contents

Disclaimerandadvisory

1thebasicsofexercisingwithgymballsTheS.A.F.E.trainersystem(Simple,Achievable,FunctionalExercise)HowtousethisbookFAQsFindyourstartingpointAssess,don’tguessIsolationvsintegrationLearnit,thenworkitFirstyouneedstabilityAddsomestrengthPowerandspeedcomewithpractice

2theportfolioofmovesWhichmovesshouldIdo?TheclassicmovesGymballstretchesGymballmoveswithdumbbells

3trainingwithagymballHowtousethegymballtrainingsessions

Andfinally…FitnessglossaryAbouttheauthor

disclaimerandadvisory

Beforeattemptinganyformofexercise,especiallythatwhichinvolvesliftingweights, always ensure youhave a safeworking environment.Ensure that thefloor surfaceyouareon isnon-slipanddonot standonany rugsormats thatcouldmovewhen you exercise. Also, clear your exercise space of items thatcouldcauseyouharmifyoucollidedwiththem;thisincludesfurniture,petsandchildren. Pay particular attention to the amount of clearance you have aboveyourheadandrememberthatforsomeoftheexercisemovesyouwillberaisingyourhandsandtheweightsaboveheadheight,sokeepawayfromdoorwaysandlightfittings.Theinformation,workouts,healthrelatedinformationandactivitiesdescribed

inthispublicationarepracticedanddevelopedbytheauthorandshouldbeusedas an adjunct to your understanding of health and fitness and, in particular,strength training. While physical exercise is widely acknowledged as beingbeneficial to a participant’s health and well-being, the activities and methodsoutlinedinthisbookmaynotbeappropriateforeveryone.Itisfitnessindustryproceduretorecommendallindividuals,especiallythosesufferingfromdiseaseorillness,toconsulttheirdoctorforadviceontheirsuitabilitytofollowspecifictypesofactivity.Thisadvicealsoappliestoanypersonwhohasexperiencedsofttissueorskeletalinjuriesinthepast,thosewhohaverecentlyreceivedanytypeofmedicaltreatmentoraretakingmedicationandwomenwhoare,orthinktheymaybe,pregnant.Theauthorhaspersonally researchedand triedallof theexercises,methods

and advice given in this book, on himself and with many training clients.However, this does not mean these activities are universally appropriate andneitherhenorthepublishersare,therefore,liableorresponsibleforanyinjury,distress or harm that you consider may have resulted from following theinformationcontainedinthispublication.

1thebasicsofexercisingwithagymball

the S.A.F.E. trainer system (Simple, Achievable, Functional,Exercise)

Weneed to exercise our bodies in away that is achievable, effective and,mostofall,sustainablesothatthemethodbecomespartofourlifestyle,ratherthananinconvenience.

Inaperfectworldeveryonewouldbeabletolifttheirownbodyweightabovetheirhead,haveidealbodyfatlevelsandbeabletorunafour-minutemile.Anyoneofthesegoalsisachievableifyouarehighlymotivatedandhaveveryfewothercommitmentsinyourlife,buttherealityisthatmostpeoplearesofaroffthis state of perfection that the biggest challenge is either starting an exerciseprogramme, or staying committed and engagedwith amethod of training forlongenoughtoseeanykindofimprovement.Exerciseisinmanywaysaperfectproduct,becauseithasveryfewnegative

side effects, it is cheap to do and highly versatile. But somany high profile,

quick-fixprogrammesandproductsmakeexercisesoundeasy,asthoughitisamagicwandthatoncewavedwillbringnearinstantresults.Andwiththefitnessindustry constantly driven by innovation in products andmethods, the diverseandsometimesbewilderingamountofadviceavailablemakesitall tooeasytobeoverwhelmed.Thetruthisthatmanytrainingprogrammesandmethodswilltheoreticallywork,butthelevelofcommitmentneededissohighthatwhenyouadd in work and family responsibilities, stress and other demands upon time,mostofussimplycannotsticktoaplan.Ialsofindthatthoseprogrammeswhichseemtoogoodtobetrueusuallyhave

aseriesofcomponents thatarenotexplicit in theheadline,butarerequired toachieve the spectacular results it boasts about. So you sign up to a workoutprogrammeclaiming: ‘Instant fat loss–ultra60secondworkout!’only to findthat toachieve thepromisedweight lossyouhave togoonan impossible500calorie adaydiet.Thesemethods also assume that everybody is fairlyperfectalready;bythisImeantheydon’thaveanyinjuries,theyarestrong,mobileandflexible andhave a cardiovascular system thatwill soakup anaerobic trainingfrom day one. If these people are out there I don’t see themwalking up anddowntheaveragehighstreet.Thereisarealneedtoapproachfitnessinamoredowntoearth,lesssensationalistway.Weneedtoexerciseourbodiesinawaythat is achievable, effective and, most of all, sustainable so that the methodbecomespartofourlifestyle,ratherthananinconvenience.

MyS.A.F.E. trainersystem(Simple,Achievable,Functional,Exercise) isallofthesethings.Itisbasedon20yearsofpersonaltrainingexperience,includingmany thousandsof hours of coaching, lifting, running, jumping and stretching

with people from all walks of life, from the average man or woman to eliteathletes.Mysystemrespectsthenaturalwaythatthebodyadaptstoactivityandcreatesaperfectphysiologicallearningcurve.All S.A.F.E. trainer system moves develop stability, strength or power. If

you’renotfamiliarwiththeseessentialcomponentsofhumanperformance,Iamsurethatyouwillrecognisethesaying:‘Youhavetowalkbeforeyoucanrun’.Thisistheepitomeofmyapproach,becausewhenaclientsaystheywanttorunorjump,thefirstthingIhavetoestablishasapersonaltraineristhattheyareatleastalreadyatthewalkingstage.Iconsiderstabilitytobethewalkingphaseofhuman movement, as it teaches you the correct muscle recruitment patterns;strength the running phase, as it trains the body to do these moves against agreaterforce(resistance);andpowerthejumpingphase,sinceitteachesyoutoaddspeedanddynamicstothemovement.Likemanyofthemostpopularpiecesoffitnessequipmentthegymballwas

originally developed for use as a rehabilitation tool and then progressivelybecamepopularasafitnessproduct.Manyoftheexercisesperformedontheballwereoriginallyconceivedtostrengthenindividualsreturningtoexercisefromaninjury–whenthegymballscrossedoverfrombeingarehabtooltobecomingone of the most popular items of fitness equipment those exercises becameincreasinglyincorporatedintofitnessprogrammeswhichisentirelylogicalwhenyouconsiderthatformanyfitnessprofessionalstheirfirstexperienceofusingagymballwaswhentheyrequiredtreatmentforaninjury.Thisbookfocusesonallthepositivereasonsforusingaballandaimstohelpyouenhancetheresultsyouget from the timeyou spenddoing strength and conditioning training andwillhopefullyencourageyou to thinkofagymballassomething that ismorethansimplyacomfortableplacetodositups.Whenyougettotheportfolioofexercisesdemonstrating theactualexercises (or ‘moves’as I like tocall them)youwill find that, rather than just being a list of exerciseswith a gymball, Ihavefocusedonthemovesthatreallywork.Therearehundredsofmovesthatcan be done with a ball, but many of them are very similar to each other,ineffectiveorpotentiallydangerous.Thisbookisallaboutcombiningskillsandmethodstocreatesafeandeffectivefitnessideastohelpyougetthemostoutofyourtimewiththeball.You’llfindthatthemajorityoftheexercisesprogressthroughthreestages;I

don’tliketorefertotheseaseasy,mediumandadvancedbecauseinrealitysomeof the changes are very subtlewhile on others youwould really notice if youwere to try all three versions back to back. Instead, the following three levelscloselymirrorthesystematicapproachathletesuseintheweighttrainingroom

andonthetrainingfield:

1Eachmovecanbeprogressedorregressedbychangingbodyposition.2Resistanceisappliedtothemove.3 The speed at which the move is performed is increased (or in fact acombinationofallthree).

Remember,ifyou’removingyou’reimproving.

howtousethisbook

Tohelpyoumakesenseofeachgymballactivityandhowitrelates tomyS.A.F.E. training system, each move is classified by its respective outcome,whetherthatbeanincreaseinstability,strengthorpower,ratherthantheless

subjectiveeasy,mediumandhard.

Trainingwith a gymball is not only safe but is also a very efficient useofyour time. Clearly, the amount of time you spend on the ball will dictate theoutcomes,however,ofallthepiecesoffitnessequipmentavailable,thegymballmore thananyotherwillgivegreater results ifyoualsoaim forquality ratherthan sheer quantity. The gym ball has in a very short time become anindispensable tool, not just for the world of health and fitness, but also forsportsmenandwomen.Thepossibilitiesareendless,andnomatterwhetheryourgoals are strength, mobility, balance, coordination or simply a desire forcosmeticallyfirmermoretonedmuscles,agymballcanplayasignificantpartinhelpingyoutoachievethem.WhenIstartedtothinkaboutwritingthisbook,thefirstthingIhadtocometo

termswithisthattherearemanyotherbooksavailablethatsetouttoteachyouhow to use a gym ball. Likewise, inmy everyday life as a personal trainer Iknowthatmyclientshaveaccesstoinformationnotonlyfrommyself,butfromawide range of sources such as theweb, books and no doubt other personaltrainerstheycomeacrossinthegym.AsIhaveworkedwithmanyofmyclientsnowforoveradecade,clearlythey

findmyapproachproductive and aworthwhile investment.With this inmind,myaimistocondense25years’experienceoftrainingmyownbodyand,moreimportantly, 20 years’ experience as a personal trainer andmany thousands ofhoursoftrainingthebodiesofotherpeopleintothisbook.Don’t worry: this isn’t an autobiography in which I wax lyrical about the

celebritiesandPremierLeaguefootballersI’vetrained.Yes,Ihavetrainedthosetypes of people, but to me every client has the same goal for every trainingsession: theywant togetmaximum results from the time they areprepared toinvestinexercise.EveryexerciseIselectfortheirsession,therefore,hastohaveearneditsplaceintheprogrammeandeveryteachingpointthatIprovideneedsto beworthwhile and have a positive outcome. In essence,my teaching stylecouldalmostbedescribedasminimalist.Nowthatthefitnessindustryentersitsfourth decade,many of youwill have accumulated a level of knowledge andinformationequaltosomefitnessprofessionalsintheindustry,soIdon’tgoinfor trying toshowyouhowcleverIamwhenall that is requiredareclearandconciseinstructions.IlearnedthislessonmanyyearsagowhenIwashiredaspersonaltrainertoa

professor of medicine. There was absolutely nothing I could say about thefunctionofthebodythatshedidn’talreadyknow,butwhatIcoulddowasassesshercurrentlevelofabilityandtakeherontheshortest,safestandmosteffective

route to an improved level of fitness. Fifteen years on I am still finding newwaystohelpherenjoyandbenefitfromthetimewespendtrainingtogether.ThethoughtprocessandmethodsIusearebasedonmybeliefthateverybody

feelsbetterwhentheybuildactivity into their lives,butnoteverybodyhas themotivationandtimetocreatethetypeofbodiesweseeonthecoversoffitnessmagazines.When trainingmy clients, I am ultimately judged on the results Ideliver.Theseresultscanpresentthemselvesinmanyways,forexample,inthemirrororontheweighingscales,butIalsoaimtohelpmyclientsmakesenseofwhatwearedoing together. I findwhen talkingaboutanyactivity it isbest tofocus on the outcomes rather than use subjective classifications, such asbeginner/advanced, easy/hard. Therefore, to help you make sense of eachactivity you’ll be doing on the gym ball, and how it relates to my S.A.F.E.trainingsystem,eachmoveisclassifiedbyitsrespectiveoutcome,whetherthatbeanincreaseinstability,strengthorpower,ratherthanthelesssubjectiveeasy,mediumandhard.

everybodyisdifferentJusttobeclear,anyattempttoclassifyphysicalactivityhastorespectthe

factthateachhumanbodyrespondstophysicaldemandsdifferently–thereisn’tanexactpointwhereonemovesstopsbeingbeneficialforstabilityandswitchesovertobeingpurelyforstrength.Thetransitionisfarmoresubtleandmeansthatnomatterwhichversionofamoveyouaredoing,youwillneverbewastingyourtime.

don’tskipthemovesHumannaturemight lead you to think that theway to achieve the quickest

resultswouldbe to skip the stability and strengthmoves and start ondayonewiththepowerversions.Overcomingthisinstinctisthefundamentaldifference

betweenthe‘oldschoolapproach’ofbeatingupthebodyeverytrainingsession,ratherthanusingyourtrainingtimewisely.Myapproachisaboutqualityandnotquantity.Forapersonaltrainertotakethisapproachitrequirestrueconfidenceandbeliefinthesystem,assomeclients(particularlymen)feelthattheyshouldbe ‘working hard’ every session. This I feel is a situation unique to fitnesstraining.Innoothersportoractivitywouldyousetouttoteachthebodytocopewithanewskillorlevelofintensitybystartingwiththehighintensityorfastestversion.Forexample,ifyouarelearningtoplaygolf,youdon’tstartbytryingtohittheballalongway,ratheryoustartbysimplytryingtomakecontactandhititintherightdirection.Orhowabouttennis?Whenlearningtoserve,ifallyoudo ishit theballashardasyoucan, it isunlikely thatanyshotwill ever staywithin the lines of the court and therefore count. In all cases quality and thedevelopmentofskillisthekeytosuccess.

mixingitupTheinventionof thegymball triggeredaneedforpersonal trainers to think

abouthumanmovementinacompletelynewway,sopersonaltrainers,coachesandinstructorsnowthinkverydifferentlyaboutexercisetodaycomparedtojustten years ago – this new mindset and way of thinking is responsible for theproliferationoftheword‘functional’beingusedtobeusedtodescribeexercisethathasadirectrelationshipwiththewaywemoveineverydaylifeorduringsportingactivities.Injustonedecadethetrendhasgonefromdoingmuchofourstrengthtrainingonmachinesthatmovedinstraightlinestotryingtoincorporatethebody’s threeplanesofmotion (sagittal, transverse and frontal) into all ourconditioningexercisesbyusingbothimprovedweightmachines,andofcoursethe huge selection of functional training products now available: sagittalinvolvesmovementsfromlefttorightofthebody’scentreline;frontal(coronal)involvesmovementswhichareforwardandbackwardfromthecentre lineandtransversewhicharemovementsthatinvolverotation.Therealityistheseplanesofmotionneveroccur independentlyofeachother soactually thebestway toensure you are working through all three planes is to create exercises thatincorporate bending and twisting rather than look at joint movements inisolation.

Before the fitness industry started to think with a ‘functional’ mindset itwasn’t unusual to discourage any type of twisting during a workout; theintroductionoffunctionaltrainingequipmentandinparticularthegymballhasevokedacompletelydifferentapproachwherewenowactivelylookforwaystoincorporate all the planes of motion into everything we do. The multi-planemovesdon’taltogetherreplaceisolationmovesthatstillhaveanimportantroleto play (particularly if you are trying to overload and bulk up individualmuscles). These isolation moves are generally good for overloading andchallenginganindividualmuscletoadaptandreacttothechallengesofexercise,butworkingmusclesoneatatimeleavesyouwithabodyfullofgreatindividualmusclewhenwhat you actually need aremuscles thatwork as a team and inconjunctionwithothermusclesthatsurroundthem.Forexample,despitemostofthe classic free weight exercises being integrated movements (i.e. they workmorethanonesetofmusclesatatime),thevastmajorityoffreeweightmovesinvolve no rotation of the spine (through the transverse plane) and thereforedon’ttrainthebodyfortherealityofeverydaywhereweconstantlyrotateatthesame time as bending, pushingor pulling against external forces, butworkingmusclesoneatatimeisnotwhatagymballsessionsetsouttodo.Evenwhenthemovesarehighlytargetedatsmallermusclegroups,suchasthepecsandthetriceps, being on the ball enables them to be ‘functional’ rather than isolated,because in addition to themuscles being intentionally targeted, they have theadditional benefit of directing force through the spine and lumbopelvic regionand therefore activate the core stabilisers in a way that wouldn’t occur if thesamemuscleswereworkedofftheball.Icanhonestlysaythatuntilthelate1990snotasecondthoughtwasgivento

themusclesthatwenowrefertoas‘corestabilisers’.Aswithmanynewitemsof

equipment,forashorttimethegymballwasall-encompassingandtherewasatrendtodoabsolutelyeverythingwehadpreviouslydoneonabenchoronthefloor on the ball. For many moves that was fine, but it didn’t work for theisolation moves targeting smaller muscle groups like biceps – simply doingbicepcurlssatontheballaddednothingtotheactivity,infact,doingthebicepcurlstandingupislikelytostimulatemoremuscleactivitybecausethelegsarefullyloadbearing.Withthisinmind,whenworkingwithagymballwerarelyincorporateisolationmovesasthisdefeatstheobjectofbeingontheballinthefirstplace.Whenusing agymball for fitness, rather than rehabilitation, it is important

not to become obsessed with doing everything on the ball and to try toincorporate other types of activity into your week. Many of the moves thatfollowinthisbookaretobeperformedintheproneposition(lyingfaceup),sowhile theyarehighlyproductive, it iswise tomake themapartofyouractivelifestyleratherthanrelyingonthemtobeyoursingledominantformofexercise.Therefore,Isuggestthateverysessionyouspendontheballyoushouldalsotryto build in time for upright free-flowing activity, such aswalking, jogging orrunning.

theworkoutsIn thefinalsectionof thebookyouwill findaseriesofworkouts.Theyare

designedtoberealisticsessionsthatyoucandoonanydayoftheweek,withouttheneedfor‘rest’daysoranythingmorethanareasonableamountofspace.Alltheworkoutsaresequential,sointheoryyoucouldstartwith15minutes

of stabilitymoves anddoeveryworkoutuntil you reach45minutesofpowermoves.Thisis,ofcourse,thetheory;inrealityyouwillnaturallyfindtherightstartpointdependingonhowyoudowiththeassessment(‘Assess,don’tguess’)and how much time you have available on a given day. Continue using thatparticularworkoutuntilyoufeelreadytomoveon.Iwouldadviseeverybodytostartwiththestabilitysessions,thenmoveontostrengthandthenfinallypower,butIalsoacceptthatsomepeoplewillfindthatthestabilityandstrengthmovesdon’tchallengethemenoughsotheywilldiveintothepowerphase.Pleasebearinmindthat,ifthisishowyouplanonapproachingtheexercisesinthisbook,you might be missing out on a valuable learning curve that the body wouldbenefitfrom.

aresourceforlifeMy aim is for this book to be an ongoing reference point, and I suggest

readingtheentirecontentsandthendippingintothespecificareasthat interestyou, such as the training programmes or fitness glossary. I guarantee you’lldiscover nuggets of information that perhaps you knew a little about, but hadneverfullyunderstoodbecausetheyhadbeenexplainedinsuchawaythatleftyouconfused. If fitness training isan importantpartofyour life,orevenyourcareer,thenIknowthisbookwillbealong-termresourceandwillhelpyougetthemostfromthetimeyouspendusinggymballs.

FAQs

When learning to train with a gym ball, there are a handful ofimportantquestionsthatyoushouldaskbeforestarting.Findtheanswershere.

Theseare themost commonquestions that fitness trainers are asked inrelationtoexercisingwithagymball.

Doesusingagymballcreatebetterresultsand,ifso,why?

Yes, but like all fitness equipment it will only help you to get betterresults ifyouuse it toenhance the individualexercise, rather than for thesake of it. Simply sitting on the ball won’t transform an exercise intosomething special – the purpose of the ball is to add to the physicalchallengeofperformingthatmovement.Verysimply,asit-uponthefloorrecruitsthemusclesrequiredtohelpyousitup,whereasasit-uponthegymballrecruitsthesamemusclesasthefloorversion,aswellasthosemusclesthat stopyou from rollingoff theball.Theonly time I use agymball iswhendoingsowillmaketheexercisemoreproductive,forexample,doingbicepcurlswhilesittingonagymballwon’thavesomeadditionalmagicaleffectonyourfitness,soIwouldratherdobicepcurlsstandingup.The reason for doing anything on a ball is that the ball creates an

‘environment’orreactioninthebodythataddstotheexercisebyincreasingmuscleaction,theamountofmusclesactivelyrecruitedandexertionlevels.

