This week we are hearing from our guest blogger Samantha, on what some of us ladies would like for the new year! If you’re one of those girls who admire supermodels and see them as a particular sort of Gods – we completely understand you. These girls have invested so much time, energy, and good will into their careers, which definitely paid off in the end – models such as Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Adriana Lima, and many others prove that consistency and hard work inevitably result in success. If you would like to know how they got those killer abs, stay with us. Here are some useful tips and tricks on how to get them.

Forget the thermal running gear, one of the best investments into your winter exercise wardrobe this year has to be gloves. Perfect for keeping you warm against the winter chill, there are several things you must consider before buying your gloves.

From now until the 22nd of December we are giving all new Gym Freaks users the chance to win a brand new Apple watch 3 with a Silver aluminium fog sports band. Amazing right! So what do you have to do to be in with a chance? Gym Freaks is not only a great place to find your nearest Gym, Personal Trainer or Health club but it's also a great place to get social and chat with other like minded people. Do you ever get self conscious of posting all your gym wins on your Facebook, or worry that the people on Twitter don't want to see your latest run on Strava. Then Gym Freaks is the place to be!

Lets face it, advent calendars are one of the best things about Christmas, a daily chocolate at breakfast time. As a child it was the best thing ever! Well it hasn’t really changed, with many of us still indulging in advent calendars (lets face it there's no good reason why we shouldn’t!) But for those who would like to stick to a gym worthy version there are lots of options. We’ve had a look at the best ones around at the moment that are available in time for the 1st of December!

Bored of having a huge tub of whey that just goes on and on and on! Craving something different to mix up the week now and then? Well Whey Box has you covered. Based around convenience, the box was created to provide customers with a product that was easy to order, easy to keep and easy to use! Interested? Then read on for your chance to win a box!

This week's blog post comes from our guest blogger Samantha Olivier, if you're getting a bit tired of your gym routine, then read on! “We need to talk” – you said wearily to your trusty gym shoes. But no matter how you try to phrase it, whether it’s the good old “It’s not you, it’s me” or “I just need a break”, the direction of the conversation is slowly dawning both on you and your gear. First off, there’s no shame in wanting a change of pace, and secondly, as long as you’re not abandoning your entire healthy lifestyle, no need to feel like a quitter.

The nights are drawing in, and as much as we may hate it (or love it) it’ll soon be dark when we leave the house in the morning and dark when we return (sarcastic yay inserted). We’ve had a look at the best places to get equipped for the darker months, whether you’re out running, cycling or just walking the dog. Being seen is high priority and these are the best places to rectify that!

Our blog this week comes from guest blogger Samantha Olivier, on the best way to structure your pre-workout! You might have been under the impression that a pair of headphones and a positive mindset are enough to get a killer workout in, but the truth is that anyone who has tried training for prolonged periods of time without a sound pre-workout routine in place is bound to hit a plateau very quickly.

Love it or hate it but after a good workout or class, the next day we are sometimes left feeling a little worse for wear. DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness is the stiffness and sometimes pain which is felt after completing exercise. We’ve looked into the best methods of helping recovery, ensuring we can get back moving as soon as possible, whilst reducing the chance of injury.

Lets face it, the internet is full of conflicting advice about scientific studies which show the best and worst times of the day to work out, and whether working out in the morning or the evening can make you sleep worse or better. But for many people this kind of research is quite frankly a bit rubbish!

This week on Twitter we have three very exciting prizes to give away! We’ve teamed up with Eat Grub to give three of our followers the chance to try out their brand new Cricket Protein Powder (Cricket Flour)

It’s no surprise that Fitbit have upped the stakes with their brand new smart watch, given the tremendous competition in an ever changing fitness technology market. Available to pre-order, the Fitbit Ionic comes in at a hefty £299. Pricier than it’s predecessors, is this technology heavy competitor worth the extra?

New flavour alert! We’ve given away lots of delicious BoostBalls in the past, but this week we have something extra special! There’s a new flavour on the block in the shape of zesty Lemon Drizzle.

Grown and consumed for centuries, oats are the choice of many Gym Freaks as a healthy addition to their diet. This simple cereal is often overlooked, however it can bring huge benefits to everyday life alongside a healthy and fit lifestyle.

