Geelong's Gym

It’s the time of year where many of us are heading away on holiday.  Some of you who have put in a lot of hard yards in the Gym over the last few months are probably worrying that you’re going to undo all your good work in just a few short weeks.

Never fear… even though you’re out of your usual environment, there are still ways that you can get in some exercise without interfering with the holiday plans.

1.  Pack a resistance band – it may sound old school, but resistance bands are light weight and fit easily in your luggage.  Plus, you can do a whole range of exercises with them… low row, chest press, bicep curl, upright row and tricep extensions to name a few.  And they’re a whole lot more practical than trying to pack a set of dumbells!!

There are lots of these outdoor exercise areas in parks all around the world.

2.  Stop at a park with exercise equipment – these days many city parks have permanent exercise equipment, just ask the locals where you can find one.  Most of them will have signs with some exercises you can do on the particular equipment and you have the added bonus of exercising in the fresh air.  Plus, if you’ve got kids, they’ll have a great time on the play equipment while you sneak in a quick workout!

3.  Walk, walk, walk – what better way to sight-see than by pounding the pavement.  It beats public transport because you can stop anytime you like and you’ll see so much more.  Make sure you pack good walking shoes and where possible, walk up some stairs or a couple of hills… a great way to increase your heart rate and burn more kilojoules.  If you can, pack a pedometer… you’ll be surprised how many steps you take just by sightseeing!

4.  Book a hotel with a gym or pool – while the rest of the family is having a lazy holiday sleep in, you can get up a little earlier and get your exercise out of the way for the day… that way it won’t even impact on your holiday plans.  And if you’re lacking in motivation, some hotels even have Personal Trainers for hire!

It’s all about balance.  The whole point of a holiday is to relax and rest your mind and body, so don’t get stressed out trying to fit in your usual exercise routine.  Take up opportunities to exercise where you can, but make sure you enjoy your holiday, spend time with your friends and/or family and let yourself unwind!  The Gym will be waiting for you when you get back…

Information in this post was sourced from Reps Magazine from Fitness Australia.

‘Tis the season to be jolly… and indulge in good food and good drink, no doubt in greater quantities than usual.

It's time to indulge in a few Christmas goodies... just not too many!

Sometimes we get anxious about the Christmas period, worrying that we’re going to undo all the good work we’ve done in the months leading up to it.  But there’s no need to get worked up about it… you just need to know how to find the right balance between enjoying some yummy food and drink without going overboard.

Here are a few tips to help you get out the other side of the Christmas period without piling on the pounds:

• Add more dairy products into your daily diet – Research has shown that up to 800 mg per day of calcium increases fat loss.  Yes, that’s right.  Calcium has been shown to stimulate the breakdown of fat, inhibit the making of new fat and increase the loss of fat in faeces that might normally be absorbed.
• Start your day with low glycemic index foods - low GI foods will keep you fuller for longer, so you’ll be less likely to stuff yourself silly with Christmas goodies.
• Drink green tea – in between the glasses of champagne, drink green tea which increases fat burning.
• Drink a big glass of water before eating – it’s simple but true… water just before the big Christmas dinner will lower the amount of food you take in.

Remember, anything in moderation is fine and using little tricks like this will help you keep your intake of Christmas goodies at a moderate level.

Finally, don’t forget to keep up the regular workouts!  I know it’s a busy time of year, which is why we recommend you train with intensity rather than duration… which, by the way, has a greater impact on fat loss anyway.  And if you don’t know how to structure a quick workout that really counts, why not book in for a half hour Personal Training session and let one of our Personal Trainers give you a super effective workout!

Information in this post provided by Dr Peter Reaburn.

If you’re injured and you avoid exercise or activities which engage that area… you may be doing yourself a disservice and putting yourself at greater risk.  Let me explain what I mean.

The other day I had a stint in hospital for hernia surgery.  When talking with the nurses they would, of course, ask me what I do for a living etc.  Naturally, it didn’t take long for me to start talking to them about health and fitness.  For those of you who know me, that won’t surprise you!  :-)

The right kind of exercise is a great way to bounce back quickly from injury

Being in that environment, hearing their stories and having those types of conversations, I had this overwhelming need to write a post about injuries.

So many people avoid exercise for fear of aggravating an injury.  In fact, if you’re 30+ and participated in sporting activities at a younger age, it’s likely that you will have some kind of injury.  If that’s you, I imagine you’re probably limiting or avoiding exercise for fear of further aggravating that injury.

This is a common reaction.  But, not exercising is putting you at greater risk.

You see by not using a body part, your body will atrophy (i.e. lose muscle tone/condition) in that particular area.  Which actually makes you far more susceptible to re-injury.

What is really needed is an exercise regime that helps to work and strengthen that specific area whilst not aggravating it during the process.  Those of you who have been through this will know what I mean when I say it’s a somewhat tricky endeavour to do this, but it’s essential to make sure you do so.

