1. to mislead the mind

Greetings Readers

This week I’m going to do something completely new and share with you all the results of a nutritional consultation that I did recently – probably anyway as I’m never quite sure where these posts are going these days, they’ve developed a life of their own. Indeed it has just occurred to me that today’s post could be seen as the second part of a trilogy, with this being the first part and this being the third. I’m writing trilogies without realising and not even in chronological order, how relaxed is that?

Attention Regular Readers

If you’ve been reading, and more importantly following , the assorted recommendations I’ve been sharing with you over the last few months (in part one and three that I just mentioned above) this post will be quite redundant. If you haven’t then I recommend you read on

Client Assessment Time

You all no doubt already know that I’m a personal trainer in Edinburgh – I can generally be found at The Scotsman Spa but I’ve been known to make the odd home visit too If you didn’t know this you do now As part of their initial assessment all of my clients fill in a lifestyle questionnaire – well not quite all, some just get a comprehensive grilling from me This not only provides me with essential information but is usually very enlightening for the client too as it forces them to focus honestly on their exact food intake in a manner that most of them are quite unaccustomed to. Why is this enlightening? Because most of us are deluded about our food intake I actually think that most people are deluded about a lot more than just their food intake but that’s another matter Think this doesn’t apply to you? Don’t be too certain, it’s quite possible that you’re deluded too

The Delusion

I take client confidentiality pretty seriously so we’re going to refer to the client as TC I was really tempted to call TC ‘it’ but I thought that might be a little too extreme

TC isn’t a beginner. TC trains hard and regularly and has a good body – shapely with well-developed muscles. TC came to me for a nutritional consult specifically aimed at lowering body fat and increasing muscular definition. The conversation went something like this –

Me – “So what is your diet like at the moment?”

TC – “Pretty good, though it could be better.”

Me – “What are you eating then?”

TC  - “A lot I have to eat a lot of food to maintain my weight, I mean a lot of food, probably 5000 calories a day. I eat lots of carbs, mainly rice, plenty of protein, mainly chicken and tuna and I have a couple of protein shakes every day too.”

Me – “Sounds pretty good to me.”

TC “Well I do eat a fair bit of junk on top of that. Crisps, biscuits, burgers, wine gums, whatever I fancy really.”

Me “Okay, well the first thing to do is to record exactly what you eat for the next week. Be totally honest. This will give us a baseline to work from.”

TC “Ok, will do.”

The Reality

TC went away and did exactly what I’d asked and a week later I sat down and went over their food intake. What I found was quite different from what TC had led me to expect. I wasn’t that surprised though, TC isn’t alone when it comes to being delusional

Firstly TC was only eating around 3000 calories a day. That’s not a lot of food by any means. Even I eat more than this and I’m by no means a big eater

Secondly TC’s carb intake was under 300g a day, around 33% of the daily calories. Again this isn’t a lot by any means, certainly not given TC’s comments.

TC’s protein was a little light at 210g, 27% of daily calorific intake, but not by much.

TC’s fat was too high at 130g, 37% of daily calorific intake.

Not only where TC’s macro’s a surprise to them but the composition of the diet was a little off too. 33-50% of calories came from protein shakes, every single day The word I’d use here isn’t ‘supplementing’, it’s ‘lazy’ Protein shakes are great. They are convenient, portable and a great addition but the mainstay of your diet should be real food

TC’s junk intake wasn’t as high as I’d expected – a few pizzas and chips but no crisps, biscuits or wine gums. This is common occurrence too; simply knowing that everything has to be written down causes a change in dietary habits.

TC was surprised. I wasn’t I’m used to it by now But the reason I’m sharing it is that if it can happen to TC, who is an experienced trainee, it can happen to you So go re-read part one and three and dispel your delusions First do all the social networking stuff though please

If enough of you (at least 10) are interested, which means commenting below I’ll go through TC’s new nutritional program next week. If not I’ll ramble on about whatever else takes my fancy

re·spon·si·ble (ri-spon-suh-buhl)
adjective

1. answerable or accountable, as for something within one’s power, control, or management
2. involving accountability or responsibility
4. capable of rational thought or action

synchronicity  (sink-ro-nis-iti)

noun

an apparently meaningful coincidence in time of two or more similar or identical events that are causally unrelated.

Greetings once more Dear Readers

This week’s post finds me fighting hard against the desire to hibernate for a wee while Not quite a full on slumber until summer, more of a snuggle up cosy on the sofa for a few days with a warm blanket, a hot chocolate and a lot of DVD’s affair Alas I’ve got a blog to write, followed by Shoulders and Triceps and personal training clients to attend to so any hibernating is going to have to wait until the weekend

The Ultimate Secret

I left you all last week with promises of revealing “the ultimate secret” This is the only single thing that you absolutely have to become an expert in to ensure success in your health and fitness endeavours” so without further ado here it is –

“You”

You may well be experiencing some form of anti-climatic comedown at this point. I’d apologise but I’m not actually sorry; I mean what were you actually expecting? It’s also happens to be true .

