High-performance coach Paul Gascoyne (pictured left) has been enjoying vigorous sports for nearly 40 years and has so far escaped any serious sporting injuries. Now he’s hosting Crewroom’s popular Saturday-morning “Warrior Training” sessions.
“Touch wood!” says Paul, “I’ve never had a serious injury. It’s down to a little bit of luck, I guess, and listening to your body, but actually if you train to be functionally fit, rather than train to look good, you increase the odds of remaining injury-free.”
Paul is an outstanding trainer and athlete. His company UCANfitness draws on all his experience – he’s a competitive triathlete, seven-times Ironman, Xterra competitor and Adventure Racer.
At Crewroom’s Hub HQ on Putney Embankment, he hosts his training sessions every Saturday from 9.30 – 10.30am. Newcomers get a free taster session, thereafter it’s £7 for the hour.
Warrior training, also known as Agoge training, is so called because it was used by Spartan warriors to prepare for the battlefield, and it is a mixture of bodyweight exercises and running.
Participants complete 10 reps of an exercise (which may be Kettlebells, Clubells, Gym Rings or Battleropes), then run 1km. The next round is a further 10 reps of the first exercise and a new exercise, then you run 1km again. You add one exercise each time and keep running the 1k after each group. In short 1 exercise 10 reps 1 run, 2 exercises 10 reps of each, 1 run, 3 exercises 10 reps of each 1 run and onwards until you finally complete 10 reps of all 6 exercises and finish with a run!
“This training gives you a good functional base, plus it’s perfect for all sports. It will make you fit and less prone to injury,” explains Paul.
When he was a 14 year-old schoolboy, Paul, who lives in Richmond, south-west London, loved cross-country running, rugby and football. He played centre-forward and Chelsea’s Peter Osgood was his hero. He also swam for his county (Hertfordshire).
Now aged 52, and after a lifetime of sporting success, he delights in helping others develop their fitness. “Warrior training is the perfect way to train and it’s also ideal for obstacle racers,” he adds.
He’s delighted to be under the Crewroom umbrella. “Their kit is ideal for all sports and it’s fully functional. I love working with the team at Crewroom, they’re a great bunch.”
For more details of Paul’s classes, contact Crewroom on email here or Paul at ucan.fitness@gmail.com.