Kettlebells aren’t simply a new fad. At the most basic level, they are essentially weight-lifting, or resistance training; and can be used in much the same way as ‘traditional’ lifting.
Where kettlebells come into their own, though, is the nature of the design. Kettlebells are off-centre – that is to say, the main bulk of the weight is always a little further away from the body than is the case with dumbbells, or barbells.
Normal gym-work teaches us to keep control and always know where the weight is; kettlebells take that concept and throw it out of the window. The whole point of kettlebell training is that your body doesn’t always know where the weight is, and as a consequence your muscles have fight to keep stability and control. This constant battle for stability is at the heart of what any kettlebell enthusiast will tell you – they’re fantastic for core development, both appearance AND strength. A training tool that gives you an impressive midsection as a by-product? Now we’re talking…!
So, if KBs are so great, why doesn’t everyone train with them? Well, like anything, it comes down to your individual goals. Want to be a 200lb, 8% body fat bodybuilder? You’re not going to build enough muscle solely with kettlebells to hit that goal. Need to drop from 300lbs to a ‘normal’ weight for your size? Again, kettlebells are unlikely to help; you’re unlikely to have the range of movement and basic fitness levels to make the best of them. So who are kettlebells perfect for? In my opinion as a PT, the list below are the kind of people who will get the most out of kettlebell training:
• Anyone looking to lose body fat
• Women seeking to gain a ‘toned’ appearance who have no interest in traditional weight-training
• Regular gym-goers who wish to build muscle whilst keeping body-fat levels under control
• Almost any person involved in a sport that demands a good level of CV conditioning
• Anyone who has ever used the simple phrase ‘I just want to get fitter’
• Strength trainers who rarely venture into higher rep ranges • Anyone who takes part in endurance activities (including marathons, 10ks, etc)
When you first start training with a kettlebell, as with anything new, take it easy! There’s no rush, no need to fly into the latest highimpact routine that will leave you feeling like a car crash victim for days afterwards. All the key, basic, big moves in kettlebell training start with the ‘swing’. Master this first, getting both the ‘half squat’movement AND the ‘straight back’ spot-on before graduating to more complex moves. Like with any new sport or training method, get the basics right first and you’ll avoid wasting time (and avoid potential injuries) further down the line. I’d recommend you then learn the kettlebell snatch and the clean and press.
After you have these mastered, you’ll have a good appreciation of kettlebell work, and can start getting to grips with some more complicated moves, and begin to incorporate body weight exercises as well to create some of the most demanding circuits you’ll ever do.
If you’re completely new to any kind of structured weight training, I’d suggest starting with a 4kg (females) or a 12kg (males). This is obviously a very broad generalisation, but it’s based on my personal training experience and it goes against the usually recommended 8kg for females, and 16kg for males. I’ve seen regular gym-goers utterly humbled by a 16kg KB; and there’s nothing like annihilating your confidence to put you off trying something that could otherwise be perfect for you. Similarly, women new to training often are simply incapable of pressing an 8kg weight above their heads, and to insist they just try harder is demoralising (not to mention ignorant of the trainer!)
If you’re used to the gym, and are capable of body-weight equivalent lifts (in the squat, bench press, and chin-ups for example) then by all means dive in at the higher end of the starting range; but don’t be surprised if a 16kg KB feels a LOT heavier than the equivalent dumbbell. Just for reference, it is often cited that a 16kg kettlebell, at the bottom of a ‘swing’, actually weighs nearly three times the weight because of the momentum generated, and the force needing to be applied to slow it down. Worth bearing in mind…!
To sum up, kettlebells can introduce a whole new level to your training. If you’re a complete newbie to fitness, they are a genuinely fun and interesting way to get some excellent, quick results. If you’re more seasoned, you’re still very likely to find even the most basic routine a good new challenge, and will be surprised to uncover some weaknesses (and strengths!) that you didn’t know you had.
