Mark O Reilly Coaching

Cathal Update🤯

Leaner , Stronger , Faster!!

Some serious graft being put in!!

Cathal started with the goal of just improving his over all fitness with a particular interest in his runs!!

His starting 5k time was just under 26 mins ..

We’ve got that down to 19.56 or 3.59/km which he hit last week , which is fu***ng wild 🤣

So how did we do that?

Very simply we had a mix of long runs , easy runs and speed runs ..

We had 2 full body strength sessions for injury prevention ..

The biggest thing we’ve been working on is food quality ..

Each nutrition approach always needs to be specific to the client ..

In Cathals case its been making sure he was getting enough calories in

BUT

We had a major food focus on food quality!!

So if meals were looking a bit ‘beige’ we’d add more colour to it!

If we were getting a takeaway , look at the choice of takeaway (including as much protein and fibre as possible)

I feel at times there’s such a focus on calories or targets that we lose site of the behaviours attached to our eating ..

Those of which ultimately dictate performance ..

As the saying goes ( I dunno if it actually is one) you wouldn’t put chip oil in a Ferrari 🏎️

Very excited to see how this young man gets on over the next few weeks!!

Watch this space! 👀

Where theres a will theres a way!!

Thats Elena’s attitude , and I think more people need..

Everyones busy ..

But I genuinely struggle to think of someone who had more going on than Elena!!

I spoke about her story previously so scroll back and give it a read if you want!!

But with each client a personalised approach has to be taken ..

Especially when theres injuries involved as safety is always my main concern when it comes to training!

From a food point of view we got Elena to a place where more so she was eating enough rather than pulling back..

Its so common especially with ladies that theres insane restriction which then leads to binge type behaviour and ultimately repeating that binge restrict cycle ..

12 weeks in , Elenas lost 12kg in a sustainable manner!!

She’s learned how to keep those results and feels confident again!

We can’t ask for much more than that really can we?

Theres never going to be a right time ..

Unreal work put in by my man Ricky!

Being a full time DJ as well as business owner can throw all sorts of challenges when it comes to your health and fitness ..

Parties , late nights , lack of sleep you name it..

and things haven’t been perfect but above all else Rickys been consistent ..

Despite working late , being tired , he gets in and fu***ng grinds ..

Starting at 105kg and now down to 89kg..

Lets keep pushing and see how we end up..

Pretty f**kin’ freaky id imagine 😎

Great day with better company❤️ 💒

Finding a routine that works for you is EVERYTHING ..

Just like we worked on with Pete ..

Dad , Husband , working a crazy schedule ..

Travelling each month for work..

You name it..

More often than not (and especially in Petes case)

Less is more!!

3 Sessions a week for the majority of people is the sweet spot between the result. You want , recovery and also having time for everything else that life throws!!

From a food perspective Pete still enjoyed a pint with the rugby and a meal out ..

It was just a case of being mindful of the choices he made and realising the impact that would have on the overall goal!!

He got stronger , fitter , toned up and ultimately we got him back into that routine that he really wanted!!

If you’re currently struggling with finding a routine that works for you then drop me a DM and lets have a chat 💬

Food quality Matters..

Little update on Larisa ..

Some great progress made over the last few months ..

even with a holiday in between!!

But something that has become clear in Larisa’s case

Is that of food quality ..

Calories & Macros are important ..

Having a look back through food tracked around the time the picture on the left was taken ..

Calories / Macros aren’t that different to that on the right (taken Sunday gone)..

What is different though is protein intake and fruit and veg ..

In fact she’s eating a little more now then she was back then..

Now Calories in calories out is always going to dictate wether you lose fat or not ..

But when you’re pretty lean already like Larisa is ..

Food quality comes in to play ..

Think gut health ..

Think pro inflammatory foods ..

Theres always 2 sides to that nutrition coin ..

So although Cals in vs out kinda rules all ..

Food quality is going to play a huge role in how you look and more importantly feel!!
If you’re currently struggling with your nutrition just drop me a DM , always here to help😊

Work out , eat well & have fun doing it!!

Thats what it’s all about!!

and very kind words from my man Jody..

Its our second time working together..

a pleasure to coach and just a sound c*nt in general!!

Biggest challenge we had was managing energy levels!

