The Fit Firm marathon training

Activities

We offer a range of activities to help you get the most out our your gym including:
| Running Club | Personal Training | Marathon Training | Massage

PLUS Kidz Club for after school fun and fitness
Tuesdays 4-5pm and Thursdays 3.30 - 4.30pm

Why not join our Running Club?
We offer friendly groups for all abilities running round scenic parts of Bristol :
Beginners 6-7pm Wenesdays
Intermediates 6-7pm Tuesdays
Advanced 10am Sundays

Personal Training at it's best
Achieve your personal best with The Fit Firm
one client • one goal • one trainer

Do you want to look better? Do you want to lose weight?
The Fit Firm's personal trainers will help you succeed.

If you want to look better, get fitter or get the most out of your life, then personal training is for you. The Fit Firm’s highly qualified trainers will meet with you to discuss your objectives to help you lose weight and get you looking and feeling better. They will train you and design a personal health and fitness plan tailored to your goals.
We will give you:
• a personal exercise programme for your individual goals
• training in a non intrusive environment
• help and realistic diet plans
• the best one on one motivation geared to achieving your results

Call 0117 910 2880 NOW to find out more

Beginner's Half Marathon Training
Your 12-week training programme
Call us to book an apointment to help you run a half marathon
The 12-week training guide set out below follows the classic 7-day, 4 sets of exercise a week plan. The exercises on each day don't change, but over the course of the 12 weeks the length and duration of the exercises will increase.

