Juggling training as a parent can be a tough call for some, so what do you do?

It’s hard to believe it, but it’s the final episode of the current season of UR Podcast!

See how we said ‘current’ season? You know we’ll be back for more after this one.

For our last stint behind the microphones, we’re diving into the challenges and strategies of maintaining a fitness routine as a parent. It’s not easy. Nobody ever said it would be. As dads of four and one respectively, Andy and Ken are well-versed in carving out time to train as a parents, much like many of UR community.

As life for some turns to parenthood, the juggling of work, family duties and limited personal time can become harder, so what do you do?

We’ll touch on fitness as a family, staying accountable and motivated, and adapting routines to fit your life, ultimately meeting you where you’re at in your journey as a parent.

All that said, it’s just about mothers and fathers – this one’s for the aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, neighbours and all those who play their part in parenting.

Give it a listen, leave your thoughts with a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and we’ll see you on the mats later!

PS: We’ll be back with details of the next season in a few weeks. In the meantime, what have you thought of this one?

To find out more about Urban Gym, visit UrbanGym.ie or find us on social media.

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If there's one thing that is deemed to go hand in hand with sport, with training, with gym work or gym life, it's injury. For some, it's major - broken bones here, dislocations there, a trip to A&E here, surgery there.

For others, it can be minor - a bump, a bruise, a scrape, a sprain, an ache, all of which you try and ensure don't develop into something more.

But no matter how big or small, one thing's for certain - injuries aren't any fun and can be hugely frustrating, regardless of what level of fitness you're at. From preventing or restricting certain movements, to keeping you off your feet for days, weeks or even months, the impact of any injury can be huge and long-lasting.

So, how do we combat injury? Or more to the point, if we're being met where we're at, how do we assess our injury and train around or through it?

Injury can come to us all, and through it, we can become more resilient, more robust. Just ask Coach Andy, who went from operating full tilt to barely mustering 3,000 steps in a day off the back of spinal surgery.

On this episode,e we'll talk about that injury journey and, backed by our 'do no harm' rule when it comes to coaching, look at how we can navigate training pre, through and post injury.

Here's to our penultimate episode, and remaining (relatively) injury-free!

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts, and if you've got 30 seconds to spare, consider leaving a review or five-star rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Much like training through injury, every little helps!

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On this edition of UR Podcast, we're talking all about training through pregnancy.

For some, it's the most wonderful of times, for others, it can be far from rainbows and butterflies, and anything but enjoyable.

So when it comes to pregnancy, however, how and where does training fit in? Should you train? Why should you train? Are you training to prepare your body for a pregnancy journey, are you training while pregnant, or are you looking to get back on the mats post-natal? Can you still lift? Should you really be running? What kind of exercises and movements are good for me, or what should I avoid? What are my coaches going to know about or even care about? So many questions!

Thankfully, through UR coaches' own training and development, along with the lived experiences of UR community members on the gym floor, we hope this podcast will bring you some of the answers. From navigating training through different trimesters, to working with coaches to adapt movements and training plans as your body changes and adapts to pregnancy, to overcoming fear and uncertainty, there's a lot to discuss in a shade over 30 minutes.

We'll also hear from Anna May, Clodagh and Marina on this episode as they share some of their own thoughts around training during and post pregnancy, each very much with their own personal experience.

As always, when it comes to training pre, during or post pregnancy, as with all exercise, if you're in any doubt about your health, speak to your GP or a medical expert. For information on pregnancy including warning signs, health and lifestyle, food and drink, exercise and more, visit MyChild.ie.

And if you're a Dad-to-be, this one's for you too!

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Everyone's talking about HYROX and everyone seemingly wants a HYROX.

But what's it all about?

As a veteran of a few foreign HYROX events, this episode puts Andy under questioning as both a coach and participant to get into the nitty-gritty of the fitness world's obsession with all things HYROX.

What's involved in an event? Do you need to be fit and strong to take part? Just how do you train for a HYROX event? Is it just the latest 'shiny object'? What if someone comes along with an event that offers 7k runs instead of 8k runs? And why are we all going crazy for HYROX?

From chasing fads and trendy competitions to feeling industry pressure to move and adapt, there's a lot to unbox in this episode.

We're not saying functional fitness is being monopolised, but those patches are pretty sweet. It's all about balance in the end, right?

Whether you're considering a HYROX event, already have your patches from previous events, or you're in the business and wondering should you start hanging HYROX signs in your gym, give this a listen and get our take on it all.

