operation. However I was so impressed with the initial results that I decided to seek her expertise in other areas including nutrition and a personalised training plan. I've been following the biosignature approach with a work out programme tailored especially for me. In 3 months on the programme I've dropped body fat, become more toned, lost a stone in weight and learned so much about my body and what works best. Prior to this I'd reached a plateau and no matter how hard I worked out at the gym or how little I ate the weight never shifted beyond a certain point, that's no longer the case. I've still got some way to go and have set some targets for this year but I know that with Karen's help I will achieve these."

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