3 Non-Traditional Cardio Options

Cardio is the fitness equivalent of marmite - some people love it, others hate it. If you’re in the ‘hate cardio’ camp, I might have a few non-traditional cardio options that can give you all of the benefits, but without the monotony pounding the parents or staring at the bottom of a swimming pool for hours!

Take a look at these non-traditional cardio options and add them into your workout to mix up your conditioning…

Skipping

Skipping is a great exercise for a number of reasons. It is a full-body workout that can help you burn calories, improve your coordination, balance, and agility. It’s also great at improving your cardiovascular health. It needs very basic equipment, a flat surface and a bit of space, that’s all!

Always get yourself a good quality rope - it’ll make skipping far more enjoyable!

Here are some of the benefits of skipping:

• Burns calories: Skipping is a great way to burn calories. In fact, it can burn up to 900 calories per hour when done at a very high intensity, which is more than a lot of different cardio options.

• Improves cardiovascular health: Skipping is a great way to improve your cardiovascular health. It can help to lower your blood pressure, cholesterol, and risk of heart disease.

• Improves coordination, balance, and agility: Skipping can help you improve your coordination, balance, and agility. This is because it requires you to use your body in a coordinated way to keep the rope under control.

• It’s a portable exercise: Skipping is an exercise that you can do anywhere. You don't need any special equipment, and you can do it indoors or outdoors. Great for when you don’t have the ability to leave where you are (great if the kids are in bed for example!)

If you are looking for a great way to mix up your cardiovascular training, skipping is a great option. It’s a challenging exercise that can help you burn calories, co-ordination, and improve your overall health.

Tips to improve your skipping:

• Start slowly and gradually increase the intensity and duration of your workouts.

• Use a skipping rope that is the right size for you.

• Wear comfortable shoes and clothing.

• Warm up before you start skipping and cool down afterwards.

• Listen to your body and take breaks when you need them.

With a little practice, you will be skipping like a pro in no time!

Boxing - hitting the punchbag

Hitting a punching bag is a great exercise - not only does it dramatically improve your cardiovascular health, but it can also help you relieve stress and improve your mood. There are few better ways of getting the stresses of the day out than beating up a bag that doesn’t punch back!

Here are some of the benefits of hitting a punching bag:

• Upper body cardio: Most cardio options are lower-body heavy, whereas this is one of the few where your upper body does the vast majority of the work. Perfect for the days when your legs are cooked!

• Builds strength: Hitting a punching bag can help you build strength in your arms, shoulders, back, and core. This is because it is a compound exercise that works multiple muscle groups at once.

• Improves coordination: Hitting a punching bag can help you improve your coordination by requiring you to use your body in a coordinated way to hit the bag accurately.

• Relieve stress: Hitting a punching bag can be a great way to relieve stress and tension. This is because it can be a very cathartic experience to let out your frustrations on the bag.

• Improves mood: Hitting a punching bag can also help to improve your mood by releasing endorphins, which are hormones that have mood-boosting effects.

If you are looking for a great way to improve your health and well-being, hitting a punching bag is a great option. It is a fun and challenging exercise that can provide you with a number of benefits.

Here are some tips for hitting a punching bag safely and effectively:

• Warm up before you start: Warming up will help to prevent injuries. Start with some light cardio, such as jogging or jumping jacks, and make sure you’ve warmed your shoulders and core up too.

• Use proper form: When you hit the bag, make sure to keep your core engaged and your punches tight. Avoid swinging your punches wildly, as this can increase your risk of injury. Ideally wear wrist wraps and ALWAYS wear gloves.

• Listen to your body: If you start to feel pain, stop and rest. Don't push yourself too hard, especially if you are new to punching bags. They’re a lot more tiring than you may think!

• Cool down after you finish: Cooling down will help your body to recover. Slow your heart rate with a couple of minutes gentle cardio at the end of your session. Walking is ideal.

With a little practice, you’ll develop good technique and capacity for hitting the bag well, for a long time. Making sure your technique is good is a very important aspect of punch bag use, because it makes the activity much safer and more enjoyable. It’ll also improve your efficiency, allowing you to train harder for longer.

Hill Sprints

You can file hill sprints in the same section as burpees - they’re horrible, but they do a great job when they’re used properly. They’re the epitome of simplicity. Find a hill and run up it as fast as you can, a lot of times. In doing so, you’ll torch calories, body fat and dramatically improve your cardio fitness.

Here’s a few reasons hill sprints are a great cardiovascular exercise:

• Send your heart rate up: When you sprint up a hill, your heart rate increases significantly. This is because your body needs to pump more blood to your muscles to meet the increased demand for oxygen.

• Improve your VO2 max: VO2 max is a measure of your aerobic fitness. It is the maximum amount of oxygen that your body can use during exercise. Hill sprints can help to improve your VO2 max, which can make you a better athlete.

• Burns a LOT of calories: Hill sprints are a great way to burn calories. In fact, you can burn up to twice as many calories sprinting up a hill as you would walking or jogging on a flat surface.

• Build muscle: Hill sprints can help to build muscle in your legs, glutes, and core. This is because they are a compound exercise, which means that they work multiple muscle groups at once.

• Reduce your risk of injury: Hill sprints can help to reduce your risk of injury by strengthening your muscles and ligaments. This is because they are a high-intensity exercise but it doesn’t last long, reducing the impact on your body.

If you are looking for a great cardiovascular exercise that can help you burn calories, build muscle, and reduce your risk of injury, then hill sprints are a great option. They’ll not only improve your cardio capacity, they’ll also make you a better, fitter athlete.

Want to improve your health and fitness? Let the AdMac Fitness Personal Trainers help…

AdMac Fitness has been helping the people of East London transform their health and fitness for nearly a decade.

We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health forever. With our guidance and experience, you can relax knowing that your fitness journey is going to be guided by some of the best personal trainers in East London.

For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our locations are…

AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA

AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.

Summer Training Considerations - A Few Tips to Help Your Outdoor Training

Summer is a great time to get outside to mix your training up. The weather is warm, the days are long, and there are plenty of opportunities to be active in ways you wouldn’t normally. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when training in the summer.

At AdMac Fitness we delivered personal training sessions outside for months during the pandemic, so we’ve learned a few things about summer training considerations!

Here’s a few tips to help your outdoor training be as successful as possible…

Remember Heat and Hydration

One of the biggest challenges of summer training is the heat. When it's hot outside, it's important to stay hydrated and cool. Drink plenty of water before, during, and after your workout.

When it comes to hydration, it’s not simply a case of drinking more water - whilst volume of liquid is important, the type of liquid is important too. There’s evidence from a study by Millard-Stafford et al in their 2021 study titled ‘The Beverage Hydration Index: Influence of Electrolytes, Carbohydrate and Protein’ that shows…

‘Electrolyte content appears to make the largest contribution in hydration properties of beverages for young adults when consumed at rest.’

Clothing considerations are important

It goes without saying that you want to avoid layers and wearing too much in order to manage your temperature. You may also want to wear loose-fitting clothing that will help you stay cool.

Beyond that, shorts, t-shirts and cooling fabrics have been shown to help. The weight of the clothing makes a difference too, so steer clear of the heavier, thicker jackets and trousers. Instead look for lighter materials and ideally, shorts and t-shirt/vests for training.

Sun Protection

Another important consideration is sun protection. When you're working out outside, you're exposed to the sun's harmful rays. Be sure to wear sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher, and reapply every two hours. You may also want to wear a hat and sunglasses.

Consider the impact that sweating has as well - you’ll need to re-apply the suncream more frequently if you’re sweating heavily or are in and out of water, for example in a triathlon style event.

Nutrition points

Your nutritional needs will change when training outside. First of all you’ll likely be sweating more than usual in the sunshine, so you’ll need to replace those salts. You can do this easily by slightly increasing your salt intake, especially during and after a workout.

If you’re on a long run or bike ride for example, as well as an energy gel, a small bag of salted nuts or even crisps can help you replace the salts lost through sweating.

Take steps to cool down quickly after training

When you’ve been outside in the heat, it can take longer for your body to return to a normal temperature. There are ways you can speed this process though, so they’re worth considering…

1. Take a cool shower as soon as possible after your training in the heat

2. Make sure you have a cold drink handy at the end of your session

3. Get back into the shade as soon as you can after the session

4. See if you can get into an air-conditioned room to cool you down

5. Take a cooling dip if it’s possible - a swimming pool, the sea (if you’re lucky enough to train by the sea) or any clean, cool water.

By following these tips, you can make sure that your summer fitness training is safe and effective. These are all tried and tested approaches that the AdMac Fitness team learned over delivering personal training sessions to people outside during the lockdown.

Here are a few additional tips for summer fitness training:

• Set realistic goals. Don't try to do too much too soon. Start with a few short workouts each week and gradually increase the intensity and duration of your workouts as you get fitter.

• Work with a personal trainer. Having someone to guide your workout with can help you stay motivated and on track.

• Vary your workouts. Don't do the same workout every day. Mix it up by trying different types of exercises, such as running, swimming, biking, and strength training.

• Listen to your body. If you're feeling pain, take a break. Don't push yourself too hard.

With a little planning and effort, you can make the most of your summer fitness training and reach your fitness goals.

Want to improve your health and fitness? Let the AdMac Fitness Personal Trainers help…

AdMac Fitness has been helping the people of East London transform their health and fitness for nearly a decade.

We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health forever. With our guidance and experience, you can relax knowing that your fitness journey is going to be guided by some of the best personal trainers in East London.

For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our locations are…

AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA

AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.

Should You Wear a Lifting Belt in the Gym?

If you walk into a commercial gym, one of the things you’re likely to see is someone wearing a lifting belt, usually to perform an exercise like a bicep curl… They don’t need to be wearing it for that.

So that begs the question… what should you wear a lifting belt for? Do you even need one at all?

