Welcome to the latest Newsletter from the UKGCA.

Introduction.

The sport of X Training has struggled for the last two years or so. There has been a dip in entries and established names have once again disappeared into what seems like the alternative to X Training , either Dutahlon or Triathlon, or just completely off the radar. The reasons are many - but what has repeatedly been said to me, by many top athletes who train at gyms is - why should we do it? We train really, really hard, day in day out and at the end of the day, there is not a sport to test us in a gym - that's why we compete in X Training.

So really question springs to mind. When you train in a gym and you get fit, using the equipment that gyms supply, what is there to motivate you you to enter a sport that uses all of the equipment and training techniques you have developed?

The growth of events is the positive of the sport. September, October, November both see increase in Gym Based Sports and with the inclusion of 'Fit-Brit' and the Ultimate Gym X Training Challenge in Dubai (which are both supported by Fitness First) and it looks like Fitness First are identifying very quickly the benefits of X Training to which World Gym Challenge has been championing for some time now.

If I was a gambling man, I wouldn't rule out X Training based on lack of members entering events. I would look at the positive of Men's Fitness magazine supporting gym challenges , Physique TV supporting X Training and Fitness First , with personal trainers like Lloyd Millichap and Mike Jones spearheading the benefits of X Training and getting real measurable results in fitness for their clients.

No my friends , a dip in numbers to the events is the quiet before the storm - just how long that storm takes to hit the shores of the UK, is anybody's guess, but you can be sure, If 'Fit Brit' develops into a serious event, World Gym Challenge.com , Fitness First and Men's Fitness magazine will be the catalyst for other's to follow suit.

Sean Blyth

UKGCA Co-ordinator

The Ultimate Gym Athlete - The Gym Eagle

What best describes an athlete who focuses his attention into getting fit in the gym? It used to be Gym Junkie for the guys, or Gym Bunny for the women. Well as you would imagine, sport evolves and names that were in the past are no longer suitable to describe an athlete who performs and gets results in fitness challenges, something more apt was needed and WGC, came up with the name The Gym Athlete - The Gym Eagle. Basically because to soar in fitness, you have to be better then rest, in the equipment you use in a gym environment and have results to prove it.

The Gym Athlete

What is needed in gym to make it fun, competitive and a place where you can form you own training groups and get results in fitness and lose weight and be more motivated? A sport for gyms is a good place to start and using sport science to get results seems the logical answer - why train for hours and get no results at all - why not train smart, for shorter , more intense sessions and get results!  Now there has to be some ground work first - get that suitable aerobic base sorted and then try interval sessions, that test the anaerobic and aerobic energy systems and muscular endurance combined. In effect , twice the workout, twice the effect, but only in half the time.  The Gym Athlete has evolved in realising that there is no need to spend endless hours in the gym and training for no real reason. What has happened is that, he wants that reason to train and he wants to get results and to do that he has become a Gym Eagle and compete in Gym Based Sports.

The Gym Eagle

Fitness is not a sport, it is the capability of the body of distributing inhaled oxygen to muscle tissue during increased physical effort. Sport in itself is 'competitive athletic activity' and what makes X Training a sport is the competitive element of sport. A database that allows any gym in the world to record results for gym challenges under recognised events that have set and existing records, that can be chased by anybody that turns up at recognised events. Those people that turn up and have results entered into the Gym Athlete leader boards are known as Gym Eagles.

The UK Gym Fitness Challenge Series

Are you the gym's - fittest man or woman in your club? Well firstly how would you know? Unless your gym runs gym challenges to find the gyms fittest member based in the environment you train, you will not simply know. The UK Gym Fitness Challenge series was on trial in 2009 to see if the concept would work and it did. It is now halfway through the X Training season and is proving very popular by those who train in gym - fitness.

This year, the first event kicked off with The Camberley Ice Breaker which was thought up by Advanced Gym Athlete Lloyd Millichap, a personal trainer at Fitness First Camberley. The introduction of medicine ball sit ups proved to popular with competitors, as cheating became near on impossible. The venue also proved popular at Camberley College, a brand new sports hall giving ample room and space to create a gym challenge.

The second in the series was the Brighton Nut Cracker, an event thought up by Gym Athlete of the Year 2009 Jamie Spencer at the club he trains at Coral Health and Fitness in Brighton. A course record had been set the previous year by Royal Marine Chris Lord and all eyes were on the new man on the scene Richard Vint, could he do it? Well the event and 'that' race did not disappoint. Richard hit the last station ahead of Lordy's record and he just needed to push the last 30 shoulder press, but was unable to close the gap - so the record stands at 13:59 and I believe that will be around for some time to come.

Other highlights included returning former Ultra FIT contender Claire Boyce enjoying the day with a very gutsy performance and claiming 'For the first time in twelve years, I feel I have something to train for'.

Jamie Spencer received his Gym Athlete of the Year Award for 2009 and Richard Vint won the second title this year.

The third event of the series The Gorton Grueller was the first event that the UKGCA missed due to a previous commitment already established on the day. Numbers were fairly low , injury, illness and Manchester is a long way to travel for some, but all that aside, X Training is day of races and those that were there witnessed a scorching race between Richard Vint and Daniel Wright and of this race alone, the comment was made "It was worth the trip" Neck and Neck most of the way and Daniel reaching the last station first , it looked like a big upset was on the way, but a determined Richard ran at a incredible 16 kph for the most of the treadmill at a 6 % incline and ended victorious. Incredible performance. Also eagerly anticipated was the race between Kelly Friel and Trudi Hawksworth (above) who are both firing on fully charged cylinders this season - with Kelly winning on this occasion.

So we have three events gone, with two confirmed events left (possible third in Scotland) Fit Brit and The Ultimate Gym Athlete. Both carry double entry points, so if you are in Gym Athlete of the Year for you and your club - then these events will get you points and possibly give the edge over those that don't enter. The UKGCA is looking to find UK's fittest gym members and UK's fittest gyms based solely on the performance of results in Gym Based Sports.

Events in the first ever UK Gym Fitness Challenge Series

Camberley - The Ice Breaker

Brighton - The Brighton Nut Cracker

Manchester - The Gorton Grueller

Leicester - The Ultimate Gym Athlete

Birmingham - Fit Brit

Leading Gym's in Fittest Gym of the Year

Click Here

Leading Gym Athletes

Open Male

Open Female

Male Intermediate

Female Intermediate

The Marlow Club in Buckinghamshire is the host for this season's Charity Gym Challenge. Created by Advanced Gym Athlete and former army physical training instructor Daryl Fitches, this event is sure to test very best gym athlete out there. Controversy hit the headlines when the line up was first announced with events for this challenge, but a sensible outcome was drawn through dialogue and weighted burpees and static jumps are now included in the line up.

The event will include a BBQ and all money raised will go to Help the Heroes.

You can watch the You Tube clip here

Holiday in Tunisia

What's a man to do when on holiday and needs a bit of motivation  to do some training and looks at the 'Holiday Gym' at the hotel. Well, make friends with the local life guard (Mohammed) and introduce him to X Training! Mohammed was a keen body builder who also cycled daily to work each day (7km hilly terrain) so had a good cardio/strength base .

The challenge was set based on the equipment we had - a bike and a multi gym - great time was had by all, a real fun challenge !

Jill couldn't resist a quick snap with Mo either !

Thank you to all the guys at The Royal Nozha Hotel in Tunisia