So what is fibre? Fibre is indigestible plant material e.g. cellulose and is sometimes described as a non-starch polysaccharide. This basically means it is a calorie free carbohydrate. Humans lack the necessary digestive enzymes or specially designed stomachs to break down fibre so it passes through our digestive tracts pretty much unchanged. Ironically, it is this “passing through unchanged” which gives fibre its healthful properties.

Fibre comes in 2 varieties – soluble and insoluble. Both varieties are very important to our health and it’s important we consume plenty of both. However, so you can dazzle your friends with your dietary knowledge. I’d like to explain the difference between the two types…

Healthy on the out side, healthy on the inside? A very large percentage of the population suffers from constipation. Constipation is commonly caused by dehydration and low levels of fibre in the diet. Whilst this might seem like a fairly benign condition, it is actually a very major health concern which, if left untreated, can lead to a condition called Diverticular Disease. Diverticular Disease is caused by a build of pressure in the large intestine due to straining to push faecal matter out of the body. Pockets or bulges called Diverticuli develop in the large intestine which encourages a build up of bacteria. We have a large amount of “good” bacteria in our intestines and this intestinal flora and fauna is vital to our health. It is constantly being renewed and has many functions including the production of vitamins Biotin, Riboflavin and vitamin K. However, the bacterium in the diverticuli is old, “bad” bacteria and its presence causes inflammation of the colon and may result in sections of the colon having to be surgically removed. Diverticular disease used to be the reserve of the older generation but due to the severe lack of fibre in the modern diet, it is becoming increasingly common in younger people too.

Intestinal sponges. Soluble fibre is natures’ G.I. (Gastrointestinal) tract sponge. Once eaten, soluble fibre passes though your intestines and colon forming a gel which soaks up numerous odds and ends and transports them into the outside world. Soluble fibre has the ability to soak up excess bile acid (caused by excess saturated fat in the diet), lowers “bad” cholesterol, helps regulate blood glucose levels by delaying gastric emptying (keeps food in your stomach longer) and reduces the absorption of a small amount of dietary fat.

Sources of soluble fibre include beans, oats, barley and the soft part of fruit and vegetables e.g. the flesh of apples, broccoli and prunes. By eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, it’s fairly easy to ensure your diet contains adequate soluble fibre.

Number twos and toothpaste tubes. If soluble fibre is a sponge, then insoluble fibre is natures’ scrubbing brush. Insoluble fibre does not dissolve in water and is sometimes referred to as “roughage” which describes its structure very well. When we eat insoluble fibre, it passes though the G.I. tract giving our intestines a good cleaning. Insoluble fibre also “bulks up” our faecal matter making it easier to push through our bodies and results in less straining which will dramatically reduce the likelihood of developing Diverticular Disease. Just imagine for a moment what it’s like trying to get the very last bit of toothpaste out of a nearly-empty tube….you squeeze it as hard as you can and still you might only get a small amount of paste out of the tube. Compare this to a full tube where we only need to use a small amount of pressure to push the toothpaste out…the empty tube is an analogy for a diet low in insoluble fibre and the full tube represents a diet high in soluble fibre. So, if you are straining and turning blue when having a poo, (!!!) you may well be deficient in vital insoluble fibre.

Insoluble fibre is found in the “woody” part of plants i.e. the husks of grains and the skins of fruit and vegetables. By seeking out whole grain foods as apposed to the more refined often white versions, it’s pretty easy to get sufficient insoluble fibre.

And there’s more! Dietary fibre has a number of additional benefits. Fibre can be very useful in weight management and dieting. Remember fibre has NO calories. High fibre foods are naturally low in calories but are still satisfying to eat. Fibre makes as feel full up sooner and stay that way longer. Because of its bulk, fibre will cause greater distension (stretching) of the stomach. The hunger centre of the brain – the hypothalamus – receives messages from stretch receptors in the stomach when it’s full. The sooner this message reaches the brain, the sooner we will feel full and the sooner we will stop eating. Also, the presence of fibre makes food stay in our stomachs for longer which contributes to a feeling of fullness. And if that wasn’t enough, fibrous foods generally take longer to eat and require more chewing which also adds to an overall feeling of fullness.

