Dan Davies Fitness

I've had a fair few people message me over the past few months asking if I'm ok because they haven't seen my posts in a while.

And honestly?

Apart from my phone dying on me this morning I've never been better.

I just don't hang out on here anymore.

I'm over on Instagram instead, so feel free to drop me a follow over there at skinnyfatspecialist.

I cringe at the weird stuff I did in my early days to get abs.

From extreme diets…

Training twice a day…

And even bringing my banana peel home from work to weigh it so I could track my calories.

I was so desperate for abs I was willing to do anything, no matter how extreme or suffering I had to go through.

As I get older though, where my testosterone levels are slowly declining…

My metabolism is slowing…

And my body can’t handle the intensity I used to train at…

I’ve had to learn how to work smarter, not harder.

The sad thing is, I speak to guys in their 30’s, 40’s and 50’s every single week who remind me of the old me.

They’re either reverting back to extreme dieting and training methods they learned from that time they worked with a personal trainer…

Following whatever the latest program some 20 something Instagram influencer has created…

Or they’re doing crazy things like going zero carb, cutting out sugar, or grinding their knees by jogging every day CONVINCED this is how they’re going to lose their love handles.

Here’s the bottom line:

While these extreme methods sound macho on paper…

In reality they make getting lean and strong much tougher than it needs to be.

Which is why nowadays my clients do the complete opposite of all the bats**t crazy fat loss and muscle gaining methods we’ve touched on.

They’re able to lose fat even with busy calendars because they’re not bound to a strict meal plan…

Socialise with their partner or mates because not every delicious tasting food is off limits…

And build muscle training 2-3 times a week for 30-60 minutes.

Which means there’s no stress, no misery, and definitely no delusional 4:30am cardio wake up calls.

I could never go back to my old ways.

And unless you want food on the brain and want to be miserable, I suggest you use a different strategy to getting lean.

I know what it’s like to feel self conscious and insecure.

Because I spent my teenage years battling acne.

Face soaps, bathing my face in steam, and smothering my skin in sudocrem.

Literally, nothing worked.

My zit shrapnel was all over my back, and face.

My pimples robbed me of my confidence…

Shattered my self-esteem…

And made me feel ugly and worthless.

No one found me attractive.

Meanwhile, my friends were getting into relationships…

Catching a tan down the beach while being topless…

And going swimming carefree.

But I was always coming up with excuses not to be topless.

Whether it was -

Begging my dad to write a letter to be excused from swimming PE lessons…

Showering with my back against a wall in rugby training…

And never wearing white tops in case my zit shrapnel exploded and blood would seep through my t-shirt.

Then, I started lifting weights.

I got bigger and stronger than boys my age.

My confidence grew.

My posture changed.

I had a presence about me.

I wasn’t scared or timid anymore.

I benched 100kg at the age of 18.

My friends started admiring my physique.

To many, I became known as “the fitness guy”.

And with some help from medication, my acne started to clear.

I found inner peace with my physique.

This journey taught me a valuable life lesson.

Confidence starts with the body, then transitions to the mind.

When you look good, you feel good.

And if you look like s**t, you’ll feel like s**t.

You’ll berate yourself…

Feel victimised…

Feel powerless…

And others will treat you how you treat yourself.

So if you want others to respect you…

Take you more seriously…

And admire you…

You’ve got to respect, love, and admire yourself first.

Every man deserves to go through a transformation like I have. But no one deserves to spend years wasting time battling with a body they hate.

Before building my garden gym, I nearly made a decision that would haunt me for years. 🙈

See, to build the gym I needed to lay foundations.

And while I was looking for a landscaper, a flyer came in through my postbox.

It was from a guy who’d just started a landscape gardening business.

And conveniently he lived on the same estate as me.

So I gave him a ring and within 5 minutes he was at the house.

After some chit chat I explained to him what I needed.

And for the next 30 seconds he was silent.

It was the most awkward moment of my life.

What felt like a lifetime went by.

So I broke the silence and asked:

“So, what do you think mate?”

He turned to me and said:

“I’ve got so many ideas”.

When I asked him what these ideas were he just stared at me for about 15 seconds.

I thought this guy is either high, clueless, or both.

None of his ideas made sense.

So he left and I said I’d be in touch.

Luckily my brother-in-law is a property developer and put me in contact with a reliable builder.

The builder came out to see me…

Told me exactly what he was going to do…

And within a day the foundations were in place and the concrete had been laid.

It just goes to show that not all tradesmen are created equal.

By that I mean some are great, and some are absolutely 💩

The same goes for personal trainers.

Some will deliver on the results they promise.

