This week in our Say Hello Feature we are heading over the bridge to Meanwhile House Cardiff to hang out with Del and Abbie, a.k.a Built In total training.

Built In Total Training

Built In is a personal training business with a difference. Del and Abbie are advocates of internal self-development as well as external fitness and diet development. Their training is built on four foundations – self-esteem, belief, motivation and fitness.

“The idea of Built In developed as we were working as personal trainers. We saw people training in the gym with no aim, or lacking in confidence. We also saw people whose confidence relied only on aesthetics rather than internal self-esteem.”

The holistic approach of Del and Abbie works towards a solidly established sense of self-esteem, rather than one that relies on appearances alone.

The pair come from different backgrounds, and bring different strengths to the business. Del is originally from South London, and has a background in boxing, dance and strength conditioning. Abbie is an expert in helping those with obesity and diabetes, as well as working with pre/post natal clients.

“When I met Del I was overweight and under confident, and I wasn’t a gym goer. We kept in touch for business purposes. Just before I was about to relocate to London for business, I started training with Del. I realised that I didn’t want to be selling medicine products to people in London, I wanted to stay here and enhance people’s lives through personal training.”

Del helped coach Abbie until she had built up the confidence to lead classes, and Abbie continually amazed Del with what she could achieve against her nerves.

The pair worked as personal trainers in a local gym in until they spotted the launch of Meanwhile House Cardiff. Del had some previous experience in preparing studio spaces. After a couple of months of hard work, the Built In studio was ready for launch.

“Unlike other gyms, we’re not playing a numbers game. We want to enrich peoples lives on an individual level.”

The pair agree that the most rewarding thing about their job is hearing how they’ve made a difference to people’s lives. Abbie trained with a client who was overweight and unable to conceive. After six months, her client reported healthy blood results and was able to get pregnant.

Anyone is welcome to pop in and take a look at the Built In studio, and first sessions are free. Head to Built In’s Facebook page for info and timetables.

If you’re looking for a studio space in Cardiff, you can check out our spaces available page here.