Never go out drinking with a mad Irishman and a crazy northern lass!

On Thursday night, I was invited to celebrate the Business Design Centre being open as a business centre for 25 years. Over the 6 years that Revolution has been open, I’ve built up great relationships with the Morris brothers who own the BDC, and Dominic Jones who is the CEO, and thought it would be great fun to join them for their celebrations.

With this in mind, I ate perfectly all day and had a plan to say ‘no’ to all the lovely food on offer, but to say yes to 2 glasses of red wine. I was joined by my good friend and senior Revolution trainer Neil McGuigan. For those of you who don’t know Neil, he is someone who works hard but likes to play even harder.

The party was fantastic, and as a business owner I found it really inspirational. Stories were told of how the family business started and how - against all odds - it succeeded to become a huge success and also one of London’s iconic buildings.

I was on track to stick to my 2 glasses of wine, but then Neil hit me with the old classic “one for the road mate”. Well, it was never going to be just one more, especially when you’re out with Neil. After several glasses of pink champagne (I was including that under the ‘red wine’ banner) and more wine, we headed out of the party and down to the gym to grab our bags and head on home. Not sober by any means, but certainly not sozzled.

That’s when we bumped into Bex Maslin, London's top female trainer, locking up the gym after a late finish. We all looked at each other and said “one drink in the nags head?”. Well, the rest is a blur but I’m going to call it power drinking. Within no time at all, there were 3 empty bottles of red wine on the table, more drinking followed but I can’t honestly remember what it was.

I was in no fit state to get a tube home, and thought sleeping in the gym was a good idea. I sneaked past the BDC security and went to sleep on the physio’s couch. A terrible night’s sleep was followed by a horrific hangover. How Bex was back in the gym for her 5.30am session, I’ll never know.

Yesterday was damage limitation, and considering my hangover I ate well yesterday, and to coin a phrase from ex football manager and TV pundit Ian Dowie, I’m going to show my ‘bouncebackability’. This is exactly what I’m going to eat today.:

7.30am – black coffee, no sugar
8am – porridge made with water and squeeze of Manuka honey
12 noon – 1 organic chicken breast, sweet potato, carrots and broccoli
3pm – 2 Brazil nuts, 4 almonds and a black coffee
6pm – baked fillet of cod with stir fried green vegetables
9pm – green tea

What lessons have I learnt?

1. There’s no one so easy to fool as yourself. I was never going to have just 2 drinks. Once you’ve fallen off, don’t worry about it, just get back on track as quickly as possible.

2. Never go out for a drink with an Irishman and northern lass on a school night.




Cheers,
Rob G

Week 11, Day 3 of my 12 Week Transformation

Nutrition
6.30am - 2 Brazil nuts, 4 almonds and a 35ml Yakult yogurt drink

7.15am - white Americano, no sugar

10am - 4 poached eggs, a large handful of spinach and half a tin of kidney beans in chilli sauce



12 noon - 10 almonds and a spoon of organic coconut

2.15pm - Mexican black beans, peppers, onions, chicken breast, steak, sour cream, cheese and avocado

4pm - white coffee

6.30pm - large fillet of salmon with a Greek salad and avocado

9.30pm - mug of green tea

Training (legs and shoulders)
Deadlift - 6 sets of 10 reps at 80kg
Arnie press - 4 x 12 at 17.5kg

Shoulder blast, called 'around the world':
- Lat raise, hands start at hips, 3 x 7 at 4kg (super set with below)
- Lat raise, hands start at lower back, 3 x 7 at 4kg (super set with below)
- Db reverse fly, 3 x 7 at 4kg

Cheers,

Rob G

Week 11, Day 2 of my 12 Week Transformation

Long day and late finish, so I'm just going to write down what I ate today:

8am - 2 Brazil nuts, 4 almonds and a Yakult yogurt drink

8.30am - porridge made with water, and squeeze of manuka honey

9am - white americano coffee with no sugar

12.15pm - micro whey protein shake after training

2pm - chicken breast with salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, sprinkling of feta cheese and three quarters of a tin of kidney beans in chilli sauce.

