Circuit training

  

Circuit training is a good choice for developing mobility, strength, endurance and coordination. These exercises also allow for maximum recovery of muscle groups.
 

Circuit classes consist of 6 to 10 strength exercises. They are usually completed for 60 seconds in sequence with 20 to 30 seconds work on each exercise with a 30 second recovery between each exercise and 3 to 5 sets with a 3 minute recovery between each set. Each exercise is performed for a specified number of repetitions or for a set time before moving on to the next exercise. The total number of circuits performed during a training session may vary from three to six depending on your training level (beginner, intermediate, or advanced) and your training objective.

The exercise circuit should be set up to work out each body part. For example: Full body, Upper body, Lower body, Core, Full body, Upper body, etc.

For each training session it is important to include a warm up at the start of the session and a cool down at the end of the session.

Here are some examples of exercises that can be used in a circuit training session:

• Full body
• Skipping, Star Jumps, Burpees
• Upper body
• Push-ups, Triceps dips, Pull-ups
• Lower body
  • Stationary Lunges, Squads Thrust
• Core         
• Sit ups, Stability ball crunch, Plank        

                                                   

Why is circuit training good for us?

Because :      it develops strength and endurance

                    exercise is simple enough to make you feel sense of achievement  

                    it suitable for any age, health and fitness

                    there are many range of exercise to select from

                   

If you have any other question about cuircuit classes and training feel free to join us.

Kaya Therapy and Total Active

 

Advanced Personal Training - Triathlon Coaching - Open Water Swim Coaching

 

Tel: + 44 (0) 7810088955

email: info@totalactive.co.uk

web: www.totalactive.co.uk

 

Kaya Therapy recap March 2013

 

 

1st- 3rd March The Triathlon Show

The event was held in Sandown Park in Esher. It lasted for 3 days and it was such a great experience. There were over 140 exhibitors displaying and retailing the latest swim, bike and run kit.

There were attending stars like Olympic Triathlete Helen Jenkins who won the 2008 and 2011 ITU World Championship, Chrissie Wellington who is four-time World Ironman Champion (2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011). She wrote her autobiography which could be interesting reading as it might be my next challenge for next year. Also Chris Boardman attended who is a cycling legend who won an individual pursuit gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics and broke the world record three times.

The Triathlon Show also had a theatre which has a sessions on injury avoidance, nutrition, training and swimming. I was so fascinated with a display in the Endless Pool. There were top coaches and athletes who provided demostrations of swim technique and stroke efficiency. There was a technical swim analysis session for visitors. I was so tempted to try it but the water was too cold. I would not go without my wetsuit.

At the end of the day we were pretty tired but filled with useful information and good stuff.

 

                                           Helen Jenkins and Karin Polcerova

 

 

 

 

17th March Reading Half Marathon

The Mizuno Reading Half Marathon is a mostly flat, fast course with an awesome finish in the Madejski Stadium. Over 15 000 runners took part supporting a few charities too. That morning was relatively dry but the forecast was rainy and cold around 5 degrees. As I am training for a half ironman distance triathlon my aim was beat my PB from 2011, which was 1hour and 44 minutes. I trained hard and the last 2 weeks before the race I focused mainly on my running. I have improved my speed each week by about 13-22 seconds per mile. I thought that this winter and such cold weather would push me to go faster so I wouldn't feel the cold. So the day arrived and I had my usual breakfast and I took some nutrition (3 gels) with me too. I usually train without them just to see my performance and progress. About 30 minutes before the start the weather changed to showers and I was carrying all the race with 20minutes break. Quiet a few runners wore bin bags to keep them warm and dry. Then we went to the start line. There were pace makers and I stayed with the 1h:40min one but he started running a bit slow. The atmosphere through the whole race was amazing. Even though the weather wasn't great people were cheering and children were giving high fives and jelly beans. Also I can't forget that there were bands playing and singers singing to push runners to run faster. I had my watch which was telling me how fast I run. The first few miles I tried to take easy. If I went fast, I slowed down. Later I ran a bit faster. The 1:40 pace maker overtook me after 3 miles. He probably had difficulty getting through that many runners. I followed him but he was a good 2 minutes ahead of me. I wasn't stressing about that as I wanted to have enough energy to finish the race in a decent time. As I was coming closer to 12 miles I over took the pace maker and from that point I felt that I'd got my new PB. A couple of tears were coming out but I carried on and stayed focused. I had the last 400 meters left so I started to speed up a bit but not sprint. I was already in the stadium and when I was sprinting and the crowds of people were cheering it was wonderful. As I crossed the finish line I knew that I'd got my PB but I wasn't sure about my time. I looked on my watch and it was 1:39:56. More tears were coming out but nobody noticed it as we all were wet and soaked. The only wish I had after my PB was to be in a hot bath. Later in the evening I checked my chip time and it was 1:40:05. I was so pleased with my time and result. It's a such a great feeling that your hard work is paying off. Now it's time for me to recover from my cold and cough as my main challenge starts in 8 weeks time. ;0)

