GYM BASED TRAINING FOR ENDURANCE EVENTS

JD Gyms Member Chinonso Osuji (aka ChinoHDT) explains why JD Gyms is his number one choice for event training.

“Think of a gym in Liverpool, any gym. Go on… I’ll wait. Yeah, I’ve been there…. yup that one too… even that one. It’s safe to say that I’ve pretty much trained in most gyms in Liverpool. Why? Because at some point each gym has had separate bits of equipment I have needed to help me train for whatever event or challenge I’ve set myself.

The problem with preparing for an event or challenge is that in most gyms it’s difficult to replicate the race conditions and attain the high level of intensity needed in training to stay motivated, especially when the gym you’re in does not have the equipment and/or atmosphere to help you dig deeper.

Welcome to JD Gyms! I joined JD Gyms Liverpool in late 2014, as a founding member. Unlike other gyms, JD Gyms is unique in that it has everything you need all in one spot. Whether you’re training for a bodybuilding comp, tough mudder, half marathon or a 5k you can be sure to find exactly what you need there.

Using the gym to train for a mud run

Like myself in the past, If I saw people crawling under barbed wires and running through traps laced with dangling live wires, I’d think to myself… “that’s insane. I’d never ever do that”. However, if you actually did it you’d feel this huge sense of euphoria afterwards. The hard part however is prepping for it. In most gyms, you’d be lucky enough to find battle ropes. In JD Gyms you benefit from not only having a wide space to do movements such as bear crawls and frog jumps, you have sand bags that you can use to simulate log carries and you also have prowlers (not that kind… I mean sleds) that enable you to mimic the conditions of walking through thick mud.

If you can’t do pull ups, or need to train to improve your swing on the monkey bars, no worries. JD Gyms has you covered. What about training for the steep hill climbs? Well, most JD Gyms have treadmills that have an incline of 30% (most gyms go up to 15%). You also have a wide array of equipment to help build strength to pull, push and drag you and your friends to the finish line.

Using the gym to train for a 5k or half marathon

Again, I didn’t think I’d be the type to want to run great distances. Like most know, running isn’t very attention grabbing. Therefore, solely treadmill focused training was not up my street. Unlike most gyms, JD Gyms does not rely on people capitalising on the running machines and cross trainers. In fact, I didn’t use the treadmill or cross trainer when I trained for my first 5K and half marathon. Why? Because I had choice and freedom to mix up my training. Also, very early on, I realised that running was all pretty much a mental game. Instead of treadmill training, I focused on other ways to improve my cardiovascular endurance. Taking part in one or more of the classes JD Gyms has to offer (mainly spinning but did other P90x style classes) helped me to achieve this.

I also used the TRX equipment and performed a string of body weight exercises that saw me really push my endurance limits. I truly believe that, if I was in a bog-standard gym, I wouldn’t have been able to find the motivation needed to stick to my training as the lack of equipment and atmosphere in the gym would’ve held me back. That’s where JD Gyms shines above the rest.

So, if you’re about to embark on a life changing challenge or fun run event then rest assured you’re exactly where you need to be to give 100% to it!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chino working out at JD Gyms Liverpool

If you would like more information about nutrition or training plans you can ask any of our friendly, approachable Personal Trainers on the gym floor in your nearest branch of JD Gyms. Or why not pop in to one of our FREE PT drop in sessions!