Here’s the answer…

To begin with, whether or not you should wear a lifting belt is a personal decision, but there are circumstances when they’re appropriate to use. A lifting belt does offer credible support to the lower back, but it shouldn’t be relied upon for all workouts and exercises.

There are pros and cons to both wearing and not wearing a belt, depending on the circumstances…

Pros of wearing a lifting belt:

• Increased stability and support for the spine: Wearing a weightlifting belt provides increased stability and support for the spine by placing additional tension around the abdominal and lower back muscles. This can help to prevent injuries.

• Increased lifting capacity: A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that lifters who wore a belt were able to lift more weight than those who did not wear a belt.

• Improved lifting form: Wearing a belt can help to improve lifting form by providing a sense of stability and support. This can help to prevent injuries and make it easier to lift heavy weights.

Cons of wearing a lifting belt:

• Can be uncomfortable: Some people find that lifting belts are uncomfortable to wear. This is especially true if the belt is too tight or if it is not the right size.

• Can create a false sense of security: If you rely too much on a belt, you may not develop the strength and stability in your core that you need to lift heavy weights safely.

• Can inhibit natural movement: A belt can restrict natural movement, which can make it more difficult to perform certain exercises.

Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to wear a lifting belt is up to you. If you are unsure, it is best to consult with a qualified personal trainer or strength coach, who can look at your form, the issues you are suffering from and whether you even need a belt in the first place.

If you are considering a belt because of injury or pain, it might be that you need to improve your core strength and stability rather than rely on a belt.

Here are some additional things to consider when deciding whether or not to wear a lifting belt:

• Your experience level: If you are a beginner, you may want to avoid wearing a belt until you have developed a stronger core.

• The type of exercise you are doing: Not all exercises require a belt. For example, belts are not typically used for exercises such as curls and triceps extensions.

• Your individual needs: Some people find that they need to wear a belt for certain exercises, such as squats and deadlifts. Others find that they do not need a belt at all.

• The weight you are lifting: Most experienced lifters will only wear a lifting belt when they are lifting weights close to their maximum capacity. A belt will only be worn when lifting over 90% of 1 rep max.

If you do decide to wear a belt, it is important to make sure that it is the right size and that it is worn properly. A belt that is too tight or too loose can be uncomfortable and can even be dangerous.

Here are some tips for wearing a lifting belt properly:

• The belt should be snug but not too tight: You should be able to breathe comfortably and you should not feel any pain. You ‘fill’ the belt by taking in a big breath to your belly.

• The belt should be centered across your lower back. It should not be too high or too low - it is there to provide to support to the abdominal and lower back. It’s not to be worn like a trouser belt.

• The belt should be buckled in the front. This will help to prevent it from riding up during your workout.

The different types of lifting belt…

There are powerlifting belts (like the SBD one below). They are thicker front to back and generally a consistent shape the entire way around. They are stiffer, offer a rigid support and take a long time to break in.

A weightlifting belt (like in the picture of the man squatting) are wider in the lower back and thinner in the middle. They’re designed to provide support without compromising movement as much. These are often the better design for most people who follow a general training programme.

As a rule, only use a weightlifting belts for your very heavy squats, deadlifts, weightlifting movements (cleans, jerks and snatches), or heavy overhead work. For everything else, rely on building the core strength to deal with the movements you’ll be performing.

By following these tips, you can safely and effectively use a lifting belt to improve your lifting performance and reduce your risk of injury.

Want to improve your health and fitness? Let the AdMac Fitness Personal Trainers help…

AdMac Fitness has been helping the people of East London transform their health and fitness for nearly a decade.

We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health forever. With our guidance and experience, you can relax knowing that your fitness journey is going to be guided by some of the best personal trainers in East London.

For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our locations are…

AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA

AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.

How to Pick the Right Footwear for Gym Workouts

If you’re new to exercise, one of the questions you might have is what footwear do you need for gym workouts? Will normal trainers do? Do you need special workout shoes?

There are all kinds of shoes you can wear for exercise, and like any other sport, there’s a shoes designed for it. The problem with ‘exercise’ as an umbrella term is that it doesn’t tell you anything. Are you weightlifting? Running? Using resistance machines? Doing yoga? Or mixture of all?!

Here’s a basic overview guide for picking the right footwear for gym workouts…

1. Consider the type of exercise you will be doing. If you will be doing mostly cardio, you will need a shoe with good cushioning. If you will be doing mostly strength training, you will need a shoe with good support.

2. Consider your foot type. If you have flat feet, you will need a shoe with good arch support. If you have high arches, you will need a shoe with good flexibility.

3. Try on shoes at the end of the day. Your feet swell throughout the day, so it is important to try on shoes when they are at their largest.

4. Walk around in the shoes for a few minutes. Make sure they are comfortable and that they provide the support you need.

Different types of workouts shoes

Not all training shoes are designed for the same purpose. With such a wide range of shoes for different types of exercise, we need to look in greater detail at the different shoes, how they’re constructed and what they can do for you…

• Running shoes: Running shoes are designed for high-impact running and jogging. They have good cushioning to absorb shock and protect your joints. They tend to be lightweight, flexible and soft. They’re not ideal for lifting weights in, but they’re great for high impact activities and classes.

• Cross-training shoes: Cross-training shoes are designed for a variety of activities, including running, jumping, and lifting weights. They have good support and decent flexibility to help you perform a variety of exercises. They’re designed as a hybrid of running shoes and weightlifting shoes, so have some qualities of both. They have a slight heel, a stiffer sole and strong uppers. They’re ideal for general fitness work.

• Weightlifting shoes: Weightlifting shoes are designed for heavy lifting. They have a raised heel to help you squat deeper and lift more weight. The raised heel allows you to achieve greater squat depth, and better upper body positioning in a deep squat. They are stiff, have a perfectly flat sole and a secure upper. Great for lifting, dreadful for running and bouncing around in.

• Yoga shoes: Yoga shoes are designed for low-impact activities like yoga and Pilates. They have a flexible sole to allow you to move freely. They offer very little support and are good for nothing other than yoga!

• Minimalist shoes: These are good for general exercise, but take a lot of getting used to - especially for activities such as running. I wouldn’t wear them for weightlifting (the sport version, not weight training), but as a general exercise shoe, they have their place.

These shoes below are an example of cross-training shoes. They are suitable for running and lifting, without being specifically designed for either. They’re the best option for most people looking for a good all-round training shoe for gym workouts.

Use this guide to help you pick the right footwear for gym workouts and you won’t go wrong! Just make sure that no matter what type of gym shoe you choose, it is comfortable and provides the support you need. Wearing the right shoes can help you avoid injuries and improve your performance in the gym no end.

AdMac Fitness Personal Training - Available in Bow and South Woodford

AdMac Fitness has been helping the people of East London transform their health and fitness for nearly a decade.

We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health forever. With our guidance and experience, you can relax knowing that your fitness journey is going to be guided by some of the best personal trainers in East London.

For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our locations are…

AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA

AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.

Gripping the Barbell - Using Different Grips for Different Training Effects

One of the big points of training that is often overlooked is how you hold the bar. The grip you take when grabbing the barbell can have a large impact on the effect of the exercise. Whether you use an underhand grip, overhand grip, mixed grip, hook grip, neutral grip etc, you change the training effect of the exercise and the muscle activation.

Research by Starr et al in 2014 titled Effects of hand-grip during the inverted row with and without a suspension device: An electromyographical investigation concluded that…

‘The results indicate that significant differences exist in muscular activity during hand-grip variations…’

This is one of many studies show that something as simple as a hand grip adjustment will have a large impact on how their exercise performs for the person doing the training.

So what are the different types of grip used in weight training?

Here’s an overview of the basic grip types…

• Pronated grip (also known as overhand grip): The palms are facing down and the knuckles are up. This is the most common grip used in weight training, as it allows for the most weight to be lifted with exercises such as the bench press.

• Supinated grip (also known as underhand grip): The palms are facing up and the knuckles are down. This grip is not as strong as the pronated grip, but it can be used to target the biceps muscles more effectively, especially with chin ups and rows.

• Neutral grip (also known as hammer grip): The palms are facing each other. This grip is often used for exercises that target the forearms, such as dumbbell rows and hammer curls. It’s a useful grip for variation and elbow health.

In addition to these three main grips, there are a number of variations that can be used to improve grip strength or target specific muscle groups. Some of these variations include:

• Hook grip : The thumb is wrapped around the bar from the same side as the other fingers. This grip can be used to lift heavier weights, but it can also be painful (which is why some weightlifters wear tape). It takes some getting used to, but it’s the best grip for weightlifting.

• Mixed grip : One hand is pronated and the other hand is supinated. This grip can also be used to lift heavier weights, and it can help to prevent the bar from rolling out of the hands. It’s commonly used with a deadlift and provides a strong attachment with the barbell.

• Thumbless grip : The thumb is not wrapped around the bar. This grip can be used to target the biceps muscles more effectively, but it can also be dangerous, as it increases the risk of the bar slipping out of the hands. It’s helpful for building forearm strength.

The best grip for you will depend on the exercise you are performing and your individual goals. If you are new to weight training, it is a good idea to start with the pronated grip and gradually work your way up to other grips as your grip strength improves.

Grip width - what does that do?

Just like with hand orientation, the width of the grip you have can play a large role in impacting the muscle recruitment during an exercise.

In 2021 a team of Norwegian researchers completed a study titled The Effect of Grip Width on Muscle Strength and Electromyographic Activity in Bench Press among Novice- and Resistance-Trained Men, and they found the results were dramatic. They concluded…

Grip widths affect both 6 rep max loads and triceps brachii, biceps brachii, and anterior deltoid activity especially between wide and narrow grip widths.

You’ll see similar results impacting row variations, pull variations, arm exercises and the like. This means that the grip width isn’t just a matter of personal preference - it has a large impact on how the exercise trains the body, builds strength and the muscles recruited. This is the case independently of the type of grip used.

