Best of Melbourne: city’s top 10 personal trainers revealed
There was strong competition, but here it is — the full list of Melbourne’s top personal trainers as voted by you, including dual Olympian Paul Lyons, who died suddenly this week. SEE THE FULL LIST OF WINNERS
The Best of Melbourne
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Our search for Melbourne’s top 10 personal trainers uncovered an outstanding field of well-loved competitors across the city.
But one man stood out from the rest as the “ultimate motivator” — a non-pretentious natural athlete whose clients showered him with praise.
We’re talking about dual taekwondo Olympian and Australian Ninja Warrior competitor Paul Lyons, who ran popular Essendon ninja gym Fighting Lyons.
Lyons, who came in at number 2 in our search for Melbourne’s best personal trainer, died suddenly in his sleep on Sunday, devastating his family and gym community.
There has been an outpouring of grief, with wife Dani taking to Instagram to thank “each and every person” who sent messages and flowers and went to the gym to pay tribute — including kids who took the day off school.
Clients who nominated Lyons talked of a man who “never gives up on you”, who liked to say “we’ll have no sooky sooky la la here!”
His catchphrase, says one, was “Be a Lion — not a sheep! Lions are brave and don’t follow the crowd.”
Lyons will live on as a “ninja angel”, his wife says, and Leader Community News and the Herald Sun are honoured to include him in our list of much-loved personal trainers.
SCROLL DOWN TO READ MORE ABOUT LYONS
Our search also revealed our city has a mighty list of exercise addicts, wellness warriors and bootcamp butt-kickers.
And boy, do you love them. We received thousands of nominations and votes as part of our Best of Melbourne series.
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Our top 10 personal trainers certainly got your hearts racing.
And it was clear you think of your trainers as way more than just that person who holds you accountable to your fitness goals.
You spoke of them as friends who have changed your lives. Lifesavers, even.
Now, after a lot of heavy lifting, it’s time to show off the results — here are Melbourne’s top 10 personal trainers.
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10. LINDA NOGARA, BENTLEIGH FITNESS CENTRE, BENTLEIGH EAST
12 North Drive
It took nearly losing everything to push Linda Nogara into full-time fitness work.
In 2010, Nogara was running successful Queensland fashion boutique Italia, with stores in Brisbane and Cotton Tree on the Sunshine Coast.
But the horrific Queensland floods of 2010-11 claimed her business, inundating her Sunshine Coast shop and wiping a 12-year career.
“You had to walk through thigh-high water and it took quite a few days to subside. The floods came into all the shops, especially in the low-lying areas,” Nogara says.
“I’d also had at the time one of my really good friends had passed away from melanoma. I was being hit left, left, left.
“We couldn’t trade and insurance wouldn’t pay out. It was time to just close the door and salvage what you could. It was a big traumatic time.”
Nogara — a classically trained ballerina who studied at St Kilda’s acclaimed National Theatre Ballet School — retreated to her native Melbourne to be near family.
Already teaching group fitness on the side, she says the exercise “really did help me through all that trauma”.
“It kept me emotionally strong and resilient, when I’d just about lost everything,” she says.
In 2014, she discovered Piloxing — a fusion class of boxing, pilates and dance — and quickly became the program’s Australian and New Zealand master trainer.
Today, she teaches Piloxing and Zumba from various gyms, studios and community centres around Melbourne and the world — in a fortnight she will fly to Singapore to help run workshops and a massive masterclass with Piloxing founder Viveca Jensen.
Nogara says she “leads by example” and likes to try new things, with her youngest clients in kinder and her oldest a sprightly 97.
“I love to educate my participants, not just tell them what to do, and I 100% make it fun,” she says.
She has plenty of proud trainer moments, recalling a client fighting breast cancer who would come to class each week no matter how she was feeling.
“(She said) the sessions were her sanity and the reason she has got through her fight,” Nogara says.
Client Deborah Camilleri says Nogara “uplifts and supports our spirits”, while Kashmira Bhathena says she is “very friendly, kills you and trains you hard with her pleasing personality.”
