If you want to understand the truly global nature of the Ultimate Performance business, you need only look at personal trainer Emily Schofield’s rise through the ranks.
More than simply a totem of ‘the world’s only international personal training business’ which now operates on four continents, Emily’s globe-trotting story at U.P. represents how the business draws upon the best and brightest talent from all corners of the globe and provides a platform to excel.
Sydney-born Emily learned her craft as a trainer in her native Australia, before getting the chance to develop her personal training career with U.P., halfway across the world in the United Kingdom.
Emily cut her teeth at U.P. Manchester, where she completed her junior year education and mentorship, before continuing her career development in a senior role at London’s U.P. Mayfair gym.
As a leading female trainer, Emily’s attitude, aptitude and ambition have now opened the door to a move to California to join the personal training team at U.P.’s flagship US gym in Los Angeles.
It’s a once-in-a-lifetime career opportunity that Emily believes is only really available to trainers at U.P.
“I am really excited to move out to California and work in the new U.P. gym in Los Angeles. I think it’s going to be a really good experience.
“I very much enjoy travel, and I’m really looking forward to working in the brand new U.P. gym there.
“I’m looking forward to working with a new team, which means I get to learn more and learn from different people.
“I am sure there will be challenges, but that’s what makes you better and what makes you grow. I am really lucky to have the opportunity to do that and I am really grateful.”
Emily says it was these kinds of challenges and opportunities that first attracted her to working for U.P.
Emily working with first-time weightlifter Sandi during her 12-week transformation at U.P.
Knowing about U.P.’s preeminent reputation as the world leader in personal training and body transformation, she was keen to join the team, learn from the best in the business, and forge a genuine career in fitness with real prospects for progression.
“I have been in the industry for quite a few years now, so I think if you’re in the industry you know about Nick Mitchell and U.P.
“U.P. is the gold standard for personal trainers.
“I was moving over to the UK and I wanted to step up my game in terms of my career and work for a company that I felt like I could learn a lot from and get a lot of education from.”
Education was something that Emily really valued as a key to her progression as a trainer – and it is at the heart of everything we do at U.P.
It starts with equipping the personal training team with the knowledge and skills they need to deliver industry-defining results, and finishes with the clients themselves, arming them with the tools they need to maintain their results and stay in shape for life.
Emily helping U.P. Content Editor Ben master the diverging row on his 10-week transformation.
Emily said her junior year at U.P. was integral to learning her craft and getting results, understanding the business, and becoming fully immersed in the U.P. culture.
“The junior year is really important for developing yourself as a personal trainer. I learned so much in my junior year with the in-house education.
“But apart from that, I was working with 15 different trainers who all had their own experiences with clients, and finding out what worked for them, and what didn’t work for them.
“The culture itself is such a good culture to be immersed in. It’s a real work hard mentality. It’s really about working towards the results we get.”
Results are what every U.P. trainer prides themselves on, and indeed what U.P. itself has become world-renowned for producing.
So it comes as no surprise to hear that some of Emily’s proudest achievements at U.P. are helping clients achieve results they never thought possible.
Emily conducting a presentation to the personal training team at Ultimate Performance Manchester.
“Every result I have helped a client achieve I am proud of. The results that stick out in my mind are not necessarily the ones where there has been the most physical change.
“But they are the ones where the client has changed the course of their life going forward. That is why I do this job and what I love about this job.
“I’ve had a male client in his 60s who was type 2 diabetic and was medically in remission after doing his transformation at U.P. I had another female client who had depression and really turned her life around.
“There’s nothing more exciting than being part of that team and providing the client with the tools they need – then them working hard and achieving what they set out to achieve. It’s a really exciting thing to be a part of.”
Emily’s client Sarah talking about her life-changing transformation at Ultimate Performance.
It’s not just on the gym floor with one-to-one personal training clients where Emily has been making her mark on the company.
Since completing her junior year and moving to U.P. Mayfair as a senior personal trainer, Emily has been able to develop wider skills and ambitions.
“My role has not changed, but it has expanded and helped me develop my skillset, which is something I’ve really enjoyed and a big part of why I wanted to work for the business.”
Emily has completed the virtuous circle of trainer education at U.P. and is now involved with mentoring new trainers coming into the business.
It is a chance for Emily to bring to bear her own experiences with clients and share the knowledge she has accumulated working alongside other trainers in Manchester and Mayfair.
This key role helps guide the next generation of trainers in the business to deliver the quality of results and client experience that U.P. is known for.
It’s not just with current U.P. juniors that Emily works with, but she also brings her expertise to the recruitment process, helping identify the candidates who would be the best fit for the U.P. culture to excel within the training team.
Most recently, Emily has also had the opportunity to help develop the online personal training arm of the U.P. business, working with trainers to get the most out of their online clients to deliver the best results possible.
While in certain quarters of the fitness industry there may still be prejudice or stigma around female personal trainers, Emily says that U.P. is truly meritocratic in rewarding the most talented and ambitious people in the business.
“There are endless opportunities available to all the trainers at Ultimate Performance, regardless of whether you’re female or male.
“The business is growing really fast, so if you’re showing strength or aptitude in a certain area, there is the opportunity to develop that or move into a role that could be focussed around that.
“For anyone who has the right mindset and wants to work hard and develop themselves and grow, there are certainly the opportunities.”
Emily and her fellow trainers at Ultimate Performance Mayfair in London.
As she prepares to head for Los Angeles and the next exciting chapter of her career, Emily reflects on what she has enjoyed most about her time at U.P. and what she loves most about working for the business.
One thing she singled out is the collaborative and competitive work environment as part of a highly-motivated team of trainers.
It is an environment Emily has thrived in and one she believes breeds success.
“I think if you’re hungry and you want to learn and grow, and if you want to work with some of the top people in the industry, U.P. is the place to be.
“Working with some really, really smart people, is incredibly exciting and encouraging – sharing ideas and constantly learning and growing is something that really excites me.
“I’ve always thought that you are a product of the people you spend the most time around.
“So if you’re surrounded by people who are working hard, putting in the hours, learning and developing, that’s really motivating. It’s a great environment to be in and it will ensure success.”
