Geelong's Gym

Emily Hayward, one of our Personal Trainers, has put together a great new workout for you to have a go at and shake up your usual exercise routine.  And it’s all about… Resistance Bands!

Resistance Bands are a great peice of equipment that can be used for many different purposes, such as rehab, toning and strength.  You have the ability to control the amount of tension on your muscles and keep that tension through the eccentric and concentric phase.

In this workout we are aiming at toning and strengthening your upper and lower body, whilst switching your core muscles on.  Make sure you check out the video below for a demonstration of all the exercises.

Lunge With Row (10-15 each side): Pulling the bands so there is tension, step back into a lunge followed by a row.  Keep your elbows high whilst performing the row and in line with your shoulders.  Alternate your legs coming into the row with each lunge.

Squat With Bicep Curl (10-15): Create tension on the bands and sit back into the squat, making sure all of your weight is towards your heels.  Come out of the squat (into a standing position) and break out into a bicep curl.

Trunk Rotation (10-15 each side): Have your feet shoulder width apart, keeping the arms as straight as possible and use your core strength/rotation to pull the bands towards your obliques.

Tricep Pullover (10-15): Come into a sturdy stance with the bands above head height.  Pull all the way over until your arms are straightened (in line with shoulders).

Ab Crossover Punch (10-15): Sitting in a sit-up position facing away from the bands - create tension with the bands, engage your core by slightly leaning back and bring the bands across, switching on your oblique muscles.

Remember to control the movement on the working and the releasing phase of the exercise and focus on technique - Don’t rush… feel the burn!

Our Personal Trainer, Tom Ovens, has brought you a cracker of a workout this week!  It’s all about using your own bodyweight, so it requires very little equipment and can be done almost anywhere!  Plus, anyone can do this, no matter what level of fitness they’re at.

Here’s a break down of what you’re going to be doing:

Burpees – Step (Beginners) or Ground (Advanced)

Push Ups – Step (Beginners) or Ground/Ground with clap (Advanced)

Pull Ups – Under at a 45 degree angle (Beginners) or Pull up/Chin up (Advanced)

Crunches – Fingertips to knees (Beginners) or Wrists to knees/with weight (Advanced)

Squats – Standard squat (Beginners) or Squat jumps (Advanced)

Complete 2-4 circuits of this workout starting at 30 seconds for each station and build up to 1 minute for the ultimate bodyweight circuit!  Check out the video for a demonstration of each station.

How have your workouts been going?

Today, our Personal Trainer, Tom Ovens, is going to show you not only a great workout for people who are looking to move away from weights machines and into free weights, but also what order to do your resistance exercises in.  This is a fantastic upper body workout for beginners.

Make sure you complete 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps.  Watch the video for instructions on the exercises, then read the tips below.

Dumbell Flys – you want to try and pre-fatigue the major muscle groups first.  Aim to bend your elbows slightly as you bring the weight down, then straighten as you push it up in front of your face.

Incline Dumbell Press – as we have already done our chest isolation exercise, we can now move onto a compound exercise (more than one muscle group).  Doing this on an incline will also slightly change what part of the muscles we are working.

Dumbell Reverse Flys – this is an isolation exercise for your back and shoulders.  Make sure you are leaning over far enough that your back is nearly parallel to the floor.

Dumbell Single Arm Row – moving on from the isolation back exercise, now we are doing a compound back exercise.  You will be able to lift a much heavier weight than reverse flys.  Keep your elbow tucked into your side and let your arm go totally straight at the bottom.

Dumbell Lateral Raise – throughout the other exercises in the program we have worked on the front and rear of our shoulders.  This exercise will work the centre of your deltoid (shoulder muscle).  Use a weight similar to what you used for the dumbell flys and reverse flys.

Hopefully you’ve been following the fantastic workouts Tom Ovens, one of our Personal Trainers here at Geelong’s Gym, has been putting together for you over the past couple of weeks.  Today’s workout is an introduction to functional training and is perfect for mixing up your workout routine.

