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From 145 kg to Personal Trainer: Marvic’s Story
How I went from 145 kg to coaching personal training in Malta — what worked, what didn't, and why I coach the way I do today.
I want to tell you how I ended up here — coaching personal training at Tal-Qroqq in Gzira — because the most important thing you’ll buy from a coach isn’t a programme. It’s their judgement. And the judgement I bring to your sessions is shaped by where I started: 145 kilograms, certain that fitness was something other people did.
The starting point
At 145 kg, walking up a flight of stairs left me breathless. I avoided beach holidays. I told myself I was ‘just big-built’ and that the people I saw running along the Sliema front weren’t living in the real world.
I tried diets. I tried gym memberships I cancelled after three weeks. None of it stuck — partly because the programmes weren’t designed for someone starting where I was.
The turning point
What changed was small. A coach asked me one question: ‘What would your week look like if you only did the easiest, smallest version of what you said you wanted to do?’ Not the perfect plan. The smallest version that was still real.
For me, that meant a 20-minute walk three times a week and one strength session at a quiet hour when the gym wasn’t busy. Not a transformation. A foundation.
What worked
Progressive overload — adding a little more weight, a little more volume, every two weeks. Boring. Effective.
A nutrition plan I could actually live with. Not ‘no carbs’. A plan that fit Maltese life: pastizzi sometimes, fish often, more vegetables than I was used to, enough protein every meal to make a difference.
Tracking the right things. Not just the scale — circumference measurements, how my clothes fit. The scale lies; the body doesn’t.
Consistency over intensity. Three honest sessions a week for two years beats five crusher sessions a week for two months and then quitting.
Becoming a coach
Once I’d held my new weight for two years, I started thinking about coaching others. I got certified. I worked under more experienced coaches. I made every beginner’s mistake I could so I’d know how to spot them in clients before they made them too.
Why this shapes how I coach you
If you’re starting where I started — heavy, intimidated, exhausted by the idea of becoming someone who ‘works out’ — I know how that feels. I won’t shame you. I won’t sell you a transformation in 12 weeks. I’ll meet you at the smallest, most realistic starting point and build from there.
Related reading
If this was useful, you might also like: How Much Does a Personal Trainer Cost in Malta? (2026 Guide) · Training at Tal-Qroqq Sports Complex: A Personal Trainer’s Guide to Gzira · Personal Trainer Malta: 20 Most-Asked Questions Answered