It’s exciting finding something new that you love, so living up to its name, we’ve got some delicious packs of LOVE CORN to give away to our followers! Crunchy and delicious these premium kernels of roasted corn are not only tasty but a great healthy snack!

Gym Freaks is proud to get behind the brilliant Sport England campaign, This Girl Can. This Girl Can is a celebration of women everywhere getting active, and not worrying about how they look, how well they are doing, or how dirty and sweaty they get! It’s about being healthy and active and being the best you can without anything getting in your way!

Based in the sunny seaside town of Worthing, The Protein Ball Co. has grown into a household name in the fitness world. Making delicious, high protein snacks from a variety of sources each ball is hand rolled and created on site. Created by husband and wife duo Matt and Hayley, these brilliant balls were dreamt up after the pair struggled to find on the go snacks that were clean and healthy. Great for those who are wanting to add more protein to their day, these snacks are brilliant for after a gym session or class. We have a great taster box to give away over on our Twitter, so lets take a look at the drool worthy flavours!

Given the choice, we would all pick home grown vegetables over shop bought right? Not only are they tastier, but in general they contain more nutrients and are cleaner. Here are some of the reasons why we should switch and some easy methods to try at home to give you the growing bug!

The sale of ready prepped meals to boost performance and muscle mass has accelerated at a huge speed this year, with many brands now offering this service. Handy if you’re low on time and want to keep up with the gains, but are they all they’re cracked up to be?

The school holidays are upon us, and whether it’s wet and windy or we have a heatwave, the kids need to stay active! Keeping children healthy and active from an early age has hugely positive health benefits for the rest of their lives. It can also encourage them to take up sports they love and continue doing activities that they may enjoy well into their twilight years. Change for life is a flagship programme from Public Health England designed to help tackle childhood obesity by educating parents on healthy choices they can make.

It’s that time of the month again where we speak to one of our brilliant personal trainers. This week it’s the turn of blogger and sparkling new personal trainer Emma Joy. You can find Emma over on her brilliant blog Lipstick and Trainers, and she was also recently shortlisted for the Women's Running Influencer of the Year Award. Firstly, the whole Gym Freaks team send their congratulations to Emma on recently becoming a newly qualified personal trainer, if like us you’re curious to know the details, then read on, as we spoke to her about her new profession and how she got there!

We have some very exciting news to share, we are finally live with our Gym freaks shop! Here you will find our range of Mens and Women's embroidered T-Shirts, Shaker Bottles, Water Bottles and our Hoodies which are arriving very soon!

We’ve finally got some summer weather, and not just any summer weather but a heatwave!! This is great for some, but not good news for those of us wanting to keep up our exercise regime!

This week on the blog we are chatting to a personal trainer in training! Emma’s studying for her level 3 diploma in personal training so we caught up with her to hear a little about the process!

This weeks competition is a rather special one. We are giving away 10 of the fantastic Eat Grub natural energy bars. Never heard of Eat Grub bars before then let us explain!

This week on the blog we are chatting with one of our Gym Freaks who we’ve been following for a while! Joe recently passed his Personal Trainer exams, so we spoke to him about what’s next for his career and just how gruelling the exams were!

We're back with Workout Wednesday in partnership with Meglio! This week we're looking at how to strengthen your ankle after an inversion sprain using Meglio's fantastic resistance bands.

Calling all protein shake lovers, theres a new premium brand on block that we think you should all know about! Launching a mere 6 weeks ago, Proper Powders has exploded into the fitness world bringing with it a product that has no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives, and contains real fruit in the form of fruit oils and fruit powders.

This week's #workoutwednesday video from Meglio TV shows us how to release tension in the hamstring using Meglio's awesome massage ball! Perfect for after a hard gym session, the massage balls also have a huge variety of other uses.

We speak about it regularly in our Workout Wednesday video's with Meglio, but what exactly is Kinesiology tape, and can it really help a multitude of conditions as well as it promotes? We've looked into what exactly this wonder tape does, and how it works it sticky colourful magic.

