Stop making excuses to NOT exercise!

GGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

I'm getting frustrated! Why do people consistently make excuses to NOT exercise?...

You're not doing it for the sake of it, because it's fashionable, or because you had some spare time to fill; it's for a better way of life, a healthier lifestyle, stronger heart and lungs, to reduce the risk of injury and illness and improve the way you look and feel - reason enough I think!!!

So WHY do people continue to make excuses (let's be honest, that's usually what they are) to not exercise!?!?.. A few favourites of mine...

"I'M TOO OLD"
Rubbish!!! You're body will become as immobile as you let it. When EVER anyone says this to me I tell them about Nanny Nicholls (a real person), 87 years old, dances 3 times per week, hearing is spot on, she's young at heart, very mobile and very independent. Because she keeps herself active! If you don't use it - you WILL lose it!

So you didn't do the same, it's NEVER too late to start. I'm not suggesting a marathon or Everest climb, but you can significantly improve health and well being at any age!

Just like when you go on holiday and leave your car standing for two weeks, it might not start again without a push, your body, if left alone and unused, will also need a hand starting up. It may make funny noises and not feel quite right but it can soon be a regularly used and reliable runner!

"I HAVE AN INJURY" Worse yet - "I HAVE BACK PROBLEMS"
These back problems are probably caused by your weight! Think about it - what kind of strain is the weight around your front going to be putting on your poor back - it's time to shift it!

As for injuries, granted, some will make it unrealistic to exercise heavily, but.. I've seen people in a gym before on crutches! If you REALLY want to, there is usually ALWAYS a way to get in some exercise!

"I DON'T HAVE TIME WITH WORK"
Work will ALWAYS be there. but unless you don't do something about your health, you might not be!! Stay fit and work becomes less of a strain! Simple as that!

"I DON'T NEED TO EXERCISE - I'M NOT FAT"
I don't give a ****! You're walking round with a Ferrari chassis and a Ford Fiesta engine! Just because you're body looks OK, it doesn't mean it's not crying out inside with all the crap fuel you throw into it. No one has a perfect body (internally OR externally) so you can always improve; whether it's the way you look, muscle tone, waist line etc or the strength of your heart and lungs, you need to do something!

"I'M TOO UNFIT!"
This is ridiculous! EVERYONE has their first gym visit, but if you make it a habit you'll soon be up to speed with the rest of them. Maybe avoid spin classes if you've done no exercise for the past 5 years but there's absolutely no reason why you can't have a regular gym program! Seek the help of a fitness professional - I bet they'd be more than happy to lend a hand.

If I hear "I'M TOO UNFIT FOR PERSONAL TRAINING" one more time, I think I'll cry! That's WHY you have it - to help improve your fitness. It's not a one size fits all package, the trainer is there to asses your current fitness levels and improve them. How can you be too unfit for that?...

"GYMS ARE BORING!"
Gyms ARE boring, but then so is your workplace and you spend enough time there! A gym is as interesting and fun as you make it. Talk to people, smile at people, take a friend, vary your program, try new exercises, try classes - there's PLENTY you can do to stop the gym being boring! We're WELL past the 80's style 30 mins treadmill and 30 mins rowing, bicep curls and home routines! Sample what's on offer.

"I DON'T WANT TO SPEND MY LIFE IN A GYM!"
.. Don't then!!!?... Come for a bit though, a few times a week maybe?.. You can get an AWESOME workout finished in 45 minutes or under; Classes rarely run for much longer than that too! Are you telling me you can't make 45 minutes free in your week a few times for the sake of a stronger heart and lungs, less chance of disease, a better physique and improved happiness in the way you look and feel?... Didn't think so!

DON'T FORGET YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON: http://twitter.com/MichaelD_PT

Do it the same... but different...

So often I speak to people and hear things such as,

"I know my routine"

And they have no interest in listening to new ideas, suggestions and advice.

I always say "No one knows everything, so listen!" I will HAPPILY listen to advice from others on the one condition: they can tell me "WHY?".

WHY should I do it your way? WHY is it better? WHY will I benefit?

So it frustrates me to even hear people describe their program as a "routine" !!!!

A gym program should not be routine, variety is key when it comes to making gains and bettering yourself.

So you may not want to rip up your gym program and start over. That's fine, but why not experiment with variations. Add a few twists and tweaks to your usual exercises, their format, tempo and technique. Then, sit back and admire your gains.

