I find the gym intimidating

One of the most common barriers to exercise is fear of the unknown. Often a gym can be viewed as an intimidating place full of gym-regulars that all know exactly what they’re doing. An environment where you won’t have a clue what to do and you’ll stand out like a sore thumb. If that’s the case, here are a few simple tips that you can try in order to make yourself feel more confident entering the gym and bettering your life.

Get some professional help

Training with a personal trainer is a great way to gain the necessary education you need to improve your gym confidence. During your sessions you’ll learn an array of exercises, how various machines work, how to target specific areas of the body, the best exercises to help you reach your goals and the general workings of a gym floor. Having someone guide you through everything can be a great way to learn firsthand what you should be doing and not, like so many, waste years training ineffectively. It may be a cost that you assume you can’t afford but view it as a short-term investment. Train with a personal trainer for a few months, learn what you need to learn and then make contact with them again from time to time while training on your own and book a few additional sessions for more ideas and to check up on your progress.

Dress down

Just because you’re exercising it doesn’t mean you need to wear tiny outfits or dress yourself head to toe in lycra. Many of these outfits can be very unflattering on the wrong figureand make you feel self-conscious before you even leave the changing room. If you’re unsure what your options are, spend some time browsing sports sections of shops and fitness magazines for ideas and inspiration. If you want to avoid the eyes of other gym goers simply wear something discreet and comfortable that fits you well. If you’ve never bought gym clothing before try it on in store and move around to make sure that everything stays covered as it needs to and you can move freely. If you see someone else in the gym with clothing you like, pay them a compliment and find out how to get something similar yourself, “Nice top – where’s it from?” – simple as that.

Tune Out

You can take yourself to a whole new place if you wear headphones when in the gym. It will not only keep you motivated and upbeat but will keep your mind focused on the job at hand. It seems a simple idea but, if you’re conscious of those around you and the gym environment on the whole, headphones can be a great way to escape it all. Better still, The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine (2005),alsofound that listening to music during exercise not only lifted mood but also helped to improve performance. https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/tjem/206/3/206_3_213/_article

Avoid the rush

If you’re worried about being an “outsider” in the gym, try to avoid peak times. Perhaps you work 9-5.30 and can’t avoid the evening rush? Then try first thing in the morning. It may mean you’re out of bed a little earlier which can be hard, but just remember why you’re doing it. By getting up earlier and training in the morning the gym is likely to be less busy than the evenings and you can be happy that you’ve completed your exercise for the day before most people’s day has even started. As you become more confident after a few weeks you can then train during the evenings and be happy that you too are now a “gym regular”.

Bring a friend

Training with a friend can be a great way to boost your confidence in the gym no matter what their level of experience. If you both have little experience then you can learn and work things out together; if they’re more experienced than you are then you can get a guiding hand around the gym from a familiar face. Either way, you’ll no longer be alone on your fitness journey. A “gym buddy” can also help to keep you motivated away from the gym. Together you can make sure that you don’t let your eating habits slip too frequently and that you make each gym session that you have scheduled – a friendly nudge can be very useful from time to time.

Try group exercise first

The gym is full of weights, equipment and fitness “toys” – all of which can, if you’ve never used them before, appear very confusing. If it’s a more active lifestyle you’re looking for then group exercise can be a great inroad. There’s something for everyone and even classes that will incorporate some resistance work in them as a hybrid of traditional group exercise and gym work. You’ll get to build a regular, healthierroutine and class times will mean you start off with an instantly more structured workout schedule. As you become more familiar with the classes, more confident in your image and want some variety you can gradually wean yourself into the gym.

Get out of town

For some the fear of bumping into a friend of work colleague while they’re “not at their best”, covered in sweat, wearing an old gym top and gasping for air is enough to keep them out of the gym all together. Don’t use this as an excuse; find a gym a little further away and you can exercise in confidence that you can remain completely anonymous. If that’s not an option you can invest in a variety of equipment to allow you to train at home. Things such as multi gyms, dumbbells, kettlebells, powerbags or a TRX are all very versatile pieces of equipment that you can use for full body workouts in the privacy of your own home.

The Truth...

The truth is there are plenty of reasons and excuses to not exercise if we look for them; being intimidated by the gym is just another excuse. If you want to change the way you look and feel about yourself then you can’t let it be the be all and end all. Find a way around it. Those who want to exercise will find a way. Those who don’t want to exercise will find an excuse. Just remember, everyone, in every gym had their first day in the gym at some point. Now look at them – that can be you in a matter of months. Leaner, more knowledgeable and more confident – stick with it, remain consistent and these things will come.

Twitter: @MichaelD_PT

One Limb at a Time

I regularly include training a single side of the body at a time in my own training and my clients training too. But why?..

