Ali Meek - BHSIT, UKCC3, Spin, Pilates & Equipilates Biomechanical Trainer

11/08/2021

We aim to be that rare thing, all things to all cyclists. We offer a full workshop and service facility headed by qualified, experienced and passionate mountain biker Zak Depledge.

27/06/2021

Mary Wanless calls it ‘noticing mode.’ But as a rider this might not come naturally & you may need to learn how to notice & what to notice.
You start off in a state of unconscious incompetence (I.e you’re unaware of what you don’t know) & given the correct guidance hopefully move towards a state of unconscious competence ie you instinctively feel & correct as required.
The question is how to you get to this point? Can an instructor teach feel?

23/03/2021

Don’t worry folks, we’ll be back in action soon!!

21/10/2020

Any of my 1610 ladies, there’s the smell of spinning in the air..........

And breath .... if you would like to come to a free taster Yoga or Pilates class in the first week of November at HubLife, please direct message us and we will get back to you to confirm date and time details. Please note you don’t need to be a cyclist to benefit from these sessions. 🧘‍♀️ 🚲 😃

02/09/2020

Equestrian sports are unique. With a horse and rider, you have two species with their own individual asymmetries and biomechanics combining together in

01/07/2020

The trouble with yard Pilates is the audience - they’re so keen to get involved 🤣🤣🤣🥰

27/04/2020

Copied & pasted from BHS APC group, written by Danny Anholt

To Ride or Not to Ride?
Speaking as one of many who’s had to reinvent themselves - delivering a full programme of online training alongside virtual academic lessons or riders.

Many trainers and organisations are being incredibly innovative and creative in accommodating the restrictions and we have the perfect opportunity to lead the way with education and inspiration.
The longer the restrictions prevail, the more the equestrian community needs stimulation and leadership. We, the coaches in the BHS must lead on this to ensure the survival of our industry.

The elephant in the room is whether we should be riding.
The national body for cycling is actively encouraging its members (and others) to ‘get on their bikes’.
The equestrian bodies up till now have failed to give sufficiently clear guidance.

It’s simple:
For yours and your horse’s welfare and wellbeing do what you can do with the minimum possible risk.
If you’re a professional rider and you jump all day, every day, ‘maintenance’ jumping is as safe as riding a bike. If you’re an amateur, it may not be, so don’t .
If you’re so fortunate to have a safe, well trained horse that you regularly jump down grids balancing toilet rolls, maybe that’s ok for you. But consider what you’ll be saying to the ambulance crew if it turns out not to be as safe as think. No one will applaud your ‘bravery’ on a Thursday evening.
If you were in the process of backing a sharp youngster before the lockdown, Stop. He’ll benefit from the lovely weather and grass or possibly work in hand.
If you hack every day on the roads and your horse is safe, it’s most likely safer right now. Go ahead.

Whatever you decide with clear judgment and professional advice, don’t brag about it on social media. There are a lot of highly impressionable people out there. Keep it to yourself and be grateful of the privilege. Many people are confined to a high rise flat. This is not the time for boasting, but a time for humility.

Incidentally, Tim Downes and Pammy Hutton have done some extraordinary and brave work saving riding schools. Congratulations to the British Horse Society for coming up with a rescue package.

15/02/2020

With the last post in mind.........
You might not have the injuries I’ve managed to accumulate over the years to add to symmetry issues, but you might have spent a lifetime doing routine chores in the same way. Kneeling on your left knee to load the washing machine, climbing the stairs with your right foot first, rotating from right to left when mucking out or moving bales. We’re all guilty of it!

15/02/2020

So I’m 3 exercises into next terms warm up & already noticed significant differences in symmetry & how my poor wonky body desperately tries to cheat it’s way out of working correctly 😩. Watch out ladies, this might sting a little.......🤨

08/02/2020

06/02/2020

I’ve suffered in the past with several bulging discs, 4 on the last mri, 2 of which where pressing on my spinal cord. Sitting/driving were unbearable for months, I even had to eat standing up!
Not surprising to find that physio mostly involved pilates exercises, with NO FORWARD FLEXION! This picture shows clearly the ‘doughnut’ effect when learning forward - the nucleus or ‘jam’ has the opportunity to leak even further towards the spinal cord.
Allowing your spine to rest is so important- go & have a lie down! 😝

02/02/2020

A piece of gold. The difference between pulling the horse around with the inside rein and riding him around with the inside leg to the outside rein. Your inside leg is a conduit to the horses inside hind. application of the inside leg , not holding, will cause the inside hind to step forward with a slight inclination toward the outside rein. The outside leg supports and stops the hind quarter swinging out. It also puts the horse forward to the outside rein creating a sort of triangulation. Everything starts with forward. This is how we develop serious carrying capacity. remember horses are not designed to carry weight. Sitting on them is the most unnatural thing we do. it is our job to take the muscles they have and help them to use them in the most efficient way to do what we want. If you are interested in learning more about how to achieve what i have described in this post see the e book "horses from courses" ( Scott Brodie ) it relates mostly to my system for Re training horses of the track but these classical principles developed over thousands of years work for all horses.