About Ground Up
The journey so far
I set up Ground Up in 2019. I was working as a strength and conditioning coach in a sports club at the time (Ballyboden St. Endas GAA - Dublin, Ireland), when I noticed an opportunity to start my own private coaching business operating out of the club's gym.
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Having been working and 'living' in the broader sports, health, and fitness sphere for a number of years, I was constantly reminded of the 'noise' and misinformation that is often circulated in these circles.
Whether it be fad diets, questionable recovery modalities, or 'lose fat quick' workout trends, my approach to coaching any client has always been to try to eliminate these distractions and focus on what matters.
Essentially, my philiosophy has always been to take a 'Ground Up' approach.
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- Neil
The history of Ground Up
2019
The beginning
The first private clients started to train with me (Neil) at Ground Up in late 2019. From here, two services were on offer for prospective clients: Personal Training, or the 'Training Club' (Small group training). Unfortunately at this time, I had no idea that there was a pandemic coming around the corner a few months later!
2020
Setbacks
This was a bit of a difficult year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Various lockdowns, restrictions, and health scares meant that the majority of ground Up training sessions that took place during this time were done online via video call. As certain restrictions were lifted, I began hosting outdoor training sessions, which despite the Irish weather, were quite a success.
2021/2022
Growth
During this period Ground Up experienced significant growth as a business e.g. in client base, revenue etc.
This meant that on a personal level, I gained a lot of knowledge in the field of business management, customer relations, and financial management. As there were restrictions in place on my use of the gym that I was operating out of, I began to search for my own premises. It was also during this time that I began to offer online services.
2023
A new 'approach'
Unfortunately, this search for a premises was unsuccessful. Despite having a solid client base and profitable business, the aforementioned restraints meant that I could not grow Ground Up any further in its current form, and so the difficult decision was made to discontinue in-person training services and move to a fully online service.