Archive for the ‘Fitness Articles’ Category

What are the common mistakes people make about setting those goals in spring - weather’s getting warmer and they panic and want to lose weight too fast etc?

• People try to go onto any ‘fad diet’ they can get their hands on, nothing beats clean healthy unprocessed foods. We have so much variety of fresh fruit and veggies at this time of year
• People start out to hard too fast with the training and end up getting injured. Pace yourself and build into the program.
• Most leave it too late… make the start NOW to make it all easier to achieve your fitness goals
 
What are ideal kinds of physical activities/exercise for spring here in Canberra?

• Anything outdoors. It is a beautiful time of year for outdoor training of any description (Boot Camp, running groups, bike riding, tennis etc)
• An movement will get the natural endorphins running and the desire to do more will increase naturally.
• Look for things that you as an individual enjoy ( too many to list here)
• Ideally you have a mix of some sort of strength training for healthy muscle tone, bone density and to aid in burning up unwanted bodyfat, along with a variety of cardiovascular training to help ward off any unwanted diseases, increase heart and lung health and of course burn up the fat.

How important is it to find an activity you actually enjoy?

• It is vital to find something you enjoy. If not you will get bored or frustrated very quickly and end up giving up ( as it is only about 7 – 9% of the population will make a start to a Spring Fitness Regime. Then only about 3 – 5% will stick to it), so it is vital to find activities that you enjoy to prolonge your fitness endevours.

What are the pros and cons of exercising with a friend?
Pros
• Accountability to that friend
•  more fun exercising with a friend
• Push each other harder
• Brings out the competitive spirit
Cons
• Reliability (having to meet them and they don’t turn up)
• May not train as hard as you do
• Might be more of a distraction/hinderance than help to your training
• Different levels of fitness (you might have to wait for them or vise versa)
8. How can people stay motivated to be physically active?
• Pretty much all the points above
• But people really need to find something they enjoy. Over time it will become a habit for them and they will just make it part of their busy life and schedule.
• Set your training around a time that is suitable. Don’t set the alarm for 5am if you are not a morning person, because you will be just kidding yourself and fall off the wagon quicker than you got on!!
• Join a group of likeminded people in your area. You will be more likely to stay physically active if you are with a group of people that are also working on the same goals.

1. How can people get motivated to exercise after winter?
• Go and try on their Summer clothes is usually a good spot to start
• Weigh yourself
• Set a date to just go and do it
• Have a plan of attack
• Look to train when the days are a bit warmer and longer, generally as it gets a bit warmer people tend to start thinking about exercise again. Set aside anything to get started..even if it only 15 mins twice a week. Very quickly the endorphins will start back up they will then become self motivated to do more

2. Eight Steps for Getting Ready for Spring/Summer
•Step 1- Set Small Goals (S.M.A.R.T - specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely)

The first thing you need to do before you start your spring fitness routine is to set goals, and clearly state what you want to accomplish. You should have multiple small goals that build up to your main goal. For example, if you want to lose 5kg, or run for 30 minutes, set small goals such as, lose ½ a kilo a week or run for 10 minutes a day and increase your run time by one minute each day. Write down your goals and post them somewhere very visible, such as your bathroom mirror or refrigerator.

•Step 2- Prepare

Prepare yourself for success. If you are going to start a fitness routine you need to set aside a period of time each day that you will dedicate to your fitness routine, ease into the program if you haven’t trained in the Winter Months

•Step 3 – Spring Clean

Go through the fridge and throw out the junk food, stock your refrigerator with healthy food, start drinking plenty of water, buy a new pair of running shoes, or do whatever you need to do to prepare so that you can attain your personal goals.

Step 4 - Routine

Plan your fitness routine. What exactly are you going to do each day to work towards your spring fitness goals? Write down your planned fitness routine, so that you can follow it. Be very detailed by writing down what exercise you will do each day, and how long you will maintain it.

