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So you’ve done your warm-up, you’ve filled your water bottle and you’re all ready to exercise, but as you walk over to the weight section you get a feeling in the pit if your stomach, you look out into a sea of dumbbells and weight benches but it’s all dominated with men. Is this their area? Are you confident enough to walk through the crowd? Will they judge how much you can lift?

Being a gym-going female myself, I’ve felt this way before, but thankfully not for a long time. Unless you’ve been exercising (or living) under a rock, you’ll have noticed the rise in popularity of strong female role models like the incredible ball crushing Serena Williams, knock-out boxer Katie Taylor, and of course, the ab-tastic national treasure Jessica Ennis-Hill which, in turn, has had a massive impact on the gym landscape. Those areas once populated only with males are now filled with strong, confident women, lifting, sweating and generally being awesome. These sights are also no longer only just seen at the gym but also in our newsfeeds which are full of strong fit women running blogs, social channels, and influencing thousands with campaigns like ‘this girl can’.

Due to this, more and more females are turning their workout passions into careers by becoming Personal Trainers, in fact, now 35% of all personal trainers in the UK are now women, now we know this number still sounds quite low but trust us it’s going in the right direction. There’s also been a huge increase in the demand for female personal trainers, as women often feel more comfortable working out with other women, they know their bodies and goals. Also, it’s not just the ladies a lot of males also feel more comfortable working out with a woman (so it’s a win-win really).

So, are you one of those confident ladies, are you more likely to be seen lifting a bar than ordering a drink over one? If your passionate about exercise and love helping others, then a career in Personal Training is definitely for you! And, here at PT Academy, we can help, not only do we love what we do but we’re also the UK’s leading fitness education company (we don’t like to brag).

We know what you’re thinking, what if I don’t have any qualifications? How do you even become a PT? Well, the good news is you don’t need any prior qualifications to enrol, all you need is desire, passion, enthusiasm and we’ll provide the rest. We’ve also got a bit of a different approach when it comes to learning which is called a ‘flagship learning method’ this means you get assigned your very own PT in your region to help and ‘spot you’ through your training. So call us, tweet us, DM us, send a carrier pigeon or just drop in and say ‘hey’ and see how we can help you start a brand spanking new career today!

Maybe you’ve always known what you wanted to do, but for most of the population, it’s not that easy, with lockdown measures eased most of us are in the process of returning to the 9 am till 5 pm daily grind, dealing with never-ending deadlines and living for the weekend. But would we ever leave this world to become self-employed? We’ve all considered it or even daydreamed about it while sitting at our desk, but what’s stopping us?

In our current climate filled with bloggers, influencers and freelancers it really has never been easier to become self-employed and working for yourself especially as a personal trainer is becoming an ever-aspirational career path. It’s exciting, empowering and liberating, you can carve your own path, do what you really love and make a difference. I don’t think anyone would be sad to wave goodbye to office politics or their daily commute, but what would be replacing this?
The world of self-employment has a lot of noise surrounding it, but what’s true and what’s a myth? Here at PT Academy, we wanted to bust the top 5 myths around being your own boss.

You’ll never get a mortgage- FALSE

This is probably one of the most common myths, and we’re happy to say it’s false. Self-employed people have exactly the same rights as anyone else when buying a house, just like everybody else you’ll need a deposit and to show your financial records. In fact, now there are lenders who specialise in mortgages only for people who are self-employed.

You get to do what you love- TRUE

What are you passionate about? What gets you up in the morning? One of the greatest parts of being self-employed is that you get to do something you love, every single day! Whether that’s helping people change their lives through fitness? Designing websites? Or writing blog articles (just like this one). You’re completely in charge of your own workload, and not only that but you get to share this passion with other people, bonus!

