Hi and welcome to another week,

Thanks to everyone who got into the gym last week – some great classes ran (it seemed like cardio town every day) but my favourite (by far) was the team challenge on Friday.  I really love those interactive sessions where I feel ‘under pressure’ to work hard so my partner (or the rest of my team!) doesn’t have to do more than is absolutely necessary…maybe it is just me that needs this extra ‘push’ but I find it works really well.

Looking at the plans for this week, we have a couple of different things going on with the mini-sleds out for the first time in a few weeks.  We also have 1-minute rounds on the agenda for Thursday (please cue the competing choruses of BOOS and CHEERS)…I know we did this back on Australia Day (only two weeks back) but because only 2x boxing classes ran that day I wanted to give the session another run to enable a wider range of participation.  I have also programmed our new SPARC trainers in the sessions from THURSDAY (they are scheduled in 1-minute rounds!) even though they are not planned for installation until Wednesday….so let’s see how that goes.

I was away on footy camp at Cervantes all weekend – and that has kind of inspired this blog.  Not because I want to write about footy (I actually do want to write about footy but figured writing 1000 words on where to position the fat-side winger at a BTA stoppage might be a bit dry for most people!) but because I want to write about the benefits of just getting yourself prepared.  Some people will say it is being ‘professional’, others will talk about 1%’ers…I just like to think it is common sense stuff for anyone who wants to get the best possible outcome for time spent!

First off, you have to plan to have a plan.  What I mean by this is that whilst you are reading this blog, you should already be 99% sure in your own head of when you are going to get your training done this week – with a bit of a ‘and if life gets in the way, I will do this instead’ type backup idea.  Don’t leave it to chance and ‘hope’ to get three sessions done.  Nominate the ones you want to do (in your head if you like – but I find in my diary works better!) and be honest with yourself about getting to them.

Second, you need to have a plan.  OK – so the last part is really the ‘broad strokes’ but this is the specifics…know what you will do when you get to the gym.  If it is a class – amazing!  If it is a squat session – awesome.  If you have a big cardio effort planned – great – do that.  It doesn’t really matter to me what you have planned to do (I think pretty much everything is awesome and awesomely good for you) but don’t head in and wander around with a bit of this and a bit of that.  Be clear on what you want to do and get on with it – for all of us time is valuable and if you want the best results, maximise your time by having a clear plan and getting on with it.

Next, make sure you have all of the ‘stuff’ you need to execute the plan.  This can be as simple as having a change of clothes and a gym towel or could involve any number of things.  For me (over the weekend) it meant taking as many pairs of shorts, socks and jocks as I could squeeze into my bag as running on the beach and in the water = wet gear that will cause chafing and discomfort…it meant having tonnes of sunscreen in my bag (why trust that the medicos have brought along enough for everyone)…it meant taking the power cord for my laptop (who knows how long editing that video/changing that presentation is going to take)…it meant taking my own food (who knows if there are challenge friendly options available…who knows if there would be enough???).  Being prepared just means thinking things through and making sure that when you get to your training session, nothing will cause it to be compromised.

No you have all of your ‘stuff’, make sure your body is actually ready to rock and roll.  This is about food and water – look after yourself during the day and you will get the most out of your session.  If you are training at 4pm, start sipping on that water bottle at 1pm.  Don’t wait until you are ten-minutes in and saying ‘man, I need a drink’ – hydrate before you get there.  Likewise, eat at an appropriate time for your body – for some people, this means 30 minutes before is fine…for others, eating within 2-hours of a session is an issue.  Don’t expect the ‘best’ results if you haven’t prepared yourself to train.

Now is the simple part – get your head right and TRAIN!  Notice I didn’t say the ‘easy’ part – because this isn’t easy…it is SIMPLE.  When you hit the bags – hit them hard.  When you ride the bikes – PUSH yourself.  Lift the biggest weights you can.  Your head is going to tell you to take it easy – all of our heads do that – but tell those little voices to be quiet and crack in.  No matter how tired you think you are, you will be fine to go a little bit harder…your body will be up for it if you can convince your mind to get it going!

