We name the top 10 best personal trainers on the Gold Coast as voted by you
A GOOD personal trainer gets you results and knows when to keep pushing if you’re being a sook. There are plenty of superstar trainers on the GC, but here are the top 10 as voted by you.
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A GOOD personal trainer knows exactly how far to push but also knows when you’re just being a sook. They know not to react in horror when they see your straining face and your awkward sweat patches. One that knows how to talk you away from the fridge via text it’s calling out to you at night. Most of all, though, one that gets results. While there are plenty of superstar trainers on the Gold Coast, here are the top 10 that fit these criteria, as voted by you.
10. Riki Cotton — Fearless Fitness, Coomera
Abraham Road Park, Coomera
0412 463 759
Riki was jumping on a plane for a well deserved holiday to Bali, for the first time in a long time. The young personal trainer treats his job with such passion it has almost become his whole life.
“Being a PT it’s a lot more than just personal training, the more you can allow them to let you know you’re there for them as a friend that’s the most important thing,” he said.
“That I’m there no matter what whether it’s fitness, health or life in general, there’s always more to it than just training.
“I try to show my clients that everyone’s equal — fitness level, size, age — so long as everyone does their best that’s all that matters.”
9. Dane Anderson — Bangn Bodz
The Arts Centre, Bundall and Robina Cricket Club
0411 374 833
What started as four girls at Dane Anderson’s boot camp in 2012 is now a thriving personal training business, with locations down the east coast of Australia from Melbourne to Canberra.
“I’m all about functional fitness — kind of like mix between weightlifting and boot camp,” Dane said.
“It’s using muscles you wouldn’t usually use if you were just lifting weights in the gym — extra strength and brings out muscles you wouldn’t usually get from lifting weights.
“We’re results based training, a lot of gyms are just after numbers; we’re focused on every single person getting results.”
Whether clients are looking to trim down or bulk up, Dane puts together health plans for everyone.
“My client Stephanie, she lost like 16 kilos in 12 weeks and gained 3.5 kilograms of muscle — she had a really bad diet, got her to cut out beer and make a lifestyle change,” he said.
“Jai who always struggled to put on weight managed to put on 6kg in just three months following our eating program.”
8. Simone Kelly — Get Raw Bootcamp, Miami
Kelly Avenue, Miami
0415 578 114
Simone Kelly‘s story will likely resonate with a lot of Gold Coasters, as she originally got into fitness to get out of the unhealthy party lifestyle.
“At school I didn’t like exercise and I used to party heaps but when I got into fitness I got a bit addicted,” she said.
“I think people use going out as a way to catch up with friends, I guess having a big night out is a good way to stay connected.
“What I learned to do is instead go to the beach, go for a bike ride, pack a picnic — transfer to healthy positive things.”
The mum of three hasn’t looked back for a second and preaches no matter how busy you are, you should always make time for your health.
“We live on the Gold Coast, we should be enjoying it and not sleeping the weekends away,” she said.
“I have three kids so I know how much better it feels to be fit and healthy even if I’m busy.
“I think no matter who you are — if you’ve got kids, a high stress job — whatever it is, everyone can enjoy the benefits of being healthy.”
7. Joel Bradford — EMF Pacific Fair and JB Health & Fitness
0403 592 373
Known around the Gold Coast for his positive motivation strategies, Joel Bradford is passionate about improving people’s entire lives with fitness.
“I became a personal trainer because I grew up being involved in top level sports and it’s what I know and love,” he explains.
“I could also see the effect that exercise and nutrition had on people’s health and how it changed their lives for the better
“Being able to work in an industry that I was passionate about and help people improve their lives made it a no brainer decision to get involved in health and fitness.”
In his experience, a healthy lifestyle can often be a solution for mental health issues, a situation he has come across many times during his career.
“The biggest thing I wish was more common knowledge is how important and effective exercise and nutrition is on improving mental health,” he said.
“There would be absolutely no need for antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs if everyone was aware of how effective living a healthy lifestyle was on your mental state.
“I have been lucky enough to witness family, friends and clients improve their overall health and lives through fitness.”
6. Kylee Kendall — Kendall Fitness & Health, Upper Coomera
Coomera Springs, Upper Coomera
0412 592 903
kendallfitnessandhealth.com.au
She doesn’t have an affiliation with the Jenner sisters, but Kylee Kendall is dedicated to helping shape movie-star bodies.
An accredited Les Mills instructor, Kylee teaches an array of classes including Body Attack, T3 Swing and Body Pump as well as running regular boot camps.
“I got into it for the love of fitness and helping people, trying to motivate people and getting them to understand that fitness should be a part of everyday life,” she said.
“I’m a Les Mills group fitness instructor, that’s how I really got into everything.
“I just love sharing my passion for fitness and the Les Mills culture just means I get to meet a lot of people from different walks of life that I might not usually get to associate with.”