Fibre also causes something called “Gastric Inhibition”. Gastric Inhibition is just a technical term to describe the slowing down of food leaving the stomach and entering the intestines where nutrient absorption occurs. By slowing Gastric Emptying (the time it takes for food to leave the stomach and enter the intestines) we are able to control blood glucose levels. By releasing glucose into the blood in a slow and controlled manner, we ensure a nice steady supply of energy to the brain which will help avoid very high or very low levels of blood glucose. Low levels of blood glucose are often associated with fatigue, hunger, sweet cravings and poor levels or concentration whilst persistently high levels of blood glucose have been attributed as the cause of obesity and diabetes.

Make haste slowly. Now, before you go rushing out to buy as much fibre as you can lay your hands on a word of warning. The average Westerner consumes around 10 grams of fibre a day, compared to the recommended amount of 18 – 20 grams. To make the jump from 10 to 20 grams in a short period would be the nutritional equivalent of a non-exerciser waking up one morning and running a marathon! Needless to say, the resulting muscle soreness would pretty much cripple our budding runner. Likewise, with our diet, if we are to avoid intestinal discomfort, bloating, flatulence and possible permanent residence on the toilet (!!!) it is vital to increase our fibre intake gradually. Start by switching to whole grains, then maybe eating your fruit and vegetables with their skin on to finally adding extra fibre to your diet in the form of seeds and grain husks. Do this gradually to avoid the dietary equivalent of very sore muscles!

Summary. So fibre comes in two types – soluble and insoluble and they are both vital to intestinal health. Soluble fibre soaks stuff up and insoluble fibre makes waste elimination easier and less of an effort thus protecting the colon. Both types of fibre help control blood glucose levels and are calorie free so can aid in weight management. High fibre foods promote a feeling of long-lasting fullness and generally they take longer to eat. The easiest way to get adequate fibre in your diet is to eat plenty of whole foods such as fruit and vegetables with their skin still on and whole grains which have not been milled excessively.

Doctors such as Ambrose Pare, a 16th-century physician to the French court, praised massage as a treatment for various ailments including “ailments of the head and the heart and those of the legs”. Swedish massage, the method most familiar to Westerners, was developed in the 19th century by Swedish doctor, poet, and educator Per Henrik Ling. His system was based on a study of gymnastics and physiology as well as techniques borrowed from China, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Physiotherapy, originally based on Ling’s methods, was established with the foundation in 1894 of the Society of Trained Masseurs. During World War I patients suffering from physical injury and shell shock were treated with massage. Saint Thomas’s Hospital, London, had a department of massage until 1934. However, later breakthroughs in medical technology and pharmacology eclipsed massage as physiotherapists began increasingly to favor electrical instruments over manual methods of stimulating the tissues. Whilst these technological advancements increased the number of patients that could be treated in a given time, massage was still the preferred method and achieved the best results.

Massage is now used in intensive care units, for children, elderly people, babies in incubators, and patients with cancer, AIDS, heart attacks, or strokes. Most Eastern and Western hospitals have some kind of bodywork therapy available, and it is frequently offered in health centers, drug treatment clinics, and pain clinics – such are its wide reaching benefits. In many cases, it is even covered by your medical insurance! Massage is a truly mainstream holistic therapy.

The benefits of regular massage:

Massage is the perfect compliment to today’s busy lifestyles – it is a holistic and natural therapy which affects the body and mind without the use of harmful pharmaceuticals and which has very few contraindications or exclusions. Many common and not so common conditions and ailments can be helped by regular massages including:-

Reduced Muscular Tension

Massage affects the muscles and other soft tissues throughout the body. It can loosen contracted tense and shortened and stimulate weak, flaccid muscles. Chronic muscle tension reduces the circulation of the blood and movement of lymph in an area and this is often alleviated with regular massage treatments. Tight, tense muscles are often the cause of other symptoms throughout the body e.g. tight neck muscles can show them selves as regular frequent aches.

Improved Blood Circulation

The oxygen capacity of the blood can increase 10-15% after massage. By indirectly or directly stimulating nerves that supply internal organs, blood vessels of these organs dilate and allow greater blood supply to them. Poor circulation (often felt as cold hands and feet) is improved after massage. A full body massage will increase the blood flow to both the core and extremities giving a healthful benefit to all of the body’s systems.

