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Personal trainer & boxing coach · Braintree, Essex

I changed mybody as ateenager.

I'm 18. I've been training for five years and I've done exactly what you're trying to do. Now I write the programmes — strength, size, fat loss and boxing — built around your gym, your kit and your week.

See the plans My transformation

From £25/month · No contract · Cancel any time

Matt Friend, personal trainer, after his teenage body transformation
5 yrsOf training
18Same age as you
5Years in the gym
700+Own sessions logged
£25Plans from /mo
Age 13 · first ever deadlift
Matt aged 13, learning to deadlift and bench press
Age 18
Matt aged 18 after five years of consistent training
From unhappy to unstoppable

I used to avoid mirrors and photos

I was overweight, out of shape, and I didn't like the way I looked or felt. So I joined a gym. Walking through those doors was the best decision I've made.

It wasn't easy. I didn't really know what I was doing at first — but I kept going. With the right training, the right support and a lot of consistency, everything changed.

Years later I'm stronger, more confident, and proud of what I see — not just because of how I look, but because I know what it took. Training didn't just change my body. It changed how I carry myself, how I think, and what I believe I'm capable of.

If I can do it, you can. And I'll show you exactly how.

Start your plan
Who I coach

Built for teenagers,
not copied off an adult

Most plans are written for 35-year-olds and handed to teenagers. Yours is written around school, sport, exams and whatever kit you've actually got. Your body responds faster right now than it ever will again — don't waste it guessing.

01

Never trained before

You want to start but you don't know what to do when you get there. Sorted in week one — a simple plan, a demo video for every exercise, nothing you can't do.

02

Build muscle

You've been training a while and nothing's moving. It's almost always the programming, not the effort. Progressive plans built to add real strength and size.

03

Boxing

Self-taught, and I'll teach you the same way. Stance, footwork, combinations and bag work on the water bag and long bag — trained alongside your strength work, not instead of it.

04

Lose fat

Getting leaner without living on 1,200 calories or cutting out food you like. Training you'll stick to and habits that hold up when you're back at school.

How it works

Three steps

Step 1

Tell me where you're at

Your age, your goal, your gym or home setup, how many days a week you can train, and any injuries or sports you play.

Step 2

Get your programme

A plan written for you within 48 hours. Every exercise has a demo video, sets, reps and exactly what to do each week.

Step 3

Check in and progress

You send me your numbers and form videos, I adjust the plan. That loop is what makes it work — the plan is only step one.

The studio · Great Notley

No queues. No
one watching.

In-person sessions run out of my own private studio just outside Braintree. It's a converted garage, properly kitted out — and for anyone who finds a commercial gym intimidating, that's the point. Nobody's waiting on your rack and nobody's filming.

Strength

  • Full power cage, pull-up and lat pulldown attachments
  • Multiple bar angles, ropes and curl attachments
  • Dumbbells plus plate-loaded dumbbells
  • Preacher curl station — free weights, barbell or EZ bar
  • Olympic barbell and EZ bar
  • Two benches

Boxing & conditioning

  • Water bag and long bag
  • Treadmill
  • Full band set
  • Captains of Crush grippers

Outdoor rig

  • Muscle-up bar
  • Pull-up bar
  • Calisthenics work when the weather's good

1-to-1 sessions are £30 an hour. By appointment only and the address goes out once we've spoken. If you're under 18, a parent or guardian needs to know where you're training and is welcome to come along.

Coaching plans

Pick your level

One PT session near you costs about £40. This is a month of coaching for less. Every plan is online so it works wherever you train — strength, fat loss, boxing, or a mix. Prices include VAT. Cancel any time.

Starter

£25/month
For self-starters who just need the right plan
  • Custom training programme
  • Rebuilt every 4 weeks
  • Demo video for every exercise
  • Training app access
  • Message support, replies within 48 hours
WhatsApp to start

Progress

£45/month
For anyone who wants accountability
  • Everything in Starter
  • Monthly 1-to-1 video check-in
  • Form reviews on your lifts
  • Food and habit guidance
  • Message support, replies within 24 hours
WhatsApp to start

Full Access

£85/month
Closest thing to training with me in person
  • Everything in Progress
  • Weekly 1-to-1 video check-in
  • Programme adjusted every week
  • Direct WhatsApp access
  • Priority replies, same day
WhatsApp to start

Want boxing in your programme? Say so when you sign up — bag work is built in at no extra cost. Prefer to train together in person? 1-to-1 sessions in my private studio near Braintree are £30 per hour — WhatsApp me for session rates. Under 16, a parent or guardian signs up with you.

Questions

Before you start

I've never been in a gym — is this too advanced?

No. Most people I coach have never followed a proper programme. Week one is about learning the movements with light weight and building the habit of turning up.

Do I need a gym membership?

No. Tell me what you have — a full gym, a school gym, a set of dumbbells at home — and the programme is built around that.

Is lifting weights safe at my age?

Yes, when it's coached properly. Resistance training is well established as safe for teenagers with good technique and sensible loading. That's the whole point of following a plan instead of copying what you see online.

Can I do boxing and weights together?

Yes, and it's how I train. Bag work slots around your strength sessions so neither one suffers. Tell me on sign-up and I'll build it in.

How long until I see a change?

Strength usually moves within 4–6 weeks. Visible change takes longer and depends on where you're starting from. Anyone promising you a number is guessing.

Can I fit this around school and exams?

That's exactly why plans are built to 2, 3 or 4 days a week. Busy period coming up? Tell me and we drop the volume rather than stop.

Can I cancel?

Any time, no contract, no notice period.

Get in touch

Personal training in Braintree

I coach 1-to-1 in my private studio near Braintree, and online anywhere. Quickest way to reach me is WhatsApp — tell me your age, your goal and where you train, and I'll come back to you the same day.

Private studio
Great Notley, Braintree
Essex · Address shared on booking

Message Matt on WhatsApp