David Peters - Personal Trainer and Ambassador

Tell us about your journey to fitness? Where did it all start?

I started getting into fitness and specifically weight training at the gym when I was 19. I'm naturally very skinny and lean and always hated how I looked and wanted to build some size and muscle, so I guess you could say technically I'm a bodybuilder but I don't compete, I train for my own health and body confidence. Fitness is well and truly a huge part of my life now, considering I've now made it my profession as a Personal Trainer! I just want to help people reap the physical, psychological and social benefits that I've enjoyed and that have improved my life immensely.

What are your training goals now?

I'm at a stage now, 8/9 years into training, where I'm just looking to maintain what I've built. Exercise is a habit for me now, a part of my life. I'm always wanting to get a bit stronger, get a bit bigger, but I just enjoy the process now and knowing that I'm building and maintaining a strong and healthy body. Plus I just love the challenge of weight training!

Tell us one unusual fact we wouldn’t know about you:

I'm not very good at these questions, my life isn't that interesting really! I can't think of anything unusual. My professional life is a bit unusual I guess, I started out as a mechanic, then a roadfreight clerk, then I was an Account Manager at a shipping firm, and now I'm a Personal Trainer! Does that count!? 

What advice do you wish you'd been given when you first started out?

In regards to starting out with exercise and weight training, I'd say don't do split training days, i.e leg day, arm day, back day etc, train so that you're hitting each muscle at least twice a week. And I know this will sound like a sales pitch but, I'd have told myself to invest in a PT, I did so many things wrong for so long, poor form, wrong exercises, wrong weights etc, a PT teaches you so much and I could have progressed much quicker if I'd invested in a PT that's for sure.

Do you follow a specific nutrition plan? If so, what/when do you eat?

For me it's about eating as much as possible, I struggle to gain weight and size so I need a lot, especially with my very active job I now have. I just follow a typical 3 main meals a day, I don't play around with intermittent fasting or anything like that, just a healthy and balanced diet with lots of different foods, and just lots of it! Because of my job and the strange hours I do it's difficult to stick to a strict timing regime with my food, and in the grand scheme of things I don't believe it makes much of a difference really unless you're at an elite level.

What do you do to keep your clients motivated? Do you have any top tips to keep motivated?

Positive reinforcement, progress tracking and being honest. I make clear from the start it's not a sprint, it's a marathon, and it's about making exercise a habit, a part of your life. We can't rely on motivation all the time, it has to be a must, a non negotiable, and they realise once they are consistent with their training they will see results, which they do. But I do also try to tailor my clients programmes to be as varied as possible and we don't do anything they hate. That's one thing I always say, if you don't like it, don't do it, there's always so many other things you can do with weight training, do what you enjoy and it'll be much easier to stick to.

Talk us through your training regime.

Well I've pretty much tried every training regime under the sun! But right now I'm doing whole body 3 times a week and I must say I think it's the best plan to date for me, hitting each muscle 3 times a week is fantastic for our muscles and I'm noticing it. I also try to do light/bodyweight trigger sessions on my rest days to help recovery and keep the muscles fired up ready for the next heavy session.

How do you keep your fitness knowledge up to date?

I'm always researching and I am currently working my way through further qualifications to enable me to help more people. I also read and listen to fitness and health podcasts.

What are your top 3 trainer tips?

• Keep it varied
• Keep it challenging
• Be consistent

If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

That's a tough one as I love so many foods. If we're talking a whole meal, I'd say a Sunday Roast (with beef).

If it's a single food, it's tough! I guess bread really, I'm mad for bread, it's a running joke with friends when we're out to eat and they bring over the bread basket that you need to get in there quick otherwise I'll eat it all!

Why work with Sundried?

I love their clothing, it's all really smart and good quality and I love what they stand for, sustainability and renewability, making their clothes from recycled material and building clothing that lasts, they don't believe in fast fashion like me. I also love how they run their company, really taking care of their staff and ensuring they do what they can to support their staff's health, fitness and wellbeing. It's a nice company and it's local to me which is always a nice bonus to work with a local business.

Favourite fitness quote:

The best training or best diet plan is the one you can stick to.

To hear more from our ambassadors and get free tips on workout plans and more, connect with the Sundried Personal Trainers on our app.