Martyn Pace is a fitness and weight loss coach with over 10 years of experience in the fitness industry. In December, he will be attempting a Guinness World Record for the greatest number of chest-to-floor burpees in 24hrs to raise funds and awareness for The Baby Unit Fund. Martyn is no stranger to burpees, having already completed 1,250 of them with his wife during the Covid lockdown. Martyn will be testing the limits of his physical and mental performance by taking on the new challenge – let’s get behind him!
1) How did you get into fitness and weight loss coaching?
I always wanted to be a PE teacher growing up but after graduating from university there were no PE teacher placements available, so I became qualified as a level 2 gym instructor as an interim job until one became available. But I immediately fell in love with the fitness industry and quickly developed a passion for wanting to help people live healthier and happier lives. So I chose to make fitness my career, and spent the subsequent years becoming qualified in Personal Training, Pre and Post Natal training, GP referral conditions, and Obesity and Diabetes care. After spending 9 years building my experience and reputation at a local gym and Nuffield Health respectively, I decided to set up my own private PT studio, after which I then branched out to offering online coaching.
I always wanted to be a PE teacher growing up but after graduating from university there were no PE teacher placements available, so I became qualified as a level 2 gym instructor as an interim job until one became available. But I immediately fell in love with the fitness industry and quickly developed a passion for wanting to help people live healthier and happier lives. So I chose to make fitness my career, and spent the subsequent years becoming qualified in Personal Training, Pre and Post Natal training, GP referral conditions, and Obesity and Diabetes care. After spending 9 years building my experience and reputation at a local gym and Nuffield Health respectively, I decided to set up my own private PT studio, after which I then branched out to offering online coaching.
2) What motivates you when coaching people?
My main motivator is seeing clients' faces when you help them reach their goals, and improve their physique, health and lifestyle. I also find it very rewarding to help people to push themselves out of their comfort zone to achieve more than they ever thought was possible. As I firmly believe so many people nowadays live their lives in fear of failure, and therefore never reach their true potential. My main motivator is seeing clients' faces when you help them reach their goals, and improve their physique, health and lifestyle. I also find it very rewarding to help people to push themselves out of their comfort zone to achieve more than they ever thought was possible. As I firmly believe so many people nowadays live their lives in fear of failure, and therefore never reach their true potential.
My main motivator is seeing clients' faces when you help them reach their goals, and improve their physique, health and lifestyle. I also find it very rewarding to help people to push themselves out of their comfort zone to achieve more than they ever thought was possible. As I firmly believe so many people nowadays live their lives in fear of failure, and therefore never reach their true potential. My main motivator is seeing clients' faces when you help them reach their goals, and improve their physique, health and lifestyle. I also find it very rewarding to help people to push themselves out of their comfort zone to achieve more than they ever thought was possible. As I firmly believe so many people nowadays live their lives in fear of failure, and therefore never reach their true potential.
3) Do you have a sports person who inspires you? If so who and why?
Until recently I've never really had a sporting icon, but since embarking on this burpee journey I've developed a huge admiration for Ross Edgley. Seeing how much he pushes himself, physically and mentally, in his fitness challenges has been a huge motivator for this burpee challenge. I find his constant pursuit of pushing human performance to the absolute limit awe-inspiring, and hopefully by this 24 hour burpee challenge, I hope to do the same for others.
Until recently I've never really had a sporting icon, but since embarking on this burpee journey I've developed a huge admiration for Ross Edgley. Seeing how much he pushes himself, physically and mentally, in his fitness challenges has been a huge motivator for this burpee challenge. I find his constant pursuit of pushing human performance to the absolute limit awe-inspiring, and hopefully by this 24 hour burpee challenge, I hope to do the same for others.
4) What advice would you give to someone looking to get into fitness and weight loss coaching?
Develop your interpersonal skills. Having an amazing physique, being a top class athlete, and/or having a world of knowledge will only ever get you so far. When it comes to coaching, the most important attributes are those that make you ‘you’. Like being empathetic, a good communicator, a good listener, a leader, and having patience. These will allow you to help far more people than simply your physique and knowledge.
Develop your interpersonal skills. Having an amazing physique, being a top class athlete, and/or having a world of knowledge will only ever get you so far. When it comes to coaching, the most important attributes are those that make you ‘you’. Like being empathetic, a good communicator, a good listener, a leader, and having patience. These will allow you to help far more people than simply your physique and knowledge.
5) What is your greatest sporting/fitness achievement to date?
Until recently I'd say it was my golfing achievements: I had a hole in one, have played regional representative junior golf, got down to a 6 handicap before the age of 18, and captained my university golf team. But now I'd definitely say completing 12 hours of burpees. Whilst this might only have been a training
event, and I will be doing double this duration for the main challenge, I personally rank this above my other fitness achievements of running 5 km in 19:49, squatting 185 kg, bench pressing 150 kg, and deadlifting 210 kg. Simply because of the mental, emotional and physical fortitude needed to complete it, and the fact that
there are only a handful of people who have ever done that amount of burpees before.
Until recently I'd say it was my golfing achievements: I had a hole in one, have played regional representative junior golf, got down to a 6 handicap before the age of 18, and captained my university golf team. But now I'd definitely say completing 12 hours of burpees. Whilst this might only have been a training
event, and I will be doing double this duration for the main challenge, I personally rank this above my other fitness achievements of running 5 km in 19:49, squatting 185 kg, bench pressing 150 kg, and deadlifting 210 kg. Simply because of the mental, emotional and physical fortitude needed to complete it, and the fact that
there are only a handful of people who have ever done that amount of burpees before.
