2021 What a year it was for VFC
Hey Team and welcome to Decembers newsletter.
What an awesome month December was! Even though we have experienced the shortest days and the coldest weather you guys bought it in abundance. Its been so awesome to see some many of you still really committing to your training and getting your sessions in but if you have fallen a little of the past month, please do not fear, it happens to the best of us.
January is always a great time to set yourself a few (and we said few, check Coach Amy’s article about too many goals) new goals and work a few things that you would like to improve for the coming year and if this sounds like you why not check out our Healthy Habits challenge. Places are already going fast so have a look at it and if any of it rings true then we would love to get you signed up. Places are limited and half have gone already.
But before we get too focussed on the next year let’s have a recap of December. It was sooo good to have so many of us down there for the Christmas WOD on the 11th, such good fun and we promise the teams weren’t a fix! Then later that night we hit up the town with the annual Christmas Valesco party and boy did we do it in style!! Thanks you to all of you who came and shared a few drinks with us. So wonderful to get dressed up and enjoy some good food and a few drinks (and maybe a few too many shots) with you all. We mustn’t forget the Valesco Annual awards either. Massive congratulations to all our Winners and Nominees alike. What a fantastic celebration of another year of everything Valesco.
This year has been a strange one and we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all, whether you have been with us from the start, or only a few weeks, you guys are everything that makes Valesco what it is, so from the bottom of our hearts we would like to thank you for your love and support in 2021.
We hope, whatever the next few days bring for you, that you get to do the things that make you smile, enjoy some good company and a bit of relaxing and remember to pop in and see us before the NY when you have had enough of the sofa/family/chocolates/central heating!
Lots of love and festive vibes,
Amy, Ellie and Leila xx
MEMBER SHOUT OUTS
Welcome to the monthly Member Shout out section where we like to celebrate some of the good things we see in the gym day in and day out.
We wanted to take this chance to give a massive shout out to coach Ella for her stunning performance on ITV’s Walk the Line. She did herself proud and so good to see what an amazing talent she has as a performer and as an Artist. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s well worth catching up on this festive period.
Shout out from Coach Amy – Kath Hooper (affectionately known as Hoops). Kath has got to be on of our most long-standing and consistent members and a solid 6am crew member. I wanted to give a shout out to Hoops this month as she has been such a solid and key member of Valesco for so long, these things can sometimes go unnoticed but I think its worth noting and recognising. Kath always has a smile, gets on with it and rarely moans (lets be honest we have all moaned after a few of those workouts). Rain or shine, fog or ice Kath is here morning in and morning out and for that Hoops we salute you.
Shout out from Coach Stew – Amy Griffiths. She has been working hard on her gymnastics and can now string together a solid number of pull ups and TTB together, alongside a fantastic attitude who is always super keen to learn, with a smile on her face.
Shout out from Coach Ella – Hattie Flattener. Hattie has been giving it tremendous effort since only completing her intro course a few weeks ago and is already becoming a regular in the 6am crew. Way to go Hattie, keen to see where the rest of your journey takes you, off to a flying start.
Shout out from Coach Leila – Bally Kaur. For being super consistent with her training and even when she is working away she drops into the local box to get her fix. This kind of consistence and the awesome attitude Bally has to her training and being one of the top 3 who attended most classes on 2021, is something that certainly deserves a shout out.
Shout out from Coach James – Harriet Bartlett. Harriet works really hard, moves really well and got her first HSPU the other day which she (and I) was super happy about. She is really consistent in her training and an absolute pleasure to have in class.
HEALTHY HABITS CHALLENGE - 2022
The 8 week challenge where you can FOCUS on what you want to improve… Nutrition, Sleep, Hydration, Stress management….all of it…?
#EATSLEEPHYDRATEREPEAT
** THIS CHALLENGE IS FILLING UP FAST – LIMITED SPACES AVAILABLE**
If you’re interested but want to know more, some of the details are below and a second post is up on Facebook!
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
– 8 week challenge with 3 meetings – Kick off, halfway checkpoint and The finale @ the gym on Thursdays at 7.30pm
– Cost is £99 for the 8 weeks
– Optional Body Composition Analysis at 3 check in meetings
– Calculation of personal macros that are goal specific (if you want them)
– Optional MFP Reviews
– Assigned Coach
– Dedicated Facebook group to share highs, lows, successes, funny stories & more!
– Weekly personal check in’s with your coach
– A weekly focus for discussion to help educate on 8 key topics that WILL help you hit your goals including hydration, sleep hygiene & fuelling for training
WHY….?
