‘Run of the mill’ Physiotherapy

Rant Alert!

 There’s something that I need to get off my chest which has been bothering me for a while – so here we go!

As a Trainer who has been in the industry for many years now and a fully qualified Soft Tissue Therapist along with various forms of Functional Movement training, I have treated many clients who have been ‘signed off’ (translation: left in the dark) by physiotherapists with problems that have been far from resolved.

Most clients I see, have just been fobbed off with some basic ‘templated’, one size fits all routine, pulled out of the Physio for Dummies Handbook which was probably given out to the previous 20 patients with the same condition regardless of age, sex, or fitness/strength level, body type etc. I’ve come to this conclusion from repetitively being shown rehab routines by clients who have come to see me lost, with a routine that is either way too hard or too easy for them, therefore rendering the routine either unsafe or just completely redundant and a waste of time (NHS Physios are notorious for this).

Now I’m not tarring all Physios with the same brush, as I have met some extremely talented professionals out there with academic knowledge that would make me look like a dyslexic crack-head, the ones I am referring to are the lazy, overpaid (usually by insurance companies) ones who are just going through the motions with the client and don’t really have their best interests at heart, who also seem to be lacking the willingness to roll up their sleeves and get ‘hands on’ these days, which in my opinion is an integral part of rehab for most clients.

To add insult to injury . . .   ;-)   . . . most Physiotherapists are usually double, or at best the same cost as a top-end, experienced Personal Trainer with sound rehab knowledge.

I have nothing against Physiotherapists as very often the depth of their academic knowledge is needed for serious problems, however, should you find yourself being left in the dark by your Physio without a proper diagnosis or appropriate treatment plan, then it’s probably best to find someone who’s in the trenches every day and has tried and tested what works and what doesn’t on themselves, and is willing to roll up their sleeves and do what is necessary to get you back to full function.

Grant Mitchell

Ahhhh! My Shoulder!

We've all done it ..... watched a Rocky film, Arnold's 'Pumping Iron' or 'Pain & Gain' and thought .... 'training time!' And off you go, exploding through the gym doors lifting everything and anything in your path with the devil in your eye intent on turning yourself into a Brick S**T-House! First month goes by fine, lifting houses and feeling like a trooper with Arnie's "shock da muscles" quotes on replay in your head and feeling like nothing stands in your way. Then you wake up one morning after a heavy 'benching' session and .... aahhhhhh my shoulder!

I hear this complaint time and time again in my day to day interactions with people in the gym. Shoulder injuries are one of the most common gym-addict's complaints. Of course, the true die-hard gym mentality is 'no pain, no gain' and 'just push through it, it'll be worth it!' or 'whining about injuries is for pansies' and all of these mindsets have their place at certain times but as a long-term thought process, how long can you keep over-riding it until the body gives out.

So here's 5 of my personal tips on how to maintain the durability of your shoulders:

1. Stretch! - The good old fashioned sound principle which has triumphed time and time again and withstood the test of time - if you're tightening muscles up, then they need to be lengthened again afterwards - dugh! Which muscles? mainly the chest (or pecs to be more precise) and the lats as these muscles with be under a lot of strain when you're training those beach-body muscles regularly.

2. Work your upper-back and rear Delts (shoulders) - Most people's idea of a balanced program is alternating between chest, shoulders and arms! The rule is that you should generally work your upper-back and Rear-Delts (back of the shoulders) just as much if not twice the amount that you work your chest - why? Because we spend most of our lives sitting too much and in a 'forward/rounded shoulder posture' and then we go into the gym and push tons of weight on the Bench-Press (or do lot's of pressing exercises in general) further exacerbating the problem by putting more pressure through the front of the shoulders which in-turn imbalances the shoulder(s) by pulling them out of alignment. Balanced program people!

3. Work on your posture & mobilise your thoracic spine in the gym - As mentioned above, poor posture is a large chunk of the problem when it comes to shoulder injuries. If you're suffering from a shoulder issue or would like to reduce the chances of getting one - involve some exercises to help strengthen your 'postural' muscles (mainly the spinal erectors of the mid to upper-back), these can be anything from standard Dorsal Raises or Prone Cobras to wall slides with the backs of your arms, head and heels up against the wall. You should also being doing exercises to stretch and mobilise the Thoracic spine (mid-back) to keep it mobile as if it get's stiff, your shoulders will not be able to move and work efficiently.

