StrongLife Gym

StrongLife Gym Helping local people get fit and strong without the need for mirrors, tripods or matching gym outfits.

05/06/2026

Test Day for Katelyn đŸ’Ș

Yesterday, it was Captain Giggle’s turn to have a rattle at her test day to round off our latest 6 week block.

Like the other GAA girls, Phase 1 built her base strength which took her from a 33.5kg Bench to 37.5kg and helped her Trap Bar fly up to 92.5kg from 78kg.

Phase 1 also helped us get on top of a small compensation in her hips so she became more stable and was able to generate more strength/power in a controlled fashion.

Phase 2 then was to build a bit more strength, keep refining that compensation (which showed great improvement) and then layer in more plyometric and explosive work.

And once we wrapped up the program, we had to test, because sure how else would we know if it worked?

Fair to say, it worked really well for Katelyn!

Her Bench jump up again from 37.5kg to 41kg and her Trap Bar broke past the 100 mark with 105kg for a 12.5kg increase again.

Across the 12 weeks, she has gained 7.5kg on her Bench and a bit 27kg on her Trap Bar.

And her plyos all increased too!

Her CMJ went from 25.0cm to 28.6cm, SJ went from 24.6cm to 27.3cm, ABK from 30.7cm to 32.4cm and her Drop Jump went from 24.9cm to 29.4cm with a reduction in her contact time from 0.63 to 0.421.

Not only has she improved in the gym, but there’s been great feedback on how she is doing on the pitch too.

Now to set herself and Aimee up for Phase 3. Twin it to win it, right?

2 weeks done, 4 to go - and we are flying it.While the big wins on the scales are always great to see, it’s the control ...
04/06/2026

2 weeks done, 4 to go - and we are flying it.

While the big wins on the scales are always great to see, it’s the control over snacking/bingeing and hunger that is impressing me the most.

Because when you get to grips with that, you have a lot more control over your choices, reduce decision fatigue, and can stick to your diet a lot better.

And it’s always great to hear how they’re getting stronger, fitter, and enjoying the process too.

Now to keep her lit and see what week 3 brings for us this weekend!

03/06/2026

đŸ‹ïžTest Day for Shannon

She might be a talented artist by day, but she’s a pure and utter tank by evening.

Off the back of our 2nd 6 week block, it was time to load up the bar and let Shannon loose again.

Like the other GAA girls, the first 6 week block was to get her raw strength up which did the job nicely. Phase 1 took her from 80kg to 90kg on the Squat, 41kg to 47.5kg on the Bench, and 133kg to 145kg on the Trap Bar.

So Phase 2 was all about retaining that strength (while adding more if possible) and layering in more speed and explosive work.

And yesterday it was time to re-test so we can wrap up phase 2 and have data/numbers to help map out phase 3 for her.

Fair to say, she has done phenomenal again.

Her Bench went up from 47.5kg to 50kg while her Trap Bar skyrocketed again from 145kg to 160kg!

For reference, across 12 weeks of training she has increased 9kg on the bench and 27kg on the trap bar which is serious going!

Plus, her CMJ shot up from 27.8cm to 31.1cm too. Proof that getting stronger doesn’t slow you down.

I couldn’t be happier with her progress over the last few months.

And she’s asked to get the squats back into her next plan so we can crack 100kg on them.

So that’s my job for today.

Unreal stuff Shannon. But if you get any stronger, you’ll have to start bringing your own plates!

02/06/2026

5 Exercises I Use With Older Clients (and why)

When it comes to training more life-experienced clients, it’s a lot less about bikinis and bodybuilder stuff


And a lot more about retaining muscle mass, bone density, keeping their nervous system, balance, and co-ordination sharp, building strength so they’re more robust and age more gracefully
 and most important of all - staying as independent as possible long into life.

So, while I use a wide variety of exercises, here’s a sample of 5 I use on the regular:

Sled Drags - these are ideal to help build leg/quad strength without stressing knee joints. Plus, there’s a small cardiovascular benefit to them also.

Step Ups - these help build single leg strength, balance, and co-ordination. Plus, they also mimic climbing stairs and maintain a good level of work capacity across both legs.

Pushups - these build upper body strength but also improve shoulder stability and make them more robust for any potential trips/falls. Again, the aim is to stay strong and independent.

Suitcase Carries - I like these to not only develop core strength and stability, but to stay on top of coordination while moving. Helps with carrying the shopping!

Ball Slams - I use these not only as a way to help pick stuff off the floor, but to build full body power and retain some athleticism. Plus they get to let loose and unleash some fury.

I know gyms can be scary from the outside, but once you get in, you’ll soon realise everyone is there for themselves and you won’t look out of place.

And at the likes of my place here, we focus on helping you use the right exercises for your abilities and help you build up and advance over time.

No judgement or drama - just good movement and a bit of craic along the way.

(Training groups are capped at 10 max to make sure I can keep tabs on everyone, or personal training is also available)

01/06/2026

12 weeks done for Micheala.

And its fair to say she has come on serious.

Like the other GAA girls, we’ve ran 2 x 6 week blocks.

The first one was to focus on building a great strength foundation and getting a lot more confident under the bar on heavier weights.

Then we rolled into a second block where we push the plyometric and speed work more while maintaining strength or even adding a bit more.

