Starting Monday Podcast
Starting Monday Podcast
From Christmas Catch up to New Year Focus
Remember the Gavin and Stacey Christmas special? Just like that nostalgic favorite, we're back together, reminiscing about the holiday season and our fitness adventures—or, more accurately, the comedy of errors that is our "consistent inconsistency." We've all been there: promising to kick-start new routines every Monday, only to see them wilt by Thursday. Our chat is full of personal tales, from the joy of Christmas stockings to the practical warmth of electric blankets, a necessity to fend off the Scottish chill. We even touch on the ever-dramatic shifts in football management, particularly with West Ham, because let's face it, those stories are almost as unpredictable as our fitness plans.
Now, let's talk fitness goals and the strategies that actually work. We're diving into the nitty-gritty of mastering pull-ups, getting lean by 40, and prepping for big life events like weddings. Spoiler: setting specific, tangible targets can make a world of difference. Whether you're aiming to run a 10k, set new personal bests in bench and deadlift, or simply not collapse after five flights of stairs, our conversation is packed with tips on balancing strength and cardiovascular training. We also touch on how community support, like on Strava, can be a game-changer, especially when winter workouts in Scotland feel more like an extreme sport.
Finally, accountability is key, and boy, do we have some catching up to do! Matthew and I (your favorite northeast of Scotland fitness duo) share a candid chat about the importance of regular check-ins—not just to keep each other on track but to maintain our sanity. It's been a lonely time without Barry, and sometimes, you just need someone to waffle with about goals, life, and everything in between. Whether you're here for the laughs, the insights, or just a warm voice in the cold, we hope this episode feels like a friendly catch-up. If you enjoy it, do us a favor and share it with a friend who might need a little fitness motivation or just a good chuckle.
hey guys, your favorite fitness duo from the northeast of scotland, we're back.
Speaker 2:We're back again it does feel weird not having headphones by the way big comeback for context.
Speaker 1:Barry's got headphones and I don't the main speaker gets the headphones, he does so. Uh, we've not met up in a while, as per usual, but we thought, since uh, gavin and Stacey made a comeback in a Christmas special we thought we might as well make one as well and be in January, and all that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, did you see that Gavin and Stacey special?
Speaker 1:Hello, did I see it? Yeah, I love it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was good. I haven't seen it.
Speaker 1:I'm a big fan. Yeah, I've actually went back and started watching season one On about episode four, just the last few nights.
Speaker 2:You're making your way through that Every season of Captain Stacey Well.
Speaker 1:I can't even remember what year it was.
Speaker 2:Too fair, it's good.
Speaker 1:I think it might have been like Was it 2016? 2017? I thought I was older than that yeah, sorry, I'm talking absolute nonsense must be way older, it's like 2008, actually, before we start messing about before we start.
Speaker 2:He's got his phone out. He's checking talking absolute nonsense to people because Gavin O'Stacey in my head is like mid 2000s, like 2005. Yeah, yeah, I'm really, because Gavin and Stacey in my head is like Mid 2000s, like 2005?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm really sorry, you're totally right. I think I was just finishing uni or something at the time 2007. What's later, alright, so I went back and started watching that. It's so funny.
Speaker 2:Is it? It is actually good though.
Speaker 1:It is. But yeah, no, it's nice to see you, mate. Yeah, it's been a long time. If anyone is tuning into this, we appreciate you coming back and having a little listen.
Speaker 2:We're we're committed to starting Monday yeah, to be fair, the the title makes sense now like we're. We're those people.
Speaker 1:We'll start Monday we're just two guys that are struggling with our diet and we continually start, but we never get going yeah, we always fall by the wayside. By thursday preach start monday again preach consistency in every episode, yet we're the most inconsistent podcast on.
Speaker 2:Yeah we try to think about when we last actually recorded a podcast, and even both of us can't figure out when it was. It was a while ago, months, a long time. But we're back, we're back, we're back.
Speaker 1:The thing I remember is when, last time we did this, Matthew and everyone that listens to this knows that Matthew is a big West Ham fan I think you've had two managers since then. Yeah we've officially had two managers, so that either says we're shit or West Ham shit both.
Speaker 2:Both can be true, but I'd also like to point out, for people who don't know football, that we got your manager sacked as well, so you've got a new manager, and it's because we beat you guys. We were so bad that when we beat you, they went oh my god, we need to get rid of our manager.
Speaker 1:I mean everyone's beaten us.
Speaker 2:That's just the way it is. It's teamwork. That's the way it is. That's what life's about Teamwork. Anyway, how was Christmas Christmas? I was busy, I was working the whole time, but it was all right. Yeah, I didn't really do much exciting stuff.
Speaker 1:I wanted to ask you because I'm interested do you still believe in Santa? No, I'm only joking. Do you still get Christmas presents of some kind?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I still get Christmas presents my parents. Well, my parents, my mum gets me stuff.
Speaker 1:My brothers don't. Do you have a stocking?
Speaker 2:Yeah, we still do stockings.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, do you have a stocking. You get an orange and a little tangerine.
Speaker 2:What do I get in the stocking? No, nothing of note. It's like sweets and stuff.
Speaker 1:I don't do any of that stuff now, obviously, but you know Well you don't get a stocking.
Speaker 2:Come on, man.
Speaker 1:I'm fully focused on the boys now. Oh yeah, yeah. But yeah, I think probably until a few years ago probably did. But, I wanted to ask you what you got for Christmas.
Speaker 2:Oh, you don't want to know. Actually, you know what. You tell me what you got for Christmas. Okay, because it'll be way better than what I got. If my mum's listening to this, just skip this bit. Just fast forward for a couple of minutes.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, what did you get Okay? First up, I got an electric blanket.
Speaker 2:That's quite good Time of year as well. I thought you were going to laugh and slag me off. No, that's all right, barry.
Speaker 1:Barry, we're getting old, somebody said to me, tell me you're old without telling me.
Speaker 2:We're old now. Yeah, we're getting old.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so like it's not an electric blanket for your bed, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about one that you just throw over you when you're in the living room.
Speaker 2:I don't actually hate it, though. I think that's quite good. I wouldn't mind that.
Speaker 1:But you're a guy that walks about in shorts.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm currently in shorts.
