It was lovely to see lots of you yesterday for our “Coffee and catch up”. It is always so good to see each other in person and I love our socials and getting together.
I know those of you further afield are a bit left out of this and I really hope that lots of you have the Christmas lunch in your diary to come on down (or up) but I am also working on a London day out before then as a central meet up for everyone scattered around this country as least. Those abroad are a bit harder to reach. Perhaps we should hire a coach and go driving around Europe and find you all!
Either which way, it is always a joy to see you “in civvies” and off your mat.
We have been working really hard on the fundamentals over the last couple of weeks, covering breath, understanding imprint versus neutral, better control and precision and I have had some great feedback on this so thank you too! Working more slowly is, for some of us still a work in progress. I do know that a lot of you will be very glad to see me slightly further away and back on my mat.. although I am very much enjoying being right up at the screen so don’t hold your breath! I am getting a lot from observing you closely and seeing what you are getting from me and what adjustments I also need to make.
I have been talking weights quite a lot recently and fear not - I will move on but I am on my soapbox so let’s see this one through, not least because in October the British Heart Foundation are doing the “Strong woman challenge” so if you find them on your socials or go to their website and want to join, you will be well prepared (and if you do, please post and tag me too and thank you Lou for drawing my attention to this).
Ok, so we know why. The many, many benefits. We know how frequently and hopefully last week helped explain what a heavy weight will be to each individual. Now let’s talk about the different styles of lifting.
If you are doing your own thing at home or in the gym, you will very probably keep it simple. I usually do. Select 8 - 12 exercises. Repeat each one 8 - 12 times. Repeat this 3 times.
Why do it 3 times?
Why do we repeat an exercise for three rounds?
First set: Wakes up the muscles and gets your technique settled.
Second set: Challenges the muscles as they begin to tire.
Third set: Creates the extra effort that helps build strength and muscle.
Or as Lou shared with us,
1. Practise. 2. Perfect. 3. Progress.
However there are different ways and I demonstrate this in our classes to add variety, change up challenge and to keep you and your body guessing.
Let’s have a look at some different ways.
We have established that the standard way to train is to complete an exercise for a set number of repetitions—perhaps 10—and repeat it three times, resting between each set. However you could try .....
Supersets.
With supersets, you perform two different exercises back-to-back before resting. We often do this in class as a time saver. Think perhaps of a weighted squat followed by a front raise. Two big moves but targeting different body areas so you can use one exercise to give the other muscle group time to recover.
Pyramid training is another way to bring in some challenge and change. Pyramid training changes the weight and repetitions with each set: for example, Doing the same exercise do 12 repetitions with a lighter weight, 10 with a medium weight and 8 with a heavier weight. You can also reverse the pyramid and work back down again. Doing it this way, you still stop between each set to rest but go heavier with the weight and less with the reps. This is a great way to build confidence in lifting heavier weights once you have established the pattern of the exercise.
Circuit training means moving through several different exercises in turn, then repeating the whole circuit—perhaps three times. You might be familiar with moving from one station to the next and perhaps have 10 or 12 stations so you can see that there is a pattern here! The difference with a circuit is you will often find a cardio station but of course you can choose not to.
These different formats all help to make your strength training varied and effective. Traditional sets give you time to focus on technique and lift well, supersets save time and build stamina, pyramids allow you to gradually work towards a heavier weight, and circuits keep your whole body moving.
These are just a few examples and there are lots of different ways to stack the repsand sets but hopefully this has just cleared the mist a bit on some of the terminology and it is easier to understand.
Whichever format you choose, the aim is the same: to challenge your muscles safely so they become stronger and more capable for everyday life.
I hope that you now feel prepared, informed and confident to get started but of course the best way to learn is to get on the mat and pick up those weights.
I saw this and thoght that while it made me smile, it is actually a bit thought provoking and there is just one more I would like to share (and I think we can change midlife for older life or whatever we feel the most appropriate!).
"More and more women are turning midlife into a comeback.
We walk. We lift. We show up for our health. Forget the midlife crisis. I'm proud of us. Proud of every woman who decided her second half gets to be her strongest one"
Have a great weekend with whatever you get up to and continue being fabulous and STRONG.
Jx
