Pre Retreat Consultation Questionnaire

Famous Pop-stars and not very famous fitness trainers meet in todays big feature in The Guardian.

See Press Office page on website for the full article.

D x

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77 of us are currently doing this intense 16-week body transformation challenge. It started yesterday and I’m already sore.

Shout out to the any members of the project who see this post. We can do this!

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This was the last time I didn’t own a phone. I was working/living in Asia in 2009 /2010 and had a simpler life than I enjoy today.

Over the last 10 years I’ve been living in London and building my businesses and as a result have been on my phone far too much.. .as probably you have too I’m guessing?

So this year I’ve tried to make some changes to ease this addiction to my phone… - such as unfollowing everyone on insta, focusing on fully automated marketing things for my work, and having very few apps on my phone.

2 years ago i also decided to stop upgrading my iphone all the time.. technology is amazing but I don’t want to be a slave to it. My plan is to go backwards. So when this phone breaks I’ll get a less advanced one and eventually I’ll be back on Nokia 3210 - which is the first mobile phone I owned 20 or so years ago. - that’s my plan anyway!

Another thing that has helped me use my phone (and laptop/tv) far less is by tracking my usage for a week. I added up all the hours and it was embarrassing. You should try it too. It’s horrifying 🤫

When it comes to wellness - the relationship we have with technology is an important one to consider. Staying connected and up-to-date isn’t as necessary as we’re sold to believe!

What do you think?

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6 ways to have a better body

1. Define what ‘better’ means to you.

2. We don’t need to have excess fat. Yes some sports and some people/cultures value it, but generally speaking most of us are more wobbly than we really want to be. Accepting that you want to change is far more positive than being unhappy and pretending to be body positive

3. Look at your body in different ways.. what is it? a vehicle for your brain? An integral part of your identity, something to hang clothes off.. something that holds you back, a thing that gives you pleasure.? The relationship with your body is dictated by how you see it. As there is no universal right or wrong perspective… why not spend some time thinking and mentally explore a multitude of different perspectives until one resonates and truly serves you.

4. You show a dog love by giving him a routine, healthy food (in both type, variety and quantity) regular fun exercise and attention. Most of us treat our bodies considerably worse than we would ever treat a pet. Show your body love and it will show you love right back.

- tips 5 & 6 in comments.

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5 practical ways to stop hating & start loving your body.

1. Take a yin/yang approach. Extreme ambition.. (e.g when you are training very hard & eating perfectly) and extreme acceptance (when you are trying to convince yourself that you love your body no matter, but your body’s a mess) are both flawed. A middle path where you balance ambition with acceptance is a probably a better approach to lasting body confidence. (I don’t know any body builder or body positivity activist who actually really loves their body). When trying to find a solution - the middle way is usually the best path.

2. Think more. Absurdism (& existentialism) remind us that life is pretty silly. And as long as you don’t fall down a nilhist whole, it’ll help you to stop worrying about such trivial things as your waist size or the definition of your posterior deltoids

3. Appreciate the absolute wonder of the human body. Learn about how muscles literally build themselves when put under stress, how our brains can learn new skills, languages and ideas, how we stop bleeding, fight off infections… the list is endless. The more you learn about the body the more in awe you’ll feel.. and as a consequence the more grateful you’ll be.

4. Move more.. life is more fun when you feel more connected in mind & body.. yeah you can get this from weights I guess.. but for most of us it’s easier, more fun and functionally superior to attain this mind-body connection through sports, play, dance and martial arts. We are all athletes whether we realise it or not. (See the video on my homepage on how to live an athletic life)

5. Be careful about the messages you allow into your brain and choose your teachers wisely.. as a rule of thumb: If you want fitness advice I would stick to the people who want to coach and avoid those using coaching as springboard to another career…. to save time just unfollow any fitness coach with CEO in their bio, a promo code to protein shakes, an only fans account, or makes sweeping judgments about other coaches 😜

In conclusion; If you hate your body please don’t lose hope.. you CAN dramatically improve the relationship with food, with exercise and with your self.❤️

Dan

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Here’s a lower body conditioning workout to try.. I did it a couple of hours ago. It’s fun!

Never ran with a weighted best before.. kinda messes with my running style - particularly when going fast or downhill (or it could be me just being a bit rubbish).

Either way it’s always important to try new things, explore new variations of classic exercises and play in nature

Fancy trying it??

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Company News:

1. New affiliate program launched.
To anyone who’s a fan of my two workout Programs (NUK SOO and MX) we have just set up an affiliate partners program so if you recommend it you can earn 💵💵.

