Hi and welcome to another week,
Great sessions last week – and the week ahead looks AWESOME! We are back bench-pressing in boxing for the first time in a while (which is super!), we also have some split jumps happening and a little bit of a dumbbell focus. Looks like a lot of fun (and gains!) to be had by everyone.
Bit of a disappointing day/weekend for me personally. I have been struggling with my back for just on a week now and had to make the decision to withdraw from both the Crazy 88 Challenge (with only one class to go) AND the City to Surf event. Was a little hard to take to be truthful but at some point living your life through a steady diet of anti-inflammatory drugs is not the right answer to ANY question. I just need to let it settle before re-focussing and going again…sometimes (sometimes!) even I have to be a grown-up about this stuff. Missing out on both the Challenge and the run was a difficult decision but if it means I am able to train more regularly this week AND move around without pain it will have been well worth it.
I wanted to talk a little bit about our group sessions this week in the blog because I think there is a ‘right’ way to do them and maximise your outcomes and then there are 10000 ‘other’ ways. This isn’t saying that everyone does it wrong – because they don’t. It is more of a ‘we all need to focus on what is right’ type message because with all of us, bad habits creep in over time. If you are going through the motions on the punching stations and not hitting with technique and power, you wont be getting the benefits you should. If you are wasting time between stations, or late getting ready, you wont be getting the benefits you should.
Step 1: Have your stuff ‘Ready’
This seems super, super obvious but you would be surprised. You need to have your gear within arms reach – not in the gym ‘somewhere’. Have your towel and water bottle with you – semi-regular ‘time-outs’ to get a drink are just a way to waste time. Have your towel handy to lay on/wipe up your sweat/wipe your face whatever – if you have left it in the car or in your bag or wherever else, what good is it? If you are doing Body Work or Tanks and think you might need your chalk bucket or your lifting belt or wrist wraps or whatever other gear you might use, again, have them with you. To have your equipment anywhere else just wasting time.
Step 2: Arrive Early
This will always be contentious because there are always going to be times when you are running late – traffic, working late, whatever – but TRY to be there on time. Get your wraps on, have a stretch, get prepped and ready to train. Maybe wander around and have a look at what exercises are upcoming and plan out what weights you are going to be using etc. Get yourself focussed on the challenge ahead. Pay attention during the demos and don’t assume you can just read the workout descriptions and ‘pick-up’ what is required.
Oh – and if you are really late (and by definition, this would mean that demos and warmups are done and the class has started), get started on a really long, slow warm-up because it will be the NEXT class that you are joining, not the one that is already running.
Step 3: We have started – so let’s go!
When the bell goes…GO. The bell isn’t the time to pick up a water bottle, the bell is time to GO. Focus on your punching technique – maybe you need a Beginners class refresher??? – and be sure to get the most out of every second of the session. Remember, a typical class has approximately 42 minutes of actual session time in it – maximise it. If you are slow moving from station to station or spend time after the bell has gone getting a drink, you might only be getting in as little as 30minutes of activity in a typical session. You and I both know that isn’t enough so make sure you move quickly between stations (try to be the first one in your group to start the next activity) – and you will really get the benefits from this…10 seconds per station ‘extra’ in a class with 2 minute rounds is an extra 3-minutes of ‘WORK’ by the end of the class. That all adds up…get an extra 3 minutes per class and do three sessions per week? That’s another EIGHT HOURS workout time per YEAR!
Step 4: Stay late!
Just like ‘Arrive Early’, ‘Stay Late’ is tricky because we all have days when we just ‘HAVE TO GO’. And while we try to pack a lot of ‘stuff’ into our sessions, as I pointed out a couple of weeks back an extra 2-minutes of work each session (doing the 1%’er for example), adds up to 6-8 minutes per week for a typical gym user. This works out to an extra 30minutes or so each month which then extends to an extra 6 HOURS of training each year. Just by staying 2-minutes per day! Maybe the 2-minutes isn’t exercise – maybe it is a little bit of extra stretching or rolling, maybe it is some core work…maybe, maybe. All I know is an extra 6-hours of exercise done in small increments can only be good for you by the end of the year. Add that to the extra 8 hours in the previous example…that’s 14 hours per year or more than an extra class every month – all for time you are already using!
Step 5: Take time to reflect
This really does fall to those ‘Advanced’ trainers, but taking a couple of minutes just to log what you did and how you felt is a great habit to get into – and so helpful. Note down the exercises you did, the weights you used, how you felt – and then read back through it all at the end of the week. Maybe there is a good reason you are completely stuffed come Saturday – after all, your training log has been telling you how tired you are for 3-days now. Your log might instead be reflecting a ‘light’ week and a body that is feeling strong…maybe that extra weekend session IS a good idea??? Make your notes, reflect, focus on improvement.
See you in the gym,
Michael.
P.S. We have a VERY small number of pairs of 12 o.z. sparring gloves available for just $35. This style of glove – which I am happy to say I wear in the gym every day due to the superior hand protection they offer – usually retails at Round 1 for $65 and at places such as Rebel Sport for $130++. Let me know if you are keen because there are only 12 pairs available.
