Crossfire selected for new major movie

The fitness team at Crossfire have been asked to provide body transformation and combat training solutions for a new blockbuster movie to be screened in 2013.

Casting is still in progress but early discussions reveal some major bulking up for 2 lead actors who will be portraying gladiator style roles.  As well as combatative skills and a rigorous 4 hours a day, 5 days a week training programme the team will be addressing a tailored nutritional programme aimed at piling on muscle whilst maintaining optimum flexibility for the roles.

Crossfire welcomes Bodybuilding and Nutrition specialist Neil Batchelor to the team.

Neil is one of our more experienced Trainers with a credible track record in body building and gym management.

His addition to the team brings some serious body transformation technique to our clients wishing to concentrate on extreme toning, mass gain and body styling type roles.

In addition to this, Neil brings on board the Muscle Fury range of nutritional supplements.

Achieving these sort of results can be arduous and involve serious changes to diet and your workout strategy.  Rest assured that Neil not only has the experience to get you there but that he has a very calming, charming nature achieving results through positive motivation and mentoring.







Neils impressive list of achievements include:

• 2011 - Current South Coast 90kg Champion UKBFF (UK Body Building and Fitness Federation)
• 2010 - 2nd South Coast 90kg UKBFF
• 2010 - 2nd Scottish UKBFF
• 2000 - 2nd Southeast UKBFF
• 1999 -  2nd Stars Of Tomorrow UKBFF
• 1999 - 2nd All Hallows Strongman

Don't let his appearance deceive you though - Neil is no 'meathead'.  As well as being REPS and YMCA approved and owning and running 3 gyms, both female and male, he is the founder and Director of Muscle Fury, One of the most popular nutrition companies on the market.  Their full range of supplements are exclusively available to our clients to assist them in attaining their goals.

Gerard Butler strips off - body fat that is!

The movie star has shed an incredible amount of body fat for his new surf based movie but how has he done it?

Hard work, clean diet and total dedication to a sport specific program-in this case surf action cardio based workouts.  This can be achieved through good core stability training utilising wobble boards, stability ball, kettle bells, and medicine balls to punish his body's fat stores by constantly challenging his balance.

Added to this a high rep 'superset' based resistance programme tweaks the metabolism by building lean muscle.

Good old fresh fruit, fish and loads of water added to the programme really helps 'cut in' as does a good old cup of espresso before the workout for its thermogenic effect.

Oh and ditching the pink shorts was a good idea too ;@)

Go Gerrard!

Who's next?

Crossfire welcomes Personal Trainer Rhys Brooks to the team

Specialises in

• Corrective Exercise / Posture
• Weight loss / Gain
• Strength Conditioning/ Functional Training
• Pre/Post Natal Fitness
• Nutrition
• Holistic Health

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Personal trainer and corrective exercise specialist Rhys Brooks has a celebrity training background and is always keen to ensure the highest standards of confidentiality and professionalism when working with his clients. 

Rhys is renowned for getting his clients into their best ever shape and feeling great through his holistic approach to health and fitness. He treats the body as a whole in order to help clients achieve optimal health and performance in order to meet the demands of their environment, whether it be sitting in an office, lying on a beach or competing in professional sports. Rhys has helped many chronic pain sufferers eliminate pain from their daily life restoring flexibility and mobility back into the body through his carefully designed corrective exercise programs. He gives advice on everything from physical training, nutrition, posture, stress management to mental health.

