u/ghostmark2005

Yo, I'm already a LM instructor but am picking up body pump in September

My question, how much do you take the weights down when instructing pump?

I find so many people try to lift way too heavy in pump at the cost of their form.

Hi about 20-25 years ago I went to a zoo in the Netherlands

while I was staying in Munster, Germany we drove to a zoo in the Netherlands, my memory is patchy but I recall there being different zones, a bit like the eden centre in Cornwall but with animals as well, my only memory is of seeing a lizard in a desert type area running around.

Can anyone help with what zoo this may have been? Id love to take my family there one day

Will try and keep this long story short lol

Family of 5, eldest about to turn 18 and start uni but living at home..the other two secondary and primary

This is a weird question, at what point do you just ask your 18+ year old if they wish to come on holiday (*if they still live with you) with you anymore? And give them freedom of choice?

We booked a holiday to Europe next summer completely forgetting by which point she's actually and adult and has freedom of choice, she's very grateful and kinda treats it as she has to come as I didn't even ask her, but I mentioned going somewhere much hotter in August 2028 for one of my landmark birthdays and she hates the heat and doesn't enjoy the travelling I just feel weird giving her the choice to come or not come, whether I should respect her wishes as an adult and take the holiday with the other 3 people in the family anyway if she's says no and try and offer an alternative or just not go at all.

as the 2028 holiday is for a landmark birthday I don't want to put her on the spot.

I genuinely don't even know how to ask this! It's this weird tug of war between not leaving my little girl out of a family holiday and missing her but also respecting she is now an adult and can choose to come with us or not. I also don't want to give her the choice and she assumes it's because I don't want her there! But I also have the other two kids.

Any other parents of soon to be adults or adults gone through this?

Thanks

VA

LHR - MIA 19th July

MIA - LHR 2nd August

Adult 1 - Points to pay for ticket

Adult 2 - Reward voucher to pay for flight

Children 1 2 and 3 paid full ticket price no points used

Household account shows 0 air miles for all persons including the full price tickets

Return is not on there yet due to being within 7 days

Just phoned Virgin Atlantic and they advised that because one voucher was used and some points on one booking then nobody on the booking gets airmiles at all, INCLUDING the 3 children who I paid full price for.

She put me on hold when I queried this and then we "got cut off"

Does this sound correct? I've looked online to try and find the source for this but have been unable to.

Thanks

VA

LHR - MIA 19th July

MIA - LHR 2nd August

Adult 1 - Points to pay for ticket

Adult 2 - Reward voucher to pay for flight

Children 1 2 and 3 paid full ticket price no points used

Household account shows 0 air miles for all persons including the full price tickets

Return is not on there yet due to being within 7 days

Just phoned Virgin Atlantic and they advised that because one voucher was used and some points on one booking then nobody on the booking gets airmiles at all, INCLUDING the 3 children who I paid full price for.

She put me on hold when I queried this and then we "got cut off"

Does this sound correct? I've looked online to try and find the source for this but have been unable to.

Thanks

Deficit for 3 months at 1800kcal got me down to 69.5-70kg before vacation from 75kgs.

I diet hard to ensure I can enjoy myself while on holiday and I understand the weight gain is usually water weight etc from salt and carbs, I'm not worried about weight gain at all.

I'm currently on an 8 day cruise. I am tee total and don't drink alcohol, just eating off plan.

However does anyone else REALLY struggle with bloat, water retention and feeling disgusting just 2-3 days in?

I had visible abs, was lean etc before I left home, it's been one week and I look like I've never even seen the inside of a gym before, I'm bloated and round and puffy everywhere, my stomach, sides, chest, but not my legs or back. I can post before and after pics, it's insane the difference in just 2 days.

I feel like I go to all this work to look good on vacation and the minute I eat off plan I swell up like a bulbous balloon.

I see all these dudes similar build to me before I left home with plates of desserts and drinking cocktail after beer after wine and they all remain lean and in shape.

I am curious as to whether this could be a food intolerance as opposed to simply bloat from salty food, my wife is always the first to say it's in my head but she's noticed how bad I've puffed and bloated up as well.

I've been drinking tonnes of peppermint tea and water in between meals and nothing is budging, been running, using the gym etc but my stomach and chest look like I've spent the last year eating nothing but cake - it's so bad I had to buy a top top wear in the swimming pool because it's so embarrassing!

Any other fellow sufferers?

I'm not sold on it,

Any other instructors feeling the same?

Will throw myself at it and give it the energy participants deserve but hmm

I have been a BC instructor since March 2024 and absolutely love it

I'm a cover instructor for 4 gyms in my area and generally get good feedback

After the correct time has passed I teach 1-7 tracks for a 45 minute class, I always keep the current warm up to ease people in and mix the rest up.

I always give different levels, show technique, pre cue and slow right down if people can't follow. I take pride in teaching properly.

I taught at a club for the first time on Monday and it was the worst experience.

Before I started the class knew I was new, one older lady said "you're not one of those people that teaches different stuff are you? We like to do the same release constantly so we know it off by heart and learn it"

Great...

I did 106 warmup then my favourite track 2 from 93.

I then did track 3 from 101.

By track 3 four of the class participants starting literally stropping at me in the front rows waving their arms at me, tutting, ignoring my coaching and doing their own thing. Some at the back actively went and sat down and gave up.

