Through his highly anticipated eBook, personal trainer to the stars, Dan Roberts is inviting you to take up the challenge of his unique philosophy; Methodology X.  We took some time out to have a chat with him and find out what his tips are for getting the body you love.

We all know exercise is good for us, yet so many of us come up with reasons not to fit it into our busy daily schedules. As a personal trainer how can you help us overcome these negative reasons and make time to get fit?

You say reasons, I hear excuses! There is always a balance between showing leadership and showing empathy. When a trainer gets the balance right, then excuses are easily cast aside.

One of your passions is to make training both enjoyable and challenging. How do you manage to combine the two so that a strenuous training session can actually be enjoyable?

Yes 100% fun and training hard are not mutually exclusive. In fact, training hard IS fun. One of my jobs is to lead my clients towards this truth. It’s not what you do; it’s how you do it. I think all trainers can teach a bicep curl for example… but the best ones teach it in a way that makes you want to do more. This is the fun part of coaching – changing someone’s relationship with exercise.

What motivates you to do what you do every day?

My clients are amazing – I’m very lucky to have such a diverse set of successful and interesting people to work with. They often have exciting goals like preparing for films, campaigns or sporting events so coaching (which is how I spend half my day) is always fun. So, I’m always happy to turn up to the gym and see them!

To be truly motivated you need to have big goals though. I have some huge ambitions for each of the companies I run. I won’t bore you with my corporate ambitions! But, the goals I have for my brand make me want to work harder. When you do something you love and you have big goals then motivation is never, ever a problem!

Let’s talk about food – our favourite subject! We all know there is such a strong emphasis on nutrition and a proper diet. How does diet fit in with an exercise plan?

To get the most out of training you have to feed your body well. Nutrition is a big part of what we do. We have dieticians, nutritionists, private chefs and also regularly use you, The Pure Package. Healthy eating is the backbone to health.

Creating new habits is hard. For someone that may currently be eating a high fat, high salt, processed diet, how do you help them make changes to a healthier, whole foods diet?

Well we have a few approaches. Our weight loss clients get assessed and coached by a dietician and a psychologist in addition to myself or one of my trainers. Sometimes we just tell people what to do; we clear out their fridge and arrange for The Pure Package to be delivered. Last year I arranged for a chef to live with one of my clients for 2 months. So we do whatever it takes!

My personal preference is to blitz perfect health & nutrition for 2 weeks. We tell them exactly what to eat, or use you guys. Once people feel the very real benefits of healthy feeding they rarely want to turn back to their old ways.

What was it that inspired you to write your eBook?

Well, I wanted to reach out to more people. That’s the main reason for someone like me to write a book. Most fitness plans I see, particularly the ‘celebrity’ trainer ones are dire and lacking in science and personality. Rather than bitching about this, I was keen to write one which is better! This particular workout is designed for models. I have trained loads of models over the years, so I thought I might as well start with that! I have several workout books coming out this year – each have their own focus and energy – but all are natural extension of my personality and what I believe.

What initially got you interested in personal training?

I love sports, I love fitness and I love the art of coaching. I started off teaching sports as a teenager. I ended up coaching to quite a high level in two sports (tennis and lacrosse) and then I re-trained as a strength & conditioning coach and worked with groups of pro athletes in a variety of sports. This then led to me doing one to one coaching. Looking back it was the perfect base to build a personal training career & a fitness business.

Thanks Dan, we look forward to the next additions. So, finally, if you had to offer one piece of advice to anyone looking to break into your industry, what would it be?

The fitness industry is huge and there are many paths you can go down. To break into coaching isn’t easy – there are thousands of new trainers and instructors qualifying every year. Premiers do a good course. But if you want a career in fitness then you have to see it as a real career. You do what it takes to stand out and better yourself. I have moved countries several times because of my job. I’ve stayed in many nights to studying dull textbooks… but it was worth it. Just like being fit, if you want the results, you have to be willing to put the hours in.