Worth the weight: Entrepreneur Pat Phelan's journey from near death to new ventures

When diabetes and possible death were staring multimillionaire entrepreneur Pat Phelan in the face, he embarked on a self-improvement programme that radically transformed his physique - just in time for the launch of his new chain of cosmetic clinics.

Pat Phelan: ‘They all see me on Instagram and think this is great. But they don’t know fuck all about what people had to go through to get me here’ JOHN ALLEN

Gymnastic rings are deceptively difficult. They hang from an overhead bar, or from the ceiling, via ropes or straps and the idea is to hang from them and support your body weight and – if you can manage it – perform a number of routines.

The problem is that, unlike, say, parallel bars, the rings move. That means it’s not possible to brace yourself against them and simply lock your arms together. Arm ...