Healthynomics spoke to Vicky Fox, a yoga instructor at The Power Yoga Company (www.thepoweryogaco.com) in Fulham to find out what puts the Power into Power Yoga.

HN:  How did you discover yoga?

VF: I’ve been a regular gym go’er since I was 17, so I’ve always been interested in fitness. However I really got interested in yoga around 1995.  Don’t hold it against me, but it was seeing Madonna that actually inspired me.  I admired her strength and was impressed that yoga could produce such a strong, lean body.

HN:  What does a Power Yoga class involve?

VF: Power Yoga involves a series of challenging postures linked together with clever sequencing to improve strength, balance and flexibility. It can be a very physically demanding form of yoga, yet it is versatile enough for practitioners of all levels and ages to work at their own pace

Most power yoga is closely modelled on the Ashtanga style of practise, however power yoga does not follow a set series of postures so every class offers new challenges.  The varying sequences make it a good choice for people who get bored easily too.

HN:  What muscles does it tone?

VF: Not only does Power Yoga tone and define arms, shoulders and back, but it also builds strong core muscles to keep the whole body strong, balanced and healthy. It’s a great way to sculpt your body.

HN:  It seems as though Power Yoga can be integrated into other fitness regimens too.  In a Yoga Magazine article, England goalkeeper David James said regular sessions keep his muscles flexible, his body aligned and his mind free from the stresses of the match.

VF: Absolutely! Many professional athletes start doing yoga following an injury but then quickly see the benefits of a regular practice.  The stretching alone is great for runners who develop tight hamstrings and calf muscles.

HN:  So in addition to the physical workout, there is a mental workout too?

VF: The emotional benefits can be just as rewarding and sometimes unexpected.   I’ve talked to a lot of people whose first experience with yoga was just a lot of breathing or OM’ing so it put them off.  You have to find the class that’s right for you. You may enter into Power Yoga simply for the physical workout but leave a class with an open, calm mind that will allow you to tackle life’s difficulties with more patience.  It might sound corny, but it’s true.

When you meet with resistance in life, it’s like meeting with resistance in a posture or sequence.  You breathe through it, stay calm and will yourself to do it. Maybe I can do it.   Can I make it better?  Can I get beyond it and be a better person?  You can translate things from life onto your yoga mat and vice versa.

HN:  For people who don’t have a lot of time, is Power Yoga still for them?

VF: All you need is 10 min out of your day.  I think if someone does the downward dog posture once a day and takes time to observe their breath, draw their attention inwards, soften their gaze, begin breathing evenly in and out, they will find themselves calming down and getting an energy boost.

HN:  What about if you travel?

VF: The great thing about yoga is that it goes with you. You don’t need all the kit and require only a small amount of space.

HN:  If you had to choose 1 or 2 key postures or yoga sequences, what would they be?

VF: That’s easy.  Downward Dog, which I talked about earlier, and the Sun Salutation sequence. Start there and before you know it you’ll be addicted and start adding things into it

Healthynomics checked out the classes at The Power Yoga Company in Fulham and are now regulars. Like Vicky Fox, we recommend you give it a go! Check it out at www.thepoweryogaco.com.

HN: What does being healthy mean to you?

Fraser Quelch: It means being disease and sickness free with the physical ability to engage in any activity vigorously. Additionally I believe that being healthy constitutes a positive self-concept with strong psychological and mental capacities and emotional health.

HN: How do you stay fit?

Fraser Quelch: While I do a regular exercise regimen including TRX, body weight movement, kettlebell techniques along with traditional strength training and cardiovascular training.  I also engage regularly in many activities including rock / ice / alpine climbing, back country / downhill skiing, cross country skiing, mountain / road cycling, trail running and basketball.

HN: What advice would you give individuals looking for ways to motivate themselves to start or maintain a fitness program?

Fraser Quelch: People need to truly make a commitment to themselves and set some rules around what they are doing. Some ways to make sure they stay on the rails. Plan everything out in advance, Knowing what they will be doing and when they will be doing it helps keep things on track. Keep a daily log book, commit to a workout partner, get a personal trainer and train early in the day so that other things can’t derail the plan and the day’s demands don’t sabotage your energy.

HN: For someone looking to start a home workout program or maintain their fitness while traveling, what tools or pieces of equipment would you recommend?

Fraser Quelch: I am certainly bias here but my honest opinion is that no single piece of equipment offers the advantages of the TRX Suspension Trainer in this regard. I spend an incredible amount of time on the road and I continue to be amazed at the quality of the workouts that I can get done in my hotel room.

HN: The TRX is a functional training and fitness tool.  What is functional training and how can the TRX assist people looking to start or enhance their fitness routines?