Rhys is committed to the highest possible standards. He has qualifications from the C.H.E.K Institute California, The University of Technology Sydney and The Fitness Institute Australia. He is a certified C.H.E.K Practitioner and holds a degree in Management in Sport and Exercise and is a member of the register of exercise professionals. Rhys maintains ongoing study and is currently studying the Poliquin Biosignature method

Actress Jessica Biel's fitness routine

Jessica Biel’s circuits look like this:

Stretch: She starts with walking lunges these are great for butt and legs, and they warm you up. Warm ups and cool downs are really important as not to injure your unprepared body parts.
Cardio: Jogging (half a mile), sprints (200 meters, 150 and 100).
Core: Hanging leg raises help you flatten your abdomen.
Stair-jumping: Painful but improves nervous system and great for legs.
Weight Training: Nothing is going to improve your body as weight training, so pick up lighter weights and go.
Waist sculpting moves: Seated Russian twists with a five-pound medicine ball. 3 sets of 15 times.
Shoulders and biceps: Knees slightly bent 10-pound dumbbells for each hand. Bicep curl, then rotation to get your palms outward and twisting dumbbell press. Reverse to get into the initial position and repeat for 10 or 12 times for 3 sets.

Our top 10 tips for body transformation

Jessica Simpson

We often get asked how it is that we are able to take an actress from a size 14 to a size 8, or help an actor pile on a stone of solid muscle, all within a short space of time.  The answer is dedication, hard work, ours in the gym and a great, tailored diet plan.  All of this backed up by a Personal Trainer standing by their side every step of the way!

Chris Hemsworth

All that is lovely, but there must be an easier way-right?  Well, given more time then, yes, total transformation can be possible.   Here are some great tips to start you on your way:

1. Dedication/belief/love - Unless you have these three systems implanted in our mind then it's going to be difficult to keep going.  You need to understand what you want to achieve, believe that it is possible, set yourself measurable goals and reward yourself as you go.  Picture yourself in that size 8 - how much do you want it?  Are you prepared for the sacrifices that you may need to make to get there?  If you are then you have the belief and the love.  Good stuff!
2. Lift weights - Regardless of your gender or age, lifting weights increases muscle tone.  By increasing our muscle tone we are increasing our resting metabolic rate (the amount of calories burned when we are lounging about).  So lean tissue will burn more calories as you are exercising.
3. Calorie burn = movement - Your muscle is increasing so move about as much as possible.  Walk, run, fidget, cycle, twiddle your toes - it all adds to the increase in calories that your body needs to shift the fat.  
4. HIIT - Interval training boosts your fitness level and heart strength making it easier to do increase your strength.  It is also one of the best methods for burning calories as part of a workout. 
5. Perform your cardio after your weights session - your muscles have already stepped up their efficiency to cope with the weight training and so your metabolic rate is elevated.  Now go for a run, ride a bike, jog up and down the stairs - calories are being burnt super efficiently.
6. The 20 minute rule - after your workout your body is hunting around for sources of energy to replace the glycogen loss in the muscles.  for a 20 minute period you are a super efficient food processor with any carbohydrates going straight to those achy legs!  For a period of about an hour this benefit slowly evapourates so the sooner the better.  Feed yourself with 50gms of complex carbohydrates to aid recovery.
7. Water - drink plenty of it.  2 litres a day is the quoted norm.  Bare in mind that you can lose up to 500ml every 15 minutes through perspiration, increased breathing etc. whilst exercising.  Without the water your body will find it hard to shift the fat.
8. Protein - A simple calculation to take account of an average 80 to 90% lean body mass would be your weight in lbs x 80%  (ie 150lb person would require about 120gms of protein a day).  Protein is tricky to digest and so the body actually has to burn more calories to use it up too and it is necessary for rebuilding tissue (ie muscle).
9. Fibre - Make sure that there is always plenty of good quality fibre in your diet.  Sources such as wholemeal bread, cereals, brown rice are all great as they keep the digestive system healthy.  Other types of fibre such as those found in fruits slows down digestion and the sudden release of energy, especially from carbohydrates into the bloodstream. 
10. Scales - don't be obsessed with your weight.  Although this is an indication of how you are doing it is not the be all and end all.  Far more important is little signs such as one less hole in your belt, a dress size smaller or more energy to run up the stairs.   If you must check your weight then invest in some body fat monitoring scales which will indicate how much body fat you have lost which is a better indicator of whether your programme is going to plan.

Good luck...