fitgalgg

Are you training at the correct intensity?

If you’re not pulling facials like this, then the answer is no.

Jokes aside…your training intensity is crucial if you’re looking to build muscle.

1️⃣ You need to be training close to or to failure

This means with 0-3 RIR (reps in reserve). If you finish a set with ease, could probably have done a few more reps, didn’t feel much fatigue or like the exercise was slowing down, I hate to break it to you but you’re not training anywhere near failure.

2️⃣ Work to rep ranges

Stop planning your workouts 4 x 10 or 3 x 12 and stopping when you meet that number when you have more reps in the tank. Set yourself rep ranges e.g 8-10, 10-12, 12-15 etc. You should expect to see reps drop off if you are training to failure as you fatigue through a set, and if they don’t, you’re probably not working hard enough.

3️⃣ Stop throwing the weight around

Set TEMPOS. Guarantee the exercise will become a hell of a lot harder and you’ll be able to maintain form therefore you’ll *actually* feel it where you’re meant to if you just slow down. Tempos play a huge roll in time under tension, injury prevention and mind to muscle connection.

4️⃣ Prioritise your recovery

This means actually taking rest days amongst your training, allowing enough recovery between muscle groups and getting 7+ hours of sleep every night.

Train with intent and to failure, slow the exercises down, and make sure your rest days are just as important as your training days🙌🏼

I get it, you’ve been working hard towards your goals all year, adhering to nutritional targets etc and now December has rolled around and you’re starting to relax your usual ‘rules’ slightly, enjoy more festive treats and social occasions etc.

Me too! Even though December is here, I still have goals to hit but I also want to and am going to enjoy my Christmas as well.

How?

We’ll i’ll still be maintaining routine where I can for the most part, smashing my training sessions, prioritising nutrition/protein, drinking enough water and so on…but i’m also going to have something if I want it and enjoy any occasions.

A night out, an extra few treats or an off plan meal doesn’t have to impact my entire week, otherwise i’d probably end up back in that ‘all or nothing mindset’.

I won’t be exercising more than usual to compensate, I won’t be lowering my calories for the rest of the week because I ‘over ate’ one day.

Creating a healthy balance is about about working hard for the things you want whilst still enjoying the things you love. Just like you would around Easter, your birthday etc too.

In 6 months will what you did at Christmas matter?

Do you want to negatively associate this time of year around restrictive thoughts or do you want to remember how much you enjoyed yourself and all the memories you made?

Starting your fitness journey in 2023?

Heres some things I wish I did at the beginning:

SET A CLEAR INITIAL GOAL🎯

Its great to have long term goals including multiple phases, but whats driving you daily right now? You don’t necessarily have to set a time frame, just ensure its realistic.

DON’T CHASE QUICK FIXES🔨

This means buying into fads, following super low restrictive diets or anything else thats going to lead to unsustainable results and ultimately what feels like a never ending cycle/all or nothing cycle.

FOCUS ON YOUR OWN JOURNEY🏃‍♀️

You know the saying ‘its a marthan, not a sprint’, its right. You cannot compare the place you’re in right now to someone whose 2+ years ahead of you. Set clear and individual goals for yourself and with consistency you will get to where you want to be.

TRACK YOUR LIFTS📖

Get an app like strong, use your notes, purchase a log book, whatever works best for you keep track of your sessions. Spend a week or two setting baseline numbers then start actively applying progressive overload in your sessions.

MEASURE YOUR PROGRESS📏

Pick what suits you, your goal & keep on top of it! Ensure you use a variety of methods, this can include: progress pictures (most important imo), body measurements, relationships, scale weight, how you feel, improved strength etc

DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP🗣

Feeling overwhelmed? Get some guidance! Although the first few years were valuable to me in terms of the things I went through to learn what I have, I wish I had someone to take control of my journey and lead me along the way. Even in terms of learning form, technique, basic habits and how to train for my goals.

