Woodlands Fitness Centre

The Woodlands newsletter: Monday 4th February 2019

Monday 4th February 2019

Hi,

I was recently asked how the group personal training sessions worked if there are up to 6-8 people per session. Well. Good question. Training a group of people simultaneously, particularly if they have differing needs, can be somewhat arduous, like trying to bath 3 Labradors at the same time; you've anchored down 2 but the 3rd has escaped your clutches and is now downstairs trying to log onto your Bet365 account. Quite why, nobody knows. Maybe Labradors like gambling.

But anyway, I digress. So...there are many tools I use for my 1-to-1 and group personal training sessions. One of which is my Time Limit training method, which is similar to AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) and Escalating Density Training. The premise is simple: you have to complete a number of reps of 1 or more exercises within a fixed time period.

This subject is explored later in our article: Time Limit Training

When it comes to training, do you know where to start? Knowing how to set up a complete exercise schedule that includes all the activities you need to do - weight training, cardio and flexibility - can be overwhelming. Add the time and knowledge it takes to choose exercises, weights, reps and sets and you may quit before you even start.

This is where a personal trainer can be the biggest help. He can help you maximize your time while keeping you within your own limits so you don't overdo it. He can also help you set goals and map out a specific schedule so you know when, how and where you'll fit in your workouts.

The Woodlands Fitness Centre Group Personal Training membership includes:

✔ 32 x PT sessions available every week.
✔Sessions can be used to burn fat, get fit and build lean muscle.
✔ Groups include HIIT, kettlebells, barbells, dumbbells and bodyweight exercises
✔ Max 6-8 people per session
✔ Come to as many sessions as you like
✔ Prices from £6.92 per week (Paid monthly)
✔ No contract options available

Each session will be a proper personal training session. These sessions will push you far harder than training on your own. So you'll get much better results.

Group Training membership prices:

Joint/Student:
£30pm for 12 months, £35pm for 3 months and £40pm for 1 month.

Single:
£35pm for 12 months, £40pm for 3 months and £45pm for 1 month.

Here is a list of our group training sessions:

http://www.woodlandsfitnessrowsley.co.uk/group-exercise

Gym Only:

Single: £23pm for 12 months, £25pm for 3 months and £27pm for 1 month.
Joint/Student: £22pm for 12 months, £24pm for 3 months and £26pm for 1 month.

PT prices:

Here are a few examples of our most popular PT packages:

8 x 30 minute PT sessions
£112

4 x 45 minute PT sessions
£80

4 x 60 minute PT sessions
£107

All sessions must be used within 4 weeks. We use time limits with our personal training packages to encourage frequent and consistent training. Packages can be designed to your individual needs. We can adjust the time limits in advance to take into account holidays, business trips, etc.

All of our PT packages include full gym & classes membership.

Opening Hours:

Monday: 7.30am - 9.00pm
Tuesday: 9.00am - 9.00pm
Wednesday: 7.30am - 9.00pm
Thursday: 9.00am - 9.00pm
Friday: 7.30am - 8.00pm
Saturday: 8.00am - 2.00pm
Sunday 8.00am - 2.00pm

We always want to know what you think of the Woodlands Fitness Centre - the gym, prices, personal training, group personal training, and anything else. Please speak to us at the gym, email any feedback and suggestions to the email address at the end of this newsletter.

Thanks,

GW

Time Limit Training

A 45 minute group PT session can consist of a warm up plus several 5 minute mini-workouts. Everyone in the group could be doing different workouts or the same workout, depending on the participants. We coach people according to their abilities - so there isn't really one method per se.

If you keep your rest periods short, weight training is a form of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training).

HIIT sessions typically vary from 4 to 20 minutes. The original protocol set a 2:1 ratio for work to recovery periods. For example, you could alternate 20 seconds of hard sprinting with 10 seconds of rest.

Tabata is a form of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). It's fairly straightforward: it uses 20 seconds of exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated continuously for 8 cycles, totalling 4 minutes. The total rest period (8 cycles x 10 seconds) is 80 seconds, which is 50% of the exercise period (8 cycles x 20 seconds = 160 seconds).

Using the time limit training methods, I use a comparable work: rest ratio. So a 5 minute (300 seconds) period equates 200 seconds of work and 100 seconds rest. This 200 seconds of work could be 100 reps at a 1/0/1/0 tempo, 66 reps at a 1/02/0 tempo or 33 reps at a 1/05/0 tempo.

This style of training isn't just for cardio; it can be adapted to any exercise for any muscle group.

A 2-0-1-0 tempo is one of the most common tempos you'll see in my workout routines. Not only are they very all-encompassing, but I throw them in to remind people that we should always be in control of our lifts. Even when training for maximal speed, we should still be under control.

