It is sad but true…

If you’re stuck in an exercise rut (or even if you’re not) it’s a great way to change your routine to challenge your body to improve and grow stronger, work different muscle groups and get the best overall conditioning effect.

Functional Training is exercise that involves simultaneous use of multiple muscles and joints to train the body to perform daily life activities more easily and without injuries.

You use basic functional movements like pushing, pulling, hinging, squatting, rotating, carrying and walking and running every day – think of bending down to pick up a child, carrying grocery bags, playing with the kids, washing the car etc.   Functional Training helps provide you with the strength, endurance, power, stability, mobility, and flexibility that you need to thrive as you move through your life.  If performed correctly, Functional Training will lead to better joint mobility and stability and more efficient movement patterns to help your body become the strongest it can be and to move in the way it was intended to.

It may sound bizarre that we even need this method of exercise to go about our daily lives.  But we need this BECAUSE of our current daily lives – because we are no longer working out in the fields all day, using all of our muscles as we plant and sow and reap and harvest nor are we walking 4 miles to school or town through the sun and wind and snow (as our parents remind us they did in their day). We need this because most of us sit for most of the day, in the car, then at the office and then we go home and sit some more. (Sitting may be one of your worst enemies and contribute to not only back pain but actually increase your risk of dying prematurely.) To compensate for long hours spent sitting down, you could incorporate Functional Training exercises, powerful simple structural movements that help strengthen and realign your body posture. For those who have more active jobs, Functional  Training exercises will strengthen and assist you in your daily physical tasks.

Functional Training focuses on your core.  Your core is anything that connects to your pelvis, whether above or below it, this includes your hamstrings, glutes, and adductor muscles. Your body has 29 core muscles located mostly in your back, abdomen and pelvis. This group of muscles provides the foundation for movement throughout your entire body, and strengthening them can help protect and support your back, make your spine and body less prone to injury and help you gain greater balance and stability. Functional exercises train those muscles to work together through integrated chains of movement, which is how you’re structurally designed to move.

A few pointers for effective Functional Training:

1. A Functional Training programme should be based on functional tasks directed toward everyday life activities.  It should be individualized and tailored to your specific goals and individual state of health.
2. Train in an unsupported manner as much as possible. Resistance training should be done while standing or balancing – not being supported by lying on a bench or sitting at a machine.  Support has no effect on core or peripheral muscles.
   1. Train using primarily free weights.  Free weights are unstable and don’t isolate individual muscles.  Using free weights not only improves strength, but also promotes muscle balance and increases range of motion.  Examples include:  Kettlebells, Cable machines, Barbells, Dumbbells, Medicine balls, Physioballs/Swiss balls or exercise balls, Bodyweight training, Resistance tubes, Rocker and wobble boards, Balance disks and Sandbags.
3. Do explosive training in each workout. Explosive or jump training is beneficial and can improve your overall strength and power, increase metabolism, and improve fitness, balance, range of motion, and flexibility.
4. Use compound exercises (or exercises that combine more than 1 group of muscles) for building strength and burning calories.
5. Additionally, you should push and pull in both vertical and horizontal planes, perform rotational movements, do knee- and hip-dominant exercises, and train both limbs together (bilaterally) and one at a time (unilaterally).

Functional Training offers a challenging, effective and fun full-body workout as you prepare your body for everyday, real-world activities.

Your fitness trainer can help to develop a Functional Training programme together with you.

Be prepared to discover muscles you never knew you had and build a stronger, better, more functional you!

Don’t want to feel like be a beached whale this summer! Get your beach body ready with one of our new 6 or 12 month minimum term membership! This is a membership that makes it affordable should you wish to pay on a monthly basis via debit order. You also receive the rest of this month for FREE and a discount on the joining fee. Join today for a reduced rate of R 299 p/m & also receive a discount on the joining fee. This offer is available at all our clubs but for a limited time only.

Click here to join!

Join now R 333p/m

Don’t miss out on this one! With a saving of about 15%! This is a 12-month gym membership to the value of R 333 p/m should it be paid upfront at the point of joining. You also receive a discounted joining fee & 100% discount on the maintenance levy! Terms & Conditions apply, and available for limited time only.

Click here to Join Now!

Kids are FREE!

Join your whole family to the value of R 569 p/m on a pre-paid contract for 12 months. This membership is for a family of 2 adults and children up to the age of 18 is for FREE!