Better Lymph Movement & Lymphatic System Function

Lymph is the fluid that drains impurities and waste away from the tissue cells. Within this waste are the toxins which are the by-products of metabolism. Massage makes sure lymph is circulated through the lymph nodes for filtering which in turn can result in enhanced immune system function.

Increased Mobility, Flexibility and Range of Motion of Joints

Massage provides a gentle stretching action to both the muscles and connective tissues that surround and support the muscles. The gentle stretching of muscles keeps them in good condition, maintains the integrity of connective tissue and joint mobility is often enhanced. Joint and muscle pain is often reduced after a massage and specific joint/muscle pain can be targeted by a Sports Massage Therapist.

Massage Stimulates or Soothes the Nervous System

Massage balances the nervous system by soothing or stimulating it, depending on the techniques used and the effect that is needed by the individual at the time of the massage. A pre-sport massage can help prepare the body to perform at the highest level where as a Swedish massage will help calm and relax the body and mind. For many, a relaxing massage is the perfect antidote to a stressful day at work or the pressure of a hectic modern lifestyle.

Improved Skin Condition

Massage enhances the skin condition by improving the function of the sebaceous and sweat glands, which keep the skin lubricated, clean, and cool. The use of special oils will enhance the condition of the skin further and the skin is exfoliated and moisturized during a massage treatment. Circulation to the skin is improved by massage which is seen as a slight reddening during the treatment. Increased blood flow to the skin encourages skin cell renewal and makes tired skin look brighter and healthier.

Better Digestion and Intestinal Function

By increasing blood flow, the digestive organs receive more of the life-giving oxygen they need to function effectively. Digestive discomfort is often relieved by massage, as is abdominal bloating and gastric upset. Swedish massage even includes an optional abdominal massage where the intestines are gently massaged through the abdominal wall which is designed to improve digestive system function and health.

Pain relief

Massage can promote recovery from minor aches and pains by improving circulation which is an essential part of the healing process. Massage also triggers the release of endorphins which are the body’s natural pain killers (related to morphine) which may result in lowered pain levels and a reduced dependence on pain medication. A treatment with a Sports Massage Therapist can save literally weeks by promoting fast and effective healing of serious and-not-so-serious injuries.

Types of massage

There are a great many different styles of massage and at Faros Spa we offer three different forms to suit the requirements of our growing client base…

Relaxation (Swedish) Massage

Swedish massage is a whole body treatment which uses a smooth, flowing style that promotes general relaxation, improves circulation relieves muscular tension. This type of massage is ideal for “beginners” to massage and will leave the client feeling wonderfully relaxed and refreshed. Oils are used which help to condition the skin and act as a medium between your skin and the therapists hands. This form of massage is so relaxing it is not uncommon for clients to fall soundly asleep after just a few minutes on the couch!

Sports Massage

Sports massage uses similar techniques to those found in Swedish massage but normally they are used with more pressure and a view to preventing future or treating current specific physical conditions. Many people find that by having regular sports massages they suffer fewer indecencies of muscle pain, back ache and muscular tension. Sports massage can be seen as a physical “tune up” of the body’s muscles or as a preventative service. Sports massage is a “deeper” massage and not normally as relaxing as the Swedish variation but is particularly useful for people who exercise, play sport, have physically active jobs or feel like their bodies need some specific attention. Treatments are customized to suit an individual clients needs however, if after a sports massage you feel “beaten up” as some people may describe the feeling after this type of treatment, it’s very likely the therapist was over zealous and unnecessarily heavy handed. It’s very important to give your masseuse feedback during and after your treatment so that they can fine tune their treatment to your individual requirements.

Reflexology

Using thumb and finger pressure on the reflex points of the feet (which correspond to all areas of the body) to assist in achieving balance within the body. Reflexology is based on Chinese acupuncture but uses pressure as opposed to needles to help rebalance the body’s energy pathways. Although only the feet are touched during Reflexology, the whole body receives great benefit from this powerful treatment.

Check your masseuse’s credentials!

Although massage is a natural and relatively simple therapy, it is essential to make sure your masseuse is properly qualified, licensed and insured. It’s important to remember that massage can have a profound medical effect on the body and should not be performed by unqualified persons. Make sure you check the credentials of any masseuse you are considering using. Just because they are cheap or have been “doing it for years” doesn’t mean they are safe! Professional massage standards has come a long way since the guy who used to rub a few legs at half time for the local Sunday league football team started plying his trade!

