Weight lifting Archives

Why everyone should do tai chi – and it’s not just for the reasons you think!

May

27

2015

Intrigued? Well, let’s just cover the reasons that you think you should do tai chi: helps you to relax and de-stress improves your health improves your balance keeps you moving, particularly if you’re in your senior years improves your sense of wellbeing There are loads of other reasons why people do tai chi but these are ...

Obesity to OMG: one woman’s journey

May

3

2015

Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to many inspiring and successful people. One such person is fitness coach, Roberta Saum, who has honoured me by allowing me to interview her. Thank you, Roberta! Darren: Tell me a little about your background. Roberta: I currently work as an online ...

The best exercise for combating shin splints

Feb

4

2014

If you do a lot of exercise such as running, walking or tennis, you may find that your shins start to hurt. This pain may take the form of a dull ache or a stabbing or burning sensation. This is known as shin splints. It basically takes place when you over-exert the front of the ...

Exercise of the week 5

Jan

31

2014

28 day lunge challenge Lunges are great for working the glutes, calves, thighs and even your core. Regularly practising them can improve your lower body strength and endurance, your balance and your fitness levels. Everyone knows what a lunge is but here’s a video in case you’re not sure: The 28 day challenge is to ...

How to build strength on a tight budget

Nov

7

2013

In today’s austere times where we’re constantly trying to save money, it can be hard to justify spending money on a gym membership. One of the benefits of gym membership, however, is having access to weights equipment for the purpose of developing muscle size and strength as well as avoiding turning your living room into ...

Exercise of the week #4

Oct

17

2013

This week, we will be looking at the dumbbell push press. This is a great fat burner that works the legs, shoulders and core for an effective, efficient workout that also helps to build all-round strength. Ideally, you want to use a weight that is fairly heavy but not so heavy that you find it difficult ...

Exercise of the week #3

Oct

13

2013

The following exercise is my favourite new legs exercise and is called the Genie press. It is useful if you don’t have a leg extension machine but unlike the machine, it makes you work the core as well as the thighs. The following video explains how to do the Genie press. Remember to try to ...

Exercise of the week #2

Sep

30

2013

This week we will look at the Bulgarian squat. This is a great exercise for working the glutes and thighs as well as your balance. It is useful if you want to strengthen the legs and don’t have access to a barbell and squat rack or don’t have enough weights to provide enough of a ...

Exercise of the week #1

Sep

23

2013

Whilst consistency is important when trying to achieve your fitness goals, it’s always good to try other exercises to challenge the body in different ways plus keep your workouts interesting. Every week, I will pick an exercise I find interesting with a video link plus my own comments on it. Some of the exercises will ...

Strength training for beginners

Sep

9

2013

What is strength training? Strength training is about building a stronger body by making the muscles, ligaments and tendons stronger so they can move heavier loads. It is different to bodybuilding which is about hypertrophy – making the muscles bigger. A side effect of strength training can be bigger muscles but this depends on your ...