Fight Camp Bootcamps and Personal Training

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Personal Trainer Glasgow

Hi and welcome to Fight Camp Glasgow Personal Trainer and Bootcamp blog, if your reading this its because you have a vested interest in fitness and fat loss.  Let me tell you that you’ve come to the right place.  The personal trainers at Fight Camp Glasgow are dedicated to helping you getting the results you want and deserve to achieve.  We run both a Morning and Evening Fight Camps in Glasgow, along with a highly acclaimed Concierge Personal Training Glasgow service which you can find out more about by checking out the videos posted on this site.

We’re so passionate in-fact, about training people in Glasgow that twice monthly we issue High Intensity Workouts for you to try out in either the home, the gym or sometimes in the office if your short of time – Absolutely FREE of charge direct to your email inbox – Just fill in your details in the top Right Hand Corner of this page and you could be in with the chance to Win a month of Personal Training.

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Glasgow Bootcamp: Post Workout Nutrition

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Personal Trainer Glasgow

Hey Folks, another great nutrition post by your resident Fight Camp Coach & Personal Trainer Patrick O’brien.  We’d love to hear your comments below.

Over to Paddy d;-)

THE ABC OF POST EXERCISE NUTRITION 

In my last blog, we discussed the importance of pre-exercise nutrition for optimal performance during exercise. However, the post exercise meal is as important, if not more. The reason being, that it helps your body to recover more quickly and improves your ability to train consistently. The three main aims of post exercise nutrition are (A) return the body to pre exercise levels of hydration, (B) restore glycogen levels (source of energy most used for exercise) and (C) aid muscle repair and growth.

(A) Hydration – The first priority after exercise is to replace any fluid and electrolytes lost during exercise which help the body to function properly. The best way to determine how much to drink is to weigh yourself before and after exercise and replace the fluid lost. A handy rule of thumb for this is to drink 1 litre of water for every 1 kg lost.      

(B) Glycogen Replenishment – After exercise muscle glycogen stores are depleted. The first 30 minutes is the most crucial time to restore these glycogen stores. If you don’t replenish glycogen rapidly, your performance will suffer the next time you train and you may even lose some muscle along the way due to muscle protein breakdown.

(C) Muscle Repair and Growth - After exercise, protein breakdown goes way up, thus creating a negative protein balance. If sufficient fuel is not replaced the muscles will break down and begin utilising proteins to fuel the body. Which essentially means you eat yourself from the inside. Protein replenishment is important as it provides the amino acids necessary to rebuild the muscle tissue that is damaged during intense exercise. It can also increase the absorption of water from the intestines and improve muscle hydration. 

Research shows that combining protein with carbohydrate within thirty minutes of exercise nearly doubles the insulin response which results in more stored glycogen. Basically if you are looking for the best way to refuel your body after exercise, a 4:1 combo  (4 grams of carbohydrate for every one gram of protein) would be the best choice. While solid foods work as well as a sports drink, a drink maybe easier to digest. The bottom line is after a hard FIGHT CAMP training session make sure you consume a meal high in carbohydrates and protein and drink lots of fluid.

One of the very few supplement products that the Fight Camp team reccommend you take is the post workout recovery shake offered via Sportfood Glasgow, not only will this aid in your recovery process and speed up your results, but we the trainers also take these products, so you know its a brand you can trust. 

If you are interested in getting the post workout shakes then Fight Camp have sourced the products at a discount for you our loyal customers, just email info@fightcamp.org for more details.

Remember.. Train Hard…Train Smart… Willpower Required

____________________________________________________________

Patrick O’brien is a Glasgow Personal Trainer and co-owner of Fight Camp Ltd.  With over 10 years experience in fat loss training and nutrition, he has become a name you can trust when it comes to your training, nutrition and health goals.  For more information on the services Patrick offers or to get in touch with any of the members of the Fight Camp Team, check out: http://www.fightcampblog.com or email
info@fightcamp.org.

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Fat Loss Glasgow – To eat or not to eat?

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Personal Trainer Glasgow

Hey Folks hope your all killing it in your new year training. Fight Camp Glasgow personal trainer, Patrick has kindly wrote a post in response to some early morning exercisers training at our AM Fight Camp  who aren’t sure about eating before training.  If you have any questions or comments, we would love to hear from you in the comments section below.

Your alarm bursts into life announcing the ungodly hour of 6 a.m. After some deliberation and bickering with the snooze button you eventually clamber out bed. You dare not be late for Fight Camper as your all too aware of the 50 burpee punishment detail for late comers. The problem is your hungry, it’s been 12 hours since you’ve last eaten and you’re wondering should I eat and if so, then what should i eat.