So, pretty much everybody’s body will benefit from massage by a qualified massage therapist – and with a patron like Julius Caesar who are we to argue?

Flexion–Lifting your Shoulders
Flexion of your spine uses your rectus abdominus muscle at the front of your torso and is the most common movement used in ab training. To exercise this muscle you could perform crunches, sit ups or any other movement where you lift your shoulders. The rectus abdominus is the muscle you can see in very lean people and is also known your six-pack.

Flexion-Lifting your Hips
In addition to lifting your shoulders, your rectus abdominus can also lift your hips, as seen when you perform hanging leg raises or reverse crunches. Your lower abs, as this section is sometimes referred to, is important in fixing your pelvis in position during movements involving your legs and is also an important component in protecting your lower back from injury.

Extension-Bending Backwards
Extending your spine is the job of your erector spinea which is located on back. Running up either side of your spine, this muscle is heavily involved in lifting movements as well as maintaining an upright posture. You should keep this muscle strong to avoid developing back pain. There are a number back extension exercises you can perform including floor based, stability ball and strength training machine exercises.

Rotation-twisting your spine
Rotating your spine is the job of your obliques which are located on either side of your waist. To exercise these muscles you need to perform rotational exercises such as cable Russian twists or twisting crunches/sit ups. The obliques are a very important muscle if you are involved in sports that require throwing, pushing or punching as they are strongly involved in these movements.

Lateral Flexion-bending to the side
Your erector spinea and rectus abdominus work together with your obliques to bend your spine to the side. These muscles are especially important when lifting objects in one hand as they work together to stabilize your spine and keep it vertical. You can perform dumbbell side bends or side plank holds to exercise this group of muscles.

Bracing-holding your spine in place
Maintaining your spinal alignment and holding your internal organs in place utilizes your transverse abdominus or TVA for short-this is called bracing. You can feel your TVA in action when you pull your naval in towards your spine. Your TVA is also responsible for creating intra abdominal pressure-abbreviated to IAP. IAP describes how your body supports the spine from within when we are exerting ourselves and is one of the ways you can protect your spinal ligaments and disks from injury. Your TVA is best exercised by performing exercises where the aim is to minimize spinal movement against resistance such as planks holds.

So, how best to warm up? Assuming you are warming up for a general workout, it makes sense to perform a generalised warm up which gets all the muscles, joints and systems of the body working well to facilitate a good training session. The ingredients of a general warm are…1) a pulse raiser to increase your body temperature and get oxygenated blood pumping around your body, 2) joint mobilisation to make sure your joints are moving freely and are well lubricated with synovial fluid and 3) flexibility to ensure that muscles are warm and pliable thus making them contract better and be less prone to injury.

1) The pulse raiser – cardiovascular exercise is used to raise the heart rate and is the part of the warm up that makes you warm! It’s important to make the pulse raiser graduated i.e. increase in intensity over time. By using exercises such as rowers, cross trainers or skipping, in addition to raising the pulse, it is possible to mobilise all the major joints of the body. You should finish your pulse raiser at an RPE or around 5/6 or, in other words, feeling ready to get on with some more strenuous exercise! 5 to 10 minutes spent on this component of warming up is plenty – we want to be warmed up and not worn out after all.

2) Joint mobility – chances are that if you selected the rower, cross trainer or skipping, you’ll have mobilised your major joints already and won’t need to spend any further time getting your joints ready for exercise. If, however, you warmed up using a bike or treadmill, you may well need to mobilise the joints you didn’t move during that exercise. To mobilise a joint, simply take it through its natural range of movement in a controlled fashion, increasing the degree of motion as you feel the joint warming up e.g. shallow knee bends progressing to full squats over 10-15 reps to mobilise the hips and knees or small arm circles progressing to full arm circles to mobilise the shoulders.

3) Flexibility – it’s not uncommon to see people performing static stretches as part of their warm up but, as useful as this type of stretching is, it’s far better to utilise a method of stretching called dynamic stretching in the warm up and leave the static stretches for the cool down. Static stretches tend to cause reduced blood flow through muscles, muscular relaxation, the pulse to slow and reduced body temperature – none of which sound like things we want in a warm up! In comparison, dynamic stretches keep the heart rate and body temperature elevated, “wake up” our muscles, mirror the movements likely to be performed in the workout and also promote joint mobility.

