Simon Waterson - James Bond's Personal Trainer

Interview by Premier Training International's founder and Chairman, Norman Basson

"I met Daniel Craig for the first time in Washington, months before the shooting of 'Casino Royale'. I approached him with a brutal and strict regime already fixed in my head. He was sitting on the step of his trailer, "You must be the fitness guy?" he said, "Yes mate," I said, "and we're going to be hanging around with each other for the next 12 months. I think the way forward is that we just train together which will be the best way to motivate each other". Daniel said, "My goal is to get into the sort of shape where I look like I could kill people just by looking at them .but also fit and strong enough to complete the majority of my own stunts."

Simon Waterson is 33 and lives in Windsor. He left school at 15 to join the Royal Navy as an aircraft technician and subsequently joined a commando squadron that demands very high levels of fitness and ingenuity. He left the Navy to attend a Personal Training course at Premier and has never looked back having worked with a wide range of high-profile celebrities.

NB: Simon, how did you actually start out?

SW: It was far from easy but one thing you taught me really stuck in my head. You said, "Get up at 6am and make sure that you accomplish at least one really important thing everyday that will progress your business". From the beginning, I did exactly that and now if I don't, panic sets in! I started by creating a simple leaflet and spent weeks posting it in the wealthy areas of London. In those days my pager rarely bleeped and I wondered how on earth I was going to get into this business. I noticed an advert from a company looking for Personal Trainers, applied and ended up with a few clients, but my clients soon insisted on paying me directly because they were very pleased with my efforts and they found out that the company was only paying me a pittance.

NB: How did you get into the celebrity circuit?

SW: My executive client base grew mainly through recommendations which led to me being asked to start writing articles for various fitness magazines. Consequently I received calls from various film studios, one of which happened to be Pinewood Studios where unbeknown to me, it was the home for the Bond films. So initially I started training various members of the crew who were working on the Bond production. My reputation soon spread amongst the crew and then I was approached by a member of the crew who asked me to meet a high profile member of the actual cast. This turned out to be Pierce Brosnan who was looking for a trainer. Therefore I went through the normal interview process and I told him about my background. Once he had explained his own fitness goals and we came up with a mutual agreement that we could work together on that production. So I commenced training with Pierce and was then asked to help with other members of the cast. In the end the production was very successful and I was asked back two years later to work with Halle Berry for the next Bond production. I would like to add though that it's really important to appreciate that you are only as good as your last job and there is no room for complacency.

NB: So, on to the next production; what were the challenges in getting Daniel into such great shape?

SW: We always tried to compete with each other when training and this became a real focus point for us in order to maintain our motivation. Using this method and approach we achieved 90% of our goals by the end game and most importantly, injury free.

NB: What is your approach and attitude when working with such high-profile stars?

SW: I treat them just like any other client from a training point of view but I learnt a lot by listening carefully to everything going on around me. I do twice as much listening than talking because I think listening to the client is critical. It's also important to blend into the environment, which inevitably helps you to fit into the world of celebrity. The whole process is like being in the military and you quickly learn how to behave and adapt in certain environments. Most high profile celebrities are also very well informed about health and nutritional issues so I maintain a high level of fitness knowledge especially concerning nutrition. So carrying out further study and research is a very high priority on my agenda.

NB: Any tips for a would-be high profile celebrity trainer?

SW: You need to learn how to carry out a 30-second psychological MOT each time you meet up with your client, so that you can gauge their mood and energy levels in order to adapt and tailor the session. Experience counts for a lot and it becomes your sixth sense. I always try to train clients at the same time of the day or week, so that I always see them in the same light. I try to maintain the life of a trainer and look the part though I do keep a balance in my life. You taught me back in 1995 that success is essentially about personality, and creating your own luck through maintaining a high level of knowledge and practical skills. I have little to add to that other than you need endless determination.

NB: One final question Simon, in two words, how would you sum up your career so far?

SW: Total commitment.