Zoe Hefford

Boxing and Strength Training Coach

Hi, I’m Zoë.

My initial motivation to start training was simply that I wanted to get fitter and look better – to lose some weight and be more defined. I hadn’t been active at all throughout my late teens and early twenties so around the age of 26 I thought I’d better get moving (presumably I thought I’d suddenly turn in to a pumpkin once I hit 30!) I did the usual group classes, spin and body pump, but knew that to really get the results I wanted I needed to start weight training consistently.

Armed with a basic weights programme written by a friend of mine, and the reassurance that nobody was going to think I looked like an idiot trying to deadlift for the first time, I braved the weights section of the gym and learned my way around a barbell and the free weights. My training goals became more than just aesthetic once I realised how good it felt to increase my strength and lift weights I never thought I could.

Boxing came later for me, I was 29 before I finally had the guts to walk in to a boxing gym, and 30 when I stepped in to the ring competitively for the first time to fight. At the time both of these things were terrifying! Like the weight training, my reasons for boxing also changed, I’d started for fitness but quickly realised that training to compete gave me a real focus. It meant I had to be totally disciplined in all areas of training, even the ones I hate (like running!) if I really wanted to progress. So much of boxing can be transferred to other aspects of life and aside from the physical benefits, I’d like others to be able to gain what I have from it; mental strength, resilience, and the confidence to do things that scare you.

The mental benefits of training were huge for me, and still are. It’s helped me get through some of the toughest times in my life, and training in one form or another is what keeps me in more of a positive headspace.

Training with me, you’ll have the option to work on boxing technique and skill, plus all the strength and conditioning you’ll need to get fighting fit. So whether you’ve never boxed and just want to be fitter, faster, and stronger, or you want to start from scratch and learn to throw a mean left hook – please get in touch.

Achievements:

• National Development Championship quarter finalist 2018
• London Boxing team select 2018
• Women’s Winter Box Cup silver medallist 2018
• Haringey Box Cup semi-finalist 2019
• London Boxing Development finalist 2019
• Women’s Winter Box Cup semi-finalist 2019