Posts Tagged ‘personal trainer dublin’

Personal Trainer – Make A Choice!

Sunday, September 4th, 2011

Have quite a powerful message for you today.

 

But first I want to let you in on a little secret about investing in YOURSELF.

investing in yourself

I have paid a lot of people in the last couple of years to be really honest.

 

I have paid DCU (Dublin City University) paid for dozens of conferences, workshops and business masterminds to educate myself on training, nutrition and marketing.

 

Stayed up until 3 am and got up at 6 am for months on end to get stuff done.

 

I invested time and money in my education to get where I wanted to be…

 

One something is paid for I take the time to give it a fair go.

 

How much did all this cost…? Over the last 3 years alone I’ve spent in the region of €25,000 on information. Cool eh? :-)

 

It’s a lot of investment… and a lot of learning and a lot of RISK you might say…?

 

Nahh there was no risk.

 

I never once said to myself:

 

‘What if this doesn’t work out? I will have wasted all this money’

 

Because I knew it would work if I put my mind to it.

 

It’s the same if you want to lose weight, gain muscle or just look better naked.

 

You see the difference between success and failure, in anything, comes down to one simple thing.

 

Choice.

 

You have to CHOOSE to get stuck in and give it a fair shot.

 

Your situation right now is the sum of the *choices* you have made in the present moment.

You chose not to go to the gym… you chose to eat that cake.

 

You chose to watch coronation street instead of go for a walk.

 

If you are doing things all wrong in the gym and messing things up, its YOUR FAULT because you didn’t ask for help.

 

If your skinny and think your trying everythin but ‘its just not working’ ITS YOUR FAULT because you didn’t ask.

 

If you are over weight and your trying your best to lose it but ‘its just not working’ ITS YOUR FAULT because you didn’t ask.

 

It IS you fault… to a certain extent anyway.

 

You try by yourself, get nowhere and then succumb to the false realisation that you are just ‘naturally’ skinny/fat/big/small/whatever.

 

Ehhhh… stop making excuses and get your finger out.

 

 

Not ‘when the economy gets better’.

 

Not ‘when I have more free time’.

 

No ‘if only I was naturally thinner.’

 

No ‘if only I was bigger’.

 

No ‘if only I was whatever’.

 

Everthing (within reason) is a *choice*.

 

The only difference between you and the people you want to be like is simple:

 

They’re not afraid to make a choice…Why not?

 

They decided who they wanted to be.

 

They didn’t make the choice in some undefined ‘later’.

 

Or ‘tomorrow‘. Those things don’t exist.

 

 

They never will. They will never arrive.

 

Ever.

 

I could have said ‘I don’t have a business degree’ and then not started The ABS Gym and settled in a public gym cleaning machines or working in some lab somewhere wanting to jump out the window every minute of every day but I CHOSE to set up my own business.

 

Why? Because I knew it was going to work.

 

Are you afraid you ‘cant do it’?

 

My buddy (and now personal trainer) John Weldon made a CHOICE to come see me 2 years ago. At a hefty 140kg he was very overweight and in need of change.

 

He could have said ‘im naturally big’ or ‘im big boned’ or whatever but he decided he wasn’t going to roll over and accept it.

 

Now he’s <10% bodyfat and working in The ABS Gym in Dublin as a Personal Trainer.

 

He could have said ‘Personal training is expensive and I can’t afford it’ i.nstead he made the INVESTMENT

 

Ignore people who try to sabotage your efforts (and there are many).

 

Does ‘your just fine the way you are’ ring a bell ?

 

Does ‘why bother, life is short’ resonate with you?

 

Who said this to you and take a close look at them…? They either 1. look the way you want to look or 2. they are in the same boat as you but too lazy to get up off their arse and do something about it.

 

Alwyn Cosgrove who is a buddy of mine, personal trainer and all round great guy inspired this post and I’m also stealing this video on him :-)

 

PS. Alwyn beat stage IV cancer twice, bone marrow transplants, the works and still owns and operates the most profitable gym in the US.

