Urban Fit Gym - Strength & Conditioning Specialists

Once upon a time Deadlifts, Hand-clings, Snatches, Plyometrics and generally throwing an Olympic Weightlifting bar around was the norm for me. Movements of which rival a Russian Circus Team and environments most people are too scared to enter was my like my second home.

After getting out of the Athletics scene I've experimented in different forms of exercise to keep me entertained, all great for short periods of time but I end up bored and then see it as a waste of money. Then slowly and surely a montomous disheartening routine soon emerges and I find myself on the cross trainer once again staring at a screen, trying to push myself with all my might, wishing I wasn't there and wishing I was back in a professional gym.

Ive visited most of the gyms and fitness environments in Newcastle and the North East and so far I've not found anything that 'gets me'. If I've been excited about a gym and I see it has loads of potential for me then normally they tell me that the package I'm looking at will be £100 to £400 a month. So I begin my search again. Quality exercise should not be that expensive!

After searches and searches Ive stumbled across a training facility that is exactly what I've been looking for. In a way I actually don't want to tell you about it because selfishly I want it all to myself!

Urban Fit Gym is a specialised Strength and Conditioning Training Facility in Throckley, Newcastle. Owner James Murray has years of experience in the Industry. He has previously worked with NUFC as the Strength and Conditioning Coach and was a Lecturer of Sports Therapy at Newcastle College amongst doing many other things within the industry. A CV to impress the sporting elite!

This Gym focuses on Strength and Conditioning, with Personal Trainers on sight to coach you (for no extra cost). Their focus is high quality training with injury prevention and cure. Sports Therapists are also on site to make sure everything you do is biomechanically correct. This is the perfect place, as the staff are not just PT's.

Urban Fit Gym also focuses on education, they want to train you but also educate you at the same time, so you always leave your session knowing more then the previous day and they want you to know what Strength and Conditioning really means. They also regularly run courses on Active IQ Personal Training, Sports Massage, Kettlebell Qualifications and many more, so if you have caught the bug you can become a PT too.

They've been putting me through my paces, pushing me hard but also looking after my weaknesses (shin pain caused from chronic medial tibial stress syndrome, spontaneous knee pain and lordosis). Within the first session I was sold to it completely. I felt so looked after, James knows what he is talking about, and I think the main thing for me was because it wasn't just about fat loss which most gyms are. He explained what he had planned, and why. Not... 'just because I fancied it'. It isn't about extreme exercise which leaves you crippled for 5 days, as soon as your posture/form/technique weakens then you are told to stop. You are not performing quality movements, so this repeated over time only results in muscular imbalances and possibly injuries. As mentioned we also focused on my previous injuries and weaknesses, why had I got them in the first place and what we will do to rectify that. That was the winning ticket for me!

You are asked about your goals, so training is tailored to you, with a new Workout of the Day set out on the board (WOD) we regularly adapted them to suit me. Such as switching to the rowing machine instead of shuttle sprints (these can hurt my shins). WOD ranges from 15-30mins, they want you to put your absolute best into the session, not to worry about time but to focus on leaving everything in the gym. You are not limited to WOD though, you can also come in do your own session if you really want to, and it works on a drop in basis, so no booking in or timetables to stick to.

Apart from us ordinary folk the Sporting Elite also train here, with Professional Footballers, Boxers, Wrestlers, Motor Cross, Rugby Players, Runners, Entire Sports Teams and many more. They see this as an environment where they can work extremely hard, focus on themselves and their goals and looking to focus on Strength and Conditioning to improve their athletic performance.

The Urban Fit Gym want people who are serious about training, who have been perhaps disillusioned with training in the past and find it hard to maintain and sustain. They want to change your mindset and see training as a long term focus. Health is Wealth as I say! A lot of other gyms are focused on only exercising and eating correctly for a '6 week transformation' and then after that people return to their old habits, gain the weight back, become weak, and all the hard work has been undone... whilst costing you £400.00 for the experience.

Urban Fit Gym are open minded and do transformations if requested but they want to educate you on long term goals, long term training and healthy eating without the hefty price tag. They offer memberships from £50.00-£75.00 a month, with other packages available. Extremely good for money, and is a training facility which has longevity, not just to attend for a month and leave to go somewhere else.

