The Combat Coachwith Coach Shep

Forged in the ring.
Proven under pressure.

Stay
positive.
Never give in.

I'm Coach Shep. Over ten years in the British Army, much of it as a physical training instructor, three tours of Afghanistan and an Army boxing title. Now I bring all of it to personal training, classes and boxing programmes at David Corfield Gymnasium, Albrighton.

Book your free session See the classes
Coach Shep carrying two kettlebells on the competition floor
Army PTI
All Arms Physical Training Instructor, Infantry Battle School, Brecon
Afghanistan
Three tours, from Helmand to close protection in Kabul
Champion
Won my weight at the Army Individual Boxing Championships
1-to-1
PT, classes & online coaching
Portrait of Coach Shep, arms folded
Coach Shep · Your combat coach

My story

Trained for the ring. Tested on the front line.

I joined the Grenadier Guards in 2007. I started in the Mortar Platoon, trained in Kenya, and deployed to Afghanistan on Op HERRICK 11 in the winter of 2009. Out there fitness has nothing to do with how you look. What matters is whether your body holds up when you're tired, under pressure and out of options.

In 2011 I qualified as an All Arms Physical Training Instructor. The next year I went back to Afghanistan on Op HERRICK 16. Three months in, my vehicle was hit by an RPG in an ambush and we fought through a long firefight. I was injured and sent home.

The Army posted me to the Infantry Battle School in Brecon, and PT became my job: two years on the PT staff, taking officers and senior NCOs through some of the hardest courses in the Army. Back with my battalion I was a section commander and company PTI in Nijmegen Company, alongside state ceremonial duties and the Queen's Birthday Parade. My last posting was as a corporal and PTI with the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment. Then I went back to Afghanistan a third time, to Kabul, as part of a close protection team guarding senior officials.

“The deceptive, quiet confidence of a man that gets things done and makes things happen.”Army appraisal, Infantry Battle School, 2013

Boxing ran through all of it. Two years after coming home injured, I won my weight at the Army Individual Boxing Championships and boxed for the Army team. As a coach I took two company teams to the overall win in their battalion boxing competitions, one with the Grenadier Guards and one with the Royal Irish.

Since leaving the Army I've trained young people heading into the forces as an instructor with MPCT, provided close protection and high-level armed security for ultra-high-net-worth clients, and qualified as a FREC Level 3 first responder. Now I coach at David Corfield Gymnasium. Every programme starts with one question: what will your challenge actually ask of you? Then we train for exactly that. Every plan has structure, every level is welcome, and nobody gets left behind.

  • 2007Grenadier Guards: Mortar Platoon, exercises in Kenya, then Afghanistan on Op HERRICK 11
  • 2011Qualified as an All Arms Physical Training Instructor
  • 2012Afghanistan again on Op HERRICK 16. Injured when an RPG hit my vehicle in an ambush
  • 2012–14PT staff at the Infantry Battle School, Brecon
  • 2014Army Individual Boxing Champion at my weight, Army boxing team
  • 2014–16Section commander and company PTI, Nijmegen Company Grenadier Guards
  • 2016–18Corporal and PTI, 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment
  • KabulThird Afghanistan tour: close protection team guarding senior officials
  • 2021 onInstructor with MPCT, then close protection and armed security for ultra-high-net-worth clients
  • TodayThe Combat Coach at David Corfield Gymnasium, Albrighton

Stay positive. Believe in yourself. Never give in.

Coach Shep's hand raised by the referee after a bout
The ring
A boxer in Army red waiting in his corner before a bout
Seconds out
A boxer in Army red holding his medal and the 2014 Army Individual Boxing Championships certificate
Army champion 2014
Coach Shep with his unit in the field
The front line
A full boxing squad around the ring after training
Squad training
A full company photo in desert kit
Brothers in arms
A soldier in face paint carrying a comrade across his shoulders through the jungle
Nobody left behind
A soldier in camouflage firing a rifle in thick jungle
Live firing
Boxing team line-up in red and blue vests
Fight night
Coach Shep and a fellow coach with a medal-winning boxer
In the corner
Coach Shep in full kit during field training
In the field
On the range: pistol drawn, rifle slung, wearing ear defenders and a plate carrier
Close protection
On the range: aiming a rifle fitted with a red-dot sight
Armed security
Soldiers in combat dress formed up in front of Guardsmen in red tunics and bearskins
On parade

The Primal 60 series

Eight animals.
One body.

Primal 60 is eight 60-minute sessions, bodyweight only. Each one is themed around an animal and built around a single training focus. Train all eight and every part of you gets worked: front and back, upper and lower, the big movers and the small stabilisers.

8 sessions60 minutesBodyweight onlyAll levels
Coming soon onlineAll eight Primal 60 sessions as full 60-minute follow-along videos, so you can train with me wherever you are.
Primal 60 series artwork showing the animals together
    Primal 60 Cat session artwork
    Session 01 / 08

    Cat

    Core & spine control
    What it targets
    Deep core, the anti-extension and anti-rotation muscles, plus spinal segmentation, obliques and the lower abs.
    What it builds
    A braced, controlled midsection and a spine that can round, arch and resist movement on demand. The stable platform every other session loads.

