Woodlands Fitness Centre

The Woodlands January 2013 Newsletter

Tuesday 1st January 2013

What's new?

So. It's January. The beginning of a new year. So what is new? We've issued a slightly new class timetable. The design is slightly different so it will fit on 1 side of A4 paper.

All of the main classes - Zumba, Aerobics, Studio Cycling, Body Conditioning, Pilates, Circuits etc - are the same. The last time we made any major changes to the class timetable resulted in music seething and hissing so we will not be making that mistake again.

The major change is the inclusion of 10 x 45 minute group personal training sessions. These are not classes as such so from the 1st February there will be a small additional charge (please see the Group Personal Training sessions article in this newsletter for more information). These sessions will be run as proper personal training sessions for very small groups with the intention of getting maximum results!!!!

If you want to give us your feedback, come and talk to me.

New "Focussed" member scheme

Some of you will remember our 'Focused Member' program, which was created by Matt & Claire Sanderson, the former owners of the Woodlands Fitness Centre.

The Focused Member program was a fairly simple concept: a member who was in need of a slight push would be given to a month of personal training, dietary advice and overall encouragement. The program sadly lost impetus a couple of years ago but it's something we have brought back.

Emily Allanson was our "Focused" member for 6 weeks at the end of last year. Emily lost a very impressive 16 1bs as well as improving her overall strength, fitness and flexibility. So we are now looking for the next "Focussed" members.

Kerrie has started training Cheryl Air, who many of you will know. Harley and I are looking for someone who needs a bit of a push. Don't be shy - if you want some help just come and ask us. Otherwise we'll come and find you - mwahahaha!!!!!

Focussed members will get access to all of the Group Personal Training sessions for free.

Group Personal Training sessions

How would you like to be personally trained every single time you attend Woodlands? Well now you can!!!!

Until the 31st January 2013, we will be trialling 10 Group Personal Training sessions spread out over each day, with sessions in the morning, afternoon and evening.

The sessions will be an appointment controlled personal training system where a Personal Trainer will train 2 - 6 members at a time. The session will not go ahead with less than 2 participants. Sessions will last 45 minutes and are designed for both males and females of mixed ability. The Training Programmes are both themed and personalised as opposed to a typical circuit routine.

The training will predominantly take place in the studio, but some sessions may take place is the gym.

From the 1st February, the cost to take part in these Group Personal Training Sessions will only be an extra £25 a month (only £5.77 per week!!) on your standard membership fee to take part in 10 Group PT sessions each week.

The benefits to you compared to the standard membership package are numerous and include significantly improved results, more motivation, increased attendance, have fun, learn new skills and meet new friends.

The programmes are designed to be progressive, very effective and fun, with the group re-booking at the end of each session.

Remember, you will be personally trained every single visit to the club. The training sessions are designed to be both effective and entertaining with an equal emphasis placed on both. Although you will be part of a group the Personal Trainer will interact both on an individual and group basis.

Please speak to Harley or Giles for more information.

Don't make working out your life.

Okay, so it's January and one of your New Year's Resolutions is to shift some timber. There's nothing wrong with that. As a gym, we actively encourage it. But.....the one issue is that some people hit the gym too hard, too often and they just burn out. So by the end of February, your enthusiasm for the gym has waned and your goals are long forgotten.

So - don't make working out your life. This may not be an issue that applies to everyone, but there are some people that just take it that pinch toooooooo seriously!

Don't make exercising, fitness, running, bodybuilding and working out the whole focus of your life. Have other hobbies and interests outside of the gym. By having other interests and priorities in your life you'll be a more well rounded person. When something is a hobby it is fun, when it becomes an obsession you usually take the fun out of it.

If you are looking for a fun new routine to spice up your workouts and help renew your training motivation then get yourself booked in today. We can give you a workout routine specific for you so you'll never get stuck doing the same old training routine day in and day out.

Steer clear of the fat burning zone

When I talk about 'the magic fat burning zone' I am referring to the misguided perception that to effectively burn fat you should be working out at a spectacularly low intensity which keeps your heart rate rooted to a zone between 30-40% above resting levels.

In this article I want to try and explain why this magic fat burning zone is such a joke. We all derive a proportion of our energy from carbohydrate and a proportion from our fat. Very rarely will we ever derive all your energy exclusively from one source. Energy is normally derived from a combination of the two.

As a general rule the lower the intensity of your exercise you will burn a greater % of fat and the higher intensity you will burn a greater % of carbohydrates. The reason for this is burning fat requires the presence of oxygen.

When you work at high intensities the cardio-vascular system is unable to provide sufficient oxygen to the working muscles to burn a high % of fat. Instead other energy stores that don't require the presence of oxygen to be converted into energy are utilised. Enter carbohydrates.

Ok so you are probably thinking that this means you should be exercising at a lower intensity to burn more fat right? Actually no it doesn't. What really matters is;

1). total Number of Calories burnt per workout;
2). Afterburn Effect of Exercise (known in the Sports Science world as EPOC)

Let me expand on the total Number of Calories burnt per workout. Here are two examples to try and make this clearer. Roger goes for a 30 minute run keeping his heart rate in the fat burning zone. Because Roger worked at such a low intensity he only burnt 400 calories at a ratio of 70:30 (fats : carbs) This means that of his 400 calories, 280 were derived from fat stores.

Scott on the other hand goes for a 30 minute run but does not pay any attention to his heart rate. Instead he performs high intensity intervals where he is going flat out for 30 seconds with 30 seconds active recovery between.

Because Scott worked at such high intensity's during his workout, really pushing himself he burnt a whopping 1,000 calories BUT at a 30:70 ratio (fats: carbs). This means that of his 1,000 calories, 300 were derived from fat stores

So even though Scott was burning calories using fuel comprised primarily of carbohydrates he still burnt more calories using fat than Roger (300 vs. 280) This is because the high intensity of his workout meant that Scott burnt 600 calories more than Roger during his training session. So even though he burnt fat at a lower ratio than Roger, his total fat burnt was greater.

Let me expand on the Afterburn Effect of High Intensity Exercise. Within an hour or two of working out Roger's body and metabolism has returned to normal resting levels (homeostasis). Scott's body (and metabolism) on the other hand may not return to normal resting levels for up to 48 hours because of the high intensity of his workout.

The effect of this is to keep his metabolism artificially high for an extended period of time after working out as the body tries to reset everything to normal. 48 hours of an increase metabolism is going to have a massive effect on the amount of calories Scott is burning, particularly from his fat stores. The net result is Scott is infinitely more successful in his fat burning efforts than Roger, who works hard but gets nowhere. Poor Roger. Poor, poor Roger. Don't let this be you. Always train with INTENSITY.


The Woodlands Fitness Centre Ltd
A: Unit 29, Peak Village Estate, Chatsworth Road, Rowsley, Derbyshire, DE4 2JE
T: (01629) 733 123
E: woodlandsfitness@yahoo.co.uk
W: www.woodlandsfitnessrowsley.co.uk