If you have got a spare 41/2 minutes check out this light hearted look at fitness classes. I defy you to check out this  clip on the “Timlates” and not find it humorous! click here

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Tips

Start in a supine position with the arm straight & the Kettlebell facing the roof. Continue looking up at the Kettlebell throughout the exercise.

The first movement should be to raise the shoulder off the ground then sit up. Use the same leg to assist in lifting the shoulders up.

Position the elbow on the ground for balance if need be but do not use the elbow to lift the body up. Position the other hand on the ground with the arm straight before placing the knee on the ground.

Gain balance prior standing up & do not rush through this exercise.

Reverse all of the movements to return to the start position prior to commencing the subsequent repetitions.

A dumbbell can be used as an alternative form of resistance.

Cautions

Do not allow the knees to twist as the body is lifted off the ground.

If you have a history of spinal injury or other spinal pathologies, seek professional advice prior to commencing this exercise.

Matt Strickland completed the Certificate III & IV in Fitness courses with Career Fitness/CAE in February 2005. Matt says that he is “not sure if I chose the fitness industry or the fitness industry chose me. Fitness has always been part of my life and something that comes very naturally to me but I was a little scared that working in the industry I may start to resent it”. “That certainly wasn’t the case after completing my courses at the CAE I found work at the Melbourne Fitness Club and was able to continue my full time work (to pay the bills) while pursuing my fitness career. This worked perfectly for me”.
Since gaining his qualifications Matt has worked for Gyms such as YMCA Docklands, Genesis, Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre (MSAC), South Pacific, North Melbourne Boxing, One - Eighty Fitness club, Flying Start Health Club and where it all started Melbourne Fitness Club (MFC). “I have worked as a Gym Instructor, Personal Trainer and Group Trainer for the past 7 years”. Matt loves variety in physical training and conducts up to 10 Spin classes a week at various Gyms and regularly takes Morning Bootcamp programs.
In terms of the future goals Matt “would like to expand my knowledge into more specialised fields such as cycling and running” so that he can ”help clients reach their full potential with in these fields”. When Matt is not training other people you can find him “chasing around a one year old on weekends”. This has left his hobbies on the back burner for the moment! However “when I do get some spare time I get down to the beach for a surf, out for a Mountain bike ride or a run - preferably out in the country away from the hustle and bustle of city life. I wouldn’t change things for the world and spending time with my wife and son Bayley is my number one priority”.

I am going to give you my opinion on an article that appeared in the August 17th edition of TIME magazine titled: “The Myth About Exercise, of course it’s good for you, but it won’t make you lose weight”. The article is an attempt by author John Cloud to debunk the fact that exercise is a crucial component of the weight loss equation. To read the article click here

One of the main points raised in the article is the fact that “like many other people, I get hungry after I exercise, so I often eat more on the days I work out than on the days I don’t. Could exercise actually be keeping me from losing weight?” What I would say to this statement is that weight loss is a basic mathematical calculation, i.e. if you expend more calories in a given period of time by way of structured exercise, incidental exercise, and basal metabolic rate than you intake via food and drink then you will lose weight. You see fat loss is simple but I stress not easy!

A real take home point for those of us in the fitness industry is that we must educate about this basic fact, i.e. you cannot celebrate a good physical workout with 6 donuts on the way home and still expect to lose weight! It is a fact that some people use food as a reward for an exercise session. So another take home point for fitness instructors is to brainstorm non-food related rewards for participating in exercise sessions. I think this goal setting and reward process is a missing link that fitness instructors could incorporate into their service that would yield better results for clients.

One good thing about the article is that it at least concedes that “People who regularly exercise are at significantly lower risk for all manner of diseases - those of the heart in particular. They less often develop cancer, diabetes and many other illnesses.” These are as good a reason for people to exercise as any other. Indeed one of the things that is so important to me with a wife and two children under the age of 5 is that I want to be around to spend as much time with them as is humanly possible. Therefore, exercise will always be a huge part of my life and if I want to drop some body fat along the way then surprise, surprise I will need to control how many calories I eat.

I think this quote from the article summarises what needs to happen for people to use exercise properly in terms of getting a fat loss result “I love how exercise makes me feel, but tomorrow I might skip the Versa Climber - and skip the blueberry bar that is my usual post exercise reward”.

I am really disappointed by this article as it will give a number of people who need to be more physically active an excuse for NOT joining a gym, or taking on a Personal Trainer, or even going for a walk with friends. The premise of the article is that exercise makes you hungrier - well those of us who exercise already know this to be true. How about people showing a little discipline and planning in terms of food intake and incidental exercise in addition to their structured exercise session. It really is not rocket surgery!