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Movember Prostate Cancer Snowdon Climb

everest

“Each year 11,190 men in the UK die from prostate cancer. 11 grams is the average weight of a prostate. 1190 x 11 grams is near as damn it 130 kilograms. We’ll carry 130 kilograms somewhere and we have to make it somewhere tough. No point carrying it somewhere easy. Up and down Snowdon it is then.”

“What about those who can’t make that day?”

“They’ll need to do something else. I know – ascend the 8,848 metres height of Mount Everest on foot or bike, indoor or outdoor over the course of November.”

“Sorted.”

And that was pretty much the conversation surrounding this year’s Team Training challenge to raise money for the Movember charity which amongst other things raises funds for research into prostate cancer. 

The next challenge:

The next challenge was to fix a date for Snowdon, find out who was doing it and to decide what form the 130kg would take. 10 men committed for Remembrance Sunday the 14th of November and it was decided that the 130kg would be split between them in rucksacks – roughly 13kg each made up from weight plates, sand and water. 

Note: Carrying 13kg on your back 9 miles up Snowdon and 9 miles back down is hard. Go carry 13kg to the end of your road and back to get an idea. Rough terrain plus a steep incline and descent makes it all the more difficult but we love stuff like that, and integrated into a structured fitness programme it can be very beneficial too. More on the benefits of rucking here.

The day arrived and all made their way to the foot of the Pyg Track to begin the ascent. 5 men from our Team Training group plus another 5 willing friends and associates. The descent was down the Llanberis Path. I’ve got to mention at this point that unfortunately I didn’t take part in this climb. I’ve got a knee injury that’s preventing me from certain activities and this is one. Onto what I did for Movember later….

Back to the mountain

The weather was as good as they could have hoped for and visibility was great.  They had a very special remembrance service at the summit “For me, the best bit of the hike was getting to the summit 5 minutes before 11am on Remembrance Sunday and witnessing an emotional tribute with 1 minute silence on the top of Mount Snowdon above the clouds” said Amit. Many thought similar. 

Prosecco, thanks Ben, and samosas, thanks to Amit’s wife, were consumed at the top to fuel the descent.

It’s events like this which are so important for many of us at the gym.

As Andy mentioned, “…it was having a laugh and getting to know the guys better” which was the best for him. Part of Movember’s charity work is to help men with mental health issues and prevent suicide and what Andy said there is so important to what happened that day and what we try to do every day; get guys to hang around with each other, have a laugh and share in the struggle. Yes going to the pub and getting drunk is bonding and having a laugh but it’s not the same. Alcohol is a depressant where uniting in hard work to achieve something of significance only results in happiness and feeling good.

It’s the whole ethos of what we do at Team Training. 

James echoed similar words. “Having never climbed more than a flight of stairs, the achievement of overcoming a new challenge and pushing beyond my comfort zone was great. The best thing though was the amazement on my little boy’s face when I showed him a picture of me above the clouds at the summit. Having that experience and sharing it with a great group of men was made all the more special by the kind donations to a wonderful charity picked up along the way.”

What else did we do:

As mentioned earlier, for those who didn’t climb Snowdon that day, there was the option to ascend the 8,848 metres which is the height of Mount Everest. It could be done indoors or outdoors on foot or bike and this is what I chose. Before any of you reading this give me a drubbing when I tell you how I did it, I’ll give it myself first. I climbed on the Wattbike on Zwift. Yes I sat on the bike indoors, switched on a computer and linked my bike up to ascending a hill. I didn’t get wet, I didn’t get cold and I stopped whenever I wanted. It wasn’t “really” hard. It was tough because I set speed challenges for certain climbs I did over the month but I always knew I was going to achieve it. 

Man of the Match

One man who deserves particular credit here is Glyn Knight because he went and did it the proper way; well not as proper as climbing Everest in shorts and vest but still good enough. 

Over the course of many mornings in November, Glyn drove to a local steep hill called Old Pale in Delamere Forest where he ran up and down it until the height of 8,848m had been completed. There was rain, snow, darkness and and many times he really didn’t want to do it but he did. Oh and he was in the Snowdon climb too. He gets my vote for man of the match. 

We raised a huge amount of money again and it is still coming in.  Last count we were at £3,650 raised for Movember and a further £2,319 for Macmillan Cancer support. In total it will be another £6,000 raised from a small group of men.  Thanks to Stephen’s company APC Cardiovascular Ltd too as it matched funding to a pledge of £500 per fundraiser, a total contribution of £1,000 this year.

It is amazing what we can do when we have a challenge and get together as a team. It makes any project far more doable unlike tackling a huge project on your own. 

