Clare Stobart knows a thing or two about staying in shape as the boss of a gym near Manchester named best in the UK. Here she shares her own tried and tested routines

Clare Stobart owns and runs CPASE gym in Cheshire, which has been named National Gym of the Year(Image: CPASE)

She’s the boss of the gym named best in the country – so Clare Stobart knows a thing or two about staying in shape. Clare owns the CPASE gym near Knutsford in Cheshire that has just won big at the National Fitness Awards for a fourth year in a row.

And this year it has also claimed the top prize – the title of National Gym of the Year. The ultra-luxurious gym is known for its state-of-the-art equipment, and is a hit with sports stars and famous faces who pay £360-a-month to work out in its exclusive Cheshire village location.

For Clare, opening the gym five years ago was a lifelong dream – as she’s had a passion for fitness ever since her teenage years. Over that time she’s tried out, and run, pretty much every exercise class going, and tested all sorts of hi-tech equipment, recovery treatments and machines in the quest for the body beautiful.

So with January being the time when many of us are aiming to start health kicks and to think about healthier lifestyles, what better time to ask gym queen Clare what are her own tips for staying in shape, and the workouts that really work?

We met up with Clare at CPASE (pronounced space) where she talked us through the fitness classes she credits with keeping her in her best physical shape, as well as the health tips she credits with helping her to feel “the healthiest I’ve ever been” at the age of 46.

Falling in love with fitness

Clare has been working in the fitness industry since she was 16(Image: CPASE)

Clare’s own fitness journey started from a young age. She says: “I was into sports when I was younger, I played tennis and got into duathlons.

“I worked in the fitness industry since I was 16, I remeber working at a ladies-only gym with those toning tables where you’d lie there and they’d make your legs go up and down – do you remember those?” she laughs.

She went on to become an instructor at a luxury health club in Cumbria, working her way up to assistant manager by the age of 23. She says: ” I loved it, I loved every minute. I was teaching classes and doing fitness assessements and I did my Personal Trainer qualifications there.

“While there I also did a degree in business at night school. My dream was always to have my own health club.”

While running the club she met her husband, and they moved to Cheshire together. She got a job at a local health club, which was Cheshire Health Club at the time in Great Warford. “I never imagined it would be this club we took on, but we knew the owners and said if you ever think about selling, we’d be interested.”

When the old owner decided to sell, they jumped at the chance, and it was transformed to become the CPASE gym, or Clare’s Space, opening in October 2020.

How she trains

Weights training is Clare’s go to(Image: CPASE)

Naturally Clare is in a fitness environment during most of her working week, but when it comes to her own regime, she admits as she’s grown older she’s tailored it to what works best for her.

Weights is what remains her core focus – lifting weights is not just for body-builders, it has significant health benefits as building more muscle burns more calories than fat, and lifting weights strengthens bones.

She says: “I train quite differently, I’ve always done weight training, but now I do that three to four times a week. My routine consists of dead lifts, squats, pull ups and stretching.”

The fitness class she rates

HIIT training combines cardio with functional training, pictured is Claire swining across the bars(Image: CPASE)

Clare credits High-Intensity Interval (HIIT) training with taking up her own fitness a level in the past year. HIIT training is a workout where short bursts of intense exercise are followed by brief recovery periods which is said to boost fitness.

Clare says: “I did a Hyrox last year (an indoor fitness competition where competitiors do a 1km run followed by a functional workout station, repeated eight times) and that changed my training slightly. Now I prefer more of the HIIT and Hyrox style of training, I do that type of training one to two times a week.”

Clare auditions for all the new instructors at the gym to put them through their paces, and this January the gym is launching its own take on the Hyrox trend with its “Volt” class.

The super-charged fitness machine

Clare using the EMS machine for training(Image: CPASE)

Members at the CPASE gym have their choice of some of the most state-of-the-art exercise equipment in the UK. And there’s one particular machine that Clare is a big fan of.

That’s the WB-EMS mahcine, which stands for Whole Body Electromyostimulation. It is a form of exercise where electrical impulses are delivered through a specialised suit with electrodes, causing your muscles to contract whilst you perform low-impact, dynamic exercises.

“I do that every week,” says Clare. “Gym members love it because it’s short intense sessions but with big gains.”

Wellness is key

Clare in the cryochamber(Image: CPASE)

Again, with the wealth of wellness treatments on offer at the gym, it’s no surprise that Clare partakes of plenty of them in her own fitness journey.

She says: “I think the wellness side is more important for me now, wellness and recovery, and I feel healthier than I’ve ever been.”

Clare is a fan of the hyperbaric oxygen chamber, infrared sauna and red light therapy. She also does the cryosauna on site a couple of times a week.

This is the treatment that former Manchester United Cristiano Ronaldo raves about, and has used at this very gym, as has boxer Tommy Fury.

It exposes the body to extremely cold temperatures, going down to -140°C, which can help with pain, muscle strength, enhanced sporting performance, improvement of joint function, a faster return to training following injury and the slowing of ageing. Phew!

What she eats

Clare eats clean to maintain her health(Image: CPASE)

Nutrition is all part of the wellness journey for Clare. When we meet at the gym’s cafe, April’s Kitchen, she’s having a beetroot matcha latte, and she has a smoothie named after her here, packed with fruit and veg.

As for what she eats, and doesn’t eat, Clare says: “I don’t eat chips, I don’t eat cheese and I don’t eat fried food.

“In the mornings I have poached or scrambled eggs and avocado, then in the day I’ll eat healthy carbs like sweet potatoes and rice with steak, chicken and turkey.”

She’s also a fan of supplements, taking Nad+ which she believes can “reverse ageing”. Given she looks half her age, she might be right, I tell her.

Everything in moderation

However, it’s not all clean living for Clare.

She laughs: “I do got out and like to have a few wines every now and again, I think everything in moderation.”

Ice bath

Clare is a fan of an ice bath – pictured here in the gym(Image: CPASE)

When asked what would be her tip to people starting on a health and fitness journey this year, Clare had this to say.

“Try to look at the whole package and incorporate wellness, look at the recovery you can use. I like to have an ice bath, at least twice a week, for three minutes.

“When I come out of the ice I’m bright red and shivering but I feel amazing afterwards.”

Find an activity that you love

Clare loves padel – the new tennis craze that seems to be sweeping the nation(Image: CPASE)

One of the newer developments at CPASE is the gym’s own padel courts, getting with the big trend sweeping the nation for the new tennis-like sport.

Naturally Clare has also got on board with the trend too, and when we meet her phone is buzzing with messages – she says it’s fellow gym members asking if she’s up for a game of padel.

She must be pretty good, I say: “I’m not an amazing player, but I’m quite consistent.”

She then adds: “I also have a rule when I play that if you do a double fault, you have to do a shot of limoncello. So that might be why everyone wants to play padel with me!”

Ditch the tracker

While many swear by fitness trackers to assist with their goals, Clare admits she feels better for ditching hers.

She says: “I did have an aura ring but I got a bit obsessive.”