4. Strengthen your Rotator Cuffs! - There are four smaller muscle-groups which surround the shoulder joint which are known as your Rotator Cuff muscles. These muscles are vital for keeping the shoulder held tightly and securely in the socket whilst your lifting weights and exercising so make sure you do plenty of smaller exercises to maintain the strength of these muscles. 

5. Massage/Trigger-Point release - Inevitably, if you are exercising regularly (particularly with weights), all of the muscles in the shoulder area will get tight which will effect posture and correct function of the shoulder. So try getting a massage every now and again to keep the muscles loose and break down all that stiff tissue you've created. Having a massage will loosen all the Trigger Points (or knots) out of the muscles and increase the effectiveness of stretching which keeps the muscles healthy and less likely to be strained or injured during training.

So there you have it, and remember that these exercises and principles are not only applicable to people who train in the gym regularly, but also for people who spend a lot of time sat at a desk on a daily basis or doing jobs that involve a lot of bending forwards and rounding of the upper-back and shoulders for long periods of time.

Avocados: Good or Bad for you?

I've recently had several clients asking me about Avocados and whether or not they are good for you, especially if your goal is weight loss (or fat loss to be more specific). In the past, Avocados have unfortunately been given the same kind of bad press that eggs were given due to the ever-growing Fat-Phobia that people on the 'weight-loss wagon' seem to have these days.

Before I continue, once again - I just want to remind everyone that not all fat is the enemy and that there are good and bad fats. Avocados are high in what are called Monounsaturated Fats which are very healthy as these types of fats help break down the bad fats such as Trans Fats (which you get from ready-made cakes, desserts, ice cream etc). By the way, that doesn't mean to say that if you eat Avocados - you can continue eating as many cakes and as much ice cream as you like! It doesn't work like that! :-)

Now to get to the main part you've been waiting for ...... Research published in the 'Archives of Internal Medicine' and reprinted on the American Diabetes Association website demonstrated that people following a "Modified Low-Carb Diet" higher in Monounsaturated fat lost more weight than a matched group of people following the standard National Cholesterol Education Program diet.

Monounsaturated fats are also a key component of the Mediterranean diet, which in every major study has been linked to lower rates of heart disease. Now for the people who know about Avocados already and will argue that there are also a few grams of saturated fats in an avocado - to put your minds at ease, it's the kind of saturated fat that you shouldn't be afraid of as it's from a natural whole food, and very different from the kind of saturated fat that you would find in a portion of chips from the local chippy (I'll go into how in another blog another time).

To top it all off - for the ladies, avocados contain Lutein which is an antioxidant which keeps your eyes and skin healthy so you may save yourself some money on placebo 'anti-aging/anti-wrinkle' creams! ;-)

Last but not least, avocados will keep you filled up for longer so that you don't get as many hunger-pangs thus tempted to reach for a chocolate bar or any other sugary pick-me-up. They also have next to zero effect on blood sugar levels. So there you have it, avocados truly are a super-food!

Reference: "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth", Author: Jonny Bowden

The Functional Movement Screen

I've recently just finished the FMS (Functional Movement Screen) course created my internationally recognised Physiotherapist, Gray Cook.

It was a fantastic course and I came away with some great ideas on training philosophy and some other concepts that refreshed my memory on the fundamentals of exercise which I was originally taught. The FMS is a great tool for me as a trainer to assess a client's capabilities with fundamental movements and exercises.

The assessment provides a great baseline as to where to start if you're new to exercise or haven't exercised for a length of time or if you've just recovered from an injury. It's also brilliant for exposing an athlete’s stiff points from over-training and strain on the body and assists in returning the body back to a normal state after strenuous competition. 

The body is very clever and will change shape and adapt to exercises that it's given even if those exercises aren't the safest or the most effective however, if you train long enough with poor movement quality and posture, or with exercises which are wrong for your body-type or current fitness level, eventually something is going to give out. The Movement assessment allows me to determine which exercises are best and safest for you individually and your current fitness level. Then I can design an effective program tailored specifically to you so that you can enjoy as much longevity out of your body and with as minimal injuries and set backs as possible.

So book in today for your FMS and I can point you in the right direction as to what style of training and exercises are best for you and to help you maximise your sessions in the gym so that you can get in, get out and enjoy life at your full fitness potential.