“She drives me to keep going. No judgment, just passion to her classes and sharing it,” says Marie Luckhurst.
Instagram: linda007mt
9. TRAVIS TRENT RANDLE, BODY FIT TRAINING, SOUTH YARRA
84 River St
Travis Randle began his working life in hospitality, following his love of cooking — now he’s helping his clients to think more about their food intake.
Randle, 30, was studying hospitality at William Angliss TAFE before a mate steered him towards personal training eight years ago.
“I was going to study cheffing, then I realised it wasn’t for me — I couldn’t handle the heat of the kitchen,” he laughs.
His friend reminded him of his passion for sport and training and he began his fitness career at the Macleod YMCA.
“One of my mates said ‘why are you not doing this?” and I thought ‘why am I not doing this?’” he says.
Randle works at Body Fit Training South Yarra and will open a second Body Fit studio in St Kilda later this month.
He runs group training, specialising in strength and conditioning and HIIT with his team, as well as one-on-one sessions.
And while his love for cooking remains, these days he focuses his clients on nutrition rather than an obsession with counting calories and macros.
“I love creating recipes and sharing healthy recipes with my clients,” he says.
Randle urges people looking to kickstart their fitness journey to get professional advice rather than following “an influencer on Instagram”.
Belinda Barra says Randle has a “great ability to make you want to do your best and be your best”, while Nichole Coxy says he has made her a “new woman”.
Steph Radojcic says Randle is “amazing in every way”, joking: “He’s my eye candy and I’ll do those crunches for him.”
Facebook: facebook.com/TravTrentRandle
Instagram: Trav. Trent. Randle
8. TANNA BAILEY, BAILEY’S BODIES, FERNTREE GULLY
111 Forest Rd
The number one thing Tanna Bailey wants her clients to ditch is the “all or nothing” mentality.
She says too often people think they have to do absolutely everything — go to the gym and train hard five days a week — or they may as well do nothing. And it does’t work.
Bailey knows, having struggled with weight her whole life, even as a personal trainer — once tipping the scales at 115kg before losing 30kg.
“You know those six to eight week challenges where you lose a crapload of weight? Over the years myself doing that I’ve realised it doesn’t work, it doesn’t stick,” Bailey says.
“That’s what I try and teach my members, to try and get over that all or nothing mentality.
“When I learnt to get over that it was the day I really started getting successful results.”
Calling herself a “lifestyle PT”, Bailey, 37, helps her clients to identify their trigger points and turn their life around, focusing on overall health rather than the number on the scales.
“I guess it’s that self-diagnosis, if you can work out why you’re sabotaging yourself and eating that way, if you can work backwards and find out why that’s happening then you can try and get in front of it,” she says.
A self-confessed tomboy and lover of sports, Bailey stumbled upon personal training 15 years ago after studying a Bachelor of Applied Science in Health Promotion.
She says she has always struggled with her weight, which her clients love because it “makes me human and much more understandable”.
She runs her Bailey’s Bodies bootcamps at the Ferntree Gully North Primary School, one of the few bootcamps in Melbourne that runs outdoors year-round thanks to a large undercover area.
Members are able to come to unlimited sessions six days a week, and she also operates a mums’ and kids’ bootcamp indoors at St Paul’s Church in Boronia.
Bailey says “every day is a proud moment” spent with her “training family”.
She speaks of member Charmayne Linton, who has just reached the end of a three year journey and shed a whopping 75kg.
“It’s a credit to her and it’s been amazing to see the whole team get around her. She has completely changed her lifestyle and is no longer the same person — in a good way,” she says.
Ms Linton says Bailey’s “fitness and nutritional knowledge is outstanding and her personal journey is very motivational”.
Elise Marsh says: “Tanna constantly encourages everyone to achieve their best by setting realistic goals, offering positive support daily and nightly.”
Facebook: facebook.com/baileysbodies
Instagram: baileysbodies
7. CAITLIN DEVIDAS, HUSTLE & THRIVE, HEIDELBERG AND THORNBURY
59A St Hellier Street, Heidelberg
264 Dundas Street, Thornbury
Two years ago, mum-of-three Caitlin Devidas was “rushing” around as a marketing executive at Monash University.
