NederlandsPersonal strength training
Personal guidance on training with weights or resistance to increase physical strength, muscle endurance or muscle mass. The way to get a fit, vital and strong body and to improve performance in other sports.
Personal Powertraining & Coaching
One-on-one sessions to build strength and/or mass focusing mainly on technique and correct execution with heavier compound exercises. Here the BIG FIVE are mainly covered: 5 major compound exercises that together address all muscles of the body and should be the foundation for any athlete. Training muscle strength and muscle mass boosts your self-confidence and self-esteem and helps you feel stronger every day because of the drive it gives you.
Personal Weightlifting Training & Coaching
One-on-one sessions where the Olympic lifts "Clean & Jerk" as well as "Snatch" can be taught/improved to improve quickness and explosiveness of the body or specific to a sport. These exercises are the best exercises to put the whole body to work at once and have the most effect on all physical characteristics such as balance, proprioception, strength, speed and explosiveness.
Lecturer KULeuvenStrength Training - Practica
Eleiko CertifiedEleiko Strength Coach
Aalo CertifiedPersonal Trainer Lecturer
Olympic WeightliftingTon Leenders
No way, strength training is no longer at all reserved only for the Arnold Schwarzeneggers of this world. On the contrary, training to increase your muscle mass is good for everyone between the ages of 20 and 90. In recent years, several scientific studies have shown that training your muscles vigorously produces enormous health benefits. This brings strength training out of the shadow of the popular cardio training that improves fitness.
Personal Strength Training
Strength training is healthy for both men and women. Strength training is not only good for building muscle mass and strength: it also makes you healthier and fitter. Strength training is beneficial for an increased metabolism that simply makes it easier to look sleek and muscular. By improving posture and technique, we work on improving maximum strength.
Strength training makes you physically and mentally stronger
Higher metabolism so more fat burning
Strength training is challenging, pushing boundaries and varied
Strength training is a must for a firmer body
Muscle strength has a protective effect on the heart
Strength training gives you more self-esteem
Intensive strength training protects against osteoporosis
Strength training stimulates glucose metabolism (diabetes)
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We pay attention to getting used to working with weights with a major focus on learning correct posture and technique where a varied program is created based on your current fitness level and your goals.
Improvement of technique and posture is a key focus. In addition, adjustment of training schedules based on your athletic goals as well as learning new techniques and exercises.
How does strength training work?
During a workout, small tears form in your muscles at the micro level and are automatically repaired by your body. Your body wants to prepare itself for the next load on the muscles, therefore the tears are repaired above the old level. In other words, they are made slightly stronger than before. This is also called supercompensation. This ensures that next time you will be able to train a little heavier. Because of this mechanism, you build muscle mass in the long run.
However, repairing muscle fibers takes time. So it's important to allow enough rest between training the same muscle group. Depending on several factors (including the intensity of your workout, your age, the muscle group trained), your body needs 24-72 hours to recover.
Anyone who starts exercising fanatically for the first time will soon see results. No matter what you do, within a few weeks you will already see your muscles increase a little. You notice that you are getting stronger! But then ... it stops. Your progression stagnates, the numbers on the scale no longer drop.
As you train more, the training gains become smaller. Therefore, the training stimulus should systematically increase the more you train. This is called "Progressive Overload. Our bodies quickly become accustomed to regular loading. To get above its current training level, your body must be challenged beyond what it is used to. If you constantly stick to the same weights or exercises, your body does not get the proper boost it needs to progress.
Basic ideas of strength training
If you mainly want to become more powerful, a high intensity is suitable, i.e. a large weight with which you can only perform a small number of repetitions. Conversely, with a smaller weight and a larger number of repetitions, you train mainly your endurance, and with medium intensity you increase mainly your muscle mass.
| Goal | % 1RM | Reps | Sets | Rest (sec) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endurance | 50-70 | 15+ | 1-3 | 30-60 |
| Mass | 70-85 | 6-14 | 3-4 | 30-60 |
| Strength | 85-100 | 1-5 | 3-8 | 120-180 |
The effect of the above principles can be visually represented as follows based on a study:
Compound and isolation exercises
Compound exercises are multi-joint exercises (running across multiple joints) and target a variety of muscles. These types of exercises maximize muscle recruitment, strength gains and calorie burn. (When done correctly and with proper form) these movements activate the body's major muscle groups to systematically work together.
