Gyms: The Misconceptions and the Reality

I've noticed that before a client has an induction or has an initial consultation with me, or even just walks into a gym for the very first time they are often (99.9% of the time) absolutely terrified and full of many misconceptions about the gym environment.

The purpose of this article is to lay out these misconceptions and explain what the real situation is.

The Misconceptions/ Reality

• Gyms are full of elite athletes who all know what they're doing

This seems to be one of the biggest and most powerful misconceptions in people that have never been into a gym before.

Fortunately it just isn't true.

There are probably more gyms than there are elite athletes.

The gym is full of people who have realised that it is populated mostly by people as clueless as the them in terms of training for any type of goal but are too proud, stubborn or shy to ask for help.

Men doing 'weights' seem to be the most clueless regular exercisers, followed by the treadmill walkers and bike plodders.

So to be clear...the gym is full of regular people, just like your regular supermarket or shop and this isn't about to change.

• You will be judged by everyone from the moment you step into the gym until the moment you leave

To further the point about 'regular' people, the gym is full of people feeling massively self-conscious  (after all, that is why many people start training in the first place.)
Most are far too worried about being judged themselves to even think about judging others.

• The gym is a sea of indifference! No one will help you if you're struggling. "HOW DARE YOU NOT KNOW HOW TO USE EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT ON YOUR VERY FIRST VISIT!!!!"

Gyms are populated by Personal Trainers and Fitness Instructors, and it is their business to help people out where it is appropriate.
You also get a decent amount of knowledgeable exercisers who, when seeing someone struggling, would be over straight away to help you out in any way they can.

Easy.

My advice would be to ask for an induction on your first visit to a gym, then to have an experienced Personal Trainer go through a couple of sessions with you to teach you some of the fundamental exercise's that you will gain the most benefit from (squat, deadlift, press-up, kettlebell swing etc.,) giving you the foundations to form endless amounts of work outs without having to rely on anyone else.

Failing that circuit classes or boot camps are an excellent way to get acquainted with many of the simple yet effective exercises you could take away and perform in your own workouts.

Most get frustrated when they can't perform an exercise on THE VERY FIRST ATTEMPT, HAVING NEVER EXERCISED BEFORE.

I'm willing to bet you couldn't drive perfectly when first getting into a car, or grasped every concept of molecular biology perfectly after the first reading of an advanced text.
Exercise done correctly is an acquired skill.


It's going to take time!

Chill out if you don't get a press-up correct on your first go!

Give yourself a break!

Chill out man. Even in the middle of a PT session!

CJK

P.S I'm running a free consultation service between 1700-1900 every Monday evening, this can be by phone, in person or by email/facebook.

This is designed to provide very basic advice in how to achieve specific exercise goals and to establish whether you would be a suitable candidate for Personal Training.

Should you be interested in learning more either call 07703679622, email me at cjkpersonaltraining@hotmail.co.uk or add me on facebook by typing in 'Chris Kershaw PT.'

13 Weeks 6 Days Out from THE BRITAINS Training Log...Legs

Monday Leg Session!
I take a number of warm-up sets and exercises before leg sessions in particular.
Make sure you stretch your hip flexors as well to facilitate and allow your glutes to fire more effectively.

 Squats (Choose your own appropriate weights)

150kg x2 Good Form x2 Sucky form (so I went too heavy)- Will be trying for x3-4 good form next week
140kg x4 Good form- x5 next week
130kg x6 x6 x6 x10 All good form- more reps on last set next week

Front Squat/ Walking Lunge Superset- heavier dumbbells next week!
100kg x12 10kg Dumbbell Walking Lunge x20
100kg x10 10kg Dumbbell Walking Lunge x20
100kg x8 10kg Dumbbell Walking Lunge x20
100kg x6 10kg Dumbbell Walking Lunge x20

Single-Leg Extension
15kg x20 Each Leg
15kg x20 Each Leg

 The single leg extension seemed to put a huge amount of pressure on my knee ligaments, and the weight was very light, so I wouldn't recommend including these in your leg workouts.

I won't be again.

The single-leg extension will be replaced by split-squats.

 Everything else was awesome!
Let's see if I can do more next week!

