Many of us take part in recreational sports on our weekends and quite a lot of us like to aid our performances by completing gym based training sessions throughout the week. But most people are completing very general strength or hypertrophy training sessions. However, these won’t improve your performance in the most optimal way. In this blog I will go through a few key points that will help you improve your training during the week to to have an effective positive impact on your sporting performance Rest and recovery Allowing your body to recover is vital to help you perform at your highest p ..read more

HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. This means short, intense periods of work, with phases of moderate or low intensity recovery/rest. The working phase can last from 15 seconds - 1 minute, although if you are able to sustain the intensity for that long, chances are that you aren’t working hard enough! When can HIIT be useful? HIIT has become a sort of umbrella term, loosely used to describe any form of interval training. You may see lots of classes labelled as HIIT, or workouts advertised as HIIT workouts. But for the most part, these are not entirely accurate. However, regardle ..read more

I will get fit first, then I’ll join a gym… Sound familiar? Would you cut your own hair before going to the hairdressers? So why would you need to get fit before coming to see a personal trainer? The fear of being judged can unfortunately stop a lot of people from singing up to a gym or reaching out for help from a Personal Trainer. The gym can seem like a very intimidating place, but remember everyone starts somewhere and for you to start your journey, you have to take the first step. At SIX3NINE you will never be judged for your initial starting point, we are ready to help at every step of t ..read more

‘Epiphanies can be life-altering, but most fade in days or weeks’. Most of us start workout plans with great intentions. But change takes effort, investment and consistency. That initial motivation you feel may not be enough to carry you through. In this article I'm going to help you override the urge to quit exercise.  You have probably already experienced points of resistance in your journey. Like when the alarm goes off 1 hour earlier in the morning, staying in bed has never felt like a better idea. Resistance is uncomfortable. And you have to be willing to experience discomfort in ord ..read more

You’ve decided you want to build muscle. Great. Now what is realistic? Many of us look at incredibly muscular and toned physiques online and wish to look the same. That isn’t always possible. And if it is, how long does it take? Building muscle is a difficult and long-term process. To build an impressive physique can take years. Here are some general guidelines on what to expect when you first start resistance training: Muscle Building and Rate of Progress An average male can expect to build 2-4lbs of muscle per month. As the trainee becomes more advanced, the rate of progress will slow down a ..read more

To put it simply, aerobic training is any training we do where oxygen is present. This means you’re able to breathe easily, sustain the exercise for a long time, not feel your muscles burning or be gasping for breath when you finish.  Aerobic training is typically what people consider ‘cardio’ however for training to be truly aerobic it must happen within specific heart rate zones at a low intensity.  These training zones are based on your maximum heart rate (the basic formula for which is 220-your age). Zone 1: 50-60% Zone 2: 60-70% Zone 3: 70-80% Zone 4: 80-90% Zone 5: 90-100% Tru ..read more

Rest plays a massive part in living a healthy and balanced life and is also the key to unlocking progress. It’s often overlooked, as it is much less glamorous than the ‘no pain no gain’ mindset that is more popular these days. Rest comes under the umbrella of recovery, which encompasses a wide variety of factors that can lead to performance and quality of life being improved. Therefore it’s important to look at this big picture when thinking about your rest, as it isn’t just taking time out of the gym. Why is Rest Important? Prioritising recovery is important for a wide range of reasons, linke ..read more

As a gym-goer, you probably have seen people on the gym floor carrying big belts on their shoulders, and sometimes even using them (incorrectly more often than not). If you have never used a belt and you want to know if they are for you, or even if it's just out of curiosity, I have written a small guide for you to get an idea of what they are and what they do. First things first, we need to understand how bracing works. You might have been told before that you must "brace your core" when doing some heavy lifting. What we mean when we make reference to bracing, is keep your abs and muscles aro ..read more

Kettlebells have a long history of helping people build strength and fitness, but they’ve only recently become a mainstay of modern fitness. In the first gym I worked in as a trainer, I bought the first kettlebell set myself because I wanted to use them so badly! Over a decade later, you’ll find a kettlebell set in every gym. I’m still introducing new clients to kettlebell training to this day; here are 3 reasons why. Kettlebells Provide a Unique Workout The kettlebells in your gym may sit right next to the dumbbells and other free weights, but they can provide a very different challenge. Beca ..read more

There are two different types of motivation. One will work short term and the other will create life-long changes. In this post I will be discussing how to tap into intrinsic motivation so you can create life-long health and fitness changes.  Intrinsic Motivation: How to Change Your Life For Good Motivation will affect how you start your journey and the decisions you make. For example, people that want to lose weight often debate cardio v lifting weights. Because cardio will bring about more calories burn than lifting weights, but lifting weights may offer more long-term benefits. Yet vie ..read more