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5 Things Women Need To Know About Strength Training

5 THINGS WOMEN NEED TO KNOW ABOUT STRENGTH TRAINING:

1 – Strength training will not make you bulky (unless that’s what you want of course)
Some women are concerned that lifting heavy weights means, big bulky muscles and an unfeminine look.  Images of body building athletes comes to mind and this can be off putting. The fact of the matter is these women that you see up on stage competing for body sculpting titles have worked very hard to get up there!  Women build muscle at a much slower rate than men and we have to work hard to keep our muscle tone.  In fact our muscle mass starts to decline in our adult years unless we follow a simple strength training programme to maintain our muscle mass. 

2 – Technique is important
Just like training in any other discipline, it is very important that with strength training you are completing the exercise with correct technique.  This will ensure you get the results you desire and help you avoid injury.  Having the right form will also advance you towards your goals faster.  If you are unsure of correct techniques for lifting it is important that you learn from a professional.  You can book as session with Rachael to cover the basics.

3 – You will burn fat faster
Strength training improves muscle tone, and your muscles metabolise and burn calories.  So the more muscle tone you have the faster you will burn fat.  Again this is not to say you need big huge muscles.  But improving the density of your muscles will also mean you are burning more calories while at rest not just during the exercise.

4 – Strength Training Is Vital for Older Women
As we get older we have a higher risk of developing osteoporosis where our bones become weakened and vulnerable to breakages.  This, coupled with our decrease in muscles mass as we age, can also lead to poor posture and balance.  A simple strength training programme will not only improve and maintain your physique but will also preserve bone density.  With stronger muscles we are able to hold ourselves taller, feel more confident and reduce these health risks.

5 – We Are All Different So One Workout Plan Will Not Work for All
Each and every one of our bodies is different and unique.  We all want different things in life.  We all have different health and exercise history.  So this means we all need a different strength programme to achieve our goals.  One programme does certainly not suit all when it comes to lifting weights.  The best way to find out how you are going to achieve your goals is to chat with a fitness professional and have them take you through a programme suitable to your needs.

    

Rachael is currently studying Metabolic Precision Level 1 (Metabolic Nutrition) and is soon about to head over to Melbourne to become certified in Level 2 (Transformation Specialist).  Her foundation of exercise knowledge, wealth of experience in the fitness profession and ongoing willingness to learn more as studies develop adds to her success as a Personal Trainer.

If you are interested in finding out the correct strength training programme for you contact Rachael at:

Rachael.Dvorsky@exodusclub.co.nz

027 4249516

Check out Rachael’s HIIT5 programme, get techniques to build strength and burn fat.

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15 minute workout with the same benefits of a 30 minute run

Finding time to train can be a real challenge when it comes to working around your busy schedule. Don’t let that become an excuse! Here’s a 15-minute blast from the team at Cross Physio & Pilates to keep your muscles ticking over and give you that extra boost to get through the rest of your hectic day.

5 minutes

1 minute kettlebell swings, 1 minute skipping, 1 minute burpees, 1 minute skipping, 1 minute kettlebell swings

4 minutes

1 min walking lunges, 1 min box jumps, 1 min walking lunges, 1 min box jumps

 

3 minutes

10 push ups, 10 jumping pull up’s *repeat for 3 minutes

 

2 minutes

30 second air squat, 30 second jump squat, 30 second air squat, 30 second jump squat

 

1 minute

20 second (R) side plank, 20 second front plank, 20 second (L) side plank

*for a more intense workout, repeat x 2 times through for intermediate, or x 3 times through for advanced athletes

For more workouts, injury advice or to book a Physio appointment, or Pilates Reformer session give us a call or visit us at www.crossphysio.co.nz

Gavin Cross

(P) 04 894 2161
(E) crossphysio@gmail.com

Located on level 2 of Exodus

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The 5 W’s of Group Fitness

Group fitness is a great way to workout and burn some serious calories, all while having a great time! Below are the five W’s that will convince you to give Group Fitness classes a try!

What; Group Fitness is literally that. A group of people following an instructor in a range of different exercises, to help you become healthy fit and strong. At Exodus we specifically have 8 different disciplines of Group Fitness – Box Circuit, ExoCircuit, Fight Do, Pilates, Power, Top Ride, Yoga and Zumba.

Who; Group Fitness is suitable for any age, fitness level and gender that’s why we offer so many different styles of classes. There is something for everyone, no matter what your goals are!

Why; There are many reasons as to why people participate in Group Fitness. -It is motivating – your instructor loves what they teach and are qualified to take you through the exercises safely, they will motivate you to keep on trying and push you to your limits (when necessary). -It’s challenging – often you will work harder when someone is telling you what to do, there is no slacking off or taking it easy. -It’s social – you will meet other like-minded members who are keen to work hard and have a good time, plus you will get to know your instructors who are more than happy to have a chat and get to know you and your goals and help you achieve them! -It’s routine; our class timetable changes bi-annually so there is lots of time for you to create a routine and get into the habit of coming to your favourite classes every week. -And it’s fun!  The music, smiles, motivation and enjoyment you will get from your first class will have you buzzing to get to your next.  You will soon start to see and feel the results in no time!

