Recover quicker from your workouts!

We’ve all had that feeling the day after a hard leg workout or a long run where sitting down and walking up stairs is just no fun! But hey, when you go hard during your workouts, it’s bound to happen now and then. Thankfully, there are a few tried and true strategies you can use to help maximize recovery and minimize muscle soreness/cramping in the following days/sessions.

1)       Water – Muscles are largely made of water, so it makes sense that being hydrated will help your body recover after a session. Make sure you get enough, especially on workout days. If you’re thirsty, you’re probably already dehydrated, so grab that bottle of water and drink up.

2)      Replenish electrolytes – If you’re getting a lot of muscle cramps and spasms, it could be a sign that you’re low in electrolytes – which you lose through sweat during workouts. Waking up in bed each night with those nasty calf and foot cramps is never fun. Two commonly identified electrolytes include magnesium and potassium.

Whole foods are always the best source you to go to for replacing electrolytes. You can get magnesium through green veggies (spinach) or legumes (beans and peas); you can get potassium through bananas, spinach, prunes, and tomatoes. Adding a pinch of sea salt (Himalayan pink sea salt) into each litre of water is a good way to increase your electrolytes through drinking. 

3)      Cool down – Cooling down after a major cardio session helps to reduce the lactic acid that can build up in your muscles during intense workouts. Many experts believe that cooling down after a workout (spinning on a bike for say, 5 minutes and then a 5 minute stretch/roller session) can help to reduce muscle soreness that can occur days after training. 

Liam Barrett and Phil Brown are the Personal Trainers who run personal training company The Fit Scene, who have trained the winning models of the last 3 series of Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model and have special expertise in the fitness training & nutrition requirements of models.

www.thefitscene.com 

5 reasons to do Interval Training

The second installment of those pearls of fitness wisdom from the personal trainers at The Fit Scene - this week: why Interval Training is the secret weapon to get a hot bikini body...

        

 


Interval Training  - a workout repeatedly alternating between short bursts of high-intensity and low-intensity exercise.

It’s that time of year when everyone is trying to get themselves back in shape for the summer and hopefully if you’re reading this, you're not one of the shockingly high 70% of the public who has already given up on their new year's fitness goals.

Even after being in the industry for coming up 5 years, I still find it bewildering the sudden influx of people around January and June. I myself view fitness and exercise with the same principal as sleep. It’s just a part of life, that will positively impact everything else.

One thing which I see year in and year out, which has unfortunately not been put to rest, is people spending far too long on cardio machines. This principal of monotonously plodding away on a treadmill for 20-30 minute is unfortunately still present in most gyms. And unless you’re wanting to run endurance events/marathons, is a bit of a waste of time. 

When it comes to getting in shape of course, any kind of exercise is going to be good for you and is certainly better than not doing any at all! However if losing body fat and toning is the goal you’re aiming for, running for short-medium periods, is going to lead to a lack of results and eventually discouragement leading finally to giving up all together.

So do yourselves a favour and have a quick read of the 5 reasons below why interval training is going to be better for you. And hopefully will help you achieve those elusive summer (or even lifetime) goals you've set for yourself.

1 – It’s Quick!
Because you’re going through 4-6 rounds of jogging and then full on sprints, you don’t need to spend very long doing it. So it’s perfect for the majority of people who are time poor.

2 – Burns more calories!
Using this system of training means you flick between your aerobic and anaerobic energy system. This makes your body burn more Calories!

3 – Increases metabolic rate!
Interval training increases growth hormone secretion, leading to increased fat burning potential, and a heightened metabolic rate for 24-48 hours after training.

4 – Improves Insulin sensitivity!
Interval training as well as high intensity aerobic training improves cells' insulin sensitivity, making it harder for you to store fat in adipose (fat-storing) tissue.

5 - It's more Fun!
Rather than staring at the wall endlessly on the treadmill, interval
training can be much more imaginative where one session can be completely
different to the last. The chances for longer term well-being increases as
your boredom levels are lower than normal.

Liam Barrett and Phil Brown are the Personal Trainers who run personal training company The Fit Scene, who have trained the winning models of the last 3 series of Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model and have special expertise in the fitness training & nutrition requirements of models.

www.thefitscene.com 

Flattening that Stomach!

Introducing the first article in our fitness series, the personal trainers from The Fit Scene give you their top tips for achieving the perfect, toned stomach: 

The area that everyone has an issue with, hands down is getting that flat

toned stomach. Guys and girls alike, time after time, come to us and ask
how do I get a flat stomach?

Here are our 5 tips below:

1) DON’T JUST TRAIN YOUR ABS!

This is a common mistake, ever wondered why big built guys walking around
the gym, look like they are constantly hunched over? It’s because they
are! If you only train your main abdominal wall, then the muscles are
tighter than the rest of your core complex; leading to you being hunched
after a prolonged period of time. This can also leave a weaker core and
lengthened posterior chain (back muscles).

2) THINK OF YOUR ‘CORE’ AS A CYLINDRICAL BLOCK OF MUSCLE.

So what's the reason for training the entire core not just the main
abdominal wall?
The core is the building base for the entire body, so training only a 1/4
of it may make your front look great but won’t help with achieving the
full package.
Training all sides of the core will lead to a better base for anything you
want to do with your body including  - running faster, lifting bigger,
looking taller, jumping higher…… literally everything!

3) THE DREADED SPARE TYRE!

The body will keep its most vital organs protected to the fullest extent,
as long as it possibly can. Ever wondered why you can’t shift that last
bit of fat that sits round your stomach (sometimes referred to as the
spare tyre)? It’s because your body is protecting its vital organs. This
is the last place that it will go from!
In honesty if this is the only place you’re holding fat, you're doing a
pretty good job already!

4) NUTRITION! NUTRITION! NUTRITION!

You can do as many sit-ups as you want, without lowering your body fat
percentage, you’ll never see your abdominal muscles!
By lowering your carbohydrate intake your body will naturally resort to
using fat stores as energy. So opt for a high protein, low carbs nutrition
plan. This along with a high intensity cardio based workout program will
allow those ever allusive abs to start saying hello!

5) FOUR GOOD CORE EXERCISES

- Full range sit-ups on a BOSU. (Main abdominal wall)
- Side raises on a Swiss-Ball (obliques and sarratus anterior)
- Plank (all cylindrical core muscles)
- Skydivers (multifidus/ TVA)

Liam Barrett and Phil Brown are the Personal Trainers who run personal training company The Fit Scene, who have trained the winning models of the last 3 series of Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model and have special expertise in the fitness training & nutrition requirements of models.

www.thefitscene.com