Lifting weights that feel heavier than what we are used to puts our muscles under a certain degree of stress and as a result they are temporarily weakened. The body’s natural response to this weakened state is to rebuild the muscles so they are equipped to cope with a similar or stronger force put on them in future.

Depending on your current level of strength, and individual goals, the level of intensity must be high enough that the body recognises the need to make strength improvements. Furthermore, the intensity must be repeatedly increased, otherwise the body gets used to it and no additional improvements will be seen.

What are the benefits?

One of the more obvious results of lifting weights is increased muscle mass, which brings about a whole host of changes in the body. The first is an increase in metabolism, which basically speeds up all chemical reactions in the body. If you gradually press the accelerator of your car down the car moves faster and uses more petrol as the revs increase – this is effectively what your body does when your metabolism increases. It is able to move faster, be stronger and consumes more calories, even at rest. Burning calories can be associated with losing weight when coupled with a healthy diet, but also keeps the body charged helping you feel active and energetic. Longer-term effects also include lower levels of cholesterol and a decrease in blood pressure, which collectively contribute to a greatly reduced chance of Coronary Heart Disease.

Nearly all the physical effects of aging can be slowed down or even reversed with the use of strength training. Over time your muscles gradually deteriorate, your bones become more brittle, connective tissue like tendons and ligaments also become weaker, and your posture usually sinks as a result. Strength training not only acts as reminder to your body that these tissues are still being used but they will gradually strengthen too; your bones will become denser (and reduce chances of Osteoporosis), tendons and ligaments become tougher and, assuming your training programme is balanced, your posture will improve providing you with a stronger physical foundation.

Given a comprehensive strength training programme your body will become generally tougher, leaving you less susceptible to injury (you are less likely to suffer breakages if bones are strong and are protected by strong surrounding tissues), and can even aid recovery if injury does occur (stronger muscles around an injured area can speed up the healing process). That said, with improved balance and posture from strength training you are less likely to take a fall in the first place!

Daily Life

General improvements in body strength can give you the edge in nearly everything you do, such as playing with your kids, carrying your shopping, moving furniture, climbing stairs, or even standing up. A combination of strength training and flexibility can also work against the natural shortening of muscles for those who spend a lot of time sitting down. This is often inevitable, as many jobs involve sitting in front of a computer for extended periods of time where muscles adapt to their surroundings, but strength and flexibility training can counter this effect.

Quality of a Training Programme

It goes without saying that the safety of the subject undergoing a strength training programme is paramount – after all, a healthier and more active lifestyle is our objective. This said, the integrity of a training programme is important to ensure individuals receive the correct balance of strength, and must bear in mind postural imbalances and any specific goals they may have. A warm-up and cool down are also important aspects, minimising the chance of injury and maximising performance, and very heavy weights should only be lifted with someone there to assist if you have difficulties. All exercises should promote good posture, typically an open chest, neutral spine and firm stomach.

A comprehensive weight-training programme is one that consists of exercises for all parts of the body to ensure whole body strength – omitting major muscle groups would result in imbalances, to the detriment of the individual’s health. For example, training only your ‘beach muscles’ (such as biceps, chest, and abdominals) might seem appealing to begin with, but will inevitably result in poor posture and uneven overall strength.

Conclusion

Strength training provides a series of benefits to anyone’s lifestyle. Provided programmes are performed safely and with correct technique individuals can boost their metabolism to aid weight loss and management, improve their posture, work and play harder, reduce chances of injury, reduce heart disease, and counteract many of the infirmities that develop with age.

If you would like to experience the benefits of Strength training outlined above then please contact us NOW at Lifegym to see how we may help you.

Procedure

At Lifegym Personal Training Gym we are different from other Gyms in that we are a Gym set up for one-to-one Personal Training, so there are no other clients in the Gym when you are training.

We are also different in the attention to detail that we pay to each client as outlined below;

When the client comes in first of all we go through a Lifestyle Questionnaire.
This gives us information like what your Goals are, if you have any injuries or illnesses, if you are on any medication, have any allergies etc. etc. etc…
The first step is to find out what your goals are. You may already have a clear idea of this. If so, that’s great. If not, we will be able to assist you in defining these.