4.45pm - black coffee with no sugar

5.30pm - a mouthful of chicken breast with a very small bit of salad left over from lunch

8.30pm - 4 egg omlette with side salad and a cup of green tea


Training
6 x 2 minute boxing rounds on the pads with my brother John
4 x 600m runs at 18km an hour (with 1 minute recovery in between) on the treadmill


Cheers,

Rob G

Week 11, Day 2 of my 12 week Transformation

The Final Push!

After a great trip to see the sights of New York, I return with just 2 weeks left of my 12 week transformation. In my last blog post I spoke about how I was finding the training and nutrition easy, but I’m challenging myself to eat super clean for the remainder of my 12 week transformation and I’m going to blog exactly what I eat and what I do for training every day for these last 14 days to keep myself honest.

Here is what I ate yesterday:

5.30am – Yalkult yogurt + 2 Brazil nuts and 4 almonds

6.30am – black coffee with no sugar

8.30am – porridge made with water and small squeeze of honey

10.00am –Micro whey protein shake straight after training

12.30pm – organic chicken breast with sweet potato, broccoli and carrots and half an avocado

3pm – black coffee with no sugar

4pm – 8 almonds and a cup of green tea

7.30pm – Fillet of baked cod with stir fried vegetables cooked in organic butter (broccoli, red pepper, asparagus, courgette)

8.30pm – green tea and slice of lemon

Training
As you may remember, the last 4 weeks of the Revolution 12 week transformation is where we enter the circuit phase of training. I’ve tailored my programme so I do 3 weight training days (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and two days of very high intensity cardio training (Tuesday and Thursday) of either 6 x 600m sprints or boxing.

Today was chest and back, and even though that is classically used for hypertrophy I created the circuit-style feel by increasing my rep range to 15 or over, and by super-setting every exercise.

Bench Press (4 x 20/15/15/15), superset with chin ups (4 x 15/12/10/8)

Incline bench press (4 x 20/15/15/15) superset with seated close row (4 x 20/15/15/15)

Db chest flys (4 x 20/15/15/15), superset with wide bent over row (4 x 20/15/15/15)

Dips (3 x 15), superset with close grip chin ups (3 x 15)

I was taken through my workout today by my business partner Giuseppe, and when I was unable to get to my 15 rep goal he made sure I did. Believe me, Giuseppe is not a man to be messed with!

Cheers,

Rob G

Week 9, Day 3 of my 12 Week Transformation

Routine
I’ve been trying to work out why I haven’t blogged more over the last few weeks. Is it my inherent laziness? Or is it some other reason that is perhaps entirely reasonable?

And then I realised - and I want to say this in a way that doesn’t sound too arrogant - that the truth is, I’m finding the training and eating plans all very easy. I must clarify this by saying that it’s not that I’m not pushing myself every time I train, as I can honestly say that I’m training harder and harder. It’s just that I know exactly what is required in order to get results.

I have found that seeing my progress through my measurements is highly motivating, and once you have built a platform of success to build from it is really encouraging, which makes continuing to make the right nutritional choices and getting out of bed to train seem routine.

And routine is indeed the right word. Here is the routine I have at the moment in relation to food, and I hope you might find it of some use yourself. Obviously adapt it to suit you and your life. You can also read more about the Revolution 12 week transformation diet, in the words of my brother and business partner John, in our latest newsletter.

• On Sunday, I go shopping and buy the following: 7 Yakult yogurts, Brazil nuts and almonds, 2 chicken breasts, white fish, eggs, porridge, salad and plenty of vegetables.

• On Sunday night I cook a chicken breast, sweet potato and broccoli for the next day’s lunch.

• On Monday morning, when I wake up I have a Yakult yogurt, 2 Brazil nuts and 4 almonds (I start every day like this), and 2 hours later eat porridge with water and a squeeze of honey. 4 hours after that I have the chicken breast etc that I made the night before. For my evening meal, I will have oven baked white fish with green veg and try to avoid carbohydrate. If you do feel like you need some carbohydrate, have a small portion of brown rice.

