The People's Gym · Cork
Strength training for people who sit all day
Tight hips, a stiff lower back, shoulders that round forward and an energy dip every afternoon. Sitting is not a crime but it does need undoing. Our personal trainers build 30-minute sessions around a desk-bound body at our Douglas and Ballincollig gyms, at times that fit a working day.
Desk workers
Undoing eight hours in a chair
You do not need to give up the job. You need two short sessions a week that do the opposite of sitting.
Hips that open
Sitting shortens the hip flexors and switches off the glutes. Hinges, squats and hip work wake the glutes up and let the hips open again.
A back that holds
Most desk-related back stiffness is weak hips and a weak core. Build both and the lower back stops being the thing that notices the chair.
Posture from strength, not effort
You cannot sit up straight through willpower for eight hours. A strong upper back does it for you without thinking.
Energy and focus
Two short training sessions a week do more for the 3pm slump than any coffee. Most people notice it inside a fortnight.
Times that work
Early mornings, lunchtimes and evenings, six days a week at both gyms. 30 minutes door to door if you are near either.
Working from home
Remote workers sit more and move less than anyone. A booked session with a coach is the structure a home working week is missing.
Real Google reviews
From members who started where you are
In their own words, straight from Google.
"I have been training here for over 6 months and over this time I have become fitter and stronger and with the help of the ATP team, they have helped me to better understand the balance between my fitness goals and lifestyle"
"I’ve never been a gym person & have always joined gyms and cancelled again after a few months, but at ATP everyone is so welcoming and encouraging that I now actually enjoy my PT sessions! It’s great to have structured sessions and encouragement and guidance so you know you’re on the right track!"
"Felt at ease with the coaches very quickly. They are friendly and supportive and happy to meet you where you’re at in terms of fitness. You absolutely don’t need to be experienced to feel welcome here. ATP has been superb for both my physical and mental well-being. The positive atmosphere is contagious."
"Since joining ATP my relationship with exercise has changed completely. It’s the highlight of my day attending these sessions! All of the trainers are fantastic and give you every bit of their time and energy throughout the session!"
How it works
Training for desk workers at ATP
Sitting for a living does predictable things to a body. The hip flexors shorten, the glutes stop firing, the lower back takes the strain, the shoulders round and the upper back weakens. Then the energy goes, because a body that does not move does not want to. None of it is dramatic. All of it adds up, and by the mid 30s most desk workers have a back, a neck or a hip that reminds them of it.
The good news is that it reverses quickly with the right training. Not hours of it. Two coached 30-minute sessions a week that do the opposite of sitting: open the hips, wake the glutes, strengthen the back and pull the shoulders home.
What a session looks like
You train 1:2, one coach and two clients, each on your own programme, for 30 minutes. The programme is built around the sitting problem: hip hinges and squats for the glutes and hamstrings, rows and pulldowns for the upper back, loaded carries and bracing for the core, and mobility for the hips and thoracic spine. Load goes up steadily. It is efficient by design, because you have a job to get back to.
Fitting it around work
Both gyms open early and run into the evening six days a week, with lunchtime slots at each. Our no-expiry packs never lapse, so a mad fortnight at work or a week away costs you nothing. If you want to train with a colleague, our sessions are 1:2 and two of you can book the same slot.
Getting started
Your first session is free. Claim it below and mention the desk job in the form or when we ring. It is a real coached 30-minute session at Douglas or Ballincollig, no card and no commitment. If the neck and shoulders are the main complaint, our neck and shoulder pain page goes deeper, and for a bad back it is the back pain page.
Memberships & pricing
Simple, flexible pricing
Personal training from €20.56 a session on a rolling membership, €35 pay as you go, and no-expiry packs from €289. See full pricing →
FAQ
Desk worker questions
If yours is not here, give us a ring. We would rather talk it through.
Can strength training fix my posture?
It can do most of it. Posture that holds all day comes from a strong upper back, strong glutes and a core that works, not from remembering to sit up. Two sessions a week changes it within a couple of months.
My hips are so tight I can hardly squat. Is that a problem?
It is the most common thing we see in desk workers and it is exactly what the programme addresses. We start with the range you have and open it up week by week.
I only have my lunch hour. Is 30 minutes enough?
Yes. Sessions are 30 minutes and coached, so every minute counts. Lunchtime slots run at both gyms.
Will I be too sore to sit at my desk?
Mild soreness in the first couple of weeks is normal and passes. We manage the load so nothing gets in the way of the working day.
I work from home and never move. Where do I start?
With a booked session and a coach waiting for you. Structure is what home working takes away, and a fixed slot twice a week gives it back.
Can I train with a colleague?
Yes. Our sessions are 1:2, one coach with two clients, so two of you can book the same slot, each on your own programme.
How much does it cost?
Rolling memberships start at €179 every 4 weeks for two sessions a week, and our no-expiry packs never lapse. Your first session is free, no card and no commitment.
Get started
Claim your free session
Tell us a little about yourself and a member of the ATP team will be in touch to book in your free session.
ATP Fitness App
Manage your sessions on the go
Book your PT & classes straight from your phone, manage your membership and top up credits any time.
Find us
Two locations across Cork
Douglas
2nd Floor, Unit A1, Donnybrook Commercial Centre, Donnybrook, Cork City
Tel: 087 649 4134
Mon-Thurs: 6:30am - 8:30pm
Friday: 6:30am - 7:00pm
Saturday: 8:00am - 2:00pm
Sunday: Closed
Ballincollig
Unit 1A, Link Road Business Park, Carrigrohane, Ballincollig, Co. Cork
Tel: 085 725 2370
Mon-Thurs: 6:30am - 8:30pm
Friday: 6:30am - 7:00pm
Saturday: 8:00am - 2:00pm
Sunday: Closed