#ThisMummaLife Interview with TNT Family Fitness

This Mumma Moves
Sep 2, 2018 · 5 min read

Welcome to the first in a series of interviews with local businesses all about family fitness and parent life! First up is Andy Thompson from TNT Family Fitness.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how TNT Family Fitness came about?

My name is Andy and I am a husband of 1 and a dad of 2. I very much love spending time with my family and friends. I am such a child at heart, and love to play games and run around (pretty much like my kids). I have a passion for families and for fitness. I grew up in Essex, where I loved playing loads of different sports. My childhood was pretty much — school, home, to the green around the corner to play football until we couldn’t see anymore, home for food, bed. And in the holidays I just missed school out of this equation.

I graduated from Exeter University with a Sports Science degree. It was there that I met my now wife. We did some travelling post university and then got married. We have two amazing kids, have moved house a few times and have now settled in Basingstoke aka Amazingstoke.

TNT Family Fitness started to form when we had our first child (2013), Teddy. I as very much into my fitness and sports, but having a child changes the rhythms and patterns of life — lack of sleep, lack of time, change in friends, financial adjustments etc. It was when Teddy was about 6 months old I realised I felt so run down and tired all the time and this had never been a problem before. I had started a Personal Training diploma back in 2010 but for various reasons had never completed it . Feeling like this prompted me to finish this and make some changes. It wasn’t until after our second child was born that I finally completed it. But by 2016 it was fully done and I decided to use this along with my degree to start doing something I really enjoy. I started to train a few people and soon realised child care was a big issue for parents, especially mums, who wanted to get back their pre-baby body (As a dad I know that feeling too). So I started to encourage my clients to bring their kids along too. This gave me an idea to link games that I play with my kids at home to exercises that parents could do to get fit. It was out of this and a desire to work in a job that brought me fulfilment that TNT Family Fitness was born. I love how sports can bring people together and I wanted the same for families. One of my first testimonial’s from a summer class was ‘I love how me and my son ‘D’, got to work TOGETHER at a common goal.’ It fills me with joy when I get to hear things like this!

What can a family expect to experience at one of your classes?

I run a number of different classes for all the family. If you have a baby who is not yet on the move, then I run a circuit-like training class. This is set up like a circuit class but very baby friendly but is also great if you want to have a bit of a workout and your kids are a bit older. These classes are great to have a bit more time to focus on technique. It is down to you and your targets.

I also run some games classes. These are for parents that want to play games with their kids whilst exercising. Again the exercises are tailored to you but you are having a lot of interaction with your children and fun whilst doing them. These classes are for ‘walkers’ to preschool kids’. They are especially great for mums and dads who haven’t exercised for a number of years or even ever. They are a fun way to introduce exercise to your children and a great way to spend time together.

The older class ‘School aged kids’ is the same class but with more energy, as the kids can do more and are stronger and faster. You get to choose how hard you want to work, but you usually get a good sweat on trying to keep up the youngsters.

I also run 1:1 PT sessions which kids can come along to as well. And 1:1 family sessions where I can get your whole family doing a program together!

So, do you have any specific qualifications to allow you to run these classes?

Yes, I am a fully qualified level 3 Personal Trainer which includes nutritional advice. I have just completed my ante and post-natal qualification which is great for the environment I work in and allows me to serve mothers better. I have various sports coaching qualifications and am Paediatric First Aid trained.

What is your favourite exercise or activity?

I love pretty much all of the stuff I do, but a few favourites of mine are a ‘tug of war’ and ‘stuck in the mud’. Both get a good sweat on and both can be full of competition, which I love!

When you’re not busy teaching, how do you like to spend time with your family?

We love to go on walks as a family, going to National Trust places, most of the time I will be carrying a child or a bag so I get a mini workout and the family gets some fresh air and we get to make memories. I also love going on family bike rides. We love to watch a good movie together. The kids are at the age where they can sit through most of a film and we get to laugh with each other at funny parts. The kids love to quote different movies in the most hilarious situations.

Finally, tell us when and where we can find you?

Best thing to do is to check out or website or Facebook page. I run two morning exercise classes in Popley Community Park on a Wednesday and Thursday. I am currently looking for a new venue for our circuit class and games classes. They will be run on a Friday morning. Any interest in these classes please send me a message and I can keep you in the loop as where and when the classes will be held.

I also have my circuit like training class running at Hampton Park Pavilion in Salisbury every Tuesday morning 9:30–10am.

Thank you so much to Andy for taking the time to chat to us!

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade