FITFEST SOUTH – Our First Live on Stage Workout

Dan and I attended the first FITFEST SOUTH festival of this year and decided HardFitness needed to be a part of the action at the second one! We were thrilled to get a stall and also the opportunity to perform out first live on stage workout!! EEEEKK #EXCITED

Have you ever wondered what it takes to host a stall at a fitness festival?

………..me neither.

But with a hop, skip and quick insurance renewal there I was, Saturday evening after 8 hours of travelling back from holiday staring at this pile of equipment we needed to pack for FITFEST the following day. Before I left I gave Dan a specific list of stuff to leave out so that I could quickly grab it on my way home thus saving us time in the morning. Classic Dan went above and beyond but this time it wasn’t funny, I could have just said “Don’t pack the boxing ring”. This ‘pile’ was intimidating and high enough that birds were circling it!

I slowly flip flopped my way to the door like some reject from a zombie film loaded up like a mule, clip board in teeth, tyre round waist, massive chain around shoulders, boxing gloves tied to that, boxing bag on the left shoulder, medicine ball to the right, dragging something with one leg and rolling a dumbbell with the other, not a great time to forget the van keys.

After what I could only describe as the most epic farmers walk ever, something the Guinness Book of Records would be proud to print, it was time to sleep. But you DON’T! When you are attending something like this, you go to bed relieved that everything is sorted but your brain reminds you of that thing that you definitely packed but maybe didn’t? So you go and check its packed and repeat that for several hours.

After a solid 40 minute sleep you chug a ‘Stroffee’ (aka 3 scoops, not for the weak), grab the T shirt that hasn’t dried in time and position your make up so it looks like your smiling- and that’s just Dan!

7:45 am: Meet Dan, see what Dan is wearing, realise you didn’t discuss a dress code, nervously laugh together and arrive at the venue. It’s windy at FITFEST and there are tents flying everywhere and a spray in the air that all women can appreciate is the last thing your blow dry needs!

Next is the set up and due to space needed, all gyms and or personal training companies were given plots huddled together. Like animals outside of their natural habitat we were all scratching our heads, bits of gazebo in hand looking at one another and probably wondering what their dead lift pb was? After a few burpees our gazebo was up, pop up banner, a flag, all the equipment was out and we were drowning in business cards but it looked the nuts (and we beat the other gyms too)>

Credit to Dan, we had a meeting before I went on holiday, a few texts here and there with ideas but ultimately he came up with all the content and set the workouts up. We had a chalk board displaying the next session time and eagerly waited for what I think we both imagined would be crowds of people wanting to take part and i’d be beating them off with an O bar. That didn’t happen! the other stalls filled up quickly? Did I have something in my teeth?

Was Dan’s fluffy hair now intimidatingly voluminous? Not yet! Turns out they just weren’t the right people, I always have to remind myself that just because I love our product doesn’t mean that everyone else wants what we are selling (yet). A couple of casual glances and I was fed up of waiting – we started putting on a show, some pad work, flipped the tyre a couple of times and soon those glances turned into introductions and we were on it!

The first session went down a treat, we filled up quickly and had to start capping numbers. We aren’t group fitness instructors, we are personal trainers – we deliver personalised training to willing (but mostly unwilling) individuals; we correct form, create relationships, your goals become our goals and we just can’t do that in big groups. turning people away meant that they were now sitting around our stall waiting for the next session, before we knew it we couldn’t deliver sessions quick enough. Between sessions Dan and I would have a quick sip of coffee and share a nod of “We’ve got this!” before getting back to it.

Then the countdown was on and the FITFEST Live Stage Workout was looming! Suddenly I was second guessing our decision to take our #FitFriday session offline and put it in front of people instead?……..actual real life people. GULP! No time to worry though, we put our mics on, had a little girl band moment and got up there. We wanted to post Live to Facebook but due to sound issues we sacked that off pretty early on and just started yelling motivational slurs to a few faces in the crowd, more bodies appeared and off we went. We drafted up a ‘partners’ themed workout, bring a buddy and workout with a friend – a few different exercises that you had to use someone to be able to complete it. Everyone was laughing at themselves, their partner but mostly us. We were on and off the stage making sure their reps were good quality and then our slot was over. Such a rush.

