I'm from the school of thought that any cardio is good cardio, even if its just crossing the room to turn off the television; so I really want to encourage everyone to just do something - you can really start anywhere, anytime, with almost any activity, no matter how small.
Lots of people are put off by the gym, one of my friends has a very funny blog on the subject - check out: DC Confidential - Zoo Gym. But there are lots of other options out there too.
Personally I LOVE SUPERCHICKS, and CROSSFIT works for Sheridan - but how do these heart pumping activities really measure up?
Let the battle commence.
In the right corner is CROSSFIT packing lightning speed and an awesome punch. As patiently explained to me by SuperTrainer Cat, CROSSFIT training is essentially weight training but will get the body working its muscles so hard via pushups, pull ups, squats etc that it is the equivalent of pure cardio training. Clearly it is effective as these lustworthy male specimisms on this CrossFit link are anything to go by! However as a rule I tend to abstain from activities which require bodyarmour (apparently recommended for a more intense workout!) Although I wouldn't mind indulging Mr Titan above!
CrossFit WILL make you buff and weight-training is great for bone density, posture and speeding up your metabolism as muscles use up lots of energy. However CrossFit won't make you particularly lean as although the muscles will bulk up, the fat will still be there sitting on top of the muscles. Clearly you will lose some fat tissue as these are strenuous workouts but perhaps not as effectively as you would hope.
I must also add that Sheridan was disappointed that some of the clubs - particularly the London ones I checked out were so offputting as the lack of accessibility and heart-attack inducing nature of the example workouts are not in keeping with true CrossFit. For a more girl-friendly option, there are beginner or women only courses available and the "box" that Sheridan attends, I must admit, looks a delight.
In the left corner is SUPERCHICK, a lean, glam, hair tossing, fighting machine. SuperChick ethos is "cardio and cocktails" i.e. a girl friendly approach to cardio and weights that incorporates the notion that life's for living too. Check out http://www.iamsuperchick.com/ The website itself is a marvel - I defy anyone not to have their interest in exercise piqued.
In some ways, SuperChicks follows the same principles and exercises as CrossFit but also allows you to top up on your Vitamin D as the classes are all outside in leafy parks and so incorporate nearby benches, pillars and posts into your workout. These group workouts are longer but last no more than an hour and comprise of a series of different activities: running, planks, burpees, squats, lunges, crunches etc . If you're not based in London - you can still join in as there is a multitude of training programmes with video demonstrations all on the website that you can access for your own SuperChick home training workout.
SuperChicks works for me as it is affordable and fun. There are a host of different trainers - all fab - and the workouts vary everyday so I can never lose interest. That plus the GOSSIP and the uplifting experience of just being outside make this my firm favourite.
Who wins? You decide. Better still - go try them out for yourself and report back. x
p.s. I should mention that my little sister has even joined in - personally I believe she's scared that I'll beat her and manage to pull off looking bikinilicious by the summer but even so very proud that she's joining in too. So off she trotted to her first British Militiary Fitness Class in Manchester on Saturday AND by all accounts even made it home again!
No comments:
Post a Comment