The Fit Coach

25/07/2026

You start exercising. The weight drops. You feel good. Then - nothing.

Same effort. Same routine. Barely any results.

That is not failure. That is biology, welcome to your body.

Your body is designed to compensate. When you increase activity it quietly dials down energy spent elsewhere to balance your total output within a narrow range. Scientists call it "Constrained Daily Energy Expenditure" - but I call it the reason most people quit, while thinking they've done something wrong.

They haven't. Their body is working as expected.

The fix is "Keep Calm, and Carry On". Yes, minor tweaks are required so keep nudging the system so it never fully settles. An extra rep, a slightly heavier weight, five more minutes, a few calories less.

BUT nothing dramatic.

And remember - weight loss comes from managing what you eat, while exercise is but one part of the jigsaw.

Full explanation on the site.
thefitcoach.co.uk/quick-wins/the-metabolism-myth

22/07/2026

He hadn't been able to flex his ankle properly for 17 years.

NHS specialists. Massage. Acupuncture. Chiropractic. Nothing helped.

Within one technique he flexed his ankle. But not through ankle exercises, but through an approach often looked down on by established professionals. The approach may lack research papers to prove this works conclusively. But the results speak for themselves.

He was emotional and frustrated how one simple exercise fixed his issue.

This is what M.A.D is built on. The body is a system, not a collection of separate parts. The source of a problem is not necessarily where you feel it.

Tight doesn't always mean short. Sometimes a muscle is tight because it is weak.

Stretching in some cases achieves nothing, but a temporary relief. And the irony even strength training provides little comfort.

Full story and method on the site.
thefitcoach.co.uk/quick-wins/mad-the-method

Movement Activation Drills. Developed over 23 years with clients who had tried everything else. Here is what M.A.D is and why it works.

21/07/2026

The good news - my MRI results for my shoulder are back. The not so good news - there's way more going on than I assumed.

Widespread tendon damage, inflammation, and a few other things the scan picked up that I wasn't expecting.

While it's not the best - it's not the end of the world.

Does it help that I'm a PT? Yes it does. I've had time to reexamine my existing routine and modify it based on the updates.

My scan tells me what I'm working with - possible limitations. It's what you do with that information that matters.

So the programme changes. One circuit, four rounds, covering everything - shoulder rehab, core, upper body and legs. Nothing that overloads the shoulder. Everything that keeps momentum going.

Wyoming is still the goal. 41 days away.

The Excuseless mindset is not about ignoring bad news. It's about addressing the issues at hand - adjusting the plan, and pushing on appropriately.

Have you ever had a setback that made you rethink your approach rather than quit? What did you do?

21/07/2026

I have (somehow) saved close to 1800 recipes on Instagram, and I have created a few meals at most. IG is a treasure trove of possible inspiration. But it's instantly forgotten as we doomscroll through endless other shiny things.

Whether this is the latest "best exercise for ?", "protein snack" and "top 10 tips to?" Instagram, social media and search engines offer us simply too much. The reality - we do not have a scarcity problem.

In fact it's often the opposite - especially with food, and fitness tips. Advice on how to eat better, move more, live healthier? It's all there. More than we could ever use - available 24/7.

And yet most of us have developed exactly one consistent habit - under exercising and over eating.

The problem was never finding the information. It was doing something with it consistently enough to make a lasting and meaningful change.

For me personally, I need a reset - and one I need to keep stupidly simple.

So instead of adding more recipes I am starting with six. Two snacks, two fish or chicken dinners, and two lunches I can rotate through the week. I'll experiment with these and ignore the other 1,794 options.

The same principle applies to your gym workout. You do not need more programmes, more tips, or more motivation. You need one thing you will actually do - and do it again next week. Repeat for 6-8 weeks, and then move on to a different training approach.

What is the one thing you keep meaning to start but haven't yet?

20/07/2026

Training and Rehab for over 40's can be a struggle. My last session was not the one I was hoping for.

No progression, same reps, same sets and same load. My shoulder is too painful to eke out a few extra reps - so instead, I had to step back and focus on maintenance for the session, well at least for upper body.