 

No excuses :-)

 

The video is about hard work and dedication. If you are willing to put in the work you will get what you want…

 

There is no such thing as ‘The Secret’… No short-cuts… get stuck in… Call me on 0861238633 or email bryan[at]athleticbodysystem.com to get started

 

 
—- > Will Smith on Youtube

[Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post 

Personal Trainer? Do You REALLY Need One?

Friday, July 22nd, 2011

Personal Trainer? Do You REALLY Need One?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am writing this on a Friday evening purely because I couldn’t wait. I had a personal training consultation today with a guy who started training with weights about 6 months ago for aesthetic reasons (he wanted to look better naked) but he hasn’t seen ANY difference after the first couple of weeks.

 

It hit me like a train…

That’s what EVERYONE says when they come in looking for personal training.

Well nearly everyone…

Here’s the TOP 5 reasons people get personal training in Dublin. Ill bet you fit into one of these categories. Here it goes :-)

1. They’ve never EVER been in a public gym and it intimidates them.

I completely understand this one. To be completely honest I trained myself and was personal training dozens of people from my shed for YEARS before I joined/ started working in a big public gym. When I started in the public gym I was wondering if people were looking at me. The weights were different so I couldn’t add them up properly etc. :-) I was intimidated too. Only a little though of course :-) And I was a trainer myself!

2. They have been a member of a public gym for the last 3+ years but make it to the gym maybe twice/ month because they’re lazy.

To tell the truth you’re not lazy, you’re NORMAL.

 

You see turning up to the gym when you haven’t got an appointment or a purpose to go is HARD. Hell, even I have to organise training with one of the other trainers in the ABS Gym or the ABS Conditioning Centre to keep myself motivated. Having an appointment with a trainer is almost impossible to sneak away from… we’re watching you! :-)

3. They have been jogging or just doing mind numbing cardio for the last 6 months in the gym and not only are they seeing no results. They are actually regressing and even going backwards. Getting fitter but PUTTING ON WEIGHT.

Cardio? Nah. Why do you need a trainer to press buttons on you tread mill or stairmaster and shout stupid slogans at you?

 

I don’t!

You shouldn’t! a REAL personal trainer will write up a conditioning programme using suitable weights and fat burning exercises so that you are never bored and constantly getting results and staying motivated. Not running on a treadmill like a hamster in a wheel.

4. They have been following a programme they were given in a Gym in Dublin and realized after a week or two that this was just a generic piece of nonsense that the fitness instructor gave them. Not a personalised programme. Can you blame the guy? They don’t get paid extra, they don’t have to get results, and they get paid the same either way.

On the other hand if a personal trainer doesn’t get results, he doesn’t get paid! Simple as that.

Our sole purpose in life is to get people the results they deserve. Think about that one…

5. They tried some other personal trainer/ fad/ gym that forces supplements on you the second you step through the door.

I’m not mentioning any names because that wouldn’t be cool :-) I will say that there are a lot of gimmicks out there. Celebrity diet, alli diet pill and certain gyms/personal trainers pushing supplements on you isn’t fair. Plain and simple. You don’t need that stuff. It DOESN’T help, it just makes them money to sell it to you.

Not cool at all.

Well there you have it. The top 5 reasons why people get personal training and my take on it…

Thanks for reading

Bryan Kavanagh BSc CSCS

 

[Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post 

Grip Strength = Muscle

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

The importance of grip strength for building muscle…

-

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

I’ve always had a decent grip,

Working in construction since I was 11 years old may have

something to do with it (thanks Dad)

But I guess it stood to me :-)

Construction work involves carrying heavy things ALL DAY…

maybe that had something to do with it…

Definitely.

Know what else construction work involves?

Carrying objects of varying size around all day… B

ut I’ll get back to you about that later…

But lets agree on one thing…

Carrying heavy things is an excellent way to

pack on muscle and develop crushing grip strength.

Arm training can not progress at all if grip

strength is not up to par…

I’ve seen people wince in pain with

forearm pain after doing a set of curls!

If your grip can’t hold a weight,

how on earth are you supposed to pack on muscle!?

You need to get a stronger grip my friend!

The limiting factor? Your forearms!

How do you increase your grip strength you ask?

  1. Work on forearm/finger strength

  2. Carry heavy stuff!

Trust me, your grip is one of the defining factors in your muscle building quest!

..