A common injury, Hamstring strain can be easily helped using Meglio's fantastic Kinesiology tape. In today's Workout Wednesday video from Meglio, Laurence shows us how to apply the tape for maximum relief!

You may have noticed that our brand new competition features well known drinks brand Battery. We’ve been lucky enough to get our hands on their brand new offering of BCAA Energy drinks! Born in Finland, this innovative company is launching its new range of vitality drinks to the UK market, alongside the longstanding original Battery Energy drink, they are producing isotonic energy water, and vitamin energy drinks, as well as a hugely anticipated Protein energy drink.

The TFL or tensor fasciae latae is a tiny muscle located at the top of the hip, which when tight can affect the ITB band. Learn how to release this with Meglio's fantastic massage ball!

Recently we got in touch with one of our great personal trainers on the site Dave Wall, to ask him a few questions about being a personal trainer, and to get to know him a little better.

It may not seem like a big deal to some, but having the right Yoga mat can be a quest that will take a yogi through a whole host of different mats. There are thick ones, thin ones, sticky ones, colourful ones, portable ones and not so portable ones. So what is the perfect mat? Well it depends on many different aspects, which we are going to try and look into.

Are you one of the masses who get home from work, have dinner and then hit the gym before heading to bed? Then you will want to think harder about your nutrition, especially post workout. For many a guzzled protein shake is their pre-bed routine, but could this be hampering your gains?

It's workout Wednesday again! Today we are featuring a great video from Meglio on side leg raises, using one of their fantastic resistance bands! It's a great workout!

Workout Wednesday has been bumped for the week, and Taping Thursday (it kind of works doesn't it?) is here!! We're concentrating on the must-have accessory Kinesiology tape. Our video from Meglio focuses on the knee, but they have a whole playlist featuring different injuries, so make sure you check it out!

Need some help activating your Glutes? Then this weeks video from Meglio shows you exactly how to do that with one of their fantastic resistance bands! What are you waiting for, get those glutes going!

Workout Wednesday has come around again, and to celebrate we're sharing another of Meglio's brilliant and informative videos! Today we are looking at how to use Meglio's awesome massage balls to massage your calf! Perfect for post exercise regimes.

Spring is round the corner, so it’s time for FitBit to reveal a new Fitness tracker for us all to drool over. However this time they haven't created something new, they’ve reinvented a classic! The FitBit Alta, one of FitBits more stylish watches has received a makeover, with the addition of a heart rate monitor, extended battery life, and an all-new sleep stages app.

We’ve teamed up with the lovely people at Hang Dr this week, to give away a brilliant selection of their products. We have a x1 bottle of Advance Cutting formula, x1 bottle of Turbo charged cutting formula and 3 weekends worth of vitamin and supplement sachets to give away to one lucky winner on Twitter!

We all love pancake day, lets face it, it's flipping' great! Sorry we couldn't resist! But we bet you don't know why exactly we celebrate it right? Well, now you do!

To celebrate the fact that it's Wednesday, we have yet again teamed up with the brilliant Meglio, to show you some useful hints and tips! Today they're showing us how to use Kinesiology tape, which is a great way to treat a huge variety of injuries!

10,000 steps has been in the news today after Dr Greg Hager, an expert in computer science at Johns Hopkins University spoke out against the figure of steps that many of us are inspired to achieve each day. A large amount of us now own FitBits, Apple Watches and other devices, which tell us that the magic number of steps to take each day is 10,000. So why exactly was this number plucked out of the air?

To celebrate the fact that it's Wednesday, we have yet again teamed up with the brilliant Meglio, to show you some useful hints and tips! Today they're showing us how to use a resistance band to perform a correct glute bridge!

We've written about London Muscle before, the up and coming fitness brand that everyone is talking about!! Practicing what they preach, these 2 sets of brothers have together created a fantastic following, and proven exercise routines for both men and women. Ambassadors that include Clean Eating Alice have shown that the boys are on to a winning formula!

It's our last day of our foam rolling masterclasses as our competition is now over. Today we are looking at how to foam roll your hamstrings! It's been a great week of videos, and it's all thanks to Meglio. We hope you've all learnt something and will give foam rolling a try whether you were our winner or not!

