Get Fit for Life Month Crunch with Matt Roberts

Personal trainer Matt Roberts is on a quest to shape up the nation through S4 a Day; part of a specially designed month long programme called Get Fit For Life Month Crunch. Each week Matt will focus on a key area of your personal well-being; Week 1 Exercise, Week 2 Lifestyle, Week 3 Nutrition and Week 4 Wellness. Four weeks doesn’t sound like long enough to make a big difference to your fitness levels and body shape, but with the right tools, such as the S Health App on the Samsung GALAXY S4 and advice, that’s all it takes.

Matt insists that motivating yourself to be get healthier has never been so easy, as he releases his weekly programmes featuring cardio and resistance exercises, diet suggestions and daily tips. By the end of the month, you should see an improvement in your energy levels, concentration, muscle toning and sense of well-being.

Episode 1: Exercise

This week, Matt will help you develop a good base of cardiovascular endurance and muscular strength, teaching you basic training principles to provide a base for you to work from over the coming weeks. You need to activate muscle tissue, familiarise your body with the intensity of the workouts and increase mobility and coordination, and the following exercise will help you achieve this.

The exercises shown here are some of the main exercises of Week 1’s programme, click here to follow Matt’s carefully designed S4 a Day Programme updated daily on Twitter #S4aDay

Matt has his Samsung GALAXY S4 strapped to his arm, using the S Health app to monitor his work out. Matt will be using the app throughout the S4aDay programme.

PEC FLY

This is designed to further enhance strength within the chest.

• Lie on your back holding a set of dumbbells directly above you with fully extended arms. Palms should be facing each other

• Lower your arms away from the midline of your body with slightly bent elbows until your upper arms are on the ground at a 90 degree angle and you are feeling a stretch through the chest

• Push away from the ground and return to the start position, maintaining a slight bend in the elbow

SINGLE LEG PIVOT

Similar to a straight leg deadlift and using stabilisation to control the movement throughout the body

• Stand on one leg and lean forward whilst maintaining a straight back, level hips and a slightly bent knee. Tip/hinge from the hips into a forward movement

• Lower the body, holding this position and keeping the arm straight out in front of you

• Return to the starting position, squeezing the glute muscles. Repeat the repetitions required before changing to the other leg. For an added challenge add a dumbbell into the extended arm

LATERAL JUMPS

This exercise targets the lateral fibres of the shoulder muscles giving shape to the upper part

• Stand with feet shoulder width apart and arms straight at the sides. Have a slight bend in the knees and elbows

• Hold a weight in each hand with palms facing inward. Slowly raise both arms outward until the hands are in line with your shoulders. Hold at the top position for one second before lowering your arms to the start position with control

RUSSIAN TWIST

Another oblique exercise that works through a rotational movement requiring further balance and control to challenge and work this area

• Start in a sitting position with your knees bent and your heels on the ground

• From this position lift the feet 2 inches off of the ground and lean back so that you can feel tension in the abdominals. Ensure you maintain a straight back

• From this position twist the upper body as far round to the right as possible. Keep the lower body

S Health – Your perfect fitness workout partner

Feel the Burn: Set Workout Goals with Exercise Mate

When you're ready to plan your workout, Exercise Mate on the Samsung GALAXY S4 S Health app is your ideal companion for helping you achieve your fitness goals. You can choose from one of several preloaded exercise activities— including running, cycling, tennis and more—and Exercise Mate will help you keep track of your activities after you work out. For example, tell Exercise Mate you spent the last half hour on the treadmill and your running speed, and the app will calculate your total calorie burn. To see the full range of features of S Health and find out how it can improve your fitness click here

Matt’s Top Tips

1. Do mini exercise sessions (no more than 30mins) and do them daily. Turkish get ups and kettle bell swings are great for this

2. Choose activities you love. Some forms of exercise are better suited to fat loss but being active is the most important thing

3. Stop adding things to your program. Try to find the minimal effective amount of exercise that you need to do to get the result you want

4. Include strength training in your work outs to build lean tissue and speed up your resting metabolism.

Click here to start shaping up with Matt Roberts. You can also follow him on Twitter @exerciseMatt #S4aDay and facebook www.facebook.com/mattrobertsPT

And see below to be in with a chance of winning your own personal training session with Matt.