Hybrid Training Hornsby

If I told you I smoked daily, am an alcoholic, overweight, and have high blood pressure, what would you think?

That I need to change my lifestyle. Quickly. Right?

Yes, you'd be right. Great advice.



There's enough science out there to suggest this is the case. Individually they carry risks, compounded? The risks increase dramatically.



We know this, we listen, we pay attention.

They all increase our risk for all-cause mortality.



Smoking by about 50%

High blood pressure 20%

Overweight 50-60%

Alcohol 40-60%

These are massive numbers. Paying attention to these isn't optional.



The flip side is where a stronger emotional response is warranted, yet missing.


I'll give you an example:

"I don't exercise"


Compare reading that to what I opened with about smoking drinking etc....

You feel the difference?


It's a shrug of the shoulders type thing

"oh well, plenty of people don't exercise."


Here's some surprising stats though.

Being weak, relative to being strong increases all cause mortality risk by about 200-250%!

Low vo2 max (think aerobic capacity) vs the top percentage? 400-500% increased all-cause mortality risk!



There's money to be made in the treatment of disease, but we're in the game of prevention.


Recently I challenged a GP I visited.

You measure blood pressure, blood sugar, blood triglycerides etc. because they carry risks right?

Why not include a simple hand dynamometer test to your check up? Cheap, simple to test and valuable.

They were unaware of the correlation between strength as a powerful maker of health

Two they did not exercise themselves

Needless to say, I don't think my 2 cents carried any weight (pardon the pun)



It's not until osteopenia or osteoporosis shows up that docs start recommending weight training.

You don't hear this from your annual checkup do you

"Hey Jane, you're weak. Get to the gym."

(for arguments sake let's pretend this particular doctor has no bedside manner)



Hopefully now it's easy to see for parents juggling kids, chaos, and everything in between, being strong isn’t optional.

It’s your most powerful form of prevention.

Why Mums Run the Household… and Men Can’t Even Find the Dinner Box

Years ago, I saw this old video of a comedian explaining the difference between Men and Women's brains.



He explained Women's brains are like a spider web of interconnectedness

(yes, that's a word)

'Box's' open all over the place, signals jumping from one box to the other at a rapid rate - non stop.

A what the kids are going to eat for dinner box

Unfinished work emails box

Planning a holiday box

Changing career box

Laundry box

Me time box

Booking doctor's appointment box

and

and

and



It's a no bloody wonder Mums all over the country are feeling so damn exhausted all the time!

Men, he explained, also have lots of box's.

With one big difference - they open one box a time!

To jump from one box to the other is difficult for men.

In fact, it can't be done!



Say for example your wife starts talking about dinner

In a man's brain;

First, we close whatever box we had open at the time.

Next, we go looking for our 'dinner' box, pull it down off the 'shelf' and begin carefully opening it up.

Only to realise now your wife is accusing you of "not listening!" as she's sharing her heart felt dreams of quitting work and moving the Family to Italy.



We are unique creatures. Both superpowers have their strengths and weaknesses.

I'm lucky to live with one of these amazing Mothers who also struggles to find the time and space for herself.

The well-intended 'I need to start exercising box' is in there somewhere.

Opened periodically, along with a gust of guilt that escapes.

Yet inevitably, within a few seconds the interconnected web is off on another journey...

and so, the cycle repeats.



As a male saying, 'just do what's in the damn box first!' isn't helpful.



And maybe what I'm about to say isn't either



But I've noticed there's often a constant guilt that hangs over a women's brain. All the incomplete tabs floating around up there can become overwhelming.

Overwhelm = Inaction

Women - If somehow you can learn to throw all your boxes inside a big mother of a box (pardon the pun)

"The Exercise Box"

That web of yours will be firing so fast and efficiently it’ll feel like you’ve taken the world’s best productivity drug.

Because honestly, you kind of have.

The guilt will be replaced with pride & you won't look back.



Men - well you just need to get out of your favorite box of all

No, not that one!