When you know this, you can use the information to your advantage, performing exercise in a range of different ways and enjoying different benefits as a result.

Let AdMac Fitness Personal Trainers help…

AdMac Fitness has been helping the people of East London transform their health and fitness for nearly a decade.

We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health forever. With our guidance and experience, you can relax knowing that your fitness journey is going to be guided by some of the best personal trainers in East London.

For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our locations are…

AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA

AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.

Avoiding Back, Shoulder and Neck Injuries When Working From Home

Since working from home became more popular, there has been a sudden increase in workplace injury. According to the Office for National Statistics, the figures are up by around half a million. There are various reasons for this, but the good news is that with a few simple tweaks to your daily routine, you don’t need to be one of them!

We’ll start with base principles - movement is medicine. Most of the issues suffered by desk-based workers are due to poor posture and a lack of movement. These two are easily correctable. Training helps to build stronger muscles and better alignment, but working from home isn’t a strength issue - it’s an awareness issue.

You have to be aware of how you’re sitting, what your desk space looks like and how you’re set up to work. What do your working habits look like, and how can you improve them?

In this blog post we’re going to share a few tips on avoiding back, shoulder and neck injuries whilst working from home…

Postural issues

Working from home contains some potential risks, such as injuries caused by poor posture. Here are some tips on how to prevent injuries when working from home…

• Set up a dedicated workspace. This will help you to stay focused and productive, and it will also help to prevent injuries. Your workspace should be in a well-lit area, and it should be free of clutter. You should also have a comfortable chair and a desk that is the right height for you.

• Take breaks throughout the day. Get up and move around every 20-30 minutes to avoid muscle fatigue and stiffness. You can also use this time to stretch or walk around.

• Use proper ergonomics. This means using your body in a way that minimises stress and strain on your muscles and joints. When sitting at your desk, make sure that your feet are flat on the floor and that your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle. Your elbows should be bent at a 90-degree angle as well, and your wrists should be straight. You may need to adjust your chair or desk height to achieve this position.

• Be aware of your surroundings. When working from home, it can be easy to get distracted. Make sure that you are aware of your surroundings and that you are not working in an area where you could trip or fall. If you have children or pets, make sure that they know not to disturb you while you are working.

• Take care of yourself. Get enough sleep, eat healthy foods, and exercise regularly. These things will help to keep you healthy and reduce your risk of injury.

Habits are important too…

Poor posture isn’t your only risk factor either. How you work is important as well. Your lack of movement throughout the day can be a large determining factor in your healthy your working day is. Here are some additional tips to help you prevent injuries when working from home…

• Stand (or better still, walk) whilst taking calls. If you can do this, you add extra steps, movement and postural change into your day.

• Use a standing desk. Standing desks can help to improve your circulation and reduce back pain.

• Take a walk during your lunch break. Getting some fresh air and exercise can help to reduce stress and improve your overall health.

• Make sure your workspace is well-ventilated. Poor ventilation can lead to headaches and fatigue.

• Keep your workspace clean and organized. Clutter can be a tripping hazard and can also lead to stress.

• Take breaks when you need them. Don't try to work for hours on end without taking a break. Get up and move around every 20-30 minutes to avoid muscle fatigue and stiffness.

• Listen to your body. If you're feeling pain, stop what you're doing and take a break. Don't push yourself too hard.

• Exercise before or after work. Training before work helps to mobilise the body and improve joint health and fitness. Training after work can help offset the effects of being so stationary all day.

Working from home needn’t be a certain path to back, neck and shoulder injuries - you just have to be sensible and get plenty of movement and posture correction in. By following these tips, you can help to prevent injuries and stay healthy while working from home.

AdMac Fitness can help…

If you’re suffering with injuries because of a lack of movement, poor posture and general bad health habits, it’s time to invest in the coaching services of AdMac Fitness. Our personal trainers are experts in training, exercise and healthy habit management.

AdMac Fitness has been helping the people of East London transform their health and fitness for nearly a decade.

We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health forever. With our guidance and experience, you can relax knowing that your fitness journey is going to be guided by some of the best personal trainers in East London.

For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our locations are…

AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA

AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.

Vegetarian Protein Sources

Protein is an essential macronutrient for everyone, but it's especially important for vegetarians and vegans to pay attention to their protein intake. That's because protein is more difficult to consume in adequate quantities from plant-based sources.

In this blog post we’re going to look at vegetarian protein sources, and give you a few tips on how to consume enough protein as a vegetarian…

Protein is involved in a wide range of bodily functions, including building and maintaining muscle mass, repairing tissue damage, and producing enzymes and hormones. It’s a back-up energy source in times of scarcity, so it’s really important for active populations.

For an idea of how much protein you need, based on your circumstances you can see a protein intake guide here. Some people may need more protein, while others may need less. If you're a vegetarian or vegan, it's a good idea to talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian to determine how much protein you need.

Vegetarian Protein Sources

There are many different ways to get protein on a vegetarian diet. Some good sources of protein include:

• Cottage cheese

• Yogurt

• Beans

• Lentils

• Tofu

• Tempeh

• Edamame

• Quinoa

• Nuts

• Seeds

• Yogurt

• Eggs

• Milk

These foods are all high in protein and can be easily incorporated into a variety of meals and snacks. For example, you could have a bean burrito for lunch, a tofu stir-fry for dinner, or a bowl of oatmeal with nuts and seeds for breakfast.

You can also supplement with protein powders and BCAA powders if you are struggling to hit your goals. If you are vegan, make sure you are opting for a vegan friendly protein powder. There are plenty of pea proteins on the market to cater for vegans.

For a guide on how much protein you can find in various vegetarian sources per 100g, take a look at this page.

Tips for Getting Enough Protein on a Vegetarian Diet

If you're concerned about getting enough protein on a vegetarian diet, here are a few tips:

• Make sure to include protein-rich foods at every meal - a spread of protein throughout the day helps to maximise muscle synthesis.

• Choose a variety of protein sources throughout the day - this keeps dietary interest high. You don’t want to be bored eating the same thing all of the time!

• Combine protein sources at meals and snacks. For example, you could have a peanut butter and banana sandwich for lunch or a chickpea salad wrap for dinner.

• Add protein powder to smoothies, oatmeal, or yogurt. This adds a protein boost without a huge extra calorie burden.

• Snack on nuts, seeds, or trail mix. Making your snack high protein reduces the pressure on you to consume more protein throughout the day.

By following these tips, you can easily get enough protein on a vegetarian diet - even if your protein requirements are higher because you are performing regular strength training. Just make sure you keep your protein intake high on your list of priorities - it’s very important nutritionally, and easy to under-consume if you’re a vegetarian.

Here are some additional tips for getting enough protein on a vegetarian diet:

• Cook with beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, edamame, quinoa, nuts, and seeds.

• Eat eggs and dairy products daily.

• Use a diet tracker app so you know how much protein you’re consuming daily

AdMac Fitness Personal Training - Available in Bow and South Woodford

AdMac Fitness has been helping the people of East London transform their health and fitness for nearly a decade.

We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health forever. With our guidance and experience, you can relax knowing that your fitness journey is going to be guided by some of the best personal trainers in East London.

For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our locations are…

AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA

AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.

Why You Should Hire a Personal Trainer Before the Summer

The summer is a time for fun, relaxation, and spending time with loved ones. For many people, it can also be a time of stress and anxiety, as we try to fit into our swimsuits and look our best. If you're looking to get in shape for the summer, hiring a personal trainer is a great option.

Our team of personal trainers at AdMac Fitness can help you reach your fitness goals in a safe and effective way. They can create a personalised workout plan that is tailored to your individual needs and fitness level. They can also provide you with motivation and support, which can be essential for sticking to your fitness goals.

In addition to helping you reach your fitness goals, personal trainers can also help you improve your overall health. We can teach you about proper nutrition and help you make healthy, long lasting lifestyle changes. Our personal trainers can also help you identify and address any underlying health conditions that may be affecting your fitness.

The other benefit of personal training is that it can help you reach your fitness goals faster and more effectively than you could on your own. No more wasted time, effort and energy trying in vain to find an approach that works.

Here are some of the clarified benefits of hiring a personal trainer:

• Speed - Personal trainers can help you reach your fitness goals faster. They have the knowledge and experience to create a personalized workout plan that is tailored to your individual needs and fitness level. They can also provide you with motivation and support, which can be essential for sticking to your fitness goals.

• Overall health - Personal trainers aren’t just about fitness, they can help you improve your general health. They can teach you about proper nutrition and help you make healthy lifestyle changes. They can also help you identify and address any underlying health conditions that may be affecting your fitness.

• Motivation boost - our personal trainers can help you stay motivated. It can be difficult to stay motivated to work out on your own, especially when you don't see results immediately. Personal trainers can help you stay motivated by providing you with support and accountability.

• Workout safety - Personal trainers can help you avoid injuries. Personal trainers have the knowledge and experience to help you avoid injuries. They can teach you proper form and technique, and they can spot you during your workouts.

If you're thinking about hiring a personal trainer, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Do your research. There are a lot of personal trainers out there, so it's important to do your research and find one who is a good fit for you. Ask for recommendations from friends or family, and read online reviews.

• Be clear about your goals. When you're interviewing personal trainers, be clear about your fitness goals. What do you want to achieve? How often do you want to work out? What are your budget and availability?

• Make sure you're comfortable with the trainer. It's important to feel comfortable with your personal trainer. You should be able to trust them and feel like they have your best interests at heart.

Hiring a personal trainer can be a great way to reach your fitness goals and improve your overall health. If you're serious about getting in shape for the summer, I encourage you to consider hiring a personal trainer.

Here are some additional tips for getting the most out of your personal training sessions:

• Be prepared. Come to your sessions dressed and ready to work out. Bring a water bottle and a towel.

• Listen to your trainer. Follow their instructions and don't be afraid to ask questions.