• On Monday night, I will also prepare my lunch for Tuesday - cook one chicken breast, one portion of brown rice (75 grams approx) and put together a salad.

• On Tuesday, I have the Yakult etc then porridge etc (you see why I’m finding it so easy), then 4 hours after I’ve eaten the porridge I will have the chicken breast etc which I cooked the night before. And for my evening meal, I’ll have a 3 egg omelette with a side salad.

• On Wednesday, I buy my food out as I’m growing tired of making my food in the evening by now. So I’ll have the Yakult etc as usual first thing. Then later I treat myself to one slice of granary toast with 2 poached eggs and 2 rashers of well done bacon. At lunch, I go to my local cafe (the same one I had breakfast in) and have grilled chicken with a Greek salad and half a jacket potato. In the evening I get back to cooking again, and have a chicken stir fry with vegetables (you’ll need to go shopping on Wednesday to buy Thursday and Friday’s food).

• For Thursday, Friday and Saturday, just repeat Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I personally will have salmon on Thursday night instead cod, and feel free to mix up the vegetables as you see fit.

In reality, I’m a fairly boring person. I like my routine and I just find this so easy to stick to, and my results are quite honestly excellent. And my point is this. If you want to have loads of fun, then don’t read my blog and don’t follow the Revolution eating plans. If, however, you do want to transform your body and you do want to feel healthier than you have in years, then follow our advice because it works.

Don’t forget that Sunday is the day you can eat whatever you want, and I like to eat so much rubbish that come Monday morning I don’t want to see another piece of chocolate for at least.......... well at least another 6 days.

I was going to talk about my training now, but I fear I’ve lost people already so I’ll save that ‘til next time, which is just after I get back from New York. “New York?” I hear you say. Maybe I’m not as boring as I thought I was!

Cheers,

Rob G

Week 8, Day 1 of my 12 Week Transformation

Goal Setting - The Revolution Way

I’m now at the half way point of my 12 week transformation, and my results so far are in. My weight when I started was 89.2kg, and now it is 85.2kg so that’s 4kg lost (or in old money, 9 pounds). My body fat started at 17.7% and is now down to 14%, and I’ve lost exactly 2 inches from my waist. I’m bang on target to hit my goal of under 10% body fat and feeling highly motivated to train and eat right.

This brings me nicely on to what I really wanted to talk about in this blog post. Since Revolution opened in 2005, our company has helped thousands of people transform their bodies and achieve their goals. But why do some people totally transform their bodies whilst other people, who have all the same access to dietary advice and training plans, cannot?

Firstly, you simply have to stop making excuses. It does sound a little harsh, but it’s true. “I’m really busy”, “I work crazy hours”, “I’ve got 3 young kids”, “I’ve got a bad back”, “I haven’t got time to cook”. Believe me, over the 10 years I’ve been a personal trainer, I’ve heard them all. And if I’m honest, I’ve said at least 2 of the above myself.

Secondly, I think the reason some people who have been unable to change their bodies physically has been due to their inability to control their emotions. There is nothing wrong with enjoying a beer or a chocolate bar, but the problem comes when we find ourselves having these things when we don’t really want them. I can say from personal experience that before I started my 12 week transformation, I found myself eating high sugar snacks every night. This is a classic example of our emotions taking over our logical thoughts. We know that what we are eating is bad for us, and we don’t even want the food we are putting into our bodies, yet we still eat it.

The answer lies in our ability to set goals in a way that provides us with clarity and purpose. When we set a goal which excites us and we know exactly what we want to achieve, we stop making excuses and more importantly we get the power of our emotions working for us rather than against us.

I could write pages and pages on how to set goals, but instead I’m going to give you a fast-track lesson on how to set goals the Revolution way.

1. Know exactly what you want to achieve and over what time frame. Remember that the more clarity you have, the more likely you are to achieve your goal.

2. Why do you want to achieve your goal? The ‘why’ is the emotional pull, so don’t underestimate its power. Be really honest with yourself.

