So in July 2023, I decided that I wanted to hire a personal trainer to help me organise my strength training routine, and specific mobility issues and have someone to hold me accountable for my nutrition.

After spending a few weeks performing research, and looking at the wealth of personal trainers both locally and online, I made my decision.

The trainer

I’ve been following a trainer called Corey Baird / Corey’s Lean Living for some time, he is based in New Zealand and is a LES MILLS Trainer amongst other things – you’ll have most likely seen him in action if you’ve seen any LES MILLS CORE or BODYBALANCE masterclasses. You can find his social profiles below:

• https://www.instagram.com/coreysleanliving/
• https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069096794430

However, the main reason I chose Corey wasn’t down to his history with LES MILLS, although you might argue I was only aware of him due to my affiliation with LES MILLS, it was because he had recently turned 50 and looked to be in the sort of shape I aspire to be in when I reach that age. I’m not talking six packs either, from following him on Instagram his strength and mobility were impressive, and it was this that was very appealing to me.

So I sent Corey an email, as per his Instagram and patiently waited for a reply. After a few days, Corey replied with a friendly response that asked me a couple of initial questions, e.g. my location, and detailed his options for working together looked like.

I won’t go into specifics, as Corey can cover that directly with you if you’re interested in working with him, but I was given four options:

• Training and nutrition – with Zoom monthly calls, email/WhatsApp comms
• Training and nutrition – with email/WhatsApp comms only
• Training – with Zoom monthly calls, email/WhatsApp comms
• Training – with email/WhatsApp comms only

No matter which one of the four options you select, Corey provides a 12-week personalised training program that is broken down into three 4-week periodised programs based on your goals. You cannot pause your program once it starts so be sure that you’re able to complete all 12 weeks in sequence.

The setup

Before we got started, Corey sent me a few links to review and complete before we got underway:

• A Google Form that covered some basic questions for me to answer
• Sign up for iNutritionPro (nutrition tracking web app)
• Sign up to PtEnhance (training tracking web app) and complete assigned questionnaires, these covered
  • Diet, exercise and sleep diary
  • Medical history and present medical condition
  • HLC1 nutrition and lifestyle questionnaire
  • Pain and discomfort questionnaire
  • Consent form and waiver
• Corey also requested I send him three photos (front, back and side profiles), my current weight and measurements around my midline (at belly button height).

These questionnaires were interesting as they got me thinking about my diet, any aches/pains I’m currently dealing with, my exercise/training routine (including when I teach my classes), and how well I’m sleeping.

Following this, Corey and I agreed on the date I would start my training program and nutrition tracking. I received my first block (4 weeks) of training via PtEnhance along with my calories and macro split (protein, carb, fat) via iNutritionPro.

Getting started

I wasn’t sure what I was going to receive from a nutrition perspective, but I was grateful that it was calories and macros with some suggested meals, which allowed me to have lots of flexibility with what I eat. I had worries about it being a “just eat chicken or fish with veg for each meal” plan, which wouldn’t have worked for me, so I am glad Corey provides this flexibility to his clients.

I didn’t find the iNutritionPro very easy to use or intuitive so I opted to track my daily calories using the industry standard, MyFitnessPal (MFP). I had used MFP before so it made sense to continue using something I already had and knew how to use, not to mention they have a pretty decent and fast iPhone app which made tracking foods simple and quick to do.

Before I knew it I was already, and pretty easily, cleaning up my diet, removing the cookies, chocolate bars, cake and sweets with relative ease. I completely surprised myself with this change as I know doing this on my own I’d have been much more likely to take a “one won’t hurt” or “let’s start again tomorrow” approach which would have led to me giving up – again. Knowing Corey was expecting to see results at the end of each month made my adherence to the plan much better.

The training was very different, in a good way, from the usual metcons and “strength workouts” I’d usually do, picking random ones from Instagram or from one of the many apps I’ve tried over the years, such as Fiit. Now there is nothing wrong with apps like Fiit, I’m an advocate, but knowing I get a lot of HIIT and cardio from teaching my LES MILLS classes I really wanted my focus to become about strength and mobility.

