the blog of balance performance physiotherapy » metabolic

Exclusive distributors of Steve Cotter products in the UK

JonathanLewis — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 23:59:21 +0000

Jonathan Lewis and Balance have had a long working relationship with Steve Cotter, one of the worlds best teachers of strength and conditioning, health and fitness concepts, an incredible athlete and an internationally recognised authority on kettlebells. We are therefore very proud to have made our ties even stronger and will now be the UKs exclusive distributor of Steve Cotter products.

Watch this space and the Balance shop as we will soon carry more DVD titles and other information products from Steve and the IKFF.

Boxing Class starts this Saturday

JonathanLewis — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:44:15 +0000

Saturdays 1.30-2.30pm – cost £10

Location: Strength and Conditioning Studio @ Balance, 113 Gauden Road, Clapham North, Lambeth, London, SW4 6LE.

This Saturday Balance is very excited to have boxing back on our timetable of quality physical training sessions. This is not boxercise, cardiokick or any other fitness industry invention – this is boxing.

Boxing training, apart from being a useful way of improving boxing skills is excellent for overall health and fitness, conditioning for other sports or disciplines, develops agility, co-ordination and confidence.

The coach is Dennis Ricketts who has been involved in boxing for 25 years and is enthusiastic as ever about the sport and what it offers its participants (whether they have a desire to compete or not). As an amateur he was Royal Navy Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion.

Dennis holds credentials as an ABA Coach, Professional Boxing trainer/second and has additional knowledge and experience in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Dennis will also be available for personal boxing training before and after the class.

We have known Dennis here at Balance for many years as he has been a regular user of our gym and studio, giving our heavy bag a serious pounding and putting significant mileage on our speed rope.

Any questions give us a call – 02076272308.

Full Throttle Fitness Class

JonathanLewis — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:08:23 +0000

Cj (Cj’s Fitness) and Sabina Skala (Gym Jones protege) are back in action at Balance every Saturday for this conditioning circuit style class (Londons Best!).

Saturday, 12.15-13.15pm

“Kettlebells, sandbags, medicine balls, free weights, the works! Get fit (or die trying!)

Its here at Balance, London SW4 6LE (60 seconds from Clapham North Tube Station, 60 seconds from Clapham High Street Overground Station).

TEXT CJ to get the class concession price of £10 or turn up on day at £15.

+447903210510

Bring a friend, share the burden!

PS. Next week Dennis Ricketts will be starting a new Boxing Class at Balance, 1.30pm every Saturday. This isnt Boxercise! this is an experienced coach teaching technique and working you out.

All welcome you dont have to be experienced just enthusiastic!

Cj describes his last 1 Mile Run on the G-trainer

JonathanLewis — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:07:32 +0000

The G-trainer challenges everyone in different ways, whether:

elite Olympic runner (3 of the Worlds Best Runners have run on our treadmill),
professional sports men (2 of the UKs best Rugby Clubs use Balance’s G-trainer week in week out)
top or recreational IronMan and Woman triathletes (including Pro-VO2 tri club athletes and Pro Tristan Shipsides)
or the 100’s of multisports enthusiasts with injuries who have rehabilitated from sports injuries using the G-trainer at our SW4 facility.

In the World Record Club the idea is to run a mile as fast as possible at either 75% or 85% of your bodyweight – members also get 50% off and a half hour run only costs £12.50.

For many the thing preventing faster running speed is aerobic/anearobic ability (lungs exploding, nausea rising) but not everyone…this is how Cj described his attempt to run faster and beat his personal best over the mile on the G-trainer treadmill running at 85% of his bodyweight:

“I didn’t find this attempt cardio-vascularly challenging as you will see from the video clip. It felt more neurological. Being able to turn over my legs at that speed, sustaining that cadence for that length of time was not easy. I could feel the impulses dampening, at times it felt as if I was tripping over my feet.

One thing is for certain, 4 minute miles is a serious pace, I have a new found respect for Roger Bannister who did it at 100% of his body weight. It highlighted to me that up to a certain point, running is more about skill then fitness. Economy and efficiency of movement. But more about this in part 2 of this post, as I, Cj, turn Chi / pose runner.”

To read the full blog click the link…

http://cjs-fitness.blogspot.com/2009/12/4-minute-mile-g-trainer-challenge-part.html

See the video footage (excuse the camerman he’s an amateur!!):

World Record Club – Mile Challenge

JonathanLewis — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:47:29 +0000

Saturday 21st November – 10am and 2pm

The World Record Club is looking for members to run their fastest miles on the G-trainer treadmill.