Alongside the Gym is also Nutritional support, advice and personal plans made for you. Intolerances, allergies and preferences are all taken into account. Another huge bonus, as a lot of gyms only provide a basic nutritional plan given to everyone.

So time to get back into my Squats, Bulgarian Split Squats, Deadlifts, RDL's, Kettlebells, Cleans and many many many more. I wouldn't be able to list everything they do here, I would be on forever. The variety they have it excellent and you will not get bored! No 2 sessions are the same. I haven't been this excited and focused on training for a long time, there's only so much cross training one person can do on their own. In this Gym I'm in my element again.




Stace x

Kern Fitness Review - A New Revolutionary Training Method

This week I've had the privilege of visiting the newly opened Kern Fitness, invited down by it's lovely owners to get a sneak preview and test out and review their new product. Before you switch off and think oh not another gym... It's a personal training company with a twist...or shall I say shock!

Kern Fitness combines personal training with Electro-Muscular-Stimulation (EMS). EMS stimulates the natural action of the nervous system and activates the muscle directly through electrodes. The principle of EMS is to send electrical stimuli into the deep muscle fibres through electrodes. Agonist and antagonist muscles are trained simultaneously and these electrical stimuli reach deep layers of all muscle groups at the same time so enables the user to train the whole body effectively. 

The owners are certainly experienced and suitably qualified. Cecelia is a Physiotherapist who's completing her PhD in Neuromuscular Diseases and her Husband German is an Industrial Engineer with a MBA. Both very qualified and very passionate about the business. 

Already Usain Bolt and Professional Premiership Football Clubs have been using this new training method. And recent evidence shows that it can increase your fast twitch muscle fibres by up to 30% so no wonder professional athletes are jumping on board this new training method.

It can also quickly increase strength by 12% and decrease body fat by 8% after only 12 sessions. 

So how does it work? If any of you have ever used a TENS machine, think of this, but a really big one! And instead of lying on the couch like your Physiotherapist tells you, you will be exercising at the same time. For those of you who haven't heard of this before it feels like little impulses are going through the muscles and your muscles are slightly contracting, its very gentle and don't think its like getting electrocuted, so no need to worry at all.

The goal for Kern Fitness is to achieve fast results with limited time. A session takes around 30mins to complete and thats it! 20mins workout and 10mins to get set up....In and out, so its perfect for busy lifestyles and people who don't normally have time to workout. They also recommend no more then 2 sessions a week, again really good for busy bodies but also fantastic for elite athletes so they can fit other types of training in too. 

They state that their method of training is the equivalent of 3-4 hours of conventional training. The reason for this is for every second of EMS Activation your muscles are stimulated 85 times, generating a resistance that you have to work against. 

My personal trainer on the day was Carra Jay, a lovely girl who certainly knew all her stuff about the company, the equipment and the science behind it all. I basically interrogated her, I'm very cautious of new fitness trends, but you can't argue with science, and I wanted to know the in's and outs of everything. 

Carra explained that I would have to change out of my gym kit and into the clothing they provided. The clothes have a special material that conducts the EMS for full efficiency (a heads up to the ladies, don't wear a sports bra with a wire because you're not allowed to wear it). Next came my body armour, full of wires and straps and looking like something out of the Transformers or in a Sci-Fi film I was connected to the Miha Bodytec Machine and ready to go. 

Carra explained that there are various programmes I could do, but for this time we would do a basic induction programme. The electrical stimuli sent to activate the muscles is personalised to each persons threshold of what they feel comfortable with, and gradually the intensity was built up. The stronger the impulse intensity, the more muscle fibres are recruited and the stronger the muscle contraction.

It was a strange sensation for me but having used TENS machines before in my Athletics career and on my own personal clients I was used to it, I just wasn't used to exercising at the same time though!
We gently went through various exercises like squats, lunges, chest press, bicep curl and then after a while light weights were added for even more resistance. EMS is fantastic for anyone who's injured too because its non impact, it doesn't require jumping up and down with dramatic large scale movements. This type of training is more about resistance, slower controlled movements with a focus on body posture, breathing and performing the correct techniques. A little like Pilates in a way, except everything is one to one, so you really get the best out of your session. 

