making the most of your gym membership

Conor Graham

The STS Fitness Club

Making the Most of Your Gym Membership


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Most of us join a gym to have more options for improving our fitness, but when we arrive the choices can be overwhelming.

This eBook explains the various options you have for training towards the benefits which a gym membership has to offer.

The Benefits Available When Using a Gym Membership

The most common benefits gym members are looking to achieve are improved muscle tone, increase muscle size and decreased body fat.

These benefits cannot be achieved without increasing the amount of functional exercise you can perform, in conjunction with a complementary diet. The more exercise we you able to do, over time, the more stimulus there is for your body to change.

I have placed bold emphasis on the words “over time” because doing more exercise in any one session, day, week or even month will have little effect on these aesthetic benefits whereas, over three months plus (hopefully the duration of your gym membership) these benefits are well within your reach.

Due to the relatively slow rate of sustainable improvements which aesthetic change shows healthy results, it’s far more motivating to monitor the extremely fast rewarding functional benefits, which over time, lead to aesthetic change.

The most effective functional benefits used to cause aesthetic change are: ● Increased Cardiovascular Fitness ● Full Body Strength Gains ● Improved Sports Performance ● Increased Stability and Control

For those of you in the gym for aesthetic benefits, I’ll discuss how each functional benefit helps.

I’ll also discuss how each functional benefit can be achieved through a range of methods which are available to us in most gyms.

It’s very important to understand that each method can be suitable, detrimental or perfect for you, depending on how it’s carried out.

I’ll rate each method of training based on: ● Potential for Fun ● Potential for Injury ● Potential for Measurable Results

Before you read on … If there is one piece of advice I can give to anyone primarily focussed on the aesthetic benefits of exercise it’s to use the focus as a higher purpose, along with increasing your sense of self-worth, stress management, immune system and life span.

None of these benefits can be quantifiably achieved in a single session, day, week or even month but by looking to functional improvements as your success barometer you can have measurable results every single workout, day, week and month. Enjoy… :-)


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Increased Cardiovascular Fitness

Cardiovascular training is great for burning calories, improving your mood and preventing a range of diseases and disorders. It has a massive effect on our brains by releasing happy chemicals as a reward for getting the system going.

As we all know, burning calories is the biggest effect which exercise can have on our fat mass so it goes without saying that cardiovascular training can decrease your waistline if complemented with a suitable food intake.

Getting the Gains

In order to improve your cardiovascular fitness you need to move yourself or something else at an intensity and duration which keeps your heart and breathing rate higher than when at rest.

Low intensity training for long durations and repeated high intensity training for relatively short intensities are both utilised for the purpose of improving cardiovascular fitness.

The most common ways gym members fail to improve their cardiovascular fitness are: ● Exercising at unsustainable intensities, which leads to premature fatigue and an early end to the workout ● Training at low intensity for insufficient durations, which leads to boredom and a lack of results

While hitting an intensity which enables you to train for the duration you set out to achieve sounds fairly straight forward, it is actually anything but. Fitness plateaus haunt those disciplined enough to stick to a regular routine, while illness and injury plague those who push themselves to extremes from week to week.

You can be a successful gym user by starting a new routine slowly and increasing your workloads, as your fitness improves. Have easier weeks where you continue to train but at slightly lowered intensities. These easy weeks allow your body to recover from the progressing weeks and show you how much easier the workout you did just a couple of weeks back has become.

Your options for cardiovascular training in the gym commonly include: ● Movement to Music Classes ● Stationary Cardio Equipment ● Circuit Training ● Boxing for Fitness


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Movement to Music Classes

Most fitness classes, such as dance, step and aerobics are great for cardiovascular gains. They usually require some co-ordination but that will come if you attend the introductory classes before trying the real thing. The only issue I have with these classes is that the only way you’ll notice improvements after the first four weeks is if you are finding ways to make the workout harder.

The first couple of weeks can be very tough, but you’ll enjoy getting to know the routines and find that your muscles stop getting as sore as they did at the beginning. The problem is that if you do any particular class long enough your body will adapt to it and stop improving.

The routine will likely change after around 3-4 months but you’ll hit a plateau at around four weeks if you do it two or more times a week.

