How it all began Rewind to 2001, overweight, de-conditioned, unhealthy work and social lifestyle, I was a shadow of my earlier years training in boxing, judo and having trials during my teens with Crystal Palace F.C. and as the image on the left suggests it wasn't looking promising for me had I carried on with my then lifestyle. It took a further 16 months after this photo for me to do anything about it.
December 2002 at the age of 26 I gave up the bright lights of London, my sedentary job, my lifestyle which was spiraling out of control and headed out to Norwich, Norfolk where I started again. In January 2003 I embarked on my journey back to a re-energized self. My training started with short runs, thats all I could manage to start. I'd don my running gear just to jog to the bottom of the road, thats as far as i could manage and I remember that first run very well. It was hard at first, soul destroying at times. The perseverance paid off and the run times increased with stops en-route where I would perform push ups, squats, bench dips before carrying on the run, quite a basic workout but the changes were noticeable. Every run had a goal attached to it, quicker times or improved repetitions on the exercises.
During the summer of 2003 my diet which once consisted of processed foods, fast foods and take aways, basically convenience foods that were quick and easy to prepare or already done I consumed, this diet was no longer, my diet now consisted of more lean meat, poultry, fish, fruits, vegetables and meals were now homemade from fresh produce. The almost three stone that I had put on had now almost gone, it's a euphoric feeling seeing the weight drop off and the body returning to its shapely self, the runs had at this point increased from just minutes to longer periods.
What I do want to make clear at this point is that many years on and as a personal trainer I do not advise that anyone who is overweight and is thinking that pounding the concrete week in week out in the hope that its the magic ingredient to all your problems, you'll be setting yourself up for a great deal of problems later on if you continue to do this. I suffered many knee problems shortly after my heroic attempt to get rid of the pounds, but what did I know way back then, I believed the bad advice too, if only i knew then what I know now. You have to remember that its two and a half times your bodyweight crushing down on your knees every time you pound that concrete or treadmill. I'm pleased that I turned to weighted training and bodyweight training, my advice now would be to eat a clean nutritious diet full of the above mentioned and enter into some form of resisted interval training (weight training, bodyweight training and short burst sprints).
"What this power is I cannot say. All I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it." - Alexander Graham Bell |
What happened next......... It was at this stage that I decided to improve on my knowledge of health and fitness, so I returned to education at the age of 27 and studied for the next two and a half years toward an HND in Sports, Health and Exercise with the Anglia Polytechnic University, Cambridge.
My own training had progressed through research, incorporating both cardiovascular training, interval training and weight training, with this continued improvements were more and more noticeable to fitness levels and body shape. It was during my time at University that I decided that I didn't just want to increase my knowledge of human anatomy and physiology, but I wanted to help train others and encourage them to not only improve their health and fitness but to re-educate and improve their lifestyles and increase longevity. Through Personal Training I could do this. Since then I have
consistently been building and adding to my repertoire of training methods and
knowledge of nutrition in order to deliver the highest standard of health and
fitness to my clients.
Having plied my trade with Fitness First in Norwich, Norfolk it gave me an insight into how many clients are working out ineffectively or incorrectly, due mostly to being left to their own devices once inducted. You can see people wandering around the gym like lost souls, repeating the same old machines and exercises, resulting in a drop in benefits and motivation. Nutrition, the key to fat loss, is something that gyms rarely discuss with their customers.
During my time within a gym environment I had the privilege of working with some amazing clients from a wide spectrum of life including students, managers, managing directors, police officers, property developers, composers, doctors, local TV personalities and the retired to name but a few. I continue to work with unique individuals everyday.
I have also been very fortunate enough to have studied and
worked with some of the fitness industry's top trainers including the Biggest
Losers Angie Dowds, in order to bring cutting edge training concepts to my
clients and ensure they train their bodies in a functional dynamic way. I
guarantee my clients that their time and efforts will be maximized using some of
the most unique blends of training around to ensure maximum results.
"As a personal trainer I want to inspire fitness,
and although there is a no nonsense approach in the way I deliver training I
can teach anyone to train effectively and get transformational results. I’m
passionate about my role as a fitness professional and I want to motivate
people not only to change their bodies but to change their lives." Jason Brownlie
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And now.....
I am now residing in Perth, Scotland (Yes I moved again) and am happily married and a father to a beautiful daughter, who at 6 years old keeps me on my toes and does fantastic push ups.
I'm in the best shape of my life, a keen mountain cyclist, kettlebell and TRX enthusiast. My approach to training is very functional in that I focus on utilizing both the muscular system and cardiovascular systems as I incorporate many muscle groups at once. I love to research new and exciting ways to train with both Kettlebells and the TRX in order to keep mine and my clients training sessions varied and progressive.
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