Hi and welcome to another week,
Some pretty cool classes last week. Unfortunately I only got to observe them/run them rather than actually do them due to the ongoing pain from my ribs. Highlights for me included the partners class last Monday with all of the running/bike efforts – doing these with a ‘partner’ to me really adds to the challenge, you just get a little bit of an extra spur to push along which really adds up by the end of the session. I also thought that the Wednesday ‘abs session’ was really tough and was not surprised to see a few people ‘sit out’ of classes on Thursday/Friday – preferring a treadmill session to doing ‘anything’ that might impact on their abs.
We have another challenge starting in the gym this week – the August ‘Mini Challenge’ which I have also been causing the ‘300 challenge’. Now – there is more info about the specifics of this below (Gym Update #1) but simplistically to complete the challenge you need to complete three (3) classes each week and 50 reps of each of 6 different exercises each week on top of that. So it is pretty straight forward – but just a little bit more than (most) people are doing today. We run these challenges at the gym pretty regularly – if you include the 6-month life plan, this is our sixth one in 2014 and we are only just getting started on August, and I have been asked by a few people why we do we run them, what is the point etc etc.
Well, there are a LOT of reasons, but let me give you just a quick taste of why I think running challenges is important for the gym – which I think could also be read as why I think DOING challenges is important for you guys…
Firstly, the challenges help you be ‘better’ – they help you to do a little bit more than they otherwise would – in an environment where a heap of other people are doing the same thing. It is one thing to tell yourself you are going to do an extra bin run after every session – it is quite another for half the gym to be doing it. When it is ‘only you’, those little voices in your head will talk you out of it by the end of the second week (or second day). When there are ten people who start running down the street, it is pretty easy to jump onto the back of the group (or the front of the group?). So – when the challenges are on, it makes it just a little easier for everyone to do a little bit more and therefore a little easier for everyone to make some progress.
Second, it really forces you to FOCUS. We are all incredibly busy – work, kids, study, sport, kids sport, whatever it is – and all that ‘stuff’ seems to takeover our lives at times. Don’t worry – all of that ‘stuff’ is important, I know that. It is just that we all want to come to the gym to give ourselves some stress relief, some extra strength, some flexibility, maybe just to help us look a bit better in our bathers come summer time – and it is easy to miss out on all those things, despite our best intentions – because ‘LIFE’ is in the way. When the challenges are running though, it seems everyone is ‘IN’. It seems that making a mental commitment to get to the gym three times each week is quite a different thing to writing your name on a white board PROMISING to be in the gym three times each week. Why that is I am not exactly sure – but it certainly seems to be the case. The challenges help each of us focus and meet our internal commitments to get to the gym.
Third, when people train a little more, it (usually) helps with their food management. When you are in training and regularly in the gym, somehow diet seems a little more important and a cooking ‘well’ seems a little less of a pain. The challenges get everyone doing some extras, spending that additional 15 minutes (and that is all it ever is) in the gym and this gives you a little more of a push to eat well. Watching your diet, training more? Sounds like a good way to achieve some body composition changes in a short time!
Lastly, you get a genuine sense of accomplishment from FINISHING. Doing a set number of classes – no ifs, no buts – is HARD. Doing extras every single week is HARD. When you finally get to the end of a challenge, it is like finishing work on the last day before Christmas Holidays – you feel like you have accomplished something, you feel motivated and happy with yourself. Finishing a challenge is a feeling that just can’t be beaten – you have held yourself to a higher standard of ‘YOU’ and you have come through with flying colours. Finishing a challenge is an AWESOME feeling.
Since starting the gym back in 2010, monthly challenges – either full-scale ‘Get it Done’ challenges or smaller ones like this – have been a staple of the gym. They really do provide untold benefits and – even if doing the ‘extras’ only lasts for a month, every rep of every exercise you do is meaningful and has value – by doing the extras, you are adding just a bit more value to your training and just a little bit of extra ‘life’ to your life. The ‘300’ challenge starts tomorrow. Get into it.
See you in the gym.
Michael.
Our latest MINI-Challenge will kick off on Monday, August 4th – that’s TOMOROW. Throughout the month of August, the challenge needs you do the following exercises every week for 4-weeks:
– Complete 3-classes every week.
In addition to the classes, each WEEK (not each session, each WEEK!!!) you must also complete:
– 50 Kettlebell Clean and Press
– 50 Push-ups (chest to ground on EVERY ONE!)
