5 WAYS TO IMPROVE RESULTS OF YOUR GYM WORKOUTS

“I'm GOING TO THE GYM TO WORKOUT, BUT I’M NOT SEEING RESULTS”

This is one of the most common concerns I hear.

Are you one of the growing masses of disappointed gym membership holders, sweating to get results, yet struggling to see any?
Here are five ways to improve your gym workout and start seeing results from your hard work.

1. CHOOSE WEIGHT ACCORDING TO OBJECTIVE, NOT NUMBERS ON A PROGRAMME

I’m sure you’ve seen workouts instructing you to do 3 sets of 10.

I consciously avoid specifying the number of repetitions to complete, simply because the client will switch off and stop pushing themselves once that number has been completed. This might mean the weight is too light, meaning a heavier weight needs to be used to help them achieve their goals.

If you want to get the most out of your workouts:

• Make sure that your range of repetitions is in line with your goals. Use the following general guidelines:
  • To improve strength: 5-8 repetitions
  • To gain size: 8-10 repetitions
  • To improve endurance: 10-15 repetitions

NB: if your goal is weight loss, by choosing a repeat range of 5-8 repetitions you will be lifting a heavier weight, which will help raise your heart rate and burn those calories.

• Make sure your weight selection is challenging enough that completing your chosen rep range is difficult: that last repetition should be really tough to squeeze out.
• Make sure you are using complex movements (exercising more than one joint during an exercise): using complex movements (i.e. squats, deadlifts, kettlebell swings) is a great way to get in fabulous shape and improve your fitness overall. Complex movements are a fantastic way to:
  • Improve overall fitness: using more muscle groups burns more calories, as well as raising your heart rate (anyone claiming weights isn’t an effective cardio workout hasn’t swung a kettlebell yet!)
  • Save time in the gym: when you perform a complex movement eg. a back squat, your core also gets a great workout in the process
  • Prevent injury: using more than one joint challenges the tendons connecting muscle to bone, thereby aiding in preventing injury (i.e. a deadlift is a very effective exercise to assist runners in avoiding Achilles tendon injuries)

Follow the repetition and weight suggestions above and be ultra-strict on keeping your form correct for each exercise.

 2. LEARN YOUR LIMITS

With the increased popularity of High-Intensity Interval Training (or HIIT) sessions, the RPE scale (Rate of Perceived Exertion) scale is very useful in gauging how hard you are pushing yourself.

RPE is a scale from 1-10, where 1 means you aren’t pushed at all (essentially you are asleep) up to 10 which is a flat-out, 100% effort. If you aren’t sure how hard a 10 feels, try completing 20 burpees in 30 seconds and see how you feel. While this may seem like an unreasonable target, by pushing yourself that hard you will know what a ‘10’ feels like.

You can then gauge how hard you need to push yourself to achieve the goals you want to pursue.  (I.e. High-Intensity Interval Training means pushing yourself with short rests. (Ratchet up your intensity to a 9 or 10 to get great results from this training method).

3. EAT TO LOSE FAT (NO, THAT’S NOT A TYPO) 

One of the most important elements in achieving results from your workouts is fueling your recovery. This means eating good quality food after your training session.

Don’t rely solely on protein shakes post-workout to get the nutrients you need. Make sure you balance out good fats (i.e. avocado and olive oil) along with good sources of protein and slow-release carbohydrate (i.e. sweet potato) for your post-workout nutrition.

Remember, by training you are tearing down muscle to build it up stronger. Recovery is the ‘building it up’ part of that phase. Fuel this process with the good stuff, no shortcuts. This applies even if your goal is fat loss. By building lean muscle mass you will become more metabolically active. (I.e. all that lean muscle you are building will burn more calories at rest). By fueling your recovery, you are creating a virtuous cycle towards becoming a fat-burning demon.

4. BE TRUE TO YOUR FORM

Complex movements use multiple joints and are a great way to build lean muscle. They also target specific muscle groups. When you start to compromise your form (i.e. lifting weights that are too heavy, thereby incorrectly performing the exercise), you start to recruit muscle groups that are not targeted by the exercise. This can lead to injury and inefficient movements. You won’t be targeting the desired area as effectively as you do when performing the exercise correctly.

The big take-away is to use the mirror when training to make sure your form is NEVER compromised.

5. BUILD A ROUTINE YOU CAN STICK TO 

In magazines and online there are lots of amazing workouts that will improve fitness dramatically…if only you could follow them.

What’s important is to look at your schedule and commit to a routine that you can be consistent with. This is not without sacrifice (I’m not suggesting that you look at your schedule and throw your hands up because it’s busy this week). The goal of improved fitness cannot happen without making changes to your existing lifestyle.

By committing to a pattern that fits in with your lifestyle (a bonus is to do what you enjoy), you will have a much better chance of sticking to it and seeing long-term benefits.
 
To learn more about healthy eating habits to achieve your fitness goals, contact imad Zeidan, a leading personal trainer in Clapham, London.

personal trainer clapham

 With the new announcements from the government allowing unlimited exercise outdoors, it seems a good time to get back on track - whilst keeping a safe 2m distance of course.

My goal-orientated Personal Training sessions are focused on keeping you motivated as you train and challenge yourself. Coming to one of our sessions should never feel like a chore!

​By letting someone else create your workouts and make the decisions, it means you can sit back  and enjoy the varied sessions as you begin to feel the effects of moving your body and improving your inner power

I am a qualified Level 3 Personal Trainer, have completed the 200hr Yoga Teacher Training, and also have certificates in Barre Fusion, Mixed Martial Arts, and Mindfulness. Our sessions will offer you a great opportunity to try out some aspects of fitness you may not have tried before.