Speaker 1:I don't think you like a blanket when you're sitting watching the TV. It's negative. One and a half outside.
Speaker 2:No, in the living room. Yeah, you do yeah.
Speaker 1:There's a reason You're heating down.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but I felt great, it was fantastic.
Speaker 1:I came outside and it was negative one and a half.
Speaker 2:I'm like what are we doing?
Speaker 1:Have you got it up like a solid Scotland?
Speaker 2:come on, let's get some good weather.
Speaker 1:So yeah, cosy blanket for sitting and doing nothing in the living room.
Speaker 2:So are all your presents from your wife.
Speaker 1:Then would you say or do you get stuff from? Like all the people I get bits from mum and dad still, or Emma's mum and dad, but it's the same stuff, like it's, like I've got, like I've got a wardrobe full of pyjamas, basically and socks.
Speaker 2:You don't strike me as a pyjama guy. Do you wear pyjamas?
Speaker 1:well, most years I'll get like one or two sets of pyjamas. I'll try them on, I'll wear them once and then I'll never wear them again. Because I'll wear them once and then I'll never wear them again. Because I'm kind of like really pernickety about what I like to wear to go to bed.
Speaker 1:I feel like, inherently, men probably don't wear pyjamas as much and sometimes like these things don't feel good, or they don't fit good, or they're a bit scratchy. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, you don't want that like. You just need to feel comfortable when you're in bed.
Speaker 2:So what else do you get apart from an electric blanket that you use in the living room?
Speaker 1:So I've got something else that might sort of solidify.
Speaker 2:You could use it on the bed as well, by the way. You could, if you want to.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so, getting old, I got a pair of slippers. Okay, so I've got my slippers and my electric blanket. Uh-huh, Honestly that's Honestly. That's probably two of the best presents you could have got me. I'm buzzing.
Speaker 2:I thought you would name something like I know Something a bit better. I thought the electric blanket Was like the starter, the slippers.
Speaker 1:No, the electric blanket Was the present. The present, that was the best one. You're up there with me then.
Speaker 2:Is that all you got Of things of note?
Speaker 1:Let me think I'm sure I got Like Lynx Africa or something, oh classic. Oh no, I got some nice aftershave.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's good yeah.
Speaker 1:That's useful.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's useful. I got a towel. My mum got me a towel and I was like when you open it, I'm like I wouldn't mind, like a set of towels so I can get rid of my old ones and have some new towels. And I was like Just a towel.
Speaker 1:Was it? You know you get. You've got the big bath towel, you've got the medium sized bath towel?
Speaker 2:Oh, that's a good question. You've got the little.
Speaker 1:Like hand towel, and then you've got the flannel.
Speaker 2:The thing is I haven't used it probably say medium medium, so my dad's used the towel before I used the towel because he's. They stayed over with me on new year's eve, um, because they were out uh, hold the bus.
Speaker 1:Yeah, somebody has used your towel before you've had the chance, yeah.
Speaker 2:So my dad was like I'm gonna have a shower, I'm like your number one christmas present yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then the other thing I got was uh, two pillowcases, matthew. No, I'm not joking, that's what I got, yeah that's what I got.
Speaker 1:You're making my Christmas presents look absolutely amazing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, genuinely. So I got two green pillowcases. I was like, I was like to my mum. I was like, yeah, why? And she was like, oh, they're nice, I think they're like John Lewis ones or something. And I was like, all right, okay, but all my covers, like all my bed sheets and all that are like white or grey Interesting, Maybe you want me to like mix it up a little bit. Green will go with them. I was like, oh, come on Again, I wouldn't mind the whole set, but I just got two pillows.
Speaker 1:So that's it. That's the things of note I got two pillowcases and uh a towel.
Speaker 1:I've just thought of a pet peeve. You know, it's always been like a bit of a theme in the in the podcast, but happened to me the other morning. There you go for a shower and you forget to get your towel organized. So then you finish your shower, yeah, and you're like you don't, you don't really want to be walking about, and especially when it's minus six outside or minus four outside or whatever it is, you've just had a warm shower as well had a warm shower.
Speaker 1:How uncomfortable it is to run about your house naked looking for a towel. So, like I usually, what do you? Well, you live alone, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I live alone.
Speaker 1:So I just shout and bang the walls until someone brings me a towel.
Speaker 2:To sleep. For help, yeah, scream for help, yeah, yeah, no, I can just do what I want. I live by myself.
Speaker 1:So yeah, but I've been there, we've all been there, yeah. Oh well, it's good.
Speaker 2:Good to know, not very exciting.
Speaker 1:What you got for Christmas.
Speaker 2:Did you have a turkey? I've heard a lot of people Not having turkeys. These days, people be saying to me oh, we're not doing turkey this year.
Speaker 1:We had turkey, we had ham, and we had turkey, we had ham and we had beef cheek, oh jeez.
Speaker 2:So we went to full hog.
Speaker 1:Yeah, different Christmas this year, because normally we go to our parents house, like my parents or my wife's parents, but we had it at home. So, yeah, emma cooked and it was lovely, it was good yeah no, turkey for you.
Speaker 2:No, we had turkey, we do turkey, turkey duck. And what do you do? Salmon, I'm like salmon these days.
Speaker 1:But what's your? You can't be having salmon at Christmas, mate. I'm only asking this question because I want to say what my favourite is Salmon's, a Tuesday night staple and you're having it on Christmas Day.
Speaker 2:Take that up with pillow. No, I like salmon.
Speaker 1:No, no, I won't do that Big salmon what? Do you mean big salmon?
Speaker 2:So like you, actually she gets a proper, like a whole salmon Eyeball and everything she has before, but you'll cut the head off. You know. Keep the head, yeah, unless you're Partaking that. So what's your favourite thing From a Christmas dinner? I want to ask you, because I've got an answer.
Speaker 1:That is a good question, actually. Yeah, because I've got an answer. That is a good question actually, yeah. Should we rate it from like Top to bottom? No, I've got my number one.
Speaker 2:We had this conversation actually Probably last podcast, I bet you so many people had this conversation.
Speaker 1:No, at Christmas day, rate the dinner from Top to bottom. It's difficult. I really really like Roast tatties yeah.
