Hi and welcome to another week,

Well – it seems like a lot has happened since the last blog (just one week ago!).  Today has been madness with the Body Scan’s for the challenge (thanks to everyone involved for their patience) not to mention the massive numbers slogging their way through classes all weekend (all week! – remember the madness of the Australia Day holiday?).  We had our first (of what we hope are many) monthly or thereabouts catch-ups at ‘The Quarrie’ yesterday (thanks to Elie for organising what was a good time for all)…then there are membership specials on the go and a myriad of other things to be sorted out for the challenge…basically, it has been a bit of an insane week and the next few days don’t look any better.

In amongst all of that, the world is just about back on its ‘normal’ axis.  The kids are back at school (well, mine are as of tomorrow).  Most people’s traditional summer holidays are in the rear view mirror – and with the Australia Day holiday ‘done’ we don’t have another long weekend coming for 6-weeks or so…so it is back to the grind for pretty much all of us.  And whether you are new to Round 1 or have been with us for years, somehow this week – the first week of February – can often feel like the time your ‘training’ is actually starting for the year and you start thinking about the things you are hoping to get out of it.  Most of us start the year thinking about losing a couple of kilos or maybe getting stronger, we might be thinking about doing our first pull-up (muscle-up?) or progressing to do all of our push-ups from our toes or hitting the targets on the bikes…hopefully some of those things sound familiar.  If you were to ask me though, I would say to set all of those things aside and focus your attention in a different direction.

The first thing I would say is that you should be thinking about making training and exercise part of your life – forever.  Unfortunately if all you can think of is dropping those 5kgs you probably will – but job done you will probably struggle with motivation to keep traing…and you will ‘find’ those kilos again (most likely a lot more quickly than you think).  So remind yourself you are in it for the long haul and that if you stick at it, all the things you are hoping to achieve will eventually come your way.  Basically, it isn’t a race.

Second is that doing things on your own or ‘your way’ or whatever will definitely get you started down the path.  But you will reach a point where you need to get some help and hopefully that is where the coaches at Round 1 fit in.  If one of the crew is trying to help you with your elbow position on your front squats (for example), well, give their advice a go…what they are trying to adjust might not make any difference today or tomorrow or next week or next month.  But if you are not able to make the adjustment, when the time comes to start adding weight to the bar (to stick to the same example) things are going to go awry.  Pay attention to the coaches and try to execute what they want you to do.  Basically – take advice from people who have been there before you.

Third, you just have to embrace the journey and realise that some days are going to be better than others – more fun, more exercises you like, more EVERYTHING – but that it is the way you put your head down and push ahead when you aren’t ‘feeling it’ or every station has an exercise you dislike or you have a blister on your toe that makes all the difference.  There is a famous quote that I can’t be bothered looking up that goes something like ‘when you are thinking about quitting, remember why you started’.  Don’t allow yourself to be put off by a bad moment or frustrating day/week – find one thing you can be proud of (and it might be as simple as ‘I still showed up even though I didn’t feel like it’) and hang your hat on that for the day…hopefully that is enough to bring you back tomorrow.

Lastly, eating right and training right – and living right – is pretty darned simple – but it isn’t easy.  Some of us get too carried away with our training and diet to the point where having a beer with a friend is considered a sin…that’s bad. Some let the pendulum swing the other way – only having a drink on days that end in a ‘Y’ and allow two missed gym sessions to turn into two MONTHS of missed gym sessions.  Sticking on that skinny, winding track in the middle of those two extremes – at least ‘MOST’ of the time is the way to go.  I guess that looks like 3-4 training sessions each week, smart eating where you manage your portions and lay off the sugar in general, but make time for friends and are prepared to let your hair down when you do, well, that’s probably the place where we all should be.

Good luck with your training – see you in the gym!

Michael.

p.s.  Guys – we are missing quite a few of our little massage balls and two of the duo balls out of the Blackroll rehab rack.  If you have accidentally borrowed them – or even if you have not so accidentally borrowed them – please bring them back.  It is expensive gear that is for everyone to use…if you want one of your own, we will be getting in more stock in the very near future.

p.p.s.  For anyone wondering why the hell we have programmed the weighted carries as one of the 28-Days Later ‘weekly challenges’, be sure to check out the link of the week at the bottom of the blog.

