Kettlebell Twist - Born this Way - Lady Gaga (youtube)

Born this Way - Lady Gaga (youtube)
Each campaign has its moments - those moments that take you by surprise, capture your imagination, make you realise with crystal-like clarity why you are doing what you doing and, best of all, put a smile on your face.

Tonight I just had one of those moments for this Campaign, with all of us in a line doing our one-arm kettlebell exercises to the beat and rhythm of this song - Born this Way. Kettlebells will never be the same.

The Video is in production and on task for a northern summer release and World Premiere in Tampa Bay where the International Dragon Boat Community will come together to view it for the first time. Stay tuned ..

Carmen, Lisa, Karen, Tamara, Jo, Rachel, Frank and Gio (and all the others that have ventured to Concord on a Tuesday Night) you have made the fitness testing workouts so much fun. You encourage and inspire me to be better than I thought I ever could be. You make me realise how lucky I am to be involved in this experience we share on the Road to Tampa.

Thank You.


My mama told me when I was young
We are all born superstars
She rolled my hair and put my lipstick on
In the glass of her boudoir

There's nothin' wrong with lovin' who you are
She said, 'cause He made you perfect, babe
So hold your head up, girl and you you'll go far
Listen to me when I say

I'm beautiful in my way,
'Cause God makes no mistakes
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way

Don't hide yourself in regret,
Just love yourself and you're set
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way

Whether life's disabilities
Left you outcast, bullied or teased
Rejoice and love yourself today
'Cause baby, you were born this way

I'm on the right track, baby
I was born to survive

I'm on the right track, baby
I was born to be brave

Karen, Carmen and Lisa - Born this Way - Twist - Just warming up - Fitness2u / Concord (Tue 14 Jun 2011)

Ridden into the Ground and Loving It - Drew Ginn (Wed 08 May 2007)

Another Favourite Blog Post by Drew Ginn.

A great way of thinking about a maximum effort in any endurance sport.

I have taken up RPM again for my cardio fitness and the great thing with RPM Indoor Bike Sessions is that I get a chance to explore all these feelings in every 45 minute session.

For me it is a great way of training the mind to Win the Workout.

Ridden into the Ground and Loving It - Drew Ginn (Wed 08 May 2007)

It is an extreme sensation to run out of gas on the bike.

It's a wonderfully strange feeling that is painful, magical and exciting.

The energy this morning as we rode ourselves into the ground was very cool.

Each challenge to dig deeper was meet with that fear of failure, of seizing up, of not being able to hang on.

It was think like a sea fog and could not be escaped.

If for one moment we were to back off it would be the end.

The only choice was to roll on and push again into that space of fatigue and sting.

The remarkable thing is each time I go into this place, into this zone I find something special, something new.

A freshness presented itself and as I pushed further.

I found that I couldn’t just stand and fight, punch myself out.

Be smart w[as] a statement I could hear like a whisper from an invisible friend.

Be smart, again it came into my awareness.

We swung round a corner and the pace quickened, the surge is extraordinary and it occurred outside and within.

If for a moment I was to hesitate I knew I would loose connection, so to drive again was the command.

The pleasure is in the relationship the lies within the range and scope of extremes.

The vastness of feelings marks a cycle.

Not just the one we ride but the one that is ever present inside us.

The burning grew and as it did I thought, "how can I maintain this effort?"

Then in one foul and almighty swoop we were away again.

The release was wonderful as I gained new energy to challenge and step.

Every stroke of the pedal was one closer to the end of our ride.

As we encountered a slight rise away from another bend it had become noticeably more difficult.

The build up of accumulated resistance was so filling and even the little climb was laughing at us.

We dug, I dug and before we realised we are over and off again.

The joy was like a chorus of celebration that burst and gradually it turned into new momentum.

The final stretch was into a strengthening wind.

The speed became hard to maintain and as I noticed my position matching the challenge.

Lower and lower I became, grinding away.

The pressure was had developed into a constant strain that would not let up until the end of the straight.

As we crossed an imaginary line we sat up like some proud animal in the wild after a kill.

Gasping for air we an evident sign of the effort require and expended.

The wry smiles told the story and we rolled into our coffee shop and embarked on a different journey.

One of reflection as we each shared our version of the morning’s events.

We were all exhausted, we had ridder ourselves into the ground and we loved it.

