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Latest articles:

10 tips to nail your nutrition
Don’t let fat loss be your only metric of success
Adjusting the dial
Fitness Myths That Need to Die
Sleep Hacking: tips, tricks and my routine for a kick ass sleep

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rob.ftafitness

🚀 I help people get, feel and look strong.
👇 Work with me here:

I don't have an issue with alcohol, but it's been

I don't have an issue with alcohol, but it's been on my mind a lot recently, on how it affects my mental and physical wellbeing, and I'm in a place in my life where I have to prioritise my mental health.

So it doesn't make sense for me to put something into my body that works against that.

Plus, I know that challenging yourself from time to time can be really beneficial.

I'd be interested to hear about anyone else's experience, and if you're interested in giving it a try and having an accountability buddy, then let me know!

1. Minimised my workouts. I don't have the mental

1. Minimised my workouts.
I don't have the mental bandwidth to be in the gym for a long time or do a load of exercises right now (it's also unnecessary).

Each of my workouts has 3-4 exercises, so I can get in, do some solid work, and get out.

2. More rest.
I rest 2-5 minutes between sets. Sometimes 7-10 on really taxing deadlift sets.

I want to be well rested for each set so I can make the most of the shorter workouts.

3. I've taken the pressure off of achieving any sort of "outcome."

I go into the gym to move my body and feel good. If that means I need to back off the intensity or lower the weight, then so be it.

Doing these things means I'm much more likely to actually go the gym, which in turn improves my mental and physical health.

It also keeps exercise as a regular part of my life.

Because I know that just going and doing something is incredibly beneficial.

And at this stage of my life, how I FEEL is far more important than chasing numbers or any specific goal.

Hope this helps!

The body's a funny thing... Right now, I can't wa

The body's a funny thing...

Right now, I can't walk more than 5 minutes without experiencing intense sciatica, but I can deadlift 195kg for reps without any pain.

Proof that just because you have some kind of pain, it doesn't mean you need to stop moving completely, perhaps?

On the plus side, my bench is feeling the best it ever has, so that's good, I guess...

When the banger drops...

When the banger drops...

After a few weeks of, quite honestly, just going t

After a few weeks of, quite honestly, just going through the motions with my training becauae of my mental health, I finally feel like I'm back in a place to start training "properly" again.

Over the past few weeks, I've reigned everything in. I've simplified my workouts and taken the pressure off of being where I was before, as the priority has simply been staying consistent and moving my body.

If this had been a couple of years ago I would have fallen into a guilt spiral of "oh but I'm not progressing."

So now I'm practising what I preach.

Prioritising the long game and my health.

I've set myself some goals, but there's no rush. I know that if I just keep plugging away then I'll get there eventually.

And it's a really nice place to be.

A different kind of post today... I've been battl

A different kind of post today...

I've been battling with whether to put this up, but after speaking to a fair few people, I've come to the conclusion that it's important for me to do, for myself and possibly others.

This week, I started medication for depression and anxiety.

I've battled on and off with both throughout my life, but recently everything came to a head, and after 30 something years (and the help and support of some truly wonderful people), it was clear I needed help.

So after a lot of consideration and some guidance, I decided to say yes to medication, alongside therapy.

So why am i posting this?
1. For a personal journal

2. Transparency
As someone "into" their fitness and nutrition and who posts about it on social media, I want to be as transparent and honest as possible.

There are enough people on social media making out like if you just eat well enough and exercise, then you'll be immune to mental health issues, and its the most toxic thing ever.

And I don't want to add to that.

Yes, exercise and nutrition are great, and they have helped me tremendously.

But they do not make you impervious to mental health struggles.

3. For the vague possibility that it might spark something in someone somewhere and help them in any way

If my recent experience has taught me anything, it's the power of a conversation and knowing you're not alone.

And I know that social media can make you feel like everyone else has it all figured out and you're the only one struggling.

So if this helps anyone with that in any way, then great.

I'm taking some time off of the fitness content thing to rest, focus on my mental health, and focus on my current clients (and anyone who's reached out recently about starting).

To everyone I've spoken to about their experiences and everyone who has helped me, reassured me or just been there to lend an ear, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

And if you want to chat about anything I've mentioned, then please know my inbox is always open.

If you've jumped on the glucose/insulin boogeyman

If you've jumped on the glucose/insulin boogeyman bandwagon recently, then I expect you to be doing some form of resistance training.

Because resistance training and gaining muscle are two of the best things you can do for blood sugar.

Lifting weights not only uses glucose, but it lowest blood sugar levels and boosts your insulin sensitivity (meaning your body responds better to insulin and better controls your blood sugar).

Building muscle also improves glucose uptake and positively impacts blood sugar too.

