I hope this email finds you fit and well following the bank holiday weekend!
Before I provide you with all my unbridled training knowledge and information, I want to celebrate some successes:
Celebrating Our Athletes’ Exceptional Achievements
I’m absolutely buzzing with the incredible performances I’ve witnessed this past week from the athletes I coach, and I simply had to share these successes with you all.
First and foremost, I’m over the moon about Rebecca Tinnelly’s phenomenal achievement. Less than a year after having her second little one, Rebecca ran the Birmingham 10K in 38:28, an 18 second PB (set on the super flat and fast Telford course in2022). She finished 6th lady overall and 2nd in her age category, which will secure her an England Masters vest.
What makes this even more impressive is that Rebecca balances training with two little ones (one who’s currently teething with disrupted sleep patterns) and a full-time job. This perfectly illustrates my philosophy: train smarter, not harder. We’ve got to get the balance between training, rest, recovery, work, and family absolutely precise. You simply cannot constantly go out and smash it without consequence.
Next up is Tom, a relatively new client who’s been with us for just eight or nine weeks. Tom ran the Birmingham Half Marathon Sunday after dropping nearly four kilos of body fat since we started working together. Despite already being relatively lean when he came to me, we’ve managed to shed that non-essential weight whilst maintaining his energy levels and recovery capability.
As I always say, every kilo of non-essential weight loss (as long as you’re not getting too lean and still eating well) is worth about a minute over a half marathon performance. Tom went out and smashed a 1:28 half marathon – a seven-minute personal best from his previous 1:35! This tremendous improvement came from just eight weeks of following a clear, structured plan with specific guidelines and focused nutrition. I’ve already told Tom that I’m targeting a sub-3 hour marathon for his Berlin race later this year. He thinks it’s a long-term project, but with the gains we’ve already made, I believe we’re looking at a sub-3 within six to eight months.
I’m also thrilled about Hazel Smallman, who I’ve been working with for absolutely yonks. After five years away from racing, she’s finally took on London Hyrox in a female doubles event. I’ve been constantly cajoling her to get back into competition, and she smashed it….loving every minute and now waiting for the next one in Cardiff!
Then there’s Ollie Evans, who’s been dealing with minor injury issues on and off over the past 12 months. We’ve had to manage his training super carefully, and just yesterday morning we completed a full biomechanical gait analysis to address some issues that his previous sports therapist hadn’t identified. Despite these setbacks and limited running, Ollie competed in the European Duathlon Championships in Poland last weekend and came 4th! He was disappointed to miss the podium, but considering the restrictions on his training, this is a phenomenal result. With the improvements we’re making to his biomechanics, nutrition, and strength conditioning, I’m confident he’ll go from strength to strength.
I also want to mention my Nigerian clients who tackled the Mallorca rides last weekend. Coming from Lagos, which is as flat as a billiard table, they faced significant challenges with both climbs and descents. Yet they successfully completed the168km and 225km distances! This reinforces my belief that you don’t need hills to train for hills – with the right preparation, we can work around environmental limitations.
Finally a massive shout to Nick Wilson, Nick rode the Masters National 30 mile time trial champs the weekend before last. Following a solid winter Nick surprised himself to come away with an incredible silver in his age group. Like most of my athletes, Nick balances a busy family life and running a business. The value of smart training, rather than hard training again wins the day to get the optimal balance in performance.
On the family front, it was brilliant to see Seb achieve a great time for 1,200 metres on Saturday afternoon, putting him on track for 1,500 metre PB performances this season. And Pixie absolutely smashed her 600 metres race for the club yesterday before heading off to ski training in the afternoon. It’s just fantastic to see everyone living such active, healthy lifestyles.
All these successes come down to understanding your unique physiology and training requirements. We focus on training smarter – getting the best outcomes from your available training time with targeted focus. Whether you’re balancing multiple children, full-time work, or recovering from injuries, there’s always a path to improvement and personal bests.
If you’re looking to become a better version of yourself and improve on yesterday’s performance, you know where to find me. I’m here to help you navigate that journey, just as I have with Rebecca, Tom, Ollie, Nick and so many others.
If you have been doing some events, send us your photos and let us knowhow you have got on.
