Week 6 and final week of our snow clinic BUT we are always here to help. If you have any questions or want some help with your home exercises or how to get prepared, put in a comment and will get back to you! Happy Skiing, Snowboarding, Tobagging, Snow Man Building and Snow ball fights!
Week 5 Get Fit for the Snow Season, welcome back for our hints and tips putting some exercises together. #snowfitness #skifit #perisherresort #fallscreek #ausxc #snowboard #mt_buller #ausxcjunior #xcfitness
Welcome to week 4 of Get Fit for the Southern Hemisphere Snow Season, we’ll be taking you to the next level of fitness hints and tips to do in your gym or at home. #altafitnesssnowfit #skiing #snowboard #skifit
Good afternoon it’s week 3 of our Get for the Snow Season! We’re progressing our squats and planks. #altafitnesssnowfitness #skiing #snowskiing #snowfitness
Hi fellow snow lovers, week 2 of get fit for skiing and snowboarding with our hints and tips for fitness
Can’t walk after a day of skiing, let us help you to getter fitter for the snow season in June.
This week my topic is “Menopause” there is so much to discuss and can’t all be said here but I’m starting with a little of what I have been learning and phew what we women go through, it can be a blessing and a curse! Now do not turn off yet, it may well effect you as a partner or son/daughter of someone going through it or gone through it. Of course exercise can help and it can definitely ease some symptoms and I highly promote it of course but I wanted to share some other things I’ve been discovering on the way.
First off I have to say that I am enjoying my 50’s but as I’ve found out, the weight gain, the foggy memory, hot flushes, night sweats, insomnia and more can either be a little bothersome or acutely life changing. I’ve tried many things such as Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture which I did get some relief from, Evening Primrose Oil and, more recently I’ve taken the Dutch Test to see where my hormones and general well being is at.
As part of this journey the biggest is the change I’ve undertaken in my nutrition. We eat pretty well but I sneak in a lot of food when I’m around Jack & Jess, bread, lollies, biscuits but over the last month I cut out processed sugars, wheat, carbohydrates and dairy and no processed foods and the results have been great. In the first 5 days I noticed I wasn’t feeling or looking as bloated, in 10 days I lost weight and centimetres around my waist & hips, I don’t have the 3pm fatigues, I’m sleeping better and my snoring (yes I begrudgingly admit it) has dramatically reduced. This may not be for everyone but JC joined me as well and this was all in the first 10 days. I am continuing on this journey albeit not so strictly and the good results continue so if you’d like to know more let me know however before entering into any nutritional changes you should consult your health practitioner.
So that is why we decided to write this blueprint so we can share with others our area of expertise – health & fitness – and what we believe will help you to be fitter, healthier and happier now and benefit you in the years to come.
With that in mind we have written our free four part guide that is easy to read and can help you along the way, just send us a message and we’ll get it to you pronto!
An article from our team member – William Dutt, October 2018
Since July, I have been training the Wednesday morning Strength and Conditioning class. It seems only fitting my first article to be on resistance and strength training, in particular; What is resistance training? Should you be doing resistance training? and How to start doing resistance training?
When we think of resistance or strength training, too often we picture a buffed-up bloke in a gym ‘pumping iron’ (gym-junkie term for lifting weights). At ALTA Fitness, we’re proud to not be that person.
When you think of resistance or strength training, forget the gym-junkie body builder image and simply think of resistance training as moving a weight or force. This could include your own bodyweight, dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls or pushing JC on the sled. Resistance training doesn’t have to involve heavy weights either. Instead of concentrating on the weight, focus on the movement pattern and maintaining body position and posture. It is important to remember strength is relative and varies from person to person.
Short answer – YES. Whether you’re an athlete, retiree or loving parent, everyone can benefit from resistance training.
Research shows resistance training improves your muscle function and strength, increases bone and muscle mass and reduces body fat. Resistance exercises are also commonly prescribed in the treatment of many chronic conditions, including; lower back pain, musculoskeletal dysfunctions (eg. osteoporosis, arthritis, sarcopenia and injuries to the shoulders, hip or knees), diabetes, hypertension and even some forms of cancers. Ultimately, resistance training can improve how we move, feel, think and live.
As a rule of thumb, start with small, manageable amounts and slowly progress with time. Try starting with small bouts of resistance exercise, 15 – 30 minutes, 2 – 3 days per week. When comfortable and confident, gradually progress to longer sessions (45+ minutes) and aim to perform resistance training 2 – 4 times per week, depending on your goal. Progressions may also include increases in; weight, the number of exercises performed, the number of sets performed, the number of reps performed or repetition timing.
If you’re not currently doing resistance training, try this ALTA Fitness Home-Based program which can be completed using light resistance bands or dumbbells.
| Day 1
(Eg. Monday) |
Day 2
(Eg. Wednesday) |
Day 3
(Eg. Friday) |
| Squats | Lunges | Split Squats |
| Hip Raises | Fitness Ball Leg Curls | Banded Crab Walks |
| Chest Press or Push Up | Shoulder Press | Push Up |
| Resistance Band Row | Thoracic Extensions | Resistance Band Row |
| Plank | Side Plank | Dead Bugs |
If you would like to know more about resistance or strength training, don’t hesitate to ask any of the friendly staff at ALTA Fitness.
Johnny is an avid soccer player, coach and fan and also one of our team members (completing his Masters in Exercise Physiology), and his passion goes beyond this to helping us all to move better and be fitter and healthier so I asked him to write this week and he jumped at the chance to talk a little about Multi Directional Training.
Many of you know my favourite sport is soccer which I’ve played since I could walk. My favourite team is Manchester United (most successful team in England 😉) that play in the English Premier League. This is one of the toughest leagues in the world that has some of the most talented elite athletes. Elite athletes and yourself have more in common than you may think. No matter what your fitness levels are, multidirectional training should be done by everyone.
Multidirectional training is exercising in different planes. The sagittal plane involves flexion, extension, forward and backward movements eg. Squats or step ups. The frontal plane is sideway movements, some of you may have done this in the gym where you walk sideways with a resistance band (Crab walk). The transverse plane is rotational movements, e.g. Cable twists on the tower.
A recent research study looked at multidirectional movements in soccer players playing in the English Premier League. Their study found soccer players cover between 8-12km in total over a 90 minute match with 98% of that distance without the ball. The total distance covered comprised of 7.9% backwards, 3% sideways and 89% forwards movement in English Premier League players (Bloomfield, Polman and O’Donoghue (2007a)). This indicates how much multidirectional movements is used by soccer players at the elite level. However, there are many sports that require multidirectional movements and can relate to this study. Whether you play soccer or another sport that requires many directional changes throughout the match (e.g. Basketball, AFL, tennis etc.) you should be including multidirectional training as part of your exercise. This will not only help you be more efficient in your sport but can be utilised to prevent injuries and improve movement in everyday life.
HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO ME YOU ASK?
Some of you may not play any sport or your glory days of playing regular sport are over and you’re thinking how does this relate to me?
Well, athletes shouldn’t be the only population using multidirectional training as part of their exercise routine. Many of the general population train only in the sagittal plane (forward/backward movements). Although, it’s important to train in the frontal plane (sideway movements) and the transverse plane (rotational movements). During day-to-day activities such as cooking, hanging out clothes, cleaning etc. we move in different directions. As you get older you lose muscle size and strength and if we neglect training muscles that allow us to move in different directions, this accelerates the loss of your muscle size and strength. In result those simple tasks can start to become very difficult.
So, it’s very important that you include multidirectional training in your exercise routine which will result in making you feel “FITTER, HEALTHIER & HAPPIER
