Above The Grind Fitness

Above The Grind Fitness Personal Trainer for hire based in Glasgow city. Enquire within. (The gym group Bothwell Street)

A lovely client review from Charlotte .w00d This was actually Charlotte's 2nd rodeo with me, the first time was a few ye...
30/07/2026

A lovely client review from Charlotte .w00d

This was actually Charlotte's 2nd rodeo with me, the first time was a few years ago where we did not achieve what we had set out to achieve.

I like to think it was a case of me being far too textbook PT and Charlotte's head and heart not being in alignment at the time. Wrong place, wrong timing, other priorities meant not having the right mindset for growth and success.

Fast forward a few years, this time around I've grown and developed more as a coach, I could understand Charlotte better and her needs a lot more in-depth this time.

I paid closer attention and tailor coached her to her exact specific needs, because a one size fits all approach never works even if everything you say is textbook optimal path to progress and results.

That's instructing not coaching.

The clues were not in what her abilities were or weren't, but it was more who she is as a person in that moment in time, what was happening in her life, how she felt on a day to day basis. Learning to know when to show accountability and support, and when to give encouragement or a pep talk.

In many ways I too learnt a lot, in return I grew and matured further as a PT coach of 10+ years and counting. You can never truly know it all!

Charlotte achieved a very impressive physical transformation but I won't really talk about that, because I don't want to take away the spotlight from her biggest progress/improvement I saw which was her self confidence boost and mindset growth.

And those are the kind of tools one might require to become physically and mentally strong enough to get through whatever life has to throw at you in the future.

And that's because you can't be born into a champion mindset, it has to be made.

Very proud of you .w00d.
Welcome back anytime!

You cannot be motivated all the time, it's just not realistic. If your main driving force and fuel for going into the gy...
11/06/2026

You cannot be motivated all the time, it's just not realistic.

If your main driving force and fuel for going into the gym is based upon your motivation levels then you're in for a lot of trouble.

Because what happens when you hit that mental dip in motivation? What happens if life begins testing you and gets overwhelming?
What happens if your own negative thoughts have gotten the better of you?

Do you throw in the towel and quit temporarily? (Or worse... Permanently?)

The truth here is that not all of your workouts are going to feel great, sometimes you'll hit a lengthy period of time when you can't be bothered doing your workouts or tracking your calories and macros, your steps etc

It begins to feel a bit like a chore,

I get it, it's like a second full time job.

When you've been putting in the effort and grafting towards a goal outcome, it's easy to end up with tunnel vision where the end goal is all you can see, whilst completely ignoring/forgetting the progress made along the way.

It becomes less enjoyable, a more systematic approach and oftentimes feels like some kind of lab experiment.

And when it's not fun anymore, you'll then hit a mental burnout and a dip in motivation.

Your mind will play games because you might start comparing old previous results/progress with the slower progress now.

But remember not everyday can be sunshine and rainbows, sometimes there's rain and then there's thunderstorms so to speak.

Your job is to weather the storm no matter what.

You wouldn't quit on your job because of a bad day/feeling down. Then don't quit on yourself.

This isn't a hobby, this is an addition to your lifestyle. Don't forget it.

Maturing in the gym is understanding that while your health and fitness goals are important, it is ultimately about learning to enjoy the journey and process along the way.
Focus on consistently performing/doing your best and the results will come. That's all that matters at the end of the day.

F**k your "motivation"

Get to the gym!
See you on the other side ✌🏼

This is not a "How to calorie deficit." This is for when your deficit increases in difficulty, maybe your willpower is n...
09/06/2026

This is not a "How to calorie deficit."

This is for when your deficit increases in difficulty, maybe your willpower is not as strong, you keep over eating and binging on snacks, uncontrollable snacking and hunger pangs, bad cravings.

These are just a small handful of tips amongst many to help you navigate through the duration of your calorie deficit a little easier.

Dieting doesn't have to be so complicated.

Save this post for later 🔰

So you're in a deficit to lose weight so wouldn't eating even less calories make you lose more weight even faster!? whil...
21/05/2026

So you're in a deficit to lose weight so wouldn't eating even less calories make you lose more weight even faster!? while this might seem logically sound, it's really not great in the long run.

You will initially lose weight but then it'll all come screeching to a halt within a matter of weeks.

But you were in a deficit right? So what was the problem?

STALLED WEIGHT LOSS
As you consistently eat so little, your basal metabolic rate (BMR) adapts by prioritising holding onto fat to conserve energy, this in turn stalls your weight loss progress.

FATIGUE - WEAKNESS - BRAIN FOG -BURNOUT
The definition of deficit is having less than what is required, so it's not exactly Einstein material to now eat EVEN LESS than what was already considered less than requirement. Severely cutting calories strips you of the energy required for daily activities and maintaining an exercise routine! It'll also eventually lead to irritability and low moods, lower quality of life and a higher chance of a food binge relapse and also quitting on your weight loss goals.