Speaker 2:Especially if they're Cooked well and they're like I really really like Roast ties yeah.
Speaker 1:Especially if they're cooked well and they're like.
Speaker 2:Good roast ties. We had massive ones. They were just a bit too big.
Speaker 1:Like if they're, if they've been cooked well.
Speaker 2:Small, to medium sized, then Crispy.
Speaker 1:I mean they could be Really, really, really good. I mean pigs in blankets.
Speaker 2:Gotta be up there, it's gotta be up there, if you're talking main meal P, pigs in blankets for me is number one, but for me it's a dessert.
Speaker 1:I can't eat 20 of them, like some folk can.
Speaker 2:I could eat them for an eternity, they're so good.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I like the trifle. My dad makes a trifle every year. Sherry trifle, Love a trifle. I'd just demolish the whole thing if I could. I'd hate to know the calories in it because I can eat.
Speaker 1:Can I come to your house if you're having trifles? Yeah right, let's. Uh, let's speak about something that's fitness related, shall we yeah?
Speaker 2:let's just pivot. Pivot from? Are we pivoting?
Speaker 1:so I've got some, uh, client goals that well, not just client goals, sorry people I've been speaking to so this is like a mixture of like clients, gym members, friends, people that I speak to online, that sort of stuff. So I've just summarized a few, or I've just listed down a few that I thought might be helpful for us to speak about. Being January, and we have some it's usually a month where people like to reset and look at the future and look to see what they want to achieve in the years, in the, in the next 12 months, and setting some goals, etc. Etc. A couple of things. First one to do a pull-up. That's somebody's goal To do a pull-up.
Speaker 2:I love this goal and I've got a lot of clients who do this goal.
Speaker 1:Do you?
Speaker 2:You work with a lot of people to do a pull-up.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a lot of women actually. I think we're going to have different approaches do a pull-up.
Speaker 2:It seems to be like I can get anyone to a pull-up if you give me time if I give you 10 years no, a couple months I'm joking what's your, what's your starting point? Where do you go first?
Speaker 1:well, I think it. I think it varies from person to person and 100 because you might be dealing with somebody that that's quite heavy, like yeah, and not particularly strong, and they've said their goal to do a pull-up and in that case it's not all that realistic. I don't think. No, that's true. Yeah, it's not that it can't be a goal, but it's maybe not going to be a goal within the short term, but the strength level's required.
Speaker 2:So if your goal is to lose weight and do a pull-up.
Speaker 1:There's a bit of work to do there. You can build the strength as you're losing the weight, then but generally it's maybe someone that is strong enough to do push-ups and you know, lean enough to be be within that ballpark of a pull-up is achievable soon. Um and then I think, yeah, it's a good goal, it's something that we can achieve, because I think if you're carrying a lot of unnecessary weight like body fat, and you're quite heavy, we know ourselves when we gain weight. How does that affect our own pull-ups?
Speaker 2:And we're people that are quite strong and can do pull-ups. He's looking at me intently right now. I'm not that heavy, barry, I'm only really heavy. It does it intently right now. No, but I'm not that heavy, barry, I'm only. I'm really heavy, but it does. It makes so much harder okay.
Speaker 1:So the first thing for me is always to try and get, get that person in better shape to pull themselves up. So get them, get them leaner yeah um, and then it's you know more specific from there, like you know, actually working on the movement of doing a pull-up and finding what level they are at. Are they at the level where they can do eccentric pull-ups? Yeah, which are great. We lift them up or they climb up or they jump up.
Speaker 2:They're my favourite. They hold themselves at the top and lower themselves down slowly. We've got an assisted pull-up.
Speaker 2:A different level, but it's a standing assisted pull-up a different level, but it's a standing assisted pull-up and I really like it actually. And uh, that's my. I need to get into there first. If I can get them to there and using that and slowly reducing the weight that assists them, I get them to a certain level, like in my head it's like around the 30 kilo mark. That helps them um, eccentrics, and then from there you can do pull-ups. It's not really hard. People try to over complicate pull-ups. The key is frequency, right? So if you don't want to do a pull-up, you're doing them once a week. You're not going to get much better at them you're doing twice or three times a week.
Speaker 2:You definitely will you definitely will yeah, it's a good goal, though. I love that goal.
Speaker 1:It's one of my favorites, so if your goal is to do a pull-up work on getting a little bit leaner, but be frequent with your training process towards it. Obviously there's some specifics that you want to do. You want to build up your, your lats, your, your back strength, your arms, your grip strength, probably spending a lot of time on the bar dead hangs um, you know, getting used to holding your body weight and then maybe building up from there rack chins.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Banded, assisted band. There's lots of variations, but it really comes down to how well you program it. But the more you do something, the better you're going to be at it. I remember when I first became a gym instructor I couldn't do a pull-up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you got into it.
Speaker 1:I just basically every time I walked past the cable machine I did a little pull-up bit did you I just jumped up and and yeah, because we're two opposites.
Speaker 2:I, I was so light, I could do a pull-up.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I weighed nothing and then, eventually, I could do them, you know yeah, so again, frequency, you're right, keep doing them, keep doing them right next goal matth. Yeah, 40 this year and have a big year of holidays and want to be as lean and as confident as I can.
Speaker 2:Can I be blatantly obvious when I say obvious, that's not the word I was looking for. I'll be blatant I hate this goal. Okay, explain, because I always find people who do this goal always give up.
Speaker 1:When they're 41.
Speaker 2:I've had a few clients in the past who are like oh, I'm turning 40 soon, I want to do X, y and Z, I want to be that. And then they get them into training and after like two months it's like I can't get them coming back in. So yeah, it was a great one. And then, well, it depends what your goal is Like. What's fitness to you Like? How fit do you want to be? Do you want to? How good do you want to look?
Speaker 1:It's a bit. It's a bit vague, but it's, I can relate to it. I feel like if someone's already into the gym.
Speaker 2:This is a common one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know what it's like to turn 40. Yeah, all right.
Speaker 2:But then you're already into it.
Speaker 1:You did this thing, yeah exactly, and I think you smashed it.
Speaker 2:This was basically me, yeah, but you smashed it.
Speaker 1:You did so well. I know and thank you for pointing that out yeah.
