EVENT: Flexibility for Form and Function
EVENT: Flexibility for Form and Function In collaboration with the fabulous coaches at Yoga Therapies, this 5 part series will explore integrative and progressive patterns of movement to improve joint range and core coordination resulting in a more mobile, agile and…
Storm Client Testimonial – Dave
Storm client Dave tells us why he chose Storm and how training with Storm (after having 2 full knee replacements) is improving his health, fitness and wellbeing. To chat to me Spence, or one of the Storm team, please call 0191 7070 555 or email info@storm-fitness.com….
Storm Client Testimonial – Aston
We recently chatted with client Aston about his experience of training with Storm coach Dave Ball. “At 48 I’ve never been fitter…” says Aston. Watch the 2-minute video below. If you’d like to chat about how Storm can help you please get…
Grub For Grafters
Grub For Grafters There’s no denying that most jobs have become less active, which has definitely had a knock-on effect to the average body fat levels of people in the UK. However low activity levels alone are not the problem and it is of course possible to be very…
5 Steps to Injury Reduction for Young Athletes
5 Steps to Injury Reduction for Young Athletes At Storm over the last 8 years we have grown a reputation for developing young athletes. Some of our athletes go on to earn international honours or progress to senior level sport; but in almost all cases our young…
Never Skip Breakfast… or could you?
Never Skip Breakfast… or could you? Often too much weight has been given to the importance of eating breakfast. In my view meal frequency just isn’t worth worrying about for most people. A study by Schlundt 1992 took 52 obese subjects through a 12 week…
Strength Training… why again?
Strength Training… why again? Here’s a quick reminder of why including some Strength Training in your week is a good idea: What Strength training will do for you: Increase metabolism, burning more calories whilst resting. It burns body fat. Increases bone strength….
Eating to increase fitness – Advanced Nutrition Strategies
Eating to increase fitness – Advanced Nutrition Strategies It’s pretty well known that training improves your fitness, but did you know your nutrition can also improve your fitness? No not just by dropping weight to make that run easier but by increasing the…
Simple Formula for Fat Loss
Simple Formula for Fat Loss Fat loss in 3 simple steps Losing body fat relies on creating a calorie deficit. Burning more calories than you eat. That doesn’t mean however, that you absolutely HAVE to weigh, measure and track everything you eat on my fitness pal….
Letting Your Kids Watch You Die Early
Letting Your Kids Watch You Die Early We receive a lot of emails at Storm, but there is one type of email that always stops me in my tracks. The kind that changes the whole course of my day and feels like a punch through the heart. No, not the brown envelope from…
3 Simple Mindset Tips
3 Simple Mindset Tips #1 Scheduled your priorities? What’s important to you right now? Is it scheduled and in your diary? If your priorities are REALLY your priorities, shouldn’t they be the first thing in your diary? The thing that doesn’t get moved no matter what?…
Trajectory
Trajectory Whether or not you feel concerned about your weight, being aware of the trajectory of your weight and having the ability to change trajectory is a vital skill. On average, adults gain 0.7g in bodyweight per year beyond 20 years of age. Whilst that might not…
5 things surfing taught me about training
5 things surfing taught me about training 1. If you keep paddling, some day you’ll catch a wave This is a simple one; you just have to keep going… Above everything else, persistence is the key! 2. Paddle with the water not against it Not many realise that surfing is…
Can you get stronger in your 40’s and 50’s?
Work With Us Online Can you get stronger in your 40’s and 50’s? Here’s a question I get asked a lot… in my view for most of us the answer is yes! Absolutely! In the first graph are the men’s world records in the snatch (a weightlifting movement) the records are for…
Storm Client Testimonial – Debbie
We recently visited our client Debbie who runs ‘Yoga Therapies‘ with partner Chris out of their new location situated within STACK Newcastle. She gave us a wonderful testimonial on how she finds Storm fitness and why training with Storm has benefited her…
Are Your Best Days Really Behind You?