Good Exercises for Lower-Back Pain

'Aaaahhhh, my back!' Sound familiar? One of the most common reasons for GP visits in the UK is back pain. What does the Dr do? Usually prescribes a course of anti-inflammatory medication or pain killers of some sort and off you go. This usually helps settle things for a while but it usually reoccurs due to the fact that the pain killers are dealing with the symptoms and not the cause(s). You go on accepting that it's just something that you have to live with which flares up now and again, but do you?

Of course every now and again we all get aches, pains and injuries - it's a part of life and some people genuinely do have chronic back problems which will never allow then to be 100% pain-free. But how much of it could be minimised or even avoided if we knew what was causing it and how much of it could be corrected with the right types of exercise? Now as usual I'd better start by saying that I am not a medical professional or a back pain specialist, however, I have trained many people over the years with back issues which they were under the impression were permanent and I showed them otherwise, and in some cases even when physiotherapy hadn't been effective. I should also point out that 'back pain' is an extremely broad term as the back is very complex so as usual there is no one-size fits all answer. The exercises which follow are basic GENERAL exercises which I deem as safe for MOST back problems. Always consult your Dr or consultant before embarking on any exercise program, or contact me and I can give you some guidance.

• Dead Bug - No prizes for guessing why it's called this .... I'll add some demo pics at some point but the basis is lying on your back with your head relaxed on the floor, lift your legs up so that your knees are bent 90 degrees inline with your hips and your arms straightened towards the ceiling (with elbows locked straight). 'Brace' or stiffen your abdominal muscles, but not so tight that you can't breath normally. Some people may find that just holding this position is enough to feel their 'abs' burning but if you want do to the full exercise then take one arm and the opposite leg down to the floor keeping the knee bent (moving from the hip only) and the elbow straight, then return to the start position. Repeat this 4-5 times each side without resting the arm or leg on the floor and then do the other side. These are safe to do every day.

Tips:

- To make sure you maintain the 'brace' as you do them, try to push your stomach down towards the floor but this doesn't mean sucking the stomach in - they are two different things

- The slower you move, the better as the muscles have to work harder to control your limbs

• Bird Dog - I'm not making these names up, honestly! They are actual exercises :) This exercise is actually the Dead Bug reversed but slightly harder as it involves more stability (balance) and more muscle-groups working. Start on your hands & knees with your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips, make sure your hands are shoulder-width apart & knees are hip-width apart and your back is in a 'neutral' position i.e. flat (not too arched and not too rounded either). With your face down but head back, brace/stiffen your abs again, push one leg straight out behind you pointing your heel firmly up to the ceiling (ankle fully flexed/bent) and locking the knee straight whilst simultaneously raising the opposite arm up in front of you next to your ear keeping the elbows locked straight. 

 Hold the position for 5-10 seconds trying not to let your lower-back collapse/sink or let your hips tilt to one     side, imagine you have a drink balancing on the back of your pelvis and you don't want to spill it.

TIPs:

-  Squeeze your buttock tight as you point the heel for maximum Glute activation - it will help improve your bum at the same time!

- Don't try to lift the leg too high as this will throw you off balance, inline with the buttock is enough

- Do them next to a mirror so that you can glance over now and again to check your technique

• Planks - These are slightly more advanced so make sure you get a Personal Trainer or someone qualified or better still - me! to check your technique as you could potentially exacerbate your condition if you're doing it wrong without realising.

Start on your elbows/forearms (shoulder-width apart) and your knees which should be together. Drop your hips towards the floor but don't let them sink too low and don't let the lower-back 'collapse'. Keep your face down but head back and try not to shrug or hunch your shoulders. Once you've adopted a nice flat back position, brace or stiffen your abs again whilst digging your elbows down & back into the floor + squeezing your buttocks again - this should help you to fully engage your abdominal muscles. Hold for as long as you can without feeling pain in the lower-back or feeling the lower-back doing the work instead of the abdominals.

Tips:

- To progress the exercise, lift your knees off the floor & lock them straight whilst maintaining the same hips and lower-back position

- Make sure you're not rounding your shoulders or upper-back - once again do it side on top a mirror so that you can glance over now and again to check

- You should not feel pain or discomfort in the lower-back whilst doing this!

Pelvic Bridge - Classic glute strengthening exercise - great for back problems generally as it's a way of strengthening the glutes without loading the lower-back.

