It’s refreshing to see a simple workout. These days, most trainers go the trendy route with routines that are more “YouTube blooper reel” than “proven muscle builder.”  His routine has no Bosu ball squats, no Olympic lifts, no fancy machines and it’s nothing dangerous. But it’ll build you an incredible upper body, as Hart’s physique in Central Intelligence proves. And it takes just 30 minutes per workout.

How it works

Hart’s routine focuses on the most basic upper-body builders known to man: the bench press, pushup, row, curl, and dip. Group them and perform them as circuits, and you’ll work the muscles as well as the heart, promoting both size gains and fat loss in a short workout.

Directions

Perform the exercises marked with a letter (“A,” “B,” and “C”) as a circuit. So you’ll do one set of each in sequence before resting as prescribed. Repeat for three circuits each (three sets of each move). Complete all the circuits for the first group of exercises before going on to the next one.

“Screw fat loss, I’m going to get strong.”

More and more women are choosing fitness goals that don’t have a damn thing to do with fat loss, and reaping the rewards a new path provides. According to most magazines, commercials, products, and articles targeting women, it’s easy to assume losing fat, fixing flaws, and looking better are the only reasons a woman can have to eat well and move her body.

If a woman eats a healthy meal, it’s because she’s “watching her weight.” If she’s on a cardio machine or even squatting and deadlifting heavy weights, it’s because she’s trying to “tone up” and fix her flawed features.

Women, have a history of constantly striving for fat loss — for years that’s all they focus on. Burning fat and shrinking down is the sole reason they go on a diet or exercise or even strength train.

I’ve discovered numerous other health and fitness goals women can have, instead of losing fat and fixing flaws:

• To feel good in their body.
• To increase their stamina and energy levels.
• To increase their physical strength.
• To learn new skills.
• To move pain free and alleviate old aches and pains.
• To improve their quality of life.
• To build muscle. (Yes, women can actually want to build muscle.)
• To challenge themselves physically as a means to increase mental fortitude.
• To maintain independence with age.
• To relieve stress.
• To be more instead of feeling obligated to chase all things “less.”
• To do something, simply for the hell of it, because they can.
• To build a body that serves them, and allows them to do the things that bring them joy, happiness, and a fulfilling life.
• To lift weights, or move their body in other ways, because each workout is its own reward.

If you’re burned out and exhausted from constantly chasing fat loss or focusing on aesthetics and using the scale as the sole indicator of your success, tackle some of the goals shared above. Harness the power that gets unleashed when you say, “Screw fat loss, I’m going to get strong.” You’ll be amazed, as so many have been, at what happens to your mind, and body, when you change your approach to nutrition, health, and fitness.

I will be posting weekly blog’s and videos via the Fitness Worx channels, so follow my journey and let me help guide you as a women, to reach your fitness goals.

Annie X

Most common reason for tight muscles are poor posture or emotional stress.  Poor posture when lying, sitting or standing cause a load or tension on the muscles. When the muscle is loaded it naturally tries to resist by contracting to overcome the demand, over a period of time the effects of the load have an effect on the muscles and this overactive response to load becomes a learned behaviour and the muscles will stay contracted when the load is removed, this then leads onto joints being affected because the muscles help provide use with everyday movement and restricts the joints this then leads to a decrease in flexibility and limit movement

Poor posture is a common cause of tight muscles. Posture is the position of the body when standing, sitting and lying down. The body is made to stay aligned with a straight and relaxed spine, supported muscle. If posture changes the alignment of the body is affected. Poor posture causes stress on certain muscles resulting in tight muscles and a muscle imbalance.

Tight muscles can be the result of muscle imbalance. Muscle imbalance can cause postural changes, restricted movement and pain. Muscle balance is the relationship between tone, strength and length of muscles around a joint. If there is a lack of balance within the muscles it can cause dysfunction in the relationship of how muscles work together and cause imbalance.

Overuse of certain muscles can contribute to tight muscles. Repetitive movements in occupation or exercise can cause small tears or injuries in the muscle tissue. The repeated activity does not give sufficient time for healing and the muscles response to any injury is to tighten up as a form of protection from further injury.

