Interval Training 2 (Duration Approximately 25 minutes)

Go to your local park, common or athletics ground or anywhere that has a hill or set of steps.

Jog around for 5-10 minutes performing mobilisation exercises (shoulder circles, heel flicks etc) and short controlled sprints (10-20 metres / 18 yard line on a football pitch) to fully warm up.

For beginners even a few steps 10-20 or a hill with a slight gradient will be beneficial to start off with and overtime you can make it progressively harder.

The more advanced your fitness the steeper or longer the hill should be or the more steps you should run up.

Once ready perform a 50% warm up sprint to the top of the steps / hill so that you familiarise yourself with the area and watch out for any potential trip hazards.

Then as active recovery jog or slow walk back down to the bottom making sure that you’ve rested for 60-90 seconds.

Then perform a 75% sprint to the top of the steps / hill and same recovery time on way down.

Then after that depending on your fitness level perform 15-20 minutes of step / hill sprints.

For beginners keep the sprints around 75-80% of maximum effort and for advanced exercisers go for 95-100% of maximum effort every time and adjust your recovery levels accordingly.

You’ll most probably become a bit slower and more tired towards the end of the sprints but still try to work hard.

Afterwards perform a good controlled cool down and stretch and if you want to make the session longer then combine with a continuous / steady state jog afterwards or sit ups, weights etc.

Fitness Training All Year Round

Well done to all my outdoor boot camp members’ and one to one personal training clients who continued their fitness training through the coldest winter in 30 years.

It’s very beneficial to train all year round. Some people slow down and don’t do as much during the winter which means they have to work a lot harder in spring and summertime to get their fitness back up. It’s also good to train in all seasons as your body’s immune system becomes stronger and you’re less likely to catch common colds.

When you train in the winter you burn more calories from your body trying to keep warm and when you get a bit wet from the rain you also burn more calories as your body tries to evaporate the water that is on your skin.

Boot camps last for 45 minutes and after the warm up everyone soon warms up and most people end up removing a few layers of clothes. 45 minutes of work for boot camp or 60 minutes for personal training then a short walk, jog, cycle or drive and you’re back home in the shower!

This is the first winter that I have ever done any outdoor training on snow and I have to say I enjoyed it a lot. The snow was dry, crisp and clean and was good to jog and sprint on and actually made the sessions a bit more challenging as the leg muscles have to work harder to move through the snow. My members and clients who turned up said they enjoyed the sessions too!

Berry Boy Smoothie

Decadent and delicious.

- 150g strawberries, hulled and chopped
- 150g raspberries
- 150g blackberries
- 300 ml apple juice
- Crushed ice to serve
- Extra raspberries and blackberries to garnish

Place all of the fruits and juice in the blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass over ice and garnish with raspberries and blackberries.

Burn Calories Even When You’re Resting!

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a specific type of interval training routine. It is mostly used for individuals trying to lose weight. It has a number of distinct goals and differences which make it unique.

It’s basically circuit training which takes your body out of its comfort zone helping you to achieve your results whatever they may be (weight loss, fat loss, body toning, pre ski training, sports specific training, general health and fitness...).

People of any fitness levels can perform circuit training as there are different ways and different intensities to perform all exercises and people can work to their own ability.

It could consist of many different exercises such as squats, lunges, squat jumps, squat thrusts, ski sits, calf raises, leg swings, short sprints, long sprints, sprints on the spot, wall press-ups, bench press-ups, box press-ups, tricep dips, static tricep holds, crunches, sit-ups, seated crunches, v-sits, flutter kicks, twists, side bends, jumping jacks, step-ups, mountain climbers, static stomach holds, planks, side planks, hip raises, superman dorsal raises, resistance exercises using a partner and the list goes on and on bringing equipment into the equation.

After circuit training you accumulate something known as EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). This leaves your body regenerating for 24-48 hours after the actual workout, which elevates your metabolism, so you burn more calories (fat), even when you are doing nothing!

HIIT and circuit training has been proven to be more beneficial than conventional stop start gym workouts and continuous exercise like cycling, swimming and jogging.

Quote of the Day

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” Anthony Robbins

New Years Resolutions

Happy New Year! Hope you had a great time over the Christmas holidays and still managed to exercise a few times a week.

For my New Years Resolutions this year I have decided to give up Chocolate, Crisps, Alcohol, Ice Cream and Chips for a month.

I'm 4 days in and going strong hehe.

We have had 2 dinner parties so far this year and I have said NO to the dorito crisps, after eight mints, ice cream, the beer and wine...

Instead I have increased my fruit intake for a few extra healthy snacks anytime I feel the urge to grab a chocolate bar or packet of crisps.

One month isn't a long time and it's going fast already, all I need to do is stay disciplined and not let any lazy snacking habits creep in which I'm sure I can do as I'm not missing any of the above so far.

Good luck with your New Years Resolutions whatever they may be :)