2. My upcoming 12-month business school course for coaches which I talked about recently is launching very soon. Please see website (under the academy tab) to sign up for more info.✊🏻

3. Did a few interviews recently. Oxygen (usa), Womens Health (Uk), GQ and some random Middle Eastern mag. I’ve stopped putting all the media stuff I do on instagram but my press office section of our website gets updated every month and has all the articles, features & advice Im lucky enough to be involved in. If you want some proper exercise & wellbeing advice you’ll have way more luck looking there than on here 😳

4. So during this month, so far two more new Coaches have qualified in my @methodology_x group instruction - which is cool! 💪🏻. While I’m talking about qualifications: I was going to launch a strength & conditioning qualification this summer but I’ve had to delay it because it’s only half filmed/written. I’m kinda juggling too many things and writing /developing courses & qualifications always takes way longer than I think it would! And I can’t really delegate this aspect of it .. so I’m just not gonna talk about that course again until it actually launches!🤫

4. The Latest episode of the mx podcast was with the lovely @sofitee -we talked about her new book and exercise & philosophy. So please check that out! - my next episode is out on Saturday / the theme is the relationship we have with social media. my guest is the wonderful @johannarenoth who’s currently doing her PhD on Instagram. It’s such a fascinating chat ! 🤳🏻

5. And in other news - the world is going mad, Putins Napoleon complex has taken us back to a Cold War, Covid has gone apeshit in China which is scary news for the world, my neighbour has a new beard, my pet gecko (@gavthegecko is having problems shedding) and I have a sore thumb. 👎

Hope you feel informed! and you’re having a good week.

Pic- tbt 2013 I think with @steph.carta on set with the first version of methodology X.

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The 10 benefits of hanging

1. When tumbling down a woodland cliff towards a pit of crocodiles - you can save your life by grabbing on to a branch using your newly developed grip

2. If you hang out in those Berlin fetish clubs where middle-aged businessmen drink absinthe, wear full-body latex and pretend to be an animals all night - rather than crawling around pretending to be a cat or dog, you’ll be able to add monkey to your repertoire. This goes down a treat (apparently) #functionaltraining

3. Picture this: During the next London volcano, you’re on the tube and the floor starts melting due to all the hot lava. Well now you’ll be fully able to hang on the passenger rail with one hand and save a child with the other. #savinglivesswhilegettingthepump

4. Want to catch a ride with an eagle? (or hawk) you can now just jump up into the sky (pro tip: use a rebounder) and grab one of the fuckers around the beak. Beats dressing up as giant injured mouse and waiting for one to grab you.

5. As a child in 80’s manchester, when I wasn’t down the coal pit making a shilling a day - I’d often travel around the Canals by ‘Swan-taxi’ this is when you are underwater with a 2 foot long breathing tube (made from 5 McDonald’s straws + bluetack) and with your hands raised up.. I’d catch the feet of Swans and they’d drag me to where I needed to go.. it was more efficient than using a horse and cart. Even though this mode of transport isn’t as popular now, please support all the out of work #swantaxis & do your hangs to make longer journies.

6. As tendons in your fingers get stronger: hanging is perfect training for the annual New Orleans 72hour banjo-athon.

7. Hanging allows you to look fit like me (see photo) when in no way was i just knackered from doing 6 shitty pull ups. #fakenews

8. It makes you happy. I for one hate my life when I’m not hanging. #science

9. Walking around with your arms permanently up is the best way of attracting a mate. Hanging will develop this stance - thus you’ll get laid more. #peacockvibes

10. Hanging is a political statement. Not sure what the statement is. But it’s political, it’s on Instagram and if you don’t join in you’ll be judged.

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As it’s my birthday tomorrow (45) I thought I’d share my most important life lessons. This is a very raw and personal post. Please share/save.

1. Don’t wank off strangers in exchange for a pack of Maltesers . - if this is a tricky habit to break, maybe just do it on weekends. Otherwise after 300-400 times you’ll start to feel a bit cheap - just talking from experience here.

2. Exercise is dangerous. Lifting anything over 3kg will bulk you up.. and you’ll be legally required to buy protein shakes, creatine, Tren, HGH and get spray tans every 25 mins. - this is too hard to maintain. Cardio is dangerous too as you’ll have a heart attack (as per that ‘sex in the city’ documentary) - so the safest activity is just to sit in a chair and not move too much.

3. Never look a monkey in the eye, staple a Vegan to an antelope or discuss politics with a tiger… and never ever consider playing poker with Napalise Badgers (they always cheat). I travel a lot, so insights like this you kinda just pick up over time.

