October 2018
It has been a little while since our last Newsletter. Summer has come and gone and the evenings are drawing in. Clients have been training hard, competing and setting new goals. This months newsletter is focused on when those goals get very specific - not just fitness, weight loss or strength, but those goals that get harder as you get closer. We look at the reasons behind this and small changes that can be made to stay motivated and to reach them. In particular, this edition will look at the reason it is so difficult to lose that last 3-5% of body fat. There are 2 blogs available to help look at what's required and we talk to FFA client Ronak Mashru about his personal goals in this area.
This month we catch up with FFA client Ronak who came with a very particular goal in mind for a special celebration. Find out all about it in our 1:1 interview.
How long have you been training with Roel and what were you initials goals for personal training?
I have been training with Roel about 3 years once per week. Initially, the goal was just to keep fit and in condition, working on a predominantly weights based programme. I supplemented this training by doing mainly cardiovascular training, doing some "Improve running performance sessions" with Roel and by going to a gym by myself.
What benefits did you get from the sessions?
Obviously, I was able to improve general fitness, reduce my bodies imbalances and maintain body shape and tone. It was also great to have a greater variety of exercises and to ensure that I had the correct form and technique.
What was the reason behind your goal to shed the last bit of body fat?
I had my 40th Birthday coming up and a trip to Dubai planned as part of the celebrations. I wanted to be in the best possible shape so I felt good as I reached this milestone. When I set the goal I was at about 14-15% body fat - the goal was below 10 and to create some definition.
What did you have to do to achieve your goal?
There were 3 main changes I made in order to hit the stats I was looking for.
Firstly I changed up the training. I moved from predominantly weight based training to outdoor, high-intensity sessions in a nearby park with Roel. They were actually really enjoyable as well as helping me re-shape my body. I also increased the frequency of training from 2-3 to 4 sessions a week which I knew I had to do consistently in order to achieve my goal.
Secondly, I focused on my nutrition... a lot! I kept a food diary which I took to sessions and Roel made suggestions of where I could make some improvements - adding protein (when and how much), fish oils, sensible natural supplements mainly from real foods and it really helped just being accountable and thinking about what I was fuelling my body with.
Lastly by tracking. This meant measuring training outcomes from one month to the next. How was my fitness improving - for example, I could do x number of pull-ups last month - how many could I do this month? Also tracking with scales to find out whether my body fat is getting lower each month.
How did you feel when you achieved your goal?
I felt really good to achieve a goal I had set as I hit 10% body fat and could see defined abs. I worked hard and was proud of hitting my target. I went away and had a great holiday, relaxed and felt in top shape.
So what's next?
I'm feeling good. I want to continue to work out and eat well but will be setting myself a new challenge. Working for Red Bull there are lots of challenges on offer such as "Quicksand" (think hill sprints on sand dunes) as well as one of the big OCR events like a Spartan Super or Spartan Beast. We will see but I can't wait to work hard to get there!
Congratulations!!
We had a number of FFA clients take part in the Moor Park 10K at the end of September including Ronak, Olga, Sheela and Kate. Despite some errors with the distance (700m shorter I was told), there were some good (PB) times posted. These events can help to keep your training on track and are a great way to test yourself or to push for that next PB. Having the support of family, friends and FFA comrades is always a good incentive.
This fun family event also gave the opportunity to take part in the junior fun runs which were exceptionally well attended with Olivia's Christ Church C of E School winning many of the age group categories!
For more details on supporting or to join FFA clients at future events please contact Roel to find out more...
Many of you know that I qualified for and competed in the OCR World Championships for my age group in the 3K and in the 15K event on the 19th and 20th October respectively. I was carrying a knee and shoulder injury but my goal was to retain my wristband in both events which meant I had to complete all obstacles successfully and within a certain time. Especially the 15K event containing 100 obstacles of which at least 5-8 were very technical and hard to conquer was a bit of a worry and it had the cut off time of 4 hours too. I managed to complete both events successfully and I finished the 15K in the top half of my 45-49 age category, coming 69th out of 147. Just over half of my age group did not complete this event successfully and only one lady in my age group did.
For anyone interested, there will be a 60 minute round-up of all the action on Channel 4 early morning on Saturday 27th October. There was some recording of me at the finish line by Dream Team Television who also air on British Eurosport and Sky Sports...
Anyway, super happy with the results, I will share my story in next month's edition!
You can be(come) Fit For Anything!
Roel