Fitness Matrix

You can do this by incorporating another exercise into your training programme.  Adding another aspect to your training, shakes-up your body and forces it to exercise in a different way, which makes your aerobic system and muscles work in a different way.

Spinning classes and Kettlebell training are two excellent ways to do this, as they are non-impact and provide a whole body workout, that puts more demands on your body than other forms of exercise.

Varying your exercise regime will keep you stimulated and interested for your main sport, while enhancing and complimenting it.

Give it a try and see the results for yourself!

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When the body reaches the age of mid-forties, the decline in level of fitness accelerates.  You can slow down this process by staying slim with good nutrition, don’t over-eat, reduce your intake of alcohol, don’t smoke and follow a structured exercise programme designed specifically to suit you.

If you pay attention to these minor areas, it can improve your quality of life and increase your chance of longevity.

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Most people that exercise are doing too much, because they become addicted or maybe they are not seeing any results from their hard work, so they train even more and harder.

Exercising too much has a negative effect on your body, because it takes it out of the ‘growth zone’ and into the ‘over-training zone’.  When you over-train your body you place it in a catabolic state, which means that it is breaking-down rather than building, so the exercise you are doing is making your body weaker.

The way to avoid this happening, is to have a structured training programme that incorporates ‘rest days’, because your body only recovers, repairs and builds, when you are resting.  If you train one day and rest the next, you give your body the chance to repair and build after one session, from which there is little to recover from.  But, if you train all week and only rest at the weekend, your body has to recover, repair and build after a whole week of exercising, which places more demand on your body.

You don’t have to do one day on and one day off, but don’t exercise more than three days consecutively.  You’ll find that you feel stronger and have more energy, which will help you train better and produce positive results.

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Most people fall-short in this area when training themselves, yet it is one of the most, if not the most, important area to focus on.  If your balance is not being challenged, then your training is not being maximised.

The best way to improve your balance and your core strength, which provides your body with strength and stability, is to exercise on unstable surfaces, with equipment such as a Bosu, a stability ball or something as simple as an inflated disc.  These types of equipment are largely neglected and often ignored in gyms, because most people don’t know what to do with them.

Training with equipment that provides an unstable surface, creates the biggest challenge for your body, as it must maintain balance and stability, which forces your core to work harder, thereby giving you inner strength and improving your balance.

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Vary your workouts

If you continually do the same exercises and training programmes, your body moves onto ‘auto-pilot’ and reaches a plateau, where you cease to progress.  By varying the type, duration and intensity of exercise, it will demand more of your body, not allowing it to reach your ‘auto-pilot’ mode and producing better results.

Give yourself time to recover

Your body only repairs and builds, when you rest.  It is vital that you allow your body to recover after exercising, by ensuring that you get a good 8hrs sleep.  By giving yourself time to rest and repair, you will feel stronger, fitter and more motivated for your next training session.

Listen to your body

Your body will tell you if you are over-training.  If you feel irritable, lose your appetite, are not sleeping well or lack energy when you’re training; your body wants a day-off from exercise……so listen to it!  It will thank you for it!

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A workout with a Kettlebell, is one of the best whole body exercises you can give yourself!

It increases your strength, endurance and agility, in addition to improving your proprioception (your body’s innate balance).  While it challenges your muscular and cardiovascular systems with dynamic, compound movements, it mainly targets the posterior chain of your body, particularly the Glute muscles.  The Glutes are the laziest muscles in the body and once they are ‘fired-up’, the mechanics of your body work more efficiently and are more productive.

So, Kettlebell training….reaches the parts, other exercises can’t!

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Myth

If you exercise for longer, you will achieve better results.

Fact

It is not the duration of your workout that determines the results you achieve, it is the intensity.  You will feel and see more improvement in a shorter period, by increasing the intensity level of your workout, rather than extending the length your training session.

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1.  Look-up

Keep your head up at all times, by squating in-front of a mirror.  This is very important, because your spine acts like a zip and if you don’t look-up during the whole repitition of the exercise, your spine will un-zip and you will seriously damage your back.  So, to maintain a neutral spine and keep your spine zipped-up, look at your reflection in the mirror throughout the squat.

2.  Feet Forward

Keep your feet flat on the floor, pointing in the 12 o’clock position and keep your knees in-line with yoiur toes.  This will give you a strong platform and good posture, which will allow you to squat heavier weights and ultimately become stronger.

3.  Don’t squat too far

On the downward motion of the exercise, don’t go too low, because you will put too much strain on your lower back and your knees.  To safeguard against injury, ensure that your upper body and your lower legs form 2 parallel lines, at the lowest point of the squat.

4.  Drive-up

Drive-up with your legs and not your lower back, as this will only result in injury, especially if you are squating a heavy weight.  Push the whole of your feet into the floor to generate the power to complete the upward motion of the exercise, which will help you maintain good technique and perform a good quality squat.

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“Are spinning classes as effective for losing weight and burning calories as cycling outside?”  Yes, because most people will work harder during a spinning class than they will cycling outdoors, as they are encouraged and motivated by the instructor, but also by the music and the other members of the class.  During a spinning class, people will be exercising for the entire class, frequently adjusting the resistance to simulate hills and sprints, which stimulates the brain and the body’s innate awareness, shaking-up the body as much as possible and not allowing it to settle into an exercising routine.

It is unlikely that cycling outdoors for exercise, will be as safe and as effective at losing weight and burning calories, as a spinning class.

For more information about spinning, follow this link:  http://www.fitnessmatrix.co.uk/spinning-classes/

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Before I had my first personal training session at Fitness Matrix, I would go to the gym, not really understanding the programmes or settings on the machines, do my routine 10 mins on each piece of equipment, believing that I was working hard and doing the same as everyone else.  I would look at the free standing weights with horror, not knowing what to do.  For all my effort, I did not notice any real difference in my weight or muscle definition.

I then had my first PT session at Fitness Matrix.  When I walked into the brightly lit training room, I immediately felt motivated, but surprised that the usual gym equipment was not there.  Henry talked to me about my goals, what I wanted to achieve, then he took my blood pressure, pulse and weight.  He designed an individual training programme, built around my needs, strengths and weaknesses.

My first warm-up at Fitness Matrix had me sweating more that I did after one hour at the gym and there was not one piece of equipment used.  It really surprised me how doing dynamic stretching exercises raised my heart rate and got me sweating.

My sessions at Fitness Matrix have taught me how to use free weights, the bosu and the stability ball, in addition to varied exercises that require no equipment.  I much prefer one-to-one personal training, as it gives me the motivation I need, as well as the guidance on doing the exercises properly, avoiding injury.  I still attend my local gym, however, Henry has taught me how to use the machines correctly ie: interval training on the treadmill and a hill programme on the stationary bike.  The other advantages of using the services at Fitness Matrix is the massage and nutrition: if an injury occurs, Henry can attend to it immediately and I can continue training; the nutritional advice that Henry has given me, has had a positive impact on my overal health and sleep.  In total, I have lost just under 2 stone in weight in a few months.

If I was still a mouse on a wheel, doing the same routine at the gym, I would not be looking and feeling the way I do.

Christie, Gateshead.

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