Hey Team,
Thanks to everyone who got along to the gym last week. I was really happy with the way that ‘week#1’ of this new programming phase (and I’m talking Boxing, Functional and Body Work) worked from a class perspective AND the way it was received. The double strength blocks in Funky really did present a big challenge – it wont ALWAYS be like that, but I am really trying to find the right balance between the way I would traditionally put together our S+C programming (TANKS, No Rules etc) AND the specifics/structure of our more recent model. With boxing, I am chasing a similar balance between the traditional ‘move around the gym’ circuit classes and the ‘stay where you are’ post-COVID cell-based training model.
Anyway – I think the next two weeks represent (in Boxing in particular) a further jump ahead in this evolution and am looking forward to see how it goes.
The 28-Days-Later challenge is done for another year. As always, I am so impressed with the efforts put forward by so many of you. Getting 4x classes PLUS 2x extras (and they were HARD!!) done each week all whilst cutting out the bread, pasta, sugar and alcohol…what can I say…it’s a massive achievement.
What the challenge has taught me over the past 6 years though is that there is such a thing as ‘weight loss 101’ (well, for most people there is) and it really isn’t rocket science. BUT. You do have to stay focussed and ‘ride the wave’ of stop-start changes on the scales. If I was to summarise what works it would go like this.
Part 1: Start with some SMALL CHANGES in your diet.
Now the FULL rules of the challenge are pretty hard to ‘start with’ (which is why we don’t recommend people starting their time at Round 1 with a challenge!) but the ‘challenge rules’ are a good starting point. Without being too strict, your base principles for eating should be:
| Have a PLAN for each meal and each day – ‘BAD THINGS HAPPEN’ at the food-court at 2pm on a Saturday if you haven’t had breakfast (let alone lunch!).
Eat breakfast every day. No excuses. Have a protein shake (minimum) within 30-minutes of each workout. If you can have a piece of fruit as well that’s great. This will really help your body maintain it’s muscle mass whilst you are losing weight…which will help keep your metabolic rate high. Avoid bread or pseudo breads at lunchtime. A packed lunch will allow you to easily avoid this trap. Cut out all cool drinks and fruit juice. 2.5litres of water per day is PERFECT. At dinner your plate is 50% veggies, 25% protein, 25% carbs. Post-dinner snacks are a weight loss disaster – leave the m+m’s on the shelf in the super-market. Alcohol and desert twice per week – no more than that. |
Most of this stuff is pretty achievable and can be put in place without causing too much stress.
Part 2: Exercise counts
There is (of course) a calories in, calories out matters quotient here. BUT you don’t need to go crazy here. Our most successful clients at Round 1 attend the same sessions at the same times each and every week. The important thing with your exercise is that you do it EVERY WEEK – versus doing six (6) sessions per week for 3-weeks followed by 2-weeks off…then 6-more sessions, then 2x the next week, then another week off.
THREE (3) sessions per week, 52x weeks of the year is the way. If you want to do a couple more, great, good on you…I am not one to discourage a bit more and I know I feel ‘best’ when I do some structured exercise every day. Not everyone is me though and a consistent 3x sessions per week – EVERY WEEK – brings great results.
As you move forward with your exercise plan, it is important that you find ways to continually increase the intensity if you want to continue to make progress…go a bit faster, lift a bit heavier. This isn’t rocket science really and it doesn’t mean you need to ‘kill yourself’, but 30-minutes exercise means 30-minutes of EFFORT…not 12-minutes of effort surrounded by some rests, 50%-efforts, water breaks and conversations with the person alongside you.
Part 3: Sleep is SOOOOO Important.
There’s an element to this that you may not be able to control. New-borns wake up, kids get sick, shift-workers work at night time…I get it. But ultimately you need to GO TO BED!! Consistent sleep is the key – try to go to bed at the same time 5-6 nights per week…and get up at the same time. Create a rhythm that your body can get used to – don’t do the ‘up at 5am one day, up at 6:30am the next day…’ – it just leaves you feeling tired ALL THE TIME. Get up at the same time, drink some water straight away and get your day underway.
Honestly, that’s about it. Eat smart, train consistently, get some sleep.
Is all of this enough for everyone? Sadly, probably not – we are, after all, all different…and individual genetics and hormones all have a say in the outcomes. But the BEST way to start is to nail the simple stuff…when you have ALL of that in place – and a good 5-6 weeks of consistent behaviour in place, that is the time to start seeking help and assistance if things are progressing the way you would like. If you are going to get frustrated after 2-weeks of being ‘good’, well…what can I tell you? Take the time to ‘bed down’ the good behaviours – THEN measure your progress. Giving up after a couple of weeks? Well, there is a 100% chance that will not work!
Anyway, that’s it. Those 3x simple things really are the ‘big beats’ we have learned from the challenge over the past 6-years. If you need help getting started, don’t be shy to reach out…that is, after all, why we are here.
See you in the gym,
Michael.
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