National Fitness News eZine Autumn 2017

1 News Room

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Health, Fitness Nutrition

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6 Kettlebells Workout for Beginners 8

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My Half Marathon Debut - An Insight into the Training 10 Stabilise, Engage, Translate 12 Four in One Drills

The summer went fast and as fitness professionals you are already out there planning and implementing ways in which you can meet the challenges of getting your clients fit and active for the autumn/winter months. The articles in this issue will give you some tips and ideas to implement.

Autumn is generally a time of the year when we start to think about embarking on new courses to enhance our professional development.

NCEF Year 2 specialist modules as part of the B.Sc. in Exercise & Health Fitness are currently operating with future dates for spring advertised inside this issue.

We are delighted to welcome new and returning students on to UL/NCEF academic programmes. We hope you have a very positive year.

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Finally, congratulations to all NCEF/UL students who graduated at the University of Limerick Conferring in August.

All of your hard work and dedication has paid off.

Congratulations to all NCEF CoOrdinators and Tutors who helped you on your way.

Best of luck with your future studies and fitness careers.

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NCEF eLearning Modules Spring 2018 Active Ageing Facility Operations

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Studio Cycling Wellness Coach

NCEF Pilates & Corrective Exercise Specialist Module Dublin 2018 Sat

27th

Sat

17th

& Sun

28th

January

& Sun

18th

February

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Sat 3rd & Sun 4th March Sat 24th & Sun 25th March

NCEF Personal TrainingSpecialist Module Limerick 2018 Sat 27th & Sun 28th January Sat 17th & Sun 18th February

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Sat 3rd & Sun 4th March Sat 24th & Sun 25th March

NCEF are delighted to welcome on to UL Campus, Triathlon Ireland & NCEF Scholarship 2017 students Ben Vahey & Marcus McGowan. Ben & Mark will commence Year 1 of the Higher Certificate in Exercise & Health Fitness (HCEHF) programme. We wish them every success in their academic & sporting endeavours NFN is an e-Zine published by the National Council for Exercise & Fitness (NCEF).

The opinions and views in the publication are those of the contributors and are not necessarily shared by the NCEF. While every care is taken to ensure accuracy in the compilation of this e-Zine, NCEF cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions or effects arising thereof.

However, such errors or omissions may be brought to the attention of the Editor. All material is copyrighted.

Connect with us

Editor and Design: Maeve Kavanagh - maeve.kavanagh@ul.ie Proofreader: Damien Jackson - damien.jackson@ul.ie Phone: 061-202829

E-mail: ncef@ul.ie

Web: www.ncef.ie

On Saturday 2nd September the NCEF Annual Tutor In service Conference took place at the University of Limerick with the theme focusing on ‘Navigating the Future’. The conferences aim was to update NCEF Tutors on new policies and procedures. Its also an opportunity for tutors to

L to R: Bridget Lawlor, Margo Jackson, Siobhan Marren, Linda Gaynor

L to R: Philip Ryan, Christine Bartley, Sianna Crowley, Shane Bane

L to R: Joan Rock, Caroline Hogarty, Brendan Hackett

network and plan for the academic year. Our thanks to all of the tutors who attended. We are looking forward to working with you for the coming academic year.

L to R: Deirdre Barry, Gerry Fitzpatrick, Peppy Neville

L to R: Yvette Leahy, Monica Callinan, Seamus Gannon, John Ryan, Rachel Donlon Gibbons

L to R: Sharon Collins and Aine Ni Chonaill

On Friday 25th August 2017, Certificate, Higher Certificate, Diploma and B.Sc. In Exercise & Health Fitness students were all conferred at the University of Limerick official conferring ceremony. This was a very proud day for the graduands, their parents and the NCEF Tutors. The months of hardwork and dedication paid off.

Diploma in Exercise & Health Fitness (DEHF) Graduates

Certificate in Exercise & Health Fitness (CEHF) Graduates from the Defence Forces

B.Sc. in Exercise & Health Fitness Graduates

L to R: B.Sc. Graduates Oisin O’Malley and Chris Meyers

Members of the NCEF Conferring Party

People with type 2 diabetes can reverse the condition through a low calorie diet. Professor Roy Taylor at Newcastle University, UK has competed a research study over the past four decades. The research entailed putting people with the condition on a low calorie diet. The study has highlighted that the condition is reversible.

