Has anyone ever told you the quickest way from A to B, like a secret shortcut when driving to Dublin from Limerick for example, or how to make BBQ sauce taste better with even fewer calories? Imagine being told and knowing something awesome and then doing the same as usual – absolutely nothing!!!
‘If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten’.
The same goes for successful training and nutrition.
If there is a reliable way to get great results with a solid program, you can be pretty sure that many people ‘kind of’ followed the program or ‘added a bit’ of their own training …. and then the results didn’t magically appear.
Programs that work haven’t just been plucked out of no where. They have been tried, tested, tweaked and adjusted all for the purpose of building a better and better program for better RESULTS.
SECRET RELEASE
In bullet form, here are the ingredients to dropping KGs, lbs, stones or any other unit of body fat weight, as proven many, many times over with people who have followed the program.PS here is our transformation page with a handful of people who actually followed the program, whilst having a life.
Do this every week for 12 weeks or for most of your life.
There you go. My secret is out.
Now, if you’d like the finer and fancier personal details of the recipe just for you, I’m happy to help you.
I am taking on 2-4 people NOW getting into late Winter and Spring for personal or small group training right here in Limerick. The goal? Getting stronger, fitter, leaner and more confident in what you eat.
MORE…
On a totally self serving note (to serve you too of course) the next round of the Amazing 12 is kicking off in Limerick in new locations. The places will fill quickly, so get in touch now to talk more about this totally amazing Total Body Transformation program.
With statistically one in every three of us adults not getting enough exercise and 81% of adolescents not getting enough exercise, you can’t help to wonder why.
We know exercise is good for us, and in fact exercising in any form on a regular basis can vastly help prevent many diseases.
‘Regular physical activity is proven to help prevent and manage noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes and several cancers. It also helps to maintain a healthy body weight and can improve mental health, quality of life and well-being.’ WHO
Stress, cancer, heart disease, poor mental health; it can all be combatted with just exercise. On top of the noncommunicable diseases we also have fall risks in our ‘mature’ populations. A fall for someone over 55 who exercises little increases the risk of serious joint and muscle injury and furthermore, risk of infection once hospitalised. Speaking personally, I watched as my own father in law became host to one infection after the next after a fall and subsequent hospital. He passed away after a number of months of antibiotics…
So what’s the problem? Why aren’t more of us exercising?
Sure, it’s not as pleasant as a few glasses of wine and an evening of binge watching TV. “I’m tired after a long day of work, I’m not up to going to the gym!”
I get it, I’m there myself.
Up at 5am,
Training people from 6-9 ish,
Off to other ‘hobby’ job for 8 hours,
Home by 7pm,
Exercise???
I think for many people not choosing to exercise, the deciding factors are some of the following:
Belief that an hour-ish of time is needed. ie not enough time.
Not sure how to start.
It will be too hard, intense, cause discomfort.
Essentially it nuts down to; TIME, WHAT, HOW.
Having 45 to 60 minutes to exercise is a lovely, convenient way to package an exercise session, BUT, there is no science that days this is optimal or essential.
Exercise for health covers a huge range of options but should ideally focus on your physical strength (not bodybuilding or CrossFit), cardiovascular health (think getting a bit of breath) and staying mobile and flexible (not necessarily yoga).
The tools and methods may be widely variable. Maybe that adds to the complexity of deciding.
If I may simply these, I’d say:
To get stronger is the skilful practice of movements that add to our everyday life. Pushing, pulling, lifting and carrying.
The effort required should not exceed what you consider a 70% effort. More simply, you perform a movement until you feel you have 2-3 repetitions of good technique left.
To build cardiovascular health, find a low injury, lower skill activity that you can carry out for 20 – 30 minutes (to start off) at an effort where you can still talk, but you are aware of your breathing. Walking, cycling, mowing the lawn, pulling out weeds, playing with the kids / grandkids, dancing or prancing hehe. Bring fun can be a crucial factor us sustaining any cardiovascular activity.
Mobility is perhaps a little understood. But maybe a simple question could exposing or help define. ‘How easy is it for you to get down to the floor and back up?’ Or, can you put on your socks or shoes standing up, not sitting? Being mobile is being able to move your body as it was intended. Control, balance, flexibility. Developing mobility can be as simple as following a 5 minute morning routine of joint movements. I quite happily share my routine, in fact, here it is here. Mobility Routine
How much?
Whilst cardiovascular exercise can be daily, also just twice a week for 20 minutes can help.
Strength practice can take as little as 10 minute a day or a handful of 5 minute practices over a day!
Mobility training can be carried out first thing in the morning or sprinkled throughout the day.
Health and longevity
Considering the potential impact on your health and vitality, spending as little as 5 minutes here and there and a 20 minute walk a couple of times a week does sound reasonable.
Of course, you could spend 30 seconds emailing me below if you’re interested in going that step further, to get more detailed guidance and accountability from an experienced coach and trainer!
