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I hope you've all had a great week. I'm sure the milder mornings are welcome, and the changing light keeps things interesting. It must be nice to see the water and the park so still, before everyone gets their day underway. 



If anyone would still like to order a t-shirt or jacket, today is the day! The form is still up if you are interested. Easter is almost here. Hot cross buns have been out for three months and Lindt bunnies are calling my name. Across the long weekend, Good Friday is considered a pretty sombre occasion with most businesses closed. While training normally continues in the park, this year Andy wanted to check whether this is what you want. So...Do you want to train on Good Friday this year:


    Yes, I can't wait!    or    No, I'd like to sleep in. 


Andy's asked for another reminder about getting to training on time. Warming up helps prevent injury in a way that simply walking to training won't achieve; it helps build a sense of community by showing your commitment to the group; and it helps Andy by avoiding interruptions to the session that's underway. Warm ups can feel a little underwhelming, but they really do help maximise your potential and prepare you to work.Speaking of the work, if you don't currently include Saturday in your routine, maybe you should give it a go? You can get up a little later, but get an excellent start to the weekend. What better way to balance some of the delicious food and drink you are hopefully enjoying. This week Poppy is covering for Andy.Here's the highlight reel - it's quite theatrical this week. Great to see so many working on the advanced push up option. Building great shoulders! Top tip: Adjust your alignment as though you are doing a barbell press (elbows a little lower), then as you lower and press, focus on opening and closing your chest and using your upper back muscles - you'll share more of the load through your upper body and give your shoulders a hand.









First up for those who mightn't read to the end, please SAVE THE DATE - 6th April if you're keen to be involved in a wine tasting evening. Watch this space for more information in the coming weeks.As we look toward the cooler months, Andy is having jackets and another run of t-shirts made. These jackets are breathable but wind and water resistant, and the t-shirts are super lightweight and comfortable to train in. If you're interested in purchasing either, please order using this form before next Friday. Below are images of the men's cut. 

Don't forget how important it is that you arrive in time for the warm-up! A warm-up is essential before exercise for several reasons:

  1. Injury Prevention: Warming up increases blood flow to muscles, making them more pliable and less prone to injury during vigorous activity.

  2. Enhanced Performance: It prepares the cardiovascular system, gradually increasing heart rate and oxygen delivery to muscles, improving performance and endurance.

  3. Range of Motion: Dynamic stretching and mobility exercises in a warm-up help improve joint flexibility and range of motion, enhancing movement efficiency and reducing the risk of strains or sprains.

  4. Mental Preparation: A warm-up helps mentally prepare for the session, allowing you to focus on the movements and muscles in use.

Starting the session together and on time is also the best way to make the most of your hour, and the opportunity to work together in a group.Thank you to everyone who has made the effort to get their sessions locked in with Andy on Sundays. This really helps Andy and Poppy with planning, and the commitment you make to yourself and setting the intention to turn up, might make the difference on a less than ideal morning. If you need to change sessions or can't make it, just drop Andy a message. Here's some highlights from the week. It's great to see some challenging modifications - excellent effort, Rach! 





Welcome to Autumn! In the next few weeks a freshness will creep into the morning air, reminding you how great it is to start your day with outdoor exercise. Congratulations to those who sweated it out on Thursday morning in particular - I hear it was pretty tough.


Unfortunately, the mulching situation hasn't been resolved as quickly as we hoped, and sessions will need to remain at the skate park and adjacent arches for the time being. The change of scenery seems to have kept things interesting and certainly provided some variety for the photos. 



Hopefully everyone is feeling good as the warmer months slip by, but it's worth taking note of any tightness, lack of joint mobility, weakness or imbalance that comes up. It can be easy to dismiss these things as an unavoidable byproduct of getting older or working harder, but the reality is that without addressing these, many will eventually find it impacts their exercise. Some will need time to recover, others will fall short of their performance potential.


A better approach is to work some prehabilitation (prehab) into your routine. Prehab is a proactive approach to injury prevention and performance optimisation. While rehabilitation focuses on restoring function after injury, prehab aims to identify and address potential weaknesses and imbalances before they lead to injury. Once potential problems are identified, targeted exercises can improve joint stability, muscular strength, flexibility and mobility, which also leads to more efficient movement, more power and better overall performance. 


Shoulders, lower back, hips, knees and ankles are typical target areas. If you have more serious concerns it is worth having an assessment done by a physio, who will put together a personalised rehab program for you. If you are looking to make smaller proactive adjustments, I've included links below to a few videos from The Prehab Guys. Their youtube page has loads of content if you're keen to look into other areas of concern.



In addition to targeted exercises, remember to focus on good form and engaging the appropriate muscles with good alignment throughout each session. Recovery strategies such as foam rolling, stretching and mobility work will also help alleviate muscle tension, improve tissue quality and reduce the risk of overuse injuries and keep you in the park at Daybreak.


Here's some photos from the week. Andy will be taking the session this Saturday, and looks forward to seeing you in Balmain! Have a fabulous weekend. 








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