Great year!

Well 2011 is near its end and I was thinking about how things have changed for me in the last year.

2011 started with me being reminded why I do this job, back in January my best friend and one of the most inspirational athletes I’ve ever met Rosemary Tallon was competing in the IPC world athletics championships in Christchurch, New Zealand. For both of us this was the culmination of 2 years work and training, as she recovered from major surgery in 2009 to compete in both shot putt and discus. Due to a questionable change in classification she was unable to perform at the level that had made her the world number 1 shot putter in 2010.

In February and March, I explored the first of some new training methods I was to learn last year. I have been training with kettlebells for a number of years, but this was the first time I got serious about doing some kettlebell sport training. It proved to be an interesting learning curve and pointed me in a few new directions about how I train both clients and myself. At the end of March I completed my Advanced EKI certificate, big thanks to BJ Rule for taking us through the course it only took me a week to recover so he was going easy that day.

In April I decided to take the plunge and try some I had only seen on YouTube, when I started I couldn’t quite anticipate the effect it would have or the impact it would make. So much so that it was one of the main reasons for me starting this blog. April, May and June were taken up by my Bulgarian Bag certification and that really was an amazing journey, take the time to read my experience of it. It hasn’t just lead me to new skills but has sparked a whole new attitude in my training philosophy and reminded me just how much I loved a big physical challenge. Tommy Mathews and Steve Nave were both excellent, and a big thank you goes out to everybody who made that weekend so special.

I took a holiday in July and in August I was moved to a new flat.

In September I finally decided to get a website, I had been toying with the idea for a while and finally took the plunge since its launch in mid-October it has become a great tool to let people know about me and what I do. The site is growing all the time and my site and twitter feed are getting more popular by the day. September also marked my return to martial arts training. Since I was 7 I’ve been training in one form of martial arts or another and in September I discovered a bujinkan dojo in London that suited my working hours. It has been 10 years since I trained in that art but it has probably been the biggest influence on my training the art teaches you to use whatever works best at the time and not to get set in one way of thinking, hopefully I can live up to that ideal.

In November I was introduced to power clubs and I’m really looking forward to exploring this training method more in the New Year, but first I have a little project. In December I began preparation for my Olympic weightlifting instructor’s cert. That happens the first week in February and I’m already building up to it.

2011 was an amazing year for me, my business grew, I developed as a trainer and things just keep getting better and better. I want to thank everybody who made 2011 so good. I’ve been planning 2012 already first up is Olympic weight lifting in February. There is a lot more to come in 2012 so keep watching and thank you for reading.

Happy New Year.

We really are what we eat!

I want you to think a little bit about why we eat, not what we eat, but why. I’m not talking about any psychological motivation but the most basic reasons why we eat. Food is an important part of our day, we can’t survive without it so it’s pretty vital, and in fact it’s pretty much the same category as breathing.

Most of the food we take in gets used for two things either fuel or repair and growth. Let’s start with fuel, most people will agree that your body is an amazing machine it’s a piece of engineering that surpasses anything manmade that has ever gone on land, sea, air or beyond, and when you think about machines like the space shuttle, the SR-71, a nuclear submarine or a Ferrari Enzo you suddenly realise just how incredible it really is. We have all dreamed about owning that sports car some of you may have actually owned one, so think about the care it takes. Think about how you keep it clean, keep the engine serviced, about how it feels to dive and how good it feels as you pull into the petrol station to fill up and people’s heads turn to look at you and your lovingly cared for machine. Now I want you to think about getting out of it, walking up to the pump and you have a dilemma do you go for the premium unleaded which is going to burn cleanly, keep your engine running smoothly, give you more MPG and improves its overall performance or do you reach for the petrol, that leaves carbon deposits in your engine, pumps out soot and burns off in a few miles and makes you go slower? Bit of a no brainer really.

The other main use for food is repair and growth. Our bodies go through a constant process of renewal. Bones break down and regrow, our muscles are constantly being damaged, repairing and growing and our hair and nails continue to grow for our entire lifetime.  Although we can re process some of the materials we still need more and that has to come from an outside source. That source is our diet. When you think about that for a moment you suddenly realise that the old adage “you are what you eat” isn’t so much of a cliché after all. Again think about the sports car, what exactly is it that makes it so special? Is it the shape of the body or the power of the engine or the way it makes you feel? In reality it’s a combination of everything. When we look at a high end sports car the first thing you notice is how well built it is. The quality of its parts is really what sets it apart from the standard models.

