About
Ruairí McLaughlin
A lot of the people I work with have tried before but still haven’t got where they want to be.
Most of the time, it isn’t an effort problem. The plan just wasn’t right for them.
I’m Ruairí, an online personal trainer based in Belfast.
I work with people across Ireland, the UK, and internationally who want to lose body fat, build muscle, and stay consistent with their training.
I want them to feel comfortable in their own skin and confident in how they look.
Over the years, I’ve built up close to 9,000 one-to-one coaching hours on the gym floor.
My Own Training
I started training in the gym when I was 18. Over the years, I’ve built muscle, lost body fat, made plenty of mistakes and learned a lot through my own training.
A few years ago, I needed emergency surgery on my spine and was out of proper training for a long time. I put on weight and ended up nowhere near the shape I had been in before.
Getting back wasn’t quick or straightforward. I had to work around my back, rebuild my strength and accept that I couldn’t just jump straight back into the training I had done before.
Going through that gave me a better understanding of what it feels like to lose progress, deal with setbacks and have to build yourself back up again.
It also changed how I coach. A good plan has to take your circumstances into account and give you something you can realistically follow, especially when life, injuries or work get in the way.
Background
I got my Level 2 and Level 3 coaching qualifications in 2010.
That was enough to get started, but I knew early on I needed to learn more if I wanted to do this properly.
I went on to complete a Diploma in Sport & Exercise Science at NWRC, which gave me a strong foundation in the key principles of training, exercise, and human performance.
After that, I studied at Ulster University and completed a BSc in Sport & Exercise Science. That gave me a much better understanding of anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, strength and conditioning, nutrition, and sports psychology.
While studying at university, I landed my first role in the health and fitness industry, working in a gym. I started at an exclusive health club in Belfast as a part-time trainer, where I spent several years learning the trade and coaching hundreds of people with different goals, abilities, and backgrounds.
I also completed an internship at the Sports Institute of Northern Ireland as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, working alongside some of the top coaches in the country and helping deliver sessions in a high-performance environment.
I worked across a range of sports including football, golf, boxing and rugby. A lot of those athletes went on to compete at national, European, world, and Olympic level.
It was a good experience, but it also made something clear to me.
I prefer working with ordinary people.
Helping someone get leaner, stronger, fitter, or simply feel more comfortable in the gym is the part of coaching I enjoy most.
In January 2019, I was awarded Personal Trainer of the Year for 2018.
Over the years, I’ve built all of that experience into my online coaching. It lets me work with clients wherever they’re based and help them make proper progress with their training and nutrition.
The goal can be fat loss, building muscle, improving fitness, or just getting back on track. The aim is always the same: build a plan that fits your life and helps you stay consistent.
Why Online Personal Training?
For a few years I ran a small number of online clients alongside my in-person work.
The problem was time. There are only so many people you can coach properly face to face, and I regularly had to turn people away simply because I didn’t have the capacity.
I was never interested in packing the diary out just to squeeze more sessions in. I’d rather work with fewer people properly than spread myself thin.
I always planned to move fully online. In 2021 I did.
After close to ten years on the gym floor, I knew I had the experience to help far more people than my in-person schedule allowed.
Around that time I also looked closely at what other online coaching services were offering.
A lot of it wasn’t good. It was generic, support was limited, and the feedback was often minimal or automated.
People were paying serious money and getting very little actual coaching.
That just confirmed it for me.
Good coaching shouldn’t feel generic.
You should know what you’re doing and have proper support when things don’t go to plan.
That’s what I built RML Fitness around.
What the Clients Say!
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