Meet Jérôme Camerlynck: Kind, Insightful, Grounded

His Teaching Style

An Interview with Jérôme Camerlynck

Some coaches energise a room by being loud.
Jérôme energises a room by being present.

Gentle in nature and clinically sharp in observation, Jérôme Camerlynck brings heart, humour and expertise into every session. Soft‑spoken but fiercely dedicated, he is the kind of physiotherapist who listens deeply, adapts quickly, and believes wholeheartedly in the power of movement, especially for those navigating or recovering from cancer.

With a specialisation in internal medicine (cancer, cardiac, respiratory and metabolic conditions), he brings a level of clinical understanding that is rare in group fitness settings. And yet, what people talk about most is not his expertise, but his kindness.

Tell us a bit about your background:

I like to work with people… the medical, biology, and social… and I didn’t want to become a nurse because I didn’t want to work shifts.

And then physio made me sporty.

Throughout my studies, I realized with all the knowledge that I had firsthand, that exercise is magic. It really, really helps.
I mean, we hear it. It’s a known fact, but still, a lot of people… have difficulty implementing it.

And that’s the true difficulty: behaviour change.
But behaviour change can happen, if you have the right information, if you have people around you who share the passion, and if you get the possibility to actually try it out and to see your progress for yourself.
That’s how you get intrinsically motivated. And that’s how it should be.

And Jérôme experienced this personally.
Though he wasn’t sporty growing up, studying physiotherapy transformed both his understanding of the body and his personal relationship with movement.
Today, he guides participants with the same mindset that changed his own life:
movement can be joyful, strengthening, mood‑lifting, and deeply empowering.

Before doing my studies in physiotherapy, I wasn’t sporty at all!
In sports class I was never the best, and I was never part of a sports club or a member of a gym. And now I’m advocating the importance of physical activity and showing people how to do their exercises!

Ever the grounded, inspiring soul, he uses this metaphor to explain what our society has nowadays forgotten:

You can continuously learn so much. And this is something that’s lifelong.
It’s never too late to start new activities. The body and mind keep learning, growing and absorbing new information and experiences all the time and this is so great.
We should nourish our body and take care of it, like we would take care of a plant. It needs water, some sunlight, healthy and nutritious food, some exercise, and rest. This is what keeps life going, and we, our society, forgets it.

Clinically, Jérôme splits his time between a private practice, a nursing home, a mental‑health and disability care facility, and ALGSO classes. The variety keeps his perspective fresh and his coaching beautifully adaptable:

When I work in just one place, I get stuck. Changing environments keeps me flexible and present, and that’s what people deserve.

What do you love most about your work with ALGSO?

The people: their motivation, their atmosphere, their presence.
The class is in the late evening, and I have very long working days, but I always look forward to coming to the class, no matter how tired I am because the group, the people… well they really energise me.
The atmosphere that we create during the class is very… embracing.
They’re so motivated and we genuinely all have such a nice time.

He also loves that the group’s energy allows him to train alongside them at a high level:

We do what I like: exercising! The movements we do are the same as what I do at home. I tailor them to their specific needs and situations of course, but I get to work out alongside them.

How do you tailor your classes to accommodate everyone’s specific situation?

Thanks to Jérôme’s medical training as a physiotherapist, he has all the knowledge and experience to create a medically safe environment. Being very humble and down-to-earth, he thanks his education for it:

A big topic in my education was how to structure group lessons safely. Honestly, if it’s not safe here, I don’t know where it would be.

If the participant wants to, we can also check their anamnesis to get a good grip on what their current condition is, and to get a clearer idea of which direction we can work with this participant.

For Jérôme, every person is unique and every day is different.
He adapts constantly and respects their individuality:

I don’t judge when a person doesn’t want to come… They are all free to come and also free to not come.
I let everyone make their own choice, because they are the ones responsible for their health and the ones in their bodies. It’s not my place to tell them how they feel. They are all grownups and they should be treated as grownups.