• Push yourself. Don't be afraid to challenge yourself during your workouts.

• Track your progress. Keep track of your workouts and your results so you can see how far you've come.

With a little effort and a lot of help from the AdMac Fitness personal trainers, you can get in great shape and enjoy the summer to the fullest!

AdMac Fitness Personal Training - Available in Bow and South Woodford

AdMac Fitness has been helping the people of East London transform their health and fitness for nearly a decade.

We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health forever. With our guidance and experience, you can relax knowing that your fitness journey is going to be guided by some of the best personal trainers in East London.

For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our locations are…

AdMac Fitness Bow: 153-159 Bow Rd, London E3 2SE.

AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.

How to Exercise When You Have No Motivation - 5 Tips

Here at AdMac Fitness, we know that for a lot of people, the desire to exercise doesn’t come naturally. Not everyone wakes up full of enthusiasm to get out there and train. Despite that, exercise is still an important thing to do.

It’s a bit like with food… we’d all probably rather eat cake and look and feel fantastic, but sometimes it’s a case of doing what you have to, rather than what you want to.

To help you combat this, we’re going to share 5 tips that’ll help you to exercise when you have no motivation. As personal trainers, we’re experts in helping people who dread exercise get into healthy habits. Here are some great tips that are actionable and effective, helping you to exercise when you have no motivation…

Hire a Personal Trainer

Now you’d be forgiven for thinking ‘of course they’re going to say that - they’re a personal training company!’, but it’s true.

A personal trainer is a great idea for someone who lacks the motivation to exercise. Here’s a few reasons why…

1. You’ve made it an appointment. When you commit something to your diary, you’re more likely to stick to it. If you rely on getting yourself to the gym, there’s a good chance you’ll stay anchored to the sofa!

2. Money is a motivator! When you’ve paid for the session, you’ll want to make sure you get the most from it, so you’ll work harder. When you work harder, you see better results and the motivation becomes self-fulfilling!

3. Accountability and motivation is outsourced. When you hire a personal trainer, you’ve got someone in your corner who is trying to help you. You’ve outsourced motivation and you’ve got someone you’re now accountable to. That’s a powerful combination for getting you to the gym!

Train with a friend

Another powerful way to get you active is to train with a friend. Importantly, make it a friend who is active, ideally. That way you’re not like to skip exercise and head to the pub instead!

When you train with a friend you’re ticking a few boxes…

• You’re exercising - great for your physical and mental health

• You get to tick a social box - hanging out with a friend

• You help to motivate each other

• You have accountability - won’t want to let a friend down

• You’ll find a mutual interest that deepens social relationships

By training with a friend you’re not just relying on someone else to help maintain your motivation, you’re doing everything in the list above. You’ll push each other, encourage each other and enjoy working out making yourselves fitter, healthier and happier.

Start small

There’s a seeming obsession with exercise being a brutally intensive event that takes hours and hours of your time. That needn’t be the case at all.

In fact, if you’re brand new to this, throwing yourself into a massive workout programme would be stupid. You’d be more likely to injure yourself, place too many demands on your body and ultimately, be really overwhelmed at the amount of exercise you’re forcing yourself to do.

Our advice in this case is to start small.

Maybe one personal training session per week, an exercise class and a regular walk. If that’s too much, scale it back to some simple home workouts, a couple of walks per week and some better food choices.

Basically, start where you are. Build up from there.

Pick something you love

When you can make exercise ‘accidental’, you’re onto a winner. Some people love to dance, others love to play football, some of us love to hike in the hills. Your thing might be swimming, or yoga. It doesn’t matter what activity you like to do.

Just get out there and do it.

You don’t need to be restricted by thinking all activity needs to be gym based. Instead, take the activity you love to do and do it regularly. If your reason for not exercising is because you don’t like the gym, there’s a million other options out there. Just get out and so something.

Don’t overthink exercise

If you’re new to health and fitness, you could easily be led down a confusing path… every workout claims to be the best for X,Y or Z goal. Each week a fitness magazine tells you that you need to do something new to get yourself fit and healthy.

The reality is, you don’t need to overthink exercise. Unless you’re training for a specific goal, just get yourself moving. Pick up heavy things (safely) regularly. Walk, run, swim or cycle fairly often. get up hills, in the fresh air, eat good quality protein and plenty of fruit and vegetables.

Drink plenty of water, keep booze and caffeine consumption to an appropriate level and get plenty of sleep! That sums it up in many cases.

Hire a personal trainer if you don’t know exercise technique, or you have a particular goal you want to achieve. A personal trainer is the fastest and safest way to achieve a long-lasting, genuine change in your health and fitness. It’s also a team mate and a partner with a vested interest in helping you to achieve your health and fitness goals!

So if you’re struggling to get started, follow this advice on how to exercise when you have no motivation!

AdMac Fitness Personal Training - Available in Bow and South Woodford

AdMac Fitness has been helping the people of East London transform their health and fitness for nearly a decade.

We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health forever. With our guidance and experience, you can relax knowing that your fitness journey is going to be guided by some of the best personal trainers in East London.

For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our locations are…

AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA

AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.

Make Calf Injuries a Thing of the Past - 3 Calf Injury Prevention Tips

If you’re a regular runner, or you play a sport that involves a lot of running such as football, rugby, hockey, netball etc, there’s a decent chance that you’ll have suffered a calf injury in the past. They’re common, but the good news is that they’re generally easy to repair and don’t keep you out for too long.

An even better approach is to prevent them before they become an issue in the first place. So the purpose of our blog today is to give you five basic, actionable tips to make calf injuries a thing of the past.

Follow these tips for calf injury prevention!

Calf muscle anatomy

Without going into super detail about the calf muscle anatomy, we’ll give a quick overview so you can understand the different structures we’re dealing with. We’re not going to involved Achilles issues here - we’re sticking to muscle injuries only.

The calf is actually two muscles, the gastrocnemius and the soleus. Often the two are confused when it comes to injuries, but there’s a quick way to tell them apart.

If you’ve strained your soleus, you’ll only be able to feel it when you stretch your calf muscles with a bent knee. So if you bend your leg, then perform a calf stretch and you feel discomfort, you’ve injured your soleus. If you can feel discomfort in the calf when it is stretched with a straight leg, it’s the gastrocnemius.

There are several reasons why the calf muscles can become injured, and all of the usual suspects are to blame… over training, lack of stretching, unsuitable footwear, lack of strength training etc. By addressing these issues, you can reduce your frequency of calf injuries significantly.

Here’s a few simple tips…

Tip #1 - Train the muscles properly

Stronger muscles are more resistant to injury than weaker muscles. There’s no surprise there, so you might be wondering why this is so important, if it’s so obvious?

The answer is because not many people train their calf muscles directly, but even fewer train them properly.

When you train your calf muscles, you need to ensure you perform exercises with both a straight leg and a bent leg to hit the gastrocnemius and the soleus. You also have to lift through a wider range of reps, so you’ll perform some high rep, low weight exercises and some low rep, high weight exercises.

This ticks all boxes and ensures you train both muscles properly. Here’s a couple of exercises I recommend…

#Tip 2 - Stretch your muscles properly

Muscles can get tight and short for various reasons. A heavy training schedule, footwear (people who wear heels all day often have very tight calf muscles), lots of time spent on their feet etc. They all add up, so in order to prevent this from becoming an issue, you need to stretch effectively.

If you were to run 10km, you’d be taking between 6,000 and 8,000 steps depending on your stride length. This means per 10km run you’ll be using each of your calf muscles 3,000 - 4,000 times each. This doesn’t include the steps you’ve accumulated throughout the day generally either.

The point is, they’ll be doing a lot of work, so they’ll need a lot of stretching. Here’s a couple of good ones…

Tip #3 - Warm up your calf muscles properly in the cold

In the cold weather your risk of muscle tissue damage increases significantly. The solution to this problem is to spend enough time warming up, or wearing appropriate clothing when you’re playing a sport or running outside.

The cold weather restricts blood flow, which in turn limits tissue elasticity. This is the root cause of the tissue damage risk. If you go straight from the cold weather to high intensity exercise, the risk is significant, but the good news is that it’s easily avoidable.

Start any activity with aa gentle ‘loosener’ - 5 minutes or so of very low intensity cardio, before stepping it up and doing more activity-specific work. This is dependent on the demands of the activity you’re about to perform. For example, if you’re about to perform a sport where jumping is going to be required, start with low level jumps.

If you’ll need to sprint, gradually build up your speed with short duration sprints of increasing distance and speed. This progressive form of training will reduce your risk of injury and improve your performance in the activity you’re about to perform.

Follow these calf injury prevention tips, and you’ll make calf injuries a thing of the past.

AdMac Fitness Personal Training - Available in Bow and South Woodford

AdMac Fitness has been helping the people of East London transform their health and fitness for nearly a decade.

We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health forever. With our guidance and experience, you can relax knowing that your fitness journey is going to be guided by some of the best personal trainers in East London.

For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our locations are…

AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA

AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.

How to Pick Your Personal Trainer

When you’re looking for help and support with your health and fitness journey, the best place to start is with a great personal trainer. Having someone in your corner who is experienced, knows the subject and can guide you well is a huge asset. It removes the trial and error, worry and confusion about the whole process, and gets you on the right track from the start.

The problem is finding a good personal trainer. There’s no shortage of gyms and personal trainers out there, so how do you know if a personal trainer is a good one?

Worry not, here’s our guide to finding a good personal trainer. It’ll help you evaluate them and whether you think they’d be a good fit for you…

Check their online presence

One of the first ways to evaluate a personal trainer is with their online presence. See their website - is it informative? Does it look professional? Does it inspire confidence? You can tell a lot by a business by how they present their message online.

Then take a look at their social media. Is it updated regularly? What are the posting? Who are they working with? People like you, with similar levels of experience? That’s a big plus - they’ll be experienced with people who are looking to achieve the same thing as you.

