Client Testimonials
This is James - @radiojames.
James is a busy working professional. He travels internationally on a weekly basis and is driven in both his professional and personal life.
James is also health conscious. He trains regularly and eats well, he does this using a coach. Me.
He realises that, just as he delegates tasks at work to other professionals with more experience and time, writing a training and nutrition program is the same thing.
Just as he doesn’t waste his time attempting to fix leaking taps, he doesn’t want to waste his recreational time not making progress or following a progressive training program in the gym.
We speak and message regularly to stay accountable, talk over any issues and plan for any upcoming obstacles.
James and I have never met in person (we will at some point when it fits our schedules) but we have similar values and principles and that’s why, along with the value he sees in the service, the relationship works.
Performing at your peak in all aspects of life matters. This can only be achieved by being the best we can be and looking after both our physical and mental health and well-being.
Our goal during this 12 week phase was to gain some muscle mass, we did.
This is Pete.
I’ve been working with Dan for a few years now first in strength camps at FLF and then as an online client. During this time I’ve gone from knowing absolutely zero about health, fitness & nutrition to understanding how each of these factors work and how I can use each of them to my advantage in life and work.
Dans approach is very hands on with regular checks in and catch ups over coffee etc when time allows. This is really important for me as I have found my goals and needs have changed and evolved over time.
He is able to listen to what has changed or how I am feeling and adapt programming to suit my needs. Work stress, life stress, relocating house etc all have an impact and Dan is able to take these issues into consideration and work with them to plan something that works for me and will achieve the results I want.
We discuss many different facets of health & fitness not just my performance in the weight room. From Mood, sleep, diet and stress to other helpful resources such as books and supplements, he really understands that wellbeing and feeling mentally strong is as important to me as lifting heavy and increasing strength.
This continual commitment to helping educate me and increasing my knowledge in and out of the gym has had a huge impact on my life both in my personal relationships and at work. Ive become a much more confident individual throughout the process and this partnership has transformed how I approach my health and fitness. I’m looking forward to what the future will bring.
This is Hannah White @hwfit.
Ever since I started my new career Dan has been there to provide support and much needed insight into the industry. That guidance has been so valuable in boosting my confidence that over the last 2 months I have been working with Dan on a more official basis, as my coach and mentor.
Dan’s knowledge about the industry is very impressive and the way he understands people from both a physiological and psychological perspective is amazing.
We meet regularly either at his gym, my gym or just for coffee and he helps me with challenges I face as a personal trainer and coach, and also with my own health and fitness aspirations. Whether it’s exercise execution, nutrition advice, programming or strategies for managing individual cases, Dan helps me with all of it.
Recently I was very privileged to be invited to a seminar he hosted at his own fitness facility 4D Fit in Essex, where I had the opportunity of learning from Dan’s 20 years experience in programming for strength training.
Not only is Dan very knowledgeable he also has a coaching style that really works well with me. He doesn’t just provide me with information, he teaches me the importance of that information and how it relates to the situations I may face in my role.
He possesses natural enthusiasm for educating people to become better versions of themselves. I feel really lucky to have his input into my career and training.
This is Kev - @kpullen7.
I’ve worked with Dan for a number of years now, at a great gym in Portsmouth through to an online client, now going into intensification 20.
The difference in my health, well-being, fitness and strength from when I started to now is unmeasurable. This is largely down to what I’ve learnt from Dan and the fact he is more then just a coach in the gym but in many areas in life to make you the best version of you.
My programs have changed direction many times due to personal life, job changes and injuries and this is never an issue. Dan will listen, advise and change what I’m doing to suit where I need to be at that time. The regular check ins keep me on track as well as the results I’ve seen.
Only last year when getting close to a novice strongman comp I tore my ACL and Dan reset what I was doing kept my focus and mood high and 7 months on I’m back to thinking about competing again.
Doing all this while losing weight and gaining muscle, having a Dan as a coach in the gym and advising on nutrition is the best thing I’ve done for my health.
On top of all that Dan is a great guy and someone I class as a great friend. Always inspiring and motivating me to be the best I can be just like he does for himself.
This is Fi - @scheharazade84.
Dan changed my life. That’s not something I say lightly. I first met Dan about 18 months ago through strength camp and more recently I’ve been working with him as an online client.
When we first met I was someone who had spent very little time in the gym, and never set foot in the weight section. I weighed 97kg and I lived a sedentary life style. The first day of strength camp I felt terrified and wasn’t sure I would be going back again but Dan immediately put me at ease.
