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What are Mindful Mums fitness classes?

New mothers are given very little choice by fitness class providers.

There are classes for new mothers but they either don’t include Baby, or they don’t recognise the pain and problems that pregnancy and birth can bring.

Mindful Mums is a class that recognises what a Mum’s body has been through and understands that Baby can be included in, and have fun at, a fitness class.

Mindful Mums uses gentle, primitive movements to help new mothers regain full and pain free movement. From there, we move on to low intensity strengthening exercises to help Mums become more capable in everyday life.

So what are primitive movements? This is where the genius of the Mindful Mums class lies. Primitive movements are the movements that most children make as they progress from lying, to rolling, to crawling, to climbing  furniture and finally, walking unaided. In a sense, in a Mindful Mums class your baby can be your coach!

When: Mondays @ 1000 (from Mon 4th Sept)
Where: Funkstar Fitness, Ladeside Business Centre, St Catherines Rd, PH1 5RZ
Cost: £25 for the 5 week block
Contact: colin@mindfulstrength.co.uk
Spaces are limited to 8 mums plus their baby/s.
Babies must be 3 to 12 months and mums must be post natally cleared for exercise by their Doctor or Midwife.

 

 

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What makes a Mindful Kettlebell class different?

What makes a Mindful Strength Kettlebell class different from 99% of other fitness classes?

Most fitness classes are oxymoronic (read more here), they don’t really help you move towards your goal. The clear truth of the matter is that once you can move well, pain-free and with a degree of strength you are a lot closer to your goal. That can be that to look better, run a 10K, complete a Tough Mudder without any help or even just get on the floor and play with your grandchildren.

Our kettlebell classes are essentially small group personal training. You pay a monthly fee, you attend three classes a week and we give you homework for a fourth session in your own time (at home or in the gym). It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a gym membership or kettlebells at home, our programs include bodyweight training and we can plan specifically to your needs.

Swings

Photo courtesy of Roger McCarthy

The classes are limited to eight students to one coach, we train as a group and we lift one another to a higher level.

The class isn’t a ‘turn up and turn into a sweaty mess’, it’s planned out over a four, six or eight week period (depending on which class) with realistic fitness standards to achieve on the way.

What you get:

  • Personalised mobility warm ups
  • Three kettlebell classes a week
  • One homework session (planned for you) a week
  • Access to our Mindful Strength Community facebook group
  • Access to our exercise video library
  • Tuition from the Scotlands only StrongFirst Level 2, Barbell, Bodyweight, Groundforce Method, Flexible Steel and Functional Movement Systems certified Coach
  • Optional nutritional guidance and accountability

Cost is only £40/month and we limit classes to eight students, to secure your space contact:

colin@mindfulstrength.co.uk

Be fit, be strong, be happy!

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StrongFirst Lifters Instructor Certification – Lillieshall Dec 2015

I’m fortunate. Somehow I’ve managed to become a member of a community that strives for excellence. A group that realise that being ‘strong’ and being ‘smart’ are not two diametrically opposed concepts. Case in point I recently attended my second StrongFirst Lifters (SFL) certification.

SFL '15 Group

The SFL is the brain child of Pavel Tsatsouline and Dr Michael Hartle. Pavel, the Evil Russian, is of course the man who is credited as bringing the kettlebell into the mainstream of Western fitness culture. Though people who have read Pavel’s work over the last 15 or more years will realise that he is more than just ‘kettlebell guy’. His first published works being books on stretching/movement and using barbells to become hideously strong.

Read more

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Off to meet the Wizard…

code

The organisations that govern the professions of Medicine, Engineering, Teaching, Accountancy, etc, require that to call yourself things like Doctor, Chartered Engineer/Accountant, Teacher, etc, that you complete a certain amount of Continuing Professional Education (CPD) every two years.

The fitness industry is lacking in that regard. A lot of trainers get a qualification and never do any further education than wikipedia college or youtube university.

Not so this Coach. Next week I’m off to meet the Wizard/s. I’m privileged enough to be attending the StrongFirst Level 1 Kettlebell Instructor Certification. Some of you may be thinking: “But Colin, ain’t you a level 2?”

Yes, but there are a few things to consider here.

Read more

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StrongFirst Level 2 Kettlebell Instructor

SFG2

On the weekend of May 8-10, I had the privilege to attend the StrongFirst Girya Level 2 instructor certification in Chelmsford, taught by than none other than Master SFG Dan John. This was a biggie for me, as I’ve read Dan’s work since the early 2000’s via his articles on T-Nation and bought his books and dvds since around 2009, but had never met him in person.

The saying goes that you should never meet your heroes as you’ll only be disappointed. His work forms a large part of my personal philosophy of training, teaching and coaching. Dan is a world class Coach, highly sought after by many organisations and is a US record holder in discus, highland games and olympic weightlifting. So not just a ‘talking’ Coach, but an athlete as well.

Was I disappointed? Yes. But because we only got three days with this resource of strength and conditioning awesomeness! And I’m kicking myself for not having made a list of questions to ask this coaching legend. Read more

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