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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.
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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...
Butter Chicken
Enjoy this colourful bowl of Indian delights! Ingredients (serves 4, adjust accordingly): 500g raw chicken breast 200g Greek yoghurt 20g butter large white onion 400g chopped tomatoes 100g cashew nuts 300g basmati rice ginger garlic Spice mix x2 2tsp turmeric 2tbsp...
Pump Bar
Grab your pump bar for this full body workout and let's go! SQUAT DEADLIFT BENT OVER ROW CHEST PRESS SHOULDER PRESS 1 MINUTE PER EXERCISE X 3 ROUNDS SQUAT: Start with your bar resting on your upper back (not on your neck) and set your feet to slightly wider than hip...
Food Labels
If you find making good food choices overwhelming, then this blog is for you! The aim is to provide you some basic rules of thumb to follow when shopping for food to help navigate around the onslaught of marketing and healthy eating advice we are subjected to in...
Dead bug
Yes you did read that right… it’s really called dead bug and its good for you! Benefits: Helps build a solid, stable foundation that protects the spine and allows for greater ease in everyday and athletic movements, such as moving heavy objects, walking up hills, and...
Plantar Fasciitis Exercises
A common cause of foot pain is plantar fasciitis, a condition that is caused by inflammation of the tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot, connecting your toes to your heel. It can often feel like heel pain and can be caused by, but not limited to, improper...
Portobello Mushroom & Pesto Linguine
Try this delicious pasta dish that is a great vegetarian option! Ingredients (serves 2, adjust amounts accordingly): 2 garlic cloves 200g linguine 150g portobello mushrooms 30g 3 seed mix 80g mature cheddar 40g basil 80g chestnut mushrooms Method: Preheat the grill to...
TRX
Give this bodyweight TRX workout a go! SIDE LUNGES (30SECS EACH LEG) PISTOL SQUAT TO CURTSEY LUNGE (30SECS EACH LEG) BACK FOOT LUNGE TO KNEE DRIVE (30SECS EACH LEG) HAMSTRING CURLS MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS PIKE 30SECS OF EACH, REST FOR 1MIN THEN REPEAT X 3 ROUNDS Side...
Brain to Gut Connection
There are strong links between the brain and the gut. Keeping both healthy will improve our wellbeing. The brain has a direct effect on the stomach and intestines, that feeling in your stomach before you’ve even tasted something nice or a nauseous feeling before you...
Box Jumps/Steps Ups
Box Jumps Box jumps involve jumping from the floor onto a box or elevated surface. They are a great way to enhance explosive power, strengthen lower body, improve vertical jump height, and generally improve athletic performance. Box jumps require significant...
Franks Hot Sauce Steak Kebabs
Get the BBQ out to try this delicious and healthy summertime meal! Ingredients (serves 10 skewers, adjust accordingly): 4 tablespoons of Franks Red Hot Sauce 800 grams sirloin steak, chopped into 1 inch pieces 2 teaspoons cumin 2 teaspoons dried oregano 1 ½ teaspoons...
Running Recovery
Recovery after any workout or training is so important and is often overlooked, and running is no different. Running is an intense form of exercise that challenges your whole body, from the cardiovascular side of things to your muscular endurance, not to mention your...
Bosu Full Body
All you need for this one is a bosu, so grab one and let's go! BOSU CLIMBER BOSU BURPEE BOSU SQUAT BOSU CRUNCH 45SECS ON/15SECS REST X 4 ROUNDS Bosu climber Place both hands on the bosu (flat side up is harder as less stable), get yourself into full plank position and...
Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the measure of force that your heart uses to pump blood around your body. Blood pressure readings are given as two figures; systolic pressure, which is the pressure when your heart contracts and pumps blood out through the arteries around your body,...
Leg Press
The leg press is a machine that is very similar to the squat and is a great way to improve your leg strength. Although this is generally a quad dominant exercise, you will also be working your hamstrings, glutes and calf muscles and can adjust the exercise to target...
Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta
Try this dish that is great for bulking and has delicious flavours! Ingredients (serves 4, adjust accordingly): 500g chicken breast 500g spaghetti/penne pasta 300ml double cream 250g spinach 300g cherry tomatoes 250g grated mozzarella 2tbsp olive oil White onion...
