With Patrycja and the coaches at Fitin2it Personal Training, you will be challenged to reach outside your comfort zone. Their specialised approach to functional training principles means that your results will be accelerated.

“I'm a StrongFirst certified coach and my specialty is teaching the STRONGFIRST kettlebell system. It places strength first and foremost as the foundation upon which other skills are built,” explains Patrycja.

STRONGFIRST kettlebell training focuses on safety and correct technique execution. Patrycja and her team teach the basic movement fundamentals such as deadlift, squat, swing, Turkish get-up, military press and snatch - and how to train your abs with 300% more intensity than ordinary crunches.

“It's very effective and time efficient for our thirty-minute sessions,” says Patrycja. “We focus on getting the entire body working, utilising all muscle groups simultaneously. We work with a lot of extremely busy people, so we want to give them the biggest bang for their buck, and I find that the kettlebells do that.”

As one of only a handful of coaches in Melbourne that specialise in STRONGFIRST kettlebell training, Patrycja also weaves in a mixture of other functional training exercises that helps her clients to achieve their goals and overcome injuries.

Before Patrycja became a strength and movement coach, she worked in film and TV for fifteen years, in editing and production. The long hours and gruelling shifts eventually took their toll.

“I became really tired really early on in my life, and I thought, well, I can't be living my life like this for the rest of my career. I decided I needed to change.

“I've always wanted to be a coach so I decided to transition to personal training. As soon as I made the decision, everything just worked out my way. I felt like the stars and universe aligned. While it wasn’t easy, it was the right thing.

“In 2015 I became a qualified coach, undertaking a number of courses learning from the world’s top coaches and fitness mentors.”

Patrycja began training Fitin2It clients in the park. She quickly realised that the outdoor location limited the variety of training that she could provide to her clients. The added challenge of transporting gear to the park day in, day out, meant that Partycja moved into a West Melbourne studio and now her current Flemington Road, North Melbourne location.

At the studio, Patrycja and her coaches offer sessions based on the needs of each client. Clients need to complete one-on-one training sessions before they can migrate to a semi-private class so that the coaches can properly break down the movements and teach people the correct technique. Sessions are by appointment only.

 “As a coach, my goal is to make you understand the feeling of the movement rather than what it looks like. Every session is different, progressive and specific to the client’s goal. 

“If you want to become forever strong, pain resistant, more coordinated and bulletproof whilst perfecting movement, this is for you. It's never going to be boring. No time is ever wasted.”

Partycja's next plans are to open a sister gym with a nutrition bar at some stage in the future, but for now, the focus is on building the health of her current patrons.

“I love perfecting movement and constantly pushing myself to overcome fitness challenges. It's my life. I live it, I breathe it. I'm all about nutrition and sustainable health and well-being  - eating well, sleeping well, moving my body and meditating to manage my stress levels. Longevity is what I strive for, and I teach my clients not to think in the short-term.

“I always say, just walking through the door is the hardest part. But you're never going to regret it.”

Words by Joyce Watts & Photography by Anna EncIO