So the good news, I was completely sold to it. One of my pet hates as a PT and Sports Therapist is seeing instructors allowing clients to perform exercises incorrectly and telling them to jump higher or go quicker. All when the basic postural positions and movement techniques are incorrect, it's a recipe for disaster and will end up in injuries. Carra corrected my movements at any time I was out of line, and I felt really looked after which was fab customer service! 

After my session I was advised to lie down for a moment for all metabolic boost. This is when all of your muscles are stimulated by the electric current at once, it felt a little like my muscles were vibrating on their own. A really odd experience but nice! 

After my session I changed out of the provided clothing and into my gym kit. They explained that I might be a little sore, and writing this the day after I am! I feel muscle soreness or DOMS as I like to call it, in my Glutes, Core, and Biceps. Nothing that I haven't experienced before, and I'm one of those people who likes to feel sore the day after because I feel I have worked really hard. And although I feel I didn't do much in the session, I did feel a little drained immediately after the session but it's not the type of exhaustion you experience after finishing an Insanity Class or something similar but generally fatigued overall. The day after though I feel like I've done a heavy weights session. 

I feel better posture wise and I'm very aware of my movement patterns. EMS is fantastic for engaging and activating the muscles, so for anyone who suffers with muscle weakness and unable to actively trigger a muscle themselves this is very very good. Whilst quite pricey at £25 a session, there are price reductions with various packages on offer and in London its double this price. Although you do get what your pay for and this is an exceptional new product and service with brand new innovative technology. Il also be advising this concept to Physiotherapists and Sports Therapists as I think it's a very good Rehabilitation tool. From busy people, elite athletes to anyone suffering with injuries this would be perfect for improving performance, gaining strength, improving posture and musculoskeletal movement patterns, losing weight and improving muscle stability. 

http://www.kernfitnessuk.com

Stace x

Joe and The Juice Review

This week saw the opening of Joe and The Juice Newcastle, which first opened up in Denmark and their Juice revolution quickly took over other Scandinavian countries such as Sweden, Switzerland, Norway. These countries are a little ahead of Britain in terms of they look after their health and wellbeing far more then us Brits! We are catching up.....slowly.

Me and my friend are really into health and fitness, we both work in the industry so this was the perfect place for us to have a catch up. The staff were helpful, but the only menu to look at was the huge one behind the till, which I found a bit daunting and I felt a little under pressure by 3 members of staff staring at me to make a decision. I said to one of the staff "ah I bet you get this all the time with people not being able to make decisions" He said "No not really"...Just me then...awkward. Because the menu is so big, and there's so much choice I was a bit overwhelmed and it was hard to make a decision, so I would of preferred it if there were a few menus dotted around on the tables. If you are going, have in mind what you would like.  The decor is dark, Brooklyn NYC type,  really stylish but you can hardly see the colour of your drink which doesn't help, but it is a very relaxed chilled out vibe and is perfect for getting away from the busy bodies.  I apologise for the lack of picture quality but it is dark...think Hollister dark.

I love a green juice and went for the Bodyguard - Cucumber, Kale, Broccoli, Spinach and Apple. My friend had the Joe's Roots - Beetroot, Carrot and Ginger. Both were really lovely! They do Salads, Sandwiches, and Coffees too. All freshly prepared there and then, no pre packaged, artificial ingredients that I could see. My only criticism on their products was that they didn't have many protein choices, so a lot of their juices are high in sugar and carbohydrates, and when I asked if they had any vegetable protein powders to add to my drink, the only option was a chocolate one, I can't imagine that would taste very nice in a green juice. All they need to do is add some more vegetable protein powder options and it would be perfect. 

This place is suitable for all dietary requirements, they cater for intolerances and allergies, vegans and  vegetarians. A little odd on the location (placed in the women's section of John Lewis), I can imagine this place really taking off on a student campus or on the high street, I hope they advertise a lot so people find out about it. Saying all of that I would definitely go back and I'll be recommending people to try it out.

Stace x

Yankee Candle Coconut Range

Coconut has got to be my all time favourite smell&flavour! From using Coconut in cooking with oil, cream, milk and water and making delicious recipes with it....to using it in my skincare with creams, hair products and body sprays....plus also using it as a fragrance in the home. I love it! It has a holiday vibe, and puts me in the chilled out mood. Which is why I'm so excited about Yankee Candles new Coconut Range!! These will fill the house full of happy holiday vibes while also looking really stylish too.

