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Neutral spine The term ‘neutral spine’ describes the position of the spine when all four of the natural curves are present and aligned. When the spine is in this neutral position the stress on the passive structures of the spine (vertebrae and ligaments) is minimal and the risk of strain or injury to the lower back […]

The spine is formed from 33 irregular bones that give the spine four natural curves. Two concave curves (lumbar and cervical), and two convex curves (thoracic and sacral). Each region of the spine has a different number of bones. Region Number of bones Range of movement Cervical 7 Contains seven irregular bones and capable of […]

Long slow duration (LSD) training also known as: continuous training; steady state training; endurance training or aerobic training, involves working for an extended period of time (usually 10+ minutes) at a fairly low continuous intensity. The intensity of this type of training does not change throughout the session, unlike interval training.   LSD training for […]

Fartlek is a Swedish term meaning ‘speed play’ and that is precisely what is done in Fartlek training – you play around with the speed of your training tempo!  Why use Fartlek Training? Fartlek training It is an unstructured form of interval training where work is performed continuously for a specific duration, but instead of […]

In negative / eccentric training, the concentric phase of an exercise is all but removed and all the effort is applied to the eccentric portion of the movement. Potentially this means the client can be exposed to supramaximal loads in excess of their normal repetition maximum. Examples of negative reps include leg extensions where the […]

To employ forced reps, the client performs as many reps on his/her own as they can until the point of failure is reached. At this point, the trainer provides a minimal amount of assistance to permit the performance of another rep. As the client fatigues further, the trainer will provide slightly more assistance each rep […]

  These systems involve the use of isolation exercises to preferentially fatigue a muscle whilst eliminating synergistic muscle weaknesses. Consider the following example: In the bench press, the agonist is the pectoralis major, with the main synergist being the triceps brachii. In the majority of clients the triceps will fail before the stronger pectoral muscles. […]

The multiple-set system, or ‘setting’ probably forms the basis of the majority of resistance-based workouts performed in gyms today. This system consists of an appropriate warm up followed by multiple sets of the same repetitions performed with a given weight. For example, 3 sets of 10 repetitions (3 x 10), or 5 sets of 5 […]

This training method is one of the first training systems that most gym users are exposed to, generally in the form of “21s” for bicep curls. The matrix system can be utilised when performing most resistance exercises and involves breaking a set into three distinct phases: outer range, inner range, and full range. Each phase […]

When referring to the movements that occur at a joint, fitness professionals if they have done their homework use the following joint movement terminology. Abduction – away from the midline of the body Adduction – towards the midline of the body. Circumduction – circular or cone shaped movement available at ball and socket joints. Depression […]