Archive for the ‘Fitness Articles’ Category

Are you bored with your current gym program? Looking for something a bit different?

Then why not try your hand at boxing?

Research has proven that boxing is one of the fastest and most effective ways to change your body composition, in conjunction with a healthy eating plan.

Starting Thursday 18th March

Lunchtime Boxfit with Australia’s Best Fitness Business at Tuggeranong Town Park

For more details or to register, contact Shaun on: 0431 939 215

As promised, here are the 8 reasons why you fall off the fitness wagon:

 1. No focus: you didn’t set goals, you didn’t put your goals in writing, and or you didn’t keep your goals in mind daily (by reading them, affirming them, looking at a vision board, etc.)

 2. No priorities:  you may have set a goal, but you didn’t put it on or near the top of your priorities list. For example, your goal is six pack abs, but drinking beer and eating fast food on the weekend is higher on your priorities list than having a flat stomach.

 3. No support system: you tried to go at it alone; no buddy system, training partners, family, spouse, friends, mentors or coaches to turn to for information and emotional support when the going got tough.

 4. No Accountability: you didn’t keep score for your own accountability - with a progress chart, weight record, measurements, food journal, training journal, and you didn’t set up external accountability (ie, report to someone else or show your results to someone else)

 5. No patience: you were only thinking short term and had unrealistic expectations.  You expected 5 kg a week  or 2 kg a week, so the first week you lost “only” 1/2kg or hit a plateau, and you gave up.

 6. No planning: you winged it.  You walked into the gym without having a workout in hand, on paper, you didn’t plan your workouts into your weekly schedule; you didn’t have a menu on paper, you didn’t make time (so instead you made excuses, like “I’m too busy”)

 7. No balance: your diet or training program was too extreme. You went the all or nothing, “I want it now” route instead of the moderate, slow-and-steady wins the race route.

 8. No personalization: your nutrition or training program was the wrong one for you. It might have worked for someone else, but it didn’t suit your schedule, personality, lifestyle, disposition or body type.

 So there you have it - 8 mistakes that cause most people to fall off the wagon. Are you guilty of any of these? If so, the solutions are clear and simple:

 Focus on what you really want, prioritize the order, get support, don’t try to do it all on your own, be accountable, be patient, plan, balance and personalize.

Do you agree? Disagree? Do you have anything else you might like to add that causes you problems?

Scott Williams

CEO, Succeed Personal Development

Succeed Personal Training Fat Loss Tips

Here are my top 9 tips to burn the bodyfat up fast…

1. Warm up thoroughly - Warming up increases blood flow to muscles by about 55%, giving you better muscle contraction. You’ll sweat earlier, which helps to regulate your body temperature. It also jump starts the neuromuscular connection which initiates the release of carbohydrate and fat enzymes and hormones while reducing your perceived exertion during strength training. Just 5 minutes of walking or cycling will meet this requirement.

2. Vary your exercises - Alternate between two or more cardiovascular activities like walking and cycling or kickboxing and step aerobics, or a cardiovascular activity plus a strength exercise.This will help to optimally develop your cardiovascular fitness, maintain the element of fun in exercise, help you avoid over-training, as well as injury. Bottom line, you will expend more calories. Gone are the days to just come and sit on the bike or treadmill.

3. Variety - Use a combination of continuous,high intensity  interval, circuit and Fartlek (speed play) training. Changing techniques forces your body to adapt and become more efficient. Vary the intensity and modify impact styles every session. For example, if you have been walking the same path at the same pace every day, begin to incorporate bursts of acceleration intermittently. The underlying principle is that change is what keeps the body progressing, making improvements and burning fat.

4. Circuit Train - Perform several strengthening exercises interspersed with a short cardio segments. For example perform a leg press, lateral pull down and abdominal crunch followed by 2 minutes of cycling. Then repeat another 3 strength exercises followed by 3 minutes of running. Circuit training has a lower dropout rate, is an efficient calorie burner, increases muscular strength and decreases body fat.

5. Strength Train with Multi Joint  functional exercises - Choose exercises that work compound muscle groups - meaning more than one muscle group at a time. This will give you the most mileage per exercise. Examples include squats, lunges, and push ups. For every kg of muscle on your body you need 35 to 50 calories per day to sustain it, while every kg of fat on your body requires only a modest 2 calories per day.

6. Exercise first thing in the morning - Morning exercisers have a higher likelihood of showing up. Later in the day, the odds that you’ll skip your workout increase as interruptions arise and fatigue sets in. Morning exercise also helps regulate your hormone response, telling your body to release fat and kick start your metabolism. Not a guarantee, but a better chance to burn more bodyfat.

7. Eat a “pre training” meal prior to working out - Having a small balanced meal prior to exercise will help you burn fat. After you eat, your blood sugar rises and exercise acts like insulin to help regulate blood glucose. Eating will also give you the energy for a more intense workout - you will therefore burn more calories. Needs to be about 1 ½ hours before training.

