Q: So Dave, how long have you been a personal trainer?
A: I've been a personal trainer since 2010 after qualifying through Premier Training International (https://www.premierglobal.co.uk). Since becoming a personal trainer I've gone on to become CrossFit level 1 and 2 qualified.
Q: What made you want to become a PT?
A: I love teaching and I love people. There is a vast crowd of fitness enthusiasts out there, but enjoying working out or performing at a high standard doesn't mean that personal training is the job for you. Ultimately you need to have a desire to equip people with knowledge to bring about change. Its not just about producing results from a client, but working alongside them.
Q: How does seeing your clients make progress make you feel?
A: Everyone who embarks on a fitness mission and who works hard consistently will get results. When significant progress happens, I'm happy and the client is happy. However we don't use this as an opportunity to slack off, but instead "cash in" on this motivational high, to get them through the next stage of their fitness journey. As a side, I would argue that anyone who exercises frequently and consistently should see some kind of progress from week to week. Your fitness shouldn't be about static maintenance but an ongoing evolution.
Q: What’s the best piece of fitness advice you were ever given OR What’s the best piece of fitness advice you would tell somebody who was struggling?
I've hinted at this already, but the best piece of advice I can give is being consistent. Exercise frequently, enjoy eating nutritious food every day, get quality sleep every night, constantly keep stress under control. It's not just about making the right choices but making these choices every day, day in day out, for the rest of your life. It's not about following the latest fitness trend or health fad for a narrow minded, short term goal. You've got to make health and fitness a lifetime habit, like brushing your teeth.
Q: What is your favourite part of the body to work on and why?
A: Rather than breaking the body into isolated muscles and training like a body builder, I train around movement patterns. These can be categorized into hinge, lunge, push, pull, squat, carry.
My favourite (sadly because it's my strongest lift) would be a deadlift, which falls under the "hinge" movement pattern.
If you're unsure what a deadlift is, it's simply lifting a weight off the floor to your hips. It is probably the best way of targeting your posterior chain, creating a strong, injury free back.
Q: Give us a brief overview of your own daily nutrition plan.
A: This is an example of what I would eat during the day. On non workout days I would decrease overall calorie and carbohydrate intake.
Snack- homemade juice and superfood powder with probiotics
Breakfast- poached eggs on homemade gluten free bread with coconut oil
Snack- homemade meat balls (locally sourced beef)
Lunch- mackerel and rice noodles
Snack- dark chocolate and cashew nuts
Dinner- fish pie
Snack - bananas, protein powder and Greek yoghurt
We'd like to extend our thanks to Dave, and we hope you've all found that as interesting as we did. If you are interested in training then please check out Dave's website here.
If you're a personal trainer and would like to be featured on our blog then pease get in touch - hello@gymfreaks.co.uk
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