Over the years, the same series of questions seem to pop up over and over. It seems that we are searching for some "Holy Grail" for health and fitness. I don't know how to dress it up any other way than say that we have to consistently raise our heartrates and challenge our muscles in a way that is harmonious for our bodies, and conducive for promoting our well-being.  

On the other hand, if you have found the Holy Grail, please stop reading, and just send us an e-mail, and enlighten us all. I don't know of a magic pill that solves everything, but also on the other hand, I think it would deny you a sense of accomplishment even if it did exist. Some common questions:

1. What exactly are my Core muscles?
2. How do I tone my body without building up bulk? 
3. What is the quickest way of losing fat ?
4. Why is 121 Physical Training important for me? 

1. What exactly are my Core muscles? 

Your CORE is where your centre of gravity is based; and is the foundation of your physical movement.  Most of your core muscles are located in your belly and mid/lower back. We have a set of stabilizing muscles in our core and also a set of muscles dedicated for movement. So you can have great set of abs, yet also, have a weak Core because your stabilizing muscles are not properly developed. This can lead to serious muscle imbalances, spinal destabilisation, and general postural problems. This is why Stability is a central theme for 121 Physical Training. Many postural complaints have their origin in a weak Core. 

2. How do I tone my body without building up bulk? 

The good thing is that your muscles are already there; you don't have to go out and buy some to get toned. They may just be a little bit shy, but we can do something about this. You build up muscle/bulk by using resistance levels in which you are only able to do, say 6-10 repetitions per set. This will just expand the size of the muscle fibres that you already have. At the other end of the scale, you build up stamina and tone your muscles by using a resistance where you can manage around 15-20 (or higher) repetitions per set. It can help to think:

TONING = LIGHT WEIGHTS + HIGH REPS

Look at what is common in many sorts of aerobic/cardio/circuit classes. Each will tell you of their extra benefits. They have a multitude of names however, but they have a thread that runs through them all. Your body becomes more toned when you sweat a lot through a high number of repeated movements using low (or no) weights. Your body will then use a higher proportion of fat as an energy source, which increases the toning and definition of your muscles.

3. What is the quickest way of losing fat?

If you are overweight, due to a poor diet (lifestyle of food and drink consumed), then you are most likely consuming more than you require or use. The excess energy (food and drink) gets stored as “baggage” around your body. Our very intelligent bodies will deposit this in the most harmless places first of all legs, backside, and even create new body parts i.e. love handles to avoid affecting your organs. Now, for a healthy way to reverse this process, CONSISTENTLY DO THE FOLLOWING: 

1. EAT AND DRINK LESS. 2. RAISE THE QUALITY OF WHAT YOU CONSUME (See Nutrition page) 3. EXPEND MORE ENERGY

If you make a postive adjustment to any one of these three points above, you will make a positive impact on your system. You just have to be consistent, otherwise you may end up falling into the "yo-yo" trap, of losing and gaining weight repeatedly. Unfortunately, very common, with the almost hysterical attention paid to diet fads. You just have to make sure that you are burning up more energy, than you are putting into your system. Generally speaking, for the excess energy required, your body will go to the excess fat stores that you have, and use this to make up for the energy deficit. (Hint: look at people that sweat every day for at least 20-30 min).                                 

    

4. Why is 121 Physical Training important for me?

What is more important than your health?

As I look back down the years, I have worked with people that have suffered all sorts of complaints. It became highly evident that health does not equate to fitness. Some examples:

• A client in his mid-twenties was able to do over 40 pull/chin ups (when you hang from a horizontal bar above your head, and repeatedly pull your head above the bar), he had a well developed 6 pack, yet suffered from insomnia for 18 months due to a practically herniated disc in his lower back, that prevented him from lying down comfortably. At that time, had no idea how or why this was happening to him.
• Another gentleman had been running for years, and had a very good cardiovascular condition, yet was completely frustrated at recurrent injuries to his hamstrings, and achilles tendons, preventing him from competing in many competitions.
• I recall a story from a female client. She was in her mid thirties, training for a marathon quite successfully for some months before the race. Yet on the day, she was bewildered as to why she cramped up on both sides of both of her legs during the race, which eventually forced her to walk, the remaining 15km to the finish line.
  
  Bottom Line: This comes back to the section on Integrated Training. Even if you are able to have a good workout regularly i.e. at least 2 or 3 times per week, you still need to know exactly what to do, when to do it, and how to do it, minimising injury risk, and  overtraining.