Friday, 30 December 2011
Saturday, 5 November 2011
Consistency is King!
I've trained a large number of individuals now, and over forums/email probably given advice to hundreds more. Over this time, I think I've worked out the vital component that has meant some people have succeeded in their goals, and some haven't - consistency.
I have yet to meet anyone who has had success training once a week. Of course, as a personal trainer I do take on and work with some clients once a week, but I stress from the start that they will NOT make progress if they only train when I'm there. They need to put in the work in between our sessions. Make no mistake, I can tell who has put the work in over the week, and who hasn't.
Many people say they've been training 'on and off' for years. Well, sorry to break it to you, but if you train for a couple of months, then have a month off, then start again, then take another break - well, you may as well not bother. Exercise isn't for you. You don't have the focus, willpower or desire to make differences to your body. I appreciate that may sound harsh, but it's true. Just give up and find something else you enjoy, because stop-start training and yo-yo healthy eating is pointless. In fact, it probably does you more harm than good, certainly psychologically, because of the constant re-enforcing of the fact you've failed again.
Within reason, ANY half-decent training plan or dietary approach will get you results, if you stick to it. I've seen people get great results from training plans I wouldn't touch with a barge-pole, but the fact is the person stuck to it, put in 100% effort, and didn't give up after 4 weeks.
This may put some people off before even starting, but to make significant changes to your body, that people around you will notice, will take at least six months of hard and consistent work and effort. Not one month of hard work and then two weeks of nothing because 'work was busy' or 'I had a lot on' or 'there were lots of Xmas parties I had to go to'. If that sounds familiar to you, then you need to recognise how much of your time and effort you are wasting.
Unfortunately, the phrase 'use it or lose it' is 100% applicable to strength and fitness. In particular, you can lose your CV fitness almost as quickly as you gain it. In other words, a hard months worth of effort increasing your ability to run for half an hour can be entirely wiped out by a month of making excuses and doing nothing. You'll end up back at square one. What a waste of effort, eh?
Stop-start training and stop-start attention to nutrition does not work. It's as simple as that. If you want success, be consistent in what you do. It's the only way to make a difference.
I have yet to meet anyone who has had success training once a week. Of course, as a personal trainer I do take on and work with some clients once a week, but I stress from the start that they will NOT make progress if they only train when I'm there. They need to put in the work in between our sessions. Make no mistake, I can tell who has put the work in over the week, and who hasn't.
Many people say they've been training 'on and off' for years. Well, sorry to break it to you, but if you train for a couple of months, then have a month off, then start again, then take another break - well, you may as well not bother. Exercise isn't for you. You don't have the focus, willpower or desire to make differences to your body. I appreciate that may sound harsh, but it's true. Just give up and find something else you enjoy, because stop-start training and yo-yo healthy eating is pointless. In fact, it probably does you more harm than good, certainly psychologically, because of the constant re-enforcing of the fact you've failed again.
Within reason, ANY half-decent training plan or dietary approach will get you results, if you stick to it. I've seen people get great results from training plans I wouldn't touch with a barge-pole, but the fact is the person stuck to it, put in 100% effort, and didn't give up after 4 weeks.
This may put some people off before even starting, but to make significant changes to your body, that people around you will notice, will take at least six months of hard and consistent work and effort. Not one month of hard work and then two weeks of nothing because 'work was busy' or 'I had a lot on' or 'there were lots of Xmas parties I had to go to'. If that sounds familiar to you, then you need to recognise how much of your time and effort you are wasting.
Unfortunately, the phrase 'use it or lose it' is 100% applicable to strength and fitness. In particular, you can lose your CV fitness almost as quickly as you gain it. In other words, a hard months worth of effort increasing your ability to run for half an hour can be entirely wiped out by a month of making excuses and doing nothing. You'll end up back at square one. What a waste of effort, eh?
Stop-start training and stop-start attention to nutrition does not work. It's as simple as that. If you want success, be consistent in what you do. It's the only way to make a difference.
