ZERCHERS There’s a lot you can do to train from home effectively with no equipment at all. But ultimately, weight is weight, right? If you’re used to doing massive heavy squats and deadlifts at the gym, you can’t totally replace that with absolutely nothing. But, with a few tweaks, you can get pretty damn close with practically nothing. In the gym, I’m a huge proponent of all lifts in the Zercher position (with the barbell in the crook of your elbows), and the Zercher squat in particular. They’re a safer alternative to the front squat, place demands on your body that are directly applicable to combat sports, work a huge amount of the posterior kinetic chain, they’re amazing for mobility, core integrity..the list goes on. But a really awesome thing about them is that with a 15 quid rubber band you can get the same effect as with a heavy barbell. The resistance band I’m using in the pic labels its resistance at about 100-125lbs, so, let’s say ballpark that on the low end 45kg. Doubled up as it is in this exercise, that’s around 90kg. These are obviously rough, variable measurements, but having done Zercher quats with both a 90kg barbell and the band, I can honestly say there’s not a lot of difference in terms of perceived resistance at least. That might raise an eyebrow for some people, to which I’d say - try for yourself. If I’m lying you’ve lost 15 quid and gained a still fairly useful band. If I’m right, you now have a seriously effective, lockdown-proof home substitute for heavy squats & deadlifts. Your call. I’ll be going into specifics on how to do home strength training in my free 10-day “Gym Freedom Challenge”, starting on Monday. A private group where I’ll be sharing daily content on how to lockdown proof your workouts, train from anywhere and hit your goals for 2021 no matter what happens. Link in bio to reserve a spot #zercher#zerchersquat#bandedzercher#squats#bandedsquat#homesquats#homeworkout #nogymnoproblem #nogymneeded #sportsperformance #unconventionaltraining #fightertraining #mmatraining#mmafitness#mmaconditioning#outdoorworkout #sportsperformance #unconventionaltraining #fightertraining #outdoorworkout #gymnasticrings#homeworkout

A few weeks ago I had to self isolate indoors for 2 weeks. I managed to get my training done at home just fine, but there were some unexpected things happened. My skin got all messed up, my sleep patterns got strange...big difference from my usual self This got me thinking about lockdowns. I spend a lot of time training people in parks and running around London for different PT sessions, but that's not most people. About 1 in 5 people are vitamin d deficient. At the time of writing we're only seeing the sun in London between 7.30am & 4.30pm. Combine that with corona restrictions & working from home, and you've probably got a lot of scope to go full nosferatu and never see the sun without realising it. This can have some pretty massive effects on you health wise - sleep, hormonally, in terms of mental health, and the obvious knock on effects of all of that. A simple, easy solution to this is...get the hell outside. Outdoor training is a great avenue for this. There are certain types of movements (the obvious one being pullups) where you basically need something to hang from. If you don't have anywhere indoors where you can do that, outdoors pretty much has you covered. Chances are you can find a pullup bar in a park near you. Or hang one in your back yard. Or, my personal favourite option, shell out about £20 for a set of gymnastics rings on amazon. They fit easily in a backpack and you can hang them from practically anything that will support your weight. They are massively versatile, and even beat out most gym alternatives in terms of the quality of training you can do with them. People often associate them with advanced training, but I've learned from experience with clients how useful they at beginner level. Of course if you want to get outside there's a ton of options in terms of training. But pullups bars, rings, or general dangling from stuff gives you a training option that's money and time efficient, and gets you out of vampire mode. Starting next Monday I'm doing a free 10-day video course on how to apply training like this to train and hit your fitness goals at home, outdoors, or anywhere you might be - link in bio to reserve a spot!

