We asked David Kennedy to answer some questions that will give you an insight into how things have changed since he joined Training for Warriors.
What were some of your struggles with exercise before you came to TFW Thornhill?
Before starting at TFW I had never been to a ‘gym’. I had always thought why in hell would I want to lift weights? How mind-numbingly boring! I don’t know exactly what it was that changed my mind. I think being a small, skinny boy my whole life and wanting to put on a bit of weight and strength for rugby were probably two contributing factors. There was also an element of thinking that I could do it if I wanted to, I’ve just never tried. But we all know if you don’t try you can’t fail, so it was a case of walking my inner talk.
The other struggle I had prior to joining TFW was the stereotype of going to the ‘gym’ which was very off-putting. Along with the zero knowledge I had at the time, I had no confidence to walk into a regular gym and know what I was doing. Joining the TFW Dojo broke those barriers down and allowed me to join a great environment and ultimately achieve great results.
What made you bite the bullet and start coming to TFW Thornhill?
I have always valued being fit and active but, in reality, I was living a lie. Growing up, I had always played multiple sports, so staying in shape was never given thought, it was just a by-product. It had been a year or two since I’d stopped playing rugby and I didn’t have any real physical outlets. I wasn’t so much out of shape, although, inevitably that’s where it would have led to, I definitely felt like I wasn’t living up to my potential. So it came as quite good timing when the Dojo opened and the 8-week challenge was a brilliant introduction. Now I have a lot more knowledge around training and nutrition it’s turning to a point where I want to see how far I can push my body (of which I’m just getting started)
What are some of the significant results you’ve gotten since training at TFW Thornhill?
On the surface, I have achieved a lot of the initial goals I set out when I first started. I’ve put on 10 kg of muscle mass, all of my lifts have gone up exponentially and I just feel a lot more comfortable and confident in my body. I think, however, one of the biggest things I have inherited since starting TFW is a great group of good people that just want you to do well and that feeling is definitely mutual.
Another thing is the principles of everything we do in the Dojo transfer into achieving completely different goals outside the gym. The idea of daily practice and biting off small goals, one at a time can be applied to any big projects. One for me was the live broadcast with the band last year which, on its own, was pretty daunting. There’s so much work to be done bringing everything together so to have the experience in the bag, knowing that if I keep chipping away, I will achieve great results!
What are the top 3 tips that helped you transform?
It’s an environment that you want to be around, so it pulls you in, rather than you having to exercise willpower every day. Yes, there are times where you don’t feel like it but on the whole, once you get into that atmosphere you always leave feeling better.
One tip that I have probably taken for granted is surrounding yourself with like-minded people. I’m very fortunate that the rest of my family are also on the same ‘path’ as me. So when it comes to food, we don’t keep junk in the cupboards. You’re always making better choices and you have accountability partners. Basically, it makes it a hell of a lot easier to stay consistent with your nutrition.
The last one for me is intensity in your workouts. I’ve never really had a problem with internally pushing myself; it’s probably developed from growing up playing sports and living in a house with three brothers. You will not change unless you push those boundaries and challenge yourself with more weight etc/fill in the blank. The way I figure it, you’re doing the session, you may as well give it everything you’ve got!
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