Peter Mac is the man responsible for Marvin Humes' recent body transformation and for training Giovanna Fletcher ahead of her charity trek to Oman. And now the celebrity trainer, who also counts Katie Piper and Lucy Watson among his clients, has shared his top tips to get you looking and feeling your best in time for the party season. We caught up with Peter to find out what exercises and foods we should be introducing to our routine, and get the lowdown on some of his celebrity clients.
You've been training Giovanna Fletcher for her trek to Oman, how has that been? Have you been impressed with her progress?
Yes! When I first started training Giovanna she was a novelist to exercise, after breaking the barriers at day two, we formed a good friendship. When Giovanna injured her knees on holiday, I thought outside of the box and started incorporating boxing into our sessions as this takes the pressure off her knees. Her progress is down to it being a team sport, if she wins I win, we win together!
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Marvin Humes recently credited you for his body transformation, how long have you been working together? What is he like as a client?
Marvin and myself have been training for four months. As a client, to be fair he is literally my homeboy! It's not a personal trainer / client relationship really, it's just two males chasing the same muscle now. We even work out together!!
With Christmas and New Year coming up, many people will be hoping to slim down and tone up – what are your top tips for quick results?
My top tip is to record everything you eat in the run-up to Christmas and New Year. Write it down and take pictures of everything you have consumed (even the Christmas chocolates!) and at the end of the day, ask yourself - can I do better tomorrow? Recording progress and goals to beat is something I always encourage with all of my clients. Another tip is to go walking. Sounds simple, but it's a really great way to make sure you're out and above and moving. It's easy at this time of year: a day out shopping or planning a walk in the park when visiting friends/family will do the trick. Invite your friends Christmas shopping as a day out and they won't even know they have exercised!
Peter Mac trains Marvin Humes
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What are your favourite toning exercises?
This is tough but here are a few:
- Clean and press – it's a great full body workout. You may hate doing it at the time but the feeling after you finish is amazing.
- Burpees – again, I know this isn't a popular exercise everyone, but you feel great once you've completed a set.
- Ab roller – this is the exercise when after just rep two or three you automatically start to feel the benefits.
What would a typical week's fitness routine look like for one of your clients?
If I'm training someone who is physically fit I'd use the following work out (dependent on their goals):
- First, 10-15 min cardio warm up
- Next, a lower body workout - squats, lunges, sit ups, and leg raises
- Finally, the stuff that no one ever wants to do but I promise you it's the most beneficial - push ups and pull ups! It's always so rewarding for both me and a client when they achieve their first ever pull up.
Giovanna Fletcher is another of Peter's clients
How important is nutrition? Are there any foods you tell your clients to avoid or encourage them to eat?
Nutrition is so important, and should be a key focus in everyone's everyday lifestyle when it comes to health and fitness. Your performance during a workout is reflected by your nutrition and the foods you eat both before and after. As a personal trainer, I always keep a handful of almonds close by when training clients as a key energy source for us both when we're working out and need some protein! Your performance is a reflection of how you eat - most people fail to understand this and that’s where they fail!
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Portion control is so important when it comes to eating so make sure you plan ahead. Most mornings, I make myself what I like to call an 'energy boost' to take with me for the day. This is essentially an excellent healthy snack I like to have to hand in between clients - almonds, blueberries, banana mixed with a little bit of dark chocolate tastes great!
What are your tips for anyone starting a new fitness routine?
Be consistent, you may not see the goals instantly. I promise you the worst thing you can do is stop as if you stop, NOTHING will happen! It's going to happen! Let's go!
How do you stay motivated?
I am surrounded by winners, I like to watch people's Instagram Stories who inspire me to be better! Every morning I listen to motivational talk, I believe the first thing you hear in the morning is the thing you take with you the whole day!
Peter Mac wants people to say yes to snacking with California Almonds. For more information and snacking recipes, please head to almonds.co.uk.
