Personal Training Secrets Revealed: Part 1: Body Blueprint Personal Training, Mt Maunganui,Tauranga, Papamoa, Te Puke, Bay of Plenty, NZ

In this special three part interview, Mark Woodgate shares his insights into exercise, nutrition and the benefits of following a healthy lifestyle!

Q: Hi Mark, tell me a little about your sporting background and how you came to be involved in the fitness industry?

I was involved in gymnastics and athletics from an early age. At secondary school I excelled in sprinting and represented my school in the long jump at the North Island Champs. In my secondary years I played 1st eleven soccer.

Ever since I can remember I’ve always had an interest in health. In my early teens I would do school projects that were related to health and fitness. At age 15 I joined my local YMCA and would work out every night after school!

As soon as I left school and began working I used my first wage to pay for a membership at the original Les Mills World of Fitness in Hamilton . I’ve always loved training!

I worked for several years in an office and along the way did a number of courses related to fitness and nutrition. It wasn’t until age 24 that I decided to give up my ‘comfortable’ office job and decided to pursue a career in the fitness industry. That was 14 years ago!

Q: And where have you worked?

Initially I set up my business “Body Blueprint Personal Training” at Body FX in Hamilton in 1995.

Later in the year I applied to Les Mills World of Fitness to be a one on one personal trainer. While completing my certificate in natural therapies I attended the Les Mills boot camp and became a qualified Les Mills personal trainer.

I worked at Les Mills in Hamilton for 5 years (til Dec 2003) I then moved to Papamoa where I worked at Ocean Blue Health Club and 'The Gym' in Tauranga.

Finally in May of 2007 my partner Lisa and I became the new owners of Bay Bodyfit Health & Fitness Centre in Mt Maunganui, which is where I am based now.

Q: A little while ago you made an appearance on TV3’s “Quest for Success” and you were featured with former Kiwi rugby league coach, Graham Lowe. How did that come about?

I received a phone call from Carla Brosnan to advise she was the successful applicant for Quest for Success and she asked me to supervise her training and record her results over an 8 week period. Graham Lowe was Carla’s mentor.

Q: And what was Graham Lowe like in person?

He was very down to earth and approachable. With Carla he was very encouraging. In saying that, Graham is also the kind of person not to mince words either! He means business - and I think Carla respected him for that.

Q: And was Carla happy with the results she achieved?

Carla began well, however half way through the programme her father became ill & he had to be hospitalized. Her training had to take a back seat but she still achieved some good results nonetheless. Quest for Success was lots of fun!

Q: Tell us a little about the Body for Life programme. I understand you were the first to start Body for Life in New Zealand ?

Body for Life was marketed by First Nutrition in Auckland (now EAS NZ) and I obtained the rights to package the programme and make it available to my clients. I was the first to promote Body for Life in the form of a personal training package. Later, several gyms & clubs around the country followed suit. It was the success of Body for Life that really allowed me to launch my career in the fitness industry.

Q: Some of the before and after photos on display are amazing! Do you think people are skeptical of these?

My first reaction to seeing some of the before and after photos was that there might be some exaggeration involved. However, after giving the programme a test run and applying the principles for myself, it soon became evident why the programme works as well as it does! And any skepticism was soon put to rest when several of my initial Body for Life clients transformed in record times!

Q: And you’ve had some very successful participants haven’t you?

I’d have to say that of all the clients under my supervision, the most dramatic transformation was that of Sundee Strother.

She started out weighing 95kgs. In the first 12 weeks she lost 12kgs! She completed 4 Body for life challenges and at the end of her 4th challenge she weighed in at 65kgs. A total weightloss of 30kgs!

She is an inspiration to anyone who wants to make positive changes in their lives. Her amazing physical transformation gave her the confidence and enthusiasm to make some big changes in her life.

Without a doubt, that is the most satisfying aspect of being in the health industry – seeing the changes people make on the inside - not just the outside. The ‘inner transformation.’

Q: Why do you think the Body for Life principles are so effective?

Because Body for Life is based on proven methods for building muscle and losing bodyfat. Body for Life dispels the notion that it takes many hours in the gym to produce an outstanding transformation.

Body for life is a structured progressive weight training programme. The cardiovascular component is based on short duration interval training – a method that is time efficient and proven to be more efficient for losing bodyfat than the conventional ‘go slow,’ long duration cardiovascular workouts.

Many people struggle with the concept that 3 – 3 ½ hours per week – cardio and weight training inclusive- is all you need to produce exceptional results… and depending on ones level of experience, even this may be too much!

Q: Perhaps you can tell us a little more about your training insights? I understand you are a big advocate of quality training – rather than quantity...

Yes, that’s true. I guess you could say I’m a pure skeptic at heart – I question all the prevailing theories! I’m really only interested in training principles that have been tested, scientifically scrutinized and that are proven to work!

There are many different theories as to what works and what doesn’t. High reps or low reps? Low volume or high volume? Which exercises are the most productive?

The fitness industry is awash with many conflicting theories – any many of these theories are purely hypothetical – not to mention completely outdated!

I’ve definitely come to certain conclusions about the best way to train for results. Quality- not quantity - absolutely!

Q: For those people who’s primary objective is to lose bodyfat, what kind of training do you recommend?