There are several categories to challenge yourself within:

Mens 85% bodyweight
Womens 85% bodyweight
Mens 75% bodyweight
Womens 85%
plus Mens and Womens Masters Categories

If you havent run on this revolutionary piece of technology you can have a try out for free with us on Saturday and then if you are up for it take the challenge.

Its very simple…zip in, we’ll start it up, you run…fast…you say faster (you can say slower too of course!!)

Discounts for G-trainer running sessions of 50% which means £12.50 for 30 minutes or £17.50 for 60 minutes

Apart from being healthy competition the benefits to running speed and overall performance are significant.

Thats why Manchester United bought one in the same week that Balance did.

Physio’s set Sporting Challenges for 2010

balance — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:45:27 +0000

There have been new year resolutions set early within the Balance team.

Two members of the Balance sports injury team – Frances Lynn and Paula Coates, have recently started their base training for individual endeavours in 2010.
With professional support from Pat Leahey at Provo2 (www.provo2.com) both girls have undergone metabolic testing and cycling power testing to tailor their individual training needs. Paula and Fran will be regularly updating this blog to keep you up to speed with their progresses.

Fran, one of our triathlon and cycling specialist physios, has entered an Ironman distance triathlon in Roth, Germany in July 2010. This has been voted in the top 10 best Triathlons in the world by 220 magazine. It is sadly now fully entered, but for more info on the race see www.challenge-roth.com.

Paula will be travelling further afield to the beautiful landscape of Cape Town, South Africa to compete in the Cape Argus Pick n Pay cycle tour. The 109km race claims to be the largest timed cycle race in the world. This can still be entered, for details see www.cycletour.co.za

Sunday 8th November, Fran says:

“Sorry for the delay in updating my progress, but I have been busy…training! I am well into my 16-week base training plan that Pat has planned for me using the results of my metabolic tests done in September. It is going well but has taken a lot of juggling to get most of my sessions in. I find using my heart rate monitor really useful. It makes me realise the mistakes I made in the past when training for my Olympic distance tri’s and even when I used to row. The intensity of my sessions are much lower now, and as a result I am less tired following a session and experience fewer cravings or sugar lows throughout the day.

I am most pleased with my cycling training. I am now up to 4hrs on my long ride, with a 1hour power interval session, and a 2 and half hour recovery ride. I have had my road bike set up expertly done by Julian @ CYCLEFIT. After some adjustments and a need to reduce my handlebar reach I have also invested in some new cycling shoes that I can fit my orthotics into (have a dodgy left big toe), they are great and make such a difference to my ongoing left pelvic pain I have had since pregnancy. I have also supplemented my strength training with the help of CJ, and I have now started an intial 4 week kettlebell strengthening phase.

Part of my motivation for doing an Ironman triathlon next year is to give me a focus for my training and fitness. I found it hard to routinely make time for myself after having my son 13 months ago, I felt weak, overweight (7kg and 5% bodyfat overweight at the 12 month mark) and lacking energy. I now feel that I have a great structure of work, family, friends and training that is really coming together. I am doing much more physical activity than 3 months ago, but week by week I am definitely feeling more vibrant and alert and importantly to me, stronger. I will get my metabolic tests, cycle power tests and body statistics updated at the end of the month, and I am confident that I will have lost body fat and hopefully my VO2 max will have improved as well. My running speed has certainly improved. My mile PB at 75% bodyweight on the G-trainer has dropped from 5min23sec to 5min 11sec, I am gunning for the 5minute barrier at the next WRC Mile Challenge meet on 21st November.

Please let me know if there are other mum’s out there with sporting challenges for next year, whether its triathlon, marathon or anything that is a challenge to you. Myself and the Balance team would love to hear about all of your plans. Happy training! Fran”

Wednesday 9th December, Fran says:

‘ I have my re-test tomorrow with Pat Leahey for my running VO2 max… a little nervous, I think my VO2 max will be better because I feel so much fitter than I did 3 months ago. I don’t think I will have met my weight loss target of 7kg though, but have definitely lost some weight and feel stronger. I have been carrying an injury for the past 3 weeks, because it has been my neck it has limited me in pretty much all 3 disciplines. Have been working on core and flexibility but little else. Back running and cycling this week a little edgy, but feels good to get the endorphines flowing again. Lets see how it goes in the morning….’

