Miles high! win your own TRX by guessing my finishing time!

The London Marathon is only a few weeks away and the training program I'm following has one more big volume week before the tapering!

My last few weeks have consisted of some tough runs and training but its paid off and I'm feeling confident...

My colleagues and I at "Move Three Sixty" studio also hosted a Running workshop covering topics on:

• Minimalist footwear (barefoot running) vs Traditional cushioned shoe
• Assessments on form and corrective exercise
• Video Analysis
• Injuries (prevention and awareness)
• Nutrition and Hormonal response
• Self release Myofascial
• Stretching, active and passive-corrective stretching
• Periodisation and Programs
• Strength exercise for runners

This was an amazing lecture, we have a great team of professionals, we were also mentioned in HFM (Health for Men) magazine this month just to top everything off! Pick up your copy at a local Holland and Barrett today!

This month I also performed some MOT health consults with some amazing individuals at the Vitality Convention in London, I was representing REPs (Registrar of Exercise Professionals)! 

Back to the training... currently my typical week would have;

Monday: TRX total body workout with battle rope intervals
Tuesday: Track Session 1600s with 2min easy running x4 (5km warm up)
Wednesday: Mobility and stretch session
Thursday: 3km easy run- 10km time trial- 3km easy
Friday: 16km
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 30km (race pace)

Its been pretty much this for 3 weeks but this week I hit a easier build up to finish the week with a 16km on saturday and a demanding 36km on sunday before my taper..

Here's some images of one of my clients training outdoors with some typical resistant exercises I been using to retain strength, core and muscular endurance- not to mention highly metabolic!

TRX suspended lunge 3x15reps 

Battle Ropes 20seconds whips, 20secs alt whips and 20seconds wide to close... Hard work, gets the heart racing!!!

TRX oblique Jacknife 45seconds x3

TRX Alt leg Hamstrings 45seconds x3

TRX mountain climbers 45seconds x3

1600m intervals x4

The race top, look out for me!!

WIN ME!!!

 I'm running the 2012 London Marathon for St John Ambulance and almost at target! Donate minimum £15 on my just giving page and email me the predicted finishing time to luke.d.marshall@gmail.com if you are closest to my actual time you'll receive this TRX force kit! London residents only and I'll throw in an hour PT worth £65 to get you started! Whole package worth over £200....

Click on this link to donate! http://www.justgiving.com/Luke-Marshall2012Run

Run Run Run- London marathon training update!

The London Marathon is only weeks away now and my training is in full flight!

To avoid boredom and injuries my program is a good mix of fartlek training, hill runs, 10km pace runs and the LSD (long slow distance) so far my furthest distance of 30km and the longest run I reach before the event is 36km.

I love my strength training but have reduced the emphasis on my regular routine and made more specific plans to allow better recovery for my running training. I use TRX total body suspension training as there is plenty of unilateral closed chain leg exercises such as the suspended lunge (pictured) and the emphasis on core and stabilising(tonic) muscles that improve posture is super important for any runner!

Amice and James performing suspended lunge

There are many exercises with over 300 to choose from, so I perform 2 TRX session a week in amongst my runs.

I find mobility exercises are really important especially pre-running- I like to make sure my thoracic is mobile, I have sufficient ankle dorsi-flexion, and my hip flexors are loosened up with a variety of moves!

This knee banger assessment can be done with a ruler against the wall, you can test your range but also use it as a mobility exercise by keeping your foot firmly in a neutral position (shown in picture) but at a distance a few more centimetres back where your knee can't quite reach the wall. Do 12-15 glides and watch your dorsi-flexion improve!

To improve thoracic spine mobility a roller is great. You can roll back and forward in the position shown above and iron out any tight fascia, then lower hips-inhale and extend over the roller. I use different segments of the thoracic spine and about 8-10 extensions over each segment.

A great active stretch for hip flexors, thoracic and dorsi-flexion in one, perform 12-15 each side!

New Years Resolutions Start Now!

Another solid training week gone by and only a few more sleeps until the jolly fat man and his team of well conditioned reindeer fill our stockings, this by any means is not the time to slacken off, no we must work harder to maintain the good work thats been put in over the year!

New Years resolutions need to start now, don't put off your goals start with putting the steps into place now and hit the ground running in the new year, especially if you're going on ski holidays, you need fitness, strength and core stability to ensure you don't come home with nasty injuries and make the most of the trip!

Marathon training wise I put in a personal best effort on my 10km of 42.53min, I added another hill sprint (5times up Primrose Hill with 12km total) to my training and I've ran my furtherest to date of 24km.

It was an awesome 24km run up the canal in the rain, the pace was great and it was a good little stepping stone for me!

The combination of the hill sprints, interval training,10km pace running and the longer endurance runs seems to be exactly what my body requires. I find they all compliment each other and my recovery is getting a lot quicker!

