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PERSONAL TRAINING

Helping endurance athletes to overcome their motivational hangups when it comes to strength training is a speciality of ours. The solution is very simple. Our personal training relationships focus on educating athletes on exactly what they need to focus on and most importantly, why.

Whilst the performance benefits of strength training may not always be direct, they are still very real. Our personal training relationships and associated strength programmes could have a significant impact on your consistency and athletic performance. 

Why is strength training so important?

Hip stability
Hip stability is especially vital for endurance athletes. Particularly for runners and cyclists, the muscles around your hips guide how your lower limbs behave. Think about how your foot lands during running, the stability around your hips or lack there of, will determine how your knee tracks and how your lower limbs dissipate the impact forces.
Reduced injury risk
It makes sense that inherent strength will help you maintain form for longer and strength training is well known for improving/maintaining bone density and soft tissue health. It is a little known fact though that strength training performed properly can improve mobility in your joints, thereby helping to reduce injuries associated with immobility.
More muscle to call upon
Increased muscle mass means more muscle fibres to recruit when producing power. You can also train those new muscle fibres through strength training in such a way to fit perfectly with your goals. For instance, performing explosive exercises to with obstacles in cyclocross or scapular stability work to improve your swim stroke.
Your core is your foundation
A well conditioned core means the central pillar of your body i.e. your trunk, will remain steady and provide a strong platform around which your limbs can work. Often in ultra events it is the core failing and the resultant poor form that results in increased suffering and even injury.
Help with weight loss
Increased muscle mass is vital for those interested in weight loss as it increases your basal metabolic rate, which means if you continue eating your normal calorie intake, you will naturally fall into a slight calorie deficit and lean up at a safe rate.
It makes you feel great!
Possessing inherent strength is such a great feeling that can help build self-confidence. Do not underestimate the performance benefits of feeling confident and good within yourself!
PERSONAL TRAINING
Is there an endurance athlete in your life in need of some direction when it comes to their strength training? A voucher for a dynamic screening and personal training session is a great way to start them on their journey towards a stronger, less injury prone future.

One-to-one

My Fit Pod - Berkhamsted
£65 per session discounts available for session blocks
  • Initial screening to assess requirements, mobility, muscular balance, co-ordination etc.
  • Personal training sessions tailored to the individual's needs
  • Specific and attainable goal setting
  • Separate strength and conditioning programmes designed to meet objectives and run alongside an athlete's endurance programme
  • Advice on nutrition and weight loss

Online

£47 per session discounts available for session blocks
  • Initial screening to assess requirements, mobility, muscular balance, co-ordination etc.
  • Personal training sessions tailored to the individual's needs and their available equipment
  • Specific and attainable goal setting
  • Separate strength and conditioning programmes designed to meet objectives and run alongside an athlete's endurance programme
  • Advice on nutrition and weight loss

Frequently Asked Questions

Enlisting a RIAK personal trainer not only means you will receive training tailored to your specific needs, it also means you will benefit from the knowledge and experience of your personal trainer.  Ultimately, our goal is to teach you to become an expert in your own requirements and how to satisfy them.

You may well be able to find a great class or online programme, but what happens when things don’t go according to plan or you get ill or injured? That is one of the main benefits of engaging a personal trainer, you are not alone in your journey. They are there not only for when things are going well but to help problem solve when challenges come your way.

Another benefit is that whilst generally speaking, most forms of strength training are better than nothing for an endurance athlete, group classes and online programmes are rarely designed for endurance athletes and are certainly not personalised to you. Your cardiovascular training will be chosen to steer you towards certain objectives, so why would your strength training be any different? Especially when you consider how significantly it can reduce injury risk.

It doesn’t matter who you are or what your level is, strength training has so much to offer beyond stamping on a pedal harder or running up a hill faster.  Strength training has massive health benefits. It can help you lose weight if that is a goal. It can help end your seemingly eternal injury woes. It can provide for your future health by maintaining lean muscle mass and bone desnity. Both of which we begin to lose as we get older.

The answer to this depends on the individual’s needs, experience level and budget.  We would suggest a weekly session would be a good starting point.

Again this depends on the individual and their needs. However, commonly, athletes inexperienced in strength training typically lack mobility in key areas and have weak glutes and core.  So mobility exercises, bulgarian split squats and static holds like planks are often used tools for us.

Most exercises will also be unilateral i.e. single arm or single leg, in order to encourage muscular balance.

We are endurance athlete specific and endurance athletes ourselves. There are a lot of good personal trainers out there but we would argue that few understand the real strength needs of an endurance athlete and how to balance that alongside a no doubt busy cardiovascular training schedule.

Our strength programmes are periodised to work alongside your cardiovascular training programme, so for example, more heavy lifting in the off-season or more explosive work in the lead up to the start of the racing season or a goal event.

One of the first things we do though is to set up a dynamic screening. This is just a few squat movements, mobility tests and conditioning assessments.  It is not a tough session, so don’t be anxious. It just allows us to assess an athlete’s strength and mobility needs so we can build them a bespoke strength and conditioning plan.

In this session we will also seek to set some specific and attainable goals and lay out what success would look like.

Online sessions are planned according to the equipment you have at home and we are very good at getting creative in terms of what you can use around the house to achieve appropriate loading.

However, if you are considering investing in the help of an online personal trainer, we would suggest it would be equally sensible to consider investing in a couple of key pieces equipment:

  1. an array of resistance bands of different lengths and strength; and
  2. adjustable dumbbells or a broad set of individual weights.

For both the one-to-one and online personal training sessions, we offer discounts when purchasing a block of sessions:

One-to-one

15% discount for a 10 session block = £55.25 per session

29% discount for a 20 session block = £46.15 per session

Online

10% discount for a 10 session block = £42.30 per session

15% discount for a 20 session block = £39.95 per session

We use My Fit Pod in Berkhamsted off Greene Field Road.

We love training in this venue because we would have exclusive use of one of the two ‘pods’.  They are essentially little personal gyms, which is great if you are someone for whom gyms are a source of anxiety. 

Ready To Take Things Forwards?

Ready to begin working with an experienced personal trainer? Hit the link below to set up your free consultation to discuss which of our training options is most appropriate for you and for us to answer any questions you might have.

Set up your free 15-minute consultation
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