Hi and welcome to another week,

Great week of sessions last week.  I loved the barbell/kettlebell back-and-forth that was the BodyWork class and managed to finish it twice.  I also (somehow) got four (4) boxing sessions done including that sneaky 4-minute round session on Friday…it didn’t look that hard on paper, but when I was teaching it everyone seemed to be doing it a bit tough.  When I finally got to try it out for myself at 1pm – man – all of those pushup/jump squats – pushup/plyometric lunges left a bit of a mark!  Half-way through the second lap I was almost praying for the end!

This week’s classes look great as well.  The BodyWork session features a 5-exercise ladder that looks both challenging and fun – and is really suited for those of you wanting to dip your toes into the BodyWork water…not many weights and a real ‘go at your own pace’ type session.  On the Boxing side of things, the KB Bottoms-up Press is back, there is some relentless punching set for Tuesday, Wednesday has some squats AND barbell step-ups, 1-minute rounds features a bit of an experiment which is aimed at people who struggle with the whole ‘gloves off/on’ nature of a usual Thursday circuit and Friday is all about Tabata punching and bridging.  Can’t wait!

I wanted to talk a bit this about knowing versus doing when it comes to getting ‘results’ at the gym.  I mention this because of a conversation I had with a returning member a few weeks ago who said that they were confident they would achieve their weight loss target ‘this time’ because now they ‘KNOW’ what they have to do.  And whilst I don’t dispute that ‘knowing’ what to do helps when it comes to ‘getting it done’, the most important thing is to DO.  I would also contend that we all understand the basic principle – move around a little bit more, eat a little bit less – and if we just stick to that we will be ‘fine’ whether our goal is weight loss, fitness improvement, strength gains or ‘something else’.

To me, you can read books, magazines and internet articles and you can ask questions of the trainers in order to increase your knowledge base – but the learning you are doing wont actually achieve the results you want unless you CHOOSE to ACT.  I really do believe there is a bit of a ‘3-card trick’ at play with some people – they are continually striving to learn ‘more’ and ‘understand’, but in doing so they forget that the most important thing in terms of getting results is the actions that follow the learning.

I would encourage you to ask yourself the question ‘Is this information REALLY helping me get where I want to go?’  If the answer is ‘YES’ – then go for it.  Do the reading, gain the knowledge.  But more and more I am seeing people get involved in a process where they always want to learn/understand/prepare just a ‘little more’ before they do ‘IT’ – when it is ultimately the DOING that matters – the DOING – and whilst it is great to be increasing knowledge in isolation, don’t be too quick to dismiss what you learn through the simple act of ‘giving it a go’.

Am I saying to forget about trying to increase your knowledge base?  Telling you to forget about trying to gain a deeper understanding of how different exercises are done, how different foods impact your body etc?  Of course not – but I think the best strategy is to walk the line between adding knowledge AND taking decisive action.  Embarking on a continual search for ‘one more piece of information’ is unlikely to make the difference between whether you achieve your targets or not.  Embarking on a course of ‘ACTION’ that includes exercise 3-4 days a week and a diet primarily based on the foods from the Whole Life Challenge (check the blog here for details) WILL make a difference.

See you at Round 1,

Michael.

Gym Update #1 – June Special

Our June special is up and running – and for the first time ever we are offering our Round 1 packs – Bag, Bag Mitts, Wraps and a Towel – for sale…and not only that, we are offering them at a discount price.  Valued at $70, these packs are available for just $39 when you join Round 1 (or renew your membership) during June.

Now, for you 12-month members, don’t worry – you still get your pack for free…but if you want a second pack – and let’s face it, if you do three classes a week you will need new gloves and wraps before the year is out, and you can never have enough towels – then this month you can get all of that for an extra $39.

Gym Update #2 – 7^th July is the ‘Go for Jo’ Cancer Fundraiser (and it is getting BIGGER)

Keep the date, keep the date.  July 7^th @12pm, July 7^th @12pm.

