Personal Trainer for Tunbridge Wells and surrounding areas.
How to Stretch To Aid Performance and Recovery
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How to Stretch To Aid Performance and Recovery

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In my experience quite a large percentage of people don’t get stretching right. This is either because they don’t make the time to do it (or at least do it properly). Or because they don’t know what type of stretching should be done at what time and therefore are getting it wrong, negating its benefit.

Common Stretching Mistake

Most people think of stretching as the ‘static’ kind. I.e. standing still or lying down and holding a position still for 12-15 seconds. A lot of people will do this type of stretching before they start exercising.

This is actually the wrong way round. You need to be doing this type of stretching at the end of your workout. The purpose of static stretching is to relax the muscle and extend them after a workout to;

• Stop them getting tight
• Prevent them being sore (or at least as sore) the next day
• Reduce the risk of injury

If you do this type of stretching before your workout it is there counterintuitive. You are relaxing and calming down your muscles when in fact what you want to be doing is warming them up and preparing them for the action and strain that is the workout. If you have a particularly tight muscle you could do a static stretch pre workout but it must be followed by the type of stretching I will come to talk about next.

But at the end of your workout, you must absolutely stretch. Ideally right after the workout, but if you really don’t have time later in the day would be okay as a second option.

Dynamic Stretching

This is movement based stretching aimed at firing up your muscles ready for the workout. This is what should be done BEFORE your workout. Movements such making big circles with your arms forwards and backwards. Kicking your legs up in front of your alternately. Bending forward and touching your toes with a straight back – basically a bodyweight deadlift. You then go into the workout with your muscles warmed up and ready for exercise. This means less chance of injury.

Conclusion – How to Stretch To Aid Performance and Recovery

Do the right stretching at the right time and your muscles will be more ready for the workout and will recover better after the workout.

Visit the main page of my website here; Complete Fitness 4 Life – Personal Trainer Tunbridge Wells.

Cardio For Weight Loss

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When people think about losing weight through exercise cardio is the first thing that springs to mind. To most people this means, running, cycling, or some or cardio machine such as a rower or cross trainer. But what does cardio actually mean and what different ways are there to get your cardio?

What Does Cardio Mean?

Cardio or cardiovascular training basically means in practical terms doing some form of exercise that elevates your heart rate.  The reason we want to do this is because the higher our heart rate during training the more calories you burn from your workout.

So of course this could mean going for a run or a bike ride, but by no means does it have to mean that. Sometimes people get bogged down in those regular, old school methods of cardio being the only way to do cardio and the therefore the best way to lose weight.

This simply isn’t the case.  Any kind of resistance training workout will elevate your heart rate as long as you are pushing yourself. Of course old school weight training, i.e. do a set of chest press, rest for 60-90 seconds then do it again won’t keep your heart rate elevated. But a circuit of exercises, e.g. chest press, then squat, then plank etc., with minimal rest in between will do the job.  As long as you are picking a weight/time/rep range that is challenging for you, this kind of training will elevate your heart rate and keep it up.

In my opinion circuit/resistance training is also a more varied and less boring way of training. The monotony of plodding on a run or on the cross trainer for half an hour for most people is no fun. At least with some variety you won’t hate the exercise and the time will pass quicker.

Conclusion – Cardio For Weight Loss

Don’t fall in to the common trap that you ‘have to do’ a particular sort of cardio if you want to lose weight. Whatever you do, work hard and you will get your heart rate up, be burning calories at a high rate and therefore getting a cardiovascular workout.

Visit the main page of my website here; Complete Fitness 4 Life – Personal Trainer Tunbridge Wells

How To Choose a Personal Trainer

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Okay firstly I will hold my hands up, I am a personal trainer myself. But I am not writing this post to try and plug my own services. It’s simply to help people choose a personal trainer that is right for them.
The first thing you need to decide is what you want out of the training.

Do you want to train for a particular sport or event?

Want to simply improve your fitness?

Do you want to lose weight?

how to choose a personal trainer - rob bowman
Me training a client!

Do you want to choose a personal trainer to train for a particular sport or event?

 

I this is the case you ideally want someone who has experience working with people in that sport. For example if you want to run a 10k you will want to find someone that has run some themselves, and more importantly has worked with other people who have done the same thing. If you want to learn boxing pick someone that has experience in that field.

Do you want to simply improve your fitness?

If you just want to get fitter and basically need to find someone to make you exercise and not much more, you are probably the easiest client for a trainer. As such there is little point paying for someone experienced and with a wealth of nutrition knowledge when you don’t plan on tapping into it. So you may be able to find someone young and keen (and cheaper) who will meet your needs just as well.

Do you want to lose weight?

If this is your goal, you selection of personal trainer is critical. You must pick someone who has a history of helping people lose weight. Not only do you need to exercise, you need to improve your diet and possibly work on the mind-set to find out what made you gain the weight/stopped you losing it in the past.
So check out the testimonials on the personal trainer’s website, ask them about their experience doing this during the consultation. You basically need someone who has the knowledge and desire to not only train you but tick all the boxes when it comes to helping you lose weight.
Don’t just choose a trainer because someone else recommended them. Speak to several different people and find the person who has the skillset to help you reach your goals.
Losing weight is an incredibly difficult process and entails a LOT more than just doing a some exercise with a personal trainer a couple of times a week. I may cost a bit more to choose a personal trainer that is right for you. But if they can actually help you reach your weight loss goal, isn’t it worth it?

Hopefully this post helps you to choose a personal trainer. Visit the main page of my website here; Complete Fitness 4 Life – Personal Trainer in Tunbridge Wells.

