Alpha Performance Coaching

07/09/2020

I N D I V I D U A L

These days, everything is individualised... your morning coffee, your lunch order, your computer set up, your Nike Metcons, your smart phone, the ads you get targeted with... yet most of us are happy to follow group fitness programs or generic online PDFs instead of individualising our training 🤷‍♀️

Wouldn’t it be nice to know that every single exercise prescribed is going to directly benefit you and help you take another step toward your goals ✅ Each movement is selected specifically for you, to target your weaknesses, based on your body type and you current needs 📝 A program that meets you where you are, right now 🤝

Nice huh? Drop me a line if you want to know more about how to start working your weaknesses and progressing forever ✌️

19/04/2020

I S O M E T R I C S //

With limited equipment, isometric holds are a great way to make strength gains as well as movement pattern 🤸🏻‍♀️, tendon health 💪 and mental toughness 🧠 gains too.

There are three types of training - ‘concentric’ which is the shortening of the muscles (the curl upwards in the bicep curl for example), ‘eccentric’ which is the lengthening portion of the movement (the negative part or controlling downwards) and ‘isometric’ where the muscle fibre stays at the same length (a plank hold).

Anyone who’s incorporated isometric holds into their training knows that they are usually always easier than they look and getting the shakes is not uncommon 🤣

A few reasons why isometric training is beneficial:

Even though you’re not actually moving the muscles or the joints, the muscles experience a high amount of tension from you holding that position. This tension will transfer to other elements of your training, especially speed and power work ⚡️... isometrics do not make you slow.

Isometrics can activate more muscle fibres than any other kind of lifting and for longer. For example, in training an explosive movement you’d hold muscular tension through that pattern for around 0.25s ⏰ With isometric training, we can hold that position for 10,20,30 seconds potentially 😅 More time to recruit all of the muscle fibres needed for that position.

They can also help with sports specific positioning by strengthening muscles in the required movement patterns for your sport 📈 Since there is no joint movement, there is no opportunity to develop any bad habits that will have a detrimental effect on your positions 💩 and you can target your weak positions very efficiently to help you overcome any element in your movement that has been holding you back 🤩

Lastly, isometric holds rarely give you any muscle soreness or pain the next day meaning they are a super efficient way to train as you can rock up and give tomorrow’s session full focus 🥳 and not have anything lingering from the day before. Less DOMS = more quality training. More quality training = greater results 👍

22/03/2020

Sitting in the garden having my morning coffee and thinking about what’s happening in the fitness world at the moment ☕️ Now that the initial shock is out of the way, we’ve all had a bit of time to process the fact that there’s going to be no gym for awhile.

While we all rush to get bits of equipment to do what we can, there’s no denying that our gym life is going to change considerably over the coming weeks/months... who knows how long!

This is not a set back, it’s an opportunity to really consider what fitness means to you away from the gym and to explore other avenues - more outdoor training!

Fitness, for me, is to be able to to pull ups, push ups and be in total control of my own body weight, it’s to be able to say “yes” to the mountain hike and not have to worry whether I can complete it, it’s to be able to run around and play with my kids (someday) for as many years as I can. These things get condensed into the everyday sets, reps and PBs (and frustrations) in the gym but with that taken away it’s nice to be reminded of the bigger picture 🌍

We do it to connect with something deeper, whether you’re consciously aware of it or not (and now will be a great time to think on that if you’re not), something bigger, something beyond us, always chasing and always striving to improve. It doesn’t stop outside the four walls of your gym, trust me. Comment below (or DM) with your “why”, I’d genuinely love to hear them.

