Hi,
Please have a listen to this podcast that Pete did with me. We cover some good ground on the foundations of what makes for mental success that leads to the physical success that so many desire.
Learn to establish the habits that make exercise easier, and how to best include fitness in your life - enjoy!!
http://www.weightlossguru.com/index.cfm/Podcasts
Steve
http://www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
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
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
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Squats for better Abs!
Hopefully you have a training routine right now - if not start, commit to something do-able and build yourself a positive habit that will pay off for the rest of your life!
If you're training, hopefully you are including some kind or several kinds of squatting movements.
Squats are a great fundamental movement pattern that can go a long way to enhancing the function and composition of your body.
This is not meant to be an instructional post - you should be able to find some great technique articles and video's online.
Yes there are some basics that apply to pretty much all squats - feet a comfortable distance apart (around shoulder width), heels down, knees inline with your toes, bracing your mid section to maintain a natural curve in your back, keeping your upper body reasonably tall.
The great thing about squats is, however you do them they involve a great amount of your body. Even though i know this, it's nice to be taken by surprise pretty much every time i do a type of squat i haven't done for a while, do more reps or use more load than i've been used to.
It's often a tightness in my abs, sometimes glutes, quads or hamstrings - or some slightly evil combination of the above!
For weighted squats i always do front squats (with a barbell across the front of the shoulders). There are a few reasons for this; i often train at home with no rack or partners so a back squat is not such a practical or safe option, front squats are very useful for getting better at the explosive olympic lifts where the bar is caught in the same position as a front squat when performing a clean, and i've always liked the strong amount of core work i feel from doing them.
1 leg squats are also an interesting and challenging version that require no equipment.
Enjoy your squats, make sure you are doing them correctly and make them a core part of your training.
Steve
www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk
If you're training, hopefully you are including some kind or several kinds of squatting movements.
Squats are a great fundamental movement pattern that can go a long way to enhancing the function and composition of your body.
This is not meant to be an instructional post - you should be able to find some great technique articles and video's online.
Yes there are some basics that apply to pretty much all squats - feet a comfortable distance apart (around shoulder width), heels down, knees inline with your toes, bracing your mid section to maintain a natural curve in your back, keeping your upper body reasonably tall.
The great thing about squats is, however you do them they involve a great amount of your body. Even though i know this, it's nice to be taken by surprise pretty much every time i do a type of squat i haven't done for a while, do more reps or use more load than i've been used to.
It's often a tightness in my abs, sometimes glutes, quads or hamstrings - or some slightly evil combination of the above!
For weighted squats i always do front squats (with a barbell across the front of the shoulders). There are a few reasons for this; i often train at home with no rack or partners so a back squat is not such a practical or safe option, front squats are very useful for getting better at the explosive olympic lifts where the bar is caught in the same position as a front squat when performing a clean, and i've always liked the strong amount of core work i feel from doing them.
1 leg squats are also an interesting and challenging version that require no equipment.
Enjoy your squats, make sure you are doing them correctly and make them a core part of your training.
Steve
www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Inspiration! Who Are You Surrounding Yourself With?
So much to write - so little time!
I attended one of the most inspiring fitness 'events' as a fitness professional of over 11 yrs. Back in February i made the journey to Louisville, Kentucky to attend the IYCA summit.
I've been to quite a lot of conventions and courses over the years, but this one by the International Youth Conditioning Association had something truly special about it.
The speakers were absolutely amazing and i'd go as far as to call the event life changing! Yes i learned loads about the best ways of helping children and teenagers, and i learned from some of the best in the industry. But it takes a lot to get me to travel so far. I wanted to meet the people who had inspired me from afar and bring back some of the magic that they seem to live their lives with!
I believe we should seek the influence and contact with people who inspire us in our daily lives also. Thankfully, with the internet we have the ability to do just that.
With the internet though, it's almost too easy. Who are you surrounding yourself with face to face, who do you spend time with? Do your friends / family / colleagues support your desires and efforts to make the most of yourself - or do your efforts make them uncomfortable? Do you then get inspired and cheered on and have examples to aspire to? Or are you reminded of the barriers, the way things 'really are' and encouraged to live firmly within your comfort zone?
So yes, buy the books and visit the web sites of those who inspire you. Then use that to create positive environment in your life - both people and place!
We do everything we can to create such a positive environment for people on our Fitness Bootcamps. The groups really seem to work well together with a bit of structure from ourselves.
We aim to provide the right mix of support, inspiration, education, and accountability that can truly make the difference.
I'll be implementing what i learned about youth fitness training over the coming months.
For the best fitness bootcamps and personal training in Sussex, come and get inspired at www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk
Steve Cork
I attended one of the most inspiring fitness 'events' as a fitness professional of over 11 yrs. Back in February i made the journey to Louisville, Kentucky to attend the IYCA summit.
I've been to quite a lot of conventions and courses over the years, but this one by the International Youth Conditioning Association had something truly special about it.
