When you are motivated, you are driven and more determined to strive toward the health and fitness goals you set for yourself. You don’t suddenly believe that everything is easy, but you know that you are prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve your goal, regardless of the challenges that it poses.
Would you like to treat someone special this Christmas to something meaningful? Then why not gift them a present with a lasting impact? ‘A Gift of Health’!
Until the 5th of January, we offer new clients three personal training sessions for £150!! This special offer is the perfect gift for those looking to make positive changes to their health. In truth, exercise is the single best thing we can do for better health; hiring a trainer is a very efficient way of addressing the following:
Our private Personal Training Studio is in Deptford SE8 5QA and has been custom designed for bespoke exercise. With this in mind, there is an emphasis on fun and variety. As such, no two sessions are ever the same. On the other hand, for those that enjoy the convenience of a mobile trainer, some of our team will travel to your home. Similarly, we also conduct sessions in the parks. However, this arrangement is subject to availability, so we advise getting in touch before purchase. To give a guide, our roaming trainers currently cover Beckenham, Dulwich and Streatham. Finally, if the gym or parks do not work, we also provide online coaching via zoom. It can be utilised by anyone, anywhere, offering more convenience and greater flexibility.
As it has been for many years, January would typically see us hit the ground running with our Community Project. This ten-week Couch To 5K course is a FREE project which we deliver voluntarily. It is our way of reaching out to the community and helping people to become more active and social in a safe and friendly environment. Unfortunately, these are precisely the factors which have been compromised by COVID-19.
At the start of the Pandemic in March 2020, we were in week 8 of our 10-week running course. Along with all fitness clubs, FitFun sadly had to cease face to face activities. Almost one year on and although restrictions have eased a bit; we still cannot restart normal club activities as the government rules currently don’t allow it.
We have looked into the possibility of organising small running groups of 6 people. However, for insurance reasons, this would prove not easy. Specifically, we would need to set up a Covid-19 coordinator, carryout COVID-19 risk assessments, and bring in more coaches. Insomuch as this is voluntary we have found it challenging to get the help we need. Add to all of this, dividing up into small groups goes against our aim of bring more people together. As a result, we have made the tough decision not to schedule any official FitFunRun courses for the time being.
Running is probably the most accessible form of exercise. However, for many of us, it is also a very daunting one, especially if we feel out of shape or unfit. We believe our FitFunRun training works because it starts with a mix of running and walking, gradually building up fitness and stamina. This allows the body to adjust to the impact of running slowly. Week one for new runners will involve running for just a minute at a time, creating realistic expectations and making the challenge feel achievable right from the start. Running in a group has proven benefits, it increases your commitment, you gain a sense of camaraderie, it boosts your mood, and it is generally more fun! We fully appreciate the mental benefits of running with friends, and so we wanted to provide you with our top tips for running under the current restrictions.
*Feel free to arrange group runs of 6 via the WhatsApp group on the understanding that this is in your capacity and is not a FitFun activity. Please do not make open invites that could cause more than six people to meet up. We encourage you to keep active as safely as possible. We hope to be delivering community running courses again very soon and look forward to seeing many of you once again!
Thank you for your understanding
When you book flights with Team FitFun to spend time in a beach resort in the Algarve, the image you may have is one of reclining on soft sand wearing sunglasses. You’re likely to beapplying suntan lotion, while the splashing waves and clear blue seas lull you into complete quiescence. For us, there were moments like this at Tribal Clash. They were precious moments too. However, for the rest of the time, the pace was much more of a frantic, ecstatic, and exhilarating drama show.
As teams, we were both performers and spectators (when observing others), we were also competitors and supporters to other tribes. We were all taking part in one captivating scene of physical, psychological and emotional prowess.
Now in its second year on Portuguese shores, Tribal Clash, in the organisers’ own words is “a competition designed to discover the most capable teams on planet earth”. In other words, the group of people who have the greatest ability to get stuff done, regardless of the challenge. Although Tribal Clash is rooted in Crossfit functional fitness principles and exercise style, personal and individual triumph is set aside. As a result, this leaves room for a cohesive, disciplined approach that places the success of your “tribe” uppermost in your mind. These are the shared values and qualities that drew us to this magnificent spectacle.
Team FitFun were very much Crossfit novices and not one of our team members had entered such an event before. However, we were willing to step forward into the unknown and hold our own against 131 experienced teams. Reading the list of names of all 132 teams and seeing FitFunActive, we are pretty sure people would have been wondering who on earth we were? Yes, we were “Fit for fun” as the judge referred to us, but we were determined not to just make up numbers. We were here to compete. Of course, we intended to have fun while doing it.