You get to spend all day in your PJs – FALSE

Spending all day in your PJs, watching daytime tv and being practically hooked up to a drip of Yorkshire tea, will very rarely be anyone’s reality, however, as a full-time personal trainer, you do get to wear leggings and joggers to work! Also, not having fixed working hours has serious benefits. You can say goodbye to the rush hour commute and managing children, friends, plans and your life can be done in a totally relaxed and flexible manner.

You can choose who you work with – TRUE

We’ve all been there, the jobs great the salaries good, but there’s that one co-worker, or client or even boss that we just don’t click with. Issues with colleagues and managers can really affect working environments and taint your everyday work experiences. Well, the good news is when your self-employed, and in particular if you’re a self-employed personal trainer you can literally choose your clients and only work with the people you want to. So wave goodbye to that dreaded that awkward kitchen cuppa or meeting with your boss you’ve been putting off all week.

You’ll have no job stability – FALSE

This is another common myth when it comes to being self-employed, people tend to assume as you’re not employed by a company your job and career are less secure. The reality is quite the opposite, as you’re not employed by anyone else no one can fire you, or end your employment in any way, also you won’t be subject to surprise restructures or redundancies, you’ll always know exactly where you stand.

Lockdown exercising, or home workouts in general, can feel like a tricky path to navigate, especially if your workouts are influenced by your goals. With the latest update from the government, unfortunately, stating that indoor gyms will be remaining closed after the 4th of July, it looks like exercising at home is going to remain to be the new norm for the majority of us.

As a result of this we’ve put together our top tips on how to choose your goals and smash your home workout:

1 – Never miss a goal!

They say the best way to move forward is to know where you’ve been. So set some achievable yet inspirational goals! You can even check in with friends who have similar goals to see if what they are doing could benefit you. You’ll find that you’ll be hitting those goals in no time.

2 – Keep it fun!

At PT Academy we believe that fitness should be fun. By selecting a programme that keeps you sweating AND entertained, your workout doesn’t have to fill like a hard day at the office. If you workout with someone else, try to give your session a competitive element and if you work out alone, try to smash your personal best from previous sets or workouts. Having this ambition will drive you to improve every time.

3 – Plan like a boss!

Rome wasn’t built in a day and reaching your long term goals are very similar. This is why scheduling is key. Try to set aside a predetermined slot in your diary for your workouts. When the time arises, set aside everything else to focus on what you want to achieve. Having this single focus will keep you motivated, driven and hungry for success.

4 – Embrace the day!

Shaking off those morning cobwebs can take some real motivation but a quick burst of cardio will get the blood pumping through your body and have you feeling in a positive mindset. If you have a workout scheduled for later in the day then try a short jog around the block, a quick bike ride or even just a walk with varied inclines. Cardio is the breakfast of a workout routine.

5 – Don’t weight around!

Bodyweight exercises are great when it comes to home workouts. Start out with basic push-ups or lunges, throw in some squats and sit-ups. As these bodyweight exercises become easier, add additional weight to your sessions using heavy household items, or invest in some dumbbells especially if you’re looking to build muscle.

6 – Stretch it out!

All goals should be easier to achieve by incorporating stretching. Before your session, this will loosen up muscles, ensuring you’re all warmed up but also make sure to stretch after your session to loosen to muscles as this will help them to recover. This will prevent injury but it will also help the next day when the muscle aches (DOMS) kick in.

7 – Drink up!

Our final advice applies to everyone, stay hydrated! Definitely drink water during your workout but also sip water throughout the day. Hydration is a fundamental element towards staying healthy and if you’re not hydrated, you won’t function to the optimal ability.

We all have different goals and selecting a workout specifically for you shouldn’t be hard, so follow PT Academy’s advice above and stay strong, stay focused and stay happy.

Given the current circumstances, the number of people creating their own ‘home gyms’ have spiked massively. From following daily online workout routines or just mirroring your gym sessions in your front room, the nation has gone home workout mad.

