The wall sit is an exercise you can perform just about anywhere, without any gym equipment.
This exercise involves sitting, with your back against a wall in a squat position and simply holding the position for as long as you can – with practice this will improve over time!
Teaching Points:
Keep your head and back touching the wall
Keep the legs at a 90 degree angle
Hold your arms out in front of you to work your shoulders
This exercise builds on your isometric strength and endurance in the quads and glutes – a favourite exercise to perform for the pre-ski season!
There are a number of variations to the wall sit which include using a stability ball, one legged wall sits or holding weights in your hands.
Check out our new Exercise of the Month video as Personal Trainer Caroline Riddall demonstrates the stability ball wall sit.
Fun, Fitness and Fundraising at Club CHF Saturday 9th March
Caversham Health and Fitness Club invite you to come along and join in the fun and activities at their Open Day on Saturday 9th March. Everyone’s welcome and all proceeds will go to local charity Helen & Douglas House.
Helen & Douglas House, who have a branch in Caversham’s St Martin’s precinct, offer expert care for children and young adults with life-shortening conditions and support their families in Reading and surrounding areas. The two hospice houses offer specialist symptom and pain management, medically-supported short breaks and end-of-life care, as well as counselling and practical support for the whole family.
Open Day visitors will have the chance to win a Mini for the weekend, take part in one of the fitness challenges and try an exercise taster class for free. Other activities include beauty treatment tasters, osteopathic screening and class demos.
There’s plenty for the kids too from Face Painting to making Mother’s Day cards, a magician and a bouncy castle. The soft play area is free on the day and club mascot ‘Parker the Penguin’ will be making a guest appearance.
If you fancy a coffee or a bite to eat, check out the newly opened Café Bar on the first floor where you’ll find a range of freshly ground coffee and healthy snacks including fresh fruit kindly donated by Waitrose.
Anyone joining the gym on the day will get free membership until April with no joining fee and no contract PLUS £100 worth of vouchers and free entry into the draw to win a Mini for the weekend. Club CHF will donate £5 to the charity for every new member signed up on the day!
To raise even more money for Helen & Douglas House Club CHF are hosting a fabulous online auction with all money raised going to the charity. Prizes include tickets, holidays, meals and flowers, all kindly donated by fellow Caversham businesses.
Club Owner, Peter Newman said “The Charity Open Day promises to be a great day out for the whole family. This is a fantastic opportunity to see what the club has to offer. There will be plenty to see and do, plus all money raised will go to Helen & Douglas House who provide such valuable support to families of children and young adults with life-shortening conditions.”
Caversham Health & Fitness is located above Waitrose in Caversham. To find out more about the auction and the Open Day please visit www.clubchf.co.uk or call 0118 948 4849.
The Barbell Floor Press is a fantastic exercise to help improve bench press performance. Training the horizontal pushing motion this exercise puts considerably less strain on the shoulders due to the reduced range of motion.
Set Up:
Adjust the hooks on the cage so that the bar sits just short of the lock out position
Form a supine position on the floor
Your hands should be slightly beyond shoulder width apart
Your knees should be bent and your feet should be flat on the floor
Lie underneath the bar so the barbell is just below eye level
Hold the barbell with an overhand grip
Action:
Unrack the bar
Slowly lower your elbows, allowing them to just graze the floor (try not to pause on the floor)
Press back up
Andy Knight, Personal Trainer, Caversham Health & Fitness
Any questions, please ask an instructor. Happy training!
Did you know that exercising with a partner makes you more likely to stick to your routine?
Exciting new research from Michigan State University suggests that we are more likely to perform better when exercising with a partner. Unless you’re a highly motivated self-starter, your chances of successfully sticking to a fitness routine without a partner are significantly lower than they are when exercising with a partner.
The Study
Researchers divided 58 female participants into three groups for a series of studies that took place over six days.
The participants in the first group rode stationary bikes on their own while the participants in the second group exercised with virtual partners. Those in the third group were also assigned virtual partners, but were told their performance would directly impact their partner’s performance too.
In every experiment, the women in the third group lasted considerably longer on the exercise bikes; on average two minutes longer than those in the second group and 10 minutes longer than the individual exercisers. Researchers concluded that having a partner can significantly improve performance in aerobic and fitness workouts.
The Result
Having a workout buddy, particularly someone who is in great physical shape will provide the willpower and encouragement you need to help youachieve your goals. If a partner workout sounds like something you would be interested in, join us at Caversham Health and Fitness with one of our Joint Memberships from only £54 – that’s just £27 per person!
You don’t have to be a couple to qualify for a joint membership – any two people from the same address may join together.
Personal Training
Another great way to keep motivated with a partner is by working with one of our experienced Personal Trainers.
Your Caversham Health and Fitness Personal Trainer can offer you:
guidance on reaching your goals
education about strength training, cardio and basic nutrition
a reason to show up at the gym each week
ways to help track your progress
“A realistic way of getting fit is having a training partner who is dedicated enough to make you get up and do the exercise”- Caroline Riddall,Personal Trainer, Caversham Health & Fitness
Join online or call us on 0118 948 4849 to get started
