Fool-Proof Steps That Will Guarantee Results

Are you following the fundamental rules of ‘periodisation’? Each day this week we will give you the fool-proof, progressive steps needed to get the most out of your training and that will guarantee results.

Step 1 – ‘Posture & Stability’

Is your body in optimal alignment? Good posture and a strong core will allow your limbs to move correctly without the risk of injury.  With any exercise program, this is the platform on which you build.  So, this means that for some people, stretching and basic movement patterns should be the start of an exercise program.

Step 2 -’Endurance Phase’

Through cardiovascular and resistance exercise (high reps/low weight), the next progression in getting the most from your training is building endurance. This means working aerobically to build capillaries (small blood vessels) to carry an increased amount of oxygen around your body. This will then prepare you for building muscle tone, for an increased metabolism and better fat burning!

Step 3 – ‘Hypertrophy’

What does that word mean?!  This is the phase where you start to build muscle tissue and really crank-up your metabolism.  By now your body should be flexible and metabolically active so now it’s time to tone-up those wobbly bits…safely and without the risk of injury.  Don’t worry about getting bulky, muscle tissue is incredibly lean and burns fat.

Step 4 – ‘Strength’

This final stage is all about building strength, training your muscles and working different energy systems in your body. A lot of the time, you will be working anaerobically (without oxygen). To get the most from this type of training, it really is advisable to seek the advice of a qualified fitness professional to ensure that the technique and chosen exercises are right for your body.

Tomorrow, check back here for the summary and how to put all of the above together.

Personal Training Diary…A Wet Sunday Cycle Ride

Today’s cycle ride looked oh so promising when my personal training client and I left home at 10.00am.  A few miles down the road whilst making our way out to the planned hilly climb (she is training for an endurance event at the end of the summer and I wanted to throw in some heart rate intervals), spots of rain started to fall.  “Let’s keep going, it will only be a short shower.”  Yeah right!!!  Oh well, it was only a bit of water.

One of the great things about this time of year is that as soon as the rain stops and the sun makes an appearance, you know it won’t take long to dry off.  That’s exactly what happened as we started to climb.  A short while later our heart rates were elevated and we were steaming…literally!  The clouds disappeared and the view was spectacular.

We enjoyed the ups and downs of the ride and dried off very quickly.  After a well-deserved short snack stop (to get sustained energy release by mixing carbohydrate and small amount of protein), we made our way back home.

It would have been so easy to turn around at the first sight of the clouds at 10.15am and go do the personal training session inside.  OK, so we got a bit wet, but the enjoyment and sense of achievement for my client at the end was worth a soggy t-shirt for a while!  Once again, she amazed herself at how much stronger she is feeling, especially when the hill climbs are getting tougher.