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

I Love It When A Group Comes Together!

Yes, we had a new bootcamp start this week and i do love the way our Bootcamp groups take on the challenge and achieve their goals.

I have a new appreciation of this from being on the 'other side' several times in recent weeks. Being in various group training situations gave me a fresh perspective on the atmosphere, expectation, camaraderie, and energy available.

It also gives me a good look at how someone else is teaching which is always valuable to reflect on.

Personally i've always loved teaching groups, and yet i've always spent the big majority of my own training time alone. I guess part of this comes from having very specific goals and ways i want to achieve them, which are not always compatible with other people being around!

In recent months i've enjoyed spending more of my training sessions with other people involved. Even more recently i took part in several practical sessions at a youth fitness convention, at an athletic training gym, and a weekend on a kettlebell instructor course.

There is a lot to be said for rising to the challenge as part of a group, and if you're lucky enough to be surrounded by people of a good standard or a lot better than you, then you have some great examples and maybe targets to aim for.

Many people on the kettlebell course commented they wouldn't have completed a particularly challenging sequence of squats if it hadn't been for doing it with a group.

I commented on this kind of thing on our members forum today and it seems they agree, this is a very valuable part of bootcamp.

Are you using this to your advantage?

What results might you achieve if you did?

I've been using kettlebells for years now, and this was my 3rd different instructor course. Look out for our kettlebell group sessions coming soon in Haywards Heath!

Steve
www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk

My Fitness Classes Disappearing.....

I've been teaching a variety of fitness classes at the local 'Olympos' Leisure centres for years and years - as well as many other fitness centres and health clubs.

With Sussex Bootcamps taking off in a big way i've needed to adjust and re prioritise my working week.

Every one of the classes that i've had to make the hard decision to move on from has been very difficult. I really enjoy teaching and i love the people that come to my classes - they are most often motivated fitness enthusiasts who enjoy some intelligently applied hard work.

Ultimately there comes a time when just continuing to do the same thing becomes thinking too small - and i want to do more right now!! I guess i can value my time, energy and experience more than the places i have been teaching at!

Building my business where i have more control of the experience from start to finish means i can ultimately help more people and deliver a better product.

While we are offering a different level and type of service currently in terms of Bootcamps, we will be expanding and offering services to more of the Sussex community in due course. Specifically, there will be a Youth Fitness service, Boxing fitness and Kettlebell classes.

We are going to continue to offer the best fitness services in the area with the best instructors.

If you are local to Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill, i still have a Monday and Wed evening drop in class that are not going anywhere soon.

I look forward to being of service to more people, in bigger and better ways.

In Fitness and Health,

Steve
www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk

Restoration - Rest Week or Simply Back Off Week??

Last week after what was a good 7 or possibly 10 weeks training (don't have my diary in front of me to check), it was time for some recovery.

A couple of ways you can approach this and the choice really depends on what you've been doing and how you are feeling.

Firstly you could take a week completely off any training - a good option if you have not done this for a long time and are feeling a bit run down or beaten up from heavy training. Obviously light activity is going to be good.

A back off week can also be a great option. If you are still feeling pretty good but know it's going to be healthy to have a bit of a change, then go for it. With this, you are still going to do some training, perhaps with less volume, less intensity, less duration, different activities etc.

I like the back off week to get in some play time. Some of the things i never get around to doing enough of when i'm in the middle of a more focused and potentially draining routine.

I was actually feeling pretty good. I'd had 4 weeks of 2 strength sessions instead of the usual 3, some different exercises, and then 3 other conditioning sessions. So, my body had already benefited from a bit of a change.

Looking at the back off week, i'm wondering if it was more than many people's training weeks! I managed to fit in:

- A brief, fun, and challenging 2 kettlebell workout, simply stinging together some great whole body movements.

- A brief session of barbell complexes which become very hard very quickly.

- A circuit session which involved a 100 burpee challenge, sprints and pull ups.

- A hard spinning class. A mini core emphasis circuit.

- A heavy lifting session, just with less sets and fewer exercises than normal.

A few of these sessions were pretty short. A big change is taking off any mental pressure to improve anything specific. It therefore feels less intense even if a lot is still being accomplished.

One thing i'd do better at next time is a few less late nights which can make all the difference in actually feeling rested after a 'rest' week.

Steve
www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk

Training Update

No squash at all last week - Rubbish!

My grip issue now resolved i've been winning a fair bit!

I'm into my 9th consecutive week of 3 good weights sessions a week. After successfully completing this week i'll take a week off from structured weights sessions.

Planning to play around with a bit of bodyweight and kettlebell stuff, as well as get more squash played!

After the week break, i'll get back into it and i'm looking forward to some stronger sets of only 4 reps!

Can't wait to find out what weight my front squat and deadlift will be at after 3 weeks of 4 rep work.

Hope yours is going well!

Steve

Yesterday's Training!

I am so excited about all the projects i'm involved in at the moment and the new ways we'll be getting the word out and helping more people.

What ever service or programme it is i'll stand by it as one of the best you can do and commit to over delivering on the value you get.

From personal training, bootcamps, group classes, and beyond, watch out there is great stuff to come.

I'm still committed to getting my own training done. Yesterday was a close one but i just about managed to fit this in late afternoon.

Main focus was a variety of shoulder work. The heavier focus was mostly different vertical pressing, along with some heavy dumb bell snatches.

Lighter work was focused around some rotational movements using resistance bands - also some 1 arm kettlebell swings.