Are Your Best Days Really Behind You? Recently one of my good friends Michael at Always Wear Red (Newcastle’s rapidly expanding fashion brand) wrote a blog in response to the question “Can people ‘peak’?”… it was 6 words long, it read: “Only if you think you have.”…
Before you make goals
Before you make goals Just before you commit to your action plan for 2019, here are a few thoughts on motivation from me to you: 1. You need a telescope and a microscope A forward thinking dream like vision is important, but equally as important is the attention to…
5 Questions to take inventory of your training
5 Questions to take inventory of your training One of the most important tasks Storm’s coaches do is to review our clients training programs to check they are optimally effective and likely to deliver what our clients want. I would encourage you to do the same, here’s…
Exercise Form
Exercise Form When I first started training people, nearly a decade ago, I ignorantly thought, that in order to teach people how to lift I just needed to learn the positions, learn how to demonstrate the lifts and learn a script of what to say (I did say…
Recoverable Volume
Recoverable Volume There is an amount of training you and I could complete today that would surpass your ability to recover fully from it before your next planned training session. That should be a universal truth we all subscribe to; but to some people that statement…
Storm Client Testimonial – Chris
We recently visited our client Chris who runs ‘Yoga Therapies‘ out of their new location situated within STACK Newcastle. Chris gave a lovely testimonial on why he chose to train with Storm and how Storm changed him personally. See the video below. If…
The Storm Fitness Vitamin Deficiency Series
The Storm Fitness Vitamin Deficiency Series If you want to change the way your body looks, controlling your energy intake to energy output is the way to go. If you are interested in FEELING your best and optimising your health, eliminating deficiency where it exists…
Storm Client Testimonial – Michael
We visited our friend Michael recently. Owner of clothing brand Always Wear Red. He discusses with us his reasons for training with Storm and how Storm is benefitting his personal life. Who does Michael train with at Storm? Michael trains with Spencer who is…
What are Macros?
What are Macros? Most people have a good grasp of what calories are. Calories are a measure of the energy contained in food. In the simplest terms we need calories to run our bodies and if we take in more than what we need to run our body we put on weight and if we…
Winter Wellness – 5 tips to steer clear of the lurgy
Winter Wellness – 5 tips to steer clear of the lurgy It probably hasn’t escaped your attention that this time of year is a great time to pick up sickness bugs. Here are our top tips to keep you healthy and keep your training progressing and avoid time feeling…
Training for Stress Relief
Training for Stress Relief Our experience has taught us that without clear goals, planning and focus; training can create stress rather than reducing it. As an example let’s take a look at what the journey may look like using our fictional character Danny as our…
Convenience Food, Space Travel and Time
Convenience Food, Space Travel and Time BY: Dan Marriot Slim fast,Chicken Kiev, Smash and TV dinners These are all things that used to come to my head, when I thought of convenience foods. However, things have come a long way since Smash. Oh, and if you’re thinking…
Don’t Be a Bystander in Your Own Life
Don’t Be a Bystander in Your Own Life You know that feeling that life is passing you by? Time hurtles on and yet all those moments you wanted to enjoy pass by without you even feeling remotely conscious of them, it’s as if you weren’t even there. I know this…
Protein: Are You Deficient?
Protein: Are You Deficient? When we start working with new clients, whether they are focussed on losing body fat loss or gaining muscle we often find they could benefit from eating a bit more protein. Believe it or not a lot of people don’t like the idea of eating…
Are Your Best Days Really Behind You?
Are Your Best Days Really Behind You? Recently one of my good friends Michael at Always Wear Red (Newcastle’s rapidly expanding fashion brand) wrote a blog in response to the question “Can people ‘peak’?”… it was 6 words long, it read: “Only if you think you…
Keralan Prawn Curry
Keralan Prawn Curry Try This Fragrant Dish to spice up the dreary winter without ruining your progress! Last year I visited Kerala also known as the “spice coast” in India. Everywhere you step foot there is something edible and the food is simply amazing! I would…
Training For Exceptional Health and Wellbeing
Training For Exceptional Health and Wellbeing This one is teensy bit sciency… But, I am writing this because I think where “wellbeing” is mentioned, the true benefits exercise has to make life better get underplayed and they are rarely backed up by any mention of the…
Seasonal Affective Disorder & 7 Tips to Brighten Up Your Winter Months
Seasonal Affective Disorder & 7 Tips to Brighten Up Your Winter Months Post by Dan Marriott “I just want to stay indoors, eat food and hibernate, rather than go outside” Why is it, we tend to lay low throughout the winter…
Knee pain – Why do My Knees Hurt? – An Overview of Knee Pain
Work With Us Online Knee pain – Why do My Knees Hurt? – An Overview of Knee Pain Here’s an overview of some of the many causes of knee pain you can experience. During my previous career as a professional sportsman I unfortunately had to deal with knee pain…
Dan’s Top 10 Muscle Building Snacks
Work With Us Online Dan’s Top 10 Muscle Building Snacks When it comes to gaining weight, it can sometimes be tough to get enough calories on board. So Dan has put together his top 10 muscle building snacks to give some quick go-to options when it comes to…
Resistance Training For Women Over 40
Resistance Training For Women Over 40 Post by: Dan Marriott There are a number of health benefits that females could potentially be missing out on, if resistance training isn’t part of their weekly routine. Even though the mentality is shifting, there is still a high…
9 tips for a great nights kip
9 tips for a great nights kip By Dan Marriott When it comes to sleep, there are many factors that can affect us from getting a decent kip each night. Irregular sleeping patterns, stress, having children and demanding jobs can all play a part. Spence has previously…
Getting Your First Chin Up
Getting Your First Chin Up You walk into the gym and the first thing you see is that person on the chin up bar, knocking out reps like it’s nothing and the first thing that pops into your head is “I’ll never be able to do that”. First off, don’t worry about the person…
The Epic Holiday Workout Post
The Epic Holiday Workout Post Holidays are of course about unwinding and getting some downtime; that said if you want to stay on top of your physique or in my case eat more food, throwing in the odd workout can help. Equipment can often be in short supply so here is…
Compassion-o-meter
Compassion-o-meter Imagine you find yourself out of shape. You can feel the loose feeling around your waist and the “overhang” on jeans that used to fit. Your energy levels mean you crash to the sofa when you get home and can barely lift a finger. You are so angry…
40 Tips for Over 40’s
40 Tips for Over 40’s 1. Start! If you haven’t already started, then there’s no time like the present. There are major benefits on cognitive function which will help aspects such as reasoning, memory, thinking and can alleviate symptoms of depression. Not to…
The Kick Start
The Kick Start Saturday had come and I was finally catching up with my good friend and former partner in crime (not literal crime of course) I could barely wait. I arrived and my pal was sitting down already, he seemed a bit subdued. “Hey Spence, alright?” The choice…
Your Instincts are Your Enemy (not your friend)
Your Instincts are Your Enemy (not your friend) There seems to be a growing number of people who believe that by following our “natural instincts” with food choices we would arrive at a highly nutritious balanced diet There are many ways to consider how we make food…
Get on a Mission!
Get on a Mission! The new year came and went. If you are one of the lucky ones you still have your motivation in tact and you are still focussed with your training when the majority of folk have jacked in fitness in favour of Net Flix and ice cream! If you want to get…
Picking the Right Online Personal Trainer for You
Picking the Right Online Personal Trainer for You “And everywhere, infinite options, infinite possibilities” ~ Haruki Murakami With almost infinite options; here are the top points to consider when selecting the person responsible for improving your health and…
What is Online Personal Training?
What is Online Personal Training? Just like every service industry, Personal training is now online and in a big way. Since 2015 the number of searches for online personal training has shot up by nearly 40%! So how does it work and what do we make of it? As is the…
The Minimalist Guide to Eating Healthily all Week Long
The Minimalist Guide to Eating Healthily all Week Long How to set up your weekly nutrition in 2 hours or less Start by writing a weekly plan for how many meals you’ll need to prepare. If you are looking to make changes to your body shape or performance, it’s not…
Not getting enough D?
Not getting enough D? “I seem to pick up every bug or cold going around at the moment. I struggle to pull myself out of bed in the morning and I never feel energised.” These are words I have heard a lot of lately. There can be a million reasons for low immune function…
Take on a Challenge and Change Your Perspective
Take on a Challenge and Change Your Perspective Recently I did a charity event for the movember foundation. This year it was supporting awareness for mens mental health. For every pound I raised, I’d pull the big sled loaded with my bodyweight (90kg) a length of the…
The ACTUAL Effects of overfeeding this Christmas
The ACTUAL Effects of overfeeding this Christmas What damage can you REALLY do to your progress this Christmas? I have spoken to a lot of people recently who have a DEEP FEAR about the upcoming Christmas period and it’s potential to de rail all your progress. So let’s…
The Alkaline Diet – A Closer Look
The Alkaline Diet – A Closer Look Every cell in our body operates within an optimal PH range, and those PH ranges differ between different cells. The NET PH of our body however, is pretty tightly regulated within a healthy range. In the case of somebody eating a…
Activity Trackers – Do They Work?
Activity Trackers – Do They Work? If you want to get in shape; keeping track of your activity is definitely a good idea. Whilst energy balance or energy in vs energy burned is not the ONLY factor in successful change, calories in vs calories out is sort of the…
Can’t Keep Up Part 3 – Simplifying Your Lifestyle
Can’t Keep Up Part 3 – Simplifying Your Lifestyle So, lets recap. The internet is run by a chimpanzee, training doesn’t have to be complex and your nutrition can be managed in a few simple steps. To put the icing on the cake, in this post we’re going to…
Should You Eat Breakfast When Trying To Lose Weight?
Should You Eat Breakfast When Trying To Lose Weight? Here’s a guide to help you decide if breakfast is going to be an important factor in reaching your goals: Eating for fat loss: Losing body fat requires that the total volume of energy you eat and drink is less than…
How To Hack Your Hormones For Lean Muscle Gains
How To Hack Your Hormones For Lean Muscle Gains A lot of the women who train at Storm, after they have reached their body fat goals, want to increase their muscle mass and strength. You simply can’t separate strength training and the effects it has on our hormones….
Forget the little Black Dress – Start Your Fight Camp
Forget the little Black Dress – Start Your Fight Camp I’m going to let you in on a little secret here. At this time of year personal trainers across the land are conjuring up schemes to make you seek the approval of other people at local restaurants, bars and…
The Milk Myth
The Milk Myth Are cows on the growth hormone? This week I have again been in earshot of people making false claims about food. The one thing that stops me from stopping people in the street and advising them how to safely perform brain surgery is that, well… I don’t…
Cant Keep Up Part 2- Simplifying Your Nutrition Updated
Cant Keep Up Part 2- Simplifying Your Nutrition Updated “This nutrition plan will revolutionise the way you eat, look, feel and perform!”… How often have you heard something like this on social media or in magazines? The idea of a ‘secret’ or ‘revolutionary’ formula…
Simplify Your Training Pt.1
Simplify Your Training Pt.1 The internet is like you local city library…except none of the books are in order, there is a group of know-it-alls shouting at the top of their voice and the librarian is a chimpanzee. There is a lot of information out there, which is in…
The Olympic Athletes that Changed the World
The Olympic Athletes that Changed the World The Power Of the Olympics The Olympic games is once again on the horizon and I’m sure I can’t be the only person in disbelieve that it was indeed four years ago since Farrah and Ennis lit up London. The World has changed….
