Post 1: Fitness Intro, Lateral Sequence and Multi-Directional Lunges

I hope everyone has had a good week.  I have started uploading sessions for three fitness plans 'running', 'stronger' and 'jump higher.'  There will be more programmes and sessions for core, footwork and technical fencing exercises to follow.

The three main fitness programmes which have been uploaded are long term plans and you will need to follow the sessions on a weekly basis.  A lot of the exercises you can do at home and back garden, and if you don't have some of the equipment e.g. Dumbbell, then you can easily substitute these with other items around the house.

Programmes Available:
​Stronger - 12 weeks (Medium/Hard)
Running - 6 Weeks (Medium)
​Jump Higher - 8 Weeks (Medium/ Hard)

Sophie and I have both started the 'Stronger' programme today, with the help of Twiggy (our crazy spaniel).  If you feel that the repetitions and sets are too much then either decrease the number of sets, repetitions or both to suit.  Alternatively, you could spread the session out over the day, it doesn't have to be squeezed into 30 minutes. Please make sure you watch the videos before attempting the exercises.  I have personally worked with the instructor from both an athlete and coaching perspective, and he is an exceptional athletic development coach. He will give information on correct form and he will also demonstrate how to improve and get the best out of each exercise.

The three fitness programmes would be suitable for anyone from the ages of 13 and above, however I will be uploading some videos every few days appropriate for our younger fencers (please see below). Please be careful when doing any of the programmes and make sure you warm up before any of the exercises, some of the programmes do include warm ups but others don't.  Warming down is also very important and ensure that you keep your muscles warm straight after a session, even if you're sweating!  If you are attempting any of the three fitness programmes please drop me a message and let me know what you are doing so I can make sure that future weeks sessions have been uploaded in time for you to do.

I will be posting a selection of videos throughout the weeks which are good for all aspects of general fitness, flexibility and co-ordination. These will be perfect for our musketeer fencers, but open for everyone at the club to do and I would recommend giving them a go especially if you do not wish to do the programmes.  They will be posted into the 'Club Exercises' section on the blog [Below].

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Club Exercises

 Lateral Sequence (10 Repetitions/ 3 Sets)

Multi-Directional Lunges (10 Repetitions/ 3 Sets)

Above are two great exercises for flexibility, core stability, balance and co-ordination.  Both of these videos contain exercises which you could incorporate into your warm up routines for training, gym sessions and competitions.  If you have had a go at the club exercises, please post a comment saying that you have completed them and give yourself a rating out of 10 for each exercise. For example, Completed. Lateral Sequence 8/10, MD Lunges 8/10.  It would be good to see who is having a go and also to collect some data on what our club members find easy/hard.  The feedback will also help me structure the posts to our club members needs.

I look forward to seeing your comments on the exercises over the next couple of days!

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