AGM postponement
Dear BRATS, Due to the covid-19 pandemic, the BRAT Club is in a period of forced suspension. The executive committee and all BRAT coaches and session leaders are committed to relaunching training sessions as soon as government advice makes it permissible to do so, and as soon as facilities/arrangements can be secured. At this time, the executive committee feel it would not be able to hold an effective AGM and so propose a postponement until such time as we can safely schedule a meeting. Members of the current executive committee will therefore stay on in post until the postponed AGM, the date of which will be confirmed as soon as possible. We have provided an end of year financial statement for 2019-2020, which can be found here: If you have any objections to this proposal, please email Secretary@bratclub.co.uk by 8th June 2020 and a member of the committee will respond…
Meet the Triathlete – Rosie Davies
May brings another opportunity to meet one of the BRAT Club’s triathletes. This month it’s ‘remote BRAT’ Rosie Davies. She may no longer be based in Birmingham but Rosie trains and races proudly in her BRAT kit all through the year.
Nigel’s Friday Challenge (8)
So another week flies by and it’s time for another Friday workout Stand to Attention FridayThis Friday you are required to stand to attention – perfectly upright, shoulders back, head up…Bend your knees and lower yourself to the floor using your hands to ‘walk’ across the floor until you reach a press up position – do one press up.Walk your hands back and start to stand straight again, standing to attention when you get to the top. Repeat nine more times (10 walk press ups in total). There’s more: Next, lie face down on the ground. Place your finger tips to your eyebrows and slowly raise the top half of your body several inches off the ground so you can feel the stretch in your lower back – DO NOT let your hips, legs or toes leave the ground, they must remain in contact with the floor at all times.Stay…
Nigel’s Friday Challenge (7)
It may be a Bank Holiday but that’s not reason enough to stop….So here’s the Bumper Bank Holiday edition from Nigel. Bank Holiday Friday Challenge In keeping with the military theme let’s do some Sergeant Jumps this Friday. Stand sideways on to a wall.Bend at the knees using your arm/hand nearest the wall to reach down to the lower part of your shin/top of the ankle. Do NOT allow your back to bow, keep it straight and keep your head looking forward, not down! Tap the shin/ankle then jump up from the squat position you find yourself in and try to reach as high up the wall as you can. Keep that up/down motion going – down to the shin/ankle, spring upwards and touch the wall. Do 10 on one side, turn and do 10 on the other. Rest 30 seconds then do 15 one side, 15 the other. Finally,…
Nigel’s Friday Challenge (6)
Alternate Squat Thrusts. Have a look at the video of Alexander doing alternate squats – the third exercise in the sequence.https://bratclub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/alex_clegg_core_ex_1.mp4 Three options this week; Option 1 – the easy option.Do 100, non-stop, squats. Stop, rest for one minute then do another 100 squats. Option 2 – the hard optionYou need to have a wooden floor in order to do this. Using two small towels, place your feet on the towels, then try doing the 100 squats. The towels will move smoothly across the wooden floor and will make it harder because it really is a non-stop motion. Option 3 – the really hard option.Do the same as option 2 with your feet on the towels but you only do 10 squats at a time. In between each set of ten you have to do 5 press ups!In total you have to do 50 squats and 25 press ups. If…
BRAT Summerfield Smash 5k 2020 (POSTPONED until TBC)
A fast race for those that care about their time (no matter what that time may be). A simple event with minimal fuss. No t-shirts, medals, goody bags, etc. Just run hard, get a PB, go home proud and repeatedly refresh Pof10 until time appears. Facebook event – click here Latest Updates 20/07/2020 POSTPONED UNTIL THE SITUATION CHANGES With one month to go it seems unlikely that the situation will change to allow us to run this event the way we want to, therefore, we’ve decided to postpone. It’s disappointing, but the Smash will be back at some point so stay fit and race ready! 27/04/2020 SAVE THE DATE – the BRAT Summerfield Smash 5k is scheduled for Wednesday 26th August 2020! ENTRIES NOT CURRENTLY BEING TAKEN – It’s possible/likely that this event may not be able to go ahead owing to restictions related to Covid 19. We’ve optimistically started…
Nigel’s Friday Challenge (5)
