Spartan Training Club Kiama is back for 2015

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Welcome to another year of health & fitness news with the first 2015 edition of the Spartan Insider VIP Newsletter.

Spartan Training Club has some of very exciting plans ahead in 2015 which will see us continue to lead the way and offer the most innovative strength & conditioning programs in Kiama.This Newsletter will share the best hints, tips and advice from our experience in the trenches.

If you want all the best health, fitness and nutrition advice then keep a close eye out for this Newsletter each week in your inbox.

If you’d like to know more about Spartan Training Club Kiama and how it can help you get a stronger, more athletic body, click here for a Free 2 Week Trial to come and join the Spartan crusade.

Read on for this week’s news…

Dave Lambert

Oxygen Health & Fitness

Functional Movement Screen

The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is based on sound science, years of innovation and current research. This week, as FitChicks return to training, we’ll be using the FMS to assess their basic movement patterns before loading them up with heavier weights.

Put simply, the FMS is a ranking and grading system that documents movement patterns that are key to normal function. By screening these patterns, the FMS readily identifies functional limitations and asymmetries. These are issues that can reduce the effects of functional training and physical conditioning and distort body awareness.

The FMS generates the Functional Movement Screen Score, which is used to target problems and track progress. This scoring system is directly linked to the most beneficial corrective exercises to restore mechanically sound movement patterns.

Exercise professionals monitor the FMS score to track progress and to identify those exercises that will be most effective to restore proper movement and build strength in each individual.

The FMS simplifies the concept of movement and its impact on the body. Its streamlined system has benefits for everyone involved – individuals, exercise professionals, and physicians.

Communication – The FMS utilizes simple language, making it easy for individuals, exercise professionals, and doctors to communicate clearly about progress and treatment.

Evaluation – The screen effortlessly identifies asymmetries and limitations, diminishing the need for extensive testing and analysis.

Standardization – The FMS creates a functional baseline to mark progress and provides a means to measure performance.

Safety – The FMS quickly identifies dangerous movement patterns so that they can be addressed. It also indicates an individual’s readiness to perform exercise so that realistic goals can be set and achieved.

Corrective Strategies – The FMS can be applied at any fitness level, simplifying corrective strategies of a wide array of movement issues. It identifies specific exercises based on individual FMS scores to instantly create customized treatment plans.

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If you’re not assessing, you’re just guessing

Whether it’s your weight, body fat, strength, quality of movement or anything else you want to improve, you first must assess where you are right now.

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Assessment and Goal Setting

It’s an exciting time of year in my industry as people return from the Xmas hibernation with New Year’s Resolutions and stack of motivation to get fit and healthy. The first step in making 2015 the year that you FINALLY make it happen is to Assess where you’re currently at.

This week already we have recorded Girth Measurements, Body Fat, Weight as well as the Functional Movement Screen. Thursday will see the guys perform Strength Testing on some of the major exercises like Push Ups, Chin Ups, Squats and Bench Press. Once we have this data, we’ll sit down together as a group to set some Long Term and Short Term Goals . This is our year!

Transformation Secrets

Each week throughout 2015 this Newsletter will showcase the best success story from Spartan Training Club Kiama. It could be fat loss, muscle gain, strength increases, mindset improvement or a special achievement worth celebrating.

Spartan has a long list of transformation success stories since it’s inception in February 2013. We’ve helped guys of all shapes, sizes and age groups get leaner, stronger and into the best shape of their lives. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for our 2015 Hall of Famers.

Nutrition Coaching in Kiama

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Welcome to another Oxygen Health & Fitness Weekly Wrap. We’re getting stuck into the best strength & conditioning programs in Kiama and the results have never been better. With an added focus on nutrition, Oxygen Members are going to reap even more rewards from their efforts as we close out the final quarter of 2014

Read on for all the Oxygen News.

Dave Lambert

Oxygen Health & Fitness

What’s Been Happening?