Howdoesagymballaddtoanindividualexerciseorentireworkout?Therearetwomainreasonsforusingagymballinyourworkout.First,

becauseof thevery flexible tactile surface,youcanuse aball toget into

advantageouspositionsthatyoucouldn’tachievewithoutit.Mostofthesepositions ‘trick’ the body towork productively against its ownweight orexternalresistance,suchasifyou’reholdingdumbbells.Forexample,whenweperformadumbbellchestpressonasolidbenchthebenchprovidesastablesurface topushagainstand therefore thosemusclesnot involved inmovingtheweightsupanddownarefairlyredundant.However,whenyouperformadumbbellchestpressonagymball,inadditiontothemusclesofthechestandarmsworkingtomovetheweighteveryothermajormusclewillbeactivetoholdyourbodyinpositionontheball.Second, due to the unstable nature of the ball, the body generates

involuntarymuscleactions/activitywhichallowsyoutotargetmusclesthatwould ordinarily be less involved if the samemovewas performed on asolid surface. This additional muscle activity is generated by both thevisible/touchable surfacemuscles and those deep internalmuscleswithinthecavityofthetorsothatareclassifiedascorestabilisers;thepelvicfloorisagreatexampleofasetofmusclesthatplayhardlyanyroleinafloor-basedsit-up,butwhenperformedonagymballtheyspringintoactiontowork in conjunctionwith the large externalmuscles, such as the gluteusmaximus.

Sowecanuseagymballtotrainthecore,butthatseemstoapplytosomany types of exercise.What is the core, andwhy is using a gym ballsuchagoodwaytotargetit?Oneofthemostabusedstatementsintheworldoffitnessmustbe:‘this

exercisewillworkyourcore’,perhapsbecausesuchaclaimincreases thekudosoftheactivityinthemindoftheparticipant.However,inthecaseofexercisingwithgymballs it isactually true.This formofexercisehas itsoriginsinrehabilitationandbecameincreasinglypopularat thesametimeglobalpopulationswerebecominglessactive,increasinglyobeseandmorepronetoinjuries,achesandpainsthatcouldoftenbetracedbacktoalackofactivity,ratherthanthewrongactivity.

whatis‘coretraining’?ThissubjectcangetveryconfusingsoI thought itmighthelp if Igave

youmyone-linedescriptionofwhatIthinkcoretrainingis.Core training is: ‘Exercise that develops strength andendurance for all

muscles that protect the spine from damage and that function to producedynamicmovements’.Or, theevenshorterversion: ‘Exercise thatmakesyoubetteratdealing

withforcesappliedtothelumbopelvicregion’.

Ascoretraininghasevolvedfromphysicaltherapy,wherethemainaimis to fix problems rather than achieve traditional fitness or cosmeticoutcomes,thereisatendencytomedicalisetheuseofgymballs.However,sincemyaimistoincreasefitnessratherthantousetheballfortherapy,IapproachcoretrainingwiththesameattitudeasIdoallofmytraining:youneedtowalkbeforeyoucanrun.Therefore,ifIfindthatapersonishavingissueswiththeirbalance,stabilityandoverallqualityofmovement,thenIabsolutely start from the beginning using the ball to re-train them to use(help activate) muscles and maintain postures at the lowest of intensitybefore moving on to what they would consider to be a ‘workout’. Butunlikemanypersonal trainerswho seem to revel in finding thingswrongwiththeirclients,Idonotbelievethateverybodyinsomewayisboundto

bebrokeniftheyhavenotpreviouslydone‘coretraining’.Therefore,ifyouare healthy and injury freeworking the core does not need to feel like avisit to the doctor; it can and should be challenging and progressive but,aboveall,simple.

thecoremusclesThe lumbopelvic regionconsistsof thedeep torsomuscles, transversus

abdominis,multifidus,internalobliquesandthelayersofmuscleandfasciathatmake up the pelvic floor. These are key to the active support of thelumbarspine,butunfortunatelytheyarealsothemostvulnerabletoinjuryifneglected.Usingagymballasasemi-stableplatformtosupportthebodywhendoingstrengthandconditioningexercisesrecruitsthesemusclesandis particularly productive because the muscle activity is involuntary so,ratherthanhavingtotellthebodytodosomething,itsimplygetsonwiththeworkthatisrequired.Infact,thesemusclesarerecruitedasplitsecondbeforeanymovementsofthelimbs,whichsuggeststhatthemuscleactuallyanticipatestheforcethatwillsoonbegoingthroughthelumberspine.

Therearehundredsofmovesthatyoucandoonagymball,especiallywithdumbbells,sowhynotjustdoeverythingonaball?Therearehundredsofmoves,butthatdoesn’tmeantheyareproductive.

Thereisamisconceptionthatdoingexerciseyouwouldnormallyperformstandingup is in someway improved ifyouperform itwhile sittingonagym ball, such as a shoulder press, lateral raise or front raise withdumbbells.But, actually, eachof thesemovesproducesgreater functionalbenefitswhenperformedinastandingpositionbecausehumanbeingshavebeenstandingontwofeetforthousandsofyears.Therefore,ifyouwanttoincorporate the challenge of stability products into standing exercises,rather than sit down on a ball, I suggest using products such as wobbleboards,theBOSU®(Bothsidesup)andtheReebokCoreBoard®.

Does sitting on a gym ball while atmy desk givemy coremuscles aworkout?This dependsuponwhat you class as aworkout.Thehonest answer is

that merely sitting on a gym ball isn’t going to prompt the deep coremusclestodoanythingdramatic.However,Iencourageanybodywhoseliferevolvesaround‘thethreeCs’(thosewhogofromchair,tocar,tocomputerandbackagain).Forthese‘professionalsitters’,sittingonagymballratherthanachairwillatleastmakethemmoreawareoftheirpostureduringthe

desk-boundpartsof theirday,as it isfranklydifficult toslouchonagymball.

WhatsizeballdoIneed?Thisdependsuponwhatyoupredominatelyintendtodowithyourball.

Gym balls from the topmanufacturers have a standardised sizing systemandyourselectionshouldbebasedonyourheight.

If you intend to use the gym ball purely for sitting, then go one sizesmallerthantheusualrecommendations,asthiswillbemostcomfortable.

Howhardshouldagymballbeblownup?Anunder-orover-inflatedballwillnotperformcorrectly.Ifaballistoo

softyouwill justsink into thesurfaceand ifaball isover-inflated itwillcausetheusertobalanceontopofit,ratherthanallowingtheballtomouldtotheuser’sbodyshape.When you inflate a gym ball you ideally should inflate it to

approximately80percentofitstotalinflation,thenleaveitfor24hourstoallowthematerialtosettle,thenfinishtheinflationprocess.Ratherthantrytomeasureairpressureinsidetheball,measurethediameter:placetheballrightupagainstawall,holdastraightedgeagainstthepointontheballthatis furthest from the wall (the edge needs to extend to the floor), thenmeasurethedistancealongthefloorfromthewalltothispoint.

Whydothepricesofgymballsvarysomuch?The cost of a ball reflects its ability to perform and the quality of the

materialsused tomake it.Acheapballmightbecheapformanyreasons,

butitismainlyduetothethicknessandcostoftherawmaterialscombinedwith mass-production manufacturing methods. More expensive balls aregenerallythicker,havemorerawmaterialsandtakelongertomanufacture.They can be inflatedwith greater amounts of pressurewithout becoming‘thin’(thinkaboutit–ifyoukeepblowingaballoonup,itgetsthinnerandthinner rightup to thepoint itpops).Thebestqualityballshaveahigherlevel of tolerance against both static and dynamic forces, which are thefiguresyouneedtotakeintoaccountwhendecidingifagymballisstrongenoughforyourneeds(youcanusuallyfindthisinformationprintedontheballoritspackaging).

Whatdoes‘anti-burst’mean–aregymballsindestructible?No, a gym ball is not indestructible.Anti-burstmeans that if the balls

fails,itwilldeflategraduallyratherthanpoplikeaballoon.Gymballs–inparticular those intended for professional use – always come with veryspecific warranty restrictions because, while they can withstand massiveforces,theycansustaininvisibledamageifkickedorusedinappropriately.

CanIuseagymballoutdoors?Onlyifitusedonsomekindofmatthatcompletelyprotectsitfromany

sharporroughsurfaces.PersonallyIwouldnotriskit.

Isitsafetousefreeweightsonagymball?Yes,as longas thegymballyouareusinghasbothdynamicandstatic

capabilitiesofwithstanding theweightof the freeweightsand thepersoncombined.

Iseepeoplestandingongymballsinthegym–whatdoesthatachieve?I askmyself the samequestion all the time.Again, peoplebelieve that

thisworksthecore,buttheonly‘benefit’Icanthinkofforputtingyourselfin that position is that you’ll get really good at standing on a gym ball,ratherthandevelopinguniversalskillsthatwillbebeneficialinyourdailylife.

findyourstartingpoint

Beforestartinganyexerciseprogramme, testyourbodyagainst thefitness

checklist:mobility,flexibility,musclerecruitmentandstrength.

Beforeyouthinkaboutgettingonagymballyouneedtoestablishwhatyourstarting point is, i.e. your current level of fitness, mobility, flexibility andstrengthanyconsideration.Everyfirstconsultationwithanewpersonaltrainingclient revolves around the wish list of goals they hope to achieve. This listinevitably combines realistic goals with entirely unrealistic aims. Invariablypeople focus on their ‘wants’ rather than their ‘needs’ when goal setting, andthere is a big difference between the twomindsets.While ‘wanting’ could beconsideredapositiveattitude,itwillneverovercometheneedtoslowlyexposethe body to processes that will change its characteristics and ability. Men inparticularwanttodiveinatthemostadvancedstageoftraining,butitmakesnosensetooverloadamuscleifyourqualityofmovementislacking.

realisticgoalsettingWant(v)‘Adesiredoutcome’Need(n)‘Circumstancesrequiringsomecourseofaction’

Byidentifyingyourneeds,yourgoalsmaynotsoundsospectacularbutyouare more likely to achieve better and longer term results, and your progressthrough the fitness process will be considerably more productive. Therefore,rather than thinkingabout theultimateoutcome, think insteadofresolutions tothe‘issues’.

fitnesschecklistThe checklist you need to put your body through before you start rolling

aroundonagymballisverysimpleandlogical.Ourabilitytolift/moveweight(bywhichImeanbodyweightaswellasexternalloads)reliesonacombinationof:

MobilityFlexibilityMusclerecruitmentStrength

Ifanyofthesevitalcomponentsisneglected,itwillhaveaknock-oneffecton

your progress. For example, while you may have the raw strength in yourquadriceps to squat with a heavy weight, if you do not have a full range ofmotionintheanklejointsandsufficientflexibilityinthecalfmuscles,thenyoursquatwillinevitablybeofpoorquality.Likewise,ingymsitiscommontoseemenwhohaveovertrainedtheirchestmusclestosuchanextentthattheycannolonger achieve scapular retraction (they are round shouldered and thereforedemonstratepoortechniqueinmovesthatrequirethemtoraisetheirarmsabovetheirheads).This type of checklist is traditionally the most overlooked component of

strength training and, while testing weight, body fat levels and cardiacperformanceisnowaregularoccurrenceinthefitnessindustry,theintroductionofscreeningforqualityofmovementhastakenamuchlongertimetobecomeapriority.This,despiteaself-administeredassessmentcanbeassimpleaslookinginthemirror.

assess,don’tguess

There isnobettersummaryofhow importantourability tomove freely isthaninoneofmyfavouritesayings:‘Useitorloseit’.Thissaysitall–ifyoudon’t use the body to perform physical tasks it will more likely deteriorateratherthanjuststaythesame.

It maybe no coincidence that assessing movement quality has grown inimportance today for athletes and fitness enthusiasts at the same pace as thepopularityoffunctionaltraining–rightlysobecauseifyoudon’tassessyourselfthenhowcanyouknowwhatareasoffunctionalityyouneedtoworkonmost?Before functional training became a key component of progressive fitnessprogrammesalltheprogressionsrelatedtoincreasingdurationandintensityandresistance, however now the quality of movement has become of equalimportance.Today,theassessmentof‘functionalmovement’,orbiomechanicalscreening,

is its own specialised industry within the world of fitness. Those working inorthopaedics and conventional medical rehabilitation have always followedsomeformofstandardisedassessmentwheretheytestthefunctionofthenerves,musclesandbonesbeforeforminganopinionofapatient’scondition.Becominga trainedpractitioner takesmanyyearsof studyandpractice.Notonlymust apractitionergainknowledgeofawidespectrumofpotentialconditions,butjustasimportantlytheymustunderstandwhenandhowtotreattheirpatient,orwhenthey need to refer them to other colleagues in themedical profession.Havingbeensubjectedtoandtaughtmanydifferentapproachestomovementscreening,inmymind,thechallengeisn’testablishingthereissomething‘wrong’,ratheritisknowingwhattodotorectifytheissue.

mobilityandflexibilityThe most common problem limiting quality of movement in the average

person is a lack ofmobility and flexibility, which can be provisionally testedusingthestandingtwistandtheoverheadsquatassessment(seebelow).Tounderstandwhymobilityiskeytohumanmovement,thinkhowasbabies

westarttomoveindependently.Wearebornwithmobilityandflexibility,thenwe progressively develop stability, balance and then increasing amounts ofstrength.Aswegetolderwemayexperienceinjuries,periodsofinactivityand,to some extent, stresswhich all contribute towards a progressive reduction ofmobility.Thereisnobettersummaryofhowimportantmobilityisthaninoneof

myfavouritesayings:‘Useitorloseit’.Ifyousitforextendedperiodsorfailtomovethroughthethreeplanesofmotion,thenyouinvariablybecomerestrictedinyourmotion.Withthisinmind,Ihopeyoucanseethatliftingweightswithoutfirstaddressingmobilityissuesisliketryingtobuildthewallsofahousebeforeyouhavecompletedthefoundations.The following two mobility tests challenge the entire length of the kinetic

chain(actionsandreactiontoforcethatoccurthroughoutthebones,musclesandnerveswheneverdynamicmotionorforceisrequiredfromthebody)andhelptorevealifyouarereadytomovebeyondbodyweightmovestobeginaddingtheadditionalloadssuchasdumbbells.Thistestfocusesonthefollowingkeyareasof theshoulders, themid-thoracic spine, thepelvis, theknees,anklesand feet.Anylimitationofmobility,flexibilityorstrengthintheseareaswillshowupaseitheraninabilitytomovesmoothlythroughtheexerciseoraninabilitytoholdthebodyinthedesiredposition.

Test1standingtwist

This is the lessdramaticof the twomobility tests and serves tohighlight ifyouhaveanypainthatonlypresentswhenyoumovethroughtheouterregionsof your range of movement, and also if you have a similar range of motionbetweenrotationsontheleftandrightsidesofyourbody.

Standwithyourfeetbeneathyourhips.Raiseyourarmstochestheightthenrotateasfarasyoucantotheright,notinghowfaryoucantwist.Repeatthemovementtotheleft.Performthemovementslowlysothatno‘extratwist’isachievedusingspeedandmomentum.

Yourobservationistryingtoidentifyanypainand/orrestrictionofmovement.Ifyoufindeither,itmightbethecasethatthisreducesafterawarm-uporafewadditionalrepetitionsofthisparticularmovement.Ifyoucontinuetoexperiencepain, you should consider having it assessed by a physiotherapist or sportstherapist.

Test2overheadsquat(OHS)

I’veused theOHS test over5000 times aspart ofmyS.A.F.E. approach toexercise and I have found it to be the quickest and easiestway of looking atbasicjointandmusclefunctionwithoutgettingdrawnintospeculativediagnosisofwhatisandisn’tworkingproperly.Ifyoucanperformthismovewithoutanypainorrestriction,thenyouwillfindmostofthemovesinthisbookachievable.Thereisnopassorfail,ratheryouwillfallintooneoftwocategories:‘good’or‘coulddobetter’.IfyoucannotachieveanyofthekeyrequirementsoftheOHSmove,thenitisyourbody’swayofflaggingupthatyouaretightand/orweakinthatparticulararea.This,inturn,couldmeanyouhaveanimbalance,painoranuntreated injury, whichmay not prevent you from exercising, but you shouldprobablygetcheckedoutbyaphysiotherapistorsportstherapist.Performthisexercisebarefootandinfrontofafull-lengthmirrorsothatyou

cangainmaximuminformationfromtheobservationofyourwholebody.Alsorefer to table1 fora listofkeybodyregions toobserveduring this test. (Thismove also doubles up as a brilliant warm-up for many types of exerciseincludingliftingweights.)

Standwithfeetpointingstraightaheadandathipwidth.Haveyourhandsinthe‘thumbs-upposition’andraiseyourarmsaboveyour

head, keeping them straight, into the top of a ‘Y’ position (with your bodybeingthebottomofthe‘Y’).Yourarmsareinthecorrectpositionwhentheyarebackfarenoughtodisappearfromyourperipheralvision.Thesquatdownisslowanddeep,sotakeaslowcountofsixtogetdownbybendingyourknees.Thereasonwegoslowissoyoudonotallowgravitytotakeoverandmerelyslumpdown.Also,bygoingslowyougetachancetoseeandfeelhoweverythingismovingthroughthesixkeyareas.

Themagicof thismove is thatyouwill be able to see and feelwhereyourproblem spots are and, even better, the test becomes the solution, as simplyperforming it regularly helpswith your quality ofmovement. Stretch out anyareathatfeelstightandaimtoworkanyareathatfeelsweak.

Table2Keybodyregionstoobserveintheoverheadsquat

As you perform the OHS you are looking for control and symmetrythroughoutandcertainkeyindicatorsthatalliswell:

Neck: You keep good control over your head movements and are able tomaintainthearmliftwithoutpainintheneck.Shoulders: In the start position and throughout themoveyou are aiming tohave both arms lifted above the head and retracted enough so that they areoutsideyourperipheralvision(especiallywhenyouareinthedeeppartofthesquat).Inadditiontoobservingtheshoulderslookupatyourarmstothehands– throughout theOHSyou shouldaim tohaveyour thumbspointingbehindyou.Mid-thoracicspine:Thereisnoinstructiontokeepyourbackstraight,sointhis area of the body you are looking for ‘flow’ rather than clunkingmovements.Hips: Imagine a straight line drawn directly down the centre of your body.Aroundthehipsyouarelookingtoseeifyoushiftyourweighthabituallytooneside,ratherthankeepingitevenlyspreadbetweenbothsides.Knees:ThemostcommonobservationisthekneestouchingduringtheOHS,suggesting a weakness in the glutes. Less common is the knees parting,showing weakness in the inner thigh. Good technique is when your kneesmoveforwardsasyoubendthelegs.Notethatclickingandcrunchingnoisesdon’talwayssuggestaproblemunlesstheyareaccompaniedbypain.Anklesandfeet:Themost obvious issue is the heels lifting from the floor,suggestingshortachillesandcalfmuscles.Lessobviousare theflatteningofthe foot arches that cause the feet to roll inward (overpronation) or the foot

rolling outward (underpronation). Ideally, the foot should be in a neutralposition.

