In September 2011 I set myself the challenge of cycling from Lands End to John O’Groats that’s about 1,000 miles. At the time I was 49 and over 120kg and hadn’t done any real exercise for about 10 years!
I started by getting myself a bike and began cycling about 5-10 miles every other day. Then in November 2011 I signed up with the Deloitte Ride Across Britain who organise an end to end ride where they take care of all the organisation all you have to do is ride your bike about 110 miles each day for 9 days, I thought this would give me the best chance of completing my challenge.
So I began cycling and building up the miles, the weight began to drop and despite the winter I was getting fitter and was gradually increasing the miles.
Then in about June having cycled about 2,500 miles and weighing still over 115kg I was beginning to wonder if I would get fit enough. At this point I was thinking of joining a slimming club when a work colleague suggested getting a personal trainer instead. So it was that I met Darren Mason. At the very first meeting he gave me the impression that he was the right man for the job, I explained that I wanted to lose weight but also the kind of fitness I needed to meet my challenge. He gave me advice on diet and set out training me using a variety of methods; bosu, gym, boxing, weights etc.. I can honestly say I enjoyed every single session with Darren and he kept me working hard but I never once got bored with the training and looked forward to every single session.
So it’s now the end of August 2012 and in two weeks I’ll be off on my bike. The change Darren has brought about has been amazing. I now weigh 105 kg and am still losing weight, I cycle over 50 miles a day, and cycled my first 100 mile event two weeks ago on the hottest day of the year and felt good doing it.
I know the challenge I have taken on will not be easy but with Darren’s help I have given myself the best chance of completing it. Thanks Darren , and if you are thinking of getting a trainer I cannot recommend anyone better.
I cannot rate Darren highly enough. I just wish I'd contacted him years ago. As
a 42-year old guy, I've tinkered with exercise over the years but Darren's
science, guidance, encouragement and superb advice have worked wonders.
In just two months I've lost two stone, because of Darren.
His recommendations and expertise mean he doesn't judge; instead he makes you feel completely at ease and that you'll finally crack it.
It's clear that Darren is a leading PT Instructor but his fantastic approach and positive encouragement are what sets him apart.
If you need to get fit and/or lose weight, contact Darren straight away.
I am nearly 53 years young now. I have been passionate about my fitness since the age of 17. Over the years I have immersed my self in all sorts of training. Weights, fatigues, running, rowing and martial arts. Every program you could conceive.
I met Darren as a trainer about 2 years ago and he was so differently refreshing. Firstly he is a genuinely pleasant guy. He has deep insights into martial arts, fitness training and so much more. But it doesn’t stop there; he knows how to make fitness fun.
The result for me personally is that I am in the best shape of my life, I am carrying no body fat and I’m delighted with my muscle tone. My time for 3 miles on the runner is 23minutes; whilst at the same time I press sets of 8 with 37.5k dumbbells. The Boxercise sessions which Darren runs sit at the core of my fitness regime. I would choose to give up anything and everything else before my sessions with Darren.
Fitness really is fun.
Thanks Darren.
I have know Darren for over 6 years now, And is just as passionate about health and fitness now as he was then.
If it wasn’t for Darren I don’t believe I would be the same confident person that I am now, He started me off going to the gym, and shown me the rope’s.
We in-fact where training partners for 4 years, and I have never looked back since.
I’m currently training towards doing a body-building contest in June 2012, my current body-fat is 6.34%.
Take this as a glowing testimonial. Darren Mason is an expert in control of bodyweight and in the development of strength to achieve peak athletic performance.
Darren showed me how important posture correction and core trunk strength are to avoid training injury. By using a smart combination of stretches, fitball exercises and light weights, his training restores joint mobility and reactivates unused postural muscles.
This initial program serves as a
solid foundation for clients who are then able to build limb strength. I had my cruciate ligament reconstructed in the middle of 2011, since that has happened Darren has been supporting me in building up my strength in my legs to support my knee for future training and playing football.
The modern strength development techniques which Darren teaches focus on improving functional and dynamic movements which are important in daily living and performance sports. Using the best strategies, he shown me how to power groups of muscles, rather than training a series of isolated large muscles.