Terms and conditions apply and is available at Bloemfontein LHP for a limited time only.

Click here to Join us Now!

or

click here for Nelspruit / White River specials

 1.  Hooray for Vitamin A!

Vitamin is an immune system powerhouse! Studies have shown that vitamin A deficiency can lead to damage in the mucosal linings of the respiratory, gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts. (These linings are essential to the body’s defense against foreign particles. When they are damaged, one is more likely to be infected.) Vitamin A deficiency has also been linked to an increased number of skin infections.

 2.  Keep your eye on Vitamin E

Also a mainstay of the immune system, vitamin E helps protect the body against cardiovascular disease and cancer. In a study reported in the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers evaluated the impact of three different amounts of vitamin E (65 times the minimum daily amount currently recommended for humans) were enhanced. Because of this finding, researchers believe that a diet rich in vitamin E may also help humans.

 3.  The power of Zinc

Zinc aids the immune system in many ways. For example, it appears to help produce T cells, the small white blood cells essential to the adaptive immune system. (The adaptive immune system remembers how to respond to each new threat, e.g. if a person had a disease such as chicken pox as a child he/she will not get it again). It may also help produce phagocytes, the large white blood cells that patrol the body on ready alert. It may even help produce natural killer cells, which help destroy foreign substances in the body as well. Zinc deficiency sometimes contributes to death due to gastrointestinal or respiratory problems. Fortunately, zinc supplement can reduce such risks in people with low T cell counts, such as the elderly; those undergoing chemotherapy; and people suffering from HIV/AIDS, alcoholism, burns and more. However, because zinc can decrease the body’s absorption of copper, iron and calcium, zinc supplementation is not recommended for healthy adults.

4.  The impact of iron

Iron deficiency, also called iron deficiency anemia, can weaken the immune system. You can correct this condition by eating plenty of iron-rich foods or, if necessary, taking iron supplements. However, zinc may limit the absorption of iron. If you take both zinc and iron supplements, also increase your daily consumption of iron-rich foods so the one nutrient doesn’t nullify the other.

This handout is a service if IDEA, the leading international membership association in the health and fitness industry.

IDEA PERSONAL TRAINER – February 2003

Stress isn’t good for you. Mentally, stress causes anxiety, tension and hyper alertness. Prolonged, unmanaged stress leads to irritability, loss of concentration and a weakened immune system. Learning how to relax can counteract these stress responses. By releasing both physical and mental tension, relaxation restores your mind and body to a balanced state. Breathing exercises and progressive relaxation soothe the body. Guided imagery and visualization install peace of mind, especially combined with physical relaxation striking a balance is the key.

To learn how to relax, try these techniques from Shirley Archer, JD, MA, a Palo Alto, California, wellness educator and fitness specialist who is the author of the Pilates Deck, the Strength & Toning Deck and Pilates Fusion: Wellbeing for the Body, Mind and Spirit.

 1.  Conscious Breathing

Effective physical relaxation methods include simple breathing exercises, progressive relaxation and gentle, static stretching. If you don’t have much time, simply take a few moments to focus on your breathing. Mentally “observe” your inhalation and exhalation, without making an effort to control the breath. Pay attention to how the breath moves the body. Notice subtleties, such aswhether the chest or belly rises with inhalation, and how the body responds to exhalation. This singular focus brings you into the present moment and into the immediate experience of your body. It often results in slower, deeper diaphragmatic breaths that further relax the body.

2.  Progressive Relaxation

After you are comfortable with conscious breathing, try progressive relaxation. It consists of sequentially tensing and relaxing individual muscles. This method helps you develop body awareness and educates you on how to release tension. When you do progressive relaxation, start from the top of the body and progress to the bottom, or vice versa. Proceeding sequentially gives you an easy-to-follow sense of order.

3.  Visualization

Mental techniques can also be helpful. Visualization uses images that appeal to the senses – sight, sound, smell, touch and taste – to create mental and physical responses. Visualization involves mentally rehearsing a perfect performance or specific goal and includes all aspects of the experience, triggering sense and memory. Athletes use visualization to enhance sports performance. Thetechniques are effective because images are almost as real to the mind as actual experience. Regularly using visualization can create confidence, direct positive behavioural changer, strengthen motivation and engender feelings of control.