4. When eating vegetables, try to mostly aim for the mouth. Don’t want to get too technical/geeky to non-nutritionists here, but to cut a long story short, you’ll get more nutrients in your system via the mouth rather than squishing broccoli up your bum and in your ears. #science

5. Finally this is more of a dream than a tip. You see, the thing is I absolutely love comparing myself to others. I also desperately want to develop my right thumb muscle, get rid of my stupidly long attention span and spend less time with friends. I just pray that one day someone invents something to help me achieve these dreams.

So there are the key lessons and my dream - all learned from my 45 years on this planet. I do hope they helped. Let me know.

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Hi. So I’m not sure what caption to write today - so many choices!… not sure which is most me?

1. “Here’s me on a holiday l went on once”.

2. “I’m bored, give me attention”.

3. “Hi guys. Let’s normalise headbands.”

4. Or maybe ….- “hey tribe, let be real. Yes I look hot as fuck but actually I was depressed and dealing with toxic relationships with narcissists. The only thing that got me through it were my boohoo flip flops. Use flipflopDan to get 20% off” … and earn me a 10% commission as I’m skint and needy and will use any emotional tactic to become a more popular ‘Infulencer’ - sorry that was so 2018, I mean ‘content creator’.

5. Or maybe a cute quote about travel from someone old I never heard of with a #wanderlust hashtag. I think it’s “a 1000 single steps begins when you journey a mile so follow your heart and leave a passionate footprint” I think that’s it. Will check Pinterest.

6. “I feel so sad and look so ugly” (this seems the best caption for likes. - The trick nowadays is to be a victim.. Obviously being a straight white guy is great in real life and I don’t feel sad or victimised at all… If only I was a disabled anxious lesbian trans Black woman with childhood trauma who could shuffle dance.. I’d have way more fans on Tiktok by now 😔

7. How about: “OMG guys can we just talk about this view for a minute. I Mean WTF I feel so #blessed and #grateful” - I don’t quite understand the meaning of those hashtags.. but I find when use them in my caption I can show you how much better my life is than yours without you hating me👍🏻

8. The #entrepreneur flex: … “I invest in #nft and #Ethereum and made $300mil before I was 22 that’s why I live on a beach and I’m legit even though I’m now desperate for you to buy my crap ebook for £19.97 that shares my investments secrets - click link & go into my funnel. 🚀” #grantcadoneismyhero #bossbabe #ceomindset

9. Or.. “Here’s also what men into fitness look like” - just making a very subtle point to no particular activewear company at all (#gymshark) that you don’t need to be juiced up out of your eyeballs as a man to represent fitness in 2022. #theyalltakesteroids #gymsharkathlete

10. #wokeuplikethis

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Happy Christmas.
So I just finished with my last private client before Xmas.. and she did her very first full press up - yay! Totally made my morning :) and now am about to release a couple of new podcast episodes and then I’m in chill mode.

Tomorrow.. I will be drinking far too much champagne while attempting to cook. My evening will mostly consist of chocolate, TV, Wine and restraining from sending career-ending tweets. I haven’t drank in 20 months so I know Boxing Day will be a sofa day - watching films and eating minstrels while nursing a hangover from hell.

Will I train? .. yeah probably. As training isn’t an obligation or job.. it’s fun for me. So I’ll probably do my standard 10k loop along the river when I wake up tomorrow and do some boxing Sunday night.

Whatever you do over Xmas, -please try and have fun, be safe and enjoy it. I have a lot of friends and family who are badly effected by the pandemic this Christmas, from recently losing loved ones to being isolated away from family due to a test result. So my thoughts are with those who are having a less than wonderful time tomorrow. ❤️

I’d also like to wish a happy Christmas to my collegues, my podcast guests, our @methodology_x and @nuk_soo customers, my mentorees & private clients. I’ve been 100% online for nearly 2 years now and even though our retreat business is ‘having a shocker’ according to my accountant!..luckily we do lots of other things - so we’ve been able to survive this pandemic as an organisation and even grow a little bit too.

Friends of mine who run their own gyms/studios in LA, New York, Sydney & London have had a much tougher time than me.. so please give your local gym support by signing up to their streaming classes, buying their ebooks, share their Instagram posts etc…. The UK fitness industry needs help right now.. and rather than wishing for government grants, VAT reductions, business rate freezes and other such top-down support, the best way we can really help is a bottom up approach. So please support your local gym/studio this winter in any way you can.

