Geelong's Gym

GYM STICKS… What the??  Yes, they have been around for a while now but they originated in Finland and only migrated to us Aussies in 2005.  These unique, extremely versatile training tools allow you to train anywhere, at any time and reward you with a whole range of fitness results.

The Gym Stick is just shy of 2 metres long with a resistance band at each end that drops down to a foot attachment on the base of the band.  There are 5 levels of resistance, which allows both newcomers and the hardcores to get the complete benefits from a Gym Stick workout.  Workouts tend to range from 30 minutes for the beginners all the way through to a full body hour session for those a little further ahead.

Get this… It’s not abnormal to burn up to 700 calories in a 60 minute Gym Stick workout!

Adding the Gym Stick to your regime can provide you with many different health and fitness benefits.  They include: coordination, strength, power, balance and sensory response and, of course, weight loss.

We recently had experienced Gym Stick trainer, Dale Ringin, volunteer his time to introduce our members to a Gym Stick group fitness class.  Check out the video and learn a little more about the Gym Stick.

Stair climbing burns 1.6 calories to every calorie burned on flat ground! WHY? Your legs carry your body weight almost vertically up the stairwell as your upper body assists by pulling up on the handrails simultaneously.

This movement involves a large number of different muscle groups working together, all of which require considerable amounts of oxygen rich blood to perform. As you can imagine, this places a significant amount of stress on the cardiovascular system, resulting in rapid breathing, high heart rate and massive calorie expenditure.

The movement of stair climbing is actually very functional; this means many muscles have to work together in order to perform full body movement efficiently. Thus, taking the stairs over the elevator at any opportunity can build the strength in your arms and legs, increase your aerobic capacity, and burn five times the calories than standing in a lift, staring at the levels as you go up to your destination.

87% of the population take the elevator. You may be one of them, but you can also change that statistic and start taking a few stairs…

Would you believe that climbing stairs can be taken to the next level? It’s not just about simply getting to your destination, but getting there as fast as possible.

Stair racing is one of the most brutal of fitness challenges out there! Athletes line up at the base of the building and are let off by the starter to then enter the emergency stairwell and climb their way to the top as fast as they can. There are no specific rules in a stair race but most elite runners will take two steps at a time and never let go of the handrail. The heart rate usually peaks at 190+ BPM and is sustained for the duration of the race!

Some races are in excess of 100 floors and take over 15 minutes for the fastest climbers to complete. Now that hurts!

So the challenge is out there… Australia’s longest stair climb is the annual Eureka Tower run up in Melbourne, Victoria. The exhilarating climb consists of 88 floors, 1642 steps and 300m of vertical climbing. Ultra marathon runner, Stuart Gibson, holds the current record at 8 minutes 56 seconds. AMAZING!

Have a look at the video below of the recent Adelaide Stair Race where myself (Adam Ryan, Manager of Geelong’s Gym) and Geelong’s Gym members, Chris Price and James Carroll, took out the top three places.

We’ll have plenty of information of the female readers soon. Stay tuned.

We’ll have plenty of information for our male members coming soon. Stay tuned.