Healthy living

Foam rollers can seem like a daunting piece of equipment especially with many people describing it as “torture”. In actual fact, they can form a very beneficial part of your gym routine. Foam rolling is a form of “self-myofascial release” – basically a fancy term to describe self-massage techniques. When used in conjunction with other recovery techniques and an appropriate exercise program, it can help correct muscle imbalances, reduce trigger points (knots within muscles) and inhibit overactive muscles.

The number of reps and sets you complete in your training program should be determined by your goals (i.e. what you want to achieve out of training). The number of reps also relates to how heavy the weight is (i.e. relative to the maximum weight you can lift). As a general rule, the heavier the weight is (relative to your maximum), the lower the number of reps you should complete in a set. An important consideration of resistance training is that your body will adapt specifically to the kind of stress you put on it.

Free weights vs. machines is a longstanding debate around the gym and when there are so many different options for equipment, it can be a very daunting decision to choose what equipment to use.

It’s important to acknowledge that neither machines or free weights is “better” than the other. They serve different purposes and the choice depends on your individual needs and goals around exercise.

Like most things in life, they both have pros and cons and understanding these can help you make an informed decision on when to include machines or free weights into your workout.

In our previous glute and core blog post, we explained why it was important to activate and strengthen your glute and core muscles during a workout. 

In today's blog, we share what specific exercises you can perform every day, either at home, work or at the gym, to strengthen your glute and core muscles. 

Firstly, it’s important for your body to understand and recognise the position that your pelvis is in (i.e. anterior/posterior pelvic tilt) and to be comfortable with moving between the two positions and neutral.

If you’ve been around the gym environment, you’ve probably heard people harp on about “turning your glutes on”, “strengthen your core” and “stretch your hip flexors” but it’s important to know why. Your core and glute muscles are crucial for maintaining the position of your pelvis (i.e. where your hips connect to your spine) and protecting your back.

If our last blog on common signs of rotator cuff problems and why it's important to have strong rotator cuffs resonated with you, then you're probably wondering how to go about strengthening the muscles.

Over the next few weeks, we're going to go through the movements that the rotator cuff muscles are responsible for or assist with, and then show some exercises that will help strengthen them.

Let’s start by talking about the movement called external rotation – which is the movement of rotating your arm away from your body.