Meet the Inspirational Personal Trainer Who Helps People With Disabilities Achieve Their Fitness Goals for Free

When we think of fitness, we often picture young, healthy, and fit individuals trying to get even more in shape than they already are. But wellness is a goal for people from all walks of life, and personal trainer Javeno McLean is someone who truly believes everyone can achieve their fitness aspirations. The UK-based McLean, once a professional athlete, provides his elderly and disabled clients with free exercise classes. He’s convinced that all of them can achieve wonderful things with a great support system, and the results of his continuous work speak for themselves.

Javeno McLean had a successful career as a cricketer. Now, he’s segued his experience into becoming a personal trainer.

Prior to his career as a fitness instructor and personal trainer, Javeno McLean was once a professional cricketer. Despite the fact that he once considered cricket to be his greatest passion, over time he realized that it was missing a crucial component for him — the connection to individuals and community. As a result, he chose to start teaching exercise classes. Through this work, he discovered a deep sense of fulfillment, as he was able to work closely with people and assist them in accomplishing their fitness goals.

For a long time, McLean has been quietly giving back to his community.

After spending years working for the local council, Javeno McLean decided to establish his own health center to provide support to people with disabilities and the elderly. This was the birth of J7, which started as a small operation with just one person but quickly grew to serve individuals with disabilities, seniors, and children.

McLean has always been driven by the desire to give back to his community, and his contributions include offering free Zoom exercise classes for individuals with cancer, participating in a “gym-a-thon” to raise funds for a women’s shelter, and leading a press-up challenge to help a young boy with cerebral palsy.

Later, he realized the positive power social media can have.

For years, McLean chose not to share his work on social media, but that changed after one of his clients posted a video showcasing her progress. The positive response to the post inspired McLean to start posting short videos of the people he helped on TikTok. “That’s when I realized the positive power, that by posting it, it gets out to more people and helps connect with more people,” he shared in an interview.

“I get paid with the memories,” McLean trains people with disabilities and the elderly for free.

“There’s so much power to being a nice person and wanting to help people!” McLean says. That’s why he decided to offer free sessions to people with disabilities and the elderly recovering from illnesses, like strokes. “I get paid with the memories,” the inspiring personal trainer explained, and seeing people achieve their goals, like being able to walk again, is worth the hard work for McLean.

He has a wholesome approach to fitness and progress and is his clients’ biggest supporter.

Javeno McLean avoids referring to his center as a gym because he perceives gyms as solitary and daunting spaces. Instead, his goal is to create a welcoming and supportive atmosphere where individuals feel safe and at ease.

At J7, people from diverse backgrounds come together, including wheelchair users seeking to improve their mobility, elderly individuals striving to get fit, and even professional athletes training together. McLean aims to provide an environment where everyone feels accepted and encouraged to reach their fitness goals.

He has made many friends along the way, and continues to inspire millions.

Many years ago, Javeno McLean saw a disabled person being treated disrespectfully by another personal trainer. He approached him and offered to finish the session with him. This encounter made McLean realize that he had finally found his true calling.

And over the many years he’s been training people, he has made several other meaningful connections. “I want to be friends with the people I work with. If I don’t know the ins and outs of their lives and story, and they don’t know the ins and outs of mine — we can’t build that relationship.”