Corey took what I had available in my home gym (he had this information from the questionnaires) along with the time I had available each week and provided me with a training plan to suit my goals. If you’re interested, here are some of the movements he prescribed for me:

• Split squat
• Reverse nordic
• Poliquin slant board step up
• Hip knee extension (swiss ball)
• Hip thrusts
• Reverse hyper (swiss ball)
• Bench press
• Lat pullover
• Chest flys

He also gave me how many sets, reps and suggested weights (from what I have available) along with any specific guidance on each exercise in the notes.

As you can see it was varied and had a focus on the weak points I had mentioned in my responses to the questionnaires. Given Corey was on the other side of the world he proactively requested for me to send him videos via WhatsApp of the final set of each exercise as often as I could so he could provide me with feedback, even if it was a “this is looking great”, that was good motivation knowing I was on the right track. He also continued to quiz me on how challenging I was finding the exercises, so he could scale up or down based on my feedback.

Time for a break

At the beginning of October, we had previously booked a week away in Cape Verde. This was an all inclusive, sit in the sun all day kind of holiday, which had the makings of undoing all of the good work I’d put in up until that point. But thankfully the hotel gym had just enough equipment for me to do my workouts pretty much as planned, so each day before the breakfast buffet we headed to the gym and got ~45 minutes in, which not only felt good given I was able to stick to the plan, it also gave me that feel good feeling and set me up for the day.

From a nutrition perspective, at the beginning of the holiday I was more strict with what I was eating and drinking, but as the holiday went on I realised all wouldn’t be lost if I indulged a little and I’ll get back to it once we get home – I was only coming here once after all!

Getting back to it

When we got home from Cape Verde (it was lovely by the way!) I continued to weigh in daily and my weight fluctuated pretty wildly for a few days, this probably had something to do with flying, water retention and the volume of food I’d eaten in the last few days! But once I was back on top of my nutrition my weight soon levelled out and I was going back in the right direction once again.

By this time I was starting phase 3 (the third and final month) of Corey’s program, and like the two phases before this, the exercises, reps, tempos and recommended weights changed once again. This month the weights got heavier and we continued working on my strength and mobility with some super challenging exercises (for me), including:

• Swiss ball push-ups
• Swiss ball knee flexion
• Knees over toes calf raises
• Prone pikes on swiss ball
• Reverse nordics
• Hack squat
• Standing wall bridge
• Standing back bridge

Communication with Corey

Throughout our three months working together, Corey and I had numerous messages via WhatsApp, where I would send him clips of me moving through the exercises, along with discussing how challenging I was finding the programming. Corey always had some constructive feedback and praise for my efforts, which helps to keep you motivated during our dark, cold winter mornings.

We also had three video calls via Zoom (one per month), the first was 30 minutes and the following two calls were supposed to be 15 minutes, but in reality, they were more like 25-30 minutes each. The calls generally consisted of some friendly general chat (which was nice) at the start and then we worked through how my nutrition was progressing, followed by the workouts. Corey would give me additional advice and rationale along the way to ensure I was comfortable and understood the why behind everything we were doing.

My results

As far as the workouts go, to my knowledge, we weren’t specifically tracking my strength or mobility in a particular way. When we caught up I would feedback to Corey on how I was feeling, and I was generally feeling good, I wasn’t feeling quite so tight all the time, especially around my hips and thoracic spine, and many of my niggles I’d put up with for some time had either gone or were less noticeable as often. Needless to say, this all left me feeling rather positive.

Alongside this, I also enjoyed the process of having a strength training plan to follow, which helped me stick to the process, left me feeling strong as I was progressing my weights over the weeks/months, and it was nice doing less “cardio”, e.g. LES MILLS classes (on my own) or metcons/CrossFit style workouts.

We were tracking my nutrition (via MyFitnessPal) and the effect that had on my body (weight and measurement). To give you an idea of what cleaning up my diet, having a strength and mobility training plan to follow, and sticking to the recommended calories/macros did for me, despite having a 7 night all inclusive holiday:

9th August 2023
(What I provided to Corey before we started)

• Weight: 91.3kg
• Waist: 96cm

27th October 2023
(The last set of measurements I gave Corey, around 11 weeks in)

• Weight: 87.9kg
• Waist: 91cm

Note: the waist measurement was taken at the belly button level, first thing in the morning, before food.

