Mark Westall Personal Trainer
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Becoming a father inspired Mark to change, he ditched the office job and decided to follow a lifelong passion to not only become a Personal Trainer, but launch his own business. We find out how he does it:
How did you find yourself in the world of fitness?
After the birth of my first child I decided to turn my lifelong passion into my career. An office job wasn’t for me so I quit my role to re-train as a Personal Trainer before launching my own business. I now have the perfect work life balance, get to spend precious time with my children and do a job I love.
What do you do to keep your clients motivated?
It varies client by client as the motivation differs massively. Generally, we monitor and review performance and re-evaluate goals as we progress.
It pays to understand why a client wants to achieve a goal rather than what they simply want to achieve, that way we can break down long-term goals into short-term targets. Taking ownership of a realistic challenge can really motivate people to strive for achievement, you don’t need many gimmicks when you have a deep-rooted need or desire.
Talk us through your training regime.
I tend to vary my training day-by-day, depending on my latest goal or available time.
In the gym I’ll mix up calisthenics, suspension training, weight training, HIIT training and more. I tend to utilise different equipment and training methods to keep things interesting and my body guessing. Keeping it functional works for me.
If I have a spare 30 minutes to myself at home (working around a young family) I’ll happily squeeze in a good HIIT session with some kettlebells or if the children are taken care off I can venture out for a run.
I tend to cross train to support specific goals, so my gym work will compliment my run training if I’m aiming for a half marathon for example.
Do you follow a specific diet?
In a word no.
I like to eat pretty clean for the most part but I still like a treat as much as the next person, I just keep my treats to once or twice a week rather than every day.
I’m a decent cook so virtually everything is made from scratch, that way I know exactly what I’m putting in rather than relying on information a packet.
How do you keep your fitness knowledge up to date?
I read, watch and listen to a number of other fitness professionals and organisations both locally and even internationally. I find that it’s a great way of sharing ideas and monitoring trends within the industry.
I’m also fortunate that the gym I work with are happy to send me on plenty of training courses regarding different areas of fitness and new equipment so I’m constantly learning new things that I can apply to my training.
How do you balance work and a social life?
I’m self-employed so I balance out work and life commitments as I see fit. I always make time for friends and family and keep a bit of time free each week. I find it helps keep me mentally fresh and compliments my wellbeing.
What are your top 3 trainer tips?
- Set yourself a SMART goal and use it as motivation
- Keep it simple
- Most importantly enjoy it!
If you could only give your clients one exercise, what would it be?
That’s a hard one! Walking / Running. Pretty much anyone can do it, anywhere, and you can make it as hard or as easy as required. Go faster, go further, do intervals!
What are your training aspirations?
I’m aiming for an obstacle race (Tough Mudder) this year to raise money for Cancer Research UK. Next year I aim to complete my first triathlon and finally crack a sub 3-hour marathon. I like setting myself different goals to keep things interesting.
Why work with Sundried?
It’s rare to find an aspirational ethical brand. My clients, friends, family and I all need quality training gear and I would rather recommend a product and brand I believe in. Looking after your people and environment is never a bad thing!