P.P.S. Shaun Miller – a 5am/6am regular – is fundraising for the “Christina Noble Children’s Foundation” (www.tinyurl.com/shauncamnam) and as part of that has a dinner and cocktails event scheduled for September 8th at the Bentley Pines Restaurant. The event features a pretty impressive menu (the pork looks best to me!) and seats are available for $55 here: http://www.trybooking.com/IWVT. Shaun has promised to put some flyers up in the gym for people who are interested!
Well – the latest gym challenge is done and dusted. Congratulations to everyone who got their 20 sessions + all of their Crazy 88 reps done. For those people – like me! – who fell short for one reason or another, well, our next challenge will be on in OCTOBER 2015 and will (as per the usual rhythm!) feature a combination of exercise and food as part of the challenge ‘rules’.
If you did finish the challenge, firstly, you are AWESOME. Secondly – BEFORE you hand your sheet in please make sure you write you t-shirt size CLEARLY on the very top of the page and then hand it in to reception…we will put the sheets/shirts together and everything should be ready to go by FRIDAY.
The Beach Bodies 13-week plan is done. Well done to everyone who has committed to the program/process and I think everyone would agree your efforts have been pretty impressive. With 6-days per week of programming to follow, it sure is tough to get from the start all the way to the end! I have seen some pretty impressive changes in strength numbers listed and am hoping that everyone’s body scans are showing the results that they had hoped for…
The first week of the Beach Bodies#2 (BB#2) was published last Friday. The structure of the program will be similar but different – each day will consist of 2x programming streams. Stream 1 will be for those people just getting started and will (for example) include a linear progression similar to the one that we followed for nine-weeks in the current program. Stream 2 will be more focussed on the supportive exercises etc that we are all doing now in the ‘back end’ of BB#1.
Other elements of the program – classes, conditioning, stretching and pre-hab – will be largely unchanged.
How will you know when to move from the linear progression to the supportive work? Well – you’ll ‘know’! As those people who did BB#1 can no doubt attest, after nine weeks of progressions they were pretty much ‘ready’ to jump across to the supportive work because ALL of their progressions had pretty much plateaued. If your linear progressions are still going UP – well, stay on the linear path until your progressions stop and then jump across…
Costs will be pretty straight-forward:
– $99 for new participants.
– $49 for anyone continuing on the training pathway who participated in BB#1.
As with BB#1, these prices include monthly Body Scans for participants – if you have participated in BB#1, the price you will pay is less than 50% of just getting the four (4) body scans done!
Registration link is below:
https://tms.ezfacility.com/OnlineRegistrations/Register.aspx?CompanyID=1214&GroupID=1369966
We have received ‘most’ of our order but 40-pairs of gloves were unfortunately shipped to the wrong gym…and now have a happy home in the USA. As such, our stocks of ‘small’ bag mitts are not quite where we would like them to be but we are hoping them to be back in stock within a couple of weeks. Apologies for any inconvenience.
As noted at the top, we do have a (VERY) limited supply of super cool 12 o.z. gloves that were sent to us by mistake. We usually retail these for $65 but – because we have received them for effectively half price – we will be selling them for just $35. The gloves bear the name of a pretty cool looking gym in Atlanta (Delgado Boxing) and you will definitely be among a very select few people in Perth with gloves like this. Be aware those, these are not bag mitts – they are sparring gloves and as such are not as easy to get on/off as bag mitts…for anyone (like me) who boxes more than 3-times per week, these are a great choice due to the hand protection that they offer.
Our Hylete tee’s are being screen-printed at the moment and will be available for sale ‘soon’. When they arrive, there will be a choice between a couple of different slogans and (hopefully) one of them strikes a particular chord with you. We have gone with a limited choice of colors to start with (grey or charcoal for boys, pink or charcoal for girls).
There will also be a range of crops (3/4 pants) available for the girls.
As noted last week, when they go up the t’s and singlets will be $35, the crops will be $65.
This week we had SIX (6) tipsters select EIGHT winners this week…and one of them WAS Michelle Howley. And one of them WASN’T Paul O’Connor. So we now have joint – leaders atop the leader board with just one week remaining. In the event there is STILL a tie at the end of next week, we will extend the competition into the final series until a clear winner emerges! Good Luck!
The Grand Final is set and Ash (NeverNeverLand) has stormed into the last week from 5th place and again recorded the week’s highest score. He will face off with minor premier Justin (Juddys Allstars) in what should be a very close game. Commiserations to Dale and Trav who have been knocked out at the last hurdle!
I featured one of the Everlast ‘How To’ videos last week – this week is another again featuring Andre Ward. This time he talks about using the heavy bag:
We know this can be a daunting time. You’re probably wondering if we really are the right fit for each other. And it’s OK! Many people before you, have felt the same, and that’s why we want to offer you something special – our $29 Health Check.
Let’s work out together to see if we’re the right fit. Just hit the button below to let me know if you’re ready to see what’s included.
Subscribe below to join our tribe.
You'll receive email updates about the studio, special events, and membership option sales!