I haven’t measured my waist since, but my last weigh in on 20th November 2023 was 86.4kg.

I wasn’t necessarily looking to lose much weight during this process, but having lost around 5kg does feel nice, I feel more confident topless and teaching my classes, but the downside was some of my trousers are quite loose now!

In summary

I cannot recommend Corey and having a personal trainer enough, it has been a great experience for me, so much so I’ve decided to do another three months working with Corey solely focussing on my strength and mobility as I’m quite happy with my nutrition now.

From a nutrition perspective, having a professional providing me with calories/macros and knowing I’ll need to discuss my progress with them was enough to help me shift my bad habits and stay accountable. I also feel better too, I have no tummy issues and maybe I am looking better for my age (due to having a lot less sugar!) – who knows!

From a training perspective, having someone know my issues and provide me with a suitable plan to match my goals was great. Having the guesswork taken out of how I spend my own training time was motivating, just turning up and following the plan kept me going when I didn’t always feel like it.

This isn’t something I would do forever but it’s been enjoyable in several ways:

• Having someone to hold me accountable
• Being provided with calories/macros and nutritional guidance
• Being provided with a strength and mobility plan that meets my goals
• Having ongoing support via WhatsApp and Zoom calls
• Not having to go to a local gym to meet my trainer multiple times per week (this hasn’t been discussed but I’ve enjoyed this)
• Seeing results from the effort I’ve put in over the 12 weeks
• Corey was a good match for me personally

So there you go, thank you for reading this far and if you have any questions about my experience please let me know. Corey’s details are at the top of this post so if you wish to approach him for help, please do, just let him know I sent you.

The post I hired a personal trainer for 3 months appeared first on Stu Mullen.

How it started

I bought my Gen3 ring as part of Oura Ring’s trade-in program in October 2021, I had previously picked up a Gen2 off eBay which didn’t get much use, but given they were offering a free lifetime membership (currently worth $5.99 / ~£4.90 per month) for anyone upgrading, so it seemed like a pretty good deal!

What do I have?

I have a Heritage ring in Stealth (currently $399 / ~£326.43) in size 11.

I wear the ring on my wedding (ring/fourth) finger on my right hand, although in hindsight I wish I’d gotten a size 12 so I could wear it on my right index finger. If I buy another one once the battery dies in this one completely I’ll get a size 12.

A little background on the Oura Ring

• If you’re buying today, the first month of membership is included with your purchase, then it’s $5.99 / ~£4.90 per month afterwards
• To start, you get access to your Sleep, Readiness and Activity scores
• In addition, you also get:
  • In-depth sleep analysis every morning
  • Personalised health insights and recommendations
  • Live and accurate heart rate monitoring
  • Temperature trend monitoring to try and predict periods and to identify early signs of sickness
• Membership is tied to your account, not your physical ring
• 30-day return period, although I am not sure how well this works if you’re outside the US
• Your ring also includes a charger, which is specific to your ring size. So if you want to share a charger with someone else, you won’t be able to unless you wear the same size ring
• Oura Ring quotes “up to 7 days battery life”
• If you are based in the UK (like me) shipping was $15 / ~£12.27 for standard, and $35 / ~£28.63 for express
• Payment can be made by debit/credit cards or PayPal

What size should you go for?

Before ordering your Oura Ring you will want to order a sizing kit, this allows you to find the best fit for your chosen finger.