First up was the team 1km log run on the sandy beach. Each stride into the depth of the sand sapped our energy. With the weight of the log starting to take its toll; we immediately transitioned into a 5k mixed terrain run. Nevertheless, what an opportunity for Team FitFun to maximise our opening points. We knew we had strengths in the team running this distance. Our training covered this. The team knew that if we remained in close contention at the end of the team log run we could give our strong runners an opportunity to earn some valuable points.
Thankfully our tactics worked. We managed to get one team member into 2nd place and another into 8th place among 72 runners in our heat. A well needed nerve settling opening half to our first event.
Team FitFun would soon come to realise exactly why the stakes were set up in the Crossfit teams’ favour. Feeling exhausted from the team and solo runs we were plunged straight into event number 2. The result meant completing 12 ground to overhead lifts with a 200 plus pounds ‘Sand Worm’. In addition, we had to complete 6 total rope climbs as many times as possible within the time allocated. Working to this level of intensity under strict form and time constraints pushed the team to the edge.
As a result, we learned so much from this. We needed to regroup and recharge. However, time seemed to pass rather quickly, we only had a few hours to get over that event and prepare for the next one. The next event was the ‘Red Paddle Race’. Paddleboarding produced some more drama for our already discombobulated unit.
Experience is an invaluable resource, something we learned this weekend in abundance. What became apparent this weekend was that this community of competitors had drilled into their psyche, a never give up, never quit, fight to the very end, way of being. This was not a mere competition on the beach but an expression of a philosophy. Tribal Clash provided the tools for redefining character.
There was little time for team FitFun to wallow in self-pity and we discovered this really quickly. If ever we felt our previous performance was below par, the next event would either crush us or bring out the ‘beast’. The 4th event then was the aptly named ‘King Kong’. We had to work in pairs- male/female, completing 9 x 90 seconds intervals jumping up and over an 8-foot high beam. Once over it, we had to complete as many ground to shoulder, synchronised atlas stone lifts as possible. The stones ranged from 42kg – 97kg.
What a test of strength, power, and sheer grit! Having never even seen an atlas stone before other than on TV’s ‘World’s Strongest Man’ we exceeded expectations beyond our wildeest dreams. At this point, we were so proud of our valiant efforts and performance. Yet, naturally, our competitive nature began to reflect on the points we missed out on. Definitely an emotional roller coaster Day 1.
After mixed results and emotions from the first day, Day 2, was a chance to rise again. We left the arena the night before feeling somewhat despondent with the way things had gone. Some situations were out of our control and some very much down to allowing situations to overcome us as a team. Nevertheless, this is the nature of outdoor events of this magnitude, you will have to compete with the elements, equipment, crowd noise as well as the opposition.
With only 2 events remaining on that final day, it seemed as though the organisers decided to challenge as many aspects of fitness as possible as though we had just arrived. This time we were ready. We had learned from day one, and we had regrouped and began to strategise every detail of our tasks and our corresponding strengths.
And so into the Water Worm event 5: where we had to perform 10 synchronised log worm thrusters (deep squats to overhead lifts), straight into synchronised log lunges to the shoreline 50 meters away. This was followed with 2 swim laps into the sea holding onto a rescue board. As if that wasn’t enough, we had to repeat the lunge uphill to our start position. Finally, with time remaining repeat the thrusters (reps for time). We were beginning to earn the respect of our newly found Crossfit community. It seemed like we were in our element.
With one event to go, this was it. This was our moment to shine in the heat of the day. We had one thing on our minds, to finish as high up the rankings as we possibly could. Stepping into the arena we felt like gladiators in the final scene. We had 12 minutes remaining. That’s 720 seconds, a 62kg tyre, 5x 60kg sandbags, 2 beams and 6 team members to get over and across one end of the arena. Another AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible) event. All 6 objects and 6 athletes across once earned us 6 points. One stipulation- the tyre must not touch the sand.
For this final effort, we gave every fibre of strength and determination we had left. We had to muscle up even the tiniest of reserves to bear the weight of expectation. 26 points! That was our total for this finale. In total, we managed 4 complete rounds and 2 extra points for the few objects we retrieved at the end and getting all team members up and over the beams for the last time, with microseconds to spare.
We had finally arrived, although we were now leaving. A look up at the rankings and we finished in 86th place. 86 out of 132 teams as a non-Crossfit outfit is something to be proud of. All the teams and staff who spoke to us were impressed with our team’s performance and efforts. We had definitely gained our entry into their circle. Fit for fun? Yes, but fit enough to compete with the best of them.
Having gained knowledge and insight into the training, preparation for and approach to the events, how much more could we bring to the party next year? Along with our aches, pains and bruises, we left with pride. We had accomplished our mission and gained an experience of a lifetime. This is what the FitFun team challenges are all about.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQJg9ogiTGU
Legend has it that the Marathon began in 490 B.C when the Greek messenger Pheidippides ran from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens 26.2 miles. His assignment was to relay news of the Greek victory against the Persians. He uttered the words “We were victorious!” upon arrival. For Pheidippides it was a lonely run but on Sunday 12th March 2017 we got to carry our triumphant message to the end with waves upon waves of supporters clapping and cheering us on. “Vamos Campeones!” this was our training run slogan, “Let’s go champs!”