Dan continued to put me at ease, helped me develop my strength and knowledge. My biggest challenge in the early days was lunging! He broke the movement down for me and patiently took it step by step until my balance and strength improved. He gave me the confidence to believe that I could achieve anything.
Across the strength camps I lost over 20kg, I had more energy and several health benefits. My bowel movements improved, my periods became regular (for the first time in my life), my gait improved and I no longer suffered with indigestion.
I recently started working as a doctor and this was a difficult transition to make. As an online coach, Dan has helped me through. Regular check ins and short term goals help to keep me motivated. I am constantly learning from Dan, not only about training but also about nutrition and life in general.
Dan’s holistic approach has really helped me to put in context training and nutrition. He’s taught me that on a crazy week in work it’s okay that training takes a back seat. He’s taught me to look at the big picture and focus on building sustainable habits.
It’s clear to see that Dan cares about each and every one of his clients. He is always available to provide support and advice. His positivity is infectious.
My life is unrecognisable from the life I lived before I met Dan.
This is Simon.
I first met Dan back in 2016 when he helped me rehab from a bad disc injury. He seemed to instinctively know when to push me to build my confidence and when to apply caution to hold back my competitive nature and rush to progress.
Being in the Navy and spending a lot of time away I have really struggled with consistency with both food and exercise and my constant drive to do too much too soon just led to injury and frustration.
I was classically binging on everything in life. I asked Dan to take me on a year ago as an ‘online’ client when I knew I had time to build the right habits. His instinct, support and ability to get the best from me has helped me on the first stage in my journey.
My body composition has progressed amazingly well, but more importantly I finally have the foundation to safely push myself and he has taught me balance, and to focus on long term sustainable gains.
I have a long way to go and lots of goals in mind, but I couldn’t have achieved any of what I have so far without his support.
This is Mandy - @mand.hughes.
3 years ago Dan said to me that our long term plan was to be competitive when I became a Masters 1 Powerlifter.
Unfortunately (for me at the time) he left the gym I was at to pursue bigger things in Manchester before that 3 years was up. In fact he was one of the reasons I left the gym and found myself a new coach. It just wasn't the same without him.
However, he may have thought he'd got rid of me but he now does all of my nutrition and knows me better than most people mentally too.
I was always the last to be picked at school for sporting events, for 8 years of my life I smoked 25 a day (sorry mum!) For 25 years I ate chocolate for breakfast, lunch and tea and drank coke a cola and was the laziest person I knew.
I did no exercise at all until I’d had both my children but a person can change and if you want something enough, maybe dreams can come true.
Thank you so much for believing in me Dan. You have always safely got me in my weight category, have coped with my wobbles, but mainly taught me enough about food that I could make sensible decisions, even out here in Japan 🇯🇵 representing Team GB, to keep strong and eat properly. Double steaks every day was pretty cool. 3 years ago you told me I'd make it internationally and here I am.
So proud to represent my country and come home with a Bronze medal at the World Championships.
This is Gareth - @garethellis36.
In late 2017, I rediscovered my love for powerlifting. Having competed in January 2018 at a soft 91kg, I spent the year training very hard and making solid strength gains. Unfortunately, I also let my eating get out of control, and put on a lot of bodyweight.
I've always had an unhealthy relationship with food. For the last decade or so, my weight has gone up and down, but I've almost always been overweight and out of shape. I would go through relatively short periods of eating strictly and denying myself the things that I enjoy, followed by longer periods of reinforcing bad habits. When I did make progress, it would all come undone as soon as I encountered something out of bounds in my routine, like a holiday, a long weekend, or a Tuesday.
I hired Dan at the start of this year with two goals in mind. Firstly, I wanted to get my bodyweight back down below 93kg so that I could compete in that weight class in powerlifting. Secondly, I wanted someone to keep me accountable and help to re-train my eating habits; I was fed up of falling victim to mindless eating, lousy rationalisation of poor choices, and eating like an out of control slx-year-old at a birthday party.
Dan and I talked about my past successes and failures, and came up with a plan. I loved the flexibility of Dan's diet plan - it was perfect for me. I had a daily calorie and macro target, and (within reason) I had the freedom to hit those pretty much as I wanted.
Our success regarding the first goal is pretty easy to quantify: on January 2nd, I weighed 100.6kg and my waist was around 40.5"; for around the last month, my weight has been stable between 89.0kg and 89.5kg, and my waist is now a tick under 36". We've been gradually increasing calories for a few weeks, and my weight is still trending downwards.
