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    Home / Weight Management / Fitness / Exercise / Jake Quickenden’s fitness story

    Jake Quickenden’s fitness story

    What’s happening?

    I’m Jake, nice to meet you.

    A few months back I was approached by the guys at Holland & Barrett and offered the opportunity to share my workout tips and advice. I don’t claim to be an expert but training has always been a big part of my life. So I figured if I can share some of the things that have worked for me, maybe I can help people who are looking for ideas, or just need a little added focus. Whether that’s to tone up, bulk up or slim down. And here we are.

    During the next 10 weeks, I’ll be sharing a post a week on this blog. I hope you find them useful, I’d love to hear your feedback if you do. Within each blog post I’ll include one or two videos to help highlight key points. We had a laugh filming these, I hope they help.

    The first thing I want to cover is maximising your workout time. I know what it’s like when you’re busy, trying to keep some momentum with your exercise can be hard. So I’m going to give you my top tips for getting the most out of the time you have.

    1. Set targets

    Before you do anything, decide on your goals for the session ahead. Give yourself some focus. What body parts are you focusing on today? Is it a cardio? What equipment are you going to be using? How many sets are you aiming for? How many reps? Go in with a plan in mind. And then keep a record of what you do, aim to improve on it each week.

    2. Rest smart

    Rest between sets is vital, but it’s too easy to rest for too long. Use your phone timer to limit your rest time. If you’re toning up, keep rests short so your heart rate doesn’t drop, maybe 15 to 30 seconds. If you are lifting heavy weights, keep rest consistent but limit to one or two minutes max.

    3. Push yourself

    Circuits are a great of doing this as you can set up as many or as few workout stations as you like. Working different body parts back-to-back means you don’t need as much time to rest. While one is being worked, one is recuperating. Here’s what I did in the Jungle (I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here) to give you some ideas:

    Try doing each of these exercises for 45 seconds at a time with a 15 second rest in-between. Do this four times round, with a minute in between each mini-circuit. Just 20 minutes but trust me, you’ll feel it.

    1. Lift slower

    When lifting weights, lift slowly and in a controlled way. Aim for a 5-second count in each direction to feel maximum impact. A lot of people tend to release the lift quite quickly so this might feel a bit odd to start with but stick with it and make it a habit. You’ll reap the rewards.

    2. Take a shake

    A protein shake straight after your workout gives your body the building blocks it needs to kick-start muscle growth. Speak to someone in the know who can guide you through your choices. Alex from the Holland & Barrett team gave me some great advice on what to take and when.

    I hope that’s useful guys. See you in a week and don’t forget to let me know how you’re getting on.

    All the best,
    Jake

    Handpicked Content: Check out more articles by Jake

    Disclaimer: Before undertaking any exercise or fitness programme please see a doctor or medical professional if you have a medical condition or physical restriction that may make some of Jake’s tips and work out suggestions unsuitable. Jake is not a qualified fitness instructor but a dedicated, fitness enthusiast. If you require advice from a professional fitness expert we recommend you contact your local gym or health club.

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