What does a 2-0-1-0 tempo actually mean?

2 is the eccentric portion or the negative.
0 is the bottom portion in a stretched position
1 is the concentric or lifting portion
0 is the contracted position

Each rep would take a total of 3 seconds.

The best way to get more out of your workouts is to set a time limit for yourself. Racing the clock forces you to work harder, faster, and more efficiently. Every second counts. This is what Time Limit Training is all about: Pick a period of time and get the best workout possible before the clock runs out.

Set a time limit, typically 3 to 10 minutes. Pick a single exercise or exercises for two different body parts that don't compete with each other. For example, you can do push/pull (chest then back), lower/upper (legs then shoulders) or unilateral (right leg then left leg).

Choose an exercise for each body part. Pick a weight that allows you to do a desired number of reps for each. Rest as little as possible between sets. Go a few reps short of failure on every set to preserve your strength.

Continue until the time limit is up. Make note of the rest periods you took between sets and the total number of reps you performed. The next time you repeat the workout, try to improve your performance without extending the time frame.

Your goal is to increase the overall work load. Consistently and gradually increase that amount of work. When you do, muscle will grow. Metabolism will increase. Calories will be burned. You'll have a leaner, more muscular body.

You have a lot of flexibility with this type of training as you get to choose the parameters (sets, reps, rest) based on what's best for you. What is a must with this system is that you choose two antagonistic or opposing exercises within each time limit.

Assuming a 10 minute work period and the aforementioned work: rest ratio, you might want to aim for an aggregate total of about 130 reps. So, if I were doing bench press and dumbbell row as a superset, I would be aiming for about 65 reps for each exercise in a 10 minute time limit. If you can't hit this total rep range then lower the weight.

The possibilities are endless. You can use it to improve conditioning, strength, mass, and even as a metabolic conditioning type workout to get your metabolism working more efficiently.

The time limit means you won't be able to lose focus during your rest periods. You're ruled by the clock - which pushes the intensity for the cardiovascular system.

I'm sure all of the above makes sense but if you have any questions please come and ask me. Or just try one of the group personal training sessions.

If you need any further information or advice, please come and talk to me.


Vegan ramen

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves
Thumb-sized piece ginger, sliced, plus a few slices cut into fine matchsticks to serve (optional)
1½ tbsp white miso paste
1 tbsp neri goma (white sesame paste) or tahini
15g dried shiitake mushrooms
1l good-quality vegan stock
2 tbsp soy sauce
Soy sauce
200g firm tofu, cut into chunky cubes
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp veg or sunflower oil
Sunflower oil
100g (2 x nests) ramen or rice noodles
1 head pak choi, quartered
2 spring onions, finely sliced, white and green parts kept separate
25g ready-to-eat beansprouts
1 carrot, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks
Sesame oil, sriracha, chopped coriander, crushed peanuts, crumbled sheets of nori or dried chilli threads (silgochu), to serve (optional)

Method:

Crush the garlic with the back of a big knife, then put it in a saucepan with the ginger, miso, neri goma, mushrooms, stock and soy. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and bubble for 5 mins until the ginger is soft. Strain into a clean pan and discard everything left in the strainer.

Meanwhile, cook the tofu. Toss it in the corn flour and heat the oil in a frying pan. Fry for a few mins on each side, being careful as you turn it that it doesn't fall apart. Cook the noodles for 1 min less than pack instructions, so they retain a little bite. Drain and leave in the pan with a little cooking water so they don't stick together.

Add the pak choi and whites of the spring onions to the broth and gently reheat for 1-2 mins until the greens have just wilted.

Divide the noodles between two deep bowls, ladle over the broth and veg. Top with the tofu, beansprouts, carrot and ginger matchsticks, green parts of the spring onions and a drizzle of sesame oil, plus the other toppings, if you like.

Enjoy!


Useless Facts

Hong Kong holds the most Rolls Royce's per capita.

Niall Rhodes runs Windows Vista on his Etch-a-Sketch.

Average number of days a West German goes without washing his underwear: 7

Examination of recently discovered texts indicates that Sara Land first invented the slinky.

WWII fighter pilots in the South Pacific armed their airplanes while stationed with .50 caliber machine gun ammo belts measuring 27 feet before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, he went through "the whole 9 yards", hence the term.




The Woodlands Fitness Centre Ltd
A: Unit 27, Molyneux Business Park, Darley Dale, Derbyshire, DE4 2HJ
T: (01629) 733 123
E: woodlandsfitness@yahoo.co.uk
W: www.woodlandsfitnessrowsley.co.uk