"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." - Vincent T. Lombardi
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Carbs are not the enemy!
I've come across a lot of this kind of thinking recently; that to lose any weight, the only approach that will work is low carb. This post will hopefully show you some of why that is a common knee-jerk reaction, and why it's often misguided.
Carbs are necessary to function. They provide the most accessible source of energy for your body - in other words, it doesn't have to make much effort to generate usable energy from most carb sources. Proteins and fats require a little more of your body. Side effects of 'going low carb' (typically meaning having less than 50g of carbs per day) include headaches, bad breath and dizziness. If that doesn't show you how much your body needs carbs for adequate function, then what does?!
There is a process known as 'ketosis', which many low carb diets aim for and extol as being the holy grail of fat loss. Done properly, by a knowledgeable person who is already in control of their eating habits and is insanely disciplined, it can work. Chances are, though, that YOU aren't that person.
So why is low-carb such a popular approach?
Mainly because in the Western world we've got our food balance all out of whack. We've gone way too far in favour of carbs, in most cases, and some people's diets consist of 80% carbs. Put simply, they're too prevalent and too more-ish, and are the key constituent of too many foods that are truly awful for you - most cereals, cakes, chocolates, crisps etc.
You can probably see that not all carbs are created equal. Maybe the distinction should be made between foods that are decent nutritionally (potatoes, vegetables, fruit) and foods that aren't (crisps, cakes, cereals).
Carbs tend to form a huge part of our diets - bread as an accompaniment to meals, pasta and potatoes taking up half a plate with no green veg to be seen. This is the real problem, and why the low(er) carb approach can work - it removes some nutritionally defunct calories from a diet.
Aim to get your carbs from good sources - sweet and normal potatoes, vegetables, some (not an excess of) fruit, pasta and wholegrain bagels. Unless you're heavily into your training, and need the excess energy, try to keep the servings of potatoes and pastas down to fist-size, and not the whole plate!
Don't treat carbs as some kind of pariah. Simply cutting carbs out of your diet alone will not make you lose fat. Ultimately, it's a calorie deficit that will do that. Removing the nutritionally-barren carbs (chocolate, crisps, cereals, white breads) from your diet, and replacing them with good fats and proteins, however, will always lead to positive mental and physical results.
Carbs are necessary to function. They provide the most accessible source of energy for your body - in other words, it doesn't have to make much effort to generate usable energy from most carb sources. Proteins and fats require a little more of your body. Side effects of 'going low carb' (typically meaning having less than 50g of carbs per day) include headaches, bad breath and dizziness. If that doesn't show you how much your body needs carbs for adequate function, then what does?!
There is a process known as 'ketosis', which many low carb diets aim for and extol as being the holy grail of fat loss. Done properly, by a knowledgeable person who is already in control of their eating habits and is insanely disciplined, it can work. Chances are, though, that YOU aren't that person.
So why is low-carb such a popular approach?
Mainly because in the Western world we've got our food balance all out of whack. We've gone way too far in favour of carbs, in most cases, and some people's diets consist of 80% carbs. Put simply, they're too prevalent and too more-ish, and are the key constituent of too many foods that are truly awful for you - most cereals, cakes, chocolates, crisps etc.
You can probably see that not all carbs are created equal. Maybe the distinction should be made between foods that are decent nutritionally (potatoes, vegetables, fruit) and foods that aren't (crisps, cakes, cereals).
Carbs tend to form a huge part of our diets - bread as an accompaniment to meals, pasta and potatoes taking up half a plate with no green veg to be seen. This is the real problem, and why the low(er) carb approach can work - it removes some nutritionally defunct calories from a diet.
Aim to get your carbs from good sources - sweet and normal potatoes, vegetables, some (not an excess of) fruit, pasta and wholegrain bagels. Unless you're heavily into your training, and need the excess energy, try to keep the servings of potatoes and pastas down to fist-size, and not the whole plate!