As part of my 50th birthday celebrations this week (yes, I am actually hitting 50!) I am offering ALL NEW ONLINE CLIENTS an introductory 25% discount off the first months program.
My updated 12 week ‘Go Strong’ program is now Online and specifically designed for people who want to look good, feel strong, and improve their overall well-being without having to spend hours a week in the gym, and with no killer, soul destroying workouts either.
With my guidance, you’ll get your personalised program and the support you need to achieve your results in 12 weeks or less with just a time commitment of 45 minutes, 3 times a week! I can even tailor your program to 6, 8 or 10 weeks if needed.
If you’re local (Limerick / Ennis or in between) you can train with me personally in the gym. If you book within the week (by November 5th) I’ll honour the discount too. Train with a friend or follow the program yourself. You’ll get my full support regardless.
‼️26 years of training people and 26 things to know about training and the fitness business‼️
This has been a big year. Relocating across the world and setting up a new home has been interesting. But I also ticked off another year (26 years!) as a professional trainer.
Just for fun and to share some experience, here are 26 things to know about training and the profession.
Keep it simple. The big hitters should be a mainstay of strength and aerobic routines.
Walk daily and breathe nasally.
Carry, deadlift, squat, push, pull and brace!
Get out of breath with short bouts of higher intensity exercise only as the icing on the cake a few times a week.
Set one day a week when you have your actual cake and eat it (or anything else that’s on your treat list).
Prioritise proteins, natural carbohydrates and the vegetables you enjoy.
Get outside and greet the sun daily.
Strength training does not necessarily need barbells, or machines, or any tool. Experiment to find what tools you enjoy and make you feel good to practice strength training.
Practice the skills of strength training and increase loads very gradually in the smallest of jumps.
You don’t actually need to ‘max’ out to benefit from training. If you’re testing, you’re not training!
It feels good to feel good. So find what you enjoy and explore that.
If you’re a professional, conduct yourself in a professional manner.
Always be a student. Keep learning and explore knew things before you shoot them down.
You be you and let everyone else be themselves.
Don’t mock others who appear to be doing something different to you. Just because you haven’t learned what they’re doing, doesn’t make it wrong.
There are no bad exercises, just appropriate exercises for appropriate times.
Train movements and train muscles.
Build muscle and strength when you’re young and maintain mobility and muscle as you age.
Develop great grip strength. When your grip is mighty, everything else will follow.
Ask, listen and learn.
Take care of personal hygiene before attending your gym!
Influencers spouting instant results just want your money.
Stay true to your goals. The goal is to keep the goal, the goal. This goes for your own training and that if your clients.
Great trainers rarely look like bodybuilders.
Train for longevity. What can you do today that will add to your future.
Move like a human is meant to move. No one will care how big your bench press is when you’re 80. What will matter is how you move. Can you get to the ground and back up effortlessly, are you agile, is your grip still strong, can you squat down ‘and’ up again. Be useful not just to yourself, but to your community.
Bonus: strength always has a higher purpose beyond going to the gym… I’ll let you think about that!
Success in any field requires the right mindset, a winning mindset.
Being positive, consistent, asking questions when unsure and just following the program are guarantees towards success and victory.
I released an online transformation program recently to help people who aren’t local or able to get to train in person with me. This 12 week programme addresses progressive strength training, cardiovascular training, mobility and a solid yet simple nutrition plan.
Safety and strength must go hand in hand in any training to ensure consistency and progress. Every single training session of the online program moves along at a very personalised pace, must like an in-person training session.
Two recent graduates of the MoveStrong Online Transformation program are James and Stef from Brisbane, Australia.
Let’s take a look at their progression during the program:
James
Starting with a bench press 10 rep max of 50kg, James finished the program benching 57.5kg for 85 reps over 10 mins, never maxing out.
His 5 rep max squat started off at 52.5kg. By week 12 James was squatting two sets of 15 reps with 65kg!! Not only 12.5kg more but for a total of 30 reps, not just 5.
Body fat dropped considerably with a scales drop of over 12kg. Please observe that James added plenty of new muscles to his arms and shoulders and upper back, so in reality, his overall body fat loss was more than 12kg considering the muscle growth.
Stef
Stef is a small girl but still managed to drop nearly 7kg of body fat whilst getting really strong. She also changed her 5 rep max squat to two sets of 15 but with an added 20kg. That’s turning a 30kg 5 rep max into a 15 rep submax effort with 50kg!
Stefs bench press also progressed steadily. Starting with a 10 rep max of 30kg, she progressed to benching over 60 reps in 10 minutes with 32kg. Very nice!
Stef notes how the cardio training really ended up feeling easy and comfortable over the last number of weeks and feels so much healthier.
Check out their google reviews:
Results like this are typical when the program is followed but this just shows how consistency wins. That along with a great program!
