Company Founder
Michelle
“I came for rehab. I stayed for strength — and Sandra makes me do things I’d never choose to do on my own.”
Michelle’s journey with Fitness Lab began not through a search for a personal trainer, but through a referral from her physiotherapist. After a lifetime of daily exercise and high-impact training, she found herself sidelined by a serious back injury.
Michelle: “I’ve always been active — exercising every day — but I was doing way too much, and not the right way. When I hurt my back, I had to stop. I went through physio, and when I started moving again, they referred me to Sandra at Fitness Lab.”
At first, the goal was simple: rehab. Michelle had never lifted heavy weights before — and didn’t expect to start now.
Michelle: “I was 49 when I began. I’d heard all the stuff about women needing to lift weights, but I just thought, ‘Whatever. I run.’ I’d never picked up more than three kilos in my life. But I trusted Sandra. And within two months, I was fully rehabbed. A year and a half later, I’m still training — not because I need to, but because I want to. The benefits have been huge.”
Michelle’s sessions soon shifted from rehabilitation to strength training. Under Sandra’s guidance, the transformation wasn’t just physical — it changed how she approached exercise entirely.
Michelle: “Every week, we lift a little more. I’m a competitive person, so Sandra lets me push — but not too far. She knows when to pull me back. She makes sure I do what I need to do — not just what I want.”
She also credits Sandra’s obsession with form as a major part of what makes her training so effective — and safe.
Michelle: “I love arms, back, shoulders — but Sandra makes me work on my hamstrings every single time. I would never do that on my own. Honestly, every exercise she gives me is something I’d never choose myself. And that’s the difference. She pushes me into the spaces I’d ignore.”
Michelle’s sessions soon shifted from rehabilitation to strength training. Under Sandra’s guidance, the transformation wasn’t just physical — it changed how she approached exercise entirely.
Michelle: “She’s absolutely fastidious. If you’re even slightly off in your position, she’ll stop you and make you start over. She’s so calm, she speaks so softly — you’d think she teaches yoga. But underneath that? Total killer. She’s meticulous, and she won’t let you get sloppy. Ever.”
“I wouldn’t switch trainers even if someone closer to home offered.”
Michelle trains twice a week at Fitness Lab. Her story is proof that strength — physical and personal — often begins where rehab ends.