Stepping up the training
LSPT Greg Probyn this week looks at stepping up the training notch.

The goals are set, and we have now changed our lifestyle just a little.

What we need to do next is step our training up a notch. But what happens if you don’t like running or you hate swimming?

There are plenty of other exercises that you can do that can assist with the extra pudding you might have put on. Now if you like to run that’s great, the same with swimming.

Everyone can do it and can do it for ever, but running like Forrest Gump takes a lot of time and time is a luxury that we can not really afford now days.

The best thing to do is to start a little interval training or hill work.

What is interval training? It is training that requires you to work hard for a short period of time and then have an active rest, for example sprinting for 100 metres then slow jog for 100 metres.

This sort of training can be done on any apparatus that you see in the Cardio rooms or in a pool, and it doesn’t have to be for hours at a time.

You wouldn’t have to go any more than 30-40 minutes and that’s with a warm up and cool down.

Believe it or not you can also lose weight in the weights room.

Lifting lightweights with high repetitions does this. Let’s talk heavy, medium, or light weights.

If you were to lift heavy with a small rep (four to eight) range then you would work on strength and get a little size to the body.

To lift a medium weight with a rep range of eight-15 you would be working on size and strength.

But to lift a light weight with a rep range of 15-20 this will assist in weight loss (and a little strength).

Next work your reps into sets that is, a collection of repetitions (eg three sets of 15 reps). There are many types of interval training and weight training programs but it is just a matter of seeing what works for you.

Also speak to your friendly PT staff and they will definitely point you in the right direction.

Stay fit, keep healthy.

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