A Tuesday morning was spent having a fun session at Cookstown. Its amazing how a little competition within a session can spice it up and push you to further yourself. Have a look at http://www.youtube.com/user/colinbirdman#p/a/u/0/Rr-7eZ1KWx4
Cheers Colin for the video.
Friday, 18 February 2011
Sunday, 9 January 2011
Science Behind Fat Loss Seminar
ESC-NI are hosting a seminar in the Armagh City Hotel on Wednesday 26th January entitled 'The Science Behind Fat Loss'.
Timmy (ESC-NI) has been organising the event and has invited Dr. Gareth Davison (Senior Lecturer in Sport & Exercise Science) from the University of Ulster as the key-note speaker. Neil and Timmy will be representing ESC-NI at the seminar.
The seminar will take place in the Fisher Suite from 7-9pm and will cost £5. There will be a cooking demonstration by Hotel Chef Gerard Mallon to conclude the event.
Timmy (ESC-NI) has been organising the event and has invited Dr. Gareth Davison (Senior Lecturer in Sport & Exercise Science) from the University of Ulster as the key-note speaker. Neil and Timmy will be representing ESC-NI at the seminar.
The seminar will take place in the Fisher Suite from 7-9pm and will cost £5. There will be a cooking demonstration by Hotel Chef Gerard Mallon to conclude the event.
Queens PEC Session (Sat 8/1/11)
Neil, Robbie and Pete completed a session up at Queens PEC, Belfast. There are 3 Platforms, and the Bars and plates are decent enough with it the gym normally pretty busy. Lot's of cardio equipment - countless number of comcept 2's in the room next door.
Pete was doing dead hang work - focusing on the clean and he worked up to 150kg. He then did 3 x of 1 DH Clean and 2 Front Squats at 135kg. He then worked up to a straight foward 170kg Back Squat.
Robbie hit another 80kg in snatch, and followed up with 105kg CJ. Back Squat of 135kg. He did some 3 x 1Clean 2 FS at 100.....and finished with few pull-ups for the weekend!
Neil got an 80kg snatch and hit 100CJ and up to 108kg clean. The snatch was a pb up 3kg from 77kg. 140kg BS and 20 pull-ups.
Got a few of the lifts on mobile camera:
Robbie's 80
Pete was doing dead hang work - focusing on the clean and he worked up to 150kg. He then did 3 x of 1 DH Clean and 2 Front Squats at 135kg. He then worked up to a straight foward 170kg Back Squat.
Robbie hit another 80kg in snatch, and followed up with 105kg CJ. Back Squat of 135kg. He did some 3 x 1Clean 2 FS at 100.....and finished with few pull-ups for the weekend!
Neil got an 80kg snatch and hit 100CJ and up to 108kg clean. The snatch was a pb up 3kg from 77kg. 140kg BS and 20 pull-ups.
Got a few of the lifts on mobile camera:
Robbie's 80
Neil 100
Pete 145
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Website - www.esc-ni.com
Our website is now nearing completion and we are in the process of adding a few fininshing touches.
We have been working with a number of local clubs from various Sports recently and have received positive results and feedback (so far!). (See Testimonial section on website).
Over the past few months we have been working alongside:
- Aztecs Volleyball.
- NI Volleyball (Junior Girls National Squad).
- NI Volleyball (Junior Girls National Squad).
- Glenavon FC Academy.
- Armagh Rovers FC.
- Loughgall FC.
We hope over the coming months to add to our list of teams and athletes, and the new website should help towards achieving this goal!
Saturday, 13 November 2010
GoLift interviews...
We thought we would share some info on our own training, goals, hobbies, nutrition etc. Please add you own list to our comments:
Name: Robbie
Favourite Lift: Snatch when I’m lifting well
Least Favourite Lift: Snatch when I’m not lifting well
Short and Long Term Goals:
Short-term - To improve my strength through the full range of movement and snatch 90kg by Xmas. Snatch 85kg last week so getting close and follow Mobility WOD to make myself do some mobility work each day.
Long-term – Keep lifting; training hard and most importantly enjoy it. Want to lift till I’m about 35 then go do some ultra endurance events.
Hobbies/Activities outside of Training:
Love to eat steak, read the paper, being outdoors, swim in the ocean and spending time with my girlfriend/family/friends. I do like the odd cycle, climbing a few mountains, all watersports and having relaxing Sundays in which I just ‘Potter About.’
