training – Page 10 – Never Give Up PT

We Are Always Learning Something New.

One of the qualifications that I wanted once I passed as a Personal Trainer was one enabling me to teach boxing. Those within the industry will know that there are lots of different qualifications associated with boxing and martial arts and the Ricky Hatton boxing instructor certification was a popular choice among my PT friends.

But I wanted to make money from my qualifications. I was about to start my PT career at Pure Gym in Leeds. Most of their members aren’t Ricky Hatton and don’t aspire to be. Why would I want a qualification to spa with Tyson Fury costing three grand when I’m more likely to have Tina from Morley paying me to shift a few pounds? I opted for the Boxing For Exercise qualification at a quarter of the cost and it has served me well. I have trained in boxing and kickboxing previously and, as I gained my knowledge at teaching it on my course, many of my trainees have had success at incorporating kickboxing into their fitness programs. I also teach Boxercise which is a very popular class.

Imagine my surprise when, having just passed my Boxing For Exercise course, a 7 ft night club bouncer wanted to vent by doing some pad work after his shift. Pure Gym in Leeds is open 24/7. I was getting hammered by a raging bouncer at 3:30 in the morning. It wouldn’t have been so bad but I had Tina from Morley booked in at 6 before she started her Tesco shift and all I wanted is my bed after Vinnie Jones had finished with me.

Because of my previous training as a punter at various kickboxing dojo’s and then becoming a PT I had lots of demand for pad work. I’ve trained pro/am boxers since qualifying but I never did bother with the Hatton Boxing Instructor certificate. My bread and butter has always been the regular gym goer, like me, wanting to achieve a few fitness goals.

The job often throws in an interesting case now and again though. The Throwing Event athlete training before his season begins again. The American Footballer looking to get stronger and the aspiring Olympian skier who I helped rehabilitate after she had shattered her knee.

So a conversation I had the other day had me perplexed. A lady in the gym was asking me about a certain exercise. Happy to help I showed her the correct form. I then asked her if she would like to join my coaching platform stating it is free to log in and you might find it useful. She scoffed at this suggestion insisting that she did CrossFit five times a week and is very good with food so she didn’t need to join my platform. I smiled, accepted her answer, and went on my way

But it’s left me quite amused! I have coached athletes that have gone on to be very successful in their sports including a Team GB development squad member. Nobody should feel that joining a fitness platform is a cry for help. It’s actually the opposite. It’s an acknowledgement that you are always learning something new. Whatever our goal and whatever our motivation is to reach them I find fitness blogs, YouTube clips, training articles, new workout ideas and coaching platforms an excellent way to develope ourselves in getting to where we want to be.

Team GB’s Thea The Skier on the road to recovery

It really doesn’t matter if you are Tyson Fury or Tina from Morley. We enter a boxing ring, a gym or a running track with the same goal…to do better than the day before. We want to continue achieving so that we can meet our goals. So whether you’re an athlete, a CrossFit enthusiast or a total newbie in the gym, my coaching platform might be for you.

A Non-negotiable

Sometimes a friend will say to me, ‘You’re training again?! Are you not scared of injury or over training?’

I train Monday to Friday for an average of 90 minutes each session. That’s 7 and a half hours of training in a week consisting of 168 hours. It’s the least I could do. So no, I don’t over train. And injury happens when you don’t train or when you train and do it wrong.

Before marriage and kids came along I would easily do double the amount each week but I didn’t have a clue. My 20 year old self wanted to out lift everybody else whatever the cost, even after a night out of smoking, drinking and shoving any recreational drug into me I could find. Yes, you’d still find me in the gym the next day damaging my lumbar spine. But because I was not training correctly, it didn’t matter how long I spent in the gym. My results were very average for a young man who had a naturally lean physique. I wish I could train my 20 year old self now.

No matter how tired my kids are, as they go to bed they must brush their teeth. Also, on getting up on a morning they brush their teeth. It’s a non-negotiable. They even have a penguin egg timer so when they flip it they keep brushing for the two minutes that it takes for the penguin to reach the bottom. Just 4 minutes a day. But it is so important to their health. They have 23 hours and 56 minutes each day to ruin their teeth, so it is important to…A. Do it, and B. Do it correctly. Hopefully this routine will teach them the importance of clean and healthy teeth and they will become mindful of the other 23 hours and 56 minutes.

