Expert Advice

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10 Top Training Tips

1. Are you new to training and exercise? The best way to improve your fitness levels is to do regular exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes 3-5 times per week. This exercise can be anything that increases your heart rate (makes you breathe harder). The most important thing is that you participate in an activity that you enjoy! You will be more likely to continue your routine if you are having fun.
   
   
2. Get a check up! If you have any existing illnesses or suffer from any exercise related pain then you should check with your GP before taking on a new exercise regime.
   
   
3. Water is vital! Hydration helps keep your energy high and your muscles flexible. It is important to drink at least 2 litres of water a day. Just keep a full water bottle with you whether you’re at work or at home and drink throughout the day.
   
   
4. Keeping it warm! Warming up helps to prepare your muscles for the impending training session and reduces the risk of injury. Try a combination of static and dynamic stretches to get the full benefit. And don’t forget to do your static stretches to warm down at the end of the session. This helps to gradually lower your heart rate, reduces post-training muscle soreness and helps with your general flexibility.
   
   
5. Variety of the spice of life! Doing the same sessions week after week can test the motivation of the most determined person. Be sure to work with your trainer to vary your program – why not incorporate some outdoor work, boxercise or circuits?
   
   
6. Running isn’t for everyone! Many people, when deciding what form of exercise to do, assume that going for a run is their best plan of action. This is not necessarily the case. Firstly, a reasonable level of fitness is required to be able to run with sufficiently good technique, thus avoiding injury. Many people go out running on concrete pavements with poor quality footwear and push themselves as hard as they can only to be rewarded with sore knees and bad backs. I would recommend that, if you have a low level of fitness or have a lot of weight to lose, you should start exercising in the gym initially. You burn significantly more fat doing free weights than doing cardio and you will be able to improve your strength levels to the required levels. You will then be able to start running (on grass and with appropriate trainers!) and gradually build up you cardio fitness through running.
   
   
7. Remember to balance your weights! Far too often I see people furiously training in the gym and focusing on one muscle group – gentlemen, please remember that if you work your chest, anterior delts and biceps to oblivion without also working their counterparts (i.e. back, posterior delts and triceps) you will invariably create a sloping, round shouldered posture that actually makes you look shorter. The same goes for your quads and hamstrings. It’s very easy to over work your quads when training your legs. Remember to work your hamstrings and gluts also to balance out your physique.
   
   
8. Rest is key! Rest is an important part of training! Yes, that’s right. You must allow your body the time to recover and repair after each training session. So working the same muscle group 5 days in a row is not advisable. You can train consecutive days as long as you work different muscle groups. It is a best to follow a progressive training schedule designed specifically for you to ensure that you achieve your training goals.
   
   
9. Refuel after training! It is very important that you eat within 20 minutes of training. This will help your body build muscle and tone. A protein bar or shake will provide essential nutrients until you are able to eat a full meal.
   
   
10. Don’t forget your core! Whether you are training for a marathon or just trying to tone up, good core strength is key to achieving good technique whilst you are training. You core is the ‘structural foundation’ for your body; once it is working well, you will see a marked improvement in your overall performance.