The range is available at www.VERY.co.uk for £23.00 each

No.1 Coconut & Sea Air
No.2 Coconut & Beach Flower
No.3 Coconut & Mandarin
No.4 Coconut & Lime
No.5 Coconut & Vanilla Bean
No.6 Coconut & Pineapple

Mount Purious- Body Hemp oil

A couple of weeks ago I went to the NE Vegan Festival at the Stadium of Light. Full of food and beauty stalls this is my idea of heaven. As I start my journey into Veganism I need to surround myself with as much information and awareness as possible. My reasons for becoming a Vegan are mainly health based after reading various books, journals, and watching documentaries I decided to make the switch. I don't feel deprived at all and Ive really never felt better. The ability to create dishes and try foods I've never heard of is one of my favourite hobbies, so I'm thoroughly enjoying becoming a Vegan.

One of the many stalls at the Vegan Fest were Mount Purious, a North East Organic Skincare company. All of their oils are 100% Pure and Certified, no GMO's, pesticides, insecticides are used and they are certified to COSMOS (Organic standard by the UK Soil Association). All vegan, cruelty free, unfiltered, unadulterated and truly raw.

This is just what I've been looking for, I put so much effort and thought into the food I eat, shouldn't I be doing this for what I put on my skin too? Chemicals are literally everywhere, I recommend every I know to read the book Clean by Dr. Alejandro Junger, it tell us about the toxins that surrounds us every single second of the day from the toothpaste we use, to the plastic cup we drink out of, the cleaning products we use and the western medicine prescribed to us.

Mount Purious range includes Argan Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Hemp Oil, Jojoba Oil, Rosehip Oil and loads more that I want to try! And since it's a North East company and I love helping local companies I will definitely be trying the different products.

I went for the Hemp Oil, as I was told by the guy running the stall ( Im pretty sure he was the owner) that Hemp Oil is great for dry skin, eczema and psoriasis. Since I've had eczema as a kid Ive always struggled to get rid of it so this all natural wonder product was perfect for me.

The Hemp Oil contains high levels of essential fatty acids, omega 3's and omega 6's and amino acids which our bodies need but struggle to product naturally, so we have to source it from elsewhere e.g food. The product is Hemp Oil and that is it. No added chemicals, or other oils or any other ingredients, just purely hemp oil bottled up.

The Oil is lovely, it doesn't smell like a Jo Malone shop.... but I didn't want it to, the oil smells earthy and of Hemp (shockingly)! I use Hemp a lot in the food I eat so I knew what sort of smell to expect.  I would of been really disappointed with the natural hemp oil if it was covered with fake smelling chemicals. It does leave the body greasy to begin with but after about 5-10mins it sinks in and makes the skin feel wonderful and smooth.  I did ask people if they could smell it on me and they said no, so don't panic and think you'll be smelling like a grass field. After using it for 2 weeks my Eczema has compltely cleared up! No western medicine used at all, and all provided by nature. This is music to my ears and just what Ive been looking for....thank you to the guy who recommended it to me!!

Stace x

June Wishlist

So many favourite things at the moment! Heres my wish list for this month.....

     New Nike Air Max Range- Great for Casual Wear!!  

 Need this for my Yoga sessions, my old one is now ruined. 

 Stella Range for ADIDAS - Love these funky tights to bring some fun to training.

House of CB Fitness Range. Fantastic different designs 

 In desperate need of a new watch since mine broke! This would be perfect for timed sessions.

From Stylerunner.com - ULTRACOR, love a printed legging. 

For when I'm feeling tired!

Love the mesh for a bit of ooh la la- House of CB.

Because sometimes I can't be bothered to make my own recipes. 

 For the days I need some stress relief, and Yoga just doesn't cut it. ADIDAS Response boxing gloves.

Protein World, Slender Blend Review

The Protein World has become a very popular brand, with celebrity endorsements, promises from them that you will lose weight, look better then ever and hitting the headlines (for the wrong reasons...but hey they say any news is good news).

My twitter feed became bombarded with Protein World, and particularly their Slender Blend range. People......mostly females were claiming they had "lost 4-5 pounds in a week".... "a stone in 3".... "had never looked better".... "wouldn't know what I'd do without this".... hashtag this hashtag that.