Professor Taylor presented his findings at the European Association For The Study of Diabetes (EASD 2017) in Lisbon this September. His research revealed ● Excess calories leads to excess fat in the liver ● As a result, the liver responds poorly to insulin and produces too much glucose ● Excess fat in the liver is passed on to the pancreas, causing the insulin producing cells to fail ● Losing less than 1 gram of fat from the pancreas through diet can restart the normal production of insulin, reversing Type 2 diabetes ● This reversal of diabetes remains possible for at least 10 years after the onset of the condition

At all times the NCEF highlight and recommend to Fitness Professionals, not to go beyond their Scope of Practice i.e. if you are not a licensed healthcare professional with a relevant qualification, you should not treat a clients injury or give specialist nutrition advice.

When it comes to your client who might have a complex health condition e.g. Diabetes, they need expert advice from a qualified professional who is registered with Coru, the regulator for health and social care professionals.

On 20th September 2017, Jennifer Feighan, Chief Executive of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute wrote an article on this topic. It is a very important read. https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/beware-the-rise-ofunqualified-self-styled-nutrition-experts-1.3226866

Source and Further Reading: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/17091308443 2.htm

A new study from Concordia University in Montreal finds that people who commute to work on a bike arrive at the office less stressed.

A new study has found that Golfers in Ireland are more aware of the risk of skin cancer; however they are not protecting themsleves.

Golf is becoming more popular in Ireland and although the Irish weather isn’t known for its hot climate, golfers do spent long hours outside and they need to aware of the risks of skin cancer and protect themselves.

Currently in Ireland, around 25% of all cancers are non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC), while melanoma skin cancer makes up a further 4%.

A survey questioned 163 golfers in the Munster region, 84% of whom were male. The average age of the participants was 65 years and almost all golfed at least once a week. The researchers found that almost 70% of the participants checked their skin regularly and overall, knowledge of skin cancer risk was better among the golfers than the general population.

However, while 85% of the participants did use sun protection cream, almost half of these were using an SPF (sun protection factor) that was too low.

published in the

The survey suggests that golfers may benefit from targeted education emphasising the importance of higher SPF use. Details of these findings are .

Source and to read the article in full please click here

Published in the

(2017; 10 [1], 13–24), the survey-based study compared stress levels among people who rode a bike, drove a car or used public transportation during their commute. To collect data, the researchers asked 123 employees of Montreal-based software company Autodesk about how they traveled to work and how they perceived their stress levels and mood. Subjects answered the questions within 45 minutes of getting to the office.

Employees who biked to work reported significantly lower stress levels than the other two groups (whose levels of stress were similar). There was no difference in mood among the three groups.

In light of these results, the researchers suggested that biking to the office may influence how the workday shakes out.

“Recent research has shown that early morning stress and mood are strong predictors of their effect later in the day,” said Stéphane Brutus, PhD, professor of management and employee motivation at Concordia. “They can shape how subsequent events are perceived, interpreted and acted upon for the rest of the day.”

“A lower level of early stress among cyclists offers further evidence for the promotion of active commute modes,” the report concluded.

IDEA Fitness Journal, Volume 14, Issue 10 Source: http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-library/cycling-to-work-could-easeworkday-stress

Introduction Kettlebells are an excellent training tool to help you reach your fitness goals. And like all pieces of equipments its very important to make sure you use the correct technique. If you or your client havnen’t used a Kettlebell before then make sure you familiarise yourself with the equipment and start at the basic exercises. ACE Fitness sponsored a study that showed how kettlebell training “improved core strength and dynamic balance, and increased aerobic capacity. Full study click here The following Kettlebell workout is useful if you teach group training workouts and have a limited equipment . These exercises can be done with anyone—partners, work colleagues or family. You also can do a few of these exercises with any of your one-on-one clients. Clients often like it when their PT’s get involved in the session—it makes the workouts more fun and dynamic!

Warm-up (5 minutes): Do and easy jog for 2 minutes then add in some squats with overhead reach, lateral lunges with arm drivers and some walking knee hugs.

Workout (20 minutes): Complete the 5 station circuit five times; work for 20 seconds and rest for 30 sections between each exercise.

Cool-down (5 minutes): Perform static stretching and light foam rolling.

EXERCISE NO.2 : Standing Bent Over Single Arm Row Teaching and Safety Points: This upper body rowing exercise will build upper body strength and core.

Make sure to avoid rotating the spine. Keep the supporting elbow and the knee bent.

Step 1: With a Kettlebell in one hand, bend your knees slightly and bring your torso forward, by bending at the waist, while keeping your back straight until it is almost parallel to the floor with your head, neck and spine in line.