If when you do the OHS in front of the mirror you observe any of thesesignals with your kinetic chain (the actions and reaction to force that occurthroughoutthebones,musclesandnerveswheneverdynamicmotionorforceisrequiredfromthebody),itreallyisn’ttheendoftheworld,infact,mostpeoplefindthattheyaretightinsomeareas(ifnotallofthem)whentheyfirsttrythistest.Theabsolutelyfantasticnewsisthatifyoudospotanyissues,performingtheOHSasanexercise,ratherthanmerelyatest,willimproveyourmovementpattern,jointrangeandmuscleactionsovertime.

overheadsquat:theresultsMyrule is that if youcannotperformaperfectOHS,withnoneof the

keywarningsignslistedabove,thenyouarenotreadytoperformthepowermovesintheexerciseportfolio.So,usetheOHSasaguidetowhetheryourbody is as ready as your mind is to start doing the toughest, mostchallenging,exercises.IfyoufindbydoingtheOHSthatyourbodyisnotready, don’t think of it as a setback, but rather as a blessing: you arefollowingatrainingmethodthatisintunewithhowthebodyworksratherthanonethatmerelysetsouttopunishit.

isolationvsintegration

Whileintensitycanbegreat,whenyouisolateyourmusclesyoudonotgetthe highly beneficial activity created by the rest of the kinetic chain. I amcertainly not saying isolationmoves are not productive, butwith the biggestobstacletoexercisebeingalackoftime,integrationworkisgoingtohaveaninstantusableimpactontheentirebody.

Allmovements that we do in training or everyday life can be classified aseitherisolationorintegrationmoves.Thevastmajorityofisolationmoveshavebeencreated/invented toworkspecificmuscleson theirown,with theprimaryintentionoffatiguingthatmusclebyworkingitinisolation,usuallymovingonlyone joint of the skeleton. Integration, or compound, moves are less of aninventionandmoreof anadaptationofmovementpatterns thatweperform ineveryday life. They are designed to work groups of muscles across multiplejointsallatthesametime.Inreallifeweneverisolate.Evenwhenonlyafewjointsaremovingthereisa

massivenumberofmusclesbracingthroughoutthebodytolettheprimemusclesdotheirjob.AsyougoaboutanaveragedayIdoubtyougiveasecondthoughttohowyouaremoving.Ifyoutakethetimetowatchtheworldgobyforafewhours,youwillnoticethathumanmotionconsistsofjustafewcombinationsofmovements that togethercreate themillionsofpotentialmoveswe (hopefully)achieveeveryday.Everything,andImeaneverything,wedoboilsdownto thefollowingkeymovements:

PushPullTwistSquatLungeBendWalkRunJump

Figure 1 The nine basic human movement patterns: (a) push, (b) pull, (c)twist,(d)squat,(e)lunge,(f)bend,(g)walk,(h)runand(i)jump

Allof thesemovementsare integrated. Iamcertainlynot the firstperson tomakethisobservation,butitconstantlyamazesmehowmyindustrymanagestocomplicateexercise.With thisobservationinmind,Iamnotahugefanofoldfashionedmachines that isolatesmallareasofmuscle towork themapparentlymoreintensely.Whileintensitycanbegreat,whenyouisolateyoudonotgetthehighlybeneficialactivitycreatedbytherestofthekineticchain.Iamcertainlynot saying isolationmovesarenotproductive,butwith thebiggestobstacle toexercisebeingalackoftime,integrationworkisgoingtohaveaninstantusable

impactontheentirebody.Wewouldrarelyincorporateisolationmovesintoaworkoutwithagymball

asthisdefeatstheobjectofbeingonaballinthefirstplace.Evenwhenamoveis highly targeted towards smaller muscle groups, such as the pecs and thetriceps, it would still be considered to be an integration (compound) movebecause,by sittingon theball force isbeingdirected through the lumbopelvicregion, which therefore also activates the core stabilisers. Subsequently, themajorityofthemovesinthisbookareintegrated,designedtoachievemaximumresultsinthemosteconomicalamountoftime.

learnit,thenworkit

Aswehavediscovered,youmustwalkbeforeyoucanrun inanyexercisemethod,andthebodyworksbestifyoulearntheactivitypriortoengaginginexercise,sothatyouwillpositivelysoakupthebenefits.

Resistancetraining(usingeitherbodyweightorfreeweights,orboth)isverynaturalwithhardlyanycomplexskillsrequiredtoachieveresults.However,thatis not to say you cannot do it incorrectly. In fact, along with failed runners,

rebuildingtheconfidenceofpeoplewhohavetriedresistancetrainingandthenfailedorinjuredthemselveshasfeaturedfrequentlyinmyworkinglife.Becauseofthis,Iusethephrase‘learnit,thenworkit’toencouragepeopletotaketimeto‘imprint’goodqualitymovementpatternsupontheirbodies.

howto‘learnit,thenworkit’Howdoyouknowwhat‘goodquality’moveslooklike?Simplyput,the

moveshouldlooksmoothandcontrolledandshouldnotcreatepaininyourjoints. Aim to perform the concentric and eccentric phases (the lift andlower phases) at the same speed – lift for two counts and lower for twocounts.Whenpowerandspeedbecomesmoreofanobjectiveforyou,aimtoliftforonecountandlowerfortwocounts.Youcanperformmovesatslowerspeeds,butthatthenmovesawayfrom

howwemove/functionindaytodaylife,rarelydowedoanymovementinslowmotion just for the sakeof it. It is really onlybeneficial to performslow or super slow (quarter-speed)moves if you are training for specificsport activities, so as to prolong the time each muscle is under tension(known as ‘time under tension’). Therefore, move at a natural speed:athletes and sports people train at ‘real time’ once they have learned therequiredmovementpattern,sowithoutevenknowingit theyare‘learningit,thenworkingit’.

Thebeautyofgroundingyourworkoutinthe‘learnit,thenworkit’approachisthatbykeepingtheapproachsimple,achievableandfunctionalyouwon’tgettiedupwithmethodsthateitherdonotwork,orhaveridiculousexpectationsofhowmuchtimeyouaregoingtodedicatetoyourfitnessregime.Asapersonaltrainer it canbehard to exercise in a gymnasiumwithoutwanting toquestionwhat many people are (think) they are doing. So often I see people doingdifficult versions of exercises that are clearly beyond their level of ability—presumablybecausetheythinkdifficult/advancemustequalquickerresults.Theobvious signs are that they can’t control the weights or their body seemsoverpoweredbythemovementsitisbeingaskedtodo—learnit,thenworkitrelatestomostphysicaltasksinlifebutespeciallysport,forexample,ifyouhastennislessonsthefirstthingyouwouldlearnwouldbetomakecontactwiththeball slowly rather than startingwith the fastest hardestmovements. So simplyswitchoffyourinstinctsto‘workhard’untilyouaresatisfiedthatyoucanmove

andmaintainqualityandcontrolthroughoutalltherepetition.As you getmore adventurous and diversewith your exercise remember all

yourgoalsareachievable:remember,ifyou’removingyou’reimproving.

‘learnit,thenworkit’insportPractising movements in resistance training is paralleled in all

performance-basedsports.Athletesroutinelyperformlowintensity‘drills’,whichechothemovestheyneedtomakeintheirsport.Forexample,duringalmosteverytracksession,sprinterspractisekneelifts,heelflicksandotherbounding exercises to improve their quality of movement and conditiontheirmusclesinahighlyfunctionalmanner.

firstyouneedstability

Stability is the first key ingredient to ensuring safe and effective exercise,thebasicbuildingblocktoeverythingthatfollowsinthisbook.

Toperformexercisesafelyandeffectively,wehavetofirstlyensureourbodyis stable. The essence of stability is the ability to control and transfer forcethroughout the body. All human movement is, in fact, a chain of eventsinvolvingthebrain,thenervoussystem,muscles,fascia,ligamentsandtendons.So,whilea simplemove likeabicepcurlmayappear to involveonlyactivityfrom the shoulder down to the hand, in reality there is a chain of events thatoccurtoensurethattherightamountofforceisappliedandthatthetwoendsofthebiceparetetheredtoastablebase.Inessence,whereverthereisvisiblemovementinthebody,therearealways

invisiblereactionsoccurringwithinthekineticchaintofacilitatethismovement.Theengine roomof all this activity is in thedeepmusclesof the trunkand

involvesthe:

Transversusabdominus(TA)Multifidi(MF)InternalobliquesFivelayersofmuscleandfasciathatmakeupthepelvicfloor.

Figure2Thedeepmusclesofthetrunkarecrucialforstability

Thesemusclesworkasateamandtheirsimultaneouscontractionisknownas‘co-contraction’. This complex muscle activity produces intra-abdominalpressure (IAP) and it is the creation of this pressure that stabilises the lumberspine. The misconception that the transversus abdominus looks like a ‘belt’aroundthetorsonodoubtledfitnessinstructorstocontinuouslyadviseclientstopull theirstomach in (hollowtheabdominalmuscles), thinking that thiswouldamplify the stabilityof the spine.However, it isnot simply the recruitmentofthese muscles that instills strength and stability, but, more importantly, whentheyarerecruited.Ineffect,theyshouldhavebeenadvisingclientsto‘switchon’(bracetheircore).

remember:don’thollowyourabsPullingin,orhollowing,theabsactuallymakesyoulessabletostabilise.

If you imagine a tree that is perfectly vertical, but then you chop in orhollowoutoneside,thestructureofthetreebecomeslessstable.Ihavetwoways of coaching the correct technique to avoid hollowing the abs,dependingontheclient:

1Switchonyourabsasifyouweregoingtogetpunchedinthestomach,or

2Engagetheabsinthesamewayasifwereabouttobetickled.

Bothmethodsachievethedesiredoutcome–withonlyafewofmymaleclientsactuallyinsistingthatIreallydohitthem!

Stabilityis,therefore,agoalineverythingthatwedo.However,weshouldn’thave to undertake yet more training just to achieve core stability, rather weshould ensure that the everyday movements we make encourage the musclesdeepinsidethetrunktoworkcorrectlyduringdynamicmovements,andthatthestabilisation is instinctive, as opposed to something that we have to remindourselvestodoeverytime.Forinstance, ifyoudropanegginthekitchenandveryquicklysquatandmakeagrab tocatch it,youdon’tstop to think: ‘DidIlineupmyfeet,pullmystomachinandkeepmyheadup?’Actually,yourbodywillhavefiredoffaco-contractionwhichenabledyoutograbtheeggbeforeithit theground (or, at least,makeagoodattempt).When I use this analogy toexplain the conceptof stability tomyclients, theyoftenget a twinkle in theireye, for if this process is instinctive, why should they continue to train? Thereality, however, if that you still have to exercise that inclination to keep thesystemworkingproperly:‘useit,orloseit’.In theworkout sessions later in this book, youwill find that almost all the

movesareclassifiedasbeinggoodforstability.Sincestabilityisthefirststageofdevelopment,youmightassumethestrengthandpowermovesthatfollowaremore productive because they are more ‘intense’. While this is true, thatintensitywillonlybeconstructiveifthebodyhastheabilitytocontrolanddirectallthatextraforce,whichcanonlybelearnedthroughthestabilitymoves.

thedevelopmentofcorestabilityinthefitnessindustryDuring the 1990s, there were only three components of fitness that

personaltrainersfocusedonwiththeaverageclient(by‘average’Imeanapersonlookingforfitnessgainsratherthantocompeteinsport).Cardiowasthe route to cardiovascular efficiency and was themost obvious tool forweight loss; strength training isolated the larger muscle groups andgymnasiumswere filledwith straight linemachines; andweonlyworkedon flexibility because we knew we had to, but the chosen method waspredominatelytheleastproductivetypeofstretching,i.e.static.Then,itseemsalmostfromnowhere,therewasanewingredienttoevery

workout: core stability. New equipment such as Swiss balls and modernversions of wobble boards, such as the Reebok Core Board® and theBOSU®(Bothsidesup),increasedthewaveofenthusiasmforthistypeoftrainingas,ofcourse,didthenewpopularityforthemorephysicalversionsofyogaandPilates.Inretrospect,weinthefitnessindustrycouldhavethoughttoourselves

thatwe had been doing everythingwrong up to that point.However, thereality is that rather thanbeing‘wrong’wewere just learningaswewentalong.Infact,manyofthemethodsthatsuddenlybecamemainstreamhadbeenusedinsportstrainingforyearsbefore,butwithoutthe‘label’ofcorestability, and rather than treating them as an individual component, wetrainedtheminstinctivelyaspartofourdynamicstrengthmovesusingbodyweightorfreeweights.

addsomestrength

Thesecondkeyingredient,thereareseveraltypesofstrengththatyoucangainperformingtheseexerciseswithagymball.

Whentrying toestablishaclient’s fitnessobjectives, ‘Iwant to improvemystrength’isoftentheonlyinformationgiventoapersonaltrainer.Thisseeminglysimple request requires much more detail if you are going to achieve theoutcomethatisreallydesired.The one-line definition of strength is: ‘An ability to exert a physical force

againstresistance’.However,thiscatch-allisnotspecificenoughwhenyouaredealingwithstrength.Infact,therearethreemaintypesofstrength:

1 Strength endurance: Achieved when you aim to exert force many times inclosesuccession.

2 Elastic strength: Achieved when you make fast contractions to changeposition.

3Maximumstrength:Ourabilityoverasinglerepetitiontogenerateourgreatestamountofforce.

Eachofthesespecifictypesofstrengthcanbeachievedusingresistanceeitherasindividualcomponentsorpreferablyaspartofanintegratedapproach.Unlessyouareanathletetrainingforaneventthatrequiresadisproportionate

amountofeitherendurance,elasticormaximumstrength,thentheintegrationoffunctionaltrainingmethodswillcreateabodythatismoredesignedtocopewithdaytodaylifeandamateursports.Whilestrengthisanadaptationthatthebodywillinglyaccepts,therealityisthatchangestaketime,sotreatstrengthgainsassomethingthathappensoverweeks,monthsandyearsratherthanmeredays.

powerandspeedcomewithpractice

The development of power in muscles is a rapid process and is alsoconsiderablypractical,usableandfunctional for thosemenandwomenwhohave reached a point in their training where they have no need to be any‘stronger’,buttheywanttomakemoreofthestrengththeyhave.

Power is a measure of how much energy is created, the amount of forceapplied and the velocity at which it is applied. It is the ability to exert anexplosiveburstofmovement.Ineverydaylifeitpresentsasboundingupstairsthreeatatimeorpushingaheavyweightaboveyourhead.Thedevelopmentofpowerisnotonlyamorerapidprocessthandevelopingmaximalstrength,butisalso considerably more practical, usable and functional for those men andwomenwhohavereachedapointintheirtrainingwheretheyhavenodesiretobeany‘stronger’,buttheydowanttomakemoreofthestrengththeyhave.Thatisthepointatwhichyoustopthinkingaboutincreasingtheamountofresistanceyouworkagainstandstart thinkingabouthowto inject speed into theactivityyouaredoingonthegymball.

Let’smakethissimple.Ifyouhavetwomenofthesameheight,weightandwiththesamebodyfat levelsandyouchallengethemtocompeteagainsteachotherinanexplosiveactivitythattheyhavebothtrainedin,suchas20msprint,then,apart frompotentialdifferences in reaction times, themanwhowins thatracewillbetheonewhohasagreaterabilitytoutilisehisstrengthandconvertthat strength into forward motion – this ability to use strength for explosiveactivityispower.Theperfectexercisetogeneratethistypeofoutcomewouldbethe squat against wall with a jump as this move trains you to generate anexplosiveforcethatpropelsthebodyquickly.Whenyougettotheexercisesintheportfolioclassifiedaspowermovesyou

willseethattheyareinfact,progressionsoftheskillsthatyouwillhavealreadydevelopedduringyourstabilityandstrengthsessions,onlyperformedatspeed.Inthisrespect,itbecomeseasiertounderstandwhyIadvisenottoskipastagewhenlearningmovementpatterns(learnit,thenworkit).To train or develop power using predominately bodyweight exercises on a

gymball is realistic, but only as long as you do not get preoccupiedwith thespeedpart of the equation to thedetriment ofworking against resistance. It isveryeasyto‘cheat’onagymball–cheatingcanbeclassedasnotdoingafullrangeofmotion,shiftingyoubodyweightsothattheexercisebecomeseasierorsimplynot putting any force against the contact points (your bodyon the balland hands and feet) – any of these ‘cheating tactics’ will allow you tomovefasterbutyouwillprobablynotbeusingasmuchstrengthasyouwouldwithouttheadaptation(cheat).

powerandagility

Thinkofpowerasaverycloserelationofagility;youdon’tlearnagilityby overloading and working while fatigued, rather you develop it byachievingqualityoverquantity.Infact, introducingyourselftothepursuitofpowercanmeanperformingthemoveswithoutanyweightsandsimplyperforming the movements fast with just body weight as the resistance,why? Because athletic power is actually a finely tuned combination ofspeedandstrength.

2theportfolioofmoves

whichmovesshouldIdo?ThissectioncontainsaportfolioofmovesthatIhaveselectedfromthoseIuse

every daywithmy personal training clients and are based on the principles Iexplained in the firstpartof thisbook.Theonlymoves thathavemade it intothisbookare those thatdeserve tobehere–everyoneof thesemoves is triedandtestedtoensureitgetsresults,infact,Ihavespenthundredsofhoursusingthem myself and thousands of hours teaching them to my personal trainingclients,whoovertheyearshaveincludedmenandwomenfrom16to86yearsold,fromsizezerothroughto280lbs.Theseclientshave,justifiably,onlybeeninterested in the moves that work – and that is what you have here in thisportfolio.It isnotanexhaustive listofmoves, simplybecausemanyextramoves that

couldhavebeenincludedusethegymballsimplyasa‘prop’ratherthanatool,or they are really just subtle adaptations of those included here. For instance,changestofootpositionandtheamountofbendthatyouhaveinyourarmsandlegswill encourage the body to recruit slightly differentmuscles, but Iwouldclasstheseasadaptationsratherthanuniquemoves.

presentationofthemovesI wanted to show the moves as a complete portfolio, rather than simply

wrapping them up into workouts, because you are then able to see how the

stability, strengthandpowerversions relate toeachother.Understanding theseprogressionsissomethingIencourageofmyclientsbecausetheyneedtoknowthatsubtlechangescanmakeallthedifferencebetweenagooduseoftimeandawaste of it. By thinking this way you can very quickly learn all the movesbecause, in the majority of cases, themainmovement pattern stays the samethroughout the stability, strength and power progressions, with only a slightchangetothelengthoflevers(arm/footpositions),rangeofmotionorthespeed.

dangerousgymballmovesTherewillalwaysbethosepeoplewhodreamupmoveswithagymball

thatareeitherdangerous,pointlessorjustplainstupid.Thegymballseemstoattractthesepeoplemorethananyotheritemofequipment–Iseepeoplestanding on balls, diving on balls, hitting balls and generally abusingthemselves or the product. Just because you can do something on a ball,doesn’tmeanthatitisproductiveorsafe.Ialsodonotsubscribetotheapproachthatifyouperformamoveona

gymball it automaticallybecomesenhanced; itwon’t, for example, thosepeopleinthegymwhospendtheirtimesittingonaballdoingbicepcurlsneedtostandupandgetamoveon.Theonlytimemyclientsgettosimplysitontheballisiftheyhaveaballattheirdeskinsteadofachair.

The third part of this book then goes on to present a selection of trainingsessions,designedforarangeoflevels,andfollowingmymethodofprogressingthroughstability,strengthandpowerexercises,nodoubtsomepeoplewilljumpstraighttothetrainingsessions.HoweverIfindunderstandingthe‘why’aswellasknowingthe‘how’generatesbetteroutcomesformostpeoplesoreferbacktotheportfolioofmovesifyouwantthedetaileddescriptionofhowtoperformtheexercise. Ihavealsoprovidedyouwithapost-workoutstretchsessionsuitablefor all types of resistance training. Please remember that you should alwayswarm-upbeforeembarkingonanytypeofexercise.

everymuscleplaysapartIpurposefullyhaven’tincludeddiagramsofthemusclesthataretargeted

by each move as hopefully by now you understand that, used correctly,everymuscleplaysaroleineverymove.

IhavewrittenthedescriptionsasifIamtalkingtoyouasaclient–thekeyinformationforeachexplanationincludes:

thecorrectbodypositionatthestartandfinishofthemove;themovementthatyouarelookingtocreate.

