Gym Stars
Athlete of the Month
This is our space to acknowledge a particular good effort during the last 4 week training cycle.
It may be a single inspiring moment, or a consistently high performance over the month. Whichever it is, given the high standard at our gym, you can be sure they worked pretty darn hard to get here!
Please honor this months A-star performance by clicking 'play' below as you read their accolade.
July 2010 Athlete of the Month:
Irene Sharff
This inspirational quote by the great NFL Coach, Vince Lombardi, could have be been written with Irene in mind.
"If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done."
In fact the three words we'd use to sum-up Irene's performance whenever she steps in the gym are...
You can beleive that once Irene determines that an exercise can and should be done, she will find a way to do it!
Irene suffers like everybody else during a tough workout but she has resolved in her own mind that the fleeting pain is a worthwhile trade for the long-term health benefits of intense exercise, and is able to push herself beyond most.
This fabulous work ethic has resulted in some phenomenal results...
Here's a list of her *Level 0.75 achievements to date:
*Level 0.75 Goals Scale equates to 75% of the Level 1 Goals: For instance where Level 1 would be 50 Squats, Level 0.75 would be 38 Squats).
No surprise, given the aforementioned courage, determination and competitive drive, that Irene will often surpass the Level 0.75 Goal and achieve the full Level 1 target.
Here's a list of her Level 1 achievements to date:
The stats that caught our eye this last month were...
You read that right...'10 Press-ups'...Full range, on the floor, quality press-ups. As it stands this is a full Level 1 Goal, but we're actually in the process of revising it to Level 2 as so few women have achieved it (details to follow). Either way it's a very rare achievement!
Irene's ability to take on Level 1 Goals is no accident as Irene will often opt to undertake the workouts as prescribed (as RX'd) even though we try to scale her down!
For example, this week the workout which featured 3 Rounds of 400m run should/could have been scaled down to 3 Rounds of 200m. Irene stuck with the 400m option, including band-assisted pull-ups like everybody else!
Well done Irene, another star performer, and a terrific example at any age!
As you may have noticed this Month's 'Athlete of the Month' proved to be a close call. In truth, and yes it's a vomit inducing cliche, but all of our Athletes are deserving of this accolade. Day-in day-out we see all sorts of personal triumphs and dogged tenacity from our clients, but, there can be only one winner... (straight from the X-Factor script that one!)
...AND, THE WINNER IS...
Lynn Bradford.
We suspect that Lynn must be a star at work as well as the gym because she lights up the room with contagious enthusiasm every time she walks through the door.
Her cheery disposition gets her through the grimmest of workouts. Indeed, it's not unusual to see her laughing to herself mid-workout! "It's OK Lynne we often laugh at you...I mean...with you during workouts!"
We've mentioned it before but 'Cheerfulness' is part of the Commando core ethos. It's a killer trait to have, and Lynn has it in spades.
Perhaps it is no coincidence that Lynn is not only mentally strong but also a great all-round athlete.
Running comes very natural and Lynn could quite easily coast around any of our running based workouts. However, she ensures that she runs at her own best effort and will often sustain the 400m running goal pace within a workout of multiple 400m circuits.
On the explosive strength side, Lynn has secured the kettle-bell goal of 25 overhead swings at 16kg, which is a considerable proportion of her body-weight.
Finally, Lynn has demonstrated a flair for gymnastic components of the workouts; quickly moving from handstand kick-ups and holds, to the point where she can now work on partial range hand-stand push-ups.
Well Done Lynn, another star-performer and a credit to our Gym!
May 2010 Athletes of the Month:
Michael and Vicky
June is here already, and with it, another 'Athlete of the Month Appointment' for May. This month we're pleased to announce a joint title for none other than Michael and Vicky!
Michael and Vicky have this month demonstrated amazing commitment to their health & fitness, and a remarkable will to succeed.
Swapping this...
For this...
Not just for one day but, all day everyday for 30 days!
Not only have they provided a shining example that it can be done, but it can be done in style...not a drop of milk, square of chocolate, slither of cheese, or any other 'treat' you care to mention was enough to tempt these guys.
Tools they used to do it...
They lost more than a stone, not between them, but each!
On top of all of this, and despite being focused on nutrition, Michael and Vicky still managed to smash some PBs as well this month:
In the last month Michael has achieved...
In the last month Vicky has achieved...