You may experience anxiety when trying a new relaxation technique. Know, too, that some methods can periodically bring strong emotions to the surface. You may cry or feel sad. Don’t worry. This type of release is normal and can represent an important “letting go”. If you have an extremely strong emotional reaction, you may want to consult with a counselor or other health care provider.

This handout is a service if IDEA, the leading international membership association in the health and fitness industry.

IDEA SOURCE HEALTH & FITNESS – APRIL 2004

Physical activity contributes to weight loss, especially when it is combined with calorie reduction. Use the following tips from the surgeon general’s call to action to prevent and decrease overweight and obesity and you’ll be on your way to losing weight.

Burn 150 calories in any of the following ways:

 1.  You can get active!

While exercising may seem intimidating at first, you don’t need special skills or training to be physically active. Keep in mind the following pointers.

• Initiate physical activity slowly and increase the intensity gradually (e.g. start with a 10-minute walk three times a week and work your way up to 30 minutes of brisk walking or some other form of moderate activity five times a week).
• If it’s easier, split your activity into several short periods (e.g. 10 minutes three times a day).
• Select activities that you enjoy and can fit into your daily life.
• Realize that it may take time to incorporate more activity into your daily life. Don’t get discouraged if at first you miss a day or two; just keep trying and do your best to make it a regular part of your life. You will soon realize how good it feels to be physically active and fit.
• Ask for support from friends and family and support the people in your life who are trying to be physically active.
• Remember that many forms of physical activity can be social, allowing you to converse and spend time with family and friends or to develop new relationships.
• Make fitness a priority. Commit to it!
• Consult with your health care provider before starting a vigorous exercise program if you have ever had heart trouble or high blood pressure; if you suffer from chest pains, dizziness/fainting or arthritis; or if you are over the age of 40 (men) or 50 (women).

 2.  Burn calories for weight loss.

To lose weight, you must use more energy than you take in.

For weight maintenance, your intake of calories must equal your energy output.

• A difference of one 340 grams soda (150 calories) or 30 minutes of brisk walking most days can add or subtract approximately 4.5 kilograms to your weight each year.
• Adding a moderate amounts of physical activity to your routine five or more times a week uses 150 calories of energy on each day of activity, which can be equivalent to approximately 2.3 kilograms in 6 months or 4.5 kilograms in 1 year.
• Reducing your calorie intake by 150 calories a day, along with participating in moderate activity, could double your weight loss to approximately 4.5 kilograms in 6 months or 9 kilograms in 1 year. (See the table for activities that burn 150 calories.)

This handout is a service if IDEA, the leading international membership association in the health and fitness industry.

IDEA SOURCE HEALTH & FITNESS – JANUARY 2003

JASON R. KARP, MS, PHD STUDENT, COLLEGE LECTURER AND TRACK AND FIELD COACH, ANSWERS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS TO START YOU ON THE RIGHT TRACK. (ASK A PERSONAL TRAINER TO SET UP A PROGRAMME SPECIFICALLY FOR YOU.

1. How often should I lift weights?

You may have heard that you shouldn’t lift weights on consecutive days, but there is really nothing wrong with lifting weights everyday. Some experts just recommend that, to give your muscles time to adapt, you not work the same muscle groups 2 days in a row. Weather or not you need to lift weights every day depends on your fitness goals. For basic strength gains, you need to lift weights only two or three times per week. If you are a more advanced weight trainer, lifting weights more often is fine; you can even organize your training program into “east” days and “hard” days.

2. Will lifting weights make my muscles bigger?

Whether or not your muscles become bigger (hypertrophy) depends on three basic factors: genetics, gender and training intensity. The genetic influence on muscle size is mostly a matter of your predominant type of muscle fiber. The muscles of people with predominantly fast-twitch muscle fibers hypertrophy more easily than the muscles of people with predominant slow-twitch muscle fibers. In terms of gender, men have greater amounts of testosterone and other hormones that influence protein metabolism than woman. Therefore, men experience more muscle hypertrophy with strength improvement. Training intensity is the only factor you can control. Generally, if you want bigger muscles, the load you lift should weight at lest 80 percent of the greatest amount of weight that you can lift at any one time (called a one-repetition maximum, or RM). If you do not want bigger muscles, keep your load below 80 percent of your 1 RM.

