Matt Roberts on getting dads in shape for Father's Day

"Ask yourself, 'What can you do today, right now, to help get you back on track?'"

These are the wise words of Matt Roberts, one of the UK's leading personal trainers and fitness authors, responsible for honing the physiques of the likes of Tom Ford, David Cameron and John Galliano.

One of the first to create a gym solely for one-to-one training, Roberts now presides over three centres in London - Mayfair, Kensington and Chelsea, and the City - and has cultivated a team of expert trainers and nutritionists to follow in his footsteps.

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His advice is simple - exercise and keep doing it. "It's about building some consistency into your routine and having an always something attitude over an all-or-nothing one," he tells The Week.

"One of the more common mistakes men make is trying to 'do it all' straight from the outset", he adds. "It’s very easy for a guy to get carried away and throw themselves in the deep end with workouts that are too extreme. This inevitably leads to either burn out or injury, and often means they make little progress in the long term."

Gradual progress, then, is the aim of the game. "Most of the time people achieve the results they want from participating in the types of exercise and activity that allows them to be consistent over the long term. If you like doing things outside then the summer is a great opportunity to build some consistency into your routine, whatever you choose to do."

It's obvious Roberts doesn't subscribe to the "military fitness" school of thought - indeed, his approach appears to be more carrot and less stick.

"We try to put an emphasis on the things that our clients are already doing well and aim to use their strengths to help them do more of that," he says. "We steer away from 'ideals' - everyone is different and will have different reasons for exercising. In general, we advise a balanced approach."

There is one "ideal", however - "providing the best possible service to our clients".

That's why Roberts has teamed up with the The Wellesley Knightsbridge in London, part of the Luxury Collection Hotel group, to offer a "Bootcamp and Breakfast" special for men, kicking off for Father's Day.

But although this involves an overnight stay in the boutique hotel, the fitness programme is as demanding as the rooms are luxurious.

It kicks off with one of Roberts trainers guiding guests through a pre-breakfast run, followed by a refuelling smoothie and a demanding strength session in neighbouring Hyde Park - with the hotel's butlers on hand to offer water, snacks and towels so dads can focus solely on their exercise.

It's not all workout, though - a generous breakfast will be waiting in the hotel's Oval Restaurant and while a fry-up may be off the cards, head chef Sebastiano Cioffi has collaborated with one of Roberts's nutritionists to conjure up a menu filled with breakfast burritos and egg white omelettes, homemade protein balls and vibrant smoothies.

"Every meal should have a lean protein source, some fruits or vegetables and a minimally processed carbohydrate source," says Roberts. "Beyond this, we encourage clients to build awareness around their internal hunger and fullness cues to help manage their intake."

He also advises dads to pass on their healthy eating to their kids: "A home environment that encourages cooking and eating together as a family is a great place to start passing on good habits to children," he tells us. "Helping your children understand where the foods come from and how to prepare them from scratch is something that will set them up for a healthy future."

"For most kids, their dads are their heroes and someone they want to emulate. A fit and healthy dad who supports and encourages the same thing from his children is something to be celebrated."

Bootcamp and Breakfast in the Capital at The Wellesley Knightsbridge, a Luxury Collection Hotel in London, is available now and runs until the end of September. Prices start from £815 for two people sharing a double room. thewellesley.co.uk