[Alex Lacy]

Hey all,

I'm just about to start doing free personal training around the Woking and Guildford area (www.alexlacy.com - work safe), until March when I'll move operations to a new MMA gym in Woking town centre. Whilst I'm just going round people's houses and being a nuisance I'll need to sort out some equipment, which is basically just an excuse to buy all the wonderful things I've put off until now.

This is what I've got down so far. This is likely to be entirely for doing training in people's homes:

From Wolverson Fitness:
2x10kg Competition Kbells - £44.20
2x20kg Competition Kbells - £88.00
5.5m Hard Resistance band - £7
10kg Powerclub - £27
Yoga mat - £18.50
Foam Roller - £14.50
Rings - £27.50 (OK, this one's just for me really...)

From PhysiQue
Abmat - £20.89

From Boxfit.co.uk
ProBox focus pads - £26

Total is £273.59. I have a doorway pullup bar, swiss ball, boxing gloves.

Looking at the list now, I might hold off on the 20kg KBs until I'm settled. Then again, if I'm getting a club, maybe sack off the 10kgs? Hmmm... Also realised I don't have a medicine ball on my list, or a plyo box/step... Nightmare! So many beautiful things, I cannot possess them all...

Any ideas for equipment or suppliers would be greatly appreciated.

[Gubernatrix]

Won't the 10kg club be a bit heavy for people who aren't used to them?

[Alex Lacy]

Gubernatrix, on Jan 10 2010, 10:22 PM, said:

Won't the 10kg club be a bit heavy for people who aren't used to them?

One handed yes, but I was going to use it for sledgehammer-y exercises (two handed stuff, e.g. shoveling). 10 kg in two hands should be fine...

[greg]

i'd maybe go for an 8/10kg KB, 16kg, and 24kg. If you can afford it go for a 20 and a 32 too.

Women can be a bit intimidated by heavier kettlebells, but they should be able to handle 16's and heavier with some experience.

do they need to be competition grade too? might be cheaper to get normal ones

[Alex Lacy]

greg, on Jan 11 2010, 08:52 AM, said:

i'd maybe go for an 8/10kg KB, 16kg, and 24kg. If you can afford it go for a 20 and a 32 too.

Women can be a bit intimidated by heavier kettlebells, but they should be able to handle 16's and heavier with some experience.

do they need to be competition grade too? might be cheaper to get normal ones

I was going off the kettlebell review thread, and the cheaper cast iron ones from Wolverson didn't seem a huge amount cheaper. 10, 16, 24 is a good shout: I don't mind spending the money if it means I've got the right kit for the off.

[Alex Lacy]

I'll also add a PVC bar to the list: just got to make sure it will fit in the car.

[Chet]

Alex Lacy, on Jan 11 2010, 10:40 AM, said:

I'll also add a PVC bar to the list: just got to make sure it will fit in the car.

Nice one bud

Might need a few of them. Multiple PVC pipes are always useful, showing angles, smacking folk upside the heid, etc....

If it doesn't, just chop it a bit so it does Sure it won't be 7ft, but can still use a (much) smaller one for a lot of stuff.

[greg]

fwiw i have no problems fitting a 2+m pvc pipe in my car (a focus hatchback). Just shove it down the side of the passenger seat going into the footwell. They're quite bendy, so not as difficult as trying to fit 2.6m planks of railway sleeper in the boot...

[ffchaci]

Hey Alex,
Great website and wicked concept! Where in Woking will this MMA gym be? I am a firefighter at Woking firestation and have wanted to search out an MMA gym for some time. Will the gym be crossfit friendly as well or purely fight focused!?
Cheers
Leo

[Alex Lacy]

Thanks for all the advice guys: I'll get a couple of PVCs, it looks like I'll be training some small groups from the off so I'll definitely need them. The suggestions really have been brilliant, and I was wondering whether it might be helpful to other to do a bit of a blog thread about how I get on with PT. It seems to be something a lot of people are interested in, so a journal of how the first few months go might help others avoid the mistakes I will inevitably make? If people like this idea I'll get cracking with the story so far.

Leo, it should be right in the town centre, on Chertsey Road. They're projecting a late Feb, early March opening, if all goes according to plan. It will be quite fight focused, and probably unsuitable and ill-equipped for oly lifting. That said, they're doing a great deal for personal trainers and people who want to run classes. I've booked in for a couple of classes myself, one of which I provisionally titled 'functional fitness'. I haven't given any thought to what I'll do in it yet...

...f*** it I'll do this journal lest I go horribly off topic here. Job for tomorrow, after my first consultation!