Super Saturday Strength Series continues

It was a big turnout for last week’s Super Saturday Strength Circuit. There were 7 different 20 second stations of Barbell Squats, TRX Pull Ups, Incline DB Presses, MB Slams, DB Lunges, Push Ups and Barbell Rows. Each Station involved a moderate-heavy weight but b y the time we were done they felt VERY heavy and it made for some tough stuff getting through the 20 seconds!

The first round was 3 cycles back to back which meant 21 Stations in a row. After a well earned rest we got stuck into it again for another 14 rounds and then finally 7 rounds to finish. The session certainly got the muscles burning, heart rates high and metabolism elevated – the perfect fat burning recipe. Those who are able to get to get that 3rd full body strength session in each week r Saturday session will make some great progress in strength and body composition by the end of 2014.

21 Day Spring into Shape Challenge

Oxygen Members everywhere have made a concerted effort to start monitoring their food this week with the introduction of a 21 Day Health & Fitness Diary and some quality Nutrition coaching in Kiama. They’re being trained on the “10 Rules of Precision Nutrition” and being asked to write down everything they eat and post to our private forum each night for accountability.

Each day they’re being educated via a quick Lesson on Goal Setting, Changing Habits and the importance of Protein, Vegetables and other nutrition facts. There’s certainly much more awareness about what they’re eating and what needs to change. Now that they’re starting to understand the process of changing habits these people are setting themselves up for successful long term lifestyle improvements.

Insider News

Check out the latest FitChicks Insider VIP Newsletter by clicking the image below:

Check out the latest Spartan Insider VIP Newsletter by clicking the image below:

Sean Casey

Sean Casey has been a consistent performer at Oxygen since the start of Winter, He’s a regular 6am Spartan guys and most weeks gets one to two Conditioning and a Super Saturday as well. He is always a competitor and having him around pushes everyone that little bit extra in their efforts, whether it’s under the Bench Press, inside the Squat Rack or behind the Sled.

Sean has gone close to this award on several occasions but this week is a standout performer with Performance Points earned at every session. He is only here for a short time longer as his 5 months Long Service Leave from the Army draws to a close but we’re glad to have him around at training as long as we can.

Weekly Wisdom

What’s Coming Up?

Saturday 13th September

SUPER SATURDAY

7:30am

Kiama High School

Monday 13th Oxober

CHALLENGE WEEK SERIES 9

6am

Kiama High School

Saturday 18th Oxober

OXYGEN’S 5TH BIRTHDAY

7pm

Seabreeze Dining

Saturday 15th November

TOUGH MUDDER SYDNEY

8am

Southern Highlands

Strength & conditioning programs in Kiama

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Welcome to the first Spartan Insider VIP Newsletter for Spring.

This week Spartans started a new 6 week Program block that comes with new exercises, new combinations and, just as they like it, some fresh new challenges. After tackling this new program yesterday morning and then taking our night crew through the same routine, I’m excited about ripping in to a full 6 week block and seeing what progress we can all make.

If you’d like to know more about Spartan Training Club Kiama and how it can help you get a stronger, more athletic body, click here for a Free 2 Week Trial to come and join the Spartan crusade.
Read on for this week’s news…

Dave Lambert

Oxygen Health & Fitness

One Arm Dumbbell Rows

The one-arm dumbbell row, when performed correctly, is one of the most versatile “bang for your buck” upper body exercises you can do. The movement involves scapular retraction and depression, along with spinal extension and also acts as a core stabilization exercise through anti-rotation and anti-flexion.

The lats are one of the only muscles to run directly over the vertebrae of the thoracic, lumbar, and sacral spine making it an important exercise for back pain sufferers. On top of that, it helps develop thickness through the upper and mid back and importantly, it helps improve scapular (shoulder blade) mechanics.

The row is typically intended to work the lats, rhomboids, lower traps, and erector spinae lower back muscles, and they also require stabilization from the rotator cuff.

