Hi and welcome to another week,

Straight up a big thanks to everyone who came into Round 1 to train with us last week.  Much appreciated – we had some cranking sessions running and the number of participants and enthusiasm of everyone in the gym was what made them.  I have to say, it felt like every single class last week included approximately 13000 pushups as well so maintaining any level of enthusiasm was pretty tough by the time the weekend rolled around.  This coming week we are pulling back on the pushups and there is some cool stuff happening with the ski-ergs, we are continuing to work on our pistols, the old school November challenge barbell circuit is back on Wednesday, there is a partners class scheduled (don’t worry, you don’t need a ‘partner’ to participate) and another one of those ‘no minute rounds’ things on the program…it all looks pretty cool.

Whilst I am talking about classes, I should also mention that I was super (super) happy with the way the new ‘block’ of Body Work sessions ran last week.  I managed to participate in two (2) and run two (2) others…we have moved to a 4×4 template for the strength elements this time and I found the drop from 5-reps in the last training block to 4-reps this time has allowed me to up my weights just a ‘little’ bit…has to be good for me right?  Certainly just the change in rep scheme will be good in terms of continuing to challenge me to adapt and improve.  If you haven’t done Body Work for a while and are one of those people ‘petrified’ by the idea of this class, it really is a nice ‘balancer’ to boxing with a greater emphasis on strength work and if you are looking to make a change in 2017, adding Body Work could just help with those changes?

So – I have just read back all of the classes stuff I wrote above (and you guys thought I planned this blog thingy out!)…and I know have already written some stuff below about the new cardio gear that will be here soon – and before I went any further I just wanted to stop and point out that the reality of any workout is going to be that you will be doing some cardio (running, rowing, riding, ski-ing), picking up some heavy stuff (and putting it back down again) and – especially at Round 1 – throwing things (like a OH Wall Ball throw) or HITTING things.  And no matter what it says on the walls/whiteboards, what you get out of each work-out in terms of improvements in strength, improvements in cardio and even improvements in ‘state of mind’ are down to you.  If you wander around the gym when you first get in – or see the daily video/photos on social media – and decide that it is going to be hard/gruelling/not fun or whatever, then you really are giving yourself no chance of having a good, fun experience.  Sure, get nervous for the challenge – but be excited about the challenge…don’t think negative thoughts about what it says on the white board or because it is 5-minute rounds rather than 2-minute rounds (or vice versa) or something else completely irrelevant.

If you want the ‘good vibes’ that you should get from working out – and you SHOULD be getting that feel good rush when you finish training – you really do need to approach it with a sense of ‘this is going to be good for me and this is something I have CHOSEN to do’.  Whilst each session only goes for 45 minutes or so, I think we can all agree there is a big difference between spending 45 minutes doing something that you WANT to do versus 45 minutes doing something you are dreading (like eating eggplant as an example).  If you are dreading it, it is going to seem like you have been ‘forever’ after 5-minutes…if you have been looking forward to it or have decided that it was your ‘CHOICE’ to train, it is going to take at least 6 or 7-minutes before you feel like you are in hell…

I have been getting a heap of questions lately about post workout food, rest days and all sorts of things like that.  It makes sense because a lot of people (me included) have some hopes for change/achievement in 2017 and want to make sure that they are getting the MOST out of their training.  I guess I will start this little section off by saying there really is no one-size fits all response to this and that different people like to do different things.  As I have said before we are not training for the Olympics and even if we were, there is no such thing as a ‘perfect’ training program…but there are some steps you CAN take post-workout to make sure you are getting ready to perform at your best in the next session you complete – whenever that might be.

First – drink some water.  This is clear simple and obvious, but on hot days like we are experiencing at the moment, you are probably sweating A LOT.  How much exactly?  Well, jump on the scales and find out.  Weight yourself at the start of the session – then when you finish the session, change out of that sweat soaked shirt and jump back on the scales.  In really simple terms, if you weigh 1kg less, well, that 1kg is WATER.  So put it back in + 50% within an hour or so of finishing your session.  That’s pretty simple right?

If you want to add some fuel in as well, great idea particularly if you are looking to add some muscle.  If ever you are going to eat some carbs, post workout is the time – some sushi (with the rice), some baked sweet potato salad, maybe even a chicken and salad roll or wrap if you still ‘do’ bread…post workout is when your body will soak it up.  Post workout, blood flow to your skeletal muscles is stimulated so if you want to build some muscle timing your carb intake for the post workout ‘window’ is not a bad plan.  This is a bit harder because you need to be prepared with some food in your gym bag, but it is still something simple and easy to do.

I have just talked about carbs, but the main thing I am asked is whether drinking a protein shake after training will help.  Again, this is the time that blood flow is UP so adding some easy to absorb whey protein after your session can help.  I am not a big proponent for protein supplementation as I recommend people get their protein intake from their food, but I will admit that with the busy lives most of us are leading these days, having a shake post-workout really can be of benefit to a lot of people…after all, it is pretty hard to sit down to a meal when you get home from the gym at 9pm or eat bacon and eggs in the car on the way to work after a morning session…having a shake available is VERY simple and easy to do (and if you go with the Boomers you know you aren’t adding to your sugar fix as it is 100% sugar and sweeteners free!).

