Hi and welcome to another week,
A great training week last week. I actually managed to get a couple of ‘No Rules’ classes done for the first time in a few weeks – I needed them. It is good every once in a while to simply have to face something that you really, really, really, really, really don’t want to do – and then do it anyway. It is how I felt during the marathon last year, how I felt during the 50km’s on the spin bike last week (thanks February Challenge!) and I am sure how some Rotto Channel Swim participants felt as they pulled into Thompsons Bay yesterday. It is that feeling of overcoming that gives you a real sense of achievement when you reach the finish.
With the new Scoopons now available for use in the gym, it has been terrific to see so many new people working their way through our classes. I think we all remember our ‘first day’ and one thing that makes me really proud about our gym is how welcoming everyone is towards newcomers – just like learning to drive, everyone has to learn what to do sometime and it is much more productive to give out a word of encouragement (or two) than to get frustrated. That said, our Beginners sessions on Tuesday and Thursday are really bursting at the seams – last Thursday I was greeted by 17 voice messages at the conclusion of the 7am class – and I am sorry to say that more than 20 people who tried to book missed out on a class. Remember, if you are a casual user or 10-pass holder you must book for sessions during our peak times – which includes the midweek beginners sessions. Members – you guys do NOT need to book…when demand for the classes increases from our members, I will further restrict the number of casual users who can access each class. Remember as well that the ‘normal’ Boxing for Fitness sessions where there is a Beginners option (those marked with a ‘B’ on the timetable), that these classes are NOT true beginners classes. We will certainly help you out by providing some lower targets to hit/simpler exercises to do than the ‘normal’ participants, however you really do need to be able to watch the demos and translate that into moving from one station to the next without constant input from the trainer.
Anyway, I read with great interest all the stories this week about the behaviour of the Australian swimming team in London – particularly the antics at the pre-competition camp in Manchester. A couple of things stood out to me about the story:
1/.The alleged failure of team management and coaches to respond to complaints about the behaviour of the men’s 4x100m relay team with strong discipline.
2/.The comments by James Magnussen that his stiffest competition is ‘myself and my head space’.
On the first point, having and maintaining discipline in a group environment is really important in order for everyone in the group to be able to achieve success. Now, if I translate this to the gym, in recent times we have published a list of ‘RULES’ or ‘Standards’ that we are holding everyone in the classes (and sometimes out of the classes) accountable too. Further to the ‘RULES’, we often dish out ‘punishment’ to those who we perceive to be working at a level lower than what they are capable of. This is sometimes met with the ‘Why, I am still doing it’ response from the person in question and the reason is two-fold. Firstly, when you do a class you are paying us to TRAIN you – you are not paying to be left alone whilst you read a magazine and walk on the treadmill…we certainly don’t want to push you beyond what you are capable of, but we do want you working to capacity – that is how you get results. If you are slow getting to a station – say 20 seconds late each round – and remember, there is a 10 or 15 second second break between rounds built into the class already, then out of a normal 45minute class you might miss out on as much as 10 minutes actual training time…add in a bit of half-hearted pedalling on the bike and some mid-round drink breaks and it isn’t a 45minute session any more –it is barely 30minutes! And people wonder why I say that 2 sessions per week is just not enough for you to get results.
With the second point, when you are slow to the station, talking and punching or resting for extended periods you are influencing others in your group to do the same. Now – you might be slow to move but then train like a ‘demon’ once you get there – good for you. The people you influence though will probably just be slower to get there than they normally are and then just train at their usual speed – meaning less of a work-out for them. Now, we all know you don’t mean it, but when you start doing your burpees without a pushup, then the person next to you sees that as a green light for them to do the same…We HAVE to call you up on this stuff – we have to enforce the ‘RULES’ and ensure that things are being done properly by everyone or in pretty quick time they wont be done properly by anyone. Is all of this sort of stuff what happened to the swim team at the Olympics? The poor behaviour and habits of a few dragged the rest down? It seems like that is what is being claimed and I can totally see it.