Functional training basically just means to work more than one part of the body in the same exercise. It will hit every muscle group while also getting your heart rate up for a bit of cardio workout at the same time!

This week we have decided to show you a few functional training exercises that you can complete in the gym or anywhere you have a couple of free weights! This workout is designed for anyone looking to mix up their training and who has had some experience with some free weights.  Check out the video at the bottom to see exactly how each exercise is done.

Complete this program as a circuit (one exercise after the other with as little rest as possible). Do 12-15 reps on each exercise and go around 2-3 times!

Dumbbell squat with front raise

Start by finding a weight that you can handle. Stand with your feet a bit wider than shoulder width apart, holding the dumbbell in one hand. Put your other hand out to balance and squat straight down until you have around a 90 degree bend in your knees or until the weight touches the ground. From there push straight up with your legs while at the same time doing a front shoulder raise until the weight is above your head and you are standing upright. As you fatigue use your legs to help your arm push the weight up by springing up as fast as you can.

Barbell squat and press

This exercise is done in the same way as the barbell front squat that we went through last week. Starting with the bar sitting up in front of your shoulders, push your hips back to get your weight over your heels, then squat down and back up. As you come up keep the bar moving all the time and press it up above your head to complete a shoulder press. Lower it back down and then move straight away into your next squat. This is a great exercise to incorporate into your regular workouts or to include in part of a functional training workout like this one!

Barbell lift and burpee

This is a tough exercise designed to get your muscles burning and your heart pumping! Find a barbell that is about the weight you would do for a squat.  Start by keeping a neutral spine and coming all the way down to the bar with your legs (do not round your back). Lift the bar up,  drive your hips forward and pull your shoulders back. Lower the bar back down in the same way that you came up then put your hands on the ground in front of the bar and kick your legs out behind you to complete a burpee.

So, how did last week’s Stabilisation Workout go?  For Week Two of our workouts with Personal Trainer, Tom Ovens, we have an introductory leg workout using free weights.

The good news is, it doesn’t require much equipment but it will have your legs begging for mercy! It is suitable for any level of fitness experience, from beginner right through to the seasoned gym goer.  Check out the video at the bottom for demonstrations of all the exercises.

Make sure you go and do a five minute warm up on the treadmill or a short walk around the block, then you’re all set to go…

Barbell front Squat

It is important when performing any squat to try and push most of your weight through your heels rather than further forward over the balls of your feet. To do this, try to shift some of your weight back before you lower down. For this particular squat you need to hold the bar in front of your body, so start light and work your way up! Perform 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps.

Dumbbell side lunge

Hold the two dumbbells in front of your chest and take a big step out to the side. You want to try and bend down on the outer leg, and leave the inner leg straight. Squat down on that outer leg then push back up to the middle and out to the other side. Keep your head up, looking forward while maintaining a neutral spine. This exercise works on the inner thighs more than a traditional squat.  Complete 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps on each side.

Fitball hamstring curls

This is a great stabilisation exercise that really gets the hammys burning. Lie flat on the ground face up with your feet on the  fitball and raise your hips up until you have a straight line from your ankles through your hips to your shoulders.  Curl your feet in towards you as far as you can and slowly return back to the start, keeping your hips up the whole time during the set! Complete 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps.

Side lunge over bosu

This exercise uses the same technique as the dumbbell side lunge. The main difference is that instead of using weights for extra resistance you are using  your own bodyweight on a decline to increase the difficulty. The bosu also creates some instability that adds an extra element! Complete 2-3 sets of 8-10 each side.

Have you tried one of our TRX Suspension Training classes at Geelong’s Gym.  It’s a whole lot of fun and an incredible total body workout.  We thought you’d like to have a brief look at what it’s all about, so we’ve included a video at the bottom of the post.

This particular class in the video is run by one of our experienced personal trainers, Annie Cramp, and the participants love it so much that this is actually the second round of classes they’ve signed up for! 

At Geelong’s Gym we strongly believe in the importance of adding some personal training into your exercise routine, because it’s the best way to achieve fantastic results FAST.  That’s why we opened Zone 10, our Personal Training Studio, which is where this TRX class is taking place.