I then switched back to 106 for track 5 and said I'll go back to current release but even that didn't work, they were still giving me the same attitude!

By track 7 half way through I jokingly said "don't worry guys after today you'll never have to see me again!" And it got some laughs at least

I was shaking with like nerves and anxiety by track 6 though because it just felt like such a disaster!

When I left I asked reception where they want me to send an invoice and she said "oh....oh....are you that new cover instructor?...oh" in like a secretive hushed way, I dare say because the stroppy participants had immediately gone to complain about me.

Add to this it's now been a week and despite three nudges and 2 promises they still haven't informed me how to submit an invoice so I can get paid...

So I did what another instructor suggested, "stay with where you're adored" and went back to my regulars and it was great! I thought this was lovely advice and they can unfortunately go back to having no cover instructor and doing virtual training because they can't get cover instructors to stay!!

I'm also not sure I agree with just doing the same release to release constantly, the idea of exercise is to get you moving and challenge you, not to learn it off by heart better than the instructor?

Hi

Going on allure 25th July

Have sailed Anthem, Freedom and Independence

In my experience I've enjoyed all the food on the ships from the variety of food in windjammer to service in main dining room to the pizzas and sandwiches in the promenade cafes

My wife has seen posts recently that are worrying us a little bit that the food is terrible on Allure and a huge let down compared to other ships and several of the recent reviews of allure are not too amazing

I'm not super fussy with food, we are only doing the mason jar and Jonny rockets for our first ever paid for dining. I genuinely like the pizza from sorentos and, alright I do find a lot of the desserts look amazing but taste the same but are we in for a huge let down?

Any positive stories about food on the allure?

Thanks!

We have such little room at home has anyone had success with a compact set up or garden set up?

Thanks

I need to know if I imagined this as a child,

In the 90s I used to be taken to a swimming pool in Broxbourne, I remember some weird spiral ramp down to the pool, there was a soft play above or near to being over the swimming pool and one of those retro kids sit in machines where you could watch a looney toons video for like a £1 or something similar

I'm also trying to find a soft play I remember going to on the 90s in and around Fairlop Waters and struggling

I've been googling around and I can't seem to find any record of this place?

Hey all

I am trying to work on flexibility

I'm working on hamstrings and using a belt/ band to help while laying flat to ensure my back isn't taking the stretch

For years I thought I could touch my toes, wrong, I was rounding my back to touch them

I can do RDLs and get hip hinge absolutely fine and feel the good stretch in my hamstring and butt sticks out like it should, I've been deadliftiing and RDLing for years and have pretty decent legs (if I may say so myself) so I'm not worried about strength.

But any other varieties of sitting hamstring stretch I absolutely cannot get the disconnect between sinking belly buttons to leg or bringing chest down instead of forward AND not rounding the upper back, I end up with this rigid stiff sitting up straight back unable to move forward stretch thing as I find it impossible not to round my upper back to sink my chest even with my leg bent or straight

I definitely need to learn how and watching videos all the people seem to be able to bend at the hip while sitting down and my lower back just seems to be static and frozen?

Anyone had the same before?

I have never been more disappointed in being a customer of Virgin and Virgin Atlantic.

Our flight to Miami has been changed twice with no warning. I discovered today our flight has been changed again to a different flight, different time and different seat configuration.

I have three children with Charcot Marie tooth disease, muscular dystrophy and two with autism. We were assured by special assistance (three times!) that we had seating together beside toilets due to incontinence and bladder urgency and motion sickness due to having previously been put at the rear of the plane. They also require a higher level of parental care.

It was sheer luck I checked today to find our flight had completely changed to an earlier one and we had been put all over the place in the plane, all separate.

This is the third time this has happened to us, last year and this year on different bookings.

We spoke to VA who initially said there was nothing they could do until I responded this was unacceptable and causing an enormous amount of stress.

They moved us to different seats on the outbound, not together anymore instead 3 in front and 2 behind.

While I appreciated the gesture, I shouldn't have to have gone through this stress and being told that 'Virgin wont do anything' about my complaint.

VA rep also informed us that she has experience of travelling with disabilities, but the attitude seemed to be we just had to accept it and deal with this level of service.

To sum up our experience since returning to Virgin last year so far, we had no kids meals on our outbound flight to Tampa last year despite them being booked meaning our 8 year old with muscular dystrophy had no food except for left over adult meals (of which she only ate the bread) we had a flight time change last year causing our seats to all be moved and us separated I had to phone up again and be moved.

Virgin Atlantic then lost our car seat on the return flight and I had to wait hours to be issued a new one after an overnight flight with no sleep.

This year I have had two flight changes with seat movements with no warning, I've had to change hotel and car parking and hire bookings twice and I have absolutely no confidence or faith in Virgin that it won't change again.

As a parent that works in the public sector with three disabled children it takes me a lot of work and overtime to save up for a holiday like this, and both years now Virgin have caused undue stress, upset and frustration.

I was a loyal Virgin Credit Card, Red, Atlantic and Holiday fan but after this experience I have lost all trust, confidence and faith in Virgin and I will revert to other carriers.

I do not want more virgin air mile or red points as compensation, I am brand fatigued and cannot trust that a future booking with virgin will not just cause more upset and stress.