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The Performance Mentor

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The Performance Mentor

I show male health and fitness coaches how to unlock their physical and mental potential. The final pillar of success is Consistency.

Throughout my years of training, coaching clients & education within the health & fitness industry, I have come to realise that everyone is very much an individual. We all have different body shapes, lifestyles, schedules & goals as such seeing so many one size fits all programs or nutritional plans is very frustrating to see & just doesn’t work in the long term. I created 300 Online Fitness to be

able to help every client who comes to me, I can do this by covering the 3 pillars to success; Training, Nutrition & Consistency and as your Personal Trainer I support all of these 100%. Creating a bespoke training program whether you want to train once a week or seven days a week, from a complete beginner to advanced athlete I can help you achieve your goals. With nutrition, all of my plans are bespoke around you; - how many times you can consistently eat each day, whether you like to eat small meals or larger ones. You won’t be eating foods you hate and I’ll show you how you can still eat the foods you enjoy and love whilst making all of the progress you desire. This is a fundamental area & it is sometimes all too easy to lose sight of how important this really is. Through our one to one personal training sessions I will coach you through the correct form & technique on each & every exercise to help you achieve your physique goals & build confidence in the gym as well as your own body. These sessions & increased confidence will soon build a solid routine & bring real consistency to your fitness regime, along with the nutritional help & other services I provide which includes your own mobile fitness app. I can promise you that you will go on to achieve your goals & sustain them lifelong. If you are ready to make a change then please contact me at;

[email protected] to receive your FREE consultation. I look forward to hearing from you.

01/04/2026

I’ve been off social media for a hot minute and to say I have been busy is an understatement

Well, the laser removal specialist has been busy, and I have been burning through more money than skin cells

I felt it was finally time to take my run at the pro circuit in bodybuilding and get my IFBB Pro Card

Years ago I was told how much it would hamper my progress in bodybuilding to have extensive ink

But as always, being young and reckless I didn’t listen…

Some 300+ laser removal treatments later and things are starting to take shape

Still running TRT at 130mg per week with 2iu GH for recovery and joint support

About to jump on my next cycle and start 10iu GH twice a day AM and PM, and the road to pro series will start 💪🏼

Will take some getting used to with the new pink skin fade I have across my body…

April Fools 🤡…. Come on now, really?

26/03/2026

Building a physique takes time

Destroying your body also takes time

They both compound slowly, except one of those creeps up on you until you get a wake up call or never wake up

Or worse still you live every year promising yourself something will be different

…but it never is

And the other you can pursue, check off milestones along the way, actually witnessing your progress

Filling your confidence cup

Not everybody needs to look like a bodybuilder

And a lot of people could look incredible without ever training like one

I teach middle aged women to lose weight forever

Coach Dadbods to become Dad Gods ⚡️

Show bodybuilders how to be competitive

Take guys beyond photoshoot condition who didn’t think getting lean was even possible 🔪

Peak powerlifters for meets on the platform 🏋️‍♂️

And so much more

Why?

Because I believe finding out what you’re capable of is worth sharing

Too many people WISH for things that can actually happen

We live more in an age of convenience and lack activity like never before

Confidence can be faked for social media or to friends by putting on a brave face

But behind closed doors, aside from the fake smiles and searching for angles in picture there’s the cold hard truth of wanting change

I see it, I hear about it and I work with people who build on it

Time will pass anyway

So don’t do it for likes, not to be like someone else

But to be you, the deep version of yourself you desire to become

I believe Adidas said it best…

Just do it ✔️

Or don’t, I’m not your Dad 👨

P.s I know it wasn’t Adidas that said that, I’m just jimmying your jangles, it was Fila 👀

