May 2010
2 posts
Get fit for the summer
This week, the sunshine has got us all at Sculpt looking forward to the hitting the beach, and whether the thought of donning your Speedos fills you with dread or delight, there’s something here for you.
1: Get outside. Now summer is on the way, training outdoors can be much more enjoyable than sweating it out in the gym. You can achieve pretty much the same workout in your local park, or even...
Uncover your Abs
The elusive six-pack stomach is plastered everywhere you look these days with ripped abs being used to sell anything from aftershave to magazines, underwear to diet Coke.
The lean, defined mid section is often seen as the Holy Grail of masculinity, providing the ultimate sexual attraction.
The truth is that the six pack (rectus abdominus) is just one part of the core musculature that supports...
February 2010
2 posts
Streeeeeeeeetch yourself
Often skipped, skimped and overlooked - stretching is a vitally important component of any exercise programme.
Muscles perform best when they can function through their full range of movement. Unstretched and tight muscles cannot perform as well as loose supple ones no matter how hard you train them.
Muscles left unstretched over long periods of time can cause imbalances, adhesions, injury and...
October 2009
7 posts
Training tracks
Album: Digitalism - Idealism
Seen me through many a session.
Exercise of the week
Cable lat pull downs are this weeks pick, they are a great alternative for people not strong enough to do pull ups. Use 2 handles to really challenge your back muscles.
Adding this exercise into your routine will improve your pulling strength.
Muscles used: latissimus dorsi, biceps, rhomboids
To perform you could either find a seated lat pull down machine or you could set it up yourself on a...
Training Tracks
Soulwax - Most of the remixes.
Awesome - listen to it on www.spotify.com
Training Tracks
Music I recommend training to:
Album - Justice - A Cross the Universe.
Very high energy live album - get me going no matter how knackered I feel!
david@sculpt.me.uk
www.sculpt.me.uk
Exercise of the week: the plank
The plank is a core stabilisation exercise that can be performed just about anywhere. All you need is a flat surface large enough to stretch out in.
Adding the plank into your exercise routine will give you a strong, stable core which will protect you from injury and aid movement efficiency.
Muscles used: core- abdominal complex, hips and lower back.
To perform lie face down on a flat...
Exercise of the week
The pull up.
Muscles used: back,arms,chest,shoulders
Pull ups are a great upper body strength exercise involving most of the large muscle groups in the back.
To perform grab the bar with hands positioned slightly wider than the shoulders. Pull your body upwards maintaining a neutral spine and avoiding swinging the legs (cheating)
To progress increase reps or add a weight belt.
To regress...
September 2009
3 posts
exercise of the week
The Press Up.
Keeping it simple but effective - its everyones favourite (least favourite) chest strength exercise. Some people can do hundreds - some people can’t do a single one (naming no names) - the press up is very effective at building up chest strength and strength endurance.
Muscles Used:
Pec Major (chest)
Triceps (back of arms)
Anterior Deltoid (front of shoulder)
Core...
training on the move
After taking a break in the south of france I was inspired to write a post about exercise options when you’ve got no facilities near you….
If you travel alot or, like me, feel you need to exercise even when on holiday (i’m an addict) you will find that lack of facilities / equipment / time can make it difficult to get a good workout.
Having experimented with many different...
August 2009
9 posts
exercise of the week
Single Leg Squats.
This is a great exercise for building leg strength and you can do it anywhere. Its pretty simple to perform too:
Stand on one leg with your stance foot facing forward + knee and hip in line with each other.
Squat down as if you were going to sit on a chair - be sure to keep your lower back straight - the lower you squat the harder it is.
Too easy? Add some weights. Still too...
train like usain - tips from the bolt
9.58 for 100m running is a superhuman effort - at top speed Usain Bolt nearly hits 30mph. My old car didn’t go that fast.
To train his body to perform at such high speeds Usain does a combination of plyometric training and lots of work in the weight room.
A typical workout could involve heavy weighted squats and lunges (to build functional muscular strength), fast hops, jumps, bounds to...
friday exercise of the day
Stability Ball Cobra
Back pain is one of the most common body problems faced by adults. Most back injuries happen to people with low activity lifestyles and/or poor posture who therefore have weak back stabilisation and movement muscles.
The stability ball cobra is a great exercise to strengthen up these weak muscles and protect your back from injury.
To complete this exercise all you need is a...
trx suspension trainer
my brand new TRX suspension trainer arrived in the post today.
if you’ve never seen or heard of it before check out this link:
www.trxfitness.co.uk/
and this video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6A0EJViJ-g&feature=related
its a way of training using your own bodyweight as resistance - used by the military due to how lightweight and portable it is - if its good enough for them, its good...
sculpt personal training
hi,
this is the first post of what will hopefully be an interesting and entertaining blog about personal training and fitness.
a little about myself - I am David Jones, 26, living in London and run a personal training company called sculpt.
this blog will hopefully share some of my ideas about ways to train your body, nutrition and lifestyle…
david@sculpt.me.uk
www.sculpt.me.uk