Personal Training
Personal Training in the comfort and privacy of your own home. Ring Dom on 07900 188194 or contact me here
Welcome to my personal training page. I hope you find it useful, but more than that, I hope it motivates you to get fit and achieve your goals. For testimonials from my personal training clients in London, keep on scrolling down this page.
What's your top fitness goal?
Imagine for a moment your ideal physique. What shape would you like to be? How toned? What weight would make you happiest? Is your goal to run faster, have more endurance, get stronger, have more energy throughout the day, become more flexible? With a clear picture of your goal in your mind, and with a burning desire to achieve it, you're far more likely to turn your hopes into reality. See the mind power page for goalsetting strategies.
Now ask yourself the crucial question 'Why?' Why do you want these goals? The more reasons you have to achieve a goal, the more emotionally empowered you become, and the more likely you are to succeed. When I lived in north London I had a personal trainer who taught me this technique to great effect. He came from an Eastern European country where the values of self-reliance and desire to succeed are much stronger than here in the UK. Grab a piece of paper and write down 10 reasons why you want to reach your goal. Don't just do this once, do it regularly once a week. The act of writing down your motivations will have a powerful reinforcing effect, and you will find that your reasons evolve over time.
With a personal trainer, you'll get a far better return on your investment of time, effort and money.
Are you frustrated by your lack of progress in your fitness training, or just bored with your current routine? Have you tried and given up in the past? Are you desperate to build muscle faster, lose weight faster, tone up a particular body part, get fitter, eat more healthily, have more energy? Do you make progress for a while, then hit a training plateau?
Are you confused by conflicting advice, contradictory media reports, and sceptical about the latest fads and expert recommendations? If you're looking to gain weight, how can you build muscle without piling on excess fat too? Or if you want to lose weight, how can you avoid losing muscle mass? Does exercise leave you feeling drained, when you've been told it helps boost your energy levels? I have the answers to all these questions.
It's amazing how many people get stuck in a rut of the same old exercise routines, month in month out, and wonder why they're not making any progress. You need to keep your workouts fresh and varied, as well as increasing the intensity and resistance (progressive overload), to keep challenging your body. This way, your body is stimulated into making steady progress over time. Variety is crucial (but not enough in itself!).
There are many small details of technique that make the critical difference between a poor workout and an effective workout. This is why you make faster progress with a personal trainer.
If you perform an exercise too quickly (or too slowly), with too light a weight (or too heavy), with poor body-position (which risks injury as well as failing to exercise the muscles you intend to exercise), with too much rest between sets, or with a poor combination of exercises, or a good combination done in the wrong order, you'll be compromising your whole workout. With a personal trainer you'll get a far better return on your investment of time, effort and money.
Exercise at the gym or at home?
Are you one of thousands of people who sees the gym is just too daunting, or too crowded, or too dirty, or too inconvenient to get to?
What if the gym came to you? Would you be more likely to exercise if a personal trainer knocked on your door once or twice a week and gave you an energetic and effective home workout? You can then make your personal training sessions the cornerstone of your weekly fitness regime. Yes, you need to do some exercise in between your personal training sessions too, if you're to make real progress! Train with me and I'll give you workouts to do between our sessions.
I only provide face to face personal training in London within tube zones 1-4, but I provide online fitness/nutrition coaching wherever you live in the UK. Currently most of my personal training clients are in London SW1, SW3, SW7, E11, EC1, W8, W9, W14, N5, N6 and NW3, but I can travel to all postcodes within tube zones 1-4. Some personal trainers stick to just one small part of London. I'm London-wide.
Why hire a personal trainer?
Perhaps your sessions at the gym are stuck in the kind of rut described above, and you're not seeing any new gains. Or maybe you can't seem to discipline yourself to eat healthily and avoid all the temptations of junk food and ready meals. Or however much cardio you do at the gym, that spare tyre (or big bum, or bat wings, or for guys the dreaded man boobs) will not shift. (clue: cardio exercise on its own is not sufficient for fat loss).
The majority of people who exercise tend to sell themselves short by not training effectively, as outlined above. Most people are capable of doing more than they think they can. Is this you?
If you live in London and you have a burning desire to get fit, why not take action now and hire me as your personal trainer - you'll start to see and feel the benefits very quickly. I will help you achieve your fitness goals safely, effectively and enjoyably. And I'll design for you a healthy eating plan that you can stick to and enjoy. You can't out-train a bad diet, which is why I include nutrition advice as standard, otherwise your training efforts will be sabotaged by poor nutrition.
I have over 9 years experience, and a Premier Training Diploma under my belt (I came top of the class in the personal training Diploma exams), so I'm well qualified to give you great value for money. I'm a member of the National Register of Personal Trainers (NRPT), fully insured for Public Liability, and trained for first aid.
You can either have one to one personal training sessions, or do some personal training sessions with a friend or partner, for just £10 more.
