WE ARE MOVING

SPB & Chaz Photographics-SoCal beach USA Oct 2011

PLEASE JOIN SPB and the Rokette Team at the following site....www.spbfitness.com

There will be heaps of online information, galleries, training inspiration, tips, tricks, updates and so much more. 2012 is proving to be a truly exciting year. So dont miss out on all the fun.
See you topside..spb

Thawing out and Amping up

Gift Galley + Pocket, Steak n Rib dinner GC
( the challenge the boys set to consume 1kg steak/ribs was painful to watch)

Casa Galley-chillin GC

It has been a hectic week since returning from the Gold Coast and the BODYOVERHAUL Event. With 10 weeks till summer, the smart people out there are looking at training now in preparation for the summer sizzle. So clients are coming back to the fold and competition preparation for the local shows is underway.

I had a blast with all the crew thats came along on Saturday morning and was very impressed at the fit bunch of women that were in attendance, George form 'Get Motivated Personal Training', Chevron Island has obviously been doing great things with his clients. They all worked really hard and were that enthusiastic to find out more information during the nutrition chat post training, that we ran an hour overtime. It was so fantastic to meet all the women there and having set some challenges for them for the next 12 weeks, I am excited to hear how their personal journeys and vision acquisition takes shape.

I too had the chance to head back to World Gym and pump out some pretty fantastic training sessions myself. The notable absence of some of the key players in the mix, Jimmy 'Aflete' Sadek and Andre 'Dre' Davids was certainly felt. But Gift Galley and I along with IFBB Pro fitness champ Donna Jones smashed out some super sessions over the couple of days. It was great to catchup with Donna, who is looking in top form, as she too, shapes into the end of year competition season.

Things are chugging along very very steadily here at SPBFitness Hq... I have some very exciting changes coming up and although I am dying to spill the beans, I cant share too much yet. But I will say this, with my final weeks preparations being logged and posted on YOUTUBE be sure to subscribe to the link to stay regularly updated on the tips, info snippets and goss as I lead into the shows. There will be interviews with fitness celebrities, athletes, industry professionals and my tour from leadup to close will be there for your viewing pleasure.

I am very excited to share also that I will be posting, as part of the expert panel, on Andre Davids fitness group pages. Andre is one of the most highly professional and well conditioned professional athletes I have had the pleasure of  training with. So I am truly honoured to be amongst his prestigious group of experts. Dres Fitness Group

GC cardio sunday morning-heaven

As each day ticks by, we are progressing toward the goals steadily and consistently. As it should be, no beat is missed in the preparation(diet, training, recovery, psychologically) all aspects are coming together for the most favourable results. Being ready to take advantage of the opportunity is what it is all about. As Woody Allen said, "70% of success is turning up", the other30% is making sure you are ready to out perform even yourself when asked. I for one have always found that philosophy to be one to follow...you never know unless you give it a go...and seriously, how hard can it be?

Train freaky and never give up on your dreams.

xxpocket

So how are we going so far...?

With 13 days until I return to the Gold Coast, for another training intensive with the Dream Team Cru its time to take stock, reflect and re-jig the plan for October if required.

I am very much looking forward to catching up with my 'Dream Team' mates, a term thrown around to describe the magic bunch of highly dedicated and committed athletes scattered across Australia, who will be descending upon the Gold Coast again to re-ignite the fire ( which will only burn brighter as I know mine is), toward the October seasons. Natika is going so well on her plan and has just made the finals of the TITAN GIRL promotion (woohoo), and the boys, well...i know they are getting their 'freak on' on a daily basis, so I expect to be blown away by their results.

So to my training; things are going very well thus far...at 16 weeks out I am very happy with my start point package, dial in has commenced already with a further tightening up of the usually clean dietary regimen. As with most people I know, I have a weakness for nuts and the dreaded almond paste, but the time has come to say goodbye to that pleasure for a few months. 

The altitude training has been going very very well, my session this morning blew all prior gains out the window with a PB sprint session that saw my heart rate hit 180bpm (and i didn't chuck,yeah) and stay up there...and I will admit to running folks, yes, running... I know! lol So with 2 more sessions to go before my programmed 14 days respite from this component of my training, I am really looking forward to setting the bar high with my fitness this time and intend to only keep improving after the break.

