The bit of Kevin Sinfield's week you can copy
Kevin Sinfield just ran seven ultramarathons in seven days. The useful bit for you is that he wasn’t on his own.
He finished at Old Trafford on Saturday, carrying the trophy out ahead of the Grand Final. He’d set off from Hull on 27 September and called in at all 12 English Super League grounds on the way, all of it for Rob Burrow and the MND community.
Most of us read something like that and file it under “not for me”, which I understand. But it was never a solo effort; he had company along the way, including Gareth Southgate and Josh Warrington, and there’s some Oxford research suggesting that might be worth more than a nice touch.
In 2009, Emma Cohen, Robin Dunbar and colleagues had 12 Oxford Boat Race rowers do four 45-minute sessions, two in a group of six and two on their own. The effort was the same, but they could put up with a tightening blood pressure cuff for longer after the group sessions, which the researchers put down to endorphins released when people move in time together.
I know the benefit of group training only too well, having done CrossFit for the past 10 years. I also see it play out every week in my CommFit classes, where people regularly do more than they thought they were capable of.
And so if you keep stalling when you train on your own, borrowing other people may be the cheapest fix there is: a friend or a class, anything that means someone notices if you don’t turn up.
So who’s the person who gets you training on the days you’d rather not bother?
A quote worth sitting with
“We’re enjoying going through some tough times together, but the best friendships are often forged by going through some tough moments.”
— Kevin Sinfield, speaking to Sky Sports during his first Ultra 7 in 7 in 2022
The Saturday Standard
Seven blocks
Every 7 minutes, for 7 rounds:
- 1km run
- 14 kettlebell swings (24/16kg)
- Max burpees until the clock hits 6:00
- Rest 1 minute, then start the next round
Your score is your total burpees across all 7 rounds. And if you can, do it with someone next to you.
Come and borrow some people
If this week’s got you thinking about who you train with, CommFit is the easiest place to start. There are three classes a week at Rectory Hall Community Lounge in Whickham (NE16 4LP): Monday and Wednesday at 7pm and Friday at 6am.
Everything scales, so a complete beginner trains next to someone who’s been coming for months, and both get a proper session. Your first class is free and so is your friend’s first class, so bring the person who’d otherwise talk you out of it. It takes two minutes to book at stuart-white.co.uk/group-classes.
And if you’re not local, or you’d rather train one to one, I do that too. Personal training in my garage studio in Whickham is £35 an hour, and online coaching plans your whole week in the app for £40 a week, with the first week free.