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a blog to inform, motivate, inspire and make you giggleFrom instant tips and recipes through to great stories from some of our members.
If you have an inspirational story that you’re happy for us to share in our blog, please get in touch!
Overcoming Stress
To overcome stress, it is essential to adopt healthy coping mechanisms and strategies that can help manage and reduce stress levels. There are multiple effective ways to help overcome stress, it is worth trying more than one approach to see what works for you....
Chest-Supported Dumbbell Row
Benefits: The chest-supported dumbbell row is an amazing way to train your back and it can be altered minorly to target different areas. It provides a larger range of motion to using a barbell. Using a bench to support your chest removes the majority of momentum,...
Posterior Pelvic Tilt
Understanding Posterior Pelvic Tilt Posterior pelvic tilt is when the front of the pelvis rises, and the back of the pelvis drops. This causes the pelvis to rotate upwards and the tailbone to tuck under. Consequently, the hip and knee joints are usually over-extended...
Salmon Kedgeree
Try this healthy yet flexible dish that can be eaten hot or cold! Ingredients (serves 4, adjust accordingly): 650g salmon fillet, skinned or any preferred fish 650ml veg/chicken stock 55g butter 1 small onion finely chopped 1 garlic clove grated or crushed 1 tbsp...
Weighted WOD
Try this 20 minute weighted HIIT WOD! Heavy movement immediately into HIIT movement with no rest! 4 X 5 CLEAN AND PRESS/15 BURPEES 1a. Clean and press (recommended male = 40kg, female = 20kg) 1b. Burpees 4 X 5 DEADLIFTS/15 SQUAT JUMPS 2a. Heavy deadlifts (recommended...
The Core
Introduction: In fitness, the term "the core" often conjures images of chiselled six-pack abs and rigorous ab crunches. While a strong and defined midsection is a visual representation of a robust core, it barely scratches the surface of the multiple roles the core...
What exactly is wellbeing?
In today's fast-paced and demanding world, it's crucial to prioritise our overall wellbeing. But what exactly is wellbeing? Wellbeing can be defined as the state of being in good physical, mental, and emotional health. It goes beyond the absence of illness and...
Spider Curl
Benefits: The spider curl is an effective method to train the biceps and can be a more interesting way to train biceps than the standard curl. It focuses on keeping the muscle under tension at full contraction of the bicep. How to: 1. First of all, set up your...
Rotator Cuff
The Rotator Cuff: The Shoulders Best Friend Introduction: The shoulder joint is highly complex. However, this complexity means it is the most mobile joint in the body and can perform a host of movements such as flexion/extension, abduction/adduction, internal/external...
Feel Good Soup
Try this feel good soup to keep you warm through the chilly months... Ingredients (serves 4, adjust accordingly): 1 red onion, finely chopped 1 green chilli, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, crushed 5cm piece fresh root ginger, finely chopped 2 tbsps olive oil 2 medium...
Resistance Bands – Lower Body
Place a resistance band just above your knees and let's go with this lower body focused workout! REGULAR SQUATS SQUAT LATERAL STEPS SUMO SQUAT SUMO SQUAT PULSE DONKEY KICKS CLAMS 20 REPS OF EACH EXERCISE Regular squats: Feet positioned between hip and shoulder width...
Anterior Pelvic Tilt
What Is Anterior Pelvic Tilt? Anterior pelvic tilt is a postural deviation in which the pelvis or hips are tilted forward (anteriorly). This causes lordosis in the lumbar spine region and looks as if you are sticking your buttocks out and your lower abdomen forward....
Eat The Rainbow
We’ve all heard the phrase ‘5 a day’ but recent research suggests a new approach may be more beneficial. Researchers found that people who consume at least 30 different plant-based foods each week had a higher diversity of microbes in their gut, which may contribute...
Pull Up
The pull up is a great compound exercise meaning it targets multiple muscles. However, everyone avoids it because they’ve tried doing it once and failed to do one rep. This blog will show you how you can work towards your first pull-up! As well as teaching you correct...
Muscle Strain
What is a muscle strain? Simply, a muscle strain is the overstretching or even the tearing of muscle fibres. Imagine a huge rubber band which if you stretched out normally, then released it, will recoil fast and efficiently. However, if you over stretch this rubber...
Kung Pao Chicken
You can add peanuts to this delicious dish if you choose. Ingredients (serves 4, adjust accordingly): 500g skinless & boneless chicken thighs 2tbsp light soy sauce 1tsp dried chilli flakes 2tbsp cornflour 1tbsp vegetable oil 20g fresh root ginger, finely chopped 1...
Kettlebells
CLEAN AND PRESS BENT OVER ROW HALO WINDMILL SWING 12 REPS OF EACH X 3 ROUNDS Clean and Press: Starting with the kettlebell in between your legs clean the kettlebell up in a straight line as close to the body as possible trying not to bang the wrist. As the kettlebell...
Rehab After Injury
If you partake in a sport and/or exercise, you are likely to get injured at some point. No matter if its minor/major, we all hate being injured. It’s your response to that injury that can really define your future endeavours in fitness/sport. Below are 5 general...
Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol for many of us can be part of how we relax and celebrate with friends and family. As with many things though, too much is not a good thing. Hopefully, this blog will leave you feeling informed and able to continue enjoying a drink now and again...
