This is an advanced method of training that the working muscle group in three different ranges of motion within a single set. Its name from the total number of reps per set you form with this training technique in each set, you do a total of 21 repetitions but as three separate sets of 7 reps.

21s are a popular method used by bodybuilders to shock their muscles into new growth by targeting specific ranges of motion (ROM) for a given movement. It’s a mix of partial and full reps within the same set to fully pump your muscles up.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

• Muscle recruitment is being used maximally throughout the session
• Increase your strength and endurance
• Adds variety to your training
• Can help to burn fat
• Places enough microtears in the fast-twitch muscle fibres to ensure continued growth which may have faltered after repetitive training
• It will kick-start muscle growth and hit your body from a new angle
• It will burn more calories to strip body fat from your muscles, giving you better definition

Low-intensity steady-state, or LISS, is a method of cardiovascular exercise in which you do aerobic activity at a low-to-moderate intensity for a continuous, and often extended, period.

“LISS” is a newer term used to describe a low-intensity style of training, but this form of exercise has been around for decades. You may also know it as:

• Low-intensity exercise
• Steady-state training (SST)
• Continuous cardiovascular exercise
• Long slow distance (LSD) training

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

• It aids in fat burning and fat loss. Steady-state training improves your body’s ability to use fat as fuel instead of using glycogen stored in your muscles
• It’s appropriate for all levels. Since LISS is easier to do and gentler on the body, it’s appropriate for beginners. Intermediate to advanced fitness levels often use it as part of an endurance training program
• It allows for easier recovery. Because you’re putting less stress on your heart and body, you may find you recover more quickly and easily from LISS
• It’s an effective way to train for endurance events. Exercising at a lower intensity for a long period of time puts less stress on your heart and lungs than a more-intense workout
• It’s also great for recovery after a difficult workout. You can use LISS as a recovery session the day after a high-intensity workout

HIIT involves short bursts of intense exercise alternated with low-intensity recovery periods. Interestingly, it is perhaps the most time-efficient way to exercise.

Typically, a HIIT workout will range from 10 to 30 minutes in duration.

Despite how short the workout is, it can produce health benefits like twice as much moderate-intensity exercise.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

• It improves your stamina
• It increases your strength
• You’ll burns lots of fat
• Your body will burn fat after your workout
• It keeps your heart healthy
• It keeps you younger
• It’s fast and therefore relieves stress
• It can help to strengthen your bones
• It can help regulate your blood sugar levels
• Eases muscle stiffness

If you want to get a serious pump in a short period of time, this is a great way to add high volume into your workout.

Take a compound exercise, add weight to about 50% of your 10RM and we are going to aim for 100 reps straight off (you will not manage this).

1 rep = 1 second rest. For example, you get to 40 reps, you have 60 reps left so you rest for 60 seconds. Keep going until you get to 100. Once you get to 100, add weight to get to your 10RM and go for 3 sets to failure. Once complete, perform 2-3 isolation exercises between 12-15 reps of the same muscle group.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

• Stimulate new growth in your body
• Improves capillarisation within the muscle
• Plateau buster
• Promote mental toughness
• Provides a monster pump (for 20 mins)
• Good for motivation
• Increases the glycogen reserves within your target muscle

Tri-sets are doing three exercises back-to-back with no break. During these sets you can either pair exercises that are non-competing, in other words opposing muscle groups, or you can target the same muscle. If you are stuck at a training plateau then tri-sets may be what you need to start progressing again!

A tri-set is a series of three exercises performed in a row with 10 second rests between exercises. You could do squats, leg presses and leg extensions for a quadricep tri-set or the bench press, skull crushers and overhead cable extensions for a tricep tri-set

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

• Improve muscular endurance and cardiovascular performance
• Increase athletic performance
• Can be time efficient
• Boosts mood and mental health
• Can promote weight loss
• Good for motivation
• Effective for burning calories and building strength

Unilateral training is where you are only working one limb at a time. In most traditional training movements, we use both limbs concurrently to complete the task at hand. For example, you can perform an alternating dumbbell press whilst one arm in the extended position, promoting stabilisation of supporting muscles and driving mechanical stress and fatigue.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

• Corrects Imbalances
• Core Stabilisation
• Boost Sport Performance
• Decrease Injury Risk
• Improve Muscular Stimulation
• Speed Injury Recovery
• Develop Motor Skills

Pyramid training is a group of sets, of identical exercises, that begin with the lightweight and higher reps, escalating to a heavier weight and fewer reps. A full pyramid training is the extended version of this, decreasing the weight after you have reached the peak until you complete the pyramid.

