Donabate Strength & Conditioning

24/12/2022

Team DSC would like to wish all of our amazing clients a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year! See you all in 2023!

10/12/2022

Our slots are filling up for the January rush! Start your 2023 New Year’s Resolutions out right with a course of Personal Training sessions at Donabate Strength & Conditioning 💪🏻

22/11/2022

🎄DSC CHRISTMAS GIFT VOUCHERS! 🎅

Christmas is just around the corner and what better way to say Merry Christmas than with a DSC Personal Training voucher!

Contact us today to order a voucher for that special someone and give the gift of fitness this Christmas!

1hr PT Session: €60
5 sessions: €250
10 sessions: €500

31/10/2022

19/10/2022

17/10/2022

14/10/2022

BLOGPOST 4: DADDY FEELING USELESS

I have experienced tons of emotions since becoming a new dad. Happiness. Relief. Love. Excitement. But also at times a feeling that I’m completely useless. This is perhaps particularly the case because our baby is being breastfed.

When Mabel cries, I try do whatever I can to help calm her down and make her feel better. Whether that's changing her, making sure she’s warm enough but not too warm, entertaining her by holding her and walking or bouncing around. These techniques work 50% of the time, because the other 50% she’s just hungry or wants the smell and comfort of her momma’s skin.

When she is hungry, she goes to mum to be fed, which is really hard when Heather is busy, like showering or eating. So all I can do is hold her and try to distract her while she wails away. More often than not, non of my techniques calm her down. With hunger this is understandable but it’s even harder when she isn’t hungry but all she wants is to lay on momma’s chest. This often makes me feel overwhelmed, stressed, sad and generally useless.

I know it’s perfectly normal but that doesn’t make it any easier. However, one thing we did invest in during pregnancy was this Men’s Skin-to-Skin top. Mabel slips inside the front of the top against my chest while wrap ties secure & support her against me. I’ve found this has helped tremendously to give me skin to skin time which does (at times) soothe her but has also helped re-wire by own brain for fatherhood.

My being able to do this skin to skin was especially crucial when Heather was recovering from caesarian section and couldn’t hold Mabel. I can’t recommend a skin to skin top for new dads enough!

05/10/2022

GET FIT FOR CHRISTMAS!🎄
Not to alarm anyone but with only 80 days to go to Christmas, there is no time to lose to start your training program to head into the holiday period feeling healthy and strong 💪🏻

Team DSC are taking bookings now for our Fit for Christmas Program with limited morning and evening slots still available.

Get in contact now to secure your slot!

04/10/2022

TRAINING & PREGNANCY

In our third blogpost, we provide our perspective on gym training during pregnancy.

The general view of older generations is that mama should lie in bed, wrapped in cotton wool, and rest. This is something Team DSC disagrees. Appropriate exercise during an uncomplicated pregnancy is beneficial for the health of baby and mama and has really been our experience in both pregnancy and post-birth.

During pregnancy, a woman’s body changes significantly, in particular the growing of the uterus and baby which cause the centre of gravity to shift which can tilt the pelvis forward and increase the downward pressure on the pelvic floor. Whilst Heather took a balanced approach to training muscle groups, there was particular focus on strengthening muscles that support the body during pregnancy- the pelvic floor and core (through stabilisation and static holds not crunch movements), upper back and posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings).

Pregnancy and birth ask huge amounts of a woman’s body which, in the case of a first baby, are completely new. And for women like Heather who have a C-Section, this is major, invasive abdominal surgery. Therefore, continuing to build strength through 2-3 sessions a week allowed Heather to support her body through pregnancy and stay strong for the post-pregnancy activities of lifting baba, holding and feeding, manoeuvring the buggy etc.

Throughout her pregnancy, Heather trained consistently, focusing on weights, biking (no skierg or rowing), pilates and yoga. To ensure Heather’s and baba’s safety and well-being, Heather trained under the expert eyes of the coaches at in Malahide, following a pregnancy-safe training program. Heather also did pregnancy pilates with once a week. And this has REALLY PAID OFF. 2 weeks post-birth, Heather’s post-surgery recovery is going amazingly, walking with the dogs every day, no issues lifting Mabel or going up and down stairs. Heather is a testament to the benefits of following a structured, pregnancy-safe weight training program throughout her entire pregnancy.

02/10/2022

Flexibility isn’t simply about being able to touch your toes, but rather the ability of the muscles, ligaments, and tendons to elongate through a range of movement.

It’s often thought that people are born with flexibility instead of developing it. Yes, genetics can and do play a part, but everyone has the ability to improve their flexibility, no matter where they start.

At DSC, we place a large emphasis on movement and flexibility as part of our programming. We firmly believe that using flexibility exercises improve the range of movement, helps decrease risk of injuries and avoids tightness and soreness around the joints.

We also practice what we preach!