Speaker 2:But, I think when you turn, it's on YouTube by the way 40, you kind of re-evaluate your life a little bit.
Speaker 1:It's like you've been born again. You kind of you kind of start.
Speaker 2:You now start thinking about, uh, death it just suddenly hits you yeah, I'm gonna die.
Speaker 1:No, I need to you suddenly, you suddenly realize that shit, I'm not 21 I thought I was 21 and then when I was 30, I was like, yeah, I'm 21, older than 21. When I'm 35, I'm like, yeah, I'm still 30 21 I thought I was 21 and then when I was 30, I was like, yeah, I'm 21, older than 21.
Speaker 1:When I'm 35, I'm like, yeah, I'm still 30, 21, I mean, I'm still young, blah, blah. Then when you're 39, you're like, oh, you're going to be 40 next year, you're gonna be 40 next year. You're like, shut up, I'm 39, do you mean? And then when you turn 40, it's like, boom, yeah, it hits you. So it isn't, isn't right, but it it. I used it as a bit of a motivator that year to um, to just basically re-evaluate and get myself healthy, get myself fitter, look at my lifestyle runs, try and like, improve on all these different things.
Speaker 2:And then once I turned 41, it just went all to shit again. No, you're still fit though, aren't you yeah?
Speaker 1:Am I.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, you seem to I try, maybe I try.
Speaker 1:But yeah, if you've got, if that's your goal this year, then you know, I think.
Speaker 2:I think it's a good goal, but I think it's hard. People try, and what my issue with it is I think people try and change too much with their whole life and it's just not maintainable. Yeah, if you want to get a bit fitter, maybe pivot like, for example, you pivoting your training to something a bit more fitness based, a bit more health based, rather than, like, bodybuilding based. You know what I mean? Like probably what you were doing before. I think that's great.
Speaker 2:But, little changes To make a positive difference, rather than like Overhauling your whole life Because it's just not going to happen, is it?
Speaker 1:No. But, Use that as a, as a motivator To push. You See where you get. Yeah, see where you get See what happens.
Speaker 2:See what happens yeah.
Speaker 1:What's your next one? It's all going to be good.
Speaker 2:You're going to like the next one yeah, I want bigger arms tough it says I want bigger I want bigger arms by matthew yeah, they're already um arnold schwarzenegger. I've got to give them bigger arms. Um, I can't frequency, it's like pull-ups you want bigger arms just do your arms more this guy, this guy you're gonna be that guy in the gym. This guy knows what he wants.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's not he be that guy in the gym. This guy knows what he wants. Yeah, yeah, it's not, he's not messing about. He says what's your goal for 2025? I want bigger arms cool. I didn't ask him why that might have been more interesting. Yeah, it would have been interesting. But he wants bigger arms. Yeah, funnily enough, I've been training my arms a bit more frequently since we last met. I don't know if you've noticed so 12?
Speaker 2:it's been 12 months. So flex there, oh, geez yeah. How many days a week do you train your arms?
Speaker 1:twice every time I do upper body, so five times a week, probably three times a week okay.
Speaker 2:So I think, I think I would say three times, I think the frequency is good enough.
Speaker 1:I'm not doing a huge amount of volume within each session, but I'm I'm doing enough and I'm sort of progressing it a little bit. So I think ticking that box with frequency yeah, probably got a good 50-50 split between bicep and tricep work nice, sticking to to be fair, you do have good biceps.
Speaker 2:I'll give you that compliment. Oh, thanks very much. Yeah, he does have good biceps. I'm sticking.
Speaker 1:I usually stick to the same movements for maybe four or six weeks nice so I'm not varying it all the time so that I can like get that progressive overload, you know what's your?
Speaker 2:what's your bicep? Exercises? What's your?
Speaker 1:what's my staples?
Speaker 1:yeah, so right now though incline dumbbell curls is one that's pretty much always there or thereabouts they're brutal though. Yeah, em, but one I did and I've I've changed programs recently. Obviously you need to change them every so often. Keep, keep the variation, keep the motivation there. But I was, I was doing an exercise. I hadn't done it for like a long, long time, which was single arm standing dumbbell curls, so like one, you know alternating, sorry, alternating dumbbell curls Alternating, which is something I never, ever programmed before, but I managed to get.
Speaker 2:I did it not too long ago. I just get bored. When the set is so long I'm like ugh. Well.
Speaker 1:That's my one issue with them. I started off like on the like the tens or the tens or something, and found it challenging and then by the end of the program was up like comfortably working with like 17 and a half jeez, currently 17 and a half but one at a time, you know, I mean um. So I think it's good to have a bit of variation, but it's also good to stick to an exercise long enough that you can progress it and see progress 100 another.
Speaker 1:Another thing as well is I see a lot of people making this mistake is that they've maybe got three sets of 10 on their program. For example, first week they'll do three sets of 10, then they'll go up a week. They'll go up a weight, the the weight the next week and they're doing like three sets of, you know, 10, 9, 8. Then the next week they go up again and their reps keep coming down.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so they're losing volume over time.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So what I would do is, if you can complete three sets of 10 at the exercise, brilliant, go up a weight next week, but don't change that weight until you're hitting three sets of 10.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you can do it like that, a hundred percent. Yeah, you can. But you can also add sets. You know what I mean. You're trying to increase volume Different ways.
Speaker 1:A hundred percent To skin it. But that's just how I found it's worked for me. But another another bicep one I've been doing recently which I quite like is cable stretch curls stretch curls.
Speaker 2:How do you?
Speaker 1:mean so you're using the cable machine you've got, you've got like a handle each side you take a step out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I'm with you, it's behind yeah, it's behind you, you're starting with it. Behind you, I'd call it you and like a drag curl. Yeah, well, similar to that, just. Yeah, it was with two different name, but good exercise if you want bigger arms, get training them more frequently yeah program it, plan it, don't.
Speaker 1:Uh, don't just jump about doing random arm exercise yeah, that's with any body part, by the way.
Speaker 2:So like, if you want to get your legs bigger, just like your quads, just train your quads more frequently. We have a guy in the gym, one of my mates, murray um, and he's doing small off. You remember small of juniors program for bench press, where you bench press five days a week. He's running that right now how's he getting on uh?
