absolute Fitness Tip #3

Use positive and affirming language when creating your exercise and/or nutrition goals. For example, don't make a list of foods you shouldn't eat if you want to improve your diet; instead, make a list of fruits, vegetables, grains and other healthful foods that will enhance your nutrition. Remain positive throughout your thoughts and feelings!

absolute Fitness Tip #2

Try to ensure you include some type of strength training in your weekly exercise regime no matter what your fitness goals are. Resistance training provides many health benefits including increased tone and defintion, confidence, improved perceived image, confidence, strength and more.

When exercising don't take the all or nothing approach. It's better to do a little training than none at all. Little and often does work, it just may take a little longer to reach some goals, but it is more effective than no training at all! So, even if you can only fit one strength training routine in a week, you'll still benefit hugely from it.

If you're a woman, don't be afraid of strength training. You won't bulk up (unless you are really trying to). And, resistance training is easy to start up. With professional guidance and direction, you can quickly learn how to train properly and effectively to start seeing almost immediate results.

For some ideas on effective training, sign up to our regular e-newsletter, and receive a FREE 'Basic' subscription to the absolute fitness Online service. Please feel free to watch our quick 5 min Total Body Workout video on YouTube to get some easy to perform resistance exercises.

Happy Training!

Fitness Tip #1

Remember that there are numerous benefits of regular exercise besides just losing weight. So, don’t just base your fitness results purely on whether you are losing pounds or inches. Other important factors include having more energy, sleeping better, increased stamina and increased endurance. Other great benefits of exercise which we tend to overlook is increased confidence, self-esteem and motivation or drive. So, when you are next left wondering if all this effort is really worth the sweat, take a closer look at how you are really doing, and then congratulate and reward yourself for your efforts! Well Done.

How to structure a resistance workout

As a professional Personal Trainer, I often get asked what the best structure to a resistance workout is. How often it should be implemented, what type of exercise to do, and how many reps and sets etc.? Well let me try to make this a little clearer for you...

The first thing to consider, is that if you are wanting to 'tone up', 'lose weight', 'improve strength', 'build muscle mass', 'increase muscular endurance' or 'chisel your figure', then you need to perform resistance work, or as we commonly say - lift weights, and weight train!

Many individuals however tend to be put off by the thought of 'lifting weights', but this is generally due to the lack of fitness or weight training knowledge that prevents people from achieving their goal through this type of fitness training.

It is important to recognise that anyone can benefit from resistance training, from children (generally aged 8+yrs) to the elderly. As long as the programme is balanced, planned for the individual and has been ideally developed and supported by a fitness professional.

The Structure

Ideally when performing resistance training, it is advised that the bigger muscle groups are worked first, with the smaller ones at the end. This means that you would most likely work on your back, chest, legs first, followed by your shoulders, arms and then your abdominals at the end.

Your abdominals are the stabilising muscles for your body, and are worked throughout your training session supporting your posture, and maintaining core strength and stability, so these should only be worked at the end to prevent premature tiring of these key muscles.

The number of sets and repetitions you should perform per exercise and per muscle group greatly depends on your ability and interest but most importantly your fitness or health goals (the reason behind doing this form of training). The reason for this is that differing reps and set numbers has been shown to provide different results. This is where most people go wrong! - I will discuss this topic in more detail in a future blog...

If you would like to get a more professional approach to your resistance training, or fitness training on a whole, please feel free to contact me by email, or what would be more beneficial is to sign up to my Online Personal Training service which starts at just £1.99/month, but for individualised programming starts at just £4.99/month - Personal Training has never been more affordable and accessible! Please visit my website now at http://www.absolutefitness-online.co.uk for more tips and advice and to sign up to my training support services.

So, what are you waiting for... get to the gym, or dust off your dumbbells at home, and get sinking, squeezing and lifting! Enjoy, but be careful!

Another great week in the fitness world!

Well, what a week it has been again... I have been busy once again working one on one with private training clients inorder to help them achieve their many varied desires and goals, having great fun doing so also!

Many of these sessions have included the awesome kettlebell training which I have recently introduced to clients routines. We have been getting a great response from this. Other forms of training have included CV circuit style workouts, along with Free Weights and sparring work (Boxing).

Also my week has entailed me delivering a couple of youth fitness workshops for the leading youth activity provider. I have however, been having lots of play time this week with these, as I have only been delivering interactive training, so for example today, we have just played on multiplayer dance mats all day, and traverse climbing walls - and they call this work!!

Keep up-to-date with the world of fitness with me, and along the way, I will post many hints, tips and training advice that may help you find a new and improved you!

If you'd like to start getting some help now, feel free to sign up to my Online Personal Training service, which is competitively priced. visit: http://www.absolutefitness-online.co.uk now for more health & fitness advice, support and guidance. Go on, "Invest in your Future Today!"

Until next time, keep working hard, and training harder!