5 Gym Gold Nuggets

1. Crush the bar.

No matter what the lift wether it's flat bench, dead-lifts or cleans upon first touch of the iron rod get a grip as if you're trying to crush a soda can. This excites your nervous system, and causes receptors/motor units to prepare your body for the lift.

                              

2. Attitude is a choice!

I've trained a few athletes/clients who've come to me saying they're having a below par (sh#t) day. The thing is if you have one of these days on match day you still have to rise to the occasion. Best thing to do is rate your day with a percentage, let's say it’s a 60% day, make it your best 60% day possible... You could go for the same program thats been set out on that given day but lessen the volume of work.

You never know might just surprise yourself!

3. What is your Underlying Motive!

This is probably the most important factor to acknowledge in terms of getting the best results possible. I see so many clueless zombies approaching the gym with no goal, no motive or direction. You have to want and know the end result you’re trying to achieve. 

The most common answer I get is "I want to tone up and lose weight" ummm hello, slap yourself immediately! 

Here's some real motives:

My husband left me, I have low self confidence and I want to look great at my best friends wedding in 4months. (ok that took some digging). 

I want to walk again. (She did)! (after 6months and medical practitioners had written her chances off).

I feel insecure in the changing rooms around other players and I want to improve my athletism so I don't get cut from the team. 

Soz not soz...

4. Always Build Strength and Fitness on a Solid Foundation.

If you have achy joints, dodgy posture, muscle imbalances, reoccurring injures etc You need to work on these areas before trying out complex lifts (such as olympic lifting). This is where many people have failed. Depending on your training age (how many weeks, months, years) you’ve been an athlete or gym goer it is detrimental you do the preparatory work before complex lifting.

A good trainer will always work on form, muscular imbalances and corrective needs prior to flogging a dead horse so to speak!

5. Let Food be thy Medicine.

Fats, Carbs and Protein are all essential nutrients for your body and the way it functions so cutting back will leave you feeling terrible.

Drink plenty of water and ditch the carbonated, sugary or caffienated drinks.

Keep it simple and try to prepare your meals a day ahead so you don’t over indulge or cause mindless eating.

You know what real food is: things that grew in the ground, on a tree, came out of the sea, ran on the land, or flew through the air.  Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts are all great examples of REAL food.

On top of that, you know what crap food is: food that comes from a drive-thru window, a vending machine, box, bag, or wrapper.  If it has an ingredient list longer than A Game of Thrones, it’s probably not good for you.  If it started out as real food and then went through fourteen steps to get to the point where you’re about to eat it, it’s probably not good for you.

10 week transformation

Week 1 of 10 week Transformation

I freaking love my job... I meet people from all walks of life whom all have unique goals and motives for hiring a personal trainer. More than anything I love a challenge. As much as it’s a job for the trainer to plan in order to get results you need a dedicated client that is willing to put in the hard yards and commit to the set plan. When the going gets tough, fatigue sets in you have to remind one of the goal/ end result to ultimately create a NEVER GIVE UP ATTITUDE leaving no room for failure.

Everyone responds to training differently depending on genetics, lifestyle, hormones, sleep patterns, nutrition, stress and age. If you can iron out a few of your vices (namely late boozy nights and junk food) nest up at a decent hour and you might have a chance of succeeding in the gym. Always sort your health out and stress levels before loading physical stress to your system.

Diego (pictured) he loved a night out, his stress levels were rather high and he mainly focussed his workouts on cardio-vascular activities such as running, boxing and classes at his local gym. 

Together we set a challenge of 10weeks to get him ripped and beach body ready. To add a little competitive twist we got his workmates to each pay £100 towards an office biggest loser competition (highly competitive environment) 11 people signed up and the weigh-in commenced. The winner was the person who had the biggest percentage loss of body-fat. (Trainers out there reading, I highly recommend this type of competition in your facility) I’ve never seen the gym so busy!

To Diego's surprise in the first 3 weeks I told him he needed to raise his calorie intake (good calories), ditch the cardio for now and focus on getting strong.

We utilised heavy compound lifts tapering to some isolated muscles in a split program of Anterior Chain/Posterior Chain and Total body dynamic training. 

Example Anterior:

Front Squat. 5/5 (sets/reps)

Flat Bench

Incline Press 

Arnold Press

TRX standing Triceps

Staggered Push ups

Example Posterior:

Conventional Dead lift 5/5 (sets/reps)

Hammer Grip Chins

Kneel b/o Rows

TRX Low Rows

Reverse Flies

21s Curls.