With children Reuben, 9, Rani, 7, and Elke, 5 keeping her busy, “it just felt right to transition” into making fitness her full-time job.
“I was rushing all the time and this really fits in with my lifestyle and I find it quite social which I really love,” she says.
“I have always had a passion for fitness and been involved in the industry in some capacity and realised it was time to harness that passion and build a community of people — young and old — that love fitness as much as I do.”
Devidas says her good friend and business partner, Tori Daile, encouraged her to get started.
The pair now run two Hustle & Thrive locations, in Heidelberg and Thornbury.
Devidas says the business focuses on “building a community”.
“A place where people go, sure to work out and be trained in the latest and most effective formats, but also to catch up, build social networks and develop lifelong friendships,” she says.
“We don’t have mirrors or focus on “traditional” fitness tests like weight or BMI.”
They run a range of classes, with a mix of high intensity interval training (HIIT), strength and conditioning programs, circuit, step, boxing and run coaching.
Devidas says she has witnessed plenty of transformations, but it is “often the small things that resonate the most”.
“It might be the client who is now off his blood pressure medication since training with us, or the mum who hasn’t had time to exercise in years and is now moving again or the client who was already a great runner but is now faster than ever before,” she says.
“It’s not the big changes in people — it’s about seeing the little things and celebrating those wins.”
Steph Willey says: “Caitlin always greets you with a welcoming smile and never comments “that she hasn’t seen you for ages!”
Richard Jones calls Caitlin the “sunshine smiler, mega motivator, extreme energiser, funhouse fan”.
And Nik Devupali says: “The most optimistic and bubbly person you’ll ever meet!”
Facebook: facebook.com/hustlethriveheidelberg
Instagram: hustle_thrive
6. HAYDEN FARRELLY, ROXBURGH PARK ANYTIME FITNESS
Roxburgh Park Shopping Centre, 25a/250 Somerton Rd
Sports obsessed Hayden Farrelly thought he had his life all mapped out until a football injury brought it crashing down.
Farrelly, now 27, was studying to become a PE teacher when he injured his knee playing with the Preston Bullants.
A surgery mishap led to the nerves in his leg being drilled into — and Farrelly was told he would never play sport or run properly again.
The mental impact was devastating
“I turned to the fitness world and began my journey to prove that I could get back up and defy the odds,” Farrelly says.
“I started living at the gym and in no time, it became my antidepressant, my second home, and before I knew it I was helping other people achieve their goals.
“It came to the point where a lot of people were looking to me for guidance and help within fitness and I realised this was my calling, and I could help so many more people.
“So I completed my course, and haven’t looked back since.”
Farrelly has now been a personal trainer for nearly five years, saying his best asset is “building unique relationships” with each client.
“Some people like a strict trainer yelling in their ear, some people like laughter and banter, some people just want you to shut up and watch while they do their set,” he says.
He offers tailored programs, diet and nutritional advice, one-on-one training, bootcamps and HIIT classes, running his business HFitness out of Anytime Fitness Roxburgh Park.
He has another obstacle he has successfully overcome, too — he’s been an insulin dependent type 1 diabetic since the age of 7.
“I have great pleasure in proving that people with health conditions or disabilities are more than capable of having and managing a healthy, active lifestyle,” he says.
He relays the story of a client who came to him weighing more than 200kg and crying because he got stuck on a slide he was trying to take his daughter down.
“As you can imagine, he was broken and embarrassed,” Farrelly says.
“We trained day in day out for months, working his absolute butt off, to one day walk into my office, thanking me with gifts because that day he had gone back and taken his daughter down that slide!”
Tracey Winmar says: “Hayden is knowledgeable, enthusiastic, professional, reliable, funny, encouraging and extremely motivating. He has helped me lose 20kg and counting.”
John Burrowes says: “Very knowledgeable, looks the part, does not discriminate and approachable. Great sense of humour so makes sessions fun.”
