Can Women Take Creatine?
Creatine is one of the most extensively studied nutritional supplements in the world. But despite a body of proven research, it is still surrounded by many myths that have put people off using it, especially women. Myths such as: Is it illegal? Can it increase weight gain? Will using it cause water retention? Can it cause cramping? Does […]
Tempo – Does it Matter?
Rep speed, also known as tempo, is a measure of the speed you move at throughout one repetition of an exercise. At Ultimate Performance we normally record a rep speed in our workout programs using a four-number code that was popularised by late Olympic strength coach Charles Poliquin. Based on this system, we can break every rep down into four […]
Healthy At Any Age – 60s
When we reach our 60, we can often find ourselves standing at a crossroads with our health. Two very different paths stand before us. Lifestyle decisions in this decade can determine whether we continue to age well and maintain vitality, strength and mental acuity, or see our health rapidly decline. Here we look at the […]
Healthy At Any Age: 50s – How To Turn Back Time
When most people think about hitting their 50s, they fear aching joints, ailing health, and losing the vestiges of youth and physical fitness. Women, in particular, face the biggest changes with menopause and the wide-ranging effects that the cessation of sex hormone production can cause. Symptoms vary in severity and frequency but often include low […]
3 Myths About Protein Debunked
Protein is an essential macronutrient – even the name protein derives from the Greek word ‘proteios’, which means “first place”. Ensuring we have plenty of protein in our diet is important. However, there are still many myths surrounding protein intake. Here we debunk some of the major myths surround this important macronutrient. If protein builds muscle, then eating MORE […]
Healthy At Any Age: Can Weight Training Make You ‘Younger’?
A common theme we see with female clients over 40 is that they often turn to cardio training when they start thinking about their health and fitness. While they initially lose weight and feel better, as the weeks pass, their progress plateaus, hunger levels spike, and they cease to see the changes they want in their body even though they may exercise multiple times […]
Signs of High Androgens in Females
Androgens are a group of natural or synthetic steroid hormones that primarily influence the growth and maintenance of masculine characteristics. Androgens, such as testosterone, are vital to the normal functioning of the reproductive system, lean muscle growth, bone strength and emotional and cognitive functioning. They are often referred to as “male hormones” but are present […]
A woman can do anything a man can do…
As our CEO and founder at Ultimate Performance, Nick Mitchell, states “Some men would be better to train like women and some women would be better to train like men.” So, should women train differently from men? Physiologically, muscle tissue functions largely the same way, regardless of your sex. Fortunately, the myth of heavy weights […]
Wave loading
Wave loading is based on the principles of PTP (post-tetanic potentiation) which was contributed to the work done back in the 1980s, by Dietmar Schmidtbleicher, a German strength physiologist. The outcome of his work showed that fatiguing muscle contractions impair muscle performance, but non-fatiguing muscle contractions at high loads with a brief duration may enhance muscle performance. This […]
How to Avoid Overtraining
Overtraining is something a professional athlete might experience a few times in their career and is more prevalent in endurance or combat type sports. The signs of an overtrained person are very obvious. Every aspect of their life tends to be affected, like poor sleep, impaired recovery and immune system (cold sores, illness, etc), poor gym […]
Gemma Atkinson: Why Weight Training Won’t Make Women Bulky
Women are often scared that lifting weights will turn them into something akin to the Incredible Hulk. But this couldn’t be further from the truth, as the thousands of incredible transformations we help women achieve at Ultimate Performance will tell you.Long-time weight training devotee Gemma Atkinson addressed this myth head-on with U.P. personal trainer Elliott […]
6 Steps You Can Take Today to Go from Couch Potato to Crushing it in the Gym
Life has been tough for everyone over the past 12 months during the coronavirus pandemic. Normal life was suspended, fitness goals put on hold and healthy diets went out of the window for many of us, and our health and wellbeing may have suffered as a result. But with a return to normal on the horizon and our Ultimate […]
Overcoming Gym Fear: Training at Home vs. Training in the Gym
A common complaint is that people don’t like going to gyms because they think everyone is looking at them as they train. They aren’t, and here’s why.
Personal Training Without Nutrition
Personal trainers offering training without nutrition plans to support the effort you exert are only offering a compromised experience. You deserve better.
Everything You Need to Know about DOMS
Overdoing it in the gym is easily done after an extended break from training. Luckily, it is equally easy to adapt and avoid delayed onset muscle soreness entirely.