Have a go at this exercise routine

I love these - they are short, sharp, to the point.  You feel the results straight away, need no equipment and little space - so whats the catch?  The catch is that you have to try as hard as you possibly can for the 10 to 15 minutes that it takes...that's it!

Give it a go and let us know what you think.

The video itself is pretty crappy to be honest but hopefully it will give you a chuckle while your doing the exercises - after all exercise doesn't have to be stuffy and so rigid that it bores you silly!  

A perfect present to yourself

Have you been dieting, lost a bit of weight and now reached a plateau and are struggling to know where to go next? The temptation to drop the diet kicks in and you 'yo-yo' right back to the beginning - or worse!

We have been approached by lots of people in this situation over the course of the last few years and, just recently, it seems to be on the increase.

Exercise programme, detailed fitness testing and nutrition advice in the comfort of your home

To help -  we have come up with a 'Mini PT pack' specifically designed to bolt on to an individuals own lifestyle.  These are a cost effective alternative to joining a gym or hiring a full time Personal Trainer.  

The pack lasts for approximately 2 hours and is carried out in the comfort of your own home and consists of:

• A 30 minute diet/nutrition/lifestyle consultation
• A fitness test measuring 25 points of current level of fitness, 
• A simple, tailored exercise programme to work on at home over a four week period.
• A 30 minute exercise session designed to increase your metabolism and structured around your own space and equipment availability and covering warm up, strength, CV and flexibility.  
• Follow up emails/texts to check on your progress

All for just £50!

These sessions can be carried out as a one off  although it is recommended that they are carried out every 4 to 6 weeks to check progress and update the programme in line with your achievements.

These seem to be working really well with one client reporting a 5lb loss in their first week!

Mini PT Packs are a perfect birthday present as well and come with a gift certificate!

To find out more or to book, drop us an email or call us on 0800 612 6092

10 men wanted to join the programme

We're looking for 10 guys to join me with a new P.E.P (Primal Elements Programming) training course. Working out in the forests, woods, beaches and streets and utilising natural movement- we will hone you to the fittest, fastest, strongest shape that you have been.

Beware though, this is no so called 'boot camp' this is hardcore and will leave you bruised, cut, stung, wet through and covered in mud and sweat. It will involve, climbing, swimming, sprinting, fighting, crawling, leaping, balancing and lifting blended with Japanese elements style thinking and parkour style action.

This will be limited to 10 men for 10 weeks, for two sessions per week. Training will be carried out on a tues and thurs eve at 6.30 pm and will last for approx 90 minutes There will be a benchmark physical test in order to become a member of the group and one at the end of the 10 weeks to measure improvement. The group is targeted at those that perhaps used to be fit but have let themselves slip due to pressure of work/time or to those that have a level of fitness but want to try a different approach to their training.

As P.E.P training is new and this group will be used as part of our assessment programme and the results may be used for marketing, the course will be at a subsidised rate of £180 for the 20 sessions including tests and enrolment.

To join up please send us a personal message with your phone number along with your age, height, weight and level of fitness.

Try this high protein breakfast cereal

Try this as a high protein, kickstart breakfast alternative -

Take a 5lb protein tub and leave about 1 inch of protein powder in the bottom

Add your fav nut and seed mix.

Shake it all up well and serve with a few scoops of natural yogurt


This is what I put in mine:

oats, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hep seed, linseed, walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, pecan nuts, goji berries, cranberries, dried apricots, pitted prunes, pitted dates and some tropical fruit mix.

It takes a bit of smashing up to get the consistency right but boy is it worth the effort - and it is really tasty and a great source of complete proteins, minerals such as zinc, magnesium and iron (to mention just a few) and healthy fats and Omegas.

Remember to chew well - so you may need to wake up a bit earlier :@)

This mix is also perfect for a mid morning snack.

To improve it still further - soak the nuts and seeds overnight to trigger sprouting.  This enhances the mineral and vitamin content and reduces any inhibitors which make the mix difficult to digest.

RODs WOD

Just come back from working with a client.  As well as an hour of leg work and combat training we did this nasty little strength set.  Why don't you give it ago ;@)

You should know the moves by now.

30 seconds on, 10 seconds rest, 3 sets:

Sit-ups
Jumping Squats
'T'' press ups
Jumping lunges
Cycle sit-ups
Mountain Climbers

Barefoot running

Having always trained in bare feet wherever possible, I have recently become fascinated with 'barefoot running shoes' as an alternative to trainers.  As my style of training is predominantly outdoors, having exposed skin whilst running through woodland has been a bit restrictive and the cause of a few mishaps!

I must say that the latest throughput of contenders in the shoe world (Vibram, Merrell and Vibro) are absolutely terrific and I wish that I had taken the plunge earlier.  Not only has my safety been enhanced but I am able to do things that real bare feet or trainers simply wont allow.  Balancing, climbing, leaping and running itself have become an absolute joy and I feel like I have a new toy rather than simply a pair of trainers!!

For those of you new to the concept of 'bare foot' then I would advocate taking it slowly as, like most things, rushing in can cause injury.  The transition from a heel strike run to a forefoot strike run places all sorts of strains on muscles that have been supported by modern footwear all of your life.  It is recommended that you increase your usage by 10% per week until you are up to full time use - this will obviously vary depending on how good your proprioception is currently and how strong your arches and forefeet are.

Anyway - enough babble - get out there and try it.  My shoes of choice are the Merrell barefoot trail gloves - especially for a beginners.  They work wonderfully and don't look as 'out there' as the 5 Fingers which are without doubt the 'best' but take a lot of getting used to as well as jibes by the uninitiated!

Click here  to get yours for up to half price in the sport Pursuit sales which ends in 7 days time.

Mud

It's easy to get demotivated to go outdoors when it has been so wet. Clients always dread the wet sessions but then tell me that they are the most fun.
I've said it before, embrace the weather-dont let mud and puddles put you off. Instead, try attacking them- on a bike, in old trainers or just a pair if wellies, get out there and play like a child. The slippery surface and the cold works the body harder therefore burning more calories.

When you're done a nice hot bath gets soon makes you feel civilised again-until next time!