•Step 4- Initiate

Initiate your spring fitness routine. Just set a day, date and time. Start exercising and eating healthy each day as you have outlined in your planned fitness routine. The hardest part can be just getting to the gym or taking the first step of your walk or run, but once you get going you will be glad that you initiated your workout.

•Step 5- Write it all Down

Dedicate a special notebook to the notation of your workout and food each day. Your notebook will serve as your accountability and your progress tracker. Write down what you do for exercise each day in your notebook, and how long you work out for. Add any other details that you want to keep track of. You should also keep a food log in your notebook. Studies have shown that people that write down what they eat each day lose more weight than people who don’t keep track. You may also want to write your goals in your notebook.

•Step 6- Keep Setting Goals and look back weekly

If you set appropriate goals, prepare adequately, design a feasible routine, initiate your fitness routine each day, and take proper notation, you will begin to accomplish your small goals, and then your large goals. Each time you attain a goal, set a new goal. Stay focused on your goals and you will be successful in your spring fitness venture.

• Step 7 – Find a fitness friend

Look for a friend that is keen to also get ready for Spring and Summer. There is nothing better than a bit of accountability to someone else.

• Step 8 – Have Fun

Whatever you decide to do just make sure you have doing it… It is the time to get outdoors and enjoy the wonderful time of year.

P.S. Don’t be too late and miss out on your opportunity for our fantastic outdoor Spring Boot Camp Canberra season starting soon. Send us a message in the contact us section at the top of this page to register today, but hurry there are only limited spots available….

The Succeed Team

A blog on the benefits of shorter high intensity workouts

Since the fitness craze really started to pick up steam in the early 20th century, there have been two rather distinct camps, one stressing traditional workouts, and another stressing shorter, but more intensive and exhaustive training sessions. Even to this day, there is little scientific evidence to back up one side over the other. The truth is that each has merit, and should be made use of by the average person.

A high intensity workout simply refers to doing something with greater, you guessed it, intensity. This is generally defined by the measure of one’s heart rate. If you’re pushing your heart rate to near maximum capacity, you’re said to be engaging in a high intensity workout.

The actual differences in results aren’t vastly different. High intensity workouts typically burn more calories, while longer, lower-intensity workouts burn slightly more fat, so depending on your specific workout goals, those characteristics may factor into your decision.

Of course the other element to consider is that high intensity workouts are performed much quicker than low intensity ones, which is perfectly suited to the lives of busy folk all across the blue marble we call home. Whether it be lifting or using more weight with less reps, running or sprinting instead of jogging, or doing a more intensive but shorter cardio routine, you can get the same results in less time, as long as you’re willing to give the old ticker a good workout.

The great thing about working out is that it never has to be the same. If you’re running short on time, speed through a high intensity workout and be on your way. On days when you have the time for a full-fledged workout, take it slower, try new things, and enjoy the experience. Changing your routine has legitimate fitness benefits, as well as allowing you to work within the confines of your busy schedule.

I have done both long slow sessions and short sharp sessions, and have worked out the calories over a 24 hour period following the sessions. On every occasion I have burnt more calories doing a short 20 minute workout over a long slow workout.

This is why the crossfit style of training method is fast becoming the number one way to train.

If you are in the Canberra area and are looking to get into Crossfit then let me know and I will gladly get you started. Or stay tuned for my all NEW ‘body overhaul’ program due out soon that is all crossfit style training programs…

What sort of training do you like the best? Weights, boxing, pump??

Let me know your preferred method of training below?? 

Scott

Hey Everybody,

I hope you are all doing great?

I am looking for a bit of help from all of our Canberra Boot Camp and Canberra Personal Training clients.

If you haven’t already, I would love for you to subscribe to our website in the RSS section on the right hand side of the our website.

