HE WAS the first person in Britain to catch every Pokémon Go virtual monster – and credited the game with helping him lose more than two stone.

Now Sam Clarke has been hired by a Hampshire gym as their Pokémon master.

He will help members of Virgin Active’s Hampshire Club catch the virtual monsters while they work out.

As reported by the Daily Echo, 32-year-old Sam walked the equivalent of five marathons and was the first in the UK to catch all 143 Pokémon that were available on the immensely popular smartphone game.

Now the father-of-four is putting his skills as a Pokémon trainer to good use at the gym in West End.

In a first-come, first-served trial run that is running throughout August, people who book a personal training session at Virgin Active will be able to hand their phone over to Sam, who will go into the local area to catch Pokémon for them.

Pokémon master Sam, who clocked up 140 miles while playing the game, said: “I’ve pretty much spent every waking hour playing Pokémon since it launched and I’ve lost two-and-a-half stone as a result. It’s not only fitness it’s great for, it gets you out meeting people.

“The tie-up with Virgin Active is the perfect way to demonstrate that and give their members a full body and mind workout.”

Obi Stanton, a fitness expert from Virgin Active, said: “Pokémon Go has been a huge phenomenon and there’s a natural link to health and fitness.

“We think we’ve got the best physical trainers in the UK – bringing Sam in as our Pokémon-trainer-in-residence really does mean we have a physical trainer for whatever you’re training for. It’s perfect for those who love Jigglypuff as much as jogging.”

Those health benefits have been officially backed up by Dr Margaret McCartney writing in the influential British Medical Journal.

Dr Margaret McCartney wrote that Pokémon Go had a “tantalising side-effect” of increased exercise for players.

Even though it is not marketed as a health app, gamers do a lot of walking during play, the article stated.