CJK

7 Steps to Hell

7 Steps to Hell

Everyone thinks to have a good workout, you need lots of reps and lots of weight.
I tried a full bodyweight session with my regular clients at my MST class and proved bodyweight exercise, even done in low repetitions when, done correctly can be very effective.
It begins.

Warm up:

Jog around the room
+ high knees
+ bum flicks
Into side straddles: 2 facing in; 2 facing
Shoulder rolls, forward and backwards
Exercise commands

1) L Hand to floor 2) R hand down 3) Both hands down
Then adding in:
4) Jump up 5) Burpee

In a line:
Front lunge and opposite ankle taps x 10 reps (slow and controlled)
Squat and overhead reach (standing on tip toes at the top)
Squat with woodchop x 10 each side. (rotation of the feet through the action)

Tabata Section:

1st set 45 sec work: 15 sec rest

2nd set 30 sec work: No rest
Bear
Crab
Caterpillar
Army crawl

Co-ordination:
Agility through the cones.
1) Running, weaving through the cones
2) Lateral running, weaving through cones
3) Jog, forward to cone, backwards jogging to next cone.

Circuit
Working in partners’, competing against the other person.
7 exercises: 7 sets of 7 reps. All bodyweight
1) Single leg burpee (7 each side)
2) Jump squats (against the wall,
trying to reach higher than partner)
3) Sprawl (hips to ground)
4) Single leg piston squats (off bench)
5) Box jumps ( keeping a bend in the knees
all the way through)
6) Press ups (incline for women, decline for men)
7) V sit

I feel this 'aftermath' image (taken shortly after the carnage) speaks for itself...

 JOB DONE!

By Jen Ward
Co-founder of C & J Personal Training and MST Training
Level 3 Advanced Personal Trainer

"Yeah I'm just going to jog on a treadmill, I'm going to get PROPER TONED!"

This is what I used to hear and see ALL the time when I worked for a certain large commercial gym in Wakefield.

"Yeah, I'm just going to do loads of cardio, that will work."

I didn't do a single piece of steady-state cardio for the Novice Yorkshire, and I won't be doing any for the Britains.

I don't see it so much now, because we don't encourage it at our new home, but it is certainly a common thing for people looking to lose weight, (whether it is for something as public as a bodybuilding show, or just to drop a couple of pounds to look nicer in a dress) to hammer STEADY-STATE CARDIO.

No! No! NO!

Okay, if you like running...I ain't going to stop you, but as I said in a facebook post earlier:

"Steady-state cardio is about as effective for achieving that 'toned' look as screwing for virginity."

All you are going to do is burn off what muscle you do have, see fat loss for maybe a couple of weeks, see a plateau, then people tend to either give up or lower their calories. Again more weight loss occurs (again, mostly muscle) and the cycle continues until the person inevitably eats normally again prompting massive weight gain because the bodies metabolism is holding on to every single calorie like the devil because:

IT DOESN'T WANT TO DIE.

This has ruined many a person's body image and their relationship with food and exercise. Starve, lose weight, pile on weight, hate yourself, starve, pile back on weight, feel terrible, binge and repeat. Year after year.

Sound familiar?

Steady-state cardio is just going to slow your metabolism even further if it is the staple part of your exercise program, but more importantly IT'S SO BORING!

Make your cardio as short and intense as possible.

Yeah, I know you feel bad because for some reason you think 10 minutes isn't enough.

But it is.

If you do it right.

Here's part of my cardio workout from today: Tyre Cardio!

I've got a feeling that link won't work so here's a breakdown of what I did:

• 5 Tyre flips
• 5 Tyre slams each side
• 5 Tyre slams in the middle
• Press-up in each tyre groove
• Tyre flip and jump through
• x2 Circuits
• 1 Min rest
• Repeat x2 more times

After this I was extremely tyred....
Yup. Tyre jokes. It's been a long day!

Have fun and plan ahead, or even better attend well-planned classes such as bootcamps, boxing and circuits.

(Definitely a coincidence that I mention just those classes, it isn't that my company and me take these classes...oh wait it isn't a coincidence at all.)

PUSH CARS AROUND!

FLIP THINGS OVER!

