Gusto FitHub

What We’d Do If…🤔

We weren’t sure where to start.

Getting fitter can feel unnecessarily complicated.

What workout should you do?
How many days should you train?
Should you run? Lift weights? Do both?
What should you eat?
How hard should you push?

When you’re starting or coming back after a long time away, all that information can make it harder to actually begin.

So simplify it.

🚶 Move more during your normal day.

🏋️ Strength train 2–3 times a week and gradually build from there.

📚 Learn the basics rather than worrying about the perfect programme.

🙋 Ask for help if you’re not sure what you’re doing.

Most importantly, don’t try to overhaul your entire life on day one.

You don’t need to know everything before you begin…just a sensible place to start.

Start where you are. Learn as you go. Build from there.

This weekend, Matt J is taking on the Backyard Ultra event alongside around 180 other runners.

The challenge is 6.7km. On the hour. Every hour. For as long as you can keep going 👀

Matt’s been preparing since November, gradually building his running mileage while continuing to strength train at Gusto, adjusting the load and intensity as the demands of his running increased.

All of that has had to fit around normal life too.

Running a business. Being a husband. Being a dad.

This morning was his final Gusto session before Saturday.

Matt this morning said he’s done everything he can with his preparation so he’s pleased with that and what will be will be.

Matt said he’s most looking forward to embracing the challenge, putting months of preparation into practice and finding out what his body, and mind, can do.

Whatever happens, getting to the start line this well prepared is an achievement in itself.

Good luck, Matt. The whole Gusto crew will be rooting for you. 💪

Now let’s see how far you can go!

👨🏻‍🏫 Tuesday Coach’s Tip

In a Press Up - think “arrow”, not “T”…

A simple way to check your position at the bottom of a press-up (on any variation), is to look at where your elbows are.

❌ If your elbows flare directly out to the sides, your shoulders and elbows create more of a T-shape.

✅ Instead, think about creating an arrow shape with your body and arms. This allows your elbows to travel backwards at an angle as you lower yourself towards the floor.

You don’t need to pin your elbows tightly against your sides either.

The aim is to find a strong, comfortable position where your elbows angle back rather than flare straight out.

Think arrow, not T.

Small change. Better workouts and results.

❌ MYTH: There’s always a “best” option.

What’s the best exercise for fat loss?

What’s the best diet?

What’s the best exercise for building muscle?

How many times a week should I train?

Our answer to questions like these is often the frustrating one…

It depends.

It depends on your goal.

Your training experience.

Your lifestyle.

Your preferences.

Your current ability.

How much time you actually have.

And whether you can realistically stick to it.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t better and worse ways of doing things.

Something being “optimal” or “best” on paper doesn’t automatically make it the best choice for you.

The perfect programme you can only follow for two weeks probably isn’t as useful as a good programme you can consistently follow for the next year.

So instead of constantly searching for the perfect exercise, diet or training plan…

Find something appropriate for your goals, your circumstances and your life, then give it enough time to actually work.

Optimal ≠ practical.

Practical, done consistently, gets you a long way.

What We’d Do If…🤔

We struggled with motivation.

The first thing?

Stop relying on motivation ❌

Motivation is great when it’s there. The problem is, it comes and goes.

Some weeks you’ll feel ready to train. Other weeks, work is busy, you’re tired, the weather’s awful and the sofa looks like a much better option.

That’s where having some back up habits help.

📅 Book your sessions - put them in the diary before the week gets busy.

👥 Train with other people - accountability and a social aspect makes it much harder to disappear when motivation drops.

🔁 Build habits - train at similar times, prepare your kit and make exercise a normal part of your week.

You don’t need to (and you won’t always) wake up excited to exercise every day.

You just need to create an environment that makes it as easy as possible.

Make showing up the habit and let motivation be the bonus.

👨🏻‍🏫 Coach’s Tuesday Tip

Keep the seat away from your feet.

One of the most common things we see on the rower is people sliding too far forward at the catch.

The seat ends up right behind the heels, the knees are heavily compressed and you lose the strong position you need to start the next stroke.

Instead, think:

Keep the seat away from your feet.

You want a comfortable amount of compression at the front while keeping your heels connected as much as your mobility allows and your body in a position where you can drive effectively through the legs.

More movement doesn’t automatically mean more power.

Get into a strong position, push the machine away with your legs and let the rest of the stroke follow.

Better position. Better leg drive. More efficient rowing. 🚣‍♂️

❌ Myth Busting Monday

The scales tell the full story.

The scales can be useful…

…but they’re only measuring one thing - your total bodyweight at that moment.

💪🏼 They don’t tell you whether you’re stronger.

📈 They don’t tell you whether your fitness has improved.

👕 They don’t tell you how your clothes fit.

🦵🏼They don’t tell you whether you’ve built muscle or changed your body composition.

⭐️ And they definitely don’t tell you how much healthier, more confident or capable you feel.

Your weight can also fluctuate from day to day because of hydration, food intake, salt, hormones and plenty of other factors.

That doesn’t mean you should throw your scales away.

If weight loss is your goal, tracking your weight over time can be a useful measure of progress.

Just don’t make the mistake of letting one number determine whether everything you’re doing is working.

Look at the bigger picture.

Strength.
Fitness.
Clothes.
Energy.
Habits.
Confidence.
Awareness.

The scale is one number. Not the whole story.

🎬 BTS -A little look behind the scenes of a 9:30am at Gusto.

There’s a workout on the board, but that’s only a small part of what happens during the hour.

It’s checking how someone’s feeling before they start.

Helping someone find the right weight for the day.

Adjusting an exercise when something doesn’t feel right.

A quick coaching cue between sets.

Knowing when someone can push a little harder and when they probably shouldn’t.

And, obviously, plenty of chatting along the way.

Everyone might be following the same session format in terms of movement type, but that doesn’t mean everyone needs to do it in exactly the same way.

There’s a difference between simply doing a workout and actually being coached through one.

Just another session at Gusto making people feel good, look good and move well.