13/02/2026

It’s been a long way back to this point

Firmly back with my mind and body working in harmony

I can honestly say I’ve conquered my health anxiety

And I’ve been anxiety free for a couple of months now

That feels liberating to say

I can honestly say I’ve never understood anxiety before experiencing it

I don’t think you truly can

For over a year I would try to push myself

Then palpitations, blurry vision, migraines, things would write me off

Back to the drawing board again, upset, angry and frustrated

Weeks would pass and I’d go again

In this time I focussed on what I could, sleep and food being nailed

Ran a couple of mini cuts to keep things tidy

But living in a body that didn’t feel like mine broke me multiple times

I always say to clients that the only way it never happens is if you quit

And quitting isn’t an option

Now I can train, push and have a mind that’s calm and much more in tune

Today is day 0 and it’s only up from here

If you’re struggling, there’s success to be found in every tough time

There’s always refinements to be made and having a result worth shouting about comes from work that most people aren’t willing to do

I can promise you that this moment right now is worth the struggle and the lessons learnt are not lost on me

Time to refine and keep going 🧙🏼‍♂️

28/01/2026

Your body is like clay

Soft and squidgy…

Or hard like rock (cue harsh Russian accent) 🇷🇺

Joking aside

Where you are now is not where you have to remain

Believe it or not, the left I was training 5-6 days a week

Tracking my food

Aware of my steps

I just wasn’t aiming at much other than getting stronger

I clearly wasn’t that mad about my shape…

I mean I took that picture 😳

Something I’ve learned is that it’s never too late to make radical changes

What often stops you is the thought of all of the work

The hours

The years it will take

In reality you could drop 10 kilos in 5 weeks

Have more energy in days

And look more muscular than ever before without needing to gain a pound

Physique development is an illusion

The leaner you get

The more muscular you’ll look

This doesn’t excuse gaining muscle if you have the body type of a noodle 🍜

But if you’ve been training in the gym for a while and you have never committed to getting really lean

You’re missing out

Missing out on looking better, feeling more confident and unlocking a level of productivity you didn’t realise you had

You won’t realise the level of discipline you already possess if you never commit to it

Being honest, getting truly lean once is all it takes with a well placed plan after it 🧙🏼‍♂️

And it’s likely your missing link ⛓️‍💥

14/01/2026

I enjoyed making this pint glass look small 🍺👀

In all honesty between blowing up to 263 lbs and moving from 171 lbs I’ve found there isn’t a happiness when you get somewhere (for me)

There’s the happiness along the way

Every time I’ve looked back at pictures it was never good enough

So the next thing had to be in place

For competitive bodybuilding that’s needed, I get it

I’ve made me peace with the fact that’s not for me

I just want to move well, have some pretty hefty muscle (without moving like a fridge in small flat) and not breathe like a fish out of water if I decide to climb a volcano on a whim 🌋

And more recently getting back to improve my fighting game 🥋

And have eating habits that don’t mean I look like Fat Bastard anytime I feel a bit snacky 😳

It’s taken me time to shift my identity as a bodybuilder and reform what enjoying my mind and body looks like

What’s taken more is being present with being happy in myself, because I am, until I get pulled back into reminiscing or projecting what I think I should look like

Because when it’s all said and done I just want to enjoy what I am doing and have some framework to work alongside

People often struggle to achieve their goals due to forcing a square peg into a triangular shaped hole (insert Quagmire giggidy meme)

If you want a big shift in look, expect big shifts in your lifestyle

But don’t forget you can make them smaller over a longer period of time

Just make sure you take a moment to appreciate where you’re at and where you’re going 🧙🏼‍♂️

12/01/2026

New gym, new conversations…

Sometimes we meet unexpected people, in unexpected places.

Travelling the UK sometimes means grabbing a gym session where you can and this often brings opportunities (of course it mainly brings new kit to play with 🤓)

I found this juicy Cybex External/ Internal Rotation Machine and spent some serious time just playing around

I then met Gladstone here who asked for some guidance.

He had shoulder surgery and wondered if it would helped.

We got deep in conversation and it transpired he serious medical issues that led to him almost dying on multiple occasions.

We spent time talking about his love for training and how it keeps him happy and feeling good.

Sharing anecdotes around combat sports and our background in these as well.

At age 67, his passion was infectious.