We have lots of different classes on offer in the studio and our members who take part in them are delighted with the results they’re getting – because these types of functional exercises really work!  But not only that, it’s also much more motivating to work out with other like-minded people, not to mention a great way to get to know other members of the gym.

So, if you need some extra motivation to improve your fitness and/or body shape… or want to work out with someone else… or just want to try out the TRXs and the other great functional training equipment in Zone 10, sign up for the next round of Small Group Personal Training… there are lots of different classes available (like Ultimate Fitness Circuit, Summer Fit or Cardio Express to name but a few), specifically designed to work out all your muscle groups in a full-on, action packed half hour session.

Don’t forget to check out the video below to get a taste of what we’re talking about…

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.

Who would have thought that running backwards would actually be a competitive sport… and one that requires a great deal of skill?  Not only that, running backwards (or retro running) is an excellent rehabilitative tool in the management of various leg injuries.  So let’s have a look at some of the benefits of retro running…

• One of the major benefits of retro running is it counteracts the forces that produce musculoskeletal pain, largely because the leg muscles are required to move in coordination with the abdomen and lower back.
• Improved range of motion in the knee joint, which allows freer and more powerful movement in both running and jumping.
• It requires more energy than forward running so is an excellent cardio workout.
• Retro running stimulates the fast twitch fibres which are present in the quadricep, hamstring and calf muscles – which can reduce training injury rates.

Aside from all those benefits to your fitness, rehabilitation and general condition of your body, retro running has also become a sport in it’s own right.  And believe me, those who compete, can run faster backwards than most of us can run forwards.  Check out the video below:

Yes, you did read that right.  If you train the right way, you can burn double the calories in only half the time.  Here’s the key: 20-60 second intervals at 85-95% of your maximum heart rate, followed by 30 seconds rest.  Before I say any more, have a look at this video of two of Geelong’s Gym’s Personal Trainers, Adam Ryan and Nathan Moore, putting this into practice…

First off, please don’t be intimidated by what you’ve just watched.  These guys are incredibly fit and prone to extreme exercise.  But here’s the good news – you can do what they’ve done…

Adam and Nathan are doing High Intensity Interval Based Training, which is based on your heart rate and is suitable for all levels of fitness.  Training in a high heart rate zone of 85% and beyond can only be maintained for a short period of time (high calorie burning zone).  When the heart rate hits the red zone, 95% plus, your body is then forced to rest and allow the heart rate to come down to be capable of repeating the exercise.  During this rest period the energy expenditure is still great, therefore burning a high amount of calories continuously while you rest.

And as an added bonus, it’s really great for time-conscious people who want to get fit and healthy but don’t have a lot of spare time on their hands.  By doing this kind of training you can achieve the results of a one hour workout in just half an hour!

Surely not, I can hear you thinking.  Here’s the key.  This is functional training, which means a variety of different muscle groups are used in each exercise, which results in a higher heart rate thereby increasing your energy expenditure (i.e. burns calories FASTER).  Plus, no session is the same as the last one, so your body doesn’t get a chance to plateau but instead remains at a peak level of training.

So if you want to see real results FAST this is the kind of training you need to be doing.

Did you know that Yoga can not only help you manage stress but can also reduce or even eliminate the need for prescription medicine?

That last part probably sounds like a bold claim but I can assure you it’s not without foundation.  As you know, I like to find new pieces of information or perspective to broaden your thoughts on lots of different topics.  So, I’ve got a great video for you today which will substantiate my claim.

Angie Hilton, a Geelong’s Gym member and health and fitness enthusiast, asks Linda Newman, one of the Yoga Instructors here at Geelong’s Gym, to explain why she got into Yoga in the first place and the massive change that it made to her life.

This is truly inspirational and I’m sure will convince you of the benefits Yoga can have to your health, fitness and well-being.  But I’ll let Linda take over from here…

So why not come along to Geelong’s Gym and try one of our Yoga classes – you’ll love how it makes you feel afterwards!