Fitness Tips Page

Q1) I have been doing weights for about a year now to try and get a bit bigger but I haven't had much luck. Please help

Question from Tim Maurice: Weights is a very general word. People do weights to achieve a variety of goals however it is very confusing when knowing how to achieve these particular objectives. There are three potential areas where you could be going wrong.

These are; working in the wrong repetition range, not consuming enough quality calories, and not working to muscular failure. I will explain these in more details to give you all of the advice you need to increase your muscular size.

The right repetition range

There are a variety of rep ranges when working with weights. The range that is best for you is working between 8-12 repetitions which is known as the hypertrophy zone.

The word hypertrophy means increasing the size of the muscle cells therefore giving you the appearance of being bigger. If you work with in this range your training will be the most beneficial giving you the best results for your particular goal.

Calorie consumption

In simple words; when training to increase the size of your muscle you need to increase the amount of calories of which you consume. Your body needs these extra calories to allow the muscle to grow. You will also need to look in to your diet and work out how many grams of protein you are consuming. Ideally you should be consuming between 1-2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.

If you are not currently consuming this amount you need to start eating more foods high in protein e.g. lean meats, fish and eggs. Remember, you need to be consuming more calories than you are using up during the day.

Muscular Failure

Muscular failure is very important. Each training session you need to be failing that particular muscle you are working on.

Muscular failure is where you can not possible complete another repetition during that set. Also muscular failure means working the muscle at a great intensity throughout the session. To do this; start off with selecting a weight for each exercise that you will be able to do at least 8 repetitions and a maximum of 12 repetitions.

Then complete a minimum of four sets for that exercise with 90 seconds rest in between each set. The final thing to remember is to complete at least two exercises on each muscle group you are working on.

The final thing I would like to mention is you need to ensure you are doing the exercises the correct way. That way you know you are working the area you are wanting to work on. To do this speak to your fitness instructor in the gym or book a session with a personal trainer.

For a free structured program to help you achieve your goals please feel free to visit www.oliverjamespt.com and we will be happy to tailor a program to suit your needs.

Hope this helps
Oliver

Q2) I'm not confident enough to go to the gym but want to do some exercises at home. What exercises can I do?

Exercising at home is simple. You don't need a wide range of expensive equipment to achieve your goals. All you need is commitment and a clear space.

Start off with exercises like jogging on the spot, star jumps, press ups and squats. You can also purchase cheap equipment such as dumbbells, skipping rope, a stability ball or exercise mat. Having this equipment keeps your sessions varied as you will have a greater amount of exercises to choose from. As you are a beginner who is training at home, it would be best if you received some training from a personal trainer or experienced gym user to ensure you are doing the exercises correctly. Over time you may find your confidence begins to grow and you could then start training outside or in a gym. If you need more advice on this topic then please feel free to contact me and I will happy to send you a program to do in the comfort of your own home.

Q3) Someone told me doing weights will help me loose weight, is this true?

Question from Rachel: Thanks for your question Rachel. Weights to some extent do help you lose weight however the main form of exercise you would need to be doing is cardiovascular exercise such as running, swimming, cycling.

What weights do is help speed up your metabolism. This happens due to the lean muscle mass that you gain when weight training. This lean muscle mass requires calories to maintain itself so the more muscle you have the higher your metabolism will be.

As this lean muscle mass requires calories it helps to burn fat as the muscle uses the calories in the body's fat stores. Also the more muscle you have the more calories your body needs to maintain itself. This means that if you carry on eating as you were then you will lose weight as the calorie intake will be less than the calorie outtake.

Remember weights do to some extent help you lose weight however most of your training needs to consist of cardiovascular exercise. For more information please call 0808 1080506.

Hope this helps
Oliver

Q4)I have Cellulite. How do I get rid of this?

Cellulite is a body condition that affects more than 90% of women. It is caused by fat cells being trapped in a mesh of supporting tissue, becomes inflexible through a poor supply of oxygen and blood. To stop this from occurring you need to ditch the toxins e.g. alcohol, cigarettes and coffee as these may restrict the blood vessels and blood supply. (You are already doing this) You need to reduce your intake of saturated fats as this may cause cholesterol to build up on the blood vessel walls which restricts blood flow. As I mentioned above cellulite affects almost every women in some time in their life however the two tips I have mentioned above will help reduce the appearance and eventually eliminate cellulite in the long term. It will take a while though. In terms of exercise cardiovascular exercise will help as this stimulates circulation throughout the body so there will be a greater supply of oxygen and blood. You are currently doing walking everyday which will help however more vigorous activity will help more. Also you can help firm up the problem areas which tend to be the legs and bum region. To do this perform the following exercises below on most days, doing 3 sets of 20 repetitions of each.

Squat

This is a sitting down movement. Place your feet shoulder width apart. Ensure your knees are facing forwards and not inwards or out. Keeping your back straight bend at the knees. Go down to 90 degrees in your knees then slowly push yourself back up.

Lunge

Stand with your feet hip width apart. Take a big stride forward with one foot(approx 1 and a half times your normal stride) Keeping your back straight bend at the knees to 90 degrees in both knees. Push yourself back up and then repeat with the opposite foot.

Glute Kickbacks

Begin on the floor on all fours, Knees under hips. Lift you left knee on the floor while raising your hips and extending your leg behind you with your foot flexed. Hold for one second and then release back down to the start.

Repeat this action. Once you have done 20 repetitions switch to the right leg.