Hi and welcome to another week,

Thanks to everyone who got to the gym in the last week.  We had some great sessions (and some really busy sessions as well) – I know that I really felt challenged as I went through the week.  Really happy with the number of people committing to the 1%’er program as well – remember, if each 1% takes 2-minutes and you train 3x per week, that is an extra 30 minutes of training every month you are squeezing in to the same time window.  Remember also, if you are committing to the 1%’er you need to make sure you have fully committed to the ‘REST’ of the session…no point worrying about the icing if you haven’t baked the cake properly!

Pretty short and sweet blog this week – I have one topic I want to cover and whilst I think it is important I am not really too sure that it needs to be s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d out too much.  It is all about results and changes and outcomes – and a couple of conversations I have had with members over the past couple of weeks.

If you want to change the result of the ‘game’ – whether it is the way you feel when you are riding for calories on the bike, the weights you are able to lift or perhaps it is a more ‘visual’ goal such as your body composition – then you need to be prepared to change the way you ‘get ready’ for each training session.   There is a quote I have read that says something like ‘It is not the will to win that matters – everyone has that.  It is the will to prepare that makes the difference.’  I am paraphrasing of course because I haven’t been able to hunt it down, but back when I was actually playing competitive sport, I remember not thinking much of the quote.  But when I started coaching, and when I starting realising the impact that everything you did outside of the ‘game’ had on the outcome of the ‘game’ it suddenly started to feel like the most important quote ever…if only I had been smart enough to realise what it really meant when wins and losses were on the line.

So what does ‘preparation’ mean?  It might mean something as simple as making sure you have properly ‘warmed up’ before the class starts so that you can ‘GO’ when the first bell rings.  I know my old body can take a couple of rounds to get ‘in the swing of it’ if I am not warm and stretched BEFORE the demos start.  It might mean making sure you are drinking a bit more water and a little less coffee during the working day so that you are hydrated and feeling good rather than dehydrated and feeling ‘flat’ when the bell goes.  It might even mean making some big chances to your eating habits, spending some time on meal preparation and really ‘dialing in’ your food.  It might mean going for a walk at lunch-time, being sure to get a good breakfast, cutting out the post-dinner ‘snacks’…it could mean any number of things and will be very personal to YOU!

For things to change, sometimes you need to be the first one to make a change.  And whilst – as Shaun Millar said in his awesome profile a few weeks back – “you just gotta turn up” is one truism, if the results aren’t what you want then just turning up might not quite be enough.  Sure, it is still step 1, but it might not be enough.  This month’s challenge really does have a lot of great stuff in it that will help you get results in terms of healthy eating, good sleep, moderating alcohol…but don’t wait for a challenge – if you aren’t happy with the outcomes or want to see better training ‘numbers’, well, you are in control of that.  And if you are unsure where to start making changes, then that is what I am there for, it is what Eden, Elie, Lloyd and Kirei are there for…all we want is for you to get the results that YOU want.

That’s it.  If you want to change the outcomes of the game, well, don’t just keep rolling along.  Be prepared to make changes and adjustments (big or small) so that you can really benefit from the work you are putting in.

See you in the gym,

Michael.

p.s.  Jump to it and join our Round One Fitness ‘MOVEMBER’ team!  We want to get as many people as possible all trying to raise some money for Men’s Health in November – and have plans to finish it all off with a special “Man’s Workout” (though no idea when or what that will involve just yet).  Get involved – Boys and Girls are both needed – and you can join the team HERE:  https://au.movember.com/register/join-team/id/1997129

p.p.s.  Please remember, when the bar code scanner ‘beeps’ that means it has read the code…it doesn’t mean that your membership is active…please check the screen to make sure you have a nice big green ‘tick’ and not a big red ‘cross’.  You certainly wont be in trouble but our fixed term memberships don’t automatically ‘roll-over’.

Gym Update #1 – Halloween

Thanks to everyone who headed along to our Halloween bash (aka watching the All Blacks play the Springboks!).  The costumes were great – thanks to everyone for making an effort because it really added to the night – and the company was better.

Looking forward to doing it again sometime soon!  (Though probably without the scary costumes and makeup).

