Woodlands Fitness Centre

Hi, I see too many people using isolation movements for weight loss. Why? You should focus on compound movements. These are movements which work multiple muscle groups through multiple joint actions and because you're using multiple muscle groups you can generate a lot more strength and power, which in turn means you can lift more and burn more calories. This means your focus should be on exercises like the following: Bench presses - incline or flat Shoulder presses - standing or seated Deadlifts - conventional, Romanian, trap bar, sumo Rows - bent over, Pendley, single arm Squats - lunges, pistols, step ups, leg press Pull-ups, chin ups or pull-downs. Dips When training in a calorie deficit you're training goal should be at a minimum to maintain your strength, but what rep…

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Hi, Train using heavier weights. This is a must. Don't make the mistake of jumping on the 'light weights burn fat' bandwagon. Why? Because this propels you down the path to fat and muscle loss - which will leave you looking small, feeling weak and quite frankly being skinny fat. You know, the not enough muscle to be lean but also too much fat to lean look skinny look. Skinny fat. If you don't want your body to think you don't need your muscle mass and start using it for fuel you need to give it a reason to hold on to it. If you don't give your body a reason to hold on to muscle mass, your body will start…

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Hi, Weight loss clubs etc are reliant on you achieving substantial weight loss. People incorrectly look at body transformational success in terms of weight loss and these achievements get lots of likes on social media, which in turn makes the Weight loss facilitator look good. Hence why many might be so keen to perpetuate these misconceptions. For some weight loss facilitators, weight lifting is the enemy. Maintaining muscle slows down weight loss - which makes their results less impressive. We all know muscle weighs more than fat and at 600 calories per Ib (compared to fat being 3,500 calories per Ib), its much easier to get rid of. Weight loss isn't just fat loss; it will include water and muscle loss.…

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Hi, Do you keep losing your muscle when dieting? This is because you're not maintain your muscle when eating, and training in a calorie deficit. The best training program in the world is absolutely worthless without the will to execute it properly, consistently, and with intensity. It's like every time you try and lose body fat you just end up skinny, or worse, skinny fat. Stuck in some no-man's-land between where you want to be and where you are. You think you're doing everything right - but now you're just not sure. It's tempting to pack it all in and give up, but you didn't get into this fitness game just to give up and walk away when things don't go your way. You're here…

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Hi, Many diet programs out there don't address the psychological aspect of why people fail to be successful with long term weight loss. However, quite a few studies exist that have looked at just that. In many respects, the psychological aspect is the most important for long term weight loss, and probably the most underappreciated component. Studies that compare the psychological characteristics of people who have successfully kept the weight off to people who have regained the weight, see clear differences between these two groups. For example, one study that looked at 28 obese people who had lost weight but regained the weight that they had lost, compared to 28 formerly obese people who had lost weight and maintained their weight for…

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Hi, Any exercise is better than no exercise. However, like diet plans, not all exercise is created equal. I've talked / ranted about this extensively over the years. However, many people often choose the wrong form of exercise to maximize their efforts to lose weight. Some people will do cardio exclusively and ignore resistance training. Resistance training is an essential component of fat loss, as it builds muscle essential to your metabolism, increases 24 hour energy expenditure, and has health benefits beyond just doing cardio. Think about it; if you do any form of exercise whilst watching the latest episode of Stranger Things then are you really doing much. A personal trainer can Help With Your Unique Requirements. Everybody is different -…

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Hi, People who have successfully kept the weight off overwhelmingly have incorporated exercise (especially resistance training) into their lives - and in my experience, the people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off invariably find these people were consistent with their diet and exercise plans. I am not going to list all the benefits of regular exercise here (recent newsletters and social media posts cover this topic!) - but regular exercise has positive effects on your metabolism, allows you to eat more calories yet still be in a calorie deficit. This will help you to preserve lean body mass - which is essential to your health and metabolism. The many health benefits of regular exercise are well known, so I…

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Hi, Diet plans that offer weight loss by drinking their product for several meals followed by a "sensible dinner;" diets that allow you to eat their special cookies for most meals along with their pre-planned menu; or diets that attempt to have you eating their bars, drink, or pre-made meals, are of the diet A variety covered above. They're easy to follow but destined for failure, long term. They all fail the "Can I eat that way for the rest of my life?" test, unless you really think you can eat cookies and shakes for the rest of your life. Bottom line here is, if the nutritional approach you use to lose weight, be it from a book, a class, a clinic,…

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Hi, The first newsletter I wrote after we moved to our new location listed all of the equipment we'd brought with us. Since then, I've consistently been adding new equipment. Today, 7 new pairs of Technogym dumbbells have been delivered so we now have 2 well equipped dumbbell areas: downstairs, there are 2 flat/incline benches with Jordans dumbbells from 10kg to 52.5kg. Upstairs, in a large matted area, there are 3 flat/incline benches and 28 pairs of dumbbell pairs from 1kg to 42.5kg. The ground floor space accommodates the majority of our weight lifting equipment. This includes: 1) Nytram Leg press 2) Power Fabrications Power cage 3) Power Fabrications Smith machine 4) Hammer Strength squat rack 5) Power Fabrications ISO row 6) Force lying leg curl 7) Life Fitness seated leg curl 8) Life Fitness seated leg…

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