YOUR body has all the weight you need when it comes to exercising.
It provides the perfect resistance that is required to build and maintain those muscles and keep you at your fittest.
And like most people now, many are turning towards personal trainers who are not only providing the exercises that are tailored for the person’s needs but also act as motivators as they guide their clients to the right diet, and dos and don’ts.
This week, we introduce Josh Prakash, a fitness trainer with new ideas on how you can start yourself up and maintain the momentum to reach the target that you have set for yourself.
Josh, 29, got into fitness as a teenager when he was in Australia. Soon after his family moved back to Fiji and he found himself away from the things he loved to do, especially gym workouts.
He started studying at the Fiji National University and soon enough he let himself go. He put on weight and started doing all the things that you are not supposed to if you are serious about health.
He graduated as a refrigeration and air-condition technician and was very good at his work as well. Over the years he managed to venture on his own.
“A couple of years ago, I looked in the mirror one morning and did not like what I saw,” Josh said.
“I was not feeling good. I was having a tough time doing my work and did not look good at all. I was heavy and big.
“That’s when I decided that I will get back into fitness and take control of my life, my body and my health.”
Josh did just that and with time he managed to complete his personal trainer’s course as well. He holds the belief that secrets about fitness should be shared.
Here is a little tip from Josh on using your body weight anywhere, be it the ground, the park, the Suva sea wall or at home. These exercises can be done anywhere.
“Whether you have just started exercising for the first time or returning from a period of inactivity, it is crucial to develop a strong foundation of quality movement and technique. Using your own body weight gets you do all that,” Josh said.
“You get familiar with your own body as you build stamina, strength, agility, balance and co-ordination.
“Using your own body weight allows you to prevent injuries and gets you strong enough to start hitting the gym and moving a notch up. But you can continue with body weight only. And these exercises can be done basically anywhere.”
Josh suggests that if a person wants to do a little bit more, a brisk 30 minutes walk should suffice.
Josh’s body weight exercises
The rule for circuit training is simple. You hit or attempt a series of exercises to complete one set. You can allow yourself up to 10 seconds of rest between an exercise and up to 30 seconds between sets and circuits.
Josh’s exercise plan for beginners is a basic two circuit plan to just get you started.
His plan includes three sets of the first circuit before doing the same with the second circuit or looking up three exercises and adding on another circuit.
Circuit 1
Bottom up squats
Golfer’s pick up
Railway rows
Circuit 2
Bear crawl
Lunges
Push ups