1967

I started my career in health and fitness at the army school of physical
training (ASPT) in Aldershot in 1967. The army school of physical
training is home to the Army Physical Training Corps who for the last
150 years have been responsible for fitness levels of the British Army.
During my first three months of training at the ASPT to become a
young fitness instructor I was taught three basic principles:
1 Know your stuff. 2 Never bluff. 3 Practise what you preach.
It's a pity that some of our MP's never had the opportunity to learn and use these three principles.

1969-1976

 

 

Two years after passing my physical training instructor's course in Aldershot I decided to try to join 29 Commando Lt Regt (The Commando Gunners). I successfully passed the commando course at the Royal Marine Training Centre in Lympstone and then joined the regiment where I spent nearly six happy years with them.

I also spent three years as a fitness instructor on the commando training wing in the Citadel in Plymouth. I found out that I had a natural gift for running and went on to win the Royal Marine 5,000 metres, 10,000 metres and cross country championships. Being an army commando, this did not go down too well the Royal Marines!

1976 - 1977

In April of 1976 I went back to the ASPT in Aldershot and completed No 136 Advanced Fitness Instructor's course, another three months in fitness. I was also lucky enough to be selected, along with six others to go on to do a further nine months training at the ASPT. In the April of 1997 having successfully completed the nine months probationers' course I rebadged and transferred from the commando gunners to join the elite Army Physical Training Corps.

1977-1988

As a member of the Army Physical Training Corps (Now Royal Army Physical Training Corps) I was sent to different regiments to be responsible for developing the fitness levels of the soldiers in those regiments. My running also went from strength to strength, before an injury pushed me into coaching early on.

 

One of my first postings as a young member of the APTC was to be appointed as the athlete specialist at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. I then served with regiments in England, Northern Ireland, Belize and Germany.

 

The highlight of my athlete career was winning the Army Athletic Team Championships with 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards. I am the little guy in the middle! I was then posted back to the army school of physical training in Aldershot, this time to take over running Advance Course and was also appointed as Army Athletic Specialist. Success breeds success and I found that more and more quality athletes were attracted to my way of coaching. In 1988 I was asked to take up the position of British Bobsleigh Trainer and was the trainer during the World Championships and World Cup series held in locations throughout Europe and Canada.

1989 – 1990

In 1989 I was promoted to warrant officer class 1 and posted back to Northern Ireland. It was at this time that I made the decision to leave the Army Physical Training Corps that I had come to know so well and start a new life and career outside the military.

Many of my friends and colleagues at the time questioned if I really was making the right decision to leave. Then one day while I was quietly reading a book a line jumped right out of the page and hit me. It seamed to me that this was written just for me thousands of years before. It said "What the caterpillar sees as the end of the world the master sees as a butterfly."

It was time for me to fly away from the military and the world of athletics and into the world of weight loss and the development of IntaShape!

 

I am sure you can understand why I am happy to donate £1 to 'Help for Heroes' from every payment I receive for my six week plan on the website.

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