Thinking about doing your first triathlon?

Very Exciting! My new book is done and available for purchase as an Ebook!

Click here to purchase NOW

Last year my training partner and I, Erika Lilley, started writing a book about training for a triathlon. We wanted to include EVERYTHING we knew as triathletes ourselves and coaches. Through our own experience as triathletes, coaching other triathletes and attending courses and certifications on training for triathlon we have figured out the most effective training programs to have your best performance and stay injury free throughout your training. We included it all in this book!

Click Here to Purchase Now!

If 2008 is the year you will do your first triathlon, you cannot start training without getting this book. Included in this book is-

• Planning your season and setting your goals


• A complete 24 week Triathlon Training Program- exactly what to do every day to complete your tri


• 24 weeks of endurance specific strength training workouts complete with pictures and descriptions


• Flexibility for triathletes, what to include and what not to include


• Getting the right gear- what not to forget


• Nutrition and hydration- both the basics and what to do to ensure optimal performance


• Preventing and treating injuries


• How to have optimal recovery and get the most out of your training


• What to expect on race day

Currently available as an Ebook, Click here to start reading immediatley and start training for your first triathlon!

My niece, my inspiration

My niece, Marie, was born with cerebral palsy. She was born 3 months premature and came into this world determined. When she was diagnosed, the doctor said - "See how she doesn't move one leg and then the other." Well, within the week she was moving one leg and then the other. Then it was that she couldn't go from kneeling to up on her knees and once again she was kneeling no problem within the week. It was like she just needed to hear what she couldn't do and she was determined to prove them wrong. After being told she would never be able to get around on her own she now, using a walker and with braces on, gets around with no problem.

Marie is 5 years old and after having some doctors say she'll never walk on her own without a walker, we as her family know Marie better than that. She is now in an intensive physical therapy to learn to walk on her own and it is amazing. I went to watch her and she is determined to walk. She works with the therapist for 3 hours at a time. She does squats and leg lifts and wears a suit that provides just enough support so she can walk around in it and then they release the support a little at a time until she'll be walking on her own. At the end of a physical therapy session her little legs are shaking and she is exhausted. We have already seen her progress in such a short period of time. It is amazing how the human body responds and adapts to the demands placed on it- just goes to show anything is possible!

Nothing will stop my niece as she grows up and overcomes the obstacles she has been faced with at such a young age. She is always asking me to go exercise and I take her up to our home gym where she has a circuit of exercises she goes through and she loves it! So next time you think about skipping a workout or you just don't feel like training, think about my 5 year old niece who works out 3 hours at a time until her legs shake to one day be able to walk, something most of us take for granted. Get out and move!

She inspires me everyday!

Cable Tv or Fitness?

Why is it that cable TV, luxury car payments and Starbucks have become necessities in the households of most Americans but a gym membership and especially a personal trainer has not made it into that list of necessities yet? A personal trainer is still considered by most a “luxury” item.

Basic cable is currently $50.00/month, average car payment is $500/month and a daily Starbucks runs someone at $120.00/month ($4 a day) and most households manage to fit these in their budget as if they were a necessity.

Let’s face it if we were talking necessity we would all be driving a compact economical car which would get us from point A to point B for under $200 a month. Instead when you drive around my town you see every luxury vehicle there is and most with a monthly payment of well over $500 a month. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a problem with driving a nice car with a steep price tag at all. A nice car makes you feel good and I am all about feeling good but don’t say this $500 plus payment is a necessity and then tell me you can’t afford a personal trainer.

The average personal trainer charges $50.00 an hour. Meet them once a month and you’ll have someone designing a fitness program for you, providing accountability, and helping you to completely change your life. What price do you put on that? It amazes me that people will prioritize their cable TV or their luxury vehicle over their health and fitness.