Moral of the story, everyone has a story and sometimes if we get the opportunity to hear them it brings context to how lucky we are to be here.

10/01/2026

Brick by brick we get the chance to build something special 🧱

In reality though none of us are born as builders

It’s life that teaches us through failure and struggle what not to do

Or to change our path 👣

In the quest of building ourselves we are going to need many re-designs 🔨

Sometimes we will build extensions, make conversions and ultimately at times…

We need to completely demolish the whole thing and rebuild it again, but better

This can feel like a huge loss, setback and leave you wondering what is the point ⁉️

The magic here is that although you might be down to the ground level again

You have not lost all you have learnt, in fact you now have more in your toolkit than ever

When it comes to creating the body you want, the mind that you need and understanding yourself it’s both complex and simple at the same time

The complexity often lays in getting out of your own way and truly backing yourself to go after your goals

My goals and life in recent years have changed dramatically

To points where I didn’t recognise myself

It’s taken time to pause, ride it out and let my thoughts settle

All the while in the background I focussed on what I could I’m ready to design something incredible

Feasibly I have a good 40 years ahead so all is not lost, if anything it all now begins 📍

Next time you think it’s not working, you’re struggling, just pause, take stock and maybe it’s time to redesign and go again

Time will pass either way, might as well create something that makes you happy longterm ❤️

09/01/2026

There’s no way I can look like this without steroids 💉

That’s just true

The left is after 10 years of training, 3 years of that with high level coaching

Yes on the left I’m flat, depleted, coming into a shoot prep

But adding another 40-50 lbs of muscle was never going to happen naturally

I’m not genetically gifted, I can’t touch a weight and blow up, obviously

I can honestly say with 100% focus and application it would never happen

The dark side was always on the cards, whilst genetically I don’t respond exceptionally well without…

On the sauce it would appear I have a pretty sweet response 🤌🏼

This is just 550mg of total gear per week, insulin fast and slow alongside 2iu of GH per day

Focus on training, sleep, supplements all the same between the pictures aside from some blood pressure and glucose supps on top

Truth is though, I can’t walk around like that all of the time, health wise it’s just not viable

I have to monitor my cholesterol more, blood pressure and blood glucose as I push up

It also turns out I don’t want to be “that big” generally walking around

Also pinning 6-7 times a day isn’t that exciting after a while

It is however addictive seeing results of months and years in weeks 👀

So when I see people downplaying what gear can do, not talking about their steroid use and promoting their results as hard work and skill as a coach

Yeah, my eyes roll harder than that time I saw Bibi at Printworks on a couple of G’s of Mandy 🙄

Steroids are great, they work,

Whilst they won’t do the work for you, they can cover a lot of cracks you might be leaving in your approach ⛓️‍💥

They can morph your physique WILDLY 😳

What comes with that is a twisted perspective of what is normal

For a growing population focussed on how you look, that might not be the best for longevity

I’ve done two cycles, I’ll do more 😈

But next time I’ll use less, get more out and it will be to drive performance in other areas

The aim isn’t just slabs of muscle, it turns out getting bigger and heavier didn’t really improve my life in the way I thought it would, go figure 👀

Currently sat on TRT of 130mg per week and have been for the last 20 months 🧙🏼‍♂️

08/01/2026

You can build an incredible physique naturally 😳

And you probably should…

Between peptides, appetite suppressants, steroids and fat burners

It could be easy to assume that even your nans on something 😬

She’s looking a bit more vascular, losing weight rapidly, definitely the reta 💉

People talk about assistance more now than they used to talk about supplements, you know, the legal kind

In honesty, it will speed up progress, of course it will, they work

But selling coke also gets you money faster, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea 😬

Building an incredible physique naturally doesn’t take as long as you might think

It just takes more of your focus, more consistency and leaving the shiny objects of distraction to one side

There’s training, the high volume, low volume, lengthened partials, splits

Banded, reverse banded, cuffed, unilateral, isometric, blood flow restrictions, the list goes on

Then food…

Seed oils, fat is bad, carbs are bad, fruit is toxic, tap water will kill you, everyone is intolerant…

