Hi and welcome to another week,
I just loved my training last week. Somehow I managed to get six (6) classes done last week – which I am still surprised at. I was really quite proud of the way I was prepared to move my training times around to fit in with my work and life commitments – and I actually did classes last week at 8pm, 12pm, 9:15am, 5pm, 1pm and 8:15am. Obviously I cannot do mornings during the week, but I can certainly understand why 6am is so popular – get your training done before life gets in the way. (And in a shameless plug for the gym, don’t forget we have 5am sessions a couple of times each week too).
As I noted on Facebook during the week, a few people might have noticed the new way we have been doing demos etc before each class has changed – we are basically dragging everyone around the gym as a group together, running through the plan and THEN allocating people into groups. On top of that, we are now spending more time on each demo AND really stressing that equipment is placed away safely after it is used. Now I know all of this stuff is only causing the session to start later, which means it will end later, which puts the following session at risk of starting later/finishing later as well – I think it is well worth a few minutes delay to give everyone the chance to train injury free.
Along the same lines – you will now see a whole heap of hydration charts up on the walls of the gym, there are some other safety signs on the barbells and on the GHD – now, a lot of you are probably thinking that all of this stuff is ‘simple common sense’, but sometimes common sense isn’t as common as you might think. If you are concerned that someone is doing something careless or that they might injure themselves, please let one of the trainers know straight away…generally people are at risk when they aren’t aware of the risks – let’s all work together to create an injury free training environment at Round 1.
What else? Well, I am writing this BEFORE today’s nutrition talk with Helen Frost (that said, I am home from the session now and it was great – always good to learn new things) but I did want to make mention of something I have seen in full-page newspaper ads/2 minute infomercials lately that is really driving me crazy…the selling methodology of weight-loss pills/potions/elixirs. First off, all of the claims/comments they are making about your metabolism ‘slowing down’ as you age. Well, I would like to know if that is REALLY true – I have been reading as much as I can about this lately and whilst I agree there is general agreement on which functions comprise your metabolism (catabolism – short term energy/anabolism – fat storage for repair and future energy) measuring how ‘fast’ it runs seems a very hard to define science – generally speaking some people just seem to claim their metabolism is either fast or slow and use it as a reason for being able to either eat what they want or for carrying an extra couple of kilos. I would question very much whether your metabolism is REALLY ‘slowing down’ – more likely your physical activity has reduced since you were younger leading to a higher percentage of body fat / lower muscle mass. Because of this, your body cannot maintain as good a balance between catabolic and anabolic processes. So – isn’t this a question of cause and effect? And if so, why in the world anyone would consider that the way ‘out’ of this would be to take a diet pill to treat the ‘effect’ rather than make the lifestyle decision to move around a bit more (exercise) and eat a bit less (cleaner diet) that would treat the cause? I mean, if greater muscle mass increases catabolic requirements then shouldn’t that – in theory – ‘speed up’ your metabolism naturally? And wouldn’t that be better than taking a tablet – both physically and psychologically?
All I can say to everyone out there is that if you are trying to lose weight – it is going to be hard. If you are trying to gain weight (and we have a few at the gym desperately fighting that battle) – it is going to be hard. But everything worthwhile is. If you are looking for a solution, treat the cause – not the effect. Get your diet right – fresh fruit, fresh veggies, quality meat and fish – and lay off anything and everything that is pre-packaged. And get to the gym. Three times each week is progress and we run more than 60 sessions…you CAN make it three (4?) times. If you commit to these things, the results will come…and your ‘metabolism’ will somehow start speeding up, whether you are 22, 42 or 62.
See you in the gym,
Michael.