Dan x

💪🏻

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This week I talk to @yahoo about drop sets and @dailymail about Xmas presents.

- if you like strength training and normally do 3 sets of 10 .. remember that’s only 1 approach.. and while it’s not terrible, there are several more effective approaches. ‘Drop sets’ are the next level up in difficulty ..

As with many training protocols there are not universally accepted definitions for everything. For me I think a drop set is when you’re doing an exercise and maxing out then you lower the weight and keep on going…. and a compound set is when you change to a different exercise that works the same muscle groups.. (eg DB incline press followed by Pec flies)

In this article yahoo USA call my exercise combos a drop set but I would call them drop-compound sets. - also I grew up using the term ‘superset’ to signify working opposing muscle groups back to back.. eg bench press followed by pull ups. .. but I often hear superset being used to define what I think a compound set is.

Does it really matter ! Well no.. but if you’re in this world of fitness, let me know your take on it.. I’m always happy to learn.

I also feature briefly in the @dailymail this week too - sharing my recommended Xmas present. - I went for a kettlebell because everyone should have one. Strength training is one of key pillars of fitness. It becomes increasingly important to develop strength and power as we get older and a trusty kettlebell is a very safe & effective way of developing both. - my next 4-week group online bootcamp (starts jan 1st) requires a kettlebell.. so if you want to join me, now is the time to buy one.

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This just happened 😊😊😊

Thank you so very much @virginstartup - I love helping other businesses out and even though I’ve been mentoring for a long time,I’ve learned a lot from you guys.

Very humbled to accept the award as Virgin Startups MENTOR OF THE YEAR from you .. but not so humble that I won’t share it on Instagram any tell everyone I know ! 😉

Big shout out to @clarity_blend which is the latest company I’ve been assisting through your scheme - simple truth is their founders/leadership team are passionate and talented and they sell a brilliant product .. so my job is pretty easy!

So FYI- to those who don’t know, (As a hobby) I mentor a ton of very successful personal trainers … I’ve been doing it for all for over a decade…. but in the last 3-4 years I’ve also been working with @virginstartup and @princestrust as a business mentor - and because of this I’ve got to help a wide range of businesses very different to my own and from different industries. This has been fun & interesting and has helped me develop as a Mentor.

I really love mentoring .. and helping others set up and grow successful businesses and learn form my own countless mistakes is a growing passion of mine.. all the stuff I do regarding business support and further education for coaches is available under a new company I set up last year called the Dan Roberts Academy - please see @danrobertsacademy for more info, my business podcast and practical tips.

P.s my podcast chat with insightful and charismatic @gymdesigner comes out tomorrow 🙏🏼

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In January’s edition of USA’s @oxygenmagazine (which is out now) I share my views and advice on Ego lifting for women.. yes it’s rather a niche thing to be asked about but I’ve seen it happen in gyms all over the world it increases injuries and worsens results.

In my experience it usually manifests a bit more subtlety than the typical male version of ego lifting… but it’s still a thing and it’s not exclusive to the weights room.. I’ve seen it at Pilates and yoga studios too.

If you train lot, then it’s worth checking your not letting your ego take over - I talks about what to watch for in the feature and how to remedy it.

Read the full feature in the mag or online.. or just see press office page over at danrobertsgroup.com 😊💪🏻

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The Dan Roberts Group won “Most Innovative Fitness Company” at the Southern Enterprise Awards today.

I’d like to thank the academy… The king of Spain, St Laurent Paris, Wilkos, Old Greg, Falkor, Johnny Utah, John Mclaine, Marla Singer, all the ‘ladies’ at GOGO-69 bar in Bangkok, the city of Sheffield, the keyboard player from the Stone Roses and the letter K.

Oh and thanks to the judges at the southern enterprise awards for noticing the company I set up so many years ago..

I can’t take any award seriously.. but it’s appreciated and you have excellent taste 😉

The trick to having a successful fitness brand and a well respected company is to constantly improve, refine and innovate…. And to always keep your customers needs, hopes and dreams in the front of your mind..

Nah:. Not really.. The real key is to sleep with all your customers, spread bizarre rumours about your competition, spend 6 hours a day lip syncing on Tik Tok, and to force all your employees to get ripped as fuck and to skip all board meetings, forecast/budget meetings, product development & marketing strategy meetings etc.. and just hang out on beach in Ibiza and read The Secret while listening to Gary V podcasts.

Anyway. thanks again for the award guys. And In all seriousness… the award is 100% totally meaningless.. as is our existence.

Too heavy for Instagram. ? 😜 Okay…. Let me try and finish this post in a more succinct and grateful way.

