Growing up in the self-described “soccer-obsessed” city of Newcastle in northeastern England until he was 18, Ian Anderson was all about playing and ultimately coaching the sport the English know as football.

But now as the owner of Jersey Shore-based Ian Anderson Training, the fitness guru has combined his love of team sports with his passion for health and wellness to create an endeavor that helps clients of all backgrounds achieve their personal best.

“Throughout my childhood, Newcastle was all about soccer; they have a professional team there (Newcastle United Football Club) and growing up, all we did was play soccer,” recalled Anderson, 37, a resident of the Oakhurst section of Ocean Township. “I played soccer in high school and at the county level as well as in a men’s league and knew that I wanted to work in sports and coach from a very young age.”

After studying physical education at the University of Leeds, “I lived in London for several years and then moved to Morristown, New Jersey, in 2012 to take a job coaching soccer,” said Anderson, who eventually met his now-wife, moved to Bradley Beach for four years, then to Hoboken, and then to their current location in Oakhurst, where they reside with their two young sons.

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“Along the way, I coached at various soccer clubs, including a stint with the New York Red Bulls, but moved into more of the fitness side of the industry in 2015,” Anderson said.

Though he continued to coach soccer at youth clubs and leagues throughout the state until about a year ago, “I developed more of a passion for fitness, which left little time to focus on coaching,” Anderson said of his transition to the personal fitness arena.

“I got certified and accredited through the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), began working at Jersey Strong in Wall, then moved onto The Fit Lab in Hoboken, where I learned a lot about postural restoration (PRI) and other fitness methods and started working with a more dynamic client base,” said Anderson, who ultimately launched Ian Anderson Training in 2018.

Over three years later, Anderson works at Hooked Boxing & Fitness in Neptune City, where he offers both private training sessions as well as group strength and conditioning classes, and also sees clients at The Ocean Club Gym in Asbury Park.

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All-inclusive approach

“I provide structured and progressive training programs geared towards people’s individual goals,” Anderson said of the services he offers. “I also educate people on proper exercise techniques and monitor and coach them through the learning phase to help them stay consistent and accountable and ensure that they’re doing what it will take to get them where they want to be — e.g., weight loss, muscle gain, etc.

"I take an all-inclusive approach, checking in with them to ensure that their nutrition and lifestyle behaviors support their training goals, and I also help them through the difficult moments that often come during training,” he said. “It’s about being focused and present during training sessions and helping people feel good about themselves.”

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At Hooked, which offers heavy bags, a boxing ring and boxing-infused circuit training, “I run strength and conditioning classes; they’re dynamic, challenging, and people get a lot out of them,” Anderson said.

“To ensure a strong fitness foundation, I prioritize the fundamentals, including squats, deadlifts, rowing and pressing movements, and a strong emphasis on core-related exercises, which all provide significant value for the time invested," he said. "I also coach Olympic barbell movements and dynamic plyometric exercises and use some of the most current and effective training equipment such as battle ropes, Assault AirBikes, kettlebells and more.”

According to Anderson, his hour-long sessions are designed to keep exercises fun and interactive for clients while ensuring they maintain consistency and repetition in order to make progress.

“The fee structure at Hooked is based on the class and/or personal training package you purchase and prospective clients can contact me for more information on the fee structure at The Ocean Club,” he said.

In addition to running as many as 30 to 40 group and personal training sessions a week, “I also do online programming for many clients, enabling them to work out at their home gym or at the gym of their choice in a way that’s customized to their goals, setting and equipment,” he said of his regimen, which offers three new programs a week (personalized based on the client’s feedback and schedule) and priced at $100 per month.

Anderson’s growing roster of clients — evenly split between men and women — range in age and background, “and I love connecting and working with all types of people,” he said.

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Transforming lives

While it seems that there are as many different approaches to fitness training as there are fitness trainers these days, “I emphasize functional training, which works multiple body parts rather than just isolating one body part,” Anderson explained. “The functional training exercises I offer will help you build fitness that’s pertinent to the way you move every day; it’s applicable to your specific goals and everyday life.”

Challenges for Anderson include “ensuring that my clients are making progress and heading in the right direction and that they look forward to their workouts and are happy with my services,” he said. “It’s my passion and I want to see people improve and reach their goals, especially when it comes to weight loss, which is often very emotionally-driven.”

The pandemic also offered another set of challenges, especially for business owners in the gym/fitness industry.

“We had to change to a lot of virtual/online training and help people feel comfortable about coming back to the gym, which took some time,” he acknowledged. “But I love how people prioritized their health more than ever over the past two years, so in some ways the pandemic was good for our business. People who wouldn’t otherwise have considered fitness are dedicating time to it and coming to the gym.”

Looking ahead, “I want to open my own gym in the next two to three years,” Anderson said. “I’ve moved around a lot over the past decade, but my wife and I feel settled here and love the Shore-area vibe.”

Among his favorite parts of his job, “one of the most exciting things about being a trainer is being adaptable because everyone’s different,” Anderson said. “I love learning what each client wants and determining how to achieve it and get them there.

“I also love seeing people change their lives — whether it involves getting in shape for a big wedding, losing weight, reducing their risk of diabetes, or achieving some other goal — and being thrilled with how they look and feel,” he said. “Finding the best version of people is what drives me to do this. Everyone has good and bad days, but you can have a good day every day when you’re in such a positive profession as this one — constantly motivating people and making them feel good about themselves.”

Ian Anderson Training

Location: Hooked Boxing & Fitness (Neptune City)/The Ocean Club Gym (Asbury Park)

Phone: 732-962-2539

Owner: Ian Anderson

Launched: 2018

Contact: @iananderson_fitness (Instagram) or iananderson.fitness@gmail.com (e-mail)

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Soccer-loving Englishman brings training techniques to Jersey Shore