He works in demolition , clocking up a minimum of 30k Steps per day ..

So naturally we’d to be smart about training!

Lowish volume so he didn’t completely cook himself ..

and a big focus on recovery with sleep, Ice baths, swimming etc..

You probably know how i feel when it comes to recovery etc..

But it is one of THE most important parts of being fit and healthy!

Want to get in shape and have some fun doing it?

You know what to do 📥

Any body can set macros & calories ..

and the perfect most optimal training programme is useless if you don’t go to the gym consistently ..

Whats actually hard is changing your habits..

We become what we want through how we act ..

So how the f**k do we do that?

These 4 steps taken from Atomic habits have been a game changer
for me and my clients in triggering good habits!!

Make it Obvious

Make it Easy

Make it Attractive

Make it Satisfying

This general idea can literally be applied to pretty much anything ..
Food , training , sleep you name it..

So save this post for later or share it with a pal if you found it useful 🙌🏼

You need to sort this one thing out if you want to see real progress ..

said it before and i’ll say it again ..

Manage your f*cking weekends properly..

Just like my client did..

and drop 6kg over past 8 weeks..

Now how did we do that?

Looking at positive nutrition habits on a weekly basis ..

Literally nailing the basics of fruit and veg , protein and keeping within calories ..

* The bump in fibre and protein alone has been massive for managing hunger and not going into the weekend starving ..
* Looked at the best possible choice while eating out / off plan ..
* Tracked food and drinks ALL week (YES INCLUDING THE WEEKEND)
* Nothing was banned
* Prioritised sleep to again manage appetite
* Mindset wise realising that there needs to be trade offs , we can’t smash pints and eat out every weekend if we want to lose fat .. I’ m sorry to be the bearer of bad news

From a movement perspective she hit her steps without fail ..

She does classes in the gym a couple of times per week ..

and 2 Full body strength sessions ..

Something to note is that she trusts me ..

Theres a reason for why we do everything we do ..

I explain why , and she implements ..

The rest can be seen above..

So if you’re in a similar spot to where she was , then drop me a DM and lets just have a chat and see how I can help!!

I always ask for feedback from clients 📥

I can’t get better without it ..

So I asked a few what they’d say to someone who was on the fence about signing up..

And this is what they said 😊

If you’d like more info / want to know what it’s all about then just drop me a DM🤝

Think you’re too busy to get the results you want?🤦‍♂️

Yeh think again ..

Honestly so proud of the work Elena has put in over the past 9 weeks ..

She works full time , on her feet literally all day, is a single mum , naturally wants to have time to socialise..

You’d think the gym and nutrition would be fairly low on her prioiriities ..

but nope!!!

Elena got started 9 weeks ago ..

She’d had a rough run of injuries , followed by a car accident which derailed her getting back into her groove ..

But since we started her graft has just been in insane..

Just before starting her and her son moved house ..

So starting coaching all while getting used to a new house mightn’t have been the best plan ..

you guessed it …

NOPE..

She wants that result!!

She’s hungry for progress and you can see just that in the pictures..

Just about 7kg Off in 9 Weeks..

Completely different shape ..

All while managing an insanely busy schedule..

You know I’m not the type of coach to be like ‘your not busy you just don’t want it bad enough’

But I genuinely can’t think of someone who has more going on than her and she’s f*cking bossing it!!

Is the race prep over?🤔

I hope not ..

But going to have to get a bit of a break in .
unfortunately injuries are going to happen . .

Hopefully you’d be lucky enough to avoid them but at some point doing physical things can result in some wear and tear ..

Buuut in my case a few years back i got diagnosed with sacrolitis ( inflamation of the SI joint) which can come from ankylosing spondylitis a type of autoimmune condition..

How the f**k i got that i don’t know ..

But its flared up and I’m a bit broke up ..

Tried a little run this morning and I’m in bits again which is so fu***ng frustrating but ..

S**t happens..

All I can do is control the controllables .


I can’t run but I can walk..

I can’t lift heavy but I can do body weight work..

My food isn’t dictated by wether or not i can train ..

Doubling down on rest where I can is all I can do really until I see a doc..

It’s not the end of the world..

It certainly feels like it at times..

But with most injuries there will be a way around it and you need to just keep doing what you can ..

Don’t pack everything in..