Areté - Be your Best Self

Sometimes your clients surprise you with their progress.

Jake was meant to finish this cycle with his first 200kg lift. Instead he carried on to a massive 220.5kg making this a 30kg PB.

These are the moments you live for as a coach, the big payoff from all the hardwork that goes in; there’s nothing better.

Halfway through another deadlift cycle, Jake cruised through 5 x 3 of 183kg.

The goal next week will be to finally hit the big 200kg.

If you’re looking to get stronger, fitter and more confident message me now for coaching.

Got my goals for 2022 sorted:

➡️ deadlift 200kg
➡️ squat 150kg
➡️ bench 100kg
➡️ reach 80kg bodyweight
➡️ run bath half in less than 2 hours.

In reality my lists of goals are much longer but these are my priorities for now. The next step is to break these down into smaller achievable steps and start working towards them.

Do you know what your goals are for 2022? If you need help getting started dm me for help.

Proud moment here.

🔥160kg squat PB🔥

Jake has been working for the last few months on building his foundations up and this is the result.

Since his last max attempt Jake has added a massive 20kg onto his squat with more in the tank aswell. Technique also improved massively which is super important to keep progressing.

Jake works with me as part of improving his performance at hockey and the leg strength developed here will carry over to the pitch, improving his sp*ed, stamina and resilience to injury.

If you want to train to get better for your sport or just move better and feel better then DM me for coaching now.

Focus on your weak points!

If you’re looking for quick results then focus on the things you’re not good at. This will force your body to adapt the most.

If you’re looking for fat loss in particular this is even more true as you will burn more calories moving inefficiently.

Here I’m doing dumbbell thrusters (a squat and overhead press)

A few weeks ago I had to do these with 20kg dumbbells in a fitness challenge and they nearly broke me, now they’re part of my routine because that was a clear weak point for me to work on. Hopefully in a month I’ll be moving those 20s without suffering.

Looking to get stronger and fitter then message me now for coaching.

Big win for here!!!

🔥115kg deadlift🔥

Jim has had ongoing problems with his lower back since we started. The deadlift has been a cornerstone of strengthening his body, particularly the lower back.

Here you can see the result of Jim’s hard work. Big lift, excellent form, no fuss.

Super proud of you and all your hard work!

Why do strength training?

Other than the obvious ‘to get stronger’, strength training has so many other benefits.

Fat loss
It’s great for fat loss, as it helps you burn more calories in a day sometimes increasing energy expenditure for up to 48 hours. Cardio is great for fat loss, however its monotonous, and difficult to improve progressively ,while strength training can be easily scaled by changing reps, sets, rest periods or weight. Also strength training will encourage your body to maintain muscle and lose fat when dieting, particularly when combined with a high protein diet (1.5-2g/kg bodyweight/day).

Movement
Properly applied Strength training teaches you proper movement patterns for the strongest and most stable lifting. The better you can move and control your body in any direction the less likely you are to injure yourself, which is always great. A strong body also moves efficiently making everyday tasks easier, meaning you don’t have to be exhausted after a day of work, giving you more energy to do things you enjoy.

Mental health
Exercise in general can make you feel better (endorphins FTW) but strength training has a wonderful way of making you feel like a boss. I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t walk away smiling after pick up the heaviest thing they’ve ever lifted. It’s empowering to know you can do that, and makes you feel more confident.
All of my clients, as they become stronger, are less bothered by how they look and more focused on finding out what their body can do. This little shift in mindset will do wonder for your happiness.

Food
My favourite part of strength training; you get to eat more food. As you progressively get stronger your body requires more energy to maintain and repair itself, meaning you are able to eat more food without gaining weight or lose weight with less restriction.
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Here we have my client Sophie maxing out her Trap Bar Deadlift at 123kg. Since starting 2 months ago, she’s lost 11kg(24lbs) but has also improved her knee problem and is feeling stronger than ever.

Isn’t that great?
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If you are interested in getting stronger, happier and healthier then DM me for coaching now.

🔥 New deadlift PB 🔥

185kg (407lbs) my first lift in the 400lb club.