If you are embarking on purchasing home exercise equipment for the first time, it is important to make sure you get the correct gear for what you want to achieve and also that gives you value for money. We know it can be quite a daunting experience buying any equipment, especially if you haven’t worked out at home before. That’s why the team at PT Academy have put together a few helpful tips.

The first thing we would always suggest purchasing is a good set of dumbbells. These weights are totally multifunctional and will allow you to train arms, legs, glutes, abs and pretty much everywhere. They can be used for cardio and for strength training and can build muscle or reduce fat and compared to other home gym items they are really affordable.

To start out we would suggest getting some space-saving, adjustable dumbbells that go up to 10kg each. Even though you might not feel ready to lift that weight now, it’s important to keep challenging yourself and you’ll be thanking us when you’re building some serious muscle! These types of adjustable dumbbells are super easy to purchase from many retail outlets like Argos and Amazon.

Once you have mastered their use, or if you are looking for something a bit heavier, we would recommend you purchase a 4kg to 20kg set. Our go-to brand for this level of workout dumbbells is Ruthless Strength. This company are UK based and only use the best quality steel; they have a lifetime guarantee, due to being the UK’s first-ever unbreakable dumbbells (we strongly advise you do not take this as a challenge though). If you really want to add some glamour to your home training, they offer gold plated dumbbells but if you don’t feel like breaking the bank, they also offer customisable ones. So why not add some extra motivation to your sessions with a custom logo, motivational quotes or perhaps personalise them with your name or brand?

So what are you waiting for? You’d have to be a dummy (we couldn’t help the bad pun) not to go get yourself some dumbbells for your home!

It’s no secret that during these ‘lockdown days’ that we have all been plunged into, the general public has been searching for ways to occupy their time and as we’ve been given the green light to partake in daily exercise, many people have taken to running the streets or local parks. Some people have set up home gyms to ensure that their regular workout routines don’t begin to suffer, which may also hinder their long-term goals. Others have even dusted off their bicycles to get in daily exercise, whilst also seeing the outside for a while and breathing in some fresh air.

It’s easy to see why the general public have recently increased their exercise intake but not everyone knows the true benefits of staying fit and healthy during these times. It could be even more vital than you could have ever imagined.

Recent research has shown that people who have a BMI of 30 or higher, tend to be much more susceptible to Covid-19. The scientific evidence that has been discovered shows that anyone who falls into the category of being obese places significant strain on their immune system and respiratory system. In the UK alone, 30% of adults are classed as obese and 1 in 4 people, who have tragically lost their lives to this virus, were also diabetic.

So, it’s no surprise to hear that the health and fitness industry including personal trainers has been categorised as essential businesses. There has already been a direct correlation between the NHS and the fitness sector, as they work alongside many different organisations in helping to aid the vulnerable and those with underlying health issues. There have been difficulties in trying to assist those who need workers in this industry but through video calling and streaming programmes, it is possible to help and support people who are looking to make positive changes to their health and well-being during these times of uncertainty.

It’s clearly apparent that a strong immune system and good metabolic health is extremely important when combating this virus and a physical and healthy lifestyle will fight infection much more efficiently. Therefore, personal trainers and fitness professionals must be primed, prepared and ready to help the public fight this virus and play a key role in rehabilitating those who may already be infected.

So, stay healthy, keep up the hard work, take advantage of your right to exercise, and your right to train and help others during this lockdown period. Remember as fitness professionals, we play a vital role in helping the nation fight back against this terrible virus!

One of the main reasons we know exercise benefits our body is we can see it, if you train hard and eat right, you’ll be stronger, feel better in your clothes and look more toned. But what about the things we can’t see? Like our mental health and wellbeing? Just because it’s not visibly changing doesn’t mean that exercise doesn’t benefit this too.

Although we’ve entered the new decade with a much better attitude towards mental health, there’s still some stigma in particular around male mental health. This stigma tends to focus on the notion that males have a greater difficulty talking about emotional subjects, and struggling admitting that they may need help, this notion is then backed up by numerous everyday sayings such as ‘man up’ and ‘be more of a man’ etc. Then there’s the quite frankly shocking statistics, that include things like suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 45.

