"Convincing myself to book in with Eoin is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for myself.

Eoin came highly recommended from my physiotherapist as I needed rehab for chronic post-surgery hip pain. It took me a few weeks to convince myself to book the first session, but I’m so glad I did. That was over 3 years ago.

Back then I was in daily pain, which meant I was very limited in the type and amount of exercise I could do and had put on weight. I wasn’t in a good place.

The sessions started with a mix of rehab and some strength & conditioning for a number of months before I was strong enough to no longer need the hip rehab.  I’ll never forget how excited I was that first day I was ready to use the barbell to do some back squats, I knew I’d turned a corner for good.

It took time to work through a number of hip-related injuries along the way but now 3 years on I’ve lost over 44kg, I’m pain free, stronger, leaner and fitter than ever before.  I’m a different person to the one I was three years ago and am so glad I made that first appointment. 

I really enjoy the weekly sessions and have learned loads from Eoin. I trust him completely with my journey, he knows my capabilities better than I do and I know he’ll only give me exercises I can handle.  I love how he pushes me to improve and the satisfaction I get is immense when I go faster or lift heavier than I thought I could.

I continue to do weekly sessions as I still have many goals to achieve and I want to keep progressing.  The positive feedback I’m getting from friends and family on the physical changes have been amazing and is always lovely to hear.

Exercise is just a part of my life now and consistency is the key. Sometimes it’s hard to envisage how far I’ve come, but he’s always ready to remind me about all the positive changes.  

I’m so grateful to Eoin for all the help, patience, support and humour along the way.  I may be biased but he’s an amazing PT and I’d highly recommend him to anyone, no matter what the goal."

I started the DarkZone GAA preseason program 8 weeks before Christmas in order to help me shed the winter pounds heading into pre season with my club.

In 8 weeks I lost roughly 6kg of body fat, gained serious strength and I was lifting a lot heavier even being down that much weight.

For me, it was an excellent decision which I am happy I made. I always wanted to go to and sign up to a method of training that would be structured  in a way to help me lose body fat and gain strength. I had made contact with many personal trainers in the past, but I didn’t feel like they were right for me so I didn’t go ahead training with them. Once I got in contact with Eoin in DarkFocus, he immediately made me feel comfortable.

I opted for the DarkZone GAA preseason program as being a GAA player we decided that this would be the best to fit my goals. After I reached out to Eoin, I outlined my goals and what I want to achieve at the end of the 8 weeks. For me, it was all about improving my performance on the pitch. Everything was tailored towards my goals. Not only do I look leaner, but I am fitter, faster and stronger than  I was before.

Eoin as a trainer is excellent. The program pushed me past all of my physical boundaries and beyond especially in the onfield conditioning. Not only has he improved me physically, but also mentally. Tthe training difficult, but it is also extremely enjoyable which is everything I could have asked for and wanted.

Just to set the scene I am a 45 year old guy that has three great but demanding young kids, a really supportive wife and a high pressure 100mph job…… when the lock down started I decided to do a bit of walking, or to use the term loosely jogging and got a real kick in the backside when my 10yr old boy couldn’t understand why I couldn’t keep up and why I had to keep stopping to catch my breath. All my life I played sport at various levels and would consider myself very competitive in everything I do!

I am 5ft 7inches (170cm) and weighed just over 14.2 stone (90kg’s) on the 12th June when I met Eoin first. Today which is exactly eight weeks later I am 12.75 stone (81kg’s)…….. The whole motivation to start with Eoin was to get healthy and the weight loss has been a positive consequence. This has been achieved by a good exercise program combining strength and conditioning and diet.

One of the items I was most afraid of when starting with Eoin was in the past when I worked with personal trainers it was hitting the gym equipment at a high intensity and eating next to nothing….. resulting in weight loss immediately but not sustainable, normally I came off the wagon resulting in the opposite effect, spending money, getting demoralised and weight back on. 

Eoin provided a program that suited me, from several dimensions – Timing, ability, catering for other items going on in life, etc. Which has given me the confidence to commit. Eoin got me quite quickly and had a good grasp of that I wanted. Don’t get me wrong its tough…. but nothing in life is easy! There are a couple of things I want to say about Eoin as a personal trainer:

1. Honesty – If you aren’t doing it, he will tell you. If you want to go on a solo run, he will tell you do it on your own and don’t waste your money or his time (in a nice way). He knows what works without being arrogant, taking into consideration the person involved.

