Testimonials
Anna Frilingos
+ Lost 9kg
+ Body fat down 6%
+ Stronger and more confident in the gym
It's kind of hard to put into a small-ish paragraph what I have learned during my time training with James, or the impact our sessions have had on me and my life.
Since my first training session in late 2017, James has completely revolutionised and transformed the way I exercise, how I look at/think of myself and my attitude to nutrition and eating.
I believed I had a moderate level of fitness prior to commencing training with James - but all exercise I did at that time was very cardio-focused as I really shied away from any weights at all or core strength activities.
As a result, I wasn't strong or toned and although I thought I had good mobility/balance/stability, I had a bit of a wake-up call when tested in these areas during my first consult/session with James.
My initial goal was purely to lose weight, and while this has remained an underlying aim of training with James, my focus has expanded beyond this to also include improving my mobility/balance/stability, gaining muscle/tone and more recently, becoming as strong as I can be. Throughout the 18 or so months to date that James has trained me, he has really been incredible - supportive, extremely knowledgeable, very encouraging and highly motivating. I don't think I could have been matched with a better PT, general life coach and friend - seriously. THANK YOU!!!!
Rhiannon Zanetic
+ Gained 3kg lean muscle
+ Body fat down 2%
+ Added 60kg to deadlift and 25kg to squat
+ Improved posture and pain management
My name's Rhiannon. I'm a 29-year-old lawyer that spends far too much time sitting at a desk, craning my neck towards a screen. I also have some structural/alignment issues that have been a problem for me since I was a young teen, which are aggravated further by my highly sedentary occupation.
I went to James initially with the intention of simply reducing and managing the pain I was experiencing, on a daily basis, in my hips, back and neck as well as constant headaches. I expressly said to James that I was there for health purposes (and to assist in managing stress) but that aesthetic goals were not key.
Within a couple of months of training with James, following his programs and taking his advice more generally, my body had started to completely morph! I was so much stronger, my posture was unlike it has been in years, my pain had significantly reduced and I started feeling like a different person altogether. Then I just fell completely in love with the training process. I continued to train with James for another 5 months - and in that time - my body changed dramatically and I somehow managed to deadlift more than twice my bodyweight.
James guided me through every step, pushed me, supported me, and was a pleasure to spend time with during our sessions. He cares deeply about his work and his clients and is genuinely passionate about health and fitness. He played a huge part in a very large shift in my life that has caused physical activity to me almost my favourite activity.
In other words, I highly recommend!!
Kate Brown
+ Lost 7kg
+ Body fat down 6%
+ Had professional photoshoot
+ Gained strength and improved lifting technique
Before I started training with Jimmy, I was regularly going to the gym, and had been into weight training for about 2 months. I had lost about 17kgs by changing my habits, exercising regularly and eating intuitively, but I had reached a point where I had plateaued and was finding it increasingly harder to make further progress.
I aimed to lean up and lose some stubborn fat on my lower stomach and legs, in preparation for a holiday. Jimmy assessed my situation, and knowing that I was attending the gym 5 times a week and can be disciplined with my diet, he decided the best strategy would be to set calorie and protein targets for me, and check in with me regularly on my nutrition to ensure I was hitting targets while getting enough fibre in my diet. Jimmy also created a tailored 12 week strength / hypertrophy program for me to follow. My one vice is drinking too much on the weekend, and I told Jimmy upfront that I didn't want to give up my social life or end up with a bad relationship with food as a result of the program. We approached things very flexibly and I was able to drink alcohol and go out for dinner or brunch whenever I wanted, as long as I tracked as accurately as possible and fitted it into my calorie budget. During the entire process I allowed myself a bit of whatever I wanted within limits so compliance was much easier for me.
During my time training with Jimmy, I learned a lot about lifting technique - especially with squats and deadlifts. I hadn't been weight training long, and even though I was in a calorie deficit, managed to up my squats and deadlifts from around 55kgs for 8 reps, to 67.5kgs for 8 through improvements in technique.