With any mental health issues, communication and coping strategies are key, it’s important to not only talk about our problems but find solutions and mechanisms that allow us to cope with them. It’s been widely proven that exercise can help improve a whole host of issues such as anxiety, depression, and stress. In our current climate of social media addiction, major cases of FOMO and the constant pressure to be perfect it’s very easy to have those unwanted, negative thoughts creeping in, but being active gives your brain something else to focus on and distracts your mind away from a downward spiralling thought process.

We’ve put together some top tips to help integrate fitness into your life:

Hit the great outdoors

Depression is often linked to a less stimulating lifestyle, so instead of spending an evening in binge-watching your favourite Netflix shows on the sofa, try going outside for a brisk walk or even take up jogging with a helpful app like couch to 5k. Did you know that just 20 minutes of cardio can improve your mood for up to 12 hours afterwards?

Hire a personal trainer

Getting into fitness can be a daunting task, especially if it’s not something you’ve done before. Using a personal trainer will make sure you go at your own pace, always have some added support and reduce the risk of injury. It’s also another way to combat those negative thoughts by focusing on dialogue as well as exercise.

Grab some weights

Unlike cardio weight training can often take a lot more concentration and focus. Lifting weights, no matter how big or small is a great technique for anyone whose mind is prone to wandering when doing cardio. Also, strength training is especially good at helping the symptoms of depression such as low moods.

Here at PT Academy, we truly believe that exercise is integral in the fight against mental health, and no matter your skill or fitness level adding some element of fitness in your life will be beneficial to both your physical and mental health.

It’s official, the UK has now been on a full-scale lockdown since the 23rd of March. It has been a period of extreme uncertainty and numerous changes, as the lockdown restrictions and self-isolation rules mean that many people have been confined to their homes for almost 2 months now. Some people may be used to working from home and adapting to this current situation pretty easily, others may be climbing the walls and daydreaming of work colleagues, banter and everyday routine.

One thing is for sure, spending large amounts of time in the exact same environment isn’t good for you, so it’s very important to mix things up and get a fresh perspective. This can be as simple as facing the window when you do your morning workout, instead of that wall that you still haven’t found the time to paint in lockdown, or moving your entire exercise set up outside (we’re sure the neighbours won’t mind).

Given the above, here at PT Academy, we have put together ‘The Circuit Room Challenge’. We want you to complete the below workout circuit 5 times and it must be in 5 different rooms of your house or garden:

Circuit 1 in the room of your choice (we suggest maybe starting in the lounge)

• 10 x burpees

• 10 x sit-ups

• 10 x press-ups

• 10 x squat thrusts

• 10 x close-grip press-ups

• 10 x leg raises

• 10 x ab crunches

• 10 x mountain climbers

Repeat the same circuit in 4 different rooms of your house (if you don’t have 4 different rooms then the hallway/landing still counts). This is classed as one lap.
Then go back to room 1 and complete:

• 9 x burpees

• 9 x sit-ups

• 9 x press-ups

• 9 x squat thrusts

• 9 x close-grip press-ups

• 9 x leg raises

• 9 x ab crunches

• 9 x mountain climbers

Once again, repeat in 4 different rooms/areas of your house and then repeat the circuit by reducing the sets all the way down to one. It may sound simple, but we guarantee you’ll be working up a sweat by the end of the circuit.

With all our routines, this is entirely flexible for different skill levels. You can start by doing one lap of your house and then increase the number of laps day by day as you get fitter and stronger. The main point of this is to mix up your environment and get yourself moving at home, this will not only help your physical fitness but also have a great positive effect on your mental wellbeing and get those endorphins flowing!