1. It often adds an element of balance to your training and increases the level of skill necessary
2. It often teaches you anti-rotational strength (keeping your body straight and even when the body is not under even load)
3. It allows you to uncover and address any strength imbalances between the left and right side of your body

So how should you do this? Here are a few of my favourites to include:  

Single Dumbell Chest Press (Option: On Swiss Ball)

Single dumbbell Shoulder press

Single dumbbell Three Point Row

Single Hand Seated Cable Row

Single Leg, Leg Press

Single Leg Dumbell Stiff Leg Deadlifts / Romanian Deadlifts / RDLs

TRX Pistol squats

Cable Wood Chops

REMEBER: Don’t perform any of these exercises if you’re unsure of how to perform them safely.  If you’re confident with these exercises then I’d recommend including these as part of your weekly training program.

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter (@MichaelD_PT

Bad Gym Plans

When it comes to health and exercise there are plenty of people with plenty of bad plans. Here are some and some alternative, better plans...

 

“I need to get back into the gym after some time off - I’m going to go to the gym every day from now on”

If you’ve had some time away from the gym or you’re starting out for the first time then aiming to exercise every day isn’t a good idea. You won’t allow yourself enough rest time so you’ll inevitably feel sore all of the time and end up resenting it. Also, it’s likely to be too much of a shift from your usual schedule for you to manage every day so you’ll end up missing some of the sessions and so you’re instantly setting yourself up to fail.

 

Better Idea: Start out with something reasonable; twice a week is a good starting point. Then, when you’ve managed this every week for 3-4 weeks add in an additional session every 2-3 weeks until you finish with a sustainable routine that fits in with the rest of your lifestyle.

 

“I need to lose weight so I’m going to run and get rid of it all”

Purely cardio work may have some weight loss effect but after a while it can become slow or impossible to lose weight via just traditional cardiovascular work. Often some of the lost weight on the scales is a combination of lost body fat and lost muscle mass which in turn, slows your metabolic rate. Over time your body becomes less efficient at burning calories and in turn, weight loss will plateaux.

 

Better Idea: When it comes to being healthier and improving your physique it’s unwise to put all of your eggs in one basket. In general you need to be fitter, stronger, more mobile and robust so your weekly schedule should be made up of a combination of strength work, cardiovascular work and some stability, mobility and stretching work.

 

“I’m going to get fitter before I join the gym/group exercise / start personal training.”

You’ve become unfit. The purpose of exercising or training with a trainer is to help you get more fit. If you haven’t managed to get yourself fitter in the past few years what makes you think that you’re going to suddenly do it now?

 

Better Idea: Join the gym and, if you need guidance on relevant and suitable exercise for someone of your ability then get an educated trainer to steer you in the right direction.

 

“I’m going to go on a juice diet.”

Why are people surprised that they do nothing but drink a few small juices every day for a week or two and then they lose weight!?.. You could drink 3 McDonalds milkshakes each day and eat nothing else and lose weight!? You do NOT need to go on a juice diet! Ever!

 

Better Idea: Don’t start anything that isn’t sustainable. Amend your diet bit by bit to include ground rules and guidelines for eating that you can apply whether you’re eating at home or eating out and you can maintain year-round.

 

“I’ve got a really good plan to follow from a magazine”

There are lots of programmes and pieces of training information available. It can be hard to sift through the junk and find a) the good quality suggestions and b) the ones that are suitable to you at your stage of training. Then, if you’re not very experienced with exercise then there’s also a big risk that you may be performing the exercises incorrectly and unsafely. You may also be buying into a lie. If you want to look like a super hero then don’t believe that they did some planks, bodyweight squats and pull ups and looked like an absolute tank. Don’t believe too that there wasn’t a decent amount of growth hormone supplementing involved too.

 

Better Idea: Seek some guidance. There are some great free resources available but you can’t always be sure that they’re suitable for you and designed with your goals in mind. Don’t aim for a “6 week body” approach; find something with longevity that will steadily and regularly offer you

FUN!.. Yet Cardio? F.Y.C

"But I hate cardio!" Said almost everyone at some point.


It's because these people are probably thinking specifically: "I hate the idea of jogging on a treadmill for 30 minutes with nothing else to look at but the mirror in front of me."


Well if that's the only cardiovascular work you do then no wonder you hate it! If you want to have some fun with cardio why not try some of these options below?


ROWING:
Idea 1: Break down your distance into high intensity intervals. Instead of rowing 2,000m or 3,000m why not set up to row 250m, rest for 30 secs and repeat 10 times. A tough, more engaging and high intensity 2,500m.


