Yep, even that guy in the gym bench pressing 200kg or that girl that has a 12-pack, were both beginners once. At some point we are all beginners. Being new to the gym can be daunting, and sticking to your goals is no easy thing to do. Here are our top tips for gym beginners to make sure that you feel comfortable in the gym, stay safe, and can keep reaching your health and fitness goals.

Whether you have designed your own gym program, have a coach who plans your workouts, or you just go to the gym everyday and make it up on the spot, there are a few key movement patterns that you should be incorporating into your training.

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is that sore, aching, painful feeling in the muscles after unfamiliar and unaccustomed intense exercise. DOMS is thought to be due to temporary muscle damage and inflammation for which the most common trigger appears to be eccentric exercises.

When someone gets pain, they usually stop doing the activity that is painful. They might wait for a few days or weeks for it to get better, and sometimes it doesn’t get better with rest. What is the next step? Oftentimes someone will go to their GP or physiotherapist. When you’re doing some of the testing movements or rehab, there is pain present. What do you do?

Whether you are new to exercise, or a seasoned athlete, you may have heard of Zone 2 Training. This is a form of cardiovascular training to help build endurance, which may be to perform better at your sport, or it may be for health reasons. The ‘zones’ in cardiovascular training are roughly based on your maximum heart rate, and require some simple calculations. If you have an Apple or Garmin watch however, or a similar watch with a heart monitoring capability, this calculation may be done for you.

At MVMNT Physiotherapy, typically we look at breaking down an athletes’ rehab into four phases. Now when we state 'athlete’, we mean anyone that considers either their gym training or their sport, as an integral part of their life.

There are many health benefits associated with regular cardiovascular and resistance training in teenagers. When given appropriate guidance and programming, strength training can positively influence sports performance, physical health, and mental health.

When someone comes to physiotherapy, it can be for one of two reasons. Either someone is in pain doing an activity and can no longer do it, or they can do the activity, but believe that with specific treatment and rehabilitation, they can do it better. With respect to these two issues, one must ask themselves, ‘‘Do I need to be pain-free?’’

Icing is often the first instinct someone has when they have an injury. Our parents, and even our grandparents have probably always got a cold bag of vegetable out of the freezer any time anyone in the family had a bump or a bruise. From the playing in the playground, to Premier League Football, ice packs will always be the ‘go to’ when it comes to pain relief. But is it necessary?

These injections have become commonplace within the NHS, Private practice, and in Professional Sports. But what are they? Corticosteroid injections are artificial versions of the human hormone, cortisone. This hormone is anti-inflammatory in nature, and can be used for a variety of musculoskeletal issues.

In mainstream media, YouTube ‘Fail Compilations’, and memes on social media, CrossFit has been the centre of many jokes. People claim that it is unsafe, ego-driven, a waste of time and money, and a one-way ticket to injury. In reality, CrossFit has done a lot of good since its inception over two decades ago. Millions of people have moved their body in a different way, and found a community thanks to CrossFit. Here, we will take a quick look into CrossFit, chat about the pros and cons, and discuss whether it is truly ‘bad for you’.

Arthritis is a term that gets thrown around, often times inappropriately as a description of joint pain. Osteoarthritis is often an age-related inflammatory pathology of a joint, sometimes called degenerative joint disease or ‘wear and tear’ but some old fashioned healthcare professionals. Rheumatoid arthritis is another form of joint pathology, but is not necessarily age-related, and has a different presentation and has different treatment routes.

Hip pain can be complicated, and not just a simple case of rest, take painkillers, and hope for the best. There can be multiple issues occurring at once, which can make you feel like you’re going crazy as the pain feels like it moves around and you can’t always pinpoint the major area of concern.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a common injury’s and can affect up to 4% of the population over a lifetime. Although it sometimes gets bunched in with repetitive strain injuries (RSIs), it is itself a specific condition, with its own management and treatment guidance.

If you have been rehabbing your ACL injury with your physiotherapist, it has probably been mentioned during your rehab process what tests you have to pass before returning to sport. Dependent on what clinic you’re attending and what facilities are available, return to sport testing can vary greatly from clinic. In this article, we will discuss 5 non-negotiable tests when considering if you’re ready to return to play.

During a pregnancy, there are a million and one questions that you may have. These can be answered by GPs, obstetricians, midwives, physios, friends, family, and strangers on the internet. Although much of the gold standard advice during pregnancy is mainstream, and accessible through your healthcare professionals, one subject that is often shrouded in mystery is the limitations (if any) of how to exercise during pregnancy

Neck pain affects a large amount of the population every year. it can be after a trauma like a fall or a car accident, or it can be a gradual onset of pain. In the Work From Home culture where some people are still working form their kitchen table 2 years after the start of the pandemic, neck pain may be on the rise. Although the desk set ups and fancy ergonomic keyboards often get all of the praise for keeping neck pain at bay, it is often what you do at your desk that affects your neck pain, and not the desk set up itself.

Shoulder pain is very common, both in the active population, and those who are more sedentary. Over the past 2 years of lockdowns, there has been an increase in those with shoulder pain. One cause of shoulder pain, may be an injury to the rotator cuff complex.

Missing time away from your sport or activity can be extremely frustrating, and finding the right person to guide you can get you back to your best faster. Finding a physiotherapist who understands your sport, what physical demands it requires, and the principles of strength & conditioning is crucial. In my humble opinion, any physiotherapist working with athletes or the active population should be active themselves, giving a sense of ‘practice what you preach’. Would you listen to a nutrition coach who never cooks, and only orders takeaway meals?

Tendons connect a muscle to a bone, and can be found from the tip of your toes, all the way to the base of your skull. They are sometimes described as linear, ‘organised’ tissues, that absorb force, and active as a link between the muscle creating the force that moves a bone or joint. When injured, these tendons can tear or become ‘disorganised’, which decreases their ability to do their job effectively.