PHOEBE ROBINSON-GALVIN

Let me just preface this by saying Phoebe is a total badass! If I’m honest, athletically she’s everything that I aspire to be! It’s no secret that I love Muay Thai and to watch Phoebe train and progress in that awesome discipline is so inspiring to me! I also love and fully advocate her stance on supporting and building up women, whatever their choices and decisions in life. She not only talks the talk but truly walks the walk and I have a lot of time for this girl! Excited to kick this series off with her!

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A word from our featured athlete…

“My name is Phoebe Robinson-Galvin. I am 25 years old and from South West London.  I am a professional dancer, fitness model, personal trainer and sponsored athlete. I have competed in UKBFF Bikini body building competitions placing 2nd in Kent Klassics 2013 and 2nd in London & S.E 2015. I compete in Jiu Jitsu and have trained for two years in Muay Thai. I have been to Thailand twice to train Intensely in Muay Thai training camps. I have been a qualified personal trainer for one year now and have a huge passion for seeing people do what they didn’t ever think they could. I am passionate about ‘breaking the loop’ and listening to my own personal truths in order to help others listen to theirs. I love to surf, try different methods of training and inspire myself and others. The time for the female athlete is now!”

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So, now you know a little more about Phoebs, grab a cup of coffee, get comfy and let’s get stuck into the questions!

1 // Tell us your favourite outdoor space to train in London and why? This could be a park, a pool, a skate park, the velopark… literally any outdoor area you love to train in.

Honestly my favourite outdoor place to train is Green Park, it’s spacious and calm. Being from London, when overlooking Buckingham Palace I just feel so lucky and inspired.

2 // Your ‘go to’ gym or indoor space to train in? Is it down to the equipment, the staff, the other people who train there?

My go to gym to train at is Soho Gyms Clapham! For me when I’m looking for a gym to train at, it’s the set up that motivates me! When the machines and weights are laid out in a way that makes my super sets and training session easy with a nice flow. The staff have become good friends over the last couple of years and no matter where life takes me I always end up back there. I trained there for all 3 of my UKBFF Bilbo bodybuilding competitions! There was times when I was crying with exhaustion in my last training session before competition and the staff there would pick me up off the floor and tell me how great I am and how I can do this. This is priceless! Caring is priceless. I love that place!

3 // Not that we need any excuse to take the scenic route but… Of all the awesome running, cycling & walking routes in our fair City, which one gets your heart racing and your fingers and feet itching to lace up or clip in and why? 

I think for me, the place that makes me want to lace up my walking shoes and get going is Richmond Park! The deer running around and beautiful walking paths just make me want to wrap up and get walking! I used to go as a child and collect chestnuts to roast. So I guess there is some nostalgia there too.

4 // Tell us about your current fitness addiction? (Class, sport, gadget etc…)

My current fitness addiction is Brazillian Jiujitsu and Muay Thai. It has been for a few years. It keeps my cardio at a good standard and also keep me strong due to the intense conditioning for both! Abs Abs Abs!! I come from a family of professional fighters. It’s in my blood. I love it because it’s functional fitness! Not superficial.

5 // Do you have a sporting hero or idol and if so, who and why?

Yes. My sporting hero without a shadow of a doubt is Ronda Rousey. I have followed her journey as an MMA fighter from the beginning. She created a women’s division in MMA. Before Ronda, Dana White (the owner of the UFC) said he would never allow for there to be women’s fighting in the UFC. Ronda made her point by never loosing one fight in strike force! She made history when she became the first female fighter to be signed to the UFC in November 2012. She still hasn’t lost a fight in her entire career.  Ronda has been put in a cage with the toughest women in the world. She was awarded most dominant athlete alive at the ESPY awards this 2015, which just speaks for itself. She has created a platform for female athletes in such an incredible way. She has always said that during her hardest times as an athlete and fighter she always reminded herself of one thing when surround by men “I have a right to be here”. And she’s right, we do. I hold that with me.

6 // What motivates you to get out there and get a workout done when you’re really not feeling it? Because let’s face it, we all have those days, especially with British weather to contend with!

