Ceri Hannan, designer of this programme exclusive to Virgin Active says: ‘The Grid involves high intensity moves … one after the other, which means that you can't zone out on the treadmill. It's the moves and the pace that count.'
It's new and it's right on the global trend of functional training or ‘life movements'. ‘Functional training,' he explains ‘uses six primary movement patterns which incorporate all the muscles you need to function in your day-to-day activities – playing sport, running for the train or just getting shopping bags out of your car.'
The idea is for you to get stronger and fitter in performing these natural movements so that you can perform every day activities with greater ease and lessen your chance of injury. Not to mention getting seriously lean and fit.
Why The Grid's hot
It gets people ‘moving better, faster and more effectively using the six primal movements:
Push, Pull, Squat, Bend, Twist and Lunge.' There are four different Grid classes: Grid
Active, Grid Lean, Grid Fit and Grid Strong.
This means you can change your training program at regular intervals or ‘periods' to keep your body working harder, while still giving it adequate rest. You could, in fact, do a different Grid class each day of the week with 1-2 days rest per week. It's also a simple set up: the floor is marked out in a square grid format. You start in one square and move along the grid as the series of exercises, which focus on movement, weight, fitness and strength unfold.
“The Grid focusses not only on moving front to back (your basic squat, basic lunge, bicep curls and crunches for example)” says Catherine Viljoen a Biokineticist at Virgin Active, “but through functional training, aims to train all muscles to work together – so includes exercises that make you move side to side (like side lunges and ice skaters) as well as those that have elements of rotation (like twists).”
Channel your inner child
Hannan says it's a bit like PT at school but without the teacher and peer pressure. Battle ropes, monkey ropes, tyres, tombstones, Y-squats, burpees, renegade rows, flutters, curtsy squats, inch work and side shuffle touch downs are buzz words on The Grid.
And you're not alone. A backing track with a coach or on its own will guide you through the routine. The number of reps depends on your own pace but you can start slow and then, as you get fitter, you can build this up.
We challenge you to change!
It's quick, effective and you move every major muscle group. It's easier to fit in a short-duration, high-intensity session versus trying to fit in a longer, lower-intensity session. Basically, you can get the same or higher benefit in terms of fitness and calorie burning-effects from a 30 minute high-intensity session versus a 60 minute low to moderate-intensity session. It's challenging and some of us can do with a bit of competition to stay motivated! You'll also work every major muscle group in your body in one session – by focussing on the six patterns of movement. You should see improvements in fitness and muscle endurance after doing 2-3 sessions per week for 6-8 weeks.
Can you do it?
The good news is that you can slowly build up until you are a mean, lean Grid machine. Anyone with any medical condition or injury should have a word with a biokineticist or doctor before trying The Grid. Viljoen says, “And remember, don't overdo it. It's highly effective in only 2-3 sessions a week. Having a rest day will allow your body to recover between sessions. Remember that another added benefit is that you'll burn calories in the 24-48 hours after the workout.”
Make sure you are on The Grid… it's hot and happening.
Source: Sapa
