Benefit from Personal Training

What is personal training?

Personal training is one-on-one instruction that incorporates exercise screening, goal-setting and health education.

Following an initial fitness consultation, a personal trainer designs a health and fitness program specifically to your health and fitness goals.

Our personal trainers introduce you to exercises that target your specific goals and instruct you on proper training techniques and motivate you towards achieving your full potential.

How can I stick with an exercise program?

The easier way to stay motivated and stick with an exercise program is with the help of a personal trainer/coach to monitor your progress. However, you can also follow any one of our cost effective and easy exercise programs at the tip of your fingers right now.  Here we give you a glimpse to our most popular program for you to get started.

How to get started

Always consult your general practitioner before commencing any exercise program, especially if you have been inactive and have not been recently participating in any exercise regime. 

Always warm up five minutes before starting to exercise with either a light jog, ride on the exercise bike, skipping or star jumps at a moderate pace.

You need at least 48 to 72 hours between training weights of the same body parts. Your muscles need time to repair themselves and grow. 

The soreness you may experience will occur two days after training the initial body parts known as 'delayed muscle soreness'.  This is quite normal.  It is important to rest and recover those body parts in order to train at your maximum potential again.

You should take one day each week to rest, which involves no exercise related activities.

If you currently are not involved in regular exercise then you need to concentrate on setting yourself into a nutrition plan to gain maximum results.

If you are already involved in regular exercise then it is in your best interest to mix up your work outs every month to maximise your gains in strength to build more muscle and fitness to burn more fat. 

So if your body is overdue for a new challenge then switch your current routine with a BCL exercise program.

Exercise Guidelines

Step 1 – Safety first

Always seek a medical clearance from your general practitioner before commencing an exercise program.

Step 2 - Eat regular meals

It is important not to starve your body or to have large overfilling meals. By having the right breakfast, lunch and dinner you will soon‘re-train’ your body.  Healthy snacks are also important in controlling weight because you not only keep your metabolism at the optimum level, but you also reduce the desire for large servings at mealtimes.

Step 3 - Introduce Exercise into your daily routine

Exercise increases your metabolism and thus speeds up weight loss. Even more importantly it strengthens your muscles and limbs.  The gains will depend on the amount and length of time you exercise for and you can use the following information as a guide.  Remember even a little regular exercise is better than none at all. 

Effective exercise does not have to occur in a gym.  It can be performed in your own home or even by changing the way you do things in your every day life.

Before You Start an Exercise Program

First of all, congratulations for taking the important first step which is making a commitment to undertake an exercise program.  It is important however that you set a plan and that you proceed with caution if you have a medical condition or if you have not exercised for some time.  You may need to consult your doctor. 

These questions may be asked of you to assist in tailoring a program to meet your needs:

• Are you on blood pressure medication?
• Have you or any member of your family ever had heart problems?
• Do you get dizzy with strenuous activity?
• Do you have any bone, joint or muscle problems or take medication to assist?
• Is there any substantial physical reason why you could not follow any set activity program?

Before You Start Exercise

Stretching and warming up is very important as part of your training and flexibility program.

• Get into the habit of having a set warm-up program.
• Always stretch right and left sides but be careful not to over stretch.
• Hold each stretch for about 20-25 seconds and do not bounce on any stretch.
• If you have any difficulties and in particular if you are feeling pain then you should seek advice so that your program can be adjusted.

Consider this: The time spent doing physical activity to improve your fitness and health amounts to less than 2% of your time each week.

Sticking With It

Got no time?

Many people lead busy lives that simply do not allow them the time to attend gyms or engage in sporting activities.  Those people need to incorporate effective exercise into their daily living ... but most importantly, stop making excuses! Everyone is busy, its up to you to put yourself first so you can be the best you can be!

Start by writing down exercise activities that can be done at home and include the number of repetitions on each exercise so that targets can be set.

Tips

• Do your stretching first for at least 10 minutes, it makes everything else easier

• Stop using your TV remote and get up to change channels

• Do exercises that can be done while watching television and more specifically TV shows such as the news or your favourite program. (lunges, sit ups, push ups, step-ups, exercise bike)

• Use the staircase if you have one or steps around the house as your own step class.

• Turn everyday movements into stretches, such as reaching a high or low shelf. Suck your tummy in, hold your back straight and activate your muscles as you go about your day.

• Vacuuming is a great way to warm up before a workout. Time yourself vacuuming the house & aim to beat your score. Work up to following it with some stretches ...

Step 2– Adapt exercise into daily activity

This is particularly useful if you can get into a habit of slightly altering your daily activities to allow some physical movement. Spending an extra 2 minutes walking to the shops or walking around the block for 5 minutes after lunch will mean you don't have to find half an hour every day to exercise specifically.

Tips

• If you go shopping do not use the closest parking bay. Balance your grocery bags evenly and use them to do lifts on your way back to the car.

• Do not use lifts but use staircases where possible. It can be fun to challenge yourself to run up flights of stairs in tall buildings.

• At lunch time try and take a walk, even if its only 5 minutes around the block. Its 5 minutes less you have to find to workout.

• When picking up the kids from school walk to the class or the school gate. Or while you are waiting for them use the gutter or nearby stairs to step up & down. Perhaps do this away from the view of your childs friends ...

• Walk to post the mail, pickup the dry cleaning, get milk etc. Where possible, walk.

• At your computer try kneeling on a cushion or ergonomic stool occasionally to activate different muscles. Regularly stop for inverted stretches to balance out repetitive strain.

Step 3– Set some time for fun activities

If an exercise program is going to last as much of of the program as possible needs to be fun! Here are some tips...

• Instead of watching the kids kick the football, get up & join them! Kids are not only great for making you feel young; they can make you forget you are even exercising & before you know if you're dripping with sweat!

• Involve the family in all of your exercise – plan exercise into your leisure time. eg go on a nature walking track or botanic gardens.

• Participate in fundraising walks so your efforts benefit someone else as well as yourself!

• Use your friends– Take a friend on a walk in the park or go walking for some retail therapy.

How Much Exercise?

• You need to undertake 3 to 5 sessions of activity each week.

• You need to undertake brisk activity, but as a guide not so vigorous as to prevent you from carrying on a conversation while exercising.
• Your heart rate can be used as a guide to your exercise intensity. A heart rate monitor can assist you to stay in your ‘exercise zone’.

• You need to undertake 15 to 45 minutes of activity in each session. This does not include your stretching, warm-up or warm-down time.

• It is best to undertake steady rhythmic exercise using the larger muscle groups. For example: jogging, cycling, swimming, etc

So 30 minutes of activity, 3 times a week is sufficient to improve fitness and health.

Any person who is preparing to commence a program or increase their activity level it is recommended that they have a medical examination before they start their program.

Record the exercise you are undertaking and use that to set your goals.
 

Your Exercise Zone

Male Exercise Zone Chart