People tend to approach the dumbbell row with a kyphotic (rounded) thoracic spine, posterior pelvic tilt, head too low or too high, elbow flared out to the side, wrist curling at the end to get extra height on the lift, massive torso rotations, jerk-pulls to use momentum for the last little pull, and any number of other movements that could be considered anything but a row.

As the lats are supposed to retract and depress your scapula, the row movement will only work properly if the spine isn’t stuck in kyphosis. A rounded back will limit the mobility of the scapula and make the exercise impossible to work the lats. By “straightening out” the spine and getting it into more of a neutral position, you allow the shoulder blade to move properly and get the lats and rhomboids to pull properly.

Common errors when rowing:

Pulling the weight straight up.

Although this may seem like a common sense thing to do, look at the body positioning. The lats are below the shoulders, so pulling straight up would work more of the upper traps instead of the lats and rhomboids. The best direction of pull involves having the shoulder blade retract and depress in almost a spiral, basically moving up towards the roof and then down towards your back pocket.

Rotating the spine towards the top of the movement.

Usually a result from trying to gain that last piece of range of motion. Obviously you should try to steer clear of this. The spine should be almost completely stationary, with the scapula retracting and depressing in that spiral movement, meaning it’s doing all the work. This is where the row becomes a really great anti-rotation core exercise as well as a back exercise!

A helpful cure for this is to flex the low back muscles. The lats act as a spinal extensor AS WELL AS a scapular retractor and depressor, so getting the low back to contract can help increase the amount of maximal contraction the lats can do with the activity, as well as help stabilize the spine for the movement.

Finally, the finishing position in the row is typically with the scapula not in full retraction, a position that could indicate that the rhomboids and traps aren’t working to their full potential. Sure, the muscle is still working, but it’s a far cry from bang-on perfect.

Below are TWO Youtube Videos of the week showing a good dumbbell row followed by a bad dumbbell row with poor scapular retraction. Watch them closely a few times each.

Reference: T-Nation

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Squeeze

Use a weight that you can manage a 2-3 second pause/squeeze/hold, whatever you want to call it, at the midpoint or top of each rep. This is a critical point. You want to make sure you’re using muscular strength and not momentum to perform the reps. If you can’t pause with the weight at the midpoint of the movement, you’re using too much weight!

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Low volume prep week as Tri-Sets begin

The transition this week to a low volume de-load week is a welcome change for everyone. Winter was hard work pushing through 3 short intense programs. Basically from session one each program it was full volume, full intensity all the way but its important to realise that nobody can train that way all the time.

This week is the start of a new 6 week program that will see Spartans performing two Tri-Set routines of 4 Sets of 4/6/8 Reps. However Week 1 of a 6 Week program is usually a lower volume effort of around 2-3 working sets as we adjust to new exercises and combinations. This also represents a great week to reset technique and perform a strong 3/4 effort with moderate-heavy weights.

Next week, we’ll pump up the volume to 4 Sets. Over the next 5 weeks we’ll be hoping to convert all that into increases in strength,mass and performance.

If you need to get fit for Summer, click here and you can get 2 weeks of the best strength & conditioning programs in Kiama for FREE!

Jackson muscles up

Jackson has always been more into the cardio type activities like running and conditioning. Since April this year, Jack has spent more time working on his strength which has transferred into more muscle with a 3.5cm gain on his chest and 1cm on each arm. Well done Jack, imagine what you can do when your nutrition is consistent!

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Kiama Fitness Group celebrate success

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Welcome to the final Oxygen Health & Fitness Weekly Wrap for Winter. I”ve been very impressed with the consistency shown by Oxygen clients over the coldest season of the year. At at time when most people go into hibernation, (described by Wikipedia as “a state of inactivity and metabolic depression“) the Oxygen crew have had consistently high attendances, improving their strength & conditioning and having a fun time doing it.

