Grading Success

On Saturday 11th September I had various students taking part in their kickboxing gradings at Bulldog Gym in Bournemouth. It was an absolute success as expected with everyone passing and some even getting full marks because they couldn't be faulted in any way by the examiner.

I would like to congratulate the following students:

Ryan Bailey (Aged 8) - Passed both Youth Red/White and Orange Belt
Sam Brake - Passed both Yellow and Yellow/White Belt
Ashley Smith - Passed Yellow Belt
Christine Burns - Passed Yellow/White Belt
Jonathan Scarff - Passed Orange Belt
Heather Macphail - Passed both Orange and Orange/White Belt


I'm very proud of all my students who showed a high level of technique, fitness and attitude on the day, roll on the next grading, hopefully December time.

My star Sheila Chant

Sheila's 'Chat' magazine article



I wanted to share one of my success stories; my client and very close friend Sheila Chant.

Sheila came to me in May 2006 looking to loose weight. Sheila had never been to a gym before and this was all very daunting to her and she wasn't very sure on the whole thing. I seemed to click with Sheila straight away, i could see she was really nervous and just needed someone who really cared about getting results for her.
For someone who has never really exercised before a different approach was needed and i knew i needed to gain Sheila's trust before anything else. Sheila also went to Weight Watchers once a week but so far nothing was really working so i decided to shock her body and introduced different exercises such as boxing, skipping and running. Now first of all Sheila's fitness was very low and she won't mind me saying that she could barely walk uphill, but with her determination that i helped draw out of her with challenges each week, we battled through walking uphill, to running to even sprinting.
It wasn't long before Sheila started to do 5k and 10k races which made me so proud. She has appeared in Chat magazine with her success story and even a local Poole magazine. She's has been called the 'kickboxing granny'! Sheila is known for her amazing story all around Fitness First and I'm proud to say within 2 and a half years Sheila reached her first goal and lost 6 stone. Since then she has lost more and maintained it. More recently she has undergone surgery to loose the excess skin from the dramatic weight loss and I'm sure you will agree she looks absolutely amazing and literally 10 years younger.
Sheila's confidence has grown and grown, any new equipment brought to the gym she is the first one to give them a go, she is up for any new challenge which makes me so proud to not only train Sheila but to say she is a very close friend.

Congratulations Sheila, keep up the good work!

Practical Pregnancy Magazine

See my baby diary in October's issues of 'Practical Pregnancy' magazine.

ViPR.... Vitality, Performance and Re-conditioning

Why not try the latest craze......
The ViPR, which stands for vitality, performance and re-conditioning, is made of rubber and comes in a range of weights up to 20kg. ViPR training is the concept of whole-body integration. Which means for every action and movement performed, you are using your entire body to effectively create motion. This is consistent with the fundamental design of the human body. Recent anatomy and biomechanicial studies have outlined these fact quite clearly. Treating and training movements using the whole body is more effective..... and loading these movements will create accelerated adaptation. ViPR allows movement to be loaded, thus ensuring a positive transfer into life! The innovative new product looks to the future of free weight training by combining the benefits of equipment such as the kettle bell, medicine ball and dumbbell among others, to focus on whole body workouts.

Enough of the technical jargon, this equipment is amazing I have had amazing feedback and results already from these. So why not give them a try, available at Fitness First. Awesome full body workout for all levels from beginner to elite athlete. Contact me to give it a go.

Baby Boy

Say hello to my bouncy baby boy! I had my 20 week scan on Thursday and found out I was having a little boy. Everything is going well, still working and training as much as I can. I must admit by keeping myself fit I do find pregnancy so far quite easy and it means I can enjoy these special times.

Fighter; Heather 'The Beast' Macphail's first interclub

Big massive congratulations to one of my fighters Heather, who done amazing on her first interclub at the Bulldog Gym in bournemouth against a taller opponent from Dorchester.
Its a very nerve racking thing getting into the ring as you make the transition from being just a kickboxer to a fighter!
Heather made me very proud today as she did everything i asked and more, she should be even more proud of herself and she has overcome alot of obstacles to get where she is and all i see is a very strong future for Heather in kickboxing and more importantly as a fighter. CONGRATULATIONS on such a great performance.

Check out videos below

Pregnancy Training

You may be aware that pregnancy and overweight mothers have been in the news recently and doctors have been trying to get across that 'you are NOT eating for two'. This is true, you only need 200 extra calories a day or even one extra mouthful in some cases. Also exercise is recommended whilst pregnant, providing you did beforehand, in some cases if you stop you may do more harm than good in athletes or heavy gym goers. Hence my training regime; I am currently training once a week with my trainer Kris Cann who is based in Bournemouth and he trained me throughout my last few fights as my sports and conditioning coach, also i'm still kickboxing and attend a bag blast session once a week at Bulldog Gym in Bournemouth and i then try to do at least one maybe two additional workouts a week containing running. The main thing you have to consider is how you feel at the end of the day, let your body do the talking and then you can enjoy having a healthy pregnancy, continue doing what your doing providing your doctor gives you the all clear.