Evelyn Stevenson becomes World’s Drug Free Powerlifting Silver Medallist

Evelyn Stevenson wins Silver at World Championships

Evelyn Stevenson Powerlifter
Evelyn Stevenson: World’s Drug Free Powerlifting Silver Medallist

Everyone at The Foundry is extremely happy to and proud to congratulate Evelyn Stevenson on becoming World’s Drug Free Powerlifting Silver Medallist to add to her British Powerlifting Champion Title. She even won her medal with a new competition total PB to boot! Well done to Evelyn and her coaches Phil Nourse and Matthew Nourse.

Evelyn is a model professional and absolute joy to work with and deserves all her success as an athlete and a personal trainer.

The Foundry featured on Sky Sports School of Hard Knocks

The Foundry Personal Training Team with rugby legend Scott Quinnell

Sport means a lot to us at The Foundry.  That might not sound too profound given our business, but bear with me.

Our trainers all have inspirational stories about how they got into sport, how it changed their lives, how they used it to overcome hurdles and open up new doors.

Sarah Lindsay spent over a year out of her sport with a serious back injury being told she may never skate again. The motivation to compete was what kept her going despite all the pain and boredom of months of rehab.

Becoming an expert Skiing instructor gave Graeme Marsh the dream opportunity he’d always craved to travel extensively throughout Europe at the world’s best resorts.

Fiona Pocock famously ruptured her knee in the last Rugby World Cup Semi Final.  Her struggle to overcome a career threatening injury with incredible committment and a positive attitute has even attracted the attention of Dame Kelly Holmes and her legacy trust to help mentor, support and train other young athletes.

A younger Rich Thompson excelled at long-distance endurance events like cross country running and went on to be a triathlon competitor while living in Hong Kong.  After starting to lift weights and put on some muscle, he decided he had had enough of being the tall skinny guy and went from 70kg to 85kg in the first year and a half of lifting weights.  He’s never looked back and is now a competitive powerlifter!

Rugby quite literally changed my life.  I had a fairly rotten time as a kid at a military school which led to plenty of discipline problems.  Through fortuitous circumstances I was shipped off to a rugby school in Yorkshire where I discovered not only that I loved the game but also that I was half decent. The rugby coach gave me an ultimatum along the lines of “If you want to play rugby you’ll have to sort your life out”. 22 years later not only do I still play and love rugby more than anything outside of, you know, family and stuff, but it’s now a large part of my career.

School of Hard Knocks RugbyWhich leads nicely onto a community rugby project that I believe strongly in.  School of Hard Knocks is a TV documentary broadcast by Sky Sports fronted by international rugby stars Will Greenwood and Scott Quinnell, and the coaches Chris Chudleigh and Ken Cowen from Rugby Performance

The overriding aim of School of Hard Knocks is to help unemployed people take significant steps towards employment that is both sustainable and realistic using rugby as a vehicle for change.

A key element of the programme is to introduce young men to the game of rugby union, promoting a healthy, sociable and active lifestyle. To address this, in addition to the employment section of the programme, School of Hard Knocks also addresses:

  • Nutrition
    School of Hard Knocks Rugby

    Evelyn Stevenson demonstrating squat technique

  • Health
  • Injury management
  • Physical fitness

And that’s where London’s premier personal training team comes in.  Due to our reputation and experience in sports conditioning The Foundry was asked to coach barbell techniques and put the team through a rugby specific strongman workout, all under the eyes of the Sky camera crew.

Jack Cannon:
“Thanks to The Foundry I’m hurting in places I did not even know were there. Great day yesterday thank you”
Michael Finnegan:
“Epic day today. Weightlifting training and getting beasted by The Foundry and Scott Quinnell.  Quality coaching all round.”

The feedback was excellent and the lads and our coaches had a great time together training; although there are bound to be some very sore bodies this week.  There were some surprises which will make for great television and plenty of funny moments.

