Megan Jackson, Author at University of Birmingham Sport & Fitness

Meet Our Members: Katie Mole, Rowing Regatta Medallist

Rowing club member and full-time postgraduate medical student, Katie, Mole, recently saw saw incredible success after being selected to represent Great Britain at the May International Wedau Regatta in Duisburg, Germany!

Katie competed in the Senior Women’s Double Sculls category and secured a silver and bronze medal over the two days of the competition. She competed alongside athlete Rebecca Wilde for the first time, after being on the same development programme for a number of years. After returning to full-time study over the last nine months, she had to work incredibly hard balancing her academics alongside club and gym training. We caught up with her to learn more about her impressive schedule.

Katie Mole (left) and Rebecca Wilde (right)

What does a typical day look like for you?

Typically, my day begins bright and early at 06:00am, heading to the gym to train on the rowing machine with the University Boat Club. Following this, I study in the medical school for most of the day, from 09:00am-05:00pm. I then head back to the gym for a weights or cardio session before going home to finish the day by refuelling and completing any university work at home.

How do you stay motivated to stick to your schedule?

Although this is a pretty gruelling schedule, it’s made easier by how friendly the gym staff are at Sport and Fitness. I’m always greeted by a friendly face or an interested question about how my training is going.

Who have been key supporters in your journey?

In particular, Joe Blacker has gone above and beyond to help me with my strength and conditioning work, taking on the role of a fantastic coach, and getting me to the strongest I’ve ever been, which was instrumental in facilitating my selection for international racing. I also owe a big thanks to the other athletes and coaches in the boat club for their continued support. Having enjoyed my first experience of racing in GB kit I’m excited to continue to improve and see what’s in store for the rest of the season and beyond.

Katie will also be racing at Henley Regatta at the end June which is one of the most prestigious rowing events, where she hopes to see even more successes!

Feel inspired to use our facilities to help you achieve your goals? We have a range of membership types to suit your preferences!

May 25, 2023May 25, 2023 Megan Jackson

Events

Brum in the Lakes: Experience the Outdoors

Brum in The Lakes | Experience the Outdoors

Last week, staff from across Sport & Fitness experienced a different kind of sporting environment, with a trip to the Raymond Priestly Centre in the Lake District.

The facility, which is a part of the University of Sport offering for students, is a multi-award winning outdoor education centre situated on the tranquil Coniston Water.

Staff from Performance Sport to Marketing, Club Development to Operations had a 24-hours that will live long in the memory – with one member of staff making their first return to the Raymond Priestley Centre in 20 years!

With rowing, sailing, climbing, hiking, gorge walking and much more on offer, the group experienced some of the centre’s outdoor pursuits for themselves.

Alongside the fun, were dedicated team building tasks spanning the beautiful Cumbrian surroundings, as the group collectively conquered land and water in a points-led orienteering exercise.

Fully-catered and will ample sleeping options, including two Yurts – the team returned to Birmingham with plenty of takeaways from an event-filled 24 hours.

A big thanks to Deborah Cook and her team based in Coniston who each year continue to offer seasonal activities and educational opportunities for University of Birmingham students and staff.

Take a look for yourself with our gallery of some of our best photos!

Find out more about the Raymond Priestly Centre and the incredible sporting experience it offers!

May 16, 2023May 25, 2023 Megan Jackson

Events Student News

From Pool to Podium: Making history at the British Swimming Championships

3 British titles, 7 finals appearances, 8 personal bests, 7 University records and a call up from the GB team- our Swimming Squad made some strong waves at the British Swimming Championships.

10 of our swimmers headed up to Pond Forge, Sheffield, from the 4-9 April 2023 to compete in 19 individual events. The outcome was incredible from the very first day, topping it off with our showstopper Scholar Ollie Morgan who made British history!

Read on for a breakdown of the headline performances from across the week.

