I am no expert on fitness but I wanted to start a series because being healthy is ESSENTIAL on being a good you, wife, partner, lover, mumma and because I’m no expert I asked my friend Kathy who is. Kathy is a little pocket rocket who runs, owns Gx fitness and is a registered personal trainer. She has a Face books page here that you must visit and a fitness studio should you live in the area {as a few of you do} must also visit..
Impact is an inevitable part of life so it makes sense to do some form of impact training in order to have a body that is prepared for life’s little surprises eg. tripping over the kids shoes that were left in the middle of the walkway.
Our bodies are built for impact. Consider kids playing on a playground. They jump up onto the monkey bars and fling themselves off platforms, their joints and muscles absorb the shock naturally. In fact playing on the playground is good for them, making them stronger and great for their development. As adults our bodies should be able to handle this impact just as well, if not better. So what happened?? Most adults are deconditioned by inactivity and sedentary lifestyles. We worry that impact is bad for us and so avoid it as much as possible. Too much time behind a desk and on the couch and our bodies deteriorate, muscles get weaker and joints degenerate to the point that we are unprepared for impact.
It is a very common misconception that if someone has a problem with high impact then they should avoid impact altogether. Ironically it’s when we avoid it altogether that it becomes most dangerous. Avoiding it altogether is precisely what makes us physically incapable of handling it.
In order to maintain a body that is ready for impact we need to include some form of impact training in our exercise routine. Muscle development, power and strength, as well as bone density are greatly increased through this type of training. Impact training also improves your balance and dynamic stability which is the body’s ability to stabilise itself against a changing weight load eg catching a potential slip or fall.
Several of our classes include this type of training (Power, Active, Blast) and provide safe progressive options in order to prepare the body for the impact and so that you can choose how far you go and how high or low you take it. It might just be a tiny heel hop off the floor but it is still impact training.
A couple of execution tips are to always roll through the foot as you take off and land and always keep knees soft. For any other queries you may have please ask your instructor as they can help you to find your best, and most importantly safest, workout every time you train.
To finish I’d like to mention that there are certain circumstances in which you should avoid impact. For example, if you have issues with your pelvic floor or if your doctor, physio or other medical professional has advised you not to. You should always follow their advice but remember to ask them when it’s okay for you to return to this type of training as it can be so beneficial.
Kathy Fitzgerald is a qualified and registered personal trainer with over 6 years of experience in the fitness industry. She currently owns and operates her own fitness studio ‘GX Fitness’ specializing in a wide variety of group exercise classes. Check out the website at www.gxfitness.com.au or on Facebook here.
