He first started boxing in his home town of Brighton at the age of 12 and competed in 70 amateur bouts, winning numerous tournaments including the prestigious Haringey Box Cup, before turning professional and winning British and International Masters titles and challenging for the WBO European Welterweight title. He fought 23 professional fights and won 20 and, as part of the English team, one of his teammates was Anthony Joshua.
He is now a leading boxing fitness trainer and, just like during his boxing career, he fought and overcame the pandemic with online programmes which have clients from Mallorca to Hawaii, Canada, Australia, the UK and all over Europe.
“I loved boxing, still do, but after turning pro in 2011 and having had a good run for the next seven years, my mindset kind of changed. I started thinking about the future and I didn’t want to become a washed-up former sportsman, so when I was 30 I decided to retire. I was no longer training for enjoyment, more because ‘I had to’ and needed to be competition ready at all times, so I could earn money.
“Long hours of training and super restrictive diets led me to dreaming about food, dreaming of the day when I was retired. When I didn’t ‘have’ to train and could eat what I wanted. That is life as a professional athlete and why so many double in size and suffer with depression after their sporting careers. My girlfriend and I were thinking about perhaps moving abroad, to sunnier climes. By chance she applied for a job as a teacher in Mallorca and landed the job, so that was it, all sorted. So we made the move.
“I kept training for my own well-being, mentally and physically, and when the first lockdown was introduced, I decided to launch a training programme online and on Instagram. The sessions were 35 minutes long but little did I know that the lockdown was going to last 60 days, so once we were allowed out again I needed a day off.
“But the response was massive. I made a point of targeting 30-year-old men and women. People who, like me and my partner, may have just embarked on raising a family while trying to juggle work commitments, etc. So time is short but extremely important. Youngsters in general have the time to spend up to two hours training in gyms, but most of us get to a point in our lives when we just don’t have that time any more - but we need it.
“Just dedicating 30 or 35 minutes per day to yourself, turning off the phone, forgetting about work and concentrating on your physical and mental health is extremely important, not to mention beneficial - especially after the year we’ve all had to live through and with the situation only struggling to get better.
“Gyms are still closed for the most part; it’s not much fun training with a mask on even if you have the time. But what the pandemic has shown is that people of all ages can keep physically and mentally fit in the comfort of their own home at a time which suits them. Or they can head to the beach or the mountains here in Mallorca and train outside for most of the year.
“This is a great island for well-being, it’s a natural gym. I’ve seen so many more people just going for a walk every day or a hike on weekends - just a simple walk is highly beneficial. It gets you out in the fresh air, out of the house, helps shake off the effects of lockdown and keep you fit.
“What’s great about my boxing programmes is that you don’t need all the gear, boxing bags, gloves and all that. You can follow my programmes when and where you want. I offer a choice of programmes but the main objective is the same - become a stronger, fitter, de-stressed, confident, more ripped and happier version of yourself. Say goodbye to sleepless nights thinking about work. Crush your work list every day with power! Transform your lifestyle and channel your energy into three stress-busting workouts each week to maximise results and give yourself time to recharge and enjoy life.
“The programmes are an investment that will serve you for life. Not only will you learn a skill set and receive the blueprint formula that will keep you fit for life, but you will also learn the knowledge to share with others. Rather than training to compete and win titles, I now see the benefits of the sport to both empower men and women alike and create a healthy lifestyle, to change the lives of people who are struggling with their fitness and lifestyle.
“I have personally experienced the benefits and results of incorporating these boxing training programmes into my life. I have seen the changes in my clients both online and in person. Boxing is not about hitting people or things. If you ever meet a person who claims they don’t mind being hit, they’ve obviously never been hit properly.
"Boxing and the training is much more complex, it is an art and this is what I am sharing with my global community from Mallorca, which is growing by the day. Plus, now we’re allowed out, I am providing more one-to-one personal training sessions and I love doing those on the beach, or wherever suits the client.
“I think one thing many of us have learned over the past year is to make the most of our time, be it alone or with loved ones and friends plus the importance of staying mentally and physically fit. Mentally, we’ve all suffered to varying degrees, it’s natural having been through such an unexpected and unprecedented experience. It’s time to fight back.”
For more information visit @lightning_lloyd
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