The Boot Camp Team
Matt Lyons
Matt leads a team of fully qualified former soldiers and personal trainers who are currently active within the fitness industry. Matt, a former Royal Marines Commando completed a tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2008 and has trained in various challenging environments including Norway (arctic) , Belize and Sierra Leone (jungle), plus also mountain survival and combat training in the US. Through this wealth of training experience gained from operating under hostile conditions in some of the toughest locations in the world, Matt fully understands what it takes to motivate and get the very best out of people.
As well as being responsible for running the Boot Camp, Matt also owns and runs Core Conditioning which is a personal training company based in Kent. With this company Matt has worked with a diverse range of clients including amputees and Maasai warriors when they run the 2008 London marathon together.
Robert Pankhurst
Is our resident Paratrooper, having passed Pre Parachute Selection – P Company, the Army’s toughest non special forces selection course, earning him the right to wear the coveted Maroon Beret and to proceed to jumping out of a perfectly good plane at 600ft! Robert, is a PTI within the Parachute Regiment and is regularly putting potential recruits through their paces in order for them to pass P Company.
Robert, has been a qualified fitness instructor since 1999 and has used this knowledge for rugby , martial arts and other sporting events over the years. Robert, was the first male instructor in the country to teach the Pushy Mother’s outdoor buggy workout and is pre and post natal qualified, so is a valuable asset with our new mums who attend Bootcamp.
Robert also owns and runs New Fitness Solutions, an outdoor fitness company based in Chislehurst. He utilises the outdoor environment to help mothers gently get back into shape after having a child, to help individuals training for charity events such as the Race for Life and Tough Guy, and to offer an alternative to gym based workouts for any level of fitness.
Paul Derham
Paul served with Matt in the Royal Marines and when he’s not climbing a mountain he helps out with instruction at the Boot Camp. Being a fully qualified climbing instructor, Paul is responsible for any climbing we may do at our site in Tonbridge.
Having recently completed the Three Peaks Challenge, Paul managed to do it solo and within the allotted time frame. For those that don’t know, this extremely tough challenge involves walking the highest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales within 24 hours!
Also on Paul’s conquered list is Mount Toubkal which is the highest peak in the Atlas Mountain range of North Africa standing at 4,167 metres high.
Craig Hallam
Having completed his Degree at Brunel University in 1998, Craig joined the Royal Marines as an Officer but was force to leave through injury. He then went to work for Sports and Leisure Management in the Midlands as a Lifestyle Consultant and strength trainer where he gained Cybex-Forza L2 Qualifications through SLM and a Post Graduate certificate in Education at Leicester University. Craig has spent 11 years in education working with all ages and abilities to achieve their goals and progress students to their potential including working within the public services and has worked with Matt at the beginnings of Bootcamp with a mixture of military and civilian personnel since 2006.
On a personal physical level, Craig has enjoyed participating in many challenges be it leading a team to complete the 3 Peaks Challenge in 24 hours, Adventure climbing in the Pyrenees, running in 5, 10 and 15 miles races, adventure sailing with the JSSC, learning to fly and continued personal strength training and Craig’s calm demeanour is an asset to the Bootcamp team.
Kate Chapman
Although Kate has no military background she first impressed Matt at an interview for his personal training company with a press up – burpee – pull up combination!. Kate has lots of hands on Boot Camp experience from running daily camps for Matt and is an integral member of the team.
Don’t be fooled by her innocent face, as in her spare time Kate competes in and completes the gruelling IronMan Challenge. For those that don’t know, the Ironman Triathlon is a 2.4 mile swim followed by a 112 mile bike race and ending with a 26.2 mile marathon run, incredible!.
Julie Reynolds O’Donnell
Julie is our in-house nutritionist, having achieved a 2.1Bsc (Hons) degree in human nutrition. With her guidance we can devise a nutritional package for the Boot Camp attendees at an additional cost that will aid your weight loss goals and give you the correct balance of nutrients and energy to complete the days activities.
Julie will be spending time with each and every one of you, devising an individual nutrition plan, discussing and answering any questions you may have on nutrition for fitness, weight loss and muscle building. During her spare time Julie keeps super fit by playing squash and competing in running events.