Day 4 of our Foam rolling masterclass from Meglio, and today we are focussing on the Quads! Don't forget you have until 10am tomorrow to enter our competition to win a great foam roller from Meglio themselves. Simply head over to our Twitter right now! :)

Day 3 of our foam rolling instructional videos from Meglio, and today we are focusing on the glutes! Well known for getting tight after a good gym session, here's a nifty way of using a foam roller to release the tension. If you haven't entered our competition to win one yet, then head over to our Twitter right now!

Day 2 of our Foam rolling videos from Meglio, and today we are concentrating on the back. To be in with a chance of winning one, then make sure you head to our Twitter page now!

We've got a great giveaway on our Twitter at the moment featuring an awesome foam roller from Meglio! They have a whole host of videos on their youtube channel on how to use their products and we will be featuring the foam roller ones this week! Day 1: Roll out your Shin Splints! Enjoy!

A staple of many healthy diets, the Avocado has flown to popularity over the last twenty five years, with sales topping a staggering £146 million in the UK in 2016. Known best smashed up on Rye with Chilli flakes and a poached egg this fashionable fruit has an interesting history!

You may have noticed our FANTASTIC competition over on Twitter at the moment, with the lovely people at Meglio! We have a brilliant fitness bundle to give away to one lucky follower and all you have to do is follow & retweet! You might have never heard of Meglio, so we thought we would let you all know what exactly you're missing out on

It's January, it's dark, rainy, it's just the worst time of the year ever, say those people who are yet to read this post! But fear not, there are small simple ways to beat the January blues every morning before you even leave the house!

The word ‘Macro’s’ has been bouncing around more regularly than ever lately, you hear it in the gym, in the supermarket and online frequently. Unsure of what exactly people are talking about, then we’ve got the answer!

Beginning her fitness journey in 2012, Alice Liveing was a student in her first year at the Bird College of dance, music and theatre performance. Struggling with both her weight and her studies, she turned to the books and learnt all she could about nutrition and fitness. Hitting the weights instead of just cardio, Alice has become an Instagram sensation, sharing her daily life with hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram under the alias Clean Eating Alice!

How would you like to win a brand new sparkling Fitbit Alta to help you in your January health kick? Well we are giving one of our new sign ups the chance to get their hands on one! Lets call it a late Christmas present!

Whether you embrace Christmas food with gusto, or hang back, there are some foods which even at Christmas we can indulge in without feeling too bad!

Tis the season.. not for Christmas pud but for cold and flu! When you've got a great routine happening, the last thing you want is to be struck down by the lurgy and unable to attend the gym! So what you should you do? Is it wise? We've looked into the facts.

Sometimes winter seems like the never ending cycle of coughs and colds, and dodging co-workers sniffling at work. But there are a few natural ways that you can help keep those colds and flu at bay, and what’s more they’re good for us too!

Our lucky winner from our October competition was Joe Garden, who reviewed his local gym and hit the jackpot at the same time! Our competition is running again this month, and it's so easy to enter, so here's how you do it!

We have a brilliant competition running right now on our twitter, where we are giving TWO people the chance to win some Boostball and Gymfreaks goodies. All you have to do is follow both the gymfreaks account and the boostball account and retweet the post! Easy peasy!

How would you fancy winning a shiny new FitBit Charge 2? We are giving one of our lucky members the chance of just that, by leaving a review on your current Gym or Health Club!

There’s a new fluffy tail on the block, in the shape of the talented Squirrel Sisters! Founded by two sisters passionate about healthy eating, wellbeing and blogging, their mission was to create a product that is not only healthy but tasty too.

MyProtein has long been a household name, known for its good value, great products and tasty flavours. It's no surprise then that they have branched out into stocking a women's range of their well known products. Now we know what you may think, are these just the same products packaged in a pink bag instead of blue? Definitely not! Here are some of the reasons that we think you should give them a shot!

Entering the market as the UK’s first natural zero sugar energy drink, it’s no surprise that Virtue Energy Water has taken the fitness world by storm.

We’ve teamed up with our friends from BoostBall to give our followers on Twitter a chance to win a selection of their high protein mini Boostballs!