I prefer to make my pressing movements as whole body as possible by doing them all from a standing position.

The dreaded leg focus with lighter pulling and pressing is up next - it always seems to wipe me out!! Look out for a report on the pain soon!

Steve

www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk
www.everydayathletes.co.uk

Sussex Bootcamps on the Radio - What Happened!

As mentioned we had a brave Southern Counties reporter join us for a session in Haywards Heath on Tuesday!

It was a fun bit of exposure for us and Catherine (the reporter) had to find out more about what we do and then ended up with a couple of physical challenges. There were 2 live broadcasts on the radio.

After saying why we do what we do and the sort of people that have joined us, Ben took Catherine through the basics of a Kettlebell swing. This was with the aim of targeting a problem area of 'saddlebags' supposedly!!

The rest of the Bootcamp got on with their session as Ben put them through their paces. I helped Catherine to prepare for her challenges and told her more about the camp.

We ended up with the challenges being to perform a double jump (2 spins of a skipping rope to 1 jump), and then to hold a plank position for 20 seconds.

Not a massive challenge - the whole session would have been better - but not bad considering jeans and heels were the workout clothing of choice!

Thanks to all the participants of the 9.30 Beech Hurst Women's Bootcamp for putting up with the slight disruption!

We look forward to our next bit of media exposure.

Steve Cork

Gym, Home Gym, or No Gym?

(There was a picture of my barbell here but it squashed all the text together).

Running out of room in my home gym!

One of the limitations of a home gym is usually the amount of space you have, or the amount of kit you have - or both!

Above is my poor 5ft standard barbell nearly out of space for nearly all the weights i own. It is loaded up to 184kg's, which was my new deadlift pr on Sunday.

The point here is, whether you are a personal training client, come along to classes or bootcamps, or none of the above, it really helps to have some home training options.

First what do you need? Answer - nothing!

You need the correct technique and application of basic exercises first and foremost without needing to resort to any machines or gadgets.

The world already has far too many useless or unused pieces of exercise equipment in it for you to start adding to that pile!

Now consider what you want to be able to do? What type or types of training are going to be most useful and enjoyable for you to do at home. This will guide your choice of if or what you decide to invest in.

As a teenager looking to enhance my strength and add some muscle mass - it made great sense investing in some free weights. However, if i'd had a bit more money at the time, i would have made the more stupid choice of one of those horrible multi-gym things from Argos!

They do seem to stock some better quality kit these days though.

Other times i have decided to shun training with weights in favour of all the bodyweight resistance exercises i used to do in martial arts classes (luckily did not get rid of my trusty weights though).

A few years ago, i decided i got plenty of aerobic training in all of my classes, so any time and energy training at home would be geared towards more strength training. Therefore i again sought to add to my weights, plus some sandbags and kettlebells etc.

So, choose what you want to do. Then decide if any equipment or kit can help you achieve this.
The more weird and wonderful and 'too good to be true' claims that are made for something - the less likely i would be to trust it. Especially if it's available in your local supermarket!!

When it comes to your fitness training programmes, and any equipment you buy, saving pennies initially can cost you pounds later on (in both senses of the word).

Your time, energy and money are worth far too much to be thrown away on ineffective solutions.

Your health and fitness truly are worth investing in. Buy quality training that will help to set you up for a long healthy active life. Buy quality equipment (if you decide you need any), that will be far more enjoyable and safe to use. It will also have a better value should you decide to re-sell it if it's not for you after all.

Sometimes the right bits of kit can help to keep you fired up and enthused for your fitness training, with just enough variety to keep it interesting.

This is one of the best reasons to invest in kit, as if you don't enjoy using something, it's never really going to get you the results you want.

I've had some of those weights for over 15 years now. They have enabled me to get some great, time efficient and energy packed home training sessions. Definitely a good investment!

I'll post a little more on this soon.

Steve Cork
http://www.everydayathletes.co.uk/
http://www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk/

The Joys of a Failed Internet Connection!!

Hi,

In the unlikely event that you have found your way to this page and happen to be someone subscribed to my newsletter - this is for you!!

Also if you have sent me an e mail and received no reply, this is for you too!

I'm really sorry for my lack of communication. This has purely been down to a terrible 4-5 weeks of service from my broadband supplier - tiscali. This has dragged on and on seemingly without any urgency to get it fixed. I hope to have this resolved asap.

Everything seems to be firing on all cylinders otherwise. Classes are still popular and packed. I'm busier than ever with personal training (http://www.everydayathletes.co.uk/), and the 3rd round of bootcamps has just started well (http://www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk/).

If you have dropped out of the loop for any reason, had your fitness habit interrupted, or just want to get started - let me know how i can best help you

I am truly here to help, and if you are serious and committed, i believe i offer some of the best health and fitness resources available.

Choose from group classes, personal training, and bootcamps to get you where you need to be. I'm located in and around Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill.

Whatever you do, choose something and take action, action and more action!

Even after over 10 years of being a fitness professional, i still like to learn more every day and keep up to date. I recently enjoyed attending the Fit Pro conference in Loughbrough, where i somehow ended up joining in with a ketllebell demonstration - fame at last! Much of the rest of the time was spent learning from the best people in the industry from around the world.

I also completed my Advanced Kettlebell Instructor training in March.

I just mention these to say that i'm committed to getting the best results for my clients in the safest and most effective ways possible.

More soon......

Steve