👋 Hi! Tell us about yourself and your training
Hey guys, I’m Alex Crockford! I’m a trainer, fitness model, and creator of the #CrockFit fitness app!
I’m 29, but I’ll be 30 in June, and I’m based in Surrey, UK. Being a PT is my background and I worked full time as a PT for seven years. This gradually evolved into fitness modelling around 2015/2016 and with the rise of my social media, I then launched my online plan business called #crockfit. Fast forward four years and I now don’t do any PT, and coach thousands of people around the world via my fitness app!
As a fitness model, I’ve achieved numerous magazine covers such as multiple men’s fitness, muscle and fitness, and have worked with top fitness brands all over the world.
I’m sponsored by Under Armour and Reflex Nutrition, which feels absolutely incredible to me, to be associated to two fitness brands I love and where their messages align perfectly with mine.
I have worked extremely hard to build a presence on social media, with over 100k subscribers in YouTube and over 300k followers on Instagram. It’s an honour that I get to live my passion and connect and inspire many people in their own fitness journeys.
⏱ Describe a typical day of training
I love a functional bodybuilding type method where I use hypertrophy to build muscle, but functional exercises to stay fit and move well too.
When I wake up, I love taking my time. I’m not one of those rush out the door and train kinda guys. I sip my coffee and think about my goals.
I’m a big believer in the importance of mobility and flexibility so I usually spend 15/20 minute stretching and foam rolling before I start my day.
I don’t particular follow a stretching programme, but I’m a big believer in listening to your body and following what feels good for you! We all know what areas feel tight, so each morning I wake up and move the body and prioritise the areas of stiffness.
If I’m focusing on dropping weight/body fat then I’ll stay fasted and head out for a walk or run.
If I’m in a normal phase which I am now then I’ll prepare a protein (Reflex Nutrition – Don’t forget my code PTCROCKFORD50 for 40% off!) smoothie and get settled into some work for the morning.
Now that I’m running a big online business, I have to spend a few hours a day at least on the desktop emailing and doing crockfit work, etc., so I’ll smash this out in the morning.
After lunch, I’ll head to the gym. I follow my own #crockdit gymfit programmes, which is usually four weights workouts per week, leaving a few days a week for bigger cardio sessions, more abs, conditioning, rest etc.
I love a functional bodybuilding type method where I use hypertrophy to build muscle, but functional exercises to stay fit and move well too.
Most workouts I make content for social media, so then when I get home I go straight into editing and pairing mode for a couple of hours!
👊 How do you keep going and push harder?
So many people ask me all the time about motivation. It’s pretty simple for me, I’m always working towards something. If I didn’t have something then my motivation would also come and go. It’s really important to have a short term goal – a holiday? A party? A commotion? A run? It has to scare you enough to take action everyday.
Long term goals are needed, too, of course, but something in a year doesn’t make you wanna hit the gym right this second.
Longevity and setting good habits is a big belief of mine. I’ve seen it many of my clients before, when you make quick changes they don’t always last very long.
or the best results for the rest of your life, it’s essential to get the right habits in training, nutrition, and lifestyle in place! This means when motivation is low, your habits maintain consistent…
🏆 How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
Training at the moment is going well! Now that I’m so old 😉 old injuries flare up time to time, so it’s really important to train smart and manage injuries and know what your body likes and doesn’t like to do. This is all part of the learning process.
It’s been tough for me always trying to be photoshoot-ready in the early years means that I’ve always been dieting. So my goals at the moment are to push the calories up slightly, so that I can build more muscle than ever before. Whilst also maintain that lean look!
I’ll continue my same training approach, but like I said, eat more, but also consider myself as my own athlete and take the whole picture a lot more seriously in regards to my sleep, my stress and my lifestyle.
🤕 How do you recover, rest and handle injuries?
Elaborating more on what I said above, this is all about smart training. Prevention is always better than cure, which is why I do my mobility routine (watch video). I get regular massage and chiropractor, and on top of that I look after myself during training.
When I pick up an injury, it’s tough to not feel negative, but with experience I can now decide to continue training whilst letting the injured area heal, or not aggravate the area just because my plan say to do a certain exercise for example.
Sleep is a massive element I focus on ALL the time! As soon as my sleep quality or length decreases, I notice a reduction of recovery and injuries pick up.
I try to get to bed for 9.30pm and read a book with a dimly lit room for 20/30 minutes before sleeping 7.5 – 8 hours! This is really important to me, and as soon as social events are planned, I get angry knowing I won’t get to bed on time. haha …. 😉
🍎 How is your diet and what supplements do you use?
I feel like I’m pretty balanced, I’m good with my mental health when it comes to food too.
I think my nutritional approach is better now than it ever has been. I feel like I’m pretty balanced, I’m good with my mental health when it comes to food too.
This has come through practice over many years, for example in the early days I remember being caught in a viscous restrict – binge cycle. I managed to get out of that by eating more, being consistent, and enjoying my daily nutrition!
I have dipped in and out of tracking my nutrition, but the majority of the time, yes I do use my fitness pal app to count my calories and macros. I understand for some people this isn’t the best approach mentally, but inevitably if you want the best results in physique and physical performance then this is optimal!
Currently, I am sitting at a small deficit at 2500 calories, giving me a chance to build muscle whilst also staying lean/getting leaner. Protein is the priority and I aim to hit 1g protein per lb of bodywieght for me, which is 175g+ per day.
I use reflex nutrition (feel free to use my discount code PTCROCKFORD50) and my day-to-day supplements are a protein shake, from whey and also a plant based one, a multivitamin, creatine, vitamin D, omega 3, and ZMA.
Real food is always the most priority for me, but I know that I wouldn’t get the results I get today if it wasn’t for my regular supplementation!
👍 What has inspired and motivated you?
I once did 5500 burpees in 24 hours.
A whole mixture of things inspire me on a day-to-day basis. When it comes to training, I look up to so many people whether it’s a crossfitter for the fitness or a fitness model bodybuilder for their physique. Often I’ll see something on social media that just pumps me up and gets me ready to train!
If I’m attempting a tough challenge for myself, then often I take my mind back to what I’ve actually achieved myself before. That remind me what I’m capable of! I once did 5500 burpees in 24 hours. 🙂
✏️ Advice for other people who want to improve themselves?
I know it sounds so cliché and over said but you simply have to get started. It feels overwhelming when you think there is so much to be done, or so far to go, but trust me, I’ve been there too with so many aspects of my life. And once you’re consistent with it, one day you look back and you’re shocked at just how far you’ve come. You’ve gotta do today what your future self with thank you for.
What I find the best way for doing this is finding something in fitness that you really enjoy. Don’t force yourself into something you hate. It’s gotta pull you in and excite you everyday. If you get that feeling, then you know it’s right!
🤝 Are you taking on clients right now?
As explained earlier, I’m not PTing anyone, but of course I would love to support you one-on-one on my crockfit app! Please email or DM me and I’ll help you.
I love PT, but I knew my passion was to interact and support millions of people! It’s mind blowing to me that I’ve made this come true, and when I receive updates or transformations from people, it’s the best feeling in the world to have helped someone change their life!
📝 Where can we learn more about you?
Please head over to my YouTube channel, my Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok! And don’t forget to download my crockfit app in Android and Apple, it’s free with loads of workouts.
0 thoughts on “I’m the Creator of Crockfit. This is How I Eat, Train, and Maintain Good Mental Health”
Really admire his energy and extreme passion for PE to help people keep fit and healthy and his generous contribution to charities in this difficult time. Hope he will make some more interesting tutorial video for gaining height.
17-year-old student from VietNam with love.