Thank you to all our sponsors and of course the team :

Stephen Law-Lyons arranged this great event with the following men:

• Amit Patel

• Andy Firth

• Ben Flynn

• Ed Jackson

• Glyn Knight

• James McEwen

• Kris Ellis

• Matt Westmoreland

• Paul Connor

• Wayne Hasselby

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Movember 2021 Feeling Top of The World

movember

Movember 2021 Report Written by Stephen Law Lyons – Team Training Northwich Member

I have been raising funds for and awareness of men’s health issues for 9 years with Movember UK.  The last 2 years, the covid years, I have had the honour of enlisting the support of men in Team Training Northwich through my gym with Paul Connor, and Northwich Round Table.

In 2020 together we had Rowvember where we indoor rowed and ran more than the Land’s End to John O’Groats distance, 1,500,000m and raised almost £6,000.  It helped us all with the lockdown and gave us a purpose to build up our kilometres together, virtually.

Inspired by that success we wanted another challenge for 2021.  FEELING TOP OF THE WORLD – Individually virtually climbing the equivalent of Everest as a month-long goal.  As part of the Everest challenge, we included a standalone real climb team activity goal of climbing Snowdon.  Paul Connor raised the bar and challenged us to carry weights up and down.

The team rose to the challenge and 10 of us climbed Snowdon with around 15kgs each in our backpacks.  The weight had a significance for Movember – it was to be in total at least 130kg which is the total weight of the prostates (11g average) of the men who die each year from prostate cancer.  That is 1190 men that die each year from a treatable cancer.

We all had our different motivations – one team member shared “My motivation is that I’ve always wanted to climb Mount Snowdon but more so ever since my wife was diagnosed with an incurable blood cancer and my brother with testicular cancer. I also know family members and friends who have prostate cancer so this trek was in honour of them.”

The climb was spectacular, we climbed the Pyg Track and descended the Llanberis path.  The weather was as good as we could have hoped for and visibility was great.  We had a very special remembrance service at the summit “For me the best bit of the hike was getting to the summit 5 minutes before 11am on Remembrance Sunday and witnessing an emotional tribute and 1 minute silence on the top of Mount Snowdon above the clouds” said Amit.

Prosecco, thanks Ben, and samosas, thanks to Amit’s wife, were consumed at the top to fuel our descent.

We raised a huge amount of money again, and it is still coming in.  Last count we were at £3,650 raised for Movember and a further £2,319 for Macmillan Cancer support.  In total it will be another £6,000 raised from a small group of men.  Thanks to my company APC Cardiovascular Ltd too as it matched funding to a pledge of £500 per fundraiser, a total contribution of £1,000 this year.

It is amazing what we can do when we have a challenge, and we gang together as a team.

Thank you to all our sponsors and of course the team:

  • Amit Patel
  • Andy Firth
  • Ben Flynn
  • Ed Jackson
  • Glyn Knight
  • James McEwen
  • Kris Ellis
  • Matt Westmoreland
  • Paul Connor
  • Wayne Hasselby

In 2022 I hope to be a Sports Ambassador for Movember and we aim to raise more money and awareness for this fantastic charity that helps men’s physical and mental health issues.

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Xmas Presents to get you fit for life in 2022

fit for life

Would your ultimate Christmas gift be to get fit for life?


We all know that’s going to take a bit of effort to be fit for life, but we have a few ideas to ease you in gently and help you on your way this December.

If you are lucky enough to have people asking what you would like for Xmas, and you are still struggling to think of anything – this article is perfect for you!  Well, we say that….. but these presents are going to be items that might change your health game for the long term.  So, if that is something that you really don’t want, then ditch this article now and get yourself back on the Selfridges website!!

At Xmas even the healthiest of us like to let our guard down and overindulge just a little bit.  Even if daily exercise is still a big part of December, it is a very impressive person who shuns the special edition Xmas crisps and Quality Street, and turns their nose up at the pigs in blankets and Yule tide log!

We think here at Team that December is all in the planning.  When you are fit for life, you keep your exercise game strong every month, but you don’t forbid yourself fun.  At team we say let your hair down and have a little bit of what you fancy, because it really does you a lot of good…..and come January hit the ground running with a healthy positive outlook and surround yourself with people who have a similar mindset.

To really start 2022 with a great health and fitness plan and on your “fit for life” journey, here are our top 5 Christmas presents we think you should ask your loved ones for:

1. Nutri Ninja

Anyone who has been part of Team for a while will know that Catherine loves her smoothies, and we agree. 

Benefits of smoothies:

  • Very quick and easy to prepare
  • Great for taking to work or on your commute
  • Simple way to eat lots of veg (we even tried raw courgettes and broccoli)
  • Add protein powders and good fats like avocado for a really filling meal
  • Smoothies include all the skins from fruit and veg – so plenty of fibre too stopping the sugar spikes.