Get your head out of the gutter

The other one - The 'Nothing box'

And take your own advice - 'just do what's in the damn box first!' - Exercise.

When I started lifting weights it was all about how much weight I could lift.

The goal? Build………..My ego.

As much muscle & weight as possible

As a kid this worked. Indestructible or at least I felt that way.

Even if I did get injured here and there, I could shake it off in a day or two.

Warm ups, stretching, mobility?

Yeah nah…

This only changed for me after I blew a few discs in my spine.

Not the first time either.

As soon as it was ‘better’ I’d go straight back to it.

Boom! There it would go again….. and again.

Smart hey!

My second wakeup was being introduced to anything remotely ‘functional’ like a squat. I was instantly slapped in the face with my incompetence.

I realised I could not move. Sure, I could do a great bicep curl, but a fat lot of good that was when trying to overhead squat.

This sparked a 20 year curiosity, a passion for discovery and improvement.

Being a coach, I unfortunately see parents today, lifting with the same approach as 15 yr old me.

Unlikely for the same egotistical reasons as the boy discovering the powers of testosterone.

Yet likely due to the assumption that lifting heavier will make them stronger.

Here’s what they need to know:

- You don’t need to work at max effort to get stronger. In fact, if you do, ESPECIALLY at our age you will actually go backwards. That’s if you don’t get injured first.

- 30 reps at a light weight can be an effective for muscle growth tool

- It’s ok to rest. In fact, you probably need to do it more often

- Mobility – is STRENGH training. The reason you can’t move the way you’d like is often because of weakness. Not because you are tight.

- There’s a reason you don’t like xyz exercise – what is it? Why? Become curious -explore and fix.

- Form first. Take an exercise where form breaks down. The muscles you are targeting are not doing the work, something else is. Even though there’s more weight on the bar is that muscle really getting any stronger?

- Sleep matters

- Hydration matters

- Nutrition matters

Don’t wait to be slapped in the face with an injury. Learn to improve your body.

Ater all what we really want is a strong functional body to carry us for years ahead.

Not have some random strong muscles working out of sync with the rest of the body & causing pain.

Don’t treat this improvement (flexibility, mobility, form, exploration, curiosity) as an afterthought.

It’s like trying to make a car with a failed clutch go faster with a bigger turbo.

ASPIRING FIT MUMS - This one's for you....

I've been training clients for 2 decades

Over that time, I've seen thousands and thousands of people train

I've seen habits that work, ones that don't, and everything in-between

My advice - Don't get off the horse.

The clients that are 'successful' (the fit looking Mum's you're in awe of today) are the ones that never stopped.

I've seen client's (pre pregnancy) go on a health kick. Wanting to maximise their chance of falling pregnant.

They've achieved nothing less than jaw dropping results leading up to the pregnancy.

Fallen pregnant, only to have all they sacrificed and worked to achieve slowly fall away.

Now with a mountain to climb, a little one crying for attention & sleep deprivation - taking that first step? Daunting to say the least.

On the other side are the ones that never stopped - they trained before, during and after.

This is where I get by head ripped off for being an out of touch male who "doesn't get it"

Sure, I'm a male and never will 'get it'.

BUT... I have watched patterns across thousands of people over the years and see what works.

I'm not implying that it's easy or that training doesn't need to change during different phases.

It does.

Here's what works.

The successful ones continue training at the same intensity during their first trimester
They continue the same training style in the second, but slow down. More breaks, less impact & use less weight.
The third - they keep this up for as long as possible. Shifting at the very last stages to very low impact cardio like a recumbent bike.
Regular training for years has taught them to value their recovery. The importance of post partum recovery is fully understood & comes naturally.

Coming back too soon can be a huge mistake.

Pelvic floor control gone, bleeding, tearing /healing scar tissue, abdominal separation relaxin still pumping through the body....


BUT

They don't wait either....

Hear me out.


