Tuesday 28 August 2018

Push-Ups

Push-ups, also known as press-ups, are a staple of bodyweight training. Primarily targeting your pectoral muscles, when done properly it is a highly effective full body workout that also hits the back of your arms, core, and legs. It also has the added benefit of being able to be done anywhere without any equipment and is the safest chest exercise you can perform by yourself.

Often performed with poor form, quite a few weightlifters who are able to bench press very heavy loads struggle to be able to do a set of push-ups.

Friday 17 August 2018

Bramble leaf tea, nature's hidden gem

Blackberry bramble leaf. Picture from https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/

Now everybody knows about the fruit of the bramble, the delicious blackberry, but few know that this plant provides far more than just one of your five-a-day.

To look at brambles they are long, straggly and covered in thorns with leaves that look like they'd sting you like a nettle. It can be quite hard to believe that they belong to the same family as roses. In reality these hedgerow staples are one of the hidden treasures in our countryside.

Wednesday 8 August 2018

The importance of setting SMART goals

Goal setting is a highly important aspect of personal training and fitness in general. Without having set goals your training can become aimless and progress can stagnate. Having goals works hand in hand with the principle of specificity, which states that we get better at what we train for.

Ultimately, only you know what you want to achieve. If you go to a personal trainer, it is not the business of personal trainer's to dictate your goals. Rather the aim for a personal trainer is to help you achieve what you want.

Saturday 4 August 2018

Implementing balance training

Following on from the why's and the benefits of balance training detailed in my post Balance your way to fitness, it is important to focus on how to implement balance training into your routine.

Balance your way to fitness

A seriously overlooked aspect of health and fitness is balance. We all know about needing to improve our cardiovascular health, our strength, as well our flexibility, especially for when we get older, but balance is just as important.