Because what happens when you have an injured group of muscles is, as a rule of thumb, the muscles will borrow from other muscles to get the job done (movement), which can then create muscle imbalances resulting in other injury and still not dealing with the initial problem.

I think it bears noting here that there’s research out proving that an aerobic athlete loses muscle tissue with ageing (atrophies) at the same rate as a couch potato.  So no matter what fitness level you’re at, some resistance and strength training is required to maintain strength in one’s body and to maintain muscular toning and conditioning.

It might seem like I’m pitching for business here, but a good personal trainer who understands rehab and strengthening whilst being cautious to not re-injure is well worth their weight in gold.

In summary, I really would encourage those of you who have injuries to look at getting involved in an exercise program which will help to strengthen that area, with proper guidance and instruction.  Otherwise, you risk re-injury at a later rate.

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!

How cold has it been lately??!!  Yikes, it’s been a shock to the system.  And, of course, the colder it gets the bigger the battle with the Doona, because hey, who really wants to get out of bed any earlier than absolutely necessary on a cold morning!

Jimmy Reid, one of our Personal Trainers here at Geelong’s Gym, was mentioning the other day how many clients have been cancelling their early morning personal training sessions because they’re losing the battle with the doona.

Sometimes your bed just feels too cosy to leave!

So, we thought we’d drum up some tips for staying motivated during the winter chill and hopefully these will compel you to throw off that doona!

1. Arrange to workout with a friend - setting a time to meet a friend at the gym for a workout is sure to get you out of bed.  It just wouldn’t be fair to stand up a mate, especially at 6 in the morning!  Better yet, pick someone who’s competitive and set a challenge for your workout together.
2. Try a Group Exercise Class - add some spice to your workout by choosing a class you’ve never done before and make sure it’s an early morning one.  Make the commitment to be at that class and then make yourself accountable to someone that you’re going to be there.
3. Put your Ipod to good use – set up a new playlist, full of loud, fast tempo music which is great to workout to.  Put it beside your bed and when your alarm goes off, get those buds in your ear and press play.  A couple of minutes of pumping music will have you bounding out of bed, ready to exercise… or party!
4. Summer is just a few short months away – yes, that’s right.  Which means less concealing clothing and, horror of horrors, swim suits!  And every time you hit snooze instead of getting up and going to the gym, your hot summer body is getting further away.

Above all, remember, it’s only a couple of months you have to push through before it starts to get lighter and warmer in the mornings.  So, good luck and we look forward to seeing you in the gym in the morning!

Recently, one of our Personal Trainer’s received this cartoon from his client.

He wasn’t sure whether he should take it as a compliment or not!  But either way he had a good chuckle.

You see the thing is, the relationship you have with your Personal Trainer is often a love/hate one.  You love the results you’re getting from being pushed harder than you’d push yourself, but sometimes you really hate your trainer for putting you through, what can fondly be called, a “Torture Session”.

Regardless of the times when you could swear they’re trying to kill you in the most excruciating manner possible, having a Personal Trainer is the best thing you can do for your health and fitness.  Not only will you get great results in the shortest time possible, you’re also far more likely to stay motivated and attend the Gym regularly when you have someone to be accountable to.

So if you have never tried a Personal Training session, why not give it a go today and see for yourself what a difference it can make.

Oh and I promise, they’re not really trying to kill you… it just sometimes feels that way!

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.

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.

Tom Ovens - Personal Trainer at Geelong's Gym

Do you need to add a little bit of extra oomph to your workout?

Are you feeling bored with your current workout routine and want to try something new?

We have exactly what you need… over the next eight weeks Tom Ovens, one of our Personal Trainers, will be bringing you a different workout designed to shake up your usual routine and challenge your body!!

Are you ready for it?!  You better be, because we’re bringing it!

Today’s workout is a stabilisation based upper body/core workout suitable for people with a good fitness level who have been doing some regular resistance training for a period of time.  Check out the video for a demonstration of the exercises.

• Fitball Dumbell Flys - similar to a regular chest fly, but by being on the ball your body is forced to recruit more core muscles!!  Complete 3 sets of 10-12 reps.

• Fitball Push-up/Jack Knife – a challenging upper body/chest exercise that involves massive core activation. Complete 3 sets of 10-12 reps.  For an extra challenge try super-setting (back-to-back) the push-ups and fitball flys.

• Sitting Rope Leg Tuck – this exercise really targets the upper abs and is great for working on coordination.  Complete 3 sets of 20-30 reps (one rep is over and back with the rope).

• Lying Leg Raise – doing this exercise directly after the rope leg tuck will cover the entire core.  Make sure you control your leg speed on the way down and engage the core to maintain a neutral spine.  Complete 3 sets of 15-20 reps.  Super-set with rope tuck for an extra challenge!

• Fitball Barbell Pull-up - This is a great exercise to change up your regular back workout.  It also incorporates a lot of stabilisation for the core.  It’s important to do this exercise at a controlled pace and keep your hips up, making sure they don’t sag down.  Complete 3 sets of 10-12 reps.