Ashley Banks PT

Ashley Banks PT

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Personal Trainer | Ōamaru

12/08/2026

It took me years to do be able to do a single pull-up, and now I can do five on a good day (double digits I’m coming for you! 😆)

I’m not sure if the biggest barrier was physical or mental, but what finally got my chin over that elusive bar wasn't anything magic or drastic - it was just small, consistent habits - showing up, putting in work, and improving gradually over time.

It definitely wasn’t linear progress… I had shoulder injuries, other injuries and the usual sickness, holidays and sometimes I was just lazy! But over time I showed up more than I didn’t, which ends up being what counts.

Progress is hardly ever a dramatic change, it's mostly just consistency and heading in the right direction.

Flick me a message if you need a hand making a start towards your fitness goals - however impossible or far away they might seem today!

23/06/2026

Might see you there! 🤗🥳🙌

The doors are open!

After welcoming our Founding and Early Bird Members into Athlete Foundry, we're now excited to invite the wider community to come and check out the space for themselves.

We'll be opening our doors this Sunday 28th June between 2.00–5.00pm so you can come and see our awesome training facility.

✅ Explore our gym and training spaces
✅ Take a look inside our recovery rooms, including the infrared sauna, ice bath and compression boots
✅ Meet some of our coaches
✅ Learn more about our gym memberships, Sport Academy, Youth Programmes and coaching services
✅ Ask questions and see how Athlete Foundry can help you reach your goals

Whether you're an athlete, weekend warrior, looking to improve your health, or simply curious about the space, we'd love to meet you and show you around.

📍 Athlete Foundry - 33-37 Ribble Street
📅 Sunday 28 June
⏰ 2.00–5.00pm

Come and see what Athlete Foundry is all about — and why our members are already loving it.

15/06/2026

When you train with a client, you know if you both put in the work, real results can be achieved. 🥹

But knowing it can happen and seeing it happen are two different things.

I’m so proud of this client who has shown up consistently at least twice, sometimes three times a week, for the past 5 weeks, because she knew something needed to change for her and her health.

It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers on a scale, but the first wins usually look exactly like this: better sleep, improved health markers, and feeling more comfortable in your own skin.

If you’re ready to take those first steps towards investing in your health, send me a message and we can get to work! 💪🏻

17/04/2026

If 40-year-old, mum of three little boys me, knew this was in my future, I would have started sooner.
Even when I did start, I definitely didn’t know what to do with this barbell! 🏋️
Strength training doesn’t often begin here, you don’t even have to be in a gym. What works for you might look like being at home, using your own bodyweight.
I love working with girls and women who are at the very beginning and figuring out what their body can do. ✨
You might be surprised by the strength you already have - those kids we pick up and carry around can be heavy! 🥴
Eventually we can work our way to the barbell, if that’s where you want to go.
There is no better time to get started … or restart … than now. Flick me a message and we can figure out what’s going to work for you.

📸 Yanina Tacchini

31/03/2026

I have a good problem.

I am getting busy - and it’s really exciting! But it’s also shining a very bright light on the thing I’ve always known about myself - organisation is not my superpower. 😅

Being a personal trainer is a one-person business.

It means being my own scheduler, accountant, and admin team — while fitting it all around kids, life, and everything else.

They don’t cover “life organisation” in your PT training. They also don’t tell you the amount of time you’ll still spend in front of a computer!

But I’ll take this kind of chaos. It means something’s working. Now I just need to figure out the systems to match. 🤓🙃

20/03/2026

Tomorrow I turn 48.

It feels like a weird nothing age between 45 and 50 and sometimes it’s hard to remember!

I’m not mad about it, reaching 48 is definitely better than the alternative, and it feels different to previous birthdays.

Not because I feel old, but because I don’t.

I’m getting to do something I love. For the first time in a long time fitness and looking after myself is a priority rather than something I squeeze into my spare time.

I feel lucky that caring for my “ageing” 🫣 body is now part of my job. But the other important part is helping others look after their ageing bodies

We want to carry our own bags, mow our lawns, get up off the floor without thinking about it - be independent and capable for as long as our bodies will let us.

I don’t want to be a burden to my kids, I want to still be doing things with them … and their kids.

I haven’t been “working out” for decades… I started CrossFit at 43, and I’ve only been solely focused on proper strength training for the last four months. I started late, and I’m still getting stronger.

Through my personal training study, my own experiences, and as I train others, it’s reaffirmed to me that moving your body, building strength, and figuring what you need, can genuinely change the trajectory of your life.

It is never too late to start, I’m proof of that.

And at this age, more important than how you look, is how you live - and how you want to live as you age.

If you’re approaching your 40s, 50, or 60s, and fitness has always felt like it was for someone else, maybe this is your sign to reframe it.

Think about training for your old age, for independence, and for a version of you that can still show up decades from now. 🤍

DM me if you’re ready to get started.

📸 Yanina Tacchini

04/03/2026

I want to talk about a subject that I can totally identify with, because I’ve been here myself - where hiring a personal trainer feels like a luxury you can’t afford.

It’s definitely a financial investment, and for a lot of people, it’s a really hard cost to justify.

When you’re managing a household, raising kids, and paying bills, spending money on yourself feels like it should be at the absolute bottom of the priority list.

I get it.

But here is what I’ve figured out about fitness.

Buying a gym membership you never use because you feel too intimidated to walk through the doors, or you don’t know what to do when you get there is a waste of money.

Spending months doing random exercises with no specific direction can leave you frustrated, overwhelmed, or worse - injured, and you think you might as well give up.

Working with a trainer isn’t about paying someone to just stand there and count your reps, it’s about outsourcing the mental load.

When you work with a personal trainer, all you have to do is show up.

It’s my job to make sure you are moving safely, building actual strength, and following a realistic routine that works for your life and body, rather than against it.

The money you pay is not just for the time we spend in the gym, but the prep that goes into creating your sessions, your programmes and having someone who is totally in your corner wanting the best outcome for you.

It also doesn’t have to mean a massive financial commitment forever.

For some, it’s just a few 1-on-1 sessions to learn the ropes so you can train confidently on your own.

For others, it’s training in a small group to share the cost and have fun with friends, or following a customised app-based programme so you can train on your own schedule.

There are ways we can make it work for your budget and your life.

If you want to chat about what option makes the most sense for you, please send me a message.

📸 Yanina Tacchini 🙏🏻

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Oamaru Harbour
Oamaru
9400