Some ideas...

GRIP

Varying your grip is one of the most under-rated ways of boosting your gains. Probably the best example is when working an exercise for your back. The back is such a vast area it's important to try and hit as many areas as possible. This is made easier by varying your grip; try narrow and wide variation, over-hand and under-hand variations and feel the difference.

It's not just back, consider your grip width on things such as bench press and for push ups or dips; even your feet distance for squats.

BALANCE

Adding an element of balance to an exercise can really test you and make the exercise much more challenging, targeted and rewarding.

By using tools such as a Bosu and emphasising balance you not only have more to think about and improve balance, but you negate the use of momentum and as a result, isolate the target muscle or muscle groups - win, win!

REPETITIONS

If you become familiar with how 10, 12, or 15 repetitions feel then it's time to shock your system!

If you always work to a format of 3 sets of 10. Or a pyramid of 12, 10, 8, why not focus a month on high repetitions. Really throw in something different. Nothing less than 12 reps, starting each exercise with 2 sets of 20 repetitions (eg: 20, 20, 15, 12). You'd be surprised how you can spot your shortcomings and also build a much more rounded "strength" while gaining some firm and quality mass.

SUPER-SET

Another shock tactic that a lot of people steer clear of is a "super-set". Simply carrying out two exercises back-to-back with no rest. Stop letting your body rest so much, push it to the limit,fill your muscles with blood, make your heart pump and work continuously for a longer period. Try it, you'll feel ace!

RUN THE RACK

Now.. writing this paragraph I'm not sure if "run the rack" is a phrase I heard somewhere or half made up myself!?!... Either way, I like it!

Basic idea, start an exercise (maybe your final exercise as a "finisher") on a really low weight, carry out no more than 15 repetitions. Finish your set, take a few second, move to a heavier weight. Work your way up the rack finishing on a heavy weight with just 4-6 reps.

For example, last week I did this with shrugs; with hardly any rest I got a serious sweat on doing this (number in bracket = repetitions): 16kg (15), 20kg (15), 24kg (12), 28kg (12), 32kg (12), 36kg (10), 40kg (10), 44kg(5), 44k (5).

Result: 4-5 minutes, 96 repetitions, 288kg shifted, filled, warm traps and forearms!

SINGLE LIMB

Personally, I think that when gaining strength there are a few essential things to maintain. Mobility, form and muscular balance. For the third reason, I think it's important to try and work single limbs at a time during each session.

Why not add some variety to your sessions in this way?.. Single arm dumbell chest press (a favourite of mine), single arm shoulder press, one-leg squat or leg press, one-hand seated row. Pretty much every exercise has an option for this.

These methods will test your co-ordination, core stability if you maintain good form, cardio fitness as you'll work for a much longer time and will also highlight any muscular imbalance or dominant side that you have.

CHANGE THE ORDER

There is NO reason that you need to do the same exercises in the same order. In FACT - it's counter productive for progress!Try changing the order in which you do your exercises at least every few weeks. Also, change the day that you do each program.

Your body likes routine and patter and knowing what demands you'll place on it. Simply changing the order in which you perform exercises can greatly increase the stress on your muscles and encourage growth. try it - you'll be pleasantly surprised!

TIMED/INTERVALS

Instead of working to repetitions, why not ignore the counting and work to a time limit? E.g: Reps in 30 seconds, then rest 30 seconds and repeat. One such method, tabata, was discussed in an earlier post and is a favourite of mine; something I try in some form at least once a week. It's a different way of working, places different demands on the body and requires a completely different mind-frame.

COMBO EXERCISES

Mix two exercises together. It's simple, again places new demands on your body, often tests coordination and speeds up a session. Lunges with a shoulder press, straight leg deadlift with calf raises (and a shrug if you like?), squats and lunges alternate, chest press and flys alternate... the possibilities are endless!

PRE/POST-EXHAUST

If you enjoy making yourself feel weaker or perhaps enjoy a "pumped" feeling try pre-exhaust work. A basic and rewarding one is 60 seconds of dumbbell bicep curls with a light weight. Then straight on to a heavier preacher curl or cable bicep curl. The muscles feel full and both look and feel awesome. You can do this with ANY exercise and it's a good way of filling the muscles with blood before asking them to jump into action, encourage hypertrophy and also add new demands to your training.