Idea 2: Row for repetitions. Perform 10-15 strong strokes, jump off the rowing machine and perform a compound movement such as 10 kettlebell swings or 10 dumbbell thrusters. Jump back on to the rowing machine and repeat. Keep going until your total distance reaches 2,000m. The harder you pull, the less rounds you need to do.


Idea 3: Row for calories. Set the monitor to read calories rowed. Row until you achieve 1 calorie. Reset the monitor, count to 5 and repeat for 2 calories. Reset, count to 5 and row for 3 calories etc. Keep going finishing on 10 or more calories.


TREAMILL:
Idea 1: Deadmills / manual sprints / skill mills. This is much more challenging and interesting way to use a treadmill. Even better: it's quick! Below is a "how to" video for deadmills. Why not try getting the treadmill up to top speed, sprint for a count of 5 then jumping to stand on the sides. Rest until the treadmill belt stops moving. Jump back on and repeat. Try this 5-10 times.
Deadmills: HOW TO 


Idea 2: Hill running intervals. Run for 15 secs, rest for 45 secs. Start on incline 5% and increase the incline by 1% each interval. Repeat for 10-15 mins or until you can't complete the 15 secs.


Idea 3: Get off your feet and use your hands. Try some treadmill crawls like these: Treadmill Agility Work


SPINNING / CYCLING:
Idea 1: Hills, Sprints, Rest, Repeat. Start with a heavy resistance to replicate a hill climb. Pedal standing out of the seat, against a slow, heavy resistance. Then reduce the resistance and pedal quickly for a 30 second sprint, then pedal very slowly for 30 seconds of recovery. Repeat for 10-15 rounds.


Idea 2: Spin and pump. Rest 2 x dumbells on the bike handlebars. Pedal quickly for 30 seconds, then, while keeping th epedals moving slowly, take the dumbells and perform 10 x dumbbell curls or 10 x shoulder presses. When the next minute comes around, repeat this until you have done 10 x 30 sec sprints, 50 x dumbbell curls and 50 x dumbbell shoulder presses.


Idea 3: Add in some powerful bursts. Break up a 15 minute bike session by throwing in some sprint intervals. Try sprinting with maximum effort between 25-30 secs of each minute and again from 55- the end of each minute. ie: 2 x 5 sec sprints per minute.


If you'd like some more ideas on creating fun and interesting training sessions have a look here: Workout Ideas 


Don't forget to follow me on Twitter - @ MichaelD_PT

You will NEVER look how you want to look

I’m not one to be a detractor from people trying to better themselves; if you’re going to work hard, eat well and be honest with yourself about the effort that you’re going to put in then that’s great!

However, for the other 95% of gym users, it’s important to realise “You will NEVER look how you want to look.”

Here are some reasons why:

Miss-sold perceptions of how much work is necessary
If you take a glance at the magazine rack at your nearest shop you won’t need to look far before you see promises of a “6 week body” or “simple plan”. In reality there is NO “simple” route and NO way you can look like the person on the cover in 6 weeks (unless you are already in very good shape). Being healthy and getting the body you desire is a long-term plan that requires consistency and commitment for months on end... not a few weeks!


Miss-sold perceptions of what actually went on
Most leading health and fitness magazines have at some stage featured a plan claiming “This is how (insert celebrity) got into shape.” However, there are some things that have been overlooked: 1) There is often insufficient information on the nutrition required for these results. 2) The trainer involved is unlikely to offer all of their methods and techniques they used for free. Instead, this is probably an example of one workout that they used (or, in many cases, just a random workout), 3) This is the job of the celebrity. They were able to focus their entire day on exercise, proper rest and nutrition. You probably have a full time job to contend with so it’s unlikely you can put in the same level of effort, 4) There was probably some supplements involved. Some legal and often some illegal. That’s the truth.


You don't train hard enough
In reality, the physique that you have in mind takes a LOT of hard work. Training with a purpose and a relevant plank and intensity is something that a lot of people overlook. Chatting to people while you train, using your phone at regular intervals, watching TV or entering the gym without a clear and distinct session plan are all guaranteed to leave you not achieving the results you want.


You don't eat well enough
The quality of your training is only half of the battle. The other side is your nutrition. It’s essential to invest in your nutrition and focus on planning your meals and snacks. I often tell clients: “When it comes to nutrition - Common sense doesn’t always apply”. You may think that you’re “eating well”, however your efforts may be misguided. It’s always best to seek professional nutrition guidance and take away all of the guess work. Some of the food you need to focus on may be more expensive but look at it as an investment. Remember: Eating well isn’t expensive. Eating bad food is cheap!