Don't treat carbs as some kind of pariah. Simply cutting carbs out of your diet alone will not make you lose fat. Ultimately, it's a calorie deficit that will do that. Removing the nutritionally-barren carbs (chocolate, crisps, cereals, white breads) from your diet, and replacing them with good fats and proteins, however, will always lead to positive mental and physical results.
Monday, 18 July 2011
5 Most Common Muscle-Building Mistakes
To be honest, it's hard to keep this list down to just five things, but these are the main mistakes people make when trying to gain a decent amount of muscle mass. Failing to address one or more of these will seriously affect your performance - and your results.
1. Avoiding the big lifts.
If your gym programme, over the course of a week, doesn't include squats, deadlifts, some form of chin ups, and some form of bench press, then you need to stop and re-evaluate what you're doing. Ideally, your programme should have:
Squats
Deadlifts
Chin ups
Military presses
Bench press and/or dips
Rows
Once you've got all those factored in, great. You can go on to do whatever other exercises you like, but don't skip the big lifts. You simply won't get the same results doing dumbbell flies, leg extensions and curl/shoulder press supersets.
2. Not eating enough.
As trainers, we get VERY used to skinny folk saying 'but I eat like a horse'. No, you don't. Or you wouldn't be skinny. Eat more than you burn off + weight training = muscle gain. At the very least, if you ate more than you needed and never trained, you'd gain fat. If your weight stays the same, you aren't eating enough. End of story. Most people who claim to eat 'loads' turn out to be eating huge portions, but not eating often enough. A 1000 calorie meal might look impressive, but if over the rest of the day you only eat another 1000 calories, you won't gain muscle.
3. Not resting enough.
You don't grow in the gym. You grow when your body has a chance to repair itself...when it's resting. That doesn't mean train once a week and rest the other six days. You need to strike a balance. Generally, for new lifters, training three times a week, having a day (or maybe two) in between each training day works. As you get more advanced, you can train more often, but only if you plan your training intelligently.
If you train every day, don't get enough sleep and constantly push yourself, you'll burn out. The most obvious indicator of burning out is a lack of progress in either your size or strength increases. If you hit a plateau, look at your rest and see what can be improved. An hour earlier to bed? An additional rest day? A weekend off?
4. Relying on supplements.
Really, this needs it's own blog post. Suffice to say, the clue is in the name - supplements. They are designed to supplement an existing good nutrition and training plan, not replace them. I have yet to train anyone who couldn't simply get better results from addressing their nutrition plan, than from spending money on supplements. 'Fat burning' supplements in particular are a huge con. They simply won't have any effect on fat loss until your diet is 100%, and I mean 100%, perfect. My diet isn't that perfect, and neither is yours - so don't waste your money on something that will make 0.1% of difference.
I'll add a caveat to that - probably, for convenience sake, a basic whey shake, multi-vitamin and Omega 3's are worthwhile investments.
5. Changing your routine every five minutes
There's a current trend (things like P90X) to promote 'muscle confusion' as the way to get big and lean. Well, it's generally rubbish. Your body responds to progressive overload. It likes getting used to doing an exercise well, and being able to get stronger at it. That takes time, and can't be achieved by chopping and changing your plan every time someone comes along with a fancy new idea. Pick a plan, stick with it for AT LEAST six weeks before considering changing. If you're wanting to get bigger, get more muscular, then consistency and progression are key. Not jumping on every latest fad.
1. Avoiding the big lifts.
If your gym programme, over the course of a week, doesn't include squats, deadlifts, some form of chin ups, and some form of bench press, then you need to stop and re-evaluate what you're doing. Ideally, your programme should have:
Squats
Deadlifts
Chin ups
Military presses
Bench press and/or dips
Rows
Once you've got all those factored in, great. You can go on to do whatever other exercises you like, but don't skip the big lifts. You simply won't get the same results doing dumbbell flies, leg extensions and curl/shoulder press supersets.
