John Suriya

Head of Coaching & Education

Having been in the industry for nearly a decade, John is vastly experienced with working alongside a niche group of clientele – from expectant and new mothers, cancer and stroke survivors, the elderly, casual athletes, and post-operative patients, to those suffering from everyday pain in every joint imaginable.

Clients seeking pain-free movement and an improved quality of life, amongst other goals such as fat loss and general muscle building, usually seek out John for his knowledge and expertise.

Highly focused on exercise setup, technique, and execution, John pays extreme attention to detail to ensure every exercise fits the individual client and their goals.

His coaching philosophy encapsulates clear and effective communication, gradual changes to lifestyle habits, sustainable nutrition strategies, effective stress and sleep management, and highly structured strength training protocols.

Being coached by John at Thrive essentially means your physical, mental, and emotional well-being will be well taken care of.

Apart from being the exercise and technical coach for other trainers at Thrive, John is also Thrive’s resident manual therapist, treating patients’ musculoskeletal pain with a gamut of modalities such as dry needling, instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, joint articulation, and deep tissue massage.

What our clients say

  • John is a fantastic trainer and is extremely thorough in his work. I always look forward to my sessions with him.

    I can see improvements all the time, especially in my strength. During times of injury he’s been great at tweaking the program to allow for rehab. I can’t recommend John and the wider Thrive
    team enough!

  • John was very understanding on my goals and diet while progressing with my strength training programme.

    At a pace I’m comfortable with - I’m back to my pre-pregnancy weight - I couldn’t have done it without the support and motivation by my trainer.

    John provides a comfortable atmosphere while still pushing you to your limits (all with comedic relief - which helps a lot for someone like me, who’s an introvert and not a fan of going to gym). Very accommodating as well! Thanks John!

  • I was recommended to Thrive a few months after I’d had my second baby. They are incredibly professional and Matt really took the time to understand what I wanted to achieve. Not only do they work with you on a completely personal fitness programme but they guide you through healthy food choices too. He thought John would be best suited to train me due to his extensive experience with post natal training and injury/rehab which was perfect for me as I’ve always struggled with my back.

    I couldnt recommend John more highly! He has helped me get in to better shape (building muscle not just getting toned ;)) than I’ve been in years but he also worked very closely with me on my nutrition. My relationship with food has definitely changed a lot and I’m feeling more confident. But it didn’t stop there. He helped me make little changes in my day to day, got me walking more (got my Fitbit!), doing more exercise outside of my training sessions that I actually enjoyed like tennis and supported me throughout.

    It didn’t seem a chore which was half the battle for me! Once you get past the questionable jokes (ha ha!) he’s also just an awesome, extremely dedicated, hardworking and very kind person. It’s been a pleasure training with you. Thank you John and the Thrive team 💕💕

Qualifications & Certifications

  • - ACE Certified Personal Trainer (American Council on Exercise)
    - BioForce Conditioning Certification (8WeeksOut)
    - Anatomy, Execution & Biomechanics for Trainers (N1 Education)
    - Nutrition & Program Design for Trainability (N1 Education)
    - Level 1 & 2 Resistance Training Specialist (RTS Global)
    - Kettlebells Level 1 & 2 (FIT Singapore)
    - Science to Gym Floor Level 1 & 2 (JPS)
    - Pre-Script Level 1 & 2 Coaching Certification
    - Ben Yanes Modern Meathead Biomechanics Course
    - Ben Yanes Programming Course

  • - Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certified (Precision Nutrition)
    - Fitness Nutrition Specialist (FIT Singapore)

  • - Certified Pre- & Postnatal Coach (Girls Gone Strong)
    - Prenatal and Postpartum Specialist (EL Coaching)
    - Women’s Fitness Specialist (FIT Singapore)

  • - REHAB Essentials (Rehab Trainer)
    Master REHAB Trainer (Rehab Trainer)
    - Corrective Exercise Specialization (The BioMechanics Method)
    - Basic Sports Massage (International Sports Academy)
    - Advanced Sports Massage (FysioTouch)
    - Certified IASTM Practitioner (OMT Training)
    - Certified Diploma in Osteopathic Articulation (OMT Training)
    - Level 1 – Myofascial Needling & Cupping (Manual Medicine Australasia)
    - Level 2 – Advanced Needling & Electrotherapy (Manual Medicine Australasia)
    - Medical Acupuncture Level 1 (OMT Training)