We sat down with Daryl Richards, the newest member of our Coaching team, to get to know a little more about what makes him tick and how he got into the industry.
After 2 years of traveling abroad, in 2004 Daryl completed his diploma in personal training and sports massage and started working in the fitness industry. He then spent a short time working in Australia before moving back to London in 2008 where he began to study more extensively and pursued his passion to work in professional sports.
He completed a sports and exercise science degree along the way before spending 6 years working in professional boxing as a strength and conditioning coach. Throughout his career in London, he has worked in some of London’s top clubs and has been blessed with many opportunities to travel. These days his passions and field of study are geared towards helping his clients move better, reducing pain, and enabling them to continue doing the activities and sports they want to do.
Where does your passion for health and fitness come from?
It all started when I was a teenager wanting to put on some muscle as I hated being skinny! Soon I developed a passion for reading and learning all about health and fitness as I got more into it.
What does your personal workout routine look like?
I like to train at least 4 times per week alternating between upper-body and lower-body resistance training workouts. I also try to get in one cardiovascular training session each week. I try to walk as much as possible and do a short daily dose of corrective/mobility exercises for lower back and spine health.
What is your post-workout recovery routine?
I will often perform breathing drills/exercises to calm the nervous system after particularly challenging workouts. I like to eat a high-protein meal within an hour of training too.
How does training in the gym help you mentally?
It genuinely underpins everything else in my life, in that when I am training consistently everything falls into place, such as good sleep, good nutrition, productivity at work, study etc. Training helps me make better decisions overall.
Do you have any tips for people who are just starting their fitness journey?
Start small, be realistic, and only commit to what you can do CONSISTENTLY! This is how you build momentum and avoid getting overwhelmed.
Do you have any tips for anyone lacking the motivation to stay consistent?
Read the above again! But also make sure that you ENJOY IT, or at least do some of what you enjoy in your exercise routine. Keep learning and educating yourself so that your training doesn’t get stale or boring, however, if you have a goal you’re working towards you have to understand that DISCIPLINE is important and sometimes you will need to train when you don’t feel like it!
What are some of the most common mistakes people make that threaten to derail their progress?
Overcommitting (with good intentions of course) and burning out too soon and/or getting injured! A BIG problem I also see is people not respecting how much stress they are experiencing in their work/personal life and then over-training on top of that. Success in exercise is all about getting the dose right!
If you had to choose only one piece of gym equipment to take with you to a desert island what would it be and why?
A “chin up and dip” rack as you can get a lot done with your bodyweight and you can perform a lot of different exercises on it, so you get more bang for your buck!
For more information on our personal training packages or to book a session with Daryl, email info@coachlondon.uk or speak to a member of our concierge team.