So, put yourself to the test, throw on your activewear and utilize your home to achieve your goals, obtain a higher level of fitness and gain better mental clarity whilst in lockdown. You’ll be glad you did!

A quick scroll of your Instagram feed reveals that social distancing, lockdown and gym closures mean that exercising from home is our new normality. The new legislation may be challenging but there are many opportunities for creating new routines, exercising and staying in shape. PT Academy thrives in challenging times so we’ve developed the ‘6 Steps To Home Workout Success’, a simple guide of what to do to keep fit at home;

1- Program Your Success

There is a wealth of free programs and routines available online. There’s also more in-depth, subscription-based programmes that target specific goals. These subscriptions tend to offer a wider variety of workouts which ensure you keep your routines varied, fun and fresh. PT Academy has an amazing online program design course that you can launch into immediately for free, helping you learn how to set up a personal program which is perfect for lockdown fitness. Click here for more details.

2- Tune In, Work Out: LIVE

Celebrities such as Joe Wicks have had a hand in keeping the public on track with their goals. Following the lockdown, Joe Wicks had over 2 million people tune in for his first workout. Our suggestion with live workouts is variety. As there is a wealth of influencers running these live workouts, mix up the sessions you take part in.
PT Academy offers live sessions on Instagram every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8 am. We also recommend you check out the following online sessions on Instagram and Facebook: Street Gym and Barry’s Bootcamp.

3- Get Creative, Get In Shape

Lockdown means that it’s time to get your creative juices flowing. You may not have fancy gym equipment but your house has a variety of items that could aid your workout. Solid objects such as chairs are great for incline and decline press-ups. Footstools and coffee tables can also be used for reverse dips. The only limit is your imagination so get creative and get fit! If you happen to live on a farm, nothing beats a good old ‘Rocky’ workout, chasing chickens. We feel obliged to discourage the use of livestock in your workouts

4- A Helping Hand

The gyms might be closed but the personal trainers are still active. Due to the rise of success for apps like Zoom, HouseParty, FaceTime and Skype, many PT’s have taken to remote, one to one sessions. We have experienced some online sessions and were not one bit disappointed. This method of training doesn’t have to be geographically convenient either. You could select a PT from your hometown or even Australia, making this experience even more fun. The most important part is to ensure you have a reliable internet connection as you will not want to be disconnected in the middle of a session. We suggest a consultation with your trainer prior to a workout, to access the strength of your connection.

5- Mix it up

So we know you’re on lockdown but it doesn’t mean you can’t get a change of scenery. Training in different rooms of your house or even in your garden can help keep things fresh but can also help set yourself a little challenge and boost motivation. Create a fitness circuit and complete the circuit in each room of your home. Try to improve your time in each room, implement drop sets or use different types of furniture to complete your circuit. It may sound like a simple suggestion but a change to your environment is proven to enhance your overall performance.

6- Eyes On The Prize

We’ve all seen the great feats of strength, agility and athleticism that have gone viral on social media. Handstand press-ups, breathtaking spin kicks, clap press-ups and door frame pull-ups. These are all achievements that didn’t happen overnight. Practice makes perfect and now is the time to practice and gain perfection.

Lockdown has given us some unexpected time on our hands so use it wisely to attempt to achieve some of these impressive bodyweight exercises. We suggest that you browse YouTube and look at instructional videos and follow the advice and instructions given. Try to remain determined, ambitious and positive. To truly develop a skill, experts suggest doing something 30 times a day for 30 days.

Overall…yes, we are in lockdown but it doesn’t mean you should be locked out from achieving your fitness goals. There is a multitude of options available to you so take advantage of these tools and achieve your true potential. What are you waiting for?

It is safe to say that with the global pandemic of Covid-19, 2020 has so far been a year of huge uncertainty and change, no one could have ever predicted that our country would have been in this situation and in the last few weeks, in particular, we have learned a lot about community, working together and how adaptable as a nation we can really be.

