Here's Mike's journey.
MIKE'S GOALS
When Mike first came to me, he had three BIG goals.
1. Rebuilding after cancer
Mike had drastic treatment for oesophagus (gut) cancer – 250 doses of chemotherapy, 120 of radiotherapy, 15 procedures & liquid diet for six months
2. Recovery after injury
He has also seriously injured his knee and had taken a year off exercise to recover.
3. Renewal
Mike wanted to improve power, balance, coordination and flexibility.
In addition, he wanted to learn tricky exercises like handstands and dragon flies.
He also wanted to return to high impact martial arts like krav maga.
WHAT WE DID
Discovery phase
We worked on a variety of movements and tests and regularly reviewed his progress.
Design of programme
At first we concentrated on conditioning, coordination and movement. Then we added strength and cardio exercises.
To fine tune particular exercises including those that require lots of coordination,
we focused on muscle groups.
Elements included:
Variety of equipment (and no equipment)
We used body weight, free weights, resistance machines, TRX, cardio and challenges and games.
Functional exercises
For example, cable turns for golf, striking and kicks for martial arts.
Form
We improved his form – the beneficial impact of some exercises is wasted if they are performed incorrectly.
Progression
We broke down complicated exercises into small steps and stages. Here is the advanced version of press ups, which we're doing together.
Different types of press-ups into clap-hand press-ups into jump/Superman press-ups
Handstands against the wall, then free standing
Confidence
We aimed to build Mike's confidence and take him out of his comfort zone, particularly with regard to his injured knee.
Allowing for fatigue
We built in recovery periods and performed plenty of stretching so Mike would be less tired from martial arts training.
MIKE'S RESULTS
Mike lost 4 kilos while gaining muscle
His body fat percentage dropped from 19% to around 12 %
His fitness level is high
He continues to practise martial arts, golf and table tennis
FUTURE EXERCISES
Here, we're working on the human flag, which is one of the most advanced bodyweight exercises. Follow Mike's journey on our social media platform.