You might feel like a small fish in a big ocean to begin with, but thats normal. You hear it time and time again but EVERYBODY starts somewhere. Your favourite fitness influencer or the person in your gym you look up to walked in there for the first time at some point too✨🖤🫶🏻

The key 4 things you need to ensure you’re able to stay consistent👇🏼

ORGANISATION📔

Plan your week in advance! This could range through many things including time blocking any work, tasks, appointments etc to ensuring your weekly food shop is done and you’ve meal prepped in advance.

BE REALISTIC🎯

If you’re someone who tends to fall off track when you don’t see the results you want as quickly as you may like, is it because the goal you’ve set yourself seems way out of your reach right now? Or are you setting long term goals for 12+ months in advance and forgetting to set more shorter term goals in the meantime to keep you accountable? No goal is ever too big or too small, strive for the best version of you always but make sure you have the right processes in place if this is you.

LEAVE THE PERFECTIONISM BEHIND🤩

1 thing doesn’t go the way you want and everything comes crumbling down alongside it? Stop trying to nail everything immediately at once. Bad days don’t have to turn into bad weeks. Draw a line under it, move on and focus on one thing at a time and the next 24 hours ahead of you!

IS IT ENJOYABLE?🥂

A lot of things fall under this including food, exercise & balance. If you enjoy something and you approach it in the right way then it’ll sustainable over a long period of time, and if it is sustainable then you’ll get the results!

With consistency comes patience and time. I promise if you stick at it you’ll get there✨🫶🏻

One of the biggest parts of your fitness journey is looking after your mental wellbeing and the way you view yourself. Over the course of your journey we will all find better ways to be kinder to ourselves and have a better understanding of our bodies in turn improving the relationship you have with it.

One thing we all know that in order to achieve a goal it must be measureable to allow us to make necesscary adjustments a long the way to keep progressing towards that final destination, but what that doesn’t limit us to is how we measure it. Not only does measuring a goal allow us to physically see how we are doing, it also makes us feel good to see were heading in the correct direction right?

I have clients come to me with all sorts of different goals and history. From wanting to improve their relationship with food and exercise to being an experienced gym goer looking to level up their journey.

One thing you know as a coach is theres no copy and pasting. Theres no ‘oh that worked for her, so it’ll work for you too’. Every single client is unique, every client is at different stages in their journey and every client has every aspect of their journey completely tailored to them in order to guide them to achieve to best results. As a coach you need to understand the needs of every client as an individual, its not just about guiding them through their fitness journey, its about transitioning the way they think and feel too creating a new sustainable lifestyle.

Sure, the scales can be a useful tool but they don’t show us the full story. I have clients that check in with scale weight, measurements, pictures and some that only do one or the other, and some none.

Your mental health is just as important as your physical health and if something causes a negative effect on the way you are feeling, makes you feel uncomfortable - eliminate it or work or lets work together to improve it.

Be kinder to yourself🖤

As someone who grew up during the ‘BooTea’ era i’ve believed a lot of these myths myself.

You see adverts, posts from influencers etc promoting all of these solutions that seem as they will be the answer to all of problems.

I’m here to let you know that in the short term, maybe, but if you want lasting results? Absolutely not.

I’m pretty certain a ‘detox tea’ full of laxatives will absolutely make your scale weight drop down, but probably because you’re empty & miserable, not because you’ve lost fat. The same goes for meal replacements, what happens when you start eating again? Can’t live off shakes and 800 calorie diets for the rest of your life.

Lets imagine you stick to your obscenely restrictive diet for 5 days, you drop loads of water weight initially, you feel great about your results (not your energy levels), fantastic! Then the weekend rolls around and you eat everything in sight & more because its not sustainable for a long period of time…

Give up punishing your body and just eat in a calorie deficit (this means one thats suitable for you, not someone you’ve seen on insta).

Still enjoy chocolate daily, incorporate social occasions, fuel yourself day to day, eat whatever time you like, enjoy carbs, have breakfast instead of fasting until 12pm?

Sounds good right? Because its realistic.

You cannot over complicate basic nutrition. The science behind losing weight, maintaing and building muscle from a nutrition and intake perspective is actually quite simple.