5. Phil Hill — Phil Hill Fitness, Parkwood
250 Olsen Avenue, Parkwood
0429 093 418
Phil Hill has been personal training for almost five years and originally got into fitness to improve himself.
“As a kid I was a bit overweight, I just wasn’t into sport and found myself on the outer a lot, especially since I went to a sporting school,” he said.
“From there I started going to gym with some mates and I really enjoyed it,
“I saw results quickly and got a bit addicted really, then started to feel like I could help others with my story.”
Phil said he likes getting to know everyone and their stories — especially when they’ve had success in their fitness journey.
“I have a client who I’ve trained for a long time and she’s lost 30 kilograms,” he said.
“The main thing with her was making fitness a lifestyle rather than a chore.
“When she first went she didn’t want to go, it was a chore to her so it’s all about making sessions fun because that’s when you get the best results.”
4. Sally Priest — Superior Strength Systems Upper Coomera
3/7 Northward Street, Upper Coomera
0416 814 815
With her last name, you can be sure training is Sally Priest’s religion. The Pimpama mum said for her, witnessing the transformations in her client’s attitudes and outlook is just as fulfilling as the physical transformations.
“Being a woman, seeing my female clients grow in strength on the inside is really special for me,” she says.
“They have achieved something within themselves; with weights when it gets heavy it’s a real mind game, it’s not just a physical thing.
“The way I approach is one: targeted to their goals and two: to what their physical capabilities are.”
3. Mitch Woodward — Transformation Inc
Various locations
1300 763 312
Mitch Woodward takes a personal and direct approach to personal training, being dedicated to changing lives, especially the lives of people who need it.
“When I meet someone I want to prove to them that they can do this,” he said.
“They can’t sit around and continue what they’re doing, to the point where they’re at risk of having a heart attack or diabetes.
“I want to get them off the couch and turn them into someone whose life is going to be different.”
Mitch said if there’s one mistake people make when it comes to health and fitness is consulting the internet when they should be consulting a trained professional.
“When people decide they want to make a change they tend to go online and read all the fads, read the opinions of all these people who think their experts,” he said.
“It’s like trying to diagnose yourself online — by the end of it you’ve got 100 different diseases.
“You’ve got to find a personal trainer who actually wants to help, who will sit down with you and go over your goals.”
2. Scott Hunt — Fitness Enhancement, Nerang
20 Lawrence Drive, Nerang
1800 783 678
Fitness Enhancement is the personal training Scott Hunt built when he was 19 years old, after identifying some key flaws in the fitness industry.
A large one of these was the stigma surrounding training in public gyms and people’s insecurities when beginning their fitness journey.
With Scott’s intimate and private personal training facilities, his client’s can give it their all without the worry that they’re being watched and judged.
Scott continues to see great results in his clients and recently won the health and fitness category at the 2016 Gold Coast ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year’ awards.
1. Ian D’Andrade — Never Quit Gym, Bundall
1/51 Upton Street, Bundall
1300 885 532
2016 has been a productive year for Ian D’Andrade, who also took out the top spot for Best Gym on the Gold Coast in The Gold Coast Bulletin’s ‘Best of’ series.
He said working out was a way of life for him from a young age, which eventually developed into a desire to share his fitness philosophies.
“Becoming a personal trainer grew from my love of working out, I started weight training at the age of 14 and ended up getting myself awesome results,” he said.
“From there people would always ask to join in on my workouts, I remember sneaking training books into my school books because I wanted to learn everything about working out.
“When I got a bit older I realised I could do this for a living which I loved.
“One of my first clients told me I changed their life and they couldn’t thank me enough — I was only 18 but from then I was hooked on helping people get fit.”
While many people seek guidance with diet and exercise for their general wellbeing, many are looking to transform themselves physically, which Ian is happy to facilitate.
“I’ve been fortunate to have some huge transformations, two from recent memory include a new Dad of two babies under the age of two who completely changed his body after falling out of shape,” he said.
“You wouldn’t believe the change.
“Another is of a female client of mine who completely transformed her life in six months.
“She could barely make it through a session in the beginning and in six months she was one of my fittest clients.”
Every client is different and has different fitness goals, Ian has a few key exercises he swears by.
“I teach my clients how to sprint safely and correctly which in my opinion one of the best ways to get in shape,” he said.
“I train men and women differently; for guys I swear by well executed pull-ups.
“For women I highly recommend glute bridges which are incredible for shaping the butt.”
In a world where everyone is an expert and there are a million different fitness fads floating around, Ian said people underestimate what a personal trainer really does.
“I think the biggest misconception when it comes to personal training is that we are drill instructors who yell at people and count reps,” he said.
“For me, to transform someone's life it goes way beyond counting reps.
“I work on everything from their mindset, habits, sleep, training, nutrition and recovery.
“Educating clients in a simple and easy to understand way is a huge part of how I get amazing results.”
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