8. Eat 5 to 6 small meals a day - Food has a thermic effect, meaning it takes energy (calories) for your body to digest the food you eat. Eating several times throughout the day increases the thermic effect, so you burn more calories. Eating more often also keeps you from feeling like you are being deprived of food and prevents hunger from setting in, which can cause you to binge eat.

9. Train with intensity - To get the full benefits of exercise, you must graduate from the “pink weights” and moderate walking. Do not be afraid to increase your resistance and challenge your muscles and cardiovascular system. In order to change, you have to push your physical limits beyond what you are accustomed to.

What are some tips that have worked well for you?

Let me know in the area below…

Scott

2010 Boot Camp Canberra season to start Mon 8th Feb 2010

If you are one of the 78% of Canberran’s that have put some Christmas cheer on during the festive season, then fear not, because here at Succeed Personal Training we have the answer for you….

Australia’s Fitness Business of the Year are launching their NEW Boot Camp Canberra program on Mon 8th Feb 2010.

When would NOW be a good time to finally make that decision to do something for yourself and get a bit fitter, leaner, more confident with yourself?

Head here to check out the flyer and details for how to join up:

http://www.succeed.com.au/

But don’t leave it too late as we are only taking a very small intake of new members this term, so HURRY to avoid missing out on getting involved in a great fun group fitness activity with Australia’s best fitness company.

The Succeed Team

Succeed Personal Training - workout of the day at Club Lime Tuggeranong

Well my body has finally packed it in and I am having a rest day from training tomorrow.

Have had a full on week of training so far, culminating with an awesome Boot Camp in Tuggeranong this morning with over 30 keen participants that got well and truly put thru their paces…

I do hope some of you are hurting, as my legs are starting to get a bit heavy?

In the meantime here is bootcampdownunder.tv workout of the day:

It is called an AMRAP and it consisted of:

5 x pull ups

10 x 40kg clean & press

15 x air squats

The session goes for 20 minutes and you try to complete as many sets as possible in that time.

My total - 7 complete sets

Again be sure to modify to suit your fitness levels. This is definitely one session that can be done any where, all you have to do if you don’t have a bar to use, get an empty keg/ sandbag/ tyre for the clean & press and I am sure there are plenty of chin up bars at a kids park or school grounds.

When you check out the You Tube please leave me a comment, let me know what you think and a rating.

Scott

Succeed Personal Training

In the business of making you fitter, leaner faster than you thought possible 

Extrme Bootcamp Canberra/Crossfit workouts are back for 2010 at Tuggeranong…

If you are up for the challenge, we are looking at restarting our Saturday morning super sessions.

 A mix of Boot Camp & Cross Fit, this is sure to get your blood pumping and the calories & kilos falling off.

Check out a small clip here:

 If you are up for it send me an email ASAP.

 If we get enough numbers, we will start this Saturday???

 Time:                     9am (this may change to earlier depends upon demand)

Location:              Tugg Town Park

Cost:                      $10

Required:            plenty of heart, towel, drink bottle

 Sam and I hope to see you there!!!

Canberra Fitness Trainer starts the New Year with a triple Cross Fit Workout!

Hey all, welcome to 2010. I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year? I am sure some of you looked like this over the break (I know I did):

Anyway, I hope we are all back on the fitness bandwagon for 2010?? I certainly am.

Here was my training punishment for misbehaving over the Christmas break.

I did three back to back fitness sessions at Club Lime Tuggeranong with a few of my wonderful Personal Training clients.

Here is the rundown:

Session 1 - Nasty Girls (name suited the girls I trained with, only cause they beat me)

50 x air squats

4 x pull ups (girls did some full, some jumping pull ups)

4 x tricep dips

10 x power hang cleans :  Scott - 1×60kg, 2×50kg, Tanya - 3 x17.5kg, Nikki - 3×30kg

3 x rounds for time

Our times were: Scott - 9.00, Tanya - 7.48, Nikki - 7.35

Session 2- Core & Cardio

 50,40,30,20,10x Double Unders skipping (girls did single skips, so doubled each count)

 50,40,30,20,10 x Full ab sit ups

Times: Scott - 6.36, Tanya - 5.58, Nikki - 6.05

Session 3 - Rowing Gasser

250m rower sprint

1 min recovery

x 3 rounds

Total times & calories burnt:

Scott - 2.29 + 62 cals

Tanya - 2.55 + 49 cals

Nikki - 2.38 + 57 cals

In between each session we had a five minute break.

As you can see, I had these broken up, with the first session mainly a strength based fitness session. The second fitness session was a core and cardiovascular fitness session and last was pure anaerobic conditioning.

As you can see I got well and truly beaten on the first two fitness sessions by the girls, but redeemed myself on the last session.

I have to be honest I am still a bit sore from theses fitness sessions three days later… given the girls are 10 + years younger they barely felt a thing…

It was a great effort by both girls though. I will beat them oneday, even if it is at lawn bowls!!!