Speaker 2:he's just finished it, so he's he's set up to to pb and hopefully he will pb um. So that's a prime example of a program where you can, like he can bench five days a a week. You know, you can squat five days a week if you really want to, but you have to be really smart about how you're doing it. But yeah, that's besides the point. Frequency is key. Want bigger arms? Train them more.
Speaker 1:Before we move on, what's your staple tricep exercise.
Speaker 2:Staple. Oh, there's two. What are your favorite favourite dumbbell skull crusher that's my favourite yeah, and then, like any push down variation, you could give me any of them.
Speaker 1:I'm pretty happy straight bar rope, single arm, although I would say, like you know, for arms and building bigger arms, triceps, stuff like that, get the compound lifts in as well.
Speaker 2:You know oh yeah 100% like your close grip bench press Do you like a JM, press your dips if you can do it.
Speaker 1:I've done a JM press before I think you were doing them. I love them In the gym.
Speaker 2:I've done them for a while, jm. It's good, good exercise. I'm not as familiar with that.
Speaker 1:To be honest with you, prefer over closed grip.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:Here's another goal, probably one that you're not going to like, but Wedding coming up my sister going to like. But um, wedding coming up my sister.
Speaker 2:I like this one. Okay, my sister's getting married.
Speaker 1:It's not even her wedding right sister's getting married and she's a bridesmaid. She wants to fit in the dress and she wants to look her best it's very similar to the 40s.
Speaker 2:Okay, let's dissect it. It's a good point. Actually, this is probably going to bring out what the issue of the 40s, the 40s so broad where? Where's your end goal? Oh, it's when I turn 41. But it's never really. It's like that whole. Is it the year? Is it the calendar year? Whatever True? Could be when they turn 40. Yeah, but with this they have a set goal. Like, that wedding is coming at that date and I've got to get ready for that, so wedding people.
Speaker 1:They always smash it. You must have trained a lot of people, like for weddings and all that. I've never seen anyone smash it more motivated than when they have got their own wedding yeah, yeah, 100 they each smash it. I've trained people and we've worked on lots of different nutritional protocols, lifestyle and can we get the weight off? No, yeah.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:They get a date and a diary to get married and wow yeah, shredded Weight comes off. Yeah, and it's because the motivation's crazy.
Speaker 2:I love things like that. They work so well. The motivation's there. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, motivation's crazy. They love things like that. They work so well.
Speaker 2:The motivation's there. Yeah, yeah, yeah motivation's crazy.
Speaker 1:They know they are going to be in that dress on that wedding day.
Speaker 2:I still remember my first wedding person, rachel, and she got so lean. It was really impressive, really impressive. Yeah, how much weight she lost for a wedding, really impressive. So what's your tips? Just get to the gym, you'll, to be fair, they'll figure it out. They're so motivated, they'll figure it out. The stress will take off a stone at least yeah, at least the thing is with.
Speaker 2:That proves, like you know, smart goals while they do work. Because it's so specific like you might have a dress you need to fit into for that date. You know that that's a size you've got to get to for the date and it just motivates, I just feel this person's going to hit the gym more frequently than if they were not, but also they're still motivated.
Speaker 2:You know. I mean like, yeah, people come to the gym, they get, they smash out a workout. They're motivated, oh, I'm feeling great. They get home they're like, oh, yeah, just, I'm chilling. Oh, get snacks. And you know what I mean with these people. They're just, they're, um, I've met. The only issue I've ever had with people for weddings is they lose too much.
Speaker 2:They're like, oh, my dress has to get altered again and you're like, okay, I've never had a person getting ready for a wedding gone. I'm not gonna fit it like it's always. I've got two lean now and you're like, all right, okay, that's a great one. To be fair, I love that one, I love that one. So, guys, you want to lose weight and you're really serious about it get married it brings.
Speaker 1:It brings you on a different point, right? Because, as you know, matthew, I run a gym and uh, and we do classes and group sessions and things like that. We've got a system that tracks it all and we've got, you know, like, if you, you probably won't want to come to our gym now, now you know this, but if you book in for a class, you know it tracks it. If you cancel it, it tracks it. So I know, like, how many sessions you've done over the course of a year. I know how many times you've done over the course of a year. I know how many times you've cancelled over the course of a year. Yeah, yeah, I know how many times you've booked and then cancelled over the course of a year.
Speaker 2:We know that with our gym. Do you know what I mean? Every gym knows this. Yeah.
Speaker 1:We can see. It's interesting to see that you know and this might be stating the absolute obvious right. Yeah, but the people that go to the gym the more most frequent tend to be the people that achieve the best results 100, but can I tell you something that's absolutely crazy.
Speaker 2:Um, I can't name names. Well, there was a, a person, and they kept booking in for classes and then I never saw them and I looked at their history 800 classes booked, how many attended? How many do you think?
Speaker 1:10.
Speaker 2:One 800 booked, One class attended. But yeah, 100%. If you want to lose weight, come and see.
Speaker 1:Can you imagine how fit that person would be if they attended every class?
Speaker 2:I take my hat off to them for booking every week.
Speaker 1:The motivation is there because, they wouldn't book otherwise. The thought's there, but the discipline to do it isn't there. Yeah, true, and that's what sometimes we need to refocus on and need to work on.
Speaker 2:No one wants to hike up.
Speaker 1:But when you're getting married, or your sister's getting married, and you want to look your absolute best in front of your family and for yourself, and blah, blah, blah, great move there. The discipline increases, yeah, the pressure's on, yeah the stress increases right. Next one yeah, I want to improve this is not me, by the way I want to improve my high rocks times from last year. I want you to answer this one, matthew you want to improve my high rocks times from last year?
Speaker 2:I want you to answer this one, matthew. You want to improve your high rocks times from last year.
Speaker 1:Get better at running good, fairly good answer yeah, unless you're already good at running well, how good are they at running?
Speaker 2:because what are they like? Were their 10k sub 40 minutes?
Speaker 1:so I guess it's not get better at running. This one's basically saying I want to get better at my sport.
Speaker 2:Well, the thing is, with high rocks it's kind of like it's a 10K really, isn't it? Yeah, With other things thrown in.
