There is a certain inevitably about the trajectory of new year fitness goals.
Many people start off like a house on fire, hitting the gym at least twice a week and committing every alternate day to jogging around the neighbourhood.
A few weeks in, however, and the sessions tend to become less frequent as work takes over. Suddenly sitting in front of the TV seems a much better idea after a gruelling day at the office.
Those who make new year fitness resolutions are also in the habit of setting the bar too high, ignoring the realities of their day-to-day lives and ultimately falling well short of the desired outcome.
Alish Hamdi, elite personal trainer and assistant fitness manager at Third Space Canary Wharf in London, says crafting an effective workout programme that evolves as the individual progresses is key to sustaining momentum and achieving goals.
Alish recommends people keep things simple by focusing on exercises that build strength, improve mobility, and enhance cardiovascular endurance.
“It’s essential to learn how to perform the exercises with proper form. I always tell clients that it is harder to unlearn a bad technique than re-learn the good one,” he says.
“You should begin with manageable weights or intensity levels and increase them over time. It’s okay to start with body weight movements, get comfortable with them, and then start adding weights to the selected exercises.”
He adds that clients should opt for compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups simultaneously.
Those exercises tend to work multiple muscles crossing multiple joint sections by (most of the times) combining upper and lower body strength, alongside core stability.
Some strength exercise examples include squats variations, hip hinge, and upper body push/pull movements while exercises such as planks, “bird-dog” or “dead bug” and hip bridges and/or glute bridges enhance mobility and core strength/stability.
Alish says exercises like brisk walking, jogging, cycling, rowing, SkiErg and assault biking are terrific for cardio.
“You should aim for two- to four sessions per week on non-consecutive days to allow for recovery.
“As you progress, your body will adapt to the initial workload, making it essential to increase intensity or complexity to continue seeing results. A fitness programme should never be static. Regular reassessment every six- to eight weeks ensures that your workouts remain aligned with your goals and prevents plateaus.”
Advancing one’s fitness regimen might involve increasing weight in strength exercises, including more sets and/or reps, attempting uni-lateral exercises, advanced core drills or shortening rest periods during cardio routines.
Advanced exercises such as Bulgarian split squats, pull-ups and chin-ups, weighted deadlifts, plank variations and hill sprints and stair climbing generally produce excellent results.
“You can always add new exercises or adjust existing ones to target areas that need further development,” Alish says.
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