Experience gravity assisted speed at Balance with a G-Trainer Pro taster day

JonathanLewis — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:00:14 +0000

Climb in to the G-trainer Pro treadmill at Balance and discover gravity assisted speed- Sat August 8th 2009.

Climb in and experience why the G-trainer provides the ultimate Speed interval training session

There will be a “Taster session” at Balance on our Gravity altering treadmill that is open to all. This opportunity is a rare one as the remainder of Europes G-trainers are in the hands of elite sports clubs.

WORLD RECORD CLUB
Gravity Assisted Speed

Presents:

Summer Speed Taster Session
* Experience NASA engineered technology
* Enhance leg speed through over-speed running
* Gain that extra edge this summer season
* Rehabilitate faster- run with reduced bodyweight

Saturday 8th August 10.00am at Balance Performance Physiotherapy,
113 Gauden Rd, London, SW4 6LE.

Entry £5.

To register interest and for more info please email:

frances @ balancephysio.com

Full registration for the G-Trainer Speed World Record Club and details regarding the forthcoming World Record Club Championships will be available on the day.

Contact Frances on 020 7627 2308 about the World Record Club and the 1 mile challenge. Only £5 but you need to book.

UK Open Kettlebell Championships, July 18th 2009

JonathanLewis — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:21:38 +0000

Recycling this blog direct from Cj…

With 19 days left until registration closes, the Uk Open Kettlebell Competition 2009 is truly underway. Men, women and teams from throughout the UK and beyond will be stepping up to the platform and pitting themselves in a gruelling contest against the steel, plus raising money for two worth while charities.

The stage is set at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre 18th July, for what promises to be a phenomenal event. The Crystal Palace National Sports Centre is rich in sporting history, hosting everything from Olympic standard international athletics and Judo. The UK Kettlebell Open Championships will continue that rich sporting tradition by making history as the fist Kettlebell Championships to be hosted at this prestigious venue.

Steve Cotter and Kenblackburn will be competing

The event is not just for elite Kettlebell Athletes, Amateur and Professional divisions are available for the men and women categories, and for those of you who want to enter a team to spread the work load, there are special team events – so there is something for eveyone. You can register online at www.kettlebellcompetition.co.uk and find out the full details of each event in the Rules and Regulation download. Every entrant gets a medal and there will be trophies for the overall winners.

The event will also feature various exciting displays of dynamic human movement. We are proud to announce that Urban Free Flow ( Free running and Parkour specialist) will be unleashing their skills. Cutting edge Health and Fitness related stalls will be available on the day for you to enjoy.

Check it out and enter at www.kettlebellcompetition.co.uk

Cj and Jon

“Girevoy Sport – Keeping the UK Open”

There will be at least one Balance Team for you to join or if you are part of the Industrial Strength London crowd

Lecture this evening still on despite tube strike

JonathanLewis — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:53:46 +0000

Despite the tube strike the planned lecture as part of Balance’s CPD Evening Lecture series organised by Raph Rinaldi will continue:

Pat testing a client at his London facility

Dr Simon Shepard, Team Physiotherapist of CCC Middlesex and CEO of Optima Life will present his research and clinical experience on different methods of monitoring recovery patterns according to various level of activity. This could turn particularly helpful to physiotherapists, for example, when it’s time to increase rehabilitation workload and /or add specific sessions to pre-existing training programmes.

Pat Leahy, Owner, founder and high performance coach of ProVo2 will also present his own toughts on how to design an effective training programme aimed at maintaining aerobic fitness in injured athletes, or to improve aerobic capacity in most sport disciplines or to optimise own metabolism by adopting clever forms of exercise. This will break many myths related to aerobic exercise and provide a practical guidance when it comes to advise our clients in a practical and effective manner. A practical demonstration of metabolic testing will follow by carrying out a VO2max analysis on site. Any volunteers obviously welcome.

Raph says: “As all of you are aware of the tube strike kicking of tonight I would like to confirm that our Lecture will take place regularly. I remind you that you can use your oyster card to travel by train to Clapham Junction or Clapham High Street; there is also a taxi share options so you can organise yourself. I’ve got few places in my car as am driving Simon Shepard home in North London after the lecture. Hope it helps. Raph”

MMA fighter and coach Michael Bisping training video

JonathanLewis — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:07:36 +0000

MMA Bay arranged a Q&A session on their forum with Michael Bisping, I logged on and asked a question on strength and conditioning. http://tinyurl.com/pb3lgx

There is also a training video on the Industrial Strength London website http://www.islondon.co.uk