Nail the basics and stop hunting for a quick fix🙅🏼‍♀️

For most of us, Sunday means taking a step back from work and getting prepared ready for the new week ahead.

Use today to get ahead of yourself, eliminate any added stresses but don’t forget to take a little time for you too⛅️🫶🏻

There are so many other ways to measure your progress outside of how you see yourself in the mirror and what you weigh on the scales👇🏼

✨ Your performance in the gym
✨ Increase in confidence
✨ Improvement in strength
✨ Better mindset
✨ Change to measurements
✨ Overall mental health and wellbeing

…and if you find yourself focusing solely on how you look alone set yourself try setting yourself some goals in relation to the above.

Its completely normal for your body to change and weight to fluctuate daily!

Exercise is only beneficial if its for enjoyment and not punishment🫶🏻

Midweek reminder if you’re struggling or doubting yourself✨🫶🏻

Check in day is my favourite day look at my team go😍👏🏼

MUST DO’S WHEN TRYING TO BUILD MUSCLE💪🏼

👉🏼 Eat at least maintenace calories or build up into a surplus. Yes there is more freedom in these phases but your nutrition should always be at the forefront of your mind, fuelling yourself & nailing that protein goal
👉🏼 Train with intent and close to failure working within 0-3 RIR and making sure your training & split is appropriate to your goal
👉🏼 Prioritise your recovery. Less is not more and you’re most likely impacting your growth by overtraining
👉🏼 Your lifestyle needs to fit. The boxes need to be ticked weekly and building muscle is not fast process. With anything it takes patience, time and consistency. You have to be commited for at least 6 months and prepared to become uncomfortable to grow!

Obviously there are additional factors that will also to contribute to the above, but these are the basic foundations if you’re looking to head into a growing phase!🤪🙌🏼

ITS CHRISTMAS🎅

Perfect gift idea for a friend or family member or even just to grab a discount on Personal Training for yourself🤪

Take advantage of this huge saving as it applies to both 1-1 AND Group PT👀

Terms & Conditions Apply:

❕Must be a member or become a member of The Gym Group Southampton Central

❕Must be purchased before December 31st 2022

❕Redeemable from January 1st 2023 onwards

❕ Valid for 12 months

❕Vouchers are available for new clients only and can be bought for yourself to redeem the sessions as well

❕Subject to pre-screening forms and availability

Drop me an email [email protected] or message quoting the word ‘VOUCHER’ for more information🎄💌

Small steps towards an improved lifestyle🚶🏼‍♀️✨🫶🏻

You can wait until 2023 or you can start NOW and get 7 weeks ahead of yourself👏🏼

If anyone needs be i’ll be over here feeling like a proud mum🥹

Stop letting little voices in your head tell you how you should live your life.

Whether is how you ‘should’ look, what you ‘should’ eat, what you ‘should’ do, its very easy to become immersed in others life on social media platforms and adopt these expectations of yourself.

Your wasting time by trying to live by others standards instead of creating your own ideal reality.

Set your own goals. Set your own expectations and live by your own rules.

Societal standards will have you wishing you were someone else without allowing you to become the person you’re capable of being.

You’re on the way to becoming the best version of yourself✨

Ever had a session that just felt like sh*t?

Not seeing any progressions on that day? Its disheartening right.

DETACH YOURSELF FROM NUMBERS!

Whether that be how many calories your watch says you burnt, reps, weight etc. They are not what determines a successful session.

My coach once said to me “Your muscles don’t know how much weight your lifting, they know intensity.” 🙌🏼

Not every session will be full of PB’s, but as long as you’re giving it everything you’ve got at the time then you’re on the right track👏🏼

We’ve all been there, even me, and I absolutely get it too.

Even now as a trainer, I still get nervous stepping into a new gym for the first time. It’s a completely new environment, with different equiptment and layout to what you’re used it.

Its a completely normal feeling, and the best thing you can do it is ask for help if you need it but follow these steps to help ease you in🖤

I promise be thriving in no time✨

Ready to reach your goals with your besties by your side?

