Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced lifter, we’re here to help you build strength, confidence, and a healthier lifestyle - both in person and online.
Helping you get stronger with tried + tested strength training methods 💪
📍 Specialising in small group PT, Powerlifting + Strongman – Wavertree, Liverpool
📱 Online options include coaching + a strength training membership
🏳️🌈🤎🖤🤍🤝 Essential Strength is an independent, couple-owned gym in Liverpool providing locals with a strength training experience tailored to individual goals - combining expert coaching, personalised programming, and a welcoming community atmosphere. Alongside 1:1 Personal Training, we specialise in Small Group Coaching. These aren’t generic fitness classes! Each person follows their own personalised program while training alongside others. It’s the perfect mix of individual attention, motivation, and community support. We also offer online coaching and an online strength training membership, making it easy to follow structured programs and get expert guidance wherever you train. Essential Strength is a welcoming, inclusive space - LGBTQ+ and multicultural friendly (shame we have to say that). We value respect above ego and work hard to keep the gym a safe, supportive place for everyone. Get in touch to find the best fit for you. 💪
27/03/2026
Training when you're in your 30s and 40s doesn't need to be completely different.
But the way it gets talked about is a bit patronising to be honest, mainly for women. 🙄
It's as if the second someone hits 35, you fall apart.
Kim here, I'm 35. And I can say from experience while yeah I feel a difference from when I was 25...
I'm stronger now, I have more muscle mass, more knowledge, and I'm still physically capable. Still improving, still making progress.
👉🏼 But a lot of people will have you believe everything needs to be a lot lighter, slower, “safer” like you're fragile.
Like people suddenly can’t handle proper training anymore.
In your 20s, you can get away with a lot more f**kery.
You can train inconsistently, skip warm ups, do stupid sh*t…and still be fine (most of the time).
You also recover better, and you've typically got time to rest more too.
So people assume that’s what training is supposed to look like.
And when it stops working like that…
They don’t question the approach, they think "oh I can't do that now, I'm too old for that." 🙃
So instead of more structure, they start looking for a completely different way to exercise.
Something age-specific. Don't get me started on menopausal "specialists" charging a fortune.
Because really…
It's just that you can't get away with doing it badly anymore. It needs to be done properly.
25/03/2026
Always there when you need an arse to lean on
24/03/2026
Not every tiny technique issue means you should stop or change everything.
BUT if form is completely breaking down or putting you in a risky position, that’s where you should take a step back.
The key is knowing the difference.
If you wait for everything to be perfect, you’ll hold yourself back.
But if you ignore everything, you’ll eventually hit a wall, or potentially get injured.
Good training balances both!
There are times to focus on technique, and times to push things, and that’s how proper training blocks work.
If you’re not sure when to focus on technique and when to keep pushing, drop us a message and we'll help you figure it out. You can work with us online or in person at our gym in Liverpool.
23/03/2026
We expect our lifters to move towards certain technical standards but that doesn’t mean everything has to be perfect before you progress.
One of our clients used to deadlift with more of a rounded back, especially for strongman where that can work well as you can hitch. She got really strong doing it too.
(Setting up with a slightly rounded position from the middle of the back is very different from being pulled out of position and ending up like a prawn.)
But over time, we stripped things back and worked towards a better position.
Now she’s hitting the same weight for reps with a more neutral spine and locking out feels easier.
Sometimes it’s not about lifting more, but instead putting yourself in a position where your strength works better.
If you want help improving your lifts without holding your progress back, that’s something we help our lifters work through online and in person.
17/03/2026
Quite often people will experience small technique issues but it's a mistake to stop everything to immediately fix it unless you're experiencing pain.
Timing matters for this.
If you're working towards a competition or a testing phase, it’s often not the right time to change something that could disrupt performance.
That doesn’t mean you ignore it forever, it just means you work on it at a more appropriate time.
Long term, your technique will always be the thing that limits progress so it is important to address it.
The goal is to build towards a stronger, more efficient standard without compromising what you need right now, in your current training block.
If you’re unsure whether to change your technique or keep pushing, that’s something we help our lifters figure out.
16/03/2026
Some lifters think they need perfect technique before they can get stronger.
Technique absolutely underpins everything we do in training, it's how strength is expressed.
But that doesn't mean it needs to be perfect before you progress.
We aim for a gold standard, but in training we often work with good enough technique while we keep improving.
If you wait for perfection, you’ll often hold yourself back from getting stronger.
Strength and technique develop together, not one after the other.
But knowing technique matters is one thing, deciding when to change it is another. Adam talks about that in the next video.
16/03/2026
A common mistake with deadlifts is trying to actively squeeze your shoulder blades together before you lift.
That cue works in movements like squats and bench press, but deadlifts are different.
In a deadlift, we’re not looking for scapular retraction.
Instead, we want the shoulders and shoulder blades moving down, which helps keep the arms long and the upper body stable.
A useful way to think about it is “armpits towards the hips.”
That action helps create tension through the lats and keeps everything connected before you break the bar off the floor.
Small details like this can make a big difference to how stable and efficient your deadlift feels.
Adam explains it here.
If you want help improving your lifting technique, comment DEADLIFT and we’ll share the tips we use to drill these positions properly. 💪
08/03/2026
What a day 💪
This International Women's Day, we opened our doors for a grip challenge and deadlift event that raised £1000+ for the Brain Tumour Support charity.
Something that stuck with me today, quite a few men attempted the grip challenge, but most women held back thinking they couldn't do it.
But, we had some little girls that gave it a go.
At what point do women start believing they're less capable?
The fitness industry has a problem. Women are constantly talked down to, steered away from "lifting heavy" as if strength training belongs to men.