You need to take personal responsibility Experiment Try things, discover what works for you and once you’ve found something that works, stick with it, passionately, consistently and relentlessly

Want to know if low-carb dieting will work for you? Try it and find out Will you build more muscle if you increase your protein intake? Try it and find out

An exercise in self experimentation

In a wonderful case of synchronicity Tom Robertson (fellow PT here at The Scotsman) posted this link on his FB last Monday.

At the bottom of this fine article is another link to something even better ‘Experiments With Intermittent Fasting’. It’s a book written by John Beradi PHD of Precision Nutrition and, unsurprisingly given the title, details 6 months of self experimentation (in this case with Intermittent Fasting but it’s the underlying principles that are so pertinent here). It’s a brilliant example of someone doing exactly what I’ve just recommended above. It goes into great detail and is a really well-balanced, well-written piece of work that I’d be proud to have penned, well typed, myself

As John has written so eloquently on the practical steps of self experimentation and I can’t think of a thrilling way to improve on it for you I’m going to suggest you download his book and read it This will also be a great practical first step in taking responsibility

Having read the whole thing – any of you who are too lazy to do this haven’t really grasped the idea of taking responsibility yet – return to page 53 (64 on Adobe Reader) and start reading again from Self Experimentation : Try this at home! Continue reading to the bottom of page 62 (69 on Adobe Reader) and then ‘Like’ this post and ‘Share’ it on your FB page and ‘Tweet’ about it Go on it only takes a few seconds

Now read those vital pages, yes again so you can be sure you’ve truly grasped the principles necessary to set you on your way to becoming an expert in the only thing that really matters – you Your next and final step is to implement them. If any of you actually do this please let me know how you get on, I’ll be very interested to hear about it

Hello Again Readers

It’s Friday afternoon – I’ve not settled into a new regular Blog writing time yet – and I’m once more relaxing in the luxurious splendour of the reception at The Scotsman Spa If you’ve never been here then I implore you to do so, it’s lovely I am happy to report that I’m still relaxed, though it’s taking a little adjusting to I have to say

Preview Paragraphs

This is where I thoughtfully tell you what I’m going to ramble about this week. It’s a win/win for you as it’ll either create a bubbling undercurrent of anticipatory excitement in you, which is always fun , or enable you to save time by reading no further if you’re not interested

So what do I have in store for you this week? I’m going to report on my progress, both in the gym and in the new arenas of leisure and recreation that I mentioned last week. I’m enjoying this public accountability thing Then, time permitting, as I’ve got personal training clients soon, I’m going to tell you the ultimate secret This is the only single thing that you absolutely have to become an expert in to ensure success in your health and fitness endeavours If I run out of time you’ll just be getting another teaser and I’ll tell you about it next week

Me

I thought after my announcement last week – “I’m going to build on this progress and gradually extend my relaxed new mindset into the new arenas of leisure and recreation” that I’d best get on it post haste, so I have

After the success of her last visit my Mum is visiting me again this weekend and I’ve planned a most pleasant and relaxing schedule of events for us We’re booked in at The Grainstore on Saturday evening. I’m excited about this as I’m going to wear my photo shoot kilt with my fine new Panama Jack boots, thank you for your support Mogwai , for the first time and I’m also sneaking in a bit of personal development by breaking a personal habit of never returning to a restaurant if the last experience wasn’t perfect as I’ve decided this is foolish and extreme The food has been great there on my previous visits too so I’ve decided not to allow one incidence of slow service to prevent me enjoying it once more

Linlithgow Palace

We’re at The Roseleaf again on Sunday evening I love it here and it’s is without doubt my favourite place to eat in Edinburgh It’s charming, friendly and quirky with a great atmosphere, great food and great service at a shockingly reasonable price Highly recommended

In between I’ve pencilled in trips to the newly refurbished National Portrait Gallery, two castles (Blackness and Linlithgow Palace) and a couple of fine breakfasts, probably at Urban Angel and Kilimanjaro coffee, though we might give the Red Squirrel a try

My favourite Caravaggio so far - Judith Beheading Holofernes

On a slightly more dramatic note I’ve started to plan a rather major project that I’ve had in mind for some time – to see every work of my favourite artist Caravaggio I’m consulting a number of sources to ascertain the exact extent of the project and already a rather exciting series of trips is starting to take shape. I’ll be spending a fair amount of time in Italy, returning to the USA and taking in lots of other locations across the rest of the world including Madrid, Berlin and Dublin. I’m very excited and am delighted to report that I am managing to keep my natural inclination to intensity in check, having decided that learning Italian in order to consult the original sources myself is taking things a little too far for the time being That’s not to say I won’t do it, just that it’s not essential

