WHAT ARE YOU TRAINING FOR? JAMES DABBS EXPLAINS WHY WE SHOULD ALL TRAIN
What are you training for?
I built Dabbs Fitness because, through my journey pursuing a professional football career, I became obsessed with performance and maximising human potential. I noticed that so many people didn’t truly understand how to train, why to train, or the broader benefits of training, both physical and mental.
For many, training is purely aesthetic: chasing a six-pack, a number on the scales, or a look in the mirror. But when you train for aesthetics alone, you miss 90% of the benefits. It creates a cycle of broken targets, guilt, and a narrow mindset around health, where the focus is always on some imagined end goal. The truth is, there is no finish line, only the journey.
When I started, my focus was on becoming the ultimate version of myself: stronger, faster, more powerful. Ironically, the six-pack was the easy part. What I didn’t consider then was the bigger picture, something that’s become clearer to me through years of witnessing the journeys of the residents and professionals who walk through the doors of my Mayfair gym.
Performance, in the athletic sense, might mean sprint times, power output, or match results. But true performance means something different to everyone. For some, it’s being able to play with their children or grandchildren without pain. For others, it’s competing in weekend sports, travelling freely, or simply moving through life with strength and confidence well into later years. These are the real results, the ones that matter long after aesthetic goals have faded.
In many ways, my belief that everyone should train for performance was right. But my understanding of what performance truly means has evolved. It’s not just about elite athleticism; it’s about building the physical and mental foundations to live a fulfilled life for as long as possible.
That, ultimately, is why we should all train.