Weight training has been consistent, but finding a training partner to replace my gorgeous and very much missed Glamazon, has been tricky and frustrating to say the least. However, true to form a loss can often bring double the dividends as it has in my case. I have found a truly gutsy training partner in Penny, a former Pt and highly competitive, challenge oriented woman who is just as mad as I am when it comes to punishing your body... training sessions are full of laughter and massive output. I have already increased my gains in squats, and leg press which means leaner, meaner and more shapely body over all. I have also returned to the joys of training with the guys. Prior to 2010, I trained regularly with the blokes.  There is a very different focus and dynamic to these 'alpha-session', which I have missed and really enjoy. Now I get this element again and even though I might make him cry sometimes, Jeet is an absolute gun at explosive effort and big weights.

Thats about where we are at folks, tick tock tick tock...I am getting VERY excited about the USA trip...nervous as hell too, mainly with the travel component. This trip I will be visiting places I have never been before,  so the unfamiliar is the major variable for concern. But that just means I am out of my comfort zone and who doesn't need to be shaken up a little every now and then? Keeps pocket spicy, like a good cocktail!

I am however, not in the least bit nervous about the shows...in fact I CAN NOT WAIT to compete, I am mentally very ready this season, the bug is back and burning brighter than ever. It was a little fatigued up until recently. But like most things in life you roll with the punches and keep putting one foot in front of the other, walking or running to the goal is of no consequence so long as you are heading in the right direction with little or no deviation off the path to your success. Seeing things for what they are and investing no more emotional energy than you really need to.

I have some very clear and neatly packaged goals for the next 12 months, so onward we forge and beware any obstacle that bothers to pop up...lol... one of the major elements I have rediscovered recently is that my goal is part-in-parcel of the life I wish to lead, meeting amazing people, achieving my business, athletic and personal goals and helping others achieve theirs. Competing has been a wonderful vehicle to facilitate all of the things I find fundamentally important to me, I think I had lost sight of that momentarily, but I got clear, got re-aligned with my passions and am ready to ROKETTE out!

I highly recommend revisiting your plans for the next 12months..you may surprise yourself with what you discover....
xxpocket

What an adventure the Gold Coast turned out to be...I ended up being there a few days extra, but there are no complaints here. Once the sun came out, well lets just say I'm smitten with the place.

Last time I was on GC was just after Expo '88 and I was very,very young.... so cant say I remember a great deal. But this trip will stay with me a while, I had a ball.

Arriving on Tiger Airways (who I might add I wont be travelling with again, poor service, surly staff and a penchant for ripping you blind on everything from the seat you choose to luggage check in), into the tin shed that was GC airport and being greeted by weather just as bad and chilled as Melbourne, was not great. But things looked up from that moment on. A soon to be business associate collected me and so began a great trip.

So the first 2 days were all business and presentations... a girl has to work sometimes, spent time discussing the benefits of whole food nutrition and learnt a little about something called Glutathione

'the Gift' Galley, Pocket, Dre-big athletic plans ahead for 2011.

...but it was the later part of the trip that really made the grade and then some. I caught up with 5 (soon to be 6) time Mr Australia, Michael 'the Gift' Galley, Model and figure competitor Nakita 'Giftess' Leanne, WNBF Pro Fitness Model and the freakishly conditioned Andre 'Dre' Davids, 'Aflete' and human tank, Jimmy Sadek plus the big man of EastCoast Supplements Luke Holiday-Smith...it was so fantastic catching up with everyone. Especially out of competition, when most of us dont even know our own name let alone be able to create meaningful conversation with people. But this trip was really special.  Training at World Gym, dining out in some of the most amazing restaurants I have experienced and generally laughing so hard my sides ached. On a side note-I have never seen someone down sushi like jimmy..it was semi-disturbing... and yet a privilege to witness all at once lol

Natika Leanne, Pocket Asia Pacific BB Championships

So with plans for a training trip in the very, very immediate future, I am looking forward to the goals set at the last dinner being well underway... daily updates are flowing in, so all seems to be on track and as it should be...on the coast, in Melbourne and in Sydney.. Go GIFTS! 