The National Portrait Gallery - not sure who the girl is though

I’ve have already seen a number of his works but I’m going to see these again anyway

More Me

Things are continuing to go very well in the gym, both personally and professionally I’ve said it before but for a personal trainer Edinburgh is a brilliant location and The Scotsman Spa is a perfect example of exactly why this is the case It’s simply brilliant I love it here, my clients love it too so everyone is happy

My own training with Robbie is still going well too as FB regulars will know It’s fantastic having a training partner and I love our workouts I’m weighing around 195lb in reasonable condition and anticipate dropping to around 185lb over the next few weeks as I’m currently ‘priming’ again – slightly reducing intensity and tightening up my condition in order to create a window of opportunity to build some more muscle

I’m still following this workout but Mike tweaked my Chest workout a little so it now looks like this -

• Flat Flyes 4 x 8 – 25
• Cable Crossovers (any height/angle) 2 x 25 – 50
• Incline Smith Machine Press 2 x 12 – 25 , 2 x 4 – 8
• Decline Smith Machine Press 2 x 12 – 25, 2 x 4 – 8

I’ve dropped an exercise from the Back Workout too so it now looks like this –

• Lat Pulldowns 3/5 x 12 – 25 (warm up exercise)
• Pulley Rows 3 x 8 – 25 (usually do around 15)
• Dumbell Rows 3 x 8 – 25 (usually do around 10)
• Reverse Grip Bent Over Rows 3 x 8 – 25 (usually do around
• Hammer Pulldowns 3 x 8 – 25 (usually do around 12)

Everything else is the same

The Ultimate Secret

A quick time check tells me that you’re going to have to wait for this I think this is my first cliff-hanger ending How exciting is that?

Now do all manner of social media loveliness please ‘Like’ this, ‘Share’ it on your wall so all your friends can read it and ‘Tweet’ about it excitedly to. Simply cut and paste this into your Status and Tweet boxes

‘Read this, it’s brilliant http://lazenbypt.com/relaxation-walking-the-walk’

Thank you very muchly

Relax

relax- (ri-laks)
verb (used with object)
3. to slacken or abate, as effort, attention etc.
5. to release or bring relief from the effects of tension, anxiety, etc
verb (used without object)
8. to reduce or stop work, effort, application, etc., especially for the sake of rest or recreation

This post is being brought to you from the tranquil splendour of the lounge at The Scotsman Spa and is without doubt my most relaxed and chilled post so far It’s Sunday evening and I’m sitting here drinking a coffee in a most civilised and agreeable fashion It’s been over two weeks since my action packed first post of the year and it’s been the most relaxing two weeks I’ve had in years

The Lounge

One of the great side effects of blogging is that it makes you accountable Publicly state that you’re going to do something and you have to do it I’ve therefore been striving to adopt a calmer and more relaxed mindset exactly as I outlined in my “I’m Not Perfect …Yet” post I’ve made great progress, so much so that I think I’m currently more relaxed than I’ve ever been in my life

I’ve been following my own advice and going to bed with a book Amazingly it works – I’ve been sleeping better than I have in years I still wake up rather randomly, currently 5am is a popular time, but as the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day

Batman Arkham City

I’ve been chilling out and having fun too – outside of the gym – and I can wholeheartedly recommend Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City on the Xbox 360 and Sherlock on the BBC

I’ve not just been lounging around either I’ve been personal training at The Scotsman Spa now for two weeks and things are going great I’m happy, my clients are happy and everyone at The Scotsman Spa – Charlie the Spa manager, the in house PT’s Rowan, Dean, Caroline and Lucy and the receptionists Mel, Collette and Jenny, has been amazing Nothing has been too much trouble and I’d like to publically say ‘Thanks’ to you all Your kindness and professionalism is hugely appreciated

Sherlock

My workouts with Robbie are still going great and I’m excited before each workout We start the week tomorrow with Chest and Biceps and I’ve got a daft grin on my face just thinking about it now

Work is also progressing well on Physique and Performance :) Overall I’m thoroughly enjoying my new improved relaxed attitude

So where do I go from here? I’m going to build on this progress and gradually extend my relaxed new mindset into the new arenas of leisure and recreation, areas that have been somewhat neglected of late as I’ve been working rather intensely Watch this space throughout the year, as now I’ve publically committed I’m going to have to do it

If you want to take advantage of the accountability that public declarations of intent bring yourself stick ‘em in the comments section below