The simple answer is yes, you should eat.  If you run very low on muscle and liver glycogen – the body’s storage of carbohydrate. You will be  forced to slow down or completely stop during exercise. When you wake after several hours of sleep, your carbohydrate stores may be depleted. Replacing these calories is very important to your immediate workout performance.

Its also very important to make sure that you are properly hydrated. Your body  loses water while you sleep through your pores, by breathing and during bathroom visits.  Your body may be down by as much as 700ml from normal hydration levels in the morning so it’s important to hydrate first thing. The better your hydration and fuel levels going into a workout, the faster you’ll recover, assuming you refuel and rehydrate adequately during exercise.

Pre exercise food choices

Fruit with eggs – eggs are loaded with protein and easily digested by most people. You can boil eggs the night before or you can scramble eggs. Combine this with fresh fruit especially fruit that is low in fiber, such as bananas, peaches and watermelon.

Liquid meals – if you don’t want to eat something too heavy before fight camp why not try blending foods. Blended foods produce a liquid you can more easily digest. Blend low fiber fruit such as those listed above with fruit juice and a serving of protein powder.

Sport bar with protein – Probably not the best option but if needs must. Protein bars sometimes referred to as meal replacement bars are a quick and easy option that can be eaten on the run. While primarily a carbohydrate based food source they contain just enough protein to slow the glycemic reaction and add some BCAA to the meals. Be sure to drink lots of water with these because they are dry and might fluids from your body into your gut to assist with digestion leaving you dehydrated.

Drink fluids including water – You can use coffee or tea which have the benefits of caffeine or fruit and vegetables juices may also be taken. Good choices are tomato, apple, and orange. Tomato juice often has added sodium, which may be beneficial if your workout is long.

But what if your one of those people who just can’t eat first thing in the morning?

Taking in carbohydrate within the last hour or so not including the final 10 minutes before starting, may cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) during the first several minutes of exercise especially in some people who are sensitive to sugar. Many people may well experience dizziness in the ensuing exercise because of this reaction.

However this doesn’t happen when high glycemic index carbohydrate ( sports drink or gel)  is taken 10 minutes before starting because there is not enough time for the body to respond by pumping out insulin. So taking in 100 to 200 calories from a few ounces of sports drinks or gel, followed by 6 to 8 ounces water, may well give you the energy boost needed right before starting without any of the negative effects. This may prove very helpful to the Fight Campers who just can’t eat first thing in the morning.

I hope this helps, and if you have any questions then please leave a comment in the box below.

Patrick

Remember Folks.. Train Hard… Train Smart.. Willpower Required

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Time Management…. I Just Don’t Have The Time

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Personal Trainer Glasgow

Does The Above Sound like you??

The other day I was watching the Justin Timberlake blockbuster “In Time” and I started thinking about how different our lives would be if the we lived in a world just like the futuristic world in that film, where your life was handed to you in hours and minutes.

Ask yourself would you work harder? would you get more done?

As a Glasgow Personal Trainer I hear the excuses week in week out from people who come to me looking for the quick fix, the one exercise or superfood thats going to solve all their body image and weight issues.

Yet when I give them the answer to exercise at the correct intensity and eat right for your body type and activity level, they just don’t have the time, they’re too busy, they’ve got kids, they’ve got… they’ve got… they’ve got…… a hell of a lot of excuses on why they cant.

Now we are all inherently lazy, especially during the colder and darker months, anyone who says they’re not is suspicious to me.

That being said, being inherently lazy does not mean you can’t get tasks done more efficiently so as to allow yourself the time to get fit and burn loads of body fat.

So how do we make time?

Craig Ballantyne

One of the easiest ways I use to make time in my life is to work off lists. Now I never used to use lists, I thought I had a pretty good memory, boy I was wrong. however I stumbled upon an Internet entrepreneur, Craig Ballantyne’s blog, creator of online business websites Internet Independance, Early To Rise and Fitness Website Turbulence Training, and since reading his articles and putting his time management advice into action, I’ve never looked back.  Craig managed to create, manage and run 2 – 3 online businesses whilst working 40-60 hours a week in a full time job and training his ass off!.  Now thats good time management.

Now its easy to get carried away by making huge lists of every task you need to get done, however these always end up being uncompleted and make you disheartened.