19/03/2020

Home WODs being posted by CrossFitness Paphos. Keeping us all fit while we can't get into the gym 🙏

💪Let’s do it again people🇨🇾
Today’s Home workout
A. Warm up
3 rounds
Front plank 30-45 sec
Side plank 30 sec each side
Arch ups 30 sec
Isometric wall sit 30-45 sec
B. Conditioning
Every minute on the minute for 18 min
1st min : Alternate lunges
2nd min : High knees
3rd min : Chair Dips 🪑
4th min : Mountain climber
5th min : Burpees to tuck jump
6th min : Rest
*Work for about 50-55sec then transmit to the next movement

03/03/2020

Competition Nutrition 👊

With the Rainhill Trials just around the corner, here’s some tips on competition nutrition.

Leading up to the comp you should focus on eating a balanced diet, you might also find it beneficial to up your carb numbers just slightly so your body can begin to store as much glucose in your muscles as possible. Carb sources include rice, potatoes, pasta, bulgar wheat, couscous.

The day before your event, again you want to make sure you eat a good amount of carbs (maybe 60-80g extra, but this is individual to everyone, it may be more) and drink plenty of fluids. Staying hydrated is going to be key in the lead up to and on the day of the comp itself.

On the day, aim to have breakfast 1-2 hours before your first event. Something that you know you can digest easily, porridge and honey could be a good option here alongside some eggs or egg whites. Throughout the day you don’t want to be having very much fat or fibre (i.e. things that take a while to digest and may sit on your stomach) so an ideal lunch would be a medium to small portion (depending on how soon your next event is) of white rice and chicken breast - something plain that will digest easily 👍

After each event, I would recommend having a some fluids containing around 10g protein and 20-30g carbohydrates. Another good option here is a protein shake + some easy glucose such as haribo/jelly babies (the only time I will recommend those 😂).

One of the most important things is not to try anything new on the day of your competition, so don’t buy a new whey protein powder especially for the day having never tried it before only then to realise it doesn’t quite agree with you 😳

Of course, post competition you can refuel with whatever the hell you like! Ideally protein and carbs will feature and it’s a good time to replenish those fats that have been restricted during the day. Basically eat what you want and have fun 🍔🍻

Pair all of that with slightly reduced training and a good’s night sleep the day before and you’ll set yourself as best you can for a strong competition 💪 Good luck!!

01/03/2020

Happy Sunday everyone! The March Monthly Emailer is going out this morning 🥳 We cover the topics of a stress bucket and tips to have more meaningful conversations. Want a copy? Just DM me your email address and I’ll make sure you receive it 👌

19/02/2020

If you're sick of being targeted by "weight loss" adverts focusing on what the scale is saying and how to starve yourself into unsustainable results then just that it is NOT the only way to reach your goals 🙅‍♀️

Focus on becoming the best version of yourself that you can be... stronger, more aerobic and more flexible. You can make these things fun, aim to improve on your numbers week by week and HAVE FUN along the way! 🥳

Resistance training has a wealth of benefits and it is way better than constant dieting 😴 If you're new to the gym, don't go it alone, find yourself a professional coach to help you with your program and ensure that you're doing the movements correctly and getting as much as possible out of every minute you spend there!

Reach out and chat about your fitness goals. I am ready to take on clients and make them strong at CrossFitness Paphos 💪

19/02/2020

I’m pleased to announce that I am now taking on personal training clients at 💪🤩 If you are looking to work with a professional coach to reach your fitness goals then drop me a message! I specialise in sports performance training, CrossFit training, Olympic weightlifting as well as body composition and weight loss (I am a Precision Nutrition Level 1 Coach). If you are ready to take your training to the next level or just make a change and find an exercise program tailored specifically to you then what’s stopping you? DM me to chat about your training goals and together we will create a plan🤩

09/01/2020

Heavy TGUs today! Turkish Get Ups are a great way to spot upper and lower body imbalances as well as a good indicator of core strength and stability. Find it waaaay easier on one side that the other? You might want to think about addressing that and see how much your strength work improves. Can’t keep one arm locked out the whole time? That will need addressing too. If you don’t iron out these imbalances you’ll be creating a glass ceiling for your progress.