Image: JFit
The personal trainer from your commercial gym next door likely won’t be able to help you achieve that celebrity body you’ve been dreaming of, nor will they take the time to understand where you’ve been coming up short on your journey to it.
Personality, expertise, methods and experience all play part in the success stories of personal trainers.
At their best, they can re-shape your entire idea of movement, body and lifestyle in the most empowering ways. This elite selection of the world’s best personal trainers shows how different approaches can be, when the quality is evident.
- Luke Worthington
Image: Luke Worthington
Luke Worthington has developed a unique niche as one of the world’s leading specialists in the physical preparation of actors for film and television. With advanced qualifications in personal training, sports science, sports therapy, neuroscience and nutrition – he combines an extensive academic background with decades of practical experience across major screen productions.
Worthington’s multidisciplinary approach previously found success with athletes (he trained world champions across five different sports), before bringing this understanding of elite performance to preparing actors for the aesthetic and physical demands of film.
Having been trusted by major studios including Disney, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Netflix, Amazon MGM, Warner Bros. and Apple, Worthington is responsible for some of the most recognisable physiques and physical transformations on screen.
His approach combines strength and conditioning, manual therapy, neuromechanics, nutrition, injury prevention and rehabilitation.
Working at the intersection of performance, safety and storytelling, Worthington collaborates closely with directors, producers, stunt teams and medical departments to balance the visual requirements of a role with the strength, movement capabilities and resilience needed to sustain performance across a demanding production schedule. His guiding principle, “The best ability is availability,” reflects the importance of keeping performers healthy, prepared and consistently able to work.
Alongside his film production work, Worthington has helped shape the landscape of the Health & Fitness industry. Formerly Head of Trainer Education at Third Space, one of London’s leading luxury fitness companies, he also spent five years consulting for Nike where he created and delivered the Nike Personal Training Certification and advised the Worlds biggest sports brand on training methodology. He is currently consulting with Health & Fitness Education on the technical content of the UK personal training certification.
Worthington’s expertise has been featured in The Times, British Vogue, The Daily Telegraph, Men’s Health, Women’s Health and the Evening Standard. Regularly recognised by the Institute of Personal Training as one of the world’s leading personal trainers, his combination of scientific qualifications, world-championship coaching experience and specialist actor preparation places him at the pinnacle of his profession.
- Maik Wiedenbach
Image: Maik Wiedenbach
Long before building his successful personal training business in Manhattan, NY, Maik Wiedenbach represented Germany as an elite swimmer. Now voted Manhattan’s best personal trainer year after year – his journey speaks volumes about a path guided by a constant demand for excellence and improvement. It would lead him into a natural transgression to competitive bodybuilding, coaching and entrepreneurship. Now, helping others transform their physique and improve their health is at the core of his work.
While not all athletes venture into entrepreneurship or coaching, those who do – especially those who have trained and performed at world level – benefit immensely from the qualities that have shaped their success in the past. Maik Wiedenbach’s Personal Training gym in Manhattan, New York, is a standout example for such a case.
Decades of competitive athletics and hands-on coaching have turned the German New Yorker into an award winning personal trainer. However his approach draws from a much more educational approach, than just his pure experience as an athlete. His high standards and attention to detail can be seen as soon as you walk into his gym in Manhattan.
State of the art equipment, imported from Europe and Asia, facilitates his 1:1 training at a standard that isn’t found in today’s commercial gyms. Just as his expertise, which has gained him invitations all over the world.
Maik Wiedenbach has hosted workshops in Dubai and the United Emirates, where premium level skills and knowledge are both highly valued and honoured.
In his case, it has gained him contracts with some of the biggest education providers in the region.
His educational approach to personal training allows for an experience that not only guides clients towards their personal goals, but also equips them with the knowledge and skills to continue their fitness journey beyond the period of personal training. Wiedenbach teaches his clients to improve and maintain their strength and improve their body composition without becoming dependent on personal training.
Maik believes fitness shall remain rooted in strong principles rather than short-lived trends. Being methodical about his work allows successes to be repeated and maintained.
Now 50, he emphasizes the importance of the relationship between strength and longevity.
His educational content is being shared beyond the walls of his Manhattan studio, both online and in the shape of his upcoming book. The release is exploring his personal journey through elite sport, entrepreneurship and adversity, and its title ‘Show Up or Shut Up’ represents his philosophy very well.
For Wiedenbach, the ultimate measure of successful coaching is not how complicated a workout looks, but whether it produces meaningful, lasting improvements in someone’s life for a long period of time.
Or as he summarizes it in his words ‘No BS. No fluff. Just results.”
- Tolga Balaban
Photo: @modusghost
The fighter and online coach from Germany has an extensive combat sports and coaching career to show, and his approach is scientific, battle tested and comes with strong evidence and case studies.
Currently gaining more and more popularity for taking his growing audience on a combat sport world trip on his Youtube and social media accounts, Tolga Balaban constantly continues to grow his knowledge and experience through sharing the gyms with some of the greatest athletes in their respective disciplines.
From Muay Thai world champions in Thailand, to K1 and One Championship stars in Japan, all the way to the mountains of Dagestan and its breathtaking wrestlers and sambo champions – Tolga Balaban’s professionalism leads him into constant new pools of knowledge. Knowledge that he channels in his coaching, allowing others to benefit from the concentrated knowledge of martial arts champions all over the world.
He’s an expert in structuring training for periodized strength gains and improved athleticism. The impressive optics of his clients are just the cherry on top – who doesn’t want to have the body of a professional fighter? The real win happens with the confidence that is gained through accelerating performance levels and a body that feels sharp, strong and explosive. Not your typical personal trainer, Tolga Balaban feels like your cornerman to trust through every round.
- Evroy Ellis Jr
Photo: Hado Crossfit
Based in the tropical Mexican beach town Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, the Canadian CrossFit athlete and personal trainer offers an extremely methodical approach to strength training. While athletes all over the world enjoy the benefits of his online sessions, it doesn’t get much better than training in his Hado Crossfit gym in the beach paradise. Evroy Ellis Jr’s gym is Mexico’s biggest state’s only official CrossFit affiliate and has an exceptional reputation across the country.
Particularly active travellers from the US find a personal haven in his training sessions and the incredibly supportive environment he has created in his CrossFit box. Speaking of ‘gym atmosphere’, you won’t find anywhere more supportive and uplifting than Evroy’s space, while the coaching staff lives up to high standards at the same time.
Deeply embedded in the local community and sports such as facilitating classes for Boxing Camp Mexico, this is a coach worth travelling for.
Evroy Ellis Jr is another fantastic example of athlete turned trainer, even though the ex-soccer pro still competes in CrossFit competitions. His attention to detail is noticeable through every part of his approach, whether it’s in preparation, technique or the gym itself.
- Prof. Dr. Türker Bıyıklı, PHD
Image: Prof. Dr. Türker Biyikli
Dr. Türker Bıyıklı is an expert in exercise science, sports physiology, athlete health, physiotherapy, and osteopathy. He is a Professor at Marmara University, in the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, Coaching Education Department. He holds multiple doctoral degrees in sports sciences, osteopathy (DO), and physiotherapy (DPT). While he is highly active in the research of movement, exercise and education, he is also an active strength and conditioning coach. His qualifications and expertise are remarkable in his field of work, and frequently demand him to assist professional athletes in training camps for major competitions.
Though based in Turkey, Prof. Dr. Türker has clients world wide, with both personal clients and brands seeking his expertise in the United States as well.