GB Personal Training News

Week 12 in the countdown to Marathon day had me running two 3mile runs,one 5mile, a six mile I replaced with a fair bit of road biking and gym work and a 14mile run completed (just) yesterday. I swear my mid week 5 mile run was a harder slog than the 14 mile one! although considering the pain I’m in today I’m not sure this is at all possible. A few things of note that have come up for me this week….

Knee pain. I am fine up until about an hour an a half into my run then my knees just start hurting right in the middle. This is a common complaint with runners and more often than not indicates muscle imbalance in the quadriceps ( In my case weak vastus medialis over active vastus lateralis )  Pronation of the feet ( a collapsing of the inner arch when walking/running ) is another catalyst. Icing knees after a big run provides some relief but is not going to address the underlying problem. Equalling out the muscle imbalance by specifically strengthening your Vastus Medialis should help towards this. As I said last week a good running shoe is imperative and possibly even orthopedic support in the case of chronic pronation. Having a tight ITB band exacerbates the problem further,this is where massage and or foam rolling will be advantageous.

I am becoming more and more reliant on my i-pod as a distraction tool and am constructing in my head the Marathon play list ( I may have to upgrade from my shuffle to a nano…) psychologically some people run better when they focus solely on the the action of running,how each step feels how their pace is going,what their heart rate is doing etc. I am not one of these people. Distraction in the forms of music,people watching and nature gazing are all welcome on my runs! I think it is important to know this about yourself if planning on running long distances,this way you can work with your psyche self and perform better.

Working this way you will start to enjoy training instead of loathing it, anything that can be done to make the run more enjoyable is worth a try! The week ahead is a bit of a maintenance one,longest run being only 9 miles (phew!) I will be updating again on Sunday.

Happy running!

Rosie - Personal Trainer London

Running a Marathon has for a long time now been a far off ” maybe one day ” ambition of mine. My entry to Marathon Du Medoc in September was booked and paid for without my knowledge back in March and so the shove I needed was delivered. I have always been a runner and completed a half marathon back home in New Zealand a few years ago however this was a night-before decision and had not trained specifically for it….still,managed to complete it in 1hr50min.

This year I am following a training schedule by Hal Higdon, marathon guru, and have just completed my 5th week of a gruelling 18 week training regime. This week I had two 3mile runs,two 6 mile and one long,hot,painful and sweaty 12 mile run completed today.

Running for me is 50% psychological so at this stage I am concentrating on getting into my “zone” and trying to lose my habit of constantly thinking of how far I have run,how much further I have to go,how many hills I have to climb and what I’m going to drink/eat when I finish!

Things I have learnt so far….

1. Run as early in the day as possible, heat waves in london and running do not mix

2. Keep your eyes down when running up hills

3. Breathe

4. Be sure you have comfortable shorts and top especially for long runs to avoid chaffing….nice

5. Ladies- get a good bra! shock absorber do the best I have found so far, I have tried them all

6. Get your shoes fitted to you, I rate Asics but it may not suit everyone

7. Foam roll your quads and calves….heinous but necessary

8. Tennis ball roll your feet….heaven

9. Get Janey at GB Personal Training to sort your ITB and glutes out with her elbow….again,heinous but necessary

10. Take your training one day at a time… we all have off days,just keep trucking.

I will be updating weekly on my progress ( positive rosie ) and peril ( negative rosie ) weekly right up until D- day, 12th September. This blog is to become my Personal Trainer for the next 12 weeks, because sometimes even Personal Trainers need a Personal Trainer!

Watch this space

Rosie O’Neill - Personal Trainer London

Just by prescribing the correct exercises and altering the diet you can get some rapid results. Here is one of our clients trained by Paul after only 7 days.

If you are looking for some results this summer then contact us for some professional help.

To your good health, Greg - Personal Trainer London

Every Saturday morning we run a fitness boot camp in Regents Park. The boot camp is geared towards all levels of fitness and has a fun and team element to it. The main emphasis is on fat loss, toning and general fitness.

The last few months we have been running this london boot camp for free but it has always been our intention to raise money through the boot camp for a local charity. Finally we have found a charity that is perfectly suited, the “Pirate Castle” Camden.

A local charity based in Camden, the Pirate Castle acts as a community centre for the local kids and also offers them the opportunity to get out on the canal in boats and kayaks.

The Pirate Castle has provided us with a wish list of equipment and over the coming months we will raise as much money as possible.

If you are interested in joining our boot camp and raising money for the “Pirate Castle” then please let us know.

To your good health, Greg - Personal Trainer London

It was no kettlebells last night for the Aviva London kettlebell class, this time it was body weight exercises only. We have completed the 400 body weight challenge previously and now it was time to really go for it with the 500 challenge.

Everyone is always amazed at what a great workout you can get from just using your body weight. You have no excuses, you can do this workout anywhere and with no equipment.

Here’s the 10 exercises, each done for 50 reps one after the other only resting when you really have too: Fast Mountain Climbers, Jump Squats, Press Ups, Cossacks, Slow Mountain Climbers, Y-Squats, Forward Lunge, Squat Thrusts, Dirty Dogs, Burpees.