 And stop walking uphill, every time you walk uphill on a treadmill something cute and furry dies.
Horribly.
In a blender.
Seriously, now you know that, you're pretty much beyond redemption if you carry on really...

You have been warned!

By Chris Kershaw
Who isn't responsible for the death of any cute animals.

When to hire a Personal Trainer...

Having a Personal Trainer is the most important when you BEGIN exercising. 

What's so difficult about exercising, right?


A bit of running on a treadmill, some squats and various leg training imprlements to work on the areas you want to "tone" and the job is done!

All it requires is a joining a gym and you'll magically know what to do!

What about ankle mobility preventing from from going through a full range of motion on squats?
Why are your knees bending inwards on leg press?
What's your running technique like?
Are you doing steady state cardio or intervals? Which is more effective?
Has your body accomodated and adapted to the stress placed upon it? Is this why you have suddenly stopped making progress?

These are the questions (as well as many others) a Personal Trainer worth paying for will show you the answers to.
My point is, why learn the hard way? Get a trainer for a few sessions at the beginning of your exercise journey, save money on countless fruitless atempts to get in shape, do the sensible thing and get professional help.

Just like when you learn how to drive a car you have lessons FROM THE START.

 

If you've never exercised or gone through an exercise program before, how can you expect to get the results you want?

 

Learn how to train safely, effectively and efficiently from the beginning. People really don't seem to understand that safe, effective and progressive exercise is a learned set of skills!

 

I'm still learning about every element of fitness every single day, the subject of fitness of so big and multi-faceted that it's impossible to keep track sometimes. If a fitness professional is like this, how can the beginner to exercise NOT feel at sea?

 

It's so easy to be overwhelmed, to give up and to waste your time and money for another year in a bid to get fit, healthy and in shape.

 

We, as a company, make it easier for you. It takes someone of skill to simplify something to the laymen, those lacking in quality, experience or knowledge make things more complex. Let us put your mind at ease.

The start is where you should have the most guidance, not some mythical place of readiness and fitness where you are "ready" for a Personal Trainer.

 

My favourite client is someone entirely new to exercise, because they have the most to benefit from my experience, I can and regularly do entirely change peoples mind and body in terms of weight, body composition, posture, mobility, flexibility, co-ordination, self-esteem and many other things, these are changes seen in the beginner to a much larger extend than in say an advanced exerciser with years and years experience in the gym. 

You will see the gym isn't a scary place and is nothing like what you imagine.

A gym is never full of athletes, 80% (a generous percentage) haven't got a clue how to train properly. They might think they know, but nope!

You will learn that your body is capable of great things.

Things you never thought would be classed as exercise.

 

 

"What do you mean, throw this kettlebell and catch it above my head!?"

A good Personal Trainer isn't there to merely run you into the ground. We are here to help you. Not to satisfy our own egos. We want to give you the maximum benefits through causing you the least pain possible. Yeah, it hurts sometimes, it can and will be difficult but eventually you will learn to love this aspect of training

A good Personal Trainer builds you up, progresses you and fosters independence from the trainer rather than dependence on the trainer. A bad trainer is merely after your money for as long as you will pay him/her. A good trainer will provide you with quality service for only as long as you require knowing full well that this is how to get more clients in the long run.

 

A good Personal Trainer is a teacher, who inspires confidence in his clients.

All you need to do is make the first step. The most difficult step of all. But also the most sensible.

I am:

An advanced kettlebell instructor

NPA Novice Lightweight Champion of Yorkshire

Qualified in Primal Flow (a form of bodyweight exercise style) and co-founder of C & J Fitness.

Feel free to message with any questions you may have or join our facebook group for more details.about Personal Training, classes and more.

CJK.

 

By the way, I only look this this around twice a year.

Join me on my journey to look even better!

The No Excuses Series #3 But I don't have a spotter!!! :'(!!

"I would train; I just don't have spotter."

 

Nawwwww poor BABY!

Here's an idea for you if you've actually said this:

• Use dumbbells
• Use kettlebells
• Use bodyweight

But the single best solution to this problem is:

• Grow a good old-fashioned pair of balls

When the lack of a spotter is an excuse:

• I'm going for a PR on Bench Press
• I'm going for a PR on Squats

That is all.

