Ollie Hayes Personal Trainer
Ollie is an ex-professional rugby player but decided to pursue his dream of becoming a PT. He talks to Sundried about life in the fitness industry.
Please tell us about any sporting events you have taken part in or have coming up.
I was fortunate enough to play rugby at the highest level, playing over 70 times for Bristol Rugby Club, competing in the Premiership and the Championship.
I also played for Worcester Warriors and Yorkshire Carnegie. Since becoming a PT I have run in 10k events and half marathons with my clients. I have also taken part in two charity boxing matches.
Tell us about your journey to fitness? Where did it all start?
I wanted to play professional rugby from the age of 10 and loved nothing more than running around outside.
What are your training goals now?
To increase my size and strength.
Tell us one unusual fact we wouldn’t know about you:
I can do one magic trick that will blow your mind!
Do you follow a specific nutrition plan? If so, what/when do you eat?
Having been a rugby player, I have tried all different type of diets. Nothing beats counting calories – it really opens your eyes to how much you eat!
What do you do to keep your clients motivated? Do you have any top tips to keep motivated?
Set goals with them and set out when they can have a cheat meal – but don’t have an entire cheat day!
Talk us through your training regime.
At the moment, I’m looking at size and strength. Each week I try to hit a new PB on one of the main lifts (squat, deadlift, bench press).
How do you keep your fitness knowledge up to date?
I speak regularly to friends who are also PTs or Strength & Conditioning coaches for premiership rugby clubs.
What are your top 3 trainer tips?
- Abs are made in the kitchen.
- You can’t out-train a bad diet (a bad diet being eating more calories than you burn).
- Focus on your goals and don’t be scared of gaining weight on the scales.
If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Chocolate!
Why work with Sundried?
They have great training gear which really supports me and is great for my clients. I love the Olperer men's training t-shirt and can't believe it's made out of recycled coffee grounds! It really is brilliant for training.
Favourite fitness quote:
"This is bootcamp not Butlins!"