While others will count your reps, show you how the machines work, and that’s it.

So if you’ve worked with a PT in the past and you didn’t get results…

Or you’ve been working with one for a few months and you’ve barely noticed a difference to your physique…

It’s not your fault.

New PT’s are dumped into their new careers after passing what’s essentially a crash course.

And the companies who run the courses don’t give a toss about the quality of the personal training.

Remember that the next time you go to hire local personal trainer.

I spent 7 years struggling to get a physique I felt proud of.

Sit ups, cutting out carbs, and eating clean.

Nothing worked.

But one discovery got me in cover model condition in 9 months.

See, while I was constantly falling off the dieting wagon on weekends…

Skipping workouts because I was knackered…

While struggling to keep up with the demands of my strict diet and training plan…

These ripped dudes in fitness magazines made leaning out look effortless.

They had abs year round.

Got all the attention.

And commanded respect from others.

So I started copying their plans.

But I couldn’t stick to their diet for more than a couple of weeks.

I thought I was mentally weak.

Not disciplined enough.

“Maybe I’m not meant to have abs' I'd tell myself.

But then I discovered another side to the fitness industry.

These other guys who weren’t exactly ripped themselves…

But they were getting other people in awesome shape.

And they were dismantling EVERYTHING I was learning from the ripped dudes in fitness magazines.

Then everything started to click.

I started to focus on principles instead of fads.

I unlearned everything these ripped dudes were talking about.

Armed with four simple principles I designed a brand new diet and training plan.

And in a few months I got in cover model condition.

Over the last 9 years I’ve helped over 400 guys do the same.

And I’ve distilled these principles into a FREE workshop.

Comment “WORKSHOP” and I’ll send it over.

What happened to me when I was 9 years old will stick with me forever.

Because it shaped who I am today.

Here’s what happened…

I was playing in an under-9’s tournament with my rugby club.

We’d made it to the final.

At the end of the game though the score was tied.

So we played FOUR extra times.

But no one could score to win the game.

We were all running on fumes.

Players from our team and theirs were dropping like flies.

Parents from both teams were on the sidelines, screaming, pushing us to keep going.

Borderline child abuse if you ask me 😂

But just seconds before the final whistle…

…I somehow scored the winning try.

Honestly it felt like winning a World Cup final.

I collapsed from exhaustion and burst into tears.

I’m probably the first person to ever score a winning try and cry about it!

When we finally got home, my dad sat me down.

And he taught me a lesson I’ll never forget:

No matter how tired you are, or how much pain you’re in, always give 100% and never, ever give up.

Honestly, I’m not that good at much.

And I’ve never had raw talent at anything.

But whatever I do, no matter the challenge, I dive in headfirst and give it my all.

That attitude helped me get through last week’s marathon.

I was so close to quitting.

The pain in my body the worst thing I’d ever felt in my life.

But I kept going and finished the marathon.

All thanks to what happened when I was 9 years old and sound advice from my dad.

So if you’re going through a bit of a rough patch…

Maybe you feel like giving up…

Or perhaps you’re at a point where you’re questioning if it’s all worth it…

Keep going.

Don’t give up.

Because pain is temporary.

But quitting lasts forever.

Feel like life isn’t as exciting as it once was?

That’s how Patrick felt before he reached out to me.

Being a music producer he was well known in the club scene.

Then one morning Patrick saw his reflection.

Not only did he feel old, but he felt like he was missing out on living.

Don't get me wrong he had friends who were only a call away for a night out.

But he felt like there was more to life than partying.

So he traded his hangovers for lifting weights.

Which wasn’t easy.

He feared losing his tribe.

Would his mates laugh at his decision to swap the decks for reps?

Would they stop inviting him to nights out?

But here’s the kicker— his friends didn’t go anywhere.

He still sees them.

He just decides to spend less time with them.

Because of the changes he made, today Patrick is a middle aged man who unlike most doesn’t -

Hate his body…

Wake up full of moans, groans, and achey joints…

And he’s found a purpose doing fun things with his partner Sam.

Patrick is pushing himself outside his comfort zone too.

Like last weekend he did a powerlifting competition.

And he was crapping himself while lifting in front of 100’s of people.

I mean, he could have got comfertable like most guys his age.

Where in their 30’s and 40’s their life is on autopilot.

Work, drink, tv.

Rinse and repeat.

Like Benjamin Franklin once said:

Most people die at 25 and aren’t buried until they’re 75.

But not Patrick.

The key to staying young is don’t get complacent.

Try new things.

Challenge yourself.

And realise age is just a number.

So proud of you mate.