Step 2: The upper arm should be close to the torso and parallel to the floor while the forearm is pointing towards the floor as the hand holds the weight Step 3: Keeping the upper arms stationary, raise the kettlebell by using a sawing action, ensuring the elbow brushes the ribs on the way up.

Step 3: Return to the start under conrol. Swith arms and repeeat the exercise.

To progress this exercise you can increase the weight and reps/length of time.

EXERCISE NO.1 : Goblet Squat Teaching and Safety Points: The Kettlebell Goblet Squat is one of the best kettlebell exercises for core and leg strength. It wil give you stronger legs, but it will also strengthen the shoulders, as simply holding the kettlebell in place is taxing on your shoulders, arms, and core. Imagine you a sitting on a very low chair behind you instead of dropping down.

Step 1: Stand up straight holding the kettlebell by the sid handlesl with both hands at chest height. Stand with the feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly out; keep the chest up and back straight.

Step 2: Bend at the hips and knees and push the hips back. Keep the elbows forward as you sit back down into a squat.

Step 2: Keep the weight on the heels as you drive the hips back up to a standing position.

To progress this exercise you can increase the weight and reps/length of time.

EXERCISE NO.3: Kettlebell Swing Teaching and Safety Points: The kettlebell swing is a power, ballistic exercise that will effectively strengthen your posterior chain as well as grip, shoulders and core. Form is crucial to ensure a safe spine throughout the movement. We are showing this exercise in a slow controlled manner for beginners, but as you get more confident you can increase the speed.

Step 1: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed out, and knees slightly bent; look straight ahead. Hold a kettlebell between your legs using a twohanded, overhand grip.

Step 2: Bend your hips back until the kettlebell is between and behind your legs; squeeze your glutes to extend your hips and swing the weight up.

Step 3: Let the weight swing back between your legs as you bend your hips and slightly bend your knees.

Extend your hips and knees to reverse the momentum as you immediately begin the next rep.

To progress this exercise you can increase the weight and reps/length of time.

EXERCISE NO.4 : Kettlebell Around the Leg Pass Teaching and Safety Points: Keep your chest high and ribs down with a long spine. Stomach Try not to drop the shoulders Step 1: Place one kettlebell between your legs and take a comfortable stance. Bend over by pushing your butt out and keeping your back flat.

Step 2: Pick up a kettlebell and pass it to your other hand between your legs, in the fashion of a "W". Go back and forth for several repetitions To progress this exercise you can increase the weight and reps/length of time.

EXERCISE NO.5: Squat to Single Arm Press Teaching and Safety Points: Increases upper- and lower-body strength with a single full-body movement.

Also improves the ability to the core to transfer force from the lower to upper body.

Step 1: Begin in a squat position with the weight the kettlebell down by your side. Make sure to keep your feet flat on the ground and your back flat. Try not to lean forward with the upper body, as you would in a bend and extend movement with the hips.

Step 2: As you push out of your squat, stand through very flat feet and push as straight upward as possible.

Try to accelerate gradually as you get further out of the squat and transfer that energy into the weight in your hand. As you get to standing, use the power from your legs to assist the overhead press.

Step 3: The overhead position isn’t complete until you reach lockout. Lock the elbows and sink the shoulder blades down the back. The weight should be balanced and easy to maintain in this position. Carefully lower the weight back to the shoulder, and repeat the move.

To progress this exercise you can increase the weight and reps/length of time.

Introduction The Charleville half marathon had been earmarked as my half marathon debut several months in advance. The flat and fast nature of the course, the guaranteed international standard field, its timing and the local location, all combined to make it the most obvious choice within the running calendar. Not only was I going into the unknown with regards to the race distance but I would also be going into the unknown after having had my first stint of altitude training in the weeks prior to the race and the experiencing the positive uncertainties which this generates.

The eight weeks of training immediately prior to the race provided the best block of training that I had completed in about three years. Not a single session had

Attitude Training Camp My approach to the altitude camp and the entire eight week period leading into Charleville was one of experiment. Having never prepared for a half marathon or having trained at altitude in the past, the camp would serve as a classic case of trial and error. Located at 1,850m of above sea level in the French Pyrenees, Font Romeu provided the ideal location for my first stint of altitude training.

The first of the three weeks at altitude was treated with the utmost caution. The body requires a period of gentle acclimatisation in order to adapt to the lower levels of oxygen present at altitude. With this in mind the training volume was reduced by about 20% and the intensity levels of the easy runs were scaled right back. Furthermore, the rolling nature of the surrounding landscape meant that very often the easy runs verged on the easier side of 8 min pace per mile. The presence of good training partners and my novel surroundings meant that logging the miles would become a labour of love.

