RTB Group Training

Raise The Bar was born of the idea to improve the health, happiness and strength of our members.

That sounds nice, but I’m sure other gyms and coaches preach something similar.

This article is going to give you an overview of how we program our group training programs and deliver the best results around.

Our group training program involves all members working off the same program (different to our semi-private program).

Exercises are often adapted but for the most part, everyone works off the same hymn sheet.

Group sizes can vary from 8-20 with a nice mix of men and women ranging anywhere from 30-65 years young with “all shapes and sizes” as the saying goes.

It is our vision that by coaching our members through high-quality strength programs on a regular basis whilst creating a healthy relationship with nutrition, everyone can improve.

The proof is in the people that come in through our doors every week, they are moving better, looking leaner and smiling regularly.

Group training can deliver amazing results when done properly, unfortunately its often not done propely.

You just need some guidance and you too can improve.

We will start by outlining what we don’t do.

We don’t just flog people with mindless circuit training.

We don’t starve people with fad diets.

We don’t add extra weight until someone gets hurt.

We use simple principles coupled with creating a good relationship with our members.

The magic piece which I firmly believe we do better than anyone; is the relationships we build we people.

Simple things like mentioning someone’s name multiple times in a session, having a joke, and also telling people the truth.

From our experience, people value honesty, humour, and genuineness and these are traits we try to bring on a daily basis.

We certainly don’t get it right every moment, but we try.

Raise The Bar Training Program

We always start with a warmup to our sessions. This is a 10-12 min block. It involves some dynamic stretching, flexibility and activation of the main muscles. This is really good to help loosen out after a long day of driving or sitting but also primes the muscles so you don’t get injured. Not only does it have us moving better but a good warm up will ensure you maximise your lifting. Going in cold is a recipe for disaster.

The second section involves the main strength movements. We use multi-joint compound lifts to develop strength. If I were to guess I would say this is the most enjoyable part of the session for most people. Some of the movements we use here are squats, deadlifts, bench press, chin ups and military press. We do so over a 12-week period whereby the reps and weight fluctuate which means you never get bored of the training program. We adapt each of these main lifts to your own ability.

The third section involves the health movements. We sometimes call these the accessories. This is the RTB secret sauce. We use a combination of single limb, core, and isolation exercises to keep our bodies healthy and lean. While the strength section is the foundation to being strong, the health section ensures you can sustain it for a long period all while feeling great. We focus on areas like the foot and ankle, the pelvis, rotational trunk and much more. This is all about feeling and moving great!

The final section is the conditioning. This is a 10-15 min HIIT block. This is great chance to really get the heart rate elevated and get a good sweat on. When performing a HIIT block like this, the body will continue to burn calories at an elevated rate for hours after. While its generally not pleasant at the time, but everyone feels better after doing the conditioning block and fitness improvements are a guarantee.

After that, everyone logs their weights on our whiteboard so they can keep track of what they do.  This ensure we don’t guess and can continue to progress. It’s common for people to have a laugh and joke before leaving, usually at the coach’s expense.

Finally, and probably most importantly, is the importance of consistency. Some weeks you’ll be “hot”, everything moving great and nutrition on point. Other weeks you might feel a little cooler. Weights are feeling heavy, more tired than normal and diet is gone by the wayside. The crucial part is to just keep going. Thankfully we are starting to create a community that supports one another, making consistency that bit more doable.

Being consistent with training is the single most important thing anyone can do.

Being consistent with a training program that works is the next more important thing.

We are a coaching facility that delivers excellent results. This is a small insight into how we do it in our group program.