Looking In The Mirror and Stepping Up....

Sometimes you've just got to take that honest look in the mirror and let the truth of where you are at stare you in the face.

If you are not where you want to be, you don't have to feel bad about it (unless that helps - and lets face it sometimes it can!), but you might want to do something about it!

We all choose our daily priorities and they either lead us to the kind of results and life we want or they don't.

So, how about looking back at the year so far and how you've got to where you are at today? Can you do it, can you be completely honest with yourself?

I truly hope you are happy, fulfilled and excited with where you are at - and when i say look in the mirror i'm not just talking about the looks - how about what you can actually do!

If this isn't the case the cure is largely action - correct, consistent, committed action, physically and nutritionally.

But, inspired action is even better - as in knowing your personal reason why you want to do what you are doing.

Get under the surface a little and discover the fuel that can really take you a long way.

Then go for it! And remember to re-visit that 'mirror' on a regular basis..

Inspiring Year!

It's been a while - i wonder how many blogs find themselves starting out with those lines or something similar all too frequently!

With Sussex Bootcamps doing fantastic things this year i mentioned not being able to update as often on here.

So with the snow outside at the moment i thought i'd take a few minutes to do a brief update.

I see a big part of my job being to deliver inspiration. In order to do this i have to take the time to stay inspired myself.

For me this comes from a number of sources, especially reading, learning and attending courses.

I've invested in quite a few course this year and i've enjoyed the regular exposure to some fantastic teachers and trainers.

After 'using' kettlebells on and off for years, it's been great to finally learn more about the competition style of lifting and apply this to my own training. Along with this we've started to teach kettlebell classes -

www.sussexkettlebells.co.uk



Personally, i've had a great mix of training over the past few months - integrating some gymnastic strength, kettlebell training, olympic lifts and heavy basic lifts.

We are looking to finish the year by giving something back! We have a charity week of bootcamp on December the 13th, 15th and 17th. People simply need to bring a food donation which we will pass on to local homeless charities. Come and find out why we are the best bootcamp in the area!

You can register for your limited place at

www.sussexfreefitnessbootcamps.com

Hope you have a fit and fantastic festive season! Look forward to an even more awesome 2011.

Here's another link to the frequently updated Sussex Bootcamps blog

www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk/blog

Steve Cork

10 Minute Outdoor Fitness Session With Some Fun Toys!

Rush hour traffic in Haywards Heath left me a little late for a planned workout on Whitemans Green.

Rather than miss out altogether, Ben and Katie joined me for a 10 minute blast and then carried on while i taught a kettlebell induction.

We just went with some big bang movements for maximum effect - the best way! Tools for the job were kettlebells and ViPR's.

Kettlebells you have no doubt started to hear about, but ViPR's are pretty new on the scene. This are rubber tubes which come in different sizes and weights which have some handles for different use.

They are a great tool for loading some athletic and multi-dimentional movements, and are really nice to use outdoors.

Anyway, first round was 30s of kettlebell snatches per arm, 30s rest and then 1 min of a ViPr move - step with an uppercut.

Then it was back to KB Snatches, then a ViPR shuffle and shovel movement.

Last was 50s per arm of clean to push press, followed by ViPR flips.

This added up to a great 10 minutes that left my whole body feeling good. Ben and Katie carried on to a point that maybe they started to not feel so good!!

The kettlebell induction was followed up with a great session. People are really getting the hang of the bells and finding them to be a great complement to bootcamp.

These sunny evenings have been awesome to get some outdoor exercise and Whitemans Green in Cuckfield provides a fantastic view to enjoy at the same time.

Steve Cork
www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk

Kettlebell Classes Launched!

(Not a great shot - playing with a KB circuit before the class!)

That's right - this has been a few years in the making!

Just one of those things we haven't got around to doing until now. We've been playing around with Kettlebells for quite a few years now along with introducing them into our Personal Training sessions and some of the earlier Bootcamp sessions too.

We always intended to have more of a dedicated class to really let the participants explore the benefits of adding kettlebells in to their training programme a little more fully than just doing a few sets of swings now and again.

Remember, a kettlebell is a tool - it doesn't do anything magic by itself. Like any other tool it's all about how you use it, how you integrate it into your programme and learning correct technique in the first place.

There are a variety of approaches to using kettlebells out there and we can draw benefits from most of them depending on our goals and situation.

To many people, learning how to be stable and strong while moving a weight around will be a new experience. Some people really have to re-educate their major muscle groups to do the work they should be doing to safely and athletically move the kettlebell.

It's in learning how to integrate the legs, hips, and 'core' efficiently that many of the benefits of using kettlebells are realised. Your ability to move is improved, along with your ability to use your whole body and therefore burn a load of calories.

Many people will improve pretty much every fitness quality. Kettlebells do lend themselves to being great for improving strength endurance and tend to be great for shifting body fat!

We are currently offering sessions on Tuesday nights at Whitemans Green in Cuckfield near Haywards Heath. These are currently fully subscribed but we will be adding more times soon.

An induction must be attended before regular sessions can be joined.

Please e mail info@sussexbootcamps.co.uk to register your interest.

Steve Cork
www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk