21 Jan 2019

Kicking Off The New Year With Coach Camilla Bazley

It's a new year, and there is a new YOU waiting ahead. The BEST is yet to come! The New Year comes with an increase in motivation, and sense of new beginnings. So how do you stay on top of this?

 

It's a new year, and there is a new YOU waiting ahead. The BEST is yet to come! The New Year comes with an increase in motivation, and sense of new beginnings. So how do you stay on top of this?  

 

 

1. The 5 P’s. Prior planning prevents poor performance… or in this case, poor enthusiasm about work life. Have a plan of attack ready-to-go for when you get back in the office / to work / the kids go back to school – you get the point. 

Set out 2-3 sessions in the pool, in the gym, at the park, and to hold yourself accountable to that. Book classes, or kick off your new year with a personal training session to get yourself in a good routine. 

Before anymore holidays begin, commit to a colleague to get out 3 times a week at lunchtime for a walk. It’s the perfect time to reduce “office time”, reduce stress and feel refreshed for the afternoon to combat that 3pm sugar craving.

2. Work out in the morning. Set your alarm one hour earlier, get up, and GO! Take procrastination out of the equation. Do your workout before your brain even has time to talk yourself out of it. You will feel amazing for the day, you’ll be less likely to make poor food choices, and, if the day goes pear shaped and that evening workout you would have usually done gets pushed aside, then it’s no longer an issue, you’ve already trained!
 
3. Have variety. You don’t need to do the same work out every day. There is no “one way”. Select a variety of different activities you enjoy. Especially during summer, get outdoors! Join a run group, lock in a weekend trail walk with some friends followed by a brunch to feel like you are creating a social occasion, and get in the water! Swimming is low impact, and has so many incredible benefits on the body physically and mentally including increased leg power, improving lung capacity, and reducing stress… It’s going to make everything else in the gym feel easier, and your mind at work calmer. 

4. Prep your meals. We’re not just talking about exercise, we’re talking about lifestyle. After that holiday season we are so often left feeling a little “yucky” with the increased alcohol, and junk food. Give yourself one to two hours on the weekend to get some beautiful fresh salads prepped for the week, stock up on fresh fruit and veggies, and you’ll already be feeling so much better. Remember, you are what you eat! 

To help kick your new year’s goals into action – I’ve come up with a series of weekly workouts for you to try over the coming weeks. It’s quite literally where gym meets swim… I did say variety was key!

 

Give these work outs a try and even add in some training aids like kickboards or pull buoys to add an extra level of difficulty, increased resistance and for your ultimate ab exercise / toning tools.

WEEK 1 – Water Works 

In the pool for this one – be sure to grab your kickboard, pull-kick or pull-bouy!

Work for 45 seconds and rest 15 seconds between each movement:
1. Running on the spot – Drive those knees up for High Knees in the water (grab your kick board or pull buoy and hold it over your head to an increased level of difficulty)
2. Windmill Ab Rotations – Hold your kickboard/pull buoy in front of your chest with straight arms and ‘windmill’ in a circular motion from your core.
3. Lateral side jumps (also known as skate jumps) – jump from side to side in the water – really drive the motion with power in the water

4. Push and Pulls – use your kick board / pull-buoy to ‘push and pull’ in the water!

Repeat as you see fit!

WEEK 2 – Hit the Beach

You’ll need your Speedo’s or clothes you don’t mind getting wet for this one!

Short sprint out of water followed by:

-          Mtn Climbers

-          Burpees

-          Skater Jumps

-          Sprint back to water

-          20 Strokes (swim) out into waves – 20 Strokes swim back.

-          Using resistance of surf in the run.

The key to this one is setting a challenging rep range and repeat as you see fit!

WEEK 3: An in-and-out workout!

You’ll need a kickboard to work on some kick and leg strength.

 

1 x 100m slow warm up (any stroke)
60secs stretching 

10 x ROUNDS:
10 x Jump squats
10 x Alternating lunges
10 x Mountain climbers
25/50m x freestyle
10 x Push ups
30sec x Plank hold
25/50m x Kickboard lap legs only

1 x 100m cool down any stroke
5mins stretching

 

WEEK 4: Water resistance work – your best work out yet!

30 seconds running on spot high knees in shallow end (grab your kick board or pull buoy and hold it over your head to an increased level of difficulty)
Jump out of pool
10 jump squats.
10 back step lunges.
10 Mtn Climbers
Jump back in pool.
Run 6 x 5m lengths in water with hands by side to create resistance (hold your kickboard out in front of you or add hand paddles to really kick it up a notch)
REPEAT 10 times.

 

WEEK 5: TABABTA

20 seconds of work, followed by 10 seconds of rest of the 10 following exercises x 10 times 

Egg beater kick.
Freestyle vertical kick
Climb out/jump in repeats
Butterfly vertical kick
Plank Hold - out of water
Hollow rock hold out of water (with flutter kicks)
Kick board toe taps on back

  

For more fitness tips, tricks inspiration and more – follow @coach_camilla on Instagram here!