Instead keep a notepad and pen  by the bed (or if your a gadget geek then the new iPhone has a great little to do-list app) and 10 minutes before you turn off the light make a note of your Goal for the day – Make it a Fitness/Nutrition Goal (we will call this our top tier task and must be completed) Next set 2 Priority tasks (we will call these tier 1 tasks) that need to be completed by the end of the day.  Next list up to 3 tasks (tier 2 tasks) that if not fully completed will not mess you about too much but need to be done this week.

Lets be honest, we’ve all had deadlines for stuff thats been two months away, and how many of us would naturally complete the task ahead of schedule?? Not many.

So give yourself an hour at the most for the priority tasks, and break the the 3 tier 2 tasks into 15- 30 min blocks.  Failing to meet your Top Tier Goal and two Tier 1 tasks should be punished.  A great way to punish is for each task not completed, you pay a penalty of 50 burpees.

Working against the clock is a great little tactic that makes you work harder especially if you are as competitive as I am.  Take this blog post for example, yesterday I set myself 30 mins to complete, and wasn’t finished so gave myself 50 burpees for good measure and got up 15 mins early this morning to get this finished and guess what the thought of getting punishment burpees again spurred me to be more efficient and to finish promptly.

Trust me you will meet your deadlines by any way possible!!

Ok, as Promised below are the 3 tasks suckingI find that suck the time out of your day and stop you meeting deadlines.

They Are Checking:  

-Facebook
-Twitter
-Email

It is so hard not to continually check these three things especially as we are now living in what I call the “PUSH NOTIFICATION ERA”  The fact that emails, twitter and facebook notifications come through instantly to our phones and computers these days mean we check these instantly and end up wasting more and more time.

Heres a tip Turn off all push notifications on your smart phone and choose to access manually.  Check these a max of 3 times a day, replying to any messages you might have only once a day.  Then set a time limit in which you have to reply to all pending messages in.

If you use this method for long periods of time people will start to get used to you replying at a particular time of day which becomes handy especially for work emails.  It almost seems like we are infatuated with replying to an email as soon as it gets sent to the inbox.

Not many emails are life and death.  The majority of which do not need instant replies so get out of the habit of replying as soon as an email arrives in your inbox.

Do this 5 days a week and you will start making progress in a lot more aspects of your life.

Do it for long periods of time and people will start to get used to you replying at a particular time of day which becomes handy especially for work emails.

I would love to hear how much time you save and the positive ways your using this free time in your life in the comments section below.

Train Hard..Train Smart..WILLPOWER REQUIRED

John Fight Camp Trainer

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12 Days Of Xmas – Glasgow Fat Loss Workout

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Personal Trainer Glasgow

Hey Guys as promised, here is the 12 Days of Xmas Fat Loss Of Program to keep your metabolism’s stoked and the fat loss furnaces burning hot throughout the numerous meals, snacks and drinks you’ll be having at this time of year.

Christmas is a time of unwinding after the years toil and relaxing, however complacency is a killer for your waistline.  As a Glasgow Personal Trainer I am always looking for ways my clients can maximise theri fat loss, even when they can’t train with me, so I have adaptations for exercises so they can be performed in the home if there is no access to a gym over the festive break.

The program follows the tabbata protocol.  For anyone unfamiliar witht the protocol, its a short period of high intensity work followed by an even shorter recovery.

As indicated in the previous 12 Days of Christmas Fat Loss Post the Exercises will be as follows:

  1. Burpees
  2. Wall Ball (or Jump Squat if no equipment)
  3. Oblique V-Sits R/L
  4. Sprints on a Treadmill ( Or High Knees if no access to a Gym)
  5. Hanging Leg Raises (Or V-Ups if no access to a gym)
  6. Hill Climbers

Ok so after a mobility warm up Perform the above exercises using the timings below.

Round 1: – Each exercise is performed consecutively for a 20 second burst of maximal effort followed by a 20 second recovery between exercises

Round 2: – Each exercise is performed consecutively for a 20 second burst of maximal effort followed by a 15 second recovery between exercises.

Round 3: – Each exercise is performed consecutively for a 20 second burst of maximal effort followed by a 10 second recovery between exercises

Round 4: – Each exercise is performed consecutively for a 25 second burst of maximal effort followed by a 10 second recovery between exercises

You do each exercise once to complete a single round.

Complete Beginners should consult with their doctor before attempting a new exercise routine and should not take part in this or anyother workout listed on this site or anywhere else if they have pre-esisting medical conditions that can be exacerbated by exercise.

