When not working as a Compliance Officer for Standard Bank in St Helier, Jersey, Gary spends his time teaching Body Attack and Body Combat classes six times a week and seeing clients for individual personal training at the weekends. Body Attack is a cardio workout for building strength and stamina and Body Combat is a non-contact martial arts-based workout.
Gary has had a lifelong interest in sports and was a European martial arts champion in his youth. Later he was motivated to join the army, where he discovered a flair for fitness training and completed a physical training (PT) instructors course which made him a champion for the Royal Engineers at the discipline.
"The contrast of being in the financial services industry to a class instructor provides opposite challenges and a very radical level of experience”
Following his move into financial services, Gary converted his Army PT qualifications for civilian life. He then went on to qualify as an exercise to music teacher in 1990 then progressed as a gym instructor and advanced PT instructor.
In 1994, Gary was working as Custody Manager for HSBC in New Zealand when he discovered classes provided by Les Mills International, the largest global provider of fitness programmes: “Inspired by the energy, I completed the training and instructor qualifications in Body Attack and Body Combat programmes. The contrast of being in the financial services industry to a class instructor provides opposite challenges and a very radical level of experience,” says Gary. The outdoor life which his posting in New Zealand offered Gary was too good to resist, combined with his keenness for rugby: “You could be skiing on the slopes by going into the mountains or driving north to sub-tropical beaches.”
CPD requirementGary is a member of the Registered Exercise Professionals (REP) and has an obligation to maintain his CPD to ensure he is always in line with the latest standards. He attends a quarterly event run by Les Mills International to keep his knowledge up to date to maintain his licence to teach Attack and Combat. His own personal development training can cover pursuits ranging from spinning – a cycle class – to Pilates.
Being a fitness instructor carries its own pressures as it is important to stay in good shape: “Instructors set a standard and therefore should be someone for everyone to look up to. I personally like to stay fit so eating the right foods and drinking water are two main components I maintain.”
He also runs classes for charity days: “Charities always want to see a good show. The largest sports centres often ask me and if I’m available I will do that willingly.”
Holding down a full-time financial career and PT teaching is a challenge but Gary manages to spend the balance of his time with his two boys, aged ten and 14, and one of their favourite pastimes is watching the latest blockbuster releases.
His favourite martial arts movie is Enter The Dragon, featuring Bruce Lee: “Some of my Body Combat moves require a hand or leg strike which in turn gives the class a chance to release by exhaling, making a noise very similar to Bruce in his films. Most people can usually relate to that!”
For Gary, South Africa beckons for work, where he has been seconded for five weeks to carry out some compliance monitoring for Standard Bank. Will he get some time to squeeze in a few classes? “I would like to attend a number of classes in Jo’burg but that much depends on time.”
Have you got an interesting hobby? Contact Lora Benson at lora.benson@cisi.org
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