I have seen people drive up to our gym in their Mercedes(again nothing against driving a Mercedes) and come in to get information and tell me it is too expensive at $219.00/ month which includes 4 fitness coaching sessions, an individualized program and a gym membership. I have to hold back from asking them how much that nice car in the parking lot costs them per month…

The idea for this article came from a client, who has lost 60 pounds and feels great, who said, “I have been a member now for 5 years working out consistently, you guys are in my monthly budget like my car payment or my electric bill. Paying you is just as much a necessity. I’ll get rid of our cable TV before I would give this up.”

This got me thinking that more people need to have that attitude. The national weight loss registry just came out with the statistic that 62% of people successful at weight loss watch less than 10 hours of TV a week and 90% exercise regularly.

Hmmm...Is it any mystery that most of America is obese watching over 10 hours a week of TV and can't find time or money to hire a personal trainer for 3 hours a week? When will fitness be in everyone's monthly budget as a neccessity?

What a weekend!

This past weekend was a great weekend for the clients I work with. I had a client compete in her first figure competition and place 4th! She looked great and I was so proud of her. Congratulations Twyla!

It was so great to see her get on stage and accomplish her goal. I met her in March of this year when she told me her goal was to get in shape to get on stage and do a Figure Competition and fit in on stage.

She not only did that but she placed 4th in her class! She looked amazing!

I am so proud of her!

Also this weekend we had our first Results Fitness 5K team complete their first 5K! There were 16 people who all did really great! We had a great time watching each of them accomplish their goal on Sunday! Congratulations guys! You did great!

My Ironman will be on TV on Sunday!

They are showing footage of the Ironman I did in July this Sunday. Maybe I'll have a cameo... Watch for me in this outfit-

Tune in on Sunday on television on Versus at 1pm Pacific.

Check your local listings for times.

Have a great weekend!

On adrenal holiday...

I am addicited to caffeine. Yes, I, Rachel Cosgrove am a caffeine addict. I have been working on an elimination plan for my clients at the gym to follow and I have always said that having 1-2 cups of coffee with protein is allowed. Well, after discussing this with various people in the industry and reading the research I have come to the conclusion that for most people eliminating caffeine for a period of time to give your adrenals a break is beneficial and is something my clients and myself should do every once in awhile.

No big deal- I'll eliminate caffeine, I can't be that addicted to it...I woke up and didn't know what to do with myself since I usually sit and sip my coffee while reading emails. Instead I decided I would go for a run to wake myself up. The headache hit and got worse and worse as the day went on. I ended up napping for a few hours- I was having major withdrawals! It was bad. Didn't know I was so addicted but I suppose that means I should definitley come off of it for a period of time.

Hope my adrenals are enjoying their holiday!!

Luck = Hard Work + Opportunity

10 Weeks post Ironman and a trip to Scotland, a trip to Paris and a trip to the Virgin Islands later... In the last 10 weeks since my Ironman I have been travelling quite a bit and haven't really stopped.

Scotland and Paris were both vacation and some networking with people in the industry. Infact, I'll be doing a seminar in the UK on December 8th in the NewCastle area speaking about Strength Training for Women. If you are in the UK I'll keep you posted on my newsletter but keep December 8th clear.

The Virgin Islands, believe it or not, was all work :)
Seriously, I have a client who lives there who flys me out to work with her a couple times a year. She is training for a figure competition in November. I'll have pics of her after her November show when she takes the stage for the first time. In the mean time I lucked out that she lives in The Virgin Islands so I get to enjoy the surroundings while I am there.

Another trainer said to me- "Wow! Your lucky! How do you get a client like that?" To be honest I have been working as a trainer now for 10 years and at least 6-7 of those years I worked split shifts seeing 5am clients through to 7pm clients. I trained as many people as I could, read every training book I could and went to every seminar I could attend. I still continue to read and learn and I have worked very hard to become good at what I do. Opportunities will come to you if you work hard and stay focused on becoming the best in your field. Have you ever heard the saying, "Luck is hard work meeting up with opportunity." You could say I was "lucky" that she found me, but I believe I worked hard to get to this point in my career and was ready for the opportunity.