2. Not eating enough.
As trainers, we get VERY used to skinny folk saying 'but I eat like a horse'. No, you don't. Or you wouldn't be skinny. Eat more than you burn off + weight training = muscle gain. At the very least, if you ate more than you needed and never trained, you'd gain fat. If your weight stays the same, you aren't eating enough. End of story. Most people who claim to eat 'loads' turn out to be eating huge portions, but not eating often enough. A 1000 calorie meal might look impressive, but if over the rest of the day you only eat another 1000 calories, you won't gain muscle.
3. Not resting enough.
You don't grow in the gym. You grow when your body has a chance to repair itself...when it's resting. That doesn't mean train once a week and rest the other six days. You need to strike a balance. Generally, for new lifters, training three times a week, having a day (or maybe two) in between each training day works. As you get more advanced, you can train more often, but only if you plan your training intelligently.
If you train every day, don't get enough sleep and constantly push yourself, you'll burn out. The most obvious indicator of burning out is a lack of progress in either your size or strength increases. If you hit a plateau, look at your rest and see what can be improved. An hour earlier to bed? An additional rest day? A weekend off?
4. Relying on supplements.
Really, this needs it's own blog post. Suffice to say, the clue is in the name - supplements. They are designed to supplement an existing good nutrition and training plan, not replace them. I have yet to train anyone who couldn't simply get better results from addressing their nutrition plan, than from spending money on supplements. 'Fat burning' supplements in particular are a huge con. They simply won't have any effect on fat loss until your diet is 100%, and I mean 100%, perfect. My diet isn't that perfect, and neither is yours - so don't waste your money on something that will make 0.1% of difference.
I'll add a caveat to that - probably, for convenience sake, a basic whey shake, multi-vitamin and Omega 3's are worthwhile investments.
5. Changing your routine every five minutes
There's a current trend (things like P90X) to promote 'muscle confusion' as the way to get big and lean. Well, it's generally rubbish. Your body responds to progressive overload. It likes getting used to doing an exercise well, and being able to get stronger at it. That takes time, and can't be achieved by chopping and changing your plan every time someone comes along with a fancy new idea. Pick a plan, stick with it for AT LEAST six weeks before considering changing. If you're wanting to get bigger, get more muscular, then consistency and progression are key. Not jumping on every latest fad.
Thursday, 14 July 2011
Gaining muscle...
There’s a lot of conflicting advice out there about gaining muscle and strength. The truth is, it’s about consistent hard work, attention to your diet, and using your training time intelligently. You wouldn’t expect to be able to service your own car without doing a little research and experimenting first, yet so many people walk into a gym blind…and are quickly disheartened by a lack of results.
Your body doesn’t necessarily want to generate extra muscle. After all, it takes a lot of effort for the body to grow and maintain lean tissue. To encourage it to go in the direction you want to go, you need to do three main things:
Muscles increase in size through repairing themselves after intense activity. Firstly, you need to provide that activity in a structured way, and secondly, you need to ensure you have enough incoming energy to ensure that the re-building happens at an optimal level.
How often you train, which exercises you pick, the number of repetitions and sets – all of these things impact on your size increases, and whilst there is no one-size-fits-all training programme, there are certain elements common to any successful trainee.
At Real World Fitness, we can manage both your training and your diet to ensure that none of your valuable gym time is wasted, and that everything you do is geared towards increasing your lean body mass. Incorporating tried and tested conditioning methods as well, our programmes ensure that your weight gain doesn’t come at a price of sacrificing your overall fitness, or body fat, levels.
We will teach you (or assess and if necessary improve your form) all of the major compound movements – the squat, the deadlift, the bench press, bent over rows, chin-ups and dips, military presses and basic Olympic lifts. As you learn and improve your technique, you will notice dramatic improvements in your strength, size and conditioning.
We can work with you at a number of gyms in the Nottingham area, or further afield subject to a small travel cost. Check out the website and contact us to discuss your training.