Strongman Training

It was a real pleasure to work with some very determined young men

The series, based in Tottenham this year, will be airing early 2012.  It looks set to be a great programme so make sure you tune in to see how the lads get on with the incredible opportunities being given to them and to watch The Foundry Superstars in action.

You can catch earlier series from our friends over at RugbyDump: http://www.rugbydump.com/categories/sohk

The Foundry wishes all this year’s particapants the best of luck with the series and I really hope you grab the opportunities with both hands.

Book now to train with Evelyn Stevenson; Elite Mentor at The Foundry’s Heavy Weekend

USN and The Pure Package Sponsor The Foundry’s Heavy Weekend

Bootcamp

The Foundry is delighted to announce that USN, one of the leading global supplements companies, is the official supplements sponsor of our Heavy Weekend in Oxfordshire on Saturday 13 & Sunday 14 August 2011.  They will be supporting the concept of offering elite sports conditioning to the general population by providing free protein shakes and bars for all participants.

Also, The Pure Package, the London based gourmet diet food delivery company, as used by celebrities and athletes such as Hugh Jackman, Zinzan Brooke, Denise Van Outen. Lily Cole and Linford Christie, are our official “Pit Stop” Sponsor.  They have kindly offered to provide free healthy snacks for all our attendees.

We have sponsorship spots still available for a lunch sponsor and transport sponsor for this weekend so please contact us at dave@foundryfit.com if you would like to get involved or know more.

Finally, we will be announcing our exciting national media partners shortly so watch this space!!

To find out more about The Foundry’s Heavy Weekend, please see our recent blog post, contact Dave at dave@foundryfit.com or book online at http://foundryheavyweekend.eventbrite.com

Unique New Bootcamp Concept Puts The Public Alongside The Professionals

The Foundry, one of the leading personal training, sports conditioning and rehabilitation facilities in London is launching a brand new fitness experience enabling everyday people to train alongside professional athletes and top industry experts, including international rugby and football players, weightlifters, powerlifters and track and field stars.

Our first Heavy Weekend fitness bootcamp will take place in a secret Oxfordshire location on Saturday 13th – Sunday 14th August 2011.

Strongman Bootcamp

Stronger, Leaner, Faster

Attendees will be trained and treated as professional athletes for the weekend at a secret location in Oxfordshire under the watchful eyes of our conditioning experts, who have performed at the highest level of their respective fields:

  • Former British and Irish Lions and England rugby player Andy Titterrell for Strength and Sports Conditioning

Andy Titterrell Strength Training

 

 

 

 

 

  • UK Power lifting and England Weightlifting Champion Evelyn Stevenson for Olympic and Weightlifting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Miss Fitness England Sian Toal for Fitness and Body Composition

Sian Toal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With a move away from military style bootcamps and by filtering down the latest training concepts from professional conditioning, attendees will be introduced to:

  • Technical Olympic lifting and Power lifting sessions
  • Strength conditioning exercises including sled dragging, tyre flipping and farmers walks
  • Nutritional advice for performance and body conditioning

Event sponsors to be announced shortly.

Dave Thomas, Personal Trainer and Director of Performance at The Foundry says:

“We are incredibly excited to be hosting such a high performance weekend at an outstanding facility. This is no ordinary bootcamp. This is the first two day strength and conditioning course for the general population that focuses on treating participants as athletes, providing them with expert tuition from the professionals at the top of their respective fields, and pushing their capabilities and boundaries. Whether you want to be stronger, faster, leaner, fitter or quicker, we can inspire this within you.”

Cost for the weekends as follows:

  • £167 excluding B&B accommodation
  • £197 including shared B&B accommodation
  • £239 including individual B&B accommodation
A non refundable £50.00 deposit is required to secure your spot, with the balance to be paid 4 weeks before the event.
For more information about The Foundry’s Heavy Weekend on 13 and 14 August 2011 or to book one of the limited places, please contact Dave Thomas at dave@foundryfit.com or go to http//foundryheavyweekend.eventbrite.com.
 

a brand new fitness experience enabling everyday people to train alongside professional athletes and top industry experts

Barefoot running: How and Why?