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Thanks

Bryan

[Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post 

How much protein?

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

So how much protein do you need?



I love when this topic comes up…I can really vent when it does :-)

Here’s something I read the other day which made me laugh…

——

——

Most Americans get all the protein needed in a day without even trying.

——

——

Wait a second… that sounds like you SHOULDN”T be eating more protein.

So every one is getting the message that they are getting enough protein…

Yea…probably…and they get plenty of fat and carbs too… so what…

So everyone should be eating more carbs and fat, instead eating more protein?

NO

Eating too much protein will not make you fat as easily as eating too much carbs…so it makes sense that if you are going to eat too much of anything then it might as well be protein :-)

PLUS…

Somehow I don’t think it is eating too much chicken breasts that is the reason some ridiculously high % of the population are obese.

Fact of the matter, protein can’t be stored in the body like fat and carbohydrates, we need to replenish the supply daily.Your body can make some of it but this process is far from optimal.

Protein is essential for the repair/ growth of just about every cell in the human body, from muscle, hair, nails to the function of homones.

It is TRUE that the human body may not need to take in 100’s of grams of protein everyday. Maybe you don’t have to take in protein with every meal.

-

But…

-

Why not?

This garbage I hear about the human body only being able to take in 20 grams of protein with every meal…. That’s 80 kcals.

HAHA

How does that work out for Lions and other carnivores… are they restricted to taking in 80 calorie meals at a time… I don’t know about that, somehow I think there are more than 20 grams of protein in a gazelle or a buffalo… but I’m just guessing.

I can’t even imagine who came up with that nonsense…

.

Probably a hippy or this guy…or both…

-

I know what your thinking, but animals are different… don’t worry your body will not waste the protein…

-

And even if it did… SO WHAT!

The protein is going to make you feel full, satisfied and keep you away from the cake.

The last place its going is to your fat stores. Your body has so many other uses for it that it will UTILIZE most of it and then, and only then will it store it as fat.

On the other hand…Carbohydrate is a fuel and unless you are exercising or recovering from exercise…your body has no other use whatsoever for carbohydrate.

-

-

-

I.E.

It gets stored as fat. It’s akin to having a full tank of gas/petrol and trying to fill it up again…if there’s no room its going to spill out all over the place…just like your waistline.

Long story short unless:

1. You are about to do something really strenuous,

2. Have just finished something really strenuous or

3. You want to be a fatty

Limit carbohydrate intake on days you aren’t training or doing something strenuous and increase protein intake in general.

Simple as that.

[Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post 

NUTRITION TIPS

Monday, February 22nd, 2010
Being a personal trainer you tend to have to repeat yourself alot…

‘When should I eat carbs?’
‘How much protein do I need’
‘are apples good for you’

The list goes on…

Here at the ABS personal training studio we have all this material in handy little print outs that we give to our clients but there was one missing… Simple everyday nutrition tips…
Ian threw this together the other day to hand out to our personal training clients in the ABS gym here in Dublin along with the rest of the introductory material our clients get.

I gotta hand it to him he was listening to my ramblings because he nailed it!
  1. Aim to eat 3 meals plus 2 – 4 small snacks per day depending on your goals (fat loss, muscle gain, etc). This will take planning on your behalf.
  2. Spread those feedings out every 2.5 – 4.0 hours… Making sure to keep fat out of your pre and post workout feedings. Fat will slow down digestion and in turn effect recovery speed.
  3. Aim to consume a source of protein at every feeding… and do your best to consume meals/snacks of either protein and fats or carbs and proteins. Just try to avoid having a meal/snack that contains sugars and fats together… it’s okay to have fiberous carbs, such as green veggies with proten and fat as the insulin response/ storage will be minimal.
  4. If fat loss is the goal then go low carb, not no carb. Any carbs consumed should be earned (via intense training) and be rich in fibre.
  5. Limit fruit… to 1-2 servings max per day, sticking to low GI fruits such as apples, berries and grapefruit. It is a massive misconception that you can just nail endless amounts of fruit… it is sugar at the end of the day. ‘Natural sugar’ or not its still sugar and its fate will more than likely be fat storage.
  6. Eat your higher carbohydrate content meals/snacks before 6pm and time them around your training sessions. The amount of carbs you should consume will depend on your goals and tolerance to carbohydrates. Consult with your trainer about your carb intake allowance/requirements.
  7. After 6pm focus on consuming meals/snacks that contain protein only or protein and fat. Again fiberous carbs such as veggies are okay after 6pm, but avoid sugars and wheat… including fruits and biscuits
  8. Drink plenty of water throughout the day and during your training sessions
  9. Don’t drink your calories… no soft drinks, fruit juices and limit milk intake.
  10. Refer to the abs shopping list for best food sources and supplements.