Start by lying on your back with your arms resting by your sides, knees bent with feet flat on the floor making sure your head is relaxed on the floor. Lift your hips as high as you comfortably can without over-arching your lower-back, hold at the top for a count of one or two squeezing your glutes (buttocks) and then return. Try to push through your heels as this will allow utilise your glutes more. You can start with say three sets of 10.

Tips:

- Once again, make sure you don't feel discomfort in your lower-back whilst doing this - you should feel most of the effort (or the 'burn') coming from your buttocks!

- Try holding at the top of the movement at the end of each set for 10-15 seconds!

So there you have it folks, four great basic exercises for general lower-back pain. As you can see, I've focused the exercises on the Abdominals and the Glutes as these are key parts of the 'Core' which tends to get weak in our sedentary based lifestyles. Generally, most back problems (particularly the lower-back) are due to weakness in the core muscles due to sitting too much and lack of physical activity. These exercises are relatively safe and can provide the foundation to do more advanced core exercises to get you back to activity again when you're in pain. Stretching is also important, but I'll cover that another time.

More to come soon,

Grant

5 More No-Nonsense Tips for Weight-Loss

Following on from my previous post, and seeing as summer is right around the corner - I thought I would give a few more tips for weight/fat-loss to help you fit into your Daniel Craig Speedos or your Angelina Jolie bikini (the only reason any guy ever bothered to watch the Tomb Raider films!) :) 

So here we go - and once again, please remember that I am not a dietitian or a nutritionist (see my previous post) and all I am offering is some sound principles, not the latest cabbage soup or horse manure diet or whatever other strange eating regime people seem to dream up so remember any dietary advice given is purely just that and not prescription.

1. Try to get to bed earlier - As the old saying goes "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise" - I really do think there's some good value to be taken from this old gem as getting to bed earlier and therefore getting more sleep will help increase important hormones such as Testosterone (remember women have this too) and Growth Hormone which are key to increasing metabolism and burning fat. Also, remember that your body burns lots of calories when you sleep by utillising them to repair body tissues from the day's work. You should also find your energy levels, concentration, appetite, mood, libido and desire to exercise are all improved as added bonuses.

2. Eat more fats - What?! I hear you shouting. If you weren't already aware - there are good and bad fats - in a nutshell, the worst ones are what are called Trans fats which are the processed fats found in prepackaged cakes, biscuits, fast foods, many manufactured products and would you Adam & Eve it - those vegetable oil based margarine spreads that you thought you were healthily exchanging proper butter for! Trans fats have all the negative effects of saturated fats and more - some research even suggests they can add to the build-up of some cancers.

The good guys when it comes to fats are whats known as Polyunsaturated fats and Monounsaturated fats which are found in Olive oil, Avocado, Nuts, seeds, almond oil and last but not least oily fish which are very important as they come under the banner of essential fatty acids (omega 3s!) These all help to regulate your metabolism and help remove or  'soak up' the bad fats in your arteries! They also help with energy levels and keep your skin, hair and nails looking healthy as well as keeping your hunger satisfied for longer so that you're not snacking on sugary 'pick-me-ups'.

3. Do fun activities physical activities - As a Trainer, I see the gym as one of the essential components to keeping fit however I do think there is something to be said for play-time as well. The gym can almost become a chore for some people which is where a Personal Trainer can help but aside from that - try to make time for other physical activities which you feel relaxed doing and enjoy such as playing sports even if its just in the park or something as simple as walking the dog or going for a swim. You'll be surprised how much these activities can compliment the gym and actually improve your 'performance' in the gym due to the variety of movements that enclosed spaces can't always provide as well as it helping to relax your mind. If you would prefer to exercise outdoors but not sure what to do or haven't got anyone to do it with -  why not give me a call for some park training session!

4. Weight/Resistance Training - I always come back to this as this is key in my opinion. Human beings are made to be strong, our muscles develop through movement and resistance exercise. When we lift weights or participate in different forms of resistance training (whether that be with equipment or our own body-weight) we are increasing the amount of muscle tissue all over the body which in-turn increases the metabolism as muscle is very 'active' tissue which needs lots of calories to survive. Therefore you are burning twice as many calories even at rest!