Instagram: haydenfarrelly
5. PAUL SAHLBERG, SNAP FITNESS, SUNBURY
1/78-84 Horne St
Paul Sahlberg played footy for the Coburg Lions and the Calder Cannons before his career was hindered by a knee injury.
Fresh out of high school and completing rehab, he discovered he really enjoyed the physical training so signed up to do his Certificate 3 and 4 in Fitness.
That was seven years ago, and he’s never looked back.
“I feel my point of difference is I’m genuinely motivated and determined to inspire people to live better, healthier lives,” Sahlberg says.
“There is no better feeling in my opinion than helping someone change their life and help them see that there is a healthier version of themselves both mentally and physically.”
Sahlberg offers one-on-one training, small group training, group fitness and programming through Snap Fitness in Sunbury.
Client Jason Lee says Sahlberg helped him lose more than 30kg and he’s the fittest he’s been in 20 years.
“It didn’t take me long to realise that Paul was more than just a guy to show me how to do exercises. He was a motivator, a mentor and an amazing support to my physical and mental health,” Mr Lee says.
Sahlberg says he is constantly proud of his clients’ physical and mental successes, and enjoys helping NDIS clients and seeing people achieve weight loss and body sculpting goals.
Tarren Anderson says Sahlberg has helped her through three back surgeries and is “supportive and encouraging”.
Shara Turner says: “Paul finds a way to push me to my limits, and then finds new limits for me to reach.”
Facebook: facebook.com/snapsunbury
Instagram: snapfitnesssunbury
4. LEANNE HAMILTON, SWIFT FITNESS, VERMONT SOUTH
2/645 Burwood Highway
Barefoot trainer Leanne Hamilton thought she was “super fit” back in 2006.
She’d just had her first baby and was busy training herself and her clients “very traditionally”, on machines, pushing heavy weights.
“Until one day I had to lift something relatively light across my body from a bottom shelf at home and my whole body froze,” she says.
“I was stuck on the floor with a six-month-old screaming from his high chair.
“I was super fit yet my body couldn’t do a basic functional movement.”
The incident spurred Hamilton — also a nurse at Maroondah and Box Hill hospitals — to begin studying how to move “as the body was designed to move — not on machines, instead matching life’s movement patterns”.
A personal trainer for 25 years, for the past 10 she’s owned Swift Fitness, which operates from the “ground up” and is a barefoot movement studio which aims to get the “feet strong first”.
“If your feet don’t have the muscles and structure to hold you up first it makes it extremely hard for the rest of the body to operate correctly,” Hamilton says.
“Clients are always amazed at how much incorrect foot posture is interfering with aches and pains occurring in the rest of the body.”
Hamilton began operating out of her double garage after the 15-week miscarriage of her third child, Grace.
“I needed to get myself out of what was fast becoming depression and I knew if I went back to inspiring others it would shift my headspace too,” she says.
Today she operates from the Vermont South Medical Centre, where she has 15 teachers who offer sessions in pilates, senior pilates, gentle yoga, senior yoga, aerial yoga in silks, functional movement, stick mobility, spin and boxing.
Many of her 270 members — AKA Swiftys — are over 40 and have health and movement issues.
Hamilton’s movement restoration sessions see the use of equipment including trigger point rollers, fine tune whole body vibration plates, cable machines, balloons and pool noodles.
The studio floor comprises textured mats “as the nervous system receptors that exist on the bottom of the feet are critical to activate when creating quality movement and balance”, she explains. Many clients also wear specialised insoles in their shoes to maintain postural awareness.
Hamilton says she has “bucketloads” of success stories and loves taking someone from “aches and pains, multiple medications and feeling stuck and scared of movement” to a “life that is worth living again”.
One client, 77-year-old Geoff Tasker — who found himself on crutches after a knee operation many years ago — has recently lost more than 30kg, is close to ditching the crutches and is preparing to hike the Austrian Alps next year, she says.
Julie Mitchelmore says Hamilton turned her from “a seriously ill, muscle-wasted, anxious, painful, scared body, to a balanced, freed, and strong one”.
