Bikini Boot Camp 2009

We have just started a Bikini Boot Camp at The Grove which involves a fun filled three days of exercise good food and fun!

We have been doing a few press groups who will be writing about us, as more come in I'll add them to the list!

Times Online:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/holiday_type/spas_and_lifestyle/article6461647.ece

The Grove:

http://www.thegrove.co.uk/leisure/bikini_boot_camp.aspx

You and Your Wedding:
http://www.youandyourwedding.co.uk/index.php/base/editorialgallery/?aid=1059845

UK Glam:

http://uk.glam.com/articles/features/bikini_boot_camp_diary/

Beauty and the Dirt:

http://www.beautyandthedirt.com/2009/08/14/bikini-bootcamp-at-the-grove/

So far its been good fun and it's nice to see yourself online and in a few newspapers/mags. Other article's were including The Metro, Watford Observer and The Times Saturday!

How can I beat Temptation?

To be honest nutrition for me is the hardest part of keeping up with a healthy lifestyle. I work in a gym and training is my hobby and I don’t think I could ever stop but eating well has always been a struggle for me. I have always loved to eat everything and anything so to try to stop myself from putting on extra weight I have to really work at it and be strict. Now I find a lot of people will expect to lose weight just because they start going to the gym but if they carry on eating poorly then they will see minimal benefits. Now there are so many diets out their and some may work for a short time but never forever because if they did everybody would do them. The only way to lose weight is to eat better and exercise more but the main element that people find the hardest is the temptation of fatty foods!!!!

As I have developed as a trainer and leaned more about my body I have come to the conclusion that if you wanted to lose weight that much then you would put a lot of effort in to it. Nobody said it would be easy in fact it is very hard but you can defiantly get results without feeling staving and depleted. It’s the temptation of bad food that usually stops us from succeeding our goals and is the main reason why so many people our overweight. Everybody has a choice every time they have the opportunity to eat something, you either do or you don’t! The weak minded will give in and then feel bad about it after and the strong will be strict and will not give in and will go for a healthy option. I understand it can be quite difficult to get started as children, work and everyday life can get in the way and send you off track but the key is to be good most of the time not all to the time.

My conclusion is stop being weak minded and giving in! You’re bad food decisions are the reason why you’re overweight so your better food decisions will be the reason why you lose weight. If you want the body you have always wanted the potential is there it always was but you need to put in the work and want it. It is no good moaning about your weight and not doing anything about it. You need to think its time for a change and soon enough you will see the fat falling off and your confidence improving and it will bring a new you. You can achieve anything if you put your mind to it all you need is self belief and commitment and then anything is achievable.

So the answer to the question how do I beat temptation? is with your mind by making the right food choices and not giving in!

Diet Plan for 09!

Most people decide to hit the gym in the early months of the new year to try to undo the festive seasons excess drinking and eating, but why do people always do this first?
For example, atleast 90% of people who join a gym do so to lose weight but is the fact that they havent been going to the gym the reason that they have put on the extra weight?

Well let me put it another way, If your cold what do you do? You would put on some more clothes. OK seems simple so now what if you get too hot then what do you do? You would then take some of your clothes off so it is a reverse of what you first did.
So what is the reason why people put on extra body fat? It is because they have been eating to much and to reverse it you need to start eating less, which is the reverse! The gym should be their to help get you fitter, aid in weight loss not be the answer, help make you stronger and raise metabolism etc.

So why do people automatically think 'I need to lose weight i must go to the gym'? It should be 'I've put on some extra body fat so I must start eating better and start going to the gym to help this and to stay healthy and fit' SIMPLE!

Diet Plan for 09 to get in shape for the Summer!!!

Snack Meal 1- Protein and Low GI Carb Based
Gym- 45Min's weights and 15 min cardio interval training (1 hour max short and intense)
Snack Meal 2- Protein and High GI Based
Snack Meal 3- Protein and Low GI Based
Snack Meal 4- Protein and Vegetables
Snack Meal 5- Protein and Vegetables
Snack Meal 6- Protein and Vegetables

This sample menu is very simple and it may seem like you will be eating a lot but the portion sizes will be small. You will be eating protein in every meal to aid body recovery from your training as well as growth. The carbs are selected in the snack meals where you will be needing the most energy and not in the snack meals where you will be doing nothing. Although the meals can be moved around if you train at different times, for example if you train in the evening then that's where most of your carb meals will be so you would just switch them around a bit.
The weight training should be based around the big compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, bench presses and rows and can either be completed in a full body style programme or split depending on experience and the amount of times you wish to train per week.

Stick with this and you should be dropping body-fat in no time for your summer holiday!

British Unequipped Bench Press 2008

I haven't competed in at least a year so I can honestly say I was very nervous especially that it is a British event. My weight has been an issue for the last few months but I did manage to work very hard over the last few weeks and resist temptation and record my lowest weight of 79.4kg in competition.

I opened the comp with an easy 110kg which I just passed with a 2 to 1 vote by the judges, lift two came around quick so I felt I would go for broke with a 117.5kg, which I pressed with all three judges passing it. By the last lift there was six lifters attempting 120kg and if all completed the lift then we would be separated by body weight. I had my third attempt first and pressed again with three passes to sit in 4th place in the senior category. 4 other lifters also managed to lift 120kg and I was in the middle with two heavier and two lighter. Overall a great day and I came 9th overall out of 15. More to come from me with me hopefully dropping down to the 75kg class and lifting much better. I have videos of all three lifts thanks to Sammy-Jo!!

British Unequipped Bench Press 2008

I was searching the web on some powerlifting websites and found out that I had qualified for this years event through competing last year. So I thought this would be a great chance to get some practice in although it was one month away!!! So my training has changed and I have had to get used to the pauses again which I have found really hard but I have managed 120kg in training. In last years event I managed 115kg in 82.5kg class so I and confident I can Improve on this total. I have one more 1 rep max test before the comp so I hope I can nail 122.5kg, I'll post all results and my placing. My weight is going down slowly also as I'm hoping to slip into the 75kg class and I'm currently at about 81.5kg, down from 84.5kg so I hope to reach the 70's by the end of the month.

Bench Improving!

Not going to go for any 1 reps for a few weeks but Iv been sticking to 3-5 reps for my flat bench while cutting. In my first week I have dropped 2 pounds in weight and my bench is improving which is great.

Usually it would stay the same or decrease, so in my last 3 bench sessions my results were....

1- 4 reps-110kg 3reps-112.5kg 3-112.5kg
2- 3 reps-112.5kg 4 reps-112.5kg 4 reps 112.5kg
3- 4reps-112.5kg 3reps-115kg 2reps-115kg

I will have four more sessions before a 1 rep attempt but hopefully in that time I will be able to manage 3 sets of 4 reps at 115kg! Then my aim will be to nail 130kg! Will have to wait and see!

Going for the British Bench Press Record!

The record I will be aiming to beat is in the senor 75kg weight class and is set at 147.5kg. Im currently weighing in at 84kg and holding a fair bit of bodyfat so I will be on a slow cut until the end of the summer to get down to this weight. Hopefully it will not affect my lifting but we will have to wait and see. I will have two opportunnitys to compete this year so I will be hopefully aiming to attept to beat the record next year and become Brtish champion and record holder. I have had some shoulder promblems that hindered my progress but I just pressed a personal best of 125kg, but im sure i could get 130kg. So in the next year I need to increase 20kg so I will be hoping to increase 2 kg per month all the way until next year. I'll keep posting every four weeks as I attempt my 1 rep max.