If you do any kind of training - casual jogging, lifting, sports, MMA... I want you to take a second and answer a question for me. What EXACTLY are you trying to do? What is you goal, in PRECISE terms? This is something I ask every client I have when we first speak. It's very rare you get a clear answer to this. One of the first things I help them with is normally answering this question. Before we do anything else we get crystal clear on this. Because... You can't get to your goals if you have no idea what they even are It gets worse that that though. If you don't have an answer to the first question, try these: Am I making progress in the way I want to go? How do I know that for sure? How will I know when I'm done? What are the most important parts of my training? What are the least important? Is any training I'm doing a waste of my time? How do I know that? These questions aren't easy - they force us to take a critical eye to our training, and admit to ourselves things we might have been doing wrong. But without the yardstick of our goals, where we specifically want to get to, they're impossible. You can go very deep and precise when figuring this all out, but for now, ask yourself these two questions: What one thing am I trying to achieve? How can I measure my progress? Just answering those 2 questions well will get you most of the way. I'll be going deep into goal setting in the Gym Freedom Challenge on the 14th - 10 days of free content to et you up with a fool proof gym-independent training plan for 2021. Limited spaces, link in bio to sign up. #motivation #fitnessmotivation #2021goals #fitnesschallenge #gymfreedomchallenge #homemobility #fintessgoals #homeworkout #bodyweight #isolationgym #gymclosed #nogymnoproblem #nogymneeded #isolationtraining #conditioningtraining #sportsperformance #unconventionaltraining #outdoorworkout #fightertraining #hardwork #ptlondon #personaltrainerlondon #dailytraining #ptlondon #londonpt #londonfitfam #southlondonpt #workoutathome #workoutroutine

Most people get home training wrong. Not through lack of effort, just by focussing on the wrong things for your goals. You've probably seen people who say they do 100, or 300, or 500 pushups in a home workout. That's great - if what you want to work is endurance. But it's not of huge value if you, say, want to get stronger or gain muscle. If you're trying to gain muscle you want exercises where you max out at around the 8-12 range. For strength, you want to be at no more than 6. There are certain fundamental, compound body movements that should be central to any training plan. Almost all of them have a bodyweight exercise that works them, and that can be adjusted to any degree we need for our training level and goals How? By redistributing your weight between your limbs, manipulating the range of motion, training in an unstable environment, varying the leverage, and altering momentum & time under tension. The pushup is a good example. If a regular pushup is too hard, adjust the leverage by doing it from the knees or doing them against a wall. On the other side you have something like the 1 arm, 1 leg pushup (pictured) - which uses weight distribution & instability to massively increase tension. By playing with momentum, range of motion & time under tension, we can even make this work harder. With the right adjustments, simple bodyweight exercises can be made to fit anyone's goal, from complete beginner to highly advanced. I'll be sharing specific ways to adjust all these fundamental exercises in my the "Gym Freedom Challenge" starting on December 7th. 14 days of free content that will show you how to become independent of your gym equipment and train from absolutely anywhere. Spaces are limited and I can't guarantee there'll be another free version after this one. Fill out the form linked in my bio to reserve your spot. #homeworkout #bodyweight #isolationgym #gymclosed #nogymneeded #isolationtraining #conditioningtraining #sportsperformance #unconventionaltraining #fightertraining #hardwork #mmatraining#mmafitness#mmaconditioning#outdoorworkout #sportsperformance #unconventionaltraining #fightertraining #outdoorworkout #gymnasticrings#homeworkout

This time last year I was at my local gym. I was determined to do 30 minutes on a treadmill. I quit after 7. At best it was less than one mile. It's not that I couldn't physically do more if there were a gun to my head. But I couldn't make myself.⁠ ⁠ That was what made me set the goal for this year. I was going to take cardio, my worst thing, and turn it into one of my best.⁠ ⁠ 11 months and over a thousand kilometres later, cardio is now one of my favourite things. I typically run about 10 miles a day and close to a full marathon every Saturday. In the space of a year, my cardio went from something I had no confidence in at all to something I have complete confidence in⁠ ⁠ This took work, but with the right strategy, this kind of thing seems very possible to me now. Common ways people go wrong are⁠ ⁠ - Not having a clear, specific streamlined goal⁠ - Setting the bar too high, too early⁠ - Having time work against you rather than for you⁠ ⁠ If you'd like to find out the exact way I turned this around for myself, and how you can do the same for whatever your goals are for the next year, fill in the form linked in my bio to sign up for the "Gym Freedom Challenge". 14 days of free content to help you make a bulletproof plan for hitting your goals in 2021, no matter what happens.⁠ ⁠ This is a totally free crash course kicking off on Dec 7th. Spaces are limited and I can't guarantee there'll be another free version after this one. Fill out the form linked in my bio to reserve your spot.⁠ ⁠ #cardio #motivation #fitnessmotivation #2021goals #fitnesschallenge #gymfreedomchallenge #homemobility #quicktraining #homeworkout #bodyweight #isolationgym #gymclosed #nogymnoproblem #nogymneeded #isolationtraining #conditioningtraining #sportsperformance #unconventionaltraining #outdoorworkout #fightertraining #hardwork #ptlondon #personaltrainerlondon #dailytraining #ptlondon #londonpt #londonfitfam #southlondonpt #workoutathome #workoutroutine