Learning to do 3-4 routines over the three months will delay the plateau but also delay the results. The learning curve will take longer, therefore delaying the sessions where you are grooving your butt off to get the best of that class.

The unfortunate reality of classes are that the instructor cannot pitch the class to individual fitness levels, and therefore has to pitch it somewhere in the middle.

They can only hope that the less fit attendees don’t overdo it, and that the fitter attendees are having too much fun to think about whether their cardiovascular system is being challenged.

Having your own instructor would mean they could make the workout intensity suited to your level, but that service is rarely available.

Potential for Fun: 8 Potential for Injury: 7 Potential for Measurable Results: 6

Final Thoughts...

If you’re thinking about using Movement to Music Classes to improve your cardiovascular fitness then make sure you do the introductory classes before trying out the real thing. There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to keep up with 20 other people who are all dancing to a tune you’ve never heard before.

Once you’ve learned the routine and start to feel like you can keep up, start looking out for ways to make the routine more physically demanding. Have a chat to the instructor before or after the class if you need some ideas.


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Stationary Cardio Machines

Sounds Boring, Right?

Many people get bored with stationary cardio machines but it’s usually because they are simply doing it at the same intensity throughout the session and not taking note of how the numbers are improving each week.

Everyday people become elite athletes using programmes which tell them how fast and far to go on their indoor trainer, treadmill, rowing machine as well as in their outdoor training environment.

Runners, rowers and cyclists all follow this method of training and are some of the fittest and dedicated people in the world. While these forms of fitness, like using their gym based equivalents, can sound boring, it’s the programmes which lead beginners to catch the bug.

You’d be surprised at just how many variables there are to manipulate on a stationary bike, and while you won’t be asked to work in time with music, the long term results are far more satisfactory. You can learn to enjoy stationary cardio if you take notice of the improvements as you go.

With a Personal Trainer

Using a Personal Trainer to help your stationary cardio training can be nice as you let them change the speeds or resistances of the machine you’re on. One problem with this is that they don’t necessarily know any better than you do in terms of how fast to go.

Unless you have them attend and record what you do each time you train it will be very hard for them to estimate your speeds and can soon lead to you pleading for them to take the intensity down.

The other problem is that you are essentially paying this person good money to do what a good programme can do for you. Using a programme to guide your use of a gym bike, rower, cross trainer or treadmill requires less time to learn techniques and extends plateaus far further than fitness classes.

This is only possible because the programme will be based on your fitness level and reasonable rates of improvement.

A Good Cardiovascular Programme

Any good fitness programme should get you doing easy, medium and hard weeks in an order which requires you to challenge your body but also provide enough back-off that it can recover and adapt.

Sports conditioners call this concept “periodisation”.

Dancers can be just as fit as endurance athletes because they too have periodised programmes which take everyone from A to B at the same rate. Football coaches bring in professional conditioners to work the squad through a progressive field based cardiovascular programme before the season starts.

This is a luxury the group fitness instructor can only dream of because they cannot know who’s showing up to each class.


Final Thoughts...

The fun factor for stationary cardio can only be realised if you’re willing to pace yourself, safe in the knowledge that there will be challenging times in your programme. If you stick with the programme long enough to encounter them then you’ll see ongoing improvements in the numbers and personal best times on a regular basis.


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Circuit Training

Circuit training is often thought of as a class whereby a group of fitness enthusiasts each perform an exercise for 30-60 seconds before rotating to the next exercise in a rotation of 6-20 exercises. This form of training can be great if you can decide the right weight or resistance progression to use in the few seconds you have before the next work period starts.

It’s very easy to give yourself a wicked full body workout thanks to the variety of exercises chosen by the fitness professional. It generally starts off like a sprint race as everyone is full of energy and keen to do as many reps as they can in the time allocated.

Unless the work and rest durations are pitched perfectly to the participants, you’ll find the enthusiasm leaks away in everyone but the instructor. It’s very hard to set a circuit training routine for a group of people who each have their own fitness condition.

Using circuit training for cardiovascular gains requires plenty of space where exercises can include running, jumping, various body weight movements and portable resistance equipment such as medicine balls and weighted bags.

