Woodlands Fitness Centre

The Woodlands newsletter: Monday 1st July 2020

Wednesday 1st July 2020

Hi,

The Government has indicated that gyms and leisure facilities will reopen from mid-July, subject to final agreement between health officials and our sector.

All businesses should now be open and customers can vote with their feet. The fact that now, all of the nation's favourite places to damage their health and immune system are back open while gyms are to remain closed suggests that maybe the Government has lost its way?

The majority of smaller gyms, independently owned, operate on a business model that is perfect to create a secure environment. We operate what is, in effect, a private members club for fitness.

Our gym is - by design - never rammed and classes / group personal training sessions are limited to just 6 people.

Like many other smaller gyms, we can cater for smaller groups and personal training, control capacity and design the space to ensure social distancing is adhered to quite easily. The bigger "budget" gyms that rely on a high volume of members will struggle.

I hope all of the above makes sense but if you have any questions please come and ask me.

We are offering online coaching, diet plans and workout plans free to all our members. Again, please message with your requirements.

I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has continued with their membership payments to the club. Your amazing support is greatly appreciated.

The income we have received has allowed us to make significant changes while we have been closed, these changes have really improved the club - and you'll see these when we reopen.

We gave our members the following 4 options in regards to their direct debit:

1). Continue to pay your Direct Debit in the normal way, so that your club can retain key staff and continue to invest during this short time. If you are happy with this option, no further action is required by you.

2). Defer your DD for an initial 1 month period, if you choose this option we will respond with a separate email to confirm your next payment date. If the club continues to be closed after this 1 Month term we will contact you again before that payment is due to defer the payment for a further period of time.

3). Continue to pay your DD on the due date, but pay 50% of the monthly amount to support your club.

4). Continue to pay your DD on the due date and the money you pay can be exchanged for 1-2-1 personal training sessions. For example, if you pay £25 per month and we're closed for 2 months, you would get 2 x 45 minute PT sessions. Drop me a message and we can arrange this.

Everybody who sustains their direct debit or standing order (even at 50% of the monthly amount) during this temporary closure will be exempt from all future price increases and will retain any special offers (including our 2-4-1 offer) indefinitely.

Not everybody pays through the same direct debit company. Some people pay by standing order. Please contact me if you're not sure.

As soon as we have more information from the government regarding when we can reopen, we will pass this on to you. I am sure -like us - you are desperate to get back to training in the club.

We know that training at home is not as good as training in the club but don't forget that any member whose payments are live can still have online personal training, either 1-to-1 or in groups.

As we said, we really appreciate all the members that have been able to continue their payments. They have allowed us to invest in the club and ensure we can reopen for you and our staff in the strongest possible position.

If we all abide by the rules the Government will be able to relax these restrictions - and will be hopefully be back to normal.

Stay in touch with us on socials and we will keep you updated.

For any further information please email: woodlandsfitness@yahoo.co.uk.

Yours in fitness,

Giles


The vegan diet for training

The vegan diet has risen in popularity in recent years as an increasing number of people adopt this way of eating for its purported health benefits and ethics surrounding animal treatment.

It has not only attracted the interest of the general population but also that of athletes — including bodybuilders.

Over the next few articles, I will discuss the vegan diet for training, list foods to include and avoid, and provide a sample 5-day meal plan.

So firstly, what is vegan diet for training?

Many of us gym users strive to develop their musculature through intensive resistance training for aesthetic purposes.

Nutrition plays a key role in the process of muscular development. It's generally accepted that for optimal muscle growth to occur, protein intake should be rather high at around 0.7-1.0 grams per pound (1.6-2.2 grams per kg) of body weight per day.

A calorie surplus of 10-20% is also beneficial for gaining muscle mass, especially for those who are not brand new to training.

Traditional training diets include a lot of animal source foods due to their high protein and calorie content.

The vegan bodybuilding diet is devoid of all animal products and higher in protein than traditional vegan diets.

This presents a challenge for bodybuilders following a vegan diet, as plant-based proteins tend to be of lower quality than their animal-based counterparts, which can affect muscle gain.

