HEALTH AND FITNESS
THINGS ALL GYM NEWBIES SHOULD KNOW!
...Learn how to look and train like a pro
Gyms are strange places, full of machinery that looks like it’s been borrowed from the Spanish Inquisition.
Even more curious are the men who know how to use it but definitely don’t want to tell you. So step in pre-
armed with the knowledge you need to get better results – without wasting time.
PREPARE BETTER
Nike didn’t become the world’s most valuable cloth-
ing brand by giving its kit away. Training gear is ex-
pensive and, since all you do is sweat in it, you need
a lot of it. That said, it’s worth the investment ac-
cording to Dylan Jones, personal trainer and founder
of P4Body: “If you look the part you’ll feel the part.”
Rock up in an old T-shirt and moth-eaten shorts
combination and odds are you’ll have jacked in the
gym membership before it even needs replacing.
“You will also find that the right kit will allow you to
move more freely giving your body more of a chance
to develop correct, unrestricted movement patterns,”
adds Jones. Style and substance.
DON’T GO IN BLIND
Grab weight, lift weight, drop weight, done. Right?
Not quite. Fitness is built on knowledge; so without
a programme, any gains will be more by accident
than design. “Failing to plan is planning to fail,” says
Jones. “The best way to achieve success and opti-
mise your time in the sweat zone is by having a train-
er or following a programme designed specifically for
you.” Even one session with a PT every month will
ensure that what you do the rest of the time is driven
towards achieving your goals.
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SCRUB UP
Sweat doesn’t smell. The bacteria that feed on
sweat most certainly do. “Although we want to pro-
mote functional movement, similar to how we used
to move as cavemen, that doesn’t mean we need to
mimic their smell,” says Jones. If training three times
a week you’ll need at least two complete sets of kit,
so while one’s on your back, the other can be in the
machine. And don’t use fabric softener – it clogs the
sweat-wicking fabric and will make your shorts stink
and chafe.
SLOW AND STEADY
Those fitness magazines are lying, a six-pack is not
built in six weeks. Train like it is and you’ll spend at
least six weeks sidelined after being crushed by a
barbell. “Going in too hard and too fast is asking for
trouble and may slow your progress down as you
nurse an injury,” says Jones. “Take your time and
allow your connective tissue and neurotransmitters
to mature before you start throwing the big weights
around.” Go big early and go home via the hospital.
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