Onto Magnussen’s comments, what he said is true for all of us each and every day. The whole ‘hard class/easy class’ commentary at the end of every session is more about the level of effort everyone has put in than the class itself. Set yourself for a good session at the start of the session – pay attention during the demos and use the time to set yourself some difficult achieve targets (when I have to do Fence Pulls for a minute I am going to do 30) and then go out and hit them when the session starts. We are all in a constant battle with the voices in our head – what I find is that if I am positive about it early in the week then I have a great week of sessions. If I allow myself to be negative and get into ‘just get through it’ mode early in the week, then before I know it the week is over and I have missed several chances to get better and move forward.
See you in the gym,
Michael.
Just a few short days left – how are you tracking??? It has been great to see everyone working so hard to get there ‘extras’ done this month – as a couple of regulars have mentioned, the extra 15-20minutes of work they have been doing at the conclusion of each session has had a bit of an impact on the scales – as well as their fitness levels! When you complete the challenge you will have done the following activities in 28 days (or less for some of us!).
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
Good luck everyone and congratulations to all of those who have already finished!
Will there be a new challenge for March? Well…read on!
OK. I don’t like to run ‘big’ challenges every month…it is just too much work for me and the other trainers to put it all together and manage all of the questions and queries. But we WILL be running a mini-challenge in March – and it is all about squats.
It works like this – you do as many squats as you do in 20 minutes and record the total number of points you achieved:
| Girls | Boys |
| Bodyweight = 1 point per Squat | Bodyweight = 1 point per Squat |
| + 10 KG = 2 points per Squat | + 20 KG = 2 points per Squat |
| + 20 KG = 3 points per Squat | + 40 KG = 3 points per Squat |
| +30 KG = 4 points per Squat | +60 KG = 4 points per Squat |
| +40 KG = 5 points per Squat | +80 KG = 5 points per Squat |
A medicine ball must be used for each rep (your bum must touch it on the way down) and you ARE allowed to change weights within the 20 minutes. For example, you might do 10 x Squats at 80kg (50 points), 10 more at 60kg (40points) and 30 reps at 40kg (90points)…your total score would be 180. The time taken to change weights/bars etc is part of the 20 minutes though.
Good LUCK! The challenge starts this coming Friday.
Our next Beach 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. The last two events have been terrific and we have even more new activities for you to do this time…be sure to reserve your place.
A couple of new spin bikes are on the way. It has been great to see the amount of work being done on the Keisers (outside of class time) and by adding a couple more it just gives everyone another couple of chances
As mentioned last week, it is time for the current range of attire to go – there are some terrific bargains available:
– Wick-away T’s and Singlets: Just $20
– Stretch Cotton Singlets: Just $10
– Hoodies: Just $20
The wick-away t’s/singlets and the hoodies are both below wholesale costs – if you want one, get in quick.
There is still a few days left to snap up the ‘Ring the Bell’ PT sessions – 3 x 30minute PT sessions for just $79. Whilst ‘Ring the Bell’ will remain a permanent part of our gym, it will only be available to people in the first month of their membership…we have opened it up to everyone this month – but February is nearly over!
Our trainers are great, the PT sessions are both challenging and instructional – grab a 3-pack and find out what you are missing.
Loads of new links on Facebook this week – below are a short sample:
9 articles to heal and restore your gut: http://breakingmuscle.com/nutrition/9-articles-heal-and-restore-your-gut
Respect the decisions and priorities of others: http://breakingmuscle.com/sports-psychology/prioritize-and-let-prioritize-respecting-decisions-you-may-not-understand
44 Best Bodyweight exercises…EVER! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POdzasJklxw
Do you know what insulin and glucogon do? http://breakingmuscle.com/nutrition/insulin-and-glucagon-how-manipulate-them-and-lose-fat
Simple link this week. I have changed my eating around a lot in the last couple of months and am pretty firmly on the Paleo path – and my favourite book on the subject (The Paleo Solution) is by Robb Wolf who’s website is here:
Be sure as well to check out ‘The Paleo Solution’ podcast on iTunes. It features Robb Wolf and Greg Everett (from Catalyst Athletics) answering Paleo and weightlifting questions…a good one to have in the car for those long freeway commutes.
See you in the gym!
Michael.
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