– Accountability: being accountable to someone else gets better results for almost all of us!
– Knowledge: because knowledge is power and we want you to own and smash your goals!
– Support: having someone on hand to ask questions and a group of people around you to keep you on track is so powerful…we’re all pack animals really
WANT TO SIGN UP? EMAIL HI@VALESCO.FITNESS AND BOOK YOUR SPACE!
GYM NOTICES
BEAT THE JANUARY RUSH!
Do you know anyone who’s thinking of joining a gym in the New Year or who knows what you do and it keen to find out more? We are launching a January intro course deal on Boxing Day and are expecting it to be popular BUT if you have friends and family who want to get started we want to give them priority! Send Amy an email to mailto:stphilips@valesco.fitness. Course starts on Monday 10th Jan, don’t let them miss out.
MEMBERS FACEBOOK GROUP:
ARE YOU ON OUR MEMBERS ONLY FACEBOOK GROUP? It’s an awesome little place to ask questions, find out information or just share funny memes or moments from the gym. If you aren’t a member but would like to be please follow this link and request access.
OPEN GYM USERS PLEASE:
– Keep talking to a minimum when coaches are addressing the whole class. For members at the back of the class it is hard for them to hear what is being said if there is a lot of noise in Open Gym.
– Please be aware of people in class and if you need to get kit from the middle of the gym please walk around people and be respectful of their space. Some kit, including 22.5 & 15kg DB & some 20 &24kg KB have been moved into open gym. Plates have also been moved s please use these first before getting them from the main gym space, when a class is in progress.
CLASS USERS PLEASE:
– Be mindful of members in Open gym when going to get wall balls – please don’t walk through stations, especially where people are working out.
– When using the rig in classes, only the bars facing the class spaces can be used. If you need a higher bar or there is no space left on the front of the rig, you need to use one of the bars along the wall or under the mezz UNLESS there is NO ONE in open gym and the coach says it is OK to do so.
Any queries at all, please speak to the coach on duty.
PODCAST with Harry French
We are back, again! I know, quick for us right!?
This time out we are joined by the man, the myth, the legend; Valesco member Harry French. If you know Harry you will, like we were, be looking forward to this. If you don’t? Fear not, we’ve got you. Just a heads up, this is probably one we’ll be turning on the ‘Explicit Content’ switch for but one that is absolutely worth a listen.
Who is Harry French? What does he think of topless gym-goers? What is it like training around family life? How did he find his first scaled competition? Donkey or Giraffe? You’re about to find out.
These are always fun for us because we get to sit down and have a chat with what really makes Valesco. The people. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we did recording it and we will back soon. Thanks for coming back and as always, have a lovely day and Merry Christmas!
Listen here
As always, if any of you have any suggestions for a podcast please let us know and we will get them sorted for you :)
And, upcoming podcasts include:
– All things Calisthenics with Sami Bousri
– Mindset for sports with Connor Grant
and more! Keep your ears open!
INDIVIDUAL PROGRAMMING OPPORTUNITY FOR 2022!
Ellie has availability to programme for up to another 3 athletes who are looking to kick their training up a level in 2022! Whether there are skills you want to nail, you want to focus on strength or gymnastic capacity, you want additional sessions to the classes you already do to support specific goals or your aim is to be able to compete at an RX level, individual programming can help you do any or all of it!
What is individual programming?
A training programme, of 2 to 5 sessions per week, designed for an individual with specific goals in mind. Programmed on a weekly basis so prior weeks performance and results can be used to tailor every session, and reviewed weekly with feedback given where requested or needed. An app called TrueCoach is used to deliver the programme, record results and give feedback so all of your training can be recorded & referred back to at any time. TrueCoach also has the ability to provide demo videos for unfamiliar movements and videos uploaded for feedback from your coach (Ellie)!
Who is it suitable for?
You must be capable of training independently and enjoy training solo / with 1 friend. All sessions will need to be done in Open gym without the assistance of the coach on duty. Aside from that, we can work together on whatever it is you want to get better at! If you are interested or have any questions please drop an email to hi@valesco.fitness!
And in case you wanted to know a little more…. this is from Natasha, a current programming client:
I’ve been programming with Ellie since the summer of 2021 and my main focus was to build strength, RX workouts and to nail gymnastics. In less than 3 months, I went from a few kipping pull-ups and barely lifting my knees to my elbows on the rig, to mastering the butterfly technique and hitting 15 TTB for the SID qualifier. Ellie works with you on a weekly basis to hit your goals and she really gets results. I’ve been genuinely shocked by my progress, which a lot of members have commented on and it’s been down to Ellie’s programming, knowledge and encouragement. My training has definitely moved to another level and I have a greater understanding of how to build on performances and improve. I couldn’t recommend Ellie enough, and I, for one, will continue working with her to carry on my fitness journey. Thanks Ellie xx
PUP CORNER
Leo’s top tips for surviving Christmas.