Garry
The 4-Week Rule: How Fast You Can REALLY See Fitness Gains
Turnips and Strawberry Jam Don’t Make a Sunday Roast
Imagine this: You send your teenager to the shop for parsnips, honey, and strawberries for Sunday lunch. They get distracted, lose the list, and return with turnips, strawberry jam, and grapes.
You’ve got food—but it’s completely useless for what you planned.
This is exactly what happens when you set out to train in a specific heart rate zone but end up doing something completely different. You’ve exercised, yes, but was it the right exercise for your goals? Probably not.
The 4-Week Rule: The REAL Timeline for Fitness Gains
Here’s what I’ve observed after testing thousands of athletes over 35 years: meaningful physiological adaptations typically take at least four weeks to manifest. Not two days. Not even two weeks. FOUR WEEKS!!!
Yet I regularly see athletes who, after just three disappointing sessions, decide to “train harder” or “do more”— the exercise equivalent of shouting louder at someone who doesn’t speak your language.
What We Actually See After 4 Weeks of Proper Training:
Anaerobic threshold improvements
Increased time to exhaustion (or being able to go faster for longer)
Metabolic efficiency improvements (more fat utilisation at given workloads)
Heart rate reductions of 5-8 beats at identical workloads
Body composition changes (as Tom recently demonstrated, dropping 4kg of fat mass in 8 weeks—that’s approximately 8 minutes faster over a marathon!)
But these gains only happen when you’re training in the correct zones. Remember: assess, don’t guess.
What You Should Be Tracking (And What’s Just Noise)
One of the most overlooked metrics I see with athletes is heart rate. Everyone’s chasing power output, pace, or speed, but they’re ignoring the engine’s rev counter!
Your heart rate tells you:
How hard your system is working
If you’re getting fitter
If you’re getting tired
If you’re getting ill
If you’re keeping power or pace steady but your heart rate is drifting upward throughout a session, something’s wrong. It could be inadequate fuelling, hydration, or simply that the pace is wrong for your current fitness level.
What’s Just Noise?
Daily weight fluctuations (water retention varies significantly)
Single workout performances (especially without context)
Comparing yourself to others (their genetics and training history aren’t yours)
Your mate’s latest training fad (unless they’re physiologically identical to you)
Why Recovery Is More Powerful Than Pushing Harder
Here’s a shocking truth. Published research shows Olympic athletes have learned the hard way: true overtraining syndrome can take six weeks of COMPLETE rest just to get back to baseline.
Yet the most common response to disappointing performances is to “train harder” and “do more.” This is precisely backward. When performances plateau, the answer is rarely more training—it’s usually smarter training with adequate recovery.
Signs You’re Missing Recovery:
Elevated resting heart rate (even 5 beats above normal)
Declining performance despite increased effort
Persistent fatigue
Increased illness frequency
Poor sleep quality
Irritability and mood changes
Reduced appetite
The Nutrition Connection
Are you one of those athletes who does every morning session fasted because “fasted sessions burn more fat”?
While there’s some truth to this, there’s absolutely no point doing EVERY session fasted. Your body will eventually break down protein (muscle) rather than fat. If you’re training hard without proper fuelling, you’re actually breaking down the very muscle you’re trying to build.
I recently saw this with my son Seb. Straight from school to a high-intensity track session, his performance was significantly below par. The simple reason? His pre-exercise nutrition strategy wasn’t appropriate for what he was trying to achieve.
The Truth About Quick Results
If someone promises you dramatic fitness gains in a week, they’re either lying or setting you up for injury. The human body simply doesn’t adapt that quickly. Even with perfect training, nutrition, and recovery, significant physiological adaptations take at least four weeks to manifest.
What You Can Do Right Now
Start tracking heart rate alongside power/pace – Watch for drift during steady-state sessions
Plan your nutrition around your session type – Don’t automatically default to fasting
Measure your progress in 4-week blocks – Not daily or weekly
Record recovery metrics – Sleep quality, resting heart rate, mood, appetite
Consider a proper assessment – Know your ACTUAL zones, not what your watch guesses
Remember, the goal is to train smart, not just hard. As I always say, you’re getting paid by the hour—no need to rush the job if doing it properly yields better results.
Want to know exactly where you stand and what your body needs? Contact Sportstest today for an assessment that will ensure you’re not wasting time with turnips and strawberry jam when you could be cooking up a proper Sunday roast of performance gains.