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Reflections from a Gymnastics assistant coaching course
1st June 2023
A guest post from Kath Maguire. Kath is the parent of one of our club’s gymnasts. She asked about doing some volunteering a couple of months ago and whether there was a course she could do. Here are her reflections from the day. “I’ve been thinking about volunteering for a while now but as it’s […]
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The Complete Keys to Progress- Book Review

I shall be reviewing a few of the books I have read so far this year on this week’s blog.

complete keys to progress

Entertaining, well written.

The first is by John McCallum and is a compilation of articles first published in Strength and Health magazine from 1965-1972. (For students, this is before your expert lecturers in S&C were born).

At some 260 densely printed pages, it contains quite a bit of information. McCallum uses anecdotes and fictional characters to cover various different concepts related to physical training- mostly how to increase mass and strength.

They usually start with him or a friend who is a gym owner looking at a weedy youth who moans that they aren’t progressing quickly enough. It often turns out that the weedy youth has a rubbish diet, goes out late at night, and thinks that working hard involves 3 sets of bicep curls and talking for 60 minutes.

(Nice to see how things have progressed).

The book is full of different programmes, lots of tips on setting goals, improving concentration and working on specific body parts. It has some good dietary advice, and some not so good.

As it was a series of articles over 7 years, reading it in one sitting is tough. Instead it is an ideal book for dipping into.

Read our full list of recommended reading for strength coaches

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Client Testimonials

David Ardley- triathlete
I had the pleasure (I think !) of working with James for a year or so focused on getting my Triathlon times down. Its amazing what was achieved in the space of an hour before work. What stood out for me is the constant variation of exercises and his ability to set the difficulties levels just right. His sense of humour and competitive spirit always helped when my energy levels were not quite there. I can attribute his structured training to my eventual success competing in the World Triathlon championships (age group) in Hamburg.
 
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