Angela Morrison, 30, Marketing Manager, Greene King

‘I played a lot of competitive sport when I lived near Manchester, and when I moved down here I joined Cambridge Ladies hockey team, who play at a higher level than the team I captained in Wilmslow, so I needed to get my fitness level up.
‘ But because I live in a small village and spend two or three days a week in London, I couldn't find a gym close to me, or a suitable exercise or aerobics class, so personal training with Dave is the ideal solution.’
‘ Dave's very easy to get on with. He has a comfortable way about him that so that, as a woman, I don't feel at all embarrassed about getting all sweaty, but just focus on doing what he tells me. He's also very intelligent and can talk about current events, which is important to me.

Chris Maton, 35, Partner of a large consultancy firm

‘After five frustrating years spent going to a gym on my own and making negligible progress, Dave came highly recommended from somebody I knew had got a lot fitter.
‘ In the last two years, since I've been training with him, my strength and fitness have increased greatly and there's been a marked improvement in my muscle definition.
‘ We get on really well. Dave's very friendly and makes you feel relaxed, so I never feel anxious that I'm being trained by someone with unrealistic expectations. His judgement is absolutely spot on, so when he's pushing me, I know he's pushing me towards a goal that I'm capable of achieving.’

Philip Bearcroft, 38, Hospital Doctor

‘In the eight months since I've been working with Dave, I've almost doubled my strength.’
‘ Dave's excellent. He's introduced me to the idea of having a personal best, and disciplining myself to improve it by a small amount week on week, which adds up to a big change over a year. In the eight months since I've been working with him, I've almost doubled my strength.
‘ If I'd gone to a gym on my own I would have done 20 or 30 minutes aerobic exercise, but I don't think I would ever have improved. I used to play tennis and do a bit of cycling, but I'd never been to a gym in my life, so when I decided I wanted to start getting fit in a more systematic way, I realised I needed a coach who knew what they were doing.
‘ I found Dave through the Yellow Pages and checked out his website before I rang him up. I haven't in the past considered myself particularly fit, so it was helpful to be able to get more information about the person I was going to be training with before I picked up the phone.’

Ben Cinque, 38, Helicopter Charter Pilot and Instructor

‘Working out with Dave, I didn't so much lose weight as it shifted from south to north. I just felt better in myself, healthier, I didn't eat so much crap, and I didn't get so tired. I started training with him about eight years ago. I'd always been a small size, but I was starting put on a bit of weight and it got to the point where I figured I needed to do something to get rid of it.
‘ Back then we were training quite heavily - five or six mornings a week, starting at 5 or 6am, for two or three years. When you get up that early in the morning, you don't particularly feel like going, but Dave's a guy who motivates you and we worked off each other. And when you come out you actually feel a hell of a lot better for having done it, so it was satisfying to train with him.