The larger Ninja also comes with a bigger jug attachment where you can blitz raw cauliflower which works so well as a filling substitute to rice.

2. The Book: Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker

Paul is sleep obsessed and if he has not mentioned this book to you – then you are lucky – because he really really loves it!

At Team we really believe that everything starts with sleep, and if you read this book then you will probably start to understand why.

In the quest to be fit for life then sleep is the cornerstone of success.  If you are currently not sleeping great, or consistently sleeping after alcohol or too much sugar thereby impairing your sleep quality, and you are really finding it a challenge to lose weight, then please read this book. It may change your life or certainly get you back on track to achieving success.

Of course, it’s a double whammy when we read.  Not only are we learning loads of great things, but we relax and have some “me time”, which is too often neglected in the modern world of technology, schedules and 24-hour communication. This January we recommend falling asleep with the sleep book.

3. Metcon Trainers from Nike

We really do love these flat weightlifting shoes at TEAM.  So many people are a little intimidated by weightlifting, but as you age the benefits for it are unquestionable.

  • Makes you stronger
  • Burns calories efficiently
  • Decreases abdominal fat
  • Can help you appear leaner
  • Decreases your risk of falls
  • Lowers your risk of injury
  • Improves heart health
  • Helps manage your blood sugar levels
  • Promotes greater mobility and flexibility
  • Boosts your self-esteem
  • Makes your bones stronger
  • Boosts your mood
  • Improves brain health
  • Promotes a better quality of life

Weightlifting as you get older is important for your bone health.  By stressing your bones, strength training can increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.  The osteoporosis risk skyrockets following menopause for women (oestrogen is needed to help lay down bone) and as we get older for men, strength training is especially vital.

Strength training exercises will help to build bone and muscle strength, burn body fat, and rev up your metabolism.

The more muscle mass you have the more calories your body burns at rest.  The more muscle mass you have the easier it is to keep doing the simple things in life like walking up a big hill and carrying the shopping and digging up the garden, and it’s all these great activities that are going to keep team members fit for life and therefore living long and healthy lives.

Anyway, we digress……back to the trainers!  These beauties last for years and just perfect for all the strength training activities that we do in the gym.  They are not cheap but a definite must for the Xmas list. 

A word of warning is not to buy these for your partner who you think “should join a gym and lose some bloody weight!”. Probably best instead to save your money for the January divorce papers and get yourself along to team sessions with us when you are single and ready to mingle and ready to start the rest of your life!

4. Hiking Gear

The age old saying there is no such thing as bad weather – just the wrong clothes, is so true.  As the winter hits it can be really tempting to stay in a curl up in front of the fire with the Deliveroo man’s number on speed dial wearing elasticated trousers and a smock top!

However, come the spring as you try on your jeans and reality hits, and you realise that you just compounded your COVID stone with another one! We say don’t flaming do it! Set yourself some simple achievable goals right now to get out walking everyday come rain or shine. 

Some great walking shoes or boots, a reliable waterproof coat and some waterproof trousers can really change the way you see a Sunday afternoon. You can even go a bit posh and get some expensive waterproofs if you want to feel stylish while you are bracing the elements.

At team we never say that the joys in life such as drinking red wine on a Sunday afternoon or having a chippy tea on a Saturday night should not happen. We just talk about ways to allow life’s pleasures to be a regular occurrence by committing to regular high-level exercise to get fit for life for the long term.  There really is no better feeling that a walk in the pouring rain followed by snuggling on the sofa with a nice glass of red and if you haven’t done it – then get the waterproofs on the list for Xmas and join us in learning one of life’s new pleasures.

5. Protein Powder

Who doesn’t love a banana milk shake or a cinnamon danish from the coffee shop?! Who also doesn’t love defined arms, ripped abs and a peachy behind? How can you possibly have both we hear you cry!?  These two protein powder flavours from My Protein really are the best that they do and can be a great quick go to snack to stave off the hunger pangs during the day.

Protein powder is not something that we recommend you substituting real food for, but it can be a handy go to, to have in the cupboard.  Protein powder can be expensive, so why not ask for a bag for Xmas and see how you get on?

Suggestions:

  • Protein powder with full fat milk as the perfect post workout snack
  • Mix with unsweetened almond milk and a dash of double cream as a low carb evening sofa treat
  • Stick a scoop in your smoothie as part of a filling balanced meal on the go

If you are looking to build muscle and lose fat, then introducing more protein into your diet can be a real game changer.  Studies suggest that eating 0.7 – 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight is what is required to gain and maintain muscle.

Conclusion – How to get fit for life?

If you are serious about getting fit for life in 2022 then the suggested presents above, can really help you achieve your goals. Regular exercise though, is really going to be the main game changer. 