If you're looking for a personal trainer in London, click on the link right now and take that first step towards looking and feeling the best you've ever been. The link will take you to my other site Domfitness.com. Sessions are £60/hour or £500 for a block of 10 sessions. If you want a London personal trainer for muscle growth click this link. And if you're specifically after a male personal trainer in London, you've found one! Please note I have a 24 hour cancellation policy.
Personal Training for Obese Clients
I have trained many clients with obesity, and helped get them out of the danger zone. If you are obese, now is the time to do something about it, and a block of sessions with a personal trainer will set you on the fast track to winning back your health in as little time as safely possible. It's important that you lose weight at a steady rate, not too fast, and with methods that do not harm your health. I have helped several clients lose over 4 stone, by transforming their eating habits, daily exercise habits, lifestyle habits, their beliefs about exercise and eating, and their whole outlook on life.
Obesity is no laughing matter. If you are suffer from obesity and you're reading this now, please call me and lets get started on your road to fitness. Over the years I've had personal training clients in London who I'm proud to say are now at much less risk of suffering diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and a range of other conditions. It's worth the investment of as many personal training sessions as it takes to make the changes necessary to get your weight within healthy range as fast as safely possible. What could be more important than your health and wellbeing?
Online Personal Training
If your budget won't stretch to weekly face-to-face personal training sessions, why not try my 14 day online personal training for a one-off payment of £50? You'll get an exercise plan and a nutrition plan to match your needs. I'll also get you to fill in some food diaries, to focus your mind on exactly what you're eating, how much, and when. Then I'll analyse these diaries and suggest some practical improvements in your eating habits. This exercise/nutrition package is great value for money, and gives you a decisive kick-start towards a healthier way of life. You don't have to live in London to take advantage of this online coaching.
My online clients say it helps to know that someone will be monitoring what they eat, and this food diary monitoring starts to change their eating habits almost immediately. Contact me to get started.
Who are my Role Models?
I draw inspiration from top personal trainers, physiotherapists and nutritionists all over the world, particularly the USA and Canada.
For strength and size, personal trainer Zach Even-Esh is a fantastic role model, with his Underground Strength Gym in the States. He encourages people to improvise with rocks, sandbags, ropes, tyres, pullup bars, hill sprints. I guess you could say he's a 'no excuses' hard-core strength trainer, with an incredible work ethic. He's a personal trainer to college wrestlers and athletes/sportsmen of all disciplines. His motto is "transforming ordinary athletes into beasts."
For sheer thoroughness of instruction and great communication skills, LA personal trainer and founder of Holistic Fitness, Gregory Joujon-Roche is hard to beat. Just check out his YouTube video clips and you'll see what I mean. Greg was Brad Pitt's personal trainer in the run-up to the film Troy. Six personal training sessions a week for 6 months gave Brad Pitt the awesome physique you see in the film.
For a fresh approach to exercise routines and nutrition, I get a lot of value from following Craig Ballentyne, a personal trainer in Toronto, Canada. Craig is the founder of Turbulence Training, a range of simple workouts that you can do at home without fancy equipment, and without tedious and monotonous cardio routines. He also advocates plenty of raw vegetables and nuts and seeds as the cornerstone of your diet.
Testimonials
"So far I have lost nearly 5 stone training with Dominic, and I can now compete effectively in badminton and football."
Dean Wallman (Operations Director, Woodford E18))
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"His supportive commitment to getting me into shape and fit has been second to none."
James Hogan (Publisher, Oberon Books, Islington N7)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"As a partner in a City law firm, I don't have the time to go to a gym with all the hassle of travelling there, finding a place to park, and travelling home again. Because Dominic trains me at home, these time problems are solved and I have no excuse not to keep fit! Even if I did have more time, I'm not keen on the idea of training in a gym, so Dominic's friendly approach and individually designed programme at home works well for me."
Anne Waltham (Solicitor, Hampstead NW3)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I can't recommend Dominic enough. I started training with him in July 2005 when I was severely overweight. A pupil had taken a photo of me abroad & I was shocked when I saw how big I'd become. The weight had crept on gradually & I realised I'd been fooling myself for years. I signed up initially for just 5 sessions, and after those 5 sessions my partner was already noticing improvements. I started to run at the same time, although my extra weight did hamper me.
So I carried on for regular weekly training sessions with Dominic. The weight dropped off quite dramatically when I started taking Dominic's nutrition advice, and I was becoming more toned too. I set myself two goals - to go back to the exact same spot in France & have the same photo retaken that initially shocked me into action, and to run the London Marathon. I achieved the first goal and felt fantastic. The second goal - the London Marathon - I achieved this April 2007 and it was the hottest Marathon ever. By now my fitness was at its peak. I did suffer with the heat, but managed to finish the race & felt encouraged when Dominic texted me as I ran. Dominic gave me a sports massage the next day to help the muscles recover.
Throughout my training, Dominic took an interest in how I felt at each stage, and gave me constant encouragement. Because of him I have adopted a radically different lifestyle and I know the massive weight loss will stay off. I eat more sensibly, drink less and have incorporated a fitness regime into my everyday life. In fact, the first thing I pack when I go away is my gym kit!"