Your body doesn’t necessarily want to generate extra muscle. After all, it takes a lot of effort for the body to grow and maintain lean tissue. To encourage it to go in the direction you want to go, you need to do three main things:
- Supply an excess of energy (i.e calories)
- Supply a consistent stimulus to your muscles
- Get adequate rest and recovery
Muscles increase in size through repairing themselves after intense activity. Firstly, you need to provide that activity in a structured way, and secondly, you need to ensure you have enough incoming energy to ensure that the re-building happens at an optimal level.
How often you train, which exercises you pick, the number of repetitions and sets – all of these things impact on your size increases, and whilst there is no one-size-fits-all training programme, there are certain elements common to any successful trainee.
At Real World Fitness, we can manage both your training and your diet to ensure that none of your valuable gym time is wasted, and that everything you do is geared towards increasing your lean body mass. Incorporating tried and tested conditioning methods as well, our programmes ensure that your weight gain doesn’t come at a price of sacrificing your overall fitness, or body fat, levels.
We will teach you (or assess and if necessary improve your form) all of the major compound movements – the squat, the deadlift, the bench press, bent over rows, chin-ups and dips, military presses and basic Olympic lifts. As you learn and improve your technique, you will notice dramatic improvements in your strength, size and conditioning.
We can work with you at a number of gyms in the Nottingham area, or further afield subject to a small travel cost. Check out the website and contact us to discuss your training.
Monday, 11 July 2011
Weight Training Basics
When you first decide to start using weights, it's probably tempting to just wander into the gym and have a quick go on every machine, doing loads of reps, and looking a little bit lost as you try to take in the myriad of equipment available to use.
This article is designed to help you cut through all the useless tat in your gym, and get straight onto the stuff that works. At this early stage in your lifting career, get the basics right and you won't waste the months, and years, that most people waste while they try to figure out what experienced people already know - that simple hard work, simply works!
A couple of ground rules:
1) If you're totally new to exercise, it's probably a good idea to visit your doctor and get your blood pressure, cholesterol etc tested. If nothing else, it'll give you some good data to improve upon. Pay particular notice to your blood pressure and heart rate, because these will change for the better with proper training.
2) Try to stick to the things in this article. Don't get swayed by the gym PT trying to tempt you into BodyBlitz or VibroClass. Equally, don't let Big Dave get you following his latest split programme that involves a forearm and neck training day!
The Basic Planes of Movement
Your body has six basic planes of movement. These are:
Quad dominant (anything pushing with your legs)
Hip dominant (anything pulling with your legs and hips)
Horizontal push (e.g the old favourite, bench press)
Horizontal pull (anything pulling an object towards you)
Vertical push (anything pushing above your head)
Vertical pull (e.g pull ups, chin ups)
All of that might sound overly complicated. It isn't - this article is going to show you a specific exercise to do for each of these movements. Your first eight weeks of training will consist of doing just those exercises - remember, we're going to keep things very, very simple. Why? Because simple WORKS!
The Exercises
All of these exercises below assume that you are in an average-to-well equipped gym. I won't make any excuses for saying that a gym that doesn't have a squat rack or a chin up/dipping station can't really call itself a gym. If that's the case with your 'fitness centre', seriously consider moving gyms.
Squat (quad dominant):
This article is designed to help you cut through all the useless tat in your gym, and get straight onto the stuff that works. At this early stage in your lifting career, get the basics right and you won't waste the months, and years, that most people waste while they try to figure out what experienced people already know - that simple hard work, simply works!
A couple of ground rules:
1) If you're totally new to exercise, it's probably a good idea to visit your doctor and get your blood pressure, cholesterol etc tested. If nothing else, it'll give you some good data to improve upon. Pay particular notice to your blood pressure and heart rate, because these will change for the better with proper training.
