McCarthy Fitness and Wellbeing, Tunbridge Wells Videos

Not seeing any progress in your running? Watch this! A lack of pace variation in your running is one of the biggest mistakes I see. If you want to run faster, you need to train fast. And if you are strapped for time that means ditching some of the easy runs you are doing and making sure you are varying your pace and putting some harder efforts in.

Beachy Head half was a race that I was unsure how it would turn out. But there was something quite liberating about being able to tuen up with no expectations of pre concieved ideas of what was going to happen. I simply went to try and run on hills I love training on. And to see what happened. Full debrief on my latest run is now live on the podcast. Plus debrief on life, having a newborn and plans for the podcast moving forwards. Link is in my bio to listen.

Fed up of feeling tired and unfit? Need to get back into exercise but unsure how? Maybe you have tried before but have struggled to sustain it? If so, I have something for you. The complete package. Face to face training to make sure you know what you are doing and how to do it. Programmes designed for you and you lifestyle. Plus if you take action before and book 4 weeks of training or more before September you get: - A week FREE (worth £50-150) - A nutrition consultation and plan (worth £100) - Online support and programming (worth up to £210) If you want to get involved drop me a message for more info.

Fed up of not getting the results you want? Annoyed you can’t seem to stay consistent? Frustrated by the niggles and injuries that keep stopping you from progressing? Sometimes it feels like regardless what you do, you get nowhere. I see this time and time again with clients. And the answer often simpler than you think. With some simple yet effective programming. Some ongoing accountability. Combined strength, mobility and run sessions. You can blast through your plateaus. Feel and look better. Plus run stronger than ever before. Sounds like something you might be interested. Drop me a message so we can have a chat and see how I can help.

I'm looking for adventurers. Anyone who has gone on an adventure/big trip/ endurance event. Or currently in training for one. Whether its a hike, run, swim, bike ride, climb or combination. Something that has pushed you out of your comfort zone. Maybe at times questioned why you are doing it and if you will succeed. I want to hear your story in a new podcast I'm looking at doing. If you know anyone please tag them or if this applies to you please drop me a line.

Had the chance to chat to @christianlawalpt a few weeks ago on his podcast Higher Health. We talked over a lot including how I entered the fitness industry, my previously poor relationship with alcohol and lack of self worth that effected that relationship. We also discussed my entry into running, what role I think strength plays in running and my opinion on how beginner runners should start. Thanks to Christian for having me on and for asking such great questions 🙌 If you want to give the podcast a listen then go to Christians link tree (in his bio) or search Higher Health in your podcast search engine.

The top core movements for runners. To finish off our strength series I have put together two movements I favour for running and I will also give you some standards to work towards later this week. The straight arm plank is a great one to develop the long tall position we look to create when running. The dish hold really enables you to engage your core and control your ribcage. I believe building strength and endurance in these two positions can help to keep better control and therefore body position under fatigue. Which will help to improve run economy and therefore performance. Alongside improving mobility, core strength is a quick and easy thing to add to your current fitness plan and see some immediate benefits to your running. Do you include either of these movements in your programme?

Want to kick start your running? Struggling to find the balance between strength and run workouts? Run Strong, Run Long Kickstarter is an online 8 week progressive plan combining mobility, strength and running workouts. Not only will you get fitter and stronger but your will also feel good and build condense in your physical ability. Throughout this programme I will be providing 1-2-1 support to make sure you stay on track and get the most out of every workout. If you are interested in finding out more then drop me a message or book a call in my Calendy (follow the link in my bio.)

Upper body strength for runners. Following my lower body post the other day here is a simple yet effective way of training upper body for runners. In using rings or a TRX we can alternate between a press and a pull easily. They are low cost, easy to put up/down, fun to use and really effective. Either setting a timer, rep target or traditional sets/rep ranges. My favourite is a 50-75 rep block where you try to achieve that amount of reps on both movements alternating between the two in as few sets as possible. The thing I like about the rings is the way you have to engage your full body and core while using them. The straight body position you have to hold is similar to the one you want to hold while running. A quick, simple and effective way of training your upper body. Have you used rings/TRX in your training before?

If you are a runner watch this. Most of the time runners don't want to strength train because they want to spend more time running. Which is cool but you then miss out on all the benefits of strength training. Which could in turn help your running. Instead why don't we make strength training as easy as possible. Combining several movements means you get more done.......in less time. This simple combo could be done in 8-15 minutes depending on reps/sets/time etc. It combines: - Bulgarian split squat - Single leg deadlift variation - Straight leg calf raise So you train your quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves in 8-15 minutes. Done pre run, post run or completely separately. At home, in the gym or out on a park bench. Combine this with a simple push/pull upper body combo (imagine if somebody was also going to be releasing a video on how to do this 😉) and you have strength trained your full body in less than 30 minutes. Try this combination and let me know how you get on. If you have found this useful give it a like, share or tag a running pal to give it a go.

Are you stressed right now? Do you need something to help level out and down regulate? I have talked a lot about how to use your breath as a way of mitigating stress during exercise. But how do we use that same tool in our day to day lives? Breath is a great way of transitioning from situation to situation. A way of giving you focus and a clear head. So you don't let the stress of work effect your home life. Or vice versa. It means we can go from a stressful meeting and transition into another with minimal carryover. Sometimes we just need to slow down and hit the reset button. Pause. 5 slow breaths through our nose trying to make the exhale longer than the inhale. And then onto the next task. Try this today and let me know how you get on.

When starting to strength train our calves we want to start just using our bodyweight. This is an easy an effective way to build strength and tolerance in the muscle. Once we have built up to being able to do 30 reps on each leg we can then begin to load the muscle. At this point we can add in the use of dumbbells, kettlebells or use calf machines to further strengthen the muscle. What calf training do you do?