This is an exercise program designed on getting your body built while maintaining a foundation of strength, health, and inspiration. It follows a “linear periodized progression” where the intensity increases as the program progresses. Phase I is a base conditioning phase, where postural muscles and slow-twitch fibers are stressed to provide a foundation for joint stability and to potentially maximize results made in the next phase. Phase II and III are hypertrophy phaseswhere the main goal is to increase muscle mass. Phase IV is thepower phase to maximize the use of fast-twitch muscle fibers and get the best possible gains out of this program.

Training Days: Can be altered to suit your training regime. 2days on 1day off generally works best as a base.

Exercises: Most of the exercises found in this program are multi-joint exercises. This encourages a healthy body throughout. Multi-joint exercises promote good biomechanics and usually translate to greater growth hormone output, better posture & circulation, less physical stress, relative muscular development and most relevantlymore potential for gains.

Technique: The most important thing when following a structured exercise routine is to achieve consistently good form. During phases I & 2, you should train to form not failure. For example, if you were training for 20 reps, you should choose a weight that allows you to perform all 20 reps with good form. However, during phases 2 & 3, you may train to failure some of the time – meaning you can afford to allow muscle compensations and get help from a spotting partner. Exercise descriptions and technique cues can be found in the links below the program.

Diet: A huge contributing factor to the success of this program will be your food intake. As the program progresses your energy expenditure will increase and therefore your caloric requirements will be higher. Of course, moderation in indulgences will be most beneficial. Choose whole, fresh foods over packaged or preserved foods. This will in turn place less stress on your digestive system and give your body a better environment in which to recover.Experiment with “loading days” if you find it hard to moderate excess carbohydrate or caloric intake. Take 3 consecutive days where you consume higher protein foods and low to no carbohydrates, then the following day lower your protein intake and consume more carbohydrate rich foods. This can help to achieve a consistent balance for your body between choosing to use fat reserves or carbohydrates for energy.

Phase I: Base Conditioning (2 weeks) 2 day split

15-20 reps | 3-3-3 Rep speed | 4x exercises per circuit | 45sec rest between circuits | 5x circuits total

Day 1 (Lower Body, Core):

Day 2 (Upper Body):

Phase II: Hypertrophy I (2 weeks) 4 day split

10-12 reps | 2-1-3 Rep speed | 30sec rest between sets | 4-5 sets per exercise

Day 1 (Legs – Anterior, Core):

Day 2 (Upper Body – Posterior):

Day 3 (Legs – Posterior, Core):

Day 4 (Upper Body – Anterior):

Phase III: Hypertrophy II (2 weeks) 4 day split

Same Exercises as Phase II | 6-8 reps | 2-1-3 Rep speed | 1min rest between sets | 3-4 sets per exercise

Swap order of exercises on upper body days. You may add some isolated exercises during this phase, e.g. Barbell Bicep Curls on Day 2, or Cable Tricep Pushdowns on Day 4.

Phase IV: Power (2 weeks) 2 day split

20secs timed per set |MAX Rep speed | 90sec rest between sets | 3-4 sets per exercise | 60-70% of 1RM

Day 2 (Upper Body):

Exercises:

Google and Youtube are your best friends when it comes to finding correct exercise technique. The following, however, are a bit harder to find:

Supine Hip Raises–http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/GluteusMaximus/BWLyingHipExtension.html

Static Lunges –http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Quadriceps/DBSplitSquat.html

Swiss Ball Jacknives – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y03dkaK1O0

Swiss Ball Twisters – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF2skG_q0Uw&feature=related

Power Push Press –http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/OlympicLifts/PushPress.html

Kipping Pull-Up – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAZaHzd6qAY

Swiss Ball Russian Twist – http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-torso-twists-swiss-ball-151866/

Horizontal Suspended Pullups – Using suspension straps or a bar on a smith machine. Lie flat on your back underneath the straps with your arms straight. Grip the straps and pull your chest up to them keeping your knees bent slightly (or straight for a more challenging exercise). Lower under control and repeat for reps.

Horizontal Suspended Pull-up Jumps – Same as above but explosively pull out of the bottom portion of the rep while thrusting your hips up in the air and jumping your feet slightly off the ground. Must have knees bent for this version.

BODYATTACK™ is the sports-inspired cardio workout for building strength and stamina. This high-energy interval training class combines athletic aerobic movements with strength and stabilization exercises. Dynamic instructors and powerful music motivate everyone towards their fitness goals – from the weekend athlete to the hard-core competitor!

A typical class

BODYATTACK™ is a 55-minute sports-inspired cardio workout that’s all about improving your speed, fitness, strength and agility. You’ll love the group dynamic that.

Your instructor will first guide you through a warm-up, with big, simple aerobic moves. An increasing range of moves will gradually get more intense.’s at the heart of BODYATTACK™.

You’ll then really get into the zone with two intense peaks, each followed by recovery and conditioning tracks that focus on your upper, then lower body. Dig deep and push yourself through! Have some fun with class interaction, and test your speed and agility.

The final track will give you time to recover and stretch, as you congratulate yourself on a job well done.

