About me
It is my mission to provide highly personalised, evidence-driven training and coaching, blending my own athletic-, scientific-, life- and career-experience to help people meet their own sporting, health and life goals as enjoyably, efficiently, effectively and sustainably as possible.
Having spent many years in a busy, stressful, time-poor, non-fitness job, I know how hard it is to keep fit and strong in and around the other pressures of life.
There is a lot of confusing information out there and sometimes we all just need someone who knows what they’re talking about to point us in the right direction.
‘I have a life-long love of sport, exercise and the outdoors’
I have a life-long love of sport, exercise and the outdoors. Previously an all-round sports nut, but particularly a county- and university-level badminton player and coach, most of my 20s and 30s were focussed on outdoor sports, in particular climbing, cycling and winter sports.
I’ve been climbing for over 15 years, snowboarding for more than 20 years, and riding bikes all my life. My passion for cycling started aged 5, and I have road raced and time-trialled in the UK, and have achieved Elite and Gold times in mass-participation events such as The Fred Whitton Challenge and La Marmotte Grand Fondo. I no longer compete, but I remain a passionate and knowledgeable cyclist. I can happily watch a six-hour Tour de France stage, without a break…
These days I split my sporting time between climbing, mountain biking and weightlifting, which is a tricky mix to balance!
‘multiple injuries led me to explore and view science-based strength training as the foundation for long-term athletic performance, injury resistance, recovery and health’
Although sport and exercise has always been central to my personal life, it hasn’t always been my professional life. After originally starting a sport science degree at Glasgow University, my interests evolved a little, and I eventually gained a PhD in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from The University of Bristol, via a couple of stints living in Japan. I worked for a number of years researching the molecular mechanisms behind cancer and other diseases, and later I moved into medical, scientific and health communications here in Macclesfield, UK.
Multiple injuries over the years led me to explore and become passionate about focussed, science-based strength training, and I came to view strength as the absolute foundation for long-term athletic performance, injury resistance, recovery and health, both physical and mental.
Over time I decided to leave my career in science and communications to pursue a new career, establishing Sam Yarwood Strength & Conditioning to provide highly personalised strength and conditioning coaching and personal training.
I am a fully qualified Level 4 Strength and Conditioning coach, British Weightlifting Level 1 coach, Level 3 Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer, and a British Cycling Level 1 coach.
Always striving to learn and improve, I’m currently working towards the British Weightlifting Level 2 award, and the highly regarded UKSCA ASCC accreditation.
If you’d like to explore getting stronger, whatever your sport or motivation just drop me a line and we can take things from there.