Developing a positive relationship with exercise

One of our missions at Kelsey Kerridge Sports Centre and Gym is to help people discover exercise that they can enjoy and benefit from. We believe that, no matter how much a person might have disliked sport at school, there will be some activity that really appeals and catches their imagination. Our staff are here to help people who are interested in developing a positive relationship with exercise. Continue reading

Exercising through the Corona Virus lock down

many people, particularly those with underlying health conditions or the over 70s, will not be able to come to the gym. For those people, and for anyone who feels safer exercising in their own homes, the following work out ideas are for you.

The simplest way to workout at home is to use your own body with a range of bodyweight exercises.
These exercises, particularly when completed as part of a non-stop circuit, will help build strength, increase endurance, tone muscles and burn calories. Continue reading

Virtual reality fitness gets real

As physical fitness experts continue to explore ways to entice people to add more activity into their lives, so they are increasingly turning to technology.

The advent of virtual reality (VR) exercise has provided a tool that could well encourage a whole new generation of people to take up activities – albeit in a completely new way.

Whether it takes the form of VR headsets, VR screens or virtual reality games, creating an imaginary and interactive world is a new and effective way of getting people to expend energy and move.  Continue reading

Variations in effective strength training

The first of these is the decidedly intimidating sounding German Volume Training. This is a method of strength training that was devised in the 1970s for the German weightlifting team. Centred around intense, structured strength training sessions, the method was adopted in the 1990s  by the Canadian strength coach Charles Poliquin. It is widely acknowledged as one of the most demanding methods of training there is. Continue reading

Trail running gives new perspective

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although Kelsey Kerridge is a gym and sports centre, and we love to see people enjoying our facilities and classes, we recognise that sometimes it is just as important to get outside and exercise.

Trail running gives you space to breathe

The fresh air, the space, the sunlight (or rain), these are all elements that should be seen as complementary to your usual gym-based work out. It’s not a case of in or out, but a combination of both.

All of which is why we think trail running is a fantastic activity. It adds variety to your routine, it will exercise different muscles – more on that later – and it gives you a new perspective.

Ditch the stats

The first thing you need to do when setting out for a trail run is to forget statistics. Well, at least forget the statistics that normally bother you, such as time taken, fastest kilometre or number of steps. Instead, concentrate on the newly emerging crocuses, the leaves unfurling on the trees or the number of stationary cars you pass as you skoot past a traffic queue.

You will never be as fast with your trail running as you are on either the treadmill or the road. There are too many uneven bits. Mud patches, tyre ruts, large stones, fallen branches – these are all set to test you. They could even injure you of you don’t slow down a little and watch your step.

couple chasing

Trail running finds those hidden muscles

However, while you might not be setting world-beating times, you will be giving your body a different workout. As you adjust to an incline or take a longer than usual stride, you will be working the little muscles around your hip, knee and ankle joint so much more than when simply repeating the same movement on a treadmill. In addition, the main muscles will also be asked to work a little harder. Quads will work harder on the uphill. Hamstrings are tested on the downhill.

The occasional hill or slope will also make your systems work harder, putting your heart and lungs under stress. You will also find your core comes into play as you struggle to keep your balance on an uneven piece of land.

Smell the roses

One running coach used to call trail running a ‘smell the roses’ experience. He meant that in two ways. Firstly, you were ravelling at a speed that actually allowed you to distinguish different smells along the route. Secondly, it is a state of mind. When you are trail running, you are unlikely to be in a competitive situation. This is a time to relax, unwind and actually enjoy the sensations.

From personal experience, trail running is also a great way to clear the mind or arrive at a solution. There is little science behind it, but many people will say that it is while enjoying the space of the outdoors, that they do their best thinking.

Trail running is also a great way to see parts of the local area that you don’t normally explore. You can run places that cars just can’t access. Paths along field edges, bridges that take you over babbling brooks. There are numerous great apps with routes that you can follow. Or you can just make up your own route.

Scaling the heights of fitness at the Climbing Centre

The Cambridge Climbing Centre at Kelsey Kerridge is a brilliant addition the local activity scene. It offers a huge variety of challenges for climbers of all abilities. Making it even more accessible, the wall is predominantly a bouldering wall, so there is no need for safety harnesses and ropes.  Continue reading

Short on time? A HIIT workout is the answer

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a very specific and particular form of exercise which can give you both a great work out and fast results.

In essence, HITT is a cardio session arranged as short bursts of very hard work. In order for an exercise to be classed as HITT, you must be working at your maximum for every set or repetition. For that reason, the sets are short – from 20-90 seconds. Continue reading