Personal Training Tip: Agility drills – Bodies By Design

Bodies by Design Fitness Tips

Jason uses Equalizers and cones to perform various agility drills, which are aimed at improving co-ordination, speed and footwork.

The first exercise is a lateral movement through a series of Equalizers. To do this one, make sure you step in the Equalizer with one foot, then the other, and then step out in the same fashion, making your way down to the end. Keep your knees nice and high as you step through. Now shuffle back to the starting point and repeat. Make sure to work both legs. The next exercise is the single-foot hops over the Equalizers. Holding one foot off the ground, jump over the Equalizer, making sure you stick each landing before performing your next jump. Jog back to the starting point and repeat on the other leg. For the first drill using the cones, get down into an athletic stance before shuffling sideways and forward through the cones. As your footwork gets better, try to improve your speed. The last exercise is another lateral movement. As you shuffle down the row of cones, lift the same leg with a high knee. Repeat with the other leg.

Training Myth: Fats shouldn’t be in your diet

Fat has gotten a bad rap because of its high caloric content per gram, however, there are many benefits of having fats in your diet.

There’s only one type of fat you want to avoid at all costs: trans fat. This man-made fat is not only bad for your health, but it can increase lean muscle breakdown and fat storage. The fact is, you need about 20-30% of your total calories from fats, as research shows active people with lower fat intake have lower testosterone and energy levels.

So be sure to consume monounsaturated and omega-3 fats, with foods such as avocados, nuts, olive oil, salmon and trout. The reason? These fats aren’t readily stored as body fat, they are easily burned for fuel during exercise and they stimulate fat burning.

Mark Broadfoot, Apprentice Trainer // If you want more information on Bodies By Design’s Apprenticeship Program, click here.

What should I do if I want lean muscles instead of bulky muscles?

This is one of my favourite fitness misconceptions.  You see, all muscle is lean!  Just take a look at an anatomy book and you will see what I mean!   What makes a muscle appear bulky is the amount of fat underneath the skin surrounding the muscle.  Get rid of the fat and ta-da, you have will see your “lean” muscle.  Do yourself a favour and do the pinch test.  If you can pinch it, it’s fat! 

Inspire to Aspire,

Kristopher Simpson

www.bodiesbydesign.ca

Personal Training Tip: Dumbbell Boxing Circuit – Bodies By Design

Bodies by Design Fitness Tips

Bandele performs a boxing circuit using dumbbells, which effectively targets your shoulders, chest and core.

Personal Training Tip: Stability Ball circuit – Bodies By Design

Bodies by Design Fitness Tips

Megan demonstrates a four-exercise circuit using a Stability Ball that works your entire body.

This Stability Ball circuit has four exercises. Try to do 15 reps for each move. First, you’ll do pushups off the ball to target your chest, triceps and core. To make this move easier, place your hips on the ball before you place your hands on the floor to do your pushups. To make this exercise harder, the ball should be on your shins. Make sure you keep your core tight and back stable (don’t sink your back) while doing this motion. The second exercise is the back extension, which targets your lower back. Here, pick a spot near a wall as you’ll need to place your feet against the wall before you lower your hips on the ball. Place your hands behind your head and then bend at the waist, lowering your body all the way down and back up again. Remember to keep your back straight and don’t hyperextend at the top. The third exercise works the hamstrings (the large muscles on the back of your legs). Grab a mat and lie on your back with your bum close to the edge of the mat. Place your heels on top of the ball, then lift your bum up (and keep it there!) while slowly rolling the ball towards you, and then back out. To make this move harder, try it with one leg raised in the air. The fourth and final exercise is a multi-functional movement using the legs, core and shoulders during three movements – the deadlift, squat and overhead raise. While standing and holding the ball in front of you, place your feet shoulder-width apart and then bend at the waist to perform the deadlift. Then lower your bum to complete the squat. Finally, lift the ball up over your head and stand up straight.

Training Myth: Always stretch before working out

Contrary to popular belief, there are no studies that show static stretching (holding a stretch for 30 seconds) before exercise reduces the risk of injury. There is, however, an abundance of research demonstrating that when athletes stretch BEFORE weight training, their strength DECREASES. Further studies show flexibility INCREASES when such stretching is done after exercise as opposed to before it.

Research has found that dynamic stretching (fast, ballistic movements, such as arm circles for shoulders and high kicks for legs) before weight training will increase power and strength.

