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It’s interesting to see the rules changing of the AFL (Australian Footy League) that is seeing the game being more endurance based.

Over the last few years we have seen elite athletes in any form of sport perform at incredible heights as technology, coaching and management improves each and every year. For years now we have seen AFL transform from raw ability to a combination of raw ability with unbelievable player management – optimising the influence that player has on the game.

It seems the management of players has a more vital role in the success of the team rather than just simple individual brilliance. This has been observed through the frantic pace that AFL these days is now played at. In the last decade the game has transformed from aerobic training and adaption to almost sole anaerobic adaption, meaning short, hard intervals, rest, and repeat the process. Now it seems as though the emphasis has reverted back to the ‘old school – aerobic’ method in combination with the ‘new school – anaerobic’

However at the commencement of the 2011 season we have already seen the physical strain that the new rule change has placed on our elite athletes. The effects of prolonged and sustained physical efforts has come as quite a surprise to some, as the adaption to remodeling the physiological construct of the human body has taken more time than perceived.

For years elite AFL players have fined tuned they aerobic and anaerobic fitness based on the style of the game, now that the style of game has been altered through rule changes, that extra couple of minutes of game time has affected what they have been so accustomed too.

To understand the physiological changes and demands on the body through the change would require significant research and testing, but through generalized analysis we can come to the conclusion or at least hypothesis that there is a threshold in physical performance or at least a significant adaption process where changing a finely tuned individual takes time.

When high-end design meets fitness you have the Ciclotte Exercise Bike.

The Ciclotte exercise bike goes against the conventional school of thought for fitness equipment whereby form follows function. Rather than designing a product that focuses on results over design, Ciclotte turns this premise upside downs.

No longer will your exercise equipment be condemned to the basement or garage, we now have a functional piece of artwork that will quite happily adorn your lounge room or living area.

At all princely sum of $8000, you too can be the owner of this magnificently designed lightweight exercise bike.

The Ciclotte’s design adopts a mono wheel whereby the outside diameter of the wheel turns as opposed to a traditional wheel that rotates on its central axle.

Made from space-age cereals such as carbon fiber, blended with some steel and glass it enables you to have complete mobility in case you need to move around your house or office.

The bike comes comes complete with 12 different programs to vary the type and intensity of the workout by using a magnetic field to alter the level of resistance.

Very interesting at his mornings boot camp with the high winds, I instructed everyone to stay away from trees.

One fitmate in particular said “what is with all the safety precautions”, then 20 minutes later a loud crack and crunch sound was followed by a large branch falling to the ground.

Unfortunately many of Melbourne’s parks have suffered from our severe 10 year drought as a result of the “El Niño” weather patterns, trees have experienced stress related to the low levels of moisture in the soil.

When ever there are high/gale force winds Fitstyler either avoids any areas within close proximity to trees or cancel the session all together. Fortunately Edinbugh Gardens in Melbourne has many open areas set back from the many magnificent oak trees of this Victorian park.

This has led to a situation where many of our fine oak trees have been left in a vulnerable state and with our high winds these trees have not fully recovered from the years of drought.

Over the past six months we have however experienced above average rainfall and in some instances recorded the highest precipitation for that period.

Generally the arborists have been keeping track of the condition of the trees however the unpredictable nature of limbs falling precipitates the need to unfortunately avoid staying underneath the canopy of these magnificent living creatures.

This begs the question how these trees will fare with future droughts as their future will be directly prortionate to the money that the local councils invest in saving these trees from an uncertain future. Many of these trees go back to the turn-of-the-century when the seasons were more predictable and we had the usual rainfall over winter followed by the drier summers as opposed to having dry winters year after year.

With our first true Autumn morning at boot camp, we had this incredible sunrise with the light filtering through the trees.

With Melbourne’s very wet & stormy Autumn, our water catchments will be enjoying the additional rain, although they are still low at just over 50%. Well it may be a while before we get another run of rain free sessions.

So if you live in them southern hemisphere then it’s a great time to get out and enjoy this magnificent weather, it’s just a start to come.

The awesome thing about a new season is the exciting range of new fruit and vegetables that are available fresh. So enjoy a great variety of fruit such as strawberries, raspberries, and stone fruit including peaches, plums and nectarines. The main thing to remember is try to eat a variety of fruit and vegetables of different colors as there generally different vitamins and minerals.

An apprenticeship may be a viable alternative to the current fitness trainer qualifications that involve completing an 8 week course with minimal practical experience.

I find it very strange why a personal trainer or a fitness trainer is not viewed as a trade, there are numerous professions that involve attending a trade school over a 2 -3 year period in conjunction with practical work experience.

Yesterday I spoke with Joe, the Administrative Officer at the School of Hairdressing at Victoria University about the current hairdressing course, curriculum requirements and how this relates to the hairdressing apprenticeship.

Currently the students must complete 17 subjects of study that equates to 80 days over a 3 year period, the student determines the frequency of attendance, typically they may elect to attend 1 day at the University per week over the three-year period from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM or 6.5 contact hours per day. To satisfactory pass the course, the student must reach a level of competency for each of the 17 units.

The practical component of the course is the apprenticeship which the student attends on either a full-time or part-time capacity. The underlining criteria is that the student gains the underpinning knowledge of their craft together with a level of competency based on their school attendance. As with most trades, the practical component reinforces any knowledge and experience gained from their curriculum, so immediately after learning a new skill or piece of information, they have immediate opportunity to put this into a practical application.

The students must complete a total of 300 hours of practical and course attendance, the fundamental idea behind the apprenticeship is that the student hasn’t achieved the status of being a qualified hairdresser until they have completed both the practical and course requirements. This provides a nurturing and conducive environment in providing a fully qualified and work ready hairdresser by receiving the necessary guidance and on-the-job skill training from their employer in gaining real-life experience executing their knowledge.

Unfortunately this Australian government has taken resources away from the apprenticeship system, whereby most trades are experiencing a decline in the uptake of apprentices due to lack of funding to the employers to provide the necessary training and guidance during the apprenticeship. During this period of training, the employer needs to allocate the necessary resources in terms of staff to satisfactorily train the apprentice as the apprentice is gaining the necessary skills and applying them in a supervised environment.

One very impressive initiatives being undertaken next year is monitoring the application of the curriculum to every hairdressing student. A representative from the University/school will attend the workplace of the student to manage their on-site training. This would involve discussions with their employer and other work colleagues about the student’s competency, the application of the information learned, assessment of their on-the-job performance and ensuring that the apprenticeship arrangement is working well for both parties. This will take place four times per year and this practice will reinforce the students practical knowledge and application of skills.

The fitness industry needs to adopt a similar approach to provide a work ready fitness trainer into the workforce, rather than an eight week course where I they receive a free iPod upon signing up and upon completion of the course they can potentially injure the participant.

If the allied health industry is to take fitness trainers/fitness professionals seriously then there needs to be a radical rethink of the current academic and practical application of the current curriculum. Condensing anatomy, human movement, kinesiology, injury management and the practical component of the courses into such a short period cannot possibly produce the best outcome.

Why would a carpenter, plumber or hairdresser be required to complete a three-year apprenticeship rather than pack it all into an eight week course with no on-the-job training if this was a viable option.