Woodlands Fitness Centre

The Woodlands Fitness Centre December 2016 Newsletter

Thursday 1st December 2016

What's New?

Hi guys & girls,

Is it really December already?

Christmas opening times are available on reception. Jack Critchlow, our veritable Bob Cratchett, will not be working on Christmas Day. Having previously been visited by 3 ghosts, I've decided to let him have the day off. Although, instead of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, it was actually John Stone covered with a white bed sheet. He thought I wouldn't notice. But I did notice.

This was supposed to have been handled with a reasonable amount of discretion but as is always the case round here, a lot of people know. But in case you don't know, Woodlands Rowsley is becoming Woodlands Darley Dale when we move to our new address:

Unit 27, Molyneux Business Park
Darley Dale
DE4 2HJ

Woodlands Rowsley is currently based in a large unit on a retail park - and the monthly running costs are comparable to the national debt of Uruguay. Covering these costs month in, month out has - at times - been an arduous task and we've decided to move. This new facility offers you many benefits our current facility doesn't offer. For example, the new unit has both heating and air conditioning. If you guys are well behaved, I might even turn them on.

I'm sure there will be countless rumours as to why we're moving - so let me throw a new one into the mix. The reasons are entirely supernatural. Yes. Supernatural.

We've noticed some strange things happening in the gym: cupboard doors opened on their own, furniture would get rearranged and chairs would slide across the kitchen floor. There was one night when all the dumbbells ended up back on the rack. I know, right. Spooky.

These strange happenings were all a bit harmless at first - until Jack Critchlow vanished into a nether world where - oddly - he could only communicate with us through the white noise on the television.

A team of paranormal investigators moved into the gym but the forces that kidnapped Jack were too evil and powerful. We required the services of Lee Tann - a man who has dealt with this situation before. Prior to being a personal trainer, Lee Tann was a demonologist, clairvoyant and exorcist.

Lee preceded Shaggy as Scooby Doo's master and he still has the log book for the Mystery Machine. Having grown tired of Scooby Doo's incessant need for Scooby snacks and ridiculously tall sandwiches, he has now devoted his life to ridding the world of muscular imbalances and postural issues instead of demonic forces and costumed men lurking in disused fairgrounds.

The unit we're moving the gym to is set over 2 floors. The ground floor will accommodate the reception, treadmills, cross-trainers, resistance machines, Hammer strength squat rack, power rack, smith machine, leg press and the changing rooms.

The first floor is a vast open plan space flooded with natural light through windows that actually open. This means the space will be more effectively cooled in the summer months. However, there is heating for the winter months - so we won't all freeze like we do at our existing premises. Imagine that. Warmth.

The first floor space will accommodate a large matted dumbbell area with a new set of cable crossovers. This is the same size as our existing dumbbell area. Other single station cable machines will be added.

The first floor space will accommodate another large matted area for the classes / group personal training sessions. This is the same size as our existing classes / group personal training area. There will be a secondary area for the rowing machines and cardio bikes. We will replace the upright and recumbent cardio bikes. The new premises will have ample parking.

We'll be able to move most of the equipment over in a couple of days. The most used equipment - dumbbells, benches and squat/power racks, classes equipment (kettlebells, studio dumbbells and mats) - will be moved over first thing. Everything else will follow in order of popularity.

We have communicated with certain members to pre-empt the likely ramifications of moving. All of the feedback we've recieved has been immensely positive.

There have, of course, been rumours and gossip. That's inevitable. People talk with such conviction about things they clearly know nothing about. One person has been going round telling people we're getting rid of all the big weights. Seriously? Why would I do that?

We will be moving to our new location on the 15th December. There will be minimal interruption to our normal activities. We'll fit it around Bronwen Adlington's rest days. However, Bronwen has offered to carry all of the gym equipment to its new location. This - she claimed - would be her warm up. Bronwen's current deadlift 1RM is Doncaster.

We'll have completely vacated Unit 29, Peak Village by Christmas. Wendy Hurley's hair salon is staying at Unit 29. Our relocation won't affect her or her customers.

I like the personal training studio business model, which focuses on one-to-one personal training, group personal training and HIIT classes - but I don't like the idea of only being able to use the gym at specific times. With that in mind, WFC will offer both to our members.