WhenIworkwithmyPTclientsIavoidover-coachingthemovementasmygoal is to see themmove in a lovely ‘fluid’way,where thewholemovementblendstogether.

repsThis is a ‘learn it’ section rather than ‘work it’. Therefore, for the vast

majorityofthemovesIdon’ttalkabouthowmanyrepetitionsyoushoulddoofeach–thatinformationisincludedintheworkoutsectioninthethirdpartofthebook. How many repetitions you perform should relate to your objectives;almostallthemovescanbeusedtoimprovestability,strengthandpower(atthesametime),andthespeedandresistanceatwhichyouperformitwilldictatetheoutcome.Forexample,aslowsquatperformedwithalightweightwillprovide

stabilitybenefits.Exactlythesamemoveperformedwithaheavierweightwillincreasestrengthandthesamemoveatspeedwilldeveloppower.

weightAs speed and resistance are both subjective (one person’s ‘light’ is another

person’s ‘heavy’), it is simplynotpossiblepredicthowstrongyouarewithoutseeingyouactuallyworkout,ifyouchoosetouseanyofthemovesthatrequiredumbbells then choosing the correct weight is a matter of common sense,withoutbeinginthesameroomasyouandlookingathowyoumoveandyourphysical characteristics to say exactly how much you should be lifting – myadviceisalwaysthis,startwithaweightthatyoucancontrolbutischallenging,asyoufatigueliftingtheweightsgetsharderandthelasttworepetitionsofthesetshouldbetoughtodo.

!tricksofthetradeI have included a ‘tricks of the trade’ boxwhich contains a nugget of

informationthatIusetohelpmyclientsgetthemostoutofeachexercise.

keytoexercisesAsyoumovethroughtheexercises,youwillnoticethateachisidentifiedby

thefollowingkeywords.Aquickglancewill tellyouwhichelementthemovefocuses on, what type of move it is and whether you need any additionalequipmenttoperformit.

stabilityEvery move in this portfolio is a stability-enhancing exercise – yes, that

includes the strength and power versions. Stability is, essentially, a reactionwithinthekineticchaininwhichthebodysaystoitself:‘Switchonthemusclesaroundthelumbopelvicregion,becausethismovementislookingforananchorpointtolatchonto’.Onthisbasis,youdon’timprovestabilitywhenyouaresatdownonasolidsurface,butyoudowhensittingonagymball,neitherdoyougenerallyimproveitwhenamoveinvolvesjustonejoint.

strengthWecouldgetalldeepandmeaningfulaboutbiomechanicshere,buttoqualify

asastrengthmove,theexerciseneedstobemakingyoumoveaforcethroughspace using muscle contractions. Therefore anything that only involvesmomentumisawasteoftimebecauseyouarejustgoingalongfortherideandnot actively contracting your muscles. However, don’t confuse speed withmomentum–speedisgood,especiallywhenmixedwithstrength,becausethatcombinationdevelopsthehighlydesirablepower.

powerEvery timeyou read theword ‘power’youneed to thinkof speed,andvice

versa.Themathsandphysicsrequiredtounderstandhowwemeasurepowerareenoughtomakeyouglazeover,andinrealityyouaremuchbetteroffmeasuringyourpowerabilitybydoingasimpletime-trialsprint,ortimeyourselfoverasetnumberof repetitions, rather than trying to calculate exactlyhowmuchpoweryouareexertingforaspecificexercise.Ifyouwantmorepower,youneed tomove fast,butyouneed tobeable to

maintainspeedwhilepushingorpullingaweight(thatweightcouldbeanobjectoryourownbody).Forexample,youmighthaveaguywhocanskipacrossashotputcirclefasterthantheotherguywhennotholdingandthrowingtheshot,buthe isonly speedy.Theguywhocanmove fast and launch the shot (usingstrength)istheonewithallthepower.

theclassicmoves

exercise1sit-uparmsatwaist

stability

Startwithyour feet shoulderwidth apart andyourhandsatyourwaist.Theballshouldbebetweenyourpelvisandyourshoulderblades.Liftyourupperbodyfromtheball,thenlowerundercontrol.

!tricksofthetradeDon’tjustrestthehandsatyourwaist–activelypressthemagainstthe

hipsandyouwillfindtheentiremovefeelsstronger.

exercise2sit-uphandsathead

stabilitystrength

Startwithyourfeetshoulderwidthapartandyourhandsatyourheadsothattheweight of the arms increases the challenge. The ball should be betweenyourpelvisandyourshoulderblades.Without‘throwing’yourarmsforwardlifttheupperbodyfromtheball,thenlowerundercontrol.

!tricksofthetradeIfyoufindthatyourneckaches,pressyourtongueintotheroofofyour

mouth. This increases activity in themuscles of the neck and throat and

causesyourheadtofeellessheavy.

exercise3sit-uparmsextended

stabilitystrengthpower

Startwithyourfeetshoulderwidthapartandyourarmsraisedaboveyourhead(in the correct position they should be covering your ears). This shifts yourcentre of gravity to make the upper body feel heavier. The ball should bebetweenyourpelvisandyourshoulderblades.Liftyourupperbodyfromtheballandlowerundercontrol,maintaininggoodarmlength.

!tricksofthetradeIfthismovefeelslikeyouareswingingyourarmsandcheating,placea

towelbetweenyourkneesandsqueeze it.Thiswill tidyup themoveandhelpyoutofocusyourstrength.

exercise4sit-uprotation,feetapart

stability

Startwith your feet shoulderwidth apart. The ball should be between yourpelvisandyourshoulderblades.Usingtheoppositelegasatargetreachacrossyourbodyatthesametimeasliftingthespineofftheball, i.e.whenusingyourleftarm,reachtowardstheright leg and youwill feel thework in the right side of your body, and thereversewhenusingyourrightarm.Thereisatendencytositupright,butbecauseoftheleveragethetoppartofthemovementiswasted,sogopastthepointwhereyoucanstillfeeltensioninthemuscle.

!tricksofthetradePosition yourself on top of the ball rather than leaning against it. You

maynotbeabletocurlashighbutyouwillbeputtingmoreforcethroughthemuscles.

exercise5sit-up,rotation,feettogether

stabilitystrength

Hereyournarrowfootpositionincreases thechallenge–withthefeetbeingclosertogetheryouneedtoacceptthatyouwon’tbeabletoliftorrotateasmuchasyoucanonthewidefootversionabove.

Startwithyourfeettogether.Theballshouldbebetweenyourpelvisandyourshoulderblades.Asyouliftandrotateaimtotakethehanddowntheinsideoftheoppositeleg.Asyoulowerbackdownmakesureyoulettheshoulderreleasebackdowntotheball.

!tricksofthetradePunchthearmacrossthebodyasyoulift.

exercise6sit-upreach,toetouch

stabilitystrengthpower

This move is performed quickly and therefore may look a little ‘messy’,whichisn’treallyaproblemand,infact,ifyoukeepitneat,thechancesarethatyouarenotreallyworkingfastenough.Thestraighteryouareabletokeeptheleg,thegreatertheresistanceyouare

workingagainst,sotrytoavoidsimplysittingup,bendingthekneeandmovingyourfoottowardsthehand.It ismuchbetter tokeeptheleglongandtoreachthefootbygettingtheupperbodyrightupofftheball.

Startwith your feet shoulderwidth apart. The ball should be between yourpelvisandyourshoulderblades.Liftonelegandkeepitextendedstraightout,youaregoingtoreachforthefootwithonehand.Your armand leg start tomoveat the same time– it is hard, but trynot togenerateallthemovementwithyourarmandleg:makesuresomeoftheworkiscomingfromthetorso.

!tricksofthetradeSomeofmypersonaltrainingclientsthinktheyhavefailedonthisifthey

don’t touch their foot, but don’tworry – it could be that you have reallylonglegs!

exercise7seatedpelvictilt

stability

This is one of the first moves a physiotherapist will do with patients toencouragethemtogeneratemoremuscleactivityinthelowerabdominals.Youneedtosittallontheball(forsomepeopleeventhisishard).

Startwithyourfeethipwidthapart.Youshouldbesittingtallontopoftheballratherthanleaningagainsttheside. Hold the start position for a couple of seconds, then roll your hips/pelvisunderneaththebodyuntilthespinehasgonefromitsextendedstartpositiontoflexion.Thebestwayofknowingthatyouhavethemovecorrectisthatyouwillfeelyourbottombeingrolledintotheball.Thismove ismost productivewhenperformed slowly so really prolong themovementasyouworkthroughthecompleterangeofmotion.

!tricksofthetradeOK,soyoumayfeelrathersillydoingthismoveinthegym.Ifyouneed

tomakeitlookmoreexciting,raiseyourarmsinfrontofyouandpressthepalms of your hands together. Personal trainers need to be experts atkeeping their clients focused and this little trickkeeps them tuned in andproduces a contralateral contraction within the muscles of the chest,shouldersandarms.

exercise8sit-upkneeraise,feetapart

stabilitystrength

Timingisimportantinthismove;youshouldaimtobeliftingyourlegatthesame time as you lift your upper body. Try tomake themovement smooth –avoidany‘punctuation’duringthemove.

Startwith your feet shoulderwidth apart. The ball should be between yourpelvisandyourshoulderblades.‘Throw’yourarmsforwardtocreateasmallamountofmomentum,thenreachbetweenyourlegstowardsyourknees.Youreallyknowwhenyouaredoingthismovewellwhenyouareabletopushthesupportingfoothardintothefloorasyouliftup.

!tricksofthetradeWhenIhaveaclientwithlimitedcoordinationImakethempracticethe

rhythmofthismovewhilestandingup,whichreallyhelps.

exercise9sit-upkneeraise,feettogether

stabilitystrengthpower

Speedisessentialtothesuccessofthismove.Findingabalancebetweentheamountof leg liftandupperbody lift iskey,soaimto lift the leg to thesameheightasthechest.

Startwithyourfeettogether.Theballshouldbebetweenyourpelvisandyourshoulderblades.‘Throw’yourarmsforwardtocreateasmallamountofmomentum,thenkeepyourhandsbesideyourhead.Whileitistempting,don’tsimplyfallbackontotheball–loweryourselfbackdownundercontrol.

!tricksofthetradeIfindthatpretendingyouareholdingaballinyourhandsandthatyou

are‘throwing’theballoveryourkneeasyoulifthelpsyoutoachievetherightamountofspeedinthismove.

exercise10backextension,armsassist

stability

Thismoveshouldbeperformedverycalmly.Theamountof liftdependsasmuchonthelevelofmobilityinthespineasitdoesonyourstrength.

Start with your feet shoulder width apart (or together if this is morecomfortable). The ball should be on your abdominals rather than ribs. Restyourhandsjustinfrontofthetopoftheball.Liftyourchestofftheballbyusingacombinationoflowerbackstrengthandsomegentleassistancefromthearms. Try to keep the legs in one set position, otherwise bending the knees willcancelouttheextensionyouneedthespinetomovethrough.

!tricksofthetradeI find that I need to give my clients the freedom to have their feet

togetherorapart–itseemstobeacomfort,ratherthanafunctional,issue.

exercise11backextension,handsathead

stabilitystrength

Placingyour hands at the sideof your headmeans that you are now liftingthemup,whichmakestheupperbodyfeelheavier.

Thecorrectstartpositionisachievedbyhavingyourlegsstraightandthetoesfirmly planted into the floor. The ball should be on your abdominals ratherthanribs.Beginthemovefromarelaxedpositionlyingovertheballtoensurethatthefullestrangeofmovementisachieved. This move is as much about the glute muscles as it is about the low backextensors, so as you reach the top of themovement ensure the buttocks aresqueezedtogetherfirmly.

!tricksofthetradeNote: Bending the kneesmight let you get a little bit higher, but it is

cheatingbecausetheglutesandhipflexorsarenolongerfixingthepelvis.With the knees dropped down your start position is forward flexionmeaningthattheextraheightisreallycomingfromthehipsratherthanthespine.

exercise12backextension,armsextended

stabilitystrengthpower

Thecorrectstartpositionisachievedbyhavingyourlegsstraightandthetoesfirmly planted into the floor.Your ball should be touching your abdominalsratherthanribs. To achieve the correct arm position I find it better to have the two handstouchingtogetherasthistendstostopthearms‘waving’around.Extendyourarms then lock them inpositionand lift theupperbodyoff theball.Avoidthetemptationtogainextraheightbybendingthelegs.

!tricksofthetradeIfindasurprisingnumberofclientsholdtheirbreathwhileperforming

this move, so I either ask them to stop doing this or keep them talkingthroughouttheexercise–yousimplycan’tholdyourbreathandtalkatthesametime.

exercise13quadrupedhandraise

stability

Thismovecanreallyenhancemobilityandstabilityintheshouldergirdle.

Thestartpositionisveryrelaxed–mostofyourbodyweightisontheballandyourfingersandtoesareprovidingsomebalance.Liftalternatearmsupinasweepingmovementsothatwhenyoureachthetopofthemovementinyourshoulderyouthenliftthechestofftheball.

!tricksofthetradeKeepyourarmsrelaxedsothatit lookslikeyouarewavingratherthan

punching.

exercise14quadrupedlegraise

stabilitystrength

Liftingyourtoesfromthefloorrequiresbalancesopractisethismovethroughasmallrangeofmotion,thenprogressasyourbalanceimproves.

Themajority of your bodyweight is on the ballwith your fingers and toesprovidingsomebalancepoints.Liftonefoot,keepingthelegstraight.Liftyourfootashighaspossiblewhilemaintainingcontrol.Makesureyouplaceyourfootbackontothefloorbeforeliftingtheoppositeleg.

!tricksofthetradeWhen learning this move I find that letting my clients have their feet

eithertogetheroraparthelpstospeedupthelearningprocess–Idon’twantthemtogiveup,socuttingthemsomeslackmakessense.

exercise15quadrupedhandandlegraise

stabilitystrengthpower

Themajorityofyourbodyweightshouldbeontheball,ratherthanyourhandsandfeet.Theaimistolifttheoppositehandandfootfromtheflooratthesametime.Toachievethis,thinkaboutpushingagainstthehandandthefootthatremainonthegroundratherthanfocusingonthelimbsthatarelifting,asthisenhancesbalanceandwillalsohelpyouachievemorelift.

!tricksofthetradeFor some clients I find the biggest challenge of this move is the

coordination.Practisetherhythmwhilestandingupsowhenyougetontheballitisonelessthingtothinkabout.

exercise16standingRussiantwist,ballagainstwall,feetapart

stability

Standupagainstawall,withtheballplacedbetweenyourshoulders.Walkyourfeetalittlefurtherawayfromthewall,sothatyouareleaningbackslightly, rather than standing upright. Your feet should be slightly apart forbalance.Raiseyourarmstochestheight,keepingthefeetfirmlyplanted,androtatetheupperbodyonewayandthentheother.Dothismoveslowlytobeginwithasyouneedtogetusedtotheballmovingacrossthebackoftheshoulders.

!tricksofthetradeLetthefeetmove–thereisnoneedtokeepthemstucksolidtothefloor.

Ialwayssaythemoveshouldfeel‘fluid’,not‘frozen’.

exercise17standingRussiantwist,ballagainstwall,feettogether

stability

Withyour feet togetheryouwill find that the rangeofmovement is slightlylessthanwhenthefeetareapart(inexercise16).

Standupagainstawall,withtheballplacedbetweenyourshoulders.Walkyourfeetalittlefurtherawayfromthewall,sothatyouareleaningbackslightly,ratherthanstandingupright.Yourfeetshouldbetogether.Raiseyourarmstochestheight,keepingthefeetfirmlyplanted,androtatetheupperbodyonewayandthentheother.Dothismoveslowlytobeginwithasyouneedtogetusedtotheballmovingacrossthebackoftheshoulders.

!tricksofthetradeSqueeze a rolled up towel between your knees if you have trouble

keepingthelowerbodyundercontrolduringthismove.

exercise18Russiantwist,armsacrosschest

stability

Startinastrongbridgeposition,withtheknees,hipsandshouldershorizontaltoeachother.Theupperbackshouldbethecontactpointwiththeball.Withyourarmsacrossyourchest, theobjectof thismove isnot to create ahuge amount of rotation, but rather to twist your body using pure strengthratherthanmomentum. As you rotate, the ball will naturally roll away from the centre of yourshouldersandtowardsyourarms.Moveslowlysothattheeffortissustainedratherthanpunchy.

!tricksofthetradeWhen I demonstrate thismove to clients I often slip in a fake stumble

justsothattheycanseethatIdon’texpectthemtobeabletodothismoveperfectly first time – it also lets them see that personal trainers are onlyhuman.

exercise19Russiantwist,armsraised,feettogether

stabilitystrength

Startinastrongbridgeposition,withtheknees,hipsandshouldershorizontaltoeachother.Theupperbackshouldbethecontactpointwiththeball.Withyourarmsacrossyourchest, theobjectof thismove isnot to create ahuge amount of rotation, but rather to twist your body using pure strengthratherthanmomentum. As you rotate, the ball will naturally move across your shoulders so it isimportanttobalancespeedwithability.Startwithyourarmsinthehighestpositionwiththeaimtomovethemthrougha 90-degree arch one way and then the other. The movement should be asmoothsingleactionratherthan‘punctuated’.

!tricksofthetradeDon’tletyoureyeswander–keepyoureyelineatyourhandsratherthan

anythingfurtheraway.

exercise20Russiantwist,armsraised,feetapart

stabilitystrengthpower

Thismoveisperformedfastandthereforedoesn’talwayslookveryneat.

Startinastrongbridgeposition,withtheknees,hipsandshouldershorizontaltoeachother.Theobjectiveistomaketheballworkreallyhardbeneathyouandthismeansthecontactpointswiththeballwillshiftbetweenyourupperback,shouldersand,ifyoureallyattackit,theoutsideofthearms.Keepyourfeetatleastshoulderwidthapartandbearinmindthattheweightwillbeshiftingbetweenbothfeetratherthanbeingevenlybalanced.Unlike the slowerversionsofRussian twist the feet, knees andhipswill bemovingtogeneratethespeed.Startwithyourarmsinthehighestpositionwiththeaimtomovethemthrougha90-degreearchonewayandthentheother.

!tricksofthetradeThismoveissupposedtobefastandchallengingandeverybodyrollsoff

theballatsomepoint.Ifyoudo,justsitdownonthefloor,reconnectwiththeballandgetstraightbackon.

exercise21lateralroll,ballbehindshoulders

stabilitystrength

ThismoveevolvedfromthepowerversionoftheRussiantwist(exercise20),but theforcecomesfromthe legs rather than the torso,so the technique lookssimilar,butlosestherotation.

Start inthebridgeposition(exercise20)andputthearmsoutintoacrucifixposition.Movetheballbeneathyourshouldersbyshiftingyourbody(theforcetogetyoumovingiscomingfromyourlegs).Whenyoushiftyourbodyfromsidetosideyourarmswillbecomethecontactpointwiththeballandthereforeareloadbearing.Startwith smallmovementsuntilyouhavemasteredholdingyourweight inthisway.

!tricksofthetradeThisisadifficultmovesoIonlygiveittoclientsthatareready.Tohelp

themthroughthefirstfewrepetitionsIkneelbehindtheballtomakesurethatitdoesn’trollaway.Ifyouaretrainingalone,simplyputtheballnearawall.

exercise22plank,armsonball,kneesonfloor

stability

strength

Thisposition isverysubtleand the intensitycanchangebyslightlyshiftingthebodyposition.

Startwithyourbodyatanangleof45degreestothefloor,i.e.astraightlinefrom the shoulder to hips and knees (remember, you should be kneeling onyourknees).Yourforearmsprovidethecontactpointwiththeball.Holdthisposition.Tochangetheintensity,changethedistancebetweenthekneesandtheball–kneesclosertotheballwillmakethismoveeasier,whilemovingyourkneesfurtherawaywillmakeitharder.