The Ultra Fit Warm Up

In the video, you’ll see a pulse raiser – in this case skipping, plus 4 dynamic stretches which will prepare the muscles and joints for the workout to come. Make sure when you perform your own warm ups you make your cardio progressive i.e. start slow and build up gradually and perform your stretches in a controlled and rhythmical manner – never being too ballistic. The whole warm up should take somewhere between 5-10 minutes in total, depending on how much cardio you do and how many repetitions of the dynamic stretches you perform…

Pulse Raiser – skipping

Dynamic Stretch 1 – alternating leg swings
Stretches the hamstrings whilst mobilising the hips and spine
Simulates kicking a football

Dynamic stretch 2 – horizontal push and pull
Stretches the pecs and mid traps/rhomboids whilst mobilising the shoulders, elbows and thoracic spine
Simulates the chest press and seated row

Dynamic stretch 3 – squat, reach and twist
Stretching the quads, adductors, hamstrings, glutes, obliques, lats and pecs whilst mobilising the ankles, knees, hips, spine, shoulders and elbows
Simulates squats, shoulder press, lat pull downs and twisting crunches

Dynamic stretch 4 – duck unders/step overs
Stretches the quads, hamstrings, glutes, erector spinea, adductors whilst mobilising the ankles, knees, hips and spine
Simulates squats and deadlifts

Previous generations were considerably more active than most of us are today. The increase in availability of labour-saving devices, passive entertainment like TVs and computer games, a reduced requirement for manual labour and increased car ownership/usage have all contributed to a significant reduction of daily physical activity. Many of us spend large portions of our day sat at a desk, in our cars or on the sofa watching TV and even with the best will in the world, the 3 hours or so a week we spend in the gym is not a sufficient replacement for the active lifestyle of previous generations.

Combined with an increased availability of calorie-dense food, the lowered amount of daily activity is a significant factor in the ever-growing world-wide obesity problem. Our appetites remain unchanged even though our calorie requirements have been significantly reduced. Your body was designed to be active often and your stomach (approximately 1 litre in size) is capable of processing all of your nutritional needs to fuel that active lifestyle. The problem is that we aren’t as active as we used to be and no one has found a way to reprogram our appetites! Any significant reduction in calorie intake can trigger the starvation response meaning that metabolisms slow, body temperature is lowered, hunger levels are elevated and calorie burning is down-regulated. If cutting calories too greatly causes the starvation response, what is the alternative for anyone looking to maintain their weight and improve their health without starving themselves? The answer is Non Exercise Physical Activity or NEPA for short.

NEPA simply means moving more. It doesn’t matter what you do but just by moving more we will expend more energy. NEPA shouldn’t be tiring and isn’t a replacement for your regular exercise routine – it’s just additional daily activities done with the purpose of using your body a little more than usual to create a greater calorie deficit and make up for all those hours when we are sedentary.

Examples of NEPA

• Walk instead of driving – especially if journeys are less than 1 mile
• Cycle instead of driving – especially if journeys are less than 4 miles
• Get off the bus or train a couple of stops earlier and walk the rest of the way to work
• Stand instead of sitting – standing uses far more energy
• Use the stairs instead of the lift
• Walk during lunch breaks instead of staying at your desk
• Wash your car by hand
• Water your garden by hand using a watering can instead of a garden hose
• Take the dog (or the kids) for an after dinner stroll around the neighbourhood
• Carry your shopping in a basket instead of using a shopping trolley
• Periodically stand up and move around whilst at work – don’t get too desk bound
• Move at every opportunity – stretch while sat at your desk or while watching TV
• Try doing an active leisure activity like going bowling or ice skating instead of sitting in front of the TV

I’m sure you can think of plenty of other ways that you could get more NEPA into your day. Start with a few small daily increases in activity like maybe a 10 minute walk before breakfast or after dinner and build up from there with the aim of being physically active for at least 60 minutes per day. Don’t worry – they don’t have to be consecutive minutes, just fit them in where you can. The point of NEPA is that it should become habitual – a shift in attitude where you look for ways to move more and sit less. By the end of the year you may well find yourself several pounds lighter all because you made the effort to move around a bit more every day. Go and get your NEPA on!