I’m looking forward to celebrating at our Winter Warrior Winner’s Breakfast tomorrow and getting stuck into some exciting new Spring programs starting next week. Read on for all the latest news and updates.

Dave Lambert

Oxygen Health & Fitness

What’s Been Happening?

Winter Warrior Challenge winds up

Congrats go out to several Members who met their tallies in the last week! Leanne Williams, Geoff McIntyre & Joy Briggs all achieved the goals they set down way back on the 2nd June. I racked up 4 sessions this week from 2 x Spartans, 1 Conditioning and a Stretch session which means I’ve also joined the winners list hitting my personal tally of 77 sessions. Woohoo!

There’s a number of other Members who are only 1-2 sessions away from their goals and will be sweating it out over the next 24 hours to bring home the bacon (and eggs) for tomorrow’s Winners breakfast.

Super Saturday Strength Circuit

The variety continued for last week’s Super Saturday session, with Strength Training in Kiama High School. There were 6 different Superset stations with a tabata protocol of 20 sec work/10 sec rest and 8 sets in a row. TRX Pull Ups/Incline DB Presses, Box Jumps/Jump Lunges, Push Ups/Barbell Rows, Barbell Squats/DB Romanian Deadlifts, Med Ball Slams/DB Push Press and Diagonals/Med Ball Twists. Wow!

It was hard work and I was sore until Wednesday but the feedback from all attendees was very positive. It’s definitely something I like to program in because some great results can be achieved from getting that 3rd full body strength session in each week. Keep an eye out for more of these sessions over Spring.

Winter Strength programs complete

Our Spartan and FitChicks Strength programs wound up last night with the completion of our final 4 week strength & conditioning programs in Kiama. A number of performance targets were met as everyone kept inching their weights up in small increments each week. Along with the improvements in strength and performance, a number of people transferred those gains into some great physical improvements with Lorien Spooner-Hart losing an amazing 57cm in girth measurements and Geoff McInytre making muscle gains on the chest/arms and hips.

Check out the latest FitChicks Insider VIP Newsletter below:

Check out the latest Spartan Insider VIP Newsletter below:

Kat Hayward

This week’s Member of the Week goes to long standing Member Kat Hayward. Kat has been a keen strength training participant since she first started at Oxygen a couple of years ago. She would always attend her boot camp Strength sessions as well as Boxing and the odd Stretch session. Kat has also been a valuable Member of our Nutrition coaching group helping herself and others to improve their eating habits for better results. Since she combined her nutrition habits with Fit Chicks Club Kiama and more recently Conditioning sessions, Kat has achieved some great results. She compiled an amazing 5 Performance Points this past week to take out our Member of the Week Award. Well done Kat!

Weekly Wisdom

What’s Coming Up?

Saturday 30th August

SUPER SATURDAY

Special Early Start Time 7am

Surf Beach

WINTER WARRIOR BREAKFAST

Celebrations for our Winter Warrior Award Winners.

8am The Brooding Italian Cafe

Monday 1st September

START OF SPRING PROGRAMS

FitChicksClub Kiama

Spartan Training Club Kiama

Conditioning

Stretch

SPRING INTO SHAPE CHALLENGE

21 days to create some healthy new habits for Spring. I’ll be taking you all through the process of Habit based Coaching helping you to track your Exercise, Nutrition and determine YOUR number 1 priority to improve results for the week ahead.

Saturday 6th September

Spotlight

SADDLEBACK SMASH INCREASES

Last day for Early Bird Registrations at $30.

Register for Saddleback Smash here

Saturday 15th November

Spotlight

Oxygen has entered the obstacle course described as “probably the toughest event on the planet”. This year’s Sydney event is right here in the Southern Highlands!

We’re looking to form a Team of about 10 and so far we have 6 on board. Join our Team here.

20km of obstacles, fire, ice water and electric shocks sounds fun right? Did I mention there’s A LOT of mud?

