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awindwoodpt Supportive and motivating Personal Training in North Leeds. In-person @ Unit One Gym and Online too!

"Embrace challenges as opportunities, and let your resilience define your journey"

15/08/2026

Hitting your fitness targets is about staying consistent, setting realistic goals, and recognising the progress you make along the way.

Whether your aim is to improve strength, build endurance, lose weight, or simply feel healthier, your training, nutrition and recovery all play a big part. Eating well gives your body the fuel it needs, while getting enough rest and recovery helps you perform at your best and keep progressing.

It’s also important to remember that having a break from training now and then won’t derail your progress or impact your overall goal. In fact, taking time to switch off, recover and enjoy yourself can help you come back feeling refreshed and ready to go again.

For me, a couple of weeks with the Army has meant my training hasn't been the 'norm' but I do what I can!

The key is to stay consistent over the long term, rather than worrying about being perfect all the time.

Sometimes you get dealt a bad hand and end up with an injury or ni**le which can really put you off training. Unfortunat...
04/08/2026

Sometimes you get dealt a bad hand and end up with an injury or ni**le which can really put you off training. Unfortunately, injury does occur and is inevitable at some point on your journey.

Your physio/specialist may give you exercises, it is important you stick to them, again, trust the process. Just because your program has been interrupted, doesn't mean you're stalling your progress.

I've said before that you don't know what you can really do until you try. It is the same here, if an exercise is helping and you do happen to enjoy it, why not keep it in?

For me it comes in the form of 'kneehab':
1) Sled push - low impact, strength/cardio endurance (I realise this isn't me in the demo...but I do them promise 🤣)
2) Banded Spanish Squats - patella tendon relief and control
3) Loading - hack squats - quad isolation and forward knee tracking
4) Plyometrics - building dynamic joint stability and tendon strength

I'm not saying my knees are perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I do what I can!

You need to adapt and change your routine so it becomes a new normal for you, and take the little wins when they come 💪🏼

awindwoodpt

I have two questions, both rhetorical of course:1) Is adding 2.5kg plates to a bar, progress? Yes.2) How do you know if ...
15/07/2026

I have two questions, both rhetorical of course:

1) Is adding 2.5kg plates to a bar, progress? Yes.

2) How do you know if you don't try? You don't.

It isn't always about adding kgs to the bar. Add a few more reps, add 1kg at a time, execute with improved form. Whatever it is, this is progress.

Also known as progressive overload if we're talking muscle/strength building- increasing the amount of resistance and weight you can move over time, forcing your body to adapt to greater demands.

This leads into the other, how do you know if you're progressing if you don't try? Simple answer you don't. As I say, add those couple of kgs more, add a few more reps than last time. And if you're working on 1RM work, little increments should be all you can do if pushing maximally!

Providing it's safe to do so and maybe you have a spotter/gym buddy, give it a go. If you don't try, you don't know. There is also the danger of leaving gains on the table too!

It's been 10 years, wow, time flies! A decade inspiring and creating a culture of fitness and health in my unit, hopeful...
09/07/2026

It's been 10 years, wow, time flies!

A decade inspiring and creating a culture of fitness and health in my unit, hopefully broader too! (With the odd devilish workout included of course).

Thanks to all that have made my job so enjoyable and have welcomed my support over the years, continuing to stride well above expectations.

Unfortunately I've had to take a step back in my role as PTI for the time being, but I know I'll be back 💪🏼

You'll still find me in my civilian capacity with Alex Windwood though! If you're looking for your next step, whatever the goal, let's talk!

💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼
04/07/2026

💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

04/07/2026

Always a pleasure seeing clients smashing it!

First week back after a break has been so good. Progress made, good vibes all round and brings me so much joy!

(And thanks Unit One Gym for providing an epic space to do it!)

22/06/2026

This week I've had the pleasure of actually taking a break from everything, particularly training. And to be clear that isn't doing nothing....

Here's why it is important to take a break once in a while:

Having a break in training is necessary for both physical and mental recovery. Rest allows muscles to repair and grow stronger, reducing the risk of injury and fatigue. It also helps prevent mental burnout, keeping motivation and enjoyment at it's peak! 🏔️

We improve performance by preventing overtraining and allowing the body to recover fully. In the long run, balancing training with rest supports consistency and sustainable progress.

Keep on top of your nutrition and get your steps in. The gym will still be there, but if you don't rest, you won't bring your 'A' game to the next phase of your training.

Taking time off is not a setback but an important part of effective training. Rest hard, play hard, or something like that right....?

10/05/2026

May is National Walking Month - coinciding with the weather finally showing up! ☀️

One way to get active is to walk. If you can, get the boots on and get out. See where your feet take you! 🥾

Just a few snaps from adventures, recent and historic - see if you can spot little me, always looking for adventure.

26/04/2026

One of Ben's goals is to be able to do pull-ups for reps, immediately, I said absolutely! However, we cannot run before we can walk.

A variation of the pull-up is the Inverted Barbell Row, this takes a good amount of bodyweight out of the equation meaning you can grip a little longer to enable you to concentrate on the pull up form.

'Break the bar' to activate and utilize your bigger back muscles (lats) - an element often overlooked/underused. This in turn, optimizes your joint positioning for more stability and power 💪🏼

Want some more tips for hitting your first pull-up, drop me a follow and find me at ✅

16/04/2026

Today celebrates two years working together and we're still improving week on week. Progress hasn't always been linear, as is life, but this guy's work ethic is epic and pushes his limits each session. Here's to more gains and fitness ticks in boxes ✅💪🏼

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