Gym Update #1 – Membership Special…THREE SPECIALS IN THREE WEEKS!

OK.  Here we go AGAIN…we had a special on last week and we had a special on the week before that…and we have ONE LAST  (definitely the last for a while!) membership special.  So if you missed out two weeks back with the 3-months for $200 or last week with the 5x Free PT sessions here is ONE LAST CHANCE to grab a bargain!

Unlimited membership – that’s the one where you pay monthly or fortnightly but can cancel it whenever you like – this week and this week only (until Sunday February 7^th) there is no joining fee.  That is an up-front saving of $75.  This is the only membership type where we have a joining fee and this week it is gone…this means that this membership will be cheaper than paying for 3-months up front ($225 vs $250)…for this week only of course.

No conditions, no minimum, no anything at all.  Purchase an ‘Unlimited’ membership this week – as many classes as you like, as much gym as you like, cancel whenever you like without penalty – with no joining fee. 

Gym Update #2 – Beach Training this SATURDAY (Feb 6^th).

We have a beach training session scheduled for 8am this coming Saturday down at C.Y. O’Connor beach (the same venue we have always used).  All the info is up on the white board in the reception area at the gym, but essentially Elie and Kirei will be running the session – it is certain to be challenging and even more certain to be a lot of fun.

We would really like to get at least one more beach session in this year…if we can make this one a success then we will try to get in one more early in March.

8am.  This Saturday.  C.Y. O’Connor beach.

Gym Update #3 – February ’28 days Later’ Challenge…It’s finally here.

It’s on!  The 28-Days Later challenge has started for another year.  No Bread.  No Pasta.  No Added SWEETENERS (of ANY KIND).  No Alcohol.  For 28-Days.  For those of you who have signed up, it all starts at midnight tonight.  For those who haven’t (but want to) it isn’t too late…but it soon will be – remember that registration for the challenge will be ONLINE ONLY and the easiest place to find the link is HERE:

https://round1fitness.com.au/2016-28-days-later-challenge

This year the challenge includes an exclusive 28-Days Later t-shirt, 2x body scans, and 10-days worth of eating plans…as well as the usual sign off sheet, video of the challenges etc.

The requirements will be:

Three (3) classes completed each week.

Three (3) challenges completed each week.  Each challenge will require less than ten (10) minutes of additional time and have been designed so that they can be completed before/after a class.  The video explaining the challenges can be found here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THyg-mN0VqI

Food restrictions (no alcohol, no food items with added sweeteners, no bread, no pasta) for all 28-days.  There will be provision for 2x ‘cheat’ days during the challenge.

For anyone who missed out on todays weigh-ins (well, SCAN INS!) please remember we will be charging you an extra $5 to get your scan done…it does take time, it does need us to dedicate a staff member to you for a time and we DID organise a day when you could have it all done at no charge…this is only fair enough!

Good luck!

Gym Update #4 – Catch-up @ The Quarrie

Thanks heaps to everyone who made their way down to ‘The Quarrie’ last Saturday (Jan 30^th) for a beer and a catch-up.  We are really hoping to make this a regular event and it was encouraging to see so many people getting along – if not quite in their Sunday best at least out of their gym gear! – and enjoying each others company.

Gym Update #5 – Casual Bookings (Including 10-pass Holders)

So – over the past month or so there seems to have developed a whole heap of confusion over which classes casual gym users need to book for and which ones they don’t.  So we have decided to make it easy for everyone – if you aren’t a member of the gym, please book for ALL CLASSES.  We are headed into what is generally a really busy time at the gym so if you are a casual user please just call the gym on 9414 1141 to book in for any/all classes you want to attend.  If you are a member you don’t need to book.  We will figure it out and find a way whenever you come in! J

If you aren’t sure when the classes are – or, more topically, when Body Work is vs when Boxing is! – check the timetable here:  Round 1 Fitness Class Timetable

Link of the week

This could also be called ‘why I think weighted carries are awesome and everyone should do them’!  http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/loaded-carries-the-ultimate-functional-exercise