Another Ectomorph Transformation

January 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

We’ve picked up quite a reputation over the last 2 years for helping ectomorphs naturally add some muscle to their frames and lose a few inches from round the middle.  Part of the reason for this has definitely been the fact Personal Trainer Dave Thomas  actually has 6 clients over 6’3″.

You can see some more of Dave’s impressive previous results here and here and check in with our current project training ‘Ectomorph Ed’ for Men’s Health magazine here.

Lucky Ed is training with the uncompromising Sarah Lindsay, nine-time British speed skating champion and triple Olympian.  In Ed’s words “If she can’t scare me into lifting that extra kilo and keep me focused, no one can.”

Below are pictures from one of our most recent ectomorph transformations to keep all the Ed’s of the world inspired.  Great gains can be made, regardless of body type, through regular, consistent training and a supportive, nutritional diet.

Dave Thomas personal trainerNeil has lost over 10kg of total weight and 12% body fat whilst adding 3kg of lean mass.  The decision to shave is not at our insistence by the way, but after making gains like this who can begrudge a bit of showing off?!

Dave Thomas Personal Trainer

Neil is a typical Foundry client. He works long hours in a stressful City environment, has a young family and plays sport in his free time.  He came to The Foundry as he wanted to improve his general health, add muscle and lose weight.  Over the course of 4 months, training twice a week, NR has already lost over 10 KG, including a whopping 12% body fat and 4 inches off his waist.  He has also added 3kg of very noticeable  lean mass.

“I didn’t really know what to expect when I came to see Dave Thomas at The Foundry as I had never used a Personal Trainer before, but was spending time and money at the gym and not seeing results. I found the whole assessment of my lifestyle, training and nutrition really interesting and the combination of a plan that covered all three, plus the confidence that what I was doing was right, has been awesome. The first few weeks were very tough – lots of soreness and adjusting to a new diet – but I couldn’t believe how quickly I saw results in body shape and fitness. At my age, I can’t believe I feel strong, leaner and more toned than I ever have and how much I’ve become addicted to the diet and training. The training is varied, intense and you always feel like you’ve gotten the most out of a session. I’m a major fan!” Neil.

 

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Ten Tips of Christmas: Tip 7

December 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Being a Bah Humbug isn’t good for the waistline

SEE BELOW FOR TODAY’S SPECIAL OFFER FOR TODAY ONLY AT SHOP @ THE FOUNDRY

It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues.
Abraham Lincoln

Some of you may know I used to smoke. Tsk, naughty Dave, go stand in the corner! I can only tell you that despite hating the feeling of waking up with a mouth like an ash tray it filled a psychological need at that time in my life so I don’t beat myself up about it. I simply asked for help from people close to me, changed the reason for that behaviour and have never looked back.

Smoking was not good for me; but equally I don’t believe being obsessively pious is particularly healthy either. Getting stressed out about our occasional self destructive urges doesn’t help with the behaviour we want to change. Instead we just feel self loathing, elevated stress levels and in my case a healthy dollop of Catholic guilt.

Another perfect example is alcohol. Whilst it’s true that no study has ever proved a causal relationship between moderate drinking and lower risk of death, we do know the two often go together, probably because moderate drinking is something healthy people tend to do, rather than something that makes people healthy. A few drinks can relax us physically and mentally and help with social situations.

“The moderate drinkers tend to do everything right — they exercise, they don’t smoke, they eat right and they drink moderately”

Kaye Middleton Fillmore, a retired sociologist from the University of California, San Francisco.

Foundry director Graeme Marsh delivers a very popular executive seminar entitled “The executive athlete.” It used to be called “Why stress is making you fat, sick and miserable” but we figured that was a bit too blunt. That said, the previous title does get to the crux of the issue. Stress can cause, or is linked to, the following conditions…take a deep breath…abdominal fat, cardiovascular disease, adrenal fatigue, metabolic syndrome, digestive problems, skin problems and rashes, memory loss and poor concentration, hypertension, speeding the progression of HIV/Aids, varicose veins, haemorrhoids and even the dreaded gingivitis. Stress and anxiety and the resulting lack of sleep are far more damaging than the odd glass of wine and mince pie and then feeling guilty about it for days.