April 2010 Athlete of the Month:
Laura Simpson
Laura leaves us soon (don't worry she'll be back in August!) for a once in a life-time adventure in South-East Asia. We'd like to use this slot to acknowledge all her hard work, dedication, and achievements over the last five months and wish her a fantastic trip, and of course a safe return.
When we first met Laura at the gym she introduced herself as the 'typical', fun-loving socialite student (read: likes to party!) , with a healthy aversion to all things fitness!
She wanted a way to get into shape but never dreamed that she'd actually enjoy the whole process!
We love Laura's warmth, friendliness, and sense of humour.
We also love the fact that she describes every workout as "definitely the hardest workout I've ever done!".
From our point of view Laura's highlights include...
This is just a mere glimpse of Laura's fitness journey so far and we're sure she has her own 'best-bits'.
Laura is more than 3/4 of her way through her Level 1 Skills and is making nice progress on her 'double-unders' and hand-stand push-up progressions so we look forward to her return to take care of this unfinished business.
Bon Voyage Laura, Come back Sooooooon!
March 2010 Athlete of the Month:
Malcolm Syer
Consistently demonstrating a very high work ethic since he joined us in July 09, Malcolm has combined exercise with diet achieving these dramatic results;
Before and after photos taken July 2009 and April 2010
Well done Malcolm! A very worthy first Athlete of the Month.
This is our space to acknowledge a particular good effort during the last 4 week training cycle.
It may be a single inspiring moment, or a consistently high performance over the month. Whichever it is, given the high standard at our gym, you can be sure they worked pretty darn hard to get here!
Please honor this months A-star performance by clicking 'play' below as you read their accolade.
July 2010 Athlete of the Month:
Irene SharffThis inspirational quote by the great NFL Coach, Vince Lombardi, could have be been written with Irene in mind.
"If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done."
In fact the three words we'd use to sum-up Irene's performance whenever she steps in the gym are...
- Determination
- Determination
- Determination
You can beleive that once Irene determines that an exercise can and should be done, she will find a way to do it!
Irene suffers like everybody else during a tough workout but she has resolved in her own mind that the fleeting pain is a worthwhile trade for the long-term health benefits of intense exercise, and is able to push herself beyond most.This fabulous work ethic has resulted in some phenomenal results...
Here's a list of her *Level 0.75 achievements to date:
*Level 0.75 Goals Scale equates to 75% of the Level 1 Goals: For instance where Level 1 would be 50 Squats, Level 0.75 would be 38 Squats).
- Level 0.75: 2000m Row in 10min 23sec (almost a full 2mins under her target!)
- Level 0.75: 400m Run in 2:16 (almost 20 seconds under her target!))
- Level 0.75: Sit-ups
- Level 0.75: Squats
- Level 0.75: 500m Row
No surprise, given the aforementioned courage, determination and competitive drive, that Irene will often surpass the Level 0.75 Goal and achieve the full Level 1 target.
Here's a list of her Level 1 achievements to date:
- Level 1 Vertical Jump
- Level 1 Static Hang
- Level 1 Med-ball Clean
- Level 1 Knees to Chest
- Level 1 Dead-lift
The stats that caught our eye this last month were...- Target weight achieved (that's 1 stone 2lbs lost or 2 whole dress sizes dropped)
- Level 1 Push-up (that's 10 full press-ups!)
You read that right...'10 Press-ups'...Full range, on the floor, quality press-ups. As it stands this is a full Level 1 Goal, but we're actually in the process of revising it to Level 2 as so few women have achieved it (details to follow). Either way it's a very rare achievement!
Irene's ability to take on Level 1 Goals is no accident as Irene will often opt to undertake the workouts as prescribed (as RX'd) even though we try to scale her down!
For example, this week the workout which featured 3 Rounds of 400m run should/could have been scaled down to 3 Rounds of 200m. Irene stuck with the 400m option, including band-assisted pull-ups like everybody else!
Well done Irene, another star performer, and a terrific example at any age!
June 2010 Athlete of the Month:
As you may have noticed this Month's 'Athlete of the Month' proved to be a close call. In truth, and yes it's a vomit inducing cliche, but all of our Athletes are deserving of this accolade. Day-in day-out we see all sorts of personal triumphs and dogged tenacity from our clients, but, there can be only one winner... (straight from the X-Factor script that one!)
...AND, THE WINNER IS...
Lynn Bradford.
We suspect that Lynn must be a star at work as well as the gym because she lights up the room with contagious enthusiasm every time she walks through the door.Her cheery disposition gets her through the grimmest of workouts. Indeed, it's not unusual to see her laughing to herself mid-workout! "It's OK Lynne we often laugh at you...I mean...with you during workouts!"