Hunger- Understand hunger and how to manage it
Hunger- Understand hunger and how to manage it Hunger If you have recently started trying to lose weight there is a good chance that hunger has become a factor and if it hasn’t yet it soon will be. Whether you are adhering to a set of macro targets or just reducing…
The Four Steps to Great Results
The Four Steps to Great Results You’ve made the decision to make a big change in your life. Great work! You have taken the first step which is often the hardest and that is challenging your previous way of thought and taking the choice to start altering the way you do…
Lessons from significant weight loss
Lessons from significant weight loss The result of significant weight loss is not just a drop in numbers on the scale, but also lessons learned outside of the training room. Having done this myself, I’m familiar with the struggles of changing your body. Believe me,…
Minimum time, maximum effort – 5 steps to an efficient fat loss workout
Minimum time, maximum effort – 5 steps to an efficient fat loss workout Ah that old chestnut… “I just don’t have time to train”. As busy people we often find ourselves with little time to train and by that I mean train hard, not just a 20 minute walk on the…
Fat: The Mysterious Macro
Fat: The Mysterious Macro So we all know the importance of protein, some know the benefits of carbohydrates but what about fats? Fat is an area of nutrition that a lot of people overlook, but did you know: Your brain is 87% fat Your joints are almost 100% fat with a…
7 tips for the Health Conscious Young Professional
7 tips for the Health Conscious Young Professional By Jack Curtis Although its cold and it might not feel like it, the first day of summer is only 13 weeks away. Here are my 7 health tips for the busy young professional. Use to get ahead of the game when it comes to…
Your Goals Aren’t Helping You Succeed
Your Goals Aren’t Helping You Succeed Achieving your fitness and health goals is lot like climbing stairs. You take a step at a time until you reach the top. A lot of people get put off very early on whilst climbing the stairs. It is a long way up and they can…
Hiring a PT- The 4 Top Reasons People Are Put Off
Hiring a PT- The 4 Top Reasons People Are Put Off Hiring a PT seems to make perfect sense. Why waste time and effort on something that you have no faith in when you can ensure all your efforts are rewarded with results? Well here are just some of the reasons people…
6 Simple Tips To Stay Focussed
6 Simple Tips To Stay Focussed Here are a few quick tips on how to get more out of training, stay focussed and feel good about doing it. 1. Get things in some kind of order. You may have heard: “A highly varied diet, rich in nutrients is the best way to get healthy,…
What Matters Most?
What Matters Most? What are the important factors to consider in order to get your training and nutrition absolutely on point? This is exactly what we wanted to know from the clients at Storm in this short video. In this one I get called a geek by a buddhist monk, I…
Starting Afresh
Starting Afresh If you don’t subscribe to our youtube channel you may not be up to speed on whats going on at Storm. We thought you might like to hear what the people at Storm have to say about how its all going. If you feel like you have some added potential to…
Should You Weigh Yourself?
Should You Weigh Yourself? This seems like the perfect time to write this, with us all fresh from our festive binges! People are either jumping on those scales desperate to ditch the pounds they’ve gained, or throwing their scales out of the window out of fear of what…
Upon Reflection-20 Questions to Review and Reflect
Upon Reflection-20 Questions to Review and Reflect It’s pretty easy at this time of the year to fall into the trap of setting resolutions before taking time to reflect on the year that has passed. How can you be sure you’ll not repeat the things that are…
“I’ll Just Cut Out Gluten”
“I’ll Just Cut Out Gluten” “I’ll just cut out gluten” Continuing with our Top 5 Nutrition Arguments You’ll Hear This Christmas, here is another common solution people take to when they want to get in shape. This short post is just to provide you with…
” You Can’t Drop Weight by Exercising”
” You Can’t Drop Weight by Exercising” Top 5 Nutrition Arguments You’ll Have this Christmas If you or a member of your family want to lose some body fat, exercise is undoubtedly a good idea. Most body fat is carried under the skin as…
“If You Can’t Pronounce It, Don’t Eat It”
“If You Can’t Pronounce It, Don’t Eat It” Top 5 Nutrition Arguments You’ll Have this Christmas I think in many cases the people who put this type of argument forward are well natured, and often, they are just looking for a way to…
“You Shouldn’t Eat So Much Protein”
“You Shouldn’t Eat So Much Protein” Top 5 Nutrition Arguments You’ll Have this Christmas Is it just me or is Christmas the time of year where we recieve advice about diet and training from nearly everyone? Maybe you have had a friend or family member…