Positive coping strategies:

  1. Exercise Regularly.
    This is a bit of a gimme as everyone who comes through our doors will understand to some degree that exercise releases endorphins, the mind-body’s natural painkiller and mood calmer. However even if we can’t make the gym or stick to our exercise programmes over the holiday brisk walking is an excellent alternative. A vigorous 2-3 miles allows us to experience a tangible sense of accomplishment and control and some time out.
  2. Deep Belly Breathing.
    This is easy to do and very relaxing. Try this basic exercise anytime you need to relax or relieve stress.
  • Sit in a comfortable position.
  • Put one hand on your belly just below your ribs and the other hand on your chest.
  • Take a deep breath in through your nose, and let your belly push your hand out. Your chest should not move.
  • Breathe out through pursed lips as if you were whistling. Feel the hand on your belly go in, and use it to push all the air out.
  • Do this breathing 3 to 10 times. Take your time with each breath.
  1. A Gratitude Journal.
    Whilst this might sound a bit New Agey you’d be surprised how effective these can be. Everyone has lain in bed with thoughts racing and felt the panic of being unable to sleep only add to the anxiety. A great strategy is to keep a book by your bedside and just write a few down a few simple things you’re really happy about it life. No matter how bad things get there will always be something positive so set it down, in concrete…or even paper. It can be a very helpful way of reflecting on the positives in life or even to identify the positives in a bad situation.

Damn it, they’re so bloody good I reckon even Chuck Norris has a Gratitude Journal (with one entry repeated on every day: “I am thankful for being Chuck Norris”)

  1. Holy Basil (tulsi).
    Whilst it has demonstrated anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, science is taking a huge interest in a supplement called Holy Basil for its compelling effects on stress. Multiple studies have found that supplementation with various extracts of holy basil decreases stress hormone levels, corticosterone in particular. It’s not recommended for those who are pregnant, nursing or trying to conceive.

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Visit us in store or order via email at info@foundryfit.com or call 020 3417 0469 today.

Filed Under: Blog, Health, Top 10 Tips of Christmas 2011 Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Jodie Marsh: Bodybuilding and Femininity

October 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Yesterday we stumbled across an interesting and controversial article from journalist Sarah Ditum for the Guardian newspaper about Jodie Marsh and her foray into bodybuilding:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/oct/05/jodie-marsh-bodybuilder?INTCMP=SRCH

This was made all the more interesting by Sarah’s juxtaposition of Jodie’s physique with Foundry personal trainer Evelyn Stevenson. (In the interest of accuracy we should probably point out that Evelyn is an Olympic Weightlifting Champion not The Olympic Champion at weightlifting as the article suggests; although she is well on her way to that goal as one of the strongest women in the UK pound for pound.)

Jodie Marsh and Evelyn Stevenson: what constitutes a strong healthy female role model?

So what do you think?  What epitomises the ideal of a healthy, strong woman?  Should we judge other peoples’ physiques according to our own personal tastes or focus on the dedication required to compete at the top of two very different fields?

We strongly believe in the physical and psychological power of strength training for women and Evelyn is a wonderful ambassador for strong women everywhere. Let us know your thoughts and comments below.

 

 

 

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From Geek To Gedrog

October 3, 2011 By 1 Comment

For today’s blog post thought we’d shameless plagiarise a well known Tim Ferris bodybuilding article entitled Geek to Freak; but with a little Afrikaans twist to make our subject feel at home.  Did you know that gedrog means ‘freak’ in Afrikaans? Nope, neither did we. At The Foundry: ‘we like to get a mental sweat on too’.

At the end of June you may remember our client Vern was being lauded around internet-land at the 12 week stage of his transformation: http://www.foundryfit.co.uk/blog/eat-clean-lift-heavy-get-bigger-ii-back-with-a-vengeance/

Due to time constraints with work, Vern has now completed his six months of personal training with Dave Thomas until next April so it seemed only right to ackowledge his great achievements and update you on his final statistics alongside a couple of photos worthy of the Gunday hall of fame:

personal trainer city london foundry

Somebody call a vet...