On the longer run I tried using a isotonic energy gel. I took one at 10km mark and another at 15km, I have to admit it gave me a real boost!

Along with the running training I joined in on the last Spartan circuit of the year!

Todays spartan workout was enough to burn off all the extra Christmas treats and Mulled wine from winter wonderland!

I wish everyone a very merry Christmas, 

Also if you haven't yet donated towards my London Marathon Charity, St Johns Ambulance- Please visit my Just Giving page, any contribution will be appreciated!

http://www.justgiving.com/Luke-Marshall2012Run

Run through to Christmas

Ok back to a track session on Wednesday, my Nike Plus program required me to warm up for 3km constant pace and then do 3mins fast pace and 2mins recovery x 4 intervals.This was a killer session, each 3minute interval was extremely tough maintaining the pace I'd set myself, I managed to get out a solid 10km distance during the session. This session was actually close to my fastest 10km time...

Now todays gym session is the Spartan training circuit, just during the flaming warm up, I could feel the hard work I'd put in during the track session yesterday.

Circuits like this are highly metabolic and great for getting to your ideal body composition. Probably not the most ideal for marathon training but I'm always up for a challenge!

I knew Claud from "Move Three Sixty", wasn't going to go easy on us as I saw him preparing the equipment.

Today he changed from 15reps of each exercise to using the clock meaning we went hard for 45seconds for four rounds (that is round one-then we do a second round) each and we used Kettle-bells, Cables, BOSU, TRX and medicine balls in dynamic style to hit every muscle in your body... Was the hardest one so far and I know I going to appreciate my rest day tomorrow!

Heres a little snippet of todays workout!

MY LONDON MARATHON TRAINING

I have made a decision to take on some challenges that have been sitting on my mind for a while, so after accomplishing the Mens Health "Survival of the Fittest" I decided to apply for the London Marathon 2012. I'm running for Charity with the St Johns Ambulance Team. Please check out my Just Giving Page, any donations would be truly appreciated!

http://www.justgiving.com/Luke-Marshall2012Run

Survival of the Fittest was an amazing event which challenges every aspect of ones fitness. The obstacles range from climbing over hay bails, over walls, crawling through tunnels, mud, water, sandbags not to mention a 10km run! 

This is great fitness event for my type of body- I'm a rugby players build, I've been playing rugby from aged 5yrs to 31years and just recently decided to hang up my boots. I spend my life in gyms pumping weights and I do fitness, speed, stability and power regimes specific to my other passions i.e Tennis, snowboarding, rock-climbing, hiking etc

The real question is can this body of mine handle a marathon?

I love running, I have been told all the pro's and cons to running- some industry experts don't believe in running because it raises cortisol levels (which can cause fat levels to increase), it also causes muscle atrophy(losing metabolically active tissue can cause fat levels to rise), not to mention injuries that can develop through extensive running....

I believe on the other hand that if you still do your strength work, core work, flexibility, stability, look after your diet and develop the milage over time that your body can handle you wreak all the benefits running has to offer. One thing is the endorphins (its like a drug-I think I'm addicted)!

Over the next few weeks/months I'm going to be blogging my day to day progress in the lead up to the London Marathon, this will include topics such as diet, tips, training, gadgets, phone apps, gear, injury prevention basically leaving no stone unturned!

Here is a brief overview so far!

I am running in Nike Lunar glides which have Nike Plus features, on the Nike Plus website I typed in my goal of running the marathon and it gave me an ideal 24 week program for my level. After researching other programs this seemed to be on par with the experts so went with it! The Nike Plus chip and sports band gives details of your splits, duration, and pace and the Nike Plus application has GPS if you fancy mapping out your runs. I also use a basic Polar heart rate monitor. Obviously some watches these days can do everything in the one unit but I decided to roll with what I had on hand!

So the training,

WEEK 1

Started lightly with a 6km run and a build up to a 12km by the end of the week. I squeezed 3 runs and 2 strength sessions in.

One of my commitments is a Spartan Training Circuit in which I do at Move Three Sixty (www.movethreesixty.com) in which I work as a Personal Trainer. This is an intense progressive workout involving a combination of power, strength and core (a specific blog will follow)... I also did a TRX circuit which is great for runners as it builds functional strength, stability and core...

WEEK 2

This was 2x7km and a 16km run on the Sunday. 16km is actually the furtherest I've ever ran, I've never been involved with a sport that requires long distance running. Actually it felt really great to chew up the kms and I felt amazing afterwards! Did the Spartan and TRX workout during the week also.

WEEK 3

2x8km fast and a slow 16km. Spartan and TRX circuits.

WEEK 4

1x8km, Intervals on Track; 5km of easy running- 4 x 1mins pick ups/3mins recovery (8km), 1x 16km.

Strength and core circuit, Spartan workout.

