David Holland.

TV to PT

Sport, fitness and training have always been a big part of my life, but as a young guy coming out of school, I wanted to get into TV production. So, I studied and completed a 3-year Film & Television Degree. The thing is, I didn’t realise it involved so much sitting around behind desks – and that really wasn’t me at all.

So, I switched my life around, and made my passion for sport and fitness my career focus. I completed a Personal Training Certificate. During the 12-month course, I discovered there were more benefits to training than just looking good. Training made me feel better, gave me more strength and more energy. It reinforced my desire to become a Personal Trainer and make a career in the fitness industry – it had become less about me and more about how I could help other people.

Blackwood

By 2008 I was a Qualified Personal Trainer and scored a residency at Blackwood Gym. It was my first exposure to having regular clients and it was a great challenge. The more I got into it, the more I wanted to learn, so I continued studying and broadened my knowledge. I was also in phase of body-building and strength work.

Suddenly, 7 years had gone by, and I’d achieved all I could at Blackwood. I wanted to pursue my own version of Personal Training – one that took a more individualised, focused approach to training. It meant running my own gym, which was something I’d been aiming for right from the beginning.

Holland Performance - The Gym

It was pretty basic at the start – I couldn’t afford all the equipment – but it was fine because training isn’t all about equipment. It’s about technique, building strength and endurance, and adapting exercises to fit the individual. And it worked – I built the business (and the range of equipment) through word of mouth.

Over the next couple of years, I became less strength focused and more holistic about training – exploring other elements to training that allow people to live a physically active lifestyle. That was when the gym really became Holland Performance.

Today, more than ever, I get great satisfaction from being a Personal Trainer. It gets back to wanting to help people, and running a gym is the best way I can do that. It’s a gateway to better life choices – as well as improving body composition through training, I advise people about diet, help with time-management, and provide home exercise routines. It doesn’t matter what stage of life people are at, or their weight or fitness level – I’ve trained school kids, league footballers, dads and mums (and mums to be), grandparents, all kinds of people in all shapes and sizes. It’s not a case of one size fits all at Holland Performance.

I look forward to helping you live a physically active lifestyle.

David Holland

Director and Personal Trainer