    Balanced by Cobra. Cat owns flexion and anti-extension; Cobra owns extension and the back line.

    Block 01

    Warm up

    20s per exercise × 3

    Eight movements on a rolling clock, ending with a primal primer that previews the day's animal.

    Block 02

    The Beast Block

    45s per exercise × 3

    Nine bodyweight exercises back to back for three rounds. The strength and conditioning engine of the session.

    Block 03

    Animal Flow

    1 min teach + 1 min hold × 3

    Three themed flows that turn the day's focus into skilful movement: coordination, rhythm and control.

    Block 04

    Cool down

    1 min per stretch

    Six themed stretches to bring you down and lock in the work, closing with the Coach's Corner cues.

    Bear × EaglePush balanced with pull, for square, healthy shoulders.
    Cat × CobraFront balanced with back, so the trunk is strong both ways.
    Ape & Frog × Cat & FlamingoExplosive hip power, with the control to use it safely.
    Ape × FlamingoTwo legs and one leg, fixing imbalances two-legged work hides.
    Frog & EagleStrength woven with mobility, so the strength days have range.
    ScorpionAdds rotation, so the body is trained in every direction it moves.
    Every regionFront and back, top and bottom, big movers and small stabilisers. Nothing is left untrained.
    Cat → ScorpionA logical arc: open with control and a stable spine, close with rotation that ties the whole body together.

    How to run the series

    One animal per session.

    No single session is complete on its own. That's the point. Each one is a piece, and the power is in how the eight balance and complete each other.

    Pick your paceTwo to three sessions a week rotates you through all eight roughly every three weeks. One a week makes a clean eight-week block.
    Alternate the emphasisFollow a push or front day with a pull or back day, and slot Frog or Flamingo between the heavier power days to stay fresh.
    Keep the shapeEvery session runs Warm Up, Beast Block, Animal Flow, Cool Down. Same structure, different focus, so you always know how the hour will flow.
    Scale it to youBeginners reduce range and use support. Advanced slow the tempo, add pauses and chase full range. All levels, same session.

    CAP sessions

    One kit.
    The whole hour.

    Every CAP session picks one piece of kit and sticks with it from the first rep to the last. Kettlebell, dumbbells, med ball, rope, box, bag or just your body. Continuous work, and you rest only when you need to.

    Coming soon onlineCAP sessions as full-length videos. Pick your kit, press play and work the hour with me.
    Coach Shep deadlifting a loaded barbell
    One bar · the whole hour
    Warm-up
    The work · one piece of kit · 38:00
    Stretch
    8:00 · 8 exercises × 20s × 3 rounds, no rest
    38:00 · continuous work on one piece of kit
    15:00 · 15 stretches × 1 minute
    01

    Eight By Nine

    Kettlebell

    8 stations × 30s, 9 laps, 2-minute finisher

    02

    The Long Flow

    Kettlebell

    19 × 2-minute rounds of a 6-move complex, swapping arms each round

    03

    The Long Six

    Dumbbells

    6 stations × 40s, 9 laps, 2-minute finisher

    04

    Iron Minutes

    Dumbbells

    EMOM 38, four movements rotating

    05

    The Slam List

    Med ball

    A chipper, one pass, 38-minute cap

    06

    Rotation Laps

    Med ball

    6 stations × 40s, 9 laps, 2-minute finisher

    07

    The Rope Stack

    Skipping rope

    8 Tabata blocks, 1 minute between

    08

    Up And Over

    Step-up box

    6 stations × 40s, 9 laps, 2-minute finisher

    09

    The Engine Room

    Punch bag

    19 × 2-minute partner rounds, combinations called in the number code

    10

    The Pyramid

    Bodyweight

    5-10-15-20-25 and back down, 38-minute cap

    10-week boxing conditioning

    Train like
    a fighter.

    I've been the person walking into a boxing gym and not getting noticed. In most gyms there's no structured programme until you're at national level, so everyone else is left guessing. These three programmes fix that. Same evidence-based framework at every level, from your first charity bout to a professional fight camp.

    Recreational package cover
    The everyday boxer

    Recreational

    £35010 weeks
    3per week
    30sessions
    60minutes
    • Skills from stance and jab to combinations, angles and sparring-style drills
    • Functional strength with accessible kit
    • Short, sharp Red Zone conditioning
    • Pad work only, no sparring
    • Benchmark test in week 6, re-test in week 10

    Built for white-collar and charity bouts, beginners, and anyone who wants to get fit training like a boxer.