Good professional conditioners will split the group by fitness levels and prescribe different versions of each exercise to prevent some people cruising while others struggle to hold good form.

Potential for Fun: 6 Potential for Injury: 8 Potential for Measurable Results:7

Final Thoughts...

Find out what the fitness level of the other participants is likely to be before you join the class. The trainer will pitch the intensity on the average level of the class. If you’re well below this level then you’re going to leave the class feeling demoralised and less fit than when you started.

Boxing for Fitness Classes

Boxing with a punching bag or pad holder can be surprisingly hard work on the lungs and with that comes great cardiovascular improvement.

A good instructor will keep you on your toes and using your torso to throw punches, duck and dodge during the work periods. Without this encouragement a boxing session can become little more than a shoulder and chest workout with little demands placed on the cardiovascular system.

One-to-one boxing classes can be expensive but no more so than a personal training. The problem with using a boxing coach on a one-to-one basis is that unless they are teaching and prescribing workouts to do in your own time you will find yourself relying on the coach to be there for every session you do.


Final Thoughts...

Insist on being taught how to use the pads and bags with a friend so you aren’t so reliant on the trainer. Ask them to spend five minutes at the end of each session to detail what you did so that you can repeat the session by yourself or with a fiend later in the week.


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Full Body Strength Gains The training involved with improving full body strength can lead to improved muscle tone and size. The training

increases your metabolic rate by burning calories during the muscle repair process. The increase in muscle density

also leads to a lasting increase in metabolic rate due to the calories required to maintain the muscle.

If performed correctly, resistance training can also lead to big improvements in our posture. Postural gains don’t

excite people as much as they should. If you want to look good and actually feel better about yourself then changes

in posture hold fantastic potential for most people, looking to lose weight.

Don’t believe me? Try this:

1. Stand side on in front of a mirror and lift your head as high as you can.

Notice your chest lift and a slight improvement in your mood.

2. Now pull your shoulders back and down towards the back pockets of

your jeans and pull your belly button in.

Step 1 should make you feel taller and wake you up somewhat. If you’re ever

falling asleep in front of a movie, just sit up tall on the front of your chair and

you’ll stop dozing off.

Step 2 sounds like I’m asking women to flaunt their boobs and men to fake a flat

tummy, but this is actually just good posture and counters the sagging that

occurs when you allow your shoulders and chest to roll forward.

Strength training is great to get you thinking about and applying good posture.

Lifting any kind of weight is dangerous without good posture and while a lot of

people hate seeing themselves in gym mirrors, they are only there to remind

you to keep good posture.

Getting the Gains In order to increase your strength you generally need to do things that require a lot of effort such as moving your

body or lifting a piece of equipment. The number of times you perform a movement, such as a push up or squat,

needs to be less than 20 in order to elicit any real strength gains.

Gym members fail to improve their strength by:

Lifting unrealistic resistances for the number of reps and sets they’re hoping to achieve

Using the same light resistances each time they workout without increasing reps or sets

Performing different exercises every time they come to the gym

Performing the same exercises every time they come to the gym

If you can perform more than 20 reps then you should consider increasing the resistance to make the movement

harder. Lifting lighter weights many times will improve your strength endurance, but have little effect on your ability

to move something heavy once or twice, as we do in everyday life or on the sports field. It is also wasting time on an

activity that is providing minimal benefit.


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The heavier weight you lift, the less reps you’ll be able to achieve. For those looking for aesthetic gains around

muscle size and fat loss, heavy lifting with low reps will only be of benefit if you do lots of sets. Doing lot’s of heavy

sets requires you to take long rests, which wastes time you could be spending on another exercise.

The aim should be to find a resistance which requires you to reach a 6-9 intensity on the last set. Whether you’re

looking to experience a 6, 7, 8 or 9 intensity should depend on the intensity of workout you’re aiming for that day.

Keeping records of what you did and how hard you rated each exercise allows you to look back and make better

decisions about what weight to use next time you perform the same exercise.

Performing a different routine each time you go to the gym fails to build on the gains made in previous workouts.

Variety is good, but constantly using beginner resistances is a waste of time and effort.

