Creighton Personal Training

31/10/2026

ICE: HOW CAN SHORT, INTENSE INTERVALS IMPROVE YOUR AEROBIC FITNESS?

One of the biggest misconceptions in exercise is that you need long periods of continuous cardio to improve aerobic fitness.

Research from Professor Martin Gibala and his colleagues at McMaster University tells us otherwise.

When you perform a high-intensity interval, your body initially relies heavily on anaerobic energy production.

However, as you repeat these efforts, your aerobic energy system becomes increasingly involved.

Your heart works harder to deliver oxygen, your muscles increase their reliance on aerobic metabolism, and your aerobic system helps restore energy between efforts.

Over time, this produces important adaptations:

✅ Improved VO₂ max – Greater capacity to deliver and utilise oxygen.

✅ Increased mitochondrial capacity – Muscles become better equipped to produce energy aerobically.

✅ Improved cardiovascular fitness – More effective oxygen delivery to working muscles.

✅ Greater endurance – Improved ability to sustain exercise and resist fatigue.

✅ Better recovery – Improved ability to recover between intense efforts.

WHAT DID THE RESEARCH FIND?

In one study, just six sprint interval training sessions over two weeks increased average cycling endurance time from 26 minutes to 51 minutes!

In another six-week study, researchers compared:

- Traditional cardio: Approximately 4.5 hours of moderate-intensity cycling per week.
- Sprint intervals: Less than 10 minutes of all-out sprinting per week, plus recovery periods.

Both groups achieved similar improvements in the aerobic fitness and muscle adaptations measured.

SO HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO ICE?

At Creighton Personal Training, ICE uses structured intervals to challenge both aerobic and anaerobic energy systems.

Whether you're rowing, cycling, using the SkiErg or performing other conditioning exercises, repeated high-intensity efforts provide a stimulus that can improve aerobic fitness.

And importantly, you don't need to exercise at 100% intensity to benefit. ICE can be adjusted to individual fitness levels.

While the original studies used all-out cycling sprints, the underlying physiological principles help explain why interval training is so effective.

THE TAKEAWAY

You don't have to follow the latest fitness trends or spend hours exercising to achieve meaningful results.

Long exercise sessions aren't automatically better, and more time spent training doesn't necessarily mean greater improvements.

You don't necessarily need hours of continuous cardio to improve aerobic fitness.

It's not simply how long you exercise. It's the training stimulus you create. I'll take science over emotional attachment to exercise thanks!

That's the science behind ICE.

CREIGHTON PERSONAL TRAINING

Research: Gibala et al., McMaster University, Journal of Applied Physiology (2005, 2006).

22/10/2026

MENOPAUSE, WEIGHT GAIN & MUSCLE LOSS. WHAT'S REALLY HAPPENING? 🔥

One of the biggest frustrations I hear from women over 40 is:

"I'm eating the same, exercising the same, but my body is changing!"

And there's a reason for that.

During perimenopause and menopause, hormonal changes can significantly influence body composition, particularly how and where body fat is stored.

Here's what's happening. 👇

🔹 Oestrogen declines. This can shift fat storage away from the hips and thighs towards the abdominal region.

🔹 Muscle mass can decline. Age-related muscle loss can reduce strength, physical function and daily energy requirements.

🔹 Sleep becomes disrupted. Poor sleep can influence appetite, recovery and weight management.

🔹 Body composition changes. Even when the scales aren't moving significantly, the proportion of muscle to fat may be changing.

SO WHAT SHOULD WOMEN OVER 40 DO?

✅ Prioritise resistance training to maintain muscle mass and strength.

✅ Consume adequate protein to support muscle maintenance and recovery.

✅ Focus on dietary quality rather than restrictive dieting.

✅ Maintain regular cardiovascular exercise for metabolic and cardiovascular health.

✅ Prioritise sleep, recovery and stress management.

THE TAKEAWAY?

Menopause doesn't automatically mean weight gain, and it certainly doesn't mean you can't improve your body composition.

But your approach to training and nutrition may need to evolve.

At Creighton Personal Training, our focus is on maintaining muscle, improving cardiovascular fitness and supporting long-term health, not simply chasing a number on the scales.

Train for strength. Eat for health. Age with confidence. 💪

07/10/2026

HOW TO FIND YOUR ZONE 2

Zone 2 is supposed to feel relatively easy.

That’s where people often get it wrong.

I see a lot of casual runners head out for a run and automatically assume they’re supposed to be huffing and puffing.

So they end up running above Zone 2 for no particular reason.

There’s nothing wrong with training harder, when training harder is the purpose of the session.

But if the goal is easy aerobic work, turning every run into a moderately hard effort doesn’t make it better.

So how do you find Zone 2?

A heart-rate monitor is useful. As a rough starting point, Zone 2 is often estimated at around 60–70% of maximum heart rate.

But don’t obsess over the number.

Use the talk test.

You should be breathing harder than you are at rest, but still able to speak in complete sentences. The effort should feel controlled and sustainable.

Think around 3–4/10 effort.

If running pushes you above that, slow down. Walk for a bit if you need to. There’s no rule saying that because you went out for a run, you have to run continuously.

Walking uphill, cycling, rowing, jogging or using a SkiErg can all do the job.

Have a reason for the intensity you’re training at.

Don’t just go harder because exercise feels like it’s supposed to be hard.