Alan Cox (Teacher, Barking, East London)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I lost 4 stone training with Dominic, using a varied routine of dumbbells, core training, cardio-boxing, and mat work for legs and glutes. I recommend Dominic if you're prepared to work hard!
Simon Scarborough (Wapping E1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"When I started training with Dom I was 13 stone 4 pounds, and my body-fat was 28%, not ideal for a 5 foot 7" guy.
After a wide variety of training in the local park with dumbbells, pushups, core-training, running and cardio boxing (not to mention the evil medicine ball slams) I'm now down to 12 stone 7 pounds, and my body fat is down to 19% (from the original 28%).
Dom trains me hard but keeps it varied and fun. He's encouraged me to make healthy changes to my diet too. I now feel fitter, stronger and more energetic. People comment on how good I look now!"
James (Primary School Teacher, East London)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dom is a dedicated and inspiring 'slave-driver'. He is also a really good laugh which made the 3 sets of planks he regularly slipped into my session strangely enjoyable. With his help I can now do 20 proper pressups (I couldn't even do a single 'girly' one before I started training with him). I would highly recommend him.
Liz (East London)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have been training with Dominic for just over a year now, and I have seen a marked improvement in my general fitness and core strength as a result. Dominic has dealt skilfully and knowledgably with the issues arising from the shoulder surgery which I underwent a year prior to starting my training with him, ensuring that my fitness programme has focused on flexibility as well as strength.
Dominic is a good motivator and has an enthusiastic and encouraging style. He takes a holistic approach to fitness and emphasises the importance of diet, as well as providing detailed and tailored weight training sessions.
Jonathan Stott (SE11)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What makes a good personal trainer?
I asked people what they look for in a personal trainer, and these were some of the responses below. Notice how different qualities are important to different people. When you choose a personal trainer, look for the qualities that are most important to you. The comments below should give you some idea of what to look out for:
"I need someone to motivate me, so my ideal personal trainer would be someone with a strong personality who is able to make me work hard even if I don't feel like it (which is most of the time)."
"A personal trainer who practises what he preaches. I had a personal trainer once who was rugby build, but verging on fat, and when he bent over I saw a big stomach. This was disconcerting, as I wanted to get rid of my own belly, and seeing my personal trainer with a belly made me think that if he wasn't able to keep the fat at bay himself, he might not be the best person to help me lose my own belly fat!"
"I expect my personal trainer to have good qualifications and good knowledge, and ideally several years experience. Although I guess the more experience they have the more they'll charge. You get what you pay for probably."
"I want someone with a friendly and encouraging personality so that at least I enjoy the sessions. A sergeant major type who just barks instructions at me would just scare me off and remind me of school gym sessions in the freezing cold. I want a personal trainer with the personal touch!"
"No single thing springs to mind, rather it's a whole range of things like being on time, well presented, good communicator, good motivator, listens to what my goals are, pushes me but not too hard, keeps it varied and interesting, monitors my progress."
"For me the best PT is someone with a holistic approach to health and fitness. Not just lots of pressups, but focus also on stretching, relaxation, healthy lifestyle advice, nutrition advice. Someone who can address problems like food cravings, poor sleep patterns, that kind of thing."
"I want a personal trainer who suprises me every session with something new, and something I wouldn't have thought of myself. Or a combination of exercises put together in a fun and interesting way. I know the body adapts and gets used to the same thing and you can reach plateaus after a while, so a varied exercise routine that always keeps me on my toes from one session to the next would be the hallmark of a good personal trainer in my eyes."
"You can have the best personal trainer in the world, but at the end of the day the key to achieving your goal is what you do between your personal training sessions. If you have a 1 hour session with your trainer per week, you have the remaining 167 hours per week to make or break the benefits of that 1 hour session. So for me, a good personal trainer is one who monitors my exercise and eating habits between sessions, and gives homework and guidance and motivation for the rest of the week."
"A personal trainer with the guts to tell me the truth about how badly out of shape I am, and make crystal clear to me the full extent of the mountain I have to climb in order to get fit and healthy."
"Someone who will reccommend that I switch my mobile phone off, put the dog and kids in another room, and focus 100% on my personal training session."
A Story of Two Friends who Hire the Same Personal Trainer
Day 1
Tom and Ed are friends and next door neighbours, in a quiet street in London that looks onto a park with ample space to jog.
By coincidence, they are both the same age (30), same height (6 feet tall) and same weight (15 stone). Today, they both decide to lose some weight, get fitter, and pack on some muscle.
"Let's hire a personal trainer," says Tom, "He can train us once a week, separately. I'll do Mondays at 7am, you do Tuesdays 7am. And we'll see who makes fastest progress."
"You're on," says Ed.