Our team preparations began some 19 weeks ago. Scattered across London, a variety of characters, personalities and passions made up the group members. Before then, most of us had only seen marathons on TV and some of us knew people who had taken on the mammoth task of completing a Marathon. However living vicariously through someone else’s experience is one thing, actually embarking on your own journey to Marathon success is another story altogether.
On average it takes between 4 to 5 hours to complete a Marathon. Your mind and body are put through immense pressures. The challenge takes you through every emotion conceivable, from excitement to discouragement, ecstasy to despair, and from happiness to torment. Your mood can shift incredibly quickly as your thoughts start to play tricks on you. The voices in your head begin to drown out the loud cheers, the music bands and even the progression updates bellowing through your headphone speakers. You feel as if every injury you’ve ever had in your life comes to the surface, and now seems like a good time to cry.
But one of the beautiful things to note about the Barcelona Marathon was in the efforts of the organisers to ensure varying fitness levels and physical abilities had the opportunity to live out their own life goals. For instance, it was very poignant to see a team on the course working together to get a group of wheelchair users around the course. Their selfless act encompassed the magic that often surrounds such a momentous event. Even amongst the bright colours on show, the razzmatazz and confetti, what touches you more is the beautiful human spirit on display. The genuineness in wanting to see someone other than yourself succeeding is the ultimate show of love and compassion. Yet even though a Marathon is a race of tens of thousands, it’s one that’s ultimately run as an individual.
While alone you have lots of time to think and those voices in your head keep speaking to you. The new energy you can receive at a water station can seem short-lived until you try hard again another 3 miles along the course to find the same enthusiasm to dig deep and keep going. It’s often been said that “the first 20 miles is just a warm-up”. Some have referred to mile 22 as the “Dreaded wall”. You don’t see it coming; it’s not something tangible ahead of you. Although in the back of your mind you anticipate it, it still hits you out of nowhere. At that point there’s still some way to go, so now what?
Right here you are also reminded that the Marathon is no ‘walk in the park’; those who have failed to prepare, prepare to fail. a catastrophe at this point can be soul-destroying. The saying “You get out what you put in” could not have been any truer. “I’m still standing! Yeah yeah yeah!” Who’d have thought that an old Elton John song could be so inspiring? The “Dreaded Wall”? What wall? I’m still standing. And I’m still running. Let’s go champ!
One of the team recalls dedicating the remaining miles to loved ones. We all had our own reason for being there, a personal driving force behind every step and that special something getting us through to the very end. For some, it was a charity close to the heart. One of the team thought of a loving husband waiting with open arms at the finish. For another just to lay down and let the hamstrings rest. What would yours be? And what would carry you to and across the finish line – on Sunday 12th of March in Barcelona we were victorious!
For obstacle races, we understand that preparation is always the key. However, you can never prepare enough to be 100% sure how one will react when faced with that first ‘game-changer’ of a hurdle. For example the adrenaline rush you experience at the countdown to the starter hooter. Or being driven on by the sudden stampede of excitement stricken waves of bright colours. All of which propels you into the initial hurdles. You clear the first few introductory obstacles before you then start to feel the ground beneath your feet again. Immediately you remember where you are, and that this is just the beginning of a long road to the finish line. You hope the excitement will last long enough to carry you through.
When you think of the word ‘adventure’, what springs to mind? Is it crawling in a backstroke manner in a cage filled with muddy water? Do you imagine dragging your body inside a pitch-black hole? Or is it an entire stretch of 20 miles, 200 obstacles, in the countryside amidst a company of people just as bold and borderline crazy as you are? What would you do with a spare 6 hours or so? Well, our team accomplished all the above and then some, at the Rat Race Dirty Weekender. This was set on the fields of Burghley House in Stamford, Lincolnshire on Saturday 7th May.
FitFun, from its inception, has always held to the philosophy that growth occurs outside the comfort zone. While that includes navigating physical barriers; the greatest growth is internal. It’s the part of you nobody sees but they feel. They experience your growth. Your evolution can become infectious energy; a force that cannot be denied. It enables you and gives others permission also to ‘live the dream’. This personal development is about taking the steps towards a life free of limitations, and one that transcends your very being.
