Q. I was wanting to pursue a career in fitness instruction - in particular in football such as yourself and I was wanting to know how you got to your current position and what things I should take on board to get to a similar position? (Brody Driscoll)
A. Thanks for the question Brody. It is good to see that you have an interest in this unique industry. My career in the fitness industry evolved out of my sporting experience and then basically a lot of hard work in getting as much coaching experience as possible. I backed this up with doing all the appropriate courses and continually reading studies and books on all the relevant topics. I would recommend that you go down to the local footy club and offer your services and then look into either doing a Fitness Leaders Course at TAFE or if you have the high school results apply for a Sports Science or Human Movement Course at your nearest University.
Q. If I can't get myself to the gym, how do I get fit and build up for next season? (Brad Demir)
A. Brad, to build up at home you can do body weight exercises – i.e. push ups (chest), chin ups (back), dips (shoulders), squats (legs). For fitness, do these exercises in a circuit format and cut back your recovery time as you get better.
GT
Q. Hi Glenn. I have just had an operation on my ankle, I have put on weight during the time I haven't been able to exercise. I can't resume a full exercise program as I only had the operation four weeks ago. What exercises can I do to help loss the weight from my upper body? I am planning to swim and ride to help improve the movement in my ankle. Thank you for your help. (Amy Kerr)
A. The swimming and riding will not only help keep your ankle mobile, but should also help with weight loss as long as the intensity is there and no pain occurs in your ankle. In the gym you can keep doing the circuit and just substitute the leg exercises with a leg extension machine or a hip machine.
GT
Q. I play sport year round which means that I am continually doing ""pre-season"" training while still competing. My particular problem is that I find it difficult to stick to my routine due to general soreness associated with concurrent competition. What sort of work should I be doing during these times when it is not possible for me to complete my set routine? (Cameron Rogers)
A. I think your problem lies in the area of recovery after you compete. If you recover properly after competition you should be able to train 48 hours at the completion of competition. This recovery should involve proper rehydration and 3 x 30-second hot/cold shower straight after competition. 24 hours after competition a 10-minute walk in the water at the beach should also help. After the 48 hours you have five days to train so go for it. See your local library for some great books on body weight work as well.
GT
Q. Glenn, how do I work out how much weight to use for each exercise? (Ian Mason)
A. Ian, depending on what you want to achieve in the gym will dictate the weight you are going to lift. For example - our first two weeks of programs has been circuit work, so you want to lift enough weight to get you puffing at the end of each exercise. But you don’t want to have it too heavy that you are failing before the 15 reps are done. We are about to go into a hypertrophy phase so therefore you want to be lifting a weight that has you failing by the last two reps of the last (third) set.
GT