We've mentioned it before but 'Cheerfulness' is part of the Commando core ethos. It's a killer trait to have, and Lynn has it in spades.
Perhaps it is no coincidence that Lynn is not only mentally strong but also a great all-round athlete.
Running comes very natural and Lynn could quite easily coast around any of our running based workouts. However, she ensures that she runs at her own best effort and will often sustain the 400m running goal pace within a workout of multiple 400m circuits.
On the explosive strength side, Lynn has secured the kettle-bell goal of 25 overhead swings at 16kg, which is a considerable proportion of her body-weight.
Finally, Lynn has demonstrated a flair for gymnastic components of the workouts; quickly moving from handstand kick-ups and holds, to the point where she can now work on partial range hand-stand push-ups.
Well Done Lynn, another star-performer and a credit to our Gym!
May 2010 Athletes of the Month:
Michael and Vicky
June is here already, and with it, another 'Athlete of the Month Appointment' for May. This month we're pleased to announce a joint title for none other than Michael and Vicky!
Michael and Vicky have this month demonstrated amazing commitment to their health & fitness, and a remarkable will to succeed.
Swapping this...
For this...
Not just for one day but, all day everyday for 30 days!
Not only have they provided a shining example that it can be done, but it can be done in style...not a drop of milk, square of chocolate, slither of cheese, or any other 'treat' you care to mention was enough to tempt these guys.
Tools they used to do it...
- Cheerfulness (in adversity)
- 'Can-Do' attitude
- Pillars of Support (practical; recipes and emotional; words of encouragement)
- Resourcefulness (seeking out further reading and ideas from various blog-sites
They lost more than a stone, not between them, but each!
On top of all of this, and despite being focused on nutrition, Michael and Vicky still managed to smash some PBs as well this month:
In the last month Michael has achieved...
- 10 Strict Push-ups
- 25 Kettle-Bell Swings @24kg
- 400m run in 1:44
In the last month Vicky has achieved...
- 500m row 1:51 (Level 2 Goal)
- 400m run 1:47
Well done Vicky! Well done Michael! A great team and a credit to our gym!
April 2010 Athlete of the Month:
Laura Simpson
Laura leaves us soon (don't worry she'll be back in August!) for a once in a life-time adventure in South-East Asia. We'd like to use this slot to acknowledge all her hard work, dedication, and achievements over the last five months and wish her a fantastic trip, and of course a safe return.
When we first met Laura at the gym she introduced herself as the 'typical', fun-loving socialite student (read: likes to party!) , with a healthy aversion to all things fitness! She wanted a way to get into shape but never dreamed that she'd actually enjoy the whole process!
We love Laura's warmth, friendliness, and sense of humour.
We also love the fact that she describes every workout as "definitely the hardest workout I've ever done!".
From our point of view Laura's highlights include...
- Blazing a trail for others to follow by being the first to complete the very demanding 'Christine' workout in under 15 minutes: This involves 3 rounds of the following; a 500m row, 12 Dead-lifts lifting half your bodyweight each time, and 21 Box Jumps onto a high box (20" Box height).
- A Bodyweight dead-lift (like 'Ron-seal' this is exactly what it says on the tin; the ability to lift the equivalent to your own bodyweight off the floor
- The first athlete to achieve the 'Wall-Ball' Goal. This consists of throwing a 12lbs ( 20lbs for male athletes) medicine-ball at an 8ft target repeatedly, and without rest, for 25 repetitions.
This is just a mere glimpse of Laura's fitness journey so far and we're sure she has her own 'best-bits'. Laura is more than 3/4 of her way through her Level 1 Skills and is making nice progress on her 'double-unders' and hand-stand push-up progressions so we look forward to her return to take care of this unfinished business.
Bon Voyage Laura, Come back Sooooooon!
March 2010 Athlete of the Month:
Malcolm Syer
Consistently demonstrating a very high work ethic since he joined us in July 09, Malcolm has combined exercise with diet achieving these dramatic results;
- Lost 3 and 1/2 stone
- Lowered Blood Pressure from 212/117 to 130/82 without medication
- Achieved a Bodyweight Dead-lift
- First Assisted Pull-up
- Level 1 400m Run goal
- Hang-Power-Cleaned 30kg for 30 Reps
Before and after photos taken July 2009 and April 2010
Well done Malcolm! A very worthy first Athlete of the Month.
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