DAY ONE

The squad didn’t waste any time, heading straight in with some strong swims. Following promising performances in the heats, scholar and sports coaching student Ollie Morgan gave a showstopper swim, becoming the 2^nd fastest male in British history in Men’s 50m Backstroke A final with an incredibly rapid time of 24.84, trimming off 0.23s from the heats. As it stands, this makes Ollie the 5^th fastest in the world and only the 3^rd ever Brit to go sub -25 seconds in his category!

The last time we saw a triple in Backstroke events was Marco Loughran back in 2007.

Chemistry student and scholar Lucy Cannavan gave an impressive performance, improving from the heats (32.33) to finals (31.98), claiming 5^th place in the Women’s 50m Breaststroke A final with a new personal best. Sam Neeld jumped from 19^th in the heats to 2^nd place in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke priority Paris final with a brilliant time of 1:03.29, also unlocking a new club record and new personal best!

Ollie Morgan. Credit: BUCS Photography

Lucy Cannavan. Credit: BUCS Photography

DAY Two

We saw more University records broken on the second day. Sam made it to the priority Paris finals for the second time, securing first place in the 50m Breaststroke, completing the swim in 28.42 seconds. Ollie saw his second gold medal of the competition, with a 53.92 swim in Men’s 100m Backstroke.

Sam Neeld. Credit: BUCS Photography

DAY SIX

Ollie and Lucy made a splash in their final races, with an exceptional gold finish from Ollie in the Men’s 200m Backstroke ‘A’ Final, and Lucy securing first place in Women’s 100m Breaststroke priority Paris Final. Further University records were broken, raising the bar for our Lions!

Lucy shares how her performance exceeded her expectations at the British Championships:

‘After having 2 PBS at BUCS, I wasn’t really expecting to go much quicker, but to have 2 PBS from champs was a really good achievement.’

The rest of the squad gave an incredible effort and some memorable swims, with Adrian Ting also securing a new personal best for his 50m Butterfly.

Selected to represent Great Britain

With the British Swimming Championships playing a key role in the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka in July, Ollie’s powerful performance earned him a well-deserved spot on the GB team. We look forward to seeing him recognised at international level, with the team putting Birmingham firmly on the map!

Ollie reflects on his incredible achievements and selection for the world Championships.

‘Over the moon! Quite speechless, all the hard work we’ve put in has come together and to be selected for my first British team is quite overwhelming, but I am really excited to get out there.’

With this being the team’s 4th successful meet in a row with PB’s lowering consistently across most of the team, Head of Swimming Gary reflects on the teams’ successes.

‘I was really impressed, they kept the momentum going in a high-pressure environment, producing some top-class performances. Training was very focused on each individuals’ events, and it transferred really well to the competition’.

To keep up to date with all the action, make sure to follow the dedicated UoB Swimming Squad account.

Find out more about our 50m swimming pool and how you can get involved!

April 21, 2023April 27, 2023 Megan Jackson

7 blueberry muffins on a plate dusted with icing sugar

Nutrition

Spring Recipe: Blueberry Oat Muffins

Need something to satisfy your sweet tooth? These tasty homemade muffins recommended by our Nutritionist are a great balance of sweet and nutritious. They make for the perfect breakfast, snack or desert!

Serving: 12 muffins

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

175ml full fat milk
100ml vegetable oil
75g honey
1 egg
200g plain flour
50g rolled oats
2.5 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp cinnamon
Zest of an orange
175g fresh blueberries

How to make your blueberry oat muffins

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 180c (fan)

Step 2 :

Add all your wet ingredients (milk, honey, oil and egg) to a jug and whisk until combined

STEP 3:

Mix together the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl

Step 4:

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until they are fully combined and smooth

Step 5:

Put 12 muffin cases into a muffin tin and spoon the mixture into them equally.

Step 6:

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until golden and springy to the touch

RECIPE BENEFITS

MEAL PREP

These muffins are an excellent form of meal prep when made in bulk. Simply grab one on your way out the house or for on the go to keep you energised in your physical activities.

FUEL

This recipe provides good source of carbohydrates to resupply energy after a training session.

