Michal Grala - Personal Trainer / Strength Coach

Head Coach for Athletes Lab. I help individuals achieve bodies that look as good as they perform! Any questions, drop me an email at [email protected]

[michalgrala]

What exercises should you use?

Everyone that knows me personally will know that I’m veeeery biased towards heavy compound movements including squats, deadlifts, presses, pull etc etc., but is this the only way to achieve the physique you desire? HELL NO,  Is it the best way? Well...I would argue...yes, it is. 

I did warn you I’m biased. The best results I’ve seen with myself and people I work with were when we stick to the basics and focused on building strength in a few movements. I find it the best way to build muscle, lose fat and increase the quality of life.

Remember my last post though, the best programme WILL suck if you don’t follow it. Therefore, do I always program heavy compound movements? Of course not, but I do always encourage it and say this will give them the most in the least amount of time. Usually, when they see the results, they start doubting the methods. This is another interesting thing, the consistency you put into any given program is directly proportional to the results you’re getting from it...I’ve been there and done that and I’ve gotta say that even the most boring program can bring you a lot of joy as long as you’re getting results from it.. How to get results from a programme? Well, that I’ll explain in the next post And what type of training do you prefer to follow? Let me know and let’s have some interesting discussion! 

[michalgrala]

What considerations do you need to make when creating your own exercise routine? Many people argue what the best training split is, best exercises, best manipulation of training variables etc., but what they often forget that each training NEEDS to be tailored to the person’s capabilities and there is an infinite number of ways to achieve a certain goal. 2+2 = 4, but so does 6-2, and.. 2*(1+1)... you get my point.  First and foremost, training needs to be:

> Realistic (Let’s say that the most optimal way to build muscle is to train every day. But what if you can only go to the gym 3 times per week...should you just give up altogether? Hint: HELL NO) > Enjoyable (What if you hate your programme and you’re half-assing it when you could be completely smashing a more “suboptimal” programme that you actually enjoy doing) > Flexible (What if life gets in the way? Which it does...always.)

Notice that I do not talk about the type (Weights, pure cardio or sport or whatever) split (full body vs body part) etc., because in the end, if you’re not adhering to the programme, you won’t get results, even if it’s the BEST programme in the whole freaking universe. 

Remember guys, a training programme is a tool that’s supposed to make our lives EASIER and MORE ENJOYABLE, not the other way around. Drop me a message if you’re struggling with your exercise routine and I’ll be happy to help!

[michalgrala]

Who am I?

Hi guys! (Assuming anybody’s reading this) I’ve decided to create this profile to be able to help as many people as possible achieve their fitness goals and fight the constant misinformation spread on media and by people who really don’t have a clue what they’re talking about.  I am a personal trainer and a strength & conditioning coach based in Cardiff, UK as well a current Master’s in strength & conditioning student. Over the previous years I’ve invested heavily in my education (and I continue to do so) and worked with a wide range of people including young men looking to build some muscly, busy managers looking to shred some body fat, amateur and elite athletes in various sports and many, many more. Long story short, I like to know that I know my shit but what I don’t like is the current state of health & fitness industry...so here I am, trying my best to change it! From now on I’ll try to regularly post a number of educational materials and my own thoughts regarding training, nutrition and life. Hopefully I’ll help someone improve their life so I can call my endeavour successful.  But that’s it for now...get ready for some serious knowledge bombs in the near future. Also, I’m more than happy to answer any questions you might have, have a discussion or just chat!

Feel free to drop me a message here, on my email ([email protected]) or FB fanpage (@officialathleteslab) Let’s rock and roll!