James Clarke – Personal Trainer in East London at Strong Space

I first walked in to a boxing gym in 1978 and was instantly hooked. I listen, learned and became dedicated, although I enjoyed all sports at school, boxing would be the first sport that I excelled at. After a long amateur boxing career in my teens I turned to bodybuilding.

This was in 1985 and the bodybuilding scene was exploding, with gyms opening all over the country. Whilst my slim genetics served me well for boxing, building muscle would prove much more challenging. I was not genetically gifted, but I was determined. My training and diet had to be optimal to make any gains. In retrospect, this served me well for discovering the synergy of effective programming, recovery and nutrition.

Over the past 40 years I’ve pursued a diverse range of sports including boxing, bodybuilding, powerlifting, CrossFit, golf and even BMX racing. I’ve always approached these activities with an analytical mind to their mechanics, performance and dietary requirements. I’ve also been fortunate to work with many great coaches and trainers over the years, who’ve not only educated me, but also taught me how to teach.

I’m passionate about nutrition and understand how it affects my performance and physique, and have consequently studied and practised many types of diet. This afforded me extensive insight in to their advantages and drawbacks, and most importantly where each diet is most appropriate to use.

Now I’m 56 my focus has shifted more towards longevity. Fortunately all the current research shows that staying strong, athletic and injury free is the most important intervention you can make to ensure a long health and life span.

I am a Reps qualified trainer and member, British Powerlifting Coach and UK Strength and Conditioning member.