The classic problem with home training - no weights. Which means less resistance, no overload and no progress. Or does it? With a little creativity and some thought about what we're really trying to get from training, we can work with limits and turn them to our advantage. Leg training, in particular, is a good example of this. Say you're used to back-squatting in the gym. You're probably used to sticking a heavy barbell on your back gutting out through a ton of resistance and feeling pretty badass because if it.  Not judging, me too. It's a foundational movement for resistance training, and it'd be silly to not acknowledge that. But when you can't get in a gym, then what? There are things that just doing heavy squats misses. Throughout a barbell squat, you're balanced, moving in one plane, normally through a comfortable range of motion. Compare this to something like a pistol squat in the picture. There's the increased load of a one-legged squat for one thing - but there are a bunch of other things going on, just due to the fact we're moving unilaterally (on one side)  - your dominant leg can't pick up the slack for the weaker one, forcing you to address imbalances you might have picked up  - speaking on balance, you're forcing your leg to stabilise across all planes of motion, working muscles that can be neglected in more stable squats  - the instability, along with the lack of load on your back, will force your full posterior chain to work in concert through a deep range of motion. All this can improve balance, bilateral stability, range of motion, and the ability of your legs to produce force in any given direction - all things that will make a huge difference to your development regardless of what your goal is. To find out more about how to turn home training to your advantage, sign up for my free 10-day gym freedom challenge (link in bio) #mobility #pistolsquat #squats #fitnesschallenge #gymfreedomchallenge #quicktraining #homeworkout #bodyweight #isolationgym #gymclosed #nogymnoproblem #nogymneeded #isolationtraining #conditioningtraining #sportsperformance #unconventionaltraining #outdoorworkout #fightertraining #hardwork #ptlondo

STARTING MONDAY! Feel like lockdowns messed up your nutrition and training for 2020? Want to get moving back in the right direction? From Dec 14th, I’m running a FREE “Gym Freedom Challenge" for those looking to get their fitness back on track for 2021, no matter what happens. If you're looking for a kickstart in the right direction and learn how to train ANYWHERE and balance, manage and adjust your diet and training around whatever the next year throws at you, this is for you. I'll be sharing content previously only available to paying clients inside a secret group. 🤫 We’ll be covering.. - Goal Setting, Mindset & Motivation - Creating a plan that works consistently - How to make your gym training work as well or better without equipment - Specific training protocols - Flexible Nutrition 101 - How to adapt your training to life obstacles (including lockdowns) and make them work for you ---------- Want to get involved? Just fill out the google form linked in my bio to reserve a spot! See you in there! #mobility #fitnesschallenge #gymfreedomchallenge #homemobility #quicktraining #homeworkout #bodyweight #isolationgym #gymclosed #nogymnoproblem #nogymneeded #isolationtraining #conditioningtraining #sportsperformance #unconventionaltraining #outdoorworkout #fightertraining #hardwork #ptlondon #personaltrainerlondon #dailytraining #ptlondon #londonpt #londonfitfam #southlondonpt #workoutathome #workoutroutine

