Where did the name ‘Bangs’ come from?
I’ve had a blog called ‘Bangs and a Bun’ for years, so that’s always been my handle on social media. My real name (Muireann Carey-Campbell) is of Irish origin, and people mispronounce it all the time. When people started calling me ‘Bangs’, it made things a lot easier!
How did you get into the fitness industry?
I actually had no intention of joining the industry. After being a couch potato for too long, I got into boxing and running in 2010 and starting tweeting and blogging about it. Before long, those became the most popular posts on my blog. I had people messaging me to tell me I’d motivated and inspired them.
I started getting groups of women together to train for half-marathons. It was more of a support group than anything else. I didn’t know any more about running than anyone else, but I liked seeing the confidence boost in people when they were surrounded by a supportive group.
I had messages from people asking where they could train with me – they mistakenly thought I was a personal trainer. I figured, if people found me motivational or inspiring in some way, I’d have to be the change I want to see, by getting into the industry and spreading the fitness message that worked for me.
How has your career progressed since then?
I started teaching BOOM Cycle classes in 2014. I really threw myself into becoming the best instructor I could be. Before long, I was promoted to master trainer, in charge of training up new instructors.
I loved this new part of my job and felt it was where I could really excel. I noticed a gap in the way we did training – we’d train people up, give them some classes to teach and that’d be it. I helped to expand the training programme so it’s ongoing – once you’ve ‘graduated’, we do monthly assessments to help you grow and develop. We call it ‘BOOMiversity’ and I’ve since been promoted to Dean.
What do you think the industry needs to focus on?
Mindfulness. I very rarely, if ever, hear any of my riders talking about losing weight, yet the industry still pushes this as the main goal. I believe it’s now more about seeking a balanced lifestyle, de-stressing, boosting energy levels, being social, having fun and taking time out for yourself.
How important is social media in getting people active?
I think the rise of fitness blogs and columns has really helped. If you’re looking to get active, there’s so much information at your fingertips now. You’ll find people with the same passions, interests, insecurities and struggles as you. It opens you up to a whole world of people who can motivate and inspire you.
On the flip side, platforms such as Instagram tend to reduce the benefits of fitness to purely aesthetic ones, and that can be intimidating when you’re starting out. As with anything, I would say: find your tribe and what works for you and you’ll be cruising.
