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Chatting with fitness model and physical trainer James O’Hanlon (Includes interview)

When asked how he got into fitness and personal training, O’Hanlon said, “I always admired the action movie stars and wrestlers when I was a kid, and still wanted to look muscular when I was a teen too. But the whole physique game was never as easily accessible as it is now. There was never information and inspiration so readily to-hand as there is now with things like Instagram or YouTube. So truthfully, I never really thought it was actually possible that I could become muscular, I didn’t know how… I just thought it was something that a few special folks could do in the magazines. Then a new gym was due to open near me, I signed up, and have literally been committed to it from the day that that gym opened. So now that I know that it’s completely achievable for anyone that’s willing to put in the work, becoming a personal trainer and helping people achieve a physique they’re proud of was an obvious career path for me.”

O’Hanlon won second place at the Men’s Physique Welsh Championships. “Honestly it felt amazing! The guy helping out back stage at the show had to tell me to calm down when I found out I was going to be in the Top 3… My head was going a million miles an hour with excitement. I really wasn’t expecting to place, I hadn’t really considered it an option… I just told myself I was there for the experience. It was actually my friends that told me I was going to do a show, they looked up the date and everything. They didn’t really give me a choice in the matter.. But I figured I might as well give it a go. So when I came home with a trophy it was an incredible feeling. But since getting that taste of success, I’m hungry for that first place spot now,” he said.

Each day, he is motivated by a variety of things. “Knowing that people all over the world are supporting me through YouTube and Instagram always gets me off my ass to make more videos or keep in shape. I guess one of the biggest things that does is knowing and accepting that we all have limited time… and I’ll be damned if I’m going to waste it either not doing enough, or doing something I don’t want to do!”

On his future plans, he said, “For the rest of the year I plan to compete in June and earn a qualifier to compete in the Arnold Europe event, which takes place in Spain. And depending on time frames, I’d also like to return to the Welsh Championships again (after spending two years improving my physique since last time). Growing my YouTube & Instagram are also major priorities on my list. For the future, I’d like to continue to grow in the fitness industry. Continuing to motivate people, to travel the world working with fitness brands and meeting people, fitness modelling, magazine covers, everything… Just trying to enjoy the journey as much as I can, and make the most of it.”

For aspiring fitness models and trainers, he concluded, “Take inspiration and motivation from people you admire, but don’t be so hard on yourself for not looking or being like them, especially if you’re new to it (and a few years still counts as new). Don’t expect to be where your idols are straight away. You have to honestly look at yourself and be truthful about whether you’re working hard enough. As long as you are, it’ll happen.”

To learn more about James O’Hanlon, follow him on Instagram and Facebook.

Markos Papadatos
Written By

Markos Papadatos is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for Music News. Papadatos is a Greek-American journalist and educator that has authored over 20,000 original articles over the past 18 years. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, entertainment, lifestyle, magic, and sports. He is a 16-time "Best of Long Island" winner, where for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, and 2022), he was honored as the "Best Long Island Personality" in Arts & Entertainment, an honor that has gone to Billy Joel six times.

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