Moral of the story:

Instead of trying to avoid every carb under the sun, get swole.

p.s. Your insulin spiking temporarily is a perfectly normal thing and not something most people need to worry about unless you have an underlying condition.

Most things that people say they're addicted to ar

Most things that people say they're addicted to are actually high in both sugar AND fat.

It's this combination that makes them taste so damn good.

Really enjoying these things is perfectly normal and doesn't make you a bad person.

The reason people feel like they're addicted to these foods is actually because they make themselves feel so bad and so guilty for having them that it creates a strong emotional attachment to them.

They're never truly satisfied.

Because how can you be, when you make yourself feel so crap afterwards?

Instead of trying to avoid these foods and exert self-control to jot have them, is to practice unconditional permission to eat.

This doesn't mean eating as much as you can.

But is instead a way of giving yourself permission to eat these foods without feelings of shame or guilt.

And I know you might be worried that if you're let free on them then you'll just binge on them.

But what you'll find is that once you take the power away from them, you'll be able to enjoy them in moderation instead of feeling like you need to overindulge.

I know it seems counterintuitive, but put it this way...

How has trying to brute force yourself into avoiding these foods worked for you so far?

Exercise is great. But it doesn't cause fat loss.

Exercise is great. But it doesn't cause fat loss.

Relying on it to do so is a surefire way to see very little progress for your efforts and end up frustrated.

It's also a surefire way to end up resenting it.

If fat loss is you goal, then you need to focus on what you're eating and how much you're moving throughout the day.

And then exercise (ideally some form of resistance training) to build some muscle, and for the incredible health benefits it provides.

(Another great thing about this is that you don't have to put your progress on hold if you find yourself in a situation where you can't exercise).

Want some help with your fat loss goal? Message me 'fat loss' and let's have a chat! 🚀

Eating more after a fat loss phase can be a scary

Eating more after a fat loss phase can be a scary time for people. After all eating more will lead to fat gain, right?

Well, not necessarily...

You see, as long as you don't start overeating (which you won't feel the need to do if you do your fat loss phase sensibly), then eating more calories will put you into maintenance.

This is where you're neither losing fat nor gaining it.

However, quite often it can actually lead to more fat loss.

The reason behind this is because extra calories = extra energy, which causes people to subconsciously move more throughout the day.

Their performance in the gym also improves.

Both of these things together cause more energy expenditure, thereby leading to a little boost in fat loss.

And this is why it's so important to do your fat loss phase the right way and to have someone guide you into a more maintenance-based phase.

Because fat loss isn't actually the hardest part. Maintaining it is. And this is what most people struggle with.

If this is something you struggle with and want some help, message me 'fat loss' 🚀

"But Rob, I thought you didn't really do before an

"But Rob, I thought you didn't really do before and after pictures".

I know, I know...

But when @drummerhandsdave sent me his latest progress photos and I compared them to where we started, I just had to share (with his permission).

We've been working together for around a year now, and throughout that we've been through multiple phases, including strength, fat loss, muscle gain and back to fat loss.

The best part was that Dave wasn't too fussed about getting shredded quickly, but wanted to work on something that was sustainable.

And honestly, this relaxed approach paid off. In his words:

"This has been the best and easiest way I’ve done things, ever. I can already feel that I have a better relationship with food. Just making small changes. I don’t feel like I’ve been dieting"

Here's a few things we did that helped:
📊 Started tracking his intake. This not only gave him clarity on whether he was eating in line with his goal, but also gave him the freedom to enjoy the odd beer and chocolate bar at the end of the day. Once he gained a better understanding of portion sizes etc. we eased off (no one needs to spend the rest of their life tracking).

💪 Gave him a sensible routine. Before, he was trying to max out every session and I could see he was on a road to doing himself an injury. Now we're focused on keeping his body strong but also structurally sound.

🛌 Took breaks whenever life piled it on. Knowing you can put a pause on things for a bit, especially fat loss is such a freeing idea and actually helps you get results instead of "falling off the wagon" and having to constantly start again.

The best part about this is he's still got plenty of energy and wants to keep going for a bit longer.

Oh, and he's gotten pretty damn strong in the process too 😉

If you want some help to get stronger, gain some muscle and lose some body fat, then my next intake of Online Coaching starts on the 3rd of April. I'm closing applications this week, so if you want in simply DM me 'STRONGER' and let's have a chat 🚀

Exercise is great, and there's no denying that it

Exercise is great, and there's no denying that it has an amazing effect on mental health.

But it isn't therapy.

Therapeutic? Yes.

But it doesn't replace the need to take care of your mental health

Nor will it magically fix it.

Physical and mental health are interlinked, but they also require their own work and interventions.

So be sure to have space in your life where you're taking care of both.

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