BODYPUMP™, the original LES MILLS™ barbell class, will sculpt, tone and strengthen your entire body, fast!

Great bodies aren’t born, they are transformed, using the proven BODYPUMP™ formula: THE REP EFFECT™ a breakthrough in resistance workout training. Focusing on low weight loads and high repetition movements, you’ll burn fat, gain strength and quickly produce lean body muscle conditioning.

Often referred to as ‘Pump’ by those who love it, BODYPUMP™ is one of the world’s fastest ways to get in shape as it challenges all of your major muscle groups while you squat, press, lift and curl.

A typical class

• Burn up to 600 calories per class for fat loss
• Improve your strength
• Perform 70-100 repetitions per body part totaling up to 800 repetitions in a single workout
• Improve your general fitness
• Shape and tone your muscles
• Protect your bones and joints from injury
• Get into shape fast
• Feel confident

Using a height-adjustable step and simple movements on, over and around the step you get huge motivation from sing-a-long music and approachable instructors. Cardio blocks push fat burning systems into high gear followed by muscle conditioning tracks that shape and tone your body.

A typical class

Each of the music tracks in a BODYSTEP™ class has a specific exercise focus. Together they create an energizing, full body workout.  Remember that BODYSTEP™ caters to all fitness levels and you can increase or decrease the intensity of the work

You will then start to break a sweat as you lift the energy and your heart rate up to the first two fitness peaks, each followed by recovery time that focuses on strength and toning. Next is the party track, followed by the speed track. The third and final cardio peak gives you the option to really push it. This one is a physically challenging combination of moves so remember to give it all you’ve got.

Phew! You’ll then be able to catch your breath and move to the floor for conditioning work on the upper body and abdominals. Then you’ll stretch it out as you cool down after an intense workout.

• Burn lots of calories for a leaner body
• Improve your strength through core conditioning work
• Raise your overall fitness levels
• Improve your coordination
• Improve your bone health and density
• Increase your heart and lung capacity through a full-body cardio workout out by raising or lowering the height of your step

I often hear people in the gym wondering why they’re not seeing any results. You may be thinking – I just need to work a bit harder…You’re exercise routine may be absolutely perfect yet something is stopping you from getting the results you deserve –nutrition.

When it comes to the diet – the first thing that comes to mind is calories in vs. calories out – we’ve all heard this at some stage or another. You must burn more calories than you consume to lose weight. While this statement definitely has its scientific merit, it is the types of food we choose that really make the difference.

Let us examine a popular “healthy” cereal (brand will remain unnamed). The ingredients are listed on the back as: wheat, rice, sugar, dried fruit (sultanas, paw paw, apple),  wheat flour, skim milk powder, vegetable oil (palm oil), honey, yoghurt coated currants (2%)(currants, sugar, palm kernel oil, milk solids, skim milk yoghurt powder, food acid [270], emulsifier [soy lecithin], flour, tapioca starch), almonds (2%),  wheatgerm, molasses, coconut (1%), salt, barley malt extract, minerals (iron, zinc oxide), vitamins (niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, vitamin C), preservative (220).

While this example is modest (it is advertised as a health food after all!), consider foods with even more flavours, colours, preservatives, stabilizers & refined flours or powders listed in the ingredients. Over time, these things place an enormous amount ofstress on the digestive system. When your body is under digestive stress, many of the normal processes that are used to repair muscle tissue, free fatty acids and convert carbohydrate to energy become inhibited.

Factor in a tough exercise regime and you have a body that is chronically under stress. Your nervous system becomes sympathetic dominant (fight or flight mode) leaving you feeling tired, anxious, overworked & stressed. You continue to do this until your body tells you to stop and forces you to slow down (illness/disease/injury). In this state you are also more likely to be tempted toward comfort foods.

To provide an environment where you get the most of your training – you must eat fresh, healthy foods. If you are still feeling the need to eat “dead” calories – then it may be helpful to start optimizing your workout first to encourage a healthy eating regime.More about this in articles to come.

If you are interested in planning a diet for yourself, take the following steps to ensure a healthy nutritional plan to support your exercise program:

1. Choose fresh foods over packaged foods. For example, at breakfast –choose a piece of fruit instead of cereal, make an omelette or have some yoghurt.
2. Don’t over-eat. Overeating will cause a number of issues with digestion and blood-sugar levels: making you feel even more tired and fatigued.
3. Eat slowly. This goes hand-in-hand with point 2. When you eat slowly you give your body some time to digest the food you’ve just eaten, hence you can monitor your satiety better.
4. Spread your eating times throughout the day if you can. The easiest way to do this would be to make one big meal (e.g. chicken & salad) take it to work and periodically go and eat a little bit at a time.

Obtaining a healthy body is all about balance. If we begin supporting one system (nutrition) we can begin to appreciate the results of another (exercise).

Stay tuned as we will soon be introducing our Dietmaster nutrition program to Spirit. We will be able to sit down with you, discuss your goals and provide you with a specific 7-day meal plan and guidelines in a one hour consultation