Press Ups

Press Ups, when performed properly, are one of the best exercises to help train upper body strength and endurance. Contrary to popular belief the muscles used when performing a press up are not limited to solely the chest (pectoral muscles) but include triceps (back of upper arm), deltoids (shoulder), serratus anterior (torso underneath arm), and the abdominals as a whole.

Press up Technique

1) Start with hands directly below shoulders and situated slightly wider than shoulder width apart.

2) Contract abdominals and gluteus rotating pelvis and finding Neutral Spine.

3) Lower the body so shoulders and hips stay at the same level as when starting, bringing the elbows out away from the body.

4) Return to start position ensuring hips rise at the same time as the shoulder and do not trail.

Variations

There are many different ways to perform press up and once you have mastered the “normal” technique it opens doors to a whole host of varied and progressive exercises. These in turn begin to incorporate other muscular groups and further increase the strain on the original muscles being used.

Knee Push Ups

Press up and rotate

Resistance Band Press Ups

Close Grip/Diamond Press Ups

Decline Press Ups

Spider man Press Ups

Hindu Press Ups

Cross touch Press Ups

Shuffle Push Ups

Side to Side Press ups

Circular Press ups

Plyometric Clap Press Ups

Leg out Press Ups

Back Rotation Press Ups

One Armed Press Ups

One Armed One Legged Press Ups

When You Have Mastered the “Normal” Press Up ask any of member of the fitness team for more details on some great fun alternatives and see what good combinations you can put together.

Holiday workouts

I'm a big believer in taking a break from training while on a vacation. Scheduling a weeks rest into your training plan can give you something to work hard towards. However, this holiday I have felt good and the weather has been kind to me. So I made use of the kettlebell I brought with me and some good old fashioned bodyweight exercises. I don't do enough of this stuff so the change was as good as a rest.

Day One:

Kettlebell swings 5 x 20 - warm up
Kettlebell cleans 2 x 10 per arm
Kettlebell press 2 x 10 per arm
Kettlebell rows 2 x 20 per arm
Ketlebell floor press 2 x 15 per arm
kettlebell towel bicep curls 2 x 15 - I pull a towel through the handle and hold this for bicep curls
Handstand pushups x maximum
Pullups 2 x maximum
kettlebell halo 10 per side
Pushups x 100 as quick as possible in as many sets necessary
Kettlebell carries around garden as a finisher

Day two:

Kettlebell swings 5 x 20 - warm up
Ketlebell goblet squat x 20 + Burpees x 10 - 2 sets
Kettlebell prisoner squat x 20 + squats jumps x 10 - 2 sets
kettlebell lunges 2 x 20 + lunge jumps 2 x 20 - 2 sets
Single leg kettlebell deadlift 2 x 10 per side
Single leg glute raises 2 x 15 per side (foot on chair)
Bodyweight squats x 100 as quick as possible in as many sets necessary
Calf raises up against wall 3 x 100 (fast pace)

Day three:

20 minutes bare-foot run on beach.

I am holidaying in Norfolk, so I have the luxury of sticking a kettlebell in the boot of the car. If you are going abroad and feel the need to workout, then your bodyweight can act as one of the most effective training tools going.

My bum, inner thighs and calves are still really sore from the leg workout. This was mainly due to the plyometrics, high rep squats, glute raises and all the other bodyweight moves. I will be adding this into my regime on my return!

Please come and see a member of the fitness team for your holiday routine!

Oli.

Morning Runs for Fat Loss

Morning Runs for Fat Loss

I have just recently started to add early morning runs into my training regime and wanted to take the time to briefly discuss some of the benefits of incorporating this additional aspect into your individual training schedule. I am personally including them for a number of reasons;

• Running outdoors can be done anywhere from any base so it leaves you flexible depending on your job and changing hours. For example; you could run a circuit from your house before work, run to work or travel to work and then run.
• I prefer to run outdoors and with the extremely hot weather we are experiencing it can be quite hard to push yourself in the heat of the day. The early morning slot however avoids the majority of the heat allowing you to have a good run as the sun comes up.
• Space and tranquillity are often aspects overlooked when exercising. I really enjoy having some time to myself when no one else is up and I find I always feel far less stressed at the start of the day following my 20 minute blast.
• By getting up early and exercising straight away it helps your body's metabolism to kick in sooner and faster than it would compared to normal. This done every morning will in turn lead to a substantial amount of energy burnt within a week.
• By choosing to get up and run before you shower and eat means you will only have to add the twenty minutes to your wake up time. This is because the majority of people will have an early morning shower before work/school anyway.
• You are also more likely to eat a nutritious breakfast after your run instead of skipping it all together which is key in any fat loss programme.