Foot Strength
From the ground up! Did you know that our toes should be as flexible as your fingers? Could you type an email, send a text or play a musical instrument with your toes? No? Then read on… Key Facts Did you know that 25% of our bones and muscles are located...
Dumbbell Full Body
Try this full body workout using just dumbbells and let us know how you get on! SQUAT UP & DOWN ON KNEES HOLDING DUMBBELL DUMBBELL DEADLIFT RENEGADE ROW WOODCHOPS CHEST PRESS 45 SECONDS OF EACH, 15 SECONDS REST, REPEAT X 3 ROUNDS Squat up & down on knees...
Bulking for Beginners
Bulking – What is it? Bulking is a commonly used term within bodybuilding, but what does it mean? Bulking refers to the progressive increase of calories consumed to suffice your body’s need to grow, in combination with weight training. You should aim to eat more than...
Smith Machine Hip Thrust
Set Up Getting set up properly… Make sure that you have a solid weighted bench behind you and the bar of the smith machine resting as close to your hips as is comfortable. Lots of people also find that they need to place a pad underneath it so that the bar doesn’t...
Chicken Tikka Topped Naan
Try this delicious recipe that is so simple yet so tasty! Ingredients (serves 2, adjust accordingly): 15g ginger paste 1/2 cucumber 250g British diced chicken breast 80g natural yoghurt 1 tsp ground tumeric 1 tsp garam masala 20g mint sauce 2 plain naans 1 tsp ground...
Hip Mobility
Mobility: The ability to move or be moved freely and easily. Having good hip mobility means to have usable ranges of motion through the joint, strength through the range and control of the joint. The hip girdle is a complex area with over 15 muscles, each working...
What is HIIT?
A lot of people shy away from HIIT because they think you have to be super fit to take part in classes or incorporate into your training. However, you can adapt a lot of exercises and make it suitable for all fitness levels. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval...
Bosu Crunch
The Bosu crunch is a variation of the standard crunch adding in the Bosu balance trainer. BOSU is an acronym for BOth Sides Utilised because you can use it both flat side up as well as the dome side up. They are a very versatile piece of equipment, and we use them in...
Singapore Prawn Noodles
Try this quick and easy healthy dinner that includes 2 of your 5-a-day! Ingredients (serves 2, adjust amounts accordingly): 1 red chilli 2 spring onions 15ml soy sauce 160g tenderstem broccoli 10ml toasted sesame oil 1 yellow pepper 1 tbsp curry powder 15g ginger...
Barre
What is Barre? Barre is a workout technique inspired by elements of Ballet, Yoga and Pilates. It focuses on low impact, high repetition movements designed to strengthen your body. Each Barre class is designed to be a full body, muscle endurance workout. This is paired...
Jazz Dance
WHAT…is Jazz? Jazz originated from a blend of African dance, modern and Caribbean dance. The style of African dance is typically low, knees bent, with body isolations and hand-clapping. These characteristics were carried through and evolved in America and are seen in...
Protein
Protein – we hear about it all of the time, products in the supermarkets are emblazoned with the word and it generally gets a good press compared with fats and carbohydrates. This blog aims to give you a few go-to bits of information about what it is, why our...
Bent Over Row
The bent over row is an important compound movement aimed at targeting the back. The bent over row mainly targets the back, however also uses muscles such as the rear deltoid and bicep. It also requires a lot of core, glute, and lower back stability. It is one of the...
Smokey Beans on Sourdough
Try this super healthy and colourful meal which includes 3 of your 5 a day! Ingredients (serves 2, adjust amounts accordingly): 1tsp olive oil 1 clove garlic, diced 1 pepper, chopped ½ tin beans of your choice, drained (I used butter beans) 14 cherry tomatoes, halved...
Unilateral Kettlebells
Try this unilateral workout with kettlebells. Unilateral means working both sides individually and this will help to balance out any weaknesses in one side by not allowing your stronger side to compensate. KETTLEBELL SQUAT KETTLEBELL ROW KETTLEBELL SWING KETTLEBELL...
Tight Calf Muscles
Our calf muscles in the lower leg are muscles that we use every day to walk, stand and generally move around so they can become tight when working a lot. Here are our top tips on what to look out for and what you can do about tightness if it happens to prevent it...
