Experience

“Everything begins on a mental level before it manifests in physical results” You’ve a very limited number of hours each day to fit in your training which means every minute you spend in the gym has to be as effective as humanly possible.

To be completely honest I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is that makes me love lifting weights. Could it be that I feel I’m in my own world? Is it the fact I’m pushing my body to the very limits? Or is it the satisfaction I get when my muscles are pumped and saturated? No matter what the answer, I can’t ever see myself stopping. It’s something that I plan to continue with long into the future or for as long as my body will allow it.

My approach to training is extremely simple, train smart, train hard and train for purpose! You’ve got to learn how to be in complete control of your body but more importantly, understand the reasoning behind it. If you fail to understand the mechanics and anatomy of muscles, then how can you possibly expect to perform any exercise correctly?

With my years of experience I’ve learned that no matter your sport, age or limitations, everybody needs resistance training incorporated into their program. Building muscle improves your strength, your body composition and most importantly, in my eyes, your metabolism.

Master the Basics Something I see far too often in commercial gyms, and actually with most new clients who join my team, is their lack of concentration during the working sets. In their head, it’s simply about moving a load from A to B in the quickest way possible, in a bid to finish the set with the least amount of discomfort.

This relates back to my principles because if you don’t learn and master the basics of muscle mechanics, you can’t possibly expect to see progression on a scale that I’d class as acceptable.

Tick the Boxes Performing a set, in my eyes, is a thing of beauty. I look at every rep as a piece of artwork. Slow, focused and most importantly controlled. You wouldn’t see an artist trying to rush a painting or an orchestra skipping the crescendo, so you won’t see me with poor form or performing half reps.

I’ve been working in gyms and alongside clients for so many years I’m well aware of every trick in the book to make exercise easier. Sadly, in this day and age it’s becoming more and more noticeable. The ‘quick fix’ goes against every single one of my beliefs and those looking for this magic formula are swiftly turned away.

After each rep I’ll ask myself, was that the best rep I’m capable of? Did I put 100% of my effort into that? If I don’t feel it where I’m supposed to be feeling it, I ask myself why, and look to improve on every set to follow.

I’ve been training for a number of years now and I still have to concentrate more than ever during my sets. That’s why half the time I’m training you’ll see me with my hat on because I can then enter my world where I can feel every fibre contracting, stretching and flexing. I’m at a stage now where I need my training sessions to be as efficient and effective as possible.