3. Asses your progress by taking a waist measurement or weighing yourself every 3-4 weeks (or any other evaluation which is applicable to your goals).

4. Visualise what you want to achieve, and if you’re someone who is not good at visualisation, then simply find a picture of someone you want to look like and put it on your fridge.

I thought I'd finish this blog post with some 'before and after' photos of a couple of a Revolution clients, Sarah and Moshe, who achieved amazing results by following the Revolution system of goal setting, training and nutrition.


Cheers,

Rob
Revolution

Week 7, Day 1 of my 12 Week Transformation

Food for the week

As I approach the half-way point of my 12 week transformation, I’d like to share some more nutritional advice. In fact what I thought I’d do today is show you a photo of exactly what I bought from the supermarket yesterday, and pick out a few selected items of the foods and explain their health benefits.

Eggs – contain 6 grams of protein each and contain all 9 essential amino acids.

Butter – naturally high in vitamin A, it also helps with the absorption of other vitamins, specifically D,E & K.

Pumpkin seeds – high in zinc (particularly important for male fertility) as well as loaded with protein.

Almonds – high in protein and quality monounsaturated fat, which helps to lower blood pressure.

Brazil nuts – contain the mineral Selenium which boosts the immune system and is vital for the production of testosterone.

Chicken – contains approximately 30 grams of protein per breast.

Blueberries – high in vitamin C and antioxidants.

Bananas – really high in potassium, which helps to regulate blood pressure.

Sweet potato – my own personal favourite vegetable. It’s as slow releasing in terms of energy as oats, and is packed full of fibre and vitamins.

Avocado – contains monounsaturated fats that help lower the cholesterol, and has high levels of fibre so you feel fuller for longer.

Broccoli – packed with vitamin C, which aids with iron absorption. Also high in fibre, which can help to reduce cholesterol.

The other foods in the photo are: natural yoghurt, Yakult, carrots, bok choy, peppers, porridge, tomatoes, brown rice, cod, cottage cheese, lemon, spinach and mushrooms.

I now feel totally in control of what I am eating and when. I will talk about the health benefits of some of the other foods in the photo later this week.

Cheers,

Rob
Revolution

Week 6, Day 3 of my 12 Week Transformation

After a week’s holiday at Centre Parcs with the family, I’m now back and feeling great about the next stage of my 12 week transformation.

While I was away I didn’t put a single pound of weight on, which I have to say with plenty of temptation around wasn’t easy. I reminded myself of my goals and that’s how I was able to say no to the ice creams, beers and pancakes (apart from on Sunday of course!). That’s the thing I’ve said previously, will-power is not some magic formula blessed to a few. Anyone, and I mean anyone , can have incredible will-power and achieve amazing results if they have a goal which excites them and a clear plan of action.

Before I talk more about my next phase if training I’d like to show you a video of one of the exercises I recorded during the conditioning phase. It’s called a jockey row, and it’s a fantastic exercise to relieve tightness in the lower back and improve posture.



Second 4 weeks of training - hypertrophy (improved muscle tone)
The training phase changes at this point to give the body a new stimulus. This training phase is called hypertrophy, which means using resistance based exercises to increase the body’s lean muscle and also to increase muscular tone.

For women worried about ‘bulking up’ during this phase, there really isn’t any need as the building block of muscle is testosterone and 99% of women won’t produce enough testosterone to build significant muscle. You can read more about this in the article written by Rebecca Maslin in Revolution’s July newsletter.

By adding lean quality muscle to the body, the basal metabolic rate is increased. This is the rate at which you burn calories at rest. For every pound of muscle you have, you burn 16 calories at rest per hour. For every pound of fat you have, you only burn 2 calories at rest per hour.

What the above really means is that by lifting weights and eating right, you will inevitably reduce body fat whilst also shaping and sculpting the body. Although cardiovascular exercise should obviously be a key part of any training schedule, weight training should always play an important part too. And as I have already emphasised, this is for both men and women.