If they’re not posting about clients, are the images simply a self-indulgent diary of them with no shirt on, or performing exercises to show off? If so, steer clear. There’s nothing wrong with filming yourself performing exercises, but when it’s self-indulgent and their only content, that’s a red flag!

Look for a clean, professional website and social media presence.

Ask where they work from?

Your training environment has to be right for you, otherwise you won’t get the most from your experience. If the thought of going to a big commercial gym terrifies you, then you’d be better off working with someone in a private personal training studio, like the AdMac Fitness personal trainers. We offer both a multi-user personal training studio and a totally private personal training studio.

If you have a specialist requirement, or have a very specific goal (want to learn olympic weightlifting for example), they’ll have to have access to specific equipment, so that will determine where you can work from.

Location is a big deal, because if working with your personal trainer involves a long journey across town, you’re just not going to be able to do it. Pick a convenient location, whether that be close to home, work or is a manageable commute away.

Ask for their successes

Can the personal trainer provide evidence of success stories they’ve had from clients? These might not necessarily be dramatic weight loss (not everyone wants to lose weight), but they could be improved strength, muscle mass, fitness improvements, mental health etc.

Decide what success would look like for you, and see if they’ve helped other people achieve similar things. If they haven’t, that needn’t be a deal breaker - they might have worked with a different type of clientele, but it’s a definite plus point. The ability to help people improve their health and fitness is the number one attribute on the PT’s job description, so you’d want to ensure they could do it!

Check out some of the AdMac Fitness personal training success stories…

There’s plenty more where they came from as well… SUCCESS STORIES!

Ask for their credentials

Whilst there’s no substitute for experience and ‘in the trenches proficiency’, you also need to have plenty of theoretical knowledge to back it up. For this reason, I’d always want to see evidence of qualifications. You want to see at least a level 3 qualification in personal training, plus ideally some additional qualifications to ensure they’re staying current in the industry.

If a personal trainer is reluctant to show your their qualifications, that’s a big red flag. Ignore their success stories at this point, because you could fake those to a degree. If they aren’t qualified, they won’t be insured and that’s a bigger issue.

Arrange a meeting with the personal trainer first

Personal training isn’t just counting reps for someone, it's guiding them thorough safe and effective exercise. It’s a relationship between the personal trainer and the client, helping them to grow together successfully. Treat it like a long term relationship, start with a date!

Ask to meet them for a consultation (you’ll have to pay for their time), and go through your needs, your wants, your goals, your concerns etc. Ask can you see where they work, so you’ll also get to know the environment you’ll be training in. You’ll see the kit, the set up and you’ll get a feeling for how the place operates. Are the people in there working well? Are they happy? Is it a good environment for you?

How you feel about the personal trainer and their working environment will tell you everything you need to know. You’ll get a feeling about whether or not you could work with them. Trust your gut here.

AdMac Fitness Personal Training - Available in Bow and South Woodford

AdMac Fitness has been helping the people of East London transform their health and fitness for nearly a decade.

We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health forever. With our guidance and experience, you can relax knowing that your fitness journey is going to be guided by some of the best personal trainers in East London.

For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our locations are…

AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA

AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.

Healthier Shoulders in 10 Minutes Per Week

The shoulder is the most complex joint in the human body. It’s also got the greatest range of movement. Those two elements means that if you don’t train with care an attention, you can cause some damage to your shoulder joint and suffer an injury.

When the topic has been investigated, the size of the problem as been revealed. A review of research published in 2010 by Kolber et al concluded that…

‘The results of the review indicated that up to 36% of documented resistance training related injuries and disorders occur at the shoulder complex. Trends that increased the likelihood of injury were identified and inclusive of intrinsic risk factors such as joint and muscle imbalances…’

This shows that nearly 40% of gym injuries involve the shoulder joint. More to the point, they’re the result of muscle imbalances. The good news is that these are absolutely correctable, as long as you train your shoulders effectively, and make sure your programming is balanced.

In this article we’ll run through exercise to help build healthier, stronger and injury free shoulders.

Healthier shoulders - where to start?

We know that all things being equal, stronger muscles and connective tissues are more resistant to injury than weaker tissues. The same goes for the shoulder joint.

In a 2014 study by H Østerås et al, they researched the effects of strength training on preventing shoulder injuries. The study involved two groups - one who strength trained and one who didn’t. They then looked at pain scores, injury frequency etc.

Their investigation concluded that…

‘…in the exercise group, the prevalence of players with shoulder pain decreased from 34 to 11%, while the control (non-strength training) group increased the prevalence from 23 to 36%. The exercise group increased the shoulder-muscle strength significantly, compared to the control group.’

So we know that strength training helps to improve the condition of the shoulders. It’s important to note that this is only the case if the shoulder training is done properly, and targets the right muscles. If you get it wrong, it will only make the problem worse.

Enter, prehab…

Prehab, or ‘prehabilitation’ are exercises that help to prevent problems before they become bigger, leading to injuries.

Shoulder prehab should be done 2-3 times per week, because life conspires against shoulder health. Poor posture, desk work, driving, eating position, TV, poor exercise selection etc… all of them are responsible for helping to degrade shoulder condition.

Muscle tightness across the chest, a lack of flexibility in the thoracic spine and lack of strength in the upper back and back of the shoulders are some of the root causes of the issues.

The exercises we’ll share in this list are designed to help combat these.

Healthier shoulders in 10 minutes per week - the exercises

Here’s a selection of movements you can do in order to build stronger, healthier shoulders. Collectively, I suggest you do these 3 times per week, before you start doing your heavier strength training.

YWT’s…

These are a physio’s favourite! They require no (or very light) weights, and slow, deliberate movement. When they’re properly executed they train all of the muscles responsible for healthy and stable shoulders.

After 2 weeks of doing these without weights, progress to doing them with light dumbbells, adding weight when appropriate.

Deficit push ups…

The deficit push ups are a great way to stretch the chest and front of the shoulders. The greater the deficit, the better and deeper the stretch. These are much tougher than normal push ups, so don’t be surprised if you find you can’t do as many.

Start with a small deficit, then add to it as you get stronger and more flexible.

Passive hangs…

The passive hang is a great stretch for the lats and shoulders. Simply hanging from a bar, relaxing through your upper back allows the thoracic spine to open up, tight muscles to stretch out and the whole upper body to relax into the pose.

It’s not an easy hang, depending on your body weight. Aim for a collective 1 minute of hanging.

Add these into your workouts 3 times per week and you’ll really help your shoulder health. Combine them reducing the amount of overhead and horizontal pressing you do. For every set of a pressing exercise you do, perform 3-5 sets of a pulling exercise.

That will help you correct your shoulder imbalances as well.

Transform your health with AdMac Fitness!

We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health and fitness. With our guidance you can see your health and fitness reach new levels!

For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our locations are…

AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA

AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.

5 Things to do After Your Workout to Recover Better

In fitness blogs we often talk about the training, and what you should be doing during your workouts. The part we usually neglect is what to do after your workout. These are the points that help you recover and return fresh for your next workout.

In this article I’m going to run through 5 things you can do to recover better after your workouts. These are all simple, effective and don’t require any real extensive effort. Get them into your week and your health, fitness and recovery status will benefit significantly.

Make sure you get plenty of protein in!

Training and protein are best friends! As the macronutrient responsible for cell repair and growth, it’s really important that anyone who is exercising frequently is consuming adequate protein.

A 2018 study titled Effects of Protein Supplementation on Performance and Recovery in Resistance and Endurance Training concluded...

…’based on performance and recovery effects, it appears that the prudent approach would be to have athletes consume protein post-training and post-competition.’

The type of protein isn’t especially important (although there are different qualities of protein), just make sure you get enough in. A good measure of the amount of protein you need can be found in this study. The recommendation is to eat 1.3-1.8g of protein per pound of bodyweight.

A post workout sauna

The research around the health benefits of saunas is strong, and getting stronger. Not only that, but the post-exercise benefits of sauna use are also being highlighted. Post exercise sauna use appears to benefit the body in several ways.

A 2006 study titled Effect of post-exercise sauna bathing on the endurance performance of competitive male runners reported…

‘We conclude that 3 wk of post-exercise sauna bathing produced a worthwhile enhancement of endurance running performance, probably by increasing blood volume.’

The benefits also extend to recovery. A 2015 study titled Effects of far-infrared sauna bathing on recovery from strength and endurance training sessions in men found…

‘In conclusion, deep penetration of heat during Far Infrared Sauna bathing appears favourable for the neuromuscular system to recover from maximal endurance performance. Sauna bathing is a very light loading for the body and provides a comfortable and relaxing experience.’

Aim for an accumulated 25 minutes minimum in the sauna. That doesn’t have to be in one go, it can be broken into 2-3 short sessions.

Get 7+ hours of sleep

Sleep is the bedrock of recovery. The deeper, better quality sleep you get, the better you look, feel and perform. Whilst there is a lot of conflicting research around sleep, there are a few fundamental points that everyone agrees on…

1. You need 7-10 hours of quality sleep to recover

2. Being well rested and recovered improves performance

3. Sleep helps tissue health, with reduces injury risk

In a 2019 study titled Sleep Hygiene for Optimizing Recovery in Athletes: Review and Recommendations, the importance of sleep is summed up in a couple of sentences…

‘For sports medicine providers, the negative effects of sleep deprivation cannot be overstated to athletes. Improving sleep quality however is simple and effective, benefiting not only athlete health but also athletic performance.’

Improve sleep, improve your response to training. There’s little more to say!

Get some movement in!

This might seem counter-intuitive, but anecdotal observation of hundreds of PT clients (and our own bodies) shows that post-training movement helps.

We’re not suggesting hard work, but a gentle recovery activity improvers circulation. In turn this improves the delivery of repair agents to the tissues, which helps your muscles, bones, ligaments and tendons repair themselves after training.