Time for all the social networking requests ‘Like’, ‘Share’ and ‘Tweet’ please

I thought I’d post something topical and traditional for my first post of 2012 and you can’t get much more topical or traditional on January 1st than New Year’s Resolutions (NYR’s) In a typically bold fashion I’m going to cover EVERYTHING about them, well, pretty much

First though here’s something you probably don’t know about NYR’s It is believed that the Babylonians were the first to make NYR’s and the earliest recording of a new year celebration is believed to have been in Mesopotamia, c. 2000 B.C. although it was in mid-March as January 1st wasn’t celebrated as the start of the New Year until 153 B.C. when the Romans moved it The double use of the word ‘believe’ makes me ponder the accuracy of this information but I read it on the internet so it must be true ;o)

With that historical interlude over let’s cut to the chase If you need guidance on making and keeping resolutions read this ‘How to Get Exactly What You Want in 2012’ and click on the link on the word ‘exactly’ and read that as well Then read this ‘How To Get Exactly What You Want in 2012 – Making a Plan’ While you are about it read this as well ‘Mind Is Everything – Food For Thought’. Now simply put what you have read into practice. Any problems contact me, consults are free

While the above covers pretty much everything you need to know if you particularly want nutritional help, as is traditional at this time of year read this ‘It’s All About You… And It’s All Free’ and the put what you have read into practice. Incidentally, as I predicted, no-one has contacted me since I published this

I’d share my own resolutions with you but I haven’t actually made any formal ones, I’m just following a ‘more of the same’ approach as it seems to be working quite well so far

On a professional level I’m really excited about the move to The Scotsman Spa and working with Mike on Physique and Performance.

Me and my son Robbie

On a personal level I’m aiming to remain injury-free and train in first gear for the full year. I’m training more or less full time with my chunky young son Robbie Inman now and I’m very excited about this Its years since I had a regular training partner as a good one is very hard to find. In case it’s not obvious, Robbie is a good one Our workouts are going very well and I expect us both to really benefit from working together through 2012.

Mike changed my routine recently, switching from the 3 day a week program I wrote about here ‘The Kai Greene Tribute Workout aka My Workout )’ to a new 4 day a week routine. While this isn’t strictly speaking a NYR as I started on my new program over a month ago I thought now was a good time to share it with you

Thompsons Gym

I’m now training 4 days a week, mainly at Thompsons Gym and currently on a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

I’m now using a lot more volume and training to a couple of reps short of failure, aiming to get as much blood into the muscle as quickly as possible.

I still start with extensive warm ups before all my workouts though I’ve switched it around a bit at Mike’s suggestion. I now do 10 minutes very light dumbbell work before my upper body workouts and as many warm up sets as necessary on each exercise. I do10 minutes on the stairmaster before Legs.

I still generally finish with 10 – 15 minutes on the Stepper and then stretch, pretty much exactly as in my blog post, but with a couple of extras thrown in as required.

Day One – Chest and Biceps

We start with Flat Dumbell Flyes with our feet on the bench, followed by Decline Press on either a Smith Machine or a Chest Press Machine depending on where we’re training. We then move on to Incline Press, ideally on the Smith Machine but if it’s busy we’ll do Dumbells to keep the tempo up. We do 4 – 5 sets of each of these exercises with reps anywhere between 8 and 25. We then finish off with 2 sets of Dips. I keep my feet forward and my chin on my chest to keep the focus on my chest.

For my biceps we do Standing Dumbell Curls and Pulley Preacher Curls – these are particualrly brilliant, 2 – 4 sets of each, 8 – 25 reps.

Day Two – Back

I’m still settling into this and keep tweaking and adjusting exercises on a workout by workout basis. This is what we did last workout. We did 4 – 5 sets of everything, 8 – 25 reps.

We started with Lat Pulldowns with a D-Bar as a warm up exercise for 5 sets of lots and lots of reps

For the first ‘proper’ exercise we moved to Pulley Rows with a straight bar and a medium grip. I’ve been pulling to my waist but next workout I’m going to go a little higher, to the bottom of my pecs. Robbie already does this.

The Dumbell Rack

Next up was Dumbell Rows. I leant on the Dumbell Rack and pulled in an arc to my waist. Robbie worked off a bench. We then moved to Reverse Grip Bent Over Rows and then onto Hammer Pulldowns. I like these, partly as Hammer are my favourite equipment manufacturers We’ve then did Rack Deadlifts as a finisher but I’m thinking about trying Close Grip Low Pulley Rows next time.

Day Three – Shoulders and Triceps

I do a lot for Shoulders, they need it Robbie doesn’t but he batters his anyway, just to keep me company

We start with raises, Rear, Side and Front. Again its 4 – 5 sets of each, 8 – 25 reps. We then do 3 sets of Press Behind The Neck. I’m enjoying using a good ol’ barbell We then finish ‘em off with 3 sets to the front, again with a barbell

Triceps get 3 exercises again for 4 – 5 sets, 8 – 25 reps. We start with Pushdowns, then move to Single Arm Cable Extensions before finishing off with EZ Bar Overhead Triceps Press.

