Personal Trainer Archives | Page 12 of 16

Is Ballet Barre For Me?

October 1, 2015July 22, 2017 Alex CoombesLeave a comment

As a ballet barre trainer there is one question that I regularly get asked, “Is ballet barre for me?”

In my opinion ballet barre and any form of ballet training is beneficial for everyone regardless of your fitness goal. Well of course I would say that, I am a former professional ballet dancer and I helped design TruBe’s ballet barre workout.

But let’s think about it objectively. Why do we train? The reasons why we train and engage in physical activity are wide and varied. But all of them can be enhanced or achieved through ballet barre training. There is a reason why ballet dancers are often touted as some of the fittest athletes alongside boxers.

One of the largest barriers we face at the moment when we exercise is poor range of motion. The way the modern westerner lives their life promotes poor posture and tight muscles. Ballet barre is a great way to improve your posture and promote greater coordination between different areas of your body simultaneously. How often do you hear about dancers with poor posture and limited range of motion? This applies to everyone, most men could add 10kgs to their three big lifts with improved movement patterns.

Let’s talk about some other fitness goals such as weight loss, tone, core strength, cardiovascular fitness, strength and power. All of these can be drastically improved through ballet barre training. When you think about all of these facets of fitness, ballet dancers display all of them. The beauty of the TruBe ballet barre is that you can achieve these results in the comfort of your own living room, ballet is about moving your body not heavy weights.

To celebrate world ballet day today, why not download the app and try one of our ballet barre sessions using this £10 off promo code:

BALLET10

Matt – @mattino22

Meet Personal Trainer Adam H

September 30, 2015November 1, 2018 Alex CoombesLeave a comment

As a semi professional football player, Adam is highly experienced in endurance, speed and agility training. These fundamental fitness attributes are hugely beneficial to anyone trying to lose body fat, tone muscle and improve general fitness levels. Check out his Q&A below.

What is your biggest client success story?
A client that comes to mind was a lady who came to me for a gym induction in July last year. During the induction we had a good chat about her reasons for wanting to exercise, in which she explained that she was beginning to feel very self conscious and uncomfortable when out with friends. It got to the point where she began to make excuses so she didn’t have to go out. Before we started training she weighed 12st 12lbs, had no eating routine, did very little exercise and lived an extremely unhealthy lifestyle.

We started with the basics bodyweight exercises and short interval training. We soon then began to incorporate a lot more weight into our HIIT sessions and finished each session off with a good few rounds of tabata (high intensity interval training). In just over 7 months and not without a few bumps in the road just over 3st, now weighing 9st 8lb. During this time I saw her self confidence massively improve to the point where she even wore a bikini on holiday for the first time this summer. Even though she is happy with her transformation and now has a balanced healthy lifestyle I still see her once a week to put her through her paces!

What do you enjoy about being a part of the TruBe Team?
Being part of the first on demand fitness service is one of the most exciting and enjoyable things for me. Working alongside a strong team really drives you on and brings out the best in you as a trainer which has your clients reaping the benefits and getting their desired results.

What was your last health and fitness obstacle and how did you overcome it?
I’ve have been fairly fortunate as I haven’t really suffered any serious injuries as of yet. My only really health obstacle is attempting to put on weight or bulk up. I have a very high metabolism, coupled with all of my own training this is a real challenge. I have increased my meals and calorie intake daily and I’m slowly going in the right direction. I just try to remind myself that it’s a marathon not a sprint.

Your favourite piece of TruBe equipment?
For me your body is the best bit of equipment and I believe that everyone should be able to push and pull their own bodyweight. In keeping with that I love to use the suspension trainer it is the best piece of kit to utilizing your own bodyweight.

How do you treat yourself?
I treat myself by doing the things I enjoy as much as I can. Football is a big part of my life, playing at semi-professional level from the age of 16. I play matches twice a week, train once a week and squeeze gym workouts in between clients. When the rare occasion to have a lie in occurs I make the most of it with a good breakfast and a brew.

I do like to let loose every so often on a saturday night after games with a couple of beers….. yes just a couple I promise! 😉

What is your favourite instagram account to follow?
As strange as this may sound to some I’m very new to Instagram as I feel a lot of people’s time is wasted constantly looking down at their phones and the world just passes them by. Having said that my favourite instagram to follow would be @FreshFitnessFood.

What is your favourite motivational quote?
The one I use during sessions is, “It’s your workout and you will get out of it what you put in”

What is the best piece of advice you have received from a mentor?
Find what’s right for you by doing what you believe in and train yourself in the same way. Take bits of everything you learn and mould it into your own as you are your own brand and the rest will take care of itself.

To book a session with Adam, download the app and find him as one of our featured trainers.

Get the Rugby body without the gym

September 21, 2015July 22, 2017 Alex CoombesLeave a comment

Rugby is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. Strength, speed, agility and power are just some of the key attributes possessed by those elite athletes playing in the London Rugby World Cup.

You’d be hard pressed to find a player with a physique that most men wouldn’t dream of having. It is true that off the field, rugby players go through some of the most gruelling strength and conditioning training but fear not you too could be well on your way to looking like Sonny-Bill Williams and it doesn’t necessarily require a gym! All you need is a suspension trainer, a GripR/Dumbbell, a speed ladder and most importantly your own bodyweight.

