How I got here
From a tin-roofed gym in Thailand to a private studio in Potts Point.
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It started in a tin-roofed gym in Thailand
At my lightest I was a skinny 55kg. I trained twice a day in a Thai boxing gym with no air-conditioning, learning old-school bodybuilding and how to train hard with almost no equipment.
I came home knowing exactly what I wanted to do: become a personal trainer.
My first client was me
Before I coached anyone else, I transformed my own body. It taught me what I still tell every client: progress comes from consistent training, nutrition and effort over years — not from wishing.
The proof I ask of my clients, applied to myself first.
The reason it matters
In 1998 my dad died of an obesity-related heart attack, after years of his health slowly slipping. That’s never left me.
It’s why every program I write is built around long-term health — not just how you look for a few weeks.
The hard way to learn about foundations
A swimmer’s shoulder and a disc bulge kept coming back until I fixed the weaknesses underneath them, with physio guidance and remedial work.
That’s why every client gets a full assessment before we load anything. I’m a Certified Corrective Exercise Specialist — not a physiotherapist — and I work alongside health professionals when a client needs it.
Learning what serious training looks like
I started my own boot camp, Tough Love, then coached in some of Sydney’s busiest gyms, including Fitness First.
Along the way came media work — Biggest Loser trainer scouting, a Centrum ad, an Army podcast and a Sydney Morning Herald interview — and in 2016 Men’s Health named me one of Australia’s top 5 personal trainers.
My results are my clients’ results
Fitness First magazine featured fifteen of my clients in one group shoot — every one of them transformed.
When the gyms closed, the gym came outside
Through the lockdowns I moved sessions to parks and garages, carrying the equipment by hand, then built an outdoor gym at Rushcutters Bay and trained through rain, storms and very early starts.
The thing I’m proudest of: people stay
I hosted around 80 past and present clients, partners and friends on Sydney Harbour. The long-term relationships are what I’m proudest of.
Paste Smith’s testimonial (12 months with Dinny) here, word for word.
A private studio, one coach
Everything I’ve learned now goes into FullForm: a private studio in Potts Point, a full assessment for every client, and every session coached by me.