There are a few different versions of pyramid training. A reverse pyramid means big at the top and narrow at the bottom. And that’s what pyramid training means in a weight training context. You start heavy and gradually decrease the weights or reps or you start light and gradually increase the weight or reps. Or you can include both in an extended set and work up and back down.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

• Helps to activate the CNS
• Increases muscular strength and endurance
• Good for motivation
• Keeps you energised
• Good for getting the correct weight
• Good for warming up properly for the rest of the pyramid

Time under tension (TUT) refers to the amount of time a muscle is held under tension or strain during an exercise set. During TUT workouts, you lengthen each phase of the movement to make your sets longer. The idea is that this forces your muscles to work harder and optimizes muscular strength, endurance, and growth.

In TUT workouts, you slow down the movements of each repetition and spend more time on the eccentric phase of the exercise. By slowing down the movement, the muscle is held under tension for a longer period, which may yield better results.

To incorporate TUT technique into your exercise program, slow it down. Performing movements at a slower tempo will stimulate your muscles to promote growth. You may have to use a lighter weight since the increased time will be more difficult to sustain.

To use the tempo method, slow down the eccentric phase of each repetition. Extend each eccentric phase by 2 to 6 seconds. Or you can make the eccentric phase double the length of the concentric phase.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

• Muscle recruitment is being used maximally throughout the session
• Increase muscle growth + strength
• Adds variety to your training
• Can help to burn fat
• TUT workouts are designed to create tension in your muscles for a longer period, which leads to muscle growth. The harder you make your muscles work, the better the results
• Using slow movements can help you to be more purposeful while at the same time allowing your mind to relax. This can stimulate awareness and concentration, which helps you to be more mindful
• When you pay attention to your movement, you can focus on proper breathing techniques, alignment, and movement patterns

Pre-exhaust training is a strength training concept which was designed to fully stimulate larger body parts that might otherwise be held back by relatively weaker body parts during multi-joint movements or compound exercises.

For example, if you were to do a pressing movement for your chest, this involves many other smaller muscle groups such as the triceps at the back of your arms. These smaller muscles normally tire much more quickly than the large muscles so in theory you stop the chest press movement when your triceps are tired not when your chest muscles are.

Pre-exhaust seeks to address this by firstly working the larger muscle involved in a movement with what is known as an isolation or single joint exercise before moving onto a compound movement or multi joint exercise, meaning in theory all the muscles involved now tire at the same time, so before your chest press movement you would do 1 set of a chest fly type movement (isolation) for 12-15 reps before moving onto your pressing movement (compound)

There are two commonly used ways to use the pre-exhaust concept the first and most used is to complete the isolation exercise first then rest between 60-90 seconds before moving onto your compound movement, or a more extreme method sees you move from isolation to compound movement with no rest.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

• Muscle recruitment is being used maximally throughout the session
• Increase muscle growth + strength
• Adds variety to your training
• Can help to burn fat
• You are getting double the work on the big prime mover and only one set of work on the smaller synergist
• Pre-fatigue of the bigger mover so both the prime-mover and the small can reach overload at the same time
• The workout intensity is extremely high by forcing the target muscle to a point of muscular failure and then pushing them through even more training volume using a compound movement.

A spin class is a high intensity cycling workout that generally takes place on a stationary machine with a heavy, weighted flywheel that is linked to the pedals.

Most spin classes last for around 30-50 minutes; it’s rarely necessary for them to be any longer and participants can expect to leave sweaty and with heavy legs.

Nearly all classes will be led by an instructor who calls out intervals (when to pedal hard and when to slow it down, when to level up & lower down) – and this person has a huge effect on the class.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

• Endorphin Rush
• Develop Strong core and back
• Toned quads and Bum (not build muscle)
• Big calorie burner – 500-700cal in a 45 min class
• Time efficient
• Flexible joints – knees, ankles, back
• Healthy skin
• Improve fitness
• Boost immune defences