Last updated 19:43, Thursday, 19 June 2008

HOW BADLY do you want this?

Ask yourself that question the next time you go to the gym.

There is no substitute for hard work and dedication and having the belief to follow through with the objectives you set yourself.

So that question means a lot more than you think.

Yes, I agree you have been progressing very nicely on that six-week programme and you have certainly improved on your fitness, so well done.

Is that it though, do you want to stop there and just keep that adequate fitness or do want to hit new heights and be better than you thought?

Everybody wants that but sometimes the blood, sweat and tears that it takes to get you there seems too hard.

At this point I will not turn around to you and say ‘no it doesn’t have to be that hard’, as unfortunately it is.

There is no easy way to develop tone, muscle bulk, competition fitness, a six pack and under 10 per cent fat.

Yes, these are all the ultimate heights you want to reach next. So how can this be done because I know you are ready to become the best ever.

Three exercises make up the stable for power and strength and these are deadlifts, squats and bench press.

Deadlifts are the ultimate in overall body power, they work every major muscle group with greater emphasis placed on the legs. Core strength is key to technique as lower back strain can occur if your core isn’t tight. Heavy weight is a must on this exercise whilst keeping the rep range to between four to six reps. A lighter weight on deadlifts doesn’t create that explosive power.

Squats are next on the power movement top three. Again, an exercise that requires good core strength and leg power.

Always push through your heels on squats and never from the front of your feet. Squats work for both heavy and light weights however loading the bar and having the same rep range as deadlifts will produce massive leg power.

The ultimate chest requires the ultimate exercise and that is the bench press. The bench press provides good chest development but more importantly with added weights a power movement that your deltoids will thank you for afterwards.

Devise whatever combination of exercise you like for a blood churning workout.

Remember easy means nothing; hard means everything so think of exercises that will blast your body from different angles. This is why my admiration of Crossfit is so high, as they have the ultimate circuits and should be followed very carefully. Consider what you want to improve on, for example you work a stronger upper body so perform the following circuit:

Clean and pre ss 10 reps

Pull ups 10 reps

Clean and press eight reps

Pull ups eight reps

Clean and press six reps

Pull ups six reps

Clean and press four reps

Pull ups four reps.

You don’t have to be a personal trainer or gym instructor to devise these workout just be honest with yourself and blast your body from every direction possible.

The best workout I know for tone and definition.

Drop setting doesn’t mean lifting three different weights, it means looking at the top and bottom shelf in the gym and saying I can lift each one of these weights in turn. The heaviest weight on the bottom shelf being 40kg and the lightest weight on the top shelf being 4kg, each weight decreasing by 2 kg.

Pick up the 40kg dumbells and perform flat bench flyes for four reps, now pick up the 38kg and perform four reps and so on until you reach 4kg.

I’m serious. Forget about performing another rep or another exercise on chest you have just finished your chest workout.

This is extreme, your lungs will be bursting at the end of this but believe me there’s no greater satisfaction than finishing this. That is a total of 76 reps. For a change next time you come down start from 4kg and work to 40kg.