Two key sessions were undertaken in this first

week: a controlled session of 5 x 5 mins with a 2.5 mins jog recovery and a progressive 16 mile long run.

After this a cycle of - hard day, easy day, easy day – was embarked upon for the duration of the camp. The three day cycle allowed for maximum recovery from the key sessions, something that assumes greater importance at altitude due to the slower rate of recovery in general. The intensity and volume of training was stepped up in week two with the key sessions providing a substantial challenge at 6,000 feet of altitude.

The quality of training improved markedly in week 3 as the body began to acclimatise to the alien environment. Sessions of 4 x 3k and a progressive 15k tempo run provided a significant morale boost.

Post Camp In many ways the period after returning can be as much of, if not more of an unknown, than the

to be tweaked, altered, deferred, postponed or scrapped due to injury or illness. This is something which is a rarity for every distance runner.

However the few months prior to this were a different story altogether. A combination of injury and a severe stomach virus meant that the track season ended up being almost completely written off in its entirety. All of this meant that my form leading into the altitude camp could have been described as rather poor by my own high standards.

However a steady 15 mile run on undulating terrain, averaging sub 6:00 min pace per mile all of the way, 48 hours before leaving, did help to rebuild some severely dented confidence.

actual period of altitude training itself. In general there are two performance windows. The first is in the immediate 72 hours after returning and the second occurs somewhere between two and four weeks after returning. However this is largely subjective to the individual and pinpointing the exact peak in performance can be very much of a lottery. The 19 day gap between my return and the race was calculated to fall within the middle of the second of the two windows.

Furthermore there are a significant number of individuals who do not derive any physical jump in performance through altitude training. With this in mind it was with some trepidation that 48 hours after returning I tackled a session of 3 sets of 3k, 1k. Thankfully I produced splits that I hadn’t seen in training since the spring and the quality of recovery in the 24 hours following the session consolidated my faith that the trip would become a worthwhile investment.

Final Training Preparation My final hard session before the race was undertaken on the half marathon course 8 days before the event. Three days before this I completed a challenging session of 16 x 400m off a minute recovery in an average of 67 secs. This helped to generate some much needed leg turnover, something which can often be neglected due to the slower running paces generated at altitude.

The final week before the race consisted largely of just easy aerobic running and one very light midweek session designed to help keep the legs ticking over. I used the spare time created by the reduction in physical training, to psychologically prepare for the race. This had oftentimes been an area which I severely neglected. However I have made a concerted effort in recent times in order to remedy this deficiency. I visualised the many different scenarios which could have come about and how I would deal with them. Moreover I broke the race down into three segments, each of which contained a distinctive plan and pre-prepared self-talk phrases.

Final Training Preparation One aspect of the Charleville half compared to other top road races is that that the field of competitors remained almost completely unknown right up to the start of the race. This makes it slightly harder to envisage how the race may pan out and consequently how best to execute your own race. I had heard through the grapevine that the double European indoor finalist John Travers and the English competitor Jonathan Escalante-Phillips would both be competing. On the Friday evening I got word that Irish international Sean Hehir would not be competing. I knew that this would have had a major bearing on the dynamic of the race and that the initial pace may well become slightly less brisk as a result.

Pre-Race Preparations Sleeping the night before a race had become a significant issue of mine in recent times. With this in mind I planned to bed down at 8:30 in order to ensure maximum rest for the early start the following morning. Thankfully I had a relatively good night of sleep and woke at 5:30. I dozed off lightly again before being called to my senses by my alarm clock at 7. I made a strong cup of green tea, before tucking into a light breakfast of fried eggs

and porridge. Everything else had been prepared the night before and my brother drove me to Charleville at 8:20. Arriving at 9, I relaxed in the car for 15 mins before togging off and completing a gentle 15 min warm up jog, a light limbering up and 4 light strides.

D-Day The race itself went off at a more controlled pace than I would have anticipated a few days previously. At the mile mark John Travers had eased into a 30 yard lead with myself and Jonathan Escalante running in tandem in second place. This was the way it stayed all the way to the entrance to Kilmallock, before a physical rough patch or a little bit of self-doubt allowed the two lads to get away.