This is how I view training. I wouldn’t stop brushing my teeth because I couldn’t be bothered. I wouldn’t start peeing my pants because going to the toilet takes up too much time. Just like performing the every day tasks like brushing my teeth or going to the toilet, training is non-negotiable.

For all of it’s aesthetic rewards, keeping a healthy mindset is what keeps me driven. Once the penguin is on the move, I have no choice.

I used to have bad days. Like really bad. Days where I couldn’t get out of bed. These were the days that brushing my teeth didn’t matter. Taking each breath at a time was my only priority. Coping with my demons until perhaps the next day became more bearable for me to move. Sometimes it’s the little things like getting to the bathroom that are actually a massive step.

My experiences are why I have my non-negotiable rule. Training isn’t about wanting to do it or not. I just do it. And if I get a phone call to say my kids are sick and need picking up from school, or I have a flat tyre, or my lucky squatting pants are in the wash and I can’t train that day, I’ll make up the time on the next day.

I’m a busy working dad. Life happens. Sometimes I go to squeeze out the toothpaste and there’s literally nothing left. But teeth are precious, so I buy a new tube as soon as I can and my kids will brush their teeth at the next convenient time.

‘Life happens’. I get that. Tomorrow is my first day back into society after my Covid isolation. It’s been a tough week. But we have to make sure that, just because we acknowledge that ‘life happens’, it isn’t what is inscribed on our headstone.

Tomorrow, the penguin will start its timer. I need to be ready to go.

A Slice Of Life

My initial thoughts on posting about my home made pizza was going to be on how many calories you can save yourself by creating it at home rather than a takeaway pizza. There’s a potential of a 500 calorie reduction by making it yourself. The leading pizza takeaways are around 2000 calories for a 12″ Margherita.

But I thought, nah, if you can eat a whole 12″ pizza like I just have then calorie saving isn’t going to be on the forefront of your mind right now.

So then I thought about the money savings. I made a pizza for less than one pound. To get one the same size and the same toppings delivered to your door is easily close to £15. That is a massive saving. In fact, for the same price, instead of buying in a pizza each week you could subscribe to my online fitness coaching with 24/7 PT support. I’m not hot or spicy but my jokes are always cheesier than a quattro formaggi.

Anyway. I digress.

I want to explain how I feel as I make a chilli con/sin carne, curry, pesto pasta or a pizza. Not only do I know exactly what goes into my dish, which is reassuring in itself, but it makes me feel happy. Sometimes I sing along to the radio. I’ve also been known to dance in the kitchen to my kid’s horror. I’m a cross between Jamie Oliver and Fred Astaire in the kitchen once I get chopping a bit of cucumber.

And it also gives me time to think. I think about my family. I think about what I have to do tomorrow and the week ahead. I think about stuff that I’m unable to think about when I’m busy doing other daily chores. I think about not slipping on the sliced red pepper on the floor as I attempt the moonwalk.

Cooking, for me, gives me some time out. I’m very average at it. I have my set specialities which I listed above and that’s where my culinary skills end. But it doesn’t matter. I enjoy it.

Lots of people that I have worked with regarding their weight control either through not eating enough or eating too much isn’t about them having a lack of knowledge around food. Lots of them can cook better than I. They know roughly the nutritional value of a carrot compared to a chocolate bar. It is their emotional eating habits that have taken over.

Eating isn’t always about when you are hungry. Often the strongest food cravings come at our most vulnerable emotional state. We do it without even thinking about it. Even if we are trying to curb our bingeing urges, there’s alway a McDonald’s advertisement not too far away to keep us on our toes. And that’s where cooking our own food can help.

We need to try to develope a much healthier relationship with our food. No food is ‘bad’. We don’t have to feel guilty all of the time. You don’t blow your fitness goals on a calorific meal and you haven’t got an eating disorder because you miss a meal.

Eating something that you have made can be rewarding, you are able to control your calories (and macro’s) much easier, prepare meals for the week with batch cooking and you get to handle real food. Have fun with it. Try making your favourite dishes. Learn about the qualities of each ingredients. Smile as you do it and, rule number one, move like Jagger.

Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff

Moving to Scarborough was one of the best things I could have done for my family. We are by the sea and we literally just have to open our bedroom curtains to see it. My boys play football on the beach, go for walks in the beautiful surroundings and attend a good school. We needed to get away from City life.