2) Try to stick to the things in this article. Don't get swayed by the gym PT trying to tempt you into BodyBlitz or VibroClass. Equally, don't let Big Dave get you following his latest split programme that involves a forearm and neck training day!
The Basic Planes of Movement
Your body has six basic planes of movement. These are:
Quad dominant (anything pushing with your legs)
Hip dominant (anything pulling with your legs and hips)
Horizontal push (e.g the old favourite, bench press)
Horizontal pull (anything pulling an object towards you)
Vertical push (anything pushing above your head)
Vertical pull (e.g pull ups, chin ups)
All of that might sound overly complicated. It isn't - this article is going to show you a specific exercise to do for each of these movements. Your first eight weeks of training will consist of doing just those exercises - remember, we're going to keep things very, very simple. Why? Because simple WORKS!
The Exercises
All of these exercises below assume that you are in an average-to-well equipped gym. I won't make any excuses for saying that a gym that doesn't have a squat rack or a chin up/dipping station can't really call itself a gym. If that's the case with your 'fitness centre', seriously consider moving gyms.
Squat (quad dominant):
Straight Leg Deadlift (hip dominant):
Bench Press (horizontal push):
I know most guys reading this will be thinking 'yeah, I've got this one, I don't need to watch a video on it'. Well, yeah, you really do need to. I don't think I've ever seen more than handful of people in gyms benching properly. It's not just a case of throwing the weight up and down. So watch! And yes, I know the guy teaching doesn't look in amazing shape, but this guy has forgotten more about weight training than you or I will ever know. Looks, occasionally, can be deceiving!
Bent over row (horizontal pull):
Military Press (vertical push)
Chin-ups (vertical pull):
A little bit of clarification here. Most people new to training simply can't do chin-up. That's ok - you're not expected to be able to straight away. There are ways of building up to them. One way is to use the lat pulldown machine in the gym. It works broadly the same muscles, but unfortunately, it doesn't recreate any of the stabilising work you need to do in a chin up. I'd much prefer you to jump onto the chin-up station, and try these instead:
Negative chin ups are an awesome way of learning how to do a full chin up. You'll get stronger in the basic movement, and before long you'll have the strength to attempt a full normal chin up. And you'll get that strength far quicker by doing negatives than you will by playing around on the lat pulldown machine.
Of course, if you ARE able to do chin-ups, then go for it!
The Programme
There's just six exercises there. No more, no less. There's no need to do any more than that. In fact, once you get good at each exercise and start to increase the weight you are using, you'll probably find that the workouts become too hard. So next time you look at the programme that the gym have given you to follow, ask yourself what is the point of doing 10-15-20 different exercises?
For the first four weeks, you are just going to do two sets of twelve reps of each exercise. Two sets, of 12 reps in each set, using a weight becomes a real struggle for the last 2 or 3 reps of each set. By 'real struggle', I mean it's hard work to do the exercise properly. You should really need to grit your teeth and grind out the last couple of reps. Don't, however, throw all the good technique from the videos above out of the window. Try to strike a good balance between working hard, and working smart.
Make sure you time your rest between sets. Aim to take no more than 60 seconds rest between sets.
You'll probably need a couple of practice sessions in the gym, learning how to do each exercise. That's fine - take a week to go into the gym and play around. Learn the moves, get comfortable with each exercise without really doing a 'full' workout. That's not a wasted week, believe me. I still do that before starting a new programme. It helps you to understand exactly what you are about to do, and means that you are ready to start working properly on the first training day.
When you start, aim to train three times a week. Monday - Wednesday - Friday works for lots of people. Tuesday - Thursday - Saturday tends to be quieter in the gyms as a result though - so you might find that's a better way to work. Whatever you choose to do, leave at least one day in between training sessions. And yes, in that first week you will ache. It gets better, I promise!
As you get used to the exercises, and they start to feel easier, add weight. Not much, just an extra couple of 1kg plates, or more if you think you can. Try not to use the same weight as the last session. Always aim to improve.