You're not consistent enough
This is where you need to be honest. If you’ve ever “tried” something, did you just “try”? Or, did you give it your full effort? Did you stick to your eating plan 100%? Did you never miss a single gym session? Did you ever have a good week then a bad week? Or, a good day then a bad day? This is not to say that you can NEVER have a treat or enjoy yourself but... you don’t instantly have treats and things you shouldn’t. If you’re seriously trying to lose body fat and you’re more than 14lbs away from your ideal weight then for now, you should minimise “cheat meals”; especially if they keep on appearing time after time. Don’t have the logic “I worked hard at the gym today so I can have this pudding.” That kind of habit building will get you nowhere.


You're not applying enough time to your goals
Again, you’ve been fooled by the sales of these “6 week plans”. Give your body time to adjust to your changing lifestyle. If you’ve suddenly reduced your calories and/or increased the amount of exercise you’re doing then your body will take some time to understand this and establish a routine. If you’re consistent with the amount of calories you consume and the amount of exercise you do then your body will be able to regulate calorie use and hormone levels in order to help you gradually improve body composition. If you don’t apply yourself for at least 3 months then this won’t happen and you won’t see any changes and yet again, you’ll pack it in.


It doesn't actually matter enough to you
Here’s the one that accounts to about 95% of people. Either A) You’re not in terrible shape so you “wouldn’t mind losing a few pounds”, or “Wouldn’t mind getting a bit leaner” but if it doesn’t happen then you’re not that bothered. Or, B) You like the idea of being in better shape, but not as much as you like the idea of drinking alcohol regularly, eating take away food, not sleeping enough, eating high levels of sugar and not prepping your food. Basically, it all sounds like too much hard work.




REMEMBER:
This is not meant to be a negative, moaning blog putting you down and making you feel useless. Instead, it’s designed for you to take a closer, more honest look at your behaviour and realise why you aren’t in the shape you want to be in. If you’re happy with that, that’s fine. If not, then perhaps now you can look at address these behaviours.




Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@MichaelD_PT) and  YouTube

"I haven't eaten ketchup all year..." - Breaking Habitual Eating Habits

Since January 1st 2016 I haven't eaten any ketchup.


What a great achievement! Well not really. I've had other condiments on some occasions such as brown sauce and mayonnaise.


So what's the point?
Well, I wanted to see if I could make conscious decisions and replace habitual eating with conscious eating.


To put it into perspective, I was not exactly a ketchup addict. But, it did find its way onto eggs occasionally in the morning when they seemed a bit dry and onto some dinner plates too. It was becoming unconscious and I wanted to see what I could do about it.


What about you?
Many people will eat or drink certain things at certain times just because "that's what I've always done."


But what if these things are benefiting them? In fact, what if these small things are regularly steering them away from their goals.


What do you do unconsciously? Biscuits with your daily cup of tea? Sugars in your tea? Pudding after dinner? Alcohol after work?


What should you do next?
Try to remove these habitual things that are taking you further from your goals for 3 weeks or more. Know that you're not going to go without them forever.
Then, as you choose to, gradually re-introduce some of the things on a less frequent occasion.


Building these conscious habits with your eating can be a great way to increase your awareness of the foods you consume and in doing so, strike up a much more beneficial balance between "good" and "bad".


If you're not sure where to start then perhaps write a food diary and look through it after a week to find recurring detractors that keep reappearing such as foods that are high in sugar.

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@MichaelD_PT)

Ways to Structure a Short Session

Often people will say things like:

"I don't want to spend hours on end in the gym."

"I can only put aside a short amount of time for the gym." (perhaps a lunch break for example)

"When I get in the gym, I don't know how to best spend my time."

"I only have a short time to exercise so I end up just doing the same things that I already know."

"I only had 30 minutes so I just went for a run."

Or perhaps a combination of these things.

So what if you have these, or a combination of these problems? Well, I'm here to help you.

Below is a list of just some of the ways that you can structure a quick gym session in order to make the most of your time and get a short, yet effective workout.

First Things First...

Write it down BEFORE you get to the gym! You already have a limited amount of time so don't waste gym time walking around, thinking what you'd like to do. Take time to structure a session before hand, enter with a plan and follow it.

Now try these:

Timed Circuit Training

The most straight forward and traditional method of all. Simply set your self a few exercises (probably 5-8) and perform them for an allocated length of time. Use an interval timer to do time the exercise time and also your pre-allotted rest time. Don't cheat yourself and take extra rest; when the buzzer goes, you go.

One of the great things about this is you know exactly how long you'll need to exercise for; ideal when you're on a tight schedule. Two things to be aware of when planning your circuit 1) Logistics: Make sure the equipment and area you need to use at the gym is positioned near each other or able to be moved near each other. 2) Popularity: Don't design a circuit that has you using a mixture of equipment that's likely to be used as you move from one area to the next. Better still, use some bodyweight exercises then you'll always be able to include them and shuffle the order on the go should someone jump on to your equipment and muck up the circuit.