So they both Google 'personal trainer in London' and thousands of results come up. Literally thousands. They trawl through the personal training websites, all offering to burn fat, build muscle, change your life, help you sleep better and buzz with energy. After half an hour of browsing the sites of these London personal trainers, they come across a trainer called Dom.
"Let's hire Dom," says Tom. Ed nods. Tom rings Dom, and they fix up a personal training session for the next day, bright and early at 7am, and one for Ed at 7am the day after Tom.
This is great, thinks Tom, patting his belly. 15 stone is not good, and I'm still young enough to push myself really hard and get fitter than I've ever been in my life. This is my chance to make some big changes, and now I've hired a personal trainer, my chances of success have just been given a turbo-boost.
Oh no, thinks Ed. What have I let myself in for? 15 stone is not that bad, and women like chunky guys. There's no way I'm giving up my crisps and beer. Anyway, all my mates are a bit on the heavy side, it's natural at our age. Who's got time to train for hours every day and eat like an athlete?
Day 2
Tom is up at 6am, has a light breakfast of plain natural yoghurt with an orange chopped in, and is ready for his first personal training session when Dom rings the doorbell at 7am.
The night before, Tom completed the initial consultation questionnaires that Dom emailed him. There was a detailed questionnaire on medical history, one on nutrition, one for lifestyle habits, and finally a goals questionnaire. The nutrition questionnaire was a real eye opener and made Tom realise just how bad his diet had become. And the goals questionnaire really got him thinking about what he wanted out of these sessions. Tom visualised him ideal self, around 2 stone lighter, with a lean defined physique, flat stomach, and well-muscled but not muscle-bound or ripped. A swimmer's body, not a bodybuilder's body.
Dom runs through the questionnaires with Tom, gives some initial advice on nutrition and lifestyle changes, takes his blood pressure, and his body fat percentage too. Tom had read on the internet that every personal trainer should go through these basics before doing any exercise with the client.
"Your body fat is 30%," says Dom, "which is borderline obesity. The healthy range for men is between 12% - 18%. I recommend you lose 2 stone, which you should be able to achieve in 4 months if you follow my advice. That's around 2 lbs a week, which is perfectly achievable."
Tom feels up for the challenge. In the remaining time, Dom shows Tom some of the exercises that will be part of the personal training sessions. There's a range of core strength exercises for abdominals and lower back, exercises for glutes and legs, and cardio boxing for the upper body and cardiovascular fitness. Dom advises Tom to buy some dumbbells before the next session. There are links on Dom's website to online fitness retailers.
"If you get a pair of 3kg, a pair of 5kg, and a pair of 10 kg dummbells, you'll be able to work out at home between our weekly sessions," says Dom. "And get yourself a mat too, so you can do core strength every other day." Tom agrees.
"Here's a couple of food diary sheets," says Dom as he leaves, "Fill in two days of your eating and I'll take a look next week. And make sure you write down everthing, including snacks between meals, and the amounts you eat. Be as specific as possible, so for example is the milk you drink skimmed or semi-skimmed, and did you eat white or wholemeal bread, that kind of thing."
"OK," says Tom, pleased that someone is taking a serious and detailed look at what he's eating at last.
Day 3
Ed wakes at 7am to the sound of the doorbell.
"Who the hell's that at this time of the morning?" he mutters, and then remembers. It's Dom, the personal trainer that Tom hired for them both. Damn.
Ed scrambles out of bed, combs his hair with his fingers, decides not to brush his teeth, slips on some shorts and T shirt, and runs to the door. "That should have burned a few calories," he thinks, panting heavily.
"I didn't wake you, did I?" asks Dom with a smile. Ed shakes his head sleepily.
Ed lets Dom in and they begin their consultation. When they enter the lounge, Ed suddenly remembers that the questionnaires he was meant to fill in are lying on the coffee table uncompleted, or more accurately, unstarted. And splashed with sweet and sour sauce from a recent Chinese takeaway. Dom asks how Ed got on with his forms.
"Ah," says Ed, "didn't have time, had to work late last night. Can we do them now?" Dom runs through the questionnaires with Ed. The Spanish Inquisition springs to Ed's mind. Then Dom measures Ed's body fat with an electronic device. 30% fat, borderline obesity. Bloody cheek, thinks Ed.
Dom hands Ed a couple of food diary sheets to fill in by next week. Ed files them among a pile unpaid bills. In response to Dom's advice to get some dumbbells and a mat for solo exercise between personal trainining sessions, Ed says "OK great!", but thinks, how am I going to find the time to exercise on my own? Once a week with Dom is enough, surely.
Day 4
On the way home from work, Tom stops off at the supermarket and buys lean chicken breasts, bulgar wheat, carrots, onions, courgettes, a tube of garlic paste, and some curry powder. He also buys some new kitchen utensils, including some sharp knives, wooden spoons, a chopping-board, a pestle and mortar, and a wok. He's going to have a bash at making a curry.
