Gym Membership
So you’ve finally joined the gym in search of a fitter, healthier lifestyle…that’s the first step. But what comes next? Holding a membership card to Fitness Forever doesn’t make you fit or mean you have accomplished anything other than receiving 20% off at burger king.
A gym is the background environment for your goals to be achieved. You need to know how to use it, how to push yourself to get where you want to be.
Too many gyms are focussed on membership sales (fair enough), getting your money then leaving you to it with some unenthusiastic gym instructor at your first and possibly last gym visit.
The Gym Induction
I remember my first gym experience at the tender age of 16. I got off at the bus stop (A mission in itself - I had avoided being knifed on the way in through central Bradford), new trainers, gym bag, towel and plastic water bottle in tow!
I was met by John at the gym desk…he had been lent on what I later found out was the ‘Adductor’ machine chatting to a female in a tight Adidas top. Why is it that women are obsessed with the Adductor Machine? It will not get rid of your fat thighs – It works your inner thigh muscles – you’re adductors, but squeezing your legs together will not get rid of the inches of fat…it may however have some benefits towards birth control.
I waited nervously until he approached me, clipboard in hand – I love how you give any fucker a clipboard and pen and suddenly they have an air of authority.
10 minutes on treadmill
Leg press 3 x 15
Adductor (YES!!!) 3 x 15
Chest Press 3 x 15
Shoulder Press 3 x 15
10 minutes x-trainer
Stretch
This was jotted down on a card which was placed in John’s drawer behind the gym desk for me to get out at each visit and tick off my attendance. I remember thinking that they must check these to make sure you come…yeah right.
John robotically said I was to book my next programme assessment in 6 weeks time…and off he disappeared into a back room…probably to wank over the Adductor Machine lady. I don’t think I ever retrieved my card again and certainly didn’t stick to my ‘3 times per week’.
Results
This is why so few gym joiners make the conversion to gym users. They get into it for a couple of weeks…they lose a couple of lbs then for some reason they don’t go back and wind up spending the rest of the year paying out their direct debit for something they don’t use.
Simply signing up for gym membership and going 3 times a week to sit in the steam room for an hour will not work. You need to be motivated, and monitored to make sure you are training properly. You need to be pushed constantly and vary your exercises so you continuously make progress and avoid plateau. Following John’s induction programme may challenge a new gym user for the first week but after then it’s nothing. Your body has adapted you don’t get the sore reminder in your muscles the morning after and you don’t burn as many calories next time, all because your body is used to it.
Motivation
It can be hard to motivate yourself in the gym – unless you fork out for a personal trainer only some of which are decent. Some people prefer exercise classes. You are surrounded by other people and being constantly pushed by an instructor. Possibly the most popular and highly regarded of exercise classes is the spin class. I am a spin instructor and unfortunately only around 40% of participants put the effort in to get some sort of result from the class. This is frustrating. There is only so much an instructor can do – screaming at the top of your lungs whilst demonstrating good form can only do so much…getting off your bike and turning up someone’s resistance can be embarrassing for them…god forbid a member complain about you to the management.
So how can you get the most our of a spin class?
Correct Technique
Firstly your bike set up should be correct – arrive early and ask the instructor. If they don’t know then here’s your cue to leave. Secondly you need to maintain resistance. All too often people freewheel their way around a spin class.
I had a lady that did this she would sit there proud as punch while her legs were moving at dangerously fast speed yet she didn’t drop a bead of sweat – to her this was proof of her elite fitness. No matter how many times I urged her politely to increase the load she would look behind her thinking I was speaking to someone else. How blunt can you be before you insult someone. At this time I was fairly new to instructing – now I am a lot more direct. It all went wrong for this lady the day she freewheeled in her ankle skimming jogging bottoms, which became stuck in her bike, ripping her trousers down and tying her feet to the pedals – it took the general manager 20 minutes to cut her free and she was left bearing her M&S knickers to the entire gym…so be warned!
You need to keep tension on at all times, stay in control of your legs, tighten your abs to support your back and upper body - and if the work feels ‘too comfortable’ at any point, you are doing it wrong.
Results come from hard work and hard work isn’t easy!
One thing I ask (shout) during my classes is the check-list:
Sweating?
Burning?
Breathless?
If you are dripping with sweat gasping for air and your quads are on fire then you are putting effort in and doing something right. If your heartrate is over 160bpm (depending on your age this might kill you if you are 82) you are working high intensity.
Beating the Plateau
Once you have mastered the correct way to ‘spin’ and endured a fair few classes you will notice improved tone and strength in your legs, perhaps some tone in your arms, your fitness levels improving and a few kgs shed…give it a couple of weeks and you reach a stalemate. The scales stay fixed, there is still noticeable muffin top and no visible 6 pack - yet you still feel like you are working hard.
Monitoring
A good way to monitor your progress and push yourself is by investing in a heart rate monitor and checking your maximum and average heart rate during a workout. No I am not a part time sales rep for Polar or Garmin!
The advantages of a heartrate monitor and sports watch are that you can check your heartrate output during exercise. You need to consider your maximum and average heart rate. Review the results recorded on the watch after completing a workout – if your maximum heart rate is 190 bpm then that is quite high – good for you – but if you held it there for 2 seconds and it remains at 120 the rest of the time you haven’t really done much there have you. Whereas if your average is around 150bpm you have had a pretty intense workout.
Just try not to get obsessed with calorie counting. I used to train a member – he would start his watch the moment he stepped foot on the gym floor – we would spend the first 20 minutes chatting about his cat or who died on Coronation Street – then he’d chime – “ooh I’ve already burned 100 calories stood here talking to you!” …Not quite how it works!
Summary
So…well done if you have joined a gym…now use it wisely and properly. Fannying about on the X-trainer for 20 mins every day does not constitute productive exercise.
Remember your motivation – what are you goals, and who will inspire you – whether it be a gym instructor writing programmes for you every other week – a personal trainer to crack the whip at regular sessions – the over zealous lycra clad GX instructor barking instructions down the microphone - maybe it’s going to the gym with your mate who will add an extra 10kg as you bench press! Put the effort in – you know the signs if you are working hard – a high intensity average heart rate, standing in a puddle of sweat looking like you’ve pissed yourself and having soreness in your muscle the next day! Remember to mix it up – variety is key – work different muscles, anything that gets your heart rate up whether it be dance, kick-boxing, swimming, aerobics, weight training. Combine these and you will maintain a successful workout programme.
No comments:
Post a Comment