2. Motivation – Then you are low or in the dark place he is good at picking you up and pushing you on. If that’s in the session with him or when you are doing one on your own, e.g. last Sunday I had a run, I felt I didn’t want to be there from the start. After I ran a good time and told Eoin, the following is a quote of what he said after I send him my run data “Good thing is even you weren’t up for it your time was excellent. You enjoy the rest of the day now and it’s a new week next week” – for me it’s the small things that push me along.

3. Knowledge – During the last eight weeks there have been ups and downs with food, minor injuries and always he tailored the sessions/plan to work around them.

Without giving Eoin a big head, the whole experience has been very positive and worked for me, and If I am honest, I can’t see it not working for anyone else!

The most positive endorsement I can give Eoin Cadogan (Strength & Conditioning coach) is I am continuing to work with him for the foreseeable future, and I would be available to speak to anyone who is thinking of doing the same.

I always thought of myself as person who knew what he was was doing when it came to training.

 How wrong was I!!!

Between GAA/gym I was active 5/6 times a week. However, I never really seemed to change my physique or make the progress I desired. 

When the GAA year was over it was time to turn my attention to the off season. I contacted Eoin and outlined my goals. Eoin recommended the Dark Zone GAA preseason program. The programme was structured in way that suited my age, my work and family life. 

Within a short period of time I could see changes occurring and it was all due to Dark Focus giving me the push and guidance that I needed.

By the end of the program I had lost nearly 7kgs of body fat  and the transformation was clear to see.  Not only that but I had gained strength and also increased my fitness levels on field. I had pushed myself to places I didn’t think I could go and the positivity, encouragement and engagement from Eoin was the reason behind getting these results. 

I cannot recommend Eoin highly enough. The programs, interactions and easy use of the Dark Focus app all aided me in achieving my goals.

 As Manager of the Cork U21 Hurling Team, 2017 , I  had the pleasure of working with Eoin as Trainer and S&C coach for the year. In that time I  found Eoin to be, professional, Team  focused, Player focused and above all reliable. During that period   we required specific customised training programmes  for individual players as well as the overall team program , Eoin delivered those programmes  to the highest standard. Overall I  would have no hesitation in recommending Eoin to deliver custom made programmes to suit individual , team specific requirements.

When I first contacted Eoin to discuss Personal Training, he was very clear on what package was best for me. I committed to his program and it paid off. I reached my target goal with Eoin that I never thought I could get to. I am now down 10kgs and living & enjoying a healthier lifestyle. Whether it is 1 pound or 21 pounds you need to lose, Eoin is the best person to help you reach this goal. I wouldn't look past him as a PT, and I would strongly recommend him if you are thinking of taking your training to the next level. 

I have always been someone who struggles with my weight. It’s something I have always been self conscious about. I just accepted that I would never be body confident and continued to over indulge on the wrong foods. A few years back I lost a lot of weight in a very unattainable way. I had no understanding of how to balance my diet and exercise. Over a few months I had put all the weight back on that I had lost. This is when Eoin offered to work with me. At the beginning I found it very difficult because I had been fooling myself all along thinking I was healthier than I was. I began to feel much fitter and thinner after just a few weeks. I worked with eoin for a total of 2 months. Eoin was fantastic during this time. He really pushed me to levels I never thought I could achieve. Along with training methods and exercises, Eoin also educated me in maintaining all the hard work over time. I have remained at a steady weight for 3 years now while enjoying my food and balancing this with a training routine. I have consistently stuck to the methods I have gained from training with Eoin. I am very thankful for the life changing help I have got from Eoin.

I started training with Eoin  as I was looking for a push and some guidance to reach my fitness goals. I had always loved exercise but found it extremely hard with shift work to find a balance. Once I started training with Eoin I never looked back. Every session  I was encouraged and motivated in order to reach my goals. My tailored fitness plan   Was easy to follow and all my questions were explained in detail. With over 5kg down in weight I have a new confidence and I now look forward to going to the gym. I have found the balance between food and exercise which has changed my outlook on training and nutrition. On top of physical results I now have a clearer mindset. I would highly recommend training with Eoin, it was a lifestyle change rather than a short term weight loss plan.