Exercise Tips & Types of Training
Exercise Tips
- Visit your doctor for a full medical examination before beginning a new exercise programme. This will ensure that your body is in good working order and will hopefully give you the all clear to begin.
- Always warm up before exercising. This will help to reduce the risk of injury and get your muscles prepared for exercise.
- Always stretch at the end of an exercise session. Stretch each of the major muscles that have been used during your workout and hold each one for 10-15 seconds without bouncing. This will help to maintain flexibility and reduce muscular soreness.
- Start out slow. If you haven't worked out in a while (or ever) start with a walking program of about 20 to 30 minutes, 3 days a week. Each session, add a few minutes to your workout before progressing.
- Train your core. (This is the part of the body that would remain if your arms and legs were removed!) Training the core involves targeting the very deep muscles through to the outer layer. The development of a strong and stable core is the key to improved body function, posture, technique and sporting excellence.
- Record your workouts. Note down what you did, times, distances, reps etc. and how you felt afterwards. This will give you an idea of how you are progressing and give you motivation to continue.
- Grab a friend, spouse or partner to workout with you. Often working out on your own can be boring and you can lack motivation. Working out with someone can often give you that push you need to keep at it.
- Set yourself small realistic goals that are achievable. This can be very motivational and rewarding. Longer term goals, such as how much weight you want to lose eventually, can often seem a long way off and can lead to wanting to give up. Seeing small improvements all the time will keep you at it.
- Don’t over-train. It is important to give your body at least one rest day a week. This will give your muscles a chance to repair themselves and reduce the risk of injury.
- Prepare your workouts. Make them exciting and change them regularly. Don’t get stuck in a rut of doing the same old routine every time. If you know what you are going to do in advance, you are more likely to stick to it and enjoy it!
Types of Training
Cardiovascular Training
My sessions may simply involve jogging, power walking or running as a cardiovascular element to my programmes, depending on the individual’s ability and goals, but I also include more structured exercises aimed at improving cardiovascular performance which I incorporate into circuit training. This is where a client would move from one exercise station to the next with little or no rest to keep the heart rate up and blood pumping to the muscles, I also include boxing in these sessions. Interval training is another technique I use which involves structured periods of work and rest, for example, a slow jog, followed by a fast sprint and incorporate body weight exercises in between. These types of training are all effective at increasing the heart rate and therefore burning calories, reducing fat and improving the function of the heart and lungs.
Core Training
This involves working the very deep muscles of the core through to the outer abdominal and back muscles. I use exercise balls and wobble boards to assist in the exercises. It can be very challenging, demanding and hard work, but lots of fun too. The development of a strong and stable core will enable exercises to be performed more efficiently and effectively, will help to improve posture, create a strong and toned body and reduce the risk of injuries. Core Training can also help to eliminate lower back pain, a very common problem in a lot of people today.
Strength and Toning
I use free weights, resistance bands, kettlebells and bodyweight to target all of the major muscle groups of the body. My programmes are structured and may involve all over body strength/toning workouts or workouts which split the muscle groups into different programmes. Muscle is metabolically active, unlike fat, and by training your muscles to improve their strength and tone, more calories will be burnt at rest.
Warming up and cooling down
It is very important to warm up properly before doing any kind of exercise in order to prepare the body for the challenges in the workout ahead. I will usually include a 5 minute warm up with a few dynamic stretches before a session and then end with static stretches at the end. This will help to prevent muscle soreness and stiffness the next day, by assisting in the removal of waste that has built up in the muscle during the workout. It will also help to keep the muscles flexible.