PERSONAL trainers in Cirencester have been given a taste of their own medicine this week as they were challenged to the most extreme workouts in aid of charity.

Clients at Cirencester’s Elite Health and Fitness were able to pay a small donation before challenging their trainers to the most gruelling workout session they could think of.

David McKinnon, owner of the Chesterton Lane gym, said he couldn’t believe how much money was raised through the challenges.

“This is a total first for us. We thought that we would struggle to raise our target of £500 but we managed to raise £400 in the first day,” he said.

The unique idea was dreamed up by a regular visitor to the gym who was curious as to what was being done to raise money for Sport Relief.

David said: “She wanted to get her own back on her trainer for all the hard work she has had to do. I said that she could do it if she gave us some money.”

Since then, the trainers have been put through their paces and given some of the most punishing workouts known including 15 minutes of non-stop burpees, a cross between a press-up and a star jump, and five minutes of continuous forward rolls.

David laughed: “The hardest thing I’ve had to do is to squat for 10 minutes with a small child sat on my lap, I think there is something quite sadistic about that.”

Having raised over £1,000 for Sport Relief in the space of a week, David has revealed that the gym will definitely be looking at doing something similar in the coming year.

Visit www.elitefit.co.uk for more information.