 

 

                                                  Tomas, Christian and Karin

 

 

What is difference between osteopath and sports masseur?

"Osteo" means bone, so Osteopaths treat musculoskeletal disorders such as neck and back pain. They can diagnose medical conditions and also use soft tissue techniques.

 

                                                           

Massage is well known for its relaxing effect but it is also for people with injuries or chronic pain.

Sports masseurs work on soft and deep tissues of the body using all types of different massage techniques to release tension and pain in the muscles and joints. So they can help certain musculoskeletal conditions.

                                                           

Both treatments are sterile, painless, non-invasive and drug- free, and can be used to treat a variety of pain syndromes and musculoskeletal conditions.

Another way of stretching

Foam rolling is a self-massage technique that is used by athletes and physical therapists to release tension in the muscles.

A foam roller is simply a cylindrical piece of extruded hard-celled foam. It is another form of stretching to improve soft tissue flexibility and relaxing the muscles. It can be effective for calves, adductors, quadriceps, hamstrings, ITB, TLF, hip flexors and glutes.

The technique is very simple. Use your own body weight and roll between the body’s soft tissue and the floor. Apply pressure on the tender areas for 30-60 seconds. It may be uncomfortable much like stretching but it should never be unbearable. It also can be quite hard work, particularly for weaker or overweight people as the arms are heavily involved in moving their body weight. 

Rolling can be carried out before and after a workout. It can help to decrease muscle density and allow for better warm-up. Rolling after a workout may help to aid recovery after a hard exercise. The pros about using the foam roller is it can be done on a daily basis. Self-rolling is recommended for 5-10 minutes prior to a warm-up and cool down.


Foam Roller or Massage?

Hands work better than foam rollers as they can feel. In my opinion foam rollers are good as a first aid for muscles where acute pain or tightness is. Foam rolling can also be used in injury rehabilitation programs.

Nutrition

Probably every single one of us know how important is to eat healthy. For every physical activity our body needs energy. Energy is measured in calories (cal) and is obtained from the body stores or the food we eat.
Glycogen is the main form of energy which is stored in liver and the muscles. If we train with low glycogen stores, we will feel constantly tired and our training performance will be lower and will enhance the risk of injury and illness. Basically eating 5-6 meals or snacks per day will help maximise glycogen stores and energy levels and minimise fat storage.


Nutrition balance

Proteins  - important for growth and repair of muscle
e.g. eggs, milk, meat, poultry, fish and beans

Fat  - can be divide to  ´good fat´ (unsaturated) e.g. olive oil, avocado and nuts
                             and  ´bad fat´   (saturated)    e.g. fatty meat, cream, cakes and pastries

Carbohydrates  - our main source of energy
                         -  has two forms  sugar     e.g. fruits and vegetables
                                                     starches e.g. pasta, rice, oats and bread


Minerals - have an extent variety of roles in the body and eating
e.g. Calcium, Iron, Iodine, Magnesium, Phoshorous, Potassium, Selenium and Zinc

Vitamins - water and fat soluble vitamins play very important roles in metabolic functions in the body

e.g. Vitamin A,  B1 (Thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), B5 (Panothenic acid) and Biotin, Vitamin B6 and B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Folate (Folic acid), Vitamin K

Fibre - is only found in plant foods. Also fibre helps to keep our digestive system healthy
e.g. Oats, beans, lentils, chickpeas and peas

Water - 60 % of the human body is water. It is calories-free and helps to carry other nutrients in the body.

