Lee Desoiza’s approach to education was to take courses that would help him succeed in the competitive world of personal training. And judging by the number of courses and certifications he has amassed over the years, he has more than done his homework.
Desoiza has a bachelor’s degree in sports science and has passed several personal training certifications, including those offered by the NSCA, NASM and ACSM. But it wasn’t until his wife, Silvija, told him about training with several individuals who had taken BioSignature courses that Desoiza learned about Charles Poliquin. Upon Silvija’s advice Desoiza took the BioSignature Level 1 course and immediately signed up for PICP Levels 1 and 2. Later he took BioSignature Level 2, and he plans to take the Trigenics course and continue to expand his education and business until he achieves PICP Level 5. And as a trainer who has walked the talk, Desoiza also has modeled for upcoming books and video projects for Poliquin Performance.
Desoiza currently works in London as the head personal trainer at a gym called Gymbox in Holborn, which is part of a four-gym franchise. These are state-of-the-art gyms that have free weights, resistance training machines, dance studios, massage and sports injury services, and other facilities and services that have made these gyms the standard in the industry. Although Desoiza is excelling as a trainer in London, he has plans to move back to Gibraltar, an affluent British territory where he grew up before moving to London in 1998 to attend college.
At the 2011 Eleiko Strength Summit at the Poliquin Strength Institute, Desoiza took a few minutes to share his experiences as a personal trainer in London and to discuss his experiences with one of his success stories, Katy Pells.
KG: What is the attitude towards personal training in London?
LD: It’s not as accepted in London as it is in the States, but it is getting better. What I’ve seen is that those trainers who have invested in education get more clients, while trainers who haven’t, often struggle. And the trainers who I’ve convinced to take Charles’s courses have seen their business increase. Why? Because they know more.
KG: Do Londoners eat nutritiously?
LD: The biggest problem is that they tend to drink too much – people here love going to the pub. A pint of beer has about 400 calories; on Friday I have seen people drink a dozen pints. Then after that they get hungry and will eat chips or curry or kebab – so in one night they can consume 7,000 calories.
KG: Is it difficult to convince your clients to change their drinking and eating habits?
LD: Not really, because they know what they are doing is bad for them. One interesting thing is that when they start eating better and living healthier, they usually find their hangovers are worse.
KG: What about the argument that eating organic foods is more expensive than eating junk food?
LD: It’s a misconception that eating healthier is more expensive. My clients think about the cost of putting extra meat and organic vegetables in their shopping cart, but this is offset because they are not buying the pastries and croissants – it all balances out. What’s more, there are places in London where you can get quality produce very cheap.
KG: How do you market yourself?
LD: Because of the success of my clients, I get my business from referrals.
KG: Who is your primary clientele?
LD: Primarily males, of all ages.
KG: What is the difference between training men and training women?
LD: Adult females are a lot easier to train because they often have not lifted weights and therefore don’t have any misconceptions about how to train. With males, it’s often a bit like “teaching an old dog new tricks.”
KG: When you move to Gibraltar, how will you outfit your gym?
LD: Ever since I first came to the Poliquin Strength Institute, I knew that this was the way a gym should look. I’ve used the Atlantis and Eleiko equipment, and not only is this equipment amazing to use , it also looks professional. So Atlantis and Eleiko are on my shopping list because they are the best. If you want to make the best progress, you need the best equipment.
KG: You showed me photos of one of your clients, Katy Pells. Why did she come to you initially?
LD: I was training some of her friends, and they kept telling her how much they enjoyed the training process and getting results.
KG: What did you do for Katy Pells’ initial assessment?
LD: I did a food recall, a BioSignature and structural balance assessment, and I took pictures. At first I didn’t give her any supplements. I just got her into training and eating better, putting her on a Paleo diet and getting her to switch to a meat and nuts breakfast. I don’t like to give my clients supplements until they start eating better.
KG: How did you use BioSignature with her?
LD: I checked her every two weeks. She was big everywhere, but at first her major problem was insulin. Later it changed to estrogen.
KG: What supplements did you give her?
LD: At first I just gave her Ultra HCL 4.0, and then I had her alternate between Omega 3 6:1 and EPA-DHA 720. Later I added Multi Intense and Übermag.
KG: Can you give me some examples of her training?
LD: We used German Body Comp training protocols and primarily free weights. One of my goals with her was to get her to do chin-ups.
KG: What were her results?
LD: She started at 35 percent body fat, and 16 weeks later she was 14.1. The only downside was that she had to invest a lot of money in a whole new wardrobe.