While he's cooking, he fills in his food diary. The act of writing down everything he eats makes him think about his diet. Already he finds himself wanting to eat more healthily, so he can fill the food diary with things like fruit, veg, sweet potatoes, and lean chicken. He doesn't want his new personal trainer to see his food diary full of cheese, pizza, beer, and burgers. That would just be a waste of money, to pay a personal trainer for nutrition advice and then ignore it.
Next door, Ed is knocking back some beers and pizza. He feels quite pleased with himself. Dom recommended he do some gentle jogging between sessions, and that's exactly what he's just done: he ran to the off-licence, then to the takeaway, and back home again. Ed accidentally spills some beer on his food diary, and thinks, "Next week's personal training session will burn off all this pizza, no problem."
Ed remembers that Dom recommended more fruit and veg. "Well," says Ed to himself, "there's veg on this pizza, and next time I'll get cider not beer, so that's apples sorted."
Day 5
Tom wakes at 6am and straight away drinks half a litre of water to get re-hydrated. 20 minutes later he makes himself a banana smoothie with skimmed milk, drinks it down, and lets it digest for half an hour before going for a gentle run in the park opposite his house. Just three laps, which is about a mile, followed by some core strength exercises and a long stretching session back home. He recalls Dom's advice to start gently and build up gradually, but not to rely solely on one personal training session a week for his fitness. Tom has decided he'll do three 30 minute solo workouts each week, between his weekly personal training session with Dom.
Ed wakes at 8am. He wolfs down a slice of toast with butter and chocoate spread (having read in the tabloids that chocolate is good for you), washed down with a cup of coffee with three sugars, and drives to his north London office, which is 20 minutes walk away. Again he thinks to himself, "What's the point of exercising on my own when I've got a personal trainer?"
Day 6
Tom comes back from work and unpacks his supermarket bags. He's bought skimmed milk, zero fat plain natural yoghurt, aubergines, courgettes, salmon fillets, new potatoes, apples, and oranges. He's also bought snack food: almonds, dried apricots, dates, and pumpkin seeds.
Before he starts cooking, he gets into his gym kit, puts one of his favourite CD's on, and does 20 minutes of core strength, including crunches, oblique crunches, reverse crunches, the plank, and some lower back raises on his new Swissball. Then he cooks salmon, new potatoes and vegetables. Dessert will be a finely chopped orange in natural yoghurt, with a drizzle of Manuka honey. He treated himself to a pot of Manuka honey from a north London health-food store, impressed by an article he read about its antibacterial and antiviral properties. Aparently it's from the East Cape region of New Zealand, where the bees pollinate the Manuka trees.
As he settles down to an hour's TV, Tom thinks about tomorrow's exercise. Another run in the park, this time 15 minutes at a gentle pace. He sets his alarm for 6am, ready for the next day, and as he goes to sleep, he visualises his future self, fit and toned, full of energy and vitality.
Ed gets back from work and settles down to 3 hours of TV, with his pizza, a can of cider, and a big bag of crisps for dessert. Remembering he's not had any fruit this week, he eats a banana with the crisps. No point putting all this in the food diary, he thinks. Next week's personal training session should burn it all off anyway. The London Local News is discussing a report that says around 50% of Londoners do no exercise at all. Ed smiles. He exercises once a week.
Day 7
Prompted by a call from Dom, who says Ed needs a motivational boost from people close to him, Tom pops next door to see his friend.
"How are you getting on with the personal trainer?" asks Tom.
Ed grins. "Not bad, but I'm not doing everything he says I should do between sessions, how about you?"
"I've made a few changes," says Tom. "Eating healthier, even cooking for myself."
Ed looks Tom up and down. "You're looking well," he says.
"I'm feeling great!" says Tom.
"Lost any weight?" asks Ed.
"Two pounds," says Tom, "and you?"
Ed shakes his head. "Still the same."
"I'm making a curry tonight," says Tom, "wanna pop over and eat?"
Ed nods.
The curry tastes great. As they eat, Tom tells Ed about his early morning runs, and how he's sleeping better. Something clicks inside Ed's brain. I want to sleep better, I want to feel more alive, and eat freshly prepared food like Tom is doing, start making proper use of that personal trainer, and get rid of this belly once and for all. It's now or never.
Ed finishes his last mouthful, and turns to Tom. "Can I come with you on your next run?"
Tom smiles, "Of course! Seven tomorrow morning, give me a knock, ok?"
"Seven it is," says Ed.
Day 8
Ed is up at 6.30am, and gets ready for his run with Tom. A quick shower, a glass of water and a banana, and he's ringing Tom's doorbell at 7am on the dot.
"This is a first," says Tom. "I didn't think you'd go through with it!"
Ed smiles. "I can't have you beating me in this fitness lark, and anyway, I need to get rid of this," he says, patting his belly.
Tom and Ed run at a gentle pace round the park, chatting about life, and before they know it they've done 20 minutes.
"That wasn't as bad as I thought," said Ed, gasping slightly, "tough, but not so bad when I've got someone to distract me."
"It's all about going at a comfortable pace when you're new to running," says Tom, "that's what the personal trainer says. We can push harder as we get fitter."
