Warm summer vibes from us to you!
Hey Team and welcome to July’s Valesco Fitness Collective newsletter, so much to pack in as what a month it has been back at the gym so grab a cuppa or a protein shake and settle in for another bumper addition.
Its been a real rollercoaster month for us but as always the highs far out whey (see what we did there) the lows and its been so good to feel the restrictions ease and be able to workout as one big community again, not to mention Bring a Friend Day which was soooo much fun.
We also had the amazingly talented Sami come for one of his brilliant Callisthenics workshops with us and I know everyone who attended had such a great time and learnt so much. Kat very kindly took some snaps (including this great shot of Wale) and popped them on the members Facebook page if you want to go check them out.
Talking of Kat (and Ella) we are delighted to introduce them both to our coaching team and more about them in coaches corner this month written by Ellie. Want to get your coaches better – check this section out each month.
Sadly we had to postpone our beginners comp that we hoped to host this month but do not fear it will still be going ahead just on Sunday 3rd October instead, full details are below if you think this might be something of interest to you there are a few team spots left.
There have been a few changes to classes and the timetable and a whole new block of programming so make sure you check out the sections below so you are all up to date with everything you need to know.
Have a wonderful August and here’s to warmer weather, plenty of sport on the TV and lots of things social.
Member Shout Outs
What an incredible month it has been for our members and we wanted to give a few shout outs below to some super special occasions and some incredible achievements.
Leila and Kat took on the massive challenge of abseiling down Bristol’s tallest building in July to raise money for St Peter’s hospice. A cause so very close to Leila’s heart
From Leila ‘As you may be aware my beautiful mum passed away 2 years ago from motor neurone disease. During my mum’s illness she used to visit St. Peter’s hospice weekly and stayed for respite care towards the end of her life. I cannot explain to you what a wonderful place St Peters is. It is full of the most amazing staff and is a truly magical place of calm amongst some of the direst situations. You may never know when you or a loved one may need the support of a hospice. If you could help me at all to raise some much needed funds I would be so grateful. So much love Leila xx’
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/leila-johns1
Tris, Tor and Jonny took on WOD on the Loch and Won!!
Massive shout out to this epic trio would travelled all the way to Scotland to compete at WOD on the Loch!! What an achievement to make it through qualification and to the event itself. They had a great weekend with Tor placing 10th in the female-scaled category, Tris 7th in the male-scaled category and Jonny taking the podium place 1st in the make RX category. All representing VFC to the max! Well done to all three of you, we are super proud to have you as members of Team Valesco, you should be very proud – we certainly are!
Each month we ask our coaches for any shout outs for members and this month they came flooding in – here are our favourite ones below;
Shout out to Bally from Coach Meg – I’ve had a couple of classes recently where Bally has really challenged herself in workouts and then although finished after most others I’ve just been really impressed with her attitude and perseverance. It’s great when members ask us “I’m thinking of doing X / scaling like this – what do you think?” Shows they’re really trying to make sure the get the most out of the workout!! Awesome job Bally!
Shout out to Gregor from Coach Stew – For his massive Comp Training debut with 4 consecutive 10kg PB power clean at the end of a workout, with everyone watching. All this in his first comp training session. Yass Greg, absolutely stunning work.
Shout out to Sophi from Coach Leila – for taking 2 years out and jumping straight back into it; It fantastic to have you back Sophi.
PODCASTS
James and Ellie are back and this week offering up some updates, news and insight into all things Gym, Programming and Environment!
Listen here: #WhatsNew?
How are classes actually structured? What changes do I need to be aware of? How will things look from ‘Freedom Day’? What new equipment is on the way?
How do I know weight I should use? Don’t panic, we’ve got you!
As always we really appreciate all the feedback you send us and the suggestions for future episodes, future guests and all the other thoughts you share with us, so please, keep them coming! Instagram links are below and we look forward to seeing you soon and hearing from you sooner!
Programming Updates
We are now well under way into our new 12 week block of programming and super excited for us all to be working hard over the coming weeks to see the progress that can be made with commitment to training and a solid programming structure. Below is the structure we will be following in the 12 week period. Please make sure you are logging your progress, ideally in WODify, so you can maximise that training hour you have each day and can see how far you have come when we look back at the end of the cycle. As always any questions please just speak to Amy, Ellie or Leila or the coach on duty.
Monday: Front squats and single leg strength
Tuesday: Push press
Wednesday: Metcon Mayhem (of course)
Thursday: Gymnastic skill (3×4 week blocks with a different focus in each – Toes To Bar (TTB), Handstand Press Ups (HSPU) and Pull ups)
Friday: Posterior chain strength with specific focus on the glutes
Saturday gymnastics: Strict Pull up strength work (with some kipping practice). Want your first pull up? Come along. Want to take your max reps from 3-10? Come along. Want to improve your endurance on your kipping pull ups? Come along.
Weightlifting classes: Snatch & Power snatch *** These classes are not just for those who can do Olympic weightlifting, they are for anyone of you who wants to learn how to, improve your current skill level or just have some fun throwing a barbell around without a metcon once a week. These classes are for EVERYONE in the same way the rest of or classes are.
GYM NOTICES
SCALE IT UP IS BACK!
YEP! Our competition, for those new to competing, is BACK! Albeit on the slightly later date of Sunday 3rd October!
