How to get well-rounded fitness for life

I've talked to hundreds of people over my career as a personal trainer about their health and fitness.

The overwhelming majority of them want a well-rounded body and a fitness level that enables them to be pretty good at most things.

In other words, they want to be lean, strong, resilient and able.

Think strong and muscular but not a bodybuilder.

A good, comfortable 10k runner but not a high-level marathon runner.

Able to sprint with the kids without pulling up with a torn hamstring.

Get out of bed pain-free in the morning but not practise yoga for hours a day.

Lose the belly fat and look good naked but without the

In other words, most people want to be balanced. It's not about being the best, but being good enough.

Most of us would benefit from becoming more resilient and well-rounded. We’d love to be able to respond to any given situation or challenge.

For example, wouldn’t it be great to have the capacity to run a 5k and then go and do some heavy lifting

at the gym?

Or, maybe you want to play a fast team game at the weekend and then follow it up with a hike in the hills? Whatever you enjoy, it pays to be ready for it.

Do everything, don't specialise

Most of us tend to lean towards what we enjoy and what we think we are good at.

Be that endless cardio, a bodybuilder split in the weights room, speed work or some other sport. However, to be primed for any activity, you need to expand and improve upon each training aspect. For the improvements to occur, you also need to consider and implement a recovery protocol.

There’s no point in overexerting yourself during every single training session and then not allowing your body and mind sufficient, quality recovery time. What follows is a simple system that will help you to achieve one pillar of total wellbeing and longevity. A system that is designed to fit perfectly into your busy lifestyle. The beauty of it is that it is totally flexible and can be suited to your needs. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

All-round fitness programme

Long Duration Endurance – Once or twice a week When we think about endurance training, we’re talking about the ability of our heart, lungs and blood vessels to provide our muscles with oxygen for a sustained period.