Mark Poole
Founder and Women's Transformation Coach at Transform Ladies Fitness

Hi I’m Mark, and I’ve been helping women change their bodies for over 15 years. After completing my BSc degree at UCLan in personal training and building my own PT business, something became impossible to ignore. Nearly all of my clients were women over 40. And they were all telling me the same thing. They did not feel comfortable in normal gyms. Some found them intimidating. Some had tried before and never felt confident using the equipment. Others had joined gyms, tried diet clubs or started fitness plans before, but never got the support, structure or results they really wanted. That was when I realised the problem was not the women. The problem was that there was very little out there truly designed for them.

Women over 40 did not need another gym full of equipment and no guidance. They needed a place where they felt comfortable, supported and understood. They needed expert coaching, realistic structure, accountability and a programme built around their goals, their confidence and their lives. That is why I launched Transform Ladies Fitness. It started in a tiny church hall, with bookshelves in the corner, an organ in the room and a cross on the wall. We ran just two sessions per week. But from the beginning, it was different. We took measurements. We set clear goals. We gave the ladies a simple nutrition plan and coached sessions designed to help them burn fat, tone up, build confidence and feel better in themselves. The results were incredible. More and more women started asking to join. Before long, we were running 20 sessions a week from that same church hall. It was time for an upgrade.

Ten years ago, we moved into our own studio on Virginia Street. Since then, Transform Ladies Fitness has grown into a full ladies only fitness business, now running over 50 sessions per week and helping thousands of Southport women get fitter, stronger, more confident and in better shape. But the programme has never stood still. Every month, we have improved it, refined it and rebuilt it around what women over 40 actually need to succeed. Today, I genuinely believe we have built something that changes the game for women over 40 in Southport. Not because it is flashy or complicated, but because it finally gives them what most gyms never do: the right support, the right environment and the right programme to help them succeed.