Teaching one of my clients to Dead Lift correctly - one of the most effective exercises for Strength development if done correctly

5. Cut down on sugar - Like fats, there are certain types of sugar which are fine in moderation such as fructose (the sugar found in fruit). The 'bad' sugar is generally refined sugar found in sweet drinks, fizzy drinks, confectionery and desserts. Desserts like ice cream and cheesecakes are usually the worst culprits as these are processed sugars & fats mixed together in a nice artery clogging cocktail! So how does sugar effect body fat? In a nutshell, too much sugar (especially refined) causes blood sugar levels to spike (sore unnaturally high) causing insulin which is a hormone which regulates blood sugars to be released. If the sugar is not burned off quickly enough through physical activity - insulin will remove it from the blood and convert it into triglycerides which are a type of fat found in your blood. Triglycerides are then stored in your fat cells.

So there you have it folks, just some good old fashioned sound principles for you to 'digest' :-)

Grant

5 No-Nonsense Tips for Weight-Loss

Well I thought I'd better write something to cover the weight-loss (or fat-loss to be more precise) phenomena seeing as it seems to be one of the number one reasons  many people employ the services of someone like myself. One of the topics I am mainly going to cover briefly is diet as this, as I am sure you are probably already aware, is one of the main keys. I should start by saying that I am NOT a Dietitian or a Nutritionist. Diet/nutrition is a very diverse subject and like exercise - there is no one-size fits all answer to dietary issues.

I feel that there are a lot of very under-qualified so-called 'professionals' out there who dispense unfounded dietary advise to their clients and members of the public, based on their own subjectivity. So to try to avoid being one of them, I have listed some fundamental & universally accepted principles to either enlighten you or refresh your memory to help you with your weight/fat loss goals:

1. Eating Times - A very common pattern which occurs regularly with over-weight people is the times of day that they are eating - often they are skipping breakfast, having just a sandwich of some sort for lunch and then a big meal in the evening amongst sugary 'pick me up' snacks & coffee throughout the day! Eating a big, calorific meal late at night and washing it down with a glass of wine (or two) or a couple of pints is the fastest way to expand your waist-line! Try to have a more substantial breakfast and lunch as well as healthier snacks throughout the day to avoid being so famished by the evening. This also regulates your metabolism properly.

2. Eat Breakfast - Following on from the above - try to make time for breakfast, as the old saying goes - 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day!' Eating breakfast helps set your metabolism and appetite for the day, increasing your metabolism means more calories are burnt in general even at rest - just make sure breakfast doesn't consist of doughnuts or the local drive-through ;)

3. Try to reduce stress - I know it's easier said than done with the fast-paced money-driven modern lifestyle however, making attempts to minimise stress levels will really help your waist-line and as an added bonus - may help you live a bit longer ..... when you're under too much mental/emotional stress, your body goes into 'fight or flight' mode, which triggers your body to release more of a hormone called cortisol which will break down healthy muscle tissue as well as increase your fat reserves as a defense mechanism. If you're in this mode too much too often, it can potentially increase your risk of heart attacks, strokes and diabetes long-term.

4. Reduce Alcohol intake - I said REDUCE, not cut out! I'm a realist, I know none of us are going to live forever and a lot of people are reliant on 'a few jars' to help them unwind as well as socialise but cutting it down will really help. Most alcoholic drinks are extremely calorific and full of all the wrong types of calories, not to mention the detrimental effects alcohol itself has on your hormones.

5. Don't get caught up in Fad diets - Weight-loss achieved from Fad diets is often short-lived and usually further imbalances the body long-term. I'll write a separate article as to why this is but the take-home message here is to stick to a sensible, balanced diet high in protein, good fats, moderate carbohydrates & plenty of vegetables.

More No-nonsense weight-loss tips to come soon.

Grant

'CARDIO' is Over-Rated!

Yes I am opening that can of worms! Now before you start forming a queue to sever my head, let me start by saying that I'm not suggesting that it's completely irrelevant - if you are training for an endurance event or are an athlete training for a sport which involves some form of muscle endurance then of course you need to do cardiovascular work. Also, if you currently have an injury which is preventing you from doing resistance training properly and 'Cardio' is all you are able to do then fine. The people who I'm aiming this blog at are those of you I see in the gym spending your whole time aimlessly pounding the treadmill, bobbing up and down on the X Trainer, or wearing out the pedals on the bikes! (You know who you are!) ;-) Question - WHY are you doing this?

