The disabled PT who has helped 'change lives'

Robert Ghahremani said gyms need to do more to be accessible for disabled people

A disabled personal trainer (PT) has helped "change lives" through improving people's confidence when exercising, his clients have said.

Robert Ghahremani, from Nottingham, has been a PT for nine years and specialises in training people with disabilities.

As a wheelchair user himself, Mr Ghahremani has long called for gyms to be more accessible and inclusive, but warned they still have a way to go.

Two of his clients said learning from someone with a disability "transformed" their outlook on fitness, and want to see more disabled people in the profession.

Lucas Horne said having a disabled PT helped him to live independently

Lucas Horne has been training with Mr Ghahremani since 2019.

The 25-year-old, from Bulwell, suffered a brain injury at 17 and said he initially felt like he "lost" all his independence.

"I went from being an active teenage boy playing sports, to suddenly being in a wheelchair," he said.

"Doctors told me I would never be able to live independently... [at one point] I struggled to chop vegetables.

"Rob opened my eyes to how much I can achieve with my disability. Now, I exercise and I am studying for my accounting exams.

"I thought my life had ended, but it was actually starting a new chapter."

Since working with Mr Ghahremani, who is based at the Nottingham Tennis Centre gym, Mr Horne has worked on his motor skills, including strengthening his muscles, and standing and walking on the treadmill.

Jos Dent, 42, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and lost the ability to walk in 2013.

She said having a disabled personal trainer made her excited to come to the gym.

"They know what they are talking about and understand what you are going through," she said.

"You never need to explain why something is difficult, or why equipment should be a certain way.

"I do not think I would have signed up without a disabled personal trainer - and my life would be so different."

Jos said she did not consider exercising until she found a disabled PT

Mr Ghahremani said he has been fighting for change in the industry.

He previously trained in gyms where equipment was spread across two floors, and the lifts were frequently out of order, which he said "isolated" his clients with mobility issues.

"The disabled toilets were upstairs, and if they can't access a lift, this excludes most of my client base."

"It is the simple things that make gyms accessible. Gyms need to be mindful of how they lay out equipment, making sure there's enough room for wheelchairs next to machines.

"Emergency exit signs should be in braille. It is the little things that help."

Mr Ghahremani was paralysed in a car accident at 10-months-old and grew up with a T2 spinal chord injury.

He has had a passion for sport throughout his life, and played basketball and tennis competitively.

One of his former clients is wheelchair tennis player Abbie Breakwell, who made her Paralympic debut at this year's games in Paris.

The 33-year-old wants to spread the message that having a disability should not stop you from achieving your "dreams in life".

"Disability is still a taboo," he said. "People are afraid to ask questions about it. But you need to ask questions to empathise with the challenges we face."

"My goal is to help people, and I am really glad this is where my life has taken me."