If you are sick of looking in the mirror and are ready to make the lifestyle changes you know you should, then don’t hesitate to contact us for a FREE Personal Training or Boot Camp Canberra session. Click here to book in.

Dedicated to getting you in the best shape in the shortest time

Scott and The Succeed Team

As we head to the holiday season, it’s not uncommon to put on a few kilos. So the desire to hire a personal trainer seems like a good idea, if the price is right.

 But if the times are as tight as your pants, there’s a new fitness trend that’s good for your waistline as well as your wallet.

Caz and Terry are both workout buffs. They would each love to have their own personal trainer but individually can’t afford one. So, they decided to share one using a GPTXpress membership.

“I’ve been doing mini-group training for four months now,” said terry. “This is really the only way I could afford to get interaction with a trainer and some of the other gym members.”

“This way I can be with the trainer and also get the training that I need for a discounted price,” said Caz.

It’s simple. Instead of one-on-one Personal Training sessions, a trainer takes two to four clients together and charges each for less.

A recent survey by the American College of Sports Medicine shows this mini-group personal training is a trend to watch.

It’s beginning to happen all over the country, actually, it’s happening all over the world.

Please note, group fitness classes aren’t the same as group personal training. With group fitness classes, you’ve got choreographic movement and music with about 20 to 30 of your not-so-closest friends. But with group personal training there is no more than six people, so the instructor can pay close attention to your workout.

The friendly rivalry, and training beside other people provides better fitness incentives as well.

So you’re still getting personal attention, you’re improving your technique, your form, your knowledge, like working with your own personal trainer, but at a much less expensive cost and with the fun of a group,

“You motivate each other, so if I’m going to go with you to a personal training session, and you tell me you’re not going to go, well I’m going to try to motivate you to go because I want you to exercise,” said Terry.

“It’s much more dynamic, it’s much faster paced, so I feel like it’s an excellent workout,” said Caz.

While prices vary across the country, Here at Succeed we offer group sessions at around $20 - 25 per session, which is helpful to those watching their wallet.

For more information don’t hesitate to contact the Succeed Team on 1300 671 171

Hey All,

Sorry I haven’t posted a fitness session for a while, we have had a busy time with various things on at the moment.

Check it out here:

Here is rundown of the cross fit session:

20 x 40kg Thrashers

20 x double unders

20 x 40kg Deadlifts

20 calories - Rower

20 x 20kg D/B Swings

x 3 rounds for time

Time: 22.46

Had one of my Personal Training clients at Club Lime Tuggeranong also do this on modified weights and she did a fantastic time of : 25.06. Well done Jess this was a tough session.

Wht not give it a try and post your time in the comments below.

P.S. After getting a heap of requests, I will also be posting the Beach Body Boot Camp Workout soon for you all to use on your Christmas break so you keep the kilos off.

Yours in Fitness

Scott  

Succeed Personal Training

Guest Post by my business partner - Jesse

Traditionally, the Christmas/New Year period is one of all-out excess, mainly in the areas of food and drink but the old credit card can also take a hit too as it can become all too easy to fall into the trap of ‘pay for it later’ thinking!

 At the same time, for us living down under, it’s also summer time and a time when a lot more flesh is generally bared - either by choice or necessity!

So, as we head into that period, I encourage you to stay focused on your goals and the bigger picture. Remember, the more of your hard work you let slide, the harder you have to work to get it back.

 Below I have listed a few pointers to preserving your hard earned gains over the festive season:

• Pre-plan your training over the period. If you plan on taking a break over Xmas, crank up the intensity now to maximize the 2 weeks you have left. If you are going to train through that period, get organised and plan your sessions now. This will give you structure and something to look forward to. This is also a great time to try some new training techniques, some new exercises or maybe a totally different style of training.
• If you are going to have a few drinks, look for options that will contain less calories: low carb beers are a good option and there are plenty of choices on the market; if drinking spirits, look for low sugar mixers such as soda water. Use natural fruits such as limes to add flavour rather than relying in sugar-laden cordials.
• Go the BBQ! Generally, the good old Aussie barbie can provide low carb meal options: focus on meats and salads, and minimise intake of breads, chips and snacks
• Plan your ‘off days’ - wherever possible, plan the days where you will treat yourself but remember, this principle only works if you keep your food clean on the other days.
• Keep your incidental activity high - many people take time off work over this period, so use your ‘down time’ wisely: walk the dog more often, play with the kids, walk to the local shops - all those little things that tend to fall into the ‘not enough time’ basket when you are in your normal routine

 Well, as you will see these tips are certainly not rocket science, rather basic common sense.

If you wish to recieve our ‘beach body bootcamp’ program for you to use whilst away, then let us know and we will send it out to you FREE of charge (our gift to you).

 Take time to enjoy the company of family and friends, enjoy some good food and a few drinks but at the same time, remember the bigger picture and where you are heading - make sure over Christmas that direction is not “backwards”!

 Jesse