Fraser Quelch: Functional training is that which maps to the demands of our daily lives. While basic human function is the same for everyone (and the reality is that the vast majority of people are using compensatory patterns to perform many of these basic functions) that which sits on top of basic human function is going to be specific to each individual. In my view the most fundamental elements of function is the ability to move one’s body through space. The better able we are able to do this, the better we will be able to function at increasingly higher levels. The TRX Suspension Trainer meets this demand perfectly as your body is your resistance for every exercise. It demands that the entire body works coordinatively to perform the exercises and also scales incredibly well across the entire population.

Case in point: Right now we are doing a fall prevention study with the University of San Francisco and are working with a number of Physical Therapists developing effective exercise protocol using the TRX for these populations. At the same time some of the top athletes in the world are using the TRX as a significant component of their training including athletes like Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints QuarterBack and MVP Candidate), George St. Pierre (UFC Welterweight Champion) and Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic Centre).

The ability for a single product to be used with breadth of user means that not only does the TRX have the ability to meet people wherever they are in their fitness journey but it also will be able to scale up with them as they improve.

Here is a video of Fraser Quelch demonstrating the TRX Side Plank:

Related posts:

TRX Suspension Trainer: The Ultimate Core Workout

My fiancee and I are embarking on a 3-month backpacking trip through Southeast Asia and India starting in February.  Ultimately, I want to ensure that all of categories of fitness are addressed while traveling abroad:

• muscular strength
• muscular endurance
• aerobic capacity
• flexibility

As we are trying to pack as light as possible, the only tools I am going to bring are as follows:

TRX Suspension Trainer – I have only been using the TRX for a short time, but am completely sold on its effectiveness and portability. I like that that the TRX Suspension Trainer is a functional training tool in that it trains your body as a functioning unit and not a bunch of individual muscles – key to maintaining overall fitness while traveling.

If our accommodations do not have suitable doors to anchor the TRX, I will be on the lookout for trees, bars or other suitable anchoring spots. The TRX Suspension Trainer comes with a small bag for travel purposes and will take up minimal space in my pack. See my previous post entitled “TRX Suspension Trainer: The Ultimate Core Workout” for further details on the TRX.

Digital Pedometer – I do not normally use a pedometer in my day-to-day fitness regime, however I thought it would be interesting to see how many steps I take each day, throughout the course of our trip. Obviously the pedometer is very lightweight and its battery (LR1130 button cell battery) lasts a long time and is easy and cheap to replace. My pedometer features a clock, step counter, distance counter and a calorie counter.

Trail Running Shoes – As we will spending time in both cities and trekking in remote locations, I am opting for a pair of trail running shoes (Mizuno Wave Cabrakan Trail Running Shoe) – the only pair of shoes I will bring). They will provide the best combination of comfort, lightness, durability and functionality. I will use my trail running shoes for hikes, general walking and running.

When my trip begins, check with Backpack Fitness often as I plan to post my workouts, comment on what is working best and note where I have made modifications to my traveling fitness regime.

Who says you cannot maintain fitness while traveling?  Stay tuned!

Image Source: MSN Health and Fitness

Starting Position

• With your forearms resting comfortably on the Swiss Ball, extend your feet behind you on the floor. Your weight should be evenly distributed between your forearms and toes.
• Keep your feet slightly apart to start and move them closer together as you become stronger.

The Movement

• While maintaining the plank position, perform a small, slow stirring motion with your forearms and hands (i.e. stir the pot!) that are resting on the Swiss ball.
• Start with 5 small circles in each direction and work your way up as you become stronger.

Key Tips

• Control the core and remember to breathe.
• The stirring motion should be slow and controlled.
• Do not let your body sag to the floor.
• Try to keep your head and neck in line with your spine.

Ready for a challenge?

• To increase the difficulty of the Swiss ball plank core exercise, try making larger circles with you forearms and hands.
• Bringing your feet right together will decrease your stability and will also make the exercise more challenging.

Other core exercises on Healthynomics

• the plank
• the side plank
• the glute bridge
• the bird dog

Here are my top pieces of home gym equipment:

TRX Suspension Trainer – A total body workout tool. Challenges your core strength, cardiovascular fitness and flexibility. The TRX Suspension Trainer is also great for traveling and can be used inside or outdoors. My favorite piece of home gym equipment.

Image source: Fitnessanywhere.com

Swiss Ball - What home gym would be complete without a Swiss ball? The number of exercises one can perform on a Swiss ball are endless. For beginners, I would recommend the Bosu Ballast Ball. The Bosu Ballast Ball is slightly weighted on the inside of the ball and keeps it from rolling around the floor.

Image source: PhysioRoom.com Ltd

PowerBlocks – Save time, space and money with this fully adjustable set of dumbbells. The Sport 5.5 PowerBlock replaces 22 pairs of dumbbells.

Image Source: Amazon UK

Kettlebell – Have become hugely popular over the past couple of years, especially with athletes. Significant gains in cardio, strength and power can be made with kettlebell swings.