Post-exhaust is the opposite. A "drop-set" if you like. Carry out an exercise, thenimmediately either drop the weight by around 50% or start another exercise wit a very light weight and aim for as many repeitions as possible. Same kind of feeling but play around and see which works for you.

CONCLUSION

I think a lot of people really overlook the benefits of adding variation to their workout. DON'T just do what you always do, think about how you can change it, improve it and increase it's complexity or difficulty. Try it a few times, get used to the technique and see if you get any gains from it.

Just a little tweak or few can go a long way - Variety is key! After all: "if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got!"

Don't forget you can follow me on: www.twitter.com/MichaelD_PT

Be inspired - set yourself goals and train for a reason

When I first started using a gym it was so that I could become stronger in order to make me a better rugby player.

YES, I wasted probably the first two years of gym visits as I didn't know what I was doing and so I'd dabble with a few machines, copy a big guy at the gym and maybe try something I'd seen in Men's Health or similar.... not good!

BUT... at least I had a reason. This kept me focused, determined and meant I came to the gym each time with something in mind.

This is ESSENTIAL for anyone, though you may not think it, if you're making progress in the gym you probably have an inspiration.

Find yours. Try...

EMOTIONS
Think of your emotions. How does the gym make you feel afterwards? How do you feel when you haven't been to the gym for a while? Was there an event in your life which spurred you to join the gym? Are you training to improve yourself for something which means a lot to you? How does it feel when you've trained hard for a while and someone compliments you? Many of the people I meet train simply to lift their mood. If it's what keeps you coming through the door, go with it!

FUNCTION
What will going to the gym help you do physically? If you're a keen sportsperson then this is much easier to imagine. I want to be faster, stronger, fitter etc.. This will also help you focus your style of training much more easily. Even if you don't have a sport, function is still important. Consider your job, lifestyle and hobbies. How can you focus your gym work to improve them? ie: if you drive for hours and hours it's important to strengthen your core and back in order to avoid postural problems.

HEALTH
A number of people exercise for health reasons. To avoid disease, aid recovery, lengthen life, improve cardiovascular strength and generally feel more awake, agile and youthful. However, training to "feel healthier" can be a difficult goal to gauge success against. Make sure you have some more tangible goals that can be targeted. Look at your recovery time during cardio work or even make sure that you have regular medicals conducted with particular focus on body fat percentage, resting heart rate and blood pressure. I see too many people visiting the gym to improve their health but in fact hardly break a sweat. Walking through the gym door does NOT make you healthier!!!

AESTHETICS
Aesthetics shouldn't be viewed as a dirty word. Looking around my gym, I'd estimate that well over half of the members use the gym as they want to make their bodies look better and nothing else. If that's for you then that's fine, but don't go to the gym so that your body looks "better"; you need to be much more specific! Focus on areas such as, you want bigger legs, or smaller hips or more definition on your arms, whatever it is, be specific. If it helps, use a visual guide to keep you on track. This should take two parts:

1) If you find a picture of someone, anyone, who has a body that you crave, keep it. They can be a celebrity, model or random from a magazine; either way you need some kind of target
2)Keep a photo log of yourself. This will show your progression more clearly than any other method if "looking good" is your goal. It will also show you where you have fallen short and areas to focus on in the future

Remember: What the mind can imagine, the body can achieve.

IN SUMMARY...
There are MANY reasons why a person might join a gym. To get a healthier lifestyle, lose weight, build muscle mass, appear more toned or improve cardiovascular capabilities.

Whatever the reason, make sure you have a S.M.A.R.T goal

S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Realistic
T = Timed

If you can follow these guidelines then you'll soon notice an improvement in your focus in the gym, commitment to each session and hand-in-hand with that, your results.

Make a note of your goals, making sure the stick to the S.M.A.R.T guidelines and highlight how and where they fit in. Create a timeline and stick it up somewhere that you'll see it. Without a clear timeline in mind, weeks will pass and session after session will go unnoticed. Work to a timeline and you'll feel like you're in control of where you're going and you will know what you can expect.

Don't forget to follow me on www.twitter.com/MichaelD_PT

Wait!.. Use body weight! Keep it minimal

A common complaint or a few variations of the same problem...

"I don't have time to make it to the gym"
"I work out of town" or "I travel a lot with work"
"I need childcare or I can't make the gym"

etc etc...

