Albrighton, Shropshire

Stay
positive.
Never give in.

Personal training, group classes and boxing with Alex Shepherd. Twelve years as an Army PTI, Army and Combined Services boxing champion, now coaching at David Corfield Gymnasium.

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Alex Shepherd, Coach Shep, standing in the boxing ring at David Corfield Gymnasium

12 yrs

British Army, Grenadier Guards

PTI

Army Physical Training Instructor

Champion

Army Individual & Combined Services boxing

1-to-1

PT, classes & online coaching

Portrait of Alex Shepherd — Alex Shepherd · Coach Shep

My story

Built in the Army. Coaching in Albrighton.

I spent twelve years in the British Army with the Grenadier Guards, serving across two regiments and completing operational tours. For most of that time I was a Physical Training Instructor, which meant my job was getting people fitter, stronger and ready for whatever came next.

Boxing was my sport. I won the Army individual title and the Combined Services title, and the ring taught me more about discipline and nerve than anything else. Army life also took me a long way from home: a month diving in the Red Sea and expeditions to nature reserves in Kenya.

After the Army I worked in private household teams for clients around the world, and looked after foreign dignitaries at major international events. It taught me that the small details matter and that people remember how you made them feel.

Now I coach at David Corfield Gymnasium. My own training is boxing, weightlifting, METCON, yoga and meditation, and all of it goes into my sessions. Every plan has structure, every level is welcome, and nobody gets left behind.

British Army12 years, Grenadier Guards, two regiments, operational tours
Army PTIPhysical Training Instructor, strength and conditioning
BoxingArmy Individual and Combined Services Champion
TodayCoach Shep's at David Corfield Gymnasium, Albrighton

Stay positive. Believe in yourself. Never give in.

The Primal 60 series

Eight animals.
One body.

Primal 60 is eight 60-minute sessions, bodyweight only. Each one is themed around an animal and built around a single training focus. Train all eight and every part of you gets worked: front and back, upper and lower, the big movers and the small stabilisers.

8 sessions60 minutesBodyweight onlyAll levels

Alex in a deep kneeling lunge on the gym floor

Session 01 / 08

Cat

Core & spine control

What it targets: Deep core, the anti-extension and anti-rotation muscles, plus spinal segmentation, obliques and the lower abs.
What it builds: A braced, controlled midsection and a spine that can round, arch and resist movement on demand. The stable platform every other session loads.

Balanced by Cobra. Cat owns flexion and anti-extension; Cobra owns extension and the back line.

Block 01

Warm up

20s per exercise × 3

Eight movements on a rolling clock, ending with a primal primer that previews the day's animal.

Block 02

The Beast Block

45s per exercise × 3

Nine bodyweight exercises back to back for three rounds. The strength and conditioning engine of the session.

Block 03

Animal Flow

1 min teach + 1 min hold × 3

Three themed flows that turn the day's focus into skilful movement: coordination, rhythm and control.

Block 04

Cool down

1 min per stretch

Six themed stretches to bring you down and lock in the work, closing with the Coach's Corner cues.

Bear × EaglePush balanced with pull, for square, healthy shoulders.

Cat × CobraFront balanced with back, so the trunk is strong both ways.

Ape & Frog × Cat & FlamingoExplosive hip power, with the control to use it safely.

Ape × FlamingoTwo legs and one leg, fixing imbalances two-legged work hides.

Frog & EagleStrength woven with mobility, so the strength days have range.

ScorpionAdds rotation, so the body is trained in every direction it moves.

CAP sessions

One kit.
The whole hour.

Every CAP session picks one piece of kit and sticks with it from the first rep to the last. Kettlebell, dumbbells, med ball, rope, box, bag or just your body. Continuous work, and you rest only when you need to.

Alex carrying two kettlebells on the competition floor — Competition day · kettlebell carry

Warm-up

The work · one piece of kit · 38:00

Stretch

8:00 · 8 exercises × 20s × 3 rounds, no rest

38:00 · continuous work on one piece of kit

15:00 · 15 stretches × 1 minute

Eight By Nine

Kettlebell

8 stations × 30s, 9 laps, 2-minute finisher

The Long Flow

Kettlebell

19 × 2-minute rounds of a 6-move complex, swapping arms each round

The Long Six

Dumbbells

6 stations × 40s, 9 laps, 2-minute finisher

Iron Minutes

Dumbbells

EMOM 38, four movements rotating

The Slam List

Med ball

A chipper, one pass, 38-minute cap

Rotation Laps

Med ball

6 stations × 40s, 9 laps, 2-minute finisher

The Rope Stack

Skipping rope

8 Tabata blocks, 1 minute between

Up And Over

Step-up box

6 stations × 40s, 9 laps, 2-minute finisher

The Engine Room

Punch bag

19 × 2-minute partner rounds, combinations called in the number code

The Pyramid

Bodyweight

5-10-15-20-25 and back down, 38-minute cap

Boxing classes

On the timetable

Monday

4:30pm

Rounds

Boxing circuit: resistance, bags and cardio, back to back. Round lengths change every session.

Thursday

4:30pm

Rounds

Same format as Monday. Gloves, bags and a wall clock. All levels welcome.

Friday

5:00pm

Boxercise

Partner pad work and bodyweight cards. Bring a mate or I'll pair you up.

Primal 60 and CAP sessions run as group classes and 1-to-1. Message me for the current times. 1-to-1 personal training and online coaching are booked around you.

David Corfield Gymnasium