So make sure you don’t do traditional static stretching before working out, do it afterwards, holding each stretch for approximately 30 seconds. Before your workout, perform dynamic stretches as part of your warm-up!

Mark Broadfoot, Apprentice Trainer // If you want more information on Bodies By Design’s Apprenticeship Program, click here.

Personal Training Tip: Bosu Ball Circuit – Bodies By Design

Bodies by Design Fitness Tips

Regina demonstrates a four-exercise circuit on the Bosu ball, a piece of equipment that helps improve your balance and co-ordination while challenging your leg muscles in a different way.

The Bosu ball is an exercise tool that will challenge your balance, which will improve your co-ordination and strengthen the muscles and tendons around your leg joints. The first exercise is the woodchop. Standing on the Bosu with your feet hip-width apart, hold a medicine ball or dumbbell. Start with your knees bent, weight to one side, then stand and move the weight diagonally across your body, finishing over your shoulder in a standing position. Perform 10 repetitions and repeat on the other side. The second move is the lunge. Place one foot on top of the Bosu, then step forward with your front leg. While holding a weight for added resistance, lower yourself straight down (making sure your front knee does not pass your toe) and stand up. Perform 12-15 reps. The third exercise is the dumbbell curl. Stand on the Bosu and curl two dumbbells all the way up without swinging your back. To make this move more challenging, and to further engage your core, balance on the Bosu on your knees, making sure you don’t let your feet touch the ground, then perform the curls. The final exercise in this circuit is the Saxon bend, which targets the obliques (the side muscles of the abs). Standing on the Bosu, hold a medicine ball or weight over your head, then bend at the hip to one side. Hold this pose for 15 to 20 seconds. The further you extend, the more difficult it will be. Repeat on the other side.

Personal Training Tip: Advanced Roman Chair Circuit – Bodies By Design

Bodies by Design Fitness Tips

Christian demonstrates an advanced Roman Chair circuit, a four-exercise interval that will boost your heart rate and maximize calorie burn. This is a high-intensity, total body workout.

The Advanced Roman Chair Circuit consists of four exercises that are performed with 20 repetitions each. The first is a jump squat. Standing in front of the chair, get in a squat stance, and then explode and jump at the top of this movement, going right into your next rep as soon as you hit the ground. The second exercise is the dip. Keep your legs straight as you lower your body on the parallel bars, then push yourself up and bring your knees into your stomach at the top of this movement. Try not to rock your body. Third, we’ve got the close-grip pullup. Grab the upper handles and pull your body all the way up and down while keeping your legs straight. Last, is the hanging mountain climber. For this you’ll need to hold yourself up on the upper handles. While suspended, start with both feet at the top of the back pad, then bounce your feet between the bottom of the pad and the top.

Training Myth: Skip breakfast to lose weight

Some people think they can cut calories from their diet – and lose weight – by skipping breakfast. BIG MISTAKE! Without a doubt, bypassing breakfast is violating one of the golden rules of getting in shape. Think about it: you’ve been sleeping for seven or eight hours, which basically means you’ve been fasting.

But more importantly, when you wake up hungry and skip breakfast, levels of the protein hormone leptin, which regulates appetite and metabolism, can change, thus encouraging the body to hold onto its fat. Skipping breakfast also facilitates a catabolic (lean muscle wasting) state, which also causes the metabolism to slow.

So after you wake up, make sure you get your adequate protein and carbs. Even if you’re in a rush, you’ve got time for a bowl of oatmeal, a protein shake or at the very least, a glass of milk.

Mark Broadfoot, Apprentice Trainer // If you want more information on Bodies By Design’s Apprenticeship Program, click here.

Personal Training Tip: Split Squat Variation – Bodies By Design

Bodies by Design Fitness Tips

Aaron demonstrates an elevated split squat variation, which targets the leg muscles and also increases flexibility of the hip.

For this front-foot elevated split squat variation, you’ll need to be in front of a cable station. Use a step platform or weight plate to elevate your front foot, then grab a handle while holding a stationary lunge position. If your left foot is forward, you should be holding the weight in your right hand, then place your left hand on your hip. With a nice, tall posture (chest up), do a forward lunge, then step back slowly making sure you’re bending your back knee. If you’re doing this right you should feel it working your quadriceps while also stretching the muscles of your opposing hip, which will improve hip mobility.

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