A gentle walk, swim or bike ride will all help. Don’t do anything crazy - the goal here isn’t to train it’s to RECOVER from training! At no point should you be severely out of breath. We’re looking to raise the pulse and breathing rate a little, that’s all!

Stretch

A lot of the advice when it comes to stretching doesn’t improve performance or range of movement. In fact, when stretching is done at the wrong time (before exercise on a cold day, when muscles haven’t been warmed up properly) it can even be dangerous.

The best way to use stretching is to improve range of movement of muscles and joints. Rather than use valuable training time to do this, I prefer to encourage personal training clients to stretch in between sessions. This means they’re able to take their time and do it at home. It doesn’t need any equipment (a mat is all you’ll need) and it can be done in 15-20 minutes.

Ideally you’ll do your stretching after you’ve been active, or have had a warm bath or shower so your muscles are relaxed and the circulation is good. This will make them more elastic.

Hold each stretch for 2-3 rounds of 15-30 seconds. These guidelines are taken directly from a 2012 article titled ‘Current Concepts in Muscle Stretching for Exercise and Rehabilitation’…

Static stretching is effective at increasing range of movement (ROM). The greatest change in ROM with a static stretch occurs between 15 and 30 seconds. Most authors suggest that 10 to 30 seconds is sufficient for increasing flexibility. In addition, no increase in muscle elongation occurs after 2 to 4 repetitions.

So use this as a framework for your stretching, and fit it in between your training sessions. You’ll then improve your muscle and joint range of movement, which will make you better at achieving optimal positions when training.

If you want help with your health, AdMac Fitness is the place to go!

We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health and fitness. With our guidance you can see your health and fitness reach new levels!

For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our locations are…

AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA

AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.

Why the Kettlebell Could be the Most Versatile Item in the Gym - Here's Why

At AdMac Fitness we believe that training should be about life improvement, not just vanity. To achieve that measure with our personal training clients, we use a range of different training approaches. One of the pieces of equipment we use most often is the kettlebell.

In terms of versatility, there are few things that match a kettlebell.

A lot of gym equipment is single use. A treadmill can only ever be a treadmill. A chest press can only be a chest press. A bike can only ever be a bike… you get the point.

A kettlebell though, that’s a whole different world.

With a single item of equipment you can perform a whole body workout. Strength workouts, circuits, high rep workouts, HIIT workout, bodybuilding workouts. You name it, a kettlebell is suitable for the job. If you know how to use one, or have a personal trainer to guide you, a kettlebell could be the most versatile piece of equipment in the entire gym.

Here’s 5 kettlebell exercises that we use at AdMac Fitness that if you do well, will transform your health, fitness and physique.

Kettlebell Exercise #1 - The Kettlebell Swing

This is the OG of kettlebell exercises, and still probably the most commonly-used exercise of them all with a kettlebell. It’s a fantastic way of strengthening the posterior chain, which are the muscles that run from the back of the heels all the way to the top of your head.

These muscles are responsible for movement, power generation and ensuring you have excellent back health.

It’s a simple exercise, but one with huge upside!

Kettlebell Exercise #2 - The Goblet Squat

Squatting in all forms is a great exercise, but one of the best forms of squat is a front squat. The kettlebell goblet squat is a form of front squat, where the kettlebell is held in front of the body whilst your legs perform the squat.

By holding the weight in front of you, there is increased emphasis on core strength work, and there is reduced pressure on the lower back. This means the goblet squat is safe and effective for a wider range of people than other forms.

It’s also a very easy exercise to perform from a technique point of view.

Kettlebell Exercise #3 - Kettlebell Clean and Press

The clean and press is certainly a more advanced exercise, but it’s a classic example of pure versatility and functionality. The exercise combines two exercises in one, strengthening the posterior chain, shoulders and triceps. You can do it with a single kettlebell, or two at the same time.

This exercise is a perfect way to make workouts more efficient, by training a lot of muscle in one go. You can adjust the weight to make it ideal for strength training (high weight, low reps), hypertrophy (medium weight, 8-12 reps) or endurance (light weight, 15+ reps).

Just make sure you get the technique right before progressing.

Kettlebell Exercise #4 - Kettlebell Deadlift

The deadlift is a really functional exercise regardless of the equipment you use, but the simplicity of the kettlebell deadlift is a win. The close grip, the density of the weight and the good range of movement make it an excellent exercise.

To get the most out of the kettlebell deadlift you have to make sure you lift a heavy kettlebell, otherwise it’s likely to be too light to have any real training effect. Select a heavy kettlebell, keep your technique smooth and you’ll be able to get the most from this excellent exercise.

Never fear the deadlift, just make sure you get your technique right.

Kettlebell Exercise #5 - Russian Twist

When it comes to abdominal exercise with a kettlebell, many people will automatically head towards a Turkish get up. In all honesty, whilst it’s a great exercise it’s overly complicated for most general fitness populations. The other reason why Russian twists are favourable here is because of the rotation element.

Not many exercises in the gym call for rotation, yet it’s a really important movement pattern. If you can’t/don’t rotate, you’re missing out on one of the most important human movement patterns.

Take a light-medium weight kettlebell and throw some Russian twists into your workout. You’ll be glad you did!

Here are 5 exercises with the kettlebell you can use to level up your training when you don’t have access to much equipment. There are plenty more where this came from, so get your research hat on and take a look through kettlebell exercise channels, or speak to one of there AdMac Fitness personal trainers for more guidance.

If you want help with your health, AdMac Fitness is the place to go!

We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health and fitness. With our guidance you can see your health and fitness reach new levels!

For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our locations are…

Our locations are…

AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA

AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.

Protein - How Much? What kind? When? Your Questions Answered...

Over the last few years protein has become the nutritional obsession.

In the 70’s, 80s and 90s it was fat. For at least the last 10 years though, protein has taken the ‘nutritional obsession’ slot. Where ‘low fat’ products were started to appear on shelves a few years ago, now we see ‘high protein’ products joining them. Protein milk, protein yogurt, protein Weetabix, protein bread - I’ve even seen protein WATER being sold.

So what’s the score when it comes to protein?

In this article we’re going to look in more detail at protein. We’re going to look at what protein is, how much protein we need, what kind of protein is best for us, and when we should be eating out protein in order to get the most from it.

By the end of the article you’ll be all up to speed on the scientific evidence around protein…

What is protein?

Protein is one of the three main ‘macronutrients’. There are three of them - protein, carbohydrates and fat. Protein is the macronutrient responsible for cell repair and regeneration, which is why people who are athletic need more of it. As we train, we break down tissues that are rebuilt bigger and stronger. Protein is vital for this process.

The second role of protein is a back up energy supply. When we start running low on glycogen (the blood sugar your body uses as energy), protein is converted into energy via a process called gluconeogenesis.

There are lots of differences sources of protein, but they generally come from animal products…

• Meat

• Fish

• Eggs

• Butter

• Cheese

Then you have non-animal sources of protein…

• Tofu

• Nuts

• Seeds

• Beans

• Pulses

You can also consume supplemental forms of protein…

• Whey protein

• Casein

• Amino acids

We’ll explore these sources more as we go into the article.

How much protein do we need?

This is a source of never-ending debate in the nutrition and weight loss community. The best answer we have is that it depends on your goals and your training state. In my experience most people tend to under-eat when it comes to protein.

The International Society of Sports Nutrition released a paper in 2017 titled… International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. In the paper, the ISSN says that…

‘Higher protein intakes (2.3-3.1 g/kg/d) may be needed to maximize the retention of lean body mass in resistance-trained subjects during hypocaloric periods.’

So depending on whether you work in metric or imperial, the guidelines say that you should be eating 1g per pound of bodyweight, or 2.3g per kilo of bodyweight as a minimum. This will help to keep hunger at bay, and preserve muscle mass during times when you’re eating fewer calories.

If you’re trying to lose weight, consider eating up to 1.5g per pound of bodyweight or 3.1g per kilo.

What kind of protein is best?

We all have different responses to foods, and many of us have different dietary preferences. Some of us eat meat, some are vegetarian, some are pescatarian, some of us are vegan.

Despite dietary preferences, we still all have a need to consume adequate protein.

The most ‘complete’ forms of protein come from animal sources. This means they contain a complete amino acid profile, so are used effectively by the body. Amino acids are the ‘building blocks’ of protein. There are 21 amino acids common in all life on the planet, and the human body cannot produce nine of them.

This means we have to ingest them from our diet.

When we consume foods from animal sources, we ingest the amino acids we can’t produce ourselves. If we consume a plant-based diet, we can still consume enough protein but we have to ‘food combine’ - eat certain foods together in order to consume all of the essential amino acids.

As a general rule, animal based protein in more optimal. Meat, fish, eggs, cheese, yogurt etc.

If you are vegan, you can still consume adequate protein from beans, nuts, pulses, tofu and various vegetables. You just might need to supplement with additional amino acid or protein powders.

When should we be eating our protein?

There was a lot of confusion over this topic until a 2014 study called Dietary Protein Distribution Positively Influences 24-h Muscle Protein Synthesis in Healthy Adults by Mamerow et al. 

The study looked at two types of protein intake - one where the protein was spread evenly over several meals throughout the day, and the other where all of the daily protein was consumed in one hit. The researchers found that…

‘The consumption of a moderate amount of protein at each meal stimulated 24-h muscle protein synthesis more effectively than skewing protein intake toward the evening meal.’

So there we have the issue cleared up once and for all - spread your protein throughout the day! It’s better for your muscle building, it saves you having to gorge a load of protein in one go, and it makes digesting the food you eat a lot easier for your body to deal with.

Supplemental protein

There is a huge market out there for supplemental protein. The most popular being whey protein, which is a by-product of the dairy industry. It’s incredibly bioavailable, meaning it is absorbed really well by the body. It’s also cheap to produce (relatively speaking) and is convenient to take for the user.

