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I follow a fitness programme at Next Gen and it’s not at all scary

I follow a fitness programme at Next Gen and it’s not at all scary February 12, 2017Fashion, TrendwatchOff

If you are slightly intimidated by gyms and all the super fit lycra-clad people in there with zero body fat downing protein shakes, I totally empathise with you. I am a mum and have definitely seen fitter days. I recently had a personal training session at Next Gen Auckland Domain and I’m here to tell you that it is not at all scary. You can read my first impressions of Next Gen and how I thought I may never get out of the pool, here on Thread.

I head in for a fitness programme

So with some trepidation, I headed along to do a fitness programme at Next Gen and I can report that it’s not at all scary. My first impression was that all types, all ages and all sizes come here. And nobody was in full make-up! It was very welcoming. In fact, we had a laugh and the hour flew by and I am feeling motivated to go in again to try out what we covered. My trainer even listened when I said “I’ll probably never use that” and “that one is a bit frightening” and gave me better options so I’ve been left with a workout that I would actually do and machines I will genuinely use!

So, what happens at your first fitness programme?

So, what happens when you first venture into the gym at Next Gen Auckland Domain for a preliminary programme? I shall talk you through it to reassure you how user-friendly and helpful they are!

First up, the paperwork!

Upon arriving at Next Gen for my appointment with the friendly and lovely Brooke Pryor in the gym foyer, we sit together and go over my form: what I hope to achieve, my previous gym and fitness experience, and how often I hope to come. Your personal goals might include weight loss, muscle toning, fat burning and so on. Or any combination of these and more!

The gym floor is full of machines and gear but it doesn’t seem at all cluttered, as they have divided them all into separate areas. The cutting-edge equipment is grouped into various training spaces, where you can stretch, use free weights, do some boxing, and lunge and PT (personal training) zones. A range of Life Fitness pin-loaded machines, as well as cable motion dual adjustable pulleys are available for full body resistance workouts. The gym floors also has kettlebells, medicine balls, Swiss balls, a lunge track and stretch areas.

Seriously, how nice is watching tennis while exercising?! I love the backdrop of trees in Auckland Domain, too.

Bikes and the free weights area. The free weights area has dumbbells, barbells and plate loaded equipment for strength training.

After talking through my form, Brooke shows me around the gym floor and we do a warm up in the cardio area. We use a special type of cross trainer that is new to me; you move it with your own movement of your legs.

Hi tech cardio

The cardio facilities are the most impressive I have seen, with a large area of Concept2 rowers, Life Fitness equipment treadmills, cross trainers, upright and recumbent bikes. As you see in my photo above, these all come with TV touch screens and you may bring along headphones and watch Netflix or TV or check your Facebook. Another cool thing you can do is log in your membership card at a terminal by the gym reception and it becomes a card to swipe each time you use the machines and records your info and so on. How useful is that!?

After cardio, we start off in the Induction Zone. I cannot tell you how much I like this concept. The Induction Zone, as the name suggests, is where you begin when you are starting out at the gym and want to get experience. There are a selection of mats, weight machines and hand weights, so you can quietly get on with making friends with the equipment in a chilled out area. It’s separated off from the gym with a glass wall and it’s a nice way to ease into your programme.

Above: lunges in the Induction Zone.

Above: I use the Jacobs Ladder machine.

Above: Brooke gets me on here to do core strength leg lifts. We walk around the gym and fill out my programme card with the exercise and number of repetitions, or reps, to do of each. Lastly, she shows me how to use the leg stretch machine with a goal of being able to stretch at 90 degrees.

Refresher courses are free

After being a member for a while it’s a good idea to take a complimentary refresher session, or one of their other Next Step Programmes. The refresher session can give you some new routes to achieving your personal goals. It’s a great to book when you sign up.

Find yourself at Next Gen

You can make an inquiry here about joining. At the time of writing, a standard Next Gen membership (gym, fitness classes and aquatics) for a 12 month term costs $37 a week. A family standard membership is $75 a week.

February offer

Plus, if you join by the 28th of February 2017 you can enjoy the flexibility of a low commitment membership at no extra cost.

I was a guest of Next Gen to review the club; however, all my opinions are my own.

Words and photos by Megan Robinson
4th February 2017