The fun didn’t stop there, we had more sessions on the stall and even a burpee challenge customers could take part in, it was so good I spotted one of them sobbing tears of joy! Sweet.

Soon it was time to call it a day, the place was getting quiet and we were exhausted after a caffeine rollercoaster of a day. Time to pack up….bugger. The van was in the car park about 200m of uneven ground away and we weren’t allowed to bring it on the field so the epic farmers walk got longer and silent as we just cracked on. Just as I loaded the last 25kg dumbbell into the van with my ear lobe there was an announcement to say all vehicles can now come on to the field. Not. Even. Funny.

Despite what goes on behind the scenes, it was a great day at FITFEST South we met some awesome people and look forward to doing more events in the future. A little take away note, when a Personal trainer looks happy that the workout is challenging you…just let them have it, to them it means they’ve done a good job, you have no idea how much; time, pain, grip strength and coffee has gone in to making a successful workout and your results make it all worth it.

Louise x

New Year, New you! – Part 2

Part 2 – Top Tips

Its all in your HEAD

In part one of my blog I talked about how the biggest thing that is stopping you from achieving your goals is yourself! That voice in your head that says: “stop now, you feel uncomfortable” or “stay in bed, you don’t NEED to go to the gym”

Rarely are most people required to push themselves past the point of being uncomfortable or in pain. Most people stop way before they are at their “limit”. I am going to tell you some simple tricks that I incorporate into my own Personal Training

During a set of press ups for example. If you normally get to ten then “need” to put your knees down before carrying on, try getting into your head that you will get to at least 11 before even dreaming of putting those knees down. Then when you’re able to achieve this regularly, employ the same mentality and have 12 reps as a target, then 13 etc.

If on a run, you can use landmarks or street furniture as targets. When you are getting tired, tell yourself you’ll just run to the next lamppost or sign, and when that target arrives tell yourself you can just run to the next one. See how far you can get!! This is also a good example of when employing a personal trainer can help. Having someone running with you or cycling next to you telling you to run to the next lamp post is more likely to make you do it. It is easier to quit when there is nobody to see it.

A little mental tactic I like to employ during a tough run or a workout is to tell myself that a loved one is in trouble and needs my help, and that I need to get to them/complete a given physical task in order to rescue them from danger. I find this keeps my mind focused on keeping going no matter how tired or uncomfortable I am, and pushing back any negative thoughts that try and creep in, until the job or workout is done!

If you can start with simple tactics like this to try and complete a run or a workout, you will soon see progressions in your fitness and strength levels. Likewise, if you suffer a setback throughout the year that could potentially derail your efforts thus far, put into practice the same mindset- focus on pushing that little bit further and keep moving forwards!

Later this year, I will be “yomping” (marching over difficult terrain whilst carrying kit/equipment) 100 miles in 36 hours for The Royal Marines Charity During this event and training for it, I am going to have to certainly dig deep into my physical reserves to complete the distance. But more so than that, I am going to have to keep ignoring those little voices that tell me to stop or take a day off and keep putting one foot in front of the other till I cross that finish line!

So if you were one of those people that started off the new year with a boom and have now fallen off track then get back out there again! Get out running, walking, swimming, employ a personal trainer or a nutrition adviser.

BUT most importantly IGNORE that inner voice!

Remember

Its all in your HEAD!

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P.s If you wish to donate for my 100 mile “yomp” here is the link:

Adam’s Just Giving Page

New Year, New You!

Its all in the head – Part one

Now is the time of year when we are inundated with adverts and slogans trying to sell us gizmos, gadgets, gym memberships, services and products all designed to help us achieve the #NewYearNewYou that we promise ourselves at the start of January.

