Overview

Group circuits run multiple times a week, and are for people with a variety of abilities, and is a great and fun way to improve general health and fitness. Clients who attend for multiple sessions over a period of time will notice improvements in many areas, from feeling more energised throughout the day, feeling less stressed, improved cardiovascular fitness and increased lean mass and progressed strength. All leading to day - to- day life being easier, from walking the dogs to carrying the shopping.

What it involves

A good warm-up, raising your heart rate, and getting the muscles warm and ready for action. Warm-ups may include stretches, and can also be similar to what is to come later on in the session, preparing your body. An example of this is low-intensity rowing on the Concept 2 Rowing machine, or light peddaling on the spinner or warming up your arms and legs on the Skierg.

Going over the main circuit: This is a good time for me to demonstrate the exercises, and answer any questions you and the other participants may have. If the exercise is not suiting to you or an individual, then I will talk with you or them individually to explain what variation of the exercise to do instead.

The circuit

There will usually be between 6-10 stations, with each station being approximately 30-45 seconds long, followed by a 20-45 second break in-between each interval.

An example of this would be something like this:

The structure of the sessions has the stations alternating between resistance training, improving muscular strength and endurance and cardio.

After the main session, there will sometimes be a core finisher, also done in interval, or "Tabata" style, meaning work with rest in-between each exercise.

Finishing off with a good stretch, helping the body to gradually cool down.

Who does it suit?

Group circuit classes suit all levels,abilities and ages. I like to have a chat with a person before their first session, just to get a little acquainted, and to see if there are any health issues or injuries that I need to be aware of. People with chronic illness or injuries may not be suited to group sessions and may have to start off with 1 to 1 sessions, so all my attention is with them, and the training is bespoke to that persons needs, abilities, goals, and preferences.

What are the benefits?

What to wear

Wear light breathable clothes when it is hot, to help you keep cooler. In the winter I still recommended wearing shorts or tracksuit bottoms, with a T-shirt underneath, and a hoodie or jumper on top, as you could be surprised how warm it can get once you start moving about.

Wear trainers that properly support you. I also recommend having footwear made out of breathable material to help them ventilate.

6-week kickstart to fitness

This is a fantastic way to start your new fitness journey, and truly give it a kick start. What it involves:

Day 1 week 1

We will start by getting some numbers down that we will use to measure your progress throughout the 6 weeks. This will consist of getting your body weight, fat percentage, lean tissue, and your BMI, on my specialised machine. I would also like to take circumference measurements from different areas of your body, and if you are happy for me to, take a few pictures, so we can compare with pictures taken at the end of the 6-week kick start to fitness.

After this is done, we will have our first session, which will last approximately an hour and will include a mixture of interesting cardiovascular exercises, and strength and conditioning ones, usually structured in a circuit fashion but can change to suit your preferences.

There will be 3 weekly sessions, and a weekly weigh-in, ideally at the same time that the first one was taken.