A few tips:

Energy fuel tip
57% of carbohydrates (sugar or sweets, bread, pasta)
30% Fats (oil, dairy products, nuts)
13% of Proteins (meat, fish, eggs)


Recovery meal tip
500 ml of recovery drink or a pint of milk
1 banana immediately
and within 1 hour substantial food such as chicken or beans on toast

In the end do not forget to eat at least 5 pieces of fruit or vegetables per day but potatoes do not count. It is easy to remember a rainbow of colours to give our body the mix of nutrients it needs.
We are what we eat!

                       

                                             

Sport injuries and homeopathy 

Homeopathy is a form of medicine that has become increasingly popular in recent years, with more than 30 million users in Europe and many millions more across the globe. 

Lots of times, people with sports injuries find themselves going through lengthy painful therapeutic and recovery processes. Even if a surgical intervention is not necessary, casts splints, long periods of dependency on pain killers and long and painful rehabilitation periods are common.

Homeopathy can offer many solutions that expedite and simplify that recovery process. Homeopathic remedies have the ability to stimulate the body to use its own healing power.

Applying Homeopathic remedies to support the recovery process in cases of sports injury (be it a simple one, or a complicated one that may require surgery) may shorten the recovery and rehabilitation process, and make them less painful. This saves suffering, time and money.

Homeopathy may be incorporated from the very time of injury. Applying homeopathic remedies immediately following an injury can reduce the pain and shocking effect of the injury. Homeopathic remedies can help reduce swelling, oedema and hematomas.

As a result the injured will need significantly less pain medication or none at all. This, of course, will reduce or eliminate the very well known side-effects: Allergies, exhaustion, drowsiness and confusion. 

Reasons for athletes to choose homeopathic medicines

·       There are no harmful side effects such as drowsiness, exhaustion, allergies and confusion

·        They are safe to use in all cases, and equally effective in babies, old people and pregnant women

·        Because of the degree of dilution, they will not show up in any drug testing procedures, so there is no need to check whether any of the ingredients are on a banned list

·        Unlike conventional medicines, they can be kept for later use, with often only a few tablets from a bottle being needed for each episode of treatment

·        They are not tested on animals – all homeopathic medicines are tested through systematic trials with healthy human volunteers

·        They work with rather than against the body’s own repair mechanisms

·        They have been used effectively, in all parts of the world, for over 200 years

·        They appear to speed up the healing process and get you back to training and performing more quickly

·        An increasing amount of high-quality scientific research demonstrates that homeopathic medicines really do work .Several trials of homeopathy have considered the effects on sports injuries, such as ankle sprains, muscle strains and muscle soreness after exercise, while others have concentrate on the problems that many athletes are prone to, including upper respiratory tract infections, influenza, hay fever and cramps

Arnica and muscle soreness

Arnica is one of the most popular homeopathic remedies for musculoskeletal problems, and many endurance athletes use it in the belief that it can reduce muscular soreness after exercise. There have been a number of studies of this remedy. Once you’ve had success with Arnica, which, in my experience, is pretty much guaranteed, then you will want to venture further afield and try homeopathic self-care for other acute injuries. For more longstanding sports injuries or ones that are not easily amenable to self-treatment, find a professional homeopath.

---

Silvia Giunta is a professional homeopath. She practices in Windsor and is part of Team Health Windsor.

If you want to discuss your conditions confidentially, ask whether homeopathy can help you or book an appointment. Please feel free to email her at practice@silviagiunta.co.uk

 

 

cramps

Cramps

We all have had them. They are unpleasant , often painful and they may last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes.

Common causes of muscle cramps include dehydration, low levels of certain minerals (magnesium, salt, potassium, calcium and sodium), muscle fatigue, exposure to large changes in temperature and reduced blood flow through muscles attendant in prolonged sitting or lying down.

The most often cramps are the calves, quadriceps, thighs and arches of the foot. Sometimes known as a Charley horse or corkie, this kind of cramp is associated with strenuous activity and can be intensely painful. Sometimes cramps are in other muscles in the body during the night or (less commonly) while resting.

First Aid
Gentle stretching and massage, putting some pressure on the affected leg by walking or standing, or taking a warm bath or shower may help to end the cramp.
Research has also shown that pickle juice could be an effective remedy based on its high sodium and electrolyte content.

Prevention
Massage, stretching, mental preparation, and fluid/electrolyte balance are likely helpful in preventing muscle cramps.