Top Exercise Myths – Revealed!

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The vast majority of people could be exercising far more effectively than they are. One of the main reasons for this is pure confusion. So many different ideas and theories are written/talked about with regards to exercise, it’s ridiculous. I get asked the same sorts of questions again and again, so here are my TOP Exercise Myths;

Top Exercise Myths

 

1/ You have to do loads of traditional cardio such as running to lose weight.

COMPLETELY FALSE. As I have discussed in previous articles, to burn calories and lose weight you simply have to work out with your heart rate elevated. There are so many other ways to do this other than running, stationary bike, cross trainer etc. that most people use.

Weights for example are not just for people who want to bulk up. They are a great fat burner when used in the right way. If you heart rate is up, then you are getting a cardiovascular workout. NO MATTER WHAT TYPE OF EXERCISE YOU ARE DOING!

2/ You have to go to gym to exercise effectively

If you like going to the gym and have the time, that’s fine. Most of my clients neither have the time nor do they like the gym environment. That does not mean you can’t still get a great workout. You can exercise from home in a small space and still get a great workout.

3/ You have to have some fancy home workout equipment to get a good workout

Not true either. A lot of people buy expensive treadmills or cross trainers and end up hanging clothes off them and barely using them. They take up a load of space and simply aren’t necessary. You can get a great fat burning workout with just your bodyweight.

4/ Short workouts aren’t worth it

Time is one of the biggest factors that stop people exercising. I get it, we are all busy and can’t necessarily put aside an hour every day to exercise. But most people think unless you can do that it’s not worth it. If you can only do 20 or 30 mins that’s still enough time to get a great workout. In fact it will mean you can do a more intense workout than if you were training for longer. You can still get a good calorie burn so whatever time you have its still worth it.

5/ You have to work in the ‘fat burning zone’

Nonsense. The harder you work the more calories you burn. That’s a fact. Why treadmills and other gym machines continue to tell people to work in a lower heart rate zone to ‘burn more fat’ I really don’t know. The science simply doesn’t support this. So don’t listen to it.

6/ Exercising before eating burns more fat

There is a theory that your body burns more calories as fat is you exercise on an empty stomach. Again there is no scientific evidence that supports this.

On the contrary I would argue you have less energy and will therefore not be able to work as hard and burn as many calories if you haven’t eaten. It’s simple really, if you don’t fuel the engine (in this case your body) it won’t run/work properly.

Conclusion – Top Exercise Myths Revealed

All in all, if it isn’t logical and doesn’t make sense it probably isn’t true. My top exercise myths show there are no magic formulas or shortcuts with exercise (I wish I could say there were!)

Visit the main page of my website here; Complete Fitness 4 Life Personal Trainers Tunbridge Wells.

Get Fit and Lose Weight For Summer!

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The time of year has arrived when most people have a summer holiday looming and therefore make health and fitness more of a priority. I have put together a quick and straightforward circuit training workout that will work every muscle in the body and get you burning fat and toning up. Start with 2/3 circuits or the workout and try to build up to doing 5 circuits. Do as often as possible, every day if possible.

1/ Squats – Stand upright, squat down until thighs are parallel to floor, then push back up through heels of your feet. 15 repititions.

2/ Press Ups – On all fours (or on toes if possible), lower your body towards floor, then push back up. 15 reps.

3/ Leg Cycle – lay on back and cycle your legs. The lower and straighter the legs are the better. Must keep your back flat throughout. 30 seconds.

4/ Stick ups – Back flat against wall with feet slightly forward. Run the arms up and down the wall, fully extending them, keeping everything flat against wall as you do so. 15 reps.

5/ Kick Outs – Kneel on all fours. Kick legs up and out sideways alternately. 30 reps.

6/ Front Plank – Raise up off your elbows and feet (knees if too hard), keep back parallel to floor, engage core and hold position still. 30 seconds or as long asd you can.

Of course a healthy, calorie controlled nutritional regime is needed alongside this for optimal results.

Best Breakfast for Fat Loss

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Breakfast is often the most tricky meal when it comes to knowing what to choose. Most people I work with have a far better understanding of what they should be eating at lunch and dinner than breakfast.

If you are trying to lose weight, you want to achieve 3 things from your breakfast;

1/ Keep you full for as long as possible and give you energy to get going in the morning.

2/ Get some healthy food in your body and get your metabolism kicked into gear.

3/ Do both of the above within your calorie allowance.

Most people choose cereal for breakfast. Some are better than others, but pretty much all of them are processed and have a high carb and sugar content. So not only are you eating something high in sugar (not good for weight loss) but the meal will spike your blood sugar levels then crash them. This means you are likely to be hungry again before too long and crave more sugar by mid-morning.

Cereals like coco pops and frosties are a couple of the worst examples. But cereals that are perceived as healthy such as special k and bran flakes still contain quite a bit of sugar so still aren’t the best choices. It’s all very well the packet saying a ‘portion’ contain just 200 calories, but (a) that’s usually a tiny portion that won’t fill you up and (b) a fair amount of those calories is sugar.

My no. 1 breakfast choice is porridge with berries or some other fruit added to sweeten. Oats are a completely natural slow release carbohydrate so along with the milk will keep you fuller for longer as well as giving you energy for the day ahead. You can have a really good portion for 300 calories as well.

Another option, if you have time is an omelette.  A couple of eggs and plenty of vegetables is a great protein packet start to the day.

Today’s Takeaway – Don’t get drawn in by the marketing of cereals. Despite what they would have you believe eating these cereals will neither fill you up nor help you lose weight.

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