Angie Haywood says Swift Fitness is not a “traditional PT studio”.
“It’s more about mobility and training within your ‘bubble’ and what fits you,” she says.
Lara O’Shea, 13, says Hamilton helped her with flexibility and she loves her spin classes.
More: swiftfitness.com.au
Facebook: facebook.com/swiftfitnesss
Instagram: swiftfitnesskitchen
3. BEAUX GLENN, DYNAMICARDIO, LILYDALE AND KILSYTH
12 Brock Industrial Drive, Lilydale
2/1-3 Eastspur Court, Kilsyth
There aren’t too many gyms where you can rock up with your kids in tow.
Which is what makes Beaux Glenn’s Lilydale studio more than a little out of the box.
The mum-of-two has been working in the fitness industry for 16 years, personal training and teaching group fitness while she was studying her school teaching degree at uni.
She even continued her side-hustle while school teaching full-time.
But it wasn’t until five years ago, when she was on maternity leave, that the idea of her own business took off.
“I was still running sessions at the gym at night but found the juggle was hard with
my hubby getting home from work and I’d be racing off to take sessions,” she says.
“I decided to take the risk and began running sessions out of my garage from home where clients could bring their children day and night, and I could have my children there too.
“Before long an incredible community of women was formed. Women felt at ease knowing their baby was in the pram next to them or their little one was watching on the side while they got a chance to work out with other women in the same boat.”
Within a year, Glenn outgrew her garage and opened a factory in Lilydale, and DynamiCardio was born.
It is her proudest moment.
“I opened our standard membership up to family memberships so partners could train together or separately at no extra cost,” she says.
“This worked for so many families on one income. We also have many single parents able to work out because they can bring their children to any sessions without needing a babysitter.”
DynamiCardio offers a huge variety, including Les Mills programs, HIIT and resistance sessions, boxing, pilates, small group hypertrophy sessions, Metafit and MetaPWR.
Glenn says her gym community — which now also includes a branch in Kilsyth — is full of “encouragement, kindness and support for everyone on their health and fitness journey”.
“It is honestly beyond what I ever thought was possible. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to do what I do every single day.”
Amber Dunn says the community Beaux has created is “beyond believable”.
“Astounding motivation for women and mums to achieve ANYTHING!” she says.
Shannon Prowse says: “She is a goddess. Her energy and motivation is inspiring and life changing both physically and mentally. A true legend.”
More: dynamicardio.com.au
Facebook: facebook.com/DynamiCardio
Instagram: dc_fitmumslife
2. PAUL LYONS, FIGHTING LYONS, ESSENDON NORTH
70A Keilor Rd
Paul Lyons was often found flying through the air on his beloved ninja course.
And now he is flying high as an “angel ninja”.
Lyons, named Melbourne’s second most popular personal trainer, didn’t get a chance to learn of his win.
The beloved dual taekwondo Olympian, Australian Ninja Warrior contestant and coach and personal trainer died suddenly in his sleep on Sunday, September 8, aged 50.
His shattered wife Dani paid tribute to her “beautiful husband” whose death “was sudden and devastating for our family and community”.
She said he “would have been so happy to be in the top 10”.
Lyons’ death has lead to an outpouring of grief from the community, with thousands of tributes flowing on social media.
Julia Vendy said Paul was “an amazing trainer, with such a big heart”.
“He was an inspiration and a much loved role model with such enthusiasm for life,” she said.
Mancell Cornish said: “I can’t believe you’re gone. It must be true that only the good die young.”
Lyons, who represented Australia at the 1992 Barcelona and 2000 Sydney Olympics, competed on Ninja Warrior season two in 2018 where he fell on the basket toss two obstacles from the finish line.
Lyons had been training in his self-built ninja gym Fighting Lyons for years and had opened up hugely popular classes for kids and adults.
The testaments from his adoring clients who nominated him prove he changed lives.
Vanessa Sorrentino said Lyons was “the ultimate motivator, positive and energetic”.
Elaine Jabra said: “I was going through a hard time in life and Paul and his club helped me emotionally and physically.”