Image source: Amazon UK

Perfect Pullup – Perform pullups and chin-ups to workout the muscles of your back, shoulders and biceps. Adjustable handles make this pullup bar uniquely effective.

Image source: Perfect.PUSHUP

Jump rope – A good old fashioned jump rope is great for burning calories while strengthening the muscles of your legs.

Image Source: Amazon UK

Workout bench – A good solid workout bench will be the base for many strength and core exercises that can be performed at home. Not a necessity, but if you have the space, a great addition to your home gym space.

Image source: Fitness Superstore UK

If you have any home gym equipment recommendations or have seen an interesting new ones, let us know!

Who doesn’t want to make their own shoes?

Nike ID is a cool service offered by Nike that lets you design and customise your own Nike trainers. Whether you are looking for customised trainers for football, running, or working out out at the gym, there are lots of models to choose from. Many of Nike’s old retro styles are also available under the Nike ID service – perfect for casual wear on the weekend.

There are a few different options available when you’ve decided to design your own trainers with Nike ID.

Customising your Nike ID trainers online

• Starting with a blank canvas – This option is for those of you that want total control over the design of your shoes. You basically start with the shoe of your choice in solid white and you can customize the colour for many different aspects of the shoe from the Nike swoosh to the laces.
• Starting with an existing to design – This option allows you to take a design and make it your own by changing the colours and patterns to make the shoe your own!

Nike ID Studio at Nike Town

The Nike ID Studio in the London Nike Town is a luxury, private appointment space whereby you are allocated your own design consultant to assist you is designing and customizing your perfect trainer.  I received this as a gift from my fiancee.  As a huge retro trainer fan, this was probably the best gift I have ever received!  Darren Bent of the Tottenham Hotspurs was just leaving the studio as I arrived.  He was apparently designing his new boots. I opted for the original Air Max running shoes with my nickname stitched on the back of each shoe. You can have your own name or personal message stitched in any colour (subject to space of course).

Here is a look at the custom Nike ID trainer that I designed:

When will I receive my Nike ID trainers once they’ve been created?

I designed my own Nike ID trainers in the Nike Town store. My order was placed on the 21st of January and I received my shoes approximately two weeks later.

Tip

If you are looking for a great Christmas gift, enter the code ‘GIFT’ at checkout and receive free delivery (offer expires 20 December)!

I would recommend Nike ID to everyone. I had a great experience from the start of the design process, to the customer service, to the shipping updates and lastly, to the final product.

Image Source: Ab Exercises

Starting position

• Start on the ground, on all fours. Ensure your back is in a neutral position.

The movement

• Lift your left arm up until it is parallel with the ground and inline with your body. Hold it there.
• Simultaneously, lift your right leg off the ground until it is parallel with the ground and inline with your body.
• Hold this position for 10 seconds and then switch sides. Start with 2 sets of 10 seconds on each side and work up from there.

Key tips

• Ensure you keep your core stiff when you arm and opposite leg are raised.
• Keep your hips and shoulders level. People have a tendency to let their  hip on the raised leg side sag to the floor.

Ready for a challenge?

• To increase the level of difficulty in this core exercise, try moving your raised arm and opposite leg in a square pattern. Repeat on the other side.
• All of the movement should be about the hip and shoulder. There should be no movement in you back.

Resources:

• Is Your Ab Workout Hurting Your Back? | New York Times
• Dr. Stuart McGill |University of Waterloo (Waterloo, ON, Canada) | Low Back Disorders
  

Other core exercises on Healthynomics

• The plank
• Glute bridge
  

If you have tight muscles like me, a foam roller is an inexpensive and effective way to help cure and prevent injuries.

How does a foam roller work?

Over time of repetitive use, our muscles become tight and develop knots and adhesions that can prohibit performance and lead to injury. Often stretching alone cannot restore the muscle to its optimum length and functionality.

Myofascial massage is a massage technique often used by sports therapists that loosens  the fascia (a membrane that surrounds our muscles)  and breaks up adhesions that develop over time. This allows the fascia move more freely over the muscles and thus, improve range of motion and flexibility.

Foam rollers act in a similar manner to myofascial massage. Using your own body weight, you glide the targeted muscle or muscle group over the foam roller.

How to use a foam roller

• Ideally, your muscles will be warmed up before using the foam roller. I tend to perform my foam roller exercises at the end of my runs or workout sessions.
• Gently and slowly roll the entire muscle back and forth over the foam roller.
• You will hit some spots that are quite tender. Pause when you hit these spots and remain on that spot until the tenderness starts to subside. I found it quite painful on my iliotibial bands when I started, but after a couple of weeks, my muscles adapted quite well.
  
• Initially, you  may not be able to apply much pressure. Do not be discouraged as it will take a few sessions to build up the amount of time rolling over a particular muscle or muscle group.
  