3. What is the difference between free weights & weights machines?

Free weights (dumbbells and barbells) keep the resistance on a muscle constant throughout a joint’s range of motion (ROM); weight machines vary the resistance on the muscle throughout the joint’s ROM. A joint’s ROM contain points where a muscle is stronger and points where it is weaker, and a muscle’s weakest point limits the amount of weight the muscle can lift. Therefore, the constant resistance of free weights is a strong enough training stimulus only for the weakest joint positions. In contrast, weight machines place more stress on muscles at the angles at which the muscles can produce greater force, providing optimal resistance at every point in the entire ROM. Of course, most weight machines allow movement in only one plane. Free weights allow movement ion all three planes. With weight machines, only the major muscles required to perform a movement are used, whereas the added “burden” of balancing free weights in three planes at once forces recruitment of other functional muscles. If you are new to weight lifting, you should probably use weight machines first to train the major muscles and use free weights later to train more specific movements.

This handout is a service if IDEA, the leading international membership association in the health and fitness industry.
IDEA PERSONAL TRAINER – July / August 2003

What recreational or professional athletes eat can greatly enhance their performances.

The following nutritional guidelines from Cindy Mynrd, MS, RD-A San Diego-based health & medical writer & registered dietitian who specializes in sports medicine, eating disorders & weight-loss can help you excel in your sport.

1. Consume sufficient calories.

Fueling the body with enough calories at frequent, regular intervals during the day promotes strength, speed and stamina. Specific calorie needs very widely; yours depends on your gender, body size and sport. Male athletes who train for 90 minutes or more per day need about 50 kilocalories (kcal) per kilogram (kg), or 2.2 pounds, ob body weight per day; female athletes need 45 to 50 kcal per kg of body weight per day.

2. Eat carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates supply power to the brain and body and produce stores of glycogen, a substance converted into glucose whenever the body needs it. Low levels of blood sugar and muscle glycogen can seriously impair performance. Experts recommend that athletes consume 6 to 10 grams (g) of carbohydrates per kg of body weight per day. For example, a 150-pound (68kg) triathlete needs 408 to 680g of carbohydrates daily.

3. Eat the right amount of protein.

High-protein intakes can compromise carbohydrate intake, negatively affecting your ability to train or compete at high levels. Your specific protein requirement depends on your sport, but you generally need 1.5 g of protein per kg of body weight per day. For example, a 165-pound (75kg) athlete needs about 112g of protein.

4. Consume enough fat.

Although high-fat intakes are not recommended, extremely low fat diets can hurt athletes performance as well. In general, limiting fat intake to 1g per kg of body weight per day is sufficient. For example, a 150-pound (68kg) athlete could eat about 68 g of fat.

5. Consider a vitamin and mineral supplement.

However, keep in mind that, although a one-a-day multivitamin and mineral supplement may offer a margin of safety by providing “nutritional insurance,” it will not compensate for a poor diet.

6. Replace fluids.

Water helps improve energy, stamina, performance and cramping tolerance of almost all athletes. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that athletes drink 2 cups of fluid 2 hours before exercising, 0.5 to 1 cup of fluid every 15 minutes while exercising and, for every pound lost while exercising, 2 cups of fluid afterward.

7. Prepare for endurance sports.

Calories, especially those from carbohydrates, are critical for endurance athletes. Eating carbohydrates before, during and after exercise improves performance and aids post event recovery.

8. Eat right for power sports.

The more muscle mass you have, the greater your need for energy. Therefore, power sports, such as body building, require more calories than do other sports. Susan Kleiner, PhD, RD, author of Power Eating, says that current protein recommendations range from 1.6 to 2 g per kg of body weight per day. You can obtain this amount through diet alone if you consume enough calories.

9. Understand Nutrition for Stop-and-Go Sports.

The bodies of athletes who participate in stop-and-go sports draw on carbohydrates not only to make plays but also to recover from athletic effort. Specific nutritional guidelines have not been established for stop-and-go sports, but choose a diet that meets your energy and nutrient needs, particularly with regard to carbohydrates and fluids, to enhance your speed, strength and stamina.

10. Learn more About Eating as a Vegetarian Athlete.

Vegetarian athletes should make sure that they get enough iron, calcium, zinc, vitaminB12 and D, and riboflavin; these nutrients tend to be in short supply in a vegetarian diet. If you feel that you aren’t performing optimally on your current vegetarian diet, consider working with sports nutritionist.

This handout is a service if IDEA, the leading international membership association in the health and fitness industry.
IDEA PERSONAL TRAINER – September 2002