A quick bonus tip:

Originally coined by Chila, Peckham and Manheim, back in 1981 and used for the title of their course at Michigan State University: ‘‘Myofascial Release’’

What is fascia tissue?

Fascia is the body’s connective tissue. It's fibrous cobweb-like connective tissue found throughout the whole of the body runing from head to toe. Your fascia provides a framework that helps support and protect individual muscle groups, organs, and the entire body as a unit.

What is a strength curve?

A strength curve is a graphical representation of how a muscle generates and applies force in a specific direction. This force is then represented using three basic categories: ascending, descending and bell-shaped.

Eccentric contraction explained:

An eccentric contraction occurs when a muscle lengthens under load. An example of this would be when you're lowing yourself into a squatting position. Generally speaking, a muscle can be upto 150% stronger during an eccentric contraction than a concentric contraction. 

Concentric contraction explained:

A concentric contraction occurs when a muscle shortens. An example of this would be when you're coming up from a bottom of a squat.

What are muscle fascicles?

In anatomy, a muscle fascicle is a bundle of skeletal muscle fibers surrounded by perimysium, a type of connective tissue.

Who is Michael Goulden?

Michael Goulden is the founder of a training company and is a resistance training specialist in exercise mechanics. He has been integrating exercise mechanics with neuromuscular preparation to create a uniquely sustainable approach to health, fitness and performance.

Who is Charles Poliquin?

Charles Poliquin is recognised as one of the world’s most accomplished strength coaches, and has produced hundreds of medals, wins and personal bests for elite athletes in over 17 different sports, including athletes for both the summer and winter Olympics, the NHL, and NFL.

Who is Ben Pakulski?

Ben Pakulski, nicknamed the Pak-Man, holds an Honors Degree in Kinesiology and is an IFBB professional bodybuilder and winner of the 2008 Mr. Canada competition. In the IFBB, he finished 2nd twice in 2008.

What is a level 5 trainer?

Our level five trainers are our ‘elite’. They’re seriously experienced, and incredibly knowledgeable. They have all gone above and beyond, attending numerous industry events, clocking up multiple courses, and spending numerous hours learning through practical experience with clients. They have shown unparalleled dedication to becoming the best personal trainers possible, and have been recognised in the health and fitness industry for their level of excellence.

What is a level 4 trainer?

Our level four trainers have gone the extra mile. All of them have further industry qualifications, whether in nutrition, post-natal exercise, endurance or hypertrophy. They have attended workshops, webinars and courses to lift their learning above others in the area. They are likely to have been a personal trainer for several years, and be pushing to learn more about how they can offer the best possible advice to you.

What is a level 3 trainer?

Our level three trainers are fully qualified, with industry-recognised qualifications, but are relatively new to personal training. What they lack in experience, they will make up for in dedication and enthusiasm. All our level three trainers work closely with a more senior member of the team to ensure the Hall Training quality of service is maintained, and you make constant progress towards your goals.

Did you know?

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Oct 2016

Georgey's 12 week transformation - week 1

TAGS: 12 week transformation


Working behind the scenes at a personal training company means I am constantly surrounded by a team of incredibly fit, determined people. It also means that I hear the struggles their clients are going through to achieve their dream results, and the expectations of people who come to Hall Training looking for support.

I had hoped that being surrounded by this uber-fit team would mean some of their dedication would rub off on me, that all clients would find it super easy to achieve their dream bodies, and that people turning to the team for help would realise how hard ‘being super fit’ actually is. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been the case!

At Hall Training our focus is nearly always on health over aesthetics, and on sustainability over sudden, drastic changes, unless of course a client comes to us with a tight deadline such as a holiday or wedding. On other personal training websites, it’s common to see pictures of incredible transformations, from overweight to six pack in just 12 weeks. But how realistic is this, how much do you sacrifice, is it worth it? Well, I’ve decided to find out.

For the next 12 weeks (well, 11 and a half now you’re reading this!) I am going to try really hard to stick to the workout and nutrition plan that the team have set up for me. That means no weekend wine (huge sacrifice), no snacking on the yummy food in the office (more for my colleagues!) and a lot of early starts.

I am going to write a short blog every week so you can see how I get on. I promise now not to sugar coat anything – the highs and lows will be here for everyone to see!

So far, it’s day 4 of 84 and things are going well. Other than underestimating how many grams of carbs were in the sushi I grabbed on the go on Tuesday, I’ve managed to stick to my nutrition plan perfectly. It’s actually quite tough to get the calories in when you’re in diet mind set! I’ve only done one workout so far this week, the other three are all scheduled over the next few days. My hamstrings still hurt from that one, so we’ll have to see how the next three go…

We hope that this blog will make it clear exactly how much hard work a client and their trainer have to put in to make a big difference in a small space of time, but also show what can be achieved if you really put your mind to it. On a personal level, I’m just really hoping that I can stick to it and also that I end up feeling a bit more like ‘me’ again at the end. I can make all the excuses in the world – a new job, two house moves, stress at work – but I am hoping to find that the truth is, if you plan and make time, it is possible to achieve your health and fitness goals and have a life, even through Christmas party season! If everything goes to plan, my last day will be the 8th January, and fingers crossed I will be a better version of myself by then!

Until next week…
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