Rowan O'Neill, CPT

I come from a very sport oriented family in South Africa where there was always fierce competition between my siblings and even my cousins, this culminated in me representing South Africa in three different sports at secondary school level. I have always enjoyed being active no matter what it is and strive to be the best that I can be, I expect a lot from myself and therefore I expect a lot from people that I am working with. I do whatever it takes to get me to where I need and want to be. I firmly believe that knowledge is power so I always maintain a high level of continuous education, this combined with a relentless drive to succeed in helping people achieve their goals as well as my own has proved to be and will always be a winning formula.

There are many different facets within the fitness industry and through my travels I have been fortunate to be exposed to many of them, I have a unique approach to training with myself and with my clients.

Thanks for checking in. The training is going great and Rowan is fun to work with and pushes me to do the best I can. "And the great thing is that all these exercises I can do on my own!" My plan has always been to be able to learn enough so that I can continue the training on my own and I am so pleased that these are all exercises that I can continue. Thanks for having assigning me such a wonderful trainer.

"Rowan is doing a great job!!" He's always prompt. He is a great motivator, creative with exercise, knowlegeable about nutrition, physiology... pretty much everything! He's the greatest and I enjoy working with him immensely! "I couldn't be more pleased!" Thanks!

Below Rowan explains how he got into the business of personal training, his overall approach with clients, his fitness philosophies and more.

A: I chose to be a p.t after I did my first trip to the united kingdom, when I went back to South Africa I joined a gym and after going there for a while I had really good results. A middle-aged woman approached me and asked me what I had done to achieve these results, I told her and gave her some advice. Six weeks later I saw her again and she looked incredible, she told me that I had changed her life for the better, I had a real great feeling of satisfaction that somebody would say this to me and so I started studying.

A: I am different to other trainers in the way of shear numbers and different population groups as I have trained people both privately and in gyms in South Africa, Dubai, Thailand, England and all over Europe. I have had a large number of clients ranging from special needs, rehabilitation, athletes and even some celebrities. I specialize in core rehabilitation, strength training, weight loss and management as well as sport specific training.

A: The biggest challenge that I faced is probably not being able to look after my clientele 24hrs a day, many people have the attitude that results are achieved by only doing what the trainer does with them in one hour of the day. True results and goals are only achieved with a complete lifestyle change and mindset, until that is realized and accepted the results will not be what they should.

A: If clients are not serious with themselves then I am not serious about helping them, a good reputation is not built on people not being serious.

A: 5. There are many important aspects to training, which all connect and are all-integral to the achievement of goals, discipline, dedication, good positive attitude, good nutrition and knowledge.

A: I don't give up, I have a very strong personality and I am highly motivated, I have a solid well rounded education with numerous certifications and I always take the fact that every client is different and therefore so should their sessions.

A: Probably the most dangerous fad or concept diet, starving the body of carbs is not only unhealthy but bad for the body as well. A well-balanced eating plan is essential for the mind and body.

A: How is it possible for me to lose weight by eating more?

A: 9. I enjoy a wide range of authors but probably Paul Chek, as he and his writings take fitness to a new level.

A: 10. While I was in London I had a middle-aged gentleman that was reaching obesity, he had had a triple bypass surgery and was now looking to reclaim his life. After working with him for six or seven months, a lot of dedication and drive on his part, he made it to the summit of mount kilimanjaro for his 45th birthday.

A: 11. They have got to WANT to make the transition and put the effort in. Dedication is crucial as it wont happen over night.

A: 12. I really don't mind either, both forms of training are great fun and each brings their separate and different challenges.

A: 13. I would like to enter an amateur bodybuilding competition as I enjoy seeing the results at the end of a good training and strict nutritional program. I would like to see how far I can push myself.