Patrick Dale

Three phosphate molecules are attached to a single adenosine molecule by high-energy yield bonds, which, when broken, release energy which we then use to power, amongst other things, our muscular contractions. ATP production can be classed as “aerobic” meaning with oxygen or “anaerobic” meaning with no oxygen and there are 3 systems used by the body to produce ATP. Which of the 3 energy systems we utilise depends on the speed at which ATP is required…

Oh no – my house is on fire!!!

Imagine you’re sat at home, reading Ultrafit (!) when your house spontaneously bursts into flames. Your initial reaction is to leap up and sprint out the house to call the fire brigade, a distance of about 30 meters. Unfortunately, you left your mobile phone in the house and you can’t go back to retrieve it so you have to run as fast as possible to the nearest pay-phone to call the emergency services. You set off and run as fast as possible for about 90 seconds and reach the pay-phone only to discover it’s out of order. Luckily there is another pay-phone about a mile away so you set off at a steady jog to find the phone and make a call for assistance. This series of events, in simple terms, describes our 3 energy systems…

1) The Creatine Phosphate system (CP system for short)

Sometimes called the start up system, the CP system is all about stored energy locked within your muscles which is ready for immediate use. Because we can only store relatively small amounts of ATP, this system is short lived and will only supply fuel for about 10 seconds of maximal intensity effort e.g. a short sprint, hitting a golf ball or performing a long jump. The CP system although exhausted quickly, recovers in about 1 – 4 minutes and is anaerobic in nature, utilising the fast twitch muscle fibres which excel and strength and power activities.

2) The Lactic Acid system

Lasting from 1-3 minutes, the lactic acid system is also anaerobic and provides ATP for prolonged high intensity activities such playing squash, running 400 meters or performing interval training. ATP is produced from the incomplete breakdown of carbohydrate in an anaerobic environment and results in the build up of lactic acid which ultimately causes the cessation of activity. Lactic acid, in simple terms, is believed to alter the ph level within our muscles and stops the enzymes responsible for ATP production from doing their job. As a result, we have to slow down or stop when lactic acid levels rise too high. That feeling of burning that you get in your legs at the end of a hard set of squats is lactic acid in action. There is no mistaking the presence of lactic acid in your muscles – it hurts! To remove lactic acid from our blood, the body uses our final energy system…

3) The Aerobic System
Breaking down fat and carbohydrate in the present of oxygen, the aerobic system is responsible for the majority of our energy production. The ratio of fat versus carbohydrate burnt is dictated by the intensity of the activity being performed. Right now, as you sit reading this article, you are working at a low level of intensity which will utilize mostly fat for ATP production but during higher levels or activity e.g. weight training or interval training; your body will begin to use carbohydrate more and fat less. The aerobic system can last almost indefinitely – local muscular endurance and cardiovascular fitness allowing!

Training and the energy systems

The energy systems work in synergy to provide us with the energy we need to power our daily activities but if you should want to improve the efficiency of your individual energy systems, specific training approaches are required…

CP system – e.g. 10 “power strokes” on the rower with 1 minutes rest repeated 6-10 times

Lactic acid system – e.g. run 400 meters as fast as possible with 3 minutes rest repeated 3-6 times.

Aerobic system –e.g. running, cycling, swimming, rowing and aerobic classes where your heart rate remains at 60-90% of maximum.

To help you remember your 3 energy systems just think: Sprint, fast run and jog and you’ll have no trouble dazzling your friends with your new found fitness knowledge!

The bad old days of the fitness industry

Not so many years ago, a fitness qualification was not a “must have” to work in a gym or fitness facility. If you worked out and enjoyed being around a gym you could easily secure gainful employment. You’d likely start as a part-time gym instructor doing group inductions before switching to a more full-time roll where you’d progress to writing programmes for individuals and “walking the gym floor” offering advice and guidance to your gym’s members. After a few years “in the trenches” you’d either leave the fitness industry in search of what my mother called “a proper job” or progress to facility management.