The effects of stress can create physical responses in the body leading to tight muscles. Different types of stress can affect how muscles respond. After intense exercise muscles become tight as there has been a physical demand. Blood flow is reduced in tight muscles causing soreness. Emotional stress also can activate an unconscious reflex in the body. Stress causes muscles to contract leading to tight muscles

Inflexibility in the muscles can restrict movement around joints causing surrounding muscles to tighten. Inflexible muscles are prone to tightness as they do not reach end of range. Inflexibility can lead to serious injuries such as muscles strains and tears.

Massage helps reduce tight muscles by increasing temperature of soft tissues, increasing blood circulation, breaking down adhesions and decreasing tone. Massage helps treat muscle hypertonicity in the muscles. Hypertonicity in the muscles reduces blood flow and results in muscle tightness. Muscles tighten after exercise, after repetitive motion or long periods of inactivity. Muscle tightness can be treated with a range of massage techniques.

Massage helps reduce tight muscles by increasing temperature of soft tissues. Massage stimulates an increase of temperature by friction against the skin. Friction causes an increase of blood flow to the muscle and temperature to increase. When temperature increases the muscle, fibres relax and loosen allowing more movement

Massage helps relieve tightness in the muscles by increasing blood circulation to the muscles. Restoring circulation to the muscles increases new blood cells to the area stimulating the healing process. Massage relaxes the muscles, separating and loosening muscles fibres. The muscles are elongated and stretched which releases tension and allows more movement.

Massage reduces tightness by applying pressure to knots and breaking adhesions. Pressure points can be used to force out knots in the muscle. Knots and adhesions are formed from a build-up of waste products or high tension in the muscle. Massage breaks down the knots and adhesions and help realign the fibres back to normal form. Relieving knots and adhesions decreases tightness

Massage helps to decrease tone in the muscles. Massage increases temperature in the soft tissues and stimulates a relaxation response. A relaxation response in the body produces inhibitory messages from the nervous system. Inhibitory messages produce an opposite effect from excitatory messages. Inhibitory messages send relaxing messages to the muscles that decreases tone.

Book you massage now with the FWX Sports Therapy team – Contact Chris on 01926 859 488 or email enquiries@fitness-worx.com

Inside Fitness Worx (Episode 2) is here – This week we see how the new classes are going, and we tag along with Jack and Eliot seeing what they are up-to on Eliot’s journey to the Irish Pro.

Our Sports Therapy team is available 7 days a week at the Kenilworth & Warwick facilities, to help you recovery from injury and prevent injuries from occurring. If you have muscle pain, a sports specific injury or in need of a sports massage, message us for further info or to book your appointment!

We have put together the benefits of having a Sports Massage below!

Why not give this Lower Body Hypertrophy session a go next time you in the gym.. The main purpose for this workout is to build muscle and help you become stronger!

✅ Warm up – Leg extensions 4 x 15 Reps
✅ Back Squat – 4 sets x 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 Reps
✅ Belt Squat – 2 x 15 Reps
✅ Single leg press – 3 x 10 Reps
✅ Hamstring Curl – 2 x 12 Reps
✅ Walking Lunge 1 x 30 Reps

Let us know how you get on.. Good Luck

Over the past year Fitness Worx Gyms has gone from strength to strength, both on the business and training side.In this brand new weekly series, we take you Inside Fitness WorX covering our personal training and our business journey over the next 12 months. We have big growth plans in place for 2018!

Here is another quick but tough Workout for you… 6 exercises – 6 Reps – 4 times around, fast as possible! The Barbell Complex..

**Barbell Complex**

– Deadlifts
– Bent over row
– Clean and Press

**Conditioning**

– Rope Slams
– Med ball slams
– Box Jumps

Will you have a go?

Dwayne Johnson, WWE, Sports and Movie superstar, trains 6 days a week throughout the year. If you are familiar with Dwayne, you may remember it wasn’t that long ago that the man known in the WWE as “The Rock” was a bulky 280lb defensive lineman at the University of Miami. However, The Rock’s training regime, has helped transform him into a chiseled 260lb wrestler and then into an athletic 225lb movie star.

We have been given one of the training plans that The Rock follows weekly, and also incorporated his daily diet schedule for you to have a look at and incorporate into your plans:

• Wide Grip Lat Pull Down – 5 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
• Close Grip Lat Pull Down – 5 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
• One Arm Seated Row Machine – 4 sets x 12 reps
• Back Extension – 4 sets x 15, 15, 12, 12 reps