Training Days: Can be altered to suit your training regime. 2 days on 1 day 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 relevantly, more 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.

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.

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

A typical class

Your RPM™ instructor will lead you and the pack through a journey choreographed to inspirational music and incorporating riding positions and speeds to suit the terrain.

At the beginning, the pace is easy and the resistance light, to get your legs warmed up.

Speed and intensity increase as you work towards your top personal pace. You’ll warm up your climbing muscles, then hit a series of full-on hill climbs that test your strength and cycling time trials that test your endurance. There will be time for recovery, just enough to give you the energy to push through the next challenge.

At the end of the class you will finish the journey and ride home together. Recovery is the name of the game, including the all-important stretch.

Increase your cardiovascular fitness

• Burn fat
• Tone and shape your legs, hips, and butt
• Increase leg strength and muscular endurance without building bulk
• Burn up to 600 calories in a normal 50-minute structure
• Release endorphins to leave you with a natural high

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

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 of stress 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 0ut 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

Oatmeal
Start your day with a steaming bowl of oats, which is full of omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and potassium. This fiber-rich superfood can lower levels of LDL (or bad) cholesterol and help keep arteries clear.

Opt for coarse or steel-cut oats over instant varieties — the coarse and steel-cut contain more fiber — and top your bowl off with a banana for another four grams of fiber.

Salmon
Super-rich in omega-3 fatty acids, salmon can effectively reduce blood pressure and keep clotting at bay. Aim for two servings per week, which may reduce your risk of dying of a heart attack by up to one-third.

“Salmon contains the carotenoid astaxanthin, which is a very powerful antioxidant,” says cardiologist Stephen T. Sinatra, MD, the author of “Lower Your Blood Pressure In Eight Weeks.” But be sure to choose wild salmon over farm-raised fish, which can be packed with insecticides, pesticides, and heavy metals.

Not a fan of salmon? Other oily fish like mackerel, tuna, herring, and sardines will give your heart the same boost.

Avocado
Add a bit of avocado to a sandwich or spinach salad to increase the amount of heart-healthy fats in your diet. Packed with monounsaturated fat, avocados can help lower LDL levels while raising the amount of HDL cholesterol in your body. Health.com: What puts you at risk for high cholesterol?

“Avocados are awesome,” says Dr. Sinatra. “They allow for the absorption of other carotenoids — especially beta-carotene and lycopene — which are essential for heart health.”

Olive oil
Full of monounsaturated fats, olive oil lowers bad LDL cholesterol and reduces your risk of developing heart disease.

Results from the Seven Countries Study, which looked at cardiovascular disease incidences across the globe, showed that while men in Crete had a predisposition for high cholesterol levels, relatively few died of heart disease because their diet focused on heart-healthy fats found in olive oil. Look for extra-virgin or virgin varieties — they’re the least processed — and use them instead of butter when cooking. Health.com: Good fats vs. bad fats — what to eat

Nuts
Almonds, walnuts, and macadamia nuts are all full of omega-3 fatty acids and mono- and polyunsaturated fats.

Almonds are rich in omega-3s, plus nuts increase fiber in the diet, says Dr. Sinatra. “And like olive oil, they are a great source of healthy fat.”

Berries
Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries — whatever berry you like best — are full of anti-inflammatories, which reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer.

“Blackberries and blueberries are especially great,” says Sinatra. “But all berries are great for your vascular health.” Health.com: How I survived a heart attack at 43

Legumes
Fill up on fiber with lentils, chickpeas, and black and kidney beans. They’re packed with omega-3 fatty acids, calcium and soluble fiber.

Spinach
Spinach can help keep your ticker in top shape thanks to its stores of lutein, folate, potassium, and fiber.

But upping your servings of any veggies is sure to give your heart a boost. The Physicians’ Health Study examined more than 15,000 men without heart disease for a period of 12 years. Those who ate at least 2½ servings of vegetables each day cut their risk of heart disease by about 25 percent, compared with those who didn’t eat the veggies. Each additional serving reduced risk by another 17 percent.

Flaxseed
Full of fiber and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, a little sprinkling of flaxseed can go a long way for your heart. Top a bowl of oatmeal or whole-grain cereal with a smidgen of ground flaxseed for the ultimate heart-healthy breakfast.

Soy
Soy may lower cholesterol, and since it is low in saturated fat, it’s still a great source of lean protein in a heart-healthy diet.

Look for natural sources of soy, like edamame, tempeh, or organic silken tofu. And soy milk is a great addition to a bowl of oatmeal or whole-grain cereal. But watch the amount of salt in your soy: Some processed varieties like soy dogs can contain added sodium, which boosts blood pressure.

Copyright Health Magazine

How can you set the example and get them off on the right foot if your habits aren’t that great? Consider taking these steps to put yourself and your family on the road to better health and fitness:

• Work closely with a personal trainer – Exercise is one of the best ways to get yourself and your family in shape. Coming up with a program that will suit the needs of family members of varying ages isn’t easy though. A trainer can help you pick a plan that works for you while encouraging family members to get involved. You may even want individualized plans that also include family exercise time that’s fun. Taking bike rides together, walks or even jogs through the park might do the trick.
• Make eating right cool – Children are not born with a hatred for fruits, vegetables and other healthy food choices. They learn to scorn these things when processed, sugary and salty snacks and treats are introduced into their diets. Reserve the unhealthy snacks and fast-foods for occasional treats and make the healthy options the staples in your house. Also make sure your family sees you eating healthy foods. If you munch on grapes, yogurt or whole grain crackers in between meals, your children will be more likely to do the same. At mealtime, present healthy options, but do take the steps to make them tasty and enjoyable. Grilled or broiled lean meats, fresh vegetables, whole grain side dishes and other similar choices are healthy and they can offer a lot of flavor.
• Make exercise fun – When it’s your time to exercise, don’t let your kids hear you complain. If you really can’t handle the idea of a trip to the gym on a particular day, load up the kids in the car and go to a park for a hike. Or, just head to the backyard for a game of Frisbee or something fun. You’ll know it’s exercise, but your kids won’t.
• Work on breaking bad habits – If you smoke or drink too much, take steps to kick these habits. When children see their parents smoking or drinking, they associate these behaviors with being grown up. They also believe they are acceptable. Keeping drinking down to low or moderate levels or giving up tobacco can send your children the message you want them to learn.

If you want your family to become healthier and more fitness conscious, you may have to take the first steps. When your children and even your spouse see you having fun, they are likely to follow your example. Working with your trainer or the pros at your fitness center can help you get off on the right foot to effect a change for yourself and your family.