With all the money you have spent on the car and your emotional attachment to it you’re going to take care of it. After all you may have it for 5-10 years so it needs to last.

Oh hang on our bodies are designed to last a lifetime and unlike cars when something goes wrong replacement parts aren’t always an option.

Like anything in our life with our food we have choice, but that choice goes beyond taste. It affects our health, our physique and ultimately our happiness. So before you make that choice ask yourself do you want to be made from the best of everything, run on quality fuel and performing at the highest level you can, or would you rather be slow, inefficient and not really getting anywhere?

You decide!

Website

For the last month I've been a little bit distracted and haven't given my blog as much attention as I really should, but thats about to change.
Rest assured for the last month I have been working hard and here is the result.

www.cormacquinnpt.co.uk

Have a look this will give you more info about who I am and what I do.

Enjoy.

Rest

I’m sitting writing this, in my local pub with a pint in front of me. Don’t worry this isn’t a radical new approach to training and nutrition involving beer and a kebab. Although that would make me a multi-millionaire if I could get it to work.

The last couple of months have been quite hectic and I’m just after taking a two week break to find a new flat, not by choice.  My own training has suffered quite a bit in this time after having a good run of five months solid training I was on a real high. However long days in work, little time off, study, training, eating late at night and not sleeping properly, have all taken their toll and about 2 months ago my training took a real nose dive. I was struggling with my warm up weights and picking up niggles that just wouldn’t go away. So I came to a conclusion………. I was tired.

Not an earth shattering revelation I know, but still a very significant one. It means something has to change, and it was going to take more than a good night’s sleep to sort it out. I’ve been in this situation before it usually came at the end of a long season after several big competitions. The solution is very simple, slow down!  Rest periods are essential for anybody who works hard, increased stress both physical and mental really do impact your performance and not always in a good way. Some stress is essential to your development and performance, it’s how we push ourselves on and the love of the challenge is always a big motivator. They trick is to know how much is too much. Think of it like loading the bar for a squat, too little weight and it’s too easy you don’t get anywhere, too much and you can’t lift it properly everything gets sloppy and no matter how hard you try you just can’t make any progress, but when you get the weight right you do the perfect action, drop down nice and deep and drive out cleanly and smoothly. It’s all about finding that balance. One of my friends describes it not as over training but under resting, I really like that idea, when we look at how athletes train and going back to my own experiences of competition and performance training. I start seeing a pattern of working and resting. Even over longer a long season we timed light and heavy phases of training so we wouldn’t be burned out for the bigger competitions. In fact our resting phases were times so we would be able to have something extra for the bigger events. When I look back on this, it becomes more and more obvious that rest and recovery are equally as important to our development as the training itself.

 Inability to sleep, inability to concentrate, constant feeling of fatigue, lack of coordination are all warning signs that you’re heading for a fall. Just search online and see some of the symptoms listed you might just be surprised by them. One very important thing is to listen to your body. It’s usually very good at telling you when things are going wrong and warning you of what’s about to happen.

After a four week break from training I’m ready to start back.

IBBC Certification

It’s a week since I finished my IBBC certification, my limbs have finally stopped aching and the experience is still settling in. The 2 day course is tough and very demanding both physically and mentally. The preparation plan will get you through the tests, the mental side comes down to how committed and driven you are to succeed at this course, it’s not enough to show up you need to perform.

Day 1

Saturday morning was an early start, as I travelled to the training centre I was thinking about my preparation and wondering what to expect. I have worked with the guys from Optimal Life Fitness before so I had a good idea of what was coming. When I arrived I was greeted by Tommy and introduced to Steve we chatted about the course and how my prep had gone. Soon the niceties were over it was time to get to work, after a very thorough warm up came the first exam…..the spin test.  

