Boot camps and shakes: how a personal trainer motivates clients, and the fitness programme that lured her to switch careers

Good personal trainers or coaches try to gauge the true motivation behind a client’s health or fitness goal.

“They may want to get healthier and lose X amount of kilos, but as you get to know the person, you find those were not their No. 1 priorities,” explains Jane Fang, a health and lifestyle coach at the new StudioWXS in Hong Kong’s Sheung Wan neighbourhood.

“You have to get to their real goal,” adds the 34-year-old Australia-raised Hongkonger. These goals include the heartbroken seeking a transformation known as a “revenge body”.

Everyone’s motivation is different. Don’t expect judgment or shaming from this coach, who tries to understand clients better to help them achieve results.

That philosophy extends to the studio’s boot camps, with dedicated followers of all shapes and sizes, from all walks of life. “There are people looking for a place where there is no intimidation … they don’t want to be judged by all the gym junkies,” she says.

This studio fuses nutrition, wellness, an active lifestyle and the community ethos of a club. It’s all part of reinventing the fitness centre format.