Straight away - they are working on reconnecting with pelvic floor. Breathing into the diaphragm. Seeking professional guidance and checkups early & often.


Building to short walks in the first few weeks that gradually increase in duration. Light body weight exercises and core activation drills begin weeks later.


Over the next month or so low level cardio and controlled lifts are slowly introduced. Without rushing they build towards their pre baby baseline. Allowing a year + to get there, being kind to themselves along the way.


The key here is the mindset. In their minds, although what they were doing changed along the way, they were always in 'action'.


Mentally their 'gym' sessions never stopped whether it be:

In bed recovering - practicing pelvic floor contractions
Pushing the pram
etc..
Fit mums succeed not because they “bounce back,” but because they never stop taking action.


Maintaining the mindset that movement always continues, even when it changes.

WOMEN - LISTEN UP!

Weights are for you.

You already know strength training is essential for your health, especially as you age. The problem isn’t the knowing. It’s the doing.

And not in the way you think.

Getting to the gym is one thing.
I’m talking about what you do once you’re there.

Twenty years ago, women avoided weight training altogether. Thankfully, that’s shifted. “Strong is the new sexy” has taken over.

The sexualization of women still needs work, but when it comes to strength training, the shift in messaging has been a win



But here’s where most women still miss the mark:

What actually counts as strength training?

What does it look like? What does it feel like? What does it need to be?

Most women still look at bodybuilders, powerlifters, or Olympic lifters and think: “I don’t want to look like that.” So naturally they avoid anything that resembles how those athletes train.

That leaves them stuck in “functional fitness,” circuit classes, and whatever trendy name is floating around, lifting weights that are a tenth of what’s needed to create real change.



Here’s the truth:

You don’t have to look like them. But you do need to train like them.



Here’s why:

Bodybuilders Teach you how to isolate muscles, build mind–muscle connection, create density, and accumulate the volume your body needs to actually change.

Powerlifters Show you how to load your skeletal system, build bone density, develop real core strength, and become resilient.

Olympic lifters Give you speed, coordination, mobility, and flexibility, the things that make everyday life pain‑free and genuinely functional.

If you want strength, confidence, shape, and longevity… Your training needs to borrow from all three.

Not lighter. Not fluffier. Not “toning.”

Actual strength training.

When women lift properly, everything changes. Your body, your confidence, your future.

We’ve been seeing this transformation happen within our walls for the past 20 years

If you are ready for the change and want to see what you’ve been missing

Reach out directly and we’ll show you the path forward.

Many people take solace in the fact they “go to the gym.”

And honestly? If you actually go, and go consistently, you should take pride in that.

Showing up alone does incredible things for your body, your mind, and your overall wellbeing.

Just by training regularly, you’re already sitting in the top 14% of Australians, according to national fitness industry data. That’s huge.

But sometimes, showing up isn’t quite enough to get the results you want. That’s when phrases like:

“I’ve been training but…”

“I wish I could…”

start creeping in.

If that’s you, and only if you’re wanting more, here are the things you might be missing.

You tell the doc you lift weights but...

You’ve never actually been shown how to lift well

You don’t track your weights

You copy workouts from Instagram instead of sticking with a program long enough to adapt

You rush your rest breaks because you feel “lazy” sitting still

You don’t follow a periodised strength program

You follow a program… but with loads far too light to create change

You skip deload weeks because you “feel fine” and chase sweat instead of progress

You prioritise lifting heavy over lifting well

You avoid body parts you’re “no good at” instead of addressing the reason why


You do conditioning but...


You attack every workout the same way. Long and slow & the short and fast

You sacrifice movement quality for speed

You avoid the cardio you don’t like

You avoid too much conditioning because you think it will “ruin gains”

You stop training completely when injured instead of adapting around it

Mobility isn’t considered training in your mind. Two arm circles and a prayer

You want better overhead positions but never work on them

Mobility feels like a chore instead of a performance tool



Now.. before you think I've had a bad day or that this is a personal attack, breathe.

