Hi, I’m PARSA

Qualifications And Experience

Ö       Level 3 Personal Trainer

Ö       Level 2 Fitness Instructor

Ö       MSc Marketing

Ö       BSc Chemical Engineering

Ö       10 Years Fitness Experience

I Specialise In

Ö       Weight Loss

Ö       Strength And Conditioning

Ö       Bodybuilding

Ö       Calisthenics

Ö       Habit Formation

Fun Facts About Me

Ö       I Read 20 Books A Year

Ö       I am an only child raised by a single mother

Ö       I am a Graphic Designer, Video Creator and Musician in my spare time

Ö       I love studying Human Psychology and how our brains work

GROWING UP WEAK AND DETERMINED

I was one of those kids who were always picked last during PE. I didn’t like playing playground chase games because I would get out of breath much quicker than my peers. I couldn’t do a push up in secondary school PE class and was also one of the first to fail the Bleep Test.

This wasn’t because I disliked physical activity or sport. I was just not very fit or strong. Genetically, I was quite weak and below average amongst my peers growing up. However, that didn’t stop me from taking part and trying my best.

I grew up a single child, raised by a single mother. In my Mother’s quest to get me active alongside my school work, she enrolled me in various sports clubs. These included Martial Arts, Football, Tennis and Swimming. I did Martial Arts for a good few years but stopped, revisiting the discipline in University where I competed Nationally. Football I was awful at and never got selected to play Sunday League. Tennis I had a lot of potential and loved so much but just never really pursued. However, Swimming was my forte.

I ended up swimming for 7 years. Despite not being very fit for land sports, I had a strange affinity for the water. I was consistently one of the fastest in my club, and my effort was always 100%. In fact, I often despised going after school because I knew I was going to reach the limits of my physical ability just to come out on top. There was no prize, no medal to be won. Just self-satisfaction in that I gave it my all and more. A young me felt akin to Mike Tyson when he talks about being nervous before he entered the ring but became a monster once the bell rung. Once I entered the water, I was at war with myself and my mental toughness took over my body.

This mental toughness and discipline at such a young age built the behavioural foundation for my fitness and gym lifestyle today.

AM I FAT OR SKINNY?

At around 13/14 years old, I started becoming body conscious. Puberty was making a lot of fellow pupils around me develop, seeing six packs and bicep peaks on guys during PE and wondering why I didn’t have any.

I had long lanky arms and no definition on my torso whatsoever. Was I fat or was I skinny? I couldn’t do push ups where some of my peers were doing 20 like it was nothing. Some boys had striated chest muscles whilst I felt I barely had a single strand of muscle. Have I not developed yet? Is this just genetics? I started hating how I looked. I was self-conscious of how my clothes fitted and felt as though I was chubby, fat and skinny all at the same time. I was confused.

Further to this I started noticing the pretty girls having a higher attraction for the more muscular and athletic guys at school. When I was 15/16, there was one guy in particular who was quite tall, bulky and had a decent amount of facial hair for a teenager. The girls adored him and the guys were intimidated by him. These aspects all posed a lot of questions and intense curiosity for me, so I began roaming the internet for answers.

THE FITNESS OBSESSION

Coming off of secondary school and into Sixth Form (16/17 years old), I was obsessed with researching. I grew up without a father so I looked up to the charismatic, muscular Hollywood action men I saw in the movies as male role models. I wanted to be like them and I wanted to be bigger, stronger and fitter than my peers.

I spent countless hours on internet articles, blog posts and YouTube videos (before it was a thing) to learn about bodybuilding, weights, gym, fitness and the charisma of Hollywood actors (I’m not joking). I had no focus, I just learnt about anything and everything I could find.

But I didn’t actually begin any physical fitness work. I was still growing and was scared I would mess my growth up. The most I had was a cheap set of Argos dumbbells which I played around with, but nothing serious.

There are many viewpoints thrown around the internet to say lifting weights will/won’t stunt growth. The general consensus is weightlifting done right is perfectly safe and won't stunt growth. However, I didn’t risk anything and the thought of heavy weights overhead consistently during my teenage growth seemed risky to me.

Alas, I was introduced to Calisthenics - the world of body weight exercises. I fell in love with the superhuman potential of this discipline. You don’t need weights to build a great body. I noticed this particularly in Gymnasts. They have one of the most developed physiques in any sport (other than Bodybuilding) and the majority of their training involves manipulating body leverages only. That's where I built some of my base fitness potential. It was nothing major, but it was something. Pull ups, push ups, dips, ab workouts, etc. Fast forward to today, and I'm doing multiple pull ups to my belly button, handstand push ups and front levers. It all started from there.