Personal training changed all that and provided another tier of employment other than donning a shirt and tie and joining the rank and file of duty managers. Those gym instructors with the necessary experience and knowledge could now progress away from the relatively mundane tasks of inductions, equipment cleaning, maintenance and gym supervision and into the realms of one-to-one training. In the early years, personal trainers “learnt by doing”. Sports science degrees were rare and formal fitness qualifications were rarer still. However, slowly but surely, the health and fitness industry become better regulated and a wide variety of fitness qualifications were made available. Trainers no longer had to “self educate” as there were now numerous companies offering to train the trainers.

That was then but this is now…

Fast forward to today and there are now dozens of companies offering first rate qualifications in everything from basic fitness instruction, personal training and group exercise to exercise for special populations and nutrition. Every new trend in the industry is quickly followed by a qualification so that trainers can learn an ever increasing number of ways to help their clients get fit and stay healthy. If you want to work in the fitness industry there is no longer any need to work as a gym instructor before progressing to personal trainer. Numerous companies offer “fast track” courses that will take you from gym instructor Zero to personal training Hero in as little as 6 weeks. That’s not to imply that qualifying as a personal trainer is easy – far from it. Most courses are intense and cover a vast array of subjects as well as various practical and theory assessments to ensure candidates meet the required standards and once you have gained your certification the real challenge begins – establishing yourself in a highly competitive industry.

Personal Training Course Content

Most personal training courses follow a similar syllabus of common units. These common units cover the basics of everything that a personal trainer should know and form the key elements of your day to day job. The standard common units include exercise prescription, basic nutrition, health and safety, working with special population groups, fitness testing and health screening. Some qualifications providers will also offer “bolt on” modules either as standard or as added extras such as business studies, training for sports, circuit training and pre and post natal exercise. Anatomy and physiology knowledge is key and underpins the entire syllabus. I often tell my students that A and P is the most important part of their course. If you have a sound understanding of what’s going on in the body during exercise, you can often decipher training methods, exercises, illnesses and diets because of your knowledge of how the body works. With a sound knowledge of A & P you can separate the wheat from the chaff when listening to or reading about the latest training method or diet and this allows you to, in the words of Bruce Less, absorb what is useful and reject what is not.

Selecting a Training Provider

Most training providers are affiliated with an awarding body. The awarding body, for example Active IQ, YMCA or City & Guilds, provide the syllabus which the training providers’ then deliver. The syllabuses offered by awarding bodies are set by Skills Active and represent the National Occupational Standards as defined by the Sector Skills Council for Active Leisure & Wellbeing. This means that a large number of seemingly different companies offer very similar qualifications. Training providers offer can offer their courses in colleges, as part-time study, as residential courses, part of a school syllabus and even distance learning.

With so many similar options for gaining your qualification available it can be hard to decide which training provider to choose so it’s worth considering the following points when considering which training provider to sign up with…

• Cost – Courses can cost from less than £2,000 to over £5000 depending on the course provider. Remember that quite often, the outcome is the same regardless of the training provider selected as most follow a common syllabus.
• Payment options – how and when does your training provider want to be paid? Do they offer flexible payment plans for course fees and if so do they charge a fee? Look at all your credit options and shop around. A personal bank loan may work out cheaper than using the training provider’s credit arrangement.
• Geographic location – Are you going to have a long commute that will cut into valuable learning time? Most training providers have a set number of face to face contact hours that they must adhere to but also set homework that makes up “notional” learning time. This may mean an extra two hours or more study a day for the duration of your course. Residential courses eliminate this problem and offer a total immersion that non-residential courses cannot offer but then there is the additional cost of accommodation to consider.
• Class size – It’s worth trying to find out how many other people you are likely to be learning with. Smaller classes will mean you get more individual attention and have a better learning experience as you have greater access to your tutors. If you have been out of education for a long time, you may find a large class is not ideally suited to your needs.
• Added extras – we all like a bargain so it’s nice to find out what else may be covered by your course fees. For example, is there an end of course graduation? Will you receive t-shirts, gym towels, water bottles or other goodies? Will you get a complementary gym membership during your course? On the flip side, check for any “hidden” additional costs such as text books, assessment fees or registration costs.
• Post graduation support – Some training providers guarantee work placements on successful course completion while others promise interviews with prospective employers. Others still have large networks of influence through their body of ex-students and can help you to secure employment. Not all providers offer free post graduation support so check before booking if this is something you think you will need.
• Register of Exercise Professionals recognition – REPS is a register of qualified fitness instructors. Gym instruction qualifications should get you onto level 2 of REPS while personal trainer qualifications should gain entry at level 3. If your course is not REPS approved, you may find that it is less widely recognised, lacks international portability and makes gaining employment and/or professional insurance difficult.