I personally choose to get up, have a coffee when needed, and go straight out for my 4k run without thinking about it. I find this approach stops you talking yourself out of it and heading out when you are still a little sleepy is the perfect way to wake up as by the end of the run I feel completely awake and energised. Upon return a shower to completely awaken me and I am ready for a healthy breakfast. 

Make sure when exercising early morning, especially if you are still waking up, you are always aware of your surroundings, where you are running, traffic and leave information regarding where your planned route goes. If your fitness levels don’t currently allow you to run then you can always exchange the exercise for another which raises your heart rate up so you feel you’re working at about 75% of your maximum ability.

For more information please contact the fitness team.

Good Luck

Dan Byrne.

Drop Sets For Strength & Endurance

Drop sets are one of many ways to improve strength and muscular endurance and more importantly help to inject some change into you work out if you have been making less progress than normal. Its main benefits focus on working your extremely hard helping to build better muscle endurance and strength. You may also find training with drop set keeps your heart rate up as the work period is longer than normal set and the cardiovascular system will benefit as well.

The basic principle involves starting with a weight which enables you to perform between 8-12 repetitions to near failure for the first set. As you work through the weight will be reduced each successive time allowing the same amount of reps if not more to be completed.

Example of a drop set with Barbell chest press

(tip: make up the total 100kg weight with a variety of different plates. 20kg bar / 2x15kg plates / 4x10kg plates / 2x5kg plates )

• 100kg for 8-12 reps. NO REST 
• Finish the 8-12 reps & take 1x10kg plate+1x5kg plate off each side
• 70 kg for 8-12 reps. NO REST
• Finish the 8-12 reps & take 1x10kg plate+1x15kg plate off each side & add 1x10kg plate back on
•  40kg for 8-12 reps. NO RESTFinish the 8-12 reps & take recovery

You use this technique with any exercises you want to but make sure you rest 1-2 minutes between sets to insure a proper recovery if you can get a partner to change the weights for you to ensure it is done quickly and you can continue to focus.

For more information on drop sets and there benefits please do not hesitate to contact the fitness team.

Increased Productivity!

In a business seminar, Richard Branson was once asked what makes him more productive. It was a question that everyone wanted to here the answer to. His response was, "work out". Apparently, Richard Branson swims around Necker Island every morning and he said it keeps him more productive for an extra 3 hours a day!

Here at TSC, we can't offer you a caribbean island to swim around, but we can offer you a fantastic 25 metre pool with a nice sauna to relax in after!

We have two swim related classes that run in the morning. Aqua is on Wednesday at 9.30am-10.30am and Swim and trim is on Thursday at 8.45am-9.30am.

 


Early Circuit training classes!

We have also just launched our early morning circuit classes, run by our fitness team. These run on a Thursday at 6.45am-7.30am and are a great way to start the day! Training first thing is a great way to increase the body ability to burn fat, as it will rev up your metabolism for the rest of the day. It will also keep you more productive, like Mr Branson! All abilities welcome.

Example five day split

Name:			Date:
Sets/Reps	Monday	W	Tuesday	W	Wednesday	W	Thursday	W	Friday	W
2 x 10-12	Lat Pull Down		DB Press		BB Squats		Standin Press		H Bicep Curls
2 x 8-10	(Pyramid)		(Pyramid)		(Pyramid)		(Pyramid)		Vs (4 x 6-12)
1 x 6-8									H Tricep Ext
2 x 10-12	BB T-Bar		IDB Press		Leg Press		Pull Overs		Ez Bar Curls
2 x 8-10	(Pyramid)		(Pyramid)		(Pyramid)		(Pyramid)		Vs (4 x 8-12)
1 x 6-8									L Tricep Ext
3 x 12-15	DB 1 Arm Row		C Fly		Leg Ext		UR Row		1A Preachers
3 x 12-15	C Prone Fly		Dip		Leg Curl		Lat Raises		Vs (4 x 10-12)
3 x 12-15	IDB Curls		L Tricep Ext		Calf Raises		Plate Press		Tricep Kicks
3 x 12-15	Ez-Bar Curls		Tricep Kicks		Front Squats		Burn Curls		CG Press Ups
2 x AMAP	CG Chins		CG Press Ups		Squat Jumps		Parellel  Chins		Vs
									CG Chins
Extra
Work

One example of a five day split.
Quite a long work out and completeing all excercises maybe alot for a begginer or even amateur gym user.
Set weight so each exercise is done to failure and for any help with techniques ask a member of fitness team.