Well.. there's one simple solution for all of these folks - use your body weight! You don't always need endless amounts of fancy gym equipment!!!!
There are literally hundreds if not thousands of moves that you can do to burn calories, build lean muscle and work up a darn good sweat without the need for any fancy equipment. Add a few tiny pieces such as a swiss ball or barbell and the possibilities become endless!!!!..

Here are a few of the moves that I consider to be the top body weight moves!..

LOWER BODY...
Lunges - these can be done with a number of variations, forwards, backwards, sideways, elevated leg, with additional weights or resistance bands, on an unstable surface such as a Bosu or wobble board

Squats - Try playing around with the stance width and depth of squat. If it's 100% body weight then try one-leg squats - these will make any person work, no matter the size of their wheels

Jump squats - probably not one for anyone who lives above their neighbours, but simply perform squats finishing with a jump, making sure to cushion the landing by bending your knees, which movement automatically leads into the next squat. Basically continuously umping and squatting - good drill!

UPPER BODY...
Press ups - again variety is key. Try varying hand width, elevated feet to emphasise the upper chest and shoulders, one leg lifted to increase core engagement, doing them on your knuckles or perhaps with your hands on uneven surfaces such as one arm on the floor on on a small box

Renegade rows / renegade flys - these are usually performed with weights but with either a small weight or empty hand can still offer an effective workout as it engages a lot of core stability and stabilising muscle groups

Dips - You can perform these with your hands on the side of the bath, or a bed. Make them more difficult by varying the tempo, lifting alternate legs for each dip, placng your feet on something elevated or adding a weight to your lap

CORE / ABS...
Crunches - keep it basic. Crunches are one of the best ways to focus on the upper abs. Hold an object or weight to make it more difficult and hold it at the point where shoulders are highest off the ground for 3 seconds

Leg raises - great way to work your lower abs and add a little top up to the legs. Vary height of movement and speed

"Frogs" - a great way to hit your obliques - a personal favourite move of mine!

CONDITIONING...
Mountain climbers - vary from knees coming inside your elbows, to the outside. Also try it on one leg at a time in a hop-style

"Up-downs" (you may refer to them as something else) - basically climbing from a plank position to a press up and back down, over, and over, and over, and over, and over again...

Burpees - We all hate them and they've been around donkey's years; but for a reason - they're good! VERY good!

These are JUST 9 of the man moves you could try. But imagine on those days where you can't justify a gym visit for half an hour. Or only have time for 30 minutes and not the commute and gym chat when you're there, a quick circuit like that below could be gone over 3 - 5 times. Why not time it and get competitive with yourself!?.. HELLO SWEAT!!!

EXAMPLE CIRCUIT:

- Alternate lunges x 30
- 12 x 1 leg squats
- Press ups - 45 seconds non-stop
- Renegade row x 12 each side
- Renegade flys x 12 each side
- 45 seconds dips, one leg off the floor
- Elevated leg lunges x 10 each leg
- Jump squats x 15
- Press ups - 30 seconds non-stop
- 45 seconds crunches
- 12 x leg raises
- 24 x frogs
- 1 minute rock climbers
- 1 minute "up-downs"
- 15 x burpees

Try it.. I dare ya!!

Here's a few more bodyweight exercise ideas...

 
OR...
If you have access to a play park, why not try something like this?..

SUMMARY...
I'm ALWAYS telling people that their body weight is a great yard stick for functional strength. For example, how many "big guys" would struggle to perform a good set of wide-grip chin ups followed by a set of full-range dips?... Quite a few I'd imagine.

In my opinion, your best piece of equipment is your body! If you can't manoeuvre your own body weight then you really have nothing to be showing off about!

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MichaelD_PT an susbscribe to my YouTube channel

GUEST BLOGGER James Lakin - "Exercise and Nutrition: Some of the MANY myths"

Personal Trainer, James Lakin looks at just SOME of the nutritional myths that circulate in most gyms.

James says,

"You may have been given good and bad advice from other gym freaks on how to build muscle or burn fat. My favourite piece of bad advice that was given to me when I first started out training was from a meat-head I chatted to; unbelievably he said,"

“To get big you should eat KFC!” "I nodded and thanked him for the advice. Thankfully, over the years I have decided to educate myself and not rely on such pearls of wisdom from gym members. Here are just a few myths that must be dismissed!"

1. “My muscle turned to fat” Fat and muscle are two separate tisues. You can increase or decrease muscle or fat but they can not turn into one another.

