The Challenge is almost Over.. Lets Move For a Better World..

This post goes out to everyone who got involved in our Lets Move For a Better World challenge that took place recently across the world and is ongoing until the 19th of March 2016.  I am sharing moments in the gym during the challenge. We have had some incredible response over these few weeks and moves are still being collected. A little recap about what the challenge was about: There is a need to get communities moving and living healthy and what better way than to put up a challenge that will remind people to be game changers in their communities by competing for an ultimate price which is to donate Technogym equipment to a charity of choice as a facility and a corporate which in this case will be SAB Rosslyn. 

Malusi,Kutlwano,Jim,Michael,Tico, Tshepo, Bra Moses 

So as every member accesses the gym, they use a TGS key which is a little gadget that records your moves and tallies it for you when you use any equipment that has an TGS slot inside the gym,which is later inserted into a TGS Kiosk which then registered moves collected by you for the duration of the workout and adds it with other members' moves in the gym. This then gets populated onto our scoreboard, (to those who dont understand this jargon you need to access the gym to understand this technology) 

Franco showing his guns

Moving on from there, this morning we are still standing at the number 2 spot in the whole country and at number 18 in the whole world. In our cluster of gyms we are number 1. Now with about 21 countries competing for this challenge I must say we are doing pretty well as a newbie to the challenge. 

We only registered about 7 gyms in the country and there are countries with over 70 facilities competing in places like Germany and Portugal. In the beginning we started slow with just over 2000 moves and in 2 days we were raised the bar thanks to your dedication. 

This goes to show how teamwork, well played can achieve goals beyond comprehension .

The top 6 achievers at this moment are

1. Theodor Kganyago  who collected 17332 moves over a period of 2 weeks
2. Denis Mafoko 15 616 moves
3. Tshepo Isaacs- 14940 moves
4. Malesela Ledwaba- 12 191 moves
5. Alfred Tladi- 11 518 moves
6. Jim Mako- 10 902 moves

This is such a big achievement for the plant and for the gym and I would like  to encourage everyone to keep participating and pushing for those moves. It is super humbling to work with people of your calibre and I really want to say Thank You for being part of this challenge, Always remember your body is your wealth, take care of it. Wellness is the FUTURE..

Common training mistakes we make while in the GYM..

A lot of you are not happy with me trying to change how you work out but one of the reasons I am here is to be able to educate you about the pros and cons of not exercising properly and not doing the ABC's of training that are required for muscle longevity. I am glad that there is a fragment of you that take on advise and use it while the rest still need to be sweet-talked or told over and over again how dangerous it is to not warm up, to use bad form, to push too much weights or to talk about burning your muscles to oblivion. Everyone has different goals when they train but people should be open to advice as that is the reason the gym has trainers. 

Its a given that people get injured when they exercise. One way or the other muscles get sore for days on end, overexertion, burnt out etc and we need to understand the dimensions of proper training and steps to follow to get there. 
Reasons people get hurt in the gym. Myth or no myth we should know how to avoid these injuries and make a success out of our training regime. Things like bench pressing close to your chest is bad, dead-lifting will hurt your lower back,squatting past parallel or without toes facing outwards will mess your knees etc. Though there may be some truth attached to these deductions the fact is people get hurt in the gym all the time and to avoid these all you need to do is follow these steps.

Nevertheless, as with any physical activity, he risk of injury is always there. If you have been lifting weights for any amount of time,you have been hurt or know someone who has. Knee, shoulder and back injuries seem to be the most common during training, so be vigilant.

Why do we injure ourselves and seem to be unaware of it until the pain becomes UNBEARABLE.

I have heard these kind of stories where people tell you the only way they know they had a good workout is when their muscles have burnt until numbness. This I call exerting your muscles to oblivion and it is definitely not good for anyone whether you are a bodybuilder, an athlete or just a day to day member accessing the gym. Truth of the matter is if one does not know better they train improperly and end up using poor form which result in injuries and sometimes permanent muscle damage..

COMMON MISTAKES WE MAKE IN THE GYM THAT MAKES US PRONE TO INJURY..

• Failure to Warm Up- We need to learn to warm up properly before we exercise. Warm up exercises prepare the body for exercising by increasing the blood flow to the muscles allowing them to loosen up, which can raise the flow of oxygen to the muscle cells. Doing this gradually increases the body's temperature. This then increases the speed and force of muscular contractions, because nerve impulses travel faster at higher body temperatures, and muscles become less stiff or more pliable.