!tricksofthetradeThis exercise is often just held in a static position for counts of 30

secondsplus.I,however,prefertomoveinandoutofthepositionandusedeep breathing tomultiply the benefits, so shift yourweight forward andbacksothatyoufeeladistinctdifferencebetweenloadedandunloaded.

exercise23plank,armsonball,fullbody

stabilitystrength

Thismoveisoftenperformedasastaticexercise,however,Iprefertomoveinandoutofthepositionandcounttherepetitionsratherthanjustbeingstill.

Placeyour elbowson theball then lift thekneesoff theground, visualise astraightlinefromtheshouldertohips,kneesandankles.Holdthepositionforasinglelargebreathinandout,thenbendthekneestoreleasetheeffortforamoment,thenrepeat.

!tricksofthetradeWhen my clients go from the kneeling version of this to the harder

straightlegversionImakethemstartwiththeirfeetverywideapart,whichhelpswithbalance.

exercise24plank,armsonball,alternatelegraise

stabilitystrengthpower

Thismoveisoftenperformedasastaticexercise,however,Iprefertomoveinandoutofthepositionandcounttherepetitionsratherthanjustbeingstill.

The start position is a static plank, with your neck is in a neutral position.Visualiseastraightlinerunningthroughtheshoulder,hips,kneesandankles.Breatheandliftonefootandhold. Lifting one foot increases the balance and strength demands, so practisemaintaining good body alignment with a small leg raise, then introduce ahigherlegraise.

!tricksofthetradeTallpeoplecanfindthismovehard.Ifitisn’tworkingforyou,restyour

chestontheballandperfecttheleglift,thenwhenthatfeelsnaturalpickupyourbodyweightagain.

exercise25plank,armsonball,kneetoball

stabilitystrengthpower

Tomake this exercise achievable the armpositiondiffers from thepreviousplankmoves–yourarmsarewiderandyou’llneedtogriptheballwiththem,ratherthanjustrestingthemontop.

The start position is a static plank, with your neck in a neutral position.Visualiseastraightlinerunningthroughtheshoulder,hips,kneesandankles.Bringonekneeatatimetowardstheball,thenlowerbacktothestartposition.Repeatwiththeotherleg.

!tricksofthetradeThesloweryougo,theharderthisis.WhenIdemothisexerciseImake

surethatitdoesn’tlooktooneatsothatmyclientsrealisetheyhavetogo‘bang,bang’andgetitoverwith.

exercise26plank,armsonball,singlesidestep

stabilitystrengthpower

Startwithyourarmsatshoulderwidthandgriptheballwiththem,ratherthanjustrestingthemontop. The start position is a static plank, with your neck in a neutral position.Visualiseastraightlinerunningthroughtheshoulder,hips,kneesandankles. Take a large step to one side, moving one foot at a time then, rather thanreturningtothecentreposition,takealargesteptotheotherside.

!tricksofthetradeIwouldhateforyoutowasteyourtimesomakesurethatyousetatarget

distance to which your feet must travel in every repetition, i.e. 50cmminimum.

exercise27plank,armsonball,twofootsplitjump

stabilitystrengthpower

Lieontheball.Startwithyourarmsatshoulderwidthandgriptheballwiththem,ratherthanjustrestingthemontop.BendyourkneesinwhatIdescribeasa‘ready’position.Jumpthefeetoutandin. Extending the legs to straighten them would put unnecessary stress on theback,sokeepthekneesbentthroughout.

!tricksofthetradeAs thismove is very assertive, to stop the ball getting away fromyou

here’satrickthatreallyworkswell:holdasmalltowelwithbothhandsanditwillhelpgiveyouabettergripofftheball.

exercise28squatagainstwall

stability

Onlyuseasmoothwallandneverdothisagainstadoor.

Positiontheballatthebaseofthespineandleanintotheball,kneesbent.Thisnotonlysecurestheball,butalsogetsyouintoanexcellentpositiontoworktheglutesandhamstringsmorethaninaregularsquat.Squatdownuntiltheballrollsuptoshoulderheight,thenstandup.

!tricksofthetradeIn each of the squat moves squeezing a rolled up towel between the

kneesisgreatformakingthehamstringsandglutesworkharder.

exercise29squatagainstwall,armsraised

stability

Onlyuseasmoothwallandneverdothisagainstadoor.

Positiontheballatthebaseofthespineandleanintotheball,kneesbent.Thisnotonlysecurestheball,butalsogetsyouintoanexcellentpositiontoworktheglutesandhamstringsmorethaninaregularsquat.Raiseyourarmsaboveyousothattheyareinlinewithyourears.Squatdownuntiltheballrollsupbetweenyourshoulders,thenstandup.

!tricksofthetradeAs you really can’t see how you aremoving, I tell clients to keep the

armsliftedsothattheynevercomeintoyourperipheralvision–ifyouseethem,theyaretoolow.

exercise30squatagainstwall,singleleg

stabilitystrength

Onlyuseasmoothwallandneverdo thisagainstadoor.Therealityof thismoveisthatmostofuscannotgetaslowinasinglelegsquataswecanwhenusingbothlegs,sojustacceptthatyouwon’tbegoingdownaslow.

Positiontheballatthebaseofthespineandleanintotheball,kneesbent.Thisnotonlysecurestheball,butalsogetsyouintoanexcellentpositiontoworktheglutesandhamstringsmorethaninaregularsquat.Liftonefootfromthefloorandholditoutinfront.Bendthesupportinglegslowlyandbereadyforthefactthatyouwillnaturallylean tooneside– try toresist thisandkeep themovestraightupanddown,ratherthanshiftingtotheside.Doalltherepetitionsononesidethenchangeleg.

!tricksofthetradeEverybody seems to look at the leg that they are holding out in front

whentheyperformsinglelegsquats,whichmeanstheyenduproundingtheshoulders.Maybeitisbecausetheirpersonaltrainerisalsolookingattheirknee–Ialwayssaytoletmelookattheleg,whiletheyshouldlookstraightahead.

exercise31squatagainstwall,jump

stabilitystrengthpower

Thismove isall about thedepthyoucanachievebyhaving theballbehindyou,ratherthantheheightthatyouwillgetfromthejumpsection.Sayingthat,youwillbesurprisedathowhighyoucangetwiththatextrabitofcontacttheballgivesyou.

Positiontheballatthebaseofthespineandleanintotheball,kneesbent.Thisnotonlysecurestheball,butalsogetsyouintoanexcellentpositiontoworktheglutesandhamstringsmorethaninaregularsquat.Squatdown,pauseforamomentthen,whilemaintainingsomepressureontheball,jumpup.Focusonthelanding,asthemomentyoumakecontactwiththegroundyourmusclesareworkingtodecelerateyouandstopyouendinguponthefloor.

!tricksofthetradeIliketokeeptherepsveryclosetogether,sothinkofthelandingasbeing

areboundratherthanstoppingbetweeneachrepetition.Thinktoyourself:‘Iwanttogetthisoverwithquickly’.

exercise32ballagainstwallplank,kneeraise,kickback

stabilitystrength

Hold the ball against the wall at chest height with your forearms pushingagainstit. Your feet should be far enough from the wall to ensure that you have asufficientpressureontheball.Youcantellifthefeetareinthecorrectpositionbecauseyouwillfeeltheabdominalmusclesengageasyouleanin. Raise one knee towards the ball, then swing the leg back. This dynamicmovementwillencouragethebodytoreactandstabilisewhile thesingle legstancewillencouragestrength.Doalltherepetitionsononesidethenchangetotheotherleg.

!tricksofthetradeIfthereisanymovethatwillhighlightalackofcoordination,thisisit.

Theballaddstothechallenge,soifmyclientscan’tgettherhythmIstartthemoffwiththeirhandsagainstthewallandintroducetheballwhentheyareready.

exercise33ballagainstwall,plank,legswing

stabilitystrength

Hold the ball against the wall at chest height with your forearms pushingagainstit. Your feet should be far enough from the wall to ensure that you have asufficientpressureontheball.Youcantellifthefeetareinthecorrectpositionbecauseyouwillfeeltheabdominalmusclesengageasyouleanin.Liftone legupto theside(abduction) thenswingit infrontof theother leg(adduction).Youwill findthat thebetteryougetat this themoremovementyouwillgetthroughthespineandpelvis.

!tricksofthetradeYouwilldobetteratthismoveifyoudon’tlosefocusontheball–keep

itsquashedagainstthewallthroughoutthemove.

exercise 34 ball against wall, press-up position, knee raise, kickback

stabilitystrength

Hold theballagainst thewallatchestheightwithyourarmsalmoststraightpushingagainstit,ratherthansimplyholdingit. Your feet should be far enough from the wall to ensure that you have asufficientpressureontheball.Youcantellifthefeetareinthecorrectpositionbecauseyouwillfeeltheabdominalmusclesengageasyouleanin.Alsoplaceyourfeetatshoulderwidthtoprepareforwhenyouliftonefoot.Bringonekneeupinfrontandaimtomakecontactwiththeball,thenswingthelegback,extendingthehip.Doalltherepetitionsononesidethenchangelegs.

!tricksofthetradeIf you are training on your own I bet after a few repetitions you are

standingup straightwith hardly anyweight on the ball. I alwaysusemyfootoralineonthefloortokeeptheclient’sfeetintherightplace.

exercise35ballagainstwall,press-upposition,legswing

stabilitystrength

Hold theballagainst thewallatchestheightwithyourarmsalmoststraightpushingagainstit,ratherthansimplyholdingit. Your feet should be far enough from the wall to ensure that you have asufficientpressureontheball.Youcantellifthefeetareinthecorrectpositionbecauseyouwillfeeltheabdominalmusclesengageasyouleanin.Alsoplaceyourfeetatshoulderwidthtoprepareforwhenyouliftonefoot.Onelegswingsouttotheside(abduction)andthenswingsacrossinfrontoftheotherleg.Itistooeasytojustletthelegswing,soensurethatyouaregoingthroughafullrangeofmotion.Doalltherepetitionsononesidethenchangelegs.

!tricksofthetradeIfyoushowme50peopledoingthisexercisetheywillalllookslightly

different, so enjoy it and aim at least to have the same amount of swingfrombothlegs.

exercise36ballagainstwall,press-upposition,sidestep

stabilitystrengthpower

Thismoveisdeceptivelyhard,soincreasethedepthprogressively.

Push the ball against thewall atwaist height, so that you feel that you arereallypushingtheballintothewallratherthansimplyholdingitup.Placeyourfeetatshoulderwidthtoprepareforwhenyouliftonefoot.Stepoutand load the leg, thenstepacross thecentre lineof thebody– it isperfectly fine topivot thesupporting foot rather thankeeping it fixedon thefloor.Doalltherepetitionsononesidethenchangelegs.

!tricksofthetradeIfyoudon’tsetatargetbythefourthorfifthrepyourstepswillbetiny.I

alwaysset thestridewidth target toat least50cm– ifmyclient is tall, itwillbeasmuchas100cm.

exercise37ballagainstwall,press-upposition,twofootjump

stabilitystrengthpower

Thismoveisdeceptivelyhard,soincreasethedepthprogressively.

Push the ball against thewall atwaist height, so that you feel that you arereallypushingtheballintothewallratherthansimplyholdingitup.Placeyourfeetatshoulderwidthtoprepare.Whilepressingtheballhardagainstthewalljumpyourfeetoutandin.Don’tfeelyouneedtopushyourheelsintothefloor–beingontheballsofthefeetwillgivethemoveamuchmoreaggressivedynamicfeel.

!tricksofthetradeSomemoveshavethepotentialtobecomeveryrandom–withthisoneif

I think a client is just all over theplace, I put a rolledup towel betweentheirkneesandmakethemjumpwithoutdroppingit,whichalwayscalmsthingsdown(andtakesthesmileofftheirface).

exercise 38 ball against wall, press-up position, high impact run-push

stabilitystrengthpower

You can create a number of different ‘feels’ to this move by changing theheight that you hold the ball at – hold it low and you will feel it in theabdominals, hold it higher to feel more muscle activity in the chest andshoulders.Pushtheballagainstthewall,sothatyoufeelthatyouarereallypushingtheballintothewallratherthansimplyholdingitup.Placeyourfeetatshoulderwidthtoprepare.Standingontheballsofthefeetpresstheballhardintothewallthenrun.

!tricksofthetradeHonestly,ifyoucandothisformorethan1minute,youareasuperhero!

Iliketotellmyclientsthatwhentheydothismoveflatouttheyaregoingfasterthananytreadmill,sobehappyifyoulast45seconds.

exercise39press-up,handsonfloor,ballatknees

stabilitystrength

Youwill often find in this position that youcannotget the sameamountofdepthinthepress-upthatcanbeachievedwhentheballisfurtherawayfromthehands.Justacceptthis,asthisisthewaytheshouldersmove.

Lie prone (face down) on the ball, starting frombehind the ball and rollingoverthetopuntilyourkneesarethemaincontactpoint.Placeyourhandsatshoulderwidthandbendthearmstoperformapress-up.Lettheentirebodypivotontheballratherthansimplyhingingfromthewaist.

!tricksofthetradeThismoveishardatbothendsofthebody.Tomakeitmoreachievable

fornewclientsIwillput theirhandsonastepso that theirupperbodyishigheratthestartofthemove–thisreallyhelpswithbuildingconfidencetobendtheelbows.

exercise40press-up,handsonfloor,ballatshins

stability

strength

For this press up lowering the body so that you have an approximately 90-degreebendattheelbowsisthetargetforagoodrangeofmotion.Ifyouexceedthis, youwill find that the challengecomesmore from lackofmobility in theshouldersratherthanstrength.

Lie prone (face down) on the ball, starting frombehind the ball and rollingoverthetopuntilyourshinsarethemaincontactpoint.Placeyourhandsatshoulderwidthandbendthearmstoperformapress-up.Lettheentirebodypivotontheballratherthansimplyhingingfromthewaist.

!tricksofthetradeThismovefallsapartifyouliftyourheadup.Igetmyclientstovisualise

a line drawn between their two thumbs and to keep looking at thatthroughoutthisexercise.

exercise41press-up,handsonfloor,ballatfeet

stability

strength

Lie prone (face down) on the ball, starting frombehind the ball and rollingoverthetopuntilyourfeetarethemaincontactpoint.Keepyourlegsstraight.Becausethehandsandfeetaresuchadistancefromeachother,stabilisingtheballbecomesthefirstchallenge. Place your hands at shoulder width and, once you have gained composure,bendthearmstoperformapress-up.Lettheentirebodypivotontheballratherthansimplyhingingfromthewaist. As soon as your upper body drops below the feet this move becomes achallenge,sobuildupyourrangeofmotionasyouincreaseyourconfidence.

!tricksofthetradeLet theballmoveand,unlessyouare superhuman, thebestpartof the

foottohaveincontactwiththeballisthetopofyourfootratherthanyourtoes.

exercise42press-up,handsonball,kneesonfloor

stability

Kneelingandfacingtheballgripthesectionoftheballinfrontofyou,ratherthanontopoftheball.Setthebodypositionsothatthereisastraightlinefromtheshouldertohipsand knees, then bend the elbows to perform the press-up, maintaining thestraightbodypositionthroughoutthemovement.

!tricksofthetradeNewclientsalwaysthinktheyhavetotouchtheballwiththeirheadon

thisone.Justbendthearmsto90degrees,thankyou,andleavetheheadingtofootballers!

exercise43press-up,handsonball,fullbody,feetapart

stabilitystrength

Griptheballwithyourhandsatshoulderwidthandstepyourfeetapart.Thewider your foot position, the easier the presswill be, as you are effectivelyshorteningthedistancebetweenthetwocontactpointsoftheballandfloor.Setyourbodypositionsothereisastraightlinefromyourshoulderstoknees,andbendyourelbowswiththeaimoftouchingyourchesttotheball–don’t,however,‘bounce’yourchestontheball;useyourstrength,notrecoil.

!tricksofthetradeThegoalistoeventuallybeabletodogreatpress-ups,andifthatmeans

you need to bend your knees a little to start with, just do it. The art ofkeepingpeoplemotivatedisknowingwhentocompromiseandwhenit isrighttopushthemhard.

exercise44press-up,handsonball,feettogether

stabilitystrength

Griptheballwithyourhandsatshoulderwidthapart.Setyourbodypositionsothatthereisalinefromyourshouldersthroughyourhips anddown to your knees.Maintain this position as youbendyour armsuntilyourchesttouchestheball.Pressbackupusingstrengthratherthanbuildingupmomentumandbouncingofftheball.

!tricksofthetradeThis reallyworks– rather thanpushing into theball asyougoup and

down,trytosqueezethehandstogether.Ifyougetitrightitwillfeellikeyouarehugginganinvisibleperson.

exercise45pike,feetonball,handsonfloor

stabilitystrength

Lieprone(facedown)ontheballwithyourhandsoutinfront.Walkyourhandsforwarduntilthecontactpointwiththeballisthetopofyourthighs.Placeyourhandsonthefloor.Whilekeepingyourarmsstraight,liftyourhipsupsothatyourbodyformsatrianglewiththefloor(theballwillhaverolledfromthethighstotheshins).Slowlyreversetheactionandrepeat.

!tricksofthetradeEverybody tries to do this using just their leg strength – the eureka

momentformyclientsiswhentheyworkfromtheshouldersandchestaswellasthelegs.

exercise46bridge,balltouchingupperback,kneesverybent

stability

Startby leaningagainst theballwith itbetweenyour shoulderblades– thiscontactpointstaysthesamethroughoutthemove.Keepingyourkneesbentliftthehipsupsothatatthetopofthemovementthekneesareat90degrees.Trytomakeitsothat theballstaysstillandthebodyismoving,ratherthanlettingtheballrollawayfromitsstartposition.

!tricksofthetradePeoplethinktheyneedtolookneatwhentheydothismovesotheytuck

theirhandsintotheirsides.Itismuchbettertoletthehandshangdowntothefloor,asifyouarestrugglingwithbalance,thiswillhelp.

exercise47bridge,balltouchingupperback,legsextended

stabilitystrength

Startwiththeballbetweenyourshouldersthenstepyourfeetawayfromtheball – don’t just straighten the legs completely because you will just befightingtostayontheball.Keepyourkneesslightlybentandusebothheelsasthecontactpoint.Your armsmakeabigdifference tobalanceon thismove, sowhileyouarelearningholdyourarmsouttoassistbalance.Ultimately,though,youshouldaimtohavethemclosertothebody.

!tricksofthetradeNomatterhowwellIteachit,thismoveconfusessomeclientsbecause

theycan’tworkoutwhichmusclesaremakingthingshappen.Thebestwayto overcome this is to focus on everything that is ‘behind you’, so yourhamstrings and glutes are the prime movers and everything else is thesupportact.

exercise48bridge,lyingonfloor,kneesverybent,armswide

stabilitystrength

Formanypeoplethismoveproducesalotofmovementfromtheball,whichisagoodthingbecausemovementoftheballishighlyproductiveandshouldbeencouraged.

Placeyourheelsontheball,notrightontop,butclose.

Withyourpalmsdownpressyourhandsagainstthefloor.Then,usingyourlegsandglutes,liftyourhipsfromtheground.

!tricksofthetradeI find thisexercisecan lookuntidybecauseat the topof themoveyou

areonlymakingcontactwith theheelsandbackof theshouldersand thechancesaretheballwillbewobbling.Toovercomethisdon’t thinkabouttheball–justfocusonkeepingastraightlinefromthechindownthroughtheribstothepelvis.

exercise49bridge,lyingonfloor,legsnearstraight,armswide

stabilitystrength

Thereisalwaysthetemptationwiththismovetogettothetopthenjustgiveup – don’t: lower the body back down to the groundwith control.A positivebyproductofthismoveisthatyougetalotofmuscleactivityintheupperbody,asitstrugglestocombattheball’sdesiretorollawaywhenyouliftthehips.

Placeyourheelsnearlyonthetopoftheball,thenliftyourhipsfromthefloor.ThearmsremainstretchedoutwidethroughouttheexercisesothebodyformstheshapeofacrossTheultimateposition is tomaintaina straight line fromyourankles toyourlowerribs.