More on REPS

REPS is an independent public Register which recognises the qualifications and expertise of health and exercise instructors in the UK whose key function is to provide a system of regulation for instructors and trainers to ensure that they meet the health and fitness industry’s agreed national occupational standards. Membership of REPS is entirely voluntary but is considered essential by many employers as confirmation of your qualification status and desire to be considered as a fellow professional. Employers and potential clients can use REPS to check the validity of your qualifications and members benefit from access to excellent value insurance schemes, fitness research and journals, conventions and international recognition/portability of qualifications – important if you are considering working in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, America or the Middle East.

The bottom line is that if your training provider’s qualification will not secure your place on REPS you are better off finding one that will. Basic membership of reps costs £25.00 and details are available at http://www.exerciseregister.org/index.htm

Life after Qualification

One you have (hopefully!) completed your qualifications, it’s time to start earning a living. You have a number of options at this juncture including securing an employed position or going self employed. Being employed provides a degree of security but there will probably be a ceiling in terms of earning potential whereas being self employed means, financially, the sky is the limit as far as earning potential goes but also you won’t get paid if you haven’t got any clients. As a self employed personal trainer you can attach yourself to a gym and offer your services to its members. In return you will have to pay a ground rent or a percentage of your earnings to the owner of the facility. In return for your fees you’ll have access to the entire gym membership for marketing purposes. Alternatively, you can “go solo” and work independently of any gym. This means no ground rent and, excepting taxes and social security contributions, whatever you earn is yours to keep but you are going to have to market your services to an entire population rather than put a few posters up around the changing rooms.

In light of the recent financial crisis, many trainers have moved into the “great outdoors” and offer boot camp style workouts in local parks to avoid paying ground rent and save the client from having to join a gym. Whilst option saves both parties money, you must consider the reality of the British weather and your transport and equipment costs.

What makes a good Personal Trainer?

In the last 10 years I estimate I have helped over 1000 people gain fitness qualifications. Graduates have gone onto be very successful trainers whereas others have quickly returned to their old careers after discovering that life as a PT was not for them. The successful PTs had a number of common qualities that while do not guarantee success will certainly stand you in good stead if you want to be a success in the health and fitness industry.

• A willingness to learn – health and fitness is an ever evolving industry where new methods appear seemingly weekly. A good PT will keep up with new trends, embracing the effective and dismissing the fads. Clients are often very well read and, because of the net, become e-experts so a good PT must stay ahead on the game by keeping their knowledge and qualifications up-to-date.
• Be a walking advert – the best piece of advice I ever had in personal training was that “you are your own shop window”. As you go about training your clients, remember that everything you do will be scrutinized by the other users of the gym. If they like what they see, they are very likely to spread the good word about your services even if they don’t hire you themselves. However, if you do the same tired old exercises and routines week after week, if you appear unfriendly or disinterested, if you look unprofessional, you can all but guarantee that word will spread even faster.
• Be prepared to work hard – chances are your clients will want to work out during their down time. This maybe very early in the morning, after work, weekends or bank holidays. If you want a Monday to Friday 9 to 5 job, personal training may not be for you. I have trained people at 5 am and 10pm on the same day! I’m not suggesting that this is the norm but if you want the clients you have to be prepared to fit into their schedule. A typical day for a busy PT may start early and finish late but chances are the middle of the day is when you’ll get your down time. Not everyone is suited to this sort of frenetic work schedule.

After 25 tears in this industry, I can safely say I have no intention of ever leaving and on the occasions I make it out of the classroom or from behind my desk and take a client through a bespoke gym workout I am constantly reminded off just how great it feels to help someone progress towards their health and fitness goals. Being a personal trainer might not make you a millionaire (although I hope it does!) but, with the proper REPS recognised qualification initially and then the right mindset and business plan, you can be assured of an enjoyable, rewarding and fun career that, despite what my Mother might have thought, is a proper job and one to be proud of.