Scott Gray Personal Trainer

Scott is a big fan of obstacle racing and has done some of the toughest challenges in the world. He talks to Sundried about some of the events he's done as well as life as a personal trainer.

Please tell us about sporting events you have taken part in or have coming up.

I have taken part in Europe's Toughest Mudder, an 8-hour obstacle course from midnight until 8am. It was pretty gruelling fighting tiredness from the start! In November 2017, I took on the Meangate Ultra Marathon, a 12-hour endurance race from 6pm - 6am where I managed 40 miles, which was amazing as I had never even run marathon distance until that point!

This year is a big year for me, I will be doing Europe's Toughest Mudder again, competing in the OCR European Championships (the qualifiers for the OCR World Championships), Rat Race Man vs Lakes and Man vs Mountain and all of the Nuclear Races events.

Tell us about your journey to fitness? Where did it all start?

I have always enjoyed sport but I started to have a PT around 3 years ago and the penny dropped that this is what I wanted to do full time. Every client is different and I really enjoy seeing the results people achieve and to know I played a small part in that journey is satisfying.

What are your training goals now?

Run as much as possible. I will be heading to Bulgaria again this year to the Rila Mountains to do some altitude training ready for the OCR European Championships and Europe's Toughest Mudder.

Tell us one unusual fact we wouldn’t know about you:

I can read Tarot Cards.

What advice do you wish you'd been given when you first started out?

Don't try to rush your goals, that will be your biggest failure.

Do you follow a specific nutrition plan? If so, what/when do you eat?

Not really, I eat a normal balanced diet but do follow a nutrition plan when I have big events coming up, so I will carb-load from time to time (the best bit about a diet in my opinion).

What do you do to keep your clients motivated? Do you have any top tips to keep motivated?

I try to make their sessions fun and change the routines by do something different! I also tell them to reward themselves for the right reasons and not worry if they want a chocolate bar after 5 days of being strict. It won't do them any harm and keeps them on track knowing they earned it.

Talk us through your training regime.

I run 5-10km every other day where possible. I'm in the lucky position that some of my clients want to run so I can include that in my regime too. I also do weight training twice a week with incorporated body weight exercises where I tend to use a Tabata system. After each gym session I also go for a 30 minute swim, though some days I aqua-run instead of swim as it's really good for the legs!

How do you keep your fitness knowledge up to date?

I watch documentaries, read books, sign up to a course every now and then and look back at my study books from when I did my PT qualifications so everything stays fresh.

What are your top 3 trainer tips?

1. Don't underestimate your ability.
2. Don't over train.
3. Be kind to yourself.

If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I love Mediterranean food so anything from the Med!

Why work with Sundried?

The clothing range is great and they help protect the world with a low carbon footprint. I also think my clients and others will enjoy their range.

Favourite fitness quote:

"Every finish line is the start of your next race."