1) Wear elastic waistbands – we all need a little layer for keeping warm in the winter. Eating chocolate first thing in the morning and all day is totally acceptable for humans. Wear something comfy and just let go for one day.
2) Wear ridiculous sweaters just because you can. I will be wearing my very fetching (albeit slightly snug) Santas helper top all day.
3) Survive Christmas time with the in-laws – Bite your tongue if necessary – it’s only one day! If all fails – drink lots.
4) Take pictures. We won’t get this time again. Cherish the moments, even in adversity.
5) Under schedule – It’s so easy to fill our days with meet ups, shopping, food planning, life admin. Clear your diary and remember to make time for yourself.
6) Be kind. Not only to others but also to yourself.
7) Spend an excessive amount of time in your pyjamas.
8) Believe in Santa
My Top 3 Christmas jokes:
1) What’s every elf’s favourite type of music?
Wrap!
2) What was the Christmas tree’s favourite shape?
A treeangle
3) Knock, knock!
Who’s there?
Gladys.
Gladys who?
Gladys Christmas. How about you?
Merry Woofing Christmas from Leo, Harley, Finn and all of the other Valesco pups xxx
COACHES CORNER
This months Coaches Corner is written by Coach Amy and it’s all about the 3 mistakes people make with New Years resolutions.
Mistake 1 – Taking too much on.
Many of us feel motivated to make a positive change to our lives in the New Year and in principle that’s great. But many of us also try to take too much on at once. We try to start reading everyday, eating perfectly, training in the morning, meditation in the evening, calling a loved one everyday…all whilst still running with our normal lives. We manage just a few days and then we stumble. Don’t try and change everything at once. Focus on one or two things; perhaps stick a basic training plan and making some good nutritional changes rather than completely overhauling your life.
Mistake 2 – Expecting Motivation and Excitement to last.
I have written about this before and it’s never truer than at NY’s. The truth is we won’t always feel like training. We will often want pizza instead of that healthy meal. We will often want to take a class easy rather than push ourselves. We will often want to take the easy path rather than completing the hard yards! For us to succeed in our goals we need to understand that discipline is much more important than motivation. Motivation comes and goes. Discipline, doing what we say we will do whether you feel like it or not, separates those who succeed and those who fail.
Mistake 3 – Going it alone.
We wouldn’t re-wire our house if we weren’t an electrician. We wouldn’t try and fix our car if we aren’t a mechanic. We wouldn’t service our boiler if we weren’t a gas engineer. Yet so many of us make up our own training plan or decide to design ourselves a new nutrition plan because we have read the odd article or watched a Netflix documentary. It’s a HUGE mistake that we often make. A bit of knowledge is far more dangerous than no knowledge at all. When we learn a little we think we know more than we do. If you want to success with your Nutrition, Sleep, Hydration and ultimately training follow a plan from an expert.
RECIPE OF THE MONTH
Prosciutto Kale and Butter Bean Stew
Whip up this healthy stew in just 25 minutes. Super simple to make, packed full of great favours and gets you well on your way to your five a day. Ideal for lunch or dinner it’s a bit of an all-round winner.
Until Next Time, Big Love Team Valesco xxx
Save The Date
Healthy Habits Kick Off Meeting – Thursday 6th January (get signed up now)
Spring Social – Chew Valley Dog Walk – Sunday 20th March
Scale It Up – Triple Threat – Sunday 24th April
Mental Health Week Events – Monday 9th to Sunday 15th May
Summer Social – Saturday 11th June
Scale It Up – 4 of a Kind – Sunday 3rd July
Valesco is 7 years old. Birthday Party – Saturday 10th September
Scale It Up – Safety in Numbers – Sunday 9th October
Strength in Depth Finals weekend – 26th and 27th November
The Valesco Christmas Party – Saturday 10th December
Who Wore It Best
Check out this month ‘Who Wore It Best’ from some solid supporters at Novembers Strength in Depth competition. Well done Alex, Claire and Amber for showing some solid VFC support in some swanky ass stash.
Have you turned up looking the same as another Valesco member? Then we want to see. Send your snaps to hi@valesco.fitness to be in the next newsletter. We love seeing them!