Vibram Five Fingers London Liverpool Street personal training

All the equipment you need for barefoot running

After 10 years of treating runners injuries, training runners and researching various aspects of running performance, not to mention my own mixed performance as a runner, I feel qualified enough to make the following statements. Some of what you are about to read is based on empirical evidence gathered over the years from my own experiences, this is mixed, however, with some hard facts and up-to-date thinking by experts in the field of running biomechanics.

Weakness! – Unfortunately most runners, and especially distance (800 metre +), are weak – end of! Any runner heel striking is weak and compensating for weakness. Bouncing up and down – weak. Over rotating the body and arms – weak. Body bent forward at the hip whilst running – definitely WEAK. Not the individuals fault of course, other than that most of us neglect to pay any attention to biomechanics until injured, then reluctantly! We favour spending time manipulating the other variables of training, such as volume, intensity, footwear etc. This behaviour is a common mistake and a classic example of the cart being placed before the horse. Biomechanics, and therefore strength, should be the priority of any athlete both prior and during the training program.

Technique – The problem being, what actually is good technique? and what deviation from such technique should be allowed and explained as an individuals “style”, left alone, or corrected? Here is (some of!) my opinion:

- Initial contact or Foot strike

This should be under the bodies centre of gravity, meaning either a whole or forefoot strike. If the foot, regardless of contact point, extends out in front of the centre of gravity the contact must become soft, this will require and involve excessive pronation to avoid reduction in speed, the pronation will cause the elastic forces to dissipate, effectively decelerating overall movement. In addition the outreached foot will require excessive rotation through the trunk to counter the pelvic rotation and forward weight distribution, this will exacerbate the collapse into the transverse plane and deceleration.

- Body/Trunk position

Should be upright or even slightly leant back! This is possibly the easiest position to effect consciously whilst running. I often instruct runners to open through the rib-cage and lift the Sternum, optimum abdominal muscle action and pelvic position may then be facilitated. The problems with a flexed/forward body position are in that the alteration of the centre of gravity must be compensated for by excessive force production, working to hold the body up against gravity, and excessive forward foot placement. Both factors will cause a loss of reaction force and elastic energy to be used successfully, thus decelerating the overall movement.

- Knees together at initial contact

This is an excellent measure of a good technique, as one foot hits, the knees should be side by side.

- Swing phase begins rapidly

The faster the pace the quicker the ground contact. Dynamic stiffness/strength and structural integrity are required through the ankle and foot to ensure the optimum use of elastic forces and prevent excessive dorsi-flexion and a late propulsive phase. Correct, upright body position must be employed to avoid this and prevent excessive rotation that can be caused by late propulsion and sub-optimal body position. Contrary to some opinion, propulsion is occurring from the moment of initial contact and this is the case for sprint and distance runners.

How to do it? it’s a huge ask to achieve any of the above by consciously altering your running technique or buying a new pair of Newtons or Five Fingers! (seen above). However, I have successfully brought about significant progress towards optimum technique by first identifying a runners primary weakness, usually hip related, then implementing a reactive activation and strengthening program. Put simply, the function and strength of the lower limb, trunk and, to a lesser degree, arms, must be integrated. Hamstrings must be taught to work reactively, Psoas major must be activated to facilitate pelvic control (if you’re thinking Psoas major is a hip flexor – wrong!!) and the hip, and especially Gluteus max, must be strong and reactive enough to give propulsion whilst controlling pronation! Confused? just contact me and I can explain.

Barefoot running? is a great indication of good technique, if you can do it injury free! Don’t buy the shoes and hope for miracles – work on your mechanics, strengthen up and if you get it right the transition will happen by itself!