02/10/2026

🇦🇺 Australia, we need to move more.

Nearly 1 in 2 Australian adults aren't sufficiently physically active.

Around 3 in 4 don't meet the recommended strength-training guidelines.

And about 1 in 8 adults reported doing zero physical activity in the previous week.

We spend a lot of time worrying about the perfect workout, the perfect diet, the perfect program or the latest fitness trend.

But for a huge percentage of the population, the biggest improvement would simply be:

Move more. Get stronger. Be consistent.

You don't need to live in the gym.

Walk regularly.
Lift weights a couple of times per week.
Improve your fitness.
Find something you can actually stick with.

The goal isn't to become an athlete.

It's to make being physically active a normal part of your life.

Creighton Personal Training - FIRE & ICE Training Solutions with experienced fitness professionals.

30/09/2026

Running Smarter: How Heart Rate-Based Training Enhances Efficiency & Longevity Creighton Personal Training https://share.google/GYLdF7ybXFpHWGqOZ

I wrote this a little while ago in the attempt to help maybe one person not make the same mistakes I see and hear about every single year around running.

People going harder then required, getting in junk heart rates and ending up with injuries.

When you apply the science and some common sense, you can achieve more.

27/09/2026

DON’T WAIT UNTIL JANUARY TO GET FIT.

The weather is warming up, the days are getting longer and there’s still plenty of 2026 left.

If you want to improve your fitness but don’t have hours to spend in the gym, ICE was designed for you.

ICE by Creighton Personal Training:
❄️ Less than 30 minutes per session.
❄️ Short. Structured. Coached.
❄️ Improve your fitness and conditioning
❄️ Fully coached small-group training
❄️ A variety of training methods and equipment
❄️ Train at your own level
❄️ Turn up, we take care of the session

This is the FINAL training term of 2026.
You can wait until January.
Or you can start now.

🎁 TRY ICE FREE FOR ONE WEEK

No obligation. Come in, experience ICE and see if it's right for you.

⏳ Places are limited for our final term of the year.
👉 Claim your FREE one-week trial here:
creightonpt.com/ice
Less than 30 minutes. Get in. Get it done. Get fitter.

✔ Less than 30 minutes per session✔ Structured, coach-led training✔ Proven methods that improve real fitness✔ Strength, cardio, and mobility in every session✔ Scalable for all levels (beginner to advanced)✔ A system that actually progresses over time

11/09/2026

GLP-1s can be a fantastic tool — but they don’t replace lifestyle.

Medications such as Wegovy can reduce hunger, increase fullness, reduce cravings and make it easier to consume fewer calories.

But many of the foundations of appetite and weight management still come back to what you do every day:

✅ Prioritise protein
✅ Eat plenty of fibre and whole foods
✅ Resistance train
✅ Stay physically active
✅ Get adequate sleep
✅ Manage stress
✅ Limit highly processed, easy-to-overeat foods
✅ Keep alcohol under control

And this is the important part:

You can’t drink excessively, consistently undersleep, snack all day, routinely overeat, or let a new relationship or change in circumstances become an excuse to abandon the habits that were keeping you healthy.

Medication can be an incredibly useful tool when appropriate, but it doesn’t make lifestyle irrelevant.

Your body still responds to what you consistently do, regardless of what else is happening in your life.

Hamish
Creighton Personal Training

07/09/2026

1 in 5 women and 1 in 20 men over 50 have osteoporosis.

And one of the most important things you can do for your bones?

Proper resistance training. 💪

Strength training isn't just about building muscle or looking better. It helps maintain strong bones, improves strength and balance, and becomes increasingly important as we get older.

And you DON'T need to spend hours in the gym.

With the right program, an effective resistance training session can be done in less than 30 minutes.

We've had multiple women come to CPT with osteopenia (low bone mineral density) who, after consistently resistance training with us, have later had repeat bone mineral density scans showing significant improvements in their bone mineral density.

Get strong. Stay strong. Look after your bones.

03/09/2026

💪 JASON’S PROGRESS!

Jason trains with us fortnightly, and his progress has been absolutely fantastic.
FORTNIGHTLY.
ICE and PT with Kyla

As a truck driver, Jason spends a lot of time sitting behind the wheel, which makes looking after his strength, mobility and overall health even more important.

Since starting his journey, Jason has:

🔥 Lost over 30 kg
💪 Become significantly stronger
🏃‍♂️ Improved the way he moves
🙌 Gone from dealing with pain to moving pain-free

The difference in Jason’s overall physical capacity is fantastic to see.

Most importantly, he’s a great bloke and a valued member of our team. We’re incredibly proud of what he’s achieved and love having him train with us.

Well done, Jason! 👏

02/09/2026

💪 Highlighting some wins!

Virginia has been putting in some fantastic work with her strength training this year!

A few highlights:
• Leg Press: 40kg × 13 → 100kg × 15
• Hex Bar Deadlift: progressed to 50kg × 15
• Stronger squats, lunges, rows, pulldowns, dips and push-ups
• Big improvements in overall strength, stability and work capacity

Strength training isn’t just about lifting heavier weights. It helps maintain muscle and bone strength, balance, mobility and independence, while protecting against the natural loss of muscle and strength as we age.

Virginia is very active with her swimming and the strength training has assisted her with improvements in the pool!

Fantastic progress, Virginia! 💪

It's always a pleasure to help people become stronger and healthier versions of themselves for life.