Exercise Innovations
Active4less strives to be at the cutting edge of the fitness industry to bring our members the best new training ideas and concepts. Below are some of the innovations available at active4less:
Words by Declan Ryan (Managing Director)
Click on an image to read more:
BOSU
We’ve had these in the gym for several years now, but most people must think they are glued to the floor because I don’t see many of you using them. BOSU stands for Both Sides Up, effectively just informing you that this piece of kit can either be used resting on the flat base with the dome up or dome down like a wobble board.
BOSU training is all about developing movement patterns, improving proprioception and balance. It has been successfully used in training elite sports conditioning, but is equally at home helping people to develop for everyday life.
It is equally suited to high intensity cardio exercise as it is to developing strength and balance. There are hundreds of exercises into which it can be incorporated, don’t be afraid to use it, just come over and ask a trainer for a demo
TRX
This is my favourite piece of kit and one that I use personally every week. The TRX is just so versatile in its range of applications. The TRX is widely used in the USA by sports stars, navy seals and celebrities, but hear in the UK it is still a bit of a secret weapon. The British Lions recently took it on tour with them, but here in Stevenage you have one of the best TRX studios available.
The TRX can be used either in group training classes or with personal trainers. However you use it you can be guaranteed a great workout and results. It is also a great tool for anyone struggling with nagging injuries, in need of exercise to aid rehabilitation. It can also be used very effectively for improving flexibility, promoting back health and conditioning in sports such as golf, squash, boxing and tennis.
Powerbags
The powerbag is a soft, flexible unstable weight, that adds a new dimension to any strength exercise. The bags come in several different weights, within each bag are a number of smaller sandbags that shift and roll within the larger outer bag. Conventional movement patterns such as lunging, squatting and twisting suddenly take on a new challenge when performed with a powerbag for resistance. Powerbag train the body’s core stabilisers to allow effective transfer of energy during complex movements. This might sound complicated, but most everyday movements require a degree of movement and strength in all 3 planes, but invariably as we become more sedentary, mobility, strength and control diminish. For the very reasons just mentioned, powerbag are heavily use by the Armed Forces.
Join in with one of our group circuits classes and experience the challenge of powerbags for yourself.
Zumba
Zumba is a fusion of hypnotic latin rhythms and easy to learn moves that create a workout programme that will keep you coming back for more. Generally people who take up Zumba get hooked. You’ll learn to love working out, moving your body and learning to dance to great rhythms that you can take to the dance floor.
Energise your body, burn calories, get lean and toned and have a blast doing it. The Zumba mantra is “Ditch the workout and join the party!!” Never before has getting in shape been so much fun.
Routines feature a mix of high energy interval sessions and resistance moves to tone your body and get you heart pumping.
Medicine Balls
Don’t try kicking these, they’re heavier than they look! Medicine ball drills will get your heart pumping and your body moving and with ball weights from 1kg up to 10kg, there is one for everybody. Medicine ball training can be used to develop strength and power in all 3 planes of movement. If you are training for sport, then don’t miss out on the huge potential benefits this training can offer. Generate rotational strength, balance, explosive power and speed.
Don’t worry, if all you want to do is get toned and run around with your kids, then medicine ball training is also excellent. In medicine ball classes you can work on your own or in pairs making the classes fun and sociable. Classes will help improve mobility, especially around the hips and spine, they will reawaken muscles you tend to ignore and work them through large ranges of movement. Look out for classes on the programme or ask a trainer to show you some sample exercise.
Swiss Ball
Sometimes also referred to as the fit ball, swiss balls are the large inflated balls. The primary aim of using a swiss ball is to create and unstable platform for strength and movement exercises. In everyday life we tend to spend an ever-increasing amount of time seated or sedentary, whether that be sitting at work, I front of the TV, traveling to work or in front of the computer reading this information. Over time the muscles that control posture become lazy and this can lead to stress on the body and pain due to poor posture.
Performing exercises using the swiss ball helps to improve posture balance and proprioception. Many common exercises such as the plank, press ups and squats can be performed using the ball. However it also is ideal for balance exercises such as sitting, kneeling and standing on the ball. For someone who has spent most of their adult life sedentary, even the most simple exercises such as sitting on the ball with a neutral spine and one leg raised of the floor will provide a challenge.
Swiss ball classes can also provide a fun workout. When your balancing on a large ball like a seal or rolling off it like a clown, it’s hard to keep a straight face.
Boot Camp
Boot camp classes provide a total body challenge with lungs full of fresh air. They can be cardio biased; focusing of big whole body movements preformed at speed and speed, agility and quickness drills. They can also strength biased; incorporating dynamic movements targeting power. These classes might include bodyweight strength exercises, plyometric drills and a range of other equipment such as ViPR, TRX, agility ladders and kettlebells.
Exercising outdoors you are unconstrained by space or air conditioning, you don’t have to wait for equipment and classes can be as big or small as desired. If you don’t mind getting wet, there is no reason why you can’t do boot camp classes all year, just layer up, then take them on or off as needed to keep your body temperature comfortable.
Boot camps are ideally suited to partner-work exercise. This can add a new dimension to classes featuring exercise combinations you will never have tried in the gym and making the whole experience more sociable and fun. Getting out into the great outdoors can also be an excellent way to distress and relax. You can’t beat exercising with the backdrop of the sights and sounds of nature .
A team of our pesonal trainers are running boot camps from active4less from June 2010
Kettlebells
“From Russia with love” – the kettlebell or girya can be traced back to the strongmen of Russia, who used to compete in feats of strength. Today it is a great tool for developing power and multi-directional strength. Exercises can range from seemingly simple pendulum swings to complex movement patterns such as the Turkish Get Up. The reality is that most exercises that can be performed with dumbbells can be replicated with the kettlebell, however there are a number of exercises where the kettlebell excels due to the nature of its instability and uneven weight distribution.
The key to progression in any fitness plan is to keep the challenges varied, thus providing continual physical and mental stimulation. If you are finding your current exercise programme boring or you have reached a plateau, try out a kettlebell class and discover what kept the Russians so strong.
Pole Dancing
Pole dancing has come out of the nightclubs and into the gym. Girls it’s time to get sexy and feel the rhythm, but don’t think it going to be easy, you’ll be amazed at the strength and flexibility required to move gracefully round the pole. For pole dancing classes it’s best to wear tight, short clothing, but don’t worry, you won’t be asked to strip any of it off.
During the class your initial classes you’ll learn basic moves, but will quickly progress and find you are able to attempt more challenging and fun tricks around the pole while developing strength, coordination and general fitness. A typical beginner might burn between 300 and 400 calories per hour, however once you progress an expert can burn anywhere up to 700 calories.
Every class will start with a warm up to prepare you, as pole dancing requires full movement of the entire body. It will then work on 3 key areas of fitness. Like many dance forms it will encourage improved flexibility and longer shapely muscle tone. It will build strength using your body weight as resistance. As you progress you will find yourself performing rotations round the pole and inverted moves, which will also require core strength and postural control. Finally pole dancing classes will develop muscular endurance.
During the class you will share a pole with several other similar standard participants; the instructors will have you practicing moves repetitively while all the time rotating on and off the pole with your other participants. Just like in conventional strength based exercise, the repetitive movement of the muscles under will load will develop tone and endurance, but in a fun and exciting way.