Speaker 2:It's an 8K, but yeah, you're right, you're more or less running and I feel like, if you're fit enough to sort of smash that out with a good time, you're going to have good time overall. Like the events do matter, but they're not. That's not where you make up a lot of time. I know people who, from what I see by the way, I've not competed in high rocks the people who smash events don't particularly always have the best times.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean. It's usually people who are great at running and just really fit.
Speaker 1:It's about getting from A to B from start to finish, in the best time that you can do.
Speaker 2:But is it 1K on the skier? You do, and is it 1K on?
Speaker 1:the rower. Yeah, you do 1K on the skier.
Speaker 2:Like 1K on the skier is not impossible. If you're fit, you can smash out 1K on the skier. You can smash out 1K on a row. The only one I would say that stands out in my head is the wobbles.
Speaker 1:I one, I would say that stands out on my head is the wobbles. I'm like that's brutal, that's brutal. What I would say about about this goal is if you want to improve your time at the high rocks, you know you want to get better at any sport.
Speaker 1:You want to look at how you did last year, how you, how you got on in your sport and in the previous time. Look at the the weaknesses. Is it the running? Is it the individual events? Is there, is there a weakness in in leg strength in in relation to the events that you've done? Is there a weakness in um upper body strength is?
Speaker 2:is there just a weakness in coming out of certain certain uh exercises into runs because you're so what they call that again, when you've got, come out on event into a run, certain type of training, they call it now I think it's like compromise running, compromise running yeah, so like you compromise running you want to look at where you can improve, like what are the specifics of, of of your? Performance from last year. Hybrid athlete compromise running aka running and tired yeah we don't need to get good at running.
Speaker 1:We have to get good at running when we're absolutely fucked exactly and smash it out so yeah, just look at the weaknesses and try and improve on them and also learn from your experiences and your previous programming.
Speaker 2:That's what I would say we're just not taking that seriously. Just enjoy the day and have some fun this is definitely a Matthew client goal new PB bench and deadlift.
Speaker 1:Funnily enough, squat's not there just bench and deadlift. I don't think this person can do squats, but bench and deadlift again frequency.
Speaker 2:As I said earlier, small lobby can bench quite a lot of times per week.
Speaker 2:I feel like this episode is going to be called frequency yeah, but it's true, though, like, if you want to get good at benching, let's bench more, and then what they call the daily undulating periodization DUP is where, like, your intensity is changed each day. So, like, one day it's five sets of three, maybe it's power, so it's lighter five sets of three, and then the other day's volume it's four sets of eight, um, and then the other day is, like strength, it's five by five matthew, get just right off the bat right give me a three-day program right very quickly sets and reps for bench and deadlift.
Speaker 1:That's going to get me, if I follow it, for 12 weeks okay 12 weeks. It's going to get me to my PB's alright, I don't need to get me the accessory work, and all that just day one boom. 4 sets of 5 on bench.
Speaker 2:4 sets of 5 on bench and 3 sets of 8 on deadlift bloody hell 3 sets of 8 ok, yep, that's good. And then day 2, you're going to do three sets of eight on bench and you're going to do five sets of three on deadlift okay and then day three. What have I done so far? You're going to do three sets of three on bench heavy and then let's say, three sets of six deadlift there, there you go Run that for eight weeks.
Speaker 1:Okay, next podcast in eight weeks.
Speaker 2:Yeah, eight weeks time. But all you gotta do is just figure out intensities and change them. So, like your, your body works differently with different rep ranges. So, like, volume is very muscular, fatiguing, right. So my chest, my triceps are gonna be fried, my triceps are going to be fried, but strength is more about your nervous system as well as your muscle mass. So you can then go do some heavy sets a couple days later and not be compromised too much compromised and then you can have a light power work day where you the key is to get under the bar. If you want to get good at benching as much as possible, get yourself under that bar. Figure out your program in order to get under that bar as much as you can what do you prefer?
Speaker 1:right, because once upon a time, me and you used to train together yeah, and you basically complained a moment. You basically said, barry, I only do three exercises, I won't do anything else. I'll be doing bench press, deadlifts and squat if you want to train with me.
Speaker 2:This is what I do this is nonsense, because when we trained outside over covid right and he said he will want to do a squat, bench and deadlift day with me and I said yeah, and the other four days I said, matthew, I like to do a different variety of exercises I like to superset, I like to do high volume exercises now and again I need like to do a lateral raise for my shoulders, and you asked me what that was we did. That was good fun. Actually, I did like four days.
Speaker 1:I was in the peak what I remember about that was yes, you were stronger than me, right?
Speaker 2:uh huh, yeah, because you had about 40 kilos on me no, I was a lot lighter then, and you were a lot lighter too yeah, but when we did those back off sets, uh, huh. I like a back off.
Speaker 1:You know when we're like Both lifting the same weight For like as many reps as we can. Yeah, I always bet you.
Speaker 2:Did you yeah, interesting.
Speaker 1:So why is that?
Speaker 2:Your form was poor, remember your Remember your eccentric control, just like. That's absolutely rubbish.
Speaker 1:Actually, you know what?
Speaker 2:You know what's funny? When we were training together, I had a hip injury as well, so you can shut up. No, what happens is and also, guys, look at the videos. I don't wear a belt and he does. Do you know what happens?
Speaker 1:These back offsets right, Because I couldn't wear my belt because of my hip injury. Matthew gets to his 10th rep and he's absolutely gassed like fuck. It was more like six. It was more like six. He looks like he's just finished a high rocks at 10 reps.
Speaker 2:No, you remember when we did that, you were like you're so fast at doing compounds. That's what you said to me. You were like you're so fast at doing them all. Yeah, you are, Because I don't mess about you. Rest for like 10 minutes in between. He's on his phone, he's texting, he's like I'm sorting out clients. I'm sorting out clients Get over there, get on that bar, don't you dare say that he's like oh my God. Yeah, Right okay, you've changed since then.
Speaker 1:Let's move on to the next one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what we got.
Speaker 1:What's the next one? I don't know if you wrote this one.
Speaker 2:I don't know if to you guys. He's got them all. He's got his laptop on his. Yeah, you play music. He's got his laptop on his lap right now where should be a laptop.
Speaker 1:This is a. This is a genuine goal if you want to get laid this is a genuine goal that someone has has written down em uh huh to me okay in a form in the past.