An easy example would be: 30 secs work, 30 secs rest x 5 laps (25 mins total)

A1) Press Ups

A2) Kettlebell swings

A3) Kettlebell Goblet Squats

A4) TRX Rows

A5) Jumping Lunges / Switch Lunges

Progressions: Reduce rest time, add more exercises, add more laps.

Combine Cardio and Resistance Work

This is one of my favourite ways to get your heart rate elevated and use your gym time wisely. Pick a cardio exercise and a resistance exercise that, given the layout of your gym, can be done with relative ease (either near to the cardio equipment to ensure you can keep an eye on it while you do the resistance work, or on a piece of cardio equipment (like a treadmill) which there are plenty of in your gym so you're happy to walk away from to perform the resistance exercise.

A session structure might look like this:

A1) 1 min high incline treadmill jog

A2) Pull ups to failure

5 rounds

B2) 200m Row

B2) 15 x Kettlebell Swings

5 rounds

C1) 30 Sec Bike Sprint

C2) 10 x Dumbell Curl and Push Press

5 rounds

Or Perhaps you'd prefer to stick with one piece of cardio equipment that you're more familiar with so something like:

A1) 5 x Burpees

A2) 5 x Medicine Ball Slams

A3) 5 x Double Kettlebell Clean and Press

A4) 30 Second Hill Run

Or, from a psychological point you might like to shorten your cardio effort as you go. Therefore knowing that after the first set, the cardio part gets shorter and shorter.

For example:

10 dumbbell thrusters, row 500m, 10 dumbbell thrusters, row 400m, 10 dumbbell thrusters, row 300m, 10 dumbbell thrusters, row 200m, 10 dumbbell thrusters, row 100m.

Beware: This might take a little bit of playing around with to get the correct difficulty level to match your abilities. Try not to completely fatigue similar muscle groups in both the cardio and the resistance work. For example: Don't pair high repetitions of walking lunges with hill running.

Ascending Ladders or Pyramids

Using "Ascending Ladders" is a challenging way to gradually improve your fitness as your progressively increase the volume of work that you're able to perform.

If you're doing it for the first time, pick 4 or 5 exercises (again, pick things that can be done relatively closely to one another) and do 2 repetitions of each exercise for the first lap, then on the second lap (without any rest) perform 4 repetitions of each, then on lap 3 do 6 reps, lap 4 do 8 reps of each and on your 5th and final lap you perform 10 reps of each. Try to do the entire 5 laps as quickly as possible without resting. It starts easy but creeps up on you.

An example could be:

A1) Kettlebell Swings

A2) Press Ups

A3) Jump Squats

A4) Plank with a hip drop (each side)

A5) Burpees

Progressions: Increase the number of exercises, go higher ie: up to 6 laps (12 reps) or 7 laps (14 reps) etc, use larger increments such as 3,6,9,12,15 reps for example.

Alternatively, perform a Pyramid and do 2,4,6,8,10 reps, then immediately 10,8,6,4,2 reps. Sometimes however the final lap of 2 reps might feel like an anti-climax so I you're feeling particularly motivated you might try another lap of 10 reps just as a final blow out... maybe!

On the Minute / Every Minute On The Minute (EMOM)

This is another great way to ensure that your session doesn't over-run. Simply set your interval timer to sound each minute. When the timer goes perform your pre-decided exercise for the number of pre-decided repetitions.

Remember: You will need rest times so make sure that the exercise doesn't use up the entire minute. Ideally work somewhere between 30-50 seconds.

An example workout could be:

A1) 15 x kettlebell swings

A2) 10 x Incline Dumbell Chest Press

A3) 15 x Lat Pull Downs

A4) 45 secs Bike sprint

x 5 rounds = 20 minutes exactly.

Progressions: Add more repetitions/ cut your rest time, Include more cardio vascular work, add more exercises, include something heavy like 3 x heavy deadlifts/push presses/ farmers walks etc.

You Go - I Go

I like this as a format for partner workouts as it keeps you working at a decent tempo and you push one another to keep working. You also get varied amounts of rest so you don't adapt to the timing protocols which you can do sometimes when you use the same interval variations week after week.

With a partner, select your exercises and select a high volume of repetitions. Then go about completing the target reps by taking it in turn.

A workout might be:

50 x Burpees (1 each, until you complete 50. 25 each total)

3000m row (sat on two rowing machines, row 100m, then the partner rows 100m while you rest, repeat until you have each rowed 1,500m)

220 kettlebell swings (partner A does 20 swings, partner B does 20 swings, then A, then B and so on... 6 sets each).

