Benmore Crossfit
Let me introduce you to this dream team. Sarah and John are Benmore Crossfit based in Ballycastle. This husband and wife team are dedicated, passionate and professional in the service they provide and they’re also genuine, authentic & really friendly.
Saturday morning saw the alarms kick off from 6am and by 7.30am we were having breakfast at Applegreens while watching the sunrise in the car’s wing mirrors on our way to Ballycastle. John had contacted me to take photos of their CrossFit sessions after he saw my images from Sarah’s session of the #BusinessPortraitProject.
When we arrived, John had a briefing with me about what he wanted captured throughout their sessions and I also loved that he knew exactly what he didn’t want either! (Makes my job so much easier!) With our notes made, we cracked on with their first session that John was coaching.
These guys have a brilliant set up. Their space has been utilized so everything has it’s place, it’s easily accessible and is well maintained. Immediately when greeted, you feel welcomed by them both, they’re interested in you as a person and as their athletes arrived, they too were so friendly and ready to get on with their training; I loved that they done as John asked and ignored me totally.
Sarah and John love what they do, have so much pride in their gym and the community they’re building. You can see that they are fully submerged in their environment and roles, be it from the briefings at the beginning, explaining and showing examples of the drills all the way through to supporting and encouraging their athletes throughout the session. Their energy and openess means they are approachable so as they focus on teaching you, if you don’t get it, they help you by fully breaking down the routine and I love that they don’t make you feel like you should have got it first time round. Truly, they are dedicated to you. As coaches, they are invested in your well being 100% explaining everything and their guidance makes sure you’re safe while moving correctly to reduce any risk of injury. Their groups are small which I thought was brilliant. It meant everyone taking part was able to get their own 1-1 time if needed throughout the session.
As professional as they are, I love how amazing it is they feel so comfortable with you as a client that they can still show their personalities and have a laugh alongside their group! They are included. You want to include them with you and this is what connects them to their clients, they’re more than that. It’s a unique team that feels like family.
Their statement is all about:
Intent - Show up. You bring your A game, you have to want to make that effort and don’t give up.
Knowledge: Sarah is a CrossFit L1 trainer, a L4 Dip Nurtrition & a Member of the Royal Society for Public Health. John is a CrossFit L2 Trainer, a CrossFit kids trainer and a British Weightlifting L2 instructor and coach. They know their stuff and they love connecting with their athletes, knowing their story and helping them both inside their gym and outside it! This shows in their connection with each athlete and how they can help you to progress.
Community - John and Sarah build a community for their athletes, everybody is welcome, from beginners at CrossFit to those more experienced. They have created a community which in itself supports each other too along with both Sarah and John being a staple in joining in. Together, they help you embrace your fitness journey and everyone is proud of each others achievements.
It was interesting to see the small differences in how John and Sarah coach their classes but both are equally very effective and lead by example. Their motivation and drive, mixed with their experience and knowledge means you’re fitness journey is in good hands! They literally practice what they preach by joining in with their sessions and are by your side.
When stopping for a moment to watch, you can see the close knit community Sarah and John have built, with their athletes. While each person is pushing hard for themselves, they still encourage and support everyone else in the group, in either their team work or as individuals, and when they start to get to that tough spot, help each other continue and push through. The guys should be extremely proud of what they’re achieving. It’s really really nice to see that it’s such a fun place to be.
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As a photographer, esp with looking about human connection again at the moment, it’s plain to see that Sarah and John run a safe gym, and those who attend love it. Their hygiene station is at the door when you walk in with hand sanitizer and with a small group there is plenty of space but even at that, with the doors wide open, it’s well ventilated, their communal space is clean and tidy and everyone can catch their breath and have a conversation. It’s so nice to see a slice of normality when we’ve been restricted so much.
Sarah explained to us when we were last there, that it’s even been scientifically proven that chalk dust kills covid and is safe for the athletes to dip their hands into the communal bags hanging on their rig for everyone to use. These guys have got every which way covered to make sure you can focus 100% on your training session. Every single person, though knackered, loved their workout, they left smiling and feeling good.
If I haven’t sold you enough on this dream team, go visit their socials to see for yourself what more they offer. You can find them here on Facebook and on Instagram - go give them a follow!
Below is a few more photos from our session. I can’t thank John and Sarah enough for choosing me as their photographer. It’s been one of my favorite sessions to date and I look forward to working with them again in the future.
Much Love, Jx