My core and legs on the other hand are not limiting me so I can focus on this instead.

So yup, the plan has changed - it's not failure, it's the reality of rehab.

With a shift in focus, I can build and support the weak areas while also working towards my September goal of losing a few spare KGs before Sept 1st.

While weight loss, increasing strength and a flatter stomach are the goals, so is being able to enjoy my holiday. To crawl around on my hands and knees under the Wyoming sun while excavating dinosaurs. Now that's a goal.

That aside - it's also about finding what you can do right now and doing that instead.

If your plan has hit a wall this week -- what are you doing instead?

19/07/2026

A client came to me convinced push ups were impossible for her.

She dropped to the floor, tried, and failed.

"No," I told her. "The push ups you are attempting are impossible."

We found "her version" - hands on foam blocks. Within minutes she was hitting 15 clean reps.

Here's the principle. A push up is a plank with movement. The higher your hands, the easier it is.

A wall, a counter, a chair, a floor. That's the progression - and everyone starts somewhere on it.

Your job is to find where your form holds and start there.

Full method and progression on the site.
thefitcoach.co.uk/quick-wins/excuseless-push-ups

30/06/2026

When did you last attempt a push up and give up before you started?

People often write off an exercise before they've found their version of it.

A client came to me a few years back. Motivated with her general approach to training - but following my suggestion to include push ups, she was convinced they were beyond her.

To prove it, she dropped to the floor, tried - and failed.

While she argued "Push ups are impossible” I pushed back with “No - just the type of push up you're attempting is.”

We quickly found her version - hands on foam blocks, holding a solid Plank position.

Within minutes we found a position to perform 15. Her goal now was to add 1 rep every workout to reach 20 reps.

This is the Excuseless approach. Not "try harder - try smarter” Find your starting point and build from there.

Full method -- including the progression from wall to floor -- is on the site.

thefitcoach.co.uk/quick-wins/excuseless-push-ups

19/04/2025

The Whoop is nothing much to look at, but once it starts collating info from my sessions, habits and sleep. I’ll be able to make appropriate adjustments for the Hryox and Calisthenics.

Ive also learned my weekly routine needs to be Cali, Hyrox, Rest, Repeat.

So for those of you out there training on a regular basis - never underestimate the need to recover through sleep and a day off training (or at least a low impact session such as mobility/stability work).

Last session I achieved a run, SkiErg, run, sled push, run, sled pull, run. Next session will add Burpee long jumps and another run.

Stride is opening up which is nice. Goal is to settle around 9k + for each 1k run. But this is a few weeks out.

Also dropped 2.6kg to creeping toward my weight target of 82kg.

Only down side - low back is hurting so need to adjust my Cali to include more core/low back work.

So like me if you are an absolute beginner for running or wish to give Hyrox a try, message me or grab me at the Gym Group for tips.

15/04/2025

Trying out new things is always a great excuse to add extra equipment to help me reach my goals. Most recently this was running shoes (Altra Flow's should you be on the lookout for trainers).
To these, I've signed up to a 7-day trial of the Whoop 4 Fitness Monitor, if all goes well, I'll sign up for a 12-month subscription to save a little on mostly costs.
I should note, I've used an earlier model a few years back, but the various new updates will give me some much needed insights to my heart rate, and recovery when training for Hyrox.
I've also found a 6kg medicine ball to practice wall-balls (100 bloody reps!) so expect tears and screaming muscles with this.
Now it's a waiting game for delivery, so I can just settle in for a few more sessions to continue build my endurance, and lose addition KG's - before I introduce these additions.
Now time to give it another go.

13/04/2025

Another Hyrox completed and added sled push (using a 24” plyo box and 20kg power bag - additional resistance created by the rubber floor), noted some twinges in the right calf so need to strengthen this with appropriate exercises.

Had hoped to add an additional run but the ankle said no - a minor set back, but will try again with the run, SkiErg, run, sled push, run, sled pull. 🤞🏻