ONE of the first questions people ask me when enquiring about my gym is what type of training do we do.

Potential new clients will ask how it is structured and programmed and rightly so. Training should be organised in a way that is specific to your goals and allows for regular progression towards those goals. Each training session you take part in should be pre-planned and exercise selection, order, sets, reps and rest periods should all be considered. If you step into the gym and throw together a random workout every time you go then you are not training, but merely exercising and there is a difference.

The majority of my clients are training for weight loss and improved body composition so I am going to give some details of a typical Maverick Fitness training session. Each session begins with a 10 minute warm up circuit of five exercises and a rest station. Warm ups are vital and should always be performed prior to any kind of heavy lifting. Skipping, side shuffles or high knee skips are included to elevate heart rate, breathing rate and blood flow.

A few dynamic movements will also be included especially ones that mobilise the hips and shoulders, as these are the joints that cause most problems for previously inactive people. Lunges, squats and mountain climbers are favourites of mine. After three rounds of the circuit the clients will be ready to start the main part of the session, which is the strength routine. This part is a full body workout that includes a leg exercise, an upper body push and an upper body pull exercise. Any person looking to lose weight will need to be in a calorie deficit. When in a calorie deficit it is likely they will lose muscle mass as well as body fat, therefore resistance training must be included to offset any potential muscle loss. Working the whole body will also target a range of muscle groups two or three times per week and will also stimulate hormonal activity within the body that is beneficial for fat loss.

Squats, deadlifts, hip thrusts and heavy sleds are my favourite exercises for building lower body strength and a variety of presses as well as pull ups and rows will develop the upper body. These exercises will be performed successively in a circuit for anywhere between three and eight reps for five sets and rest periods will be appropriate to the number of reps. By carrying out the exercises one after the other the trainee will also be challenging the cardiovascular system and the rest periods will allow for adequate recovery so that the weight can be increased. This circuit will also cause the metabolic disruption within the body that has sometimes been labelled as the ‘after burn effect’ where the body continues to use up calories for hours after the workout by repairing the damaged muscle fibres and removing built up waste products.

After the strength section is completed I will put my clients through a conditioning finisher. This is usually10-15 minutes of hard work that aims to ‘empty the tank’. Dragging sleds, flipping tyres, dumbbell complexes and bodyweight circuits can all be incorporated into this part of the workout. I like to change this with each session as the aim of conditioning work is to constantly challenge the body’s energy systems and again create the metabolic disturbance required for fat loss.

After the finishers a quick cool down is performed that involves stretching and foam rolling and again the shoulders and hips are high priority. This can help alleviate some muscle soreness and helps improve mobility and flexibility.

That is a typical session at Maverick Fitness and it is all done in 60 minutes. Repeat that two or three times per week and you are well on your way to improved health and a smaller waistline.