My schedule means that I have to train at the gym at the busiest time of the day, and I regularly have to wait to use a piece of equipment. This not only ruins my workout, but means I'm there longer than I want to be. Any tips?
First up, you shouldn't need to change your training time for a good workout, but you may need to change gyms:
an uninterrupted session is worth a little more travel time.
That said, peak times aren't the best for super-sets and tri-sets, so you may need to adjust your routine to suit.
You may also need to have an arsenal of alternative exercises for each body part, particularly body parts that use popular equipment like lat pull-down and bench-press.
For example, if your routine has you doing seated cable rows for the muscles in your upper back and shoulders, but the machine is being used, you could also do dumbbell rows, bent-over barbell rows, body rows, even rows on a lat pull-down machine by leaning back at 45 degrees. Get the picture?
Got a question? Then send me a private message at facebook.com/Mishy.Bridges
I'M LOVING FRITTATA
You can use any leftover veg that takes your fancy to whip up one of these, plus frittata is great as a cold snack. My favourite right now? Beetroot, feta and dill. Yum!
QUINOA, TURKEY, GREEN BEAN AND APPLE SALAD
• ½ cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• oil spray
• 150g turkey breast steak
• 150g green beans, trimmed and sliced
• 1 large stick celery, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1 red apple, cored and thinly sliced
• 2 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 40g baby spinach
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper
Method
Place the quinoa and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 12 minutes, or until the water has evaporated. Transfer to a large bowl.
Meanwhile, lightly spray a small non-stick frying pan with oil and heat on high. Cook the turkey for 2-3 minutes each side, or until cooked through. Set aside to cool slightly, then coarsely shred.
Blanch the beans in a small saucepan of boiling water for 2 minutes, or until just tender. Refresh under cold running water and drain.
Add the turkey, beans, celery, apple, radish, spinach, lemon juice and olive oil to the quinoa. Season with pepper, then gently toss to combine.
WORKOUT MAKEOVER
Tom Rutledge, 33, CEO, HelloFresh Australia
Tom's workout: A half-hour pre-brekkie walk with my daughter and dog most days, and two or three evening group-training weights sessions each week. Ideally, I'll also try and get in one or two trots along the ocean cliffs. And, with any luck, a weekly "recovery" session at my local pub.
Tom's goal: I want to shuffle the deckchairs in preparation for middle age: lose fat and increase strength! I need to stay fit and continue feeling energised by the exercise I do while avoiding some god-awful militant diet. And finally, to play croquet for Australia.
Michelle says:
Now what's going on here, Mr Rutledge? Active every day with walks, runs and weights sessions - and you still need to lose some fat and increase your strength? It might be time for a visit from the training police, because you should look like a condom full of walnuts right now - or maybe those "recovery" sessions are getting too long ...
Clearly, you're doing an awful lot right at the moment as you are fit and feeling energised but there's nothing wrong with setting yourself some goals for what I call an "accelerator program", ramping up your training and nutrition to get yourself to new level.
So here's the plan Get yourself a strength coach to replace two of those weights sessions a week. You'll be amazed how much you can improve your strength over a six-week period, and there are plenty of coaches out there who really know their stuff. Next, cut back on any food (and drink!) indulgences - or flick them altogether for the six weeks - and check in on the result.