I'm always sceptical on meal replacement diets especially celebrity endorsed ones. They tend to turn out to be a con and normally consist of a chemical bomb ingredients list....and then over time it turns out the celebrities themselves have been training for a year with a Private PT costing the same as small Hyundai car, have been living on celery, chicken breast and air and their PR team are trying to up their clients celebrity status, so  they are also bringing out a fitness DVD. YAWN! But with the constant tweets popping up on my feed, from everyday ordinary people I thought I'd give it a go.

What particularly attracted me to the product was that they don't use any GMO's (genetically modified organisms) they don't use aspartame, its 100% natural flavourings, no artificial colourings, its also suitable for vegetarians, diabetics and its gluten free. The ingredients list wasn't too overwhelming, Im one of these people who analyses the backs of packets, and if the ingredients list is a bit too long for my liking, or there is even one ingredient which I don't agree with I won't consume it. The full ingredients list of this product is at the bottom of this page. Personally my diet is very clean, I would say now I'm finished Protein World I'm 95% Vegan (its just the odd occasion when I struggle in a restaurant) with everything coming from plant based sources I very rarely eat things from a packet now. Protein World unfortunately isn't suited for Vegans because it contains whey protein concentrate from milk. My reasons for switching to Veganism will come in another post, but just to let you know its not for weight loss reasons.


Oh and FYI  the model pictured in the controversial advert with the heading ' ARE YOU BEACH BODY READY' ...... which have now been pulled down by the Advertising Standards Authority, is a strict VEGAN (Renee Somerfield), so she wouldn't of used the product herself.


I decided to go for the chocolate flavour, after all a chocolate shake which helps you lose weight?! Bring it on!! How can this be a diet? Aren't they meant to be filled with torture? With belly aches from starvation, and constant day dreams about sandwiches, ice cream, and curly fries?....
Well actually to my surprise I found I didn't have any of these feelings!


You can buy their Slender Blend range for £62.00, with the 1kg Protein Shake, Slender Blend weight loss tablets and the multi vitamin tablets all from the website. I decided just to buy the protein powder on its own for £32.00, I don't agree with taking supplements or weight loss pills.

I went for normal delivery, but it arrived the next day so their service is brilliant. It came in bright yellow packaging, with recipes, a meal planner guide inside and some fitness tips.  They recommend 2 meal replacement shakes a day with healthy snacks in between. I replaced my breakfast and lunch, as I have to have a meal in the evening. Some of the shake recipes are really nice, in particular I liked the chocolate protein shake made with unsweetened almond milk and blueberries (pictured above). The powder mixed really well, unlike some protein shakes which are a bit gritty and have powder floating at the top, it also tasted really nice, Ive had some awful chocolate protein shakes and this was the nicest I've tried. Apparently the vanilla is delicious! The shakes filled me up all day, and I rarely had a snack in-between. Which is really odd for me, I've tried a juice diet before and I was crippled with hunger pains, was hangry all the time (hungry + angry) and felt like I was really deprived but I didn't experience this with Slender Blend. In the evening I would have a healthy meal, recommended by Protein World themselves and my regular fitness regime is 5-6 workouts a week with a range of different training sessions. I really stuck to the diet for 4 weeks, but unfortunately I didn't get the results I was hoping for after all the hype on Twitter. I lost 2 pounds in the first week, non in the 2nd, 2 more pounds in the 3rd week and non in the last. So overall 4 pounds in a month..... not the WOW results I was promised and hoping for....and you can get the same results from eating 3 meals a day, just being a bit healthier.

I'm glad I tried it, but I won't be trying a meal replacement diet again, the results I got weren't the best, and I like to have a lot of variety in my diet, with all my nutrients coming from food. I would recommend it to other people, just because they are really nice tasting, not full of chemicals, filling and you can use them as a recovery shake after hard training sessions, not just for meal replacements.


Ingredients list

Chocolate: Whey Protein Concentrate (95%), Protein World thermogenic blend: Guarana extract (22% caffeine) & Green Tea Extract (40% polyphenols), Protein World Multi Vit/Mineral blend (1%), Cocoa Powder (alkalized), Natural Flavourings (3%), Sweeteners; Sucralose.


www.proteinworld.com


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