The 7-day pattern All the weeks in the 12-week plan follow this weekly pattern:
Day	Activity
1	Rest day You can do a little gentle cross-training if you're keen. However, no high-intensity aerobic exercise or exercise lasting more than 20 minutes. Using weights in the gym often works well. Alternatively an easy swim is a good option.
2	Easy run / Recovery run
3	Tempo run
4	Rest day
5	Speed running cross training This can often become a rest day or cross train day for general fitness training - but if training for a race it should contain a running session even if it is an easy run instead of speed work.
6	Rest day
7	Long run
	This exercise pattern has been set out to give the best effect based upon physiological principles. For example, your body ideally needs 36 hours to clear waste products and recover muscle fatigue from a hard session, which why the long run on day 7 is followed by two days of rest and light exercise. Avoid back-to-back hard days (these are: long run, tempo and speed sessions). Easy recovery runs can be added to your schedule but do not do them for more than 40 minutes, otherwise you'll be back into long run territory. The aim of the game is to see the mileage of the long run slowly building up as you reach your goal. The plan starts on a Monday (day 1) so that the long run (day 7) is on the Sunday (the best day for some people). For this reason, Wednesday is the day for the hard work of the tempo run. You may find it easier to make a different day of the week your day 1 of the plan to enable you to schedule your tempo run and long run on days that suit you.
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The 12 Week Programme
	The schedule is mostly based around running time, but some distance targets are included. To help you accurately measure these distances, it is useful to use your car to measure out a few courses on the milometer or measure out routes on a local map. The second option is preferable as it will enable you to run along footpaths and tracks. These surfaces are softer than the pavements around your house and your joints will thank you for it. Our Instructors have taken their time to set out set routes which will take away any planning so you can now just concentrate on your running.
	Weeks 1-3
	The first couple of weeks are designed to act as a lead in to the programme. Take it easy, but do try to bring in the tempo running. To start tempo running, it is best to start with a 2-5 minute warm up before running at tempo pace for 5-10 minutes. After this, keep going by jogging for a couple of minutes to let you recover before repeating. Hey presto - you've just completed 30 minutes of tempo running, if you repeat it once more you'll have reached 40 minutes. With your other running exercises don't worry about how fast you are going, the aim is to get your body used to covering these distances at a running pace. However, it can be helpful to have a look at your mile times. Generally many of us would be starting at 11 or even 12 minutes per mile but aiming to get it down to under 10 minutes per mile for the race. That would get you round a half marathon in about 2 hours 20 minutes, which would be pretty good going and a more than respectable start. Another good way of checking your progress is to run a timed 5k quite early on either by yourself or in a race, so look out for fun runs (such as the Race for Life) in your area. If you have already done some running before starting this programme and laid in a good base of fitness, why not try it at the beginning of the programme or in place of the 3-miler at end of week 1. It can give you a guide as to what you're capable of and you can chart your progress by trying to fit one in every three weeks or so, depending on what comes up. As you get fitter a short fun run or time trial can replace a tempo session and still leave you with the energy to do your long run at the end of the week.
	Day		Week 1	Week 2	Week 3
	Monday		Rest day	Rest day	Rest day
	Tuesday		30 minutes easy run/recovery run	30 minutes easy run/recovery run	30 minutes easy run/recovery run
	Wednesday		30 minutes easy running	30 minutes tempo running	40 minutes tempo running
	Thursday		Rest day	Rest day	Rest day
	Friday		30 minutes easy run/recovery run	30 minutes easy run/recovery run	30 minutes easy run/recovery run
	Saturday		Rest day	Rest day	Rest day
	Sunday		Long run: 3 miles	Long run: 40 minutes	Long run: 5 miles
	Weeks 4-6 By now you should be ready to crack the hour-long long run and the tempo work should be starting to come along nicely. Over these next three weeks, you should be hoping to increase your tempo running to 20 minutes at continuous tempo speed before taking a 2-3 minute recovery jog, and then taking the pace up again. Also, your long runs will be building up in length, enabling you to run further in comfort. Because of this it might be tempting to "go for it" and try to run at full tempo speed for the entire 30-40 minutes - but resist the urge. The last thing you want to do is injure yourself before the race, so keep cool and remember to always warm up and warm down. After all, running more than 40 minutes at tempo speed is getting close to full race running. Hopefully you should be doing some work on the Fridays - this can be an easy recovery run for most. Alternatively, if you have less time or are doing gym sessions, why not try some speed intervals on the streets or the treadmill? Remember, if you're still sore from the tempo running your body is telling you it needs more time to recover, so keep Friday as a recovery day - take it easy, but don't forget your stretching.
	Day		Week 4	Week 5	Week 6
	Monday		Rest day	Rest day	Rest day
	Tuesday		40 minutes easy run/recovery run	40 minutes easy run/recovery run	40 minutes easy run/recovery run
	Wednesday		50 minutes tempo running	30 minutes tempo running	50 minutes tempo running
	Thursday		Rest day	Rest day	Rest day
	Friday		30 minutes speed running or cross training	40 minutes speed running or cross training	30 minutes speed running or cross training
	Saturday		Rest day	Rest day	Rest day
	Sunday		Long run: 60 minutes	Long run: 7 miles	Long run: 8 miles
	Weeks 7-9 In this set of weeks you will conquer another big hurdle - the 10-miler. Remember to tackle this milestone steadily and break it down into stages, either by 1-mile or 10-minute chunks. You may find that you need to drop your pace down to a crawl or even a walk. The good news is that, after it, you are then rewarded with an easy week in terms of long run mileage. For this reason Week 9's 5-mile and 50-minute runs are a good opportunity to check out your running pace. If you are running an average of less than 10 minutes per mile you are doing well and on schedule for to finish the half marathon in about 2 hours 20 minutes. These particular runs should seem like a breeze - if they are, you are ready for the big run in week 10.
	Day		Week 7	Week 8	Week 9
	Monday		Rest day	Rest day	Rest day
	Tuesday		40 minutes easy run/recovery run	40 minutes easy run/recovery run	40 minutes easy run/recovery run
	Wednesday		40 minutes tempo running	40 minutes tempo running	50 minutes tempo running
	Thursday		Rest day	Rest day	Rest day
	Friday		40 minutes speed running or cross training	40 minutes speed running or cross training	50 minutes speed running or cross training
	Saturday		Rest day	Rest day	Rest day
	Sunday		Long run: 60 minutes	Long run: 10 miles	Long run: 5 miles
	Weeks 10-12 The big test of your readiness for the half marathon is the 12-mile long run at the end of week 10. By this point you should have built up a sound aerobic base of fitness and good mileage in your legs. The main challenge will be the psychological effort of motivating yourself to keep going for the full 12 miles. The good news is that if you can do it now in training, then the extra mile and a bit on race day will fly past easily as the excitement and atmosphere of the race carries you along. After this big test, you will begin your two-week "taper". This is a time of recovery and preparation for the race itself. Your aim is to keep the gains you have made over the past 10 weeks, while also ensuring that your body has time to recover and revitalise before the race. Week 11's 6-mile long run is a good test of your readiness for the big day. On this run push yourself a little: run it at brisk and strong pace, but keep light and relaxed. Concentrate on being economical and efficient in your running. If you find that you whipped round the six miles in about an hour, and felt that you could have run it again after a few minutes (if you had to), then the race will be a doddle! Your last week is all about getting ready for the race, so take it easy. Make sure you carry out plenty of stretching to stay loose and avoid injuries. Your tempo run will be the last push, which is designed to keep the aerobic systems firing on all cylinders and to energise the muscles. Take it easy again on Friday to make sure that you are well recovered and have a good rest on Saturday. In fact, on the Saturday you have the licence to do almost nothing at all - don't spend two hours walking round the shops or be tempted to try to fit in that last training session. All the work is done. You should be more than ready for the race - good luck and enjoy it!
	Day		Week 10	Week 11	Week 12
	Monday		Rest day	Rest day	Rest day
	Tuesday		40 minutes easy run/recovery run	40 minutes easy run/recovery run	40 minutes easy run/recovery run
	Wednesday		40 minutes tempo running	40 minutes tempo running	40 minutes tempo running
	Thursday		Rest day	Rest day	Rest day
	Friday		40 minutes speed running or cross training	40 minutes speed running or cross training	50 minutes easy run/recovery run
	Saturday		Rest day	Rest day	Rest day
	Sunday		Long run: 12 miles	Long run: 6 miles (at race pace)	Race

