Posted on

Monday, 26th May

The case for movement as medicine gets stronger especially over a bank holiday weekend.

Every time I start back after a bank holiday Monday, the Tuesday is filled with familiar comments.

“Why am I so tired today”

“I am so tired today from having four days off!”

“I feel terrible from lazing around all weekend”.

“I wished I trained the weekend and I feel so stiff and horrible”

“That’s the last time I’m having a few days off”.

So these are comments usually by individuals who train regularly, who take care of themselves, make a conscious effort to eat well, and their health is very high on their list of priorities in life.

What about all the people who never do any meaningful exercise?

If you exercise now, can you remember how you USED to feel? How much better do you feel now? I think it’s the one question where you are going to get a 100% positive reply. Nobody I have ever met has failed to feel a million times better once they start exercise properly.

If you didn’t feel better, then you had better examine what exercise programme you were on, you were REALLY NOT doing it right or simply overdoing it which is a big mistake.

The greatest moments are when people in their 50, 60’s and 70’s start exercising for the first time in 40 years, and realise that they can actually move better again, they can get a lot stronger and most importantly they can feel a MASSIVE amount better again.

On the other end of the scale, all those kids who feel that they don’t get what they want through their school programme, realising that they can become good athletes after all, all they need is encouragement and a very positive environment, along with a programme that’s going to get them moving in a different and natural way, just like they are supposed to move as kids so they can develop quickly.

Movement is always very powerful medicine, and we need much more of it to help everyone.

Twitt
Posted on

Friday,16th May

It should be fairly obvious to everyone now that you won’t get the best out of yourself by going around a few machines, doing some light weights that you cannot really feel, and classing this as true resistance work that will actually change
your body.

Pretty machines should have been throw in the scrapyard for the usefulness they actually give your body. Unfortunately, they are the easy option for many places because nobody has to keep supervising you on them, and they are a low cost option for them.

They tend to work your body over one plane of motion only, and in a very limiting one. This is the worst way to prepare for your normal daily life, and the challenges that lift constantly brings in terms of movement.

Simply “hoping” for the best shouldn’t be your only option.

There’s too much science and experience out there to give you this option.

Some places may show you around a couple of machines and leave you get on with it, but the thought of doing that would mean to me that we are short changing you, we wouldn’t be caring about your development, and indeed “hoping for the best”! You can’t play around with anyone’s health.

You have to hit your body over many different angles, replicating life’s movements and sporting challenges/situations if you play sport.

We try to make your training specific to your daily life, your sporting life and everything in between.

Being prepared and taking preventative steps for the onset of old age is vital too. Don’t accept as you get older that life slows down, or even stops in some cases.

There is absolutely no reason why you cannot do 99% of the things you used to do when you were 25 years of age, all it takes is careful planning and building your body, coordination, strength, speed, rehab for older injuries/weaknesses, balance and increasing reflexes again.

Don’t settle for mediocrity and don’t accept your best days are behind you, there’s always a way to re-discover what your body can do again.

Movement is medicine.

Twitt
Posted on

Tuesday, 6th May

Determining your best workout should be thought of in terms of what does it cost your body in energy terms. This is the real way that great things are going to happen for your body.

A lot of men tend to measure their workouts on how good it makes them look, or think it makes them look. For many men for example, they tend to make Friday night “chest and arms” night because the chance are that they are going out later and want to look their “best pumped up”!

We like to think that we have changed that thinking completely.

Many women think that as long as they hit the treadmill and spend endless hours on the bike, that the fat will be “stripped away” and they will get their “beach body” far quicker this way.

Weights many females think are for the “bulky look” and they really don’t need them, in fact many females never hit the weight room. It should be obvious by now that we train with huge variety, and mixing strength training up with everything else is the way to go.

Many of our women are stronger than many men in certain tests, and all of those women are getting leaner, would certainly never be classed as “bulky” and are reaching new standards of fitness on a weekly basis.

Energy cost of workouts are a good way to think about your efforts, and will have a direction relation to lowering your body fat, getting you leaner and sending your fitness levels through the roof!

The tyres, the prowler, sledgehammer work with little rest in between, has a lot more energy cost than doing curls and leg extensions with very light weights for example.

It may be nice doing a couple of light weights exercises, and chatting on the bike for half hour at low intensity, but your time in the gym should be as productive as possible. Your weight sessions should be high on energy cost too, just like the ones I keep showing all of you all the time, and all of you are doing very well on them.

Use your gym time wisely, and you will always deliver far more impressive results.

Twitt
Posted on

Wednesday,16th April

Rest intervals are highly important for your workouts, and can make the difference between having very effective sessions, or just going through the same old thing which will sooner or later put a halt on your progress.

Many of you must have been to a place where they have 5 minutes in between sets, have a chat in between sets and generally there is “no rush” on the training session.

Look at those who do it, then decide whether you want to emulate them.

This feels a really comfortable place to be for all the wrong reasons.

Staying in your comfort zone is fun but not very challenging. The longer you stay in your comfort zone, the longer you are not going to get the results you want.

Simply reducing your rest in between sets can be the smartest thing you do this week.

You may get a bit out of puff, you may even have to lower the weights you use, but you will be all the better for it, and become a lot fitter too, reduce your body fat and feel a lot, lot better in 4 weeks or so.

We challenge all our members on their rest periods, and there’s never much sitting around not doing anything. We want everyone to keep on improving, so stay ahead of the game and reduce your rest periods!

Twitt
Posted on

Tuesday, 8th April

When roger bannister first broke the four minute mile, it was an achievement of stunning proportions, and literally stunned the world.

Most people don’t know that a lot of other world class runners emulated that feat during THAT year, and the explanation most commonly thought of was that once they knew it was possible then the fear factor of running quicker than four minutes quickly went, and other athletes believed in themselves that much more, KNOWING it was very possible now.

With our training , anyone seeing a tractor tyre being flipped for the first time is pretty intimidating, whilst looking “cool” at the same time!

When you first see it, you never think you can do it, but as you get stronger, and get taught the right technique, then it becomes entirely possible!

When you see people time and time in front of you doing it, and they encourage you to challenge yourself to do it, the possibility becomes very real.

Flipping such a large tyre is definitely not a beginner’s exercise, you need to develop real strength first, and all over strength at that. This is why a complete programme is absolutely vital, and your core is very strong before even attempting it.

Getting stronger is a process that ANYONE can do. You need to plan your programme properly, strengthen your weaker areas and putting it all together so you become much stronger in all areas, ready to take on ANY challenges.

You need to exercise with purpose, have a plan and continuously bring up your weaker areas. This way of training will always make you very successful in anything you do!

Twitt