Affordable Personal Training- Is There Such a thing?

Many people ask me if personal training is expensive and question if they can afford it.  The answer depends on you and what you value.  It is not so much a question of if you can afford a personal trainer, it is more a question of what you could cut out to better use your hard earned money.  You can spend up to £100 per hour on a top celebrity trainer or £30 per hour on someone who may be less well known, and there are many different packages to choose from.  The one that works for you is the best.  It just depends what price you put on your health and what you value for the long term?

The first thing you should consider is that if you are asking questions above then you must want to change your health or appearance so you are already on the right track.  You just need to figure out what is available, what you need and how much it costs.

£30-£100 for one personal training session seems steep?!

If you are unhappy with your fitness level or weight then you might need to change your lifestyle a bit which could mean giving up a habit like smoking or reducing eating out.  Then decide what you want to change, in the long term and establish a clear goal as this will motivate you.  This might be losing weight or running a marathon.  Neither can be achieved if you don't make a change.

Now consider what you want in terms of a trainer- do you want to join a gym and hire one of the “in house trainers” or do you want to work externally without a gym membership? Then what will it cost?

Average prices for personal trainers are £45-£65 per session in London.

Now look at your lifestyle and consider the following habits and what they cost a week approximately:

o   Smoking 20 cigarettes a day costs up to £70 a week and that is not including the extras you smoke when out boozing

o   Eating out an extra night a week costs up to £100 depending on where you go

o   Going out drinking an extra night a week costs £50 give or take

o   Buying lunch at work each day costs £20+ a week

Changing any of these habits would save you money!

Now consider the price of personal training which is on average £45 to £65 an hour.

All of the expensive habits listed above are both detrimental to health and your wallet.  Sacrifice one night out per week out of two, give up smoking, give up one night out for dinner a week or make your own lunch each week and you have saved the money for that PT session already!

1 personal training session costs the same as the average night out on the sauce…. You won’t have a hangover, you won’t put on weight and you will feel, look and perform better in every sense! 

Finally, you have to consider what you should get from your £45-£65 per session:

·       One-one tailored exercise sessions designed around you

·       Motivation and support to achieve your goal

·       Nutritional support

·       Progress checks

·       Fitness tests

·       Additional exercise programs to supplement your training

·       Education on what, why and how to exercise effectively

·       Safety in the knowledge your trainer is a highly qualified professional

No, Personal Training is not expensive!

You are investing in your health which will make you live longer- the luxuries above will mostly shorten your life!  Exercise is a proven stress relieving, feel good and look good addition to your lifestyle so give personal training a try.  

All details on the above topics are listed on www.tomcharman.com

How to Stay Warm in Winter Training

Over the past week the weather has been pretty nippy!  I know that my clients have all been mentioning it. 

I have the pleasure of having to train outdoors a lot of the time and come rain or shine I will be there with my clients.  This is fine in the summer and even the winter if it is not cold and frosty but when it rains non-stop and you have 4 sessions outside in one day it can be quite comical.  I would never cancel or miss a session for bad weather but some clients might be less motivated to train if they have to leave the comfort of their warm house. 

So what can you do to stay motivated and able to train as a client??  These are some of the points I consider:

1.     Work indoors near any suitable shelter form the weather like trees or band stand like structures

2.     Wrap up warm- it is much better to take layers off as you get warm than to wish you had more on.  Wear a base layer under your tops to regulate your temperature and sweat levels

3.     Wear the correct footwear- trail running shoes are amazing in the winter as they give you more stability and confidence in your training thanks to having grippy soles and often waterproof properties.  I have a pair and swear by them in the winter months Check these out http://www.startfitness.co.uk/mens/footwear/offroad-trail/adidas-kanadia-trail-6-mens-running-shoes-m17442.html 

4.     Get a good waterproof/windproof jacket or just go old school and wear a bin liner if it’s raining so you can stay dry as possible and warm: http://www.startfitness.co.uk/mens/clothing/jackets-gillets.html?dir=asc&order=price 

5.     Have a dry top in a kit bag that you can put on after your session if you get caught in the rain.  Cooling down and staying wet are not good conditions for recovery

6.     If you don’t like trackpants for training, then leggings are perfect and can go under shorts for the more discreet look.  These will keep the wind off your legs during a session.

