Mark Sumner Online Coach, Dubai (2025)

My name's Mark Sumner, a Royal Marines Commando-turned-health and fitness coach, originally from the UK. For more than five years, I've been helping women from all over world feel more confident through my online coaching programs.

21/11/2025

When I said I was training for an ultra, someone messaged me:

“Bye bye gains”

Look, you only lose strength and muscle if every run is an all out effort, you don’t refuel properly, and you’re always too tired to lift.

So here’s what I’m doing to keep my strength while training for an ultra-marathon:

1. Not treating every run like a race

I run 3-4x per week using a mix of hills, threshold work and longer runs.

Too many hard runs back-to-back = more fatigue and slower recovery…

So any meaningful lifting starts feeling impossible.

Rotating intensities & distances keeps fatigue manageable so I can still train with intent.

2. Eating enough to match the workload

Running and lifting requires a lot of calories.

I use Cronometer so my intake adjusts with my activity, and I track my weight daily.

If it trends down, I’m under-eating - which isn’t helpful when fat loss isn’t the goal.

Low energy availability is one of the biggest reasons strength drops during endurance phases…

So including more carbs like potatoes, rice, bread and wraps are simply the easiest way to keep energy availability high enough so my recovery & lifting doesn’t tank.

3. Lifting with intent

My lower is mostly single-leg lifts at 1-2 RIR.

The key here is where I schedule them in the week.

I don’t put them on the day of, or the day before, my hardest session which is a threshold run…

I’ll usually put them closer to a hill session or long run which don’t hammer my legs as much.

So yeah, running doesn’t make you weak

Only poor programming, not enough cals and unnecessary fatigue does.

17/11/2025

I see this time of year derailing so many people.

It’s colder, darker and motivation dips…

So if your only goal is fat loss, December’s gonna be a slog.

I’m not knocking fat loss mind you, most of my clients are chasing it right now too.

But it’s mad how quickly people give up as soon as the festive stuff starts to ramp up.

A few socials, a couple of mince pies and some frost on the ground…

And the whole routine disappears.

All because fat loss feels “pointless” when you’re wrapped in eight layers.

But at some point you’ve got to realise your whole identity can’t be a calorie deficit.

So fat loss or not - I always keep a bit of structure…

Quite simply because the alternative of having no structure makes me feel like crap.

And it’s the same with the clients who stay consistent this time of year.

They know their mood, stress, and energy nosedive when they stop doing the basics.

So if it’s a week away or normal work week…

I’ll still train, and I don’t use food or booze as an off switch.

Not because I’m a w***y online fitness coach…

But because it stops my head from imploding.

That’s why getting up at stupid o’clock is worth it…

Even when it’s pitch black, freezing, and pi***ng it down.

I still do it because of what it adds to my life…

That’s the bit people miss when they treat training like a temporary diet tactic.

You don’t need fat loss to justify training.

16/11/2025

I was out filming a YouTube video on a trail run yesterday…

And the ground was interesting, let’s put it that way.

Lower down it was basically a boggy stream.

Higher up it turned into an icy bog.

And the downhill turned back into a stream.

I had tonnes of slips and slides where I could’ve easily rolled an ankle or tweaked a knee…

And on the downhill I stacked it pretty hard three times too.

It had me thinking about the other benefit of lifting that never gets any attention.

Because it’s not always about being stacked and strong

(Even though that’s always the goal 🤣)

It’s your capacity to absorb impact and stay in one piece.

Your joints being able to put up with weird angles and sudden changes in position.

It’s something I’ve noticed time and time again.

Playing rugby when I was younger.

Through Royal Marines training and what I did in my career.

Jiu jitsu.

And now running through mud, ice, and whatever else I end up in.

Don’t get me wrong on this…

I’ve broken a wrist in rugby and torn a meniscus later on with jiu jitsu…

But considering the amount of sh*t I’ve thrown myself into…

I’ve come out pretty good.

And there’s definitely luck involved…

But sometimes, your strength is the only reason you get up and crack on instead of booking physio for six months.

30/10/2025

There’s a difference between being hungry…

And willing to do time for a Big Mac 🍔

A bit of hunger’s normal when you’re in a calorie deficit...

But feeling starving all the time isn’t something to be aiming for.

If that’s you, it’s not because you’ve got no willpower or motivation...

It’s because you’re not taking care of your hunger signals.

When you eat enough protein, your gut releases hormones that tell your brain you’ve eaten enough.

When you eat enough fibre, your stomach stretches and sends a similar message.

Both stop your hunger levels turning you into a danger to your neighbours.

So before you start cutting calories again…

Try fixing this feedback loop first.

And if you want the cheat sheet that shows you exactly what foods hit both boxes...

Comment ‘FIX’ below and I’ll send it straight over.

23/10/2025

When you can’t go all in and your usual routine is off…

The brain goes:

“May as well start from scratch when we’re better.”

Don’t f*cking listen to it.

It’s a big fat lie.

We’ve been told consistency only counts when we’re at 100%.

But it doesn’t.

You don’t need every week to be off the charts…

You just need to stop letting the rough ones undo all the good you’ve done.

Address

Dubai

Website

http://www.markjsumner.com/

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