Therefore, it takes careful planning to ensure sufficient intake of protein, calories, and several micronutrients that a vegan diet may lack.

The vegan bodybuilding diet also changes during different stages of a bodybuilder's life, such as whether they're in their off-season or undergoing contest preparation, when fat loss is common.

The vegan bodybuilding diet is high in fruits, vegetables, and plant-based protein. It excludes all animal-based products and is usually higher in protein than a traditional vegan diet.

I hope all of the above makes sense but if you have any questions please come and ask me.


Anybody for a 5 day split?

I regularly get asked about how to design a split routine, often for a 5 day split.

Two ways to divide your muscle groups:

1). Push / pull
2). Lower / upper

For example:

Push: chest / front delts / middle delts / triceps / calves abs
Pull: back / rear delts / traps / biceps / quads / hams / calves / abs

Calves and abs can be trained on push or pull days. I tend to include quads and hams in the pull day due to the involvement of the lower back muscle in squatting and deadlifting movements.
Lower/upper:

Upper: chest / back / front delts / middle delts / rear delts / traps / biceps / triceps / abs
Lower: quads / hams / calves / abs

So for a 5 day split, you could use either of these configurations:

Upper/lower:
Day 1: Upper (ie back & triceps)
Day 2: Lower: (ie quads & calves)
Day 3: Upper: (ie chest & biceps)
Day 4: Lower (ie hams & calves)
Day 5: Upper (ie front delts / middle delts / rear delts / traps +
biceps & triceps again if you fancy)

Push/pull:
Day 1: Pull (hams & calves)
Day 2: Push (chest)
Day 3: Pull (ie ie quads & calves)
Day 4: Push (front delts, middle delts & triceps):
Day 5: Pull (back, rear delts, traps & biceps).

Or a hybrid of the 2.....

Day 1: Upper pull (ie back, rear delts, traps & biceps)
Day 2: Lower push (ie quads & calves)
Day 3: Upper push (ie chest, front delts, middle delts & triceps)
Day 4: Lower pull (ie hams & calves): Day 5: Upper (any upper body parts you want to train twice - probably arms?).

I would not recommend training more than 3 days in a row - so inserting a rest day between day 3 & 4 would give your body 72 hours between lower body sessions.

My concern with 5 day splits is what happens if life gets in the way and you can only train 3 days. Try to get the most important muscle groups trained in the first 3 workouts.

Mix and match muscle groups however you like based on the above templates.

I hope all of the above makes sense but if you have any questions please come and ask me.


Exercise of the week: The step up

Start by stepping onto the bench with your right foot.
Pushing through the heel, straighten your right leg so you are standing on the bench.
Keeping your right foot still, bend your right knee as you lower your left foot to the floor with your left.
Step off the bench with your right foot.
This completes one rep.
Repeat.
Your right glute should be engaged for the entire set of reps.
That's why it burns!

Do:
30 seconds work.
30 seconds rest.
4 sets (each leg).

To progress the workout, increase the work duration in 5 second increments up to 45 seconds.

Increase the rest period proportionately if required.

I hope the above makes sense but if you have any questions please come and ask me


Paneer korma

Ingredients:


3 tbsp vegetable oil
225g block of paneer, cut into 2cm cubes
1 large onion, roughly chopped
thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled
2 large garlic cloves
5 tbsp korma paste
3 cardamom pods, crushed
70g ground almonds
500ml vegetable stock
150g spinach
100g Greek yogurt
Rice or naan breads, to serve (optional)


Method:

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a deep frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the paneer cubes and fry for 5 mins, turning regularly, so each side is golden brown. Remove with tongs and put on a plate lined with kitchen paper.

Put the onion, ginger and garlic in a food processor with a splash of water and blitz until completely smooth. Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion mixture and a pinch of salt, and fry for 10 mins or until lightly golden. Add the korma paste and cardamom, and fry for 1 min. Stir in the ground almonds and fry for 1 min to make a thick paste.

Add the stock, bring to a simmer and cook for 5-10 mins, uncovered, or until reduced a little. Add the spinach to the sauce and cook for 5 mins. Stir through the yogurt and paneer, and season generously. Serve with rice or warm naan breads.


Enjoy!


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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