As we trundle faster than ever into a 24 hour digital world, fitness is catching up on the trend, with many Gyms offering 24 hour access to their facilities. Never again will you be frustrated by opening hours, and forced to skip a day due to over running work or family commitments. The Gym is there for when you want it, and when you need it!

You may have seen recently that we gave away on Twitter some Brand New supplements from London Muscle! These guys seem to be on everyone’s lips at the moment, so we thought we would take a look into who they are and what exactly London Muscle is!

Although most of us shop around to find the cheapest and best gym near us, there are a large number of exclusive establishments also popping up. Grace Belgravia is one of those such establishments, catering purely for women. Billed as a health, well being and lifestyle club for women Grace Belgravia is reserved for those women who truly regard their healthy lifestyle as worth spending the big bucks on.

Lifestyles these days are busy, and some of us just don’t have the time to commit to the gym even though we would like to. Resistance bands are a cheap, easy and quick way of getting a quick workout in when time is short!

Hemp is a brilliant alternative to whey protein, and not only for those who are lactose intolerant. Hemp is a plant, which is more commonly known as a variety of cannabis. However, Hemp contains no measurable levels of tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the psychoactive compound present in the actual drug.

One of the key foundations of fitness is diet. We all know that no matter how much exercise you do, if you do not adapt your diet correctly, then you probably won’t be seeing those results you crave. Building muscle means that you put on weight, yet by eating the right things it will hopefully settle in the right places. Here are a few things to help you on your way to a muscle happy diet!

In an industry which is saturated with different supplements and protein powders it’s sometimes hard to make the right decisions, especially with such a large amount of choice. Many products are tailored towards men, with language which makes women cringe. Do we want to end up looking like a body builder? Not all of us!  

British owned and ran, GymTote was born from the collaboration of Helena Searcaigh, a self-confessed Gym Junkie alongside designer Nicola Kearney, the brains behind the bag. Helena created GymTote to fill the gap in the market for women who wanted a Gym bag that was stylish enough to take to work. Unique and hugely practical, a GymTote promises to take you from Bikram to the Boardroom. So what does make GymTote a bag like no other? The top section of the handbag is similar to a normal handbag. A small section that can contain all the essentials that you require, accessed quickly and easily. A shallow pocket, this ensures that no time is wasted digging around for your keys or phone.

Following the launch of the new Blaze watch, Fitbit have announced another new tracker, the Alta. Very different in its looks, design and features, the Alta is focused towards the more fashion conscious of FitBits customers. A slim device, with a choice of leather, classic or metal bands, the Alta is a fashionistas best friend built to blend in with any style and environment.

FitBit have managed to get themselves into some hot water in the U.S over claims that their Heart Rate monitors do not accurately show heart rate data. The Surge and the Charge HR both have heart rate detectors built in. These work by using an LED light to reflect onto the skin to detect changes in blood volume, with software then working out the BPM. 

We all know the benefits of having a Sports drink after a workout, but they can be expensive. So for those on a budget we have looked around to find a few great recipes to make your own drinks at home, for next to nothing!! They may not taste quite the same, but boy do they have the same impact!

The warrior diet, based around intermittent fasting is a diet created by Ori Hofmekler after his experiences in the Israeli army. Based around exercise, nutrition and fitness the warrior diet encourages undereating during the day and overeating at night. The motto of the diet is, ‘It’s when you eat that makes what you eat matter’.

Whey and Casein protein are both by products of milk, 20% of the protein is Whey and 80% is Casein. Dramatically different in their protein levels, which enhances the body in a better way? We take a look at some of the facts! The main difference between Whey and Casein is the speed, Whey is known as a fast protein, whereas Casein is a slow protein. The speed of the protein is how fast it is completely metabolized and spread throughout the body.

During a workout your body faces many challenges and continually pushes itself to the limits. The importance of keeping your body healthy is key, and can post workout drinks help you do this? Here’s some information you may find helpful!

Choosing the right Sports Bra is as important as choosing the right shoes. In a single running stride an unsupported A cup can move an inch and a half in any direction, whereas a D cup can move up to 2-3 inches in any direction.