Split Squats
Split squats are a fantastic multi joint exercise that will target several muscle groups as well. They can be performed just using body weight, which if they are new to you I would recommend to start with, or you can also use dumbbells, Smith machine or barbell....
Desk Posture
Desk posture or “tech neck” is typically used to describe a posture that involves having a hunched neck and rounded shoulders. So why does this occur? Generally speaking, this kind of postural issue happens as a result of spending prolonged periods of time in a poor...
Calming Green Soup
From 'The Medicinal Chef: Dale Pinnock': good for joints & bones, mental health and nervous system. Ingredients (serves 4, adjust accordingly): Olive oil 1 white onion, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 350g frozen peas 1 large courgette, coarsely...
WOD
Try this WOD based workout, you will find these and similar exercises in the Wake Up WOD classes we have at tfd with Alfie, Sam & Tabby! 1. Cardio HIIT Choose your favourite cardio machine. High intensity periods followed by low intensity periods. 20 seconds of...
Feet Pronation & Supination
Pronation: Pronation refers to the way in which your foot rolls upon landing, for instance when you first plant your foot to the floor when running. The reason for this is to assist in impact distribution amongst the foot. It's part of the natural movement of the...
Focus on the journey, not the destination!
We’ve all done it. Enthusiastically made our new year’s resolutions, believing that we’ll somehow change overnight. We tell ourselves that this time, it’ll be different. This time, we’ll stick to the plan. February comes around and we find ourselves...
Knee Pain
Knee pain is a huge and prevalent subject in the world. The knee joint is a complicated joint containing numerous ligaments, tendons, and cartilage. As well as being complicated, it’s expected to absorb lots of force in our daily lives. Because the knee is so...
Rest & Recovery
Rest and recovery from your sessions is incredibly important when training for fitness/gaining muscle. There are many ways to recover in the gym, from stretching, and using foam rollers to deloading. In this blog we’ll have a little look into each… Stretching – There...
TRX Row
A TRX is one of the black and yellow straps you will see hanging in our zones upstairs. TRX stands for Total Body Resistance Exercise. It’s a great piece of kit that you can work your full body just using your bodyweight and gravity as resistance to build strength,...
Glute Activation
Knowing how to activate your glutes is essential for not only athletic performance but also your daily life. The gluteus maximus is the biggest muscle in the body, yet as humans we don’t know how to activate it and use it effectively!! Weak glutes are a usually a...
Honey Chilli Chicken
Try this colourful and healthy dish that will feel like you are having a Chinese takeaway! Ingredients (serves 2, adjust accordingly): Marinade: 200g chicken Tbsp light soy sauce 1.5 tbsp egg white Tsp garlic puree Sauce: 25g honey 30g ketchup Tsp sriracha sauce Tbsp...
Power Pilates
Grab yourself two small hand weights for this Power Pilates workout! STANDING EXERCISES Lateral lunge with rotation Starting with legs wider than hip width apart and a nice flat back, ideally at 90˚ to the legs. With both arms stretched out at shoulder height and a...
Ankle Injuries
Ankle injuries are a frequent occurrence in the UK accounting for 5% of emergency department visits annually and 5600 injuries per day. Unfortunately, once you’ve injured your ankle once, you are more likely to injure your ankle again - unless proper rehab/prehab is...
The Power of Positive Thinking
Research has found that positive thinking can aid in stress management and even plays an important role in your overall health and well-being. It can help combat feelings of low self-esteem, improve physical health, and help brighten your overall outlook on life....
Incline Dumbbell Chest Press
Benefits: The incline dumbbell chest press is an amazing way to train your chest, triceps and front delts, although it primarily targets the upper chest (pectoralis major). Using dumbbells provides a larger range of motion to using a barbell and also requires more...
Finding Your Neutral Spine
You will often hear instructors talking about a “neutral spine”, especially if you have attended a Pilates class. The importance of this is increasing in both training and everyday life. For people who have suffered with back pain this is especially crucial for...
Lamb Moussaka
Try this delicious lamb moussaka with a creamy aubergine topping! Ingredients (serves 2, adjust accordingly): 1 carrot 1 aubergine 200g lamb mince 1 tsp ground cinnamon 200g tomato passata 10g chicken stock paste 150g creme fraiche 40g grated hard Italian style cheese...
Heavy Single Kettlebell
Grab yourself a heavy kettlebell, we are not going to be swinging it so we can go more weight than if we were... so test yourselves! SUMO SQUATS DEADLIFTS GORILLA ROW UPRIGHT ROW 8 REPS OF EACH X 3 ROUNDS Sumo squats Placing the feet wide and with the toes pointing...
Better Your Time Management
Time management is something that most people want to improve on, especially at work. With frequent distractions and trying to juggle a million and one things, being successful at time management is progressively harder to achieve. There are however things you can set...
Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain is one of the most common conditions that we treat, whether it be acute or chronic pain. Pain is often experienced at the bottom of the back, in the lumbar region, where the spine meets the pelvis. So, what can cause this pain? There are numerous...
Clean and Press
What is a clean and press? Clean and pressing is one of the best movements in the gym for working multiple styles of training at once. Clean and pressing can be loaded heavier and used as a power movement for less reps, or it can be lighter and used for cardio and...
