As a lorry driver working long hours Rob Whitham didn’t get much chance to exercise and struggled to even run a few paces.
But since joining the Lean Mean bootcamp in January his life has been turned around. He has lost 2.5 stone with his waist size coming down from 36in to 32in.
And he rejoices in his new title as the Boot Camp’s ‘Biggest Loser.’
Rob, 42, of Longwood, said he had tried traditional gyms but found himself losing interest after just a month or two saying he was “bored.”
Fortunately for him one day in January he received a news feed on Facebook advertising a different approach to getting fit and losing weight.
Since its humble beginnings in Greenhead Park 18 months ago the Huddersfield-based boot camp business, relaunched recently as Lean and Mean Fitness, has gone from strength to strength.
Owner and ex-Giants strength and fitness coach, Trevor Commons, specialises in providing a fun challenge as well as huge gains in fitness.
Rob, a father-of-two, said: “I can vividly remember my first meeting.
“It was a cold and wet January night and we did various things. I live in a three-storey house and it took me ages to get up and down afterwards. I was that unfit.
“I love it, it’s like one big family and what’s great about it is that even the extremely fit people encourage you and will come and do that extra bit to help you.”
He is now officially a Total Warrior having completed a demanding 10K obstacle course with six other people in the summer which took him only two hours contrasting with the four-and-a-half hours it took him to struggle through a 5K mud run in January.
“The camaraderie got me though,” he said.
The business has grown rapidly from its inception and now has more than 70 members regularly being put through their paces.
It operates six boot camps a week at Greenhead Park and Royds Hall High School.
In the 18 months since the business has been building up Mr Commons estimates that the average member has burnt over 94,000 calories and taken 300,000 steps during the sessions.
And the results speak for themselves with the total weight lost by his members now standing at 55 stone. More than that many members report a huge increase in energy and the feel-good factor.
The group’s growing popularity means it is seeking its first permanent indoor facility, with highly-tailored gym-based workouts for members sitting alongside the boot camp sessions.
Mr Commons said: “We’ve had a great 18 months building up a successful boot camp business here in Huddersfield, and now is the right time to take this one step further.”