There are a variety of methods for improving your full body

strength:

● Resistance Exercise to Music Classes

● Weight Lifting Exercises

● Body Weight Exercises

● Resistance Training Time Trials or Races

● Suspension Training

● Resistance Machines

● Free Weights

When deciding on the best methods for you it’s important to

consider:

● How much technical instruction you need to get setup

● Whether you need someone watching over every rep you do

● How functional you want your gains to be

● Whether competition is going to help you or put you at risk of injury

● Whether you like to see improvements in the amount of training you can perform

Resistance Exercise to Music Classes These classes can be a great way of building some strength endurance training into your routine. You’ll be taken

through a wide variety of exercises and get to choose how much weight to put on your bar.

As with all exercise classes, it’s important to attend one or two introductory classes that show you how to perform

the correct techniques of the class. Technique is more important when there are weights involved because the

pressure going through your joints will be greater than in a body weight only class.

The risk of poor technique is not so much in tearing a muscle suddenly but in causing a chronic injury which comes

on slowly and takes even longer to go away. The more classes you do with poor lifting technique, the longer you’ll

have to rest from the aggravating exercises.

Rest alone may not be enough if you have created a bad movement pattern, which is just going to cause the injury

to come back next class. The best way to prepare for doing regular weights to music classes is to get a personal

trainer to show you through the range of exercises.


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Final Thoughts...

Unless you have a photographic memory, it will be very hard to record what you did in the class. Without recording your training you will not see the improvements you are making.

You may also struggle to remember what weights you can lift for each exercise, leading to the frustrating scenarios of either having to add/remove weights half way through a set or allow your technique to suffer by keeping the weight higher than you can realistically use.

Weight Lifting Exercises

Learning traditional weight lifting exercises like the power clean, power shrug and high pull can lead to fantastic results. These exercises enable us to lift big weights using practically every muscle in our body.

We can do them with light weights for improving cardiovascular and strength endurance, moderate weights for improving base strength and heavy weights for increasing our maximal strength.

There is a relatively high potential for injury due to the amounts of weight you are trying to lift from the floor to hip, shoulder height and over head.

Weight lifting is an actual sport so if you’re competitive but only interested in training in the gym then this could be the sport for you. Anyone can learn the techniques if coached well and you’ll develop and all new appreciation for what the Olympians are doing on TV.


Final Thoughts...

It is vitally important to get technical instruction from a personal trainer with experience in weight lifting if you are thinking about bringing weight lifting exercises into your routine. They should encourage you to reset your start position every lift and spend a lot of time practicing the deadlift technique, which will help to prevent lower back problems.

Body Weight Exercises

There are some great body weight exercises which do not require equipment in order to give you a quality workout. Core exercises in particular are often far more effective when performed in a position where the hands or elbows, and feet, are on the floor but the hips are elevated. These forms of core exercise are far more effective than those performed on your back or using a machine.

Although there are a good variety of body weight exercises for core training, the variety of upper and lower body exercises, with suitable progressions, are more limited. Doing the same old body weight exercises can soon become boring and if it’s all you wanted to do then you may as well do them at home or the local park and end your gym membership.

It’s really important to have a good idea of progressions you can choose from depending on whether you want to be doing low, medium or high rep training. If you’re looking to improve your strength then there is no point doing sets of 30 body weight squats. It’s just too light to lead to strength gains.


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Burning muscles does not mean you’re getting fitter. It means your muscle is struggling to keep up with the high number of reps you’re doing. Strength comes from lifting heavy things less than 12 times, not lifting light things 25 times.

Potential for Fun: 7 Potential for Injury:6 Potential for Measurable Results: 8

Final Thoughts...

Use body weight exercises within a free weight training workout when you’ve decided that weighted exercises do not suit your purpose. They can be just as effective but are not necessarily more effective. Research progression levels so you can increase or decrease the difficulty when required.

Resistance Training Time Trials or Races

Resistance training time trials have become popular due to the growth in popularity of CrossFit™. A major part of the typical CrossFit workout can involve timing the participant’s performance of a series of reps for a number of exercises. While this is a very quantitative format of training, it inevitably leads to cheating, which means performing the exercise fast at the expense of good technique.