I managed to steady the ship through miles 7 and 8 and maintain the 5:15 pace per mile which I had so far averaged. At 9 miles I knew that 5:15s would no longer sustainable for the remainder of the race. However this was the point at which previous half marathon experience would have become a very valuable asset, as I began to panic that if I did not scale things back then there was a real possibility of blowing up form mile 11 onwards, even though I still maintained a substantial lead over fourth place. This led to the average pace slipping to 5:30 per mile for the last 4 miles. Hindsight is 50:50 but I do believe that my initial fears were somewhat ungrounded and that I doubted my own newfound strength.

Podium Finish I finished with the race thrilled with my podium finish and content with my debut time of 70:06. The slight twinge of regret which I had about shying away in miles 10 and 11 was significantly tempered by the conviction which I felt I displayed in the first half of the race. All in all it was a case of ticking the main box. My first half marathon done and dusted and back in top form once again.

Biography Mike Carmody is a 26 year old runner from Limerick who specialises in cross country and Middle and long distance track and road races. He has won numerous Munster and national medals and was selected to run for Ireland twice at underage level. His accolades include winning a Munster senior cross country title, two Munster U23 cross country titles, a Munster schools cross country title and a silver medal in the national junior cross country championships. He has track PBs of 8:30 for 3000m and 14:56 for 5000m, and has road PBs of 19:24 for 4 miles, 24:49 for 5 miles and 52:20 for 10 miles.

Introduction The shoulder joint is similar to the hip joint in as it is a ball and socket articulation. Unlike the hip girdle (the joint and the surrounding connective tissue) the shoulder girdle has sacrificed stability for mobility. Unlike our primate ancestors who use the upper limb to move, we humans have learnt to walk just on our legs so that we could carry weapons for hunting and tools for farming. The stability in the hip is from the strength and size of the bone and the large joints between them. Whereas, the arm bone (humerus) and shoulder blade (scapula) are only connected to the torso by the collar bone (clavicle). The stability of the joint comes from the surrounding muscles. As modern humans we spend much of our time with our arm and hand held out in front of our bodies: eating, driving and using computers or other mobile devices.

There is a growing number incidence of shoulder conditions. There are two types: internal shoulder impingement and external shoulder impingement.

Internal shoulder impingement is where the joint surfaces in the humerus and scapular joint (glenohumeral joint) do not move against each other smoothly and damage the cartilage. External shoulder impingement is where the acromion of the scapular impinges the tendons of the long head of biceps brachii and supraspinatus, part of the rotator cuff, in the sub acromion space. There are two sub-types of external shoulder impingement: primary, where there is a bony deformation, which can only be corrected surgery; and secondary, where the scapular is not in a functional position.

Both internal shoulder impingement and secondary external shoulder impingement can be avoided and corrected by addressing the instability of the surrounding muscles.

Before doing any corrective exercises for the shoulder, it is vital to explain how to engage the shoulder muscles so that they stabilise the shoulder joint, especially when translating the movement to everyday activities. As discussed in a previous article - Glute Activation, cueing can help a client or athlete engage the muscles. For the shoulder girdle you can use “ for the push-up position; or “ ,” for the bench press.

Diagonal Pattern 1 (D1) “Seatbelt” This movement uses all of the movement in the shoulder at once: flexion, adduction and internal rotation on the way up (extension, abduction and external rotation in the opposite direction). It allows a weak muscle to be assisted synergistically through the full range of movement.

As with all rehabilitation, it is not in a fitness professional’s remit to diagnose a musculoskeletal condition and should be left to healthcare professionals. That being said, it is possible to see if someone is not recruiting the muscle responsible for scapula stability by watching for scapular winging in load barring positions such as the plank or push-up, especially if it is happening unilaterally or in a position where there is not much load such as pushing

Diagonal Pattern 1 (D2) “Sword Similar to the D2 pattern, this movement uses all of the movement in the shoulder, but in a different combination: flexion, abduction and external rotation on the way up (the opposite movements in the other direction).

The ball adds a bowstring stretch to the connective tissue similar to a foam roller, as well as adding a proprioceptive element to the movement.

Image Source: Click here

The Turkish Get Up This movement encourages the shoulder muscles to engage and stabilise the scapula in an open kinetic chain dynamically in several angles and positions. While it is a complex manure, especially if a client or athlete has limited shoulder or general mobility, it can be broken down into its parts and worked on separately. For example rolling from the elbow to the hand and back down.

