Taking Stock

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Sometimes you have to allow yourself to sit back and take stock of what you have done with your life on every front. This helps not only to ensure we are continuing on the right track, but as a means of allowing ourselves to receive the proverbial pat on the back for good efforts. I work hard, I train hard. I have no time for fools, little time for trivia and laziness is a route to certain destruction. However, without adequate attention to what has been achieved it can become a mindless journey of constantly ticking off a "to do" list with no real gratification for the tasks completed.

So here I am going to be very honest and list what I have done in the relative areas of my life since leaving my old business 18 months ago and entering a brave new world. Please understand that this exercise is beneficial for everyone and I am merely choosing to post it here as a reminder for myself rather than an ego boost as this was never my intention. Before I begin typing the list I am already quite certain that there are things on there that will surprise me, or that I have forgotten about during the rush to success.

So here goes.

Business

Based on my job at the University strength and conditioning gym I have an extensive network of coaches and trainers and well as world class presenters. Many of them are now advisers to my new business and will present diverse seminars and workshops for the fitness industry.

I have a first class adwords manager that makes me a tidy income from my online products - without even having an active website - clever, I know.

I am joint Director in another company that has just invented a sprint product that will take the market by storm. It is patent pending, trademarked and has received amazing feedback from some very influential people. We have 3 more products planned to follow up with and aim for international distribution by next year.

I have managed to organise the first ever UK event for the IKSFA - some of the best kettlebell athletes and champions in the world.

I have just designed 3 kettlebells courses, a weightlifting for sports course and a course on powerclub training will be next with many more to follow such as MMA conditioning and all-round lifting.

I have the outline for at least 10 DVDs planned.

I have been asked to film the instructional DVD for Keiser Functional Training UK and may be asked in to advise on some of their products - potentially as a distributor or partner.

I am kettlebell adviser to York Fitness - one of the biggest names in training products on the planet. Many things are being discussed here for future work and I helped design their cast iron kettlebell template that will be in stock soon.

Much of the last 18 months has been laying the foundations for the new business by way of the website, numerous spreadsheets for venues and resellers/affiliates as well as advisers and other contacts that can allow it to grow successfully.

Training

In weightlifting I have twice achieved British Champion in the masters category for my age and weight. I am also open champion for the IAWA single arm championships where I achieved British and world records. After 2 years of listing (starting at 34) I can represent Great Britain internationally at the European championships and I am about 10kg from the World Championships qualifier.

Kettlebells - I have finally decided to have a go at GS training to be more than just a PT that does kettlebells, despite my UK reputation as one of the top guys here. Anyway, my first snatch session was 20 reps short of CMS without any training and I will achieve master of sports in the future at some point. I guess training for strength and endurance for 10 years with kettlebells would give you a good foundation!

Relationships

Through my business I have been fortunate enough to me some very nice people and these are the people that you can possibly count on both hands and honour them with the title friend. They are the real deal, not associates, people you work with, your clients or facebook crew. They are the ones that you can actually share ideas with and grow together and I must say although it is a small network, it is a very strong and supportive one.

Hobbies

I decided at the beginning of this year that it was time to do something about the things that I have always wanted to do and then put off for whatever reason. So I got a piano and took lessons. I have just finished Le Onde by Ludovico Einaudi and should have it polished in the next couple of months with practice.

I was a keen amateur astronomer and took some lovely images of the universe. However, at present I have little time for 6 hours in the cold and the stars will still be there in a few years when everything is done and I have semi - retired..... Then I plan to right a children's guide to the universe for my son and get it published.

Misc


Apart from the masters degree I also have a lovely 3 bed semi in the peace and quiet of Cambridgeshire with a garage that is my gym and caters for my every need - there is a 3 acre field around the corner as well. My office is upstairs complete with my personal library and everything you could want for a business.

Last but not least - family. My wife is truly amazing and almost without trying is supportive of everything I do. We have no stress and have not argued for 6 years. Don't get me wrong, voices do rise now and then, but we are wise enough to realise that most things can be sorted out by not being stupid in the first place and not depending on each other for everything we think we need. The little man is truly amazing and 4 later this year. He has taught me a lot about myself and is possibly my main reason for doing many of the things I do. I love them both dearly and would die this second to protect them without even thinking it through.

The good news - I have only just started :)


So why am I telling you all of this???

I am not.

I am telling myself......

Training updates

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I have never been one to live by the recommendations that clever people put on a piece of paper after studying other people for a length of time. Science is a great asset, but an abstraction of life and far from perfect when humans replace numbers and predictable outcomes. Any strength coach will tell you strength begins to subside after about 1 week off from training. However, I am not one to conform or follow the herd and have demonstrated time and again how physiologically and psychologically refreshing the odd week or two off from training can be. The last 3 times I did this I actually came back and achieved several personal bests in strength and power based activities. It is also important not to underestimate the effect that allowing a full recovery of minor injuries and niggles can have on the general feeling of well-being and freshness to "get at it". After all, there is no such thing as a healthy athlete - think about this one! Routine is good, but everything in moderation - even moderation!

Anyway, with my rest period over - this was not self inflicted rest but acute bronchitis with antibiotics and an emergency Doctor trip so it will qualify as time off - I had my first session for nearly 2 weeks. Not that the rest was planned based on 3 competitions over the next 2 months and events that will require a lot of work for improvement. If lucky, I can possibly get back to where I was in 4 weeks for the first one and maybe peak for the last 2. 

Something I have missed is my martial arts training as I have my foundations firmly in that area. So I decided that even though it was a weightlifting session session followed by kettlebells I would use a traditional Taekwondo warm up of bodyweight exercises, kicking drills, raising kick actions and some dynamic stretching. However, the principle of specificity and dynamic correspondence would surely say that this was all wrong and like a boxer swimming 10 lengths to prepare for his fight. Honestly, I do enjoy the fitness industry and the many people I have met and trained and many good friends that I have been blessed to meet from all areas of fitness, education and business. What does grind me down is the abundance of sheep that are not afraid to think for themselves, but do not even realise thinking was an option. Fervent adherents to the next guru, snake oil and shiny new exercise tool that appears and constantly making enemies with the one-upmanship so prevalent in an industry of many chiefs and few Indians. Everyone is no.1 one or at least has an expert as a Facebook "friend" and so excellence is qualified through association. Once again, I do love working in this industry and am seldom one to moan and grumble. Even less seldom to engage in the trivial activities that appear to be daily life for trainers desperate to climb the ladder using other people's heads as their hoist up to success. So how did it feel? Well, it was actually the best warm up I have ever done for a weightlifting session. I was fresh, springy, alert and not fatigued and more importantly, the raising kicks provided more than adequate stretching and activation of the whole lower posterior chain while maintaining sufficient explosive power. One key thing here is to realise the difference between doing something because you think it is right and doing something because you know it will have a desired outcome - and it worked for me; an individual and not a randomised control statistic that got buried with a mass of other participants that have never trained frequently for more than 2 weeks. 

The workout post warm up was working up to a 60kg snatch for 10 good consecutive reps as I knew heavier and harder would impact future sessions with increased recovery time. Then followed 3 sets of front squats with the same weight from power cleans and deadlifts with strict form. The session ended with 100 x 16k snatches alternating every 10 reps for a nice finisher. Thoroughly enjoyable session and looking forward to the competitions!

I guess the take-home message here is what I hear other people tell me about many experts in the field - think for yourself, dare to be different and never stop questioning.....