Casein is a milk protein and is generally absorbed over a longer period by the body. For this reason it’s a popular protein to have before bed, allowing muscle protein synthesis to carry on as normal overnight. This might be overkill (protein synthesis still occurs overnight if you consume enough in the day anyway), but it’s an extra insurance for optimising muscle building.

Amino acids are a good way for people who follow a plant-based diet to ensure they’re getting all of the protein they need. They’re also a great way for people who are dairy intolerant to supplement their protein. Most other protein powders contain dairy products.

Finally, there are vegan protein products that usually take their protein from pea sources. They’re generally accepted as a good alternative for plant-based people.

Protein - the final thoughts

There’s a reason that protein is the subject of so much research and attention at the moment - it’s because it performs an absolutely vital role in the body. In order to function optimally, we need to ensure our targets are hit. Aim for 1-1.5g per pound of bodyweight.

Whilst it’s optimal to get your protein from animal sources, it’s not vital, so explore the protein sources that suit your dietary needs best. Just do what you need to do in order to hit that target!

If you want help with your health, AdMac Fitness is the place to go!

We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health and fitness. With our guidance you can see your health and fitness reach new levels!

For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our locations are…

Our locations are…

AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA

AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.

7 Push Up Variations to Level Up Your Workout

Push ups are an exercise that a lot pf people overlook, because they consider them too easy, too boring or not very effective. Anyone who thinks this probably isn’t aware of the different ways to increase the difficulty and intensity of them.

Give some of these push up variations a try and I can assure you that you’ll look at push ups in a whole new light. Unless you’re incredibly strong and fit, I’d bet a significant amount that you’ll be seriously humbled by some of these push up variations. They’re designed to give your chest, shoulders. core and triceps a different challenge completely.

Programme them as you would any other push up, just be prepared to be capable of a lot fewer reps than you’d manage in normal push ups. If you struggle for form, contact a personal trainer for help!

7 Push Up Variations to Level Up Your Workout…

All of these will need equipment of some form, so watch the video and check whether or not you’ve got the right kit. Also, make sure you’re warmed up properly before attempting these push ups…

Push ups on handles

This is the quickest and easiest way to increase the effectiveness of the push up. The handles increase the range of movement for the torso. It means the chest, shoulders and triceps maintain a longer time under tension, which translates directly into greater muscle growth and strength.

You can adjust the difficulty of these exercises by increasing or decreasing the size of the handles you use. A larger raise, the harder you can make the exercise potentially.

Chaos push ups

These are a type of push up that not many people have heard of, but they can be crazy tough when used at the right time. Instead of a flat surface, you perform push ups on a thick resistance band stretched between two points. The chaos push ups are so-called because the band isn’t stable, meaning the movement pattern is chaotic!

The chaos push ups are excellent for shoulder and core work, as well as chest and tricep work. Give them a go!

Weighted push ups

This is the most obvious way to make push ups more difficult… get a weight on your back and get pushing! Obviously only do this when you can hit at least 15 good quality push ups without stopping. You can increase the difficulty by adding more weight to your push ups.

Weight can be applied by vest or plate. Whatever you do though, make sure the weight you add is stable. You can’t concentrate on your form if you’re wobbling all over the place trying to balance a weight on your back!

Atomic Push Ups

The atomic push up is one of the signature exercises from the TRX training system. It’s a fantastic exercise and a way to build a genuine challenge for the core into the movement. By adjusting the position of hands, feet and depth of the TRX, you can make the exercise tougher.

Just make sure you’ve securely anchored the TRX, because you don’t want to crash into the floor mid-rep!

Slam Ball Push Ups

The slam ball push up is a variation on the tricep push up, where your hands are close together. The hand position forces the triceps to do more of the work, meaning it takes some of the pressure off the chest and shoulders. The fact you’re doing these on a slam ball adds to the instability, making it tougher.

You can add a ball slam or burpee into this if you want to make it even more challenging. Just remember it’ll fatigue you even quicker if you do.

Ring Push Ups

What happens when you take a standard bodyweight exercise and combine it with the rings? You make it much less stable, more unpredictable, more challenging and generally tougher and more effective. These reasons are why I consider ring push ups a huge upgrade on the standard version. The core, chest and shoulder engagement is significantly increased compared to the standard method.

Personal trainer tip - set the rings close to the floor (6 inches off), because if you set them too high you lose a lot of the benefit of the exercise.

Push Up to Row

This exercise is like the renegade row, but with an added element of difficulty. It takes the push and the row, then combines it. This means you’re getting the benefits of the deficit push up, with the core engagement of single limb balance. It’s a fantastic exercise for the core, chest, shoulders and triceps.

Keep the dumbbells to a medium weight, rather than too heavy. If you go too heavy, you’ll ruin your balance and the form will go with it.

Push Up Variations to Level Up Your Workout

If you use these push up variations, you’ll soon realise that the disrespect you’ve shown them over the years is completely unjustified, and that all it takes is a little creativity to take exercises to a new level.

Push ups aren’t just a chest exercise. They use your core, your shoulders, your triceps and activate a lot of the important stabilising muscles in the upper body. The allow your shoulder blades to move naturally, and this has a beneficial impact on shoulder health and movement.

In many ways, the push up is a better exercise than the bench press. It’s certainly safer and more functional, so it’s worth bearing in mind as an alternative if all you do for your chest is bench press.

Give these a go and see how you get on. My guess is you’ll be VERY surprised and impressed at the difficulty of these push up variations.

If you want help with your health, AdMac Fitness is the place to go!

We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health and fitness. With our guidance you can see your health and fitness reach new levels!

For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our locations are…

AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA

AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.

Personal Training in South Woodford - An AdMac Fitness Update

In the summer of 2022, personal training in South Woodford was changed forever. Having established ourselves as the premier option for personal training in East London, the AdMac Fitness brand expanded into a new site, with a new concept.

That new concept was the epitome of private, 1 to 1 personal training.

AdMac Fitness South Woodford opened with a view to providing personal training clients with the ultimate personalised training space. The studio is a single-person training space, allowing the client to exercise free from all distractions, free from interruption and in a place where they’re able to personalise the space.

When you attend our South Woodford personal training studio, you are free to focus entirely on your own workout. To help create the mood you want, you have complete control over the music. You can speak freely, you don’t have to wait for equipment, you can engage fully with your personal trainer and you can give your workout your complete, undivided attention.

For those people who dread the thought of other people watching them exercise, worry not - in our South Woodford personal training studio, you’re in complete privacy. You don’t share the space with anyone, other than your AdMac Fitness personal trainer.

At AdMac Fitness we’re in the business of helping our clients achieve the best results possible, which is why we wanted our South Woodford personal training studio to be different from our original site in Bow.

We wanted to be able to offer personal training clients the option to try something different. A place where they could workout in their own curated space, without anyone else around. Whilst lots of people prefer having others nearby, for some clients that’s not the case, so we wanted to cater for those people.

Our South Woodford personal training studio has been a big success.

Since our launch in 2022, we have helped scores of people achieve increase improvements in their health and fitness from the South Woodford site. We constantly hear from clients that they love the fact that they can train in a dedicated room, away from their phones, other people and all forms of distraction. It means that they can think of nothing but their training.

We know that what we focus on, we improve. That stands for training too, which is why this private studio helps us to take our personal training clients fitness to new levels.

Perhaps you could be the next success story from our South Woodford personal training studio?

If you’re in South Woodford and want help with your health and fitness, AdMac Fitness is the place to go!

We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers can help you get a grip of your health and fitness. With our guidance you can see your health and fitness reach new levels!

For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our locations are…

AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA

AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.

What are the Different Types of Cardio?

When they hear the term ‘cardio’, many people think about running, swimming cycling etc, usually at a constant pace for an extended period of time.

That’s certainly one type of cardio training, but the reality is the word ‘cardio’ is an umbrella term for any exercise that elevates the heart rate for an extended period of time. There are a wide range of types of cardio, so the point of this article is to explain them.

By the end of the post you’ll know all about the different types of cardio, what they’re good for and how to use them!

Low Intensity Steady State Cardio (LISS)

A favourite of the bodybuilders and those going through active recovery, low intensity steady state cardio is a way to burn a surprisingly high number of calories whilst not taxing the body much.

Whilst LISS cardio won’t get you especially fit, it will help you to lose weight, recover from a tough session and keep you active whilst not demanding much from your body. The injury risk is almost non-existent and the intensity is so low, you can carry it on for as long as you like.

What LISS is good for…

• Active recovery

• Additional calorie burn without stressing the muscles too much

Some of the best ways to do LISS…

• Walking

• Easy cycling

• Gentle swimming

Steady State Cardio

This is the type of cardio most of us picture when we think of a cardio workout. It’s usually an activity such as running, swimming, cycling, rowing etc. It’ll be performed at a medium intensity for an extended period of time - usually anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours, depending on the type of exercise you choose.

The key difference between this and the LISS is simply the intensity. This one is designed to increase stamina, burn more calories and serve as legit exercise, rather than just ‘activity’.

What steady state cardio is good for…

• Building stamina

• Burning calories

• Improving athleticism

Some of the best ways to do steady state cardio…

• Cycling

• Swimming

• Running

• Rowing

Interval Training

Interval training mixes periods of harder and easier efforts. It’s not to be confused with HIIT, which we’ll discuss in a moment. Interval training can take a number of different forms, ranging from ‘Fartlek’ (literally translating as ‘speed play’), which is a completely randomised approach, mixing different intervals of different lengths, speeds and durations, to a more rigid approach.

Interval training is a way of making cardio more interesting and varied. It helps people develop a more sports-specific athleticism too.