2. “After training I can eat what I want”After training your breathing and heart rate will remain elevated to return your body to a natural state. To do this you will continue to burn energy and this is what people often refer to as “the golden hour” and mistakenly scoff the things they shouldn’t. After Training your body is crying out for nutrients feed it the energy it needs to replenish your stores to support growth and recovery. Water, protein, minerals and vitamins and not muffins or ice cream.

3. “If I train in the morning without eating breakfast I will lose more weight”Our body needs fuel to perform, without energy your workout will suffer. Research has shown skipping meals can slow down your metabolism eat small meals regularly to avoid this. Allow between an hour and a half and two hours to give your body enough time for digestion.

4. “I eat lots of pasta”
There seems to be a bit of an obsession with pasta. Many athletes load up on the stuff because of its high calorific content but they are burning thousands of calories through training several hours a day. For the average person being in a seated position 8 hours or more a day these excess calories will result in fat being stored if not burnt up! In no way am I saying don’t eat pasta, just be careful it doesn’t cause you to exceed your targeted daily calorie consumption.

5. “Which diet should I go on?”
I hear this a lot, any diet where you are taking in less energy will cause you to lose weight. They may work short term but the dieter can often put it straight back on plus more weight very quickly. A healthier way is to aim to lose no more than 2lbs per week eating a healthy balance of 80% good and 20% a little more relaxed. Two pounds may not sound a lot but in just 7 weeks that’s a whole stone! You will be more likely to sustain healthy eating and lose fat rather than muscle. From experience, clients that have lost weight gradually as opposed to crash or yoyo dieting have been able to keep the weight off. If diets worked, there wouldn't be a diet industr; there would just be a diet that everyone follows?


For more information on James, or to contact him directly regarding nutritional advice and/or personal training, view his website: http://www.uxbridge-fitness.co.uk/

"WOW-WOW" 08/08/10: 1000 reps to make you a better person (or maybe just 800)

I'm forever telling people,
"You don't need any fancy equipment to have a worthwhile training session!"

Personally, I like traditional, old-fashioned, retro, old-school, minimal (call it what you will) training. No flashing lights, unecesary data, over-sized equipment or shiny things.

So.. I created my "10's workout". Here's the format:

- 2x 10Kg dumbells
- 10 exercises
- 10 reps on each
- 10 tmes through

Giving you 100 reps on each exercise and 1000 reps total.

I took a few minutes to scribble down 10 exercises that i could perform alone, in a studio with just me and my dumbells (and a swiss ball).

Here are the exercises that I went with (but not in this order)...

- Chest Press (on swiss ball)
- Squats
- Front raises / lateral raises (5 of each)
- Press ups on the dumbells
- Shoulder press
- Renegade row (5 each arm)
- Bicep curls (5 eacha arm)
- Skull crushers (on the swiss ball)
- Dynamic Lunges (5 on each leg)
- One leg Romanian deadlifts - 5 on each leg (straight leg deadlifts)

With a little peer pressure (thanks Matt), I stuck with it for 8 "laps" giving me 800 reps total. To be honest, I had one eye on the time, but the tiredness of my shoulders was becoming an issue. Looking back, I seriously regret cutting that corner.

This regret was amplified the next day when my friend Matt decided to try it out and pulled out the full 1000. FACT: He is a better man than me!

Review...
Personally, I wouldn't describe this workout as "enjoyable". It was hard work for sure. BUT, gave me a great pump! The veins were working overtime and I got a real sweat on. It wasn't particularly cardio-based but I gradually got more and more tired that day and slept like a trooper. If you try it you'll know exactly what I mean!

It's a very worthwhile workout, there are just a few things to consider.

Issues to consider...
I think the workout could do with a little re-think. The order needs adjusting and I'd chuck out a few of these exercises in exchange for some more core and to give the old shoulders a stretch out or rest.

Still, 40 something minutes that gave me an ace pump and all body workout! Try it, see how long it takes you.

NB: After Matt completed his 1000 we decided that we should try it again in a new format. I WILL join the gang!!.. further blogs, images and videos to follow...

Training partner chemistry

Today I was speaking with a friend about a mutual friend of ours and he said,

"I don't want to train with him. I don't want to personal train someone for an hour when I'm trying to train."

Now, while this may sound a little cut-throat to some people, it's a fair point. It got me thinking about training partners, the chemistry between two training buddies, successful training relationships and the other side: arrangements which have a negative impact on training and results.

