With a longstanding professional career in the fitness industry, we talk to Dawn Faulkner Clark to find out more about her background and what the future holds for Be Fit Be You

Since converting her garage space, and starting up her own personal training business – Be Fit Be You – Dawn Faulkner Clark has reinvigorated her love of delivering one-to-one training utilising the benefits of Electro Muscle Stimulation (EMS) training.

Faulkner Clark’s at-home business is thriving, with 30 clients enjoying weekly sessions and seeing irrefutable results.

Tell us about your background in the fitness industry
I’ve been working in the fitness space since the 1990s and have experienced a variety of roles across swim, gym and group exercise. After working my way up to Fitness Manager, I moved into a more tactical role at The Club Company, overseeing things such as team training and recruitment, as well as member experience and retention strategies.

My passions have always been focused around helping people achieve their fitness goals, creating behaviour change which will foster positive lifelong habits. I’ve been lucky enough to have the opportunities to do just that.

What were your initial thoughts about EMS?
I first saw EMS training in action at FIBO in 2018. miha bodytec had a huge stand there and I couldn’t help but be intrigued – it was certainly unlike anything I’d ever seen before in the fitness industry.

After speaking with the team and trialling a session, I immediately fell in love with it and saw a huge opportunity to appeal to an untapped section of the population who struggle to engage with exercise, in particular, strength training.

Despite the copious amounts of in-depth research proving the benefits of strength training, especially for middle aged and older adults, I’ve often struggled to get people to understand how fundamental it is to their overall health.

Old injuries, niggles and fear of high impact training often put people off. Yet, with EMS, you can incorporate strength training into an individual’s fitness regime, without having to worry about any of these factors.

It’s perfect for creating muscular adaptations, without requiring any form of weight-bearing activity. The stimulus creates muscle contractions throughout the body, so there’s no need to worry about clients not engaging the correct areas when they train.

What was it about EMS that inspired you to set up Be Fit Be You?
I’ve always enjoyed working directly with people to help them get results. Yet, the personal training market is extremely saturated and I knew I wouldn’t be able to survive in such a competitive market without my own strong USP.

EMS training has given me that, allowing me the opportunity to do what I love, while knowing I have my own niche from which I can excel.

Be Fit Be You is the result of that. We’re all about appealing to those who don’t want to go into a traditional gym environment, haven’t been able to see results from their training or want to try something a little different.

Within fitness there seems to be a focus on the elite, but most people just want to feel healthier, keep active and lose a little weight. Be Fit Be You is all about providing a service for the masses.

What are the benefits of EMS training and who is your target market?
Saving time is one of the greatest benefits. The 20-minute sessions provide enough time to be effective and hands-on, but aren’t too long that clients lose interest or run out of energy.
Equally, as a trainer you’re able to fit three times the number of clients into your day and bring in additional revenue through a more efficient schedule. As a mum it has enabled me to find a great work-life balance – I can both work on my business and spend time with my family.

I also love the fact EMS offers so many different results – toning, fat-loss, performance enhancement, etc – meaning that as a trainer you’re able to tap into multiple audiences seeking different goals.

There’s significant research into its success with back pain management as well and indeed we’ve been able to maximise this aspect with many of our clients. We’ve had people who can barely even walk come in to train with us, and after only a few months’ worth of sessions, they’re off on skiing holidays or running 10k races.

The science behind the training is indisputable and once people start seeing results, they tell their friends. This has enabled us to grow the business further.

What are your goals for the future with Be Fit Be You?
Of course I’d love to expand. To have my own boutique studio would be amazing. It would give me the opportunity to tap into the mass market and really make a difference to so many people.

As a personal trainer, it’s given me the key ingredient to appeal to clients who I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to engage with. I truly believe in the potential of EMS for getting more people into exercise and supporting those who have struggled to find a fitness solution to suit their lifestyle.

• For more information on EMS training visit https://www.miha-bodytec.com/en or to find out more about Be Fit Be You, visit https://befit-beyou.com/