Oura recommends a couple of steps to do this:

• Choose your finger – for the best performance and accuracy, they recommend wearing your Oura Ring on your index finger. If you prefer another, the middle and ring fingers can work as well. Avoid fingers where the base of your finger is narrower than the knuckle
• Ensure a comfortable fit – the sensor bumps inside the Oura Ring should be on the palm side of your finger, it should fit securely and comfortably around your finger base
• Test the fit – a good test is to make a fist while wearing the sizing ring, if you see a gap between the top of your finger and the inside of the ring, try a smaller size
• Evaluate the fit – your fingers expand and contract, so Oura recommends wearing your sizing ring for at least 24 hours to confirm the best fit. It also shouldn’t rotate as you go about your day

Key features of the Oura Ring

• 24/7 heart rate (HR) monitoring – it can track your heart rate, which can help you track your stress levels, recovery, and readiness for the day
• Heart rate variability (HRV) monitoring – HRV is a measure of how your heart rate changes over time, it is the variation of time between each heartbeat in milliseconds, and it is a good indicator of your overall health and well-being.
• Blood oxygen (SpO2) monitoring – it tracks your blood oxygen levels, which can be a valuable indicator of your overall health
• Sleep tracking – this means that you can get a detailed understanding of your sleep patterns
• Stress tracking – the ring detects and tracks moments of stress to help you identify triggers and recovery tactics so you can bounce back faster
• Body temperature tracking – it can track your body temperature throughout the day and night, which can be used to track your menstrual cycle, identify potential health problems or illness, and optimise your sleep
• Period prediction – it can predict your menstrual cycle, which can be helpful for women who are trying to track their fertility or manage their symptoms
• Workout heart rate (HR) monitoring – it can track your heart rate during workouts, which can help you track your progress and ensure that you’re working out at the right intensity
• Enhanced wellness content library – the app comes with an enhanced wellness content library that includes articles, videos, and podcasts on a variety of health topics
• Waterproof and durable – so you can wear it all day and night, even when you’re swimming or showering
• Long battery life – Oura says it has a battery life of up to 7 days, so you don’t have to worry about charging it every day

Why is the Oura Ring worth buying?

The main reason people want an Oura Ring is to track their sleep, and why not, its one of the most accurate sleep trackers on available today.

The information tracked by the ring can be used to improve sleep quality, optimise your recovery, find out what affects your sleep or readiness (e.g. alcohol) and track your progress over time.

What do I like about the Oura Ring?

• Readiness score
  • Every morning I check to see what the Oura Ring thinks
  • You cannot let this number decide how you feel for the day, but it’s some good guidance
  • It’s most useful when this number takes a nosedive, which for me might indicate
    • I’ve had alcohol
    • I didn’t sleep well
    • My activity might have been a little much the day or days prior
    • Or I’m getting ill (it pretty much told me I had Covid the day before I tested positive!)
• Sleep score
  • As with readiness, I check in to see how well Oura Ring thinks I’ve slept
  • For me, this is also most useful when it takes a nosedive
    • Alcohol
    • Ate too close to bed
    • Had too much caffeine (late in the day)
    • Went to bed late
• That it’s easy to wear
  • I think the Oura Ring is the most unobtrusive health wearable when compared to an Apple Watch or a chest heart rate monitor
  • As long as you don’t mind wearing a ring you’ll have a good time
  • The only time I take it off is to charge it when I’m using a barbell or dumbbell
• The iOS app
  • The app is pretty slick
  • The look and feel match the quality of the ring
  • It works well and the insights and stats are easy to find and read
  • I can’t comment on Android, sorry!
  • They also have a web interface (called Oura on the Web) if you prefer to view your metrics on your laptop

So what are the pros?

• Readiness score
• Sleep score and tracking
• HRV (heart rate variability)
• Resting heart rate
• Easy to wear (as long as you don’t mind wearing a ring)
• Definitely comfortable to wear (or even notice) while sleeping
• I like that it tracks naps too! Always nice seeing how long I napped and what sort of sleep I got according to Oura

Are there any cons?

Of course! Nothing is perfect, here are a few of my cons:

• Can be expensive as you’re always paying for their membership for the full stats
• Accuracy – the data can be inaccurate so don’t completely rely on it
• It’s not a small ring, so may cause pain in your finger or hand, where the fingers can’t close properly
• You may also be between sizes (as there are no half sizes) so you might get one that is too big (slips around = maybe worse data) or too small (tight at certain times of the day). It’s also difficult (and sometimes painful) to remove in the morning, so you might need a little water (and maybe soap)
• Battery life – mine currently lasts for around 3 days before needing a charge. I usually put it on charge when I’m working out (as I use my Apple Watch or Myzone for workout tracking) and wear it the rest of the time. This is also likely to get worse in time
• Can’t easily wear while using barbells or dumbbells, you would also scratch the ring with the metal
• It will get marked from day-to-day wear

What could be better?