Give this a go and see if you can beat the classes times below:

Ren - 18.50 mins

Anna - 20.50 mins

Alex - 22.40 mins

Richard - 24.15 mins

Sean - 26.46 mins

Mike - DNF

Geoff - DNF

Matt - DNF

This is a hard enough challenge to finish, let alone make a good time so well done everyone. We’ll try again in another month and check our improvements.

Enjoy the bank holiday, Greg - Personal Trainer London

Using the freshest and best quality ingredients you can find when cooking is vital but preparation can also have a huge impact on the finished quality of your meal. Follow these simple guidelines to get the most out of your ingredients:

1. Boiling vegetables leeches all the valuable nutrients into the water. If you do boil vegetables then ensure you use minimal amounts of water and then use the water for soups and stock. Also, avoid leaving prepared vegetables in salted water for long periods of time for the same reasons.

2. Steaming food is a much better option for maintaining nutrients. Some nutrients are still lost into the water beneath and again this should be used for stocks and sauces.

3. Organic food although more expensive has far more nutrients than conventional foods, some research reports up to 10 times the amount. Organic foods are free from pesticides and hormones too.

4. Olive oil goes rancid at high temperatures and should only be used for low temperature cooking and for dressings. For high heat cooking coconut oil is a far better option. In my opinion avoid all other oils like linseed, rapeseed, corn oil, vegetable oils. Linseed oil is used to paint the sails on boats so imagine what this is doing to your insides.

5. Microwaves are a sure fire way to destroy the nutrients and molecular structure of your food. Microwaved food is left unrecognizable to the gut.

6. Raw food is a vital part of a healthy diet and a good portion of your daily diet should consist of this nutrient rich food.

7. Avoid caramelizing. Making food crispy and browned around the edges can make many foods taste better but unfortunately this process leaves the food with carcinogenic properties that are best avoided.

8. Be very careful with non stick teflon pans and especially aluminum pans that have been linked with many diseases including Alzheimers. Use stainless steel, cast iron or glass as a safer alternative.

Being a London Personal trainer has to be the best job in the world, in fact I don’t even consider it a job, more a way of life. Here’s why:

1. The day is spent eating the freshest and healthiest foods you can find. Variety is key and its vital to try all manner of foods so you can advise on recipes and alternative nutrition for differing types of people.

2. Exercise is imperative. I love exercise and when not taking my clients through the most cutting edge workouts I’m training myself to ensure I’m in peak physical fitness and able to advise on how every single workout and movement feels.

3. Education, education. I’m such a student and spend a fortune on books every year. When I’m not eating or exercising, I’m reading. You can’t teach what you don’t know and if there is a way to get results quicker then I want to find out about it.

4. Seeing improvements and the look on people faces when they achieve their goals is fabulous. Diet, exercise and lifestyle changes can turn people lives around and I really enjoy being a helpful part in that process.

5. Fun, and frolics in the sun. On days like today there is no better place to be than outside doing something you enjoy.

So if you are thinking about a career change and have a real passion for health and fitness then we would love to hear from you. But a word of warning, our application process is very strict, in fact, we only employed 1 trainer from over 100 applicants during our last recruitment drive.

Here’s our current team:

When it comes to exercise I like to use as many muscles as possible and keep it very natural. Here is a 400 repetition body weight challenge that I set my london kettlebell class last night. I think everyone was amazed at just how hard it was considering they only had to move their own body weight. Give this a go and let me know how you get on:

Fast Mountain Climbers - 50 reps

Jump Squats - 50 reps

Press Ups - 50 reps

Cossacks - 50 reps

Slow Outside Mountain Climbers - 50 reps

Y- squats - 50 reps

Forward Lunges - 50 reps

Burpees - 50 reps

You should be looking to get all this done in around 15-20 minutes. So with a warm up and stretching to finish you can be done in half an hour. Simple!

It’s no secret that I’m an avid fan of the mountains and a keen climber, so as soon as Easter arrived I was off to North Wales for some good clean air. With scenery like this who wants to be stuck inside a gym? Our whole philosophy here at GB Personal Training is that you don’t need fancy gyms to get in shape just the right kind of exercise and the right kind of motivations. If you hate gyms then don’t go, if you can’t stand running then don’t run - there are plenty of activities out there that will get you results. Exercise doesn’t have to be a chore.

With an organic dark chocolate Easter egg up for grabs, everyone worked really hard today at Dow Jones’s london kettlebell class. 5 exercises were performed in order starting with 10 reps for the first circuit and then reducing the number down to 9, then 8 etc. down to only 1 repetition of each. Each person tried to complete the workout in the quickest time possible.

We performed this same workout just before Christmas and the first person to finish managed 20 minutes exactly. So it was great to see that almost everybody got under the 20 minute mark, that’s some serious progress.

Here is the workout:

Snatch (each arm) or Swing for beginners

Yoga Squat

Sit and Press

Squat

Press Ups

and now the times…..

Jo - 16.24

Howie - 16.41

Kim - 16.50

Simon - 18.17

Jacob - 18.22

Celine - 18.31

Helen - 19.02

Sarah - 19.02

Steve - 19.19

Suzanne - 20.31

Well done everybody, we will re-test again in another few months and check our progress.

Have a great Easter, take care and stick to the organic dark chocolate eggs.

Greg - Personal Trainer London