This week I was going to write about some common exercises you probably shouldn’t be doing.
 
However, I’ve had quite a few requests over the past few weeks for drop-in Kettlebell classes, so I’ve changed the plan. Instead, I’m going to address something that we touched upon last week as one of the three reasons that so many workout plans fail.
 
Erm, I don’t get it Craig, what’s the link between drop in classes and my training plan not working?
 
A valid question.
 
The answer is a single word.
 
And that word is:

Consistency.
 
Still confused?
 
Allow me to elaborate.

Hands up if you have a regular workout schedule and diet in place.
 
I hope all of your hands are up?
 
The only reason you shouldn’t have such a plan – by which I mean an attendance schedule, a programme. and a goal appropriate diet – is if you’re new to exercise.
(if this is you and you want to get started with kettlebells, please see last week’s blog for a great opportunity to get yourself going)
 
If you raised your hand, keep it raised if you’re getting the results you want.
 
I often do this at seminars and workshops, and the number of hands dropping at this point is usually quite alarming.
(If you're reading this at your office or in public I suggest lowering your hand anyway - people are staring at you)
 
You’re not getting the results you want because your plan isn’t working, that’s obvious, right?

But why isn’t it working?

One of my golden rules is that I’ll never ask – or worse, teach – a student to do something that I can’t do.
That doesn’t mean in terms of strength or reps, but in terms of technique, relevance, and safety.
 
So, with that in mind, I’m about to carry out a test on myself before making a programme available to you.
 
Read that again.
 
I’m not going to sell you a programme, I’m going to give it to you.
 
Why would I do that?
 
Because, unlike most trainers, I’m not interested in making money from you, I’m just interested in spreading Kettlebell love.
 
It’s the mission of all the trainers here at Sparta and the Coventry Kettlebell Centre to get as many people as possible using Kettlebells effectively, safely, and most importantly, to get people fitter, healthier and stronger through their use.
 
This sounds great, Craig, but how do I get my free programme, and what’s the test you’re going to perform on yourself?
 
Two good questions.
 
But let me ask you two questions first…

One of the questions we ask potential new Spartans is what their previous history and experience of exercise is.
 
Sadly, one of the common threads running through most answers is that these guys have been taught, and programmed, any number of virtually pointless exercises.
 
The source of this pointlessness is varied, sometimes fitness rags, sometimes the internet or social media, often Personal Trainers.
 
This happens because the need to be entertained, and to entertain others, all too often surpasses the commitment to achieve. The path to results, be they improvements in strength, conditioning, or body composition, is a simple one.
It’s not easy, but it is simple.
 
If your programme is complex, chances are it’s not effective, and you’re the victim of an entertrainer (see what I did there?)
 
Why does this happen?
Because simple seems too good to be true, hence all too many people are no longer trained, instead they’re entertrained.
 
How do you know if you’ve fallen into this all too common trap?

It's Sunday.

You have a new programme.

You have a new set of goals.

You're excited to get to the gym, studio, or park, on Monday and get started.

Then it happens.

Monday hits you. Your enthusiasm disappears as fast as the weekend when the blaring klaxon of your alarm rudely awakens you.

You picture the crowded gym with the queue of boys hanging around the benches, or the hard day you're going to have at work, and you convince yourself that today isn't the day to start training.

You'll start tomorrow instead though... but we all know what the problem with 'tomorrow' is.

From my experience (which, despite my youthful looks, is vast) most people who miss Monday will then totally-self destruct for the whole week, on the proviso that they'll 'start afresh' the following Monday. Sadly, each missed session makes it even harder to get back on track.

So how do you fix this?

One of the things I increasingly see is trainers calling themselves ‘Nutritionists’.

Let’s get the facts straight, shall we?

To be a Registered Nutritionist you must have a degree or post graduate qualification in Nutrition or Public Health Nutrition.

To call yourself a Dietician you must have a degree or postgraduate qualification in Dietetics or Human Nutrition & Dietetics.

That’s not my opinion by the way, that’s a stone-cold fact.

Here’s another fact: if you’re trainer is telling you he’s a nutritionist or dietician in the absence of the above qualifications, he or she is lying to you.

But what if…

One of the questions I regularly get asked is:
“Can you teach me how to do Olympic Lifting please?”

The answer is always no.

Actually, the first ‘answer’ is usually “Why do you want to learn it?”, followed by “No”.

Why do most people want to learn Olympic Lifting?

Sadly, the answers range from: because it looks cool, they’ve read in a fitness rag that they should add it to their training, or because they’ve just watched the Crossfit Games.

All of these answers are equally redundant.

Why do I always say no?

Welcome to the new website - and the new world of Sparta.

I’ve made a lot of changes.
Why?
Because I’m fed up.

Fed up with the state that my profession is now in.

Fed up with the two-week non-failure courses that are churning out ‘qualified’ trainers who have no idea how to deal with your needs and goals.

Fed up with the trainers who have a year or two’s ‘experience’ working at corporate gyms who proclaim themselves experts and ‘master trainers’.

Fed up with plague of ‘fitness models’ whose only skill lies in good genetics and a bag full of chemical aids yet pass themselves off as ‘online trainers’ and relieve you of your hard-earned money in return for the generic programmes that they send to every one of their well-meaning, but unfortunate, clients.

Fed up with the monster that the ‘fitness industry’ has become, a monster that cares nothing for health, fitness, or education, but cares everything for turning a quick profit by exploiting your enthusiasm.

That’s why I’ve stripped down the new look website to the bare essentials.
It’s why I’ve commited renewed energy into the mission of Sparta to spread the word of functional training to as many people as possible.

Thats great, Craig, but what does that mean in real terms?

It means that, unlike every chain gym and normal studio you visit, every trainer who works here is a specialist in their field, from prehab and mobility, calisthenics, yoga, flexibility, and pre/post natal training, through to the hardstyle kettlebell private and group sessions taught by our RKC and SFG certified instructors.

It also means that Sparta is dedicating more studio time to Group PT so we can reach as many people as possible. Don’t get confused – these aren’t the classes that you’ll find masquerading as Group PT elsewhere, these are individual programmes that develop and progress as you do.

I realise that some of the things I’ve said above may offend people.
Do I care?
No.
Because if you’re offended, you’re part of the problem, and I only deal with solutions.

If what I’ve said resonates with you, then firstly you have my apologies on behalf of the good professionals in my industry that you’ve been subjected to the dark side of our world.

And secondly…
Welcome to Sparta.