I’m trying something new!

Hi there!

So I’ve decided to mix up my gym routine completely in an attempt to tone up more and put on more muscle mass. I’ve decided to now have “body part days” in the following format;

Day 1; leg and bum day
Day 2; arm, back and shoulder day
Day 3; cardio

I will then repeat this process again to maintain my usual 6 days a week at the gym!

I decided it was time to change up my routine and doing 3 days of cardio was seeing me not gain enough muscle mass (I was losing weight, didn’t want that). Mixing up also means more motivation as I’m not stuck doing the same again.

I shall keep any readers updated on how I think it’s going! First time I focus so much on my weight lifting!

Gym Bug

Stretches to get you through your day

Hi there!

I’ve already done a post on the importance of stretching but this is about some stretches to do whilst at work, studying, sitting at desk etc to help prevent aches and pains associated with sitting down (which is becoming an increasingly covered health risk). I like doing these as mini-revision breaks to clear my mind a bit and help stretch out muscles that have lay idle for too long. I’ve decided it’s best to give you the links to th stretches I use, since it’s easier to be shown how to perform the stretch through photos than it is to explain!

• Men’s Health give 7 stretches to do at a desk
• Here’s a great little image showing different ones for different lengths;

http://www.fwbodykneads.com/desk.jpg

I also do basic likes bending over with straight legs and back, doing arm circles, reaching for the ceiling without lifting my feet from the ground and giving myself a big hug to stretch off my back.

Not only will these help stretch out any aches and pains from repetitive desk work sitting but it will also get your body moving a bit. As I’ve said, sitting is getting an increasingly bad reputation. It is becoming associated with poorer mental health, increased risk of heart disease, increased risk of becoming disabled and more. It’s also linked with obesity, high blood pressure and stress.
Other issues associated with sitting relate to increased risk of blood clots, increased pressure on the spine, poor circulation and fluid collecting in your legs.

This doesn’t mean you must invest in a standing desk or refuse to sit when you eat or watch TV. Instead, try move more, make it a habit to get up once and hour and pace around the room, stretch, just stand. Try reduce the amount your sitting down and you’ll hopefully feel more energised and focused. It’s also a nice break from the computer or TV!

Have a great weekend!

Gym Bug

Sources;

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20140407/sitting-disease-faq

Bodyweight Workout

Hi there!

So, a few days ago I posted about my weights sessions in the gym, using controlled resistance training machines (find it here) and I mentioned I would do a bodyweight post for those who don’t have access to resistance training, or like to mix it up!

For exercises that don’t aren’t easy to explain, I’ve found some YouTube videos. Please note any of the YouTube content I put on here is not my own material and I have no desire to infringe on copyright. The videos are property of the uploaders, unless otherwise stated.

Okay, so here we go with a No Excuse Bodyweight Workout; The idea behind this one is that each set works each major muscle group (arms, shoulders,  back, legs, abs), you do a set, take a rest (aim for no more than 2 minutes) then move onto the next. You can then repeat as many times as you can (rest between complete circuits should be no more than 4 minutes, if possible)

Warm-Up
Whatever you prefer hear just to get your muscles awakened and blood flowing. Dynamic stretching or a quick 5-minute jog is great.

Set 1
10 x push ups
10 x mountain climbers
10 x tricep dips
15 x bodyweight squats
30-second Superman 

Set 2
10 x Pike push ups
10 x reverse crunches
10 x bench dips (like a tricep dip, but use a chair and drop below the seated part, and squeeze back up)
15 x lunges (each leg)
10 x chin raises (lay in Superman position, place chin on your hands and lift your chin off the ground)

Set 3
Choose an exercise for each body part from Set 1 or Set 2 and add 5 reps to it (or add 10 seconds)

Set 4 (Optional Abs extra, do this once at the end/beginning)
15-second side plank (each side)
30-second plank
10 x flutter kicks
10 x bicycle crunches
15 x leg raises (lie on your back, legs up, lower legs to the floor slowly, bring back up)

Cool-Down
Make sure you do a good stretch session. Target each muscle area that you targetted with the workout, or foam roll if you’ve got access to one!

Feel free to leave any comments (appropriate, please) and anything you would change/add to make your workout better!

Have a great weekend! Keep those goals in mind!

Gym Bug