!tricksofthetradeThereasonthearmsarewideistohelpwithbalance,butyoucanaddto

muscleactivitybyplacingyourpalmsflatandpressingreallyhardagainstthefloor.

exercise50bridge,lyingonfloor,kneesverybent,armsbyside

stabilitystrength

Nothavingthearmswideseemslikeasubtlechangetothismovement,butitsignificantlyincreasestheneedforbalance.

Placeyourheelsnearlyonthetopoftheball,keepingyourkneesbent.Withyourpalmsdownpressthehandsagainstthefloor,thehandsstayonthefloor throughout but avoid using them to push up, they are simply there toassistbalance,orforanaddedchallengeliftthehandsoffthefloorasshownabove.Pressyourfeetagainsttheballandliftyourhipsofftheground,liftashighasyoucanthen,lowerbackdowntothefloor

!tricksofthetradeI find that thisexercisecan lookuntidybecauseat the topof themove

you are only making contact with the heels on the ball and back of theshoulderson the floor and thechancesare theballwillbewobbling.Butpersevere with it – the trick is to try and push the ball away from you

slightlyaswellasliftingthehipsstraightup.Builduptherangeofmotiongradually–it’sallaboutquality.

exercise51bridge,lyingonfloor,legsnearstraight,nohands

stabilitystrength

Whenyoudothismovefor thefirst timeyouwillfindthatyouwant touseyourhands,butavoidusingthembykeepingtherangeofmovementsmalluntilyouhavebuiltupyourbalanceandmusclecontrol.

Placeyourheelsnearthetopoftheball(yourhead,shouldersandheelswillbe the only contact pointswhen you have lifted). Your arms and hands areliftedoffthefloorandremainclosetoyoursides.Liftupyourhipsuntilyouultimatelyhaveastraightlinefromtheanklestothebaseoftheribs.Lowerdownundercontrol–itistemptingtojustletgo,butthismoveisallaboutquality,notdrama.

!tricksofthetradeIfindthatclientswholiftupslowlydon’treallyfeelmuchhappening,so

thereisonlyonethingforit:don’tjustlift,butthrust.

gymballstretches

IhavetwodifferentmodeswhenIstretch:

1IfIamactivelytryingtoincreasemyflexibility(stretchmode),Iamgoingtotake the position to the point of discomfort, hold it then keep going a littlefurther.

2 When I am chilled out (relax mode), I just get into positions that arecomfortableandenjoythemoment.

The following stretches are a combination of both. There are many otherstretchesthatyoucanusewiththeball,butIfindthatmanyofthemincorporatetheballforthesakeofit,andthatyouareoftenbetteroffdoingasimilarstretchonthefloor.Thisselectionusestheballtoenhancethestretch,ratherthanjustusingitasanaccessory.Whendoinganyof theworkoutsIsuggestusingallof thesestretchesat the

endofthesession.Therearetwoversionsofthecheststretchandtwoversionsofthedowndog–choosejustoneofeach.

exercise52cheststretch,lyingonback

Performthisstretchinrelaxmode.Restyourshouldersandheadontheball,reachyourarmsouttothesideandlettheweightinstigateastretchthroughyourchest,deltoidsanddeepintotheribs.Tomakethisstretcheffectiveitisimportanttopositionyourselfontheballsothatyouhavelotsofcontrol.Thiswayyouwillbeabletorelaxintothestretchratherthanfightingagainstbalanceissues.Foraddedeffecttrytakingsomedeepbreaths.Holdthispositionforatleast20secondsorpreferablylonger.

!tricksofthetradeWepersonaltrainersalwaysliketolookbusy,butIavoidtryingtohelp

clientsonthismovebystretchingtheirarmsback.Therangeofmovementislimitedbythejoints,notbytightmuscles.

exercise53cheststretch,onehandonball

Performthisstretchinstretchmode.

Positiontheballtoonesideandplacethearmyouwishtostretchontopofit.Gentlyleantowardstheball.Indoingsoyouwillfeelastretchthroughyourchestandshoulders.Eitherrollinandoutofthestretchforagentledynamicstretchorsimplyholdthepositionfor20secondsforastaticstretch.

!tricksofthetradeShoulder joints andmuscles are not like hinges on a door, rather they

moveinmultipledirections,sopushtheballaroundinsmallcircles,whichhelpstoreallyloosenupthroughtheshoulderandchest.

exercise54downdog,kneesonfloor

Performthisstretchinrelaxmode.Kneelbehindtheballandplaceyourhandsfirmlyinfrontofyou,ratherthanontopoftheball.Pushyourhipsbackwardandletyourheadfallthroughyourarmsandtowardsthefloor.Whenyoureachthepointthatyoufeelthestretchworkingholdthepositionandtakesomedeepbreaths,whichwillintensifythestretch.

!tricksofthetradeAstretchissupposedtobeatimeofrelaxationaswellasactionsoifyou

struggletokeeptheballstillsimplystopitmovingbyputtingitagainstawallsothatyoucanconcentrateonyourmusclesratherthantheball.

exercise55downdog,standing,handsonball

Performthisstretchinstretchmode.Kneelbehindtheballandplaceyourhandsontheball,slightlytowardsyouratherthanontop.Applypressuretotheballandstraightenyourlegsuntilyourheelstouchtheground (while this is a normal range of motion for many people, tight calfmusclesmakethisachallengesoacceptthatyoumayneedtobuilduptothefullrange).Withyour armsand legs straight, letyourheadhangbetweenyour arms.Agood visualisation is that you are forming an inverted ‘V’ shape with yourbody.Breathedeepandeitherholdthepositionormoveinandoutoftheposture.

!tricksofthetradePatience,patience,patience.This isa fabulous stretchbut someofyou

will find it a challenge to keep the arms and legs straight – persevere, itreallyisworthit.

exercise56hipflexor

This movement is great because the hip flexors are made up of multiplemusclesandthereforerespondbettertothevariouspositions.

PerformthisstretchinstretchmodePlacetheballnexttoyousothatyoucanleanintoitandmoveinandoutofthestretch.Iftheballisonyourleftthentaketheleftlegback.Ensurethekneeofyourfrontlegstaysbehindtheankle.Thiswillencourageadeepermoresatisfyingstretchinthehamstringonthefrontlegandaverytargetedstretchinthehipflexorsofyourrearleg.

!tricksofthetradeThe ball really changes this stretch for many people from being

something they strugglewith into an enjoyable, productive stretch. Someclientsevengoasfarassayingitfeelsnice.Iftheydo,itisprobablytimetoextendtheirbacklegmore.

exercise57fullbodysupine

Thisstretchcouldbemistakenformerely‘lying’ontheball,howeveritdoesactuallyrequireagoodlevelofbalanceandcoordination,especially ifyouareveryrelaxedwithyoureyesclosed.

You can control what muscles are stretched specifically by applying subtlepressurethroughthefeet.Supportyourheadwiththeball.Theperfectscenarioisthatyouneedtofeelyour bodyweight being taken by the ball, rather than your feet. This takestime,buteventuallyyoucanreachthepointthatitfeelslikeyouarefloatingontheball.

!tricksofthetradeThisfeelssogoodthatIwanteverybodytobeabletoenjoyit,soifyour

balanceispoor,putyourtoesagainstawallandyouwillfeelasifyouhavesuddenlyswitchediton.

gymballmoveswithdumbbellsWhenusingagymballanddumbbellstogethertherealityisthatyouhaveto

treattheeffectsoftheweightsdifferentlythanifyouweredoingthesamemoveson a solid bench. The rules that apply when mixing weights and a ball aresimple:

Checkthatyourbodyweightandthedumbbellscombineddonotexceedthemaximumcapacityoftheball.Ensure thatwith the selectedweight you can get on and off the ball safely,evenwhenyouaretired.

Finally, consider using less weight on the ball than you would on a bench(approximately 10–20 per cent less then youwould use on a solid surface).The aimwhen using the ball is formore subtle effects thanwe get using abench.Aballisnottheplacetothinkaboutliftingyourmaximumweights.

gettingonandofftheballwithweightsHavingcoachedandobservedmanythousandsofpeopleusingaballand

weightstogetherIhavedevelopedastandardapproachtogettingonandofftheballthatinvolvestheminimumoffuss.

Iftheexerciseistobeperformedinthesupineposition(face-up),Isitontheballandpickuptheweightsbeforegettingintothestartpositionoftheexercise.Iftheexerciseistobeperformedintheproneposition(facedown),Iwillplacetheweightswithineasyreach,lieontheballinthestartpositionandthenpickupthedumbbells.

exercise58chestpress,feetapart

stabilitystrength

Startwiththeballbetweenyourshouldersandyourlegsandtorsoinabridgeposition.Beginwith theweights in theuppositionso thatyourarmsarestraight, theweightsareaboveyourchestratherthanhead. The wide foot position will not only assist you slightly with the balancechallenge,butitalsoencouragesthemusclesinthepelvicfloortowork.Lowertheweightsuntiltheyreachchestheightthenpressthembackuptothestartposition.

!tricksofthetradeAssoonasyoustartmovingyourarmsyouwillforgetaboutyourlegs.

Imagine you have a glass ofwater resting on your tummy – if you dropyourhips,thewaterwillspill.

exercise59chestpress,feettogether

stabilitystrength

Beginwiththeballbetweenyourshouldersandyourlegsandtorsoinabridgeposition(aimforastraightlinefromshouldersthroughtoankles).Havingthefeettogethermakesthebridgepositionmorechallengingfromthestart,soifyoudofeellikeyouarelosingcontrol,simplydropthehipstothefloor,regaincontrolandstartagain.Startwiththeweightsintheuppositionsothatyourarmsarestraight,lowerthemuntiltheyreachchestheight,thenpushthemupagainreadyforthenextrepetition.

!tricksofthetradeYoushouldbesqueezingyourglutemusclestightlyduringthisexercise.

exercise60chestpress,alternatearms,feetapart

stabilitystrength

Withallalternatingarmmovesthereisanaturalprogressionfrommovingonearmatatime(apunchingaction)tohavingbotharmsmovingatthesametime(a sawing action). The rest of the technique should stay the same with theadditionofthesawingmovementcausingmoreactivitywithinthecore.

Beginwiththeballbetweenyourshouldersandyourlegsandtorsoinabridgeposition(aimforastraightlinefromshouldersthroughtoankles). Having your feet apart will help you with the balance challenge, however,whenyoupresswith just one armyouwill feel themuscles of the oppositeinnerthighworkinghard–thisisgood. Starting with the weights in the up position so that your arms are straight,lower one weight. As you reach the maximum range of motion from theshoulder,rollyourbodyweightontheballtowardsthesameside.Presstheweightbackupatthesametimeasrollingyourbodybackintothestartpositionandrepeatwiththeotherside.

!tricksofthetradeI always like to progressmy clients in stages, somake sure you have

perfectedthesinglearmactionbeforeprogressingtothedoublearmmove.

exercise61chestpress,alternatearms,feettogether

stabilitystrength

Beginwiththeballbetweenyourshouldersandyourlegsandtorsoinabridgeposition(aimforastraightlinefromshouldersthroughtoankles).Havingyourfeet togethermeansassoonasyoumovetheweightyourbodywillwanttomoveawayfromthe‘centreline’.Thisisfine,however,youneedtotakecontrolofthemovementratherthanlettingtheballtakeyouwhereitwants.Startwiththedumbbellsintheuppositionsothatyourarmsarestraightthenloweronedownandpressitupagainbeforemovingtheother.

!tricksofthetradeIfyouonlyhavealimitedrangeofweightsavailabletousebutwantto

enhancethechallenge, trythismovewithyoueyesclosed–itmakesyoufeelasifsomebodyswitchedoffyourcoordination.

exercise62dumbbellfly

stabilitystrength

Therearelotsofvariablesthatcanbeappliedtothedumbbellflymove,mostvery subtle. You can shift the contact points slightly and move the weightsthrough a slightly different plane of motion, however, the principles of themovementstaythesame.

Thecontactpointwiththeballisjustbelowyourscapular(shoulderblades)–thisensuresthatyourbodyweightisnotrestrictingthefreemovementofthesejoints.Makesureyourfeetareflatonthefloorandyourkneesarebent toa90-degreeangle.Startwiththeweightsintheuppositionsothatyourarmsarestraight.Openthe arms to perform the fly movement (i.e. arms straight out to the side atshoulderheight). The critical point is at the bottom of the move – you need to smoothlytransition from the down to up phase.There is a temptation to bounce yourbodyweightagainsttheballatthispoint,butavoidthisifyoucan.

!tricksofthetradeAs youmay not be using the heaviest weight that you can copewith,

slightlyalterthelineofeacharmrep.

exercise63dumbbellfly,toeslifted

stabilitystrengthpower

Thereasonforliftingthetoesistocreatemoremuscleactivationthroughouttheentirebody,whichoccursbecauseyouareworkingonthesmallestpossiblecontact point. When you first attempt this move you will be aware of asignificant amount ofmuscle activity in the hamstrings, glutes and adductors,whichissomethingyouwouldnevergetwhenperformingaflyonabench.

Thecontactpointwiththeballisjustbelowyourscapular(shoulderblades)–thisensuresthatyourbodyweightisnotrestrictingthefreemovementofthemovingjoints.Inthestartposition,yourfeetbeginflatonthefloorandasyoulifttheweightsaboveyouliftyourtoesoffthefloorsothatyouarerestingjustonyourheels(trytomaintainthispositionuntilyouhavedonethelastrepetition).Startwith theweights in theuppositionso thatyourarmsarestraight,openthe arms to perform the fly movement (i.e. arms straight out to the side atshoulderheight).Lowertheweightsundercontrolandthenworkagainst theresistanceonthewaybackup.

!tricksofthetradeThismovelookssoinnocentuntilyoutryit.Whentheclient’sbalanceis

all over the place, you can quickly fix this by asking them to squeeze atowelbetweentheirknees.

exercise64bentoverfly,sittingonfrontofball

stabilitystrength

There are a number of variables that can be changed to create differentversions of this move, however, they are subtle and therefore can beexperimentedwithonceyouhavehavemasteredthisclassicversion.

Sitonthefrontoftheball,kneesbentcomfortably.Bendoverfromthehips.Holdthedumbbellswitharmsstraight.Theweightswilleitherbeinlinewithyourfeetorjustbehindthem(yourflexibilitygovernsthis;ifyouareflexibleyouwillnormallybeabletoextendthefeetfurtherinfrontofyou).Startbyhavingyourshoulders rounded toenableyou to retract thescapularthrough its fullest rangeofmotion against resistance.Raise theweights in asmootharc,breathingoutontheliftandthensmoothlyreturnthemtothestartposition.

!tricksofthetradeWhen Iworkwith clients I try to only change one variable at a time,

whichcouldbechangingyourpositionontheball(toporfront),changingthepositionofyourfeet(forwardorback)andalteringtheplaneofmotionthattheweightstravelthrough(straightuporslightlyforwardandback).

exercise65flywithsit-up

stabilitystrengthpower

It is really important not to get carried away with this move and to keepcontactwiththeballatalltimes–ifyoulosecontact,itmayrollawayfromyouwhenyousitbackdown.

Thecontactpointwiththeballisjustbelowyourscapular(shoulderblades)–thisensuresthatyourbodyweightisnotrestrictingthefreemovementofthesejoints. Place your feet shoulder width apart, then for the first repetition lower theweightoutwardsinaflymotion.Onthewaybackupswiftlybringtheweightsforwardsandsitupatthesame

time,youwillnowbesatupwithyourarms infrontofyou(similar toas ifyouwereabouttodiveintoaswimmingpool).Reversethemovebyrollingbackontotheball.

!tricksofthetradeIalwaysgetclientstopractisethismovewithouttheweightsbeforethey

tryitwithlumpsofmetalintheirhands.

exercise66reversefly,weightsinfrontofball

stabilitystrength

Practisethismovewithouttheweightsfirst,sothatyougetagoodfeelfortherangeofmovementthatcouldbeachievedwhenholdingtheweights.Learnit,thenworkit.

Thecorrectstartpositionisimportantwiththismove:aimtohavethecontactpoint with the ball on your abdominals rather than on the ribs, as this willenableyoutomovefreelyduringtheexercise.Placetheweightinfrontoftheballandgetyourself intoacomfortablestartposition.Yourtoesarethecontactpointwiththefloorandyourfeetshouldbehipwidth

apart.Hold theweights and extendyour backuntil your arms are straight and theweightsareliftedfromthefloor.Witha flymovement, lift thearmsoutandupandcontinue liftinguntilyouhavefullyretractedthescapular.Lowertheweightsbackdownundercontrolratherthanjustlettingthemgo.

!tricksofthetradeEvenrelativelystrongpeoplecanbeweakthroughthisplaneofmotion,

sotoavoidembarrassmentIstartclientswithalighterweightthanusual–it’salwaysbettertobeablesay,‘Let’sgoheavier’,ratherthan,‘Ohdear–thatistooheavy’.

exercise67pullover,dumbbellfullrange

stabilitystrength

Depending upon your height, theweight of your arms alonemay challengeyou while performing this move, so I always have people practise this movewithoutweightsbeforeaddingtheextrachallengeofresistance.

Thecontactpointwiththeballisjustbelowyourscapular(shoulderblades)–this ensures that your body weight is not restricting the free movement ofmovingjoints.Startwiththeweightsintheuppositionsothatyourarmsarestraightandyourfeetarehipwidthapart.Keepingtheweightsclosetogether,butnottouching,lowerthemtowardsthefloorbehindyourheadthroughasmootharc.Whenyoureachthelimitationofyourrange,yourhipsmightliftslightly,whichisfine.Using your chest, shoulders and abdominals lift theweights back up to thestartposition.

!tricksofthetradeAnoptionwiththismoveistoperformitwithasingleweightratherthan

apair,however,Ipersonallylikethefactthatwithtwoweightthehandsarenotlockedtogetherandthereforemoremuscleactivityhastooccur.

exercise68pullover,dumbbellfullrange,sit-up

stabilitystrengthpower

Practisethismovewithouttheweights,andwhenyoufeelyouhavemastered

thecoordination,addtheweights.

Startwithyourbodyinabridgeposition,withthecontactpointwiththeballinthemiddleofyourspine,ratherthanpressingontheshoulderblades.Hold theweights aboveyouand for the first repetition lower thedumbbellsbehindyouinasmootharc.Then,whenyoureach thebottomof themovement,speed theactionupandaimfor theweight togobetweenthe legsandtowards theball,butdon’thittheball!Makesurethatyoukeepcontactwiththeballatalltimesinthemiddleofyourspine.Asyoudeceleratetheweightsreversethemovementandrollbackdownontotheball,goingthroughthesamearcmovement.

!tricksofthetradeEvenasmallweightcanbuildupalotofmomentumduringthisexercise

andsmashingweightsintothefloorisnotcool.Makesureyourhandsaredrybeforeyoustartthisexercise–dumbbellsflyingacrossaroomisneverfunny.

3trainingwithagymball

howtousethegymballtrainingsessionsAs people becomemore experienced in trainingwith a gym ball there is a

temptationtoforegoaformaltrainingplanandworkthroughasessiontrainingbodypartsrandomly.Thiscanbeeffective,buthumannaturedictatesthat,giventhe opportunity,weoften endup focusing on the partswe like towork ratherthanthepartsweneedtowork.The training sessions in this section follow the S.A.F.E. philosophy of

progressionandaredivided into the threebasic facetsof thissystem:stability,strength and power. They are sequenced in such a way that if you were anabsolute beginner when you started, you should have at least 18 months ofprogressive exercise experience before you perform the hardest session. So, anovicewouldfirstattemptthe15minutestabilitysessionfollowed,whenready,bythe30minuteandthen45minutesessions.Thisprocesscouldtakethreetosix months. When the stability sessions have been mastered and no longerpresentasignificantchallenge,the15minutestrengthsessioncanbeattemptedfollowed, when ready, by the 30 and 45 minute sessions; again, this processcouldtakethreetosixmonths.Havingdevelopedstabilityandstrengthoverthislengthoftimethebodywillbewellpreparedtoprogresstothepowersessions,

whichfollowthesamelogicalprogressions.Note:Thetimingsareapproximateandincludeashortwarm-upandstretchingattheendofthesession.The reality is, of course, that many people are not complete beginners, so

Table2givesyouanideaofwheretostartdependinguponyourexperienceandphysicalability.

