Meet Gregor Purcell
An ex Infantry man turned barrister
Gregor started his professional career in the Infantry, serving with the Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding) regiment. “I loved the group fitness environment in the army. There’s nothing like the ridicule of your team-mates or fellow soldiers to motivate you to push that little bit harder.” It was in the army that Gregor first discovered the Concept2. “Wherever you went, there was a Concept2. Even in the smallest outposts and bases we’d have an erg to work out on. They’re indestructible, need no external power and are suitable for all so I guess they were the perfect machine for us.”
Since leaving the army Gregor still uses the Concept2 as his training partner but acknowledges that maintaining fitness in civilian life without the support of the military machine is more challenging. And life as a barrister is especially testing when it comes to setting an exercise schedule.
“Being a Barrister, you’re self employed and there’s no fixed day to day schedule…and now that I’m out of the military there’s no-one telling you to go to the gym or worse still that your fitness has dropped below acceptable standards. Having no fixed schedule and no certainty of when work may start or finish, it’s difficult to raise your game to accommodate exercise in an ever changing daily routine. Prosecuting and defending in the Crown Court means I won’t know what the next day holds until 1730hrs when the lists are fixed. Sometimes this necessitates burning the midnight oil in order to be prepared for the following day. Sometimes it requires that and more. Cancelling engagements which may have been fixed for some time…and surprise, surprise, the gym is an easy casualty.” Gregor often finds himself being sent off to the far corners of the country with little or no time to get there. There’s a healthy degree of the unknown in what we do and not much notice as to where we’re meant to be or who we’re representing. Getting to Plymouth from Nottingham for a 10 am hearing the next day during a blizzard can pose a challenge. Fitting a run in after Court or before setting out is predictably tricky.” Luckily for Gregor there’s his trusty Concept2. “Owning a Concept2 has made the challenge that bit easier. Knowing how much benefit I can achieve in a short session and then having a goal to beat next time makes a big difference.” And Gregor’s even found a virtual regiment to test himself against again. “Knowing how well others are doing through the website allows you to gauge how well you’re doing…and it gives you the extra incentive to apply yourself to the uncomfortable part of the fitness routine. The element of competition through rower based gym and the ability to rate your performance brings an added dimension to working and training alone.”
And it’s not just Gregor that uses the Concept2 in his family. Two of his three children, Georgia (8) and Alec (7) use the Concept2 at school as part of the inter school challenge run by Indoor Sport Services. “They love using the machine and training with the rest of their team to compete against other schools around the country.”
Knowing how much benefit I can achieve in a short session and then having a goal to beat next time makes a big difference.
Gregor Purcell
Gregor also admits that the added benefit of owning his own Concept2 is that if he is at home looking after the children whilst wife Emma is out, he’s still able to squeeze in some exercise without having to head to the gym or out for a run.
And it’s not just maintaining fitness that Gregor uses his Concept2 for. He joined an innocuous sounding village running club in 2002. However since then it’s developed somewhat and has its own race each year…the “Wymeswold Waddle”, an out and back five miler. “The running club have a few high calibre runners but the emphasis is on personal achievement through weekly training and occasional races of varying lengths. Each year impetus grows for a Spring then an Autumn marathon and up to a dozen of us will run. This year there will be runners in London, Edinburgh, Prague and Leicester Marathons. Having turned 40 on Christmas day, I’m setting out to better last years finishing time at Edinburgh of 3hrs 55 mins by breaking 3hrs 30 mins. With 21 weeks to go to the Edinburgh start date of 23 May 2010 I am hoping to make best use of the rower to supplement whatever training I can manage. The rower is great as it provides a host of workouts, aerobic, anaerobic & strength…and it’s weight bearing so takes the pressure of tired limbs and joints!”