Even fitpro marketing companies encourage separate copy for men vs women.
This is patronising and it's taking us in the wrong direction.
The majority of women who walk through our doors saying they want to get stronger also say they wish they'd started sooner, but never felt like it was for them.
So here's to every woman who's ever been underestimated in a gym, and a reminder to those thinking about it: you belong in spaces like this too. 🏋🏼♀️
05/03/2026
Overextending in a squat is a really common issue.
A lot of lifters get told to think “chest up”, so they try to create as much extension as possible through their upper back.
The problem is when that extension isn’t balanced with proper bracing.
Instead of creating a strong, neutral torso, you end up overextending.
That usually leads to:
• struggling to hit depth
• feeling the squat more in your lower back
• losing stability in the bottom position
What you actually want is thoracic extension and bracing working together so they balance each other out.
Adam explains it here.
If this helped, comment SQUAT and we’ll send you the cues we use to build this properly. 💪
04/03/2026
Didn't know our husky had such strong feelings about wookies
27/02/2026
It's Eating Disorder Awareness Week so we wanted to cover orthorexia as it's a big issue in the fitness space.
This information is taken from beateatingdisorders.org.uk regarding different aspects to look out for ⬇️
"Orthorexia refers to an unhealthy obsession with eating “pure” food. Food considered “pure” or “impure” can vary from person to person. This doesn’t mean that anyone who subscribes to a healthy eating plan or diet is suffering from orthorexia. As with other eating disorders, the eating behaviour involved – “healthy” or “clean” eating in this case – is used to cope with negative thoughts and feelings, or to feel in control. Someone using food in this way might feel extremely anxious or guilty if they eat food they feel is unhealthy."
👉 It's why assigning labels like good vs. bad to food is something we discourage, and instead we advise a sensible and balanced approach to eating focusing on nutrients dense foods but not omitting things entirely.
And why we're avidly against nutritional misinformation shared online. 🚫
If you recognise signs of an eating disorder (orthorexia or otherwise, such as binge eating) in your daily life, talk to your GP to explore your treatment options.
You may also be someone who experiences disordered eating habits on occasion, and wouldn't say that they have an eating disorder as such. While this is less of an issue, it's still something that should be addressed through a combination of therapy, nutritional education (not from influencers in supermarkets) and sustainable eating habits.
25/02/2026
Our fundraising event for 💜💙
On the 8th March we'll be repping 100kg 182 times (and a final pick up of 4.2kg) to total 18,204.2kg.
This figure is created from multiplying the weight of the human brain (1.4kg) by the number of people diagnosed with a brain tumour in the UK in a year.
🔹From the JustGiving page:
"Brain Tumour Support charity offers specialist counselling to people who are defected by brain tumours, whether this be being diagnosed themselves or a friend or family member.
In June 2024, we lost my mum to a brain tumour that she had been living with for 8 years. Then in November 2024, my sister Hannah was diagnosed with her own brain tumour, following a seizure.
Since then, Hannah has received support and been involved in raising awareness for the Brain Tumour Support charity, which she credits with helping keep her sane, so it is a charity very close to our hearts."
I know firsthand how beneficial these charities can be in supporting you through the most difficult times of your life so please donate if you can.
👉 If anyone can't make it on the Sunday to lift, please let us know and we can arrange for you to do some reps on the Saturday if you're available.
🔗 The link to donate to the fundraiser is in our bio
Address
Unit 3G Wellington Yard, 3 Wellington Road, Wavertree Liverpool L154JH
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Contact The Practice
Send a message to Essential Strength Training & Online Coaching:
Hi I'm Kim! I'm a personal trainer, powerlifter and pole dancer. I wanted to become a trainer to help others with their fitness and nutritional needs. I believe these things should be an asset to your life and not a hindrance.
I have a history of struggling with my appearance and exercising just to burn calories as well as massively restricting my food intake. I got to the point where I was hardly eating, my friends and family were very concerned about me and I was definitely skinny but still didn't feel like my appearance matched what I saw in the mirror.
I was often doing cardio based exercise that didn't interest me at all but I felt like I should be doing it to be skinny. Now I can safely say that cardio is not necessarily the best way to lose weight but also, I don't exercise just for weightloss anymore.
You might be thinking "What? Well why do it then?!" but honestly, once you find yourself working towards fitness based goals your mindset will change. Exercise to burn calories will become training to get those 10 push ups, that first chin up, your heaviest squat to date is much more rewarding than burning off last night's glass of wine.
I sometimes like to think of myself as more than just a personal trainer. I like to offer an experience to people that they can't get elsewhere. I don't just give people exercises to do to burn them out and get them exhausted, I do everything with intention.
Your training should have a plan, each exercise session should be structured and focused on the long term goal. That's how I write all of my training programmes for my clients because I believe it's the best way to make the most of your workout. Your time is precious, so you may as well make the most of it!
The main thing I want to do is provide education and knowledge to people to manage their own lifestyles, become healthier and fitter and not to worry about burnout and overtraining. Your diet can be made to be very simple, the health industry likes to overcomplicate things but honestly it doesn't have to be that way.
We have enough stressors in daily life with work, family, money, why should diet and exercise be an extra stress in our lives?
If you want to follow a find a training programme that will provide you with rewarding and progressive workouts then you've come to the right place. I also offer a simple way of managing your own diet in the form of an E-book. You can find all training programmes and my dieting e-book on my online shop!
If you want to take things a step further, both of these things are provided in a custom format with Online Coaching as well as weekly check-ins giving that accountability factor. With this service you also get personalised programming, detailed session feedback and regular goal setting updates to make sure you're on the right track to achieve your goals.
To get your free mini training programme sent straight to your inbox, click here.