How to do it:

1. enter you email address in the RSS section on the right side of the website: www.succeed.com.au

2. go to your email, you will receive an email from feedburner (check in the junk mail) and click to verify you have subscribed (be sure to whitelist the email address that I send to you) and that is it…

3. also any chance you get I would love to hear some of your feedback on what I post, things you would like me to post about, etc

For those that are reading this, I would love to hear below what you would like me to post about?? Training, nutrition, motivation, discussing various products on the market. You let me know and I will post about it for you.

Also don’t forget for ALL Succeed Personal Training members, we now have a FREE fortnightly Newsletter and also a FREE monthly E-online Fitness Magazine for you to read and learn new training tips + 100’s of healthy recipes that will surely give you a bit more spice and variety in your kitchen… Simply fill in your details for the FREE report on the Succeed site and you then have FREE access to the Newsletter and online magazine

Here is the latest edition of the mag (Get Flatter Abs) :

The Succeed Team

Here are some of the Benefits of Training with a fitness Friend in the Tuggeranong and Canberra area, and how it may keep you more motivated

1. Accountability to not let someone else down
2. Keeps you more motivated
3. Can use it as a bit of friendly competition if you wish
4. Can be more fun than training on your own

Always look to set a date each week to do something different when it comes to your fitness as well. One week set a date to go rock climbing, or go for a bush walk. Offering that little bit of variation and pre planning gives you bit of added excitement and soemthing to look forward to on a weekly basis.

Top Exercises to do With a Friend

1. Nothing beats planning out beautiful walk/run- be sure to always look for variety in your walk/run so as to not get bored
2. Join a Group Fitness session – research now shows that full body functional movements is one of the fastest and most enjoyable ways to take of your exercise regime, they are fun, varied and offer a total package for the body, so in saying that some of the best ecxercise programs to do with a friend are:
- Look up a Boot Camp Canberra in your local area –fastest growing fitness model in the world along with Crossfit
- Arrange a small group of friends and get a qualified full time Personal Trainer to look after you
- Head to Crossfit Training Session or find a trainer qualified – like the Commando – now one of the fastest growing sports in the world and has it’s own olympics
- Find a boxing class
- Mums & bubs group if you have a little baby and take them with you

All of these types of Exercise activities are very affordable and are great fun when done with a friend. Why are they so good you ask?? The variety to each planned program, majority are structured full functioning sessions for movements and daily life in general.

I own and run Australia’s best Personal Training Business for the last two years and 95 % of our PT sessions are all done in pairs or small groups – very cost effective, great fun, varied activities every week, everything can be scaled by a professional trainer to suit the individual needs of each person in the group.

Scott Williams

Succeed Personal Training

Hey All,

Ok, today’s post is inspired by the fact that ALL of friend’s have had or are having kids, so I have decided to do up a little post for all the new or new to be mothers out there…

Checking for Separated Muscles

It is very easy to determine whether you have separated abdominal muscles.

•Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.

•Slowly raise your head and shoulders off the ground. This should cause your abdominal muscles to tighten.

•Place your index and middle fingers just below your belly button.

•Press into your abdomen with your fingers. You should feel a soft gap between two hard muscles.

•Measure the space of the gap using your fingers. If the gap is greater than two finger widths, you may be suffering from separated muscles.

Exercises to Treat Those Muscles

•Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Work to bring your navel as close as possible to your spine, so it looks as if your stomach is “caving in”. Hold this for a minute or two, while continuing to relax and breathe. You hold it that way as tight as possible for 10 seconds or as soon as you need to get some air in ! You do that exercice ten times in different positions : on all fours, standing up with your arms pushing in front of you as if you had an imaginary wall in front of you,, kneeling and slightly leaning forward, etc.

•Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place both of your hands on your abdomen, fingers pointing towards your pelvis. Exhale and lift your head off of the floor, while pressing down with your fingers.

•Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Exhale and extend one leg out in front of you. Wait for your abdomen to contract, and then inhale and place your leg back on the floor. Alternate legs.

•Wrap a long towel around your stomach with the ends in front of your abdomen. Do a crunch. As you raise your shoulders and head off of the ground, pull the ends of the towel towards one another.