Most common answer:

"Because I'm trying to lose weight and I burn X amount of calories each time I come to the gym (the machine says so!) and I also like the fact that it keeps me fit and healthy because I'm getting my heart rate up for an hour. Also, I don't like to do 'weights' as I don't want to get too muscular or bulky and I don't really know what I'm doing with the resistance machines or the free weights anyway."

So let's clear this up for you!

Have you ever looked around the gym and seen the Personal Trainers doing mainly weight training/resistance based exercises with all of their clients ..... there's a reason for that!

In a nutshell - resistance training does it all (if you are doing it at a high enough intensity that is), for starters it will do your precious 'Cardio' in the process, again - if you are doing it at a high enough intensity as you are using lots of muscles simultaneously in order to lift the weight(s). This doesn't mean that you have to be lifting ridiculously heavy weights all the time, it just means doing some form of resistance training, which can be with machines, dumbbells, barbells or using your own body weight.

The other great thing about weight/resistance training is that it will elevate your good, fat burning hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone. These hormones also have lots of other health benefits for example - lowering your blood sugars and cholesterol as well as keeping your skin youthful to name a few.

Now to explain what too much 'Cardio' does:

When your heart rate is elevated consistently for a long period of time - after a while (the time differs from person to person) but for argument sake let's just say 45 mins - an hour, your energy stores in the muscles (glycogen) are depleted so the body then calls on its 'back up' energy reserves - the muscle tissue itself! As muscle is made up of proteins which are a nutritious 'instant' energy reserve for the body. Why do we need muscle tissue? To stay healthy and strong of course! Particularly if you are trying to tone up & lose fat (who isn't these days?) - we need muscle tissue as it is what we call active tissue which needs lots of calories to survive, therefore elevating the metabolism even when you are at rest! So why would anyone want to do anything which breaks this wonderful stuff down?! Surely you would want to make more of it!

So book a session with a Personal Trainer today and get lifting, pushing or pulling!

Why Women SHOULD Pump Iron!

In my day to day training sessions, I seem to spend a lot of time convincing my female clients that they should weight train and that it is one of the best ways of training in order to burn fat and 'tone up'. Furthermore, I spend a lot of time explaining why so I thought I would try and solve that problem in one sweep ;)

The reason that men are physically stronger than women (generally speaking!), is mainly due to the male sex hormone - Testosterone. Women also produce testosterone but in much smaller amounts compared to men. Testosterone is the main hormone which produces muscle growth, deepening of the voice during puberty, body/facial hair growth, and is one of the main culprits as to why men are more aggressive than women (again, generally speaking!) to name a few. Why is all of this relevant to women and fat loss? As mentioned above, usually the higher your testosterone levels are, the more lean muscle tissue you have. As muscle is very active tissue, it needs lots of calories to survive which therefore elevates the metabolism - this is usually why we are in our best shape during our teens when our hormones are at their 'peak' and the metabolism is at its highest.

So why should women lift weights? Weight lifting increases natural testosterone levels (if diet and lifestyle are in order) and kick-starts the metabolism again! Now to answer the main worry that women have with regards to lifting weights ....... you will NOT suddenly turn into the She-Hulk! Your natural Testosterone levels are simply not high enough for weight-lifting to have the same effects as it does on a man. If you're wondering how female bodybuilders get to look like that then the simple answer is usually down to drugs i.e. anabolic steroids (synthetic forms of testosterone). OR they have trained for years and years very intensively and have adjusted their diets and lifestyles in order to purposely look that way, it doesn't just happen by accident!

So what are you waiting for? Get in the gym, ignore the big guys grunting next to you (unless that's your thing!) and start lifting! Obviously it would be advisable to hire a Personal Trainer (such as myself!) to show you how to train safely without injuring yourself as injuries are very common with weight-lifting if not done correctly and to help you find the best way for you to train individually as everyone is slightly different.

Why have a Personal Trainer?

A Personal Trainer used to be only for the film-stars or the extremely wealthy. Nowadays hiring a Personal Trainer is becoming as common as taking your car to the mechanic.

Our bodies are designed to move, be strong and active - without physical activity, we lose muscle tissue and become weak, stiff & sluggish. The metabolism then slows down and the tendency to eat fast, processed, fatty/sugary foods increases as our bodies crave 'pick me up' energy due to lack of fitness. This bad pattern combined with inactivity increases body fat levels (internally & externally) which opens the door to sickness and potentially disease and the slow deterioration of our over-all health. 

