When I first read about naked personal training it didn’t sound hugely enticing. I thought bouncing around in the buff would at best be mildly uncomfortable, at worst agonising! Frankly I worried that without my sturdy sports bra I’d be left with two black eyes!
So it was with trepidation that I journeyed from London to Barnsley to give it go with Colin Dobson Fox, to experience fully nude classes in his gym.
And Colin, 52, soon put my fears to rest. He told me, “No one runs on the treadmill or uses the bikes naked – whether you’re male or female you’ve got bits that would hurt when they bounce! Naked sessions are about resistance training and more like a mixture between yoga and Pilates.
“But it comes with enormous benefits. When you are naked and looking in the mirror you can see your muscles working which is motivating. The results from people who worked out naked was around 75 per cent better than for those who chose to remain clothed and there was virtually no dropping out as they could see the changes immediately – often people drop out after six or seven sessions with normal classes, but naked they just kept on coming.”
I was nervous when I arrived at Colin’s gym – but happily it was warm and cosy and Colin put me completely at ease.

He’s been out as a naturist since he was in his early 20s as he finds it so liberating and says that he feels he was just born that way. He explains, “People either get it or they don’t. My partner of 32 years doesn’t like it, but then again I’m not a Dr Who fan while he is!
“I’m very controlled in many parts of my life, but for me stripping off helps me feel unrestrained and helps me to decompress. It’s just a body, we all have them and we come in all shapes and sizes.”
I met some of his other clients while I was at the gym – including a married couple and a man in his 60s, all of them were polite and I can say hand on heart that there was absolutely nothing sexual about it, they just felt more comfortable without their clothes on. To be honest, I’ve felt my body has been more ogled when fully-clothed in a bar.
Colin explains, “My clients were varied – my youngest ever was an 18-year-old guy who worked in McDonalds, but I’ve also worked with people in their 60s, a world-famous pop star and a top tier civil servant. The split between men and women is about 50/50. But none of them were there for any reason other than to get fit. Though it’s why I never ran large classes, as I worried some people might slip in who were there for the wrong reasons.”

I have to admit that when I first stripped off I was very conscious of my lumps and bumps but because Colin was so matter of fact I soon relaxed. We started with some stretches. Then, as we worked out, he pointed out my various muscles and how they changed as I lifted weights, I soon forgot that I was naked in front of someone I’d met just half an hour before. Instead, I was intrigued by how my body functioned. I understood why it would be more motivating as you can see the evidence in the mirror that you’re working certain muscles. It also makes it easier to know if you’re exercising correctly as you know what you should be seeing so when you’re back at home you can recognise if you’re still doing it right.
Colin agrees, saying, “When I first started doing this it was with people who were naturists. But when my clothed clients heard about it and saw some of the results I was getting, some of them decided to do it in the buff too.”

By the end of our session – which would normally cost £20 – I was completely at ease and could feel that I’d had a good work out. Though I have to admit I didn’t continue once I was back home in London – I suspect my local gym would have taken a dim view of me stripping off and flexing in front of the mirror!

Sadly, anyone wanting to give it a go has missed out as Colin has since decided to give up on personal training altogether.

He explains, “A client unfortunately fell ill and it made me realise how short life is and that I should follow my dreams. We’ve found a croft in the middle of nowhere in the Scottish highlands and we’re farming and keeping bees.”

He adds, “I’m still very much a naturist. I spend most of my time in the nude – except when I’m doing my bee keeping duties!

“These days my exercise is mostly hiking and rock climbing in the altogether.”

Colin also enjoys skinny-dipping in the loch near to his home – and as I’m a keen swimmer perhaps he’ll soon be putting me through my paces again!