You can Start this program right away however if you start it on the 26th of December it will take you into the new year and you will have started your new years resolution a little early and put yourself on the path to a new leaner fitter you.

Enjoy and as always I would love to hear your comments in the section below.

Train Hard…Train Smart…Willpower Required

John Fight Camp Trainer

P.S Don’t leave it to the new year to get started on your Fat Loss program – Contact the Fight Camp Team to get more information on our upcoming Fight Camp or Small Group Personal Training Offers – Contact info@fightcamp.org

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The 12 Days Of Christmas Fight Camp Style

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Personal Trainer Glasgow

Red and green decorations are out, nostalgic tunes fill the airways and not to be a Scrooge or anything but I feel it’s only acceptable for this to be the case once we’re in December.  I heard my first Christmas song in Asda back at the beginning of November and walked out the store.

 Anyways……

I know what’s on your list this year and it isn’t found in the shops. You’re wishing for the lean midsection you deserve to have—so I’ve put together “The Twelve Days of Christmas –Washboard Abs Edition” just for you.

 On the First Day…Give yourself the gift of Burpees.

Created by the first person whoever dropped to the floor and pushed back up again d:-) the burpee is an intense full body exercise that helps burn fat and tone muscles. A burpee is done in the following 5 steps: 1) Stand with feet shoulder width apart. 2) Drop to a squat with your hands on the ground. 3) Kick feet back while lowering into a push-up. 4) Return to squat position. 5) Jump up with arms overhead.

 On the Second Day…Give yourself the gift of Fibre.

Stocking up on fibre will do wonders for your abs. High fibre foods are nutrient dense and low in calories. Try these high fibre favourites: raspberries, pear (with skin), artichoke, peas, apples (with skin), broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and carrots.

On the Third Day…Give yourself the gift of a Medicine Ball.

The first medicine balls were created in Persia over 3,000 years ago, made with sand filled bladders and used by wrestlers as part of their conditioning. Today you can get the same rippling abs by incorporating medicine balls into your exercise routine. Do a sit-up holding a medicine ball at your chest then throw it to a partner or a solid wall (careful on the rebound) as you raise your chest toward your knees; or hold a medicine ball with arms straight up in the air as you do crunches.

On the Fourth Day…Give yourself the gift of Reduced Salt.

Too much salt leads to water retention—and that spells disaster for your six pack. Pay attention to the sodium content of your food. Limit salt intake by not eating packaged foods and by putting down the salt shaker.

On the Fifth Day…Give yourself the gift of Oblique V-Sits.

Want Ab's Like Pac Man?

Who really wants extra baggage around the hips and waist?  You don’t, so incorporate Oblique V-Sits into your routine in 3 simple steps. 1) Lie on your side with legs straight and hands behind your head. 2) Raise your arms and legs simultaneously, while exhaling and squeezing your obliques. 3) Repeat on the other side.

 

On the Sixth Day…Give yourself the gift of Lean Protein.

Along with fibre, your meals should be packed with lean protein. This will help support muscle growth while controlling blood sugar – all important factors when it come to washboard abs.

On the Seventh Day…Give yourself the gift of Sprints.

The days of long slow cardio sessions are long gone.  If you have been following the blog you now know that short intense bursts of high-intensity cardio is the ideal way to melt fat. Run 60-90 second sprints in between resistance training sets to really kick your fat burning mechanism into high gear.

On the Eighth Day…Give yourself the gift of No Sugar.

Sure, sugar tastes good, but indulging in it causes your body to store layers of fat. Enjoy fresh fruit, rather than refined sugar. If you really want washboard abs, then say no to sugar.

On the Ninth Day…Give yourself the gift of Hanging Leg Raises.

This is one of the most effective ways to strengthen your abdominals. 1) Hang from pull-up bar with legs fully extended. 2) Exhale and drive your knees up toward your chest. 3) Inhale as you slowly lower your legs back down.

 

On the Tenth Day…Give yourself the gift of No Grain.

If you’re serious about that lean midsection then put down the bread basket. Grains are full of insulin-spiking carbohydrates—the perfect combination for fattening you up. Learn to love grain-free meals that centre around lean meats and vegetables.

On the Eleventh Day…Give yourself the gift of Hill Climbers.

Here’s another intense exercise that really targets your abs while also burning fat. 1) Get into push-up position. 2) Exhale as you alternately drive your knees in toward your chest, keeping your back flat.