I prefer to conduct training sessions outdoors, as contacting with nature helps your health and wellbeing, plus using urban furniture can add diversity to your workouts.

However, of course, sessions can take place in your home or in a studio space (for an additional fee) if you prefer.

Personal Trainer Clapham

Personal Trainer Clapham. 

Welcome to Personal Trainer Clapham based at  Clapham Common Arch, London SW4 9JJ  where we provide a total wrap-around support solution to your fitness needs. Our holistic address confronts diet, exercise, motivation & mindfulness to ensure you succeed long term in your goals. No quick fixes that fail in a couple of months – this is the real deal! Here we will provide some of the reasons why our clients love us.

Weight Loss. 

Having established your goals it’s time to discuss with you our suggested exercise & lifestyle change regime for both gym time and at home. Diet, motivation & the available time you have at hand will also be essential elements that feed into our plan. We all know that exercise will help in your quest to loos weight through burning off calories to a level that exceeds your costs.  It’s important, however, to remember that your hunger levels increase after you have exercised! So. Our clients are aware that it's not all about exercise as there are other factors that come into play that are equally as vital to your weight loss program as exercise.

Your changing fitness needs.

Your exercise program is only part of the solution when it comes to building fitness and achieving your goals. At Personal Trainer Clapham we work with you to consider the optimum macro-nutrient requirement your body needs; put simply the fat, carbohydrate, and protein needs your body requires in order to support your drive to succeed. Never forget that as you progress with your fitness regime your needs with regard to nutrition will change and develop. At Personal Trainer Clapham we will support you in determining what your needs are as you develop.

Increased Stamina & Endurance.

Cross Training can be used to focus on creating a lean, weight reduced you!  It increases stamina and of course, greatly enhances endurance. The dynamic (changing) nature of this ethos of training never allows your body to adapt. This ever-changing training method ensures you get the results that are in-built into your goal sets

Body Building.

Always remember that strength development and muscle development go hand in hand. The heavier mental you lift the stronger you become and the bigger you get as long as your nutritional needs a meeting for what you’re trying to achieve. The natural foundation for increasing muscle mass is to gradually increase the weight of your lifts. So many gym-goers attempt to build muscle by rapid accelerator their reps i.e. high rep separation until they get pumped and very sore. This method is rarely successful as you are limited in the amount of weight you lift in order to stimulate the growth of muscle. Isolation exercise regimes are rarely successful outside of those who begin the process already strong or use unnatural means to develop see success through curls and flies. The answer? A compound exercise regime can be adopted to build muscle. This regime may typically include deadlifts, overhead presses, bench presses, squats, and barbell rows.

Top 9 Fitness Classes in Clapham, London

Vinyasa Dynamic - Warm - 90 MINS

A warm (30 degrees celsius) dynamic, the fast-moving sequence with music, coordinating breath and movement to flow from one posture to the next. This style of yoga, composed of a series of standing and seated poses, is designed to challenge the body and mind. You will experience a full-body workout as well as a good stretch. You will be encouraged to play with inversions and there will be options for

Flow + Restore

A progressive and moderately paced vinyasa order followed by corroborant and grounding poses to calm your body and mind as the evening winds down. This class is open to all levels.

Dynamic Hot Flow

Get lifted in this challenging vinyasa-based practice at our studio! Ideal for our most experienced yogis, the dynamic flow will give you the opportunity to flow some "tricky" postures such as arm balances and inversions. Take your practice to the next level in this reduced heat class with the support of our experienced teaching staff. Enjoy their fun and funky music as you flow through this class

Speciality Reformer Pilates

The reformer provides finely tuned exercise Counteraction that allows one to work very unerringly to develop good classification, core strength, and flexibility. By using bodyweight and resistance of the springs to push and pull the carriage, you will train a variety of body parts.

BLAZE

BLAZE is Hub's ultimate resistance and conditioning class, meaning that not only will your heart rate pumping but your muscles will be burning. Be prepared for a fun-filled class where our expert fitness coaches regularly add in new exercises to keep you learning and improving, keeping things new and exciting. As part of a small group, Hub make sure that you are looked after throughout to ensure

60min - Beginners

These Beginner's Level classes cover the basics of LLiV Power Yoga and include strengthening work, with movement, stretching, and relaxation in equal measure. You’ll discover the power of your breath and leave feeling lighter, more relaxed, and energized. All pose names are given in English and if you're injured or completely inflexible, don't worry. The LLiV teachers will give individual guidance a

Silent Disco Boot Camp

The Silent Disco Boot Camp is a revolutionary session, where you get to workout to your favorite tunes on Clapham Common. They are the first boot camp in the UK to do this, and it's Swift's most popular class with a cult-like following! The kit you out with our first-class headphones, which automatically tunes into the trainer's mic (think Britney), and playlist. They then carry out a boot camp

Speedy Foundation Reformer

A slightly shorter version of our Foundation class. The Foundation class is a standard class in which you can familiarise yourself with the exercises but always with the opportunity to make the exercises more challenging. If it's your first time then you'll easily pick up the exercises as they are simple to understand. The classes are always similar but the order can be changed around by the train.

Boxing

They will warm you up to get you ready and raring to go and during each session, you'll spend lots of time doing pad work as well as body weight, cardio, and abs exercises- things like press-ups, squats, lunges, sit-ups, sprints, and team fun! You'll always end the session with lots of cool-down enlarge.