Dubbed as 'the World Series of fitness racing', you can find more about HYROX by visiting hyrox.com and of course, closer to home, you can find out more about Urban Gym by visiting urbangym.ie.

Got 30 seconds to spare? Leave a review of the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you do your podcast listening.

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Grief.

It's something we'll all experience at some point in our lives, no matter how big or small.

Whether through human connection, business, sport or beyond, grief can take many forms, and for each of us, the journey is personal, unique. We'll stress too that we're not grief experts, but through learned experience, we know how grief can deeply impact someone's fitness journey. It's a missed goal, a championship lost, the passing of a loved one or maybe an opportunity never realised.

While our previous episodes have taken in a broader (and lighter) discussion over taking UR first steps and training for life, this week's episode is a personal one that leans into one aspect of the latter with Andy unfolding the passing of his father in 2024, spinal surgery, balancing family, business and health. From the importance of self-awareness, knowing when to slow down and push forward in different areas of life, there's a lot to navigate.

Sure, training can help, sometimes just moving forward can help, physically and emotionally, but we know it's not a cure-all. That's why we're talking training 'through' grief. The journey is short for some, ongoing for others.

If you're impacted by any of the discussion in this week's episode, visit Aware.ie, consider talking to Samaritans on freephone 116 123 or free-text HELLO to 50808 for anonymous chat with a trained volunteer.

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Hands up if you’re reading this and think you need to get fit and get in shape *before* you go to a gym or take up a new sport or class.

When you think about it, does that seem a little backwards to you?

For many people engaging with a gym, class, training group or sport of any size, the first step can often be the most difficult. How do you cross that white line? What does it take to get through the front door for the first time? What about sending that email, that message, making that phone call? Last episode, we spoke about training for life, but you can’t train for life unless you take the first step on your journey, and that can look different for everyone. It can be intimidating.

In this episode, we’ll look at how we help people take their first steps from an Urban Gym perspective and how that first step stretches into other areas of life. We’re meeting people where they’re at and it’s out job to support you on your journey, make sure you’re comfortable, you’re welcomed, you feel safe in your space and that your first step leads to a second, a third, and more.

We’ll touch on managing expectations, maintaining motivation, and whether someone stays for a season or a lifetime, the goal is always the same - leave you feeling better than when you came in.

Ultimately, we believe in doing work we enjoy with people who lift us up—and that mindset drives everything we do.

So how are you going to take your first step?

For more, visit UrbanGym.ie or email info@urbangym.ie to take your first step today.

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Where our first episode of this season brought us on a whistle-stop tour of where Urban Gym has been over the past five or six years, this episode explores the theme of training for life.

Meeting people where they're at is a core philosophy of the gym and business, and with this conversation, it's about meeting people where they're at in life and training for just that - living.

Why do we train the way we train? Why do we look towards certain pieces of equipment? What benefit is a hinge movement? How do we learn to pick things up and carry them safely, and why do we do it in the first place?

Then ask yourself, would you rather be the oldest person in the gym, or the youngest person in the old folks' home?

In the second of eight episodes this season, Urban Gym's Andy Murphy, alongside Ken McGuire, dip into these talking points and more over the course of a half hour. Keep your eyes peeled for part three on April 16th where we look at how training for life works only when you take UR first step.

Like what you hear? Learn more by visiting urbangym.ie or if you'e got questions to pose, email info@urbangym.ie.

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A lot's happened in the past few years, hasn't it?

When we (as in Andy and Ken) first got together for UR Podcast, we were sat in a relatively newly-opened Urban Gym, complete with a viewing area for grappling and MMA. Remember those days?

We shared the couch with an Olympic swimmer, a former Irish rugby international, a local business owner, had a few rolls and chats with Pat Divilly and more. Then COVID hit, so we jumped online to chat with MMA coaches and athletes, musicians, chefs, strongmen and dip a little more into the Urban Gym story.

That was from 2019 through 2021. Now, four years on, we're back and bringing the heat with a brand new eight-part season that's meeting you where you're at when it comes to all things health and fitness. From taking your first steps into a gym environment to training for a particular event (hello, HYROX), to training as a parent, through grief, and training for life and beyond, we've got a lot to talk about. After all, it's been a few years since the mics were switched on.

So, to get us up to speed, we're spending the first episode of the new season talking all things Urban Gym, revisiting some of the origin story and looking at how the physical space, business and mindset has shifted and grown over the intervening years.

Subscribe for free today on all major platforms and check out our website urbangym.ie for more.

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