The CrU

New art work

It was a volcanic eruption in Chile that put an end to my homeward plans...sitting on the flight ready to taxi and we were all asked to disembark and sort our way home via an alternative route...so to the Galley lounge room floor I did return for 2 more nights. All good, the view from the balcony was so magical at sunrise I really didnt mind at all. The time off afforded me the opportunity of finally getting the Tattoo I have been hanging to get for a long time...if you head to the Gold Coast be sure to check out the EastCoast Ink studio.

So back in Melbourne, I attended the national campaign to 'Get In Shape Australia', this morning at the Botanical Gardens. For more info on how you can get your free training program and be in the draw for $10,000 worth of prizes go toMOVE IT:

So while the nation is encouraged to move it, i too am up-ing the anti on my training regimen. With 14 weeks till my USA tour, I am back to my Altitude sessions, back to the gym and back to focused dieting and cardio sessions. The pending trip is going to be a massive undertaking with 3 shows, 4 states and a few thousand Km travelled. But I am very,very excited about all of it...I have amazing people to meet, photographers lined up to work with and every single city I am going to is going to be a new place for me. So October here we come. I cannot wait...

Travel,Training & Juicy stuff....

DAY 1:
What a month May has been...i cant believe it is all but over...I am sitting at the Melbourne domestic terminal waiting to board my flight to Perth for the NSA National conference, where i will be guest speaking this coming Friday night. Burswood Casino is the place to be, so i am really looking forward to seeing many of the Perth crew over there. I must say, with the freezing weather here in Melbourne, a little warmth and sunshine is going to be very welcomed also.

This will be the 4th of my presentations for the NSA and Juice Plus+ and with an estimated 250+ guests, my biggest audience to date...and i cant wait.


....Arrived in Perth, to overcast but warm weather...Burswood Casino is pretty awesome, the lifts move at lightening speed and being glass bullets as they are, do nothing for motion sickness, just dont look down..lol...


A quick pre-dinner gym session and I can say I have officially begun my down time...king size room complete with canopy over the bed, i am feeling very,very spoilt indeed....

Physical Challenges continue at Rokette HQ

It has been a full, busy and exhilarating couple of weeks at Rokette HQ. Training has been on the up and up with the 8 week challenge moving forward at a steady pace. Despite Freaky Fri sessions being hampered by my travel interstate, the overall output has been consistent and of a pleasingly high intensity. Weight training sessions have also been going well as the post competition body recovery seems to be on the right track too...strength has returned to normal levels and with the increased cardio training intensity,  I am pleased to say that my overall fitness is improving beyond levels I have experienced before. So these are exciting times. I am really enjoying training again after the sometimes difficult psychological lead up to a show.Seeing your strength and performance diminish can be very demoralising, no matter how often you have been through it. So, for anyone who knows the feeling of really 'loving' training again, well thats me right now.

Ava Cowen

FILEX, Sydney's annual fitness industry event, was a blast. My event report will be in the Weider Muscle & Fitness magazine coming out soon, so I wont say too much here...but I will say that meeting Dorian Yates, Ava Cowen, Branch Warren (i thought I had good calves...lol) and of course Charles Glass to name a few, was just wonderful. To all the companies who invested in bringing these exceptional athletes to Australia, and the Athletes for making the trek here, we thank you and hope you return in the not-too-distant future. (*Remember IFBB Pro's..the FITX event in Melbourne is a not to be missed event to compete at...just sayin..;)

Sydney did not put on the best weather, in fact the most rainfall in 24 hours in the past 10 years made sure that Saturday was a wash out. But thankfully it dried up for the last night that the Rokettes were in town. Sue and I had a wonderful dinner followed by my very first Kings Cross drag show....yes folks Queens everywhere and it was without a doubt one of the funniest and most enjoyable nights I have had in a long time. 

