Ree-Pump

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People often understand the benefits of resistance training but can find solo working in a free weights or gym environment daunting, intimidating or even difficult.  Similarly, the thought of repeatedly paying for personal training sessions may be a step too far for some clients.  

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They may already be used to utilising the group exercise offerings in the studios for other classes or be looking for the motivation and fun that classes often bring.

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Ree-Pump offers the benefits of free weight, resistance training, coupled with the motivation of a group class where technique is continually monitored and controlled by a suitably skilled instructor, giving them a safe and effective workout.

 

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Benefits of Resistance Training

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• It builds muscle strength and tone. Humans lose 5lbs of muscle every decade after the age of 30.

• The number of muscle fibres declines with age. From age 30 to age 70 we can lose more than 25% of the type 2 muscle fibres in our bodies (type 2 fibres are our strength fibres). Resistance exercise can slow down or even reverse the aging process by building muscle mass and strength.

• It's been shown to build bone. Osteoporosis, a condition of accelerated bone mineral loss which leads to fractures, can be a crippling disease, particularly in women (although men get it, too), and research on resistance exercise suggests that it can build bone even in the elderly.

• There is some evidence that resistance exercise helps lower moderately high blood pressure.

• More strength can lead to fewer falls in the elderly.

• Resistance exercise can raise metabolic rate, an important factor in maintaining body weight.

• It's never too late to start. In one study of elderly men and women (mean age 87) who lifted weights three times per week for 10 weeks, strength increased a whopping 113%! The improvement in strength enabled the elderly participants to also walk faster (12% faster than before the study), climb 28% more stairs, and it even caused the muscles in their thighs to increase by more than 2.5%.

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Whilst group exercise free weights classes have become incredibly popular over the years, there are still some concerns from potential attendees that would may need to be overcome.  Like any group exercise class these range from fear of the unknown to feeling silly at not being able to keep up.  The only one which is fairly unique to a free weight resistance programme is the fear of bulking up too much.

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Summary

 

Ree-Pump aims to bring the benefits of resistance training with the appeal of group exercise to all levels of ability and experience of class attendees.  It utilises both compound and isolation exercises, it pre-fatigues some muscle groupings so they are affected more in later tracks, whilst maintaining the ethos of instructor led fun challenging workouts.

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Ree-Pump – The Programme

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Is designed to offer a balanced, safe and effective workout.  As such it is important to follow the format of the pre-designed programme.  It is possible to substitute muscle group tracks from other Ree-Pump releases, but they must always be like for like and in the correct order as released.

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Each release has been designed to specifically work compound exercises, isolate major muscle groups, and to pre-fatigue some muscles in anticipation of use in later tracks.

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Each release covers the major muscle functions, works opposing muscle groups and offers the body a balanced training programme.

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Ree-Pump – Weight Selection

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Weight selection is a very personal and somewhat emotive issue.  No one wants to be forced into lifting heavier or told its too light.  We guide and encourage them with positive re-enforcement and commend them if they try something more challenging or achieve a personal goal.

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As a rough guide the following can be used:

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• Warm Up

Up to 5Kg per end of the bar

• Squat Track

Up to 3x the Warm Up weight

• Chest Track          

Less that the Squat track but more than the Warm Up

• Back Track          

Chest track plus a little more

• Tricep Track

Warm Up weight plus a little more

• Bicep Track

Warm Up weight

• Lunge Track

Maximum is the same as the Chest track

• Shoulder Track

Maximum is the same as the Chest track

• Abs Track

Not normally applicable but up to 5kg when required     

• Stretch Track

Not applicable

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With all the above the individual need of the attendee should be considered.

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As in: Is it there first class? Are they injured? Etc’

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The goal is to Challenge the Body but be able to Maintain Control throughout the tracks.

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Ree-Pump – Class Structure

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Each release is designed with a 60-minute class in mind, but that said the music doesn’t run for the full time to allow set up and clear down in line with clubs that have a back to back approach of fitness classes.

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The track order is established to offer a balanced, safe and effective workout and whilst like for like tracks may be switched in from other Ree-Pump releases, they cannot be swapped for alternative styles of tracks.

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Should a 45-minute class be required then you would simply miss out two tracks.  The tracks that should be removed are the Tricep track and the Lunge track, since these muscle groups are in use as support / secondary muscles in other tracks.

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It is also good practice to periodically offer technique classes, this is particularly good in new teaching environments or to increase interest in attending a full class.  Or as part of a showcase of class offerings to raise general awareness of your skill set and offerings.

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Ree-Pump – Class Components

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Each session must consist of the following: 

• A warm up phase 

• A main conditioning phase (with exercises for each major muscle group) 

• A cool down phase. 

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The Warm Up Phase 

 

As the title suggests this phase prepares the body for exercise.  It takes the body from its steady state (the state our body functions in for normal day to day activities) to a level where it is better prepared to cope with the stresses which are about to be placed on it during the conditioning phase.  

 

The aim of the warm up is to:  

• Gradually increase heart rate 

• Increase the blood flow to the muscles 

• Increase core temperature 

• Increase mobility of the joints 

• Mentally prepare the participant 

• Decrease the risk of injury

 

 

The Main Conditioning Phase

 

It is during this phase that the training affect is achieved.  The exercises performed in this phase are specific to the desired results.  There are numerous exercises that can be performed during this phase, each of them has benefits and can result in different physiological changes based on the principles of specificity and adaptation.  Ree-Pump has a format that ensures all major muscles are worked during the session, this is why it is essential that you always follow the same format of muscle group selections, although you can pick the track from any of the Ree-Pump releases. 

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The Cool Down Phase

 

After the main conditioning phase, the body needs to recover.  Recovery assists the body in returning the body to a normal state.  This recovery is what is referred to as the cool down phase.  

During the workout the cardiovascular and muscular systems are in a highly active state.  These systems need to gradually decrease their activity level and return to normal.  The systems should decrease gradually to prevent any adverse side effects to exercise occurring.  

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The aims of the cool down are:  

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• Gradually decrease the heart rate 

• Removal of lactic acid build up 

• Prevent blood pooling in the muscles 

• Prevent muscle soreness 

• Increase flexibility 

• Relaxation 

 

To achieve these aims the cool down phase is broken into two components: 

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The abdominal / core track will aid heart rate reduction.

Targeted stretches to allow flexibility and prevent undue soreness. ​

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