Stronghold Functional Training SHFT

Every Thursday I start the session with Tabata on the Assault Bike, no warm up just jump on and go.
Why? Because it’s hard, it sucks, I don’t want to do it and because it’s good for me. The “it’s good for me reason”, always wins.
If we always do what we want, what is easy, what is nice, we will never develop the skills necessary to push back against hardships.
While I agree 100% that warm ups are good for you. I learned many years ago when I was a Police officer, you sometimes don’t get time to warm up before you do something hard. No bad guy waited for me to roll out my hamstrings before a foot chase.
This has taken a long time to get to the level to be able to do hard stuff without a warm up, and I’m not as good as I once was due to age, but it’s a skill worth developing.
Develop the skill to do hard things and without a warmup.

Making a good or bad decision moves you forward by providing data.
Whereas indecision leaves you stuck.

As a dad of teenagers it’s more important to set the standards by doing rather than telling.
6 am Sunday workouts are just the normal now. The kids might be sleeping while I train but they know I’m in the gym early so we can do quality family time for the day.
Be stronger than your excuses

11 years ago today, I started Stronghold Functional Training.
I left the Police Force after 19 years, had 2 young kids and no idea how to run a business.
Fast forward 11 years, the gym has moved locations 5 times, my kids are growing up so fast, they’re almost young adults and I still have no idea how to run a business.
My style of coaching has changed from let’s go hard and I don’t care if you don’t like this exercise it’s good for you, too we go hard when you can and steady when we have to, ok you don’t like that exercise let’s try this variation. I don’t think I’ve got softer just more understanding that’s it’s more about the long game not the short one.
My clients are amazing and I appreciate and respect you all. For the ones who left for your own reasons, I thank you for your time and hope you are still living a healthy lifestyle and staying strong. The clients that are still with me, you are very special to me, I’m invested 100% in you, and helping you be the best version of yourself.
Strongholds retention rate is amazing, and we have become a family.
I try my best to make the gym a safe place for you to have time that is just for you, where you get praised for showing up and giving your best.
I’ve trained world champion athletes, but the joy of seeing one of my everyday clients doing something they never thought they could do, or hearing what awesome things they did on the weekend, due to training will always be a highlight.
Thank you all for your hard work and dedication, I look forward to many more good year’s training with you.
Stay strong stay healthy and be safe.

The swing is one of the most underrated exercises around.
It can produce power, strength and mobility. You can use it to increase your cardiovascular fitness and improve your posterior strength.
There are so many advantages to this one exercise.
The problem is so many people butcher it so much. Some squat it, others use too much upper body to muscle the weight up. It’s a hinge movement with emphasis on driving the hips back and forward.
Do you swing?

The Tshirt says it all.
Will you be one of the few?

Hope you enjoyed your weekend.

Are you ready to start the week off right?

How much protein will you get in each day this week?

How much water will you have each day?

Will you get your steps in?

How much sleep will you get?

Will you do at least 3 strength sessions, 2 cardio sessions and some mobility?

Will you keep your stress low?

The people that do this consistently, have already planned their next week.

Don’t leave it to chance, plan to execute and reap the rewards.

Choose your hard.

What does this mean?

For me it means, I choose to do train daily, walk over 10000 steps a day, eat a mainly unprocessed diet and try to go to bed and get up at the same times daily.

Doing all these things, won’t guarantee a long life but it’s things in my control, to give me the best chance of living my best life.

Failing to do these things will increase my chances of poor health, poor mobility and strength, sickness and illness.

You get to choose your hard now or risk facing your hard later and be unprepared for it.

A new client asked me the other day, if she could help me clean up after her workout. No thank you it’s part of the service, is always the answer.

My clients are hard working parents on duty 24/7, shift workers, decision makers, business owners, students with heavy work schedules.

They don’t need to help clean up after their session. They need to be looked after, and praised for doing their best with everything going on. They don’t need to think about what exercises are best for them, if they should be doing 12 reps or 6, or what weight they should use next.

If you are getting yourself into the gym on a consistent basis. Well done I’m here to look after you.

6.30am Sunday morning
5 degrees temperature
Getting cardio done before the kids sport take over the day.
There is always time to get something done.