Tom and Ed stretch against a tree. "How's your eating going?" asks Tom.
"I've not followed the personal trainer's recommendations, to be honest, but I'm going to start now."
"Great!" says Tom.
Day 9
Ed is at the supermarket. Not in the ready-meal section (his usual haunt), and not in the ice-cream section either. He is at the fresh fruit and vegetable section, a strange and exotic place as foreign to him as Nepal. He wonders if he'll see his personal trainer here.
Something is happening in Ed's mind, something profound. He's thinking differently. He's thinking: I don't want to ruin my life, I want to get as much out of life as I can, I want to be fit and healthy and full of energy, not in terminal decline. I don't want to become a shapeless lump of flab with diabetes and a heart condition. I want to look good, sexy, fit. I want more!
Ed is on a mission. Into the trolly he hurls celery, avocados, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, red peppers, apples, oranges, blueberries, bananas.
Then to the meat and fish sections for skinless chicken breasts, rump steak, salmon fillets. And onwards to the rice and pasta and pulses isle, for bulgar wheat, wholewheat pasta, and lentils.
"Ed, is that you?"
Ed turns round. It's Tom, staring at Ed's trolly in awe.
Ed smiles. "I've decided to try eating food! Real food, not processed sludge. I'm even going to cook it! I've decided I want to live."
Day 10
For the first time, Ed is looking forward to his next personal training session. He's put together a list of questions to ask Dom while they work out. He wants to know he's doing everything he can do to get fit in record time. He's also decided to push himself in the sessions, rather than pretend it's too hard when really it was more a case of 'can't be bothered to make any effort'.
When Dom arrives for the next personal training session, he tells Ed, "we're going to do some new exercises today, with fewer rest periods, to speed up your progress."
"Bring it on!" says Ed.
They warm up, then Dom gets Ed to do some star-jumps, followed by running on the spot, pressups, and a range of dumbbell exercises. After a brief water break, they go on to some cardio boxing, before the cool-down and 10 minutes of stretching.
"You did great this session!" says Dom.
"I feel like I've turned a corner mentally," says Ed.
Day 11
Ed goes online and joins Fitness Buddy, London's social network for finding people to go to the gym with, or play sports. Ed played tennis as a kid, and wants to take it up again. He knows that one hour a week with a personal trainer is just one part of his road to fitness, and Ed wants to organise some regular tennis games at weekends.
There are dozens of people in his part of London who have registered with Fitness Buddy, and pretty soon he's organised some tennis in his local park across the road. He also checks out the extensive directory of tennis coaches in London on the tennis page of Fitness4London.com, and hires himself a tennis coach.
Day 12
Tom sees that Ed is getting fitter and stronger, and Tom is determined not to be shown up by Ed, so he decides to step up his personal training sessions to twice a week, and pays for a block of 10 personal training sessions up front for £500. He also buys a Magimix juicer from John Lewis, and begins a regime of drinking raw juice (diluted 50/50 with water) three times a week, in addition to his current veg intake.
The first juice Tom makes is ginger, carrot, apple, and broccoli. As Dom recommended, he dilutes it 50/50 with water and drinks it straight after juicing. Tastes fresher than anything he's ever tasted.
(to be continued.....)
Directory of Personal Trainers in London
Personal Trainers in Central London (West End WC1 etc)
TJF Personal Training 0800 1777 939
Personal trainers available between 6am and 9pm, 7 days
Home, workplace, or outdoors
Personal Trainer Jon Durrant 07852 440220
Personal Trainer in Central London (W1/WC2)
Personal training and fight coaching at Urban Kings gym, Kings Cross
Also personal training studio in Portman Square.
Running training: "running mate"
Futureproof Fitness 020 8986 7951
Iain Grey, personal trainer in central London
Home training, outdoor training
Areas include WC1, WC2, W1,W2, NW1, SW1
Scott Tudge Personal Trainer 07867 805007
Personal training at home
Gym training at Metis Physiotherapy Centre, Covent Garden, London WC2B 5SP,
also at The Real Fight Club, Curtain Road, London EC2
Keith Lazarus Personal Training 07766 660394
Personal trainer in London (all areas)
Core training, weight management, nutrition advice
Reshape Coach 07894 429917
Personal trainer Jean-Pierre
Fat loss, kickboxing, lifestyle training
Evolve Health & Fitness 07411 222029
Mobile personal training in London for general wellbeing, active lifestyle, and sport
Weight loss, strength & conditioning
Robert Day Personal Training 07958 774471
Central London, west London, and Surrey
Helping you become fitter, faster, leaner, stronger
Home-based personal training, also office, gym, outdoors
Weight loss, kettlebell training, boxing
Personal Trainers in the City (EC1 etc)
Ultimate Performance Tel - 020 7033 1942
Personal Trainer Nick Mitchell with personal training studio in London EC2
Dumbbells up to 70kg, Versa Climber, 20m indoor sprint track, Farmers Walk cylinders.
