Athlete X Performance Services

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Athlete X Performance Services

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A one stop shop for improving performance - we provide everything you need to help from training and A bit about me:

I'm Chris Gardner, owner at Athlete X.

I'm a level 3 personal trainer, Crossfit Level 1 trainer and I'm in the process of obtaining my UKSCA accreditation. I strongly believe in the power of physical fitness to improve all facets of life - better body, prevention of illness, increased confidence, facilitating you to do any activity you want to do. The list is endless. For athletes looking to maximise their potential a structured approach to strength and conditioning is essential - it will be the difference between winning and losing at some point. The amount of potentially elite athletes missing out because their training is not effective is, in my opinion, huge. I want to correct that.

13/10/2026

Sometimes it’s important to remember it’s ok to feel nervous, have doubts before surgery. I truly believe that it doesn’t matter how prepared you are - at some point doubt will kick in, and I think that’s a normal part of the process.

But also don’t forget it’s so worth it when you’re out the other side!

If you do have any questions, I’m more than happy to help from my own experience.

07/10/2026

A little look at my daily activity levels over the last week or so.

10k steps per day is pretty much baseline now.

Getting my strength work in.

Getting my conditioning in.

And, most importantly, getting my daily hip work in.

Feeling better for it all!

Nice to do this and not be riddled with pain!

30/09/2026

Materials in modern hip replacements are super strong.

Strong enough to allow you to get, by any standards, pretty damn strong again when the time is right.

Sometimes it’s good to be reminded of that 🙌

19/09/2026

Eating felt like a full time job in those early weeks after surgery.

Your body needs a lot of calories. A lot of protein.

Best way to get what you need is to eat soon after waking, have lunch and dinner even if the appetite is low, have more protein before bed, and have snacks throughout the day.

It makes a difference - particularly in those first 6 weeks post op.

Any nutrition questions - drop them below 👇

02/08/2026

Knowing your why.

Motivation is not a sustainable strategy for adhering to rehab.

Rehab can be mundane, boring some might say.

But invest the time and enjoy a lifetime of benefits.

Knowing your ‘why’ makes this process much more attainable.

What’s your why?

29/07/2026

A daily breakdown of my last week’s worth of activity

Some thoughts on the last slide ➡️

13/07/2026

I’m deliberately not chasing numbers as I rehab from my surgery.

My intention is to let the progress come to me.

Today’s progress felt ‘unexpected’ as I didn’t necessarily expect to be able to do a 1 mile walk and over 13,000 steps and feel ok at this stage. I didn’t really know how I would feel at any point post surgery!

But it all felt ok at the time, feels ok this evening - bit tired and stiff but that’s to be expected I guess.

14/10/2021

PORTION DISTORTION

Not all teaspoons are created equal. Particularly when it comes to piling them high with peanut butter.

There is a distinctive human trait to increase your portion sizes over time. This is often done unintentionally or kind of knowingly but the brain just sweeps it under the carpet and you pretend like it’s not happening.

Then when your weight starts to creep up and impact your performance your like ‘no idea why that’s happening, I’m eating the same I always did.’

Except that teaspoon of peanut butter is now an iceberg-like mountain.

Or that cup of pasta has has crept up to two.

Or that bowl of cereal gets filled closer to the brim.

Small changes over time add up.

Moral of the story?

You don’t need to track calories/macros etc. all the time.

But sometimes a couple of weeks of tracking will allow you to recalibrate your intake and get you back on the right track towards whatever your goal is.

Might be worth trying.

Anyway, I have a peanut butter sandwich to get through.
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01/10/2021

This is my face when I read another nonsense nutritional article by the Daily Mail.

Top tip: any article with a click bait-ish title which reports on the finding of one study should be taken with a sizeable pinch of salt.

Individual studies vary greatly in quality but they will always be seized by newspapers/magazines and spun to get eyeballs on it.

Anyway, this study is saying avoid diet drinks as the sweeteners in them could cause you to overeat by ‘tricking the brain’.

But when you actually read the study, the participants only consumed an extra 70 calories after a dose of sweetener. And that was at an all you can buffet essentially!

The reason that diet drinks are often recommended for anyone looking to manage their weight is that they offer a calorie free replacement to their full sugar counterparts. This is a simple way of reducing caloric intake while still enjoying fizzy drinks - this potentially makes a persons diet more sustainable in the long run which will lead to more successful outcomes. The inclusion of diet drinks may also prevent you guzzling a gallon of full sugar coke from time to time because you get into a dangerous binge restrict cycle.

Also full sugar drinks typically contain about 140cals per can so even if you do eat an additional 70cals after a diet drink you’re still in a net better position. 🤷‍♂️

TL:DR - diet drinks can be a very effective way of reducing overall caloric intake and make your diet more sustainable in the long run. Include them if it helps you adhere to your diet.
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19/09/2021

Whey protein is great. It shouldn’t even be thought of as a supplement. It’s a fantastic way to increase protein intake and is very versatile.

Not all whey’s are the same though and each one brings different benefits so if you’re not sure which is the right one for you then take a gander and find the ‘whey’ forward.
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Want more detailed nutrition advice? DM with the word CONSULT or book through link in bio
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http://www.axps.live/

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