Speaker 2:So Friday, saturdays need to be free. We're going out with the boys. We need to work on our game. Download Tinder ASAP. Hinge is a good app these days. You want to try that as well. It's a bit more niche, but it's good Work. On your chat, look in the mirror. Bit of a Robert De Niro.
Speaker 2:You talking to me, you talking to me, talking to me, you know, and then you should be fine. But if you're looking to improve your physique in order to get laid, then maybe we need to get to the gym but you know what I like about this goal, what it's quite specific. It's quite specific yeah, but it depends, because if you're god, if you're like a, if you're a bigger guy and you're like I'm not that pretty doesn't matter. The goal is to get laid once that person has achieved that goal.
Speaker 1:That is job done let me explain.
Speaker 2:So if you're a bit of a bigger guy and you're maybe like looking at yourself I'm not that pretty and all that and you're like there's someone for everyone is what I'm trying to get at. But if you're like you know what I'm trying to get laid, but I want an absolute worldie, then maybe we need to work on a little reading between the lines I think this goal is basically I want to feel and look my best I think they're flirting with you and they want to sleep with you.
Speaker 2:Barry, They've come in saying that. No, it wasn't that.
Speaker 1:I just think it's someone being honest, right, yeah, and they're having a bit of a joke and a laugh at the same time, right, I think it was you who wrote it, and you were trying to have a joke and a laugh at the same time. By the way, way for context, no one's ever come in ever and said that it's ridiculous. Okay, we're moving on from that. One right genuine uh goal, uh-huh, to be able to run a 10k without stopping for a walk. Was that your one?
Speaker 2:yeah, that's me. I'm 120 kilograms and I want to run a 10k. No, you don't want to chew glass? Um, well, you know what I love? And I had a. I had a client who I motivated by saying he would never manage it. I actually had three clients who did it. They did that couch to 5k and I always I said to all three of them no one ever manages that like they all give up. And all three of them didn't give up Cause I said that they all did it. So, uh, but the couch to 5k has a 10 K thing as well, doesn't it?
Speaker 1:I imagine it does.
Speaker 2:I don't know, probably because the program on there is fantastic. I like the couch to 5k Well written program. It's a well-written program for people who are beginners to get into running. If you stick by it, you will manage yeah 100%.
Speaker 1:I have seen a couple of people not manage it, but usually they think they can do more than they can and they end up, you know, picking up little injuries and niggles and stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, it's got like recovery runs and all that. You have to do it by the letter.
Speaker 1:I think the correct sort of feedback with that one is get a plan yeah, from someone who knows what they're talking about.
Speaker 2:That's what we were talking about earlier.
Speaker 1:Like, your goal is to run as much as you can, but you just need to figure out how to do that without hurting yourself and build up frequency frequency is important, but you also don't want to overdo it yeah, so it's like lighter days, heavier, like more intense days.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean. So you get the recovery in, but you are running a lot still you know what I mean. What's your 10K like these days on that topic?
Speaker 1:I very rarely go over 5K, if I'm honest.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're getting a bit lazy, aren't?
Speaker 1:you. I like to go out and do like a 5K. I did a your 5k time the first of january and I haven't been out since because of the the weather.
Speaker 1:Um, my best 5k recently on my strava is at 22 minutes it's pretty good, but the most recent one I did was 27 minutes or something like that. So it kind of varies depending on if it's like flat, if there's like hills involved, the weather, if I'm feeling really fatigued or yeah, sometimes I just don't. Sometimes I just like to go out and not run that fast and just just try and enjoy having a run and being outside and exercising and not actually having to like the pressure of pushing myself to like beat my whatever my 5k time is and all that other times. I think that's a good motivator to go out and like try and beat your previous time for that route or beat your PB or stuff like that, and it does make you feel good.
Speaker 2:Do you have a bunch of Strava buddies these days?
Speaker 1:I'm on Strava. I've got a few, a few Strava buddies. If you're on it, hook me up and we can give each other a bit of kudos, just like a wee thumbs up.
Speaker 2:He's a great player as well.
Speaker 1:He's right, yeah very good, um, but yeah, I think I think that's an important point. Like you don't need to be training at high intensity all the time to achieve a goal, or, you know, or to be fit or to be healthy, you know you do want to have days where I I like to have days where I really push it and I know that day I'm going to do something where it's going to be hard and I'm going to try and push like new ground, whether it's like weights or cardio or a class or whatever. And then there's going to be lots of days where I'm going to be working within myself or just, you know, getting through the session or doing a session without you know, you know PBing and things like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you've got to pick your battles. You can't always.
Speaker 1:PB. Yeah, I think you know. You know the term, matthew self-regulate, which basically means like yeah yeah, you might.
Speaker 1:I might have a program that I'm working to and it might say that I've got to do this, this and this on these specific days, days, as you just said there, with that sort of bench press program and stuff. But sometimes I'll just take into account. You know, yesterday I did a 10 hour shift or I didn't sleep very well. I only had like five, four or five hours sleep or four, three or four hours good sleep. Nutrition was a bit lax.
Speaker 1:Today, you know, I might just flip it a little bit and maybe not push as hard as I'm meant to be, or I'll change today's focus to something different and, you know, use that session later on in the week. Yeah, I'll train arms again, rather than lower body, or I might even just take a day off frequently frequently frequency frequency so I'm coughing Talking about, yeah, the weather in January and stuff like that. Matthew, how have you found the last couple of weeks? Because I have found that the snow is Really starting to piss me off.
Speaker 2:The thing is I like snow, but I hate the cold. You know what I mean? I hate. It's like negative 7. What are we doing? We've got a lot.
Speaker 1:We've got a lot.
Speaker 2:We've got a lot of people stuck in our car park as well. We clear it as well, because you know it's like it's melted and refroze so many times now. It's like a slush. So people are just getting stuck everywhere. It's a nightmare, isn't it?
Speaker 1:and the traffic's awful the funny thing is, christmas day was like tropical, yeah, and then you know, as soon as we get back to work, it's like um super cold again. Uh, you know, and I and I get why people aren't coming to gym as much at the moment in January, because it's not safe to get out Because you don't want to pay for the heating and it's an icebox in there. Trust me that heating's on on.