I can’t finish this post holiday blog without the mention of a few classic moments with my parents. As I explained in my last post, my parents follow their own set of nutritional rules, which aren’t entirely in line with the ones I am following during this 12 week transformation. The day after we arrived, I asked my Mum if she had brought any green tea bags. She replied with “no, but I can make you a latte if you like?” Another gem was when I told my dad I was off the beers, to which he replied “Alright. I’ll just pour you a whiskey then.”

Cheers,

Rob
Revolution

Week 4, Day 5 of my 12 Week Transformation

As I come to the end of my first 4 weeks of training, I'm posting up a video that shows me performing a cross lunge. It's a great exercise when done properly to work the muscles of the glutes. When you get the glutes firing it can have the effect of easing lower back pain and also to tone those buttocks - and let's be honest, who wouldn't want that!



Yesterday, Giuseppe and I recorded 2 more exercises which I wanted to post up today, but I'm off on holiday to the exoctic location of Centre Parcs and my wife says we need to leave now! So I'll post those two videos when I return in 1 week.

I'm also faced with the challange of eating well whilst on holiday, which is made all the more difficult as I'm not only going on holiday with my wife and daughter, but also my parents. And my parents follow some of their own nutritional rules:

1) you can't go longer than 12 minutes without putting the kettle on

2) always clear your plate, as there are children starving in the world

3) a salad should always include bread, cheese and colslaw

4) an 'alcohol free day' means only have 1 bottle of wine (and maybe one or two beers)

5) and lastly, a full English breakfast is the best way to start the day!

I'll let you know how I get on.


Cheers,

Rob

Revolution

Week 4, Day 4 of my 12 Week Transformation

The Conditioning Phase of Training

So as I near the end of the first 4 weeks of my 12 week transformation, as promised I am going to review the training I've been doing. A couple of blog posts ago I broke down the 12 weeks of training into 3 different training phases. I'm going to start by explaining the first phase of training which is called conditioning.

Conditioning (core strength and flexibility) - what does it mean? And what are the benefits to me?

The majority of clients come to us when they haven't exercised regularly for a long time, or they have been exercising but are suffering from lower back pain, knee pain, shoulder pain, neck pain or any other similar condition, whether mild or worse. You don’t have to be Albert Einstein to work out that the last thing you need if you are someone who falls into one of the above categories is to push your body really hard and exacerbate the existing problem.

During the first 4 weeks of training, we design a conditioning exercise programme specific to your body’s needs. It could include squatting and lunge movements performed to fire on the glutes (posh word for buttocks) and hamstrings, and to take pressure off your back. It could include rotational movements to free up your thoracic spine to alleviate mid-back stiffness and possibly hip flexor stretches to immediately ease lower back pain.

What I have mentioned above is really just the start. The purpose of the conditioning phase is to get your body moving how it was designed to, and not only take away old injuries but also to prevent your body breaking down as the training intensity increases through the 12 weeks. The benefits then obviously become clear - if your body is moving pain-free and the correct muscles are working when required, then your chances of achieving your goal are greatly increased.

My business partner, Giuseppe, has been training me through my conditioning phase and he has given me a programme which has left me feeling great. My lower back niggle has gone, my glutes are firing on while I’m running, squatting and lunging and my posture has improved. Within the next couple of days, I will post some videos of some of the exercises that Giuseppe has had me doing during the conditioning phase. I’m now ready for my next phase of training!

I almost wrote a blog post without talking about nutrition at all, but in the end I just couldn’t resist it. During the first 4 weeks of training, some people think their bodies won’t change if they don’t flog themselves until they are sick. This is not true! What you eat is so important. I’ve lost half a stone in 3 weeks by eating clean natural foods for 6 days of the week, and 1 day a week of eating whatever I want. If you’re thinking it’s easier for me as I’m a trainer, well I’m sorry I’m not buying it.

Remember the rules:

1. Remind yourself of your goal and make sure achieving that goal is exciting to you

2. Plan, plan, plan your meals

3. Always read Rob’s blog


Cheers,
Rob
Revolution