It’s that time of the year again when the Jubilee Gym suddenly becomes inundated with gym bunnies in new matching outfits, desperate to get into shape and lose the winter pounds before the sunshine finally descends on England for a few fleeting months. The desire to “summerise” yourself and feel comfortable to rock up to the library in shorts and crop tops is one I can completely understand. However, for a regular gym goer as part of my Lacrosse training, there is nothing more irritating than seeing these perfectly colour coordinated girls clogging up the machines and not even using them properly. Jenna Marble’s ‘People that piss me off in the gym’ springs to mind. I often see girls wandering around the gym trying out different pieces of equipment without really utilising them. If you are one of these girls, here is how to make the most of your work out and actually break a sweat!
Interval Training
One of the best workouts to really get into shape is interval training. This programme, simply varying the effort levels/speed, can be done on one piece of apparatus and will really break out a sweat. The treadmill is the easiest machine to do interval training on, however if you are prone to injuries/are already injured, both the cross trainer and exercise bike will take the pressure of your joints and can be adapted to fit the interval training programme. The idea of interval training is to really push your body, giving it short breaks in between each surge of energy. One of the easiest interval training programmes is to simply increase the effort level by 2 and then decrease by 1 every minute (take 2 steps forward, 1 step back). So for instance, a minute at level 8, a minute at level 10, a minute at level 9, a minute at level 11, a minute at level 10 etc. This kind of programme will really get your heart rate pumping and will push your muscles harder than a basic 10 minute run at level 10. A normal cardio workout should take about 20 – 30 minutes with a sufficient 5 minute warming up session beforehand. To reduce the risk of injury, it is vital that before a hardcore session you really stretch out all your muscles try jumping jacks, squats and lunges to really warm up your body!
Core Challenge
While cardio is great for burning off any extra pounds you may still be holding on to from Christmas, to really get “washboard abs” and “buns of steel”, a set of core exercises done after a cardio session is really necessary. Why not start up the core challenge? This set of basic exercises done two or three times after a hard cardio session will really tighten up and tone your body.
2 minute Plank
50 crunches
1 minute leg raises (left)
30 second side Plank (left)
2 minute bridge – use your hands to support the base of your back if this becomes uncomfortable
1 minute leg raises (left)
30 second plank (right)
50 bicycle crunches
20 press ups
20 squats
I know from experience the Jubilee Gym is hardly the friendliest of atmospheres, with fitness fanatics running mini marathons on the treadmill, and every male in the AU pretending to lift weights, while checking out the girls on the Stairmaster. However if you’ve taken the first step and dragged yourself to the gym it is really worthwhile following a specific programme and making the most of your time. An intense forty minute workout is significantly more beneficial than an hour and a half of easy jogging. You may spend 40 minutes dripping sweat and not looking your most attractive, but would you rather spend 40 minutes looking like that in a gym, or a whole day in summer sweating because you’ve had to cover up a part of your body you’re not comfortable with? Remember, it’s okay if you’re not perfect at it, but it’s not okay to stop trying. Improvement is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. So start training properly now and summerise your body!