City News
Hard Yard recruits staff inside three London prisons and offers ex-offenders a chance to a new life as personal trainers.

Hard Yard recruits staff inside three London prisons and offers ex-offenders a chance to a new life as personal trainers.

The initiative was founded earlier this year to create jobs for former inmates struggling on the job market.

“People coming out of prison often have great talents, but struggle to find work,” founder Frankie Bennett told City News.

“Either because of discrimination in the workplace or because of difficulties explaining why they have not worked for a while,” she added.

Until Saturday, Hard Yard’s personal trainers will hold 30 high-intensity classes resembling prison cell workouts.

The trainers, who are all former prisoners, have put togehter individually tailored routines, focusing on mind control and bodyweight. According to Bennett, the small-space workouts are all about mental resilience and do not require equipment, similar to the conditions in a jail cell.

The hardcore schedule includes classes like “The morning drill” and “The cellmate workout,” and takes place opposite the Old Street Station tube barriers. Anyone who would like to join must sign up first.

For more information, visit the Hard Yard website.