AKA what would I like to see Oura do next!

• I’d like to see an advertised replacement service (for a nominal fee perhaps) so you don’t have the anxiety of it just being a paperweight down the line when the battery is trash
• More notifications alerting you to changes in Oura’s findings, e.g. when it thinks you might be ill (without opening the app)
• The ring updates the app on its own without having to open the app (not sure if this is an iOS limitation)
• Public groups/leaderboards, similar to what Whoop has. I don’t know anyone else with an Oura so some big groups of people in the UK, or people who are into a certain type of fitness would be great
• Better HRV and sleep tracking – more accuracy
• Blood pressure tracking
• Continuous glucose monitoring

So who is it for?

Anyone who is serious about tracking their health and well-being, which might include:

• Improving your sleep
• Optimising your recovery
• Have a better idea of what causes stress
• Track things that affect your recovery, sleep and stress (e.g. alcohol)

In summary

• Overall I am a big fan of the Oura Ring
• It is my chosen device for tracking sleep, HRV (Heart Rate Variability)/RHR (Resting Heart Rate) and my general health and wellness
• It’s very easy to wear both day and night, the least friction of any health/activity tracker I’ve used
• The insights are really useful for tracking over a long period
• They may not always be completely accurate but they do provide you with insightful general trends you might not have access to otherwise
• It will also help you see what you do can affect your body, e.g drinking alcohol or how long you sleep for
• Don’t rely completely on its opinion, if the ring says you’re tired, don’t let that make you feel tired if you actually feel great!

Questions for you

• Do you have any Oura Ring questions for me?
• What do you think of the Oura Ring?
• Do you prefer one of the other rings available, or a different health tracker?
• What would you like to see in the next version of the Oura Ring?
• Leave a comment down below as I’d love to hear your opinion!

The post Oura Ring Generation 3 review appeared first on Stu Mullen.

I have worn VIVOBAREFOOT since 2018, and I’ve tried a number of their shoes during this time, from daily drivers to ‘smart’ shoes for special occasions or client meetings, and more recently shoes for training and my group fitness classes.

Why VIVOBAREFOOT shoes?

I am a big advocate for barefoot shoes and I have no problem recommending trying some yourself for the benefits they can provide:

• Stable – wide for natural stability
• Sensory – thin for natural feeling
• Strong – Flexible for natural strength

If you are new to barefoot shoes, start small by wearing them for short periods and as you get more comfortable you can wear them more often.

Looking back at my orders I’ve had and tried the following models over the years:

• Primus Lite Mens
• Stealth II Mens
• Gobi II Mens
• Scott 2.0 Leather Mens
• Primus Lite II Recycled Mens
• Primus Trail II All Weather FG Mens
• Geo Racer II Mens
• Tracker II FG Mens
• Primus Asana Mens
• Primus Lite III Mens
• Motus Strength Mens (my new favourite training shoe!)
• Primus Lite All Weather Mens

What size do you need?

Size-wise, I have always found their shoes to be true to size, I am a men’s UK 10 in ‘regular’ shoes and all my VIVOBAREFOOT’s have been a UK 10 too. So my recommendation would be to stick with your regular shoe size. VIVOBAREFOOT have a sizing tool built into their website if you’re unsure, hopefully that will give you more definitive guidance.

100-day trial

VIVOBAREFOOT offers a 100-day trial on all orders, so if you change your mind during that period you can return your used shoes for a full refund, what other shoe company offers that kind of deal?

If you have any questions, or you would like my honest opinion, please feel free to get in touch via my social media channels, I love to talk barefoot shoes!

To get your 15% off, just follow the link below, enter your email address and VIVOBAREFOOT will send you a 15% discount code.

(Mention Me are VIVOBAREFOOT’s partner for referrals)

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