The best way to incorporate exercise into your life for the long term is to find something you love doing, ideally with a group of people that you love doing it with. Team training has a supportive and fun community where you can dip in and out of our sessions as many times a week as you like while having a great laugh with a group of professional people on the same mission as yourself. 

If you are not a Team Training member yet, why not register your interest for our January classes now and take advantage of the first month half price offer? Or better still put our 3-month membership on your Xmas list too? 

This way you will already know, that as you are eating your mince pies and Christmas pudding this December, you have a plan:  and that 2022 is going to be the year that you finally make those changes to become fit for life – and what a long, healthy, and happy life it’s going to be.

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Row Series X – and why we keep entering?

Row Series X

Row Series X Report:

When people look to join a gym or have personal training, the overwhelming reason given when asked the question “What do you want?” is along the lines of “I want to look good naked.” There are others too of course such as to become fitter, stronger and healthier but most of the time we get really excited if we start to look good. And with good reason! Looking good leads to self confidence and once we have confidence we can rule the world!


A challenge both coach and client face however, is to stay continually motivated and enthused once the initial 3 months of struggle comes to an end. We have watched so many trainers fail to keep a client interested with their incessant banging on about calories and fat loss week after week. It’s boring and everyone can feel it, but client with their inexperience in how a result is to be achieved believes that is what has to be done – restrict calories and do 3 sets of 10 reps of this, that and the other exercise. Week after week, month after month. Boring! 


How do we retain interest? Ladies and Gentleman, today and for the rest of your life we give you….SPORT and Row Series X!


Sport gives us an ongoing interesting challenge and if you join our gym or train with us you will likely be encouraged to step outside of your comfort zone (remember the only way you will achieve is if you feel uncomfortable) and try something other than counting reps. 


A very simple, easily accessible and non exposed way to get involved with sport was the latest Row Series X competition and Row Series in general; an online indoor rowing competition you can perform from home if you have a Concept2 machine or in the gym. This competition is open to everybody across the world and lasts 4 weeks. Each week a workout is released and you have one to complete it then submit your scores online. The person with the fastest scores wins.

Row Series X


Why did we encourage people to participate in Row Series X?

The reasons are numerous but here are a few that might help you with your fitness goals:


  • Because this race series is online, it is 100% private. You race in the gym or at home either with your friends or on your own. No crowds, no public exposure. It is completely away from watching eyes so is a wonderful sport to introduce you to competition.
  • You might think you work hard when you train in the gym. When you are racing however, you will go to new levels you never thought you were capable of because yours and the team’s pride is at stake.
  • By studying the data from your performances you get to realise your limits. It feels incredible when you burst through plateaus.
  • It feels good to see which people are placing close to you. You have your own private battles and attempt to beat your rivals who may come from anywhere in the world.
  • Sport teaches discipline and commitment.
  • It will take you out of your comfort zone and make you feel uneasy. I’ve said 100+ times, you won’t achieve anything unless you feel uneasy along the way.
  • We work hard together for the team prize.
  • When the 4 weeks is over you get to celebrate with your fellow team members who have all worked so hard too.
  • Fitness and being healthy is for life, not for 12 weeks. This breaks up the year!
  • You will row yourself into tremendous fitness. As well as racing, Row Series is also 1st class training. 

So what happened in Row Series X?

So many outstanding results came from it. From our team, our own Andy Firth won the open male lightweight category. He beat athletes from all around the world to do this. It was an outstanding achievement.

But beyond winning categories there was so much more achieved by everyone who took part on a personal level. Two of our members who had not entered before gained their prestigious TEAM tops from not only competing in the full four weeks – but actually by pushing themselves to new limits of excellence. Both members are always amazing additions to any class, but by challenging themselves through this competition they both took themselves to another level.

Anyone who has ever taken part in a challenge such as this will know that the growth in self esteem and confidence that comes from achieving outside of your comfort zone is immeasurable in the benefits gained in all aspects of life going forward. Often when we work together through a competition such as this, the priority is that of individual growth, team bonding and confidence building. There is plenty of time to focus on technique and perfection for those who want to outside of the competition.


What made us even happier though, was that our own gym – Team Training Northwich came 3rd in the overall competition. We were the 3rd best team in the world. Little old us! This was amazing and it happened because everybody worked so hard to achieve it. Well done to our amazing team at Team Training Northwich.

Becoming champions of the world is not an unrealistic target and it is what we will be striving for next time. 


YOU could help with that. YOU could be part of a team that becomes the best in the WORLD. 


To conclude, this is what we talk about with sport. IF you become champion of the world, what do you think you’re going to look like? What do you think you’re going to feel like? Where will your confidence be? How magnificent will you become? Exactly!


Row Series XI will be coming soon. If you feel like giving it a go we’d be delighted to welcome you on board, just drop us a message today?

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