Woodlands Fitness Centre

The Woodlands Fitness Centre September 2015 Newsletter

Tuesday 1st September 2015

What's New?

Hi guys & girls,

Well what's new in September? Well according to Tash Starsmore, the jokes in our "very punny" section aren't very funny. This is hardly an eye opener for many of you who have been rolling your eyes at our appalling jokes since March 2013. So, as the "very punny" section's swan song, here is one final joke:

I went to the zoo the other day; there was only one dog in it.

It was a shitzu.

The August 2015 newsletter was only written a few days. Since then I have moved forwards with some of my plans. I met with JT (Jacqueline Thhhhhhefaut) and we have discussed her coming back to Woodlands to teach Zumba, Zumba Tone, Zumba Step and Kettlebells. She also provided some advice on the next Woodlands timetable. Following some of her advice, we will be offering HIIT, HIIRT, Bootcamp and Combat style classes. I'm still not sure about Bokwa though. I'm also meeting with another former instructor to discuss her availability.

If you missed the Woodlands August Newsletter, here's a link:

http://www.woodlandsfitnessrowsley.co.uk/blog?aid=5745

By the time I actually finish writing this newsletter some of my plans will have been completed or be underway. However, I am keeping a few of my plans close to my chest at the moment - but my priorities are to redecorate and upgrade the club and improve the class/group personal training area, which will include a far superior floor. I will also be screening this area off from the remainder of the gym. There will be some strategically positioned fans. The fans are currently strategically positioned in Argos (the catalogue retailer with the little betting shop pens and not the city and a former municipality in Greece).

We're also going to be offering shared personal training sessions at Woodlands. We've been doing joint personal training sessions at Woodlands for a while but we've never really promoted them. If you would you like to hire a personal trainer but don't want to train alone or maybe can't afford one then why not share sessions with friends and share the expense? I've listed some options in the special offers section at the end of this newsletter.

Last month I wrote about full body workouts. This is something some of the weight lifters do and have benefited from. However, the majority of the weight lifters stick to a "bro split" where they train 1 or 2 body parts each gym session. A typical split routine would be along the lines of:

Monday: Chest (obviously!)
Tuesday: Back
Wednesday: Shoulders
Thursday: Legs/chest again
Friday: Arms
Saturday: rest
Sunday: rest/hangover

Do you do this kind of split? Be honest with yourself now - are you satisfied with how your training is going?

In the past most bodybuilders trained each bodypart three times per week. It's worth noting that many lifters of that era trained primarily for strength - the size gains were more of a 'side-effect' of the training, rather than being such an explicit goal. Still, there is a point to be made that training for strength gains (plus sufficient food) tends to result in size gains. Whether or not they are a 'side-effect' or however you want to look at it doesn't change the overall success of that approach. Put into simple terms, if you get stronger and consume sufficient calories you will grow.

Typical arguments for a higher frequency of training revolve around gene expression and keeping the genes involved in hypertrophy running more constantly by training at a higher frequency.

Typically full body workouts ranging from as few as three exercises per workout to as many as perhaps 8 to 10 depending on the specific implementation are performed with this type of training.

An additional potential benefit to a higher frequency of training, and this is especially true for beginning training, is that performing movements more frequently tends to improve motor learning. And since a majority of the adaptations that occur initially to training are neural in nature, the faster you can get through them adaptation, the sooner you can get into real growth.

So I can provide a balanced argument for this type of training, please be advised that there are a few downsides. Once trainees start handling heavy loads, full body workouts can become incredibly difficult to complete: the loading used in exercises done early in the workout tend to severely limit what can be done later in the workout and something invariably suffers.

This is especially true if heavy leg training is done at the beginning of the workout: this often leaves minimal energy for the rest of the workout.

There is an optimal training volume per muscle group - and there are some who doubt that achieving that volume in a full body workout tends to become nearly impossible without the workout being really long.

What is the optimal training volume per muscle group? Well it depends on the muscle group. Legs, back and chest require more volume than shoulders, biceps and triceps.

The optimal volume range for most people is:

For each bigger muscle group (legs, chest, back and shoulders): about 60 to 120 total reps PER WEEK.

For each smaller muscle group (biceps and triceps): about 30 to 60 total reps PER WEEK.

I prefer to think of it in terms of sets, so if I range between 5 to 10 reps per set, I would do 8 to 16 sets for a bigger muscle group and 4 to 8 sets for a smaller muscle group per week. This is your total weekly volume irrespective of how many times you train each muscle. For example (based on the average volume for a bigger muscle group):

1 x per week: 12 sets per workout
2 x per week: 6 sets per workout
3 x per week: 4 sets per workout

Hanson "Mmmm Bop" Stevens, who got mentioned in last month's newsletter, has switched from his "bro split" to a full body workout and he's already noticed significant increases in the poundage


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

Thanks,
Giles


Dieting properly!

Before you ask: no, this is not another article about the Paleo diet. Although the Paleo diet is awesome and works really well.

So, how do you diet properly? In theory losing weight is simple; we need to create a calorific deficit which means burn off more calories than we take in. However, losing weight and losing fat are two very different things and can easily get mixed up.

The majority of people are impatient and want to lose weight fast. Since they have little or no knowledge of diet, nutrition and how metabolism works, they think that by starving themselves, or eating as little as possible will make them lose fat quickly and give them the body they desire.

While this attitude will result in a quick weight drop, most of the weight lost will be water, muscle and a very small portion of fat.

