About Me
CIMSPA Level 3 Certified Personal Trainer.
Specialises in strength training for beginners with a focus on compound exercises with the barbell.
I've worked in the corporate IT industry for the last 25 years and now I've left that all behind to help people get stronger and improve their lives. Read on to find out more about my journey...
How it started...
I first started going to the gym back in 2015. I started mainly for aesthetic reasons...I was "skinny fat", as you can see here, and wanted to look more muscular. I played football and wanted to improve my muscular strength and endurance and having quit my 30 a day cigarette habit, I wanted to improve my overall fitness. I worked as a Software Developer and spent many hours sat at a desk, which lead to consistent lower back pain that I just couldn't shake off.
I hired a personal trainer and worked out at the on-site gym where I worked. The gym was limited and eventually I stopped progressing. My trainer was sports based and my goals had changed to build more muscle, lose fat and get stronger.
I tried to go it alone for a bit, walking into a gym with no plan, completely clueless and winging it. Needless to say I got absolutely nowhere, so I tried some of the cookie cutter template programmes you see in fitness magazines and on bodybuilding.com. After six months, I didn't progress at all and ended up getting injured.
Frustrated with my lack of progress and constant setbacks, I didn't know what to do next. But I was determined to succeed and eventually stumbled across a book that changed everything....
The next phase...
I read a book called Bigger, Leaner, Stronger by Mike Matthews.
If like me, you're frustrated with the plethora of information out there, don't know who to believe and find yourself stuck in a rut, I highly recommend this book.
It taught me the importance of nutrition and recovery, dispels all the myths you see in fitness magazines and online and taught me the basics to building muscle, getting stronger and losing fat.
Now I could walk into the gym confidently because I had an actual plan, knew how many calories and macronutrients to eat, how to track my progress and build upon the basic knowledge I had attained.
Bigger, Leaner, Stronger is aesthetic focused and I made some good progress that I was really happy with but I still kept getting injured, particularly when performing the barbell squat and deadlift exercises because I wasn't performing them with particularly good form.
I joined the outstanding Trojan Fitness gym in Bristol and was blown away by the strength of the members there, a new world had opened up in front of me...proper strength training.
Inspired by the Trojan family and frustrated with my own lack of progress, I was determined to get good at performing the compound barbell exercises, I knew they were the best way to help me progress and get bigger and stronger.
My new goal was to get good at compound barbell exercises.
I spent a couple of months following YouTube tutorials and having the odd form check session with a PT but I still wasn't progressing as well I wanted.
Fortunately I found a new book and training program that was an absolute game changer for me...
The game changer...
I discovered Starting Strength founded by Mark Rippetoe.
Starting Strength is aimed at beginners who want to get strong and build muscle, focusing on compound barbell exercises.
I hired a Starting Strength Coach who expertly guided me through becoming the strongest and most muscular I've ever been in my life. This had tremendous carry over into every day life; people complimented my physique, I could carry washing machines and small fridges and open jars for my girlfriend ;)
And best of all...no more back pain!
Strength training also helped me through some dark times too. Being focussed and disciplined with my training helped me to build resilience and was also a nice break from the grind of every day life. Training sessions were like meditation for me.
Most importantly it taught me not to listen to my mind all the time, and that I was capable of achieving things when my mind said "you can't do it".
Now, I continue to focus on strength training as a way to increase longevity in my older years and stay strong and healthy, so I can become harder to kill and more useful in general.
I want to use my knowledge and experience to help others become stronger and more confident in life, especially new or inexperienced gym-goers. I've made the mistakes and learnt many lessons, so under my guidance, you'll get better and stronger in a much quicker time frame.
Interested in my services?
I want to know your needs exactly so that I can provide the best solution.
Weston-super-Mare | Somerset | UK