ADDITIONS

Want to bump up the nutritional value a little more? Add a protein source such as Greek yoghurt, or a handful of raspberries to really feel the benefits of this sweet treat.

April 13, 2023April 19, 2023 Megan Jackson

Campaign

Goal-setting with Joe, Fitness Instructor

Goal-Setting with Joe, Fitness Instructor

We caught up with Joe, who has been working full time as a gym supervisor at UoB since 2019. Joe was also a student, graduating in 2018 with a degree and masters in Sport Science! After spending time as a Strength and Conditioning Coach for professional Rugby, and competing in weightlifting- Joe has a diverse background when it comes to Sport, Fitness, and goal-setting.

Where do you suggest people start when setting their goals?

Identify what it is you want to do! Goals need to be personal and stem from internal motives and not external. External motives can work over a short period of time, however internal motives that focus on yourself often lead to the best long term success.

I think it also helps to determine what is defined as ‘success’ for you, which is completely different for each person. With social media comparisons, we tend to view success as what others are showcasing rather than what applies to our own situations.

For example, comparing your lifting with an Olympic Champion weightlifter who has been in the sport since age 5 vs you beginning at 23 isn’t a fair comparison. You can apply zone of proximal development to this – setting a goal or picking something that is just outside your current situation and within reach.

What are your top tips for setting goals at the gym?

Follow the SMART principle:

Specific – give a real goal that’s tangible, for example I want to squat 100kg vs I want to squat more

Measurable – Can you measure your goal and make it tangible.

Attainable – Challenging but possible – zone of proximal development.

Realistic – Being honest with yourself or the fitness professional. Set a goal that you can realistically achieve, given your situation and time scale.

Time bound – put some form of deadline on it.

What do you think the benefits are to setting goals?

Goal setting provides structure and purpose to coming to the gym. It also gives you something to anchor onto. Normally when we set a goal, we naturally dial in other areas of our life too without realising. If the goal is weight loss, you may find you develop other skills too, like more creative cooking to help achieve that goal.

Depending on personality, some people enjoy structure and purpose. I personally am very routine orientated so I struggle to come to the gym if I don’t have a plan or something I’m working towards. Goals can also be anything – it doesn’t have to be a physical thing all the time, it could be simply trying to come 3x a week instead of 1x a week, or making a new social circle through classes.

Do you have any tips to help people to get motivated at the gym?

I think the strongest builder of motivation is achieving goals that you set, in turn that builds confidence and gives you a background of internal motivation you can use. You can set mini goals along the way to a larger goal that can work like checkpoints along the way. If you’re training for an endurance event and have 16 weeks to do so, having landmark goals at certain points that are realistic and can be achieved will keep the motivation going as you go through your training.

“Its working and you’re on track, keep going”.

You will also begin to see success from your own effort and that form of motivation is far better than anything else.

Is there any specific equipment/activity you would suggest starting with if you’re a beginner?

I recommend everyone, if possible, do some form of resistance training. There is a huge body of research (a lot from the School of SportExR at UoB) that shows how beneficial resistance training is to overall health ,and most importantly, healthy ageing.

If you are not sure where to start there are inductions, GGT classes for strength, and beginner specific sessions. If you want more of a personal touch, you can opt for a Personal Trainer in the gym.

Want to kick-start your goal-setting journey this year? Find out below how you can get more involved in Sport and Fitness with our membership options, and achieve your goals with our high-level facilities and fitness staff to guide you along the way!

EXPLORE our MEMBERSHIPS

March 29, 2023March 29, 2023 Megan Jackson

Member swimming in UoB Sport & Fitness pool

Member News Student News

Updated Swimming Pool Timetable

Our Swimming Pool timetable has been amended, and will take effect from Saturday 11 March 2023.

Changes are reflected below:

Saturday’s Deep & Shallow has been changed from 17:00-18:30 to 17:00-18:00

Saturday’s Shallow has been changed from 18:30-20:00 to 18:00-20:00

To keep up to date with any future changes, please make sure to reference the full pool timetable ahead of your sessions.

