GET BIG GAINS NOW
If you’re ready to move on from the beginner fitness stage, this is where you can start making big gains in your cardio, strength and overall physique.
Statistics show that the two most common New Year’s resolutions are: to get in shape and to lose weight, in that order. While resolve is a powerful thing, it’s far from a guarantee of success; the Journal of Clinical Psychology suggests that only 46% of resolutions bear any fruit. So how can you ensure you hit your new fitness goals this year? It’s a combination of dedication, continuing to show up for yourself, and drafting in some nifty pieces of tech to maximise your effort.
As we pointed out in our beginnerfocused section, when starting out it’s beneficial to work on general fitness and weight loss before upping the intensity of your workouts – working so hard that you injure yourself does more harm than good. So, assuming you’re past that introductory phase now, let’s look at how you can start making big gains this year…
Diet plays an important role, so make protein a priority, taking in at least 20g per day for each kilogram of your bodyweight. Creatine is a useful tool, giving your muscles a performance boost, and Bulk Nuitrients offers 250g of its quickly-absorbed micronised powder for $9 ( bulknutrients.com.au), and you only need a tiny amount each day.
There’s a litany of bodyweight exercises and calisthenics routines to help transform your body, and a number of apps to lead you through them.
Bodyweight Warrior, founded by
YouTube strength and fitness expert
Tom Merrick, offers both online coaching and a tremendous app – Warrior Workout App – which, even without a membership, walks you through a number of high-intensity workouts designed to enhance strength, muscle and flexibility.
Even focusing only on bodyweight, it won’t be long before you need to put at least some money in. Your initial investment should be on a solid multisport watch like Garmin’s stunningly capable Fenix 6 Pro ($1,399, www. garmin.com), which throws up a host of cool body metrics as well as coaching you through a full training plan, be that at home, in the gym or when hitting the streets.
Faster, fitter, stronger
Next, look towards resistance equipment because this opens up new exercises and enables you to tweak existing movements to make them much tougher – WODFitters’ resistance bands are tough and versatile, starting at US$19.99 ( www.wodfitters.com). Put the band around your upper back when performing pushups, over your upper thighs while squatting; use it for convenient pullup motions without a bar, or attach a resistance band to a high point for dip resistance.
Installing a bar is the core of the modern calisthenic revolution, becoming commonly known as a ‘street workout’. This is where things get really hard and really effective: muscle ups, a combination of pull up and dip, work the biceps, triceps and back in one theoretically smooth movement; Korean dips, performed with the bar behind your back, will rip your triceps a new one; and there’s no more effective ab exercise than a hanging leg raise. Take a look at the Chin Up Calisthenics Rack from Sweat Central ($249, www. sweatcentral.com.au) for starters.
For a full-bore cardio workout in your home, step onto the Peloton Bike (US$2,245, onepeloton.com, and slowly rolling out globally). It’s one of the world’s most popular and effective indoor cycling and spin class workouts, helping you to burn calories, blast fat and take your cardio to the next level. Join in over 14 live rides a day to get inspired to keep hitting your new fitness goals. And you can record your progress in the FitNotes app – it’ll cook up graphs and stats, serving as a reminder of what you can achieve when you put your mind to it.
Finally, to boost your recovery, treat your muscles to a percussive massage courtesy of the Theragun Liv ($375, www.thewodlife.com.au). This handheld massager dishes out deep muscle treatment to increase blood flow to support your body’s recovery and release tension.