MUSCLE LOSS
From a survival point of view, your body needs fat more than it needs muscle to survive and to sustain life. So when starved of adequate fuel your body will prioritise breaking down muscle for fuel instead of targeting bodyfat. And having less muscles means permanently lowering your calorie burning capacity.

SO WHAT'S THE SOLUTION?
The solution is to stop looking for quick fix results. Practice having some patience, you're not gonna lose 20 pounds overnight or even in a week! Keep resistance training 3-4x per week on average,

Stick to a good deficit around 250-500 calories under your maintenance, prioritise high protein intake daily. Look for about 1.8 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (about 0.8 to 1 gram per pound) daily. This higher intake keeps you fuller, will preserve lean muscle mass, and promotes muscle protein synthesis. (Growing m00scles 💪🏼)

Save this post if you found it helpful and of value.
For all other personal training enquiries, drop me a message in my inbox.

See you on the other side ✌🏼

Client spotlight - Charlotte .w00dThis is Charlotte, she's not only lost a whopping 20kg/44lbs of bodyweight but also he...
29/04/2026

Client spotlight - Charlotte .w00d

This is Charlotte, she's not only lost a whopping 20kg/44lbs of bodyweight but also her bodyfat percentage has dropped over 7% and counting!

We're not even done yet.

There's been many improvements not only with what you can see here but with discipline, routine, balance, her self esteem, self confidence and ability to reason with herself if motivation dips low.

Charlotte is now definitely more confident with herself and her own abilities in the gym along with incorporating her new healthier and fitter lifestyle that accompanies and provides her results.

Although sometimes there may be a few stumbles occasionally or roadblocks here and there, but these things are perfectly normal as long as you have the right support systems in place to keep you on the right track to progress.

And that's what I'm here for as her PT coach, I provide her the necessary support, accountability, encouragement and help to steer her back onto the right path when things start to go south/or have gone south.

Everyone's fitness journey is unique to themselves and it is not always so black and white.

Life can be complicated and unpredictable at times so why should your health and fitness have to be complicated too?

Have it rest assured and taken care of with a coach that keeps you accountable and supported especially if/when you slack or begin falling behind.

Someone to encourage you when your motivation is low and you're playing devil's advocate with yourself.

Take away the guesswork.

Spaces are available for PT coaching if you'd like to get into shape for summer.

Drop me a direct message in the inbox 📥

06/04/2026

When to re-prioritise your priorities

I was having a chat with one of my clients today. His weight loss progress seems to have stalled for several weeks on end.

But his results with strength seems to be the only area progressing.

We were looking to cut down for the summer, and that's when this conversation came about.

You see, being strong for him is a higher priority than getting lean, why? Because for him it's more fun and enjoyable for him.
(This brings back the old "comfort zone adage")

You can't just do the things you like and enjoy. Of course it would be so much better if you liked and enjoyed all of it.

But that's part of what helps us grow, shapes is and molds us.

Being on a calorie deficit is hard because it requires willpower and consistency. You have to stay true to yourself especially the times when your calories are a lot lower and perhaps you've spent all your calories already either via poor timing or poor food/portion choices.

If you ask me, well there's nothing FUN about that.

Which is why you really need to dig deep and ask yourself if your fatloss goals really mean that much to you. Is it important for you to get in shape for (insert event/holiday) or just because you want to be in the best shape you can be?

Your desire to achieve said result MUST trump your desire for comfort, fun and feeling good.

It is ONLY then when you make your goals bigger than yourself is when you'll make and accept no excuses.

You must re-prioritise your priorities, look at the clues left behind on maybe why you're not seeing results.
(Lagging areas are usually diet adherence and energy expenditure for most people)

This is what I help people do, achieve their goals through relentless support and accountability.

Drop me a message if you're interested in 1-1 PT

See you on the other side ✌🏼

Client spotlight on my client Kerr.Kerr has been a long time on/off PT client of mines, his goals were never to get shre...
02/04/2026

Client spotlight on my client Kerr.

Kerr has been a long time on/off PT client of mines, his goals were never to get shredded in the first place or be super lean.

When Kerr approached me he just wanted to shift the weight he had put on since lockdown which refused to budge.

Being a vegetarian, his body type presented something that I see commonly in a lot of vegetarian/vegans body types who don't actively train with weights.

This being a typical carb heavy diet with low protein (or not enough protein)

It gives what I consider a "skinny fat" look.

It was an easy fix on paper.

He need to resistance train 3-4x a week
Move more for his daily energy expenditure
And obtain higher protein intake daily.

That's the usual standard jist of it.

But of course in practicality it wasn't always that straightforward.

We had many obstacles, one namely the intensity of the workouts often made him feel sick 🤢 at times we didn't even train that hard. He was just unfit at the time

We've now lost 16.6kg in bodyweight. He has push heavy weight with full intensity like never before. Something cracked while he kept up the consistency and he broke through that mental and physical plateau.

Which goes to show things may prevail if you just stay the course and don't throw in the towel in too early.

Well done Kerr, excited to see how your progress further develops down the line!
💪🏼👏🏼

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154-160 Glasgow Bothwell Street
Glasgow
G2 7EL

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