March 6, 2023March 8, 2023 Megan Jackson

Events Student News

Breaking Records at BUCS Nationals 2023

From the 24th-27th February, just under 100 of our students headed up to Sheffield to take part in the annual BUCS Nationals event for the 10th year. The weekend was an incredible success, with 24 medals secured, 211 BUCS points, new records including our first ever para medal for Athletics, and personal bests for some of our students, and an impressive mascot win from our beloved Rory!

Students competed in Athletics, Badminton, Climbing and Swimming to win medals and earn BUCS points.

ATHLETICS

It has been a huge weekend in the world of athletics, with a record medal haul of 15, ranking 2nd overall, and 130 BUCS points secured. In terms of individual medals, the athletics squad secured 7 gold medals, 5 silver and 3 bronze- breaking another record for most gold medals from the indoor championships.The competition continued right up to the very end, with 6 of the medals won within the final hour!

Our gold medallists are:

Didi Okoh (60m Ambulant, Long Jump), Josh Woods (Triple Jump), Cameron Bailey (400m), Harry Fisher (800m), Tyler Bilyard (1500m) and Elsa Palmer (300m)

Our silver medallists are:

Didi Okoh (Shot put Ambulant) Angel Diaz (60m Hurdles), Ore Adepegba (Long Jump), Kimani Jack (High Jump) and Archie Parkinson (800m)

Our bronze medallists are:

Emily Marmion-Willams (800m) and Saskia Millard (3000m), and a bronze for the Men’s 2x400m

TRIPLE MEDALLIST

On Friday, Didi Okoh won our first event Para medal for Birmingham in the 60m Ambulant event. She then added 2 more medals in the Long Jump and Shot Put giving the ladies over a third of their total points, and breaking a record for being a triple medallist at the indoors- a huge well done!

We can’t forget Rory who gave a pawfect performance in the mascot race, flying across the finish line at true lions speed- with an impressive time of 28.15 seconds.

CLIMBING

With 18 BUCS points secured, Ian Davis was awarded a bronze medal for Men’s Individuals, along with another bronze for the Men’s overall team. The Women’s Individual Team placed 7th!

BADMINTON

Badminton were awarded 5 BUCS points, with Shayne Wilson securing a bronze medal in singles! Both Shayne and Chad Warren reached the R16 in the Men’s Doubles.

SWIMMING

58 BUCS points were awarded to our swim team, with an overall position of 7th over the weekend. Two of our students secured a whole 6 medals between them!

Ollie Morgan and Lucy Jordan-Caws both excelled at the weekend, leaving the event as triple medallists! Ollie secured two gold and one silver medal in 100m ,200m and 50m backstroke respectively. Lucy secured two silver and one bronze medal in 50m free Multi class S 15, 100m Butterfly Multi class S 15 and 50m Butterfly Multi class S 15 respectively.

Sam Neeld also came 4th in the 50m Breaststroke final. 8 University records have been smashed and PBs hit across the group!

We are so proud of our Lions and their incredible achievements across all of the BUCS Nationals sports. With records broken, 24 medals, new personal bests, and a hefty number of BUCS points in the bag, it sure was a weekend to be remembered!

March 1, 2023March 9, 2023 Megan Jackson

Stack of 4 pancakes drizzled with maple syrup, and topped with blueberries and bananas on a red plate.

Nutrition

Tasty Protein Pancakes with a Sprinkle of Nutrition

Tasty Protein Pancakes With a Sprinkle of Nutrition

Pancake day, also known as ‘Shrove Tuesday’, is a day where many of us indulge in a stack (or three) of tasty fried batter, with a generous drizzle of your favourite toppings.

It’s a given that pancake day isn’t usually a day focused around nutrition, however for some, you want may plan your toppings and ingredients around your personal fitness and intake goals. Here is a recipe recommended by our Lead Sport Performance Nutritionist!