Fantastic Fitness Personal Trainer Tanya mobile - 07834 552100
Fitness training, nutrition and weight loss, core strength
Personal training at LA Fitness, Leadenhall Street, London EC3
Also at home/office
City of London Personal Training 07904 095432
Personal Trainer Ross Adkin
Specialises in weight loss
Benefit Personal Training 020 7683 0349
Home/work based sessions
Personal training, pilates, yoga, sports massage
First in Fitness 07807 157666
Personal training at home
Nutrition, kickboxing, boxing, pre/post natal, sports massage
The Gym Hatton Garden 020 7242 7789
Personal Training Studios in the City
Founded by professional sprint cyclist Graham Sherman
Treasure House, 19-21 Hatten Garden, London EC1N 8BA
Aegis Training 020 7247 5072
Personal training in a private studio in the City of London, EC2A 3NN
Personal Trainers in West London (W1 etc)
R-Fitness 07961 361046
Celebrity London personal trainer Ricardo Macedo
Private personal training gym in Kensington
My Fitness Studio W10 07752 382929
Personal training studio near Notting Hill and Holland Park, West London
Morpheus Wellness Solutions 020 7224 9956
Personal training studios in London
Home personal training
Weight loss, nutrition, physiotherapy, home gym design, sports massage, pilates
Inside Out Personal Training 07885 390 829
Personal Trainer Samantha Wilson
Toning, muscle building, weight loss, boxercise
Home visits within zone 1.
Metropolitan Gym, Mayfair, London W1K 1LB
or Piccadilly Health Club & Spa, London W1J OBH
Mark Anthony's 020 7221 8625
Personal training studio in Notting Hill
Every client gets their own dedicated personal trainer.
Massage, physiotherapy
Carlos Edwards Personal Trainer 07930 827049
121 personal training, biosignature modulation
GymBox West London:
Mezzanine level in the Village, Westfield Shopping Centre, London W12 5SL
NKD Ambition Personal Training 020 7631 1226
Personal training, physiotherapy, sports rehab, osteopathy, nutrition
Personal training studio with cardio machines, free weights, olympic stations/rings, cables
Equilibrium Training 07957 152245
Personal training studio:
The Metropolitan Hotel, Old Park Lane, Mayfair, London W1K 1LB
Weight loss, more energy, nutrition, lifestyle, whole-body MOT
Sports performance enhancement training
PJT Personal Training 020 7622 6866
Home-based personal training within zones 1-3, also office/outdoors
Also personal training at the Southbank Club:
124-130 Wandsworth Road, London SW8 2DL
Individuals, groups, classes, families
Oitoo Personal Training 07590 453700
Personal training and muscle-activation techniques
Weight management, strength training, muscle growth, injury recovery,
sports performance
Personal training studio:
Le Meridien Health Club, 21 Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BH
DJD Training darron (at) djd-training.com
Personal training at home, also personal training studio:
Club Twenty-Two, Radisson Blu Portman Hotel,
2nd Floor, 22 Portman Square, London W1H 7BG
Also venues on Brick Lane (studio), Canary Wharf (massage), Fulham (gym).
Muscle building, fat loss, nutrition, Biosignature
Jamie Baird - The Fitness Coach 07970 782476
Personal Training Studio:
The auga spa at Sanderson, 50 Berners Street, London W1 3NG
Personal Trainers in East London (E1 etc)
AJ Personal Training 07792 602884
Personal training using Muay Thai kickboxing techniques
In the gym (London E1) or at home or outdoors
DT-Training 0845 680 7356
Personal trainer in East London (also London-wide)
Home-based personal training
Thrive Fitness 07789 795847
Michel, personal trainer in East London
Personal training at home, office or gym
One-to-one personal training, group personal training
Training for running/skiing, nutrition advice
Personal Training 4U 07742 193913
Personal training studio in Aldgate East, personal trainer Rolandas
Free weights, barbells, pullup bar, machines
Also home-based personal training
Kate Burrows Personal Trainer 07966 257998
Female personal trainer in east London
London Fields Fitness Studio, Hackney
Also home-based personal training
Weight loss, running training, cycling training, core strength
Personal Trainer in Hackney 07595 733150
Personal training in Hackney E9, E8
Also N1, the City, and east London
Fitness, weight loss
Leila Mutasa Personal Trainer 07958 691721
Aerobic exercise, weight training, yoga, pilates,
plyometrics, calisthenics, flexibility, nutrition.
Personal training for individuals, groups.