40 Barbell Push Presses (1 rep each, pass the bar back and forth between each other without putting it down)

Safety First: Don't be a hero! If, part way through you notice between you that one person is struggling and they are at risk of losing good form, then you may agree mid-workout that one of you will do more eg: 2-3 reps to the other persons 1.

Note: You can do this wih two people of unequal strength/fitness if you're smart about it by selecting exercises that you can set up two of and using different weights such as 2 different kettlebells or barbells side by side. This means that men and women may also use this structure to train with one another.

Tabata Intervals

This is just simply an interval variation that was designed orginially in conjunction with the Chinese Olympic cycling team. The design is 20 secs work, 10 secs rest x 8.

You can, if you wish, use it with one traditional cardio vascular exercise (such as cycling or running), a single resistance resistance exercise such as a lat pull down 8 times, a single bodyweight exercise such as burpees or a mixture of up to 8 exercises.

An example workout using the tabata protocol (20 secs work, 10 secs rest x 8)

A) Tabata Press Ups

B) Tabata Leg Press

C) Tabata Lat Pull Down

D) Tabata Walking Lunges

E) Tabata Kettlebell Swings

F) Tabata Plank

Progressions: It's actually harder to use fewer exercises; ideally just one.

Beware: Try not to use anything too technical or towards your maximum load unless you're very experienced. If it's your first time try it with a simple exercise such as press ups, lunges or a plank.

But wait...

Not all "quick sessions" need to be focused on getting you soaked in sweat and that alone. There are some that can be much more strength focused.

For instance?..

"Cluster Training"

I first heard this concept from Joe De Franco. It's a very straight forward way to utilise just one bit of gym equipment, in a relatively short time in order to focus on strength training.

How does it work? Take a single complex exercise that you're able to perform with a heavy load (ideally a barbell squat variation, deadlifts, bench press, cleans, snatch, push press or jerk). Warm up thoroughly then load the bar with your 5 rep max. Perform just a single repetition. Then start your stop watch. Allow yourself 20 seconds rest and perform another single rep. As you begin to fatigue allow a slightly longer rest period of between 20-40 secs.

Continue this until you have performed 15-20 repetitions.

The idea being that rather than performing 4x5 reps where some of the repetitions aren't as good as the others you'll perform 15-20 single reps so that you can focus on each one in order to make them as good as possible. It should also get your heart rate up by the end. 20 quality, heavy reps and a little bit of cardio work.

Look out: Don't be surprised that as you perform (roughly) reps 1-5 the reps feel very manageable. 6-9 (roughly) they then feel gradually more difficult. Then around 10-13 suddenly some reps may feel easy as your CNS really begins to fire. Then 13 onwards (roughly) the reps gradually begin to get tougher. Keep this in mind when you're gradually increasing your rest periods.

Barbell Complex or Kettlebell Complex

A babrbell complex or a kettlebell complex is a number of exercises performed with the same barbell or kettlebell continuously moving from one exercise to the next without resting the weight down.

Beware: Some exercises are easier than other so the weight might not be suitable for all exercises. One way around this is to vary the repetitions ie: more reps on the stronger movements such as the kettlebell comlex below.

Barbell complex example:

A1) 6 x bent over rows

A2) 6 x hang cleans

A3) 6 x front squats

A4) 6 x push press

Kettlbell complex

A1) 12 x kettlebell swings

A2) 10 x kettlebell goblet squats

A3) 8 x kettlebell push press

A4) 5 x kettlebell snatches

Low Rep Circuits

Put together a circuit using larger, heavier movements for fewer repetitions. An example circuit could be:

A1) 3-5 Deadlifts

A2) 3-5 Bench Press

A3) 3-5 Back Squats

A4) 3-5 weighted Pull Ups

Allow 15-30 secs between sets. Complete 5 full rounds.

Safety First: Be honest with yourself; or better still, work with someone that knows the correct techniques involved in the exercises you're performing. If you form begins to suffer drastically then stop.

Don't attempt this style of workout if you're not experienced in the gym.

Structure is key: Beware not to overload one body part. Make sure you vary the body parts being used in when deciding the order of exercises.

In Summary...

There's loads you can do in the gym if you're restricted for time. There's nothing wrong as such with "just going for a run" but... this shouldn't be your only idea when time is short. not now you have all of these ideas to try anyway...

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@MichaelD_PT) and YouTube

Crowding Out: Add in to make progress. Don't take away!

Many of you may be aiming for a healthier lifestyle in 2016.

More often than not this mean "get rid of X", "stop doing Y", remove all "Z's". Doesn't sound like much of a deal right?

Well, what if instead of taking things away, you could add more to your life and still make progress?

Recently I have been reading about "crowding out". An economic (something about public sector vs private sector spending) which is now being used in a nutritional sense.

