Training with Tourette’s

Posted 6hrs ago
by Lee Hogg

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from Personal Trainer to Tourette’s Advocate

It’s me, it’s me, it’s Lee the PT.

I’m a personal trainer who has lived with Tourette syndrome since I was 12 years old. My tics have been part of me for as long as I can remember. I clear my throat way louder than is necessary, I extend my arm out to check my imaginary watch, I twitch, I roll my eyes into the back of my head, I jerk my head to either side, I repeat random words and sentences that I hear over and over again, the lot.

Despite it being obvious to anyone who spends more than 5 minutes in the same building as me, I’ve only started speaking openly about my Tourette’s very recently. After seeing the backlash that John Davidson received because of what happened at the 2026 BAFTAs, from people who are supposedly inclusive and tolerant, I changed my social media from posting exclusively about personal training to also discussing Tourette’s awareness.

I am one of the very lucky ones in the sense that I’ve never really cared about what others think of me, and I have no problem training in the gym on my own. I realise it isn’t the same for everyone though, especially for those with cases of more severe tics than me. To help those people out, I now offer 5 free PT sessions every month to those affected by Tourette’s or similar conditions, with the hope that they will develop the confidence to train in the gym by themselves. Since finding my voice on this subject, I’ve also begun working on a project to start my own training programme specifically for younger people affected by Tourette’s, tics, or other similar neurological conditions. There just aren’t enough places for people like me to go to work on their health and fitness, and I’d like to change that.

For Tourette’s Awareness Month 2026, as part of the ‘Move for Tourette’s’ campaign, I took part in a charity challenge to raise money for Tourettes Action. I wanted to keep it fitness-related, but I wanted to think outside the box of your usual marathons and sponsored walks. I work at a local PureGym, and over the course of seven days I took part in every single class on the PureGym Blyth timetable. As long as there were members booked on and the class was going ahead, be it early morning, afternoon or evening, I was taking part in it as well.

From Monday 1st June to Tourette’s Awareness Day on Sunday 7th June, I went through 28 classes. It was the most physically exhausting thing I’ve ever done, but it was also one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I originally set a donation target of £500 but ended up getting more than triple that with a final figure of £1,595.

Just before the challenge began, I even received an endorsement from Johnny Davidson himself, which served as a reminder on why I was doing all of this in the first place.

Now the fundraiser is done, I’m able to shift my focus elsewhere. When I’m not training clients or at home raising my baby girl, I’m doing anything I can to continue raising Tourette’s awareness and start my coaching programme for those affected by it.

I’ve been to business meetings and spoken with people at the council to talk about where this training can take place and asked for people to share my social media content to get the word out. Living with Tourette’s can be challenging enough without worrying about where to go to improve yourself, and I hope that my work will pay off and help as many people as possible.

If you’re reading this and would be interested in the 5 free PT sessions, if you would be up for taking part or providing feedback on my upcoming coaching programme, or if there’s anything else you think that I might be able to help with, you’re welcome to get in touch.

My Instagram handle is its.lee.the.pt, and my email is its.lee.the.pt@gmail.com.

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