Follow the workout below for your on demand rugby body;

1A – Deep squat hold pulse – 3x45seconds
1B – GripR overhead walking lunge – 3×8/side

Rest: 1 min

2A – Suspension trainer split row – 4×12
2B – Ladder press up crawling – 4×4/side 9 (Crawl forwards and side to side, do 1 push up with every step)

Rest: 1 min

3A – Wide squat jumps – 3×10
3B – Suspension trainer press – 3×10

Rest: 1 min

Follow this routine 2-3 times per week and combine with good nutrition and HIIT cardio to get the rugby physique that you seek.

To book a strength session with me, download the TruBe app.

For more information on fitness and nutrition follow me on Instagram @benhowardPT

Ben – TruBe Strength and Conditioning specialist

Should kickboxing be part of your workout routine?

September 14, 2015April 25, 2018 Alex CoombesLeave a comment

Kickboxing is a sport that has a multitude of benefits ranging from improvements in overall fitness to stress relief and self defence. During a TruBe kickboxing session you will experience a total body workout using all three of your bodies energy systems. This will help to rapidly develop your cardiovascular fitness and muscular strength.

Burn some serious calories

This takes us into the realms of metabolic conditioning which has been proven to have a high calorie afterburn. This means that not only could you burn between 500-750 calories in a one hour intense kickboxing session, you’ll also have a raised BMR, (Basal Metabolic Rate- calories you burn at rest to keep your body functioning), after the training has finished. This varies between males and females but can last up to 7-12 hours. So the gross calorific burn from the hours kickboxing session could be as high as 900-1000 calories.

Whole body workout

Kickboxing works out the entire body and not just isolated muscle groups. The punching and kicking techniques obviously work the arms and legs, but it’s the effect they have on the core that stands out. Working through all the planes of motion with rapid movements and the multitude of plank drills that accompany any workout puts a varied and high workload on the core.

It does everything

It also helps to stretch and tone the muscles and is proven to reduce body fat. Throw into that improvements in flexibility and mobility, coordination, timing and rhythm and you have a complete training system.

Hitting things is fun

On top of the many physical benefits the mental benefits are possibly what separates kickboxing from other sporting activities. Like most sporting pursuits, kickboxing releases the ‘happy hormone’ endorphins, but the act of striking pads can be a great way to relieve the buildup of stress and frustration that living in London can cause. It has a primal effect that allows you to generate focus within the session as they have to concentrate on the techniques and combinations.

Protect yourself

Having the ability to throw kicks and punches along with the evasive movements can be a genuine plus when you consider self defence situations too.

Trube boast highly trained kickboxing instructors with decades of teaching and fighting experience. This is the real sport taught in a safe and accessible format that will keep you motivated and invigorated.

So why don’t you download the app and try a kickboxing session to see for yourself!!!

Alex – 2013 ICO light welterweight World kickboxing champion

Why you should be doing yoga

September 3, 2015November 1, 2018 Alex CoombesLeave a comment

Yoga… It is everywhere! Your mum, your friends, and now even your brother is at it! So what is the deal? And why is everyone doing it?

What are the benefits of yoga?

It depends on the type of yoga you are practising. There are so many different and complimentary forms of yoga. From the most restorative like yin, all the way to some of the most intense like Astanga or Rocket.

A TruBe yoga session is a more dynamic form of yoga which means that you get the benefits of a good workout with added relaxation! Whaaaatt? Yes! Not only will you sweat from all the moving, but the deep breathing methods used in yoga are super balancing for your nervous system, leaving you to feel enlivened, poised and refreshed. Tuning into the details of motion and breath means you can really focus on being present so that the practice becomes similar to a moving meditation, taking care of both your body and your mind.

What happens in a session?

A yoga session usually starts with some settling. This gives you time to bring your focus inwards and shift your attention to the body and breath (rather than that huge list of phone calls you need to make in the afternoon). The next step is to start warming up the body with some gentle movement, maybe some core work, to move to the more challenging sun salutations. Once the body is really working, you will
often progress into backbends, before bringing the whole tempo back down with some stretching and some deep relaxation (called savasana). All of this can be adapted to your level of practice making it as challenging as you need.

What if I’m not flexible enough?

Yoga is not really about being bendy, and there are numerous modifications and props that can be offered to make the practice work for you, no matter how big or small your range of movement. Yoga has acquired that reputation because it is a great tool for increasing flexibility (and indeed, some of the very advanced postures really do require becoming a human pretzel). By increasing your range of movement, not only are you helping prevent injury, but you are also becoming stronger! You can read more about that here. It is so beneficial to the body and mind that sports teams and athletes are getting in on the action too, rugby players, marathon runners, triathletes, boxers… That’s right, yoga is not just for girls!

How does yoga fit into My work out? I want to be strong!

Well, yoga is just the ticket! Even if yoga is not part of your daily fitness regime, see if you can incorporate it once a week, or on an active rest day? You are more likely to remain injury free, you will increase your movement range and your proprioceptive awareness, as well as making your shoulders and core super strong! It won’t be just muscly strong, but actually useful strong. All that practice pushes the body to really move three dimensionally, therefore challenging the muscles to create extra stability, especially once you start to get your feet off the floor (although that does take some dedicated work). So not only will you develop strength and make movement more efficient, you will improve your performance in other areas, whether that’s running, team sports or even weight lifting. And thanks to the calm mind and steady breath you will develop, you can be sure you will be able to go the extra mile. So get on your mat!

Elodie – TruBe yoga instructor

P.s Read more about Elodie here.

Download the app and book a session with her today.