Example Dynamic: A brutal total body circuit which could consist of whatever is available to you on the day. It could be a Modified Strongman session, hill sprints or bringing a piece of equipment like a kettle bell to the park and attempt as many exercises as you can. What I want out of this session is to shock the nervous system and the result is a training stimulus you won’t achieve from conventional gym training.

You can include these as an example.

Sled drags/pushes

Kettle bell swings

Battle ropes

Box jumps

Tire Flips

Leopard Crawls

Prowler

Farmer Walks

After that training block he'd already packed on a solid 1.5kg lean muscle and shed from 14.5% body fat to 9% even though he was eating a lot more than usual of quality food.

Skin-fold Callipers to ensure a subjective result.

As you can imagine we were both happy by the results so far but we had a long way to go and I didn't want him to lose motivation or fall off the rails. 

I told him to keep doing what he was doing nutrition-wise but we were going to formulate a new training block. This time we went for more of a 8/12 rep range and more total body including super sets to failure.

KB front squats

Joining in on the fun!

To push him along I competed with him during a few of the Dynamic Circuit Training...

Some weight Ab work for icing on the cake in the final week!

Row intervals (Game face).

In the final training block Diego started to deplete his calorie intake in order to lose the last bit of  body fat. We figured if he got to around 8% there was no chance he'd lose the comp.

The session plans in the final weeks were intense, we were super setting and added some blasts of boxing/rowing/sprints etc in the sessions with limited rest periods.

                 

So there you have it he now struts the beaches sporting the bod from god! The hard work paid off and he’s £1100 richer. Final Body fat was Just below 8%. Well done champ!

TOUGH MUDDER - More than just a race!

Driving LONDON SOUTH 2013 Tough Mudder bound blasting "eye of the tiger", fist pumping out the window, adrenalin pumped, sporting neon yellow vests and headbands-

We were most certainly in full "fight or flight" mode! 

Months of hill sprints, reptilian crawling, burpees, battle ropes, chins and built up running/cross fitness (not to mention gym based training) we were well equipped challenge ahead!

2nd week training plan, it progressed in volume/intensity throughout the weeks!

Our 14 odd comrades left the comfort of our people movers to what seemed a festival environment only to hike a couple of miles towards the TM registration point.

 It felt like a scene from a world war II movie 

Flesh wounded, fatigued, limping war veterans covered in mud were heading in the opposite direction and us, the fresh recruits, hearts pounding, anxious but exited for the challenge ahead!

I unfortunately bumped into an old Ozzie battler "G'day mate how are ya" bearing 2 pints of cider, muddy facial make up - sporting a grin that reached his ears, he winked and muttered  "YEEEUP glad I'm standing in my shoes and not yours"

 "Nuff sed... Lets do this shit"!

We could hear distant commands, AC/DC blasting and constant Hoorahs, as the 2:15pm soldiers lined up for battle!

Tough Mudder is a  badass 12mile obstacle course of rolling hills, rough terrain, and 21 obstacles to face along journey to the prized Orange Headband that sings VICTORY!

Army tankers offering the sense of military presence 

Deceptively hard yakka, down to a mud pit and inclining up (no time for claustrophobia)!

Funky Monkey

Electro Shock Therapy :/

Everest, some flew, some reached and slid back down, strategically placed after 11miles legs were well heavy!

 The more desired/fun obstacles being; Walk the Plank, Funky Monkey, Island Hopper, Everest and Cage Crawl...

 To the dreaded

• Electric Eel (crawling through a low barrier with threads of electric cables which are capable of paralysing body parts).
• Arctic Enema (a skip bin full of icy cold water, then forcing you to duck under a barrier which causes a severe case of ice-cream head ache and borderline hypothermia).
• Electro Shock Therapy; Good news is you can see the finish line, bad news....  Erm- Electricity! It sent some people face first to the mud as if to be shot by a sniper!

The true sense of camaraderie made the whole TM experience worth while, I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fresh challenge, it offers everything from team cohesion, mental toughness and physical exertion.

Ultimately after 2hrs being crowned with the trademark Orange Headband you've now earned bragging rights in the office for months to come "Hoorah"!

BOOM!!!

NO IFS... JUST BUTTS

Could use a little perking up in the butt department?

Wondering how to initiate the voluptuous curves celebrities sport in their bikini?

Here's a killer butt routine that won't fail to impress!

Famous for her curvaceous booty, Jennifer Lopez is a self proclaimed user of the TRX Suspension Training system!