—-

The Foundry would like to thank Bruce Butler for this special blog post. Bruce is an experienced Sports Therapist, specialising in manual soft tissue techniques, Active Release Technique, movement and performance enhancement. For more information please see his website www.brucebutlertherapy.blogspot.com or email info@brucebutler.com.

personal training liverpool street london
Bruce will be attending our Barefoot Ted seminar, taking place on 24 May 2011. If you want to find out more about how to get into barefoot running and how to get the most out of your performance, book tickets now at http://barefoot-ted-eventbrite.com. Over half the tickets are already sold; get yours quick to benefit from our early bird offer (a third off ticket price!) which ends tonight!

The Alternative London Fashion Week with Vibram 5 Fingers

Vibram Five Fingers London

Almost a true representation of my run around Dorking

Recently I had the pleasure of going to an industrial estate in deepest darkest Dorking. Two missed trains, a long walk with the aid of a friendly local and some dubious map reading later, I finally arrive. Why, I hear you cry? To get a sneak preview of the Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter 2011 Vibram 5 Finger collections… and it’s no coincidence that this coincides with London Fashion Week.

Some incredibly exciting news to tell you, but first….

V5F fans, you may have heard of Barefoot Ted, a friendly lively character made famous in the cult running book “Born To Run” and a strong advocate of the V5F. Speaking via video call, he has developed, road tested and is launching a new running sandal, the Hueraches. More than just your average sandal, these have a Vibram sole and a leather upper with minimal strapping; the idea being that the foot will feel as near to nake while running. In hot climates, these will offer a great alternative to the V5F and a darn sight more comfortable than the much cherished flip flop.

On a quick aside, Barefoot Ted will be coming to the UK towards the end of May and we are organising a seminar with him at The Foundry. If you’re a barefoot advocate, want to get into barefoot exercise or just want to be inspired, this is the guy to meet. Email me at helen@foundryfit.com if you might be interested in attending a seminar with BFT and I will confirm details nearer the time.

Right, moving on the main event… the new Vibrm 5 Fingers. The creators at Vibram have introduced a few new styles for SS2011, a couple of which I believe will be incredibly popular:

1. Jaya and Jaya LRvibram five fingers london liverpool street

Designed withh Yoga and Pilates in mind, these like the Komodos can be used by everyone. Made in women’s sizes only (which now go up to size 42 so don’t feel disheartened, men with small feet), think of the Jayas as a lightweight Classic. With a lightweight sole made of the same material as the World Cup football that was too “spherical”, these slip on and off really easy and are so comfortable. The sole is designed for grip and durability (hence the Yoga/Pilates skew) but personally I think these are the perfect shoes to throw in your handbag or weekend travel bag.

2. Komodo SportLondon Liverpool Street

Designed with Crossfitters in mind but for anyone who likes to give their fitness footwear a good beating and bashing, the Komodo Sport is a pretty awesome looking V5F. A tougher upper than the standard V5Fs with a thicker sole like the Bikilas, these are perfect for pivoting (or pirouetting, whatever takes your fancy).

In addition to the Komodos and Jayas, SS2011 also bring us the refined Bikila LS and Speed LS – same upper and sole as their originals, just with a closed speed lace system (for anyone who STILL can’t tie their laces).

Now, the big news…

What do you get if you cross a well known Australian boot with a V5F?

(Now this would be the moment I show you an amazing picture of said creation, but unfortunately all images are currently under wraps!!)

Oh yes, for anyone who finds their beloved V5Fs too cold in the winter (myself included), Vibram will be launching kangaroo leather ankle boots and knee high boots for Autumn/Winter 2011. With a Trek sole for extra grip on rough uneven terrain, these will be perfect for walking on snow and ice. Unfortunately I am yet to see them in the flesh but think they are ingenious… better for your feet than an Ugg but warmer than Sprints.

With the Jayas already on my birthday list (July in case you were wondering), I know what I will be asking Santa for this Christmas!!