WEEK 5

1x10km, Intervals on track; 5x2mins pick ups 2-3mins recovery, 16.5km; warm up 5km, 10km race pace for 10km- 1.5km cool down.

Strength and core circuit and Spartan workout.

That brings the program to WEEK 6, the current week.

Monday I completed a 4km warm up jog to Primrose Hill, 5xHill sprints and ran home at speedy pace equalling 12km all up.

Here is my view from the top!

One way to stay motivated is to follow a program and mix things up, the program didn't include the hill sprints but it added a great challenge to the runs and gives you great strength for the inclines you may face on race day!

HEALTHIER PANCAKE RECIPE anyone????

Everybody loves pancakes but traditionally they are not the healthiest start to the day. I have played around with the recipe with these pancakes and my family, friends and clients have all spoken of the long sustained energy levels throughout the day. They are fluffy, high in protein and low GI, so great for the days you know you're going to be active.

Great meal for athletes who need the elements of energy and added protein for recovery.


This is my recipe.....

Half a cup of oats
1 Egg (organic free range)
Half a cup organic probriotic natural yoghurt
Half a cup of milk (I'll let you be in charge of milk choice)
Half cup gluten free white flour
Half cup wholemeal flour
2 tablespoons Brown sugar
1-2 tablespoons Hemp protein
1 teaspoon gluten free baking powder
Pinch of organic sea salt


Simply soak the oats in the wet ingredients for roughly 10mins then start adding the dry ingredients. the pan will require a smidget of butter.

Fry pancake until you see the bubbles pop through the top and show us your best pancake flipping technique.

Drizzle a bit of maple syrup and some fruit i.e blueberries, strawberries etc

Bon Appétit!

Is Your Weight Effecting Your Salary??

Todays blog is an interesting topic, I was reading the magazine "GRAZIA"  25 July 2011 and came across an article titled 'I lost weight and doubled my salary'..... A friend who was staying at my house left the magazine behind.....

Can losing weight (females) or gaining muscle mass (males) have an effect on your salary? Well recent studies say yes!

In a recent controversial study by The Journal Of Applied Psychology it claims that women's pay packets are linked to their waistlines. They found that thin women earned on average up to £10,000 a year more than their overweight colleagues. Bizarrely the ones being financially penalised the most were thin women who just put on a few pounds. On the flipside, underweight men take home £5000 less than their heavier colleagues.

The perception in weight gain for females was 'weak' or 'lazy' and men who were more muscular or athletic looking tend to be associated with being brave or smart, while thin men described as nervous or sneaky...

The article goes on to talk about how this particular lady dropping dress size from a size 18 to 8 and doubled her salary although I'm going to tell you a story of my own personal experience with the matter!

Whilst working in Australia a few years back I came across a client who was an analyst for a marketing research company. He came to me requiring about 30kg weight loss to get back to his optimal/healthy range, he had very poor posture and with that chronic back pain. Part of his job was to make proposals to business's in an attempt to convert them to his company. He was quiet, softly spoken and had a very average conversion rate considering his background knowledge. As soon as his posture started to change from looking like an old granny crossing the road to a more upright athletic posture and of course gaining lean muscle/ stripping fat so did his confidence in the workplace. His conversion rate tripled, he received bonuses for all the extra business and revenue that was coming to the table and of course started getting back into sport and activities that weren't possible beforehand. So of course as I was reading the article he immediately came to mind.

On a slightly different topic I switched on BBC breakfast this morning and apparently obese people are not being taken seriously by NHS health professionals. They are discriminated against the minute they walk through the door and instead of taking the health problem they came in for seriously they get told to lose weight (debatable topic as they found on the show this morning).... Of course they are not told how to lose weight, they are not sent to a consultant or anything and if they require a wheel chair or something they don't have sizes to cater for the clinically obese.....

A point I'd like to make is I've seen people lose weight before my very eyes and the changes aren't incredibly complex of any sort. Its about breaking old habits and starting a routine that will suit a healthier lifestyle. The benefits you reap are amazing. Not just for your paycheque but your overall health and confidence. 

 Heres some of my personal tips that the guy above, and will also get you kick started to the new look you deserve!!

• Make decisions that will burn calories during the day example; get off tube/transport system a stop or two earlier and walk some of the way, take the stairs not the lift/escalator, bike to work, walk to a park somewhere to eat your lunch etc...

• Jot down in your diary a month in advance the days you set out to train. Try to commit to 3-5 days a week if possible. Mix up your routines every four weeks to keep your body guessing. Fitness professionals always set you up for a challenging workout to your level so if you're not sure you're working hard enough or confused about how to go about it try doing your first 10 workouts with an advanced strength trainer.

• Introduce exercise at a steady rate, build a strong base for yourself to start with. This may mean start walking round the block and over periods build into a run, work on stabilisation and control and move to loading once you're familiar with where your joints should be during exