Home workout to shed fat

The Summer in the UK is here (kind of) and holidays are looming. Have you done enough to feel confident enough to slip into your swimsuit and wander around the pool? 

You can try this workout at home or at the park to get a good sweat on, and keep your body using calories and shedding fat. 
Check it out below 👇👇👇👇
Complete the following circuit as follows:

• 20 reps per exercise
• Non stop for 5 minutes
• Rest for 3 minutes
• Repeat the 5 minute circuit another 2 - 3 times with 3 minutes rest in between circuits

This is a great way to burn some calories and blast some fat. Try this 3 times per week in the comfort of your own living room.  

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Squat progressions for beginners

**VIDEO** Can you squat properly? ? ?
Learn the correct squat progressions with professional trainer Matt Healey. 

Now offering personal training and group training at the The Celtic Academy ?

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Thanks to The Results Room in Brisbane for letting me film

Everybody wants to get results, but nobody wants to work hard

Too many people expect too much from doing so little.

If you're reading this, you may be one of those people that I'm talking to. I've worked and trained in many different gyms, training many different people and observing a lot more; and if there is one thing that people who don't get results have in common, it is their lack of hard work and consistency. 

OK so you have taken the hardest step and joined a gym. You have then had your induction and maybe even booked a personal training session. You're in a great new place and you train 3 times per week for the first two weeks. You feel better, have more energy, but your holiday is in 4 weeks time and you haven't seen any visible changes yet. You begin to get disheartened and then your training frequency starts to die off. You go from actually getting out of breath in the first few training sessions, to barely building up a sweat. You keep telling yourself that just because you are in the gym, you will get that holiday body you joined the gym to get. Your poor eating habits resurface and your workouts go from 60 minutes to barely 30 minutes. Your lack of hard work and consistency has just wasted your time and your money. But this happens every year; you do the same thing each and every year and you get the same results. Why?

Don't complain about the results you didn't get with the work you didn't do.

Achieving results takes hard work and consistency. It requires a lot of effort in your training, over a long period of time. It requires sacrifices; not sleeping in and training before work or it requires you not go home from work and sit in front of the TV watching Walking Dead back to back. It requires you actively making healthy choices when you're in the supermarket. There is no need to stock up on fizzy drinks and junk food. Can you make those sacrifices? Can you get up and train at 6am? Can you work that hard? Because that is what it takes to get the results you want.

If you really want it, you will do it.  

If not, you will continue to do the same thing you have done every year. Leave it until the last minute, not achieve results and repeat. 

I want to help you! Email me, It's Free!

SynergyFitnessSystems@gmail.com

Have a good day,

Matt Healey

Professional Trainer

SynergyFitnessSystems.co.uk
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Top 5: Fitness equipment travel essentials (UPDATED)

Cramming your whole life into a rucksack is hard enough, so it's usually out of the question to add in some fitness equipment to a rucksack that is already bursting at the seams. 

However, you will be happy to know that dumbbells, medicine balls and other bulky fitness gear is just not necessary when you're trying to keep fit on your travels. 

When I travel, I try to find the smallest and lightest pieces of kit which are still going to be the most effective and accessible for use virtually anywhere in the world. 

I also think of exactly what aspects of health and fitness I want to maintain/improve and then match up suitable equipment. For example; on this current trip I've been travelling the Great Ocean road, Singapore and I'm currently in the Philippines. We're travelling a lot so this involves a lot of sitting and therefore mobility and flexibility will be compromised massively. 
To ensure I don't get too tight and immobile, I'll take a tennis ball or set of massage balls. These will be of great use when I try to un-glue soft tissue which will inevitably stiffen up due to hours of driving. 

This is just one example so below I've listed my top 5 essential pieces of kit I use when travelling:

1. Resistance band

Light - yes

Small - yes

Easy to pack - yes 

Versatile - yes

Broad exercise choice - yes

Effective - yes

The resistance band ticks all of the boxes as you can see. This type of band is absolutely perfect for travelling. One thing I like the most about including this is the versatility. You can simply stand on it and perform many exercises, hook it around something sturdy or even just hold it in two hands. The exercise choices are only limited by your imagination. Be sure to keep checking this blog as I'll be giving you many ideas of different exercises using the resistance band.
Find a wide range of bands here at a very affordable price.

