Meet the Team - Personal Trainer Jeff McDaniel

Meet Jeff McDaniel: The Personal Trainer Who Makes Fitness Feel Personal

When you walk into a gym, you can usually tell within a few minutes whether it’s just another workout spot or a real community. If you’ve ever worked with Jeff McDaniel, you know he’s one of the reasons Club Fit 30 feels like the latter.

Jeff isn’t your average personal trainer in Little Rock. His story is full of grit, heart, and a deep love for helping people discover what they’re truly capable of both in and out of the gym.

"I grew up in rural south Arkansas. After high school and college, I moved to Little Rock and started my fitness business in 2006. What began as a leap of faith quickly turned into a lifelong passion. My background was in exercise science and coaching basketball and track, but I felt this pull to do something different, something that would help people live healthier, happier lives."

That “something different” led him to take a personality and career test that confirmed what he already felt deep down: he was meant to build something of his own in the health and fitness world. 

"The next day I resigned from teaching", he laughs. "Walked into a local gym, and that was the start of it all. No plan B, just belief."

That risk paid off in a big way. Within a year, he had a full client list and launched one of the area’s very first fitness boot camps, long before group training exploded in popularity. Over the next decade, his gym, FastFit, became one of Little Rock’s most recognized fitness communities. He was named Best Personal Trainer in Little Rock twice, his gym won multiple awards, and he made hundreds of appearances on THV-11 as their go-to fitness expert.

After the pandemic, Jeff saw it was time to evolve again. I saw things shifting, he says. So I got back to what I love most — one-on-one personal training and helping people on a deeper level.

Ask Jeff what makes his approach different, and his answer is simple: "I’m a teacher first." He believes fitness isn’t just about showing up and sweating, it’s about understanding your body, learning how to move better, and finding a rhythm that fits your life. I teach my clients why we do what we do, he explains. How to train smart, get out of pain, build strength, burn fat, and do it at optimal levels. My goal is for them to take what they learn and apply it on their own, and somehow they always come back anyway, he laughs.

When he’s not training clients, you’ll likely find him doing something else he’s deeply passionate about — teaching the Bible. "Trainer by day, Bible teacher at night. It’s my favorite thing to do outside the gym."

That faith and purpose-driven outlook show up in his coaching too. "My core value has always been this: those 30–60 minutes with me should be the highlight of my client’s day. If I can help them accomplish something they never thought possible here, that confidence carries into every other part of their life."

Whether you’re new to fitness or looking for a fresh start, Jeff McDaniel brings 20 years of experience, heart, and wisdom to every session. If you want to work with a trainer who makes fitness feel empowering, not intimidating, come meet Jeff and see why Club Fit 30 has been a trusted name in personal training in Little Rock for over a decade. Thinking about training with Jeff?

Send him an email HERE to get your first personal training session for free. 

Jeff is offering a complimentary Intro Workout designed to help you experience what smart, personalized training actually feels like. This isn’t a random workout or a sales pitch. It’s a focused, one-on-one session where we: Assess how your body moves, Identify strength, mobility, and conditioning gaps, Customize the workout to your goals and fitness level and Make you feel successful, confident, and energized.

Whether you’re just getting back into exercise, training over 40, or tired of workouts that don’t deliver results, this personal training session with Jeff will show you a better way. His training approach is a proven system crafted over 20+ years in the business - it’s efficient, joint-friendly, and most of all: results-driven.

Let’s take the guesswork out of fitness—and help you feel strong again.