A.B Training & Performance

“THE BEST TYPE OF TRAINING”

I call BS. Not one type of exercise is perfect, or “the best” for everyone.

The type of exercise that’s best for you, is the one you enjoy, and the one your body responds to best!

There are so so many different types of exercise/exercise classes out there;
• Resistance
• CrossFit
• Cardio
• Pilates
• Yoga
• HIIT
• Boxing
and then these categories can be broken down even further (body weight, GVT, ‘the bro split’, Fartlek etc.)

The exercise you undertake is all dependent on your enjoyment and you body’s ability to be able to meet the task.

Some people for example, can not attend 5 CrossFit sessions a week, because their bodies are not designed to be under that type of load/stress that often.

Yes, we train our bodies to be able to perform new and different movements, but sometimes our bodies will just say no. And that’s okay, because that’s how we were made. Not every body is the same. What works for you, might not work for your best mate.

Me, I love a bit of variety. I like to incorporate different types of exercise into my training routine; CrossFit, pilates, cardio.

So have a think about your training and ask yourself, am I doing this for me and my body, or because someone told its “the best”.

ARE YOU DEADLIFTING CORRECTLY?

For years I could not perform a deadlift correctly and would always pull up with a sore neck and upper back post exercise. It wasn’t until I was taught correctly at uni and through my coaching certificates that deadlifts are now one of my favourite exercises.

When performing a deadlift correctly, we are working our quads, glutes, back and hamstrings. Now that’s a lot of muscles groups to get under control all at once. But it only take a few small cues to make a world of difference to your lift.

It all starts with your feet, then building up to your hips and through to the position of your upper body. Below I have listed my favourite pointers to use.

✔️ Feet hip width apart, soft knees
✔️ Keep bar close to your body
✔️ Push your hips towards the … (wall/door etc)
✔️ Back parallel to the ground in starting position
✔️ Push the floor away with your feet

There are multiple variations of a deadlift (stiff leg, RDL, sumo etc.) but they all focus on a hinge movement from the hips - i.e.: push those hips back. If you can get your body to ‘break at the hips’ your well on your way to perfecting your deadlift.

So, have you ever filmed yourself deadlifting, or had your movement assessed by a coach? This can be one of the best ways to see if your movement is ticking all the boxes, especially if you are feeling awkward through the movement.

EMOM TUESDAY!

Here’s a workout for you to try at home.

Complete each exercise for 1min, moving straight into the next exercise at the start of the new minute - every minute on the minute.

There are 4mins of work, 1min of rest, then you go again until the end of the 25 minutes (i.e.: you’ll be completing 5 rounds).

Comment below and let us know what you think if you give it a try!

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but here’s a little reminder for your Thursday 💕