Finding your feet - Results

Read Stephanie Cantelo's top tips on tracking - and feeling - results. Find Stephanie at Virgin Active Tower Bridge.

We all go to the gym with a different goal in mind, so when we feel like we’re not seeing results, it can be de-motivating and make it difficult to keep going. Whether you’re looking to lose weight, gain muscle, rehabilitate or perfect a new skill, or you’re just starting out or you’ve been doing your thing for a while, we can feel like the little changes that bring us to our bigger goals just aren’t visible.

Boditrax Analysis – Are changes happening that you can’t see? The number on your average set of scales doesn’t tell us very much. What’s behind that number?

Boditrax machines are available in all Virgin Active Clubs. They’re quick and easy to use and give you a much better insight into what your body is made up of and how it’s changing.

Take a Boxitrax measurement at the start of your fitness journey to assess your body composition’s starting point.

This analysis assesses your body fat percentage, muscle mass, fat, hydration and even your base metabolic rate. (BMR stands for basal metabolic rate and is essentially the amount of calories you burn per day at rest i.e. if you were just to wake up in the morning and lay in bed all day and do nothing.

With my clients, we take a Boditrax measurement every four to six weeks or whenever the fitness program is overloaded and progressed. Using this information, we can set new goals and review previous goals.

If you’re looking to gain muscle mass, it’s helpful to know your 1RM (one rep max) so that you know how heavy you should be lifting. Remember – technique is the most important thing for both results and injury prevention, so make sure this is correct before challenging your weights.

For beginners, the best way to work this out would be to use a simple formula. Take your 5-rep weight (the maximum weight you can lift in a specific exercise for 5 reps) x 1.15 = estimated 1RM. Repeat this with different exercises to learn your max in those areas.

A basic fitness plan will have seven fundamentals; these will include squat, hip hinge, lunge, rotation, push, pull and carry. Once you have mastered these movements with good technique and no load then you can look to progress further in following programs.

If you are looking to change your body composition, start with 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps, if you are looking to improve strength go for 1-6 sets of 1-6 reps with longer rest periods. With all fitness plans, start with the basics and gradually increase the intensity once your body starts to adapt to the exercises.