The results achieved are greater than the benefits you might expect from a series of individual exercises. This is because of the great variety of techniques which Darren prescribes to achieve defined goals, for example upright posture, core strength, leg power, agility etc.
The science of Physical Training has moved a long way in the past 10 years and Darren is using cutting edge, effective strategies to help his clients. More than this, he practices the art of Personal Training with energy, enthusiasm and great good humour.
The most successful clients have brought a little motivation and a desire for change. Do you believe it is possible to change yourself for the better? Here is an opportunity to learn how from a master in the field.
Friendly, professional and meticulous in preparation Darren produces programmes that are, in my experience, well thought out and incredibly effective.
After an initial consultation where he’ll discuss what you hope to achieve and your timescale he’ll draw up the perfect programme with enough variation to keep you motivated and interested.
Working in senior management I know that it’s all about getting the best out of people and Darren also realises this as during workouts he’ll ensure performance levels are maintained through encouragement and advice rather than shouting. Don’t be fooled though, as a former Royal Marine and boxer he’s also certainly not afraid of insisting you to step it up a level when he thinks you’re sitting in the comfort zone.
I’m a reasonably fit 64 year old. I have worked in an office all my adult life and have put up with intermittent lower back pain since I was in my early 20′s. At the beginning of January this year I decided I needed the discipline of having a personal trainer visit me at home rather than relying on self-motivation for exercise.
Since then Darren Mason has been guiding me through weekly torture sessions with help, humour and understanding with particular emphasis on the weaker areas of my anatomy. Darren very quickly picked up on my lower back weakness and applied his obvious expertise to sort out this very long standing problem.
The difference has been remarkable and if I feel the slightest ‘twinge’ Darren has shown me how to prevent it becoming full blown pain. On a scale of 1 to 10 the pain used to reach about 7 at its worst but now (touch wood) it never goes passed 2 and is sorted quickly.
On July the 3rd this year I turned 40. As a gift from my 3 brothers I received an envelope full of cash with the idea being that I would buy the four of us some sort of experience day.
At that time i weighed somewhere close to 19 stone and after about 6-weeks of calling around all over the place (during which my wife left me!) we couldn't’ find an experience day that hadn’t got a weight limit of less than 17 stone so....Plan B.....My brothers agreed that instead of the experience day i could use the money to get some personal training. One of them found Darren on the Internet and the rest, as they say is history!
After 3.5 months of training I am now just under 16 stone (so a loss of approximate 3-stones), our latest measurements session showed a loss of 4.5 inches on my hips and 6 inches on my waist. My general level of fitness has improved no end, I regularly run, swim and I have even taken up taekwondo with my 7 year old son. The change in my confidence and my energy has been dramatic.
Darren has managed to vary the training routine to, as he says, “keep the body guessing” which has prevented me from getting bored, his attitude is always positive and he sets realistic goals which are not easy to achieve but are also not so impossible as to put you off.
In the time that I have known Darren he has proved to be reliable, he has never missed a session, he is proactive and maintains regular contact to see how I am via text which in the tough times since my wife left me has been invaluable.
The biggest testament I could give is to say that I have just dipped into my own pocket (rather than my brothers’) to pay for another set of session in which I hope to drop another 10kgs so watch this space for another installment of the “ain’t Darren great” story early in the new year!
Darren is as good as it gets, not just as a personal trainer, but also as an individual.
He is very motivated and pushes you to achieve your goals. Just in the past three months I have more than doubled my strength.
3 months ago I struggled to Bench Press 50kg, also dead lifting 60kg was an enormous challenge. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be I would be able to Bench Press 105kg and dead lift 150kg, especially in such a limited amount of time. I’m happy to say I have dramatically improved in all areas of strength and flexibility.
My core strength has gone through the roof, as I can now manage to stand of a stability ball while lifting weights, before I couldn’t even sit on one without falling off.
I’m currently at 8.24% Body fat (a Drop in 4%)
Gained 2 inches on my chest and 2 inches on my upper arm and dropping a inch around my abdominal area while maintaining my weight of 85kg
I would highly recommend Darren to anyone looking to improve their overall fitness.
I’m now ready for the summer and feel in the best shape of my life.