40 Motivation Questions to Feed the Fire Within.
40 Motivation Questions to Feed the Fire Within. December, the time where it’s totally fine to say you want to do one thing yet do the exact opposite. “I need to lose weight” you think to yourself whilst holding a mince pie in one hand and a Gingerbread Latte in the…
Getting Zeds- A Guide to Your Best Nights Sleep
Getting Zeds- A Guide to Your Best Nights Sleep Background. Our body clock or sometimes referred to as our circadian rhythm runs on a delay of approximately 15 minutes. There are 24 hours in one day but 24 hours and 15 minutes in one complete cycle of…
Caffeine- Buzz or Bust?
Caffeine- Buzz or Bust? Caffeine is one drug that I definitely can appreciate. Specifically an excellent cuppa’ joe on a cloudy Newcastle morning whilst reading a good blog. However, there are mixed views about the effect of regular caffeine intake that we should…
Trainer focus: The best exercises for new mums
Trainer focus: The best exercises for new mums In the second part of our trainer focus series, Robbie reveals the best exercises for new mums looking to get back to full health. It can be really important for new mums to have some personal time in the early…
Trainer focus: Going all out from the off
Trainer focus: Going all out from the off Welcome to the first in our new series of trainer blogs. Today, Robbie takes us through how to get started on an effective training regime. When anyone embarks on a new training or diet regime, they usually follow a…
How to not get dumped for lifting weights
How to not get dumped for lifting weights Making time for Muscle Here I am in my “relationship guru” status… a little like Jeremy Kyle or Opra… I don’t think so somehow. If I had a penny for every time I have heard the phrase “I don’t have the time to train” or I…
Do Less, Be Less Stressed and Get More Done.
Do Less, Be Less Stressed and Get More Done. In his recent book titled “The Organised Mind” Daniel Levitin studies “H.S.P’s” or highly successful people and the practises they have that lead them to be so productive. I want to summarize a few of them here for you as I…
Are you Deficient?
Are you Deficient? At the moment there are two main schools of thought when it comes to nutrition in the fitness industry. On the one hand you have those who believe in simply eating whole foods. They focus on eliminating any processed foods and often dairy and…
Alcohol
Alcohol By David Ball. Here are some vital tips about how to manage alcohol into your diet. Now don’t get me wrong, regular alcohol consumption will undoubtedly scupper your attempts at improving your health and body composition, so this isn’t a blog telling you it’s…
Resistance to change
Resistance to change How to do the things you want to do (but don’t) Why is it that we can have a burning desire to do something but then prevent our self from doing it? We are of course talking about resistance. I want to say before delving into this one that I am…
The Kick Start
The Kick Start Saturday had come and I was finally catching up with my good friend and former partner in crime (not literal crime of course) I could barely wait. I arrived and my pal was sitting down already, he seemed a bit subdued. “Hey Spence,…
Training Around the Menstrual Cycle
Work With Us Online Training Around the Menstrual Cycle There is a big buzz surrounding the female menstrual cycle in the press recently following Heather Watson speaking out at the Australian open about how her performance was down to “women’s problems”. There…
Getting organised
Getting organised At this time of the week it’s often time to refocus and get sorted for the week ahead. I know I am probably preaching to the converted here when it comes to managing your working diary, but what about managing your training and nutrition? The two…