6) What made you decide to attempt a Guinness World Record (GWR) for the greatest number of chest to floor burpees in 24hrs?
During the covid lockdown, me and my wife did a burpee challenge with zero training, where we asked people to donate money to the NHS and however much we raised, we said we’d do that many burpees. We ended up having to do 1250 burpees, and in the end raised over £1750. Then when I was thinking about a
New Year's resolution for 2023, I said to her that I strangely enjoyed the burpee challenge, so she suggested why not do it again but this time even bigger. And what’s bigger than a 24 hour world record?! So I spent the first 6 weeks of 2023 testing out how I felt performing the required burpee pace to beat the record, and then when I realised that I might just have a chance of succeeding I decided to fully commit to the goal and hired myself a coach and submitted my application to Guinness.
During the covid lockdown, me and my wife did a burpee challenge with zero training, where we asked people to donate money to the NHS and however much we raised, we said we’d do that many burpees. We ended up having to do 1250 burpees, and in the end raised over £1750. Then when I was thinking about a
New Year's resolution for 2023, I said to her that I strangely enjoyed the burpee challenge, so she suggested why not do it again but this time even bigger. And what’s bigger than a 24 hour world record?! So I spent the first 6 weeks of 2023 testing out how I felt performing the required burpee pace to beat the record, and then when I realised that I might just have a chance of succeeding I decided to fully commit to the goal and hired myself a coach and submitted my application to Guinness.
7) What are some of the key challenges you think you will face whilst attempting this GWR and how do you aim to tackle them?
One of the main challenges will be ensuring that I get sufficient fuel on board and stay hydrated throughout the entire 24 hours. To prepare for this we've done a number of test events (4, 6, 8 and 12 hours) where we’ve tested different methods and timings for refuelling and hydrating to assess how my body copes with such a high kcal and fluid intake whilst exercising. And then of course there will be the way we manage fatigue and reduce the risk of injury as much as possible. But by far, the greatest challenge will be staying mentally strong, particularly in the latter hours. When it comes to an endurance challenge like this, often it’s the mental fortitude of the athlete that allows him to be successful. Whether they can cope with the pain and discomfort in their muscles, the overall fatigue and tiredness, and then the repetition and boredom of doing the same exercise for such a long time. To help with this, we’ve introduced strategies to help control my breathing, cold water therapy to increase my comfort of feeling uncomfortable, visual/audio cues to help keep me motivated, and smaller targets to aim for within the 24 hours to ensure my mindset stays positive and I dial in on the task in hand rather than thinking about any negative feelings I may encounter.
One of the main challenges will be ensuring that I get sufficient fuel on board and stay hydrated throughout the entire 24 hours. To prepare for this we've done a number of test events (4, 6, 8 and 12 hours) where we’ve tested different methods and timings for refuelling and hydrating to assess how my body copes with such a high kcal and fluid intake whilst exercising. And then of course there will be the way we manage fatigue and reduce the risk of injury as much as possible. But by far, the greatest challenge will be staying mentally strong, particularly in the latter hours. When it comes to an endurance challenge like this, often it’s the mental fortitude of the athlete that allows him to be successful. Whether they can cope with the pain and discomfort in their muscles, the overall fatigue and tiredness, and then the repetition and boredom of doing the same exercise for such a long time. To help with this, we’ve introduced strategies to help control my breathing, cold water therapy to increase my comfort of feeling uncomfortable, visual/audio cues to help keep me motivated, and smaller targets to aim for within the 24 hours to ensure my mindset stays positive and I dial in on the task in hand rather than thinking about any negative feelings I may encounter.
8) How will using Beet It Sport products help you in your epic challenge?Beet It Sport beetroot shots were brought into my prep for this challenge by my nutritionist, about halfway through when we started to increase both the volume and intensity of my training; with the idea being that they would help my body cope with the extra demands being placed on it, by increasing the levels of nitric oxide within my blood to help increase blood flow and deliver more oxygen to my muscles. Meaning I can then continue performing at higher intensities, for longer both during my training and on the day of the challenge itself.
9) What are your main reasons for recommending Beet It Sport?
Since I’ve been using the Beet It Sport beetroot shots, I’ve seen a massive improvement in my endurance as a whole, but more specifically, I’ve been able to train at higher intensities for much, much longer without seeing major increases to my heart rate. Meaning I’ve been able to stay aerobic for longer, even performing more/faster repetitions, which will significantly increase my chances of breaking this world record.
Since I’ve been using the Beet It Sport beetroot shots, I’ve seen a massive improvement in my endurance as a whole, but more specifically, I’ve been able to train at higher intensities for much, much longer without seeing major increases to my heart rate. Meaning I’ve been able to stay aerobic for longer, even performing more/faster repetitions, which will significantly increase my chances of breaking this world record.
10) How can people follow your progress and hear more about your GWR attempt?
I post regular updates about my burpee journey and the training I’m doing on my social media channels. So make sure you’re following me (@stpweightlossfitness) on Instagram and Facebook to keep updated with how I’m getting on. And if you'd like to donate and help me reach my £10,000 target for The Baby Unit Fund, then you can do so via my Justgiving page.
I post regular updates about my burpee journey and the training I’m doing on my social media channels. So make sure you’re following me (@stpweightlossfitness) on Instagram and Facebook to keep updated with how I’m getting on. And if you'd like to donate and help me reach my £10,000 target for The Baby Unit Fund, then you can do so via my Justgiving page.