On the Twelfth Day…Give yourself the gift of A Lean Mid Section

So if you want to get a head start on your new years resolution, contact the Fight Camp Team to get more information about our Glasgow Personal Training and Fight Camp Bootcamps

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Fat Loss Glasgow – How to Conquer Eating Out

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Personal Trainer Glasgow

Hey guys, hope your all well and KILLING it with your workouts and nutrition plans at the moment.  As in my previous post, we are well under way into the Weight Gain Season… Not Good.

However for every problem there is a solution.  Recently a client came to me who through her work eats out all the time, business lunches and dinners 3-6 times per week and after having started a personal training program with ourselves, she didn’t want to ruin all her efforts in the gym.

Let’s look at the following scenario:

A woman sits at a restaurant studying the menu with furrowed brow. She has begun an exercise routine and knows that her frequent meals out could slow her weight loss results if she wasn’t careful.

When the waiter comes she is still deep in thought over what to order. “What can I get for you?” he asks with a smile. She looks up and frowns, no closer to arriving at a decision. On a whim she blurts out, “I’m trying to eat healthy but I have no idea what to order. What do you think I should eat?”

The young waiter looks startled but quickly rattles off his idea of a healthy meal. “The eggplant and roasted pepper pasta is filled with vegetables. You could get that with a salad.”

The woman smiles. Yes, vegetables do sound healthy. So she orders the veggie pasta with a side salad and a diet soda, then sits back to enjoy a few slices of bread. 

That’s a true story. Not surprisingly the woman was unable to lose weight even though she was exercising regularly.

It is said that 80% of your weight loss results are derived from diet, and the remaining 20% from exercise—so you can see how important it is for you to stick with a healthy eating plan which avoids the pitfalls of the majority of diets that are out there today.

Use the following tips as your guide to eating out right:

Appetizers
Appetizers are a great way to start out a leisurely meal, but can also derail your good intentions with a quickness.

Don’t Order

  • Anything fried. Fried foods are a favorite, but will do damage that even the most intense workout won’t undo.
  • Creamy dips. These are filled with fat and usually come with something fried to dip in it.
  • Bread. It comes smothered in cheese or seeped in butter, and even when it’s plain it fills you up with more carbohydrates than your body needs.

Do Order

  • Green salad. Ask for very light dressing and no croutons.
  • Antipasto. A plate of thinly sliced meats, olives and cheese will start you off with some protein.
  • Lettuce wraps. These are delicious, protein-filled and low in carbs.

Beverages
Calories in drinks are sneaky because they don’t fill you up. This means that you end up taking in far more calories than you bargained for.

Don’t Order

  • Regular or diet soda. On one hand you’re drinking corn syrup through a straw, on the other you’re drinking chemicals that cause you to crave sweets. It’s a no win situation.
  • Sweet cocktails. Many restaurants are advertizing sweet cocktails –resist the urge. Sugar plus alcohol equals loads of unneeded calories.
  • Sweetened tea. You may feel righteous for ordering iced tea, but if it’s sweetened then you may as well be drinking fully loaded soda.

Do Order

  • Water. Don’t laugh! Water is the best beverage of all.
  • Unsweetened iced tea. Don’t ruin it by adding that packet of sugar. Learn to enjoy the natural sweetness to the tea.
  • Red wine. Stick to two glasses, and drink responsibly.

Entrees
This is where the real damage is done. When you order something carb-loaded you leave the restaurant feeling heavy and lethargic—you may not even realize this until you start eating better and experience the light, energetic way you’ll feel after eating a healthy meal.

Don’t Order

  • Pasta. I don’t care if it comes with red sauce or white sauce, meat or veggies. If you’re trying to lose weight and maintain a lean body then never, ever order a plate of pasta.
  • Pizza. Another dish that has far more carbohydrates than you need. If you’re craving the pizza toppings then simply order those over a salad.
  • Burgers. If you really want a burger then ditch the bun and the fries, and have your patty wrapped in lettuce.

Do Order:

  • Lean meat with vegetables. Fish, steak, chicken, take your pick and pair it with green vegetables.
  • Salad with protein. Ask for very light dressing and make sure you have a nice piece of protein on it.
  • Soup and salad. Stick with broth based soups that contain protein and pass on the breadsticks.

Ok so there are a few tips that can help you get the best out of eating out and keep you sticking to your nutrition plan.

If you would like specialised instruction on your training or nutrition from Glasgow Personal Trainer’s and Fat Loss experts then please do not hesitate to contact the Fight Camp Team in the comments section below.