When;  We have 43 classes on per week – check out our timetable

Where; We have 3 different Group Exercise studios for the different disciplines we teach.  On Level 1 we have Top Ride studio for our Top Ride classes and Group Exercise Studio for Box Circuit, ExoCircuit, Fight Do, Power and Zumba.  On Level 2 we have a Mind & Body studio for Yoga and Pilates

So if you have never tried a class before, for whatever reason, get on down here and give it a go!  Don’t be shy to try it out, everyone had their first class and we love to welcome new members in to have some fun.  Remember whatever the reason, it’s a good one.  What’s yours?

Rachael Dvorsky

(P) 04 978 9700
(E) rachael.dvorsky@exodusclub.co.nz

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Burn Body Fat with Battling Ropes!

Want to make waves in your workouts? Here’s what you need to know about Battling Ropes training:

Essentially, it’s a total body, low impact, high intensity workout that’s guaranteed to leave you out of breath and on the floor!

If used correctly, Battling Ropes are a very versatile and functional piece of exercise equipment. Research shows high intensity workouts increase rates of fat “burning”, and improve cardio-respiratory fitness (CJ Fountaine, BJ Schmidt, 2014). Battling Rope training falls into this category.

Other benefits include:

  • Increased calorie burning (during & after exercise)
  • Multiple muscles used at once
  • Improves muscular endurance and overall fitness
  • Great transfer to sport performance
  • Killer core workout

Battling Ropes are a great alternative to your normal cardio session allowing you to HIIT those training goals! If you’re wanting a training ‘change up’ in a fast and fun way – Battling Ropes are a must do!

Contact our Battling Rope expert Brent to learn some great techniques to try next time you train!

Brent Richens

(P) 021 126 1795
(E) b.richens.trainer@gmail.com

Check out my bio!

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Are you jump fit?

Jumping in all its various forms has long been established as an excellent way for sports people to improve performance. Now, throughout gyms, outdoor boot camps and within the Crossfit community there has been a rise in the amount of guys and girls of all ages incorporating jumping into their exercise routine.

Jumping, whether in the form of box jumps, depth jumps or bounding, is a great way to improve muscle strength and power, along with burning heaps of calories. Jump training also known as Plyometrics (which sounds cooler), requires a certain level of strength, skill and co-ordination in order to reduce the chances of impact and stress injuries to the ankles, knees, hips and spine.

Women in particular can benefit greatly from various forms of resistance/weight training, including Plyometric exercises. This type of training is a great tool in preventing Osteoporosis (a disease more prevalent in women) by improving bone density and strength (Manske, Lorincz and Zernicke, 2009). However, caution is needed as jumping can be a high impact exercise, and as with any high impact exercise there is a greater risk of injury. Jumping exercises should be scaled in intensity (low, medium or high) depending on the individual. Beginners should start by developing a good lower body strength base with exercises such as squats, lunges, step ups and other variations.

Landing correctly is paramount to safe and effective jumping. Sound technique is needed to ensure no unnecessary damage to your joints and body. Always land with bent knees to absorb the shock, ensure hips are back, and always land lightly when contact is made with your feet and the ground.

For further information on correct form and technique with Strength or Plyometric training feel free to contact me or grab me on the gym floor.

Brent Richens

(P) 021 126 1795
(E) b.richens.trainer@gmail.com

Check out my bio!

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10 HABITS of people who always stay FIT

  1. Every little bit counts …Exercise even if you only have 15min
  2. Mix up your routine – no one enjoys the ‘same’ thing every day
  3. Never skip a workout, instead focus on how great you’ll feel after the workout
  4. Fitness is a lifestyle! Don’t wait for an occasion to get in shape.
  5. Eat REAL food. Say no to diets and yes to clean/ healthy food.
  6. Workout at home if you can’t get to a gym.
  7. Exercise when you’re sore. Just because you are sore the next day doesn’t mean you need to have the next week off. Keep training, but at a lighter intensity.
  8. Focus on how you want to feel, rather than how you want to look.
  9. LOTS of sleep. Proper rest is crucial to see the results you want.
  10. Celebrate your progress and don’t beat yourself up when you still have more work to do. FITness is about the journey, not achieving perfection.

Let me help you install these 10 habits into your lifestyle by joining my bootcamp, starting in the beginning of August. Details to follow but contact me for more info.

Crystal Wilkinson

(P) 021 819 399
(E) crystal.youcan@gmail.com

Check out my bio here!

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HIIT: UNLEASH YOUR TRUE FAT BURNING POTENTIAL

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) involves repeated brief exercise at a high intensity immediately followed by a low intensity exercise or rest. For example, cycle as fast as you can for 1 minute followed by 2 minutes of easy pedalling, repeat 5 times and you have a 15 minutes HIIT workout complete. Simple as that!! Read on to discover 9 proven benefits from HIIT.

1. Time Efficient

I often have friends and members say to me they just don’t have the time to work out. 15 minutes is all you need to reap the benefits of HIIT which makes it ideal if you have a busy schedule. Can be done on its own or as a great finisher to your resistance training session!