2. Skipping rope

Light - yes

Small - yes

Easy to pack - yes 

Versatile - no

Broad exercise choice - no

Effective - yes

The skipping rope is a classic piece of fitness equipment. It meets the majority of the criteria in being small, light and easy to pack but is limited by versatility as you can really only do one thing with it - skip! The real reason for including the rope into this list is the fact that it does offer an alternative to running. During my trip in expecting to be staying where running will not be the best option and so the skipping rope will prove very useful in getting in a good cardio workout. Be mindful of your personal fitness level before using the skipping rope. Just like running, it requires good endurance and good technique if you are going to avoid some sort of injury due to the inevitable impact on the joints. If running causes you problems, then leave out the skipping. 
Check out this awesome speed skipping rope

3. Looped band 

Light - yes

Small - yes

Easy to pack - yes 

Versatile - yes

Broad exercise choice - no

Effective - yes

This is another resistance band I have chosen to bring along. It is a lot smaller and forms a complete elastic loop. I will be using this band mainly for hip abduction and hip extension - in other words, working the glutes. Hours of sitting on the plane or in the camper van (or on the beach) will be of no benefit to my glutes whatsoever. So I need to counteract that by ensuring I train these two movements at the hip regularly. 

Provided you maintain good technique during these movements, use of this particular band can be extremely effective in maintaining good Glute conditioning, something most people need to help avoid injury.
You can one right here 

4. Tennis/massage ball

Light - yes

Small - yes

Easy to pack - yes 

Versatile - yes

Broad exercise choice - yes

Effective - yes

As briefly mentioned previously, I have brought along a tennis ball to help with keeping my muscles and other soft tissues supple. It's basically a form of self massage. It proved difficult to pack a foam roller so I decided on a tennis ball. 

There are many different ways to mobilise your body using a tennis ball and I'll be offering help and advice on how to do it properly during this blog. 
Here is a link to a few awesome massage balls with differing pressure, hardness and surface.

5. Body weight

Ok, not really a piece of fitness equipment but use of your own body weight is always a good way to keep fit and healthy when on your travels. Squats, lunges, press ups even running, walking and swimming will all help you maintain fitness levels when you're away. The choices are endless and are once again limited by your imagination. 

I'll be including many different body weight only workouts so keep checking back to find out more.

So there are my top 5 pieces of fitness equipment suitable to take travelling with you. All relatively cheap and all meeting the criteria of light, small, easy to pack, versatile and effective.

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Daily workout | Phase 1

A1. Kettlebell deadlift - 4 sets x 8-12 reps - Rest time: 10seconds
A2. Rack chins - 4 sets x 10-12 reps - Rest time: 30 seconds
Filler (complete during A2 rest time): Side plank 3 sets x 30 seconds

B1. 1 leg RDL - 4 sets x 8-12 reps each leg - Rest time: 10seconds
B2. DB chest press - 4 sets x 10-12 reps - Rest time: 30 seconds
Filler (complete during B2 rest time): Cable stir the pot 3 sets x 30 seconds each side

C1. Cycling - 4 sets x 45secs - Rest time: 20seconds
C2. Kettlebell swings - 4 sets x 15 reps - Rest time: 30 seconds



Notes: Where exercises are grouped with letters eg. A1 & A2, these are performed as supersets. 
Ensure you stick to the rest time

Enjoy

Matt
Synergy Fitness Systems
WODequipped.com

Day 5 | Phase 1

Daily workout | Phase 1

Back to the beginning. We're working on 3 days on, 1 day off

A1. Kettlebell goblet squat - 4 sets x 8-12 reps - Rest time: 10seconds
A2. Ring/TRX/Rack row - 4 sets x 10-12 reps - Rest time: 30 seconds
Filler (complete during A2 rest time): RKC plank 3 sets x 30 seconds

B1. 90/90 split squat - 4 sets x 8-12 reps each leg - Rest time: 10seconds
B2. Push ups - 4 sets x 10-12 reps - Rest time: 30 seconds
Filler (complete during B2 rest time): Static bear crawl 3 sets x 30 seconds

C1. Rower - 4 sets x 200m - Rest time: 20seconds
C2. Walking lunge - 4 sets x 10-12 reps each leg - Rest time: 30 seconds


Notes: Where exercises are grouped with letters eg. A1 & A2, these are performed as supersets. 
Ensure you stick to the rest time

Enjoy

Matt
Synergy Fitness Systems
WODequipped.com

Day 3 | Phase 1

This week we're starting phase 1 which is designed to build strength, develop good movement patterns. 