– 50 V-Sits
– 50 Goblet-Squats
– 50 Kettlebell Swings
– 25 Pull-ups
Now – those exercises need to be completed each WEEK, not after each session. So what you might do is complete 2 of the extras after each class (say, Goblet Squats and Pushups on one day, then Pull-ups and Kettlebell swings on the next day etc) OR you could do a few reps of each exercise on each day…This challenge is based around the famous 300 workout but I have swapped out a couple of exercises (KB Swings for Deadlifts, V-Sits for Floor Wipers, Goblet Squats for Box Jumps) just to make them a little more accessible for everyone. I have also cut the number of pull-ups from 50 down to 25 for the same reason…if you feel like sticking at 50 pullups though, you of course have my blessing! J
Late in August we will launch the newest Round 1 ‘Life Plan’ – along with a new ‘Muscle Gain’ challenge. The launch will be at 4pm on August 31st when we will present a ‘Paleo Eating – How To Do It’ session followed by registration for the ‘Life Plan’/’Strength Challenge’. Participation in both the Life Plan/Strength Challenge will cost $55 and included in your registration fee will be FOUR (4) InBody Scans (usually valued at $25 each) AND:
– Life Plan: Monthly eating plan + Diet Restrictions + Exercise Guide
– Muscle Gain Plan: Weekly Exercise guide
I will continue to trickle feed information about the two challenges over the next month or so, but the key things to understand now is that the kick-off date is 4pm, Sunday August 31st – costs are $55 – and we will be completing monthly assessments on the InBody Scanner rather than using callipers.
The Perth Fitness Show (http://www.fitness-show.com.au) will be held up at the Convention centre on the weekend of 16th and 17th of August. We will be up there with the InBody Scanner trying to spread the word whilst also taking in what the rest of the show has to offer. The program looks awesome and hopefully a few people from R1 will have time to come up for a look. We are supposed to be receiving 50-discounted tickets to attend the show (I am not sure what ‘discounted’ means at this stage – I haven’t received the tickets) but will make these available to R1 members when I get them.
We have a new order of bag mitts and hand wraps on the way – medium gloves and black hand wraps to be specific. Beyond that, current ‘gear’ plans are some (slightly) heavier kettlebells, some more deadballs and some new wall balls. I am also looking at trying out some of the new 12m power ropes (our current ones are 15m) which would give us just a little bit more room down the back of the gym.
Our members rewards program – http://www.perkville.com is running along beautifully. Make sure you check your points balance on the perkville website and let us know if there are any discrepancies. The key to the system is the email matching…it just has to be character for character perfect for it to work.
The usual ‘how it works’ paragraph is below, but did you know if you refer a friend to Round 1 via Perkville, when they show up and have their email address (again, make sure it is ‘right’ when you refer them) added to our database (not when they join the gym, just when they ‘show up’) you will get another 50 bonus points?
The way it works is that for every single membership dollar you spend – either an ‘up-front payment’ or via the direct debit system – you get one point. Every time you come to the gym and SCAN YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD (which is what I call checking in – please don’t think this is a ‘facebook check-in’ – you get TWO points. Those points then turn into Round One dollars – for every 200 points you earn you will get $10, or, if you wait until you have 400 points that is worth $25.
What can you spend the ‘money’ on? Well, anything you like. An ‘InBody’ Body analysis. Personal Training. New gloves. Protein. Whatever you like!
Sign up at www.perkville.com – all you have to do is register at PERKVILLE with the same email address you have registered at Round One Fitness.
Three tipsters – Gina, Paul O’Connor and Amanda Dixon – all selected 8 from 9 this week…Paul and Amanda were both tripped up by West Coast upsetting Adelaide, whilst Gina’s faith in the Power returning to the winners list proved to be ill-founded. In the overall competition, Ben McManus and Brendan Corley are locked at the top on 118 points with Kristy Morris just a point further back on 117. Now, rumour has it that the winner in the battle between Brendan and Kristy has to ‘dress up and pose for photos’ in the colours of the other persons team – with only a few weeks to go and just one point between them, I am certain both are on the lookout for good photo locations. Middle of Gateways shopping centre at 10am on a Saturday morning would be one spot that would attract a crowd!
Over in the Dream Team competition, the finals are now set – the top 8 sides for the year are:
Justin’s Beeliar Bogans, Roly’s Bourbinators, Dale G’s Magpieman, Lloyd’s GymGods, Leigh’s Roodelicious, Kade’s Kings, my Round 1 Bulls and Kim’s Half Time Heroes.
Congrats to everyone who made it through to the finals and good luck in the next couple of weeks.
Good luck next week everyone.
The emotion of the games:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ot63GiM7DM
See you in the gym!
Michael.
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