If you are experienced with resistance training and have good technique then you’re less likely to let your technique suffer when the energy levels get low. Racing against the clock or other people may be motivating but it will lead to muscle soreness. If that muscle soreness is not allowed to heal before your next time trial workout then your risk of chronic and acute injuries increases big time.


Final Thoughts...

Try doing a series of these CrossFit exercise workouts by yourself before joining a class. Start conservatively and when you start to find your times plateauing then it’s time to change the routine. Make sure you attend the intro classes if you’re thinking about joining a regular class.


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Suspension Training Suspension Training can be very effective as a method for building full

body strength. Although the exercises are mostly resisted through

body weight, suspending the feet above the height of the hands

makes traditional body weight exercises like the push ups and bridges

much harder.

This feature, plus the additional stability requirements, makes suspension training a good way to progress weighted upper body and core exercises. Suspension training does not cater well for the stronger muscles in the legs.

Most leg exercises are actually made easier due to the availability of handles to pull you up from lunges, squats and the like. These exercises are far more effective without suspension chords.

Suspension Training is also less quantifiable, compared to weighted exercises. Due to the lack of measurable resistances, it is far harder to see progress in the figures, which serve to motivate you.


Final Thoughts... Get a personal trainer who is experienced with suspension training to show you the ropes before attempting any

upper body or core exercises. It is very easy to put your back into an excessively advanced bridge position that can

lead to injury.

Resistance Machines

Resistance machines such as the leg press and seated chest press get a bad rap from many personal trainers due to the fixed pathways of motion and seated positioning.

The fixed pathways remove the requirement to control your movements. While many new gym members use machines because they feel safer, they are effectively training to become unstable and more prone to injury.

Many commercial gyms buy this equipment for potential members who want an easy option. Moving around heavy free weights may look like hard work but if performed correctly, it will actually improve your results.

Getting stronger at using fixed joint resistance machines will not help you in day to day activities such as carrying shopping bags, chopping wood or playing sport because the exercises do not require you to coordinate movements between the upper and lower body.

They can certainly give you the impression that you are strong, but this can be dangerous if it leads to making dangerous decisions based on an assumption that your entire body is strong.



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Final Thoughts...

If you decide you'd like to make the most of the machines due to the low fuss nature then ensure you get an instructor to check your form every 6-8 weeks. There are many ways you can perform these exercises in ways that lead to poor posture and increased likelihood of chronic injury.

Free Weights Free weights refer to dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells and any other object which is not attached to a stationary

structure.

Learning how to perform free weighted exercises like the barbell squat, dumbbell chest press or kettlebell row

require us to use more muscles when compared to a machine equivalent such as a leg press, seated chest press or

reverse fly machine.

Free weights are the most popular method for improving full body strength by those confident enough to use them.

If you can learn how to perform free weighted exercises you will not look back at machines. The amount of exercises

are endless and the need to control the weights in every plane lead to great results in function and athletic ability.


Final Thoughts...

If you decide you'd like to make free weights part of your gym training routine then ensure you get regular feedback on your technique. It’s surprisingly easy to perform what looks like a simple exercise in a way that puts strain on joints instead of the muscles you're trying to strengthen.


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Improved Sports Performance

The demands of each sport are different; as a result the methods from improving your performance vary.

There are some aspects which almost all sports share, which need to be reflected in the gym training methods you choose to use.

Similarities commonly include: ● An element of spatial control and stability is required for improved

performance ● Movements are performed from an unsupported position ● Most of the activity takes place on foot ● There are high Cardiovascular demands ● Some form of strength can help performance.

Various forms of racing are performed in a car, on a bike or on a horse that have their own considerations, but all rely heavily on stabilising muscle contractions to aid performance.

Other sports have little, if any, cardiovascular demands, but being cardiovascular fit can aid the concentration levels required to excel.

Methods for improving sports conditioning Include: ● Resistance Exercise to Music Classes

● Movement to Music Classes

● Weight Lifting Exercises

● Body Weight Exercises

● Resistance Training Time Trials/Races

● Suspension Training

● Resistance Machines

● Free Weights

Resistance Exercise to Music Classes

Resistance exercise to music classes are good for improving strength endurance due to high reps and relatively light weights. Strength endurance is important for improving our ligament and tendon durability as well as increasing the amount of energy stored in our muscles.

