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Personal trainer Tom TJ Jankowski has a mission … to help folk stick to their New Year’s resolutions of getting fit and healthy.
Members of the Bahrain Rugby Club can take advantage of its recently-expanded gym and range of specialist equipment as TJ develops his own unique brand of health and performance systems.
The Polish international and Bahrain RFC first XV back-rower is a certified health fitness specialist from the American College of Sports Medicine and has an honours degree in Sport Science and Physical Education.
“I believe there is never an easy way to get fit, but if people are willing to put in the effort, I can guarantee to get them there,” he said.
He arrived on the island last August, having worked as a personal trainer for an array of clients ranging from professional rugby players to health-conscious grandparents.
The 23-year-old has already been working closely with the first XV and Under-18 rugby squads, as well as the Under-19 football team but is keen to offer his services to club members looking to meet their own health and fitness goals.
“The reason so many people fail with their resolution of ‘I’m going to get fit(ter)’ is because that resolution itself is flawed ... there is no end goal, no plan and no accountability,” he explained.
“In other words, they don’t really know what they want to look or feel like, or how to get there, and if they don’t get there then it doesn’t really matter because no one was really expecting anything anyway.
“I help my clients set their goals to exactly what they want and then create a specific plan to ensure that they succeed.
“I structure these plans to ensure that my clients will progress, but they are always kept relatively simple – I often see trainers publishing really complex, tough ‘workouts’ for people to try that makes getting fit seem like it’s horrible and really confusing.
“This just shows to me a lack of knowledge from the trainer. Every individual is different and should be treated that way.”
At the rugby club gym there are an abundance of free-weights which are used every session. It is rare to find much in the way of free-weights at local compound gyms because they are seen to be unsafe, particularly when unsupervised.
TJ said: “We use free-weights in every session because they are by far the best way to lose fat and get in shape as they burn calories by increasing the body’s resting metabolism whilst also decreasing the risk of injuries in problem areas such as knee joints and the back.”
TJ has had clients lose well over a stone in a month, but weight is just one gauge of progression as muscle weighs more than fat.
Some people will slim-down without losing any weight at all. There is also so much more to consider with health as you also need to look at things such as mood, focus, self-confidence, energy levels, sleep quality and stress levels.
TJ only accepts clients willing to give a minimum of four-to-six weeks’ commitment. This allows them time to progress and have the knowledge to carry on without assistance.
Some prefer to stay longer because he holds them accountable. “You are much less likely to skip sessions if each session is part of a long-term plan to help people achieve a realistic goal of their ideal body!” he explained.
British-born TJ studied at the University of Bedfordshire and was playing for National League 3 champions Ampthill RFC when he came to the attention of the Polish national team selectors.
He qualified to play for them because of his late Polish grandfather and made his international debut off the bench against Moldova in October 2010.
He has started every game that he’s been fit for, winning all of them except for one narrow loss away to Belgium last year. Poland is ranked 26th in the official IRB world rankings – much higher than the national soccer team in the respective FIFA ranking.
He spent half of last year playing rugby in the California division of America’s top club league, playing for and living in Las Vegas.
TJ will be available for one-on-one, pairs and small group sessions and is also planning on starting up a series of fitness classes in the coming months. Sessions cost between BD14-20.
For further details call into the club or contact him directly at performance@bahrainrfc.com
