Get Fit In 8 Weeks – Part 4

FOR the past seven weeks, Chris Brown-Colbert and I have pulled, pushed, sweated and stumbled into shape through rigorous workouts with some of the most militant men in Manchester.

A strong core is the root to good fitness, getting your pre-baby body back and also warding off any future back problems.

Working to get into shape with the help of personal training company, Cheshire Fitness, there was Greg (martial arts pro), Glenn (ex army man) and how can we forget Ollie (ex Sale Shark and gentle brute) who put us through a whole world of pain. It was worth it though.

Unfortunately, on one particular exercise day, Chris found himself stuck working late so I used this opportunity to meet up with Liz Feitsma, a very creative and advanced personal trainer for Cheshire Fitness.

Liz trains both men and women, but with a passion for and extra expertise in women’s health and fitness, I decided this was the perfect opportunity to get a woman’s take on toning.

Liz is a very involved personal trainer. Within five minutes of meeting up at Cavendish Park in Didsbury, Manchester, we were deep in conversation about the importance of strengthening the transversus abdominis muscle (TVA). Sounds complicated, but it’s basically the deepest of the stomach muscles.

Liz says when women get pregnant, extra pressure is put on the abdominal wall. That pressure can cause the six pack muscles to separate, and sometimes remain separated after childbirth. If these muscles remain apart, what will sit in between them is the baby belly bulge – you know, that last bit of baby weight many women struggle to shift.

Having a strong TVA muscle can help the six pack muscles knit back together after childbirth and that is what will give you a flat tummy, fully supported back and pelvis.

Having not had kids yet, luckily my six pack muscles are still in their rightful place, but this is no reason to be complacent according to Liz. A strong core is the root to good fitness, getting your pre-baby body back and also warding off any future back problems. Far from the blood, sweat and tears workouts of previous weeks, Liz’s approach takes elements of yoga with strength and focus on the core.

As with all regimes, we started with a gentle warm up. I must reiterate the importance of dynamic warm ups whereby you keep moving as you stretch. This is the best way to prepare the body for any physical exertion and reduces the risk of injury. Liz favours working in circuits which definitely lessens the boredom factor of working out. You just don’t have time to be bored.

Some very simple equipment was laid out before me - a balance ball, a stretchy rope and a mat. In the pictures you’ll see the sequence of exercises we did, making full use of the equipment. Looks easy doesn’t it? I’ll admit, I thought that too when Liz was demonstrating. But what you have to remember is that during every movement, you have to tighten your core muscles. This can be difficult to master, but as Liz described, “imagine trying to pull your bellybutton into your back....now stay like that for an entire hour.”

It’s tough, but trust me when I say it’s effective. Forget aiming for a six pack - those are just surface muscles and if you just do endless sit ups you will end up with definition - but possibly also a back problem and a weak core, according to Liz. By the end of the session I was walking taller and feeling firmer. That’s in an hour’s work.

Now imagine what an hour every week could do....

If you'd like to book a session with Liz, please click here.