So here we are again with the one you have all been waiting for. Modern language challenge This Friday is about languages.Look at the video of Alexander – the 6th exercise he does are full star jumps.You are going to do the same but each time you leap into the air you have to count up to twenty (first leap is one, second leap is two etc…). https://bratclub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/alex_clegg_core_ex_1.mp4 However, here’s the fun part – you have to count in another language other than English! French, German, Italian, Spanish – the choice is yours. If you get one wrong or hesitate between jumps you have to start all over again.So, eins, zwei, drei….off you go! Good luck Nigel
Nigel’s Friday Challenge (4)
Who needs Joe Wicks when we have our own Nigel Clegg. Read on for this week’s S&C challenge. It’s Friday so it must be Crunchies. I did mention last week to get practicing your crunches – well I hope you have been as this week it’s the non-stop 100 crunchie challenge. For those of you who know how to do them – start as soon as you are ready.If you’re unsure – take a look at Alex’s video. In the first exercise he is doing a series of sit ups. A crunchie is a simple variation. Lie on your back with your finger tips touching your eyebrows. Using your stomach muscles, raise your upper body – just a few inches (that’s the crunch part – a small movement is actually harder). The only difference between the straight sit up as demonstrated on the video is that your feet need to be…
Meet the Triathlete – April – Colin Bailey
Well, we find ourselves in uncharted waters, but just like a swimmer in open water, who can’t seem to see the next turn buoy no matter how hard he looks, we know if we keep working hard, we will get to the finish line soon enough! Here’s a super profile to keep you going in the mean time – meet Colin Bailey – new to triathlon, but no stranger to running and athletics. He’s now one of BRAT’s core junior athletics coaches, and a triathlete in his spare time…!
Nigel’s Friday Challenge (3)
This week we have a special challenge from Nigel for Good Friday. In order to make room for all those Easter eggs you’ll need a special challenge this Friday – and here it is… The Good Friday 100 press up challenge! No, it’s not a mis-print, your challenge is to do 100 press ups. There are two options: Option 1Do two press ups then rest for five seconds, then do three press ups and rest for another five seconds. Keep going 4/5/6/7 resting for five seconds in between each set. When you get to 7 press ups you are allowed to rest for 10 seconds in between each rep.8/9/10/11/12/13 – by the time you’ve completed 13 you will have done 90 press ups so you only have to do 10 more to complete 100!!! Option 2 – (the header option)You’ll need a back garden or safe place in the park…
Nigel’s Friday Challenge (2)
It’s Friday again so here’s this week’s challenge – all set to music!! Select your favourite song/record (it must have at least two verses and a chorus, preferably three of each)Look at the video of Alex – you need the 3rd and 4th exercises in his video routine. https://bratclub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/alex_clegg_core_ex_1.mp4 The 3rd exercise shows him doing alternate squat thrusts, the 4th shows him doing ‘flutter kicks’ Start your music; whilst the verse is playing you have to do the alternate squat thrusts (look how Alex’s knees drive through and his back is as straight as he can get it)… Keep going until the chorus kicks in – flip over onto your back and do the flutter kick exercise (straight legs, back flat on the floor with your shoulders ever so slightly raised off the floor). DO NOT bend your knees, your legs must be straight with your feet pulled back slightly…
Nigel’s Friday Challenge (1)
Welcome to the first in the series of Nigel’s Friday Challenge. ‘Double Maths’ Oh yes, it’s the dreaded double maths session on a Friday! Before attempting the exercises please make sure you have warmed up and stretched – you won’t be able to do them without warming up properly. Exercise 1Take a look at the video clip of Alex;https://bratclub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/alex_clegg_core_ex_1.mp4 The last exercise he does is a ‘Side raise’. One hand on the floor, straight arm to keep the body up, opposite arm up in the air, one leg sitting on top of the other, hips raised up (not sagging in the middle) and his body is straight (head and feet are in a straight line).Once in this position you have to raise the top leg (as Alex does) and hold that position whilst reciting the 4 x table. In other words;Leg up, and shout out “1 x 4 = 4, 2…