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This latest ‘Behind The Scenes’ feature may not be the most obvious one in terms of what you’d normally think of when considering wedding suppliers, but this month I talk to personal trainer Danny Jones.
Being a wedding photographer is hard work. A lot of people think it involves nothing more than walking around during the day taking a few pictures, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Carrying two fairly heavy professional camera bodies and lenses around for up to ten hours a day actually requires a fair bit of stamina, especially during the summer months when it can get pretty hot, but that’s only part of it. There’s also the mental element to factor in, I always need to be alert to make sure I don’t miss an important moment, and a tired body means a tired brain.
To ensure I can keep up with the pace I spend a lot of time in the gym keeping myself fit and it’s there where I first met Danny. Danny is responsible for the birth of the Tuesday night ‘Intensity’ classes at Pure Gym in Walton-on-Thames, an hour long session of what can only be described as brutality. If you’ve done a circuits class before, it’s probably the equivalent of doing five of those but packed into one single hour…
It’s only natural that some people will want to get into shape before their wedding day and may have considered a personal trainer, but found the thought of hiring one to be quite daunting. So I thought it would be a good idea to find out a bit more about how a personal trainer operates for those who have been considering it. Here’s a bit more about Danny and what he does…
Tell us a bit about yourself?
I’ve been training in gyms for over 10 years, I am passionate about fitness! I have worked in numerous top health clubs and leisure centres throughout Middlesex & Surrey. During these years I have trained and helped hundreds, if not thousands of people from inductions to gyms, designing programmes, fitness classes and personal training. I have also worked alongside many fitness professionals and teams which has given me a wide range of knowledge and experience on all forms of training and getting results. I specialise in weight loss, fat burning and body toning.
I’m very self motivated and driven; I walk, talk and breathe the fitness industry. I’m always looking for new ways to challenge myself and push to the next level.
And the business? How did you get into this line of work and how long have you been doing it?
I’ve been working in the Industry for around 7 years now, for me I love the satisfaction of seeing people achieve what they didn’t think possible, overcoming any obstacles proving to people that with the right training and advice, they can feel and look the way that they want to be. Training should be both enjoyable and challenging, but improving peoples lifestyles and making them feel happy about themselves is something I take seriously and admire doing.
Whatever the goal, whatever your target, I will give you my experience and knowledge to guide and support you every step of the way. I’m very creative and imaginative with my training, keeping motivated and staying positive at all times as I believe it’s highly important to keep both mentally and physically challenged. Personal training is not a luxury. It’s a great investment in your time, health and well being. I’m here to make sure you stay motivated and enjoy your training every step of the way.
Where are you based and what areas do you cover?
I’m based mainly in Walton-On-Thames & Weybridge, although I also offer a home personal training service throughout Middlesex and Surrey.
What’s your favourite part of the job?
Being a personal trainer, I love the satisfaction of seeing people achieve things that they didn’t think possible. From small goals such as being able to do one push up to long term goals of completing 10k runs and marathons. People all have their own personal reasons for first starting up at a gym, for some people it can be a case of just wanting to build up their confidence, their health or just simply to feel better about themselves. I love to see people progress, step by step getting fitter and seeing their bodies change. There is nothing more satisfying for me than making somebody feel happy about themselves and to give them the sense of achievement.
And the hardest part of the job?
For me training is a passion of mine and the biggest challenge is always to get people to the stage of actually enjoying fitness and making it a part of their lifesyle and not just a chore. Not everybody enjoys to workout, at first it can be hard work and it can take its toll on the body. But over time and with dedication, things do get easier and it is always a challenge for me to get people to the stage where fitness just becomes a part of their life.
Any achievements you’re particularly proud of?
I’ve been in the health and fitness industry for a good number of years now and I’ve seen so many clients of mine go from Day 1 of meeting me all the way to not only succeeding their goals but continuing forward with all their new knowledge and tools learnt from personal training, to see them living a much healthier and happy lifestyle than they once did.
What’s your working week like?
Being a personal trainer, every week is always different for me, I have to work around clients work schedules and other commitments, so for me it can often be unsociable hours. However it’s part of what I do and if my clients are 100% committed to me helping them and willing to put all the necessary work in, then I will 100% be there early mornings, late evenings or weekends. Working around each other’s schedules and having good communication is vital to achieving the clients goals.
So let’s look at people getting married who want to get into shape before their big day. How would you go about achieving their targets?
People want to look back in years to come at their wedding pictures and know that they looked their absolute best on their big day. People often approach me anywhere from a year to three months before their wedding day asking for help, so depending on the time scale we have depends on the schedule and approach I take. We first sit down and discuss a plan of action, we take your body’s starting statistics and talk about your current lifestyle and routine, including diet. Only from there can I give a detailed analysis of what I believe needs to be done in order to achieve the results the client wants. Not only do I do personal training, but I give the client programmes to follow during the week when not doing PT, also constant advice and guidance with diet & nutrition.
If a client is truly determined to look their best on the biggest day of their life, then I’ve got all the tools, knowledge and experience to help them get exactly that. (Please feel free to view my website to view written testimonials).
And how can people get in touch with you/What’s the booking process?
There is a number of ways to get hold of me, if it’s within the gym I work at in Walton then its case of just approaching me in the gym or contacting me through the personal trainers board within the gym or visit the company website www.PureGym.com
Alternatively if outside of the gym, I’m very much up to date with social networking and can easily be contacted via the following;
Website: www.dannyjonespt.com
Facebook: Danny Jones PT
Twitter: @dannyjonespt
For Information on prices on PT sessions, please feel free to contact me so I can then explain my personal training services that I offer, or feel free to get in touch with any questions that you may have.
“When The Mind Believes, The Body Achieves”
- Danny Jones, Personal Trainer.
Thanks to Danny for taking the time out of his busy schedule and answering my questions. Here’s a few pictures of the man himself in action.
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by David