I've also hit plenty of rep PBs in the gym as well, especially over the first few months. I'm really excited to see how much stronger I can get over the rest of the year now that we're really focused on fuelling training rather than lowering bodyweight.
This is Lesley.
I have known Dan for many years and he has always given really helpful advice and tips for training. After hitting the big 40 last year (and having two children) I found I wasn’t getting the same results from the gym and running as I used to. I felt my fitness levels were good but I wasn’t feeling great about myself or my body image. I was tired, run down, stressed and just not feeling my best. I sought help from Dan.
Dan immediately recognised that I was not eating enough or fuelling my body with nutritous foods. He set out a nutrition plan tailored to my needs which is easy to follow and implement, even with my lack of cookery skills. I was eating more and certainly never hungry. Once on the plan my energy levels started to rise, I wanted to train more often and push myself harder.
My fitness levels improved even further, I started feeling less stressed and my clothes began to look and feel better on me. I have been following Dan’s advice now for 10 weeks and I have lost 4kgs without ever feeling I am making sacrifices or going hungry.
Dan continues to check in with my progress weekly and offers encouragement when I need it. He understands life can be hectic and that sometimes best intentions can fall by the way side (especially at weekends).
I can’t thank Dan enough for the guidance and support that he provides as it has made a huge difference to my fitness, my health and how I feel about myself.
This is Liam - @fatman_ironman.
After years of living off a diet of cigarettes, booze and takeaways I could see my health deteriorating and becoming a concern.
After my initial consultation I was nervous scared and excited but most of all ready for the change.
My long term goal being long course Triathlon, I knew I had to strip the weight and improve my cardio. Dan drew me up a cardio program which I did along side my gym workouts and the results speak for themselves.
I immediately signed up for another 12 weeks Online with Dan and it’s been an incredible ride. We’ve now been working together for almost a year. 40lbs down and life changing habits installed.
Working with Dan has taught me how to juggle my personal life, work life and gym time into a busy week and still have time to yourself and do nothing! It’s also taught me about food discipline and how to stay accountable for what you do inside and outside the gym.
We’ve now gone through our first 2 base phases building to Ironman 70.3 in September. This also incorporated my first sprint triathlon which I absolutely loved - short term goal achieved! Enjoying every minute, bring on the next phase and the Ironman start line.
This is @paolomojo.
Dan is simply the best personal trainer I've ever had. We originally started working together in person in London and then transitioned into online work once I moved to Barcelona.
He struck immediately the right balance for me between friendly encouragement and actually pushing me to achieve more than I thought I could do.
He is constantly challenging me and working me in new ways and as a result training is always interesting.
His holistic approach to training, life and diet was never preachy and quite obviously took into account my lifestyle - there is no one size fits all treatment for any of his clients.
This is Harriet - @harrietfaybateman.
I approached Dan about 8 months ago as I was looking for someone to coach me through coming back to training after surgery, and also to help with my nutrition.
I had picked up some bad eating habits from past yo-yo dieting and wanted someone to help me find a sustainable nutrition plan that I could adhere to without counting calories which was sending me loopy.
Dan’s approach was exactly what I needed as a busy professional with a jam packed social life. I am feeling much more empowered to make good decisions around my nutrition without counting every morsel of food, and to be able to go out and enjoy food with friends without stressing. Dan has taught me to just focus on getting a little bit better every day. And to be kind to myself!.
Dan’s training programmes are great too and I’m getting stronger despite only having surgery 8 months ago. I might not have lost all the weight yet that I want to, but I knew that for now, I didn’t want that to be my main focus, and with Dan’s coaching I have made good progress towards my long-term goal which is to lead a healthy lifestyle, get stronger and have the right mindset and tools to know how to improve myself.
This is Scott.
I asked Dan to help me with my nutrition as I felt that my previous diet not only hindered my progress with running but also my general health and wellbeing.
As a vegetarian I just didn’t feel like I was getting the right balance of nutrients and I was right.
I felt healthier very quickly into the plan and I noticed that, having re-started a training block for winter, I was performing better than I expected in my workouts and ended the plan on a high having achieved a 5 mile PB of 28:53 and 10 mile PB of 60:37.
Dan recognises your goals and aspirations vs commitments and lifestyle and aligns the plan accordingly which enabled me to take control of my nutrition and adapt based on my training and my social commitments.
I’m grateful for the help Dan has provided and expect the lessons learned will help me achieve my marathon target in the new year.
This is Asha - @asha_lifts_ .
Here is a run down from my last comp - GPC Carnival Cup, Toowoomba, Aus. I finished the day on 8/9 lifts & 2 comp PBs at new bodyweight category of 52kg.