So with Easter here and many of my wonderful crew on holidays, I was afforded the opportunity of training with the super fit and quick, ultra marathon runner, Samantha Gash.  Sprint sessions with Sam are full on, and she was 'taking it easy on me'  today..lol...I never realised how long a block of Flagstaff Garden was until Sam told me we were sprinting it...well I now know and I also know that I have a LOT of work to do. After a few inclines, declines and quick fire sprints around the gardens we headed off to our first Hypoxic training session (well test session, a program is to follow). That was HYpoxic, not POXY session...it was far from poxy, it was awesome...i was on a high all afternoon...felt fantastic.

Sam & Sara for Juice Plus+ "Living live to the PLUS'

So a daunting concept; on a bike with a super sexy mask over your face, you are exposed to varying levels of oxygen depletion which mirror altitude oxygen levels. Sam was taken to dizzying heights while I was starting to feel a little unusual at 3000m, with a fairly average recovery level...talk about being out of your comfort zone...give me weights and I will lift them till the cows come home, but this stuff is a whole other matter. However I am really excited to see the gains and levels of improvement that I can achieve...so watch this space...shaking things up and constantly on the search for ways to manage the body better and achieve exceptional physical results for my athletic pursuits, makes for exciting and highly educational experiences.

Easter- for the record, no bunnies are welcome round my place. So I will be training hard and preparing for a couple of shoots I have coming up and to anyone interested in attending any of the  upcoming BOH camps in Sydney (14th May) and later in Perth, you will be pleased to know that I am trialing a couple of session plans this weekend. So all in all, a fun and very productive few days off.

So be good, be safe and above all be happy, laugh lots and enjoy the down time

xxpocket 

FEAR CAN BE A POSITIVE THING!

‎"The mind will naturally default to the negative....its evolutionary adaptation...the key is to recognise it & redirect your attention and energy...control it rather than let it dominate you..."(Randy Borum-Psy.D)

....the body really does follow where the mind leads it...ultimately the choice is ALL yours!

So what is that sets the truly tenacious and determined apart from those that simply give in?..Can it really be as simple as negative thought patterns dictating the outcome of every event you find yourself in..or is there some special X-FACTOR that makes the successful shine?


In my view, there is a bit of both..but first and foremost it begins with where your head and heart are at...if both are not aligned to a common goal (whatever this may be), then the individual is placed in a conflicting and highly stressful position where no forward momentum can be gathered, toward achievement. The person goes back and forth between their wants and the reality of the situation.


As a trainer I see it all the time, put simply the 'i want to be X-kg' statement and the 'reality of the work required to achieve this goal', can be so mal-aligned that it seems  almost unfathomable that the individual could have come to putting these concepts together. 


For many top level athletes, the fear of defeat, is the most powerful driving force in motivating training the competitive experience...but what about the individual that may not be in a position to exercise their competitive edge?...what does a person who goes to the gym everyday ( or in some cases should but doesn't), tap into, to keep them on track, firing on all motivational cylinders?...


Here are a few tips that may help...and those that have said 'its easy for you, your highly motivated', i will agree with you, I am highly motivated for a reason, I have discovered what makes me work best consistently and I will gladly share it with you:

1. Get a future based goal that gives you a reason to fear failure, a competition, event or future based target. The bigger the audience the better.
2. Take stock of your thoughts and subsequent behaviours, what are the self talk monologues going through your head each day, at what times, for how long and are they predominantly positive of negative?
3. Assess and manage the monologues. Begin to control and manipulate the words and energies created by these thoughts. Are they aggressive, apathetic, and where are they stemming from?

The more you give credence to thoughts of 'I'm tired... I'm sore... I'm not into this today', the more these thoughts will begin to dominate you and your behaviours. They will become like a virus and infect all your waking hours. Acknowledge your mental and physical state and well-being by all means, but at that point you have the choice to let the negative dictate the outcome or put it aside and forge ahead regardless.

I do not know of any top level athlete that is never sore, injured (often or to some degree), tired or mentally drained. The difference is the choice in how they respond. The fear of failure or defeat will always be stronger than the discomfort of an aching body or fatigued mind. 

What do you fear the most? Find what makes you shudder and you will be closer to determining the best way to tap into your key drivers to success. Fear can be either a positive or a negative and ultimately how you manage it and the outcome you get is up to YOU!