Supervised food shopping trips
Fit in Fitness 07809 575299
Personal trainer in east London
Mobile personal training at home/office/outdoors
Weight loss, muscle toning, core strength, nutrition, strength training, running training
Personal Trainers in North London (N1 etc)
Dax Moy Personal Training Studios 020 7354 3550
Personal training for fat loss, posture, kinetic chain assessment, nutrition
Studio in Islington, London N1
Tim Hayes Lifestyle Fitness 07872 994691
Personal trainer in north London, mainly Hampstead and Primrose Hill
Also central London
Weight loss, cardio, rehabilitation
RJ Fitness 07793 405651
North London personal trainer Rory James Manning
Mobile personal training
Sports massage, weight management, fitness, posture, core strength
Reboot Personal Training 07506 730607
Personal trainer Mack Parnell
Mobile personal training in north London (also east London)
Boxing and MMA training, kettlebells, weight loss, muscle building, nutrition
The Factory Gym - Personal Training 020 7272 1122
407 Hornsey Road, London N19 4DX
Sports specific training, core strength, sports massage, flexibility
Personal Trainers in North West London (NW1 etc)
Active Bryant Systems 07841 144878
Personal trainer Scott Bryant
Personal training studio near Baker Street, London NW1
CHEK practitioner, fitness, nutrition, back pain, sports performance
GB Personal Training email: info (at) gbpersonaltraining.com
Personal trainer Greg Brookes
Strength training, core conditioning, sports massage, kettlebells
Hampstead, London NW3
Proactive Body Management 07985 695327
Mark Smith, personal trainer in north west London
Weight loss, strength training, muscle toning, sports specific, sports/relaxation massage
Pre-wedding, pre-ski training, pre/post natal
Matt Roberts Personal Training 020 7433 3301
Jack Straw's Castle, Hampstead, London NW3 7ES
Also in Chelsea SW3, Mayfair W1, the City EC3
Personal training studio, physiotherapy, sports massage, dietitian, Nordic walking
Move Three Sixty 07743 875 602
Personal training, musculoskeletal screening assessments
Personal training gym in St John's Wood, London NW8
Personal Trainers in South West London (SW1 etc)
DomFitness Personal Training 07900 188194
Home-based personal training, 10 years experience
Mainly SW3 and SW7, also throughout London (within zones 1-3)
Strength training (dumbbells), weight loss, core strength, cardio boxing, flexibility
Nutrition advice and exercise homework between sessions
Regular progress checks
Diets Don't Work 0800 0407 526
Personal training in London (all areas)
Specialise in home-based training
CV, resistance, jogging, cycling, free weights, core stability
Work Out at Home 0845 5050 540
Personal training at home
Home Fitness Systems, online support
Nutrition advice, diet home delivery services (Nutrichef, Body Chef)
Live Fit 07983 561 743
Personal training, nutrition, massage, physiotherapy
254-258 North End Road, London SW6 1NJ
Soul Active Personal Training 07852 705745
Team of mobile personal trainers in west/central London
Personal training at your home, garden, gym, local park
Sculpt Personal Training London david (at) sculpt.me.uk
Personal training at home, park, outdoors
One-to-one, groups, bootcamps
Chelsea, Fulham, West London, Greater London
Integrated Training 020 7221 9871
Fat loss, tone up, fitness, strength, flexibility, posture
Personal training at Chelsea Sports Centre, Chelsea Manor Street, London SW3 5PL
Also home-based personal training
Nordic Balance 020 7735 2177
Personal training gym:
Nordic Balance at the In and Out, 4 St James's Square, London SW1Y 4JU
Also mobile personal training:
Mayfair, St James's ,Knightsbridge, Belgravia, Victoria, Westminster, Soho
Personal Trainers in South East London (SE1 etc)
Moreno Boxing 07930 905 568
Boxing coaching, personal training, classes & sports therapy services
Moreno Boxing at No.1 Studio, 108 Maltings Place, 169 Tower Bridge Road, London SE1 3JB
Also mobile for all services to:
Homes, workplaces, parks and gyms across London.
Fitness, weight management, strength, boxing coaching, boxing fitness and circuit classes, massage therapies, muscle toning, flexibility, nutrition advice, tailored programmes; individual, group, and corporate training packages; male and female trainers.
www.morenoboxing.co.uk
City Trainers 020 7403 5668
Personal trainers in London
Personal training sessions at your home, office, or your local gym
Esteem Fitness 020 8405 6127
Male and female personal trainers who travel across London
& south-east directly to you for home-based personal training.
Fitness, flexibility, weight loss, diets delivered to your door
Golf fitness, nutrition advice
Pete Griggs Personal Training 07947 049889
Personal training, nutrition
South London including Croydon, Sutton, Crystal Palace
Kick The Gym 07540 194216
Home-based and outdoors personal training
Workout plans between sessions, nutrition tracking, 24/7 contact, music
All-Round Fitness 07802 405451
Personal training in London and the south-east
Fitness, weight management, bodybuilding, strength training,
pilates, self-defence, flexibility, rehab, massage, CV, kickboxing
Push Studios 020 8693 9111
Personal training studio: 17 Blackwater Street, East Dulwich, London SE22 8SD
Personal training, pilates, yoga, kettlebells, boxercise, dance classes, massage
Your London Personal Trainer 07958 761437
Personal trainer and massage therapist Robert Dyer
Greenwich, Lewisham, Bexley, London-wide