During this type of exercise, you train only one muscle group at a time. During the movement you isolate the muscle group. Examples of an isolation exercise are : biceps curls, leg curls, leg extensions, triceps extensions or front raises. Isolation exercises allow your body to start training in a very focused way. This also has advantages. It allows you to focus on your weak links.
Strength training for women
Strength training is becoming more and more popular. Especially among men, strength training is very well established, while women are still slightly behind. A great shame, because strength training is a more effective way for women to get a slim, toned and healthy body fast.
Many women are afraid of becoming too muscular when they do strength training. People today are far too quick to think that they will get bodies like bodybuilders, as seen on the front pages of fitness magazines. A huge misconception about strength training among both men and women.
Stubborn prejudices regarding strength training for women
#1 The fear of becoming (too) muscular
This is the most persistent prejudice and, besides, the utmost nonsense!
- If you don't start working out with heavy weights, eating very high-protein foods or taking anabolic steroids, it won't happen.
- Men, on average, have almost 17 times more testosterone than women, and this hormone is largely responsible for muscle growth.
- Bodybuilders often train 6 times a week 2 times a day with a very specific nutrition plan and use supplements aimed at increasing muscle mass.
- And last, but not least: you have to have a natural predisposition to build up a lot of muscle mass. And even with proper predisposition it remains a matter of enormous discipline and dedication to obtain a large mass of muscle.
#2 Only with cardio will you burn fat
This is a myth. You can also lose fat mass perfectly with strength training.
The benefits of strength training for women
More self-confidence
More self-confidence, perseverance, respect for yourself and decisiveness.
Less depressions
Studies show strength training for 10 weeks reduces symptoms of clinical depression
Faster fat burning
Building muscle will increase your metabolism which will eventually lead to a toned body.
Start Lifting Ladies!
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Contact usStrength training for all ages
Strength training can be performed by individuals of any age! Even seniors can start strength training and exercise just fine. There are even known studies in which subjects well over the age of 90 showed impressive progress. Their muscle strength increased by as much as 175% in a short period of time. For them, it meant they could walk more smoothly and get up from a chair without support. So you can never be too old to exercise. Of course, it is important that you train at your own level and pace.
Impact on aging
- Muscle mass decreases 3%-5%/year
- At 80 years: muscle mass decreased by 45%
- Power loss between 50-70: 30%
- After 70, loss of strength doubles
Effect strength training
- Decrease in inflammation
- Regulation glucose level
- Maintain muscle strength
- Maintain balance/coordination
A personal trainer looks at and corrects your posture and the execution of exercises so you avoid improper technique and injuries. Especially if you are a little older, this is very important.
Interested in other trainings?
Core and Back Training
Sport specific training
Pre-Ski Training
General Fitness
Olympic Lifting
By now we're pretty sure everyone knows that strength training is good for you. Even regular exercisers will generally agree that while cardio training can be a great way to improve your health, ignoring strength training puts you at greater risk for (lower) back pain, osteoporosis, arthritis, metabolic diseases and even depression - and especially as we age.
The sport that is particularly effective in the strength training world in terms of improving strength, speed, cardiovascular health, balance and function is certainly the sport of Olympic weightlifting (Olympic Lifting).
When you do a big multi-joint movements, like Olympic lifting or the supporting movements, you are doing squats, deadlifts, hip hinging, in a sense rowing movements, upper back stability work, overhead strength and shoulder stability. This means a lot of functional training with few exercises.
Benefits Olympic Lifting
- Improved proprioception
- Improved Core Stability
- Better reflexes
- More explosive strength
- Transfer to other sports
- Improved body composition
- Improved mobility and flexibility