You're Ready Now

Well, we are almost ready now!  The new gym is all but complete and a few hours work tomorrow will  make sure that we will open as planned on Thursday January 2nd. www.peakfitnessgym.co.uk  We have already had a lot of interest and have started signing up new members.  Everyone that looks at the place is very impressed and that gives me a very rewarding feeling.  It's cost a lot of money and has been a great deal of work but the final result has made it all worthwhile.  I have to say an enormous thank you to everyone that has made it happen, the hard work is hugely appreciated and we are all looking forward to being open for business.  Finally, we are very proud to announce our first star guest, IFBB Pro Rene Campbell, who will be at the gym this coming Saturday, January 4th.

You Decide

The LA Muscle Norateen II TV advert that I did is now being shown regularly on The Active Channel, day & night, and can also be viewed on their website  http://www.theactivechannel.com/player/YouDecide_NorateenHeavyweight_Ad 

At the time of writing this blog the website views alone are already approaching 25,000, I am both flattered and amazed.  Thanks if you are one of the 25,000  and thanks if you have purchased the DVD as a Christmas present for anyone, I am continually receiving nice feedback about the movie, again it's very flattering.  Anyway, tomorrow is Christmas so enjoy the holidays unless, like me, you will be working.  The gym is now functional and by January 2nd it will be ready for business, I've even foregone the holiday that I usually have at this time of year to ensure that it happens!

High Hopes

There are pros and cons of going back to work and opening a gym. The main con is obvious, going back to work (!) but the pros more than make up for it. For example, working again has sent my metabolism through the roof and I am staying lean at 18 stone despite being on THREE cheat meals a week. My favourite cheat meal places are American diners like Ed's and Coast to Coast, the picture is of last nights cheat meal at C2C.  People seem to enjoy talking to bodybuilders and whilst there I ended up talking to most of the staff and signing a few up for memberships at the new gym.  That is the main pro, the amount of people that are interested in getting into shape and are willing to trust me to get them there, I'm really looking forward to 2014!

All Together Now

I'm very happy to say that it looks like we will definitely be up and running at the new gym by January 2nd as planned.  The builders are working flat out as am I and the construction work and decoration are almost there.  The website is also still under construction but will soon be complete www.peakfitnessgym.co.uk  I'm very happy to be able to at last reveal the BNBF champion that will be working as a full time PT at the gym, it's none other than "Grenade" sponsored athlete Shane Raymond.  Shane and I have been friends for a while and I've always been impressed with him as a natural bodybuilder and as a genuinely nice guy so when he said he wanted to start working as a full time PT in a gym specifically designed by experts it was music to my ears!  Shane will also carry on competing and this year I will help him with his show prep. He is so good at what he does that he doesn't need a full time coach but having spent some time with BNBF Pro Mark Claxton a few weeks ago during which we discussed Shane's physique I believe that with just a little bit of help he can this year win his first elusive BNBF British title.

On Days Like These

The DVD has so far been very well received and there is a very nice comment from someone in Canada on the YouTube trailer http://youtu.be/byAjQwma6ao I never expected the sales to go worldwide I must admit.  I've also just started helping someone in Russia, which is a new country for me to hear from.  I've just done an in depth interview for a university magazine which will be published in January, if they do an online version I will post a link when it's published.  Life is very busy these days what with settling into my new home and working on getting the new gym open but I will always find time for the most important thing in my life, my gorgeous Granddaughter Lilybelle, who has her first riding lesson this coming Sunday 

Nelson Mandela

Being a fan of both democracy and rugby  this is my favourite picture of Nelson Mandela, and being someone that teaches positivity this is my favourite quote of his. "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God; your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone, and as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others"

Just Another Day

Works at the new gym are progressing well, I'm enjoying getting the place sorted out and I'm confident that we'll be open and ready for business, fully equipped, by January 2nd 2014.  I'm pleased to say that my friend Alex McKenna, editor of "The Beef", has kindly agreed to supply the gym with some posters and back issues of his magazine for the cafe area, I am very grateful for this, thanks Alex.  The picture is a page from the last edition of the mag which, as a gym owner, I found very interesting.  Feedback from the sales of my DVD "Getting Ready" has all been very complimentary and everyone has said that it's a real eye opener as they didn't realise just how much work goes into getting into shape for competition.  I am not taking a single penny from any sales because the company that made it are hoping to sell enough to be able to fund a TV series that they have been asked to make next year.  This will feature me & my team taking normal people who desperately want to get into shape both physically and mentally and making that happen for them.  It's an ambitious project but one that could change people's lives immeasurably