Bikes - Levento / Italy (Thu 11 Aug 2005)

Winning the Workout by Vern Gambetta (Thu 18 Nov 2010)

Winning the Workout by Vern Gambetta (Thu 18 Nov 2010)
The above is a short video Vern put up on Youtube on 18 Nov 2010. He talks about the importance of Winning the Workout, a term he first heard at a conference.

He expands upon Winning the Workout here.

Some more background from the following post ..

Win the Workout by Vern Gambetta (01 Sep 2006)

I must admit when I first heard Wayne Goldsmith, an Australian sports scientist, speak about this I was a bit put off.

My thought was how can focus on winning the workout and still have something left for competition?

The more I thought about it the more sense it made.

Before I can ever think about winning in competition I must win the workouts consistently.

It is a mindset that each athlete must bring to every training session.

It is a convergence of psychology and physiology that accumulates over time.

An athlete who is confident in their preparation is an athlete who has a chance in competition.

To win the workout it must meet the following criteria:

• The workout must be completed with concentration on the task at hand.



• The workout must be done with the effort required, nothing less. This should be a given.



• The workout must be done with intensity. Effort does not equal intensity



• The drills and exercises must be done precision and quality



• Finally the athlete has to be accountable for their performance during training.

Three Steps to Athletic Achievement by Vern Gambetta (Tue 23 May 2011)

Three Steps to Athletic Achievement by Vern Gambetta (Tue 23 May 2011)
Vern shares his ideas on what it takes to grow as an athlete in order to be able to achieve at the highest levels. Vern seeks and encourages our feedback. A great podcast - the first of hopefully many more to come.

What is a workout? Rob Rowland-Smith - Jeremey Rolleston (Feb 2011)

In his book A Life that Counts, Jeremy Rolleston introduces us to trainer Rob Rowland-Smith. A bit of searching on the Internet and you will find Rob as the SandhillWarrior on Twitter. He certainly impressed Jeremy (as well as me - see here) with his inspirational words and quotes. On pages 136 and 137 of his book, Jeremy quotes Rob's long version of What is a Workout (the short version appeared here a few days ago) as follows:

Here’s a quote by inspirational trainer Rob Rowland-Smith. He wrote it in the context of a workout, but for me, it epitomises the journey, process and outcomes of a committed and disciplined life. I placed it on the front page of my Olympic training folder so I’d read it often, and most times, I read it before I worked out so I’d be better able to discipline myself and work hard enough to achieve what I wanted to achieve during that training session:

"What is a workout?

A workout is 25% perspiration and 75% determination.

Stated another way, it is one part physical exertion and three parts self-discipline.

Doing it is easy once you get started.

A workout makes you better today than you were yesterday.

It strengthens the body, relaxes the mind and toughens the spirit.

When you workout regularly, your problems diminish and your confidence grows.

A workout is a personal triumph over laziness and procrastination.

It is the badge of a winner – the mark of an organised, goal-oriented person who has taken charge of his or her destiny.

A workout is a wise use of time and an investment in excellence.

It is a way of preparing for life's challenges and proving to yourself that you have what it takes to do what is necessary.

A workout is a key that helps unlock the door to opportunity and success.

Hidden within each of us is an extraordinary force.

Physical and mental fitness are triggers that can release it.

A workout is a form of rebirth.

When you finish a good workout, you don’t simply feel better ... you feel better about yourself."

Rob completes this with the following words:

To follow your dreams takes commitment ... and this means discipline.

Some great words here and they will certainly help me focus on what is needed when working towards a Dream.

When you workout regularly, your problems diminish and your confidence grows. - Jenny and Deb Cooper stroking with George sweeping - DBNSW 2008 Development Squad - Blackwattle Bay / Sydney (Sun 26 Oct 2008)
When you finish a good workout, you don’t simply feel better ... you feel better about yourself." - DBNSW 2008 Development Squad - Blackwattle Bay / Sydney (Sun 26 Oct 2008)

What is a Workout? - Sandhill Warrior (Tue 13 Oct 2009

What is a Workout?

It is a way of preparing for life’s challenges & proving to yourself that you have what it takes to do what is necessary.

SandhillWarrior (Rob Rowland-Smith) - (Tue 13 Oct 2009)

A snippet from a longer quote (posted here soon) by Rob Rowland-Smith (a) (the Sandhill Warrior) in Jeremy Rolleston's (e) book, A Life that Counts (e)

Australia 2011 Premier Mixed - 2km Turns Workout - Sydney (Sat 23 Apr 2011)