To learn how to join the MoveStrong Transformation program online or in-person, get in touch below.
You might be dreaming of being in the best shape of your life this summer; feeling stronger, fitter, faster and much more confident in yourself.
You could keep dreaming or you could do something about it.
In just 10 to 14 weeks you can most definitely make a shockingly outstanding change in yourself.
Take a look at some of our 12 week transformations and if you can see yourself in these before and afters AND if you’re willing and ready to commit to yourself – let’s talk.
Whether you want to feel great for a holiday, want to get strong, need to learn about sustainable healthy eating, want to feel really fit and able for any challenge, our programmes can help.
If you are ready to change your life, get strong, fit, lean and more confident, shoot me a message below.
Building a useful body capable of easily handling any daily challenge doesn’t necessarily mean hitting the weights.
Calisthenics aka body weight training is a very rewarding style of training that requires essentially no equipment – well, maybe an exercise mat for comfort and a pull up bar can be a handy addition but it’s not essential to start.
With a minimalist approach and the right variety of movements you can achieve great results. In a typical session lasting anywhere from 10-60 minutes you can train every part of your body and practice many functional and useful movements. Many fun movements too.
One of many great benefits of utilising calisthenic training is that you get to learn how to operate your body rather than a gym machine.
Now, before you start switching off thinking this style of training is for the seasoned exerciser, believe me when I say it’s the perfect place to start as a beginner. Yes, experienced gym goers can incorporate calisthenics into their routine, but a beginner will benefit hugely by learning about how to move themselves before moving themselves plus a barbell or the big ol red hack squat machine in the gym.
I recently started a calisthenics class in TBB Raheen (Limerick) and it’s great to see it gaining traction.
Every week we practice the skills that allow us to be stronger in various leg, trunk, pushing and pulling movements. Not quite pistol squats and pull ups just yet, but all the pre requisites for building these.
What I would like to do is share some of the essentials of bodyweight training in a short series of emails to those interested.
Each week I’ll share one movement to learn and practice. We can gradually gradually build this collection of movements into a nice little training programme too.
If this is for you, email me and let me know if you’re a beginner or if you have a little experience.
Most people think of personal trainers and they imagine outgoing, noisy, loud, high five giving individuals who thrive in the business of a big gym.
A pretty scary, distracting, tiring place if you’re an introvert!
None of this with me haha
Whilst I do get to train people in a big busy gym, I also get access to an awesome studio… just perfect for me… the introvert in the room.
There are strategies to coping with being the introvert in the jungle of a big box gym. These start with having an efficient, well written programme.
I’m known as the passionate trainer who goes all-in to help everyone I train but, I thrive in less busy environments.
Stephens testimony Graduating the Great 8
Without sounding like a dating app lol, this is kind of a call-out to all introverts who’d like a trainer who isn’t going to drive them mad with high fives, fist pumps and shouting around the gym.
If you are looking for training under the guidance of someone who’ll take you on your strength and fitness journey with chat about Lego, sci-fi, good food – sure give me a text or email. I know how awkward a phone call can be!
PS if you’d like a FREE 12 week Bodyweight challenge, just ask. It’ll be a free download on the site soon enough but if you’d like to grab it early – email me below.
Your Circumstances drive your thoughts. Your Thoughts drive your Feelings which then drive your Actions. Your Actions in turn influence and impact your Results.
Whilst you may not be able to change your circumstances in the short-term, your thoughts impact everything thereafter.
Learn and practice reframing your thoughts surrounding your circumstances in any given situation.
Another car gets in your way. You could get cross or you could brush it off… no one died or got injured. It’s all good.
You’ve had a bad day at work. It happens. It’s done and you’ve still got a job, an income and security. Get on with your life and enjoy the rest of your day with family and friends.
Reframe those negatives and learn to appreciate the positives, even if they’re small.
What a year 2022 has been. An international move, setting up a new fitness business here in Limerick and hopefully buying a new home soon.
Even though I am temporarily residing in the oddly named Effin, I remind myself that as usual, my goal is to make a difference. Helping people to discover their inner and outer strength, develop new skills and appreciation for what they, you, can achieve.
As I plan and ponder 2023s progress, I invite you to get in touch, tell me what you need, what you aspire to, what you want to change. No goal is unthinkable providing it’s healthy of course.
And if you are not in the local Limerick area, worry not. Virtual assistance is easily providing via the internet – ‘yay’!
Whilst the 2020s thus far have been interesting, this is no reflection on what is yet to come. If you’ve been knocked back over the past couple of years, that doesn’t mean it will continue. I believe we may have benefited and maybe witnessing a pendulum swing in why we exercise, workout, train etc. Whilst the physical benefits are clear, the emotional benefits of self development and physical endeavour practice have been made even more clear.
If 2023 is the year you want to see clarity, want to achieve something new, different or amazing. please, please get in touch – I want to help.