Bonus Tip

After a strength training session then follow the above table. Nutrient timing pre and post workout is completely dependent on your training goal.

Hope this helps… Go get RIPPED

-

:-)

-

http://athleticbodysystem.com

[Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post 

Naturally Strong??

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Funny thing happened there a few weeks ago…

-

A few of the ABS guinea pigs (Marc Hartigan, Dave Gorman and Robbie Cannon) were training together…


I have trained them all at some point and now they are training themselves because I have done such a great job they don’t need me anymore :-)

Yea on with the story…

The lads were training away and someone who had been Olympic lifting in a smith machine (FAIL) came up and said

-

“all of you guys are naturally strong…you’s should think about competing… I’ll train ya’s”

-

I hardly think a group of 8 random guys are going to be ‘naturally strong’ …it probably has something to do with their training :-)

-

http://athletephysique.com

A happy ‘Athlete Physique‘ User:

——–

Hi Bryan!!

I have to apologize as I’ve been putting this email off for so long as I keep telling myself I’ll spend some time writing a meaningful one! I hope you and Ian are having a faaabulous start to the year!!

And Bryan, thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my earlier questions! Your advice was really crucial. I was spiraling down in my body weight late last summer into december, even though my Body Fat was dropping and my strength was increasing.

However, I took your advice to heart in how to add the calories and it’s really good to see results showing after such hard work. I’ve put on a solid 5lbs (muscle mostly) while my BF is decreasing… but I just have to keep at it and keep eating and the results will come if I’m patient!

Again I know there are just numbers but it really helps tracking the progress right? :).

I hope You and Ian are having a great time training clients in the ABS temple ;-)! I will definitely be in touch as to how my progress is going in the next few weeks… months. I can’t wait for any updates you guys have as well this coming year!!

P.S: Ian… Thank you so much for the feedback via facebook last day!! You two are just plain amazing!! Thank you for all your help and knowledge. It’s one thing to reach your goals and its a whole different story to share that knowledge to help others reach their goals.

Free Videos here —> Athlete Physique Videos

[Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post 

Curves, Cardio and Machine Weights…Waste Of Time?

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Two women in their late twenties came into the personal training studio the other day and initially they seemed to be impressed with the resistance training area, changing rooms and facilities in general. Looking a bit confused they worked up the confidence to ask:

‘That’s great, now where is the cardio room and the rest of the machines?…upstairs?’


They actually attempted to walk up the stairs, which to their disappointment was a dance hall…

When I explained that we dont have a single piece of cardio equipment they were a little perplexed.

‘But we want to lose weight, not bulk up…we dont know if this is for us…’

Even after I explained that cardio workouts were, for the most part, not only useless but actually counterproductive in some cases they looked at me like I was a complete moron.

The usual fitness club workout ...Doesn't look very productive does it?

It was at that moment I realised:

1. They didnt want ‘personal’ training.

2. They obviously knew more than me about weight loss.

3. They made up their mind that they were going to pay a glorified fitness instructor in a fitness club to carry out a predetermined programme. One they already had in mind which involved the gym instructor pressing buttons on a treadmill for them…

Sure what do I know… right? Clients of mine have lost up to 80lbs in 3 months…No cardio…

To be honest I can confidently say that I could get better results from somebody using their bodyweight and the floor than any amount of machines or contraptions could possibly get. Machines are fine to an extent but they are useless when compared to bodyweight exercise, free weights and circuit training – training athletically.