    Ask about Recreational
    Amateur package cover
    The competitor

    Amateur

    £50010 weeks
    4per week
    40sessions
    60minutes
    • Boxing A, S&C A, recovery mid-week, Boxing B, S&C B
    • Maximum strength phase: trap bar, landmine, heavy compounds
    • Strength-speed block to turn strength into punch power
    • Med ball throws, landmine punches and plyometrics
    • Tests: 3RM trap bar, relative strength, pull-ups, jump height

    Built for competing amateurs, returning fighters, and serious enthusiasts with a base of technique.

    Ask about Amateur
    Pro package cover
    The fight camp

    Professional

    £60010 weeks
    5per week
    50sessions
    60minutes
    • Dedicated mid-week Red Zone conditioning day
    • Sparring built in and loaded across the camp
    • Fight-camp meal timing and a weight-making protocol
    • Week 10 taper: volume down, sharpness kept
    • Fight camp rules: no drinking, no skipped sessions, 8–9 hours' sleep

    Built for pros with a bout booked, elite amateurs before major championships, and serious white-collar fighters.

    Ask about Professional
    Legs drive the punchLower-body strength, not bench press, separates the hardest punchers. Upper-body work stays fast and ballistic.
    Red Zone, not road runsSlow 30–40 minute runs cost a lot and give little back. Conditioning is short, hard and at the intensity boxing demands.
    Stronger, not heavierBoxing is a weight-class sport. Rep ranges and exercise choice build relative strength without the bulk.

    Every tier includes the full 10-week programme in my coaching app, weekly companion sheets, warm-up, cool-down and mobility protocols, sport psychology, nutrition guidance and a benchmark testing battery.

    Group classes

    On the timetable

    Monday
    4:30pm

    Rounds

    Boxing circuit: resistance, bags and cardio, back to back. Round lengths change every session.

    Thursday
    4:30pm

    Rounds

    Same format as Monday. Gloves, bags and a wall clock. All levels welcome.

    Friday
    5:00pm

    Boxercise

    Partner pad work and bodyweight cards. Bring a mate or I'll pair you up.

    Members book their place in the app. Primal 60 and CAP sessions also run as group classes and 1-to-1: message me for the current times. 1-to-1 personal training and online coaching are booked around you.

    Boxercise · twenty Fridays

    A different session every week, from Straight Lines to Fight Night. Scroll through the block, or see every Friday's breakdown in the app.

    Boxercise session 01 Boxercise session 02 Boxercise session 03 Boxercise session 04 Boxercise session 05 Boxercise session 06 Boxercise session 07 Boxercise session 08 Boxercise session 09 Boxercise session 10 Boxercise session 11 Boxercise session 12 Boxercise session 13 Boxercise session 14 Boxercise session 15 Boxercise session 16 Boxercise session 17 Boxercise session 18 Boxercise session 19 Boxercise session 20

    David Corfield Gymnasium

    Where we train

    Racks, free weights, kettlebells, bags, rowers, ski ergs and assault bikes, all under one roof in Albrighton.

    The main training floor with its sprint lane Heavy bags in the boxing area Coach Shep kneeling beneath the David Corfield Gymnasium sign Coach Shep training in the main hall The rig and training floor Dumbbell area under the light panels

    The Combat Coach app

    Train with me
    anywhere.

    One membership, everything included. Every Primal 60, CAP and Intensity 30 session, booking into ROUNDS and Boxercise, the running group when it starts, the Fuel the Fight nutrition guide, and the follow-along videos as they land. Press start and the app runs the whole session for you: every block timed, every exercise called out, with beginner, intermediate and pro scaling.

    £25a month · everything included
    • All 8 Primal 60 sessions
    • All 10 CAP sessions
    • All 10 Intensity 30 sessions
    • Follow-along videos as they're released
    • Fuel the Fight nutrition guide
    • Book your place at ROUNDS and Boxercise
    • The running group when it starts
    8 sessions · 60 min

    Primal 60

    All eight animals, bodyweight only. The app times every block and calls every move.

    10 sessions · 60 min

    CAP

    One piece of kit, the whole hour. Kettlebell, dumbbells, med ball, rope, box, bag or bodyweight.

    10 sessions · 30 min

    Intensity 30

    Bodyweight only, high intensity, minimum rest. Thirty minutes when that's all you've got.

    01

    Join

    Open app.thecombatcoach.co.uk, create your account and pay £25 a month by card. Cancel any time.

    02

    Fill in your PAR-Q

    Two minutes of health questions, then you can book classes and start sessions.

    03

    Train

    Book ROUNDS and Boxercise, or press start on a session. Add the app to your home screen and it works offline.

    Join for £25 a month Look around the app

    Already a coaching client? Your programme lives in the Everfit app: App Store · Google Play

    Your first session

    Is on me.

    Pick a time that suits you and book it straight into my diary. Tell me what you want to work on and we'll get you started. Rather chat first? Send me a DM on Instagram.

    Book a PT sessionDM @coachsheps
    Book onlinecalendly.com/coachshep/pt-session
    Instagram@coachsheps
    WhereDavid Corfield Gymnasium
    Albrighton, Shropshire
    What I offer1-to-1 PT · Group classes · Boxing · Online coaching