2. Improved Fitness

HIIT has been shown to increase both aerobic and anaerobic fitness by as much as 46% and 28% respectively following 15 weeks of HIIT. Which means you can train harder for longer therefore burning more calories.

3. No Equipment Needed

When it comes to HIIT almost any exercise can be used as long as you stick to the same principles of a brief maximum intensity followed by a low intensity recovery period. It’s that simple.

4. Never get bored

Following on from the previous point, since nearly any exercise can be used you will never get bored of HIIT. Incorporating resistance exercise and cardio exercises the possibilities are endless to the different types of workout you can do. Let your creative side shine through!!

5. Lose fat/keep Muscle

HIIT is great at maintaining muscle while you get your cardio hit if you include some resistance exercises like squats or push ups. Just plain steady state cardio can be detrimental to keeping your muscle mass. You can have the best of both worlds, lose fat while keeping that hard earned muscle, it’s a win win situation.

6. Increase Insulin Sensitivity

Ok getting a little bit science here, a 2003 study showed that HIIT increased insulin sensitivity by as much as 58% after only 8 weeks. This increase allows your body to use insulin more effectively by removing high levels of glucose from your blood stream and therefore preventing it being stored as body fat.

7. Decrease Abdominal Fat

Possibly the most common area that people ask me to help them with, reduce belly fat and become slimmer. Great news, HIIT can decrease abdominal fat stores by as much as 48% after only 8weeks, training three times per week. If you have that stubborn tummy fat, HIIT might just be your solution.

8. Can be done anywhere

Coming back to point three for a second, HIIT can be done here, there and everywhere. It can be adjusted to suit your time and space needs. No excuses!!

9. Increase metabolism

HIIT increases levels of a hormone called epinephrine which is responsible for increasing lipolysis resulting in greater fat release from your fat stores. HIIT has been shown to keep levels of Growth Hormone elevated 10 times higher 1 hour post workout which means you get to burn calories while recovering from your workout. HIIT basically gives your metabolism the much needed kick to keep you burning calories after your workout. Is that amazing or what??

If you would like to feel all the benefits from HIIT, contact me for HIIT session to unleash your true fat burning potential.

To your continued success,

Shane O’Riordan

(P) 027 903 6828
(E) shanept.fitness@gmail.com

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Little pain, big gain: Tips to maximise shorter training sessions

Winter is coming. Over this season we may become busier at work or want to spend more time watching our favourite TV show!  Either way with limited time we can still have a great workout by making a couple of tweaks. The best way to do this is to eliminate those time consuming isolation exercises with some heavy compound movements. Compound movements work more muscles than isolation exercises so we can compensate less work time by using bigger exercises.

Here are a few exercise replacements to help you cut down time and bulk up muscle:

Tricep extension to close grip bench press

Skull crushers to California press (The best exercise for your triceps you’re not doing)

Light barbell curls to weighted supinated grip chin ups

Leg extension to lunges

Hamstring curls to deadlifts

Pec flys to decline barbell press

Another tip is to increase intensity by dropping your rest time. Reducing your rest period helps to increase lactic acid levels, which in turns increase the release of growth hormone. Growth hormone is great at burning fat giving you the lean, toned look.

Try to keep your rest period to 1 min. This helps to exhaust our ATP energy system which leads to greater hypertrophy (building muscle). Also keep a strict tempo – no one wants to see poorly executed cheat curls done at the speed of light!
For most of these exercises a 4 second eccentric contraction followed by a 1-2 second concentric contraction with 7-12 reps per set will ensure you reach hypertrophy.

Even though you may need to cut your workout time down this season you can still achieve that strong physique.

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Injury Prevention For Winter

Winter has arrived, and our favourite season for sports is also the time when we are most commonly injured. So, it’s time to consider a few strategies to prevent the onset of injury, and get through the winter pain free!

  • Cold muscles, tendons, and ligaments are vulnerable to injury, so a short warm up prior to activity is important. Start with some light exercises, followed by gentle dynamic stretching. If skiing or boarding, take at least one warm up run before heading to more difficult slopes
  • Pre-condition your body for your sport. Work on both cardiovascular fitness and overall strength and conditioning (dynamic weight training). Include some Cross training for the best chance to prepare your body for anything winter has to offer!
  • Plyometric exercises are great for preventing injuries in all sports. Plyometrics may include box jumps, multi-directional lunges and training on a BOSU ball. These dynamic exercises play a crucial role in preventing Anterior Cruciate Ligament ( ACL) injury and ankle sprains, especially in non-contact situations (De Noronha et al, 2012)
  • Don’t play when injured or exhausted. Research shows the most common time for injury when skiing or boarding is the last hour of daily activity. Your muscles are unable to work effectively if over-tired, placing more stress on tendons, ligaments and joints.
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7 Rounds for Time Workout

7x jumping pull up’s

7x kettle bell swings @16kgs

7x burpees

7x air squats

7x push up’s on Bosu Ball

7x box jumps

7x dumbbell shoulder press 15 kgs