| |
If you love your carbs but don't love your spare tyre, then take a leaf out of Russell Scott-Lawson's book and train with a boxer. City Life spoke to Russell about how he met Jamie Arthur, his trainer, who not only changed his body but his mindset and attitude to diet, health and training.
|
|
A CUT ABOVE
How did you meet Jamie?
He came into my shop, Hawkes Essentials, for a suit for a Sky television interview and I asked him how much weight he needed to lose before the fight. He told me a stone and a half in fourteen days, so I asked him if he could take that off me (without liposuction) in two months. He then talked about the white collar training sessions that he ran in Llantrisant and after hearing about the results that he believed we could achieve together, I was sold on the idea.
What is involved in the training?
The sessions started with a small group of four people, twice a week for one hour, but everyone's enthusiastic nature has meant the group has grown to as many as twelve. The workouts are never the same so it's difficult to describe, but to sum it up, written on the wall is our mantra, "Winners never quit. Quitters never win."
In the past I never put my body through such enjoyable agony - I never used to push myself through any pain barriers. Now I do it at least five times a session! As for what's involved, don't be put off by the fact that it's boxing; there is no fitness like it. If you're interested, come and watch a session before you start and have a chat with Jamie about what you want to achieve. If you stick to his rules, you will lose weight and get fit incredibly quickly. One of the guys lost 19lb in two weeks and another lost three stone!
Do you follow a particular diet?
I was a carboholic and loved my sugar. Now I think about how much and how often I eat. Before I started I was 13st 2lb (and growing), eating pretty much everything I wanted. This, combined with regular boozing, made me feel like middle age spread was kicking in. With a few helpful tips, those pounds flew off and I'm now 11st 8lb.
How has your body changed?
Well I've dropped two sizes. My waist was 35" - it's now 30"! My belly is nearly gone, my chest is the same without the man boobs. I feel stronger, fitter and healthier than I've felt in my whole life and, combined with the confidence the boxing style training gives you, I feel great.
The downside is I've had to give away most of my clothes, the upside is I got to buy loads of new stuff but it's a price I'm more than happy to pay!
Has it changed the way you live?
Absolutely. I have more energy and far fewer hangovers (sorry Mocka boys!). I've made some good friends and I'm learning a fantastic sport. Some people probably think boxing is barbaric but I beg to differ. These guys are great sportsmen and they are immensely fit. They also know a whole lot about losing weight.
I would use this analogy - if your car breaks down you phone the AA or RAC, if your plumbing goes wrong call a plumber. If you're serious about wanting to lose weight call a boxer.
...........................................................................................................
City Life talks to Russell's trainer, Jamie Arthur,
about his career.
How long have you been boxing?
I started boxing at the age of nine as a way to defend myself against local bullies.
Tell us about your boxing achievements
I've been fortunate that through hard work and dedication, I've been given some great opportunities over the years. As an amateur, I won nine Welsh amateur boxing titles from schoolboy right up to senior level. In 2002, I represented Wales at the Common - wealth Games in Manchester, where I won Wales' first Commonwealth boxing gold since Howard Winston back in 1958.
When did the boxing cross over into personal training?
After winning gold at the Games, I enrolled on a sports studies degree at university, with the aim of going down the teaching route, but professional boxing seemed to be taking up more and more of my time, so I decided that I would enrol on a sports coaching and personal training course instead. Soon after, I opened my gym in Cwmbran, where I coached two novice boxers to Welsh titles.
Who do you train?
My training programmes are suitable for everybody. I provide white collar boxing sessions aimed at a professional clientele who are looking for boxing training experience and who may go on to a white collar boxing contest later. I provide team-based sessions to improve upper body strength and conditioning to rugby and football teams that are looking for something a little different from their workouts. Personal training sessions cover every aspect of healthy living, where I design eating plans to help clients lose weight, tone up or maybe just improve their lifestyles.
The personal sessions are one-to-one or small group based and are tailored to every individual client's needs, where I work with them every step of the way to ensure they achieve their goals.
Can women join in the training programme too?
Women's box fit sessions are a fun, energetic programme aimed at giving ladies a different approach to training, through conditioning-based sessions that improve hand-eye coordination. I also teach aspects of self-defence in a fun, non-contact-based way.
Where do you train your clients?
I run a number of my sessions at the Fight Academy Wales in Llantrisant, but also use a number of different gyms throughout Cardiff and also provide home or office classes for clients who are on a tight schedule.
|
|
SISTER MAGAZINES
 
|
|