3-Minute Squat Mobility Routine⁠ ⁠ Ever feel like you don't have the time to train something? For me that's mobility. But if you give it a little thought, you can always find a way to get your work done.⁠ ⁠ Here's how I got around it. I put together a 20 minute, full-body mobility routine which splits up into a bunch of smaller, 3-minute routines. The squat one goes:⁠ ⁠ Single leg knee press ⁠ Elbows pressing both knees⁠ Budda prayers⁠ Spinal Twist⁠ Internal Hip Rotation⁠ ⁠ Do each movement in the videos on this post 3 times, and boom. Squat mobility in under 3 minutes.⁠ ⁠ Now I'm under no illusion that a quick routine like this is going to turn me into a contortionist overnight, but the general goal to shoot for is consistency. 3 minutes a day every day beats a long intense routine you only do a handful of times.⁠ ⁠ At-home workouts are perfect for this kind of work. Whether it's muscle gain, cardio, strength, mobility...there's zero barrier to entry. To train at the gym takes a round trip. This takes a few steps to an open area of the floor. ⁠ ⁠ There's a misconception about home workouts that they're mostly just endurance-based - but with the right tweaks, you can adapt work for any goal into a series of super-quick protocols you can pepper throughout the day. And they make perfect breaks if you feel like working from home is melting your brain a bit.⁠ ⁠ I'll be doing a free 2-week challenge in early December where I'll teach you how to write routines like this, along with everything you need to train successfully from home or anywhere else. Fill out the form linked in my bio to reserve a spot! ⁠ #mobility #fitnesschallenge #gymfreedomchallenge #homemobility #quicktraining #homeworkout #bodyweight #isolationgym #gymclosed #nogymneeded #isolationtraining #conditioningtraining #sportsperformance #unconventionaltraining #outdoorworkout #sportsperformance #fightertraining #hardwork #ptlondon #personaltrainerlondon #dailytraining #ptlondon #londonpt #londonfitfam #southlondonpt #workoutathome #workoutroutine

A new free crash course I'll be launching in the next few weeks. I'll be sharing all the home training mindset shifts I figured out this year and helping you get gym independent and lockdown proof for 2021. Link below to reserve a free spot! https://forms.gle/bcU2Z5dusjsxAS8k6 #homeworkout #bodyweight #isolationgym #gymclosed #nogymneeded #isolationtraining #conditioningtraining #sportsperformance #unconventionaltraining #outdoorworkout #sportsperformance #fightertraining #hardwork #hmeworkout#outdoorworkout #ptlondon #personaltrainerlondon #dailytraining #ptlondon #londonpt #londonfitfam #ptsoutheastlondon #southwark#southwarkpt#londonbridge #southlondonpt

Okay, so let's get this out of the way - here's what I'm NOT saying:⁠ ⁠ - I'm NOT saying that snacking on a bunch of junk food is the best or even a good thing for you nutritionally⁠ - I'm not saying calories or macros should be ignored in favour of snacking⁠ - I'm NOT saying you can eat as much bad food as you like⁠ ⁠ Buuut...I'm also saying you can still be in shape and find room to incorporate it.⁠ ⁠ I've had people popping in my DMs before asking me to post a day of eating in my story. I never did because I eat a lot of ice cream. Like a lot a lot. I can allow for a lot of it because my personal training routine burns through a ton of calories, I thought people would either not believe that or it would send the wrong message.⁠ ⁠ It's not the wrong message though. it's something vital to understand if you want to be in good shape consistently and long term. ⁠ ⁠ Like it or not, if you're human, you'll want to eat bad food sometimes. That gives you 2 options:⁠ ⁠ - Ignore that fact, and eat chicken and steamed green until you give up and splurge⁠ - Plan for that fact. Aim to eat around 85% of the good stuff, and give yourself planned leeway to work with that fits within your calories and macros.⁠ ⁠ The key thing regardless of what you decide to eat is that you are actually aware of what you eat. If you want to eat bad food and stay in shape, you have to know what you're actually taking in. How much protein, fat and carbs are in your snacks, and are you still able to hit your targets if you eat them. Same goes for alcohol if that's your thing btw.⁠ ⁠ Will you be able to do this be as super lean and cut as a pro bodybuilder with an iron will on competition day? No, but if you're smart about it you can sustainably stay in pretty damn good shape long term. I'll be covering flexible nutrition in depth in my upcoming "Gym Freedom Challenge". 2 weeks of free training from Dec 7th, link in bio to join! #flexiblediet#flexibledieting#flexibleeating#iifym#calories#macros#snacks#nutrition#flexiblenutrition#flexibledietingiifym#icecream#ptlondon #personaltrainerlondon #ptlondon #londonpt #ptsoutheastlondon #southwark#southwarkpt#londonbridge #southlondonpt⁠ ⁠