I see all combinations, two best friends training, large groups working together, solo-trainers or friends who became friends through the gym. However.. some are more successful than others.

Here's a few tips when picking your training partner:

Train with someone who brings something to the table...
Everyone has their first visits to a gym, and we're all constantly learning. No one knows EVERYTHING about working out, but the relationship needs to be a two-way street. It's one thing lending someone a hand, pointing them in the right direction, sorting out their program etc, but it soon wears thin when you need to spoon feed every part of the session.

Find someone that has prior knowledge or a different sporting background to yours but similar goals. For instance, as a rugby player I enjoy gym training with other rugby players but also fighters, sprinters and other power related athletes. Take a break from your usual routine when it's offered. Learn about flexibility from someone, move to a more cardio-based session if someone offers to show you a few bits. Approach sessions with an open mind and be willing to learn.

Big groups don't always mean big results...
I see it LOADS.. big groups of guys and girls who go to the gym together. It probably started as a pair and someone invited someone and so it went on. Bad news.. these aren't great for the gym.
More likely than not, these will be the groups who spread their time between working and chit-chat. For large groups doing weights based exercises, it's going to be a pain adjusting weights to suit everyone; an even bigger pain waiting around for your second set and getting cold while the other 4 do theirs.

As for peak time training, good luck finding 5 treadmills together or enough dumbells and benches for you and your pals.

Last but by NO means least, it's pretty unlikely you're going to find a group of friends all with similar goals. Which leads me to my next point...

Train with people who have similar goals...
Sessions can become HUGELY unproductive if time is spent arguing over exercises, repetitions, order of session etc if partners have different objectives. It's ESSENTIAL to find someone who wants the same thing. True, there's more than one way to skin a cat, but if your goals are poles apart the session is going nowhere.

Working hard... or hardly working?
Make sure when you pick a training partner it isn't someone who is more intent on catching up with you, telling you about their day, their family, their life and every other detail that isn't going to benefit your gym session It's fine to train with a friend but keep the social time and gym time seperate. If your gym partner is a talker or is spending their time trying to look good in the gym and attract members of the opposite sex, then change them. Or, explain your situation and ask them to change themselves. You'll bot benefit from it as the intensity of your sessions will increase so don't be afraid of offending them - it's for their own good.

Get pushed...
A little competition in the gym is always healthy. While I always use the old saying "train your body, not your ego", competition from your friends can improve the intensity of a session. It may be difficult to find a partner of equal size and strength but you may compete in other ways. For instance, weights wise use a percentage of your body weight as the scale for strength. Can you both bench press 100% of your own body weight? What about chin-ups and dips?

With regards to cardio, why not race? Give the less fit person a head start then let them try to not get caught while the fitter person tries their hardest to make up lost ground. Think laterally and introduce competition for the sake of improvement, not for the purpose of an ego boost, embarrassing your friend of to show how big and clever you are.

Without this level of competition and someone pushing you on, it's easy to get complaisant that you are the bigger or stronger or fitter person and if this continues, progress in the gym will be seriously damaged.

Listen up and be open minded...
You may be bigger, faster, leaner, fitter than your training partner, but you don't know everything. If they have an idea, go with it. Variation is key! Likewise, you see something you like that someone in the gym is doing, don't be afraid to ask. We're always learning so if you can get a little something from another gym goer then soak up all you can. I know I said to train with people similar to you, but if the opportunity comes to train with someone new as a one-off session go for it. If you trained with a gymnast and a powerlifter on two separate occasions, you may hate it but if you can take away just one thing from each session then it's been productive. Learning what you don't like and what doesn't work for you is just as important.

One-man(or woman)mission...
To the solo trainers. These guys have it in their favour in terms of time spent in the gym. I myself am usually a solo trainer most of the time and like that I don't need to wait for friends to finish sets, explain an exercise or adjust weights for other people and I can be done with a session quicker than most partners.

However... there are some things you don't get training alone. No spotter for heavier sets, no "let's do one more set" on the day you're feeling tired or even more essential for some people, "we ARE going to the gym - don't be lazy" discussions.

Most significant in my mind, is that unless you consciously aim to do so, sessions will become formulaic and stagnant. Without variety, suggestions from a training partner, tweaking of exercises and new approaches, most people will plod through the same sessions week after week and seriously compromise results.

Don't forget, you can follow me on: http://twitter.com/MichaelD_PT