For the next four weeks, jump up to three sets of eight reps. This is going to allow you to use significantly heavier weights, yet still lift for as many reps. It'll boost your strength, and you'll start to see some size improvements/fat loss too. Expect to be able to lift anywhere between 20-30% more weight than you were handling at the end of your first four-week period. Keep your intensity levels as high as before - including timing those rest breaks.
This four week segment will be hard work, done properly. Once you've got this bit done, you'll have eight weeks of solid training under your belt. You'll be significantly stronger, and depending upon how good your nutrition has been, you'll be seeing major changes to your body. At this stage, you'll want to streamline your training a little, and cut down on some of the exercises in order to focus on really working hard. Keep an eye out for a future article that will show you how to break down these exercises further and keep you making progress.
So go on! Get started! Feel free to contact Real World Fitness for any help or advice on starting out. We're quite happy to do one-off sessions for form-checking and programme design, as well as longer term PT arrangements for people who want more targetted help.
Prioritising Health - Rebecca Conlin
I have come from a very stressful job in a secondary school, where my role was looking after a particularly naughty year group and often dealing with less than supportive parents/carers. I was also leading an expedition to Borneo for some students who had to raise over £3500, which I was only given an hour a week to do. I did not receive very much support from colleagues; in fact it verged on bullying.
On top of this I was studying a full time distance learning degree in Psychology which took up most of my spare time. If that’s not enough I was also training most nights and competing for Eastwood Amateur Boxing Club… it doesn’t even end here! My partner was also serving in Afghanistan on the front line. As you can imagine I was very busy, and there is only so long you can go without it catching up with you.
About 10 months ago I had a mini melt-down and had to reconsider my life and put things into perspective. I had to prioritise what was important. Firstly, my health. Without health, you cannot enjoy anything else in life. I’m not just talking about physical health, but all round mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing. After a lot of soul-searching I made the decision to quit my job, quit my degree, quit boxing competitively and focus on what really matters and guess what? I’m happier, healthier and fitter than ever.
So my point is: drop the excuses. I don’t care if your job is stressful. I don’t care about your family commitments. I don’t care about any other personal problems that you're using as an excuse NOT to prioritise health and fitness. That might sound harsh but without the latter you have none of the former! I’m not saying quit everything and hope for the best. I'm not saying to ignore your family and friends commitments. I’m saying act now and don’t let the hustle and bustle of everyday life grind you down, eventually putting you in the position that I ended up in.
If you want to put your health and fitness first then please contact Real World Fitness and together we will put a plan together that addresses your personal commitments and advise you on how you CAN do it. Sometimes failure just isn’t an option.
On top of this I was studying a full time distance learning degree in Psychology which took up most of my spare time. If that’s not enough I was also training most nights and competing for Eastwood Amateur Boxing Club… it doesn’t even end here! My partner was also serving in Afghanistan on the front line. As you can imagine I was very busy, and there is only so long you can go without it catching up with you.
About 10 months ago I had a mini melt-down and had to reconsider my life and put things into perspective. I had to prioritise what was important. Firstly, my health. Without health, you cannot enjoy anything else in life. I’m not just talking about physical health, but all round mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing. After a lot of soul-searching I made the decision to quit my job, quit my degree, quit boxing competitively and focus on what really matters and guess what? I’m happier, healthier and fitter than ever.
So my point is: drop the excuses. I don’t care if your job is stressful. I don’t care about your family commitments. I don’t care about any other personal problems that you're using as an excuse NOT to prioritise health and fitness. That might sound harsh but without the latter you have none of the former! I’m not saying quit everything and hope for the best. I'm not saying to ignore your family and friends commitments. I’m saying act now and don’t let the hustle and bustle of everyday life grind you down, eventually putting you in the position that I ended up in.
If you want to put your health and fitness first then please contact Real World Fitness and together we will put a plan together that addresses your personal commitments and advise you on how you CAN do it. Sometimes failure just isn’t an option.
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