The goal is to preserve and build as much muscle as we can. It’s the key component to creating a healthy metabolism. So how do we do that? By lifting weights! Performing heavy compound lifts such as deadlifts, squats, and pull-ups for sets and reps using barbells and dumbbells. The aim is to raise a little more weight each week; this is called progressive overload and is scientifically proven to be the best way to build muscle progressively without hitting plateaus. For example, you might do a set of deadlifts 8 reps for 65 kg, the next week you will aim to do 67.5 kg. Progressive overload can also be achieved by increasing the rep range of an exercise, intensity and also by achieving a better range of motion. Learning to exercise with the correct technique is a skill that must be maintained. The goal of strength training is to break down muscle tissue and then rebuild more in the recovery process. The time your muscles are actually under maximum tension for a 45-minute workout is only around 4 minutes. Making sure your body is in the correct position for each rep is vital for achieving the benefits from each training session. This all sounds pretty intense, hey! But we have a system that makes it a piece of cake. By following the P.E.A.K principles, you will nail each rep and every set every time.
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Prepare
Ensuring your body is in the correct anatomical position. The most common practice would be maintaining a neutral spine. It’s important to maintain a neutral spine while exercising, for both posture and injury prevention. A neutral spine means that your back is in line with your hips, and not hunched forward or rounded. This can be achieved by keeping your head up, shoulders back, and abdominals pulled in. When your spine is in a neutral position you can perform any strength exercise safely as the discs are locked into a safe position and your joints are stabilised.
Execute
Ensuring your body is in the correct anatomical position. The most common practice would be maintaining a neutral spine. It’s important to maintain a neutral spine while exercising, for both posture and injury prevention. A neutral spine means that your back is in line with your hips, and not hunched forward or rounded. This can be achieved by keeping your head up, shoulders back, and abdominals pulled in. When your spine is in a neutral position you can perform any strength exercise safely as the discs are locked into a safe position and your joints are stabilised.
Access
Identifying areas of improvement is important for injury prevention and longevity of your performance.
Keep Track
It’s important to log your data every session. How many reps, how many sets and what weight was performed. If you are new to strength training focus on R.O.M. to start with, then as you build a solid foundation aim for muscle failure in your target rep range. Progressive overload can’t be achieved without muscle failure. To gauge your weights to the rep range. For example, If I aim to complete 10 reps in a set, I should be struggling on 9-10 and unable to perform an 11th. If you hit failure at 6, it’s too heavy; if you feel you can do 20, then it’s too light.
Our Programs
We offer what I believe is the best training program to achieve results with longevity in mind. I often see trainers get drunk off ‘smashing’ people! It’s easy to push someone until they spew and make the workouts hard. It seems to be common knowledge that this is a good thing. Well, I ask why? You can’t back that up day after day, week after week, you will hit a wall and burn out at some point! Look at a professional athlete like Usain Bolt. The output on the nights he was breaking records and winning gold medals was far different from how he trained, leading into these significant events. He would gradually build towards it, not try and run as fast as possible at every training session. Now, this is a professional athlete; it’s his job to train! Why do people with full-time jobs, families, and other commitments think that they can rock up and smash themselves at the gym every time and wonder why they get tired and burnt out. We all know that the tortoise beats the hare because consistency is the key to success. It’s far more difficult to program the right amount of exercise to see results long-term vs flogging someone, which is the key difference with our workouts and training programs.
Peak Progression
Progression applies to every aspect of life, if you aren’t moving forward, you’re moving backwards. The same applies to personal transformation and exercise. What sets us apart is our progressive overload training programs, ensuring consistent progress is made no matter where you are in your journey. The key to achieving progressive overload is consistency, ensuring you hit your scheduled workouts each week, and making small, incremental increases to the weight, reps, sets, or difficulty of your exercises. It is similar to achieving a financial goal by saving a certain amount consistently over time, instead of trying to save a large amount all at once or just doing it when you feel like it. By consistently pushing yourself a little bit further each week, you’ll be able to see progress and achieve your desired results in the long run.
Peak Points
Just like our Peakshape programs, we keep progressive overload in mind for your weekly workouts. Each workout represents a number of Peak points. Your Peakshape coach will assist you in creating your weekly Peak points based on where you are in your transformation journey and the goals you want to achieve.
This helps match your exercise to nutrition and lifestyle by reducing the risk of raising stress levels, injury, fatigue and metabolic slowdown.
Peak Strength Workouts
Peak Strength utilises compound lifts and is the foundation training for every successful Body Transformation.
If you’re looking to boost your metabolism, see better results from your workouts and improve your physique shape, compound exercises are the way to go (for both men and women). Girls, contrary to popular belief, lifting weights won’t make you bulky – in fact, it’s quite the opposite. When you lift weights, you’re actually helping your body burn more calories and improve your metabolism.
Most women want a firm shapely body with a nice booty, toned arms and a flat stomach. Most guys want the diamond cut v taper, wide chest and shoulders with a flat stomach and no love handles. Performing compound lifts should be at the core to achieving this.