He checks how people feel, watches their energy, and offers options for every exercise.
First session, first clues: during the 10-15 minute warm‑up, Jérôme gathers a brief medical background and quietly observes balance, coordination, energy, and any caution flags linked to surgery, neuropathy, medication or bone health. From there, he adapts the plan. Live.
He’s also acutely aware of medical factors:

Tiredness can come from a drop of the red blood cells… there can be something else behind it. And, in our Ettelbruck class, we are all medically trained physios, so, if someone doesn’t feel well during the class, we can help them, take their blood pressure, direct them to a specialist if a medical follow-up is needed, etc.
No judgement, just support.

What kind of environment do you create in your sessions?

Honestly, I don’t really have to do much because the group is so great that the atmosphere comes from them. From their motivation, their care for each other and their kindness.

His admiration for the group is clear and shines brightly when he talks about them.

I love how motivated they are. This is a really strong group, they are really here to work. But it’s not about competition. It’s also about their welcoming and embracing mindset. Anyone would feel good with them and I really love that I get to spend this time with them.

Jérôme makes sure that his classes are warm, accepting and motivating for every single participant. He aims for connection, joy and a sense of collective effort, not competition or comparison.

His ability to adapt on the spot also plays a key role:

If the energy dips, I might switch methods. For example, circle work can bring back the interaction.
And sometimes, we dance. It wakes up the brain, brings back youthful memories, and naturally lifts the room.
We break a move down, back to the basics, then build it back up, and suddenly it’s possible.

Humour also plays a role. On low‑energy days, exercises are adapted. On connected days, the room is full of laughter.

Is there a fun fact most people don’t know about you?

I was never a sporty person. I tried this and that, here and there, but I never really did sports. Then I did my studies, and now… well now I’m really sporty and I love to bike… I also play the guitar.

A huge grin starts to spread on his face as he proceeds to tell us about his passion:

But honestly? I absolutely love dancing. I spend my weekends dancing like crazy…there’s probably nothing that I love more than dancing.

And then his humility takes front and centre stage when he reminds us what gratitude looks like:

But otherwise, all the time I spend working, I’m really doing what I love. I’m so lucky to have this possibility, to do something I’m so passionate about.
You know, when it’s a passion, it doesn’t feel like work.

Do you have a success story you would like to share?

I think one person who really impresses me is our eldest member.
She’s the eldest, but she’s also one of the fittest and that’s where we really see the impact of implementing a behaviour change.
She was never sporty before her cancer history, but then afterwards, she decided herself that she needed to do something and she found our class and now it’s something she can’t live without.
It’s become so important to her that she’s been coming here for years, she’s the longest member here.
And she’s also the one who is really connecting the group, I feel, because everybody thinks “oh, she’s, she’s older, but she’s so fit!”
And we see that that is something that the other participants look up to.
She’s like an idol.

A personal message from Jérôme:

Try the effects of this “magic pill” called exercise… and you will feel the high from the endorphins.

He knows how hard starting can be, especially after treatment:

I know it’s very hard to start doing sports when you have so much going on and when you have just come from a life crisis.
And it’s very easy for us to tell you to do it, but it’s something else completely when you’re the one in the situation.

That’s why I always invite people to come and try it out.
And like that, you can see after one session how you feel. You can compare the before and after.
You’ll definitely feel good afterwards thanks to the endorphins and then the body-mind approach at the end of the class. You’ll feel different.

And then, when you do this continuously, you’ll notice the impact in your day-to-day life. Gradually, your strength will come back, your balance will improve, you’ll feel more confident. And then there’s also the impact of the group…the connection, the exchange.

Coming back to the idea of the “magic pill”, Jérôme makes a valid point:

There are so many medical and psychological benefits, that it’s the sort of pill that you just won’t find in any pharmacy. And I think, after chemotherapy, you’ll have enough of those.
So it’s time to go back to a more human approach and medicine.

Activity: Fitness and Muscle Strengthening in Ettelbruck

When: Wednesdays from 7:30pm – 8:45pm

Where: Gymnasium of the École Privée Sainte‑Anne

Who for: Open to all ALGSO members

Shared with: Sarah Even & Joelle

Why You’ll Love His Classes