How is your Diet: Could always be better but I am not totally strict on what I eat. Follow Robb Wolff thinking with the Paleo Nutrition but I will say again that I am not strict Paleo eater. Keep the meat and fish intake high with 200g of protein per day. Always eat some berries in the morning and fish oil supplementation for anti-inflammatory reasons. Get my fruit and veg in everyday and love my double espresso twice a day to keep me going. I use protein post-workout and that’s it, no magic mix that will make me as stacked as a Bulgarian weightlifter. Keep it basic and get the calories in everyday, which enables me to train hard.
Advice for someone new to lifting: Find a coach, listen to them, be patient, train hard & recover well. I started lifting with no coach and wasn’t able to put my body into the positions it needs to go to be a good lifter. I trained poorly too often and didn’t let my body recover or adapt. I learnt some important lessons through trial and error so don’t make the same mistakes as me.
Name:
Timmy
Favourite Lift - Snatch
Least Favourite Lift - Snatch Balance
Short and Long Term Goals - To achieve short term goals for long term results in everything.
Hobbies/Activities outside of Training - Searching for the best eating spots in the province, cooking, social banter with family and friends, and reading my Bible daily.
How is your Diet - I like the occasional Lemon Meringue once a week although people call me “Health Freak” so I’ll let you be the judge that.
Advice for someone new to lifting - Perseverance - Take your time especially when technique is so important.
Neil
Favourite Lift - I enjoy both lifts equally.
Least Favourite Lift - Same as Robbie, the snatch technically has to be so precise as weight goes up, margin for error decreases. Causing me many frustrating misses.
Short and Long Term Goals - Playing football, work, family life etc have meant until the summer I can only get in max. 2-3 sessions a week. So maintinance is priority until footy season ends - try and keep strength up. Long Term (next couple of years) I would like to compete to have clearer focus to my training and to get the buzz on the platform.
Hobbies/Activities outside of Training - Family time - Married with baby girl, relaxing at home, always keep a check on various blogs/websites eg. calstrength, cataylst, etc. emmanuel church and bible study.
How is your Diet - Think its pretty good, but could be better too. try to be organised and plan ahead to ensure good choices. Bought paleo solution book recently.
Advice for someone new to lifting - Give it a go! Never compromise technique for weight. Set realistic goals - what do you want to get out of it. Be accountable to someone - training partner or coach.
Name: Robbie
Favourite Lift: Snatch when I’m lifting well
Least Favourite Lift: Snatch when I’m not lifting well
Short and Long Term Goals:
Short-term - To improve my strength through the full range of movement and snatch 90kg by Xmas. Snatch 85kg last week so getting close and follow Mobility WOD to make myself do some mobility work each day.
Long-term – Keep lifting; training hard and most importantly enjoy it. Want to lift till I’m about 35 then go do some ultra endurance events.
Hobbies/Activities outside of Training:
Love to eat steak, read the paper, being outdoors, swim in the ocean and spending time with my girlfriend/family/friends. I do like the odd cycle, climbing a few mountains, all watersports and having relaxing Sundays in which I just ‘Potter About.’
How is your Diet: Could always be better but I am not totally strict on what I eat. Follow Robb Wolff thinking with the Paleo Nutrition but I will say again that I am not strict Paleo eater. Keep the meat and fish intake high with 200g of protein per day. Always eat some berries in the morning and fish oil supplementation for anti-inflammatory reasons. Get my fruit and veg in everyday and love my double espresso twice a day to keep me going. I use protein post-workout and that’s it, no magic mix that will make me as stacked as a Bulgarian weightlifter. Keep it basic and get the calories in everyday, which enables me to train hard.
Advice for someone new to lifting: Find a coach, listen to them, be patient, train hard & recover well. I started lifting with no coach and wasn’t able to put my body into the positions it needs to go to be a good lifter. I trained poorly too often and didn’t let my body recover or adapt. I learnt some important lessons through trial and error so don’t make the same mistakes as me.
Name:
Timmy
Favourite Lift - Snatch
Least Favourite Lift - Snatch Balance
Short and Long Term Goals - To achieve short term goals for long term results in everything.
Hobbies/Activities outside of Training - Searching for the best eating spots in the province, cooking, social banter with family and friends, and reading my Bible daily.
How is your Diet - I like the occasional Lemon Meringue once a week although people call me “Health Freak” so I’ll let you be the judge that.
