Before I start, post workout muscle soreness is not an indicator of a good workout, nor is it a sign that you are increasing muscle mass and getting stronger.  Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is the soreness you feel after training and is caused by microscopic tears in the muscle cell. It is common for the soreness to kick in 12 hours after training and can last on average 72hrs (but sometimes longer). [...]

Gone are the days of legs bums and tums classes & endless boring cardio. More and more women are turning to weight training to build muscle and increase strength and it’s great to see. We’ve been preaching this for years. Watching our female members gain strength, muscle, competence at lifting and confidence in the gym is one of the many reasons I love my job. If you are new to weight training or [...]

HIGHER ENERGY LEVELS, REDUCED BLOOD PRESSURE & IMPROVED BODY COMPOSITION CAN ALL BE OBTAINED IF YOU CREATE THE FOLLOWING THREE HABITS... Don’t worry, I am not going to bore you and talk about calorie counting, nor am I going to promote a magical supplement.  All I am going to be talking about is basic habits around hydration, meal patterning and snacking.  Which, in my opinion should be the foundation to how and when [...]

  Attention all PROATHLON members and followers. Here is the next warm up flow for phase 4, 2024, small group personal training, specifically for all whole-body weight training sessions. The warm-up flow is as follows: https://youtu.be/0ZuGSgkyM-s Rotational squat x 5 Technical sit down Sit & reach into full body bridge x 2 Reverse straight leg sit-up into glute bridge, into knee into straddle x 2 Technical stand up Repeat the above on [...]

You’ve just started exercising, you’re highly motivated and have a ‘LET’S DO THIS’ attitude. So you decide to go from not doing any exercise to training 5+ times per week. You hobble from one workout to the next thinking more is better until training begins to falter. Possibly because you keep getting sick or aren’t sleeping so well. Your appetite has changed, and one minor injury has suddenly turned into a series of [...]

Breaking the Cycle: Why Yo-Yo Dieting Doesn't Work and How to Overcome It In the quest for rapid fat loss, many individuals find themselves ensnared in the cycle of yo-yo dieting. It's a familiar tale: embarking on a restrictive eating plan, experiencing initial success, only to rebound and regain the lost weight, often with added pounds.  Our world is constantly speeding up and we expect the human body to respond in the same [...]

What do muscle mass and your pension pot have in common? Quick answer = the bigger the better (*no you don’t need to be a body builder) Age-related muscle loss, called sarcopenia, is a natural part of aging. After age 30, you begin to lose as much as 3% to 5% per decade.  Less muscle means greater weakness and less mobility, both of which may increase your risk of falls and fractures. But [...]

You jump on the scales and hey presto, 2 lb down, smiles all around. The following week, you weigh in and you’ve gained 3 lb. disaster. All that hard work wasted and you throw in the towel. Sound familiar?  If changing your body weight is the goal, the best thing to do is zoom out.  Weight loss is NEVER linear. It will be up and down like the Nemesis at Alton Towers. If [...]

The Pros and Cons of Fasting: Is It Right for You? In recent years, fasting has gained significant attention as a potential tool for improving health, promoting weight loss, and even extending lifespan. However, like any dietary practice, fasting comes with its own set of pros and cons, and whether or not it's suitable for an individual depends on various factors including their health status, lifestyle, and goals. In this blog post, we'll [...]

Consistency over time is key to improving your health and fitness long term. Using the 7-day average method is a great way to stay on track, keep you feeling positive and motivated. Let’s take step count for example. A high daily step count (or high non-exercise activity thermogenesis if we are being geeky) is an important contributor towards fat loss/weight maintenance.  Let’s say you are targeting 12k steps per day. The problem with [...]