Weight training - without a doubt. It’s not just a matter of expending x amount of calories by doing hours and hours of cardio or aerobic classes! That kind of approach doesn’t work - it’s also impractical and unsustainable.

Weight training results in an increase of lean muscle - and lean muscle is your best weapon to burning body fat! That’s because 1 extra pound of lean muscle results in an increase in energy expenditure of around 60 calories per day. Lean muscle increases the metabolism - the rate at which you burn calories. This is the real ‘secret’ to maintaining a healthy bodyweight - and training to lose bodyfat is a matter of balancing weight training with some intelligent cardio choices.

Exercise selection is also very important. Compound, not isolation movements should be the mainstay of a fatloss programme. These are the most efficient as they utilize the most amount of muscle & are the most efficient in terms of calorie expenditure.

Q: Do you find there is still a myth that women who train with weights will end up with big bulky muscles?

Very much so. What is important to remember is that a woman will only gain an appreciable amount of muscle if their style of training and eating habits resemble that of a bodybuilder, or that person has unusually high levels of testosterone - or both.

I know many women who actually avoid weight training altogether and who focus solely on cardio or aerobic classes. Unfortunately it’s extremely hard to change your shape and keep bodyweight under control using that approach alone.

Lean muscle is more dense than bodyfat, takes up less room, and of course is more pleasing to the eye! Lean muscle is the ‘engine’ that burns bodyfat. Therefore we should do everything we can to preserve lean muscle! And this is especially important as we grow older...

Q: What would you recommend to someone who wants to build strength and increase muscle?

For strength and hypertrophy (muscle building) the biggest mistake I see amongst trainees is performing very high volume workouts. The mistaken belief that if 2 sets are good, then 3 must be better…The intensity is the single most important component responsible for strength gains - not the duration.

Insufficient recovery times between workouts are also very detrimental to progress. When you shortchange this process you compromise your ability to grow stronger.

As a rule of thumb, if you are unable to increase one or more variables at every workout – that is, increase repetitions or weights, or decrease rest times, then by definition you are overtrained and need to allow more recovery between workouts. Likewise, as you grow stronger and place increasing demands on your body, your recovery ability is compromised - and it may actually be necessary to space these workouts further apart in order to continue to progress.

But when enthusiasm is high, being told to train less can be a difficult concept to grasp!

If my clients reach a plateau with their training, we review their recovery times. 99% of the time a few subtle changes result in continued progress.

Q: Why do you think many people start a training programme and give up after a few short weeks or months?

First of all, it takes time to establish exercise as a regular habit and in the beginning it is important to remember the reasons why we absolutely must make time to exercise. There’s no doubt that we all have very busy lifestyles these days – and all the more reason to exercise. Our health should come first because without it we can have no quality of life. Moderate and regular exercise strengthens our muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments, it increases energy levels, strengthens our immune system, elevates mood, improves quality of sleep…..plus a whole host of other benefits.

I encourage clients to make an appointment with them self - an unbreakable commitment which is their personal investment in their health and wellbeing.

And from the outset, it’s important to have specific goals to strive for. Without goals it’s very easy to just go through the motions and motivation starts to wane. If you have specific goals with specific deadlines, it keeps you single minded and focused. You’ll be much more likely to stick with your workouts if you know exactly what you’re striving to achieve.

Also, it’s not uncommon to gain weight in the first few weeks of training and this can be disheartening for many people.

However, 9 times out of 10, the extra weight can be attributed to gains in lean muscle. If you’re focused on scale weight only, it’s very easy to become discouraged - scale weight is never a good indicator.

This is why it is important to have a fitness professional perform body composition tests and fitness assessments on a regular basis.

Another reason might be boredom or not seeing results. This is why it is important to have your programme reviewed every 4-6 weeks. Typically it is at this time that the body adapts and is less responsive. The body is always trying to stay in a state of homeostasis – it wants to stay the same! By changing the stimulus – the exercises, sets, reps, rest times, and making the workouts progressive from workout to workout, it’s very likely that you’ll see results on a consistent basis.

Everyone’s time is precious – and you might as well use that time wisely! …Otherwise you just end up spinning your wheels. This is where the services of a coach or personal trainer can be the difference between making progress or making no progress at all. It can help keep you motivated and you’ll be much more likely to stay consistent with your training.

Q: And have you used a trainer yourself?

Absolutely! When I first began training, I tapped into the knowledge of a top personal trainer. This trainer provided me with a comprehensive training and nutrition programme. I estimate that had I not had access to this information, it would have taken me at least twice as long to achieve the results that I did. This information was invaluable when I competed in a bodybuilding competition in 1996 as it took all the guess work out of my training and I knew exactly what my goals were from workout to workout. Even now I use the services of a trainer to push me through mna we have specialized coaches to help us excel in our chosen field. It makes sense if we want to achieve results- whether it is weight loss, strength, or sports…, one of the quickest ways from A to B is to utilize the services of a health professional - and save months- if not years, of wasted effort!

Also, if someone struggles with motivation, it’s a great idea to pair up with a training partner who has similar goals and aspirations. If you’ve set aside a specific time to meet with your training buddy or if you’ve made an appointment with a coach or personal trainer, you’ll be much more likely to stick with your workouts and give 100% every time.

Mark Woodgate is a leading New Zealand personal trainer. He has successfully transformed thousands of people thanks to his revolutionary ‘quality versus quantity’ training principles.

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