Another months cycle of deadlift and a big win for me. Honestly so pleased with this as you can see how hard it was for me.

Now a little break to work on some other lifts, let’s see what comes next.

‼️Great job from today‼️

Sam surprises me every week with his progress this week hitting 55kg squats for the first time, and they’re looking solid.

Sam’s looking to pack on some muscle and get stronger and building up his squat is perfect for this.

Well done mate.

If you’re looking to improve your squat or you’re interested in coaching then message me now to get started.

Becky blitzing her way through deadlifts this week. Building volume and strength with 5x3.

Next week we’ll be dropping down to singles to hopefully find a new PB

Message me start your journey to become a stronger, healthier and more confident version of yourself today

Plyometric triple jumps

Plyometrics are a style of training which uses various forms of jumping/hopping to practice maximum force output. They can either be used as a warm up to prepare you for heavy/explosive lifts or as part of training.

The broad jump/standing long jump is an ideal variation, due to the horizontal force production, for clients looking to improve their sprinting or as a warm up for hinge focused days (RDL, Deadlifts, etc.).

The slo-mo here lets us see how Jake absorbs the energy from one jump and can redirect the energy into the next jump to propel himself further along. This applies to all forms of movement from walking, jumping to sprinting. That conservation of energy allows for faster running but also a more efficient running pattern, as you don’t bleed energy with every step. This is crucial in match sports where players have to play until a time limit, but also beneficial to daily life as moving efficiently means less fatigue from a normal day.

Message today for coaching enquiries and we can get you started to being your best self.

‼️Client shoutout‼️

Trap bar deadlift max at 188kg today up from 155. Huge gains 💪💪💪

Epic lifting from Jake today as we close out his latest cycle. With hockey season approaching this is one of our last chances to reach new heights before training has to take a backseat to sport.

I have slots for clients open at the moment so if you want to get stronger, fitter, look better. Then message me today to enquire.

‼️ client shout out ‼️

Big day for

Today’s session Jim managed a few big milestones. He blew through his deadlift pb, picked up bodyweight and also got his first triple digit lift with his heaviest being an easy rep at 118kg.

At 6’5” Jim’s got a long way from the floor to lockout with this lift and long levers make this extra challenging for him to hold that tension.

We had a setback a while ago with his lower back struggling to handle a fraction of this weight but Jim has worked tirelessly through every session to overcome injuries and weak points to strengthen his body and just look at the result!!!

What a hero and there is more to come for sure.

If you want to get stronger, move better and improve like Jim, message me today to get started.

‼️Client shout out ‼️

Super proud of for his full depth squat.

Jim’s been putting in the hard work on strengthening his legs and improving the mobility to allow him to hit this depth.

And now that we have depth, next we start to add more weight. Stay tuned for bigger squats from Jim.

I’ve got spaces for clients atm. So if you’re wanting help with your squat or just to get fitter, stronger and move better then message me now.

‼️ The bar finally bends ‼️

4 plate deadlift today. 180kg/394lbs

The one thing you can’t see in this video is the massive smile on my face after.

I find there is a little bit of magic in deadlifting.
Every time I go for these heavy singles I walk away feeling powerful, strong, confident; Like I can do anything.
It’s a good feeling.

If you want a bit of that confidence or just to improve your deadlift. Get in touch today and let me help you.

‼️Major milestone ‼️

Another week, another pb, but this one is special.

75kg clean and jerk not only my best but also throwing my own bodyweight over head

Cannot thank enough for his amazing workshops and the help they’ve given me to improve continuously.

Box jumps

A great exercise for teaching you to maximise and increase your explosive power output.

By starting from a seated position I have no initial momentum, and can’t store any elastic energy. This means my muscles have to provide all the power on their own.

A really important thing with the box is that I only have it set so that I can jump on it like a normal person. Notice how I didn’t stack two boxes on top of each other and land with my knees up by my ears desperately trying to pretend I can jump high.
When jumping, your landing is pretty much exactly the same as your jump, but in reverse. Keep that in mind and only jump to heights where you can match your jump position.
If you’re knees are up by your ears, get a smaller box.
If you’re landing nearly fully standing, increase the height.