Fit Chicks Club Kiama breaking barriers

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Welcome to the first July edition of FitChicks Insider VIP Newsletter where we share the most effective exercises, technique tips and success stories from following the best strength & conditioning programs in Kiama.

If you’d like to know more about FitChicksClub Kiama, click here and we’ll mail you out a Free DVD and eBook about how we can help you get the lean, toned body you’ve always wanted.

Read on for this week’s news…

Dave Lambert

Oxygen Health & Fitness

Medicine Ball Mountain Climbers

Mountain climbers challenge your balance, strength and coordination. They require you to engage your upper arms muscles, as well as your core and your legs whilst you’re hard at work balancing, controlling and moving your body.

And that’s just when you’re on the floor! When you place your hands on top of a medicine ball, the balance challenge increases significantly as your base of support is much narrower.

Numerous muscles stabilize your upper arm at the shoulder joint. Your triceps keep your arms straight. Your abdominals along with your back muscles control your hips and sustain your core. The hip flexors fire up to draw your knee in toward your chest, and your butt muscles contract to extend the hip. There’s lots of muscles involved in this one!

Starting in the plank position, make sure your hands are directly underneath your shoulders with the feet hip-width apart. Your legs and arms are straight. Your abdominals are strongly contracted, keeping your back from hyperextending.

Draw your right knee into your chest by using your abdominal muscles. Do not let your right foot touch the floor. Do not let your shoulders move in front or behind your hands — keep them directly over your wrists. Extend your right leg back into plank position. Do not lift your hips. Maintain a straight line from heels to head. Repeat on the other side.

As you will see from the video below, Holly Rigsby of FitYummyMummy demonstrates different speeds whilst performing the exercise.

For a tougher workout on the abdominals use a slow, controlled speed where you bring the knee across towards the opposite hand, pause and switch sides.

To get more of a cardio effect from this exercise increase your speed so you’re almost running on the spot in a plank position.

With both methods you want to maintain a tight core with abdominals braced and glutes tight. You’ll get an abdominal workout whichever option you choose but it’s best to learn to control your technique first before you increase speed.

A FitChicks first – 50kg incline bench press!

FitChicksClub Kiama has been running at multiple timeslots for almost 18 months. We’ve had women of all ages and abilities attempt all sorts of activities, one of those, the Incline Bench Press becoming almost a staple exercise.

There’s been some naturally strong chicks and there’s been others who have had to work really hard over a period of time to improve this upper body move. Never before has a FitChick been able to load up 2 x 10kg plates per side on this exercise.

All that changed last Thursday night when Lorien Spooner-Hart successfully completed 4 sets of 5 reps with 48kg. Then on Tuesday night she took it one step further, adding a 1.25kg plate to each side to successfully conquer the 50kg barrier for all 20 reps. Well done Lorien!

Sheri gets bikini ready

Sheridan Calverley was a reluctant starter in FitChicks earlier this year after previously training in our Boot Camps. She has since become an integral part of this community as everyone draws motivation from seeing her ripping in and pushing her body to the limits. Because she has also trained at different timeslots and gotten to know many of our 4pm and 7pm FitChicks, she is well liked and responsible for helping create a great new culture and positive atmosphere.

Sheri is a tiny size 6 and has never struggled with her weight. One problem she has previously described though was a typical “skinny fat” situation where she was happy with her size, but not so happy with the shape and appearance of her muscle tone/definition.

Through lifting heavy weights and changing her cardio workouts to a high intensity style Sheri, has been able to improve her confidence, performance and physique. I’ve personally witnessed her speed and athleticism improve on the Touch Footy field this year and her fellow FitChicks marvel at the strength of this sub 50kg woman lifting well above her bodyweight on squats and deadlifts.

Sheri has had extra motivation these past few months as this week she embarks on a European holiday throughout July with her girlfriends. It’s all about that bikini body.