Day Four – Legs

This is largely as before. We do Seated Calf Raises to start with followed by Standing Calf Raises, usually 5 sets of each, with reps in the range of 8 – 30. We do this as we found it hard to stand after Legs, let alone train another body part

The Leg Press

Next up is Leg Extensions – 3 x 25 very light – but very unpleasant – warm up sets. Lying Leg Curl is next, still with a couple of warm ups followed by 4 x 8 – 15 working sets. We now get to Robbie’s favourite part as we hit the Leg Press for 4 sets. This is my favourite exercise I then do Squats 1 x 6 – 8, 1 x 2 – 4 and 1 x 2 – rock bottom, ass to grass style, are next while Robbie does higher rep Front Squats. We then finish with Hack Squats for 2 sets of 15-20reps.

After Legs I don’t do any cardio, I just lay down for a while

So there you go folks, a post simply brimming with New Years inspiration for you – I’ve outlined how to get exactly what you want in the year ahead and lead by example by starting a new business venture, moving gyms and sharing my new workout with you. As blog posts go this has to be one of my most action – packed yet

All the usual requests apply – FB Like ‘n’ Share, Tweet and make your friends read it. As it’s the New Year I’m going to put in a shameless plug and recommend that you treat yourself and come and have some personal training sessions with me too Mention this and I’ll even cut you a deal throughout January, how good is that Thank you

In my 6 Gyms and Snax Cafe Breakfast post a month ago I wrote this -

“Our second stop is at The Scotsman. I like it here, so does Kyle. It is clean and well presented. The gym area is small but has everything you need and a nice atmosphere. I can’t remember what the kit was, Kyle thinks it was Cybex and I think he’s right It was good anyway Not lots of free weights but enough given the size of the facility. I am shocked when Kyle tells me it is £60 a month to be a member here though. I’ll be looking in to this place further and Kyle is investigating getting a deal here too. I’ll keep you posted ”

Eagle eyed readers will have noticed that all the pictures were also of The Scotsman facilities

It now gives me great pleasure to formally announce that I will be working from The Scotsman Spa from January 2nd 2012 Kyle will be working there too, as will Tom (Robertson, Factory co-owner and PT) so you know where to find us when you’re missing that Factory feeling

The gym area at The Scotsman Spa is very well equipped with over 60 pieces (both cardio and resistance) of equipment, including a Hammer Strength Power Rack, a Smith Machine and a great selection of Cybex machines ; a Leg Press, a Leg Curl and a Leg Extension; a Lat Pulldown and a Machine Row; a Chest Press and a Pec Dec; a Shoulder Press, a Bicep Curl and a Tricep Press; a Back Extension, an Abductor, an Adductor and a Glute Raise

The facilities at The Scotsman are first rate, as you would expect of a Spa in a 5 star hotel The changing rooms are spacious and luxurious, the lounge area is welcoming and relaxing with subdued lighting, and the picture of the pool speaks for itself There is a juice bar and a full food menu is available from The Scotsman’s kitchens. The Spa itself is also quite exciting – I’m going to treat myself to a few grooming treatments, which will doubtless amuse Kyle and Tom no end

The kind folks at The Scotsman have even worked out a membership deal for ex- Factory members – £40 off peak (6am – 5pm) and £50 for full membership. If you’re a personal training client then it gets even better as you don’t even need a membership to come and work with me

The Scotsman Spa is a really first rate facility and is very well situated on Market Street, a full 2 minutes walk from Waverley Station If you’re still undecided on where to train come January I’d strongly suggest a visit to check it out for yourself

At this point I’ll spare you further frothing

All the best for 2012

Now please FB like, Tweet, Share on FB then print out and take to the pub Thanks

I’ve also some excellent feedback on my last post – 6 Gyms and a Snax Cafe breakfast – and I’d strongly recommend reading this if you haven’t already.