In basic (my) terms, the idea of "Nutrition Crowding Out" is about focusing your efforts on good, introducing more "good" so that you are less interested with the "bad" elements of your life.

For example: Rather than seeing clean eating as a task why not put more effort into it so that it becomes more enjoyable and interesting? Do some additional reading, find some interesting recipes, shop for new and interesting ingredients and focus on food preparation and creating interesting tastes and meals. Fill yourself with so much "good" nutrients that you won't have the same cravings for any of the "bad".

With your lifestyle habits why not spend more time and energy on healthy pursuits rather than time and effort thinking about bad foods, lazy habits and activities that compromise your progress.

For example joining an exercise group (fitness classes, walking or running groups, climbing clubs, sports teams etc etc) so that you now have more of your free time committed to exercise.

Soon enough your mind will be less attracted to the "bad" in your life given hat you are applying so much physical and mental energy to the "good".

Give it a go, don't take away from your life but add in and "crowd out".

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@MichaelD_PT) and YouTube

Too Much of a Good Thing

The phrase "too much of a good thing" can be applied in some shape or form to lots of things (depending on your definition of "good").

 

Too much alcohol - makes you feel terrible, too much pudding - also makes you feel terrible, too many late nights and parties - terrible; and you can add to this list "exercise".

 

Wait - This is NOT an excuse to just do the odd bit of exercise and me saying "you don't want to do too much - it's bad for you." That's not what I'm saying at all.

 

I'm talking about issues caused by repetitive movements. Here are a few tips to make sure that you don't make exercise "a bad thing".

 

CARDIO KINGS:

1) Off ya bike!

Imagine in your head a perfect posture. Head upright, spine in a neutral position, hips below shoulders. Then imagine your position on a bike. Far from this perfect posture correct? I'm not saying "never cycle" but if you want to repeatedly compromise your bodies natural shape and form then cycle every day. If you DON'T, then get off of your bike and add variety to your cardio. Also add in corrective resistance work and mobility work between bike sessions.

2) Run on the other side of the road

Most roads are cambered so if you do a lot of road running try to run on different sides of the road in order to avoid repetitive strain issues from an unbalanced running style. It's as simple as that!

3) Add resistance

Making resistance work a part of your weekly gym schedule with have multiple benefits to aid your bodies recovery and general robustness: 1) You'll be stronger and more efficient when it comes to your cardio sessions, 2) You'll be stronger and more robust when it comes to injury avoidance, 3) You can un-do  some of the repetitive strains added to your body by countless hours of cardio. 4) You'll give your body a break from the usual cardio and offer it an alternative stimulus.

4) Find a kinder surface

If you're a regular runner then road running can be very unkind for your joints. try to add variety and find a kinder running surface such as an athletics track.

5) Run correctly

Most people think they can run because they can move at a walking pace and then do some movements that make them move a bit faster. There is in fact a lot more technique to running than many people understand. If you intend of running regularly you should seek the advice of an experienced running coach. Not only will this help you to avoid injuries but it should also make you more efficient. You wouldn't buy a car and just "give driving a go" as you'd probably damage it. So why would you take the same risks with your body; an object that can't be replaced when damaged?

 

GYM FOLK:

1) Pull more than you push

Most things we as humans do are in front of us and require us to hold our arms in front to do so; driving, eating, typing etc. This often causes a shortness in the anterior muscles (front side of the body) causing a rounding of the shoulders and neck. Try to un-do the everyday tensions by focusing on "pulling" work in the gym far more than you do "pushing" work. For people that perform push ups and sit ups every morning.. stop it!

2) Move freely

It's important that you allow the body to move as it's designed to. Try to include a variety of movements in all sessions. As well as your standard push and pull work make sure that you rotate, hinge, lunge and crawl or climb. Don't be limited by resistance machines and conventional exercises, use your own body, move naturally and incorporate elements of play into your exercise regime.

3) Don't train the same muscle groups consistently without sufficient rest

By not allowing sufficient rest for muscles your body will not be able to repair, adapt and grow. If you have a set gym routine that you cover every time you're in there then this needs adjusting. If you're not sure how to do this then see a professionals help and ask them to design your gym programmes in 6-8 week blocks and then re-visit them for a new set,

4) Train the body equally

Most people (males especially) like to train what they can see. Usually their chest, abdominal area and biceps are the main focus week-on-week. Training with this as your sole focus not only leaves the symmetry of your body all out of whack, but also causes additional strain for areas of the body that are weaker and are forced to operate in an alternative, incorrect way in order to compensate for the weakness. For example, neglecting your legs and glute muscles may lead to back pains due to a weakness in that area.