In last month's newsletter, I wrote that our group Personal training workout sessions will include varied exercise methods i.e. HIIT, Tabata, AMRAP (As Many Rounds as Possible), EMOM (Every minute, on the minute), EDT (Escalated Density Training) and more. These have been discussed in previous newsletters - but I will cover them again this month.

Here is a list of our new Personal Training options:

60 minute PT sessions (price per week)

3 sessions per week: £63
2 sessions per week: £44
1 session per week: £23

45 minute PT sessions (price per week)

3 sessions per week: £48
2 sessions per week: £34
1 session per week: £18

30 minute PT sessions (price per week)

3 sessions per week: £33
2 sessions per week: £24
1 session per week: £13

ALL of our personal training packages include our Unlimited Shared Personal Training and Gym & Classes membership.

We always want to know what you think of the Woodlands Fitness Centre - the gym, classes, 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,
Giles & Beki


Woodlands Training Methods

This article will be a summary of the some of the main training methods we use at Woodlands.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is an exercise strategy that is intended to improve performance with short training sessions. HIIT is a form of cardio which is beneficial to burning fat in a short and intense workout.

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 jogging or walking.

Tabata is a form of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). It's fairly straightforward: it uses 20 seconds of ultra-intense exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated continuously for 4 minutes (8 cycles). All of Tabata the intervals have to be done at 100% intensity - an absolute flat out effort. You need to perform as much work in each 20 second interval as possible and try to maintain that work rate for the 8 sets.

Escalating Density Training (EDT) is designed to increase your workload in the same timeframe. Training density is the work you're able to do in a given amount of time. If you perform 15 sets of 10 push-ups in 10 minutes, your training density for that that particular movement in a 10 minute timeframe would be 150 repetitions. In other words, training density is the amount of sets multiplied by the number of reps completed within a certain timeframe. The goal is to escalate this density.

Start by alternating between 2 exercises until time runs out. By doing more work than you previously did, even if it's just one repetition, you've increased your training density.

You should pair exercises which target non-competing muscle groups (push/pull, upper/lower or unilateral (left arm/right arm or left leg/right leg). If your goal is to develop your arms then pairing chin-ups and biceps curls will not be the best option. Instead, alternating between chin-ups and dips would allow you to go hard on both exercises without exhaustion on one hindering the other.

With EDT, you won't be stifled by pre-determined rest periods or sets - so you can control your personal workout matrix. You can work anywhere between 5 and 20 reps. Use these guidelines without being bound by them. Explore, tweak and play with the variables.

As Many Rounds as Possible (AMRAP) is a form of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Here are some instructions on how to perform an AMRAP workout:

1). Select one or more exercises for your workout. If you chose more than one, create a small circuit with fixed order and number of reps per exercise.
2). Set a fixed amount of time (typically around 10 minutes). Use a stopwatch.
3). Perform as many rounds as possible in this time period. Good form is, of course, essential.

The time commitment for AMRAP is very small and you can easily manipulate it based on how much time you have available. Of course, the amount of time the workout consists of is going to influence what qualities you are able to target. You can't expect to have lots of maximal strength gains with a workout of 5 minutes or less. The fixed time commitment allows for better scheduling.

HIIT workouts are, in general, great for fat loss. If you are training with AMRAP properly, you are pushing your body to its limits and as a result you will have to use every energy resource available.

AMRAP allows you to target cardiovascular and muscular endurance simultaneously. In typical workouts schemes, muscular endurance and cardiovascular endurance are targeted separately - so you would have to perform different workouts for each.

With AMRAP, tracking your progress is very easy - if you are able to do one more rep in a fixed amount of time, then you have made progress. Whatever type of AMRAP workout you choose to focus on, you are going to lose fat, so it's a great method for most aesthetic based goals.

EMOM (Every Minute on the Minute) is a training protocol where you complete a specific set of movements or exercises every minute, then rest until the end of the minute, then you start again once the next minute starts.

Typically, EMOM workouts will range from 10 to 30 minutes in length. You'll normally do 3 to 5 reps per minute. So, for a 10 minute EMOM, you could do 10 rounds of 5 reps of a designated movement or set of movements.