Why bother with these?

I have a few clients who play sport at a high level and as the summer ticks by they will soon be starting their sports again. These box jumps help them develop explosive power, which we will soon be translating into increasing their sprint sp*ed and acceleration.

Whether you want to improve your sprinting, get stronger or lose weight. Explosive power can help with all these goals.

Message me today if you want a tailor made plan and coaching to help you be your best self.

P.s I’m wearing wrist straps because I’m super setting another exercise here, I was just too lazy to take them off in between.

Learning from the master this weekend without and his lifting workshops

Amazing session learning about the components of the clean and jerk from Steve. Technique improved to the point where I can now catch my clean in a front squat which is amazing for me.

10/10 would recommend these workshops when they’re on as the training is invaluable.

Also for your entertainment I’ve left my second lift in the video where you can see me completely screw my rhythm up and struggle for it.

‼️ Hard works pays off ‼️

You know you’re gonna make a lift when your spotter is this relaxed. Thanks for having my back here.

After taking a step back to fix some mobility and technique issues my squat is back and stronger than ever before.

New PB = 125kg
Up from 115kg in 2016 (not beaten 105 since)

My squat max programme design has helped me massively here with a focus on mobility and technique rather than constantly lifting heavy until I break.

If you wanna make progress like this or just get stronger, fitter and move better then message me now.

🔥IT’S HOT🔥

As a PT it’s my job to pave the way for you to get the results you want. On a normal day it’s usually tweaking technique, motivating pep talks or listening to my clients troubles.

Tonight the extra mile was cycling a cheeky 5k to keep and cool while they were on the rowers.

If you want results and are willing to work for them, then I’ll work just as hard to help you get there. Message me now if you want to get started on your fitness journey and be stronger, healthier and happier.

Landmine press

A new exercise in my roster.

Not everyone is blessed with good shoulder mechanics and this exercise is a great way for anyone to develop those anterior(front) delts in a pain free way.

A major cause of injury when overhead pressing is stabiliser fatigue. While you may be strong enough to press the weight sometimes you cannot balance it for the whole set. Using the landmine press allows you to hit higher volume reps safely while still being a free weight lift.

Split stance, a slight forward lean, core braced, pressing with the elbow out 30 degrees. Struggle face optional.

Effective movements which keep you injury free and getting stronger are always the best. If that sounds like a bit of you then message me to get started.

‼️ Olympic sn**ch ‼️

Cheeky slo-mo of my best sn**ch so far. I’ve been teaching myself this lift throughout the month and this is definitely my limit for now.

50kg was way further than I expected to go in a month. Technique is definitely still rough but now to continue with this and practice, practice, practice.

Can honestly say that learning this has been a blast and is especially rewarding as it took me months to develop the mobility to pull this off.

Bit of self development this week.

I have managed to achieve my first pistol squat, admittedly a bit ropey but for a I’ll forgive a first try.
I learned to do these mostly because I think they look cool and are immensely fun to work towards but also to develop my quad strength and stability.

If you want to do these, then you need to master a few exercises beforehand:

➡️ single leg squat - start by standing on a box or plate and step back off it with one foot, touching that heel of that foot to the floor. As you improve, raise the height.

➡️ step ups - using a box that sits about knee height, place foot in the middle of the box and drive down through the heel of the elevated foot to step up. Lower yourself back to the start as slowly as possible.

Add weight to these as you progress to improve leg strength dramatically.

Depending on your mobility and balance you may need to add some stretches of stability/activation work to pull this off.

If you want to learn how to do a pistol squat or move better, feel stronger and have more confidence drop me a DM and we can work together.

Waiters walks. 💪

With hospitality back open properly now, I felt this was appropriate.

A variation of the suitcase carry and a fantastic supplement to big overhead lifts. Great for the core strength, obliques, serratus, upper back and general shoulder health.

This exercise can be done with dumbbells, kettlebells, weight plates (held like a tray).

Hold the weight above your head. Either walk for time or distance. Even light weights get difficult quickly with this exercise.

If you want to move better, get stronger and feel more confident, drop me a message to get started.