Personal Training at it's best Achieve your personal best with The Fit Firm one client • one goal • one trainer
Do you want to look better? Do you want to lose weight?
The Fit Firm's personal trainers will help you succeed.
If you want to look better, get fitter or get the most out of your life, then personal training is for you. The Fit Firm’s highly qualified trainers will meet with you to discuss your objectives to help you lose weight and get you looking and feeling better. They will train you and design a personal health and fitness plan tailored to your goals. We will give you:
	•	a personal exercise programme for your individual goals
	•
	•
	•
Calll 0117 910 2880 NOW to find out more
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Massage Therapy for Everyone Sports \| Relaxation \| Thai \| Indian Head You & Your Body If you are fortunate enough to have a perfectly aligned posture, your skeleton will support the weight of your body, with the musculature providing balancing only. Unfortunately this is the exception. For a multitude of reasons our body tends to be misaligned. This results in some muscles having to support the body’s weight and so work harder than others, causing them to fatigue and develop painful areas. If this remains unaltered over time, some muscles will shorten and become stronger, while the opposing set lengthen and become weaker, exacerbating the misalignment. To correct this imbalance, the shortened muscle requires massage and stretching, while the lengthened muscle needs to be massaged and strengthened. Thai Massages £22 for 30 minutes Thai Massage is believed to have originated in India around 2BC. It is based upon the concept of energy lines, which run throughout the body. Thai massage makes use if the 10 main lines which become known as Sen Lines. Blockages in our energy body results in sickness in our physical body. Thai massage works these Sen Lines whilst applying stretches appropriate to flexibility of the patient. This releases blockages, allowing energy to flow freely, balancing the body. It also can have a beneficial effect on the following: - Back Pain - Neck/Shoulder Pain - Arm/Wrist/Hand Pain (RSI) - Knee/Ankle Pain - Headaches/Migraines - Respiratory Problems - Digestive Problems - Blood Circulation - Menstruation Pain back to top Sports Massages £22 for 30 minutes Sports Massage is a dynamic and highly effective form of massage therapy. It is the skilled manipulation of soft tissues for: The relief and treatment of muscle soreness and pain The maintenance of muscle balance and improved flexibility Enhanced rehabilitation from injury It is a treatment which helps alleviate the stress and tension which builds up in the body’s tissues during physical exercise or general overuse of muscles. Soft tissues are made up of many individual fibres called tissue cells. When these cells are put under stress, such as overload, emotional, occupational and postural, they are at risk of becoming injured. When the fibres become injured they are repaired by scar tissue. This can cause adhesions between fibres (referred to by many as knots) impairing the correct functioning of the muscle and eventually leading to muscle imbalance and pain. back to top Relaxation Massages £18 for 30 minutes Massage has been used for thousands of years for the relief of pain and as a means of healing the body. Our bodies have an innate sense of this, when we have a headache we massage our temple, or knock our leg then we rub the painful area. There is also a psychological aspect to human contact. As children, our parents would comfort us by picking us up and giving us their attention. As adults, although not having the same level of need, it gives us reassurance and relieves stresses held in the body as tension. What Is Offered A 30 minute upper body chair massage session. This may be a general relaxation massage to make you feel relaxed or a therapeutic session, which can either be a Thai style massage working the body’s energy lines or Sports massage based, identifying and acting on the specific muscle groups. With the latter I will provide a postural analysis and give a program to strengthen the necessary muscles. All massages will require the client to wear lightweight, loose clothing as some stretching will be necessary back to top INDIAN HEAD MASSAGE £18 for 35 minutes Additional costs for essential oils if required How does it work? An Indian Head Massage works by reducing muscular and nervous tension and improves circulation of blood and lymphatic fluid. This fully oxygenates the cells, flushing out toxins, leaving you with a feeling of peace and tranquillity. What is it? An Indian Head Massage is not only a physical massage but also clears the mind's energy in order to heal the body, mind and spirit combined. Some Benefits - Circulation to the head, neck, scalp, face and shoulder area. - A deep sense of relaxation and a feeling of total well-being - Relief from headaches and migraines - Relaxation of the muscles of the head, neck and shoulder area - Stimulation of hair growth - Improvement in concentration and memory - Relief from anxiety and insomnia - Alleviation of eye strain - A sense of peace, tranquillity and harmony is restored as the vital energy flow is re-balanced and the natural healing forces are mobilized back to top After care advice - Increase water intake - Suitable rest period after treatment - Avoid eating heavy meals - Avoid smoking - Using oils and simple head massage techniques at home for longer term hair car If oils have been used Please leave oils on the hair and scalp for 1 hour minimum to benefit the hair and scalp conditioning process. When rinsing please use concentrated shampoo first without any water to absorb the oils used. Then rinse with water. back to top

Personal Training at it's best Achieve your personal best with The Fit Firm one client • one goal • one trainer

Personal Training at it's best
Achieve your personal best with The Fit Firm
one client • one goal • one trainer