But the initial move was a very difficult one. As we were selling our house in Leeds and hoping to buy our house in Scarborough my mum died. She had been ill with cancer for a number of years and eventually she lost her fight. She was 62. My dad was an absolute rock for her every step of the way. She was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 43. My age now. They were still young. My mum was still young when she died.

Eating pizza. Not sweating the small stuff.

Within months of my mum dying, we left for Scarborough. My dad had lots of family around him. His brothers and his mum, plus my mum’s family. Had he been alone, our decision to go ahead with a move might have been different.

Scarborough isn’t a million miles away from Leeds. A couple of hours on the A64. But with busy lifestyles and a pandemic to deal with we haven’t seen him loads. Fleeting visits both ways every few month perhaps. So I was delighted when we managed to arrange my dad and my grandma to drive over this weekend. It’s always lovely to see my grandma and, despite the list of aches and pains she will tell us all about, she has a great sense of humour. Well, she laughs at my jokes, so she must have.

My grandma, as usual when we see her, said that she would pay for our meals. It’s what grandparents seem to do. I don’t argue. My mind turns to the menu!

It won’t be a fancy restaurant. We’ll be with an 8 and 5 year old. It would be lost on them. Plus, a decent pub with a play area would be nice so that the adults could catch up. Back to thinking about the menu…

I am currently looking for a caloric deficit in my training schedule. Ideally I will lose 2-3 body fat % in the next two weeks before beginning a strength phase. It’s tight. But I’ve been on track all month. Now, I either restrict myself on the occasion where I see my dad and Grandma for the first time in months by ordering the salad, or I get the double cheese burger, onion rings and fries and break the whole calorie thing into the whatthefuck.

I tell my trainees that you shouldn’t sweat the small stuff. If you leave the track then bloody well enjoy it and get back onto the track with no regrets. Don’t regret a slice of cake, a chippy tea, a packet of crisps or a kebab. Enjoy what you enjoy! I’m going to take my calorie thing into the whatthefuck. I’m focussed enough to enjoy the burger, onion rings and fries, enjoy it, and move on.

And that’s the key. You can still be a focussed, determined individual and still break the rules now and again. I have goals that I’m passionate about. My training regime is tough. I demand a lot of myself. But a part of being human and not an algorithm is that I am a husband, a father, a son. Sometimes, the computer says yes, give me the bloody burger!

So don’t sweat the small stuff. Enjoy food. Enjoy training. Enjoy life. We’re not here forever.

Milo of Croton

It rolls off of my tongue quite often and far too easily when I am talking to someone and I say ‘the fitness industry is changing all the time’. What I would rather say if I or the gym member had the time for me to explain is that food manufacturers, gym companies, diet book writers, personal trainers and gym members is what’s changing. The fitness industry, in its purest form of exercising for fun, mental health, to lose weight or gain weight, health or aesthetics and sports remains the same.

The ‘industry’ doesn’t actually exist. It has been created by humans who could make a few quid. The industry has to change because it has a new fad diet to put into a book to sell this year. The industry has to change because a fancy looking ab machine will keep it’s paying members happy as they search for their 6 pack. But ‘fitness’. Fitness is where we need to begin.

In fact I’ll begin in 600 BC. The Greek athlete Milo of Croton might be a story that you have heard of. To train he would run with a small calf on his back every day. The calf grew and due to Milo carrying it every day, he did too. I’ve spoken about the progressive overload before. We need to keep adapting as we get faster and stronger. Recently I spoke to a window cleaner who scoffed at the idea of exercise. He stated that he exercises enough because he is up and down ladders all day. But he won’t be getting any fitter. He has been repeating the same process for 20 years. And as he ages this will become more and more difficult which means continuing his job until retirement is highly unlikely.

Milo carried the calf until it became a bull. He was a champion athlete who we talk about, write about, make statues of him and paintings of him. The thing about fitness or indeed this story is that we don’t need to focus on carrying a bull, but the principles are the same… whatever your goals. So you reach a peak? Great, how should you adapt it so that you’re able to go again? Maybe not just think about the weight of the bull, but how often you carry it or how far you run. There are many variables, but one thing is for certain, the principles have never changed.