📍 Based at The Gym Group Southampton Central

One thing i’m navigating with some of my clients who are in fat loss phases especially is working around all of the social occasions in the lead up to the festive period whilst still progressing towards their goals✨

Something i’m very strong on is creating a lifestyle that is sustainable and enjoyable alongside your fitness journey and this includes saying YES to social occasions too.

My biggest piece of advice with anything is make the best choices for you.

What is your goal?
Is it worth it?
Few days at maintenance?
How important is your goal to you?
Are you working within a time frame?
If you still have sessions to complete is the hangover going to stop you?
Does too many drinks mean ending the night with an unplanned takeaway?

…and when I say ending the night with a takeaway, by no means to do I mean go home and eat your meal prep😂 but can you pre cook a frozen pizza or something enjoyable that is going save you money as well!🤪

1 or the odd occasion might be insignificant, but are you going out every weekend? Do you have plans pretty much every Saturday until January? Multiple nights in a row? This is probably impacting your progress🤷🏼‍♀️

Everyone has different goals & we must appreciate them all🙌🏼🖤

*numbers i’ve used may vary

Insane wins from the team this week🚀🔥

Unbelievably proud of each and every one of them and we had a full house of check ins on time this week which is a coaches dream😅

Happy coach happy life aye🤪👀

Calling all students📣

I’m now offering 10% off all Personal Training services based 🥳

Terms & Conditions apply❕

Head to the link in my instagram bio and complete the enquiry form or email me [email protected] and i’ll be on touch within 24 hours with more information💪🏼🖤🔗

Sunday reset food shop on the cards for the week ahead?

Here are some of my high protein staples I pick up most weeks to use within my meals👇🏼

Having a high protein diet doesn’t have to be expensive and I try to get a large proportion of my intake in from meals and top this up with things like yogurt bowls/whey instead. On the odd occasion I will pick up things like babybels, ufit drinks, fridge raiders etc but these are more of a last minute/on the go thing for me as it can make the cost of your week add up quite quickly! Saying that the mini fridge raider packs & babybels are absolutely ideal if you work an office job for example and often find yourself snacking!🙌🏼

I feel like i’ve been in the same cycle for years.

Always dieting.

Always striving to get smaller.

…and always dealing with the impacts of it.

I’ve over eaten, i’ve under eaten.

I’ve thought I was fat when I was the smallest version of myself.

It makes me sad that I ever viewed myself in these ways.

But its going through these things where I learnt what I needed to, to change my mindset.

Sure, I still have bad body image days. Who doesn’t? Its okay not to feel your best sometimes, but it doesn’t mean you need to take drastic actions.

This year I finally broke that cycle and I cant wait to grow💪🏼

I took the photo on the left on the 1st January 2020 as a promise to myself to make the changes I wanted to.

It took me over 2 years to actually achieve it.

It didn’t need to take that long.

So why did it?

Well a number of reasons actually.

If you saw the video posted in a recent reel, you’ll know that by December 2021 i’d only dug myself into a deeper hole than I was in almost 2 years prior.

The only person who was holding me accountable was myself.

Some days that was enough, but for the most part it wasn’t.

I wasn’t consistent. I didn’t have the right mindset. I made weak excuses. I had no discipline.

Fast forward to now.

I show up for myself. I believe in myself and I know I am capable. I know that I am better than my excuses. I don’t talk to myself. Ultimately my mindset is a million miles away from there it was.

I’ve finished chipping away and for the first time in my life im ready to start packing on some decent muscle. I’m already excited to compare now to the future😈🛠

Instead of using the ‘New Year’ as an excuse to get your act together understand that there is no time better than the present. Start now and come new year you’ll already be 8 weeks ahead of yourself.

With the right knowledge, guidance & mindset, you’re capable of anything🚀

With the clocks going back do you feel as if you’re losing your motivation just as quick as the hours of daylight?

Lets talk about how you can keep going even through the dark and colder months👇🏼

Theres just shy of 60 days left of 2022. That gives you the opportunity to use the next two months to get ahead of yourself ready for the new year.