Compound exercises are exercises that involve multiple joints and muscle groups, as opposed to isolation exercises which only work for one muscle group at a time. Compound exercises are more efficient because they help you build strength in multiple areas simultaneously. Not only does this mean you’ll see results faster, but it also means you can get a full-body workout in a shorter amount of time.
Some examples of compound exercises include squats, deadlifts, presses, and rows. These exercises should be the foundation of your workout routine if you’re looking to improve your metabolism and see better results. Compound exercises also slow down the ageing process by helping maintain muscle mass which will help maintain healthy fat levels. It also prevents injuries by building strength in muscles that support joints such as the knees, hips and shoulders. I hate it when people say ‘I’m too old for that’. No, the real answer is the sooner you start lifting weights with structure the better! It will allow you to do the things you want to do for longer without having to go under the knife. Not only that but you will receive the benefits from IGF1 (insulin-like growth factor) as mentioned earlier.
Workout duration = 30 – 45 minutes
Peak points = 3
Peak Functional Workouts
Peak Functional is a complete training system that complements all of our other workouts. Utilising different resistance modes to promote multi-dimensional strength, injury prevention, muscular balance, coordination, explosive power, and superior conditioning. Using TRX Suspension Harnesses, Kettlebells, Swisse balls, Bosu balls, and other functional equipment.
These unique workouts are each designed to destroy weaknesses and smash plateaus! Peak Strength is the star of the show, that goes without saying. But smashing yourself with heavy compound lifts every session isn’t practical with longevity in mind. Here are some of the benefits of Peak Functional.
It helps improve posture by strengthening the muscles that support your spine and keeping your shoulders in alignment.Â
It can help reduce back pain by lengthening and stretching the muscles in your back.Â
It strengthens the stabilising muscles around your joints, which can help prevent injuries.Â
It can improve your balance and coordination.
Functional training will not only make you stronger and more powerful but also help you move better, feel better and look better. Not to mention a great way to get your strength sessions in if you don’t have access to typical gym equipment or training at home.
Workout duration = 30 – 45 minutes
Peak points = 2
Peak Move Workouts
Peak Move is dedicated to stretching and mobility workouts that complement intense training that requires little to no equipment.
There are many potential benefits to incorporating dedicated mobility workouts into your daily routine, including:
- Improved flexibility: Mobility exercises help to stretch and lengthen the muscles and tendons around the joints, allowing for a greater range of motion and reduced risk of injury.
- Reduced muscle and joint pain: Regular mobility workouts can help to reduce stiffness and tension in the muscles and joints, which can lead to less pain and discomfort.
- Increased circulation: Mobility exercises can help to improve blood flow and circulation throughout the body, which can lead to better overall health.
- Improved posture: Many mobility exercises focus on strengthening the core and improving alignment, which can help to correct poor posture and reduce strain on the muscles and joints.
- Better overall physical function: Improved mobility can help to make everyday movements and activities, such as walking, climbing stairs, or even sitting and standing, easier and more efficient.
- Reduced risk of injury: Regularly stretching and strengthening the muscles and joints can reduce the risk of injury and make the body more resilient.
Workout duration = 30 minutes.
Peak points = 1
Peak-IT Workouts
Peak IT is high-intensity interval training that maximises fitness and burns fat in 30 minutes! The main difference between other workouts is there’s less rest and more intensity. Using equipment like battle ropes, kettlebells, slam balls etc. A simple bodyweight workout is extremely effective too. The key is to keep it unpredictable and spontaneous. With Peak IT workouts perform exercises you wouldn’t normally do.
Movements you aren’t efficient at will maximise calorie expenditure in the workout. If you are a great runner but barely swim you will burn fewer calories in 30 minutes of running than you would be swimming. If performing a specific movement over time, your body will adapt and become more efficient at it and burn less fuel.
If the goal is to become fitter and build stamina say for a marathon, then you have to stick to that discipline and do the miles.
But regarding fat loss without losing muscle mass, this is not the most effective form of cardio – Peak IT is. Perform Peak IT training in small intervals with max effort and a shorter rest. Tabata is a great time format that is globally recognised, it’s 20 seconds of hard work and 10 seconds of rest for 8 total rounds. Performing 4-5 sets is perfect for a workout.
The key is working at your absolute maximum effort for short bursts with very little rest in between. This forces your body to use stored energy sources (fat) for fuel instead of the more readily available energy source (sugar). Peak IT has been shown to be one of the most effective ways to burn fat. In fact, Peak IT has been shown to be up to nine times more effective than traditional steady-state cardio when it comes to burning fat.
One study showed that participants who performed interval training burned significantly more fat than those who performed traditional steady-state cardio, even though both groups exercised for the same amount of time.
Workout duration 20 – 40 minutes
Peak Points = 2
Peak Calm Workouts
Peak Calm is dedicated scheduled actions to reducing stress, reducing inflamation and recovery from intense exercise. Increasing relaxation and mobility, in mind and body. We will dive into the benefits of meditation and mindfulness later on.
But Peak calm can even be a scheduled action like walking or doing a hobby to help reduce stress and overall well being and happiness.
Workout duration = 30 minutes
Peak points = 1