Here goes..

On behalf of my little team and I, thank you. 😊

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Throw back….so several years ago today this happened. Not sure who she is exactly - I never asked her name - which is kinda embarrassing as we’ve been a couple for so long now it’s gone past the point when I can ask her. Not too sure what she does for a living either or if she’s on Instagram or not.. Anyway she seems nice.. think I’ll keep her.

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Throw back to when my client @wallisday starred in an advent for Rayban. I lurk in the background, often out of focus & hold some pads - just the way It should be!

My fave part of being a trainer is getting to help people that you admire to be even better.. to have a positive effect on their body, their wellbeing, their self-esteem (and if like me you work with athletes, dancers, models and actors)… you can also get to help their careers too. Best job ever 🙏🏼❤️

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By the time I was 23 I had already solo travelled to over 40 countries or so, but I wanted a bigger adventure. So I decided to go to the South Pacific for a year and then work/live in Australia.

I was previously working as a Lacrosse coach in New York (randomly) and had 2 grand cash in dollars and my flight tickets sorted, a backpack (which had a tent inside it) and not much else.

In that year I got see Hawaii again (which I love) and hang in the cook islands (where I worked in a bar, wrote a shit book, grew my hair and had my own little flat) and then Tahiti & Fiji.

I mostly lived a natural existence, no shoes, No shirt kinda life.. and when money dried out I ending up working my way up from from cleaning toilets to helping manage a youth Hostel in New Zealand before I headed to Oz.

Pictured is a young me in Moorea.. which is one of the Society Islands, but I really wanted to get to Bora Bora.

But at this point I was getting broke petty quick as 2 grand wasn’t enough just incase you wondered😉) anyway. I couldn’t afford the flight and there is no camping on Bora Bora.. so I went to the docks and suggested to a captain of big fishing boat that I tag along for free on his next trip to there. He obliged.

It was a fascinating 2 day journey stopping off at the other Society Islands.. upon arriving I wandered around the island going to restaurants asking if I could work in exchange for a bed… I found that’s a good tactic - people are generally pretty nice and like to help out. I ended up in Bora Bora for 2 months, made friends, partied loads and got to know the real island.

I’ve ‘Boho-travelled’ all the world... it forces you to be creative, to lose your pride and to see things in different ways. As i got older I began staying in fancy hotels.. is it as exciting? no, not really.. it’s nice but nothing beats rocking up to a new country with no money, no contacts and just your wits to get by.

If you want to travel, please don’t let logistics, finances, age, and other boring adult things get in the way.. boho style travel may seem reckless, but I think it’s kinda reckless NOT to find ways to explore this beautiful world we are all so lucky to live in. ❤️🙏🏼

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Fancy learning something new this Saturday?

I’m leading a 90-minute educational, interactive and practical Muay Thai workshop this Saturday - as a one off.

Muay Thai is one of my favourite martial arts… I’ve had the honour of studying full-time under a couple of stadium champions back when I lived in Thailand.., it’s such an amazing sport, martial art, self-defence tool-kit and way to get fit.

I know exactly what it’s like being a total beginner as an adult.. and I also know what it’s like to have real Muay Thai fights against local fighters inside blood-soaked rings… (imagine sitting on golden sand, palm tree fringed beach in Hawaii enjoying a massive Margherita with 4 Labrador puppies falling sleep by your feet while @lennykravitz whispers compliments into your ear… imagine that… yeah .. well.. it’s not like that at all).

The technical side of Muay Thai fascinates me still.. and I’m excited to share techniques, tips, and insights with those of you reading this that want to genuinely learn more about it.

Also .. I’m well aware that this is not that big a deal.. but 9 years ago I developed & authored the UK’s very first nationally accredited Muay Thai fitness qualification (for personal trainers to teach it 1-2-1) - so even though I’ve not done this exact seminar on Saturday, I’ve taught Muay Thai to many people over the years from beginners to pro cage fighters .. so I know it won’t suck

You don’t need a bag, or partner, or gloves etc.. you only need a wifi connection and a 2x2m space.

You can book the workshop via my website…
Thanks. D.

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3 minute random inarticulate musings on exercise, mental health, body image, and the crucial importance of movement…

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"A man that makes Oscar-winners and royalty sweat, his forensic knowledge of all things fitness is jaw-dropping."

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Dan Roberts Group has been a winner at the 2015, 2017 & 2019 Annual Tatler Gym Awards.

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Dan Roberts Group wins 'Most innovative Fitness company' at the 2021 Southern Enterprise Awards