A bit about me, "FitnessFreak" the author of this blog.

Hi! My name is Ollie and I am a fully qualified coach and personal trainer with a HND in Coach Education & Sports Performance.

I swam for Great Britain in European Championships, 6 Nations and many other international and national competitions. I lived and trained in Bath full time as a swimmer while attending university there. I love keeping fit, healthy and going to the gym.

On this site you will general tips on fitness equipment as well as fitness advice, dietary information, exercise and healthy living. I post reports and reviews on newly released fitness equipment, fitness gadgets and anything health and fitness related!

If you are wishing to act upon any of the information provided in this blog, please consult a relevant qualified professional (doctor, dietician or fitness trainer) before doing so.

I hope you enjoy the content and I welcome any feedback and comments to the blog. Feel free to link to the site.

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Thanks.

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Body Mass Index
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• Exercise bikes
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Strength & muscle building

• Free weights & benches
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Fitness dictionary

The basic principles of strength training involve a manipulation of the number of repetitions (reps), sets, tempo, exercises and force to cause desired changes in strength, endurance, size or shape by overloading of a group of muscles. The specific combinations of reps, sets, exercises, resistance and force depend on the purpose of the individual performing the exercise: sets with fewer reps can be performed using more force, but have a reduced impact on endurance.
Strength training also requires the use of 'good form', performing the movements with the appropriate muscle group(s), and not transferring the weight to different body parts in order to move greater weight/resistance (called 'cheating'). Failure to use good form during a training set can result in injury or an inability to meet training goals - since the desired muscle group is not challenged sufficiently, the threshold of overload is never reached and the muscle does not gain in strength.
The benefits of strength training include increased muscle, tendon and ligament strength, bone density, flexibility, tone, metabolic rate and postural support.
Types of strength training

• Weight training
  Weight and resistance training are popular methods of strength training which use gravity (through weight stacks, plates or dumbbells) or elastic/hydraulic resistance respectively to oppose muscle contraction. Each method provides a different challenge to the muscle relating to the position where the resistance to muscle contraction peaks. Weight training provides the majority of the resistance at the initiating joint angle when the movement begins, when the muscle must overcome the inertia of the weight's mass (however, if repetitions are performed extremely slowly, inertia is never overcome and resistance remains constant). In contrast, elastic resistance provides the greatest opposition to contraction at the end of the movement when the material experiences the greatest tension while hydraulic resistance varies depending on the speed of the submerged limb, with greater resistance at higher speeds. In addition to the equipment used, joint angles can alter the force output of the muscles due to leverage and the relative overlap of actin and myosin contractile proteins.
• Resistance training
  Resistance training is a form of strength training in which each effort is performed against a specific opposing force generated by resistance (i.e. resistance to being pushed, squeezed, stretched or bent). Exercises are isotonic if a body part is moving against the force. Exercises are isometric if a body part is holding still against the force. Resistance exercise is used to develop the strength and size of skeletal muscles. Properly performed, resistance training can provide significant functional benefits and improvement in overall health and well-being.

The goal of resistance training, according to the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI), is to "gradually and progressively overload the musculoskeletal system so it gets stronger." Research shows that regular resistance training will strengthen and tone muscles and increase bone mass.

• Isometric training
  Isometric exercise or 'isometrics' are a type of strength training in which the joint angle and muscle length do not change during contraction. Isometric exercises are opposed by a force equal to the force output of the muscle and there is no net movement. This mainly strengthens the muscle at the specific joint angle at which the isometric exercise occurs, with some increases in strength at joint angles up to 20° in either direction depending on the joint trained. In comparison, isotonic exercises strengthen the muscle throughout the entire range of motion of the exercise used.

What is Cardiovascular Fitness?
Cardiovascular fitness can be defined simply as your body's ability to get oxygen and blood to the muscles.

• When you do physical activity and your pulse quickens and your breathing gets deeper, you are using your cardiovascular system.
• You can improve your cardiovascular system's efficiency through regular training.
• The short term used when referring to cardiovascular exercise is Cardio.

How much Cardio do I need?
There are a few simple guidelines you can follow when determining how much cardio work you should do. Basically, it all comes down to your goals.

• If you are trying to lose fat, you need to do more cardio than if you are trying to gain weight. For fat loss, three to five times per week at 20 to 40 minutes per session is plenty. Start conservatively if you are just starting training, e.g. three times per week, 20 minutes per session.
• If you are trying to gain weight, you will find that goal easier to achieve if you don't do any cardio at all, though you will still maintain health benefits without much effect on your weight gain if you do light cardio work twice a week for 20 minutes.
• For improving cardiovascular fitness in general, three or four times per week for 20 to 40 minutes per session (depending on your current level of fitness) will yield good results.

Which type of Cardio should I do?
Cardiovascular training, no matter what the exercise, is categorized based on duration and intensity. When you are choosing which type of cardio to do, keep your goals in mind.

• If your goal is to improve your general cardiovascular fitness, do moderate intensity work where you are starting to breathe deeply and you can feel that you are working.
• If your goal is fat loss but you're in poor shape, do low intensity, long duration work such as walking.
• If you want fat loss and you're in reasonably good cardiovascular shape, do the type that burns the most calories, i.e. high-intensity training (explained in detail below).

Maximum heart rate

• Your maximum heart rate (HR max) is the theoretical number of beats per minute that your heart is capable of producing.
• This is found by subtracting your age from 220, e.g. if you're 40 years old,
  220 - 40 = 180 HR max.
• This is simply an estimation, not an absolute limit.
• To measure aerobic exercise intensity, percentage of HR max (%HR max) is often used. If you want to exercise at 60% of your HR max, your heart rate should be, using the example above, around 108 beats per minute.
• Your heart rate is your guide for cardiovascular exercise intensity

Target heart rate
Your Target Heart Rate is the range of heart beats per minute at which you should work at in order to best achieve aerobic fitness. This range is typically between 60% to 80% of your HR max. The bottom end of the scale is best for low intensity training while the top end is for high intensity training.


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