This isn’t about calling anyone out. This is about showing you the path forward if you’re hungry for improvement.

And please don’t forget this:

Just getting to the gym consistently is already doing wonders.
Most people never even get that far.

At a higher‑performing gym like ours, it’s easy to look around and compare yourself to the people next to you. Forgetting that you’re probably comparing yourself to the top 1% of the country.

We’re all for chasing “more,” pushing harder, and improving. But don’t lose sight of this:

Just by being here, you are already winning.

And if you do want more, strength, confidence, performance, results? These are the exact places to start.

WHO RUNS THIS M***A ? GIRLS! 🎵

Many women are stoic with a lot of what they have to go through.

That monthly inconvenience being one of them.

If the tables were turned, the boys would be whining for sure.

But in all seriousness, periods become such a normal part of life that most women barely give them a second thought.

Here in the gym though… it might be time to start doing exactly that.

Because your cycle can absolutely influence how you feel, how you recover, and how you perform under a barbell.

Here’s what to expect (and why it matters for lifting):

1. Some phases you’re genuinely stronger
During the follicular phase (roughly days 1–14), estrogen rises and many women feel:

More powerful

Better recovered

More explosive

More motivated

This is often the best time for heavier lifting, PB attempts, and higher‑intensity work. Particularly just after the menstrual phase.

2. Other phases increase injury risk
Around ovulation, estrogen peaks and the body releases more relaxin – a hormone that increases ligament laxity. That means:

Joints feel “looser”

Stability can drop

Injury risk slightly increases, especially with heavy hinge or plyometric (jumping bounding, explosive) work

3. Fatigue, heaviness, and low iron are real
In the late luteal phase and early bleed:

Energy dips

Sleep can be disrupted

Iron levels may drop

Everything feels heavier than it should

Feeling hotter during workouts
Conditioning feels harder (may fatigue faster)
Dieting might be harder in this phase (you’ll likely push towards carbs/quick energy)
This isn’t “being moody.” It’s physiology. And it’s okay to adjust intensity, swap movements, or train for maintenance instead of performance.

4. You’re not imagining it - your cycle affects your training
You’re not soft. You’re not inconsistent. You’re not “making excuses.”

Your body is literally shifting hormones, blood volume, temperature, and recovery capacity every month. Understanding that helps you train smarter.

You don’t need to avoid training – just be aware and move with intention.

Most importantly and as always listen to your body.

There are some days at home with a newborn where the day literally gets away from us.

We might have the day free and have every intention of doing something ‘nice’

But kids have a way of changing those plans don’t they!

I’ll be playing with the older one trying to give mum a rest. Later she’ll come downstairs hoping to finish the 3rd round reheated coffee I gave her hours ago.

Have a shower, feel a little human again – eat something & get out the door

What if the baby refuses to go down after the feed? Poo explosions, oh the washing machine just finished. The older one’s getting frustrated now after being told you’ll play with ‘him in one minute’ 40 times in a row.

If you’ve got/had kids you know the feeling.

Anyway, the day went on like this. We never really made it out. It was late afternoon – Georgie had just had ‘enough’ (as you do at this point in the day.)

I was out in the drive with Asher on his scooter, hitting tennis balls against the wall (my new love atm). I gave Georgie the racket and challenged her to 6 forehand shots in a row, no double bounces.

5min later I could tell she was lighter. Her mood shifted and this left her more capable to deal with whatever was thrown her way next – not less.

This simple 5 min shows how powerful movement can be.

Never in these moments do we feel like exercise or movement, nor really want to.

But after? We wish we’d done it earlier or more often.

That little voice telling you it’s selfish to prioritise yourself.

That other people need you more.

More than you need a workout

More than you need an early night sleep

or 10 minutes to yourself to think clearly.

Don’t believe that voice for too long or you’ll lose yourself.

Not only that – but you’ll also lose the ability to show up as the person you want to be for the people you’re prioritising

Read that again.

Movement IS what you need.