This form of strength is most commonly the focus of early pre-season conditioning for team, combat and racket sports. The forces get nowhere near those experienced in competition so have little benefit during late pre-season or competition phases of the season.

Endurance athletes, such as cyclists and rowers, will be more likely to use strength endurance methods throughout the season but would usually choose a more quantitative method where progress can be tracked and planned.


Final Thoughts... If you decide to use weights to music classes for improving your sports condition, ensure you supplement it with

some heavier lifting at lower reps. This will further improve the durability of your muscles and enable to you exert

greater forces as required in your sport.


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Movement to Music Classes

Movement to music classes are good for improving your cardiovascular fitness and recovery rates. Some have explosive jumps and lateral movements similar to those performed in many team sports, but there is usually a lack of running. If your sport is based on running then these classes may be a good option for Cross Training.

Combat and racket sports have closer movement patterns to these classes so could benefit from more frequent participation but will never get close to performing sport specific training in the sporting environment.


Final Thoughts...

If you decide to use movement to music classes to improve your sports performance try to find classes which suit the improvement you’re looking to achieve.

For example, a boxing to music class will not do much for your next cycling race, but may be great for improving your kick boxing fitness.

Weight Lifting Exercises

Olympic lifting exercises such as the Barbell Clean and the Snatch are great for improving the explosive aspects of many sports.

Any athlete requiring triple extension (forceful extension of ankle, knee and hip) for jumping sprinting or striking can gain unrivalled results from these exercises.

Every rep requires a maximal contraction in order to overcome the relatively heavy weights.

The training is successful because it stimulates the recruitment of every muscle fibre available for the movement and this increased recruitment carries over well to sports performance.


Final Thoughts...

As mentioned above, weight lifting exercises need to be performed accurately to avoid injury. They are the most complex exercises available so it really is vital to have a good coach to teach and check up on your performances in training.


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Body Weight Exercises

There are plenty of body weight exercises which are useful for improving sports performance but few gyms have the required space available to cater for them. Resisted sprints, bounding and jumps are all great ways to improve your sports conditioning without the use of equipment.

The exercises are relatively safe compared to their weighted versions but there is always potential for injury if you’re dealing with explosive exercises due to the increased landing forces.

Upper body exercises are where the variation can become scarce. Many exercises can be varied and progressed using a set of stairs or a Swiss Ball but few gyms have room to practice sports specific exercise.


Final Thoughts...

If you are keen to use body weight exercises for improving your sporting performance then discuss the method with your coach. There are some good exercises but it’s important to learn the techniques well before performing with any intensity.


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Resistance Training Time Trials or Races

Using this competitive form of training to aid sports performance does make some sense. If you compete in an explosive sport then you can’t afford to pace yourself.

You need to be able to go hard and pray you’re fit enough to delay the onset of fatigue. This is pretty much how you’re going to train in a time trial situation.

There are some downsides to this though. I’ve mentioned the importance of keeping good form already so will assume you’ll take that into consideration, but sports performance also requires accuracy to avoid injury and mistakes.

If you develop a gung-ho mind set in the gym, there’s a good chance that will extend to your sport. On the other hand, if you maintain integrity in the gym then you’ll be more likely to do the same in the sporting environment.

Failure in the Gym

Another mind set we need to stay away from is that of expecting and accepting failure. Sounds obvious but performing time trials with weights inevitably leads to multiple failures where you’re forced to stop and let your muscles recover before going back to finish the prescribed reps in the exercise, which is accepting failure.

Good sports conditioners do not write programmes with the intention of making the athletes fail before the final set because it teaches the athlete to give in and accept that he or she cannot perform the prescribed reps and weight.

Moving past the mental game and back to the science; if you’re failing regularly in the gym then you’re not going to be able to perform the same workloads within a session or within a week.

Every time we fail, we reduce our ability to perform the same amount in the next set.

By lifting a heavy weight to failure you’re essentially sprinting up a hill until you need to stop. If that hill is 5km and you only manage to sprint the first 2.5km then next time you sprint you’re going to be slower and will probably have to stop or walk after around 1km.

“If the hare actually beat the tortoise the then the marathon would be a far more exciting race, but it didn’t.”