We also go through an Assessment to find out your starting point.
We can begin by checking things like your weight and (if you wish) body fat percentage & measurements.

We can also assess the different areas of fitness such as aerobic fitness, strength and flexibility. Please bear in mind that because this is Personal Training we take things at your own level and the assessment is quite easy and non-strenuous.
We also do a Posture Analysis, which can also assist us when writing the routine.

All this information serves as a basis, along with your goals, for us to write your Personalised Training Plan. It also serves a baseline for comparison. In other words, when you have gone through about 4 weeks of training we can do the same tests again and see the results.

We also go through your current dietary habits and make some changes if necessary.

We provide you with a Personalised Diet designed for your individual lifestyles and goals. This is a point that is often overlooked when providing the client with an overall health / fitness programme and will aid the clients efforts in maximising their results.

Lifegyms Unique Training System

The most important aspect of fitness training is the correct information. A lot of people fail to achieve their desired results because they are doing the wrong type of training. The training system we use here at Lifegym is quite unique. The best results are obtained with a short workout. Most people in Gyms spend too long training and do the wrong things for the results that they are trying to achieve. Obviously if you haven’t been training then you start with a low intensity and work up but you will be amazed at how quick you will see results with this type of training.
At present we are offering 20% OFF OUR REGULAR PRICES so there is no time like the present to get started.
Please feel free to book an initial ‘mini’ consultation to discuss how best to proceed with a training programme for you. This is FREE OF CHARGE.

Please log on to our web site www.lifegym.ie to sign up to our Newsletter or for further information on our Services, including our unique ONLINE PERSONAL TRAINING SERVICE.

If you sign up to our Newsletter this Month then your first Full Consultation is FREE of charge.

To receive a brochure in the post please supply your postal address.

Should you require any further information please let us know and I will oblige.

Thank You

Tony Matthews

Lifegym
13 Anne Street
Dundalk
County Louth

042 9354992
0868598954

email: tmatthews@lifegym.ie
web: www.lifegym.ie

At Lifegym Personal Taining Gym we are different from other Gyms in that we are a Gym set up for one-to-one Personal Training, so there are no other clients in the Gym when you are training.
We are also different in the attention to detail that we pay to each client as outlined below;
When the client comes in first of all we go through a Lifestyle Questionnaire.
This gives us information like what your Goals are, if you have any injuries or illnesses, if you are on any medication, have any allergies etc. etc. etc…
The first step is to find out what your goals are. You may already have a clear idea of this. If so, that’s great. If not, we will be able to assist you in defining these.
We also go through an Assessment to find out your starting point.
We can begin by checking things like your weight and (if you wish) body fat percentage & measurements.
We can also assess the different areas of fitness such as aerobic fitness, strength and flexibility. Please bear in mind that because this is Personal Training we take things at your own level and the assessment is quite easy and non-strenuous.
We also do a Posture Analysis, which can also assist us when writing the routine.
All this information serves as a basis, along with your goals, for us to write your Personalised Training Plan. It also serves a baseline for comparison. In other words, when you have gone through about 4 weeks of training we can do the same tests again and see the results.
We also go through your current dietary habits and make some changes if necessary.
We are also qualified to provide you with a Personalised Diet designed for your individual lifestyles and goals. This is a point that is often overlooked when providing the client with an overall health / fitness programme and will aid the clients efforts in maximising their results.

Lifegyms Unique Time Saving Training System

The most important aspect of fitness training is the correct information.

A lot of people fail to achieve their desired results because they are doing the wrong type of training. The training system we use is quite unique. The best results are obtained with a short workout, beginning with low intensity and increasing this as appropriate as you go.

You can get into and stay in excellent shape with only 3 short workouts per week.

Obviously if you haven’t been training then you start with a low intensity and work up but you will be amazed at how quick you will see results with this type of training.

