Professor Greg Whyte of the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences at Liverpool John Mores University and Human Kinetics’ author, was a trainer to the nine celebrities undertaking an iconic challenge for Comic Relief.

He took the celebrities, all with little or no walking or high altitude experience, to the summit of Africa’s highest peak – Kilimanjaro.

This also involves being filmed for a documentary with the promise of raising millions of pounds for charity and with failure, not an option!

The lucky nine(?) seen here are Gary Barlow, Chris Moyles, Ronan Keating, Ben Sheppard, Alesha Dixon, Denise Van Outen, Fearne Cotton, Cheryl Cole and Kimberly Walsh.

Not only was the challenge a serious affair, but the eclectic nature of the team (physically, mentally and experientially) would make for a significant challenge for him. But who wouldn’t want to work with such a great group on such an iconic climb!

Being the trainer on a project such as this is not that different from being an elite coach leading up to a major championship. Physical and psychological preparation is of paramount importance and a thorough understanding of coaching science and high performance is a must, however; much of the work is akin to being a mentor.