A Word of Explanation Regarding Images

Gratuitous Kai Greene images aside I do generally try to keep my images somewhat relevant to the text but with neither Greens or David Lloyd’s websites providing me with anything at all to nick I thought I’d build on the picture of my fine tree with a lovely pair of his and hers sexy Santas – enjoy

Round 2

Our last trip was fairly painless, involving little more than a stroll around the block but this time it was necessary to venture further afield (the practicalities involved even lead to Kyle and I doing solo trips), hence the delay What finally roused me to action was the failure of last year’s Xmas tree lights. Imagine my dismay when I arrived home last Saturday , unreasonably excited, with my tree only to find my decoration plans derailed

By Sunday morning I was once again brimming with festive excitement and as I had to venture out for some new lights anyway I thought I’d brave the form filling in at David Lloyd’s and check the place out Since my last post I’ve also discovered that 2 of my clients live out Gorgie way and that Greens at Chesser is pretty handy for them. Intoxicated with festive tree decorating happiness I fearlessly through caution to the wind and decided to brave another form and visit there too

Greens

Greens is a health club. As such it has a variety of facilities, including a pool and a gym. Needless to say it’s the gym I’m interested in I’ve been here before to visit Deanne, my deep tissue practitioner extraordinaire and I’ve had a brief nosy around the gym so I’m expecting it to be pretty good as I thought it was before

As is standard at health clubs I’m given an overly long form to fill in and shown around by a member of the sales team. Cat is great. She’s informative and helpful without being remotely pushy. I’m impressed The facilities are good too, nice pool, great cardio suite and a well equipped (free weights, machines, 2 squat racks etc) gym. With the current 10 months for the price of 12 deal it’s a pretty good option for any of you situated in that area. I like it much more than either of the health clubs we visited last week – Virgin and Bannatynes.

4, yes 4 , sets of Xmas tree lights

I pause en route to David Lloyds to visit Poundland (no expense spared) where I pick up 4 sets of Xmas tree lights. Partly this is in case they don’t all work but mainly it is to ensure that my tree looks suitably splendid I get some more tinsel too, just to be on the safe side As the picture shows I think I chose wisely. I’ve already garnered praise from both my FB friends and my personal training clients, all of whom have been subjected to a viewing of my tree photo’s . It’s the first time I’ve ever decorated the tree and I’m very proud of myself

David Lloyds

Once more I get a form I’m disturbed by the presence of children on the premises but apparently it’s allowed; they have a proper play area and everything

This is by far the most overtly family-friendly place I’ve visited and the facilities are excellent, pool (indoor and out), tennis courts (again indoor and out) and a surprisingly well equipped gym featuring some exciting Techno Gym Hammer Strength-style machines that are almost reason enough to join here, such is their splendour Again I prefer this to Virgin and Bannantynes. If I put my child prejudices to one side then I’d be hard pushed to decide between here and Greens. Location would probably swing it in favour of David Lloyd.

Having discussed matters with Kyle I can confirm that he thought David Lloyds was good as well, for the same reasons that I did and the £50 a month family and friends deal that they are running until the end of December is excellent value too

Living Well

Kyle popped in here and his feedback of ‘they have dumbbells but no barbells’ was sufficient for me not to bother visiting them at all I doubt that any of you would be happy with no barbells either so I don’t feel my verdict is too hasty

The Verdict

While there are other facilities worth a look – Edinburgh Leisure on Dundas Street spring to mind – I’m done with gym visits for the time being. As far as I know Kyle is too.

So where is best ? Sorry folks but there is no right answer It really does depend what you are looking for.

I’m going to stick with training at Thompsons and Pure Gym. I have clients who liked Virgin and others who are happily moving to Pure Gym. My favourite health clubs (based on the gyms only, I almost completely ignored classes, studios and all the other goodies these places offer) were Greens and David Lloyds (I just remembered that the gym has good natural light too, which is a plus point for me). I’ve heard more negative feedback about Pure Gym that anywhere else but I’ve had no problems there at all. And to be completely honest at £15 a month is it any wonder that it’s busy?

I’d suggest making a mental list of what’s most important – location, equipment, price, peak time usage, contract options etc – and checking out any that look interesting. Most places allow day visits and I’d recommend doing this before you sign up. I love training in different gyms so for me a week of different gyms is a perfect Xmas treat to yourself

Blah FB please, blah Twitter please, blah generic social media requests please

This week sees a wee delay in part two of my gym reviews as I’ve not had time to get around to visiting them all yet I’ve been busy though and I’m now in a position to make a proper announcement – though the holding page is still in limbo – regarding my new venture with Mike Pratt, Physique and Performance.

Those of you who know me personally, have read my bio on here or have worked with me as a personal trainer will know that to say I’m passionate about what I do is an understatement. I’ve been training with weights for over 30 years now and my love affair with them has totally changed the course of my life. To this day my passion continues unabated and my desire to increase my knowledge and to improve my own performance, and to use this in turn to help others to improve is even greater now than in my youth. It’s from this desire that Physique and Performance has been born.