 

Prior to training End of programme
L bicep flexed 35 cm 40 cm
R bicep flexed 34.5 cm 40 cm
Chest 97 cm 106 cm
Both thighs 53 cm 58 cm
R calf 36 cm 39 cm
L calf 39 cm 40 cm
Weight 82kg 92.5 kg
Body fat % 18 % 12 %

 

A genuine pleasure to train and always eager to learn Vern is a fantastic example of the outstanding results (over 10kg of lean mass and over 2 inches on his sick swans) one can make in strength and muscular development, whether for sport or aesthetic reasons, if you follow a well structured training programme, work hard and eat well consistently for a few months.

Filed Under: Blog, Fitness, Strength training, Transformations Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Are you a typical Foundry client?

September 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Personal Training London

10% reduction in body fat and 3.5 inches off the waist in two months

NR is a typical Foundry client. He works long hours in a stressful City environment, has a young family and plays sport in his free time. He came to The Foundry as he wanted to improve his general health, add muscle and lose weight. Over the course of 8 weeks, training twice a week, NR has already lost 10 KG, including 10% body fat and 3.5 inches off his waist measurement. This is by no means the end of NR’s transformation but it shows that, even over a short period and a demanding lifestyle, great gains can be made through regular consistent training and a supportive nutritional diet.

“I didn’t really know what to expect when I came to see Dave Thomas at The Foundry as I had never used a Personal Trainer before, but was spending time and money at the gym and not seeing results. I found the whole assessment of my lifestyle, training and nutrition really interesting and the combination of a plan that covered all three, plus the confidence that what I was doing was right, has been awesome. The first few weeks were very tough – lots of soreness and adjusting to a new diet – but I couldn’t believe how quickly I saw results in body shape and fitness. At my age, I can’t believe I feel strong, leaner and more toned than I ever have and how much I’ve become addicted to the diet and training. The training is varied, intense and you always feel like you’ve gotten the most out of a session. I’m a major fan!” NR, September 2011

 

Filed Under: Blog, Testimonials, Transformations Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why training with one of London’s best personal trainer teams is so different.

September 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

At The Foundry, our entire business is set up providing you with the best training and tuition available. We are renowned within and outside the industry as having some of the most outstanding trainers and rehab specialists in London.  However training with one of our experts does not mean you do not benefit from the expertise and experience of our other trainer specialists.The Foundry City of London personal training

Today, we have one such example….

This morning, Dave was just about to head into his “Learn how to power clean” training session with one of his clients, when he suddenly stumbled upon the best training method possible….

Why get a strength conditioning coach to teach power cleans when you have the English Weightlifting Champion and British Powerlifting Champion on hand to teach the client for you??

So the latest addition to our team, Evelyn Stevenson, took up the reins and delivered an outstanding technical lifting session using her first hand knowledge.

personal training city of london the foundryDave holds his hands up and admits that Evelyn is more of an expert in weightlifting technique. And that is what makes us different. We believe it’s important for every trainer to defer to the expertise of a more experienced trainer to ensure our clients get the best training possible.

Whilst all our personal trainers are equally comfortable helping clients with fat loss, muscle gain or sports performance, our individual specialists also all offer something different to our clients: Dave Thomas specialises in strength conditioning for sport, Graeme Marsh has worked for many years (sorry Graeme!) with stressed out City executives, Evelyn Stevenson is the current England Weightlifting and British Powerlifting Champion and Sarah Lindsay has first hand experience of performing at the highest level on the Olympic stage.

And don’t forget our rehab team. Got a niggle before your training session? See Nell Mead, our rehab director, one of the best pain and rehab specialist anywhere in London, for a pre-training examination before you get in the power rack.

Our integrated approach means we can combine years of experience of working in the City, with the military and with the skills of those who have represented Britain on a national and Olympic level for the benefit of our clients.

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Body Transformations Week – Day 5

August 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

After a long week of genuine client transformations, Dave Thomas Personal Trainer would like to round off this fantastic week with one of his most inspirational clients, Belen Gallego, in this short but sweet article.

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Today’s transformation is simply one of the best clients I’ve ever had and a true inspiration. Not only did she lose over 20kg over six months and reduced her body fat from 45% to 25%, she has became one of the strongest, fittest clients I’ve had.

I can’t describe how phenomenal Belen’s results have been… the photo says it all really as she jumps into her old trousers.

I thought I’d leave Belen to say a few words directly:


Belen has been away for a little while working in New York but I cannot wait to catch up with her and actually do a workout with her as a buddy rather than a client!

Filed Under: Blog, Testimonials, Transformations Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
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