Meet the trainers

How long have you been a personal trainer?
I’ve been working in the industry for ten years. I did three years in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the last seven years I’ve been in London. It’s gone in a flash. I still love it and I’m still going strong.

What made you decide to become a personal trainer?
I was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, where sport is a way of life. I played a lot of rugby and trained in martial arts. The transition to helping other people train properly was a pretty easy one.

 How is working at Absolute PT different from the big chain gyms?
The big chains tend to focus more on sales and numbers; how many sessions have you sold, how many products etc. Smaller gyms tend to focus more on the individual. That’s what we do here. It’s about building a long-term rapport and helping people achieve everything they want.

What type of training do you specialise in?
Sports conditioning, injury prevention, rehabilitation, core strength and nutrition.

How do you keep yourself fit?
I like to mix it up. I still play rugby and keep up the martial arts. I train with free weights to support both of those activities.

What has been your biggest success story as a trainer?
I had a client once that was a referee by profession. He had a car accident and his leg was totally shattered. The doctors told him he would never run again. I trained him for two years (sports conditioning and rehabilitation). Now I see him on the telly and he’s running better than me!

 What’s the most common gym mistake you see?
People believing that running on a treadmill every day is going to tone their entire body. Or that lifting free weights will make them look like Arnold.

What would you say to anyone who thinks they can’t get in shape?
I would say that their belief system needs addressing because we are all made of the same stuff. It’s just a question of wanting it bad enough and learning how to train the right way.

And finally… what’s your favourite comfort food?
That’s easy - spaghetti Bolognese. Loads of it.