Push Up Plus This movement encourages the shoulder muscles to engage and stabilise the scapular in a closed kinetic chain. The primary action is protraction via the serratus anterior muscle which originates from the medial border of the scapular and with its orientation to the humerus. When it is strengthened, it helps prevent scapular winging. To engage the muscles that stabilise the scapula visualise the shoulder blades melting into the back pockets of your jeans.

The Row This movement encourages the shoulder muscles to engage and stabilise the scapular in an open kinetic chain. The primary action is retraction via the rhomboid muscles which originates from the medial border of the scapular and with its orientation to the spine. When it is strengthened, it helps prevent scapular winging. The row can be progressed to a closed kinetic chain body weight exercise in the form of the Inverted push-up.

Conclusion As I have mentioned in previous articles, rehabilitation is training; training is rehabilitation. The ultimate goal would be to get a client or athlete to translate this training to everyday activates such as driving and using mobile devices by engaging the scapulars. This activation can be done by imagining bending the bar as if you were one of the oldtime strong-men with the leopard-print leotards and curly moustache. On that bombshell, I will leave you with that image, Enjoy.

Biography Richie Walsh, B.Sc. Richie has been working in the fitness industry since 2008.

He has completed the NCEF Personal Trainer and Pilates & Corrective Exercise specialist modules. He is also a qualified NCEF Tutor having completed the Year 3 Diploma in Exercise & Health Fitness (DEHF).

He has also completed a B.Sc. in Sports Rehabilitation and Athletic Therapy. He is currently completing a research M.Sc. in Rehabilitative Science. Richie has a strong interest coaching swimming and triathlon.

I HOPE THIS issue finds you well and that you enjoyed your summer.

Perhaps you’ve had some time away from the gym floor, went on holiday or found yourself training outdoors with a couple of the workouts I’ve given in the previous summer issue.

For many of us October can be a month where we start to refocus, aim to get back into a routine, or maybe try ignite the fire for hitting a few new goals again.

It’s easy to find yourself a little lost on your fitness path or lack some of the motivation that you had before the summer. The summer is there to be enjoyed from sunny festival days, the odd extra trip to the beer garden or even a holiday away full of indulgence.

I’m a big believer in having that balance when it comes to health, mindset and fitness.

enjoyed themselves that little bit more in the summer, and are aiming to get back on the fitness buzz.

I often see a common trend of people who have taken the foot off the pedal,

In this seasons piece I gives you 4 great exercises into one challenging circuit that

Getting back into your normall routine can be hard and it can take some time to build up your motivation. The initial stages are always the most difficult but once you have overcome that you will be back to where you left off in no time.

helps you make the most out of your workouts.If you are stuck for a little time or only have access to a limited amount of equipment then these sessions are for you. They can also act as a great finisher to your workouts where you get to introduce a little more intensity into your session.

All you need is a little bit of space, 1 piece of equipment, some workout structure to get going into a 10-15 block.

Dumbells

Suspension Trainer

You can get a lot out of one set of dumbbells. A good circuit like below can work the full body really well.This circuit will give you a workout starting off working on the upper body with some push, press and pull movements, while adding in some power and intensity into the short circuit.

A super tool that fits easily in your gym bag It comes in a small, netted bag and is very light. You simply hook the TRX up to any door frame, tree, or railing and you’re good to go. It’s a great piece of equipment that can be used for all fitness levels and can train any body part. Squats, pistols, rows, presses, planks and holds — you name it.

This 4 in 1 combo will work the whole body focusing on posterior chain work, some push and pull movements along with a power based exercise.

It is the ideal circuit if you have limited time and space.

Kettlebell

Medicine Ball

I am a big fan of the kettlebell. It features in most of my programmess and a piece of equipment I generally bring with me when I am on the road travelling.

These are a great piece of equipment that most gyms have. Perhaps they don’t get used enough as most gym goers wont know much exercises or routines to do with them .The clip below will give test your core stability, lower and upper body strength along with a little bit of power at the end to ramp up the intensity a little.

Its very versatile and quite easy to put a workout together with it. This 4 in 1 combo will strengthen your legs, arms, while increasing your heart rate a little with the added Russian swings.

Biography David Last is a Dublin based personal trainer,writer and guest speaker working from Terenure Dublin 6w. He was raised into a very active family with lots of sporting connections its no wonder he chose a career in health and fitness. His first sniff of professionalism in fitness was his 3 year soccer scholarship program at UCD in 2007 when he was 19. He spent 3 great years here studying sports management while playing for UCD and had the opportunity of representing Ireland and a variety of levels. All this valuable experience gained over this time has been brought into his current personal training business David Last Fitness. He can be contacted here