On the 7^th of July – starting at 12pm – we will be having a bit of a fundraiser, fun-day at Round 1 to raise money for the Cancer Council as part of the ‘Go for Jo’ campaign.  Without going into too much detail, one of our favourite members was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and some of her friends started up a Fundraising page in her name around the ‘Run for a Reason’ event.  The link to the page is HERE:  http://hbfrunfundraising.com.au/go_for_jo

Now – the ‘Run for a Reason’ fundraising is open until July 31^st – and to help we have decided to do our own fundraising through the gym:

–         A ‘Train the Trainer’ auction was held through the Round 1 Facebook group – with more than $800 raised to torture each of the trainers in a 30 minute session.  These sessions will be run starting at 12pm on this day!

–         A few of our members have volunteered to ‘Shave for a Reason’ and will be losing their locks on the 7^th – again, starting at 12pm.

–         We also now have an absolute HEAP of prizes and auction items on offer – wine, Tupperware, giftware, a Jack Daniels pack and even a television.

There will be a sausage sizzle happening, there will be some door prizes on offer and maybe some other stuff if we have the time to organise it.  Our hope is that as many people as possible can get over to the gym on the day from 12pm on the 7^th, throw in a few dollars to watch the trainers get tortured or the heads get shaved, maybe buy a sausage or two and generally help raise some money for cancer research.  See you on the 7^th!

 Gym Update #3 – ‘8 Days a Week’ Challenge is (nearly) OVER

Only a week left – how are you tracking?  I am going to FAIL this challenge – today was my last chance to do a Sunday session – and given I had instructing duties that simply wasn’t possible.  I will hit the classes target (despite being away for a week) and I will meet the Body Work criteria but I wont manage a Saturday class.  This challenge has been HARD!

If you still have a chance to ‘Get it Done’, I would really encourage you to focus on the end-goal and just tick the sessions off a day at a time.  The classes are only 45-minutes.  Training on back-to-back days will not be too much of a problem for your body (for a short time it wont in any case) and with only a week to go you CAN make it – and the sense of achievement will be palpable.

Good LUCK!  (Please check the blog in either of the past 3-weeks if you are unsure about the ‘RULES’ of the challenge!)

Gym Update #4 – New Gear

Great news on the new Power-Racks – they will arrive in Melbourne tomorrow (June 24^th) which means they will in Perth and in the gym before we all know it.  I am so excited about the changes this new equipment will make to the TANKS area – simply facilitating 4-people using racks concurrently will really add some flexibility to the area and allow a few more of our members to embark on programs such as StrongLifts 5×5, TwinMuscle Workout, Greyskull LP or any of a number of functional training based programs.

These sorts of programs are great – you are done in 30-40 minutes, they use simple movements and don’t require much help or assistance (if any) to get through.  Further, they are designed with one thing in mind – to make you stronger which is a fantastic gift you can give to yourself as you get older – the stronger you are, the less the effects of aging will impact on you and restrict you from continuing to live a ‘normal’ life as you move into middle age and beyond.

Gym Update #5 – Round 1 Fitness Dream-team and Footy Tipping

I hate these stupid AFL bye rounds.  I had only 15-active players on the field for DreamTeam this week and am copping the pasting I deserve.  Of course, it has been suggested I should have *planned* for this and set my team up a few weeks with the bye rounds in mind – but seriously, who does that?  I make a couple of changes when the teams come out each week and hope for the best…clearly that was not good enough this week.

In the tipping, the Port Adelaide upset caught everyone unawares…even those ‘savvy’ few who forgot to enter their tips lost out – Sydney were the away team and therefore were set as the ‘default’ selection.

The top of the tipping ladder remains unchanged with Ross a couple clear of Lloyd, Kim and Steve.

Facebook Highlights

Some more great links on Facebook this week:

KB Beginners:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2waVex8EUfc

Double KB Cleans:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82tBszDbJ24

Next Level: NHL – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gAGeNsNdow

Single leg explosive step-up:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D3u8ckfOuY

Link of the week

Two links this week.  The first one is in direct response to the Round 1 ‘Baby Boom’ that is currently underway – if you are thinking about getting pregnant, if you are pregnant or if you have kids you simply must have a look at Chris Kresser’s stuff…find a link to ‘The Baby Code’ here:  http://healthybabycode.com/blog

On the exercise front, if you want to do a muscle-up, persistence is the key (just like it is with everything else that is ‘hard’):  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgR6piOi8-s

See you in the gym!

Michael.