What Is Your Movement Ability?

I had a massive personal realisation earlier this year - one that really changed my perspective from doing interesting things to challenge my fitness abilities to that of being a mover!

This shift in perspective has come about from learning from Ido Portal.

I was fortunate enough to attend his movement camp in the summer and i found it eye opening to really get immersed in Ido's perspectives and approaches to movement.

It makes you look at your abilities, your weaknesses and what you want to be able to do and what will be some of the most useful additions to your programme.

Ido has a pretty unique approach and successfully combines a wide range of influences to produce some very interesting training programmes for his clients of which i have been for nearly 6 months now.

I really got inspired to be able to do far more with my body and this has lead to really not being at all worried about the more standard elements and approaches to fitness.

I used to have simple strength lifts that i wanted to get bigger numbers in and now i'm for more interested in developing my movement abilities, with strength being one of the necessary components for getting there.

This is an extremely challenging, rewarding and ultimately life long path of physical development that i love to be on.

My hope is that more people and more of my clients get inspired beyond simply getting fitter and losing weight etc, to something that not only achieves such goals but far more besides.

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

We Now Have A Sussex Bootcamps Blog!

Yes, i will still post on here from time to time, but our bootcamp website has a blog attached to it at last.

This will be where most of my content will be added on a regular basis.

I'd love to see you over there at Sussex Bootcamps!

http://www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk/blog

Have a great and active weekend!

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

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