Fusion Fitness Training

17/06/2026

What is DOMS?
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is the muscle stiffness and soreness that can develop after exercise, typically appearing 12–24 hours after training and peaking around 24–72 hours later.

🔹 What Causes It?
DOMS is most commonly experienced after:
✅ Starting a new exercise programme
✅ Returning to training after a break
✅ Increasing training volume or intensity
✅ Performing exercises that your body isn't accustomed to

It's caused by microscopic damage to muscle fibres, which is a normal part of the adaptation process that helps muscles become stronger over time.

🔹 Common Symptoms:
✔️ Muscle soreness or tenderness
✔️ Stiffness when moving
✔️ Reduced range of motion
✔️ Temporary decrease in strength

🔹 Is DOMS a Good Sign?
Not necessarily. While DOMS can indicate that you've challenged your muscles in a new way, it is not a requirement for progress. You can have effective workouts and make excellent progress without feeling sore afterwards.

🔹 How Can You Reduce DOMS?
✅ Stay hydrated
✅ Get adequate sleep
✅ Eat enough protein and nutrients
✅ Perform light movement or recovery activities
✅ Progress your training gradually

🔹 Top Tip:
Don't let DOMS stop you from being active. Gentle movement such as walking, cycling, or mobility work can often help reduce stiffness and improve recovery.

Remember: Soreness is common, especially when starting out, but progress is measured by consistency, not by how sore you feel.

16/06/2026

One of the biggest mistakes people make when starting a fitness journey is overcomplicating nutrition. You don't need a perfect diet, expensive supplements, or a meal plan filled with foods you dislike.

Start with the basics and build from there.

Prioritise Protein Protein helps support muscle growth, recovery, and keeps you feeling fuller for longer. Aim to include a source of protein with every meal. Examples include chicken, fish, eggs, lean meats, Greek yoghurt, tofu, and protein shakes.

Eat Plenty of Fruit and Vegetables Fruit and vegetables provide essential vitamins, minerals, fibre, and nutrients that support overall health. Aim to include them in most meals throughout the day.

Stay Hydrated Water plays a role in almost every function within the body. A good starting point is 2-3 litres per day, increasing this if you're particularly active or live in a hot climate.

Focus on Whole Foods Most of the Time Base the majority of your diet around foods that are minimally processed. Think lean proteins, fruit, vegetables, potatoes, rice, oats, pasta, nuts, and dairy products.

Don't Fear Carbohydrates Carbs are your body's preferred energy source. They help fuel workouts, daily activities, and recovery. Choose sources such as rice, potatoes, oats, pasta, bread, and fruit.

Include Healthy Fats Healthy fats support hormone production, brain health, and overall wellbeing. Good sources include olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, and oily fish.

Be Consistent The best nutrition plan is the one you can stick to. Focus on making small improvements that you can maintain long-term rather than chasing quick fixes.

Remember, nutrition doesn't need to be perfect. If you can consistently focus on protein, fruit and vegetables, hydration, and mostly whole foods, you'll already be ahead of where most people start.

Master the basics first.

The results will follow.

15/06/2026

12/06/2026

TIME UNDER TENSION (TUT): A DIFFERENT WAY TO BUILD MUSCLE

When most people think about progressing in the gym, they think about lifting heavier weights.

But there's another variable that can be just as effective: Time Under Tension (TUT).

TUT refers to how long a muscle is working during a set. Instead of rushing through repetitions, you deliberately slow down part or all of the movement to keep the target muscle under load for longer.

For example, rather than lowering into a squat in 1 second, you might take 3-4 seconds. That extra time forces the muscles to work harder throughout the movement.

💪 Why Use TUT?
Increasing time under tension can:
✅ Increase muscle-building stimulus
✅ Improve exercise technique and control
✅ Enhance your mind-muscle connection
✅ Make lighter weights feel more challenging ✅ Add variety to your training when progress stall

This is why you'll often see bodybuilders and physique-focused athletes using slower tempos during exercises such as squats, presses, rows, and lunges.

👥 Who Is It Best For?
TUT training can be particularly useful for:
• Those looking to build muscle
• Beginners learning movement patterns
• Home exercisers with limited equipment
• People wanting to improve exercise quality
• Lifters trying to break through plateaus

⚠️ Is It Better Than Heavy Weights?
Not necessarily.

If your goal is maximum strength, power, or athletic performance, lifting heavier loads still has an important place.

TUT is simply another tool in the toolbox. The best training programmes often combine different methods depending on the goal.

The takeaway?
Don't just focus on moving the weight. Focus on controlling it.

Sometimes slowing down is exactly what your muscles need to grow.

10/06/2026

🔹 What is Dynamic Stretching?
Dynamic stretching involves moving your muscles and joints through a full range of motion in a controlled manner. Unlike static stretching (holding a stretch), dynamic stretches keep the body moving and help prepare you for exercise.

🔹 Examples:
✅ Arm circles
✅ Leg swings
✅ Walking lunges
✅ High knees
✅ Bodyweight squats

🔹 Benefits:
✔️ Increases blood flow to working muscles
✔️ Improves mobility and flexibility
✔️ Raises body temperature
✔️ Enhances movement quality
✔️ Helps prepare the body for exercise and sport

🔹 When Should You Do It?
Dynamic stretching is best performed as part of your warm-up before training, running, sports, or any physical activity.

🔹 Top Tip:
Match your dynamic stretches to the workout ahead. For example, if you're training legs, include movements such as leg swings, lunges, and bodyweight squats to prepare the muscles you'll be using.

Remember: The goal isn't to tire yourself out—it's to get your body ready to perform at its best.

A simple way to remember it: Dynamic = Movement. Static = Hold.

09/06/2026

INTUITIVE EATING: WHAT IS IT & WHERE ARE YOU ON THE JOURNEY?

Intuitive eating is the practice of listening to your body's hunger, fullness, energy and satisfaction cues rather than relying on strict diets, calorie targets or food rules.

While it sounds simple, most people don't start their fitness journey as intuitive eaters. In fact, many people need structure before they can successfully eat intuitively.

📍 Stage 1: No Awareness Eating is driven by convenience, emotions, habits or cravings. Hunger and fullness signals are often ignored.

📍 Stage 2: Learning & Structure Tracking calories, protein and portions helps build awareness of what foods contain and how much your body actually needs.

📍 Stage 3: Understanding Your Body You begin recognising genuine hunger, fullness, energy levels and how different foods affect performance, recovery and mood.

📍 Stage 4: Flexible Eating You can enjoy meals out, treats and social events without guilt while still maintaining healthy habits most of the time.

📍 Stage 5: True Intuitive Eating You no longer rely heavily on tracking. You trust your body's signals, make food choices that support your goals, and naturally balance enjoyment with nutrition.

⚠️ The biggest mistake people make is trying to jump straight to Stage 5 without first developing the knowledge and awareness that comes from Stages 2 and 3.

For some people, calorie tracking is a long-term tool. For others, it's a temporary educational phase. Neither approach is right or wrong.

The goal isn't perfection. The goal is developing a healthy relationship with food while supporting your fitness, health and lifestyle goals.

💬 Which stage do you think you're currently at?

07/06/2026

A little insight into how I keep track of my progress