5) Train limbs individually

It can be tempting to stick with resistance machines or barbell work for the majority of your resistance work. However, often these exercises to do not highlight areas of weakness or imbalance in terms of strength or range of movement. It can be hard to definitively say where the majority of the effort is coming from. For these reasons it's important to regularly train single limbs, uncover areas of weakness and imbalance between the left and right side of your body and then address these issues.

 

EVERYONE:

Foam roll and stretch

Everyone (in my opinion) should foam roll and stretch regularly. Even if you're not a regular exerciser you need to undo the unnatural confinements, positions and strains that your lifestyle imposes on you. We're not designed to be sedentary; we should move be mobile and be free. Help your body out and give back regularly.

 

Ultimately, it's about finding a good balance that suits both your lifestyle and your own personal rate of recovery. Listen to your body, think prevention rather than cure when it comes to injury and recovery, don't put all of your eggs in one basket and don't have "too much of a good thing."

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@MichaelD_PT) and YouTube

Use Your Time More Wisely

When you're in the gym and you're between sets, what do you do? Talk to a friend? How long does that go on for? Walk around the gym finding the best down-lights to make you look awesome? Get a drink? Prowl the gym floor like you own it? Check-in on Facebook, Tweet and upload a picture on Instagram to report on your gains?

While checking out how great you look might seem like a good use of your time, why not be even MORE productive?

The chances are when you spend time doing these non-specific activities, significant amounts of time may pass unnoticed and you lose the momentum of your workout.

Why not set 60-120 second timers between sets. This should be ample rest time. Then, during your rest period maximise your gym time even further by trying these things between sets:

 

Mobilise

Select a body part (not necessarily the parts your working) and try to mobilise them between sets with bands, foam rollers or lacrosse balls. Then, next exercise pick an alternative body part. You can plan these out before you start each exercise or, you might pick and choose them to help improve your current session depending on where you're feeling restrictions. For example, using a lacrosse ball to relieve tension in the hip flexors during the early sets of a back squats may benefit you as the weight increases. Alternatively, use a foam roller to reduce stiffness and soreness from previous sessions.
Here's a nice little gym flow that you could include between the warm up/build up sets next time you squat: VIDEO

 

Work Your Core

Loads of people leave ab and core work until the end of their session. They then do it half-heartedly or not at all as they just want to get home. Why not mix it into your session. Sometime I like to try and superset every exercise with a different test of core strength or a good ol' fashioned abdominal exercises. Most of my clients will have experienced this at one time or another. It's a great way to not only get through a lot of core work, but you also increase your anaerobic capacity, it tests you mentally but above all, it means that when the main part of your session is done, then you're done. You'll probably also find that the quality of core work increases due to improved rest periods compared to when you throw it all together at the end of a session.

 

Cardio

The OTHER thing that gets left until the end of a session or ignored altogether is cardio. Why not try and throw some small intervals between sets of resistance work. You may need to add further rest after each round though or you'll soon blow out. For example if you planned on doing 4 sets of 4 different exercises you might: row 200m between each of the first 4 sets, Run for a minute up hill between the second 4 sets, do 30 mountain climbers between the third 4 sets and do a fast 2 minutes on the bike between the last 4 sets. A fast and effective way to incorporate intervals into your session. Try to consider the structure of your session; for example: if you're doing lots of pulling work then perhaps save your grip and avoid rowing. Likewise, if you're already doing lots of lower body work, cycling may compromise the quality of the resistance work.

 

Isolation & Accessory Work

Between the "bigger exercises" you could try some isolation work or accessory work. It may be for aesthetic purposes or perhaps to help improve some weaknesses you have such as grip strength. As long as it doesn't then compromise the "bigger exercise". For example: Avoid doing sets of bicep curls between deadlifts as it is likely to fatigue your grip when you go back to deadlifting. But, you might want to do sets of calf raises for instance; I hear some people need that kind of thing.

 

Practice Breathing

Sounds stupid? It's not. Practice relaxation breathing, lowering your heart rate and breathing using your stomach muscles rather than lifting your entire diaphragm. Read more here about The Benefits of Diaphragmatic Breathing.

 

Practice Form

With a lesser load or perhaps, no load at all practice the technique of the exercise you're performing between each set. You might even use alternative equipment such as a broom stick to replicate a bar. If there's an element of the movement you want to practice such as improving your posture during squatting, you could replicate this with a light goblet squat, holding it in the bottom position and trying to adjust your posture.

 

THINK ABOUT IT...

Lots of people will go to the gym and perform 4-5 exercises and do 3-4 sets of each. That means you're potentially missing out on 8-15 opportunities to improve yourself every session. Do this kind of thing every session and you can imagine how it will add up over the year.

 

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@MichaelD_PT) and YouTube