MAYFIELD OUTDOOR BOOTCAMP

Great outdoor bootcamp session in the pouring rain in mayfield,
Well done lads

NEW BLOG: CONFIDENT POSITIVE STRONG & FIT

Hi All,

The title of this blog is an affirmation that I heard an intercounty player using in training and in the dressing room in Croke Park two years ago before the All Ireland Football Final in 2008, and it has stuck with me and served me well ever since. This lad had suffered some nasty injuries and setbacks over a long career playing at a high level, like breaking bones in his hand just as this football season was getting underway. He turned up to my gym session one day with the hand in a cast, and instead of whining or complaining or feeling sorry for himself, he just explained that he would hop in and do what he could, and work away with a different variation when an exercise wasn't possible. The session included front squats, pushups, horizontal rows, one legged pistol squats etc. Most people would have stayed home, had a pizza, watched telly and felt sorry for himself. This guy still squatted more than most, did one arm pushups and one arm H Rows, and then retreated to a quiet corner and smashed his good fist into a heavy bag 30 seconds on 30 seconds off until well after every other player had left and the gym was empty.

I had never seen anything like it. That moment I knew that mentally, whatever "it" was, this guy had it. He had a mentality and an attitude that allowed him to see every injury and problem as an opportunity to bounce back stronger. We all come across low times in training and in our lives where the odds are stacked against us and it would be much easier to give up and let negative thoughts take over. We might not all train or compete at such a high level, and if you are reading this you might be asking "what has this got to do with me?" Your own obstacle might be that constant back pain, not making the starting 15, that dress that won't fit, that injury that won't go away, or not being able to find the time or motivation to go and get the body, health and confidence that you have always wanted.

This blog will have loads of useful posts and videos about fat loss, injury reduction, nutrition, and the common obstacles that we all run into when trying to get lean, fit, strong and healthy.

But if you take nothing else from here, take the title with you and say it to yourself every morning, in the shower after every hard training session, and every time you feel those negative thoughts creeping in.

This is what we are all aiming for, and hopefully through this blog I'll be able to help you get there and enjoy yourself along the way.

CONFIDENT POSITIVE STRONG AND FIT

Barry Vaughan BSc CSCS