You can pace yourself in the gym and lift more weight in less time by choosing the correct weights, reps and rest periods. A good programme will do all of this for you ensuring that the amounts you lift, run, swim or ride are at a level which will enable to you perform more training over a session, week, month or longer depending on your goals.


Final Thoughts...

If you do choose to use time trials in your strength training for improved sports performance then try not to race other people who use dodgy technique. Do it right from the start otherwise you’ll end up having to cheat in order to beat your time every week.


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Suspension Training

As mentioned previously, suspension training is a good way to add variety and progression to core and upper body training, but offers little to challenge the lower body. Since most sports require an element of lower body strength and stability, suspension exercises can be of limited use for anything other than injury prevention and core stability.

Athletes who require good levels of upper body and core strength such as kayaking, rowing and swimming can benefit from suspension training thanks to the similar demands of performing their respective sports.


Final Thoughts...

If you’re thinking about using suspension training for improving your sports performance then do some research. TRX are the major players in the suspension market and have a lot of good instructional videos available.

Resistance Machines

The only athletes which resistance machines can potentially be more suitable for than the free weight counterparts are body builders.

Many body builders use machine training due to their ability to isolate a muscle, but even body builders are starting to favour free weights due to the success of various successful free weight advocates.

Injured athletes may turn to machines which allow them to rest their injury while working on another body part in a seated position. An example could include a footballer doing a machine chest press to avoid having to move dumbbells around the gym on an injured knee.

This makes some sense in the early stages of injury but there comes a stage in recovery where performing low intensity every day movements can aid the recovery process. It’s important to find out when you’re at this stage next time you get injured.

A lot of stability can be lost through the enforced inactivity following an injury and is one of the leading causes of re-injury or suffering a new injury when coming back to sport. Machine resistance training will only decrease stability.


Final Thoughts...

If you’re thinking about using machines to improve your sports performance then do more research. It’s better than doing nothing at all but only if nothing at all get’s in the way of doing something productive for your fitness. If you don’t feel comfortable doing free weighted or body weight exercises then ask one of the staff to take you through some basics.


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Free Weighted Exercises

Free weights are the current preference for western professional Strength and Conditioning Coaches these days. The ability to perform throwing, jumping and other explosive movements with free weights sets these exercises apart.

Medicine balls and strength bags make it safer and quieter to throw heavy objects. The high levels of muscle recruitment required to throw a heavy bag pass-over to similar movements in sports such as tennis, cricket and striking sports where controlled, hard hitting or throwing actions are required.

Exercises such as the medicine ball core rotation throw or shoulder press rotation throw require many of the primary power muscles to fire in exactly the same patterns as when throwing or striking a ball.

Rests and reps can be manipulated within a programme to help athletes in any phase of their annual training plan.


Final Thoughts...

If you’re thinking about using free weights to improve your sports performance then find a personal trainer with a background in sports strength and conditioning. Even if it’s just to teach you some exercises which relate to your sport it’ll be better than using a purely function and weight loss focussed PT.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkOAJqWDpJg

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Increased Stability and Control

Ignored by many new gym members, training for stability and control holds great potential for improvements. Many sports and day to day injuries are cause by a lack of control in riding a challenge or losing balance.

The good news is that with a little persistence we can make noticeable improvements to our stability within just one session. Stability exercises can be frustrating because they can look easy but prove very difficult to anyone who has either suffered an injury or lack of use in a particular set of joints.

Methods for improving stability and control include: ● Suspension Exercises ● Swiss Ball and Free Weight Exercises ● Balancing equipment such as the wobble board, gel

discs and Bosu ● Stability based exercise classes

Regardless of which option you go for, maintaining focus on a fixed point of reference will be the most beneficial strategy for preventing the frustration we all encounter when striving for stability improvements.

Suspension Exercises

Suspension exercises make standard strength exercises into legitimate stability challenges. Regardless of how good you are at traditional push ups, the first time you do a Suspension Push up you’ll wobble around like crazy.

Once again, while suspension exercises can be very effective for targeting the upper body and core, the use with lower body stability exercises are limited. Many leg stability exercises are actually made easier with suspension systems due to the added point of contact.