Well done so Sheri, have a ball on your holiday, I’m sure via the world of Facebook and Instagram we will hear about your amazing adventures!

Spartan Training Club Kiama gets results

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Welcome to the return of the Spartan Insider VIP Newsletter. This once Weekly Newsletter slipped off the radar over the past few months as Oxygen Health & Fitness underwent some changes.The good news though is that it has continued to thrive getting results for any guy who is willing to put in the hard work and train consistently. The Spartan Insider VIP Newsletter is back with a vengeance.

In case you haven’t seen it before, this newsletter shares the most effective exercises, the most useful technique tips and the most dramatic success stories that result from utilising this information.

I source information from the best names in the industry so that you don’t have t.! And I’m not talking about your Biggest Loser Trainers or whatever the latest jerk on Instagram is promoting, this is from the most respected strength & conditioning coaches in the world. The guys with in the trenches experience, A-list athletic clients and real life scientific evidence to back up their claims.

If you’re looking for the highest quality strength & conditioning programs in Kiama, Spartan Training Club is the place for you.

Read on for this week’s news…

Dave Lambert

Oxygen Health & Fitness

Farmer’s Walks

If weakness is the disease, the farmer’s walk will cure it. It will build muscle, slash fat, and crank up performance. The farmer’s walk is one of the simplest exercise you can do. Just pick up some heavy weights, walk as far as you can and repeat.

A big reason they’re not used more often is because they’re too simple. Most people want the newest, hottest exercise, but that often means an easier movement. What often works better is to get back to basics and man up.

The key to success in the farmer’s walk is not in the walking, but how you walk with the weight.Everything starts with posture.

The temptation during the farmer’s walk is to adopt a head forward/rounded shoulder posture, but performing the exercise this way places stress on the neck and upper body. To make the move safer and more challenging, it’s important to work on improved positioning – a tall spine comes before too heavy a weight. Better to work with a conservative load and learn to control the downward pressure and build to a more substantial weight from there.

Keeping it lighter can have a similar effect on your cardiovascular system as a series of sprints while working on a completely different neural and loading demand. Aiming for longer distance will ramp up fat loss.

Keeping it heavy but brief turns this into a more strength-based, weight-bearing exercise. Your upper body will grow in relation to the weight you’re carrying and your grip strength will go up drastically. Heavier weights will also help improve your other lifts.

Done right, a farmer’s walk can make you a hell of a lot of stronger and leaner. Don’t underestimate the impact of this brutal but basic exercise.

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Retract the shoulder blades

Retract the shoulder blades and perform a slight shrug of the shoulders. This will help you to avoid the weight pulling your shoulders down and out of the socket creating an unbalanced shoulder girdle.

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Five by five

The highlight this week has been the transition to a more traditional strength routine of 5 sets of 5 reps.

After the chaos of three weeks of Crossfit style programming in May with high repetitions and race against the clock style workouts, June’s programming is about moderate to heavy weights, creating “tension” and utilising strict technique.

Jackson Calverley

After reluctantly starting Spartan Training Kiama in April, Jackson Calverley has improved out of sight in the past few months. He was a self confessed cardio person who enjoyed his running but not the effects it had on his physique or energy levels.

Since switching from aerobic based workouts to anaerobic based, high intensity style training there have been noticeable improvements in his muscle definition, posture, strength and work capacity. From a guy who couldn’t perform a couple of chin ups to someone who needs extra weight plates attached. He’s squatting deep, bench pressing well and sled pushing as quick as anyone I’ve seen. Great work Jackson keep it up!

If you’re not assessing, you’re just guessing

Assessment and Goal Setting

Transformation Secrets

Saturday 6th September

Register for Saddleback Smash here

Saturday 15th November

Spartan Training Club Kiama gets results

Farmer’s Walks

Retract the shoulder blades

Five by five

Jackson Calverley

Food Prep Hacks – Lazy Chicken Salad

Find Us on Brown St.

Kiama Gym Results