I have an amazing client, who I don’t train anymore. Long story - but the combination of adding another human to her gorgeous brood and a complete career rethink put personal training in the box labelled ‘things-I-needed-before-nappies-and-baby Nurofen-pinched-all-my-pounds’.
We have stayed in touch though and she has tried hard to stick to a good regime, despite the pressures of four little people and a business start-up (God only knows how).
She got in touch last week to ask for a bit of advice: she aims to train three times a week once the children are in bed but, over time, she’s borne witness to the stealthy transformation of her downstairs living space.
The corner where her weights and balance ball once sat is now filled with a random collection of naked Barbie dolls, gross recorders and a few rogue raisins.
She grudgingly accepted her fitness equipment’s initial relegation to the cellar, and then quietly lamented its eviction to the garden; in the end, the tragic journey to its final resting place (the dump) was a brutal inevitability.
She has stuck to a body weight programme that’s helped shed some pounds and tone muscle – but recently she’s stopped seeing results. Her email to me in a nutshell: “I’ve got 30 minutes, three times a week, to train. How the @*%$ can I progress my workouts without heavier weights, or more time for more reps?”
Bloody good question. Building in progression when your exercise window is set and your weights are in Wandsworth tip is tricky – but totally possible. Adding in a few extra sets isn’t an option, but you can look at making the exercise itself tougher. Here are a few examples:
Progressing your bodyweight exercises
Chest, shoulders, arms
1. Push-ups: a straightforward push up is a great exercise for your upper body; straightforward, no equipment required.
2. Feet-elevated push-up: by raising your feet you will increase the resistance that your chest has to bear; and the greater the angle, the greater the resistance. Start off using the bottom of a staircase and progress the angle to bench-level.
3. Time under tension push up: slow down the pace of your push-up and you’ll increase the time your muscles are under load and work them harder.
Legs
1. Squats: simple but effective.
2. Squat with leg lift: Raise one knee upwards and then go back into your squat, before alternating legs.
3. Single-leg squats: if you want to progress further, squatting on just one leg will intensify the workload and introduce balance training to your set.