Battle For The Britains: Training Split

I have decided upon a 6-8 week bulking phase during which time I have decided to train in a similar manner to a professional weightlifter or powerlifter.

On some days you will notice that I am training multiple times a day, which is why on these days calories are extremely high (even higher than normal, with high fats and even higher carbs).

The aim of this is to hit each muscle group as hard and intensely as possible without overtaxing the nervous sytem, which has been a problem in the past.

Its also so I don't have to go as long without refueling, and according to the research I have done (such as Zatsiorsky, Siff and Simmons) shorter duration multiple workouts in a day yield better results in terms of strength than the single session per day structure I have used in the past.

So I figure that this will be exactly the same for bodybuilding. We shall certainly see.

Monday LEG DAY WITHOUT FAIL (XMAS IS NO EXCUSE, THE ONLY LEG DAY THAT IS MISSED IS THE DAY AFTER A COMPETITION)- Quite simply I believe this is the reason I won the Yorkshire Novices, you have to smash your legs EVERY SINGLE WEEK with correct technique as well, all you half squatters out there!.

AM- Hamstrings and Glutes 30-40mins
Post-workout fruit salad
Protein Smoothie with about 50g Oats Olive Oil and a banana

Early PM- Quads and Adductors 30-40 minutes (Adductors added as mine are weak weak weak, as well as being the weak area of my otherwise strong upper leg shape on stage)
Repeat the same post-workout meal

Late PM Calves and Core Circuit 20-30 minutes
At this point I can throw in any mobility work that I feel I need/ want to experiment with
Another repeat of the post-workout meal (although most weeks this ends up being without another fruit salad)

Tuesday- Rest day. Although restorative techniques, yoga and meditation are allowed. Mobility work, especially if I've been researching and thinking (always dangerous.)

I have changed my rest day to Tuesday as Legs is absolutely brutal on the Central Nervous System and changing it to a Tuesday means I am never training to failure more than 2 days in a row, to me this means I am less likely to overtrain, get injured or prevent muscle growth.

Wednesday- AM- Shoulders 30-40 mins - Post-workout meal

PM- Triceps and Core 30mins(occasionally split into 2 workouts of 20 mins each) - Post- workout meal

Thursday- AM Mult-joint multi-planar Back and Grip work 30-40 mins Massive Post-workout meal

PM- Upper Back, Rear Delts, Core and Traps  (unless overly tight in this case I will add more mobility work) Again huge post-workout meal.

I hate training traps as mine are so overactive and tighten up so quickly it is unbelievable. Up to this point my traps have always grown through the heavy deadlifts and back sessions, but I've thrown it in this time as I'd like them to be slightly better on stage at the Brits

On both leg day and back day (full days quite literally, especially legs!) my calories will be far far higher than on the other days, particularly in terms and high quality fats (very much including saturates and animal fats) in order to deal with the increased energy and recovery demands.

Friday- Any form of training I want, perhaps swimming, perhaps some primal flow, no rules, just have fun.

Or eat more food.

Saturday- Complete day of rest, can eat pretty much what I want (doesn't stray too badly when bulking, funnily enough)

My cheat meals when dieting are famous.

Sunday- AM Chest 30-40 mins- It was in thinking about how to bring up my chest (my weakest muscle group) that I decided upon the multiple workout option. + Post-workout meal

PM- Biceps and Core- I feel this is my second weakest area on stage, but who doesn't want a better gun show? More isolated bicep work for me then (having supersetted biceps with chest for about as long as I remember!)

Although having just referred to my arms as guns, I now, ever so slightly, hate myself.

My aim for this very brief bulking phase is to train like a professional athlete while I have the ability and resources (hopefully) to be able to do so.

Being a Personal Trainer, I'm in a gym literally 12 hours a day, and more if I choose therefore I have plenty of time to train, recover between sessions and eat as much clean foods as I can (literally.)

Not many people are in a position to be able to train like this, so I am very very lucky.

For this reason, the only person to blame if I do not place well in the British Novice Lightwaves final is me.

Because I also have the best support team in the world.

We shall never surrender!

By Chris Kershaw