My motivational tools vary from day to day. But honestly I love how I feel when I train and give my all. I grow mentally as well as physically, I get to know myself a little more, progress is addictive. I always say to my clients that the hardest part is starting, those first few weeks. After that when you see results and start to feel good, that’s the motivation right there! I love to keep becoming a better version of myself!

7 // Your favourite place in London to fuel + hydrate / refuel + rehydrate before / after a killer session? Any hidden gems?

A few months back a friend of mine Chessie, took me to a little private gym in Kensington called Lomax. They offer private pods to train in with a fantastic little smoothie cafe downstairs. They were very friendly and accommodating and I really loved the exclusive but friendly feel to this place. Would definitely go back to train and refuel here.

8 // Who is your favourite training partner and why? Go on, show them some love!

My favourite training partner is Nicky French. We would always go as hard as we could and push each other in each and every session. We also understood each others lives and we took that into consideration when motivating one another. She pushed me and also looked after me, that kind of support is invaluable. She is my friend and an absolute beast in the gym! We had similar goals which is also very important! (Love you Nicks!)

9 // No matter how successful, we are all still a work in progress and it’s SO inspirational to see others striving for greatness in one way or another. We would love it if you could share with us a current fitness or lifestyle goal and tell us a bit about how you are working to achieve that goal? It could even be a previous goal that you set for yourself and subsequently smashed! Put it out there, be proud of your achievement! #humblebrag

My current goal is another big one, it’s actually my life goal! To live and train in California in Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai then compete in both disciplines by the end of the year! I do my first Jiu Jitsu competition on Saturday 3rd October in Los Angeles California, so definitely getting there! Basically my goal is to surf every day, train hard, dance hard and keep marching forward into all of my dreams. I believe that all of it is possible!!

10 // Briefly talk me through your perfect session? From warm up to cool down…

My perfect workout starts with a good mobility stretch sequence. This means working through functional movements to open up my joints, hips, shoulders and any other tight joint areas. The definition of flexibility is ‘The range of motion in any given joint’. The more flexibility we have the more we can strengthen the associated muscles! I always do 4 sets of everything. I find this gets me to realistic failure! Pushing myself to my limits.

My sessions are split into:

1. Push day – Chest and triceps
2. Pull day – Back and biceps
3. Legs
4. Shoulders & abs

I keep my rest time as 45 sec to 1 min in between each set. I go for maximum effort and always aim to be out of breath with a sweat! I always like to finish my session with a 5 min stretch! By far the biggest tool I use to get the most from my workouts, is my breathing!

I train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai and I’m a professional dancer also, so finding the balance is a week by week process. I do what I can! 😉

11 // What is one piece of advice would you give to an athlete who is new to London?

My advice to any athlete that’s new to London is this. Train in all kinds of places. Take classes you never would have. Most importantly talk to people! You will find your fitness family in no time. Just be open but remember to put your own fitness needs and goals first.

12 // What is your favourite genre of music or artist to listen to during your workouts?

Old skool hip hop every time. NWA is always a favourite. Ice cube gets me motivated!!

13 // Finally… How do you ‘ B R E A K  T H E  L O O P ’, what does the phrase mean to you?

B R E A K T H E L O O P – To me this means not feeling pressured to conform to what others versions of success are. Remaining true to yourself is the hardest journey in life. People won’t believe in you, will tell you you’re doing it wrong even though your gut knows what the truth is. That’s breaking the loop. Listing to your soul!

If you want to know more about Phoebe (of course you do!) then you can find her here;

www.facebook.com/prg-fit // www.twitter.com/phoebePRG // www.instagram.com/prg_fit

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Hope you guys have enjoyed this and I reeeally hope you’ll keep checking back because we have so many awesome athletes signed up and ready to spill the beans to help give us all some inspiration and a bit of an insight into how to get the best out of this City! Also, if there are any other questions that you would love to know the answers to, please tweet us on @breaktheloop or drop us an email and we’ll do our best to get you the answers!

Peace out you beautiful bunch!