My approach

If you are seriously ready to put in the time and effort needed to improve your health and fitness, then I can help you. Whether you want to tone up, lose weight, reduce your body fat levels, get back into shape after having a baby, regain your fitness after recovering from an injury, operation or illness, improve your overall fitness, get stronger, train for a specific event, or a combination of these - it is all possible. Often people who suffer with back pain find that they can also benefit from a personal training programme which might reduce or eliminate the back pain altogether. Regardless of your age or current fitness level, if you really want to then it can be done. My current client portfolio ranges from people in their 20s to those in their 70s!

Every client is individual starting from their own initial fitness level, and has their own specific goals, which is why I offer a unique personal training solution to each client. No two clients have the same training programme. Your training programme will depend on what you want to achieve. It is designed and tailored specifically to your needs.

However, the overall approach I take applies to the majority of clients:

How I work... fitness testing, goal setting, programme design and nutrition

I offer personal fitness training any time between 7am and 8pm on Mondays to Thursdays, and on Friday mornings. I will do my best to fit training sessions around your schedule. When first embarking on a new fitness programme the most effective results are usually achieved by having two or three training sessions per week. As you progress, this can often be reduced to one session per week along with another one or two exercise sessions you would do on your own. I will travel to you, bringing all the necessary equipment i.e. weights, swiss ball, mat, step block etc., whatever is required to conduct your fitness sessions. You don't need a lot of space to have an effective workout at home.

Initial consultation
We always begin by arranging an initial consultation which is free of charge. We discuss your goals, motivations for contacting me, and go through your medical and health background. It is your opportunity to find out more about me and my opportunity to find out more about you. If at the end we are both happy, get on, and feel we can work together, then we go ahead and book your training sessions in our diaries, and agree a start date.

Fitness testing
The first training session always comprises fitness testing as this is critical to identify any weaknesses in the body and design an optimum training programme based on realisitic long and short term goals. Key fitness tests include checking your weight, blood pressure, body mass index, body fat composition and various tests to establish cardio vascular fitness levels and muscular strength and endurance. They will be repeated at appropriate stages throughout the weeks and months of your personal training programme in order to demonstrate the progress that you are making and to keep you motivated.

Nutrition
I offer nutritional advice and guidance throughout the course of your personal training. In order to improve overall health it is important that we address your nutritional habits and diet. By asking clients to complete a Food Diary each week I can see what your typical eating patterns are like and suggest improvements or changes which will help you to achieve your goals. The fuel you put into your body will directly affect the physical changes we aim to achieve. So it is important that we make sure you get into the habit of eating a healthy balanced diet, in order for you to succeed with your fitness goals. It is true that you are what you eat!

If you are a current client and need another Food Diary for the week, please click here to download. (The diary is in .pdf format and requires Adobe Acrobat to read it.)

To find out more about what personal training physically involves please click here.

My training philosophy...fun, enjoyment, hard work, and success!

I want my clients to have fun and enjoy their personal training sessions, but I also want them to succeed and reach all their original goals. Over time I have developed a technique that works - this involves motivating and encouraging people, without intimidating them. It is about making long term realistic, maintainable lifestyle changes that incorporate fitness into your life in a regular, manageable way. It is not about quick fixes and crash diets which ultimately fail.

The most important factor in your success is recognising that it is a two-way commitment; your input is as critical as mine. You have to really want this and be prepared to work hard to get the results you want - it's not easy and there are no cutting corners, but it is very satisfying when your goals are achieved. If we set realistic targets for you and take it one step at a time, you will enjoy it and you'll never look back. Take a look at some of my client testimonials and read how others have succeeded and benefited from their personal training with me.

So if you feel ready to make some positive changes to your health and fitness then please get in touch.