 

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Bad News

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Personal Trainer Glasgow

Hey Folks, like the title says, I’ve got some bad news for you today.  The end of the month marks the start of weight gain season.

It’s here—whether you’re ready or not. Just look at the seasonal shelves in your favorite supermarket (that’s right they’ve started stocking Christmas chocolates already.

Supermarkets like to call it ‘holiday season’ but let’s be more accurate. 

Weight Gain season begins now and runs straight through New Year’s. 

The next two months will bring ample opportunity for you to expand your waistline.

Of course the choice is yours. 

Why discuss it now and not mid way through December??

Because now is your opportunity to plan for the weeks ahead. Once the craziness begins, you’ll be too busy to put a plan into action.

So let’s take this moment of clarity, this calm before the storm, to outline a two-part plan that will save your waist from unwanted holiday inches.

1) Part One: Your Exercise Plan. Exercise is the first thing people cut when they get busy, and the winter season is notorious for empty gyms. This year do something different—obligate yourself to exercise. Promising to yourself won’t do it, you need to promise to others so that you won’t drop the ball.

  • Sign up to work with a group of fitness experts – This is the perfect solution for consistent, challenging and effective workouts. We will give you the attention and assistance that you need to power through the holidays in better shape than ever – talk about motivating!
  • Get in a group – You won’t be as effective exercising on your own during the busy holiday season, so join a bootcamp for accountability. Find something challenging that gets your heart rate jacked and uses metabolic strength conditioning to burn maximum bodyfat.

2) Part Two: Your Diet Plan. The  next two months will  offer ample opportunities to indulge, so you need to hammer down some guidelines before hitting that buffet line. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t indulge in any seasonal treats, but use moderation. Don’t use the parties/nights out as an excuse to eat until the point of being uncomfortable – will you really miss that bloated feeling? Decide which treats to cut out this year.

  • Don’t bring edible treats to the office or to parties. You know that the leftovers will come home and you’ll end up eating far more than your share. This year do everyone a favor by not gifting fattening treats.
  • When faced with a buffet line, load your plate first with greens, vegetables and lean meats before breads and heavier foods. Also drink water with your meal and keep alcoholic beverages to a 2-drink maximum.
  • Beware of holiday drinks – most are brimming with calories. Hot drinks from coffee shops, cocktails at parties and creamy eggnog are all very enjoyable and all filled with empty calories. Stick with hot tea or unsweetened coffee.
  • Everywhere you go during the holiday season brings you face-to-face with a plate of sweets. To avoid being a bore but without adding inches to your waist, try the one treat rule. Each time you’re in a social situation that involves sweets just eat one, and enjoy your treat slowly.
  • Follow a real results Fight Camp nutrition plan created for you in mind, with your likes/dislikes and tolerances to maximise fat loss.

Now it all comes down to choices.  You can choose to do nothing and in six weeks you can expect to be a good few kg’s heavier, more tired, and incredibly unhappy with the way you look and your fitness.

Or…….

You can take action today, change your mindset and get involved with the LAST Fight Camp Bootcamp of 2011, were we will not only take care of your programming, nutrition and lifestyle for the next six weeks. We will also get you motivated and starting the new year the way you deserve: leaner, fitter and 100% healthier.

John Fight Camp Trainer

P.S The Last Fight Camp of 2011 begins Halloween (31st October) and spaces are very limited.  If you would like to reserve yours then email info@fightcamp.org asap to guarantee your place.

_____________________________________________________________

http://www.fightcampblog.com

John is a Fight Camp Coach and Glasgow Personal Trainer.

 

 

 

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Personal Trainer Glasgow – Travel Workouts

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Personal Trainer Glasgow

Hey Guys, hope your well and getting the best out of your training.  Apologies about the blog being quiet over the last few weeks, been absolutely manic.  Nevertheless below is a routine I created on Sunday night for a client who I thought I’d share with everyone by turning it into a post, enjoy.

Ok fresh from spending two days in London at a crossfit certification, my mind is literally buzzing with ideas.

As I write this I’m in an Italian restaurant, reviewing the awesome weekend in my head and killing time waiting on the bus back to sunny Glasgow.  I’ve ordered a very Paleo diet friendly d;-) of burger and chips and a bottle of red wine (my cheat for completing about six workouts in two days!!!!!).