Please Contact us to set up an initial consultation to get you started on your new Healthy Lifestyle or fill out the online form to avail of our online Personal Training

For further details on all lifegym’s services please phone 00353-86-8598954 / 00353-42-9354992 or email tmatthews@lifegym.ie contact us via the web site www.lifegym.ie

The advantages of using a personal trainer are numerous:

Knowledge / expertise

Motivation

Goal achievement

Supervised Instruction 

Privacy

Safe-Injury prevention

Time-effective

Personalised programmes to suit the individual, regardless of age. 

I think the problem with exercising in gyms is that people can spend too long doing the wrong things. At Lifegym we can create unique training programmes for each individual that take as little as 20 to 30 minutes, 3 times per week.

90 minutes a week – Get into great shape…genuinely

In the time it takes you to watch a football match or 1 and a half episodes of your favourite soap opera, you could be achieving your ideal body shape and all that goes with it.

Knowledge / expertise

There is a critical factor in ensuring you get the best out of your training programme.  If you don’t have it, it almost guarantees failure.  And that’s the best information.   Most people are busy enough with their job and their daily lives to be off researching the latest techniques on training and diet. But some people do this for a living.  They are usually called ‘personal trainers’.

Many people who want to get into great shape start off with the best of intentions but after a few weeks very often that ‘rock solid’ commitment is usually not 100%.  And even if it is, a lack of knowledge on how best to train means that many will literally spend hours and hours running on a treadmill every week with little or no gain. 

How many people do you know who spend ages in a gym but don’t get results?  Quite often the reason is because they don’t know what to do.

Many will spend a fortune joining a gym only to leave a couple of months later without any results.  Why not invest your money wisely and get a return?   Personal trainers, once they have the best information, will allow you to achieve what you want. 

Motivation

One-to-one sessions also provide our clients with greater motivation.

The client is constantly monitored, motivated and supported to steer him/ her towards the agreed goals in a safe, effective and efficient manner.

People have told me that having to keep an appointment means they are more likely to work out than if they were just going to the gym on their own.

People often give up because they dont have the correct guidance.

Goal Achievement

This is very much a goal-oriented service and focuses on each individual. (As opposed to the alternative method of joining a public gymnasium and being left very much to your own devices).

So at the start we discuss your goals so we know what we are setting out to achieve and we design your programme accordingly.

Supervised Instruction

Supervised Instruction in correct technique to maximise results.

A qualified fitness instructor who is specifically qualified and experienced in the area of personal training supervises the clients’ overall routine, as well as each workout.

Privacy

You can train in a private environment, which suits people who may feel self conscious about training in a crowded Gym.

Safe; Injury prevention

Our programmes are geared to achieve results and with one-to-one attention our clients train in a controlled environment each and every time they work out. This dramatically reduces the prospect of picking up injuries as a Personal Trainer will take any injuries / illnesses into account when writing your routine.

Time-effective

With our training programme, you get results without spending every waking hour in the gym.  3 x 20 or 30 minutes sessions a week with some changes to your diet (and that doesn’t mean eating grass!!) and very soon you’ll see changes. 

If you can’t get to Lifegym in person, now you can get this service on the web by visiting www.lifegym.ie

‘Hold on’, scream the females, ‘We don’t want to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger in drag’. This is a common concern. But it’s actually impossible for that naturally to happen. When ladies train, they gain that lean muscle toned look.

The truth about bulking up, spot reduction, multijoint movements, protein intake, and repetitions. by Jenna McCarthy

When it comes to lifting weights, everyone has an opinion. One day you hear heaving heavy weights will leave you looking like a linebacker (it won’t). The next day, rumor has it that supermodel limbs are a mere 10 minutes away thanks to the Miracle Machine du jour (not in this lifetime). The fact is, those little hand weights aren’t the only dumbbells lurking around your gym. If all this conflicting information is enough to make you burn your jog bra and bag working out altogether, fear not: We sought out two of the most in-the-know pros in the fitness industry to clear up your confusion once and for all.

