Former Emmerdale actress and Strictly Come Dancing Star Gemma answers questions on her training and diet alongside her Ultimate Performance personal trainer

Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez have been training hard for the past six weeks to get in the best shape possible for their summer holiday. Actress and radio presenter Gemma has been blogging her progress at Ultimate Performance Manchester alongside partner and Strictly Come Dancing co-star Gorka. But as the pair finish their couples' holiday training program…

Week 5 again training-wise was tough because we couldn’t actually get into the Ultimate Performance Manchester gym as often as we wanted. We had to rely mostly on clean food and squeezing in cardio at home. I have my radio job, travelling to London, and my dog Norman going back and forth to the vet…

One of the main things I’ve learned from my time at U.P. is that even though I was ‘going to the gym’ before, I was training without a plan. I have always lacked motivation at the gym, and I always found that I was doing the same thing over and over again and not making progress. What…

Training was difficult in Week 3. I was on mum duties because Norman, one of our dogs, broke his leg while he was out walking. He’s fine now – he’s currently hobbling about wearing his cone of shame, but with him having surgery and being unable to be left alone, we couldn’t make it into the…

A transformation at U.P. is much bigger than what happens when you step on the scales, or when you start lifting heavier weights - It will change the way you see your body, and as a result, you’ll find you are much kinder to yourself. The feeling after doing a training session at U.P. is…

I’ve reached a point where going to U.P. is part of my life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m trying to fit in four workouts a week at U.P. which is hard because my work hours move around so much and no two days are the same. Sean and James,…

Since completing my last transformation with Ultimate Performance, I’ve kept up most of the good habits with regards to training – however, I’ve allowed myself a less strict routine with food. When working towards a timeframe of 12 weeks, it’s much easier to maintain as you know it’ll be coming to an end, but I…