Two weeks left – how are you tracking??? It is (probably) too late for you to start – but if you have got started, it is time to really make a singular commitment – FINISH! Remember, complete the challenge you must complete the following activities during February:
10kms running on the treadmill – 20 Group classes – 30kms on the rower – 40kb Man-makers – 50kms on the bike – 60 GHD Situps – 70 Pull-ups – 80 Box Jumps – 90 Barbell Clean and Press – 100 Burpees
You need to get the classes ‘signed off’ – the rest of the activities are all ‘self assessed’. You are permitted two (2) ‘double classes’ (2 in one day) as part of your 20 – but no more. It is not compulsory to complete all of the ‘extras’ in one set (you can break up the bike/running etc) but you MUST keep track of progress as you go.
If you are currently wondering exactly how to get to the end because you still have ‘all that bike’ or ‘all those burpees’ to go, wonder no more. Instead, get on the bike or start doing burpees (or whatever it might be) and in a very short time you will be that much closer to the end. 1km on the bike only takes a couple of minutes…20 burpees in a minute is achievable…but 10 is a good steady pace. You CAN finish it and you DO have enough time!
Thankyous and congratulations to everyone who got along to the bootcamp this morning – a lot of fun was had by all…with a little bit of work mixed in! Special thanks to Carole Limmer for playing the role of official photographer and getting so many shots up on Facebook…
The next Bootcamp is planned for Saturday March 16th – same venue (CY O’Connor beach), same time…you can register at reception next time you are in the gym. Cost is also unchanged – $15 per head.
As promised, all of the new / replacement equipment arrived last week and I cannot wait to get into it. Already we have been doing some limited work with the new wall balls – and hasn’t it been great to have access to a full complement of 12kg dead balls again? Just on the dead balls, I am pretty desperate to make the new ones last longer than the old ones – as such, I am planning on getting in some rubber matts for them to be ‘slammed’ on. When that happens, please respect the gear and follow the rules.
Less obvious but equally important – we now have a whole heap of spring clamps available for the bars in the TANKS area – will make changing weights a lot easier moving forward, as well as some new power-bands…not sure what has happened but the new ones seem a bit springier than the old ones!
Just looking around the Round 1 reception area last week I have decided that I am a little bit tired of the current t-shirts and tank-tops…so it is time for them to go:
– Wick-away T’s and Singlets: Just $20
– Stretch Cotton Singlets: Just $10
– Hoodies: Just $20
I am trying to get in some new gear for winter and unless we ‘clean house’ there will be no room for the new gear.
The ‘Ring the Bell’ PT program is now into its third week – if you are new to Round 1 and want to get a jump-start on your training, this could be just the thing for you. I know all of our trainers are really keen at the moment to help everyone get started at Round 1 on the ‘right foot’ and ‘Ring the Bell’ is perfect for that.
What is it? ‘Ring the Bell’ entitles new members to access 3 x 30min PT sessions for just $79. The offer will be valid once for each client and MUST be used within the first month of a membership. It is designed to provide an easy transition to Round 1 for newcomers by exposing them to the gym and some of the more common exercises we do in a one-on-one setting where technique adjustments will be a lot easier to explain and understand. After all, our gym is not exactly like ‘the other ones’.
As this is a new initiative and because the ‘one-month’ rule will exclude a lot of our existing members, ‘Ring the Bell’ is available to ALL of our members during the month of February…and there is nothing that says you MUST use it for technique – if you want to get ‘smashed’ or use it as a cheaper way to get your regular PT fix, then that is fine as well.
Loads of new links on Facebook this week – enjoy:
The Hill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=L_-XCXBHp3A (It’s got nothing on Bold Park!)
You have got a lot of problems: http://www.catalystathletics.com/blog/blog.php?blogID=1770
Clean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2CpAOHa_3I
You are capable of more: http://tnation.t-nation.com/free_online_forum/diet_blog_hammer_velocity_shugart/youre_capable_of_more_
A bit of a ‘longish’ link this week – a 29 minute video on ‘Iceland Annie’. Pretty interesting story and tremendous work ethic on display:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtk2dSphI_Y
See you in the gym!
Michael.
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