I guess this could say ‘recover and get ready for the next one’ but before that, I think it is important to reflect and review.  When it is over – think back about what you have done.  I guess ideally everyone would record what they have done – what weights used, what calories ridden/rowed, how they felt, how they feel afterwards…it is amazing how spending a couple of minutes doing this after a session has you ready to go in the next session – and how a couple of minutes reflection will have you more prepared to perform the next time the bell rings.

Right – this is the last part – and it is recover and reaffirm the plan (yep, the one back in step 1!).  Have a bit of a stretch.  Drink some water – maybe a shake, eat some food…and think about the plan you have laid out for the week and when you will be training again.  If you can tie one to the other  (thoughts about the ‘next time’ together with your post session stretching) you will find it becomes a regular thing – with one comes the other…and if you are thinking about and reaffirming your plan as soon as you finish a session, you are so much more likely to stick to the plan and get yourself back to the gym on time and on schedule!

See you all in the gym!

Michael.

Gym Update #1 – 28-Days Later – The ‘LINKS’

So…one week in and all is well?  At least I hope it is!  I have LOVED seeing all of the food pics on our challenge group Facebook group – you guys are amazing and doing so well…to just ‘EAT REAL FOOD’ you first have to just ‘COOK REAL FOOD’ – some of the pics of your creations going up put me to shame…somehow my standard ‘homemade burgers, broccoli, green beens, sweet potato and ‘whatever is in the fridge’ salad doesn’t seem to pass muster anymore.

As you would have read above, I had to face down a pretty big challenge at footy camp – being away from home, uncertain food availability, uncertain food storage options, high activity levels but zero chance of getting any classes or challenges done…it has not been an easy few days.  I can only tell you how tough a battle it was preparing food and putting it in an esky on Friday with no real idea if I was going to have access to a fridge to store it in (let alone a microwave to heat it in!!!) over the weekend…

As it was, everything turned out OK.  I had no microwave but I DID have a fridge…and I have no real problem with eating food cold (I know a couple of Round 1 staff who would have been in trouble though!).  And one of the meals provided on the camp was challenge ‘pretty friendly’ (had to make a separate salad without dressing but all it took was to ask the staff at the ‘restaurant’ where we were eating…I got to the end unscathed!  Not only that, but (as you might have inferred from above) bringing my own tucker had a couple of other benefits…namely that I was able to eat well and get the fuel I needed to get through the weekend whereas most other people were doing it pretty tough by the time Saturday was over…

Anyway, if you still need some help:

1/.  Info Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIWZKH53O4M

2/.  ‘Extras’ video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD_44B9yFkE

Any questions about the challenge, please email me at info@round1fitness.com.au.

Gym Update #2 – Beach Workout

We are planning a Beach Workout for SUNDAY FEBRUARY 19^th…so please put it in your diary.  On that day (which is a Sunday), the gym will be CLOSED and we will be running a BEACH SESSION from 8:30am followed by a BEACH BBQ.

So, put the date in your calendars – we will be taking registrations for the day (and it will be members only) via the website once the registration stuff for 28-days Later is done.  Planning to get registrations up NEXT WEEK!

Gym Update #3– New Gear

So – in each of the last two weeks I have talked about new ‘stuff’ that is arriving at Round 1 – first I commented on the SPARC trainers which will be used in our group sessions, THEN I mentioned the ARC trainer which will go out in the cardio area…and today, it is time to cover off on the new treadmills that are arriving.  We are making a significant change in our cardio area this week – and the new treadmills are just part of that change.  We are removing all of the ‘old’ gear (6x Treadmills, 1x elliptical) and replacing it with 2x new treadmills (read about them here:  http://www.lifefitness.com.au/product/integrity-series-treadmill-clsti/) and 1x ARC trainer.  We will also be installing a new gym mat system in the area in from of the televisions and relocating our foam roller rack there to create a little bit of a stretching zone…basically, a lot more change is coming!

One last thing.  Thanks heaps to the guys at APV Odyssey for helping with the relocation of our reception desk during the week…really appreciate it and the office is just a much ‘better’ place nowadays.

Link of the Week

Squat nerds of the world unite!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fob2wWEC72s  (Be warned, this is L-O-N-G!).