So – that’s the nutrition stuff.  What else should you do to prepare for your next session?  Well, MOVE is the main thing.  Go for a walk, have a stretch, jump in the pool, go to the beach.  Again, I know we are not training for the Olympics but there is a big difference between talking about ‘rest’ days and ‘recovery’ days.  I am pretty sure there is no need to have an entire day OFF from activity after completing a 45-minute workout…BUT you might want to have a day where the intensity is dialled down.  Walk the dog down the park and do some stretching, play in the pool with the kids, do the jetty run down at Coogee…be active but just take it a bit ‘easier’!

I feel like I have covered a heap of ground there – recovery post workout, attitude and choices in training, some info on the upcoming sessions…hopefully there was something there for YOU.

See you in the gym,

Michael.

Gym Update #1 – 28-Days Later is COMING

Our annual ’28-Days Later’ challenge is only a few short weeks away – and initial registrations will be up this week.  I know I said that LAST week, but they really will be up this week (promise).  As you guys might have noticed we had a couple of staff away last week and getting everything done from an admin perspective became pretty challenging…I did manage to get some new recipes written though, as well as finalising the 28-days Later Cardio Challenge, Strength Challenge and (of course) the 28-days later circuit.  As with 2016, you will need to finish the cardio, strength and circuit EACH WEEK (yes, in addition to your 3x classes each week…what?  You thought this getting in shape stuff was going to be easy???)

The results we achieved last year were nothing short of amazing …our total weight loss (for the gym) was 416kgs (an average of 3.76kgs per participant) – and this is despite people who participated GAINING an average of .4kg of muscle during the month…So we all gained muscle and lost fat – sounds AWESOME and I guarantee one thing…if there is only one person in the gym doing the 28-days Later Challenge that person will be ME!

If you have a New Years Resolution relating to your body composition – be it to lose weight, tone-up, get to the gym 3-times each week (or whatever it might be) – then you should think about getting involved in this challenge.  We will be running with an early registration plan this year (which will save you a few $) as when people register ‘LATE’ for this challenge in particular, it really does cause us administrative drama’s due to the need to pull together the recipes, workouts, vouchers etc in a consolidated folder for each participant.

Gym Update #2 – New Warm-up Process

Everyone who has been in the gym over the past week would also be able to report that we have implemented a change in the way we initiate our sessions.  This has caught a few people unawares so far – essentially, if you don’t have the daily warm-up done BEFORE the class starts, you will be asked to complete it before joining in with the session of the day.  Now there are a few reasons we have gone this way:

1/.  As per the feedback survey back in November, there was quite a bit of sentiment expressed about how long it takes to get classes going – one of the reasons being ‘time spent on warm-ups’.

2/.  We do have a bit of an issue in that when classes start ‘late’, they also finish ‘late’.  This causes conflict for parking spots, for locker space, for everything.

3/.  Not warming up is simply NOT an option.  For everyone who wants to just ‘jump straight it’ it is not a great idea.  The classes are written as if you are ready to go when the bell goes – there will be strength work, sprint work, plyometrics from the start.

The new process – come in, read the white board, do the warm-ups, join the class – will be on trial until the END OF FEBRUARY.  If you are mid-warm-up when the session starts (meaning when the class explanations and demonstrations start) you will be asked to find a group then FINISH your warm-up before joining in.

My advice is to do your warm-up as soon as you get to the gym – save the instructor demo’s time for putting your hand-wraps on – and make sure you are ready to go.

Gym Update #3 – New Gear

As every week goes by, we get closer (and closer) to adding some exciting new gear to our gym.  Really excited about what is coming and the benefits we will all get…I often talk about running a training focussed gym rather than an ‘equipment’ focussed gym – but there are times when being able to utilise tools can really give a boost to our programming and the results we are able to attain.  This is going to be one of those times!

Gym Update #4 – Beach Fit 2016 – Workout of the Week

Beach Fit is now in week #9 – so only a couple of more weeks to go.  The workout rotation for Week#9 is as follows:

If you are following a ‘1-workout per week’ rhythm, you should do WORKOUT#9 this week.

If you are following a ‘3-workout per week’ rhythm, you should do WORKOUT#5, #6 and #7 this week.

Of course, if you are following your own rhythm, AWESOME – continue to do that if it is working for you!

Remember, whether you are on a 1x session per week cycle OR a 3x session per week cycle, it is finding the time to get your food prep done as well as actually DOING your Beach Blasts – as hard and heavy as you are able – as signing up for the program doesn’t make the difference – DOING the workouts makes the difference.

Gym Update #5 – Food Matters Blog

So – I have been so busy writing 28-days later recipes that the promised ‘Food Matters’ blog on Wednesday somehow fell through a ‘black hole’ in my to-do list.  Rather than promise something that might again get ‘missed’, here is what I am going to say – over the next few weeks whilst I get 28-Days Later ‘ready’ and then ‘running’, the Food Matters blog will take a bit of a back-seat.  BUT – whilst 28-Days Later is on there will be a couple of messages and posts each week that are food and recipe relate…so don’t stress if you are ‘missing’ your weekly food fix – it might not be back in the same format in the short term but it WILL be back.

Link of the Week

Just eat real food:  http://sustainabledish.com/defense-real-food-paleo-whole30-dietitian-responds-us-news-world-reports-best-diets-2017/