BUT come February, the people who were out running or who joined the gym on the 1st of January will have mysteriously vanished and the people you see are the same ones who are out running at 5am or “gymming” away- month in, month out, all year round whatever life throws at them.

These people who we see throughout the year are made of the same flesh and blood, muscle, tissue and bone as everybody else. They are not superhuman. They undoubtedly have the same trials and tribulations that all of us do. A little voice inside that says, “Stay in bed-have a lie in” or “STOP! You don’t need to go see your personal trainer today” The big difference is that they will typically ignore this voice!

IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD………

It should theoretically, be the easiest thing in the world to slip on a pair of trainers and go out for a run or jog around the block or head to the gym. Yet most people cannot seem to sustain this beyond the end of January.

A likely reason for this is the classic “doing too much, too fast, too soon” and subsequently putting themselves off running or the gym for a good few months! Or they’ve not prepared adequately for the physical assault they place on their bodies and have sustained an injury (one that more than likely can be worked around given correct instruction).

The truth of the matter is-IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD!!!!

If you want something badly enough, you will find a way to make it happen. If you are not truly serious about achieving your goals, then you will let minor hiccups become major bumps in the road and ultimately will allow these things to get in the way of your results.

A typical example of this could be highlighted in me administering a workout to a well established client.

Within the workout, there will be peaks and troughs and the client can experience high points, low points, both physical and emotional all within 1 hour. knowing this, it is my job as a personal trainer to get the client through the workout.

During personal training sessions rarely do clients reach the point of “absolute failure”, where they physically cannot complete another repetition of an exercise. Or they hardly ever reach their true limit where their body starts going into self-protection mode to stop further “damage” being done.

They will stop short of this, generally because they know where their “perceived limits” are, and if they are experienced clients, they rarely want to push themselves to the point of feeling sick or faint.

AGAIN IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD!!!

If you’ve ever seen the final few hundred metres of a 10,000m race in the Olympics or the last half mile of a marathon, you may likely see people’s legs buckling underneath them as they attempt to finish. Even a seasoned athlete like Jonny Brownlee has been carried across the finish line to complete a race!

This is the human body at it’s absolute physical limit. The brain is shutting down parts of the body in order to prevent further damage being done.

There is also a part of the human brain that is so determined, it will still try and eek more out of the body to complete a race or task, even when on the verge of shutdown.

There are simple mental tricks that you can do to push yourself further and I will be covering this in my next blog….If you are one of those people that started this year with your “New Year New You” mindset but are now failing then get in touch! Personal training may be the mental focus to get you back on track to this being “Your Year”.

You can do it! remember – IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD

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The ‘New You’ doesn’t have to wait until the New Year…

New Year, New You is flawed, my plan isn’t! Stop hiding behind your excuses.

During a meeting regarding website updates with my new IT expert he said to me…”who is your target market Martin? Who are you trying to attract?”

You are my target market I replied. “Handsome, fit, lithe, 40 something male?” said he smiling. “Deluded” said me.

I could see he was not too impressed with this personal appraisal but he sucked it up (I am paying him). I have known the man for probably 6 plus years, time has rolled on fast (as it does) nothing has changed with him except he is heavier than the last time I saw him. Every time I see him he feels the need to tell me what his health and fitness routine is. I never ask about it. He just feels the need to tell me.

This is a regular occurrence for me. When people know I am a Personal Trainer out socially they ALWAYS tell me how they are very fit, have just lost 4 stone, just started doing Cross Fit or joined a gym etc. When I bump into them again a year or so later (always in a worse state than the last time) I will hear the same story. If meetings become more frequent they generally stop talking to me or hide.

So this fella who is working for me now was/is completely unaware that he needs a personal trainer.

As much as the government says we should all be fitter and healthier, society says “YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL AS YOU ARE“. Ask yourself this, are you being the best you?

I will motivate you to commit to a personal plan with goals that WILL change your body, and give you energy levels you never knew you had.

Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? When you realise it is not you, contact me.

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