Less than you think! Especially when you are starting out we always see people giving themselves far too much work to do and end up hating their training. When you first start out you should always leave feeling like you could've done more. This has a couple of effects, one it leaves you less soreness the next day which is worse when you just start out. It'll also therefore have less impact on your normal day-to-day life. Secondly, you will be more motivated to go back next time and crush it, rather than be worried that you won't be able to walk up the stairs to bed again. As a rough guide, I would start off with 2-3 sets on a few exercises when you first start out. Then each week you can add a set. If you get to doing 6 or 7 sets per exercise and aren't feeling it too much one of two things are true. You're a cyborg and should report to John Connor for rebooting, or you could do with putting the weight up a little. As for how many reps to do, we recommend most beginners to start with reps of 6-8. This is the start range for traditional muscle growth programmes and isn't as challenging to get a grasp of as sets of 10-12. As you train more you can become more specific but at that point I would recommend getting a coach. Here is a basic guide of what rep ranges suit what training outcomes:
The best way to get a good grasp of how much you should do is to hire a personal trainer. either in-person or online are good options. We do both so if you can't make it in person then get in touch online and we would love to help you out!
If you have any more questions please do get in touch via our socials or contact page.
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As a personal trainer who has been in the game for over a decade, it is easy to forget to mention the basics. We throw around terms like sets and reps all the time and it is too easy to forget that a lot of new people to the gym have no idea what we are talking about. In reality, it's quite simple, a rep is short for repetition and it is the amount of times you complete a lift in succession. For example, if you were to do 6 reps of press-ups, it means you would do 6 press-ups back to back without a break. This would also be known as 1 set. A set is an amount of reps done in one go. So if you were to repeat an exercise multiple times for 6 repetitions that would be a number of sets. For example, 3 sets of 6 reps on press-ups would mean that you would complete 6 press-ups, back to back with no rest. Then rest for a couple minutes and repeat this another two times. I hope that helps, most programmes also denote the number of overall sets to do, then the reps per set. An easy way to determine which way around it is, is most programmes will have a higher number of reps than it does sets.
If you would like any other help or have any questions please get in touch. Either via our socials or our contact page. Most information online massively over-complicates a warm-up. A good warm-up needs to prepare you for training, a lot of online warm-ups take more energy than half your workout. A proper warm-up should take 10-20 minutes max, and do three things.
This may sound complex but luckily in practicality, it is super simple and a lot of things you would do tick all three boxes. Now this advice is for people without pre-existing injuries or conditions. A medical professional like a Physiotherapist will be able to help you out there. First up hop on a rower or any bit of cardio equipment. Use it at a gentle pace until you break into a light sweat and are breathing a bit harder, traditionally for a few minutes. If you walk, run, or cycle to the gym this part is already done. There you are part one is taken care of. Next what you do is move to your first exercise, let's say a barbell back squat. don't just jump in at your working set. Do a couple sets with just the bar, then add some weight, do another set and repeat until you are at your working set. A little trial and error is required here. Some people will like to do a few more sets on the way up, some a little less. Also make sure you keep it specific there is no point warming up with sets of 3 if your work set is a set of 12. There you are part two and three complete and you are ready to go. I would repeat the above set for each new body type you train, so if you go from squat to bench then start again, however if for some reason you are a sadist and go from squat to split squats then you don't need to fully repeat this. If you would like to add anything else in then adding in some plyometrics can be beneficial, so some jumping variations etc. However be careful with these they are like training anything else don't just start doing dozens of jumps, throws and sprints before your workout. Ease into it. Warm up done and complete in no time at all, no need to spend 30 mins activating your left piriformis or make sure that you've foam rolled every square inch of your body. If you would like more help in how to get started with training then give us a shout on our socials or via our contact page.
Where to start can be a bit of a mine field, as well as a bit intimidating. Everything looks so complicated and hard to use. I promise you it's simple. If you are a little intimidated and not sure what to do I would reccomend starting with machines. They often have a little picture of how to set them up, and how to use them. Some even have little QR codes with videos of what to do. This make your life so much easier and you can't really go wrong from there. You can also push yourself really hard without worrying about your technique breaking down as a machine wont allow you to do that. If however you are a bit more confident, have used machines a little before, or have input from a personal trainer. Then I would reccomend starting with Free weights. One of the big downsides of machines is they don't allow for all the little differences in our bodies, which means they don't feel great for 90% of the people using them. Where as free weights can be adapted to suit litterally anyone. They also challenge all the little stabalisation muscles as well which is an added bonus, and seem to have a greater impact on your bone strength as they load the whole skeleton. However, it really doesn't matter where you start. Only that you start so go in pick a few things and get lifting!
If you want any help or advice on what to do give us a shout on any of our socials, or via our contact page. Essentially as little as possible.
This may sound a bit silly but take it from me, in 3 months time you'll be glad you did. I have been a personal trainer for over a decade now, and it is always a great idea to start as light as you can. Two reasons. First up, you would be amazed at the progress you will make from just a small amount of weight once or twice a week. Then you can slowly add to that, if you go to heavy to fast you will just have to keep increasing that every week. So make your life easy. Secondly starting off too heavy can lead to you putting your body through a little too much. You'll be more likely to end up super sore after each session or pick up an injury or two. Your body is amazing at adapting to stress you put on it, but give it too much of something it isn't used to and like anything it will run the risk of breaking. As a personal trainers with over three decades of experience between us Will and I both have the same answer to this. Whatever fits your schedule. Too many times we see people being told they have to train 4, 5, or even 7 times a week. For most people out there this is just insanity. We have had dozens of clients over the years make unbelievable progress with just one or two sessions a week. Also, keep in mind that more training doesn't always mean more progress in the long run. Consistency is key in the long run. Two sessions a week for 3-4 months will easily beat five sessions a week for 3 weeks. Also, one thing that can almost guarantee injuries is training far too much for what your body can handle. Start gentle, it is far easier to add than to take away. So pick what works best for you with your work and life schedule at the moment and fit in what you can. Also a top tip here, you can make really progress with even a 20-30 minute session. So don't feel like you have to be in the gym for hours for you to make progress. If you would like some help with how to develop a plan to fit around your schedule then please get in touch. We would love to help.
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