Squat - 100kg Comp PB.
Bench - 50kg.
Deadlift - 140kg Comp PB.
Total - 290kg Comp PB.
My last bench attempt went to pot, not a technical issue as in previous comps, I simply wasn't strong enough on the day.
This is normally the time where I start piping on about my difficult prep and disappointment but lets face it, prep is never smooth sailing and everyone gets slapped in the face at some point during the process.
Huge thank you to my formidable Coach, Dan, who's gone above and beyond at every stage with daily check ins, guiding me through a sensible, stress free weight cut and allowing me to develop mentally (no tears at all in 16weeks) as well as physically.
I am now ready to face my nemesis and smash this next weeks of training before National Push/Pull and enjoy every session in the process!
This is Chris.
I met Dan at University and he has been one of my closet friends since. Dan's commitment to his work has always inspired me but seeing the challenges Dan has undertaken has truly motivated me and taught me through hardworking and dedication you can achieve the unthinkable.
In 2010 Dan stepped up from being a close friend to my coach when I decided to undertake the challenge of Ironman France in Nice.
Not being a natural athlete this was never going to be an easy task. Dan guided me all the way with training programs, nutrition and recovery. After 9 months of training I completed the Ironman, a feat that I will hold in great esteem forever. Without Dan by side and his guidance this would not have been possible.
Fast forward the best part of 10 years, I have 2 young boys, 6 and 3. With this commitment, along with work, my fitness levels were far from 2011 but still Dan continues to inspire me.
In 2019 I threw myself back in with the Woburner (half ironman event). Dan again guiding me throughout. In 2020 I will be taking part in a swim / run event of the Isle of Scilly. Training has already begun and looking foward to returning close to 2011 fitness levels.
I have forgotten the number of times I have used Dan's named alongside blasphemy and explicits but with his guidance and expertise I would not have pushed myself to those levels and for that I'm truly grateful.
My only ever concerns are whats next...
This is Zanna - @zan161202.
Last year I became closer to my 50s than my 40s. It was a time for reflection, following the realisation that the food I have always eaten and the levels of exercise I have (almost) always done were not having the same impact on how I felt or looked. I was determined to do something about it, but wasn’t quite sure how to go about it.
I’m a full-time working mum with 2 children. I work late and unpredictable hours with international travel regularly thrown into the mix.
I came across Dan’s profile from a mutual acquaintance. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from an online personal trainer experience: would I even respond unless I had someone meeting me at 7am every day shouting at me to do 20 more burpees? How would he even know if (a) I hadn’t been out for a run that week, or (b) I had eaten an entire box of Maltesers to myself?
What I have found out is that he doesn’t really care about those things - he has quietly but firmly helped me work out what it is that I want to change and then, non-judgementally and subtly, held me accountable for my own goals.
I don’t always follow the programme, but slowly and surely he has made me more mindful of what my body needs and how I need to challenge myself to reach the goals that I’ve set. He also has great advice for dealing with teenage boys 😁.
This is Dean - @deanocurtis
I have known Dan since childhood and despite me being older, we were both in professional football. I would also say I have always been quite disciplined with my training and diet, previously considering myself fit. Lifestyle and business have gradually changed.
Stress, meals out, alcohol, three children, the death of family members and that rare commodity of time have meant I have experienced a gradual decline in my fitness. I am now a CEO and President for a division within a FTSE 20 company supporting many hundreds of people.
I travel a lot - too much in fact. 58 flights last year, 33 long haul, 21 countries and over 150 nights away in 46 different hotels and 19 of them on a plane. The consistency needed, the good choices required have all slipped faster based on these pressures and unfavourable conditions.
Pretty much all of the time as a leader you are on show and demand, everyone wanting your time. To-do lists never go, they get prioritised and balancing this with my more important roles as a father, husband and friend has been a challenge. For me to be able to perform in the workplace I have to be physically, mentally and emotionally well to be the best version of me. This enables me to perform at my best and feel good – the version people need.
Via social media I have watched Dan from a far, the change in his training from football, to marathon, to channel swimming, marathons, ironman, body building and strong man. The fitness industry is full of mediocrity at best and it is very easy to waste money and climb a ladder leaning against the wrong wall.
I wanted functional fitness, to promote my well-being, time effective, which will enable me to perform in my life and feel good. Through Dans online programme and regular messages he gets my Garmin data weekly, devises a programme with videos for good technique which keeps me focused, photographs of every meal he checks my progress regularly (sometimes hourly when he knows it will be tough) and holds me to account for my decisions and consistency in the very toughest of circumstances.