7.     Keep moving throughout the session- double win for you (the client) as you burn more calories and stay warm.  Sounds simple, but add in shuttle runs, skipping or dynamic moves during rest periods to keep warm

8.     Wear gloves and a hat- if you have warm hands you feel better and you lose most of your body heat through your head so keep a lid on it 

9.     Just think of the benefits before you wimp out- fresh air, vitamin D, exercise and energy levels will all be increased as a result of you getting out there and getting on with it.

10.  Shivering and being cold burns calories!  Your metabolism works harder to keep you warm so embrace the cold! 

11.  If you are cycling keep your head, hands and toes warm and dry as well as your body! Gloves, toe covers and snoods make a huge difference in keeping you comfortable on the bike. These toe warmers are a life saver: http://startcycles.co.uk/clothing/footwear/overshoes/craft-rain-bootie-cycling-overshoes-1900035-1999.html 

12.  Play a team sport- the more fun and involving a game is the less aware you are of the elements.

So… No excuse, get out and get training you will feel better for it and deserve bragging rights!

Good luck.

Hypertrophy Training Explained- The Process of Building Bigger Muscle

Hypertrophy refers to the growth of the cross sectional area of skeletal muscle.  

It is caused by the muscle adapting to overload, which in this case is an increased weight being lifted.

This post will explain the types of hypertrophy and the process needed to follow to achieve it.

Hypertrophy occurs when the muscle is required to lift more weight than can comfortably be lifted.  This overloading will cause the muscle to become damaged and over time and through training it will rebuild with more strength and size in order to overcome the weight.

 The 2 types of hypertrophy are Myofibrillar and Sarcoplasmic.

Myofibrillar hypertrophy occurs when a weight lifted causes damage and overloading to the muscle causing the body to recruit more muscle fibers and more importantly more Myofibrils.  These are the contractile part of the muscle and contain the active protein Actin and Myosin.  The muscle will increase the density and number of these myofibrils which will in turn increase the strength of the contraction and the size of the muscle belly.

Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy occurs as a result of training or lifting to fatigue.  When a weight is lifted for a number of repetitions that lasts longer than 10 seconds the fuel in the muscle is spent.  This fuel and energy is contained in the sarcoplasm (fluid part) of the muscle and will be increased in volume in order to maintain a contraction for a longer period.  This increase in sarcoplasmic volume will lead to increased muscle belly size and improve time to fatigue because more fuel available.

The easiest way to visualize the difference between the 2 types is to compare a body builder to a powerlifter.  They are both muscular in shape but possess different weight lifting abilities.  A power lifter will require Myofibrillar hypertrophy to complete powerful fast movement of heavy weight.  Their aim is lifting the maximum weight possible.

A body builder will need to lift less heavy weight but for sets to failure in order to increase size of muscle rather than maximal strength.  The aim is to increase size not necessarily strength.  This would require sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.

Always bear in mind that neither form of hypertrophy will be possible without a good nutrition regime and a well-designed training program. 

If you are aiming for powerlifting strength and size plan your training on the following basis:

 ·      Lifting weight that is 85-90% of your 1 Rep max

·      Lifting for 5-8 reps

·      Resting for 60+ seconds per set

 If you are aiming for bodybuilder sized muscles then try this:

 ·      Lifting weight that is 70-75% of your 1 Rep Max

·      Lifting for 10-15 reps- Aiming to fail on the last rep

·      Resting for up to 60 seconds per set

 But what gives you the complete package of strength and size?

 ·      Lifting weight that is 75-85% of your 1 Rep max

·      Lifting for 8-12 reps

·      Resting for 30-60 seconds per set

 This is a very brief overview of what hypertrophy is and how to apply it to training programs.

To conclude, hypertrophy is the process by which the muscle belly increases in size due to increased exertion or weight lifted.  The 2 types differ where sarcoplasmic hypertrophy increases the volume of sarcoplasm to delay onset of fatigue and myofibrillar hypertrophy increases the maximal strength of the muscle.  Both however will increase the size of the muscle belly over time and with effective training and nutrition.