Speaker 2:that heat is on even like our gym's cold, like you can't help it. It's negative.
Speaker 1:Seven outside like what we gotta do, like it's freezing the gym needs to be warm for for us doesn't need to be warm for the clients if it's, if the if the heating was on full blast all the time when they're in they'd be fucking hot.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, they'd hate it, yeah classics like oh, it's so cold. And then After a warm up, they're dripping off. It's so hot in here, so yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, can't win, but I do, can't wait until the, the snow drifts and I think, I think you know, there's a little bit of a January blues thing going on and once, once the weather flips, I think everyone's just going to be Back on it and feeling good, but good but it's changing soon.
Speaker 2:Is that people saying it's like gonna be 10 degrees or something? I think it's wednesday, yeah, is it? Wednesday, thursday, so I want to talk about something um, because okay, you're a fan, here we go. I need to know what's happening and it's specific. People listen to podcasts because aberdeen football club. What's happened? Where are the wheels? Are they? There? Is someone replacing the wheels currently? There isn't someone replacing the wheels. Currently, there isn't any wheels.
Speaker 1:The wheels are off, someone?
Speaker 2:ordered new wheels Because you guys were absolutely flying.
Speaker 1:I know.
Speaker 2:You got a draw with Celtic.
Speaker 1:You looked fantastic. You just lost, lost, lost, lost. So basically what's happened is Aberdeen were doing so good. All the Aberdeen fans me included, me especially were basically giving it big licks on all the WhatsApp groups yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:This is why he's a man United fan as well, because this is consistent with man United fans. They got a draw against Liverpool and it's like we're back, we're back. No, you're not, no, you're not, no, you're not.
Speaker 1:Two horse race and all that. Right, yeah, and Rangers were a good bit behind us, so it was a good time, but I didn't foresee this run of results that we've just had. I couldn't. I.
Speaker 2:It was like five or six losses.
Speaker 1:I wouldn't have imagined that that was going to be the case. Yes, a few defeats and a few draws and stuff.
Speaker 2:You were flying, though I bet that felt good it's the hope that kills you, though it's the hope that kills you.
Speaker 1:I went to a few of the home games and I watched probably most of the games that I wasn't at on Red TV, and I feel like we were quite lucky in some of the games. Certainly one or two of the games I was at at Petaudry where it was like last minute goals and things like that yeah which is sign of a good team but it is on a good team um, it's also, you know, a little bit of luck.
Speaker 1:Yeah, um, and you know, I think maybe the luck's run dry a little bit there's been injuries to one or two players, which always makes a difference, and I think other teams that started really slowly and maybe weren't really in the groove have all really improved and probably looked at the way Aberdeen play and be like right, they kind of play out from the back we're going to exploit that a little bit, but.
Speaker 1:I don't know, I haven't been to enough games to maybe like fully comment like. I say I've watched some. I've watched quite a bit on telly as well, but you know, after the I think I was watching the Kilmarnock game and I just turned, turned it off after a while, did you?
Speaker 2:okay? I'm getting that point of West Ham these days. I watched a game last night and it was. It was better. It was a lot better With our new manager Brand new, by the way, do you know what?
Speaker 1:I want to ask you a question About West Ham, matthew. Right, you always hear this thing Saying you've got to play the West Ham way, right?
Speaker 2:No, this is, this is made up.
Speaker 1:Okay, so Well, harry Redknapp said it, so he's an ex-West Ham manager, talk sport and all that Say that Like this is Nonsense.
Speaker 2:There is no West Ham way. The West Ham way for me right.
Speaker 1:for all of the years I've known, west Ham is basically play shit, so is that what they're meant to?
Speaker 2:be doing. No, I don't get it. You only ever hear it on talk shows and all that. It's not actually a thing. Fans don't think that we're some special.
Speaker 1:West Ham way.
Speaker 2:We just got fed up of David Moyes football. We were kind of like you know what. We've kind of had enough of this, now let's try something new. We never sacked him, he just his contract ran out. He wanted to leave. We didn't want him anymore. Get someone else in. There's no West Ham way.
Speaker 2:I know, but you went from from this and that person to someone else now yeah, julian Lopetegui, by the way, barry's giving it big licks like the manager came in and he was going to be some hot shot, we all thought he was going to be terrible. We all didn't like him already because he was basically playing like David Moyes and the last two jobs he had he got sacked from. So now make that three jobs he's being sacked from. Like if you're hiring someone, they've been sacked from their last two jobs, and I mean quite fast sackings. You're not going to be like, ooh, he's going to be good.
Speaker 1:I feel like we should have a little five-minute football section every session. So we've got Harry.
Speaker 2:Potter in now. Sorry, Graham Potter Potter. And last night he did well.
Speaker 1:How do you feel about that as an appointment? I wanted him in the first place. To me it feels a little bit underwhelming.
Speaker 2:No, I wanted him over Julian Lobdow. Don't forget, we're just West Ham. We're not like this humongous club. We have a lot of loyal fans and we kind of get. I guess we're growing now, especially with, like, our stadium changing, etc. But we're not some special team. I think Potter's a great appointment. I think he'll do well, you know. What really annoys me, though, is David Moyes is now back at Everton.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and if he does well there, I'll be furious. I'll be furious, so shout out to any Everton fans listening. I hope you lose every game from now on, matthew. I don't think there'll be any.
Speaker 1:Everton fans listening to this episode.
Speaker 2:I've got clients who are Everton fans lucky, if there's any.
Speaker 1:Aberdeen fans listening to it yeah, true that's football chat over anyway, guys, it's been great catching up again. I hope you've taken something from me and Matthew discussing these goals.
Speaker 2:This is our first one back. We're a bit rusty. Our plan was to waffle, so we've done fantastic goals and just having a little bit of a catch up.
Speaker 1:This is our first one back with a bit of a catch up. We're a bit rusty.
Speaker 2:Our plan was to waffle, so we've done fantastic.
Speaker 1:We have but we've decided that we're going to meet up on a more regular basis. Matthew needs someone to speak to. It's getting lonely without you, barry. It's tough, I need to vent. Anyway, guys, if you like this episode, please let us know, share it, tell your friends.
Speaker 2:If you don't like it, then don't ever tune in again.