Jamie Keppel said Lyons “never gives up on you”.
And Krisha Patel said Lyons had “the biggest heart and a talent to cater and inspire a diverse demographic in a unique way”.
A GoFundMe fundraiser set up by family friends to help cover memorial costs and keep Lyons’ dream alive has already raised nearly $14,000.
In a heartbreaking Instagram post, Mrs Lyons thanked “each and every person who has called, messaged, donated, sent flowers, made cards and a special thanks to everyone who went to the club yesterday after hearing the sad news to honour our beloved Paul”.
“Paul is now your ninja angel watching over you so keep training hard and make him proud!” she said.
“He would be absolutely blown away by the outpouring of love and kind words and it breaks my heart he can’t be here to see it all.
“The thought of walking into the club and him not being there is gut wrenching but tomorrow I will try.
“Paul IS Fighting Lyons and every single person that walked through those doors were important to him.
“I know you’ll all continue to keep his legacy alive and I’ll do all that I can to make that happen.”
Lyons will be farewelled at a service on Friday, September 20 at the Moonee Valley Race Club’s Celebrity Room at 10.30am, and afterwards at Fighting Lyons.
More: fightinglyons.com.au
Facebook: facebook.com/fightinglyonsfitness
Instagram: fightinglyonsfitness
1. NAWEL TAHA, BODY BY NAWEL, GLENROY
32 Hilton St
Nawel Taha is breaking down fitness barriers and changing lives across Melbourne’s north.
Taha, 36, has been crowned Melbourne’s best personal trainer thanks to a huge swell of support from her adoring female clients, most of whom are Muslim.
Taha, an Australian-born Muslim whose parents migrated to Melbourne from Lebanon, operates from her home studio in Glenroy as well as halls at Belle Vue Park Primary and Fawkner Leisure Centre.
She has been heralded as “all about female empowerment”, with her social media full of inspiring transformation photos of women who have turned their lives around.
Taha, who is married to Ali and has kids Aiesha, 14, Aneesa, 13, and Ramsay, six, started training at Good Life Coburg a decade ago after being into health and fitness for “such a long time”.
She went out on her own five years ago, and although her studio is open to all women, she says her Muslim clients have increased “quite significantly”.
“The demand is definitely there,” she says.
“I think many of them won’t go to the gym or have the confidence to walk into the gym because many of them are mixed gyms.
“(As a Muslim woman) I think they have the perception of, well, if she can do it, she’s not going to have any limitations, then why can’t we get out there and improve ourselves.”
Taha — who does not wear a head covering while training but is known for her signature hat — says comfort is key for her clients.
“A lot of them start off with long sleeves, long pants, head coverings as well, that’s just personal choice,” she says.
“But as they start to feel confident in their bodies, the layers start to come off slowly, slowly.”
Body By Nawel offers personal training, group fitness sessions, nutrition coaching and the popular T42 body challenge — a six week health, fitness and wellbeing program.
Taha launched the program five years ago with 10 women — and now has 155 about to start the latest round.
She says she is honoured by her nomination, with many of her clients busy working mums with five or six kids.
“I honestly did not think this many would take the time out to nominate me,” she says.
Her favourite catchphrase is “pre-hab before re-hab”, explaining “training with proper form and technique is vital for long term.”
She urges people not to overthink exercise.
“Get up, dress up and show up,” she says.
“Often the hardest stage is putting on your workout runners and stepping foot into the gym.”
Client Mariam Taha says Taha is “changing lives for many women in the community”.
Zenah Mirad is full of praise for Taha’s “compassion, dedication, passion, drive to help every single woman that walks through her door”.
“Nawel is all about female empowerment. She is a trainer who treats everyone professionally and equally. Lots to learn,” says Alaa Elzeilaa.
Laila Ali says: “Nawel has supported me emotionally through my fitness journey and when things got tough, she’d ensure I was checked on.”
Sophia Mustapha says: “Nawel empowers women to be the best they can be. She promotes health, nutrition and unity. An amazing woman.”
Facebook: facebook.com/bodybynawel
Instagram: body_by_nawel
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