And she was flown it, not just in terms of performance, but the amount of confidence she has developed in exercises. No more being too shy with the bar and more giving it welly.

Her strength lifts went from 60 to 67.5kg on the squats, 35kg to 37.5kg on the bench, and 88kg to 95kg on the trap bar.

But the huge one is she went from 1 chinup up to banging out 4 perfect ones! Serious going and there is definitely more in her too!

We also feel like she might be a bit more Type 1 muscle fibre as her repped weights went up a huge amount. Her initial trap bar max was 88kg in Feb, but she now can hit it for 6 reps, which is a big improvement in repeatability.

And she has gotten a lot more explosive on her jumps too.

Her CMJ went from 27.0cm to 29.6cm, SJ 25.8cm to 29.1cm, ABK 29.1cm to 32.2cm, and her Drop Jump contact time went from 0.474 to 0.385 while her jump height went from 25.5cm to 28.1cm.

Now to build out phase 3 and keep the results coming.

G’wan Micheala đŸ’Ș

Saturday done right before everyone heads off for some Bank Holiday shenanigans.Not sure if I'm more stressed about the ...
30/05/2026

Saturday done right before everyone heads off for some Bank Holiday shenanigans.

Not sure if I'm more stressed about the Champions League final or if the Saw Doctors will play the Green and Red of Mayo in the park later 😭

29/05/2026

🩘 Test Day for Heather

Not only does she have the fastest feet the town of Boyle has ever seen
but she now has a double-bodyweight deadlift to her name!

As part of the Boyle Ladies GAA crew doing their S&C here, we kicked off phase 1 back in early Feb with a focus of building her strength foundation with a dedicated 6 week block.

And she absolutely nailed it by bringing her Squat up from 65kg to 70kg (1.27 x bodyweight), Bench up a kilo to 39.5kg and her Trap Bar shot up from 92kg to 105kg.

Oh, and she also belted out 2 unassisted chinups for the first time ever!

Once phase 1 was done, we moved into phase 2 where we wanted to squeeze a few kg onto bench and trap bar while focusing on plyometric and speed work.

So yesterday, we wrapped up the 6 week block with another test.

Bench went up to 41kg and then she hit twice her own bodyweight on the Trap Bar with 110kg!

Plus, her plyo testing showed great improvements.

Her CMJ went from 26.8cm to 29.2cm and her SJ went from 29.3cm to 31cm.

All really good progress for just 6 weeks of work.

Now to plan out her next phase where we’ll likely take a mental breather on the super heavy stuff and focus a bit more on eccentric strength & power.

G'wan Heather, ya tank! đŸ’Ș

27/05/2026

Test Day for Aimee đŸ’Ș

The Queen of Chalk herself was in yesterday for her test day to round out phase 2 of her GAA S&C program.

Back in Feb, we kicked off phase 1 (6 week block) focusing on building pure strength which worked lovely.

Her squat went from 72.5kg to 85kg, bench went from 38.5kg to 40, and her trap bar shot up from 115kg to 125kg.

So once we had her base level of strength up, we moved into phase 2 of the plan which was all about maintaining strength/gaining a tiny bit more in the Bench and Trap Bar while we layered in more plyometric and speed work since we were now into season.

And yesterday, we did a re-test to wrap up phase 2 where Aimee hit a 42kg bench and a 130kg Trap Bar (all time PB).

A nice 3.5kg total increase on the bench and 15kg increase on the TB across the 12 weeks of training (2 gym sessions a week)

Plus, she hit her plyos of -

28.7cm CMJ - 27.2cm SJ - 33.9cm ABK

Proof that you can get strong and springy at the same time.

Now I’ve to build her next phase to keep her on her toes as we’re still a while away from Championship.

But not before I hoover the place because she has chalk EVERYWHERE! 😂

Oh, and if you’re a GAA lady who’d love to get strong and springy on the pitch, give me a shout and will fill you in on what we can do.

Just don’t come to me with a bag full of injuries 😂 I’ve enough of them already

Just imagine how good it would feel to rock into summer down 2 stone 9lbs.How much better would clothes feel? How much e...
26/05/2026

Just imagine how good it would feel to rock into summer down 2 stone 9lbs.

How much better would clothes feel? How much easier would it be to find outfits? How much less time would you spend in your head on holidays instead of enjoying yourself?

Well, that’s exactly what one lady here has done for herself.

She’s been here almost 14 months now and has really put in the work.

She has turned up week after week, focused on getting stronger in the gym while doing the work outside of the gym too (diet, weekends, steps, etc)

More importantly, she didn’t skip the gym for summer because she was busy, and she turned up each week, even if she didn’t feel like it.

And that’s why she’s going into summer 2026 looking and feeling her best.

That’s the definition of a true lifestyle change.

25/05/2026

33% = why you're not seeing results

Right now, loads of people are taking a break from gyms for the summer because things get busy.

But here's the reality.

Say you take June - August off, that's 3 months.

We can assume there are possibly 2 weeks around Christmas that fall apart, along with 2 weeks of holidays in the year.

Now you're at 4 months... which is 33% of the year.

It'd be fair to say that it would be quite hard to see meaningful progress when 4 months go by the wayside every year.

So, if you are someone who really wants to see progress in your clothes, how you feel, on the scales, and in your strength...

Now isn't the time to throw in the towel.

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