A Suspension Training Video
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This is a video I made of a few exercises you can do on a suspension trainer to work the whole body in one session. The suspension trainer is a great piece of kit as it can be used practically anywhere and packs away into just a small bag so is convenient to carry with you. The one I am using here is called the Rip 60 but there are many others like the TRX for example. The great thing about suspension training is how almost every exercise you do on it hits your core muscles due to the free moving straps. Simply adjusting your feet position or the length of the straps alters the resistance instantly, so no need for heavy weights! I think this type of training is great for sports people as it is very functional with lots of multi joint and multi muscle exercises that can be done on it.
Use Your Time Effectively In The Gym
When you look around your average gym there seems to be a lot of people all doing the same type of training, particularly in the weights area. Now I’m sure that all these people don’t lead identical lives and have the same goals. When a personal trainer first meets a new client one of the first things the client will say is ‘I want to get fit’. This can mean absolutely anything and often a personal trainer will have to delve deeper to find out exactly what the client means.
The key question to ask yourself is “fit for what”. Why are you training? Is there a sport you are trying to improve performance at? Are you trying to make everyday life easier? Are you just trying to reduce general body fat or tone up a specific area of your body? There can be many different reasons why you have made that decision to begin exercising. All of these questions will lead to an individual training plan and it’s important that if you are not working with a personal trainer who can advise you on this, that you are aware of what your individual goals are so you can create your own plan. Most of us don’t have lots of spare time, so it is important to make the best of the little time you do have when exercising.
A good example of how people just go to a gym and train without really thinking of their goal is in football. Throughout my career I have seen footballers in the gym weight training just to get ‘big’. The problem with this is that getting big will not necessarily help them in their footballing performance. A lack of guidance and understanding means that they may be wasting valuable time and effort in shaping their body in an ineffective way for their sport. Strength is an important aspect of football but it is not the only one. You need to think about your outcome, if you want to improve your performance at a certain sport look at what skills and attributes play a big part in that sport.
I have put together a few tips that you should try to think about when putting together your training plan to ensure you make the most of your valuable time you have in the gym.
Training Plan Thoughts and Tips
- What are you training for, what is your goal? (weight loss, lower body fat, build muscle mass, build strength, increase cardiovascular endurance, increase flexibility, sport specific, reduce vital statistics (waist measurements etc))
- If sport specific, what energy system does the sport work? (is it aerobic, anaerobic or both)
- How much time do you have in the gym? Plan your session, how long will you spend on each exercise?
- Remember that your diet is just as important if not more important in helping you achieve your health and fitness goals.
Football Based Session
I made this video from a couple of sessions I took with friends both professional footballers. The session was mainly speed, agility and quickness work (SAQ). There was also some plyometric training done.
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