Resolutions one month on

2014 a new year a new you, January has been and gone, how are those resolutions looking one month later? Are you sticking to your word and starting to see the gains, or are you feeling the strain and starting to slip? In this blog we will look at some resolutions made at Breadsall Priory and simple ways to keep to those resolutions.

Now some resolutions made by members were pretty simple, increase their training by one day, some enjoy classes and looked to try two new classes and stick to them, this is fantastic thinking, find something you enjoy, if your training is fun and you enjoy it you are much more likely to stick to it and look forward to it. It has to challenge you to change you, but it has to please you for you to come back for more. 2014 has seen an increase in classes giving more variation to an already great class time table, there is Legs, bums and tums (LBT), total body burn (TBB), early morning HIIT (high intensity interval training), with more new classes to come including METAFIT and our Technique clinics.  Another good method is to find likeminded members who enjoy their training, we are seeing great fitness groups forming, all which are very welcoming, we have strong groups for Pump Fx and Kettlercise, a rough tough bunch of Bootcampers and highly functional trainers in our circuits and TBB classes. Stick to those resolutions by joining a group.

Another method to stick to the resolutions is to take part in gym challenges. We have a year long 550 kettle bell challenge! A six week super hero team challenge which has 100 members taking part in the first week alone! Then later in the year we will see our first ever online challenge that you can do anywhere and post your achievements on our ever growing Facebook page!

Finally a great way to stick to and celebrate those resolutions is to treat yourself! Every month that goes by treat yourself to something you enjoy, new clothes, cinema trips, gigs or games. If you have that reward and incentive at the end you will be much more likely to keep with it.

So how is your new year going and what resolutions are you sticking to? We’d love to know.

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550 Kettlercise Challenge

During 2014 Kettlercise instructors Karl and Simon are participating in a team challenge. Once a month during a kettlercise class the class will be split into 2 teams. Starting at the same time each team (1 with Karl leading and 1 with Simon leading) will perform 10 different kettlebell exercises starting with 100 reps and reducing by 10 every time the exercise changes. For example 100 Squat to Press, 90 rotational Lunges, 80 Cleans etc. until we are down to 10. The first team to all finish all exercises and reps (550) wins. There will be a leader board over the year to see which team will prevail during 2014. This is a simple but great idea to boost class participation and get a buzz around the club with your members. Also it adds a friendly competitive edge for your members to push themselves and achieve better results. No matter what we say we all have a little competitive edge inside us all and a fun simple idea such as above might just bring it out and push us on to that next level of fitness.

Why Don't More Guys Take Fitness Classes?

Why is it that every time you look into a class studio you see mostly or only women? Why are guys so afraid of doing a fitness class? In my experience of teaching a range of fitness classes at Breadsall Priory, from circuits to pump fx, kettlercise and even postural and stretch classes I have noticed that if you were to take the top ten percent of the fittest members we having training the majority are women. Their fitness, strength, skill and adaptability is far greater and that’s not just in regards to aerobic fitness and flexibility, I’m also talking about strength and technique, the best lifters at dead lifts, squats and lunges are all women, the guys are getting left behind, which is odd because most guys entering the gym have similar goals, ‘I want to lose my gut and build some muscle’ and most men have only ever dabbled with resistance work usually with a friend, they lift a few dumb bells, swing a few curls and force out a few dozen old school sit ups.
Now let’s look at the class formats, most classes on our timetable are all centred on fitness, weight loss and muscle building (or toning) which is what most people are always after, men quite often think that they need to do very heavy weights and have long rest periods to build muscle, which is simply not the case. In circuit classes, pumpfx and blastfx classes the start is always focused on technique, you can’t lift heavy until you can lift correctly. After the proper form has been developed we can start increasing load and intensity which will see that reduction in body fat and the building of some very functional muscle. Another great thing about classes is you have a trainer there with you, checking your form, showing you correct technique and coaching you through a whole variety of different movements and exercises, remember you don’t need to train longer you need top train smarter!
The fitness industry is changing and fast, the old school of pumping iron and three sets of ten is becoming less and less of a focal point, now it’s about looking the part and being able to walk the walk, you have to put that muscle to the test, I bulging pair of biceps is good for filling out a t shirt, but when your little sister starts beating you silly on the pull up bar maybe it’s time to drop into a few classes and learn some real gym skills.
So don’t be shy gentlemen book onto some classes and try something new, in one week you could sample a dozen different classes with more and half a dozen different instructors, that’s a lot of skill and knowledge just ready for the taking, so get involved before the women of Breadsall Priory show us up even more!

Written by Karl O'Sullivan Group Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer

Kettle bells: old kit, new tricks

New classes are on the way and one of those is Kettlercise, kettle bell training has been around for many years, believed to have been developed in Russia in the 1700s, but they are ever growing in popularity around the world, almost every new workout involves some element of kettle bells due to the great calorie burn and work load it puts on not just strength but also cardiovascular fitness. Kettle bells can be used for total body toning within classes using lighter bells as well as going heavy and being used to develop fearsome strength and muscle mass whilst maintaining low levels of body fat percentage. Kettle bells involve exercises to build strength and endurance, particularly in the lower back, legs, and shoulders, and increase grip strength. The basic movements, such as the swing, snatch, and the clean and jerk, engage the entire body at once, and translate to functional fitness for real world activities. It is also worth noting how well kettle bell training can be incorporated into circuit training along with other fundamental movements for a truly challenging gym session and because kettle bell training relies on continuous movement it makes for a very time efficient workout, as many trainers say ‘train smarter, not longer’

feel up for a challenge try this kettle bell routine and compare it to your usual routine, (using a kettle bell between 6-12kg aiming for 15 reps of each exercise)

kettle bell swing 15
high swing  15
snatch 15 (15 each arm)
press ups 15
hammer curl to shoulder press 15
weighted reach over toe touch 15

rest 2-3min
repeat 5 times

                                                         

workout by Karl O'Sullivan