2. Form is everything!:
Nothing irritates us more than watching motivated clients throw weights around with reckless abandon. We know that you’re young and feel invincible. We also get that many of you will do whatever is physically necessary to realise your fitness goals. That said, performing an exercise just to lift more or get it over with is neither necessary, nor is it particularly smart. Take the time to learn the proper form for lifts like squats, deadlifts, Olympic lifts and overhead presses. Once you have the basic mechanics down,then you can gradually start increasing the weight. Working with one of our trainers will educate you to know what good looks like so that you are able to get the most of any exercise.
3. Posture
is more important than you realise: If you don’t move properly, how can you expect to exercise properly. Besides looking unattractive, poor posture can adversely affect your breathing, your digestion and increase your injury risk by promoting widespread muscular imbalance. By simply trying to stand and sit up a little bit straighter several times throughout the day, you can help undue some of effects of all that constant texting and gaming. We also work on this when we put the warm up exercises together; movements that improve range of movement, help with flexibility and strengthen your joint mobility.
4. Eat more fruits and vegetables:
Here’s another area where the average person’s diet falls woefully short. Fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber that are lacking in many of the other foods you guys tend to eat. They’re also a great way to improve immune system function, lowering your risk for developing all sorts of diseases. We sit down with all of our clients and help them record and map out their food intake and any changes needed.
5. Want to get faster? Get stronger? Doing endless speed and agility drills is not always the best way to get faster. If you’re not also working to increase strength through the lower body and core, as well develop good ankle and hip mobility, they’ll be of limited value. Working on specific movements and working with a coach that understands the mechanics for producing force and speed will push you on much more efficiently.
6. Don’t rely on supplements: Supplements are something you add to an already sound nutritional program; they’re not some magic pill. They are called supplements for a reason; they will add something to your diet if it is currently missing. For most people, a good balanced diet will provide sufficient energy for the body to function, they will usually only require supplements if their current intake is lacking a vital mineral or ingredient. If you think that something with a nice, shiny label, full of ridiculous claims is going to make up for a steady diet of McDonald’s Big Mac and cheese, you’re kidding yourself.
7. Change your internal dialogue: When you constantly say things like “I stink”, or “I’m never going to lift that heavy weight, how do you ever expect to succeed? As soon as you start thinking negatively, you body (muscles) will follow; “I can’t left that 15kg” guess what, you don’t lift it. A positive ‘can do’ approach will deliver more results and get you to reach your goal. Even if it isn’t true right away, it will start getting you in the proper frame of mind to make those changes a reality.
8. If you can’t see it in the mirror, train it!: Stop focusing on all of your “mirror muscles” (LADS!!) with lots of bench presses, crunches and biceps curls. The real key to a healthy and fit successful body lies in training everything on the back side of your body. Strengthening your upper and lower back, glutes, hamstrings and calves will give your body much more balance and stability.
9. Sweat the small stuff: If you’re not making time to warm-up thoroughly, stretch and foam roll on a regular basis, you’re making a huge mistake. Though frequently missed, these represent some of the best ways for you to improve performance and reduce injury risk. I for one consider them every bit as important (if not more) than strength training, cardio and speed or agility work.
10. Choose whole grains whenever possible: Minimise your intake of foods made with white flour such as white breads, bagels, white pasta and even white rice and potatoes. They bring about rapid spikes in blood sugar levels, leading to subsequent energy crashes. Instead, try and opt for whole grain breads and cereals, brown rice, whole wheat pasta and sweet potatoes.
11. Give “camp” the boot: Count me amongst those who are not big fans of bootcamp training for inexperienced trainers. While great workouts for more experienced trainees who are looking to test the limits of their strength and endurance, they’re seldom a good option for developing bodies. Contrary to popular belief, you tend to do better with lower reps, especially when doing more technically proficient exercises like compound movements. Boot camps tend to feature way too much volume, which only invites fatigue and increases injury risk.
12. Be prepared!: Whether it’s forgetting to bring enough water along to practice, or not having any healthy snacks on hand, your lack of preparation is no one’s fault but your own. Take some time each evening to set up some nutritious meals and snacks for the next day. This especially applies to your food intake!
13. There are no short cuts: That’s exactly why we written all of this in list fashion- so that you can chunk things down and make gradual, consistent efforts towards achieving your goals. We know all about the impatience of youth or inexperience like it or not, though, if you really want these changes to stick, it’s going to take you some time.
Call or email us to see how YOU start your health & fitness journey in an effective and supportive environment.