When we eat food in the form of carbohydrates, our bodies will either do one of three things in this particular order:

1). Burn off the carbohydrates immediately for energy
2). Replenish glycogen stores in the liver and muscle tissue
3). Convert the carbohydrate into fat and store for later use (continued on next page)

The above is a very simplistic view. If we restrict carbohydrate intake, our body begins to use its own supply of stored carbohydrate (glycogen) and convert it into glucose for energy. Therefore, our glycogen stores begin to decrease.

For every 1g of glycogen burned off, 3g of water is lost. This can result in a steep drop in weight rather quickly.
The next point to consider is the breakdown of muscle tissue. There are 9 essential amino acids which our body can't synthesize so they must be sourced through diet.

In order for muscle maintenance and tissue turnover to take place, amino acids must be present otherwise muscle breakdown will occur.
Since carbohydrate stores are low the body converts amino acids into glucose via gluconeogenesis which takes place in the liver. This will also result in loss of lean body mass.

Here is where the vicious cycle begins. Since muscle burns more calories and to some extent controls the speed of your metabolism, as your muscle mass decreases, your calorie needs also decrease and your metabolism slows down.

After just a few days of heavily restricted calorie intake, your body will go into starvation mode in order to survive, which means it will hold on to its fuel supplies (fat) for dear life.

Diet is the most important factor in losing excess unwanted fat. In order for our body to let go of stubborn fat stores it must be given the right nutrients at the right time.

Following these simple steps will help you to build yourself a healthier diet and lose fat:

1). Try to eat 6 to 8 small meals per day. This will speed up our metabolism
2). Limit carbohydrate intake to fibre and wholegrain sources except for simple carbohydrates around workout times
3). Eat protein with each meal. Since protein takes more calories to break down this will result in an increased metabolic rate and prevent the breakdown of lean body mass
4). Try to get a varied intake of proteins to avoid lack of certain amino acids
5). Try to get a healthy source of fat in each meal except for around training times
6). Eat a source of fruit or vegetable with each meal
7). Avoid fizzy, sugary drinks

For more information about our effective weight management courses please come and speak to me.






Time and Tension (TUT)

This is normally John Stone's area of expertise - but I think I should be able to explain it. Let me know if I've missed anything out please John.

One thing I see quite frequently in the gym is people lifting weights far too quickly. Muscles can't count repetitions; they respond to intensity and duration. Muscles understand time. And they understand tension.

What I'm saying is that if you focus on a specific range of seconds, you'll challenge your muscles in an entirely new way.

Reps, sets and rest time are important acute variables in your workout - but the total amount of time you spend actually doing each set of an exercise can also be critical to reaching your training goals.

Time under tension (TUT) is a way of calculating the total amount of work you place on a muscle. It refers to the total time a muscle resists weight during each set.

For example, if you did the barbell curl and it took you two seconds to curl the weight up and another two seconds to lower it, that's four seconds of tension per rep.

Performing 10 reps at this pace would take a total of 40 seconds. Therefore, the TUT for that set is 40 seconds. If you increased the speed of those reps to about three seconds, then it would take you only 30 seconds to complete a 10 rep set.

Although the reps and weight are the same, the second set might not increase your muscle mass to the same level as the first. And that's the basis of TUT training: focus on sets that last for a certain amount of time based on your training goals.

Evidence suggests that the best TUT ranges are 4 to 20 seconds for maximising strength, 40 to 60 seconds for muscle mass and 70 to 100 seconds for muscle endurance. To monitor your rep speed and total TUT for every set, you need to watch the clock.

Regardless of your training goals, it's important to vary your reps and TUT times within the range of your goal so you don't get stuck in a rut. Make weekly modifications.

Each week, change the number of reps you perform per set and the time it takes to complete each rep. If you continue to modify your routine this way, then monitoring your training with the TUT principle can be done indefinitely.

Remember, you won't achieve the desired goals without adequate nutrition and recovery time. The correct diet is a must.

For more information about time under tension and how to apply it to your workout please come and speak to me.




SPECIAL OFFERS

1-to-1 personal training:

4 x 60 minute personal training sessions

ONLY £91
Normal price £110
SAVE £19




4 x 45 minute shared personal training sessions

ONLY £57 each
Normal price £68
SAVE £11


8 x 30 minute personal training sessions

ONLY £91
Normal price £110
SAVE £19


Shared Personal Training:

Train with a friend and share the cost!

The Woodlands Fitness Centre offers Shared Personal Training. If you don't feel like working out alone, why not increase the social aspect of working out by grabbing a friend and workout in together? We can design shared personal training sessions for groups of two to include partner exercises and fun activities for competition.

4 x 60 minute shared personal training sessions

ONLY £69 each
Normal price £82
SAVE £13


4 x 45 minute shared personal training sessions

ONLY £57 each
Normal price £68
SAVE £11




8 x 30 minute shared personal training sessions

ONLY £69 each
Normal price £82
SAVE £13


Supplements:

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1 x NRG CEE 515mg (Creatine Ethyl Ester): 180 Caps

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RRP £84
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For more special offers please click on this link:

http://www.woodlandsfitnessrowsley.co.uk/special-offers



Useless Facts

The first telephones did not have bells and were connected all the time. In order to attract the attention of someone on the other side of the line, one would have to yell, "Ahoy!" into the receiver.

However, when Alexander Bell invented the telephone he had 3 missed calls from Jack Critchlow.

Jack Critchlow has never dialled the wrong number. You answered the wrong phone.

After publishing his famous dictionary, Noah Webster rewrote the bible, replacing all the words he considered were "naughty".

A nepheligenous is someone filling a room with tobacco smoke.

Van Gogh sold only one painting during his life.

When Jack Critchlow swims in the ocean, the sharks have to be in a steel cage.

In the original Star Trek series Captain Kirk's middle name was Tiberius.



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