1) TRX 1 and a Half Suspended Lunge

A killer modification of the Suspended Lunge, with a slight tweak in action, the 1and a 1/2 Suspended Lunge really fires up the Gluts, with a slightly longer time under tension you be recruiting more motors units than the conventional technique!

You set up as a conventional Suspended Lunge in single TRX mode, lower yourself deep stopping just shy of the floor with your back knee, rise up halfway, lower yourself back down before driving up into extension. 

Thats counted as 1 rep.... Aim for 3 sets of 15!


Tennis Players also renown for their sexy behinds, one reason for this is the lateral movement required in the sport.

2) MONSTER WALK

Tie a dura-band just above your ankles, hold a squat position as shown above...

Set 2 cones 15m apart, move laterally to the opposite cone and return... Repeat this 4 times!

 This will leave your butt screaming for mercy!

3) TABATA JUMP SQUATS

Jump Squats are are great way to not only tone the butt, it also allows a great metabolic kick to the workout especially doing them TABATA style. With the explosive nature of the exercise you'll recruit the fast twitch fibres of this powerful hip extensor!

So what is TABATA training?

The best way to perform this is to download a TABATA app on your smart phone, you need to work at 100% for 20 seconds and only allow 10 secs rest. This is to be repeated 8 times! Bombastic results will prevail!

4) DB Sumo Dead-lift Wave Load

For this drill set up three Dumbbells each 2.5kg in weight heavier than the other.
Example: 15, 17.5, 20kg

Then lift reps: 15kg@15 reps, 17.5@12 reps and 20kg@10 reps

Then reverse so: 20kg @ 10 reps, 17.5kg@ 12reps, 15kg@ 15 reps

Repeat that whole sequence three times through!


There you go, try this routine and shape up the rear in time for summer!

BREAKING A SWEAT, its alright!

I see the people who say they go to the gym all the time but never see results or get bored and give up! I also see a lot of people walk into the gym with a newspaper or women's weekly magazine. SIMPLE add variety and intensity... mix it up!

I put this circuit together as I wanted a quick get in/get out workout, high intensity and release some endorphins.... Try it out!

TURKISH GET UP. PERFORM 10 ON EACH SIDE

VIPR SNOW SHOVEL. DO 20 REPS EACH SIDE

 LOW LATERAL STEPPER HOPS. WORK HARD FOR 1 MINUTE

TRX BODY SAW TO TRICEP PRESS. PERFORM 15 REPS

TREADMILL HILL SPRINTS. 3MINUTE ROUND

Do at least 3 rounds with limited rest, you'll feel like you've achieved something at the end of it! 

TIME RESTRAINTS? Use these moves for best results in the gym!

I have always been a fan of getting more bang for your buck when it comes to getting the best results out of the gym!

The most common excuse for skipping training sessions seems to be lack of time. I address this in many  ways but even if you can only get one gym session in a week at least you can still get great results with these compound movements.

Compound exercises (multiple joint movements) are going to recruit more motor units than isolated exercises such as comparing a Dead-lift to bicep curls, so if you're time restricted definitely cut isolated movements/split programming and stick to compound/total body movements.

You will need to cover all realms of movements/patterns i.e multi-plane, anterior/posterior chain and upper body/lower body/core..

A great way to nail this is by following world renown holistic practitioner Paul Chek's primal movement patterns when thinking of program design for this type of training which include; SQUAT, BEND, LUNGE, PUSH, PULL, TWIST movements..


So set up the start of your workout with the most demanding movement and end with least demanding... In this case I will start with the exercise known as the king of exercises the BARBELL DEAD-LIFT!


1) Conventional Barbell dead-lift

Preparatory work may be required for this as many people don't have great posture, flexibility or core strength to perform this exercise correctly and often blame the movement for causing back pain and other issues... My philosophy on that is there is no such thing as a bad a exercise but the way one has qualified themselves for the loading and movement... If you're unsure definitely get your movement assessed by a professional before commencing this lifting technique.

Don't ever go into this movement with a huge ego either as thats the best way to injure yourself, start with lighter loads and build strength endurance (high reps and lighter loads), as you feel your technique improving go heavier with less repetitions (that goes for any loading)...


2) Front Squat

Just like the dead-lift there are quite a few variations to Squatting and all are good done correctly, the reason I like the front squat is the bar loading in front leaves minimal room for forgiveness allowing you to really brush up on your technique, improve your posterior/extensor chain, your core and get nice and deep with the lift! 