What interval training is good for…

• Building stamina

• Burning calories/weight loss

• Improving athleticism

• Making cardio more interesting

Some of the best ways to do interval training…

• Cycling

• Swimming

• Running

• Rowing

• Ski erg

• Air bike

• Hill sprints

• Track sprints

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

There’s a better-than-not chance that you’ve heard of HIIT, because for the last 10 years or so it has boomed in popularity. With good reason too - it’s proven as effective, it can be varied, it’s versatile in how you can target different energy systems, and it can be done anywhere.

There are two key differences between HIIT and general interval training…

1. The intensity. HIIT needs to be done at a very high intensity (beyond what you’d do with other forms of interval training).

2. The method. HIIT can be done with weight training or traditional cardio approaches. The important thing is that you work at a high effort level throughout.

HIIT is popular amongst people who don’t like traditional cardio, because it allows them to weight train as well. This helps to both build and preserve muscle, which has athletic and metabolic benefits.

What HIIT is good for…

• Building stamina

• Burning calories/weight loss

• Improving athleticism

• Making cardio more interesting

• Building/preserving muscle

• Adding training variety

Some of the best ways to do HIIT…

• Cycling

• Swimming

• Running

• Rowing

• Ski erg

• Air bike

• Hill sprints

• Track sprints

• Boxing

• Kettlebells

• Resistance training

• Bodyweight training

Different types of cardio - do they all have a place?

Absolutely they do. There are all kinds of different approaches to cardio, because there are all kinds of different fitness goals. You can’t assume that one type of cardio training will suit all requirements. If you want to build excellent stamina for running a marathon, HIIT or walking just isn’t going to be appropriate. Likewise, you’re not going to improve your football much by spending all of your training time running 5k.

In order to get the most from your cardio, work with a personal trainer who can advise you the best way to approach your training.

The AdMac Fitness team are experts in fitness programming, helping you to achieve your goals. Whether you want to lose weight, run a 10km race or just use cardio to improve your general health and wellbeing, the AdMac Fitness personal trainers can help.

If you want help with your health, AdMac Fitness is the place to go!

We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health and fitness. With our guidance you can see your health and fitness reach new levels!

For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our locations are…

AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA

AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.

Discipline - Getting Back on the Wagon When you Fall Off

Weight loss isn’t always a straight line journey. In fact, it very rarely is. When you’re undergoing a radical lifestyle transformation, there’s going to be times when you face a really difficult challenge. That challenge might see you fall off the wagon, so to speak.

Falling off the wagon can take a number of different forms. Sometimes it’ll be a case of you drinking too much one night. Other times it’ll be a weekend binge. Sometimes it might be more, such as an indulgent holiday!

The point is that falling off the wagon doesn’t look the same each time.

The good news is that falling off the wagon needn’t kill your weight loss efforts. Sure, it’s a bit of a blow, but if you take steps to arrest the impact of falling off the wagon quickly, you can negate the effects in a short period of time.

Here’s 5 steps to help you get back on the wagon…

Step 1 - acknowledge it and own it!

You’re human. You’ll make mistakes. Depending on your motivation, your goals and your lifestyle history, this was likely to happen.

If you’ve spent a lot of your life indulging yourself and enjoying high calorie foods, switching your diet dramatically is going to have consequences. One of those might be an overwhelming temptation to indulge after a few weeks of restricting yourself.

What’s important is that you acknowledge what happened. Take ownership of it. Understand what, why and how it happened, then course-correct.

Is your diet too restrictive? Did you simply not exercise enough discipline? What kind of food/drink/situation was it that tempted you? Once you know these, you can make amends for them in future. You can learn to change your behaviours in future to make sure that you can allow for indulgences without it becoming too big of an issue.

Once you’ve owned the situation, it’s time to move on. You can’t dwell on it forever.

Step 2 - take action!

This is where the recovery process starts. Once you’ve identified the cause, you can stop it from happening again. If you were tempted by an unhealthy food or drink, make it more difficult to access! Take your booze to a friend’s house and ask them to keep it locked away safe! Throw your junk food out! If it was a social occasion, make plans to drive, or make it part of your calorie allowance.

The point of dieting and lifestyle change isn’t to stop having a fun time with food and drink - it’s to make sure that when you do have a treat, it’s just that - a treat.

When your treats become a daily/weekly thing, that’s when your progress begins to slide. At this point, we have to rely on our old friend ‘discipline’. That’s the reality of weight loss - it requires a degree of mental strength and an ability to say ‘no’ to the majority of the temptations you’ll come across.

We’d all love to eat chocolate and lose weight. It’s just not that likely though.

Step 3 - take quick action

The best way to get yourself back on track with your goals is to take some quick and rather large actions. This will help you both physically (helps to get your body back into movement) and mentally (you’ll feel as though you’re beginning to undo the damage your binge has done!)

The kind of change you can make depends on what you’ve done in the meantime. If I’ve had a large food binge, I like to do a training session, eat some protein and then fast for 24-36 hours. Not only does this reduce my calorie intake, it also gives my body a break from food for a while.

You’ll lose a lot of water weight that way as well. This can be a great motivator as you see and feel the changes.

If I’ve had a lot of alcohol, I’ll go on a long walk in the fresh air and drink a lot of water - I always find that helps. Alcohol is a diuretic, so it has a dehydrating effect on your body. You need to replace this water. It also impacts your sleep, so a long walk in the fresh air followed by an early night works. Low intensity exercise outside seems to help you sleep well!

This immediate action always helps you to feel better quickly.

Step 4 - get back on plan

Once you’ve taken some quick action, it’s time to get yourself back onto a sustainable plan. That might be a calorie-counting approach, a fasting approach, a high exercise approach. It doesn’t matter what you’re following, it just has to be stuck to.

If you are following a plan, it should allow room for an occasional indulgence. Real life happens - birthdays, parties, social events and so on all have to be factored in. That might mean you ‘save’ calories in the week for a big weekend, or you train extra hard in the build up to your event. As long as you’ve made a plan for the indulgence, you’re good to go.

You just have to remember that weight loss requires a level of denial of indulgence. It’s as simple as that. If you want to lose weight, improve your health etc, you’re going to have to say no occasionally. Saying no to booze or high calorie treats might seem like an issue, but it’ll help your weight loss goals in the long term.

Step 5 - get yourself some professional help!

When you’re undergoing a lifestyle transformation, hiring a personal trainer is the best way to do it. Having a professional who has helped lots of other people do this is a health and fitness cheat code.

When you work with an AdMac Fitness personal trainers you’ll be guided through your lifestyle transformation by the best personal trainers in East London. If you have an event coming up, such as a party or a holiday, you can chat with your personal trainer and they’ll give you strategies that mean you can enjoy yourself without impacting your overall goals!

Working with a personal trainer means you’re in good hands the whole way through your lifestyle transformation, making it easier and more successful than if you went alone!

If you want help with your health, AdMac Fitness is the place to go!

We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health and fitness. With our guidance you can see your health and fitness reach new levels!

For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our locations are…

AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA

AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.

How Many Calories Does Walking Burn? Real Life Data!

In this article on the AdMac Fitness blog, we’re going to do something a little bit different. We’re going to show you some REAL LIFE physical data from a fitness tracker app. We’ll show you a comparison data set between a day of ‘normal’ step count, and a higher step count.

The purpose is to show you the difference walking can make to your fat loss goals.

There’s no other variables in the calorie burn you’re going to see here. No additional training, no other activity. Just an uptick in the amount of steps.

We’ll start with a basic premise…

Walking is very good for you. It helps you to burn a lot of calories. It’s a way of moving with a very low ‘cost’ to the body in terms of impact and recovery requirements. It’s easy to do, it’s accessible (you can do it anywhere), it costs nothing, there’s no kit required, no learning required and no need to go to a particular venue to do it.

Taking those things as fact, let’s look in more detail the impact that walking has on activity levels and calorie burn targets…

We’re told to hit a daily target of 10,000 steps per day. There’s reasonable appreciable science behind this, but what does that look like in real life. Here’s an example of when I hit almost 10k steps…

I burned 3,354 calories that day and was ‘active’ (as in going about my usual day, not lying on the sofa, but not training either) for just over 8 hours. I only hit 50% of my daily activity target with those steps.

Now let’s look at what happens when on the following days, I was accumulating more steps. Again, there’s no training to influence this data - this is purely making a conscious effort to walk more, and accumulate more steps…

See the dramatic difference here.

By roughly doubling the amount of walking I did, I burned an average of nearly 700 extra calories per day. I was only ‘active’ for an extra couple of hours. Remember too, there’s no additional training here. I’m just walking more. Rather than driving to the shop, I’m walking. Rather than taking a lift, I’m taking the stairs. I’m not going on a purposeful walk for the sake of it.

I’m also easily hitting my daily activity target here, without heading out for a workout.

What can we conclude here?

We can draw three major conclusions from this data. In case they don’t jump out at you, I’ll help you with them…

#1 - Walking burns a lot of calories

By increasing the amount of steps I was taking in a day, I was burning around 700 calories per day extra. That’s an intense workout, and when you factor in a calorie deficit from a diet as well, you’re looking at serious weight loss potential.

#2 - Walking is repeatable

This data set is from three consecutive days. There’s no need for an extended recovery time with walking, unlike intense running or resistance training where the tissue damage can be greater. It means you can walk even on your rest days from the gym.

#3 - Walking is ‘stealth’ exercise

This activity was during my day to day life. I didn’t have to make time for it, I just had to make a different decision. Walking over driving, stairs over lifts, that kind of thing. It was merely a consequence of my decision making rather than my training intensity.

Whilst walking will NEVER replace weight training in terms of overall health benefits, my point here is to show you how effective walking can be at helping with a fat loss goal. This could be helpful on your rest days, on days where you might not have time to hit the gym, or times when you’re injured and lifting isn’t possible, but walking is.

Try to hit 15k+ steps per day for the best results.

If you want help with your health, AdMac Fitness is the place to go!

We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health and fitness. With our guidance you can see your health and fitness reach new levels!

For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our locations are…

AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA

AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.