Now, there is no question about the danger and sadness of this virus, however, it has opened opportunities for change and here at PT Academy we wanted to create something positive and beneficial out of such a negative event. One of the main areas that have seen a huge increase is a rise in digital communication platforms such as Zoom, Google Hangouts and House Party, brought on by the social distancing laws and the vast amount of people working from home or working outside of their normal daily environments.

With that in mind, we have never been a company to shy away from a challenge, no matter how big, so we wanted to tackle this head-on! As a result, we’ve been working extremely hard to adapt our Fitness and Personal Training Courses for this new home-based learning environment so all the amazing people that want to train and qualify with us won’t be missing out during this difficult time. So, we have been busy analysing the current assessment methods and the elements of gym instructing and personal training qualifications.

But what does this all mean we hear you ask? Well, what this means is that as of this week, PT Academy can now offer a complete Personal Training qualification that is 100% home learning-based, no gym or health club required! Not only are we also offering qualifications that can be completed at home, you can also be fully qualified in just 6 weeks! The normal assessment procedure will be replaced with the learner delivering the training exercises virtually through a video call, which would then be recorded for their assessment.

Now, this is not something that has been approached lightly, we have been working very hard to make sure we have comprehensively analysed all current qualification and assessment specifications and all with the support of the awarding organisation we work with we have developed four new assessment pathways. This has helped us devise these amazing new assessment methods.

We’re so happy to also announce that PT Academy is the first-ever personal training provider to offer these new pathways without any gym required! The pathways are clear, concise and above industry standard. Also, in terms of payment for our courses, we offer 0% finance and have numerous payment plans available.

We hope you’re all as excited as we are and we can’t wait to see all our newly qualified personal trainers! Watch this space for more information regarding this game-changing offering!

The latest Covid-19 guidelines encourage self-isolation and social distancing to help avoid the spread of the virus. So if you’ve been asked to work from home or you’ve been instructed to or chosen to self-isolate. Whatever the scenario you’re going to be looking at a large proportion of time being spent indoors.

Now we know that the prospect of staying at home for a really long period of time can seem quite daunting, especially if you’re a health and fitness professional, someone who just loves staying active and keeping fit, or just a self-confessed gym addict.

Instead of letting the prospect of self-isolation ruin your fitness plans why not use this as an opportunity to mix up your exercise routine and try some new at-home workouts. As well as keeping your fitness levels up, exercise is great for numerous things like decreasing stress and reducing anxiety so it will particularly help if you’re feeling worried or anxious about the current climate. As well as this it gives you the chance to add some routine and focus into your days in a time of a lot of change and uncertainty.

Below we’ve rounded up PT Academy’s top home workout tips:

TIP1- Take a seat

Your dining table chairs can be used for a lot more than you think, they’re also perfect for an at-home arm workout so grab that chair for some tricep dips. Simply sit on the end of the chair backwards holding it with both hands, and lower your elbows to a 90-degree angle, repeat for 3 sets of 15 dips and feel the burn!

TIP2- Squat goals

The beauty of squats is you can do them anywhere and they require absolutely no equipment. Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart, hold in your core then bend your knees and push those hips back, exactly the same motion as you would sit on a chair. If you want to get really sweaty try adding a jump in!

TIP3- Get social

Now we know you can’t actually be very social but the online world of social media is filled with great fitness accounts that provide step by step home workout guides. We love our very own PT Academy personal trainer Leah’s videos, especially her easy home core workout video or her no equipment core burner!

TIP4- Keep it zen

Yoga is a home workout staple as it can be done anywhere from the living room floor to the garage or garden. Ideally, you need a yoga mat, but if you don’t have this a towel or blanket will do. Yoga helps improve strength, tone and also is great for mental well being. We would suggest following one of the free online yoga tutorials to get you started.

Here at PT Academy the health and safety of our customers and staff are incredibly important, and we will be continuing to offer our services whilst ensuring we also adhere to the latest government regulations.