MY PERSONAL TRAINING EXPERIENCE WITH RICHARD SMEDLEY

Results
The bottom line, the one thing you really need to know: I got the results I wanted. One stone gone. Along with a whole wardrobe of baggy sail-like shirts and flapping tees. Two chins went along with all that, though there's more to go. Over 50% of my body fat went as well - from 24% down to 14%. And back came a new confidence, some smart new clothes and a whole sense of achievement.

Costs
Yes - it cost a ton of cash. It would have been fun to have blown the lot on a great holiday, a new fancy gadget, some really designer clothes. And yes, the time commitment, slogging on the tube across town twice a week was grim (does the Jubilee line ever run to time?). But those 12 weeks did what 100 in the gym had failed to do. Here are my learning points and my views on why working with RICHARD SMEDLEY really is a different level of training, a fast route to results.

The Big Difference
There are several key differences:

• Intensity
• Commitment
• Balance
• Focus
• Personalised
• Results

Intensity
Some nights I needed a lift to the tube - I could barely stagger. I trained with Richard Smedley. He doesn't shout or scream or roll off a litany of psychobabble. It's all low key. But somehow he makes you push yourself to find strength you’ve never unlocked before. If before you’ve managed say, 6 or 7 out of 10 in terms of intensity, then here you will be led to getting that 10. Which definitely means a slow walk home and a rewarding dull ache some 48 hours later. There is no way I have ever come near this on my own and I think this intensity only comes from working with a trainer you trust and believe in.

Commitment
I’ve talked about the cash and the travel. I had two sessions a week for 12 weeks over the start of the summer. With an hour's travel each way there was no way I could fit it in before something else - the session was the whole evening. It meant complete commitment for that session, no cutting corners, no cheating.

Balance
But it was only two sessions per week plus a run at the weekend. In the past I had even got into the habit of going to the gym most days. And when you are paying a hefty fee to be a gym member no wonder you feel you have to go every day to get your money's worth. I showed Richard a picture of the ‘skinny me’ when I took my weight right down as a result of being obsessed with getting my fat down. He took a very balanced approach - few exercises, done intensively and with perfect technique, twice a week in total.

The other part was diet. From the start this was the most radical change. No carbs after 5pm. I was eating simply and getting results - greens and fish, toast and yoghurt, no fat and plenty of veggies. It took a while to kick in but then a whole layer of fat dissolved.

Focus
Spending an hour with someone one on one is very focussed. In Richard's gym, the only thing you’re thinking about is the exercise and the results that you’re getting. No queuing, no irritating time wasting, no broken machines, no distractions. It's part of what delivers the intensity. And what I especially liked was the goal, the 12 week program. You have something to aim for, something definite.

Personalised
I’ve had lower back problems before. But Richard diagnosed an upper back problem and worked on that - you'd have heard the yells of pain for miles as my vertebrae clicked back into place. Apart from the new shape, the most enduring take away for me will be the need for me to correct my posture and stay away from hours of e mail. The lower back and abs exercises have helped but really I have to make some more fundamental changes here. Another basic outcome that only comes from working with a trainer regularly.

Results
And the results really do speak for themselves. I feel I can wear what I want and get on the beach this summer; I've got new glasses; I'll have to go down a size in trousers. And the best thing is all the praise from friends, family and colleagues. Seriously - they notice the change and tell you.

The differences in training are amazing - you feel your potential and you see results. It's zen-like in its focus and the commitment you give. The results are more than I’ve ever had in 7 years of going to the gym. And yes - when the time is right again I'll be back because the way you train with a personal trainer such as Richard and the results you get are many steps up from doing it on your own.

Andy Rob Jones - Music Producer 19 August 2001