Advice for someone new to lifting - Perseverance - Take your time especially when technique is so important.
Neil
Favourite Lift - I enjoy both lifts equally.
Least Favourite Lift - Same as Robbie, the snatch technically has to be so precise as weight goes up, margin for error decreases. Causing me many frustrating misses.
Short and Long Term Goals - Playing football, work, family life etc have meant until the summer I can only get in max. 2-3 sessions a week. So maintinance is priority until footy season ends - try and keep strength up. Long Term (next couple of years) I would like to compete to have clearer focus to my training and to get the buzz on the platform.
Hobbies/Activities outside of Training - Family time - Married with baby girl, relaxing at home, always keep a check on various blogs/websites eg. calstrength, cataylst, etc. emmanuel church and bible study.
How is your Diet - Think its pretty good, but could be better too. try to be organised and plan ahead to ensure good choices. Bought paleo solution book recently.
Advice for someone new to lifting - Give it a go! Never compromise technique for weight. Set realistic goals - what do you want to get out of it. Be accountable to someone - training partner or coach.
Wednesday, 13 October 2010
Less is More
A few thoughts on my personal weightlifting experiences and maybe they can relate to you and your sport. In 2010, I have experienced a few injuries, lack of motivation, changing lifestyle patterns, stress and poor weightlifting. I started the year in the Limerick Open where I lifted poorly. Since then I have been hampered with injury. I resumed training and went all guns blazing at it, training 10-12 sessions per week and then finding myself going backwards.
I never managed my training with no deloading weeks and aiming for scores that were unrealistic as I was not fresh enough. I also found lifting by myself didn't help, leading to a major low in motivation.
I reassessed what I was doing, Now I lift 4 days a week with 2-3 big sessions making sure I recover well for the big sessions to keep the CNS as fresh as possible. I lift in different locations and try to train with other lifters as much as I can but work often dictates training alone. I work on mobility and recovery when I'm not in the gym and watch the famous KStar on MobilityWOD to get ideas and keep me at it.
I now have time for a life outside of work and training, get free weekends and feel like I'm lifting better than ever. Perfect.
I never managed my training with no deloading weeks and aiming for scores that were unrealistic as I was not fresh enough. I also found lifting by myself didn't help, leading to a major low in motivation.
I reassessed what I was doing, Now I lift 4 days a week with 2-3 big sessions making sure I recover well for the big sessions to keep the CNS as fresh as possible. I lift in different locations and try to train with other lifters as much as I can but work often dictates training alone. I work on mobility and recovery when I'm not in the gym and watch the famous KStar on MobilityWOD to get ideas and keep me at it.
I now have time for a life outside of work and training, get free weekends and feel like I'm lifting better than ever. Perfect.
Saturday, 2 October 2010
Paralysis by Analysis?
We recently watched a documentary on BBC 1; is professionalism killing sport? It made us reflect on how we think as coaches…
Professionalism – What is it? How do we define it? Does it contribute to success in sport?
Why do we play Sport?
- For it’s competiveness
- For Enjoyment?
In sports, a professional is someone who receives money for participating. The opposite is amateur, meaning a person who does not receive money. Professional sport is full-time work requiring dedication and commitment. Amateur sport tends to be used as a release to get away from the pressures of life.
Professional sport is a multi-million pound industry with huge sums of money involved and livelihoods at stake; this of course brings added pressure to the athlete or team. Does this restrict the individual when performing knowing the amount of effort and preparation put in behind the scenes to deliver success?
Do you perform best under pressure with your every move being scrutinised or when relaxed and free to express your ability?
Laura Davies (Former world number one golfer) commented on her amazement at how younger players in the game would spend 12-14 hours a day practicing, analysing shots, receiving technical feedback and coaching. Instead of keeping it simple, playing the game instinctively using their natural talent.
Timmy worked as a performance coach in motor sport for six years (picture below, taken in Hungary) travelling to countries including
Clive Woodward won the Grand Slam and World Cup with
In a recent interview with Usain Bolt – who says he trains for eleven months of the year for one race lasting less than ten seconds. His outlook is that he has done the work and prepared well. Anyone who watches him race can see the how relaxed and at ease he is before a race and enjoys what he does the same when he was a boy.
We believe there has to be a balance. When coaching teams or athletes there has to be discipline in both coaches and team/athlete. If you have prepared properly and worked hard for the event, you are in the correct mindset to perform to your best – having no doubts and a clear mind, focused on your goal.
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