The speakers were absolutely amazing and i'd go as far as to call the event life changing! Yes i learned loads about the best ways of helping children and teenagers, and i learned from some of the best in the industry. But it takes a lot to get me to travel so far. I wanted to meet the people who had inspired me from afar and bring back some of the magic that they seem to live their lives with!
I believe we should seek the influence and contact with people who inspire us in our daily lives also. Thankfully, with the internet we have the ability to do just that.
With the internet though, it's almost too easy. Who are you surrounding yourself with face to face, who do you spend time with? Do your friends / family / colleagues support your desires and efforts to make the most of yourself - or do your efforts make them uncomfortable? Do you then get inspired and cheered on and have examples to aspire to? Or are you reminded of the barriers, the way things 'really are' and encouraged to live firmly within your comfort zone?
So yes, buy the books and visit the web sites of those who inspire you. Then use that to create positive environment in your life - both people and place!
We do everything we can to create such a positive environment for people on our Fitness Bootcamps. The groups really seem to work well together with a bit of structure from ourselves.
We aim to provide the right mix of support, inspiration, education, and accountability that can truly make the difference.
I'll be implementing what i learned about youth fitness training over the coming months.
For the best fitness bootcamps and personal training in Sussex, come and get inspired at www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk
Steve Cork
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Whoops - Thankfully Training Has Been More Consistent Than Blog Posts!
There is nothing like the feeling of getting in a few consistent weeks of good training after being a little more sporadic!
Active - Yes!
Training and games of squash - Yes!
But not quite the dedicated routine of athletic weight training 3 times a week.
This, along with the squash several times a week and the focus of the training journal is what i've been back to. It felt even better after coming back from a couple of weeks with some flu bug i caught while travelling to America.
Each training session, as is typical for me, encompasses the whole body. At the moment though it's even more comprehensive as i'm hitting an explosive lift, both a leg and hip dominant movement, and both horizontal and vertical pulling and pushing.
In previous years i've definitely favoured the vertical pulling and pushing and typically only done either a leg or hip dominant movement - not both.
It's a good energetic session and really more physically balanced than previously. Lastly i'm including far more variety to the movement choices over the course of a week which can only be beneficial.
In terms of squash - my grip seems to have adapted and i'm back to having more fun and winning more games again!
How has your progress been in the last few weeks? Where is your training leading you - both in the short and longer term?
Hope you are being productive and having fun with it!
Look out for a link to a podcast that Pete Cohen did with me recently, coming soon.
Remember - you are an athlete!
Steve
www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk
Active - Yes!
Training and games of squash - Yes!
But not quite the dedicated routine of athletic weight training 3 times a week.
This, along with the squash several times a week and the focus of the training journal is what i've been back to. It felt even better after coming back from a couple of weeks with some flu bug i caught while travelling to America.
Each training session, as is typical for me, encompasses the whole body. At the moment though it's even more comprehensive as i'm hitting an explosive lift, both a leg and hip dominant movement, and both horizontal and vertical pulling and pushing.
In previous years i've definitely favoured the vertical pulling and pushing and typically only done either a leg or hip dominant movement - not both.
It's a good energetic session and really more physically balanced than previously. Lastly i'm including far more variety to the movement choices over the course of a week which can only be beneficial.
In terms of squash - my grip seems to have adapted and i'm back to having more fun and winning more games again!
How has your progress been in the last few weeks? Where is your training leading you - both in the short and longer term?
Hope you are being productive and having fun with it!
Look out for a link to a podcast that Pete Cohen did with me recently, coming soon.
Remember - you are an athlete!
Steve
www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
More Real Lessons From Squash....
Firstly i thought i better bump that last post down, just in case Jonny read the description of a calm, smiling me as his opponent - and spat drink over his computer or choked on some food!!
There have definitely been moments of calm and smiling though - it's just not always been easy to maintain.
Here's why.
I started off learning to play with a dodgy grip on the racket - i was tearing up the grip and cutting my thumb! However i minimised this and managed to improve fairly quickly.
'Problems' began as soon as i tried to hold the racket properly - i started to get worse.
If you have the wrong technique for something it soon becomes a big challenge to unlearn it and do something different - especially if you are always trying to learn in a pressure or performance situation - and that pressure can easily be self imposed.
You can often see this with simple patterns of movement or exercises that people just want to work hard at and not take the time to learn the skill.
This is what happened to me - and i was totally freaked out by the reality of my squash playing situation.
I'd had a pretty bad game, and i'd already been thinking i needed some time just practicing hitting a ball by myself. So after this bad game i decided the time was now!
I couldn't believe it when i found i could basically do nothing with the ball that i wanted to - literally hit it where i wanted between 0 and 2 times on any given attempt. I stuck it out for 25 minutes or so until i could have some basic control for a decent number of repetitions.
Sometimes i think we need to stop and consider if we need to strip something back to its basics so our only concern is what we are doing and how we are doing it - especially when starting something.
I think the grip issue stemmed from the small amount of tennis i played as a child.
Faulty habits can be physical and mental so watch out what you carry forward with you!
Steve
www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk
There have definitely been moments of calm and smiling though - it's just not always been easy to maintain.
