OUR STORY
How we’re becoming the trainers we want to be!
Founded in April 2014, St Albans Personal Training has been Assisting the Amazing, Ambitious, and Amiable residents of St Albans and Hertfordshire, to take Action and Achieve their Aspirations.
We began our journey as a company by running a free weekly bootcamp for the local community. We taught creative and challenging exercises which could be performed by anyone, anywhere, anytime, and required little or no equipment at all.
Today we provide personal training on a one-to-one basis at our private studio located in City Centre of St Albans, and at BodyLimits Gym in Sandridge. Many of our clients come to us feeling unsure about how to approach a new training regime, feeling like they do not know how to use gym equipment or perform different exercises correctly, or feeling a real lack of motivation or confidence towards the various aspects involved with choosing a healthier lifestyle. You may have felt like you cannot go into the weights room of a gym, go for a swim at your local swim centre, go running outdoors, or feel unsure about how to approach cooking healthier meals or even how to give up a high sugar diet.
Once our clients have started training with us they have found that they can overcome their initial challenges, improve their health and fitness, and achieve their goals. All it took was a little help, knowledge, and encouragement from an expert to get them underway with their decision to live a healthier lifestyle.
We hope and we’ll feel privileged if you decide to choose us to help you on your new journey today.
YOUR PERSONAL TRAINERS
DAN JOHNSTON
Founder of StAPT. BSc Biomedical Science (2009) from Durham University. Level 3 Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) Qualified (2013).
My journey towards living a healthy lifestyle and improving my fitness began at the age of 16. My Dad bought me a Men’s Health magazine which was full of dumbbell exercises. I didn’t know much about gyms or weight lifting so I would read the magazine and copy the exercises with a pair of plastic dumbbells in my bedroom.
Since then I have gone on to enjoy sports well into my adulthood. I play rugby (which I decided to take up when I was 24 having never played before!), enjoy swimming, and I love barbell training. I have enjoyed boxercise, CrossFit, and I even tried mixed martial arts for a few months. Why am I telling you this? Because I want all my clients to be able to experience the feeling of taking up new sports or joining exercises classes. I want to help people make a start towards a new, active, and healthy lifestyle. We all have to start somewhere, and for me it was with a Men’s Health magazine. For you it may be the same or it may be with me helping you as your personal trainer.
Today I utilise my background in Biomedical Science and my experience as a personal trainer to teach my clients about the biomechanics of the body. I combine mobility, strength, and cardiovascular exercises with breathing techniques and the science behind nutrition and diet in order to help them achieve their goals.
SAM BENNETT
Level 3 Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) Qualified, UK Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)
Fitness has always been part of my life, having danced from a young age and earning a scholarship to Urdang at 18 to train full time. This gave me the opportunity to perform around the world on some amazing jobs such as working with Little Mix and with Strictly Come Dancing. Through my dance career I realised my passion for training others, I would train my cast mates on tour and in between rehearsals so quickly did my REPS PT qualification.
With my background of dance, a qualified Personal Trainer and Strength & Conditioning Coach (UKSCA) I understand how the body should move, feel and look. I thrive off supporting, guiding and caring for clients in their journeys of bettering themselves, in all things fitness, nutrition and Wellbeing. I pride myself on three simple values in life; accountability, motivation and excellence, and as a coach, I express this to clients. It’s important to show up for yourself, listen to your body, and most importantly have fun! I work with individuals willing to show up for themselves, feel good and challenge themselves to transform their bodies and maintain a healthy lifestyle, in and around Hertford. I get to know clients, their preferred training methods and goals to create plans that fulfil their needs but also suit them to hit targets. My qualifications and experience provide a deep understanding in Olympic lifting, strength, resistance training and specialising in training for golfers. Combining these along with the right mindset and nutrition will deliver results and help you lead a healthier, stronger and fitter lifestyle.
LIAM MICKLEBURGH
BSc Sport Science Honours from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)
I started my journey as a 16-year-old schoolboy researching exercises to improve my own sport performance (golf particularly, however I also played cricket and rugby). From then on, I have always wanted to be involved in sports performance specifically and training in general. I was hooked.
After finishing school, I studied a Bachelor of Sport Science degree. After completing my 3-year degree I was fortunate enough to be accepted into the honours Sports Science (Exercise Physiology/Science) degree. I also completed my professional qualification, the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). A great privilege during my honour’s year was being chosen to intern at The Sharks rugby team for the Currie Cup and Super Rugby season of 2015. Here, I was given the opportunity to intern with Mark Steele (Head of Conditioning). I gained an invaluable amount of experience in working with extremely high performing athletes and had the opportunity to pick the brain of one of the top Strength and Conditioning coaches in the world. This has since fuelled my career in the industry, in addition to working as an academic (lecturing) for two and half years at a sport science college, a CrossFit coach and personal trainer for one year, a strength and conditioning coach at an independent boarding school for two and half years, and currently now as the strength and conditioning coach for the Wales Woman’s Hockey Team since April 2021.
As a professional in the field, I use validated/scientific methods that have been shown to work and enhance programmed training sessions that address any weaknesses found during assessment and testing. This results in my athletes achieving a high level of cardiovascular fitness, postural and spinal integrity, greater range of motion and strength, and injury prevention.