For many of us, the hardest weight to life in a gym isn’t a dumbbell – it’s the weight of our own expectations and fears. For David Masterton, finding the right support turned that anxiety into a powerful tool for both physical and mental wellbeing.
David Masterton’s career is in the fast-paced world of IT – which means his mind is always on the go. But for a long time, his body wasn’t keeping the same pace.
While David had found a sanctuary in the “mental blankness” of running, he felt like something was missing. He knew he needed strength for longevity, but the gym seemed like a foreign, intimidating land.
“My biggest struggle was always gym etiquette and intimidation,” David admits. “It was the feeling of: Do I belong here? You have this perception of what it means to be at the gym, and when you’re starting from a low base, it’s easy to feel like everyone knows more than you.”
For David, the barrier wasn’t laziness; it was a genuine nervous system response. Having been on a significant mental health and spiritual journey for several years, he knew that his physical “outside” didn’t yet match the healing he had done on the “inside.” He didn’t just need a trainer to show him how to lift weights; he needed someone to help him navigate the anxiety of walking through the front door.
“There are plenty of trainers who know what they’re doing,” David says, “but Michael was different. He’d recognise me. He’d give me a fist bump when I made progress. It was the human side of it – the big smile and the authentic nature – rather than the ‘how much do you bench, bro?’ culture.”
Since working with Michael, the shift hasn’t just been in the numbers – though those are changing, too. Through regular scans, David has seen his muscle mass climb and his body fat drop. But the real victories are somatic. He’s found that “moving the energy” through strength training is a vital tool for his mental health. When life throws major or minor inconveniences his way, the physical and emotional strength he’s built gives him the capacity to handle them.
“When I pick something up and it’s not as heavy as it used to be, there’s that little positive ‘oh yeah’ moment that feeds your motivation,” David says.
Today, the gym is no longer a source of fear. “When you arrive and see Michael waiting for you, you go, okay, I’m home. Then you realize ‘home’ is going to hurt for the next hour,” he laughs.
David’s advice to anyone feeling that same pre-gym dread? “The feelings are real. It’s not just in your head, and you aren’t just being lazy. Find someone who can literally hold your hand until you find your confidence. It is so worth it.”
