Do you have areas that you’re struggling to develop strength?

We all have them! An area of the body/performance that you are not happy with.

The most important thing, in this case, is your mindset. Realise that you have the ability to change these areas. Through consistency and persistence, it can be done. Learning to be thankful for what you have is crucial for your body to change. Put it like this, you have difficulty growing your glutes. You look at your butt in the mirror after every workout and think that it has not grown in that session. You look at your butt before every workout and think about how small it is. Can you see you have defeated yourself before and after you train?

How would you feel if your boss told you before every shift that you are crap at your job and never making progress? Then says to you at the end of your shift “oh look at that! You achieved sweet f**k all today.”

Your body listens to what you say! Speak to it with kindness and love.

 The next step is to know what you want to change and for what reason? Is it for performance? Aesthetics? Your training must compliment your goals.

Genetics play a huge part in what you can achieve. For performance do you have more slow-twitch muscle fibres for control and strength or do you have more fast-twitch muscle fibres for explosive speed and power?

For Aesthetics you may be able to easily grow an area of your body or you may have difficulty in doing so.

The way to develop lacking areas is to stick to a set training regime. Every week, you adjust to make small steps forward. There may be multiple training programs for the same goal which allows for various styles of training. However, to improve any area, especially a lacking area the body must be under regular and controlled stress. Ensuring that adequate rest and nutrition are accounted for. If aiming for a direct muscle group to improve, I would suggest not training the same muscle group on any two consecutive days.

In a nutshell, you have the ability to change a lacking area with the right attitude and challenging your body through consistent increases in multiple exercise programs. How far you can go with these efforts will solely depend on your genetics!

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Whether you are beginning your first fitness journey or have been training for years, focusing on the basic set up and execution of an exercise should be your first priority.

These steps are often forgotten as we progress, however, if you can include them as part of your routine you gain more control over your body, prevent injury, and achieve better results. Always warm-up. Cardio helps raise your core temperature. A warm body is better prepared for exercise and less likely to suffer an injury. I recommend 15-20min prior to your routine.

Mobility exercises to follow. These are dependant on your routine but your body works in sequence. Working in one area will benefit another. A healthy body is well balanced. Strong and flexible. Working on the shoulder blades, shoulder joints, and opening the hips should be included as these are the most mobile joints in the body and thus most likely to suffer an injury. The shoulder blades are the foundation of support for your chest and shoulders. The weaker the foundation of a building, the more likely the above stories will become damaged.

Posture is the same with every exercise. Standing, bent over, floor work etc. Stand/be tall, chest proud, shoulders back and stomach drawn in.

In most cases of exercise focused on deep breaths are the tempo. Fast-paced exercises, explosive training, etc are the exception and deep breathing is best done before each set. This allows your body to store more oxygen and expel more carbon dioxide.

Breathe in on the stretching phase of an exercise, then breathe out on the squeezing phase of the exercise, or simply exhale on the effort.

Before weighted exercises, I recommend going through 1 or 2 lightweight, high rep sets to form a better connection between the mind and the muscles. Feel your muscles stretch and squeeze with every rep. Picture opening a draw. Extending along with its bracket sliders as the muscles stretch. Then sliding back as the muscles contract as the draw is closed.

After every routine, I highly recommend stretching to aid in the recovery of your body and flushing out of byproducts created through the muscles squeezing and stretching. This also keeps the fascia that surrounds the muscle flexible to allow muscle growth and releases excess tension on soft tissue such as the tendons and ligaments. Remember that you are causing microscopic injuries to your muscles while you train. The body’s first response to an injury is to tighten up to reduce further injury. Stretching helps combat this and will prevent future complications.

MAIN FOCUSES

• Warm up with cardio
• Focus on strengthening shoulders
• Good posture
• Focus on deep breaths
• Start light
• Stretch

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