Whilst waiting on the food, I am reviewing my tasks for the coming week and what needs to be done (great for goal setting) and I remember that  a client had asked me to come up with a program for her to do away from home and the gym, as she travels a lot.  Not one to disappoint, I get out the pad and pen and fueled by some amazing programming seminars from the weekend I plan out the program below.  She has limited equipment  ( a couple of Kettlebells) and wants to keep the intensity of her workouts high away from the gym.

Below is the travel workout I came up with, utilising Kettlebells, however if you travel and dont even have kettlebells you can use the big 3 litre jugs of milk you can get in supermarkets instead. (Just make sure the lids are on tight!!!) This is a great routine for amazing Fat Loss whilst away.

Day 1 – Perform a Modified Tabbata Circuit of 9 rounds instead of 8

20 Secs Air Squat
10 Secs Recovery
20 Secs Push Up
10 Secs Recovery
20 Secs KB Swing

Repeat sequence of exercises 2 more times for a total of 9 before taking 1 minute rest.  Then complete full sequence of 9 – for two more  rounds for a total of 3 tabattas.

Stretch

Day 2 –

Perform 3 Rounds of 21 reps – 15 reps – 9 reps for time of the following:

Kettlebell deadlift – from floor
Burpees
Kettlebell Single Arm Push Press

So the sequence would be to perform:

21 KB Deadlifts
21 Burpees
21 Single Arm KB Push Press (repeat for other arm)

Recover, then round two perform 15 reps of each and round 3 perform 9 reps.  Record your time, taking as little recovery between rounds as possible.

Stretch Major Muscle groups

Day 3 – Cardio Day

Perform 60 Minutes of brisk Cardiovascular exercise, choose from below:

  • Hillwalking
  • Power Walk
  • Swimming
  • 5k or 10K Jog/run

Day 4 - Rest Day or 30 Min Walk and Stretch

 

Day 5 – 50 Rep Melt Down

Perform 50 reps of each exercise before moving onto the next exercise on the list.  Record time for entire circuit.

  • Kb Swing
  • Jumping Jacks
  • Pushups
  • KB Single Arm Row (25 reps per arm)
  • Crunches with towel in Lumbar region of back
  • Superman Back Extensions
  • Plank with Knee to elbow touches (25 reps each Leg)
  • Towel Inverted Row (wrap towels round a tree or strong beam)
  • Squat Jumping Jack
  • Hillclimber (25 reps per leg)
  • Burpees (my favourite)

Stretch Major Muscle Groups

Day 6 – Core Workout

Perform true tabbata 8 X 20 secs work with 10 secs recovery of the following

  • Sprinter Sit Up
  • V-Up
  • Toe Touches
  • Butt Raises
    Complete sequence twice for total of 8.  Recover for 1 minute before repeating entire sequence of 8 two more times

Stretch Major Muscle Groups

Day 7 – The Test

Ok My Favourite day of the week.  Here you will test your mental and physical resolve by performing:

  • 100 KB Swings
  • 100 Burpees

Perform this for time and record your time taking recovery when needed but by trying to keep it to a minimum.

Stretch Major Muscle Groups.

There you have it folks a 7 day high intensity fat burning program using little to no equipment whilst your away travelling with work or what not.  Try it out and let me know how you get on in the comments section below.

Train Hard…Train Smart… Willpower Required!!!

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Fight Camp Body Rock Finale

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Personal Trainer Glasgow

Six Weeks Down and that brings us to the end of Fight Camp  Bodyrock.  Over the course of the six weeks we completed some of the toughest workouts Indoors and even 1 session outdoors.  There was sweat, tears and  a few Vom Bombs!!

A Big thanks to all who took part in both the AM and PM camps you really did bring your A game each and every session and if you came to get your measurements retested you know exactly how well you achieved, so congratulations.

The Next Fight Camp “Annihilation” Starts the 11th of July, with spots already filling up fast, please if you are interested then get in touch ASAP to guarantee your place.

Train Hard…Train Smart…Willpower Required..

P.S. New Blog Workout coming this week so keep your eyes peeled this week.

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Personal Trainer Glasgow Shares With You The Art of Goal Setting

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Personal Trainer Glasgow

The Art of goal Setting and What It Can Do For You

Hey Guys, today’s post goes deeper into the art of goal setting and how it can help get you on the path you ought to be on in terms of fitness, business, and family life.  At first this post was only a couple of paragraphs, yet it kind of grew legs and became the monster you see before.  Goal Setting is so Important in every aspect of your life.  This held true for me this week more than ever.  At the weekend I was down in Birmingham for a conference were some of the Greatest Fitness Entrepreneurs were speaking on every aspect of the fitness industry you can think of and I got to meet some of the experts who I’ve wanted to meet for, for years.