Table3Assessingwhichtrainingsessiontobeginwith

thewarm-upBefore you start any of theworkouts, you need to do awarm-up. This can

vary depending uponwhere you are – in a gym youmight choose to use thecardio equipment (treadmill, rower, cross trainer) to get ready. This is fine,however, I find themosteffectivewarm-up isone that specificallymimics thework that is just about to be done, so I like to prepare by going throughmovements that feature in the actualworkout,e.g. full range versions of lightsquats, rotationand shouldermovements, alongwith some temperature-raisingactivitysuchasjoggingonthespot.

post-workoutstretchIntheworldoffitnesswehabituallystretchattheendofourworkoutsessions

when themuscles are stillwarm.However,muscleswill also be fatigued andtherefore not particularly receptive to being stretched.The reality is thatmostpeoplejustwanttogetoutofthedoorwhentheyhavefinishedtheworksection,andtheyviewstretchingassomethingthatdelaystheirshower,soIliketodothe

essentialstretchesjustaftertheworkoutthenmaketimewhenlessfatiguedtodosomemorequality,focusedflexibilitywork.Theeffectsofstretchingarecumulativesodon’texpectmiraclesthefirsttime,

or if you really struggle tomake time for them, remember that the reason forwarmingupand stretching at the endof every session is to reduce the riskofinjury. So,make a habit of incorporating stretching into yourworkout, or riskpaying for the privilege of a physiotherapist telling you the same thing in thefuture.Youshouldcompletethefollowingessentialstretchesattheendofeverygym

ballsession(seebelow).Holdeachof thestretchesforat least20secondsandtrytorelaxandenjoythem.

Stretch1lowerleg

Stretch2frontandrearupperleg

Stretch3chest

Stretch4upperback

Stretch5shoulders

stabilityworkoutsessions

strengthworkoutsessions

powerworkoutsessions

andfinally…

Thegymballhas inaveryshort time,gone frombeingsomething that fewpeoplehadeverusedtobeingoneofthemostpopularitemsoffitnessequipmentfor home and gymnasiums. The possibilities are endless, and no matter whatyourgoals,agymballcanplayasignificantpartinhelpingyoutoachievethem.Whetheryouareapersonaltrainer,sportspersonorfitnessenthusiast,Ihope

youarenowfullyequippedtogetthemostoutofthevaluabletimeyouspenddoing exercise with your gym ball, a most versatile and dynamic piece ofequipment.AllIaskisthatyouusealltheinformationIhavegiveninthisbookandmake it part of an integratedhealth and fitness-driven lifestyle.Mymanythousands of hours spent in gymnasiums, health clubs, sport fields and withpersonaltrainingclientshastaughtmethat,giventhechance,peopleliketodothethingstheyarealreadygoodat.Sobeforeyoureachyourmaximumpotentialtrainingwithagymball,thesmartonesamongyouwillbelookingtointroducenewchallengeswithdifferentequipmentlikedumbbells,barbells,medicineballsorsuspensiontraining,aswellasnewchallengesforcardiovascularfitnessandflexibility.AsapersonaltrainerIknowthatIhaveagreaterthanaverageinterestinthe

human body and the effects of exercise, partly because it is my passion andpartlybecause it ismy job. I also recognise that in thebusyworldwe live in,expecting thesame levelof interestanddedicationfromclients towardshealthand exercise is unrealistic, so forme the best personal trainers are thosewhohelp clients to integrate exercise into everyday life rather than allow it todominate.The body is an amazing thing and responds to exercise by adapting and

improving theway that it functions.Exercise is not all about pain, challengesand hard work, rather it is about making sure that in the long term your lifeincludestheelementsthathavethegreatestaffect.Istronglybelievethateveryminuteyouinvestinexercisepaysyoubackwithinterest,andthatit’sallaboutfinding the right balance, which in a book about exercising with balls thatimprovebalanceisagoodthoughttoendon.Findingthatbalanceisdifferentforallofus,butIthinkyoucan’tgofarwrongifyoutrainforstability,strengthandmaybepower.Walkandrun,eathealthilyanddrinkwater.Findtimetorelaxandstretch,butaboveallremember:ifyoueverfindyourselflackinginmotivation,

thebestadviceIcangiveanybodywantingtofeelmorehealthyisthatifyou’removing,you’reimproving.

fitnessglossary

Asapersoninterestedinhealthandfitnessthereisnoneedtosoundlikeyouhave swallowed a textbook for breakfast. Yes, you need to understand howthingswork,but I feel there ismoreskill inbeingable toexplaincomplicatedsubjects in simple language rather than simply memorising a textbook. Thefollowing glossary sets out to explain the key words and phrases that, for apersoninterestedinthebody,areusefultoknowandwillhelpyougetthemostoutofthisbook,especiallythetrainingsection.

AbdominalsThenamegiventothegroupofmusclesthatmakeupthefrontofthetorso,alsoknownas‘theabs’.

Abduction The opposite of adduction (see below). The term the medicalprofessionuses todescribeanymovementofa limbawayfromthemidlineofthebody.So, if you raiseyour armup to the side, thatwouldbedescribedas‘abductionoftheshoulder’.

AccelerationTheoppositeofdeceleration(seebelow).Thespeedatwhichamovement increases fromstart to finish.Whenusingweights, accelerating theweightwhenmovingitataconstantspeedreallyaddstothechallenge.

Adduction The opposite of abduction (see above). The term the medicalprofessionuses to describe anymovement of a limb across themidline of thebody.So,ifyoucrossyourlegsthatwouldbe‘adductionofthehip’.

AerobicTheoppositeofanaerobic(seebelow).Thewordinventedin1968byDrKennethCooper todescribe theprocess inourbodywhenweareworking‘withoxygen’.Whilethetermisnowassociatedwiththedance-basedexercisetomusic(ETM),theoriginalaerobicexercisesthatCoopermeasuredwerecrosscountry running, skiing, swimming, running, cycling and walking. Generallymostpeopleconsideractivityup to80percentofmaximumheart rate(MHR,seebelow)tobeaerobicandbeyondthattobeanaerobic.

AgeTheeffectsofexercisechangethroughoutlife.Withstrengthtraininginparticularagewillinfluencetheoutcome.Asyoureachapproximatelytheageof

40,maintaininganddevelopingleanmusclemassbecomesharderand, infact,thebodystartstoloseleanmassasanaturalpartoftheageingprocess.Thiscanbecombatedsomewhatwithcloseattentiontodietandexercise.Attheotherendofthescaleasensibleapproachisrequiredwhenintroducingveryyoungpeopletotrainingwithweights.Personally I don’t like to see children participating in very heavy weight

training,asitshouldnotbepursuedbyboysandgirlswhoarestillgrowing(intermsof bone structure, rather thanmuscle structure), as excessive loadingonprepubescentbonesmayhaveanadverseeffect.There isvery littleconclusiveresearchavailableonthissubject,asitwouldrequirechildrentobeputthroughteststhatrequirethemtoliftveryheavyweightsinordertoassesshowmuchistoomuch.Newborn babies have over 300 bones and aswe grow some bonesfusetogetherleavinganadultwithanaverageof206maturebonesbyage20.

AgilityYourprogressiveabilitytomoveatspeedandchangedirectionwhiledoingso.

Anaerobic The opposite of aerobic (see above). High intensity bursts ofcardiovascularactivitygenerallyabove80percentofMHR.Thetermliterallymeans ‘without oxygen’becausewhenoperating at this speed, thebody flicksovertothefuelstoredinmusclesratherthanmixingthefuelfirstwithoxygen,whichiswhathappensduringaerobicactivity.

AnaerobicthresholdThepointatwhichthebodycannotclearlacticacidfastenoughtoavoidabuild-upinthebloodstream.Thedelayingofthisoccurrenceis a major characteristic of performance athletes, their frequent high intensitytraining increases (delays) the point at which this waste product becomesoverwhelming.

Assessment I like to say that if you don’t assess, you guess, so beforeembarking on any exercise regime you should assess your health and fitnesslevels in a number of areas, which can include flexibility, range of motion,strength or anyof the cardiac outputs that canbemeasured at homeor in thelaboratory.

BarbellAlongbar(6–7ft)withdiscweightsloadedontoeachend.Olympicbarsarecompetitiongradeversionsthatrotateonbearingstoenableveryheavyweightstobelifted.

BicepsThemuscleatthefrontofthearm.Itmakesupaboutone-thirdoftheentirediameteroftheupperarmwiththetricepsformingtheothertwo-thirds.

BloodpressureWhen theheartcontractsandsquirtsoutblood thepressureon the walls of the blood vessels is the blood pressure. It is expressed as afraction,forexample130/80.The130(systolic)isthehighpointofthepressurebeingexertedonthetubesandthe80(diastolic)istheloweramountofpressurebetweenthemainpulses.

BodyPumpThisisagroupexerciseprogrammeavailableinhealthclubsthatchanged thewaypeople thinkabout liftingweights simplybyusingmusic fortiming andmotivation.Rather than counting the reps, the class follow the settunes and work around all the different muscle groups as the music trackschange.

Cardiovascular system (CV) This is the superhighway around the body.Heart, lungs and blood vessels transport and deliver the essentials of life:oxygen, energy,nutrients.Havingdeliveredall thisgood stuff it then removestherubbishbytransportingawaythewasteproductsfromthecomplexstructureofmuscletissue.

Centre lineThis isan imaginary line that runsdownthecentreof thebodyfromthechintoapointthroughtheribs,pelvis,rightdowntothefloor.

CircuitAlistofexercisescanbedescribedasacircuit.Ifyousee‘2circuits’statedonaprogramme, itmeansyouareexpected towork through that listofexercisestwice.

ConcentriccontractionTheoppositeofeccentriccontraction(seebelow).Ifthiswordisn’tfamiliartoyoujustthink‘contract’,asintogetsmaller/shorter.Aconcentric contraction iswhen amuscle shortens under tension. For example,whenyouliftacuptowardsyourmouthyouproduceaconcentriccontractionofthebicep(don’tmakethemistakeofthinkingthatwhenyoulowerthecupit’saconcentriccontractionoftheoppositemuscle,i.e.thetriceps,asitisn’t…it’saneccentricmovementofthebicep).

ContactpointsThepartsofthebodythataretouchingthebench,ball,wallorfloor.Thesmallerthecontactpoints,e.g.heelsratherthanentirefoot,thegreaterthebalanceandstabilisationrequirementsofanexercise.

CoreAh, thecore.Ask10 trainers todescribe thecoreandyouwillget10differentanswers.Tomeitistheobviousmusclesoftheabdominals,thelowerback, etc., but it is also the smaller deep muscles and connective tissue thatprovide stability and strength to the individual. Muscles such as the glutes,hamstringsand,mostimportantly,thepelvicfloorareoftenforgottenasplayinga key role in the core. When I am doing a demonstration of core muscleactivation, the way I sum up the core is that themajority ofmovements thatrequirestabilityareinsomewayusingallofthemusclesthatconnectbetweenthenipplesandtheknees.

Creatine An amino acid created naturally in your body. Every time youperformanyintenseexercise,e.g.weighttraining,yourbodyusescreatineasasource of energy. The body has the ability to store more creatine than itproduces,sotakingitasasupplementwouldallowyoutotrainforlongerathighintensity. Consuming creatine is only productive when combined with highintensitytrainingand,therefore,isnotespeciallyrelevantuntilyoustarttotrainforpower.

Cross training An excellent approach to fitness training where you use avarietyofmethodstoimproveyourfitnessratherthanjustone.Crosstrainingisnowusedbyathletesandsportspeopletoreduceinjurylevels,asitensuresthatyouhaveabalancedamountofcardio,strengthandflexibilityinaschedule.

Deceleration The opposite of acceleration (see above). It is the decrease invelocity of an object. If you consider that injuries in sportspeoplemore oftenoccur during the deceleration phase rather than the acceleration phase of theiractivity (for example, a sprinter pulling up at the end of the race rather thanwhen theypushout of the startingblocks), youwill focus particularly on thisphaseofallthemovesinthisbook.Thepowermovesespeciallycallforyoutocontrolthe‘slowingdown’partofthemove,whichrequiresasmuchskillasitdoestogeneratethespeedinthefirstplace.

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) This is that unpleasant musclesoreness that you get after starting a new kind of activity or when you haveworkedharderthannormal.Itwasoncethoughtthatthesorenesswascausedbylacticacidbecoming‘trapped’inthemuscleafteraworkout,butwenowrealisethat this is simplynot the casebecause lactic aciddoesn’t hangaround– it iscontinuouslymovedandmetabolised.Thepainisfarmorelikelytobecausedbyamass of tiny littlemuscle tears. It’s not a cure, but some light exercisewill

ofteneasethepainbecausethisincreasestheflowofbloodandnutrientstothedamagedmuscletissue.

DeltoidAsetofthreemusclesthatsitontopofyourshoulders.

DumbbellAweightdesignedtobeliftedwithonehand.Itcanbeadjustableorof a fixedweight, and the rangeofweight availablegoes a ratherpointless1kguptoamassive50kgplus.

Dynamometer A little gadget used to measure strength by squeezing ahandhelddevicethatthenmeasurestheforceofyourgrip.

Dyna-Band®Astripofrubberusedasanalternativetoadumbbell,oftenbyphysiotherapists forworkingmuscles through specific rangesofmotionwhereweights are either too intense or can’t target the appropriate muscles. Dyna-Band®canbeheld flat against the skin togive subtlemuscle stimulation, forexample,bywrappingastriparoundtheshoulders(likeanEgyptianmummy),youcanthenworkthroughprotractionandretractionmovementsoftheshouldergirdle.

Eccentric contraction The opposite of concentric contraction (see above).The technical term for when a muscle is lengthening under tension. An easyexampletorememberistheloweringofadumbbellduringabicepcurl,whichisdescribedasaneccentriccontractionofthebicep.

Eye line Where you are looking when performing movements. Somemovementpattens are significantly alteredbycorrector incorrect eye line, forexample,iftheeyelineistoohighduringsquats,thentheheadisliftedandthespinewillexperienceexcessiveextension.

Fascia Connective tissue that attaches muscles to muscles and enablesindividualmusclefibrestobebundledtogether.Whilenotparticularlyscientific,agoodwaytovisualisefasciaisthatitperformsinasimilarwaytotheskinofasausagebykeepingitscontentswhereitshouldbe.

Fitball (gymball, stabilityball,Swissball)The largeballsextensivelyusedforstabilitytrainingbytherapistsandingyms.Theyareavailableinsizes55–75cm. Ifyouareusing themforweight trainingalways remember toaddyourweightandthedumbbellweighttogethertomakesurethetotalweightdoesn’texceedthesafetylimitoftheball.

FlexibilityThemisconceptionisthatwedoflexibilitytoactuallystretchthemuscle fibres and make them longer, whereas, in fact, when we stretcheffectively it is the individual muscle fibres that end up moving more freelyagainsteachother,creatingafreerincreasedrangeofmotion.

FoamrollingThis isa therapy technique thathasbecomemainstream.Youusearoundlengthoffoamtomassageyourownmuscles(generallyyousitorlieontherollertoexertforceviayourbodyweight).Interestingly,whilethishasapositiveeffectonyourmuscle fibres, it is the fascia that is ‘stretched’most.Foamrollingisactuallyratherpainfulwhenyoubegin,butasyouimprove,thepaindecreases.Oftenusedbyathletesaspartoftheirwarm-up.

FreeweightsThecollectivenamefordumbbellsandbarbells.Therehasbeenahugeinfluxofnewproductsenteringthiscategorysointhefreeweightsareaofagoodgymyouwillalsofindkettlebellsandmedicineballs.Inbodybuildinggyms you will often find items not designed for exercise but which arechallengingtoliftanduse,suchasheavychains,ropesandtractortyres.

FunctionaltrainingReallyalltrainingshouldbefunctionalasitisthepursuitofmethodsandmovementsthatbenefityouindaytodaylife.Therefore,doingsquatsarefunctionallybeneficial foryourabdominalsbecause theywork theminconjunctionwithothermuscles,butsit-upsarenotbecause theydon’tworktheabdominalsinawaythatrelatestomanyeverydaymovements.

Gait Usually associated with running and used to describe the way that arunnerhitsthegroundeitherwiththeinside,centreoroutsideoftheirfootand,specifically, how the foot, ankle and knee joints move. However, this termalwaysrelatestohowyoustandandwalk.Mechanicalissuesthatexistbelowtheknee can have a knock-on effect on other joints and muscles throughout thebody. Pronation is the name given to the natural inward roll of the ankle thatoccurs when the heel strikes the ground and the foot flattens out. Supinationrefers to theoppositeoutwardroll thatoccursduring thepush-offphaseof thewalkingandrunningmovement.Amildamountofpronationandsupination isbothhealthyandnecessarytopropelthebodyforward.

Genes As in the hereditary blueprint that you inherited from your parents,rather than the blue denim variety.Genes can influence everything from yourhair colour to your predisposition to developing diseases. Clearly there isnothingyoucandotoinfluenceyourgenes,soacceptthatsomeathletesareborn

greatbecausetheyhavetheoddsstackedontheirsidewhileothershavetotraintheirwaytoglory.

Gluteus maximus A set of muscles on your bottom, also known as ‘theglutes’.

HamstringAbig setofmusclesdown thebackof the thigh. Itplaysakeyroleincorestabilityandneedstobeflexibleifyouaretodevelopagoodsquattechnique.

Heart rate (HR) Also called ‘the pulse’. It is the number of times eachminutethatyourheartcontracts.Anathlete’sHRcouldbeaslowas35beatsperminute(BPM)whenrestingbutcanalsogoupto250BPMduringactivity.

Hypertrophy The growth of skeletalmuscle.This iswhat a bodybuilder isconstantlytryingtodo.Thenumberofmusclefibreswehaveisfixed,soratherthan‘growing’newmusclesfibreshypertrophyis theprocessof increasingthesizeof the existing fibre.Buildingmuscle is a slowand complexprocess thatrequiresconstanttrainingandadetailedapproachtonutrition.

InsertionAllmuscles are attached to bone or othermuscles by tendons orfascia.Theendof themuscle thatmovesduringacontraction is the insertion,withthemovingendbeingcalledtheorigin.Notethatsomemuscleshavemorethanoneoriginandinsertion.

Integration (compound) The opposite of isolation (see below).Movementthatrequiresmorethanonejointandmuscletobeinvolved,e.g.asquat.

IsolationTheoppositeof integration(seeabove).Amovement thatrequiresonlyonejointandmuscletobeinvolved,e.g.abicepcurl.

Interval trainingA type of trainingwhere you do blocks of high intensityexercisefollowedbyablockoflowerintensity(recovery)exercise.Theblockscanbetimebasedormarkedbydistance(incardiotraining).Intervaltrainingishighly beneficial to both athletes and fitness enthusiasts as it allows them tosubjecttheirbodytohighintensityactivityinshortachievablebursts.

Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) An internal force that assists in thestabilisationofthelumberspine.Thisrelatestothecollectiveeffectsofpressureexertedonthestructuresofthediaphragm,transversusabdominis,multifidiand

thepelvicfloor.

KinesiologyThescientificstudyofthemovementofouranatomicalstructure.It was only in the 1960s with the creation of fixed weight machines that westartedtoisolateindividualmusclesandworkthemoneatatime.Thisisastepbackwards in terms of kinesiology because in real life a singlemuscle rarelyworksinisolation.

Kinetic chain The series of reactions/forces throughout the nerves, bones,muscles, ligaments and tendons when the bodymoves or has a force appliedagainstit.

KyphosisExcessivecurvatureofthehumanspine.Thiscanrangefrombeingalittlebitroundshoulderedtobeinginneedofcorrectivesurgery.