At this point I’d like to introduce you to Mike Pratt. I’ve known him now for over 25 years and Mike has been without a doubt the single biggest influence on my own career. On a personal level I’m proud to call him my friend. On a professional level I have the utmost respect and admiration for him. Mike is without doubt the most unique and talented athlete and physical performance trainer/coach I’ve ever met. His resume is simply astonishing. He’s worked with some of sports most elite athletes from household names like Sharron Davies and Frank Bruno to Olympic athletes Derek Redmond and Colin Jackson and top footballers Gary McAllister and Nick Barmby. He’s worked at Leeds United as their strength and conditioning coach and as a sports performance consultant for Adidas. Not only can Mike coach, he can also perform; he won a National title as a bodybuilder and his physique and athletic abilities have brought him universal respect and admiration from everyone he has worked with.

His analysis of performance and technical insights never cease to amaze me and his ability to get the best from everyone he works with is truly inspirational. I’ve personally benefited immeasurably over the years from his advice and support and I’m delighted to publicly announce that Mike and I will be working together at Physique and Performance to bring his techniques to a much wider audience than ever before. We’ll be launching a website to allow everyone to benefit from his experience and on a more personal level we’ll be providing training and consultation services to both corporations and individuals here in Edinburgh, initially in the form of both one to one and group training sessions, seminars, and gym clinics. 2012 is shaping up to be an incredibly exciting year.

It occurs to me at this point that regular readers may note the rather shocking lack of smilies in the above announcement. Trust me; I’m happy I’m very happy

Please now do all the FB – sharing this link on your wall would be very nice – and Twitter loveliness

Thank you

With this in mind we headed out to see what we could find within walking distance of Factory. We only found seven gyms but we checked out six of them anyway and here’s our verdict for you all

I would firstly like to state that every single gym can be a bit crowded at peak times. That’s why I train in an afternoon I should also mention firstly that I already train myself at Thompsons in Leith and Pure Gym at both Ocean Terminal and The Meadows. I’ve always used multiple gyms. I’m a bit of a gym slut

Thompsons is a bodybuilding gym and an excellent facility if this is what you are looking for. It has lots of excellent equipment – 45% Leg Press, Hack Squat, Smith Machine, a few Hammer Strength (my favourite equipment range) pieces etc, plenty of free weight and exceptionally heavy (160lb plus) dumbbells. It’s friendly, privately owned, reasonably priced (£20 a month off peak) and all it’s really lacking is floor space.

Pure are the latest cheap ‘n’ cheerful style of gym chain. The new ‘The Gym’ opening in Waverley Gate is the same style operation. There are plenty of machines and cardio equipment (Matrix) and it’s good. There are free weights but less than at Thompsons or Factory but no less than at most other gyms in the city though, as we will see. The price is amazingly cheap at only £16 a month with no contract. I’ve trained in both venues in the city, the Meadows and Ocean Terminal and while I prefer the open plan layout at the Meadows I use Ocean Terminal more often as it’s more convenient and the kits the same. Lovely view of the city too, seriously

Let’s move on now to today’s adventure report I was really tempted to use the good, the bad and the ugly as my sub headings but I’ve somewhat uncharacteristically restrained myself

The Hotels

We visited 3 hotel gyms. First up was the Carlton Hotel. This was a bit poor to be honest. Run down and rather shabby they haven’t fixed the floor since Factory owner Tom Robertson worked there over 2 years ago The equipment isn’t bad as such but there isn’t a lot of it. It’s nowhere near as good as Thompsons or Pure and as neither of us fancy taking either ourselves or our clients there we move on and don’t even ask what the prices are

The Scotsman Gym

Our second stop is at The Scotsman. I like it here, so does Kyle. It is clean and well presented. The gym area is small but has everything you need and a nice atmosphere. I can’t remember what the kit was, Kyle thinks it was Cybex and I think he’s right It was good anyway Not lots of free weights but enough given the size of the facility. I am shocked when Kyle tells me it is £60 a month to be a member here though. I’ll be looking in to this place further and Kyle is investigating getting a deal here too. I’ll keep you posted

The Breakfast

The Scotsman Pool looking so cool I had to include this pic

We stopped at this point to visit Snax Cafe, a traditional greasy spoon, an Edinburgh institution and one of our favourite places Today we go there and eat in, sometimes they deliver to us but we’re always happy. We recommend the Biggest breakfast (2 Link Sausage, Bacon, Fried Egg, Black Pudding, Tattie Scone, Hash Brown, Haggis, Sliced Sausage, Beans, Fried Tomato & Buttered Roll) and a big latte

The Scotsman Hotel looking so amazing I inclued this too

The Last Hotel

The third hotel we visit is The Roxburghe. Kyle’s comment of ‘It’s like walking into someone’s living room’ about covers it It has some nice Techno Gym kit but only 2 flat benches and a few dumbbells Cleaner and better presented than the Carlton though. Again we don’t even ask prices