The industry, however, want it to change. We’re told, because it’s in a gym and included in fad workouts, that ab machines help us to achieve a 6 pack. A 6 pack requires a very low body fat percentage. If the gym thought that they were that useful it would have more of them in their gym all lined up and people with abs of steal sitting on them. How many ab machines does your gym have? And how many treadmills, barbells, dumbbells and benches does it have? There you go! But selling the idea of getting abs is more profitable than running on a treadmill or deadlifting a barbell. It has to give us new sexy concepts to keep us going back and paying our membership. Like a new diet or miracle pill. It wants us to chase the dream.

Yet when you bring it back to the basics, fitness is pretty straightforward. If you stop listening to the bull and start carrying it, you can reach your dreams without forever chasing them.

A Few Tips…

I can spot a new member of the gym. Often coming in pairs, clutching a towel and their water bottle tightly and whispering to each other ‘what shall we do first?’

An example of somebody knowing what they’re doing.

We’ve all been there. And I have massive respect to those that make that huge step. And for some people it is a huge step. Gyms can be a daunting place. So I have put together some ideas of things that might help you in your first few visits.

* Plan at least your first exercise. The first 5 or 10 minutes are the worst. You walk into the gym and you feel like all eyes are on you. Confidently walk up to your planned exercise and go for it. Once you get to your second exercise the nerves have gone.

* Try out a few moves before you get to the gym. If you are following a programme there will be stuff on there that you can do in the comfort of your own home. If you lose balance or feel silly then nobody will ever know. Keep practicing those that you can do at home for when you take them to the gym.

* Ask somebody who knows. I’m going to be brutal here because I don’t believe that just because they have a ‘Trainer’ top or a PT shirt on that they know what they are doing. If you see them cleaning the equipment more than using it, then ask them how to get your mirrors clean at home, not how to squat. Gyms like to employ people who will work for a set hourly rate or for nothing at all and in all honesty if my car breaks down I won’t start opening the bonnet myself to try and fix it nor will I ask the apprentice in the garage who is making the teas how to fix it, I’ll ask the mechanic. You can spot a trainer or a gym member who knows what they are doing a mile away and they’re usually approachable.

* Keep going back. It becomes less daunting and more enjoyable when you get chatting to a few people and the results start to come. So don’t let the first or second nervy visits put you off. It’s your time to shine!

When will we learn?

One of the frequently asked questions I get asked is “what is the best way to train as you get older?”

If you have 20, 30 or 40 years of training behind you then the answer is easy, you train the same but better because you have learnt from past mistakes and are now a well educated veteran of how to train your body.

The problem is that the gym can be a fucked up place sometimes. It is amazing how many people I see doing the same things daily. And doing it wrong. Daily. Firstly, their programming is wrong or non existent. They lift, run or push with little or no direction but to grow muscle, lose weight or a combination of both. And these are often people over 40 who tell me of their injuries. I could tell them why they are getting these injuries and how to make training easier for them but, honestly, a window cleaner won’t clean my grubby windows unless I employ them to do so. And I only clean up somebody’s mess if they’re paying me too.

I used to PT in a gym bro gym. I had to wipe my feet on the way out type of place. It had a needle bin in the changing rooms. One thing I was taught at PT school was that I should engage with people by correcting their form and giving them tips. The members of this particular gym would give me advice too. It ended in ‘off’. They wouldn’t listen to a fresh faced PT like me. But the more I learnt I knew that I’d end up training them when they’d recovered from a torn pec or a shattered knee. They would need me then. They eventually respected my knowledge because I could help them do what they wanted to do again. Once recovered, some of them would go back to their bad habits but many had been steered into a training habit that was more sustainable and a nutrition plan that extended beyond chicken and rice.

A gym visit should be a time to educate yourself. Learn what to do but know WHY you are doing it. Know the muscle groups you are using. Research the foods to eat to provide the right nutrients for your body and when to consume it. We can all take a slimming pill to lose weight and we can all inject ourselves to grow muscle. But as we get older our body becomes much more vulnerable to injuries and disease. So we need to know what to do now, whether you are reading this at 20, 40, 60 or 80 years old. Learn now.

So there is no set rule for training differently as you get older. You just need to keep getting better at it and knowing how to do it better each gym visit. This way you will see the best results with less injury and you will be the one still training long after those who didn’t want to learn.