Silly things people say at the GYM

The warm up's intensity should cause perspiration but not cause fatigue. The type of warm up needs to be appropriate for the activity planned. It also needs to be appropriate to the age range and fitness level of the participants, usually lasting for 5-10 minutes in duration.
The following examples cover a warm up:
• walking or jogging to increase the body’s temperature
• dynamic stretches to reduce muscle stiffness and specific stretches for muscles that will be used during exercise

• Lifting more weight than you can handle

This I will tell it like it is. A lot of guys that come to the gym EGO-LIFT. But is this not a nature of men? Men like competing with each other and half the time they train in packs or in groups. This in itself is not wrong but its definitely wrong to lift the same weight as your gym buddy although you guys are wired differently muscle-wise. A common problem about this is if you're partner is not there to spot you, there is a high risk of dropping weights on yourself. One cant just simply stack plates of weights and hope for the best. Lifting more than you can handle causes knee and back problems, puts excessive strain on your joints and ligaments.  All that it takes here is a little tweak or a sharp descent of weights and that back or knee is done for.

How can we sort this out. Make sure that you start from less to more for your body. As everything takes time and its a process to get there, training is no different. Working with weights that you can handle and doing full controlled movements can enhance your muscle gains steadily and improve your flexibility. So lighten the load, control your reps and you are good to go.

• Using Bad Form

Common mistake and done mostly by people who refuse to ask either how to use a machine or how to perform a set. Its possible to work with proper amounts of weights and use full range of motion (ROM) and still put yourself at a RISK of injury. Form mistakes go far beyond the heavy half repping that give a bad name to the big compound lifts like the squat, dead-lift, bench press, and military press. 

Check these examples

1. If you round your back during a dead-lift, or hyper-extend it too far at the top, you’re asking for a lower back injury.
2. If you flatten your back and round your shoulders at the top of a bench press, or flare your elbows out too much, you will probably have shoulder problems at some point.
3. If you let your knees bow in when you squat, or extend them too far past your toes you really hurt them when going heavy.
4. If you do your overhead/military presses behind your neck, and your body is built like most people’s, you’re increasing your risk of injury

• The NO PAIN no GAIN SYNDROME

The problem that we have here is thinking when its painful its working. Ever heard of muscle-sore and muscle-pain. Fact when its hurts stop the set. Do not ever try push through pain. Realize the pain is a warning that something is wrong and can lead to serious injury. Always ask your wellness coach for help and let them guide you through your sets. Aches and stiffness go away once you warm up thus follow this route and give your muscles a journey they will never forget while getting those gains.

RECOVERING FROM WORKOUT INJURIES

Chances for injury will be low if you take heed of the above-mentioned. If you get seriously injured make sure that you see your doctor. Simple ways of recovery involves resting,ice, elevation, heating, compression etc. 

I will briefly take you through these

• REST- If you want to recover you must rest. Muscles mostly grow when there is enough rest. Never ever put strain on any affected muscle or area until fully healed, Once you are sure that the injury has gone start with your routine using lighter weights and gradually get back into it. 

• ICE- Ice helps you recover by reducing inflammation and swelling and internal bleeding from injured capillaries and blood vessels. As long as there is pain and inflammation, ice will help. Ice must not be applied for more than 15-20 minutes at a time, but it can be rotated on and off all day.

• ELEVATION.-By raising the affected part above your heart blood can circulate faster to your heart which in turn will reduce swelling and help in removing waste products from the affected area. 

• HEATING- This can be used after 2-4 days of putting ice on the area affected. Heat is a blood flow simulator. It cant however be used on an inflamed area right away as it will cause aggravation but it can be used alternating with ice to reduce swelling. 

COMPRESSION- This reduces swelling and can be combined with the usage of an ice-pack by wrapping a compression sleeve over it. 

Nutrition meets Fitness..why eating healthy plays a big role in that training..

Ever wondered why people spend time in the gym and never seem to get any closer to their goal. Let me break it to you. This is one of those posts that requires a mind change especially for those people who fall into the category of thinking you can eat whatever that you want and lose it overnight through training.

Although most of us have no clue about what to eat, when and how..we need to be open-minded enough to understand that training alone just wont cut it.
Any fitness program you are following will benefit from a
healthy eating plan. Take note that I am not talking about a DIET but an eating plan/balanced meal. Whether your goals are to lose weight, gain strength, improve your endurance or simply live a healthier life, choosing the right foods to complement your fitness and exercise routine will help you succeed. Eat right for a fitness program by consuming whole foods that contain vitamins, minerals and nutrients, and drinking plenty of water. Determine the goals of your fitness program. How you eat will depend on what you want to achieve. 

• Decrease your caloric intake if you are trying to lose weight. You should aim to burn more calories than you consume in order to lose weight.
• Increase your calories if you are trying to build muscle or gain weight.

• Eliminate all junk food from your diet. Support your fitness program by avoiding processed and packaged foods and snacks that contain lots of salt, sugar and fat, and provide no nutritional benefits.
• Eat carbohydrates. Carbohydrates provide fuel for your body and will give you energy while you exercise
• Choose healthy carbohydrates that contain vitamins and minerals, such as whole grain bread, fruits, vegetables, pasta and rice.

Eat lean protein. Protein is essential for your body, especially if you are following a fitness program. Protein can build and repair tissues in your body, including muscles that you use when you workout.

• Stick with low-fat proteins such as chicken and fish. Incorporate other protein sources such as beef, pork, eggs and nuts into your diet as well.