So guys we have finally got there, We have hot water!! It seemed like a lifetime and thanks once agin for your understanding..
Last week has been a bit of a manic one because we have had quite a lot of stuff happening with the ZT Fighters ( BJJ comps and Inter-club matches ) I have even been doing some sparring with Tolly Plestead in his up & coming title match on Brighton’s UCMMA Contenders show, On the show we also have Ryan Roe Barnett, Aftab Miah, Jamie and Laura fighting so, the Fight Skool will be buzzing with sparing and the new caged wall that will be in there you will be able to witness what these guys & girls go through in the cage whilst you sit on your bike burning some Kcals in the gym..

Last week also saw the birth of the single leg box jump ( thanks Reggie Laing ) if you haven’t witnessed ZT’s very own Jack Reggie”Tiggeeerr” Laing in action make sure you go to the ZT Fitness Facebook page and check him out, I attempted it and came away with 1 inch gash on my knuckle?? ( Don’t ask!!??).
Things weren’t all bad for me in training though as I with the help of John Boy walton ( Olympic Lifting Coach ) Alex Backhouse, Rich and the walking unit Matt got a new personal best on the Clean & Jerk of 100kg… So I was happy with that and thanks guys for pushing me…

Also we have just launched “SGUT” as a brand

I have started trending this on twitter already and soon all the merchandise will be available SGUT is short for Sol Gilbert Ultimate Trainers, and our approach is very direct and very effective, it works alongside the H.I.T ( High Intensity Training ) principals and it is very successful in delivering fast results in weight loss, increased muscle size and a obscene amount of increase in athletic performance, basically it will get you into fighting condition quicker than you can say “type two diabetes” So if would like to get onto one of our programs just go to www.solgilbert.com or ask at reception

At the weekend I had the job of looking after the kids because Donna wasn’t feeling to good So friday we all wen’t to Knockhatch adventure park which was good fun but through the night this was the killer!! I have always thought that I do my bit as a Dad ( previous blog posts support this ) I get up in the night to get the bottles ready when Jersey wakes up but then i’ve always handed the bottle and Jersey to Donna and gone back to sleep, Well let me tell you that isn’t SH*T!! because not only do you have to feed her ( 20 mins ) then you have to burp her, change her, then the little madam only wants to have a conversation with you for another 15 or so mins, then you have to try and get her back to sleep again, then once you have done all that you get the luxury of going back to sleep yourself for guess what??? about 3 hrs max before you got to do it all again, she has got into routine and it goes something like this.. EAT, POOP, BURP, CHAT, SLEEP & REPEAT, But on the up side it is amazing to have these moments with her and really makes you closer as a parent and child…

Anyway, that’s all….

So keep training hard, No Excuses, and Push Yourself!!

Sol Gilbert

Fitness Stuff: Thanks to the ladies for their patience this week, I know it’s a pain in the backside when you get your changing area invaded with sweaty builders, but I’m sure you will agree they ( Lee Sullivan & Craig ) have really done a superb job!! I’m very happy with the way they look and I hope you ladies feel the same?
It has been a great week as the results came in from the ZT & JRL PT intensive course that Myself & Jack put together and on average they all lost an amazing 4% in body fat so well done everyone who took part .
The next course started on the 20th June it will be interesting to see how these guys have done on the 20th July.

Kids Fit Skool Stuff: Myself and Alex got up to Dorothy Stringer School to catch up with Mathew Kelly ( head of P.E for Dorothy Stringer School ) to see the results from the Saints & Sinners program we ran, and to honest they blew me away!!! the kids only got 16 detentions this year where last year they had 140+ so I guess you can say the beasting they received at ZT if they got any sins at school works this model is something we are looking to roll out across the city, So local schools be ready with the naughty bunch cos ZT are coming very soon
The ZT Junior Wrestling squad had a great weekend as they had completed there 2nd certification in the ZT Vlad Wrestling course.. the next course will start on the 16th July, for the next couple of Saturday’s we will still be having practice but we will be focusing more on live sparring….
ZT Group Stuff: We had a bit of a drama at the Take Part Festival we thought ad the weather was pretty suspect we would just take the ZT Fight Skool truck and work from that but after setting up and about 10 different people saying Yes, No yes, No, NO!! In the end we had to do one and take it off the ZT pitch, which wasn’t too great as it left us with 10metres by 10metres of Grass which wasn’t a good look for ZT but we managed to get down there with the kids and hand out flyers so still a productive day.
We are soon to be launching the new ZT site, this site will have everything under one banner making us the Ultimate facility for the whole family…… it’s going to be pretty sexy.

Fight Stuff: Oli Thompson did a great job defending his UCMMA crown against season former Pro boxer and tough dude Mark Potter well done buddy, with the recent training camp with Chieck Kongo who also got a great win the UFC phone call is only a short while away if it hasn’t happened already ??!!? .
The ZT fighters went to Portsmouth’s GYM 01 for the 1st Amateur tourney and they all fought their hearts out well done guys

Family Stuff: Ethan had his swimming gala at Shoreham College he managed a 1st 2nd and his house “Raleigh” won cup and broke record the relay record well done son. At the weekend we took the kids Moto-X both me and the kids had a good run out and i even managed a injury I think I’ve pulled or torn a ligament in my knees so if you see me hobbling then you know why, so if someone beats the 1.25 I laid down for the 500 row challenge your time will be safe for the minute ha ha.