One of the key subjects that came up was goal setting and it got me thinking long and hard about were I am at in my own life.  We all live such busy lives and we concentrate so hard on all the little tasks of the day, what with work and domestic life; our heads stay permanently down and our blinkers on, yet we never take a moment to actually look up to see where it is we’re going and half the time we end up walking into a wall, be it a fitness, nutrition or a work related wall, that wall has a habit of popping up and blocking our direction.  As a Glasgow Personal Trainer, I come across people daily in my job that know they want something; yet can can’t yet place themselves in the right mindset to know specifically what it is they want.

I was reminded at the weekend of the Alice in wonderland story were Alice is speaking to the Cheshire cat and asks which of the two paths to take.  The cat responds by asking Alice where do you want to go.  Alice replies that she doesn’t know.  The cat then tells Alice that it doesn’t matter which path you take, as you’ll never know when you get to the destination.  Once you know the destination you can plan out the journey.  Take the Internet site Expedia for example; your not going to get very far if you are unable to enter in a destination on page 1.

Ask yourself this, what intentions did you have when you started the New Year off back in January, and how did you get on.  If you reached and maintained what you set out to do in January, I am so happy for you and please keep it up.  However if you maybe let one or two (or ALL) of those good intentions get pushed to the wayside then ask yourself what wall was it that you came up against?

Most of the time when we set goals and fail them because the overriding goal was flawed in the first place.  It’s easy to say I want to lose 2 stone or earn £100,000, yet how realistic is it?  Ok it sounds a bit corny but I want you to grab a pen and pad and write the following headings down on that pad; Personal, Fitness, Business/Work-related (thank you Alwynn Cosgrove) Now you have them down I want you to close your eyes & imagine your life a year from now, and write down everything you want to achieve by this time next year – set your stopwatch for 4 minutes and do not stop writing until that timer runs out.

I mean it; don’t stop writing until the 4 minutes runs out.  Now you have your list, we are going to break it down into actionable steps: Now take each column and write six months next to it and the action steps you yourself feel could be actionable within the next six months.

Once you have done that we’re going to break it down even further into more specific action plans you can do in the next three months, and then further subdivide into the next month.  Seriously I want you to map out what you can realistically engage this month to put you on track  to your year goals.

Now even more specific – What can you achieve this week – set yourself one mini goal this week each day that you can 100% take action on each day – plan it.

Now we’re at the final stage, I want you to write down what you can do in the next day> I want you to write down one thing you can do and take action on by this time tomorrow.

Now that it’s written down there is accountability, and it’s up to you to keep checking this list and making sure you’re on track each and every day.  To help with this I want you to take this piece of paper and put it in the most prominent place that you will see it every day (hint: the fridge or the mirror are always good starts) so that your goals are constantly in the front of your mind.

Now if you are visually stimulated then alongside that goal setting, create a vision board, were you place a photo or image on the board that represents each aspect of your life and the goals your are going to and are achieving (notice the present tense) in all of the sections, family; domestic; work/business; health; fitness; financial; spiritual etc.   It’s your vision board so design it in a way that excites you, and use images that stimulate you.
Both work well together and apart, however I find if you can tackle a problem with as many weapons in your arsenal as possible, then it doesn’t stand a chance.

Some of the problems with goal setting is that people plan too far in advance and never in the present.  Stop living in dreamland, plan your journey for the next year and ask yourself what can I do  TODAY.  Check in with your goals each and every day, after month 1 double check what you achieved and what maybe slipped through.  If a task or goal did slip through (God Forbid d;-) then add a couple of new action steps you can do get that taken care of ASAP.

Now this sounds a little long-winded but will only take 10 minutes tops and it will position you as an action taker, as opposed to the daydreamer who sits and puts everything off until tomorrow.  Don’t get stuck in the trap of tomorrow, take action today and start working towards that life you want to achieve, and you will start reaping the benefits immediately.

I’ve now tracked out my own goals for the year and am checking them daily, making sure I’m on track to lead my life the way I want in the next year.  I’ll Leave you to write up your goals with a quote that stuck with me from the weekend.

“You cannot get to where you have always wanted by doing what you have always done” The Legend Alwynn Cosgrove

Make sure you take massive ACTION and I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.

p.s.  If your ready to take massive action, why not trial a Fight Camp Personal Training Session for £1 click here for details

Train Hard…Train Smart…Willpower Required

John Fight Camp Trainer

 

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