The spin test had been at the front of my mind from the start of my preparation for the course it’s a good test of skill, discipline, fitness and technique with the bag. It’s tough but by no means impossible.  My moment of truth had arrived the last 5 weeks of work were about to come to down to 3 and a half minutes.  I had a plan for the test, when they asked who was going to go first it was always going to be me. I stuck with the plan, Steve counted me in and I just let it flow, I wasn’t trying to make quick movements but make them as smooth as possible. By set 4 my lungs and muscles were burning I could hear my classmates cheer me on and I wasn’t going to let myself quit. The last 10 push ups were a struggle but Steve was telling me I was ok for time. As I stood up I was tired but all I wanted to know was my time. 3:06 was a new personal best and well inside the pass time. First test done!

We took it in turns to do the test, everybody finding it a different challenge some passed, some didn’t but the support was constant.  After the tests we sat down for a talk on the history, and technical side of the bag. After a short break it was time to put what we learned earlier into action. Steve and Tommy put us through our paces learning the skills of the bag and making the moves our own.  Lunch time came and went the afternoon was spent with more learning followed by a couple of tough workouts.  Day 1 was a tough one when 5pm came it was welcome rest, off home to fuel up for Day 2.

Day 2

Sunday is traditionally a day of rest, nobody told the IBBC that! I took my aching tired limbs to the training centre and we got started, there was a second chance at the spin test for those who didn’t pass first time and another set of tests on program design, teaching and technical skills. After a short break we came back for a talk on some more theory on the bag before lunch.

Lunch was followed by a written paper, it was tricky but we had covered all the information in the course over the 2 days. While Steve was correcting our papers Tommy took us through a few workouts and introduced us to a few of the advanced moves with the bag. We went through a final workout using the bags, H.I.R.T.S. trainers, gladiator wall and plyometric boxes. Tired bodies and sore hands were a standard by the end but so was a feeling of accomplishment that only comes from hard work.

Steve read out the results of our written paper and it was time for us to break up. It had been a tough weekend but friends had been made and we all had a new love and respect for the Bulgarian Bag.

The course showed me just how to get the best from this versatile training tool, I’ve already adopted it into my regular training regime and I’m introducing it to my clients. Everybody finds something different to like about the bag, for me it’s the integration of movement across my whole body and the sheer physicality of the work outs. i owe a huge thanks to Steve Nave and Tommy Mathews for their hard work and expert tuition. I can't wait to work with you guys again.

 Now! I’m off to get bag fit!

Challenging Times

 

I’ve always loved a challenge, any type of challenge, physical, mental or professional, I’m usually right up for it. For me personally there is nothing better than setting a goal, making a plan of action and pushing yourself to achieve something that just ticks all the boxes every single time.

Achieving a goal isn’t easy and it really shouldn’t be, after all if it were easy what would be the point in taking the challenge in the first place. The challenge is what makes the reward so much sweeter and the bigger the challenge the greater the reward.

I often hear sportspeople talk about how much they “wanted to win.” That’s the will to win, it’s a desire to succeed that lies within all of us, it pushes us on when we think we can’t go any further, often it’s what makes the difference between achieving our dreams and falling just short. It’s a deep desire it comes from somewhere inside us, somewhere very personal. It has a link to our goals from their origin and all the way through to completion. Whenever I feel like I just can’t do it I hear that voice telling me to keep going and to think about where I want to be, that’s the will to win at work.

Hitting your targets doesn’t always happen, this isn’t the end of the world it’s a fact of life, sometimes the bar was set too high, the circumstances weren’t right, the motivation was wrong, there are a lot of good reasons why these things happen and there are a few bad ones too. Failure is a good teacher but so is success. Every challenge has things that will go right or wrong, look at what went right as much as you look at what went wrong remember these things happen for a reason. Try and look at the reasons for what happened more than the result, it will lead to a better understanding of what happened. Hopefully it will pave the way to a better result next time, even if you learn how not to do it, you are still learning from the experience. Some things will always be out of your hands but the vast majority you can take ownership of, try to control as much as you can. that’s where the planning stage is all important.

Success acts as a great platform for more success, if you’re anything like me once you achieve one goal you immediately go looking for the next one, I need a challenge to keep me going. I’ve recently signed up to become a Bulgarian bag specialist, a challenge that mixes 2 of my favourite things learning and physical activity.

Have a think about it, pick a goal, make a plan and see how good achieving it feels.

I better get training for mine!

Cormac Quinn