99% of the gym population performs the following;

30 minutes on the treadmill

20 minutes on the xtrainer

15 minutes doing ‘a few machine weights

Maybe some tricep kickbacks and curls with some flourescent dumbbell at the end. Maybe even a leg press…

The curves leg press...hmmmm

99% of the gym population are getting nowhere…

To be honest this is what I call a ‘healthy’ workout…or somebody who goes to the gym to be ‘Healthy’. Thats fine but it never lasts. Why?

Lets cut the crap…Nobody goes and seeks out a personal trainer to get ‘healthier’ there is something much deeper than that motivating them.

Do you really think anyone sits down at their computer, googles ‘personal trainer’ or ‘Curves’ and goes to the bother of browsing 10 different personal training websites and contacts several fitness clubs because they are worried about their ‘health’…not likely.

Okay there are a few who have been referred from a GP or specialist to go and get a fitness programme or personal training but it is rare. The majority of case are people who have a burning desire to achieve a goal and it is broken down like this.

50% weight loss

30% muscle gain

10% sport specific

10% other

It really is a case of good programming, hard work and dedication…key word being good programming. Truth be told if all I had was a pen, paper and nice handwriting I know for a fact I could do more for someones body transformation goals than 200 stupid commercial machines by writing them a training programme that actually worked. Well I would write them an online training programme and illustrate it but you get the idea.

Click here for –>> Online training programmes <<

Click here for a training system that cant fail…



[Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post 

Kettlebell Challenge – Tough Workout Finisher

Sunday, December 6th, 2009

Personally do not do as much kettlebell work as I’d like to because here in Ireland the mainstream gyms haven’t had them until recently. (most still don’t)

Truth is… Kettlebells are a great tool to ADD to your fitness regime.

They can build stability, endurance, mental toughness and all of the movements are very ‘functional’ in nature which is always good.

They should not be the only training tool you use but they can be an addition to a well rounded training programme. They have the capacity to develop a well rounded physique.

They WILL NOT make you really ripped, or really strong and even though they are known as being the best conditioning tool since sliced bread they aren’t… nothing beats a good >> Prowler Run << click here to see this bad boy in action :-)

Kettlebell high repetition snatches, for example, develops anaerobic threshold and can increase work capacity. Great!…but there are other methods that are better…

I am not slating kettlebells im just saying that you shouldn’t rely on them…you shouldnt rely on any new tool or gimmick that comes out… train hard, eat right and follow a STRUCTURED training programme…and you are definitely going to develop a killer physique.

http://athletephysique.com

Here’s an example of a kettlebell workout challenge I done recently as a ‘finisher’ to my workout…

[Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post 

Full Body Circuit

Saturday, November 7th, 2009

[Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post 

What NOT to do if you want muscle!

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

I was approached by a guy today that I’ve know for years and for whatever reason everytime he’s approached me for advice I am either on my way somewhere or he’s in a rush.

There’s always something and it was killing me that I wasnt getting the time to sit down and actually go through his training and eating plan.

He has asked me about individual exercises and other miscellaneous but i never actually structured anything for him.

Lets just say I was not amused by what he had been doing…and he wondering why he was not putting on muscle?!

His programme looked like this CRINGE!!!

Doing each bodypart ONCE per week works for genetically gifted people like bodybuilders and naturally heavy set people. .

People who have average genetics (you and I) have to think outside the box!

Once a week training = one chance per week to grow!

12 weeks on. . you only had 12 chances to grow!

Absolutely NAILING the bodypart is counterproductive too as you body will not fully recover from it. .

If you train each bodypart (in a different manner) 3 times per week you are hitting it from all angles separately and maximally. . more growth. .no overtraining. . .

36 chances to grow/adapt in 12 weeks presto. . 3x the progress

Check this out… Now this is not a perfect programme by any stretch of the imagination…

I just took the exercises he was doing and rearranged them, discarding the USELESS ones.

Keep in mind i am not completely against bodybuilding training. It works for some people, and works really well!

For the majority of us, however, it is completely counter productive and there are better and more efficient ways of burning fat and gaining muscle.

Sorry about the ‘language’ but I thought it was a good video to share and i have a nice little inarticulate rant :-)

Let me know your thoughts in the comment section

Thanks

Bryan

PS.
For more info get your free videos by clicking the link below

==> http://athletephysique.com

[Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post