Here's why.
I started off learning to play with a dodgy grip on the racket - i was tearing up the grip and cutting my thumb! However i minimised this and managed to improve fairly quickly.
'Problems' began as soon as i tried to hold the racket properly - i started to get worse.
If you have the wrong technique for something it soon becomes a big challenge to unlearn it and do something different - especially if you are always trying to learn in a pressure or performance situation - and that pressure can easily be self imposed.
You can often see this with simple patterns of movement or exercises that people just want to work hard at and not take the time to learn the skill.
This is what happened to me - and i was totally freaked out by the reality of my squash playing situation.
I'd had a pretty bad game, and i'd already been thinking i needed some time just practicing hitting a ball by myself. So after this bad game i decided the time was now!
I couldn't believe it when i found i could basically do nothing with the ball that i wanted to - literally hit it where i wanted between 0 and 2 times on any given attempt. I stuck it out for 25 minutes or so until i could have some basic control for a decent number of repetitions.
Sometimes i think we need to stop and consider if we need to strip something back to its basics so our only concern is what we are doing and how we are doing it - especially when starting something.
I think the grip issue stemmed from the small amount of tennis i played as a child.
Faulty habits can be physical and mental so watch out what you carry forward with you!
Steve
www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Beginnings.........
Beginnings are always a very interesting dynamic time - anything can happen, radical choices can be made and beliefs left behind or taken on a new.
Beginnings can be more uncomfortable for some than others. Ever seen (or been) that person clinging to their old ways and habits for fear of change!!
I've enjoyed beginning a new game over the last few months - squash.
It's challenging, exciting, sometimes frustrating, sometimes exhausting!
I like the game and i like the quality and intensity of the physical challenge.
I guess like most games there is a strong mental aspect. It's easy to focus on results only and get caught up in frustration and self criticism. But when pretty much anyone is better than i am to begin with, that would not be a recipe for long term enjoyment and participation!
I'm still very eager to see improvements and points - but it seems the best moments come when i just focus on hitting the ball well, moving well, and smiling!!
This no doubt reflects what many go through with their fitness training. We want it all right now. We don't want to spend time learning to move effectively, develop the necessary qualities and build that all important foundation.
But if you can step back, set yourself some targets, agree and commit to a certain amount of work to achieve them, it's then ok to mentally relax and enjoy the process. In fact you may get there faster and with better results!
I had a different beginning about 3 years ago - i took up gymnastics for the first time! I loved it!
As i'm not going to classes of this anymore what could i share with you about that experience?
Well with a background of movement and fitness i picked up a certain amount of basic stuff reasonably well. This was both good and bad!
It meant when i started to get the hang of how to do something i would then hammer it! I would definitely get overly frustrated at times, and keep practicing things when i was no longer fresh enough to reinforce perfect technique.
I also probably didn't respect the different forces that i was subjecting my body to enough.
So all of this ended up with tendinitis on the back of my right hand / wrist, and at this point, not doing any gymnastic training.
Sometimes you just have to step back and look to the longer term. Having done this you are more likely to be able to enjoy the moment - and that is something we should all have more of!
As Pete Cohen said at our Haywards Heath event recently - "people take themselves far too seriously"!
Steve
Beginnings can be more uncomfortable for some than others. Ever seen (or been) that person clinging to their old ways and habits for fear of change!!
I've enjoyed beginning a new game over the last few months - squash.
It's challenging, exciting, sometimes frustrating, sometimes exhausting!
I like the game and i like the quality and intensity of the physical challenge.
I guess like most games there is a strong mental aspect. It's easy to focus on results only and get caught up in frustration and self criticism. But when pretty much anyone is better than i am to begin with, that would not be a recipe for long term enjoyment and participation!
I'm still very eager to see improvements and points - but it seems the best moments come when i just focus on hitting the ball well, moving well, and smiling!!
This no doubt reflects what many go through with their fitness training. We want it all right now. We don't want to spend time learning to move effectively, develop the necessary qualities and build that all important foundation.
But if you can step back, set yourself some targets, agree and commit to a certain amount of work to achieve them, it's then ok to mentally relax and enjoy the process. In fact you may get there faster and with better results!
I had a different beginning about 3 years ago - i took up gymnastics for the first time! I loved it!
As i'm not going to classes of this anymore what could i share with you about that experience?
Well with a background of movement and fitness i picked up a certain amount of basic stuff reasonably well. This was both good and bad!
It meant when i started to get the hang of how to do something i would then hammer it! I would definitely get overly frustrated at times, and keep practicing things when i was no longer fresh enough to reinforce perfect technique.
I also probably didn't respect the different forces that i was subjecting my body to enough.
So all of this ended up with tendinitis on the back of my right hand / wrist, and at this point, not doing any gymnastic training.
Sometimes you just have to step back and look to the longer term. Having done this you are more likely to be able to enjoy the moment - and that is something we should all have more of!
As Pete Cohen said at our Haywards Heath event recently - "people take themselves far too seriously"!
Steve
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