1. If you lift weights, you’ll bulk up. “It’s physiologically impossible,” says Michael Wood, director of the Sports Performance Group in Cambridge, Mass., and an exercise physiologist at Tufts Research Center on Aging. The reason? Testosterone is responsible for a muscle’s bulk, and women simply don’t have enough of this predominantly male hormone to build Schwarzenegger-sized bulges. “Because muscle is denser than fat, strength training actually makes muscles shapelier,” Wood says.

2. Weightlifting will get rid of saddlebags and any other unsightly bulges. If you buy that, rumor has it there’s a Chiseled Cheekbones Through Self-Hypnosis franchise looking for investors. The sorry truth is that there is no such thing as “spot reduction.” If you have a ripple here or a bulge there, your only recourse is to reduce fat all over. The best way is with a combination of cardiovascular exercise and strength training, says Norm Meltzer, a former competitive weightlifter. Here’s why: Regular aerobic exercise burns calories and helps melt flab. Combine it with strength training (via free weights or weight machines), and you’ll beef up your lean muscle mass, turning your body into a round-the-clock calorie-burning factory. (Experts estimate you need to take in an extra 50 to 60 calories per day just to maintain each pound of muscle you add to your frame.) “Area-specific exercises can improve appearance,” Meltzer says, by tightening underlying muscles. “But it’s wishful thinking that you can choose where to burn fat.”

3. In order to see results, you need to work every muscle individually. Not only is it unnecessary to work each of your more than 600 muscles separately, you actually get a better workout (as in faster results in less time) by performing compound moves. Think squats, lunges, dips, push-ups. “Multijoint movements burn way more calories than single-joint exercises, so you get double the bang for your buck,” says Wood. Another benefit: Unlike single-joint exercises (like a biceps curl or leg extension), compound moves mimic activities you’re likely to perform in everyday life. This greatly reduces the chance you’ll pull a muscle performing simple tasks like vacuuming or hauling groceries.

4. You need to eat a lot more protein if you lift weights. Your recent Perdue stock purchase aside, probably not. “The RDA protein requirement is .8 grams for each kilogram of body weight [1 kilogram equals 2.2 pounds],” says Wood. “With athletes, the number is only slightly higher, at around 1 gram per kilo.” For a 130-pound woman, that translates into roughly 47 to 60 grams of protein a day. According to Wood, your liver and kidneys can only assimilate so much protein. Despite the pasta phobia that seems to be sweeping the nation, if you’re underconsuming anything, it’s probably healthy carbohydrates such as fruits, veggies, whole grains, rice, cereal, and juices — all key nutrients for muscle building. “Carbs are our bodies’ main source of fuel and should make up between 50 percent to 60 percent of your total caloric intake,” Wood says. “Without adequate amounts, you may have difficulty sustaining a workout.”

5. For maximum definition, the more repetitions of each exercise, the better. Au contraire, mes soeurs. “The only way you will ever see gains in strength, size, or power is by taking a muscle to momentary fatigue,” Wood says. That means that you have to lift a challenging weight. “Once you can easily perform 12 repetitions of an exercise, increase the weight by 5 percent.” Meltzer adds that as a part of a multidimensional approach to training, low-weight workouts aren’t entirely without merit: “Repetition builds endurance, which is important — especially if you participate in a sport,” he says. In general, try to do at least two sets of each exercise and use a weight that’s heavy enough so that you can barely lift it by the end of the second set.

6. If you stop working out, your muscles will turn to fat. Think apples and oranges: Fat and muscle are two different substances, and one cannot, will not, and has not ever turned into the other. Less of one simply means more room for the other. “When you stop using your muscles, your body becomes significantly less efficient at burning calories, which allows the pounds, in the form of fat, to creep back on,” Wood says. If, say, a 150-pound woman stopped strength training, she may continue to see the same number when she steps on the scale, but her ratio of fat to muscle will shift dramatically. Women who work out with weights can slow the 10 percent loss of strength per decade that occurs in women who don’t train with weights.