A1. Glute bridge - 4 sets x 8-12 reps - Rest time: 10seconds
A2. Rack row - 4 sets x 10-12 reps - Rest time: 30 seconds
Filler (complete during A2 rest time): X crunch 3 sets x 12 total reps 

B1. Reverse lunge - 4 sets x 8-12 reps each leg - Rest time: 10seconds
B2. Incline push up  - 4 sets x 10-12 reps - Rest time: 30 seconds
Filler (complete during B2 rest time): Ring/TRX roll out 3 sets x 8-10 reps

C1. Run - 4 sets x 60secs - Rest time: 20seconds
C2. Renegade row (pictured) - 4 sets x 12 reps total - Rest time: 30 seconds


Notes: Where exercises are grouped with letters eg. A1 & A2, these are performed as supersets. 
Ensure you stick to the rest time

Enjoy

Matt
Synergy Fitness Systems
WODequipped.com

Daily Workout | Day 2 | Phase 1

This week we're starting phase 1 which is designed to build strength, develop good movement patterns. 

A1. Kettlebell deadlift - 4 sets x 8-12 reps - Rest time: 10seconds
A2. Rack chins - 4 sets x 10-12 reps - Rest time: 30 seconds
Filler (complete during A2 rest time): Side plank 3 sets x 30 seconds

B1. 1 leg RDL - 4 sets x 8-12 reps each leg - Rest time: 10seconds
B2. DB chest press - 4 sets x 10-12 reps - Rest time: 30 seconds
Filler (complete during B2 rest time): Cable stir the pot 3 sets x 30 seconds each side

C1. Cycling - 4 sets x 45secs - Rest time: 20seconds
C2. Kettlebell swings - 4 sets x 15 reps - Rest time: 30 seconds


Notes: Where exercises are grouped with letters eg. A1 & A2, these are performed as supersets. 
Ensure you stick to the rest time

Enjoy

Matt
Synergy Fitness Systems
WODequipped.com

Daily workout - Day 1 | Phase 1

 Today we're starting phase 1 which is designed to build strength, develop good movement patterns. 

A1. Kettlebell goblet squat - 4 sets x 8-12 reps - Rest time: 10seconds
A2. Ring/TRX/Rack row - 4 sets x 10-12 reps - Rest time: 30 seconds
Filler (complete during A2 rest time): RKC plank 3 sets x 30 seconds

B1. 90/90 split squat - 4 sets x 8-12 reps each leg - Rest time: 10seconds
B2. Push ups - 4 sets x 10-12 reps - Rest time: 30 seconds
Filler (complete during B2 rest time): Static bear crawl 3 sets x 30 seconds

C1. Rower - 4 sets x 200m - Rest time: 20seconds
C2. Walking lunge - 4 sets x 10-12 reps each leg - Rest time: 30 seconds


Notes: Where exercises are grouped with letters eg. A1 & A2, these are performed as supersets. 
Ensure you stick to the rest time

Enjoy

Matt
Synergy Fitness Systems
WODequipped.com

Want abs and core?

Want abs & core strength?

This should be your GO TO exercise!!

CLICK HERE to win £50 to spend online at WODequipped. 

We offer a huge range of CrossFit apparel, gym gear as well as mobility & recovery tools.

Be Equipped for your next WOD.

Have a great day

Matt

WODequipped.com

info@WODequipped.com

How to use the foam roller

Here are a few great techniques on how to use the foam roller. A great tool to help you prepare your muscles for your workout as well as boosting your recovery speed from a tough session

You can find all different types of foam rollers at our brand new online store WODequipped.com

CLICK HERE to win £50 to spend online at WODequipped. 

We offer a huge range of CrossFit apparel, gym gear as well as mobility & recovery tools.

Be Equipped for your next WOD.

Have a great day

Matt

WODequipped.com

info@WODequipped.com

Keep trying - Don't give up!

I've been working towards these strict muscle ups for a while. Failed many many times, but finally getting better at them.

Have you been trying something in your training? Keep going for it!

For your own workout plan with video instructions just like the videos above, all accessed through our app, email me today! synergyfitnesssystems@gmail.com or CLICK HERE


If you thought this helped, share with a friend - I'd be grateful for it.

If you want me to help you reduce your body fat and build muscle, I have an amazing offer for you! 
CLICK HERE for more information 

Have a good day

Matt
Fitness & Performance coach
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Jade's body fat reduction

Well done to Jade.

Dropped 3% body fat, lost inches on her thighs, waist, hips and arms - and the best thing is she is exactly the same weight as she was on her previous assessment. (Just imagine the results if she was actually strict with her nutrition plan - the occasional beer and cake was still present)

All of this was done whilst doing various fitness classes as well as following a gym program written by me on my new app. Jade was able to check into her workouts on her phone, view each video demonstration of each exercise and track her progress, all through my app.

If you too are ready to make a change and reduce your body fat, then fill out this application form ===> http://goo.gl/forms/3Tsc715WIm

For your own workout plan with video instructions just like the videos above, all accessed through our app, email me today! synergyfitnesssystems@gmail.com or CLICK HERE

I hope this has helped and please feel free to send me more questions via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or on Youtube 

If you thought this helped, share with a friend - I'd be grateful for it.

If you want me to help you reduce your body fat and build muscle, I have an amazing offer for you! 
CLICK HERE for more information 

Have a good day

Matt
Fitness & Performance coach
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5 Deadlift variations for maximum strength gains

The Deadlift is an absolutely fantastic exercise to help build strength, better your posture, improve your body composition as well as just looking like a mean exercise. 

The deadlift is so simple; you just lift a heavy weight from the floor and put it back down again. But it is so effective.

This move can be used in a few different ways to target slightly different muscles and produce a slightly different stimulus to grow muscle and build strength.

Here are 5 different variations you could try:

1. Double Kettlebell deadlift:

2. Barbell deadlift

3. Sumo deadlift

4. Romanian deadlift

5. Single leg Romanian deadlift

If you're trying to build strength and improve your overall body composition, you should include most of the above exercises into your training program.

For your own workout plan with video instructions just like the videos above, all accessed through our app, email me today! synergyfitnesssystems@gmail.com or CLICK HERE

I hope this has helped and please feel free to send me more questions via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or on Youtube 

If you thought this helped, share with a friend - I'd be grateful for it.

If you want me to help you reduce your body fat and build muscle, I have an amazing offer for you! 
CLICK HERE for more information 

Have a good day

Matt
Fitness & Performance coach
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Burn Fat & build muscle | Advanced fat loss workout

Good Morning from Brisbane, Australia, 

I had a question from a Facebook follower asking if I could give them some advice on burning fat and building muscle. 

Now it is difficult to do both at once, however, by training all the fibre types in the muscle, it is possible to maximise fat loss whilst maintaining strength and muscle. 

So here is a lower body circuit focussing on training all muscle fibre types in one circuit. The circuit below is also quite advanced as it involves 6 exercises. This circuit could easily be broken down into two separate circuit as follows:

Knee/quad dominant:
A1 - Back squat x6 reps
A2 - Hack squat x12 reps
A3 - Leg extension x25 reps

Hip dominant:
B1 - Deadlift x6 reps
B2 - RDL x12 reps
B3 - Hamstring curl x25 reps

I hope this has helped and please feel free to send me more questions via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or on Youtube 

If you thought this helped, share with a friend - I'd be grateful for it.

If you want me to help you reduce your body fat and build muscle, I have an amazing offer for you! 
CLICK HERE for more information 

Have a good day

Matt
Fitness & Performance coach
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Get your own training program [Limited offer]

OK guys, I'm trialling a new piece of software that allows me to offer personalised training programs to you anywhere in the world.

These programs all have videos to show you exactly what you need to be doing as well as being simple to follow and very effective to get results.

I want to offer a free trial to you today!

To find out more CLICK HERE 

If you want to ask me more about it then take your pick from one of the options below

Have a good day,

Matt Healey

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Slow-speed running actually INCREASES cumulative load at the knee | Synergy Fitness Systems | Matt Healey

There is no denying that knee pain is common amongst runners. Issues such as patellar tendinopathy, patellafemoral pain as well as iliotibial band syndrome are possibly the most common complaints. Quite often, during rehab from such injuries, runners are advised to run at a slower speed with the aim of reducing load placed on the knee joint during each stride. However, a recent study has shown that slow-speed running actually increases the cumulative load on the knee over the duration of a run. 

A recent study collected kinematic and ground reaction force data from 16 recreational runners, during steady-state running with a rear-foot strike pattern at 3 different speeds. 

Based on a 1000-m running distance, the cumulative load at the knee was significantly higher at a slow running speed than at a high running speed (relative difference, 80%). 

The study concluded that slow-speed running decreases knee joint loads per stride and increases the cumulative load at the knee joint for a given running distance compared to faster running. 

The primary reason for the increase in cumulative load at slower speeds is an increase in number of strides needed to cover the same distance.

Results from this study can be applied to your own rehab and your return to running training program.

For the full summary published on Pubmed - click here

From: Petersen et al., J Orthop Sports Phys Ther (2015) (Epub ahead of print). All rights reserved to Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. 

You may also be interested in these:

- Fix your posture with these 3 exercises 

- Glute activation exercises

Have a good day,

Matt Healey

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