personal trainer
My son is almost one! And more than twice the weight he was when he was born.
When friends pick him up they say ‘oh he’s getting heavy!’ but his dad and I don’t notice because we pick him up every day.
This is a perfect example of progressive overload.
I’ve noticed a worrying trend in people who do the Cambridge (and similar) diets.
They lose a fair bit of weight when they first do the diet. But a year or two later they have put on more fat than they had before.
How come?
I previously wrote about the importance of squats (https://luciawilliams.co.uk/the-end-of-squats/) and to this day one of my clients tells me it still motivates her to do them.
Well if squats are the queen of all exercises, then the deadlift is certainly their king (and because we all stand for gender equality, this basically means they are both as important as each other ;).
Love Island is on and it’s the talk of the gym.
Will she, won’t she. Will they, won’t they.
If you haven’t seen it before, let me save you some trouble; a few Instagram wannabes get put in a villa and the couple who are deemed to be the most in ‘love’ after 10 weeks win fifty grand.
My whole house got sick!
First the baby got it. Then my husband. Then me.
It was just a nasty cold, but the whole time I was ill I was craving junk food. I was searching the cupboards for biscuits, crisps and cake. (All I found was some Nakd bars, not quite what I had in mind!)
Too many women these days think feeling lethargic all the time is normal.
It’s just the relentless stresses of work life, home life and keeping all the plates in the air taking its toll.
I see it all the time.
My little boy wants to walk before he can crawl.
He’s learned the commando style army crawl and can shuffle around on the floor (with a little encouragement), but his new favourite thing is holding onto the sofa and pulling himself up to a standing position.
I just took my son for his first ever swimming lesson.
He’s only 7.5 months old but I want him to be confident in water and it’s something fun we can do together.
It was fun, but I can’t help feeling that I’m spending money on old rope!
One of my newer clients wants to know if she should be doing cardio alongside her beginner strength training programme.
The short answer is no.
Why? Because she has just stalled on her novice progression with a 40KG squat.
This time last year I was getting ready to have a baby and as I make the transition from New Mum to Working Mum I’ve been thinking about what inspires me to keep doing what I do, especially now that I have a little person to take care of at home.
And it’s my clients.
Clients that say things like:
The short answer is; probably.
Around this time of year people start complaining of headaches and feeling tired, they’re less motivated and start skipping gym sessions, they blame it on the weather but the real problem is dehydration.
When I was little my dad used to say to me:
“There’s no point in cheating because you’re only cheating yourself.”
I think the first time he said it he had caught me trying to cheat at a card game, but he repeated the message throughout my childhood when people were caught cheating.
Contrary to popular belief, food is not the enemy.
In fact it’s your closest ally when it comes to:
Being healthy
Losing weight
Getting stronger
Building curves
I just had lunch with a friend of mine who’s a physiotherapist.
As usual our conversation turned to the finer points of the overlap in our professions.
Today we dissected back pain, the cause and the cure.
I know what you’re thinking.
Is it really June already?
January felt like it would never end.
So, protein is important.
This much we know.
But how much do we actually need? …continue reading “%s”
Protein is very underrated these days.
For ethical and (perceived) health benefits, more people than ever before are turning to vegetarian and vegan diets. …continue reading “%s”
There’s a video circulating among my clients of Hafthor Bjornsson (‘The Mountain’ from The Game of Thrones) performing a world record deadlift at the Arnold Strongman Competition recently. …continue reading “%s”
Just seen Michelle Lewin advertising a waist shaping belt on Instagram.
Grrrrrrrrrrrr. …continue reading “%s”
Walking to work in the snow last week got me thinking about summer.
Although it’s hard to imagine right now it’s only three months away.
Three short months to get that beach ready summer body?
It’s not very long.
But like the old Chinese proverb says:
The best time to plant an apple tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.
I just had a session with a new client who was telling me she always thought weights were just for men: …continue reading “%s”
I have a new client and she’s keeping a food diary for the first time.
The app she’s using is counting her steps and telling her how many extra calories she’s allowed to eat because of all her steps. …continue reading “%s”
Connie has been working with me for 12 weeks. …continue reading “%s”
Last night’s group session was a bit flat.
Flatter than flat to be honest.
Normally everyone is excited and chatty. …continue reading “%s”
Most people who go to the gym are exercising.
Exercising is what the doctor says you should do in order reduce your risk of heart attack. …continue reading “%s”
I was at work in the gym the other day coaching a client on her squat technique when a guy comes over and says: …continue reading “%s”
1. Cut out sugary drinks …continue reading “%s”
Studies have shown that proper strength training: …continue reading “%s”
I read an article today called 6 Science Backed Ways To Become More Attractive.
