Tim Harrison Ambassador
Tim had a wake-up call to get fit after his daughter was born. He now trains with kettlebells and talks to Sundried about motivation.
Tell us about your journey to fitness? Where did it all start?
My journey into fitness started about 8 weeks after the birth of our first daughter (she is 7 1/2 now). After a great deal of birth trauma for her and my wife, she was struggling to gain weight. The health visitor had been off sick for a couple of weeks and we really wanted to know how she was getting on. I decided to weigh her by getting on the scales myself while holding her and then seeing the difference without holding her.
I got on the scales and the needle shot to just under 21st! I was ashamed of myself and realised that all of my silent promises to my little girl to be the best dad possible amounted to nothing if I wasn’t even the best me.
I picked up my 24kg kettlebell and started swinging, squatting, and pressing myself to fitness and a good set of qualifications. I lost 6 stone in 9 months and opened up a world of movement.
What are your training goals now?
My training goals now are firstly to perform Pavel Tsatsouline's "Simple and Sinister" kettlebell workout at 48kg followed by 300 non-stop 48kg swings. I call this The Spartan because of the 300 reps.
Tell us one unusual fact we wouldn’t know about you:
It seems to be received as fairly unusual that I am also an origami artist.
What advice do you wish you'd been given when you first started out?
The best bit of advice that I keep returning to is KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid.
Do you follow a specific nutrition plan? If so, what/when do you eat?
A nutrition plan is hard for me to follow at the moment as the medication that I have to now take causes really bad indigestion, but I’m working on it.
What do you do to keep your clients motivated? Do you have any top tips to keep motivated?
To keep me and my clients motivated we go by planning and progress. Make a good plan and pat yourself on the back every time you hit a goal.
Talk us through your training regime.
My regime is pretty simple: pull-ups and as much activity as is reasonable every day (except Sundays!)
Monday: 200 heavy swings and lots of mobility work
Tuesday: Mindfulness, movement, and breathing
Wednesday: The Simple and Sinister kettlebell workout
Thursday: Running
Friday: Kaizen5 barbell workout
Saturday: Walking, moving and 300 kettlebell swings
Sunday: Family time
How do you keep your fitness knowledge up to date?
I keep my knowledge up-to-date through my peer group and articles from the guys I have learned to trust.
What are your top 3 trainer tips?
- Mastery trumps variety: master movement and let that open the door to everything else.
- KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid. Don’t get complicated; make it doable daily.
- Be kind whenever possible. It’s always possible.
If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
If I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life it would be Tarka Dhal and chapati. It’s delicious, sustaining, and that turmeric packs a healing punch!
Favourite fitness quote:
“Mastery trumps variety every time” – Mark Reifkind, kettlebell trainer
Why work with Sundried?
I love Sundried because it’s durable, sustainable and useful. My favourite garments are without a doubt my Ortler men's trousers; they are perfect for training, teaching and afternoon tea.