EMOM Training increases strength endurance, improves both cardio and strength and is effective for burning fat. Like with the other training methods discussed, it is a very time-efficient style of training.

If you need any further information or advice on how to implement these into your training, please come and talk to me.


Beef, stout and chestnut casserole with leek colcannon.

Preparation time: less than 30 mins
Cooking time: over 2 hours
Serves: 6

Beef and stout are a perfect combination. Serve alongside creamy leek colcannon for a hearty supper.

Ingredients for the casserole:

2 heaped tbsp plain flour
1 tsp sea salt flakes
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1kg stewing steak, cut into chunks
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 large onions, peeled, sliced
1 tbsp tomato purée
8 carrots, peeled and cut into discs
2 sticks celery, chopped
500ml beef stock
250ml Irish stout
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tbsp raisins
20 chestnuts, cooked and sliced
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, to serve

For the leek colcannon:

1kg floury potatoes, such as King Edward or Maris Piper, peeled and cut into large chunks
250ml milk
500g leeks, washed and cut into rounds
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp double cream
Sea salt flakes and white pepper

Method:

Preheat the oven to 160C/320F

For the casserole, place the flour in a plastic bag, add the sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and shake to mix together. Add the chunks of stewing steak and toss to coat them in the flour. Jack Critchlow likes this bit. He loves to toss.

Heat a large frying pan over a high heat and add the vegetable oil. Brown the beef in small batches, frying until the beef is golden-brown all over. Transfer each bath of seared beef to a casserole dish and repeat the process as necessary.

Fry the onions in the pan the beef was cooked in for 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened, then stir in the tomato purée and cook for a further two minutes. Transfer the mixture to the casserole dish.

Add the carrots, celery, beef stock, Irish stout, caraway seeds and raisins to the casserole and mix well to combine. Cover the casserole with a lid and cook in the oven for two hours, or until the beef is very tender.

Add the chestnuts and cook for a further 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the leek colcannon, cook the potatoes in a pan of simmering water for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes and set aside.

In a separate pan, bring the milk to a simmer and poach the leeks for 4 to 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain the leeks, reserving a few tablespoons of the milk.

Mash the potatoes and fold in the butter and the cream. Add the leeks and a few tablespoons of the reserved milk and mash together until creamy. Season, to taste, with sea salt and white pepper.

To serve, spoon the beef casserole into serving bowls and spoon the leek colcannon alongside.






Member Achievement 'Shout Out'

The member of the month is Tash Starsmore. Tash uses our Unlimited Group PT package.

Tash said:

"I have been an on/off (due to lots of travelling) member of Woodlands for about 5 years now. I started doing the PT unlimited scheme back in June and since then I have lost 2 1/2 stone and gained so much confidence in myself. Not only does my body look leaner but my posture also is so much better. I couldn't have done it without the help of Jack, Beki and Giles. Their motivation and enthusiasm makes you feel bad if you slack and keeps you motivated to achieve more!"

Well done Tash!

Our Unlimited Shared Personal Training membership is now FREE to ALL our members for the remainder of 2016.


Christmas Smoothie

This smooth, sweet and spicy smoothie is delicious whatever the weather. But if you drink it at any time other than the 12 days of Christmas, Krampus will come to your house and tamper with your socks.

Ingredients:

1 glass of milk
Large scoop of vanilla ice cream
1 banana
1 shot Amaretto
1 shot Kahlua
Small handful crushed ice
Crushed Amaretti biscuits
Cinnamon

Method:

Blitz ingredients in blender, pour into glass and garnish with crushed biscuits and cinnamon. Or throw all of the ingredients into a bucket and scream at them.


Useless Facts

The longest U.S. highway is route 6 starting in Cape Cod, Massachusetts going through 14 states, and ending in Bishop, California.

When Alexander Bell invented the telephone he had 3 missed calls from Fiona Taylor.

The first man to sail solo around the world was Joshua Slocum, who couldn't swim.

When Jean Wright swims in the ocean, the sharks need to be in a steel cage.

It took 20,000 men 22 years to build the Taj Mahal.

Zoe Norman doesn't dial the wrong number. You answered the wrong phone.

Vincent Van Gogh painted a picture every day for the last 70 years of his life.

When Katie Horrod works out she doesn't get stronger; the machine does.



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