Suspension exercises can add good variation to your stability training and will certainly take your shoulder and core control to another level if used regularly.

Care must be taken to find the right body position for performing new exercises. The apparent ease of those demonstrating exercises can lead to injury if the position requires more stability and or strength than you are prepared for. While improvements come quick, an untrained state can be a hazard in itself when performing some exercises.


Final Thoughts...

If you’re considering suspension training for stability improvements then ensure you have been taught how to keep your core braced correctly. Exercises on your front, without correct abdominal bracing, hold the greatest potential for injury due to the forces put through the lower back.


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Swiss Ball

Replacing a Swiss Ball for a bench in standard free weight exercises adds an element of stability which the bench cannot offer. Most common examples include the chest and shoulder press.

Unlike suspension systems, the Swiss Ball can make traditional body weight stability exercises more challenging.

Performing a Single Leg Squat with a ball between you and a wall enables us to work stabilising muscles of the hip which are less active in the standard version.

Care must also be taken to brace the core during exercises on the front. Like prone position suspension exercises, Swiss Balls place added pressure on the lower back compared to the un-equipped versions.


Final Thoughts...

If you’re thinking about using a Swiss Ball to improve your stability and control then ensure you have been taught how to keep your core braced correctly. Exercises on your front, without correct abdominal bracing, hold the greatest potential for injury due to the forces put through the lower back.

Stability Based Exercise Classes

Stability based exercise classes can be great for improving stability and usually offer postural improvements such as flexibility and strength endurance. Many of the activities are slow with regular holding positions requiring focus and control.

Some people find these classes disheartening due to the sudden realisation of just how unstable, inflexible and de-conditioned they are to static strength exercises. Make sure you go along to the introductory class so you know what you’ve got yourself in for.


Final Thoughts...

As mentioned previously, classes remove the ability to record training and notice quantitative improvements so it’s important to at least supplement your efforts with one or more of the other options provided.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wFYRaWQm5g


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Balancing Equipment such as the Wobble Board, Gel Discs and Bosu

These devices are made for the primary purpose of improving stability and control but are often underutilised due to the frustration many new gym members experience in their initial attempts. They are relatively safe to stand on, being nice and close to the ground, but require good stability around the hips, knees and ankle joints.

These are the most common methods used by physiotherapists due to their low risk of further injury and wide range of available progressions.

Each of these devices can also be used to improve upper body stability in prone and side on positions, but bringing back lower body stability post injury are the most common uses.


Final Thoughts...

If you’re thinking about using one of these devices to improve your stability then make sure you’re armed with a range of difficulty variations and a persistent mind set. While balancing on top of these things can be made to look easy, it is only a reality for those who have started from scratch and persisted long enough to notice the huge improvements on offer.


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Some Final Tips

Use the Gym Instructors if you get Stuck

You may have met one or two gym instructors if your gym offers an orientation programme. These staff members are usually qualified to become personal trainers but choose to begin in the relatively low risk role of an employed gym instructor.

Other roles of the fitness instructor include cleaning, keeping members happy and responding to requests for help.

There is usually an instructor available for any members who need a spotter or some help with an exercise. If you are unsure about any of the exercises you're trying to do then just ask.

There are plenty of non-fitness related tasks they should be doing but assuming they are on their way to becoming a personal trainer, most would much prefer to help someone like yourself.

Engage a Personal Trainer to Plan your Path to Success

Most commercial gyms offer a few free sessions with a personal trainer as part of your membership. The better idea of what you’d like to achieve and how you’d like to go about it, the better they’ll be able to help you formulate a plan.

Personal Trainers are very good at teaching exercises but can also be very useful for figuring out the best options for getting the improvements you want. You may be better off using them for a quality planning session than taking you through a workout which is not part of your programme.

Summary The good news is every one of these choices is also available in combination. There’s no reason why you can’t have a personal trainer, attend regular classes and train according to the latest fitness craze as part of your plan.

Whichever way you go, it’s important to figure out which situation is going to: ● Teach you the correct techniques ● Offer enough variation to prevent boredom ● Lead to an ever improving fitness level

Without these points you will inevitably get injured, stop using your membership or become trapped in a rut of doing the same old thing without noticing any improvements in your fitness.

making the most of your gym membership

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