I’ve been a qualified personal trainer since 2011 working in New Zealand and the UK. Throughout this time, I have specialised in training people at their homes and in public spaces with minimal equipment. You can achieve great results with bodyweight exercises – also known as calisthenics – but they do have some drawbacks. Read on to better understand the pros and cons of calisthenic training .
The benefits of calisthenic exercises
Anytime, anywhere! Calisthenic exercises require no equipment because they use an individual’s bodyweight for resistance. As a result,
I am commonly asked to help clients ‘tone up’, and the legs are a popular area to focus on. It’s important to understand what people mean by ‘tone up’. Essentially, we need to develop muscles to create shape, and reduce fat so that muscles are more visible. Performing leg exercises won’t just reduce the fat around the legs. Where we store fat varies from person to person and it is just a store of excess energy. Reducing bodyfat simply requires burning more calories than you consume. However, muscles react to a specific stimulus, so your leg muscles won’t develop if you are doing arm...
Strength training is a valuable component of any runner’s training program. It develops physical resilience, systematically improves motor control and increases force output which leads to greater projection with every stride.
I commonly hear that athletes are following split strength programs in the gym. Split programs are where certain muscle groups and/or movement patterns are performed on separate days. I prefer athletes to complete balanced strength sessions where most primal movement patterns are performed. Split programs have their origins in bodybuilding and are popular...
We’ve all been there; we know that we should exercise, and we know we’ll feel better if we do, but the couch is feeling so comfortable, and it's cold outside! Here are my top tips for keeping active with your motivation is low.
Modify your expectations
If the thought of completing an hour-long HIIT session, where you burpee until you almost pass out, is just too much, perhaps you need to think about doing something a little bit different. We all have days where we’re not feeling so energetic, and other days when we’re full of beans. Don’t be afraid of substituting your...
Many people make the mistake of thinking that all workouts need to be ‘all or nothing’, and that you should ‘go hard or go home’. About 5 years ago, I had a high-level athlete take one of my boot camp classes in New Zealand. After the session, he said that he was amazed at how hard these middle-aged men and women were pushing themselves. This highlights that you do not need to push yourself ridiculously hard all the time to keep fit. In fact, super-fit people, like high-level athletes, have to pay very close attention to how hard they train because working too hard during one session can...
It’s very common for exercise routines to be aborted as we drift into winter. The darker evenings, lower temperatures and wetter weather make sitting in a warm living room far more appealing. However, there’s an old fitness adage: summer bodies are built in the winter. How can we avoid panicked binge-fitness only a few weeks before our summer holiday in Spain? Here are some tips to help keep you active through the colder months.
More than just a bikini photo
Regular exercise will help you look lithe and toned in your bikini or board shorts, and that’s a perfectly good...
OLYMPIAN Sharron Davies has launched a new health and fitness programme to help people of all ages and abilities in the wake of Covid. The new website will go live in January 2022 and access to the programme will cost less than a cup of coffee a week. People are also being offered the chance to buy one and donate one subscription to charity.
Sharron Davies said: "It's been an incredibly difficult last two years. People have stopped going to the gym, had to work from home and at one point it seemed our only enjoyment was cooking a more exciting meal. Sadly statistics show us that...
Local health and wellbeing initiative, Can Do Active, are launching a new 12-week Couch to 5k programme in Exeter this Winter, starting in January and meeting at Exwick Playing Fields in Exeter on Tuesday mornings from 11th January (9:30am - 10:30am) and Thursday evenings from 13th January (5.30pm - 6.30pm).
All abilities are welcome and no experience is required, making it perfect for beginners or those aiming to get back into an active lifestyle.
All groups are led by England Athletics-qualified run leaders and are free to attend, you will receive all the support required...
A new fitness class for plus-size people has secured funding to run a low cost pilot in Exeter.
Phat Health was set up to help people who are told to lose weight and get more active but don't feel comfortable in mainstream gyms and fitness classes. Jess Crew PHAT Programme Organiser said, "many gyms and fitness classes say that everyone is welcome but in reality they just don't cater for larger bodies."
Maresa Bossano, Wellbeing Exeter Community Physical Active Organiser commented, "We are very excited to be supporting this community project. People in Exeter have been...
New health and wellbeing initiative, Can Do Active, are launching a new 12-week Couch to 5k programme in Exeter this Autumn, starting in October.
There will be two running groups a week, a weekday group meeting every Tuesday morning (9:30am - 10:30am) from the 5th October, and a weekend group meeting every Saturday morning (10:30am - 11:30am) from the 9th October - both starting at Exwick Playing Fields.
All abilities are welcome and no experience is required, making it perfect for beginners or those aiming to get back into an active lifestyle. The groups are free to...