Once I turned 16 and entered into Sixth Form, I regularly attended the small gym we had there. There was a group of us who would be regulars - we went consistently in our lesson breaks. The dumbbells only went up to 20kg, and we had no barbells. Just a few machines, cables and 2 benches. But it did the job. Here is where I learnt more about Sports Specific Training. I learnt about and trained explosive power, agility and plyometrics. I became a top vertical jumper in my college because of the training I did at this time.

BECOMING A SCIENTIST

My most rapid gains came just after Sixth Form. I failed to get into Dentistry, so I took a Gap Year to eventually get into Chemical Engineering. During this Gap Year I signed up to my local gym. I had a lot more time to dedicate to fitness. I took the time to learn about the finer details. I ventured away from the more generic, surface level fitness information and submerged myself into the more scientific, evidence based community. I learnt about Programming, Rehab, Nutrition, Competitions, etc. I was essentially learning elements of what Sports Science students would learn about but for my own pleasure.

It was actually around this period where my knowledge sky rocketed that I put on a lot of size and went into my first serious mass gain phase of my life.

A NEW PERSON

In the space of around 6-8 months, I gained around 15kg. There was one thing seeing yourself in the mirror and another for others to notice and commend your efforts. It was at my Sixth Form reunion that I knew what I was doing was working. The new muscle and size was acknowledged by my peers and a lot of them wanted my guidance and advice so that they could do the same.

The skinny-fat boy who was confused, frustrated and insecure about his physique was now being looked up to. It was a great feeling. That's when I knew I could potentially coach people with fitness. I knew enough now to teach and guide with authority as I had practiced what I preached. If people were on their Chapter 1 and I was on my Chapter 2, I could coach them.

UNIVERSITY WAKE UP CALL

I continued my consistency into University, attending Loughborough, the best Sporting University in Europe (with the Best Strength and Conditioning Gym in the UK). I thought I was pretty impressive before, but I felt like a mouse in this environment. It was very humbling to say the least. There were elite level Powerlifters, Bodybuilders, and Olympic Athletes all around me. World class sports people literally trained at that gym and in the University. I felt like I was back at square one in terms of my strength and fitness level. But this time it wasn’t insecurity or lack of confidence. It was excitement. I was surrounded by people so far ahead of me with knowledge and experience and I became hungry to grow and learn. I continued getting smarter and stronger throughout my University experience because of this.

Half way through however I suffered my first major injury in my 2nd Year, damaging my left rotator cuff. I didn't want to risk long term damage and complications, so I ended up going through a whole year of barely any training and just rehab. It paid off because when I came back, I was stronger and fitter than ever.

BOUNCING BACK FOR GOOD

After University and my injury, I ended up losing muscle and gaining fat. I looked very unfit and gained an extra 5kg in the process. I decided to commit to my first, long term cutting phase towards the end of 2018. At this point I knew a quick fix was not sustainable and I planned to slowly shed away fat for good in a 7-8 month period. I was very dedicated. Avoided some social gatherings because I wanted to train/eat my meals kind of dedicated. Discipline was through the roof. It eventually all paid off and I ended up becoming very lean. The best shape of my life.

I treated the process as if I was getting ready for a Bodybuilding competition, and even went through a 'peak week' diet on the last week before I wanted to take pictures. This resembled what a proper bodybuilder would go through in the weeks and days prior to a show. The pictures (one is displayed) gave rise to many peers and random people praising me and asking me for guidance and to train them. If they didn’t think much of me before, they thought very highly of me now. I was shocked at the responses and the cries for me to teach them how. I experienced all the lifestyle, mind-set and habitual behaviours needed to attain and keep a beach body ready physique for good.

THE FULL CIRCLE

Fast forward some years and pile on a hefty knowledge bank with nearly a decade of experience, and I am now a qualified Personal Trainer and Coach. The slightly insecure, generally unfit, below average genetics kid raised by a single mother is now a successful Physique Tailor, helping people achieve the body of their dreams and keep it forever.

I’ve lived in all kinds of body types and have gone through peaks and troughs of confidence. I know how it all feels. Especially on your psyche and self-image.

As a Personal Trainer I am more than someone who tells you to squat and count reps for you.

Over the years I’ve combined my passions for fitness and studying human behaviour to develop coaching that affects both your way of thinking and actions outside of the gym.

I want to help you develop a growth mind-set where problems are no longer problems. They’re challenges that need to be conquered.

Whether you’re at a hectic 9-5 city job, a full-time parent, losing weight for your wedding or prepping for a powerlifting competition, I will help you create the daily habits and behaviour changes necessary to demolish your goals and set you up for a life of self-sufficiency in fitness and health.

My job is to teach you how to fish, not to hand the fish to you. We will have succeeded together if, after a period of time, you no longer need my help. I will be your guide and mentor until you have built the foundations to venture off on the journey of self-development yourself.

I believe everything is figure-outable. It just takes careful planning, relentless drive and focused commitment to achieve it.

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