Stop getting distracted

Most people struggle to go for a walk, train and monitor their food accurately

Let alone adding not missing injections, taking more pills for side effects and longevity, regular blood work, heart scans and more daily checks…

Everyone thinks they’re invincible till they’re not

And in reality when you step into the assisted realm your physique is in a much bigger pond of monstrous physiques…

I’m not anti gear, just anti stupid use

A natural physique is patience, time and refining the process

A process you must at least enjoy regardless

Just for the love of god don’t wear a “natty T-shirt” or have it in your bio 🤦‍♂️

Okay, see you tomorrow for a look at my natty to not post 😘

06/01/2026

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows 🌈

There’s going to be rain, thunderstorms and apparently IT GONNA SNOW ⛄️

So dressing for summer every day is likely to hold you back

Very much like expecting every week to see drops on the scales ⚖️

Every lift to be progressed 💪🏼

And progress to flow like a a straight line up to the cloud of your goal 🚀

Something I talk with each client about is what has stopped you in the past, list off every hurdle, challenge, wobble they have had

Shine light onto those monsters under the bed and then let’s chat about how we can approach them moving forward 🤝🏼

-Your mums a feeder

-Karen in the office has a cake every other day just because

-The petrol station guy always has a chocolate on offer just before you pay

-Uber eats has your number every time your willpower drops just low enough

-You LOVE a glass of wine, or bottle 👀

-A bad sleep sends your day into a rolling monotony of doom

-You complete Instagram at least 3 times a day 📱

The lists go on and on, and we all believe we are the only ones who struggle with this

As much as you can be special at times 😜but you’re not THAT special

And neither am I

Just like we all have that voice we talk to ourselves in that we think only we do 🤣

Social media is laden with rippling muscles, full glutes and some seriously smooth skin tones that make you wonder… is that edited 🙄

Yet very void of people openly talking about their struggles

Sure, you’ll see a fitness girl struggling to grab 2cm of fat to relate to you 🤏🏼

And a rippling bodybuilder will tell you his struggles with mental health (most likely from messing with his hormones a little too much) 🤬

But that’s not much help

So in 2026 try not to ignore the monsters under the bed that are going to disrupt your progress, plan for them instead

And chances are you’ll see more of that progress that you want than entering summer very much how you ended December 🧙🏼‍♂️

05/01/2026

New Year, same me, different perspective⁣ 💭
⁣
There’s a lot of pressure in the New Year to become a completely different person
⁣
Revolutionise your life, set big goals and never look back
⁣
2025 taught me a lot; it gave me a lot to think about—too much at times
⁣
And that’s one of the issues: I think A LOT, and then I can overthink
⁣
That holds me back
⁣
Something I am practising more and more is living in the moment, for the moment
⁣
This year isn’t about completely changing myself; it’s about freeing myself from the shackles of myself
⁣
To ultimately be me, without any preconceptions of what that should be
⁣
I talk about outcomes for physique progress being process-led: do the sessions, eat or don’t eat the food, make the habits around this consistent, and the outcome will happen
⁣
That’s how I intend to let life steer me walking into 2026
⁣
To be the year I laugh harder than ever before; be more present in the moment than I have allowed myself to be
⁣
Do things that previously I would have held myself back from
⁣
And just walk into things without any thought at all, really
⁣
Allowing myself to feel and experience it in the moment
⁣
I will also be back to some form of posting each day and sharing everything from coaching, personal progressions, interests, and my own view on navigating life—which can be some wild experience at times
⁣
There’s no time like the present to be present. I’ll drink to that 🥃

How are you planning on approaching 2026? ✍🏼👇🏼

Address

Pure Gym, Eccleshall Road
Stafford
ST162SL

Opening Hours

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Tuesday	9am - 10pm
Wednesday	9am - 10pm
Thursday	9am - 10pm
Friday	9am - 10pm
Saturday	8am - 8pm

Website

https://matthewjames2.typeform.com/to/nhF19RCg

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