LacticacidAbyproductofmusclecontractions.Iflacticacidreachesalevelhigher than thatwhich the body can quickly clear from the blood stream, thepersonhasreachedtheiranaerobic threshold.Trainingathigh intensityhas theeffectofdelayingthepointatwhichlacticacidlevelscausefatigue.

LatissimusdorsiTwotriangular-shapedmusclesthatrunfromthetopoftheneckandspinetothebackoftheupperarmandallthewayintothelowerback,alsoknownas‘thelats’.

LigamentsConnective tissues thatattachbone toboneorcartilage tobone.Theyhavefewerbloodvesselspassingthroughthemthanmuscles,whichmakesthemwhiter(theylooklikegristle)andalsoslowertoheal.

Lordosis Excessive curvature of the lower spine. Mild cases that arediagnosedearlycanoftenberesolvedthroughcoretrainingandbyworkingonflexibilitywithexercisesbestprescribedbyaphysiotherapist.

MassageNot just forpleasureor relaxation, thiscanspeedup recoveryandreducediscomfortafterahardtrainingsession.Massagecanhelpmaintainrangeof motion in joints and reduce mild swelling caused by injury relatedinflammation.

MagnesiumAnessentialmineralthatplaysaroleinover300processesinthebodyincludinginthecardiovascularsystemandtissuerepair.

Maximum heart rate (MHR) The highest number of times the heart cancontract(orbeat)inoneminute.Averyapproximatefigurecanbeobtainedforadultsbyusingthefollowingformula:220–currentage=MHR.Athletesoftenexceed this guideline, but only because they have progressively pushedthemselvesandincreasedtheirstrengthovertime.

MedicineballTraditionallythiswasaleatherballpackedwithfibretomakeitheavy.Modernversionsaresolidrubberorfilledwithaheavygel.

Mobility The ability of a joint to move freely through a range of motion.Mobilityisveryimportantbecauseifyouhaverestrictedjointmobilityandwithexerciseyoustart to load thatareawithweights, thechancesare thatyouwillcompoundtheproblem.

Muscular endurance (MSE) The combination of strength and endurance.The ability to perform many repetitions against a given resistance for aprolongedperiod.Instrengthtraininganymorethan12repsisconsideredMSE.

Negative-resistancetraining(NRT)Resistancetraininginwhichthemuscleslengthen while still under tension. Lowering a barbell, bending down andrunningdownhillareallexamples.Itisfeltthatthistypeoftrainingwillincreasemuscle sizemorequickly thanother typesof training,but ifyouonlyeverdoNRTyouwon’tbetrainingthebodytodevelopusablefunctionalstrength.

ObliquesThemusclesonbothsidesoftheabdomenthatrotateandflexthetorso.Workingthesewillhavenoeffecton‘lovehandles’,whicharefatthatsitsabove,butisnotconnectedto,theobliques.

Origin All muscles are attached to bone or others muscles by tendons orfascia. The end of themusclewhich is notmoved during a contraction is theorigin,withthemovingendbeingcalledtheinsertion.Notethatsomemuscleshavemorethanoneoriginandinsertion.

Overtraining Excessive amounts of exercise, intensity, or both volume andintensity of training, resulting in fatigue, illness, injury and/or impairedperformance. Overtraining can occur in individual parts of the body orthroughout,whichisagoodreasonforkeepingrecordsofthetrainingyoudosoyoucanseeifpatternsofinjuriesrelatetoacertaintimeortypesoftrainingyoudothroughouttheyear.

Patience With strength training – more than any other type of exercise –patience is essential.Whenyouexercise the resultsarebasedon theabilityofthebodyto‘change’,whichincludeschangesinthenervoussystemaswellasprogressive improvements in thesoft tissues (muscles, ligamentsand tendons).Whileitisnotinstantlyobviouswhypatienceissoimportant,itbecomesclearerwhenyouconsiderhow, forexample, the speedofchangediffers in thebloodrich muscles at a faster rate than the more avascular ligaments and tendons.Improvementstaketimesobepatient.

Pectorals Themuscles of the chest, also known as ‘the pecs’.Working thepecswillhaveapositiveeffectontheappearanceofthechest,however,despiteclaims, it is unlikely thatworking thepecswill have anyeffect on the sizeoffemalebreastsalthoughitcanmakethemfeelfirmerifthemuscletonebeneaththemisincreased.

Pelvic floor(PF)Five layersofmuscleandconnective tissueat thebaseofthe torso.Themale and female anatomydiffers in this area, however strengthandenduranceisessentialinthePFforbothmenandwomenifyouaretoattainmaximum strength in the core.Most of the core training or stability productsworkthePF.

PeriodisationSumsupthedifferencebetweenalong-termstrategyandshort-term gains. Periodisation is where you plan to train the body for differentoutcomes throughout a year or longer. The simplest version of this methodwouldbewhereatrackathleteworkedonmusclestrengthandgrowthduringthewinterandthenspeedandmaintenanceofmuscleenduranceduringthesummerracingsession.

PlanesofmotionThe bodymoves through three planes ofmotion.Sagittaldescribesalltheforwardandbackmovement;frontaldescribesthesidetosidemovements;andtransversedescribestherotationalmovements.Ineverydaylifemostofthemovementswegothroughinvolveactionsfromallthreeplanesallof the time – it is really only ‘artificial’ techniques, such as bicep curls anddeltoidraises,thatcalluponjustoneplaneatatime.

PlyometricsAnexplosivemovementpractisedbyathletes,forexample,two-footedjumpsoverhurdles.Thisisnotforbeginnersorthosewithpoorlevelsofflexibilityand/oralimitedrangeofmotion.

ProneLyingfacedown,alsothestandarddescriptionofexercisesperformedfromalyingfacedownposition.Theoppositeofsupine(seebelow).

ProteinAvitalnutrientthatneedstobeconsumedeveryday.Carbohydratesprovideyourbodywithenergy,whileproteinhelpsyourmusclestorecoverandrepairmorequicklyafterexercise.Foodshighinproteinincludewheyprotein,which is a byproduct of the dairy industry and is consumed as a shake, fish,chicken,eggs,dairyproduce(suchasmilk,cheeseandyoghurt),beefandsoya.Increased activitywill increaseyour protein requirements.A lackof quality

proteincan result in lossofmuscle tissueand tone, aweaker immunesystem,slower recovery and lack of energy. The protein supplements industry hasdeveloped many convenient methods for consuming protein in the form ofpowders,shakesandfoodbars,mostofwhichcontainthemosteasilydigestedandabsorbabletypeofprotein,wheyprotein.

PyramidAprogrammingmethodforexperiencedweighttrainers.Asetofthesame exercises are performed at least three times, each set has progressivelyfewer repetitions in it, but greater resistance.Whenyou reach the peak of thepyramid(heaviestweight)youthenperformthesamethreesetsagaininreverseorder.Forexample,goingupthepyramidwouldaskfor15repswith10kg,10repswith 15kg, 5 repswith 20kg.Going down the pyramidwould require 10repswith15kg,15repswith10kg.

QuadricepsThegroupsofmusclesat thefrontof thethighs,alsoknownas‘thequads’.Theyareusually thefirstfourmusclenamesthatpersonal trainerslearn, but in case you have forgotten the four are: vastus intermedius, rectusfemoris (that’s the one that’s also a hip flexor), vastus lateralis and vastusmedialis.

Rangeofmotion(ROM)Thedegreeofmovementthatoccursatoneofthebody’s joints. Without physio equipment it is difficult to measure a jointprecisely, however, you can easily compare the shoulder, spine, hip, knee andankleon the left sidewith the rangeofmotionof the same jointson the rightside.

ReebokCoreBoard®A stability product that youpredominately standon.The platform has a central axiswhich creates a similar experience to using awobbleboard,however theReebokCoreBoard®alsorotatesunder tensionsoyoucantrainagainsttorsionandrecoil.

RecoilTheelasticcharacteristicofmusclewhen‘stretched’toreturnthebodypartsbacktothestartpositionsafteradynamicmovement.

Recovery/rest The period when not exercising and the most importantcomponent of any exercise programme. It is only during rest periods that thebodyadaptstoprevioustrainingloadsandrebuildsitselftobestronger,therebyfacilitatingimprovement.Restisthereforevitallyimportantforprogression.

RepetitionsHowmanyofeachmovementyoudo,alsoknownas‘reps’.Ontrainingprogrammesyouwillhaveseethreenumericalfiguresthatyouneedtounderstand–reps,setsandcircuits.

Repetitionmax(RM)Themaximumloadthatamuscleormusclegroupcanlift.Establishingyour1RMcanhelpyouselect therightamountofweight fordifferentexercisesanditisalsoagoodwayofmonitoringprogress.

Resistance training Any type of training with weights, including gymmachines,barbellsanddumbbellsandbodyweightexercises.

Resting heart rate (RHR) The number of contractions (heartbeats) perminutewhenat rest.TheaverageRHRforanadult isapprox72BPM,but forathletesitcanbemuchlower.

ScapularetractionNot literally ‘pullingyour shouldersback’, but that is agood cue to use to get this desired effect. Many people develop roundedshoulders,whichwhenliftingweightsputs thematadisadvantagebecause thescapular cannotmove freely, so by lifting the ribs and squeezing the shoulderbladesbacktheshouldergirdleisplacedinagoodliftingstartposition.

Sciatica Layman’s term for back pain which radiates through the spine,buttocks and hamstrings. Usually due to pressure on the sciatic nerve beingshortened,whichrunsfromthelowerbackanddownthelegs,ratherthanbeinga problemwith the skeleton.Most often present in peoplewho sit a lot.Coretraining,massageandflexibilityexercisescanfrequentlycuretheproblem.

SetAblockofexercisesusuallyputtogethertoworkanareaofthebodytothepointoffatigue,soifyouwereworkinglegsyoumaydosquats,lungesandcalfraisesstraightaftereachother,thenrepeatthemagainforasecond‘set’.

Speed, agility andquickness (SAQ)®Although in fact a brandname, this

has become the term used to describe a style of exercises or drills which aredesigned to improve speed, agility and quickness. Very athletic and dynamic,oftenincludingplyometricmovements.

Stability ball (also gym ball, fitball and Swiss ball) The large ballsextensively used for suitability training by therapists and in gyms. They areavailable in sizes 55–75cm. If you are using them forweight training alwaysremembertoaddyourweightandthedumbbellweighttogethertomakesurethetotalweightdoesn’texceedthesafetylimitoftheball.

Stretch A balanced approach to stretching is one of the most importantelementsoffeelinggoodandreducingthelikelihoodofdevelopingnon-traumasoft tissue injuries.Whenwe lift weight clearly themuscle fatigues and as aresultattheendofthesessiontheoverallmuscle(ratherthanindividualfibres)can feel ‘tight’or shortened.Doinga stretchwill help return themuscle to itspre-exercise state. Dynamic stretching (rhythmic movements to promoteoptimum range of movement from muscle/joints) should be performed pre-workout.Staticstretchingperformedafterthegymballsessionisproductiveaslongasyoudedicateenough time toeachposition,sogiveeachsectionof thebodyworkedatleast90secondsofattention.

SuspensiontrainingA strength training format that allowsyou touseyourbodyweightastheresistancebymeansofhangingfromlongadjustablestrapsthataresuspendedaboveheadheight,alsoknownas‘TRX®’.Byadjustingthelengthofthestrapsandchangingthebodyandfootpositionthechallengecanbeadaptedforalllevelsofability.

SupersetSimilar toaset,buteachsequentialexercise isperformedwithnorestinbetween.Themovesinasupersetareselectedtoensurethattheyrelatetoeachother,forexample,anexercisethatfocusedonshouldersandtriceps,suchasashoulderpress,wouldbefollowedbyanothershoulder/tricepsmove,suchasdips.

Supine Lying face up, also the standard description of exercises performedfromalyingfaceupposition.Theoppositeofprone(seeabove).

TendonConnectivetissuethatattachesmusclestobones.Muscleandtendontissuemerge together progressively, rather than there being a clear linewheretendon starts and muscle finishes. Like ligaments, a tendon has fewer blood

vesselsrunningthroughitandislessflexiblethanmuscletissue.

TimeAsapersonaltrainer,Ihavebeenaskedmanytimes,‘Whatisthebesttime of day to exercise?’ The answer depends. If you are an athlete trainingalmosteverydayperhapstwiceaday,thenIwouldsaythatstrengthtraininginthemorningcouldbemoreproductivethanatothertimesduetothebodyclockandfluctuatinghormonelevels throughout theday.However, if thequestion isaskedbyacasualexerciserwithanaveragedietandajobandbusylifestyle,myanswerwouldbetoexerciseatanytimeoftheday,asexerciseisaproductiveuseofyourvaluablefreetime.

TorsionStressonthebodywhenexternalforcestwistitaboutthespinalaxis.

TrainingpartnerAtrainingpartnercanbeapersonwhokeepsyoucompanyandmotivatesyouwhileyouexerciseortheycanalsotaketheroleofbeingyour‘spotter’whenyouareliftingheavyweights.Theroleofaspotteristohandandtake the weights from you when you are fatigued from a heavy set of lifts.Chooseyourpartnerwisely;weightscanbedangerous,soensuretheytaketheresponsibilityseriously.

Training shoes The best shoes to wear when lifting weights will have acombinationofgoodgripand stability.Someathletesarenowchoosing to liftwhile wearing no or very thin soled shoes on the basis that it will work themusclesintheirfeetmoreandthereforegivegreaterresults–ifyoudoconsiderdoing this take a numberofweeks tobuildup the amount youdobarefoot togive the feet time to strengthen slowly. Athletes competing in powerliftingcontests will wear performance shoes that give their feet increased support,howeverthesearenotsuitableforexercisesinwhichthefootismoved.

TransversusabdominisArelativelythinsheetofmusclewhichwrapsaroundthetorso.Thisisthemusclethatmanypeoplethinktheyactivatebyfollowingtheinstructionof‘pullyourstomachin’,howeverthatmovementismorelikelytobefacilitatedbythemainabdominals.Foryourinformation,aflatstomachismore likely to be achieved by simply standing up straight, as this ensures thecorrectdistancebetweentheribsandpelvis.

TricepsMusclesatthebackoftheupperarms.Theymakeupapproximatelytwo-thirdsofthediameteroftheupperarm,soifarmsizeisyourgoal,workingthetricepswillbeapriority.

Vertebrae Individual bones that make up the spinal column. Theintervertebral discs that sit between them are there to keep the vertebraeseparated,cushionthespineandprotectthespinalcord.

VO2maxThehighestvolumeofoxygenapersoncaninfuseintotheirbloodduringexercise.AvarietyofcalculationsortestscanbeusedtoestablishyourVO2 max; these include measuring the heart rate during and post aerobicactivity.Aseachofthesetestsincludesameasurementofthedistancecoveredaswellastheheart’sreactiontoactivity,themostpopularmethodsoftestingVO2maxarerunning,stepping,swimmingorcyclingforasettimeanddistance.

Warm-upThefirstpartofanyworkoutsessionthatisintendedtopreparethebodyfortheexerciseaheadofit.Ifinditisbesttotaketheleadfromthesportsworld and base the warm-up exactly on the movements you will do in thesession.Soifyouareabouttodoweightsratherthanjog,gothroughsomeofthemovementsunloadedtopreparethebodyfortherangesofmotionyouwilllaterbedoingloaded.

Warm-downTheslowingdownorcontrolledrecoveryperiodafteraworkoutsession.Awarm-downcanincludelowlevelcardioworktoreturntheheartratetoanormalspeedaswellasstretchingandrelaxation.

WobbleboardAcircularwoodendisc thatyoustandonwithahemisphereononeside.Originallyusedjustbyphysiotherapists, theyarenowcommoningyms and are used for stability training, core exercises and strengthening theankleand/orrehabilitationfromankle injuries.Technologyhasbeenapplied tothis simplepieceof equipment andyounowhaveprogressivedevices suchastheReebokCoreBoard®and theBOSU®(Both sidesup),whichachieve thesameandmorethanthewoodenversions.

X-training,activity.Seecrosstraining(above).

YogaProbablytheoldestformoffitnesstraininginexistence.Yogahasmanydifferent types (or styles) ranging from very passive stretching techniquesthroughtoexplosiveanddynamicstyle.Itisoftenassociatedwithhippycultureand‘yummymummies’,however,ifyouaredoinganytypeofstrengthtraining,yogawillcomplimentthisnicely.

abouttheauthor

STEVE BARRETT is a former national competitor in athletics, rugby,mountain biking and sport aerobics. His career in the fitness industry as apersonal trainer spans over 20years.Hiswork as a lecturer andpresenter hastakenhimto32countriesincludingtheUnitedStates,RussiaandAustralia.For many years Steve delivered Reebok International’s fitness strategy and

implementationviatheirtrainingfacultyReebokUniversity.Hegainedthetitleof Reebok Global Master Trainer, which is a certification that required aminimumofthreeyears’studying,presentingandresearchingbothpracticalandacademicsubjects.Betweentheyears2000and2008inthisrolehelecturedandpresentedtomorethan20,000fellowfitnessprofessionalsandstudents.Steveplayedakeyroleinthedevelopmentofthetrainingsystemsandlaunch

oftwosignificantproductsinthefitnessindustry:theReebokDeckandReebokCore Board®. As a personal trainer, in addition to teaching the teachers andworkingwiththerichandfamoushehasbeeninvolvedinthetrainingofmanyinternational athletes and sports personalities at Liverpool FC, Arsenal FC,ManchesterUtdFC,theWelshRFU,andUKathletics.Within the fitness industry he has acted as a consultant to leading brand

names,includingNestlé,Kelloggs,ReebokandAdidas.HismediaexperienceincludesbeingguestexpertfortheBBCandwritingfor

numerous publications including The Times, The Independent, The DailyTelegraph,Runner’sWorld,Men’sFitness,RugbyNews,Health&Fitness,Zest,Ultra-FIT,Men’sHealthUKandAustraliaandmanymore.Steve’s expertise is in the development of logical, user friendly, safe and

effectivetrainingprogrammes.Theworkthatheismostproudof,however,isn’thiscelebrityprojects,but thechanges toordinarypeople’s lives thatnevergetreported.Nowthathehasbeenteachingfitnessthroughouthis20s,30sandnow40s,he

hasdevelopedatremendousabilitytorelatetothechallengesthatpeoplefacetoincorporate exercise into their lifestyle, andwhile the fitness industry expectspersonaltrainerstoworkwithclientsforashortperiodoftime,Stevehasbeenworkingwithmanyofhisclientsfornearlytwodecades,continuouslyevolvingtomeettheirchangingneeds.Hisfunanddirectapproachhasresultedinmanycouchpotatoesrunningout

ofexcusesandtransformingintofitnessconverts.

www.Trade-Secrets-of-a-Personal-Trainer.com

NoteWhilsteveryefforthasbeenmadetoensurethatthecontentofthisbookisastechnicallyaccurateandassoundaspossible,neithertheauthornorthepublishers can accept responsibility for any injury or loss sustained as aresultoftheuseofthismaterial.

PublishedbyBloomsburyPublishingPlc50BedfordSquare,LondonWC1B3DPwww.bloomsbury.com

Firstedition2011

Copyright©2011SteveBarrett

Thiselectroniceditionpublishedin2011byBloomsburyPublishingPlc

ISBN9781408141991ISBN(e-PDF):9781408165423ISBN(epub):9781408178294

AllrightsreservedYoumaynotcopy,distribute, transmit,reproduceorotherwisemakeavailablethispublication(oranypartofit)inanyform,orby any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical,mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise), without theprior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does anyunauthorised act in relation to this publicationmay be liable to criminalprosecutionandcivilclaimsfordamages

Steve Barrett has asserted his rights under the Copyright, Design andPatentsAct,1988,tobeidentifiedastheauthorofthiswork.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the BritishLibrary.

AcknowledgementsCoverphotographs©GrantPritchardIllustrationsbyDavidGardnerDesignedbyJamesWatsonCommissionedbyCharlotteCroft

EditedbyKateWanwimolruk

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