For my post this week I want to talk about time. Every one leads busy lives and often the most common excuse given to me by new clients is; 'I don't have enough time in the day to train'. It's easy for me to say, as I'm a Personal Trainer, but training in an ideal world should be a part of your life. It should be as normal as brushing your teeth, having a shower and going to the toilet. If it is a part of your daily routine you will always have time to fit in your training.
As a Personal Trainer in Torbay, I have many clients who I train on a weekly or even daily basis at the gym or wider community around Torquay, Paignton, Totnes and Newton Abbot. Managing all my clients' progress plus finding time to fit in my own workouts is certainly a challenge. This is before I take into consideration my commitments at home and personal life.
One of my clients in Torquay said to me last week that they are finding it hard to get to the gym and workout due to work commitments. They can make the 2 appointments with me but the 1-2 times they come outside of our appointments are just too tough due to travel times etc from work.
The answer to this is simple; you need to change something. Now I don't mean stop committing to your job, you need to change how you view the way you can workout. Sometimes life gets in the way; and if things do then you just need to change your approach. If you don't have time to get down to the gym or exercise class etc. you can use the one thing you always have with you; YOU!! Bodyweight exercise is the way you can fit in training outside of Personal Training sessions and exercise classes, in the 'comfort' of your own home or garden.
Clearly if your goals are to increase muscle mass and bulk up as a bodybuilder this won't really cut it for a long period of time. However, no matter what your goal is, bodyweight exercises are an excellent way to supplement your gym or Personal Trainer sessions and the best bit about it is you can do them at home!
A good bodyweight workout can take as little as 20 or even as little as 10 minutes, if it is intense enough. It can target your entire body and is easy to fit into your lifestyle as you can do it as soon as you get up, as soon as you get home from work, or even at work on your lunch break.
A simple circuit of plyometric squat jumps, press ups, dips and crunches repeated as many times as you can in 20 minutes will be all you need to do that day. Not only will it be a better workout than a 20 minute jog, it will burn up to twice as many calories and tone you along the way. It won't cut it over a long period but it is certainly a much better option than simply not exercising.
As there are genuinely hundreds of different bodyweight exercises to choose from and mix and match with, you are never going to get bored, and you can easily progress to harder techniques. It will also allow you to focus more on your gym workouts for things that are difficult to train in a bodyweight exercise and give you much more strength and endurance.
Different bodyweight exercises are better suited for different goals but if you are looking to lose fat, tone up and increase fitness; they are the best place to start!
The important thing is to get your workouts in and stay committed to your goals. Whether it's doing extra workouts at home work or in the gym.
If you need any advice on bodyweight exercise, or any other fitness questions, and live in Torbay or the surrounding area in Devon please get in touch at fitness@craigwashington.co.uk
Thanks for reading!
Craig Washington, Torquay Personal Trainer