The Health Clubs

Our next stop is Bannantynes on Queens Street. Kyle and I are given forms to fill in while we wait for Christina the membership girl .We are amused, very amused The gym is disappointing. I forget what the kit was but the gym was small and cramped, especially for £48 and a minimum 6 months contract. There is a pool and studios and classes and sauna things iirc and these are included in the membership but we’re not interested in these or the dual membership we’re offered so we wander off to our next stop

Virgin at the Omni Centre is spacious and well equipped and it has a pool and studios and saunas and jacuzzis and towels too I like it here but it’s also £57 a month which seems expensive, especially when compared to Pure. It equates to an extra £41 a month for lots of ‘extras’ which I’d most likely never use. The other Virgin in the city is half the size Naomi the membership girl tells us so we decide not to visit there at all

The Gym

Yes we also visited a gym It was actually the first place we visited but it was the best so I saved it for last The Centre For Sporting Excellence (CSE) at the Pleasance is brilliant It’s by far the best facility we visited in terms of equipment, size and price. There are literally 100’s of pieces of cardio equipment, loads of machines, plenty of free weights, heavy (70kg or so) dumbbells and everything else you can think of spread over 5 rooms and it’s only £29 a month We both like this a lot and it gets our vote for the best gym of the day

CSE cardio room

Coming Soon….

Stay tuned for part 2 when David Lloyds (not looking forward to this, I’ll have to fill a form in ), One Spa (quite excited about this as I’ve never been) and anywhere else I can think of in the meantime are on the list If you can think of anywhere comment below please

news – (nooz, nyooz)
noun (usually used with a singular verb)
1. a report of a recent event; intelligence; information:

Hello again readers As promised 2 weeks ago today’s blog is going to be about change. In last week’s post I wrote “So what’s changing? Well lots, including the content of this post apparently, but not quite in the way I was expecting” and that’s also true of this week’s post Initially I had a more rambling philosophical piece in mind and now I have some fairly major news for you all so I’m going to spare you my philosophical ramblings and jump straight in

Most of you will know me or know of me from my work as a personal trainer and probably – because who knows what else could happen? – the biggest, and most irritating, change is coming in this area. As the majority of you will already be aware of by now, Factory Gyms, where I’ve been working happily with my clients for the past two years, is closing

Tom Robertson (FG Fitness Director) posted this announcement on FB last Wednesday -

“FACTORY GYMS IS CLOSING. Globo Gym (in the form of the Gym Group) is opening a giant gym next door. They are much cheaper & nastier than us and have tons of money – we simply can’t compete. I’m sure we’d win at dodgeball, but they’re not up for that so Factory Gyms is regrettably closing on the 30th December. Sorry folks! It’s been awesome training with you!”

Factory has been a really harmonious and friendly gym and it’s made for a unique and wonderful working environment. Owners Tom and Chloe have been fantastic to work with and my fellow PT’s Kyle, Robbie and Jo have been a constant source of inspiration and amusement to me I’ve loved nattering with the reception staff – Craig, Angela, Margaret, Mike and Katie – who were all handpicked for their Factory friendly qualities and Tony has amazed us all, not least by managing to experience less work while on his work experience placement than anyone thought possible And while she’s not technically a member of the Factory team, I have to mention the irrepressible Fiona who works as Security on the front desk. It’s been a wonderful two years guys

So for us all it’s on to pastures new. Fortunately for me as a personal trainer Edinburgh has no shortage of gyms to choose from. I’m definitely going to be at Rab Thompsons in Leith but as that’s not ideal location wise for everyone I’m going to be working at another location too. I’ve a few places to investigate and if they’re exciting enough (or I can cunningly make it sound more exciting than it actually was) I might even recount my adventures here

Change is still blowing throughout the rest of my life too Things are moving forward on the Physique and Performance project. There’s still no site for you all to look at but given my workload recently I’m not worrying too much about this I’m 14lbs heavier than when I started training again 7 weeks ago and I’m writing this on Monday morning on my sofa instead of last Thursday on reception More excitingly Princes Street has been transformed into a splendid Xmas market which I urge you all to go and visit

Some areas are proving more stubbornly resistant to change, despite my best, relaxed ;o) efforts. Last night I was the most relaxed I can remember in a long time I had a bath, laid out on the sofa and after happily wandering around Constantinople for a while – I’m playing Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, remember – I wandered off to bed at 11.30pm As I’ve been battling, successfully thus far, the tremors of illness this last week (a hangover from last week’s exhaustion I think) I didn’t even set my alarm and snuggled down to a good night’s sleep I awoke, tired but not sleepy – aaaagggghhh!!! – at 5am. Buggar My iPhone still isn’t set up yet either Looking on the bright side as ever though, it’s still only 10.30am and with this rattled off I’ve got time for a cheeky wee nap before my first client

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