We have come to understand that it’s the pressure cooker moments in life that often define who we are at heart. What will pressure reveal in you? How do you cope when you are gripped with anxiety in front of a queue of tired, impatient racers waiting on you to take that leap so they can have their turn? Fear can exude so much tension in an individual that it can almost cripple momentarily. But if you are not challenged, you will never change. If you are not tested you can never have a testimony. How do we know our true strengths if we stay in our comfort zone? Let’s use the analogy of how Lobsters grow. They are a soft mushy animal living in a rigid shell. That rigid shell does not expand. As the Lobster grows, it feels confined and under pressure. In order to survive, the Lobster has no choice but to cast off that shell to produce another one in its place.
This is what the yearly FitFun team challenges are about. For us to prepare our cohort for the magnitude of the tasks that lay ahead, all aspects of Rat Race training had to push boundaries- physical, psychological, and emotional. Over the 4 months in which we trained between January and April, the team had to overcome a number of injuries and illnesses that were legitimate enough reasons to pull out of the event as a result of hampered preparations. But collectively we held one another up. In our experience, we know that strong bonds are formed through difficult times. We look forward to these situations because they are opportunities to take our FitFun community to the next level.
Our four scheduled monthly group training sessions were to complement and enhance the individual in preparing for the event. It is said ‘You are only as strong as your weakest person’, but for us, it was not about weaknesses, but identifying strengths which we as individuals bring to the collective goal. Training as a team and being accountable to the group gave us a clear picture of where we were in relation to the demands of the assault course on the historical grounds of Burghley House would present.
From the frenzy at the start, it’s not long into the race that you feel the uneven terrain begin to sap energy from every stride you take. Perhaps the most consistent stumbling block along the vast, open land is the very ground you are running on, which you can easily ignore to your peril while keeping your eyes focussed on what impediments the organisers have conjured up ahead. And then you reach the first point of extreme apprehension. You feared it would come. You can see the looks on faces around you. It’s usually something involving standing, what appears to be a 100m above the ground, staring at the freezing cold water the masses are about to jump into. “Can you push me please?” were the quiet words spoken before a loud scream and a splash!
Challenges often bring out the vulnerabilities in our character. We either decide to swim or we give in to the pull beneath us and resign to that sinking feeling. But swim we definitely did. We put our bodies on the line; climbing nets, ladders, and ropes; leaping up walls, rolling under wire cages, carrying logs and sandbags uphill, crawling along black holes, and did I mention jumping into freezing cold water from great heights? Plus not forgetting the cheek of an obstacle sneaking in elements of a boot camp routine- squats, burpees and press-ups along the way, as though our limbs didn’t have enough to contend with. The stop-start nature of obstacle races eventually takes its toll on the body; just like the constant changing of gears in a car eats up petrol, likewise is the effect on your energy system. The pit stops for food and drinks were a life source, literally.
Funnily enough, society generally understands the ‘Rat Race’ to be an endless, self-defeating, or pointless pursuit, linked to the race of getting ahead financially; like rats chasing the big cheese. This image is far removed from the working ethos of the Rat Race Weekender, which is fundamentally tied to the FitFun ethos of inclusion and cohesiveness. We all shared a common goal. We also had one mutual enemy- muscle cramps. It was no respecter of persons; whether you were a trainer, a client, male or female; along the fields, there was usually one or 2 individuals lying on the floor needing a helping hand to stretch (usually the hamstrings and calves). This is what makes these events so great that no matter which team you represent, we are all ‘Muckers’ ready to help a fellow Mucker.
It’s a real badge of honour to complete the world’s biggest assault course, and we are extremely proud of the way our team coped with the demands. A number of individuals were able to prove to themselves that they are more than capable of rising to the occasion. When the going got tough we kept pressing on. The negative internal voices were there but we were able to draw energy from one another. This was a stamina test with a difference; not your typical weekend walk in the countryside by miles. Where else will you be faced with over 100m of monkey bars? Having pushed yourself over 13 miles prior, you now have to hold your body weight up as you swing from one handle to another, for a 100m! Then when completed we still had another 7 miles to go. Every muscle fibre is exhausted. Cramp appears in your neck muscles; how on earth did that happen?
The promise of chicken curry and a beer, for some, became the motivating factor to shift another gear. Certainly, the quicker we finish the sooner we can celebrate. Also, the knowledge that the event was going to culminate in an awesome after-party. For those who still had the energy, a Glastonbury style rave. Nevertheless, visualising waves of arms held aloft in relief more than anything, but also in celebration of a tremendous achievement seemed yet miles away. However what a comforting sight to see familiar faces as we approached the final furlong.
This is our family- the FitFun Family. Two little girls cried out “Mummy” as a team-mate picked herself up off the water slide yards from the finish line. They were her daughters. The joy on their faces was worth her agony. Her husband filmed the last triumphant steps. Her family were there to witness her achievement; perhaps having travelled the entire 20 miles with her in spirit keeping her going. These are the memories we create. These are the moments we capture that will stay with us, and the life-transforming experiences that make us better people.
Click here to see images from the event