DON’T THINK YOU AREN’T FIT ENOUGH BECAUSE OF LOCKDOWN! Everyone has been in the same situation for the past year+ so everyone is feeling the same about their levels of fitness. So, why not use this comp as a chance to do something with friends, set some manageable short-term goals and have some fun!
This is a competition for teams made up 3 same-sex team members.! It is an entry-level competition for beginners looking to get competition experience, have fun and maybe win some prizes along the way. If you’re new to functional fitness or competing then this is the comp for you!
The comp comprises 4 WOD’s with all teams doing all 4, and all team members participating in each of the workouts. And there is something for everyone – workouts are designed to let beginners shine in their areas of strength and push their boundaries in others. As a beginners comp, you can rest assured there won’t be any technical gymnastics and weighted elements can be scaled. There really is no reason why anyone wanting to compete can’t get involved!
Keen? Round up and team and get involved! Or message us at scaleitup@valesco.fitness and we will work to find you a team.
https://valesco.fitness/valesco-events/scale-it-up-triple-threat-21/
CLASS TIMETABLE CHANGES!
Weekday Yoga: Moved from 10:45 on Wednesdays in the gym to 07:30 on Tuesdays ONLINE starting 20/07/2021
Weekend Yoga: Moved from 09:00 on Sundays online, to 11:00 on Sundays AT THE GYM with the option to Zoom in, starting 01/08/2021
Thursday 16:30 is changing from Weightlifting to Main class programming, starting 22/07/2021
Thursday 19:30 is changing from Main class programming to Comp training (minimum movement standards apply and this will be used by our competition team until December), starting 22/07/2021
Sunday Comp training is moving to 08:00-09:30 (half an hour earlier), starting 01/08/2021
Sunday sweat is changing (from 2 sessions @ 10:30 & 11:15) to 10:00-10:45 and only 1 session but capacity is now 20 people – the usage of 2 classes was too low to continue 2, starting 01/08/2021
Wodify has been updated to reflect all of the above.
MEMBERS FACEBOOK GROUP:
ARE YOU ON OUR MEMBERS ONLY FACEBOOK GROUP? Its 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.
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY OF THE YEAR! Get it in your diary!
Saturday September 18th we celebrate our 6th Birthday and since we couldn’t really celebrate our 5th we want to do something extra special to celebrate this year! Think ‘mini festival’ with music, food, a bar and the option to camp (in relative luxury) should you want to come and party and not worry about the drive home! WAY more details to follow but SAVE THE DATE! ‘We are going to party like it’s 1999’ (and we’re all 21 again)!
BRING A FRIEND DAY – THURSDAY 15TH JULY
A MASSIVE THANK YOU to all of you who brought a friend along to our ‘Bring a Friend day’ on the 15th July, was so good to see so many of you enjoying a session with your friends, partners, relatives etc and even better of few of them have decided that they couldn’t beat you so have decided to join you and are doing their intro courses in the next few week!! So exciting!!
We will be looking to put the next ‘Bring a Friend day’ in the diary soon but don’t forget…….if you do have friends that can’t wait to see what the hype is about you can always email stphilips@valesco.fitness to bring them along on a Wednesday to Metcon Mayhem, what could be a better taste of what we do?
HAVE YOU JOINED THE EXBAND GAINZ TRAIN YET?
These are 15 minutes fully coached pre recorded sessions that you can do anywhere at any time so what’s not to love? You even get to see some familiar Valesco faces!!
If you are looking to build endurance in your muscle, prevent injury or generally just look and feel better THIS IS FOR YOU and with only 15 minutes of your day? You’re getting a huge bag for your buck.
With a two week FREE trial and only £7.99 per month after that it’s a bit of a steal.
EXBAND.fitness to get signed up.
PUP CORNER
Hey Pup Fans,
This month we would like to introduce one of the newest members to Valesco Pup Crew – Dennis.
Hi. My name is Dennis, nice to met you all. I’m 4 months old and I live with Coach Stew & his girlfriend Lexi. I’m massively into sticks, leaves and stones, but I’m not sure about swimming…yet as it ruins my hairstyle. I also like to steal the remote control to the telly when I’m left on my own.
See you in the gym, and please come and say hello! I like cuddles and i’m extremely cute and fluffy!
COACHES CORNER
WE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WELCOME TWO NEW COACHES TO THE VALESCO COACHING TEAM.
Ella Rothwell and Kat Ogden are both joining the coaches’ team and are in the process of completing their internships with us. You will be seeing them more and more on the floor with us so please make them feel welcome and be sure to ask them all the challenging questions!!
From long distance running to pole vault, swimming to bodybuilding, these awesome women join us with a wealth of experience in health and fitness and are a great addition to our team.
Welcome to the crew Ella and Kat, it’s so good to have you on-board!
Spiced Salmon and Tomato Tray Bake
Spiced Salmon and Tomato Tray Bake
Enjoy this healthy spiced salmon and tomato traybake with a mild curry flavour for a quick and easy midweek meal. Serve with naan bread and lemon wedges it really is an all round family mid week winner.
Until Next Time, Big Love Team Valesco xxx
Save The Date
Scale It Up Triple Threat – POSTPONED until Sunday 3rd October
The Birthday Party of the Year – 18th September
Scale It Up Safety in Numbers – Date in November to be confirmed
Strength in Depth Final – 27th & 28th November
2021 Valesco Christmas Party – 11th December
Who Wore It Best
Check out this month ‘Who Wore It Best’ from Stew and his sister Amy, we think they look Mega cute in their VFC matching sweatshirts, certainly one for the family album!
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!