I started off at around 23% body fat (measured by callipers) and 61kgs - by the end of the 12 weeks, I had lost 7kgs in weight and 6% body fat. I didn't think it would be possible to achieve the definition I had at the end of the program and was really blown away by the results.
In the past I suffered from binge eating disorder and to this day still sometimes struggle with relapses. By tracking calories but allowing myself to still eat 'treats' like chocolate or ice cream, it helped me learn how to eat in moderation - I didn't have to restrict myself of anything to meet my goals, and that's the first time I've ever managed to do that.
Jimmy persuaded me to book a photo shoot in for the end of my 'cut', which I was reluctant about at first, but it really motivated me to keep going and remain compliant through the process. I'm so glad I did it - because it captured me in the best condition I've been in in my life, and it was super fun and really increased my self confidence being able to see myself from someone else's perspective.
I thought I knew a lot about fitness and nutrition before training with Jimmy, and from past experience of losing weight on my own, I thought I could do it again without any help. Having Jimmy as a coach, however, meant that I was always kept accountable, I was motivated to keep going, and he was always there if I needed any help. I really wouldn't have progressed as far as I did without his guidance and I've also learned so much about how to program my sessions to continuously make progress.
Jimmy is an awesome coach - our weekly sessions were not only extremely useful but I was always pushed to work harder and we had a laugh in the process. He always made me feel at ease, checked in on me regularly and ensured that I was always happy and comfortable throughout the process. If I was struggling, he knew exactly when to give me a 'diet break' in order to refuel my body and ensure I wasn't putting too much stress on myself. I'd recommend him to anyone who is looking to work towards a physique or strength goal. No matter how much of an expert you think you are at something, you can always learn from someone else and improve further.
Joshua Rogers
+ Gained 4kg lean muscle
+ Body fat down 3%
+ Increased strength and exercise work capacity
Before I met James, I had a very casual relationship with health and fitness. I had been a member of a number of different gyms and had gone through phases where I would go quite frequently and then other phases where I didn’t go at all. I always placed a lot of value on my physical appearance but would often become very complacent with trying to maintain my fitness level. I was a member of Fitness First for just under 12 months when I met James. I was just about to cancel my membership because I was not actually using it. At the time I was engaged and about 6 months out from my wedding. My fiancé convinced me to have a consultation with a PT and that is when I met James; we discussed my goals and we decided that I would like to get into the best possible shape before all those wedding photos were taken. I wanted to increase my muscle mass and decrease my body fat percentage. James advised me that this would need to be done over two different program structures. First we would need to look at increasing my muscle mass and then we could start reducing my body fat percentage.
We spent the next two months working on my technique and form in the gym and trying to build as much muscle as possible. I’m not going to lie and say that it was easy, because it wasn’t; trying to establish a routine where exercise and good meal choices are part of every day is hard. I work as a Sales Manager for a very successful luxury business and a lot of my job revolves around entertaining current and future clients. Which means I go out to dinners and drinks quite a lot. The exercise is definitely the easy part, it took me a while to really get on board with the nutrition aspect though. Like many others, I didn’t really understand what was involved in the “eating” part of the equation. I needed to learn how to manage my food choices on the days when I wasn’t eating out, so that when I did need to have a business lunch or dinner, I didn’t end up consuming too many calories across the week. Obviously, you need a PT to teach you how to do the specific exercises correctly and safely, but you also need someone who knows how to get results to teach you all the other aspects of choosing a more fitness focused lifestyle.
Following the two months of body composition, we decided that it was time to really step up the training and nutrition work to get the best results possible. I had a relatively short time frame to work with and James was very honest with me about realistic expectations. We worked together on my first ever deficit program; I trained hard 5 times a week and strictly monitored my diet (calorie and macro nutrient targets across 3 different 6 week programs) for just over four months and I have to admit it was hard but I was extremely happy with the results.
