Jason Doggett, Fitness Coach

Jason Doggett, Fitness Coach & Co-founder of Muddy Plimsolls, leads the personal training side of our business. He’s created and developed our own System of outdoor fitness – a unique and simple approach to getting you in the best shape of your life.

Introduction

What’s your brand of outdoor fitness, in a sentence?
What’s the journey behind its development?
What are your special areas of interest?
What makes a good coach?

Personal

Are you an exercise geek?
What’s your favourite piece of exercise equipment?
What’s on your own workout playlist?

Technical

What makes your training so different?
Why do you teach your System outdoors?
How do you know your System works?
How long does it take to see results?
Is your nutritional advice to eat rice cakes and protein shakes?

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Introduction

What’s your brand of outdoor fitness, in a sentence?

Our System mixes the traditions of classic bodyweight exercise (BWE) with scientific techniques and natural movements from childhood.

What’s the journey behind its development?

The science behind our System is derived from my studies with the National Academy of Sport Medicine’s Optimum Performance Training (NASM–OPT), the “gold standard” in fitness qualifications. Yet the heart of our System is developed from my experience in the field – 5,000 hours of one-to-one fitness coaching – and seeing what works best for my clientele.

What are your special areas of interest?

I’m particularly interested in bodyweight exercise, exercise for the 40+ client, and unilateral training.

What makes a good coach?

A good coach continues learning even after he/she’s got the official certificate.

For example, since qualifying in Pre & Post Natal Exercise (awarded by the respected Premier Training International), I’ve broadened my knowledge about the subject by: referring to official literature, like NHS recommendations; by participating in online communities, like Mumsnet; and by speaking with friends and family who’ve recently had babies. All this knowledge benefits my coaching sessions with pregnant clients and new mothers.

Personal

Are you an exercise geek?

I admit that my head is often buried in some book on exercise anatomy or an online coaching forum. At the moment I’m re-reading Gray Cook’s ‘Athletic Body in Balance’.

What’s your favourite piece of exercise equipment?

Like many dedicated fitness fanatics, I like gadgets. If I had to choose one, it would be the interval timer that my wife got me for Christmas – with a countdown function and alarm to make efficient use of workout time.

What’s on your own workout playlist?

I have an eclectic mix that probably seems a bit weird for working out. At the moment, it’s 80′s pop, Beethoven Symphony #9, and Rage Against The Machine. Don’t ask me how they all work together.

Technical

What makes your training so different?

Our System uses a foolproof repertoire of simple exercises – some classic, some new and some rediscovered. Training with our System follows a programme that’s part-art and part-science, designed to be as individual as every client.

Why do you teach your System outdoors?

The exercises I favour need space and freedom to move. There are benefits of a park landscape and outdoor apparatus that make it ideal for training – including inclines, hills and differing surfaces.

How do you know your System works?

Aside from the feedback from my clients, I practise what I preach. I train myself outdoors and follow the same principles that I teach my clients, using the same equipment and training for the same period of time.

How long does it take to see results?

On average, I say that after 1 month you see a difference – and after 2 months everyone else does!

Is your nutritional advice to eat rice cakes and protein shakes?

I don’t recommend such a rigid diet for most clients. My advice is to try and eat plenty of vegetables and restrict carbohydrates, but I think it’s important to allow treats. I like pizza and a beer, myself.