Ask The Experts - Richard Tidmarsh

Q: I’ve been going to the gym for about six months now but have noticed no difference. I’m frustrated, demotivated and tempted to give up – what am I doing wrong?

First thing’s first, don’t get upset. Getting results is not easy. There are many variables that can effect your progress and starting a new life in the gym is tough. Use this first six months as a learning experience where you will have improved your fitness. Now, take things up a gear.

Make sure you are going to the gym at least three times a week and staying active in your day to day life. It sounds like the gym is very new for you. I see so many people regularly using the gym but getting no results as they are simply doing things wrong or not working hard enough. Ask an instructor or personal trainer to put together a programme that is specifically designed for your goals and fitness level. Without this, you may well struggle.

Set yourself some physical (weight loss, inch loss?) and performance (best time for 1 mile run, 1000m row?) goals to stay motivated.

Vary your programme. You need to do cardio and weights training. If you are not comfortable in either of these areas, use classes at your gym to supplement your exercise regime.

Review your diet and make 5 positive changes. Increase Water? Reduce saturated fat intake? Add in Maxitone to help burn fat and refuel? Once you’ve started to improve your diet and work on the above tips for your exercise, you should start to see results.

Q: I do lots of cardio at the gym and am pretty fit but no matter what I do, I just can’t seem to get toned – any suggestions would be great.

Just doing cardio at the gym limits your results. Heading straight for the treadmill or x-trainer and hitting quick start is the easy option for your average gym user. But to get toning results women also need to lift weights. I’m not talking about getting chalk on your hands and grunting like an angry wildebeest for hours, but following a simple routine that hits all your major muscle groups. So exercises such as squats, lunges, chest press, rows and lateral raises.

Try to lift weights two or three times a week and you will soon see a difference in your appearance, with toned lines appearing in all the right places. Don’t be scared of weights, you will not become a muscle man. Next time you are in the gym, grab an instructor or PT and ask them to show you how to do the listed key moves. Work on 12 repetitions per exercise, with 3 sets of each and you will soon be able to progress with your programme. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need some more help. Good Luck!

Q: I exercise pretty regularly – probably at least three times a week up to about five times when I can fit it in – I usually do classes – step, pump, aerobics – but none of them are helping me to lose weight. What can I do to change this? 

Ok, so it sounds like you are putting the time in but not getting results. There are many positives about exercise classes; they are social, fun and good to get beginners into exercise. However, if you are simply doing the same classes over and over again, you may be in your comfort zone and need to up the intensity and variety of your regime to get results. To stop a plateau in results it is important that you keep your body guessing.

On the other side of the coin, 50% of your results will come from correct nutrition, no matter what you are doing in the gym! It may well be that you need to clean up your diet, adding in the relevant Maxitone products, to hit your weight loss goals.

Q: I’ve seen Maxitone advertised – how does it help my exercise routine?

Whatever your goal, the relevant Maxitone products are designed to perfectly prepare your body for exercise so that you can get the most out of your workout. They will then help to refuel you correctly and aid recovery from exercise, so that your body is ready for your next trip to the gym, park or sports field.

Q: I don’t really like exercise as I feel self conscious going to the gym or running outdoors in public – are there any exercises I can do indoors that will give me good results?

You are not alone. The gym certainly isn’t for everyone and starting your fitness regime running past your neighbours can also seem pretty daunting.

But you need look no further for help. I have recorded a series of three workouts for Maxitone customers to follow from the comfort and privacy of their own home. Each exercise in these workouts has easy starter options and then alterations to make them more difficult as you progress. The first workout will be released in just a few weeks and you will be able to watch it right here.

Q: I have a pretty nice figure but I have real trouble with my tummy which is untoned and lets the rest of me down. Help!

Don’t panic help is at hand!! Many women (and men!) struggle to get a toned tummy. This is mainly because people limit themselves to ‘straight line’ exercises. These are basically your standard ab curls and bridges for example. However, there are many different muscles in our torsos that all activate in different directions. So to get some toning results, gets your torso moving in various directions with exercises such as ‘medicine ball seated twists’ where you pass a ball across you lap, ‘medicine ball wood chops’ (lifting a ball diagonally across your body from a standing position) and your traditional core exercises such as ‘lateral planks’. Grab an instructor in your gym and get them to show you these three exercises for starters.

Also look at your nutrition. A reduction in body fat will lead to more toned look.  So look to reduce the saturated fat levels in your diet, drink more water and refuel correctly after exercise. Maxitone have many products which help with fat burning, which coupled with the right exercise, will help you tone up your tummy area. Let me know how you get on and just shout if you need some more help.

Q: How do I target my legs – my thighs are really wobbly and I can’t find anything to make them firmer.

Legs Legs Legs!! Not a problem, there are so many great exercises you can do to target these areas right through the difficulty levels depending upon your ability.

If you are in the gym, you need to get acquainted with the ‘leg press’ machine. This is probably the simplest machine for you to perform squats on if you are beginner and will hit all the major muscle groups in your legs. If there is no leg press, or you are at home, you can perform various free standing squats and lunges. You can even use a swiss ball against a wall to perform these exercises if you are a beginner. Then add weight and move to a free standing position as you become more advanced.

There are also plenty of exercise you can do even lying on the floor to target your legs. ‘Lying shoulder bridges’ will allow you to target your glutes; ‘lying hamstring swiss ball curls’ take more control but are great for the hamstrings at the back of your legs. ‘Supermen’ will also work your glutes, hamstrings and activate your core. Go and get an instructor or PT to demonstrate these key moves and you will be well on your way to toning up your legs. Let me know how you get on. Enjoy!