James is obviously very knowledgeable, professional and personable PT, however, there are two great parts to having him on your team, especially for someone like me who was fairly unfamiliar with what it actually takes to get results, firstly the training programs and nutrition breakdown he provides through each 4-6 week program are exceptionally helpful; you literally just have to follow the plan, no thinking about what exercise to do next or trying to calculate what your calorie and protein targets for the week are, just follow the instructions. Secondly, the way his programs are structured meant that I was accountable for the amount of commitment I was willing to put in to achieve my desired results. I am currently still working with James and have a number of new goals that we will continue to work towards together. We have because very good friends over the last year and I can honestly say that I could not imagine a better person to work with on my journey to becoming a fitter, healthier person.
Joel Santiago
+ Lost 5kg body fat
+ Gained 3kg Lean Muscle
+ Increased Strength
I worked with Jimmy for just over three months, and I’m stoked with the amount of progress I was able to make with him in that time! I honestly think he’s one of the most experienced and knowledgable Personal Trainers and Coaches I’ve ever met. Being a PT myself, and having done Strength and Hypertrophy training for 10+ years, I can’t believe how much he had to teach me in regards to training programming and nutrition.
The biggest take-away from my time working with him, was how making small but consistent changes could have such a massive impact on my training performance and ultimately my body composition. By putting an accountability framework in place, Jimmy
helped me to stay on track, allowing me to keep making solid improvements every week. He also helped me to improve my food choices, ensuring they were the most optimal for getting stronger and growing muscle. After only a few weeks, I noticed how much better I felt and that my body fat percentage had dropped dramatically!
I’ve also seen massive improvements in my lifting technique and have been able to progressively push heavier weights and train harder each session without the minor injuries and pains I used to get. I really enjoyed the variety in the programming and genuinely looked forward to my training sessions. It was invaluable learning how to use mind-muscle connection and optimise certain movement patterns in order to get the most out of each rep, set and workout.
Without Jimmy’s guidance I’m certain I would not have been able to get into the shape I’m in now. I thoroughly enjoyed my time working on my goal, and would recommend working with him to anyone looking to improve their health, fitness, lifestyle and body composition. Thanks Jimmy for everything!
Chris Margarido
+Lost 7kg bodyfat
+ Added 6cm to shoulder and 3cm to chest circumferences
+ Added 45kg to Deadlift
I’d done plenty of weight training all through my 20s, watched a bunch of fitness ‘guru’ YouTube videos and received heaps of ‘tips’ from friends about lifting weights, so in my mind I thought “Ah yeah, I know what I'm doing.” This was all until one day at the gym I was with a couple of work mates. One of them was in his early 20s and was only just starting out. He was attempting to perform a deadlift and James immediately spotted him, came over and asked if he needed a hand. It turned out my mate lacked the mobility and strength to even perform this lift properly with a full range of motion. Watching all of this unfold I thought “wow, this guys really knows his stuff”, so I asked him to check my form as well. As it turned out, I was in the same boat as my mate, only I’m 10 years older and had 10x the training experience! This is what I call a ‘defining moment' and I realised then and there that I probably needed this guy’s help if I wanted to keep progressing and get the most out of my training without the risk of injury. After one training session with James I quickly realised I had NO IDEA what I was doing in the gym. Even though I had managed to make some gains on my own, I was never even remotely close to getting into the kind of shape I was in at the end of our time working together. I thought I was just getting old, and that slowly accumulating body fat and feeling aches and pains was to be expected. How wrong I was! In just 4 months training with James I progressed so much more than in the previous 10 years and learnt so much about training, nutrition, managing lifestyle and supplementation (after I was eventually able to let go of some the beliefs I had). My aches and pains disappeared as well (no doubt from improving my form), and most importantly, I feel stronger, leaner, healthier, younger and happier then ever before and I’m in the best condition of my life....at 31! James provided me with a straight forward process to follow and constantly checked in with me to keep me on track and accountable. I received a lot of guidance and support from James, and I blown away by the oversight and attention to detail he demonstrated, attributes that I can definitely appreciate in my line of work! The best investment is in your health, so do yourself a favour and reach out to James. He'll get you where you want to go and teach you how to safely keep growing stronger and healthier.