It looks at Darwin’s sexual selection theory which suggests we are programmed to look for certain signs in prospective mates to help us decide whether or not they’ll make a good partner. …continue reading “%s”
I hate cleaning.
And after more than 20 years of practice I’m still not very good at it. …continue reading “%s”
When I first started out in the fitness industry I was working front of house and had to do mandatory sales training to help retain clients when they came to cancel their memberships.
One of the tactics they taught us was, …continue reading “%s”
Jim Rohn famously said:
You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.
And it’s true. …continue reading “%s”
During the holidays I had some downtime and I stumbled across a programme called Catfish.
If you haven’t seen it before it’s about people who fall in ‘love’ with strangers online, and then later find out they’re not who they say they are. …continue reading “%s”
Good news!
Everyone is looking for the elusive magic pill and I have found it!
When you take this pill you will: …continue reading “%s”
‘When’ is a word I hear a lot from people who are unhappy. …continue reading “%s”
Staying motivated is what divides the dreamers and the doers.
Because we all have dreams and goals and things we would like to achieve in life. But actually making them happen takes time and effort, and usually requires us to step outside of our comfort zone. …continue reading “%s”
Something that surprises me a lot working in a gym is how few women actually know how their body works.
Especially when it comes to fat loss. …continue reading “%s”
Squats have become a victim of their own success.
They have become so popular that patrons of the commercial fitness industry find them too obvious, too old school, …continue reading “%s”
Thursday is the worst day of the week to take a break from your goals. …continue reading “%s”
I don’t see much girl on girl in the gym these days.
I see a lot of guy on guy though.
Confused? It goes like this: …continue reading “%s”
A loooong time ago, when I was trying to decide if I should leave my secure and well paid job in investment banking to start my own business and pursue my passion in health and fitness, I read a book called Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway. …continue reading “%s”
You know that voice inside your head that’s always talking? …continue reading “%s”
Why is it that whenever we want to make a positive change there is always someone trying to derail us? …continue reading “%s”
Not having enough time is the number one reason people give when they quit the gym.
‘I just don’t have enough time with work and family and socialising and holidays and housework and kids and uni and and and.’ …continue reading “%s”
Every week in my ladies only ‘legs bums n tums’ class we do a 10 second plank challenge.
It looks like this: …continue reading “%s”
Millions of people across the world woke up this morning with no access to clean water and nothing but a long day of grueling work ahead of them. If you’re reading this I’m 99.9999999% sure you, like me, are lucky enough to have woken up to a playground full of things. …continue reading “%s”
Although it’s super convenient, there’s a down side to ordering your shopping online, driving everywhere, meeting friends on Skype. As a nation we’re not moving enough and it’s having a major impact on our health. …continue reading “%s”
It’s a great shame that so many women still worry that lifting weights and doing strength training will lead to huge muscles and make them ‘look like a man’. I think the tide is turning a little, but I still come across it every day in the gym; …continue reading “%s”
There is a direct correlation between the weather and bodies in the gym. It’s not scientifically proven, but I SEE it.
On the first sunny day of the year, you know that day when it’s hotter in the UK than in Ibiza, the gym is packed. Instead of spending The One Sunny Day in their local park, having impromptu BBQs and exposing all that winter skin to get some much needed Vitamin D, women are in the gym panicking, because even after all those promises on New Year’s Day, they are still no closer to achieving their body goals. And now summer looms and with it the prospect of spending another holiday in a bikini they don’t feel confident in.
The drop out rate for new gym goers is 80%.
That’s high right? But also not at all surprising. We’ve all started an exercise plan at some point, and given up at another, myself included.
The only good news here is that you don’t need to feel like a failure if you’re in that 80%, clearly, the system doesn’t work if we are failing 80% of people who want to get into exercise.
Being an entrepreneur invariably means working from home, sitting hunched over a computer for long hours perfecting your product/pitch/plan, I know, I’ve been there.
And it can also mean neglecting other aspects of your life in order to get things done.
Like your health. …continue reading “%s”
Do you take pride in what you do?
There is an old man painting a house at the bottom of my road. He moves slowly, climbs the ladder one rung at a time, then climbs back down to check his work from where it will be seen. I’m sure he’s doing a fine job, and I’m sure it’s taking him a lot longer than a man half his age.
But this is not what makes this man remarkable, …continue reading “%s”
Last summer was rubbish.
Living in the UK you learn from an early age that summer is a special time, to be savoured, cherished, enjoyed, worshipped even?
It’s a time for BBQs, festivals, parties in the park, softball, families, ice cream and fun.
And it’s important to me to spend time outside. I love the sun, the air and being in nature.
But I missed last summer completely.
I was working like a crazy person and turning down every invitation I got …continue reading “%s”