Unfortunately, today's sedentary lifestyle - sitting at desks all day working on computers (ironically what I am doing now to write this!), sitting in the car or on the train travelling to and from work, sitting down eating your dinner and then sitting down to watch TV or work again in the evening, all leads to the slow accumulation of the problems described above. 

Most people are aware of this problem nowadays and then usually flock to the gym or take to the pavement running in order to counter it. Unfortunately what I see time and time again is that people have good intentions and have mustered up the will-power needed but don't really understand what safe exercise is or what type of exercise they should be doing or how much of it is needed in order to lose weight/body fat to get themselves fitter and healthier.

A good Personal Trainer will be able to advise you on this as well as devise a safe & effective program tailored to suit your needs and your body specifically as all of us are very different. A good trainer will also be able to advise you on your over-all lifestyle and most importantly on your diet and eating habits which are more than likely a big part of the problem. Personal Training also provides you with the motivation that you need and how to over-come 'hurdles' (excuse the pun!) and plateaus that you will more than likely experience along the way to achieving your goal(s).

The Importance of Stretching!

95% of the time when taking on a new client, I find that the biggest obstacle for me to train them effectively is that they are too tight/stiff in all the wrong places and too loose/weak in other places.

Time and time again, I find that clients come to me and sign up for sessions psyched up and full of enthusiasm to ‘blast’ their bodies into shape over night but soon realise that they have areas of tightness or weakness (or both) that they weren’t even aware of which become a hindrance to them getting to where they want to be.

My biggest dilemma as a trainer with regards to this problem is keeping my clients working hard in the sessions and finding challenging but safe exercises to keep them motivated and achieving whilst encouraging them to work on their weaknesses/’tightnesses’ at the same time in order to keep them progressing further without injuring them.

I cannot stress enough the importance of good old-fashioned stretching! If you want to get serious long-term results and be able to continue training effectively then it is an absolute MUST in my point of view! By this, I don’t just mean stretching for 5 mins before a workout and for 5 mins at the end just to go through the motions. I mean spending a few mins hear and there throughout the day or last thing at night for 5 0r 10 mins before you go to bed EVERY DAY! This may seem a big ask and you’re probably thinking ‘I don’t have the time or energy for that’ but it will save you a lot of hassle and potential trips to the osteopath or physiotherapist in the long run.

Most of the time when you’re having physio – the fundamental part of the treatment program for most injuries and problems with the body are gentle strengthening and some form of STRETCHING exercises!

Another point to be made on top of that, is that if muscles are too tight and are unable to lengthen and shorten properly – then how can they be used properly to get stronger and develop further?

Functional Training!

Functional Training! One of the big buzz-words in fitness over the last few years. I think there seems to be a lot of confusion as to what exactly functional training is so I thought I’d give my take on it all.

Functional Training as I understand it, is using exercises that are as relative as possible to an individual’s everyday movement patterns, sport or occupation in order to progressively develop that person’s strength and ability to perform those movements/tasks more efficiently and safely. Another way of putting it would be conditioning someone whether that be a Rugby player or a road-digger. Another interpretation of Functional Training or conditioning in my mind is doing exercises to counter-balance or (offset) repetitive movement patterns that an individual is doing which cause or could potentially cause them repetitive strain injuries (RSI) or is just causing some postural issues which might be restricting them from performing their tasks efficiently.

So that brings me to a problem I see a lot in the gym! Trainers (not mentioning any names!) doing what I call Circus training exercises! Exercises that the trainer appears to have just made up on the spot for the sake of looking ‘different’ and also appear just damn right unsafe and far beyond the client’s capabilities in terms of strength, flexibility and motor skills.

In my point of view, the average person struggles to do ‘the basics’ properly with their bodyweight i.e. Squats, Press-Ups, Lunges, Planks etc – they are not athletes and therefore shouldn’t be treated like one. Most of my clients are given similar exercises but the difference is in how I tailor that exercise to that individual and their needs or how I teach them to do it.

I’m not saying that some of these ‘fancy’ exercises don’t have their place – but make sure you’re doing the basics properly first and not trying to run before you can walk! ;)

By Grant Mitchell