Dan offers encouragement and the occasional (and much needed) kick when he knows the time is right for me to do what is needed. That quality and experience means you make the most of time, get more aware of what is a good and bad decision in diet and lifeestyle, become cognisant of your movement, sleep well (a big missing component for me) and most importantly know your body to drive consistency.
‘There will be bad decisions or limited options but make the next decision a good one’ can be hard for someone who is on or off but his encouragement to ‘believe in the process’ has made me navigate some tough conditions well. As I move into my mid-forties, the diary gets busier I still have the best version of me to come…….. Thank you Dan
This is Billy - @billydean1995.
Before I signed up with Dan I had really let myself go. I had not been training and my diet had gone completely out the window.
Dan gave me a programme that fitted around my work schedule and gave me the encouragement I needed to stay at it. As someone who doesn’t have a great knowledge of exercise techniques, Dan was always available to give me tips to make sure I reached my full potential. He provided videos, examples, feedback and critiques whenever I needed
The best thing for me was the accountability. Being in contact everyday and plus sending pictures of everything I was eating to Dan (even though I’d sometimes forget🤣) always kept me on track and led to me losing just over 10kg in our 12 weeks.
Can’t thank him enough and I’ve learned so much to help me in future both mentally and physically.
This is PK - @sherpacheung.
This summer I turned from a buffet destroyer into a half ironman.
In 20 weeks, I went from barely being able to run 5km, to completing a 70.3 triathlon and finishing with a sub 2 hour half marathon. I was just over 6 hours and top 10 in my age group too!
How did I do this? By trusting in Reevo, believing in his systems, and following the plan.
I didn't even train every day, with four training sessions a week it was relatively easy to fit them around my existing lifestyle.
I even looked forward to the evening open water sessions in the lake and early morning weekend rides. There were a couple of horrendous wet and windy rides but as Reevo says, get comfortable feeling uncomfortable!
What's next? I'm hooked now, so more 70.3s before the full distance.
This is Lisa.
Before signing up with Dan, I wasn’t sure that online coaching would be for me. I’ve only ever had a coach shouting in my ear on the gym floor, pushing me to do one more rep. However, more recently I started working different shifts and sometimes my only chance of training is at unsociable hours.
I knew that Dan would be the right fit and I haven’t looked back since. Having the freedom to train whenever suits me has been a real gamechanger, it means there’s never an excuse for missing a session.
Dan’s always there with support and encouragement when times get tough and most importantly, he’s a constant source of advice whenever there’s anything I need. When my motivation’s been lacking, Dan’s usually guessed it before I’ve said anything and made adjustments to help me reach my goals.
Things like extra checkins, asking for pictures of my food to ensure I’m nailing nutrition etc. Any reservations I had about whether or not I would have the drive and motivation to succeed with online coaching have been completely banished.
It never feels like you’re in it alone when you know there’s always someone you can rely on.
This is Rob - @bertyaitken.
Dan and I first met back in 2004 while working together as trainers in Kensington. During this time, he managed to convince me to take on the challenge of a Deca Ironman, which we trained for and completed together in the summer of 2007.
Dan took the lead on our training program and even way back then; it was clear that he had a unique and meticulous approach to physical preparation.
As the years have passed, we have remained good friends and as a coach myself, Dan’s achievements in both the sporting arena and with his clients are a great inspiration. Every coach needs a coach, so at the start of this year I reached out to Dan to see if he had space for another online client. Luckily for me he did.
My goals at this stage of my life are quite straight forward – I want to stay relatively strong, lean, and injury free so I can continue to participate in recreational sports like football and golf. Above all else, I want to stay consistent.
Since the start of the year I haven’t missed a training session and through each phase of training I’ve seen my strength and work capacity gradually and consistently increase. This is ultimately down to Dan’s systems and his ability to help and support his clients negotiate all the ‘bumps in the road’ and still make progress towards their goals.
Thank you Reevo.
This is Peter - @sydney_performancecoach.
Just wanted to say a big thank you to my friend, mentor and coach @coachdanreeve.
I knew Dan for some time before embarking on a new journey in my own training mostly as a friend from the other side of the world.
Since beginning he has been awesome, checking in on me constantly to see how things are progressing, fine tuning what needs to go and many times talking me through my own sticking points in training, nutrition and lifestyle!
On the field I’m feeling my sharpness come back and conditioning has felt the best in a long time which is full credit to Dan.
Thank you Dan for pushing me beyond what I think is possible and giving me hope for future successes.