Gym Update #2 – October Challenge:  Last week is GO-GO-GO

The October Challenge is nearly D-O-N-E.  We have one week to go – the ‘extra’ challenge this week is to cut out alcohol – and I am not sure about how everyone else is tracking but I know I have managed to drop a couple of unwanted kilos already…and whilst my work hours have really impacted on my ability to get my ‘8-hours’ (if you finish work around 9:15pm and your alarm goes off at 4am it simply isn’t possible!) just having an awareness that I need to get to bed and turn the light OFF has definitely helped.

If you still have classes to do, smash them out – don’t wait until the last day.  If you still have challenge circuits to do, smash them out – don’t wait until the last day.  And if you have finished all your classes and circuits, you are NOT DONE until the last sugar free, alcohol free, 8-hour sleep is done!

For anyone still uncertain about what might be what, specific details of the challenge include:

–       Complete 21x classes within the challenge time-frame (Monday October 5^th until Sunday October 31^st).  Double sessions are permitted.

–       As well as having a ‘food restriction’, each week of the challenge will include a food challenge!  An example of this is to ‘Eat a healthy, balanced breakfast every day this week’.   We have recipes ready to go to help you here that include some portion size guidelines.

–       The October challenge will feature our first ever ‘SLEEP CHALLENGE’.  Now, we cannot regulate how LONG you sleep for, but the challenge will be a simple one – be in bed with the LIGHTS OUT and TV OFF at least EIGHT (8) hours before your alarm is scheduled to go off….shift-workers might need to have a chat to me on this one!

–       Remember, the details of the 2x weekly circuits can be found on the YouTube Channel.

Gym Update #3 – Strength Testing Day

As mentioned last week, when the current Beach Bodies cycle finishes we will be doing a ‘1-rep max’ testing day in the gym.  This is scheduled for November 29^th (a Sunday) and the plan is to test the maxes as follows:

–       12pm Bench Press

–       1pm Squat

–       2pm Overhead Press

–       3pm Deadlift

For everyone who has jumped into a Body Work class, Tanks class or No Rules class and had ‘no idea’ what to set the barbell at for their strength set, well, this might be the day for you.  If I am super motivated we might even cook a few burgers throughout the day!

If you are interested in testing, please let me know by return mail to info@round1fitness.com.au.  In addition to the testing listed above, we will also be giving people the chance to test their 500m row AND their 30calorie assault bike throughout the day.

Gym Update #4 – Hand Wraps (Black and Blue)

As promised, hand-wraps are again available in BLACK and BLUE…we have a heap of stock but (as always) if there is something you want, grab it straight away.  Next to arrive (apart from the Boomers protein) should be a new duffel bag which we will be offering for sale for the first time…these are still a few weeks away (we are just finalising the design process) but will offer a separate compartment for gloves/shoes in addition for a storage area for your training clothes…

Gym Update #5 – Summer Program – Monthly Beach training

We are planning to include a monthly ‘beach workout’ in the planning for this summer – starting in November.  I would love some feedback here on what you would like in terms of details (day?  Time?) to help in the planning.  At this stage we are looking at a Saturday morning around 09:30am …the idea will be just to have a bit of fun and do something a bit different.

Gym Update #6 – Beach Bodies#2 – Week 9 is Up

Week 8 of the program has been published and should be accessible to all participants.  As per my comments on the Beach Bodies FaceBook page today, I will be continuing to program both a linear progression (called BB1) and a supportive exercise progression (BB2) right through to the end of the program this time.

On other Beach Bodies news, I am also proposing to plan out a ‘Week 14’ testing day – we will be running this on the FINAL SUNDAY of the current Beach Bodies program (which I work out to be November 29^th) when we will do 1RM Testing for anyone who has participated in either Beach Bodies#1 OR Beach Bodies#2 programs for Back Squat, Deadlift, Bench Press and Overhead Press.  The testing sessions will commence from the conclusion of the LAST CLASS on November 29^th (or just after 12pm).

Link of the week

Some more hot weather coming up this week…have a read and a listen and a look to this:

http://www.mobilitywod.com/2015/08/the-implications-of-heat-hydration-on-your-physiology-with-dr-stacy-sims%EF%BB%BF/