Take a nice controlled, slow downward/eccentric phase of the movement and on the up/concentric phase, once you're above the 45 degree mark of knee angle you can drive up into extension nice and quick.

3) Bulgarian Split Squat

Another great lower limb (lunge pattern) movement in which you will reap the rewards of stability, flexibility, posture and have great rollover to function for many sporting activities. 

Lower yourself again in a controlled manner-nice and slowly and ensure good knee-tracking (knee in line with second or third toe). Keep a nice and tall open chest and upper torso posture as shown above!

3) Swiss Ball Standing Bent Over Row

This is a great way to train the upper back musculature. After performing dead-lifts your grip maybe fatigued so ensure you maintain tall upper back posture (no hunching) and keep shoulders depressed (down and away from ears). Avoid shoulder lurching by gliding the scapula (shoulder blade) as first part of movement and opening the chest.

If you want to boost results try super-setting this with chin-ups or TRX low rows to add closed chain into the mix!

4) Standing Cable Push

The great thing about this movement is again the roll over to function, the push exercises whilst sitting on a machine has only one line of motion and switches off a lot of important stabilisers unlike the free motion machine. 

Get yourself into an athletic stance and push the cable right through. Take your time coming back to the start position. 

I like to add a superset of bodyweight pushups as it brings closed chain into the program!

5) Medicine ball Wood Chop

The wood-chop again performed with many variations is a great functional compound movement to add a multi-planar segment to your routine. It will hit the core and every muscle from toe to finger tips so a great way to finish you routine. 

To wrap things up I've been very loose on rep ranges and terminology because the variables such as loading, tempo and rep ranges are specific to the individual and his/her ability. I can guarantee great results with this routine in the gym and many of my personal clients will recognise these go-to exercises from when I've been drilling them into shape! 

Have a very happy and healthy January everyone, lets make 2013 the best year ever and start getting into optimal shape NOW!

Food for thought: IS SUGAR WORSE FOR YOU THAN ALCOHOL?

Today's society is immensely stressed, sleep deprived and lacks sunlight exposure, this is a huge dillemma as our brains are the most important survival organ and demand constant energy, so what do we do in order to get back to a sustainable level of energy, we often dig for the quick fix to get the task done which is sugar/insulin.

Sugar is present in many of our foods, and we usually dig for the sugary option at breakfast time causing a massive spike of insulin to set the day off causing a vicious cycle of cravings. This cycle can easily become the norm when we are not eating enough quality protein and fats in our diet.

Protein and fats (yes fats) provide the building blocks for efficient brain chemistry and help slow digestion to drip feed sugar from carbohydrates into the blood stream, this helps relieve the highs and lows that set off sugar cravings!

Both stress and high sugar foods create create blood sugar spikes that provoke insulin production. This hormone delivers sugar into the cells for energy but also signals fat storage in preference to burning fat as fuel in our bodies. Eating protein and good quality fats creates the opposite effect on body composition by stimulating thermogenisis or heat creation and makes our bodies less likely to crave quick fix sugars.

SUGAR WORSE FOR YOU THAN ALCOHOL! 

In 1980 doctors from the Mayo clinic in the U.S. reported that liver biopsies on 20 patients had revealed regions of dead cells, signs of inflammation, "striking fatty changes" and Mallory bodies- bright pink staining structures that are a classic sign of liver disease. To any doctor under the microscope they were clear signs of liver damaged by alcohol... The thing is the participants did not drink or if they did minimally. They named this disease non-alcoholic steatohepatits. In 2012 it is the most common liver disease in the U.S. and possibly throughout the developed world!
One of the reasons this disease was unheard of 30 years ago is because of the levels of fructose (sugar found in cheap sweeteners such as High Fructose Corn Syrup and in sweet fruits).

HFCS was added to many processed foods and soft drinks as it was a cheap sweetener and more than likely added to low fat products in which consumers were made to believe eating low fat would help you lose weight.

Fructose in the diet causes raised insulin resistance, fatty liver and other symptoms of metabolic syndrome that has escalated over the past 30 years such as bulging waistline, high blood glucose concentration, high levels of bad fats in the blood, cardiovascular disease and fatty liver. Not to mention increased risks of developing diabetes, heart disease and strokes.

Here's a tip; ditch the packaged cereal (eating the cardboard box is probably healthier) and try implementing fish, eggs or meat ( any high protein food source) for breakfast you'll find yourself looking trimmer and feeling great!

More on this to come!