News Flash:Tamir & Terri are back from their Honeymoon, so if anyone needs a rub down Tam’s hands are ready & willing…

Catch Ya”ll soon

Sol Gilbert

Recently I got asked to write something on Boxing training vs Mixed Martial Arts training and why are gyms changing the way they approach fitness, I was very happy to write this piece because it is something that we have stayed true too since we 1st opened back in 2004…

Boxing vs MMA?
I have always found there is a big difference between training as a boxer and training for MMA, even though they are both combat sports I found that one requires more variety in the training programs which for me is MMA. As a boxer you still need to work on your strength & conditioning but the technique would remained focused around one discipline. But due to the nature of MMA you have to be as skilled as a boxer, as agile as a wrestler, and as flexible as a Muay Thai fighter and also posses some ground skills knowledge, so if you look at at the demand MMA puts on you mentally, it heavily out-weighs Boxing, I mean it’s hard enough getting punched in the face and body for a 3 minute round, now up the time to 5 minutes and throw wrestling, kicks to the head and body and submissions into the mix, i’m sure you can see the difference in demand.
 
A new age of Gym is amongst us…..
Long gone are the days of having to travel here there and everywhere to get all you technical and conditioning needs fulfilled, in todays modern society we are blessed with having everything we need all under one roof. More and more facilities are popping up with a superb selection of facilities that covers every angle to prepare yourself for either combat or the stress and strains of modern day life.
Here at ZT Fitness & Fight Skool we believe that we have hit the nail on the head. ZT started off in a humble 2500 sq ft industrial unit back in 2004 and now boasts 10000 sq ft based over 2 floors. Our equipment offering is very different and edgy compared to “normal gyms”, we place a great emphasis on functional training, Olympic Lifting and natural forms of movement. Our lower floor “Power Room” is kitted out with 2 x York Olympic Lifting Platforms 2 x York STS Power Racks, 1000kg+ of bumper plates, benches and bars. This covers all the needs of the modern athlete, but also anyone else interested in reaping the rewards from this form of training. On the upper floor also have over 30 pieces of Cardio equipment including Versa Climbers, Stair Masters, Treadmills in addition to more free-weights and cable machines. Despite the relocation to bigger facilities we have always stayed true to our vision which is bringing MMA training to the main stream market and the best way of doing that is making it available so right in the middle of our main gym we have 1500 sq ft of Matted Boxing area area where we hold the classes and the team training sessions.
When we feel things need spicing up and our clients are wanting to do “different things” then we take it outside to the car park and start to push sleds, flip tyres, sledge hammer hits to the tyre and sprints all to keep the body adapting to a new stimulus. We have given taster sessions to many of our members, male & female with all of them enjoying the sessions and wanting to do more.
In the future I see a lot more gyms adopting this strategy as MMA is here to stay, and the conditioning element is not only fun, throwing tyres, dragging sleds, swinging Kettle bells, but extremely successful in getting you in shape, Although there will always still be a market for independent gyms and boxing clubs or martial arts dojo’s I can’t really see them lasting too long in todays ressession.

For a free trial at ZT Fitness & Fight Skool just message me at sol@solgilbert.com….

Take care

Sol

yo what’s up……

Yeah,yeah,yeah I know!!! The building works dragging it’s heels and yet again I am really sorry for this, But as I keep telling myself ” the juice is worth the squeeze” and once it has been nailed i know you will like what we have in store for you..
t has been a very busy week in the Fight Skool camp, as we have just signed 3 of our fighters Ryan White, Sam Watling and Kenshiro Moyston to the next BAMMA card at the Wembley Arena on May 21st, So I guess you will see me sporting a few more black eyes as old muggins here is now the teams resident punch bag!!?? But if fancy supporting the lads we have coaches and tickets available jujst ask @ Reception.

After the success of the recent Olympic Freestyle Wrestling course, Coach Dani Vlad and myself have decided to put on a Amateur Comp at the King Alfred Leisure centre on the 23rd April, this is an Amateur competition for wrestlers who have been training for 1year or less the cost for entry is Adults £10 Juniors £5 spectators £2 e mail sol@solgilbert.com to enter.

You may have heard me talk about the Saints N Sinners program we do for Dorothy Stringer high school well here are some stats on the impact the Sin (@ZT) has had on the boys. Last year they received a total of 98 detentions as a group of 8 this year since the program started they have received only 16!!! How good is that:-). I am really happy to be a part of this program and Matthew Kelly and the rest of the Dorothy Stringer department deserve a big pat on the back for taking a gamble with this.. Well done

Well I have to say that I was very proud of all the Junior athletes who successfully completed their Albion Football club and their ZT Vlad olympic Freestyle Wrestling certification at the weekend, it shows you that 6 weeks of commitment and hard graft really does have it’s rewards as all the boys and girls where all smiles when they got awarded their certificates and T shirts.
The next Junior Wrestler course starts on Saturday 16th April at 11am and the Albion Football course starts on the friday 29th at 4pm. For more info go to Ztkidsfitskool.com.

I would like to congratulate Paul dash lloyd Knight Abz and Laura Howarth for completing the 1st ZT Fight Skool MMA-X Course at the weekend I heard from Alex Backhouse who took the course they all did a great job!! Well Done guys…

This week STUD of the week goes to Jack Reggie Laing for nailing the Brighton Marathon in 4hrs 4mins well done MR Fight Skool

the D.O.T.W is Buy 1 Boot-X Class get 1free…..

I’m off now go and do my new hobby….. Gardening… Man I love it!! I love getting really straight lines with my mower it’s crazy I know, but I absolutely LOVE IT!!.

Oh yeah no sign of the little lady yet but she is due on the 17th so it could be any day now as Donna has had quite a few mild contractions…. Can’t wait

Anyway take care…

Sol Gilbert aka Percy green fingers