Now I know you’re seeing this everywhere being posted by everyone, but its because its important. If you let the weather and time of year impact you, you’ll find yourself in a never end of cycle of trying to reach the same goal.

Feel like you’ve been trying to diet forever? Probably because you have.

Number one priority regardless is ensuring you’re going into every single day prepared. That means things like if you’re a morning gym-goer and need to ensure your clothes are laid out, bags are packed and breakfast made ready for work.

Those extra minutes in bed are precious and you’ll thank yourself for previous you when your early alarm goes off but theres no rush to get a million things done before you head out the door.

Decide your weakness when it comes to staying on track and put a plan in place to keep yourself accountable.

Ready to level up?🚀🖤🔥

📱 drop me a message on instagram
📧 email me [email protected]

NOT A TRANSFORMATION

Just a bit of reality for you. 1 day vs 5 days post holiday comparison👇🏼

Coming back from time away where I’ve been out of my usual routine was always something I used to struggle with. Not only with trying to get back into training & nutrition but also dealing with not feeling as good as I did pre holiday.

It’s inevitable that you’re going to weigh more after a holiday and feel a little fluffier on your return. You’ve been out of routine, probably eating a lot more/different foods than you’re used to and maybe not as active! It is completely normal for your body to change and weight to fluctuate and doesn’t need to be justified.

Whats important to understand is a large proportion of that scale increase is going to be water retention, and guess what? A week back on track and it’ll near enough all be gone! Please don’t waste time stressing over it.

Do you want to remember the time you came back from a holiday and beat yourself up over it or remember the incredible time you had and all of the amazing memories you made?

I know what i’d rather now and can’t believe I ever spent time doing the opposite.

Need help shifting your mindset or finding the perfect balance for you?

Message me to get started on your journey💪🏼🖤⚡️

Struggling to stay consistent?

We all struggle every now and then. Something doesn’t go right and we instantly feel like throwing the towel in.

Whether you’re lacking in motivation, finding it hard to get the right balance or not making progress, there has to be a reason why you don’t want to keep pushing in that moment.

9 times out of 10 you’re struggling to stay consistent because you’re giving up too easily when you don’t feel motivated. We’ve all heard the ‘discipline over motivation’ sayings, but what does it really mean?

Most of the time it comes down to the way you talk to yourself. Theres a fine line between ‘I can’t be bothered’ and genuinely needing to take some rest.

Like people who go to the gym in the evenings after work for example. Its not unusual to be more tired in the evening or after a day at work, so if you’re often using that as an excuse to skip your workouts then what changes can you make to your routine to enable you to balance life, work & your goals a little better?

Would it be more beneficial for you to wake up early and get your session out of the way or do you need to take a look at your sleep hygiene so you can go into each day more energised?

By all means prioritise your rest & recovery just as much as you do your training but if you’re frequently making excuses to skip your sessions then it isn’t a case of this.

If yo u’re guilty of the above, the reason you’re struggling to stay consistent is probably because you’re not seeing the results you want to. Why? Because you’re not putting the work in.

‘Self-discipline is the ability to do what you should be doing. Self-discipline often means putting off your comfort or wishes in favour of long term success’.

Set realistic goals and remind yourself of your ‘WHY’.

Insane progress made by Tyler in our time together so far!

Currently sitting -4.4kg so far in our dieting phase and is looking absolutely incredible for it😍🔥

How have we achieved this?

👉🏼 Sustainable calorie deficit
👉🏼 3 day home training programme
👉🏼 Moderate step goal

…fun fact, when Tyler and I had our consultation call she was eating 1200 calories and not making any progress!

Most importantly here we’re learning how to balance fitness goals and life along the way! Tyler is a mum to two young children and hasn’t had it easy at all. She has had the school holidays, sickness, a holiday, time away from tracking/training but never makes excuses. Tyler continues to stay consistent and it shows🙌🏼

I look forward to our check ins together every single week and she never fails to crack me up…hence the blocking out of some words😅

I can’t wait to see what we can achieve over the coming weeks🤪

So proud of you💪🏼🖤⚡️

Want results like this?

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