The Gym at Home House

Meet Dawit Haile, our very own fitness guru, Gym Manager and Personal Trainer

We would like to take this opportunity to officially introduce Dawit Haile as Gym Manager, having been part of the Home House family for over 15 years. We caught up with Dawit about his own personal fitness journey and what it’s like to work at Marylebone’s best-kept secret.

Iwas born and raised in a rural village in Eritrea, East Africa. Growing up in an open space and from a farming family, everything we did was done manually and that involved a lot of physical activity. Transportation was limited as well, so walking large distances to and from destinations was a regular occurrence.

My own personal fitness journey started in my childhood, where we used to play a wide range of outdoor sports such as Shauki, which is very similar to American baseball but with the ball being made up of old fabric, tightly bound together. Farming life in Eritrea was very manual with little assistance from machinery. From planting the seeds to harvesting the crops, it always involved a lot of work and physical effort. It was rewarding at the end though.

Mohammed Ali is an all time role model to me. His dedication to boxing and achievements on the world stage were incredible, yet still he remained humble. That always impressed me. I think the highlight of my fitness journey now is knowing how I can encourage and motivate my clients to push and achieve better results, and ultimately, their training goals.

My fitness journey became more structured when I moved to London. I was a member of LA Fitness and was going regularly to train myself. I made good friends with the people who worked there and realised that I too could become a personal trainer and a running coach to help people to get fitter. At a later stage, an opportunity came up in the Home House health spa department for a role as a gym assistant. From there I then did my Level 2 Gym Instructor course and followed it with a YMCA level 3 Personal Trainer course to get my certification.

In terms of fitness advice, I’d say improving fitness comes from different aspects of life. Consider a balanced nutrition plan and approach your training with a full body workout method, i.e. from cardio vascular training to weightlifting – combining these together in a single session can bring improved results. But most importantly, enjoy what you do, push yourself within your own limits, keep a positive state of mind, and get great results to stay fitter and healthier for longer.

The Home House gym and spa is a unique place to be; we’re downstairs in the basement in what was the old kitchen and servants’ quarters. We have various pieces of equipment for strength training including two Olympic half racks, a wide range of dumbbells, cable machines as well as two Kinesis machines.

On the cardio side, we have Technogym Skillrun and Skillmill treadmills, Technogym cross trainers, Concept2 rowing machines, a Peloton and a Wattbike. We also have a Concept2 SkiErg and VersaClimber machine, both giving slightly different but very effective approaches to cardio training.

Currently on Monday evenings we have the workout of the day with Kamil Riha; Tuesday evening is yoga with Jo; Wednesday evening is high-intensity Tabata method with myself; and Thursday lunchtime is a Pilates-inspired class with Luigi. We are in the process of finalising more classes and two running clubs with myself. One being express pace run: the aim of this is for seasoned regular runners to finish 5k in under 22 minutes, and there is another running club for all levels. This will be a one-hour long run, sometimes in Hyde Park and sometimes in Regents Park to mix things up a bit.

All fitness levels can join and everyone is welcome. All we ask is that when joining classes or doing PT, explain any injuries or limitations you may have so our trainers can modify accordingly and make it work for you.

A common misconception people have about improving their fitness is that running will wear out your knees. Many people think running is bad for joints. But actually, in-depth studies have shown runners are, if anything, less likely to develop knee osteoarthritis. The strategy to avoid knee pain is to learn to run properly with good technique and to train sensibly (which means not increasing your mileage by too much too quickly). It’s a great way of training when done correctly.

Physical activities and exercise can help mental and emotional wellbeing. Research proves that doing physical activity can help prevent many illnesses and promote better sleep.

People can find all the information they need via our Home House website under the gym section. We run a wide range of classes during the week and we encourage our members to take a part. We are here to support our members for any training and any questions they may have.

I enjoy working at Home House and helping our members get familiar with the gym and health spa. We have a steam and sauna room which are great to relax in after a hard training session. Also, working with my amazing colleagues and experienced PTs is a highlight as we all continue to deliver results for our members.

About the Gym

Located in the basement of House 21, the Gym at Home House is a subterranean haven for members and hotel guests alike. Nestled within the heart of Marylebone, the fully equipped gym offers state-of-the-art equipment along with a health spa including sauna, steam room and relaxation room.

Discover your best self in the gym or workout with our expert personal trainers to reach your goals. Members can enjoy a schedule of complimentary workouts throughout the week including running club, yoga, tabata, pilates and strength and conditioning classes. Discover more: www.homehouse.co.uk/fitness