Before you start any exercise regime, be sure to get clearance from your Doctor.

my two treasures

Scott Williams

Succeed Personal Training

As many of you would know, Succeed Canberra have recently become authorised dealers with Power Balance Australia.

As a result, we now stock and sell the Power Balance performance bands, which are fast gaining notoriety amongst elite sports people the world over.

These bands are embedded with mylar holograms, which contain frequencies that occur in nature, and which strengthen your bodys’ natural ‘energy field’ – leading to improved balance, stability, flexibility and strength.

Scott and I have been wearing a band for about a month now and we can both attest to the benefits we’ve experienced in our training as a result of using the Power Balance bands.

As with any new product that is widely publicised and in demand, fakes and counterfeits spring up very quickly. The following is an excerpt taken from a letter from Power Balance Australia:

Our market has been hit hard with the counterfeit and fake product coming into both Australia and New Zealand.

We have devised a very targeted and detailed plan as to how to combat the threat posed by these “pirate products”, the key to winning this battle is persistence and vigilance, and we will not rest until we have won back our market.

The letter goes on to outline 7 strategies the company is employing to combat this problem.

At Succeed, we believe that Power Balance offer an excellent product, and we are confident they are taking all necessary steps to protect authorised dealers such as ourselves, from having the product devalued by fakes and counterfeit products.

We would like to assure you that any Power Balance product purchased through Succeed IS the genuine article.

The ONLY legitimate suppliers of the bands are listed on their website, so please take the time to check it out for yourselves. There are many fakes hitting the market!! If they are not listed on the web then they are fake.

If you would like to purchase a band, or would simply like more information, please contact us at:

admin@succeed.com.au

The Succeed Team

Well with game II of the State of Origin gearing up for tonight there has been quite a bit of talk going on about what the players have been wearing around their wrists!

For those that don’t know they are wearing the Power/Balance Bands that are quickly taking over the fitness world.

Click here to find out more information on what over 60% of the NRL players are NOW using: http://www.succeed.com.au/2010/05/we-are-now-power-balance-agents/

My latest Crossfit Canberra training session, why not have a go and let me know how you finish up:

In the Gym
3 x rounds for time
500m row
12 x 40kg Overhead Squat (scale weight to suit)
50 x double unders (100 singles if you can’t do double unders)
My Time: 12.57

Here is an Outdoor Version
3 x round for time
500m run
24 x squat jumps
100 x side to side jumps

Go the Blues!!!!

Att All Zumba Canberra Participants,

Due to a double booking of the hall for our very first Zumba Latin Fitness Canberra Class, the date has now changed:

WAS: Wed 26th May

NOW: Wed 2nd June

Still on at the same time and same location.

 We do apologise for the inconvenience this has caused, but unfortunately out of our control.

Look forward to rocking out with you all next week though! Be sure to wear your lycra (you know I will)!!!

Hey All,

Well after a three week lay off for the birth of my second child I am back to work and back blogging again on all the various topics to do with health and fitness.

Has been the hardest few weeks of my life, nearly losing my son before I even got to hold him. Fortunately he was a little fighter and decided his path in the universe was with us (thank god)!!

Oliver not doing too well

 

Week 3 and looking much better

Anyway I have also got myself back onto the training wagon and I am going to focus a month of strength training (Crossfit Style) of course, to build up some of my weaker areas that are lacking in my Crossfit training (there are many..)

Day 1: Legs Strength
Squat 3×5 w/u
1 x 5@65% - 78kg
 1 x5@75% - 90kg
 1 x 5@85% 1RM - 102kg
O/H Squat 5,3,3,1,1,1,1 - 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50kg
Conditioning
2km run
Time: 8.48

Must say it was a tough start back to the training regime and my cardio fitness has really dropped off. I have done a few sessions in the garage but nothing too strenuous…

If you have anything you would like me to post about just leave a comment below and I will gladly help you out?

 Scott

Succeed Canberra Personal Trainer