• Try to avoid rolling directly over bone or joints.

Where to buy a foam roller?

Many gyms will have foam rollers that you can use. I also have one that I use at home. Prices for a foam roller vary from approximately £10 to £50.

Physio Supplies (UK)

PhysioRoom (UK)

Power Systems (U.S.)

I recently purchased the TRX Suspension Training Pro Pack and plan to take it with me during an upcoming 3-month backpacking trip. When I return, I will be sure to post my thoughts on traveling with the TRX and its effectiveness on the road.

What is the TRX Suspension Trainer?

The TRX Suspension Trainer is an easy-to-use, portable suspension fitness trainer that was initially developed by a US Navy SEAL to train other SEALS when there was no fitness equipment available to them. It is a complete total-body, functional training tool that can challenge all aspects of your fitness including core strength, cardiovascular fitness, muscular endurance and muscular strength.

Do not be fooled by this minimalist piece of fitness equipment as the TRX Suspension Trainer has been made with industrial-quality construction and big results in mind. Two nylon straps with handles coupled with built in resistance from your body weight and gravity can provide amazing results. What I like about the TRX is that you can use it the gym, home or even take it down to the park with you on those nice sunny days without your workout being sacrificed at all. A core workout ‘to go’ – I have no excuse!

The design of the TRX makes it so easy to transition from one exercise to another. You can get a full-body workout with the TRX Suspension Trainer in less than 30 minutes. I am not sure about you, but I find it incredibly annoying at the gym to wait for someone to get off the machine I want to use. With the TRX Trainer, there is no waiting.

Why Should You Train on the TRX?

Check out our recent interview with Fraser Quelch, the Director of Training and Development Fitness Anywhere (maker of the TRX Suspension Trainer) here:  Q+A with TRX Suspension Trainer’s Fraser Quelch

Who was the TRX Suspension Trainer designed for?

The TRX Suspension Trainer was designed for men and women of all ages and fitness levels. By changing the incline and angle of your body, you can make the exercises as challenging or easy as you like. Resistances from 5% all the way to 100% of your body weight can be achieved, making the TRX suitable for beginners or serious athletes.

Check out the list of people that have incorporated the TRX training tool into their fitness programmes:

• The Biggest Loser TV show
• US Navy SEALS
• British Lions Rugby Team
• Gwyneth Paltrow
• Ben Affleck
• Bas Rutten (Undefeated UFC Heavyweight Champion)
• Robbie McEwen (Pro Cyclist)
• Robert Harvey (Lead Singer- The Music)

The TRX system was awarded the 2009 Best Total-Body Workout Tool of the Year by Men’s Health Magazine.

My first TRX Suspension Trainer core workout

After flipping through the TRX workout guide, I was ready and excited to try my first workout! Setting up the TRX Suspension Trainer at home with the door anchor was simple. Make sure you have enough space cleared for the workout. Ideally, you will have approximately 10 feet of space from the door and a width of slightly wider than the width of your arms when extended away from your body.

The TRX Suspension Training Pro Pack that I purchased included a basic training DVD. The workout is approximately 30 minutes long and hits your upper body, lower body and core. There are 9 strength based exercises and 3 stretches. For each of the strength exercises, the TRX trainers demonstrate 3-4 progressions to ensure that you are able to challenge yourself as you become stronger.

Ten minutes into the workout, I was dripping with sweat!  I found myself pausing the DVD a couple of times to ensure that I have the TRX adjusted to the correct length for some exercises, but I am am sure as I train more with the TRX, the adjustments will become second nature. While all of the 9 strength exercises were challenging, I found the targeted core exercises particularly tough. The workout ends with some great stretches to cool down and help speed your recovery time for the next workout.

Sample TRX Exercises

The TRX Suspension Trainer is a core workout tool that can be used to train the entire body while mimicking real life movements. With over 300 exercises to chose from, your core will be actively engaged in all of the exercises due to the element of instability created by intuitive design of the TRX.

The core exercise shown below, the Atomic Push-up, is one of my favorites and is a very challenging exercise for the muscles of the core and upper body.  Give it a try.

TRX Atomic Push-up

Many other sample TRX Suspension Trainer Core Exercises

The Fitness Anywhere website contains many sample core exercises that helped get me started with my new core workout routine. Other than the TRX Atomic Push-up, my top three core exercises are:

1. TRX High Rotation;
2. TRX Kneeling Roll-out; and
3. TRX Suspended Side Plank

Where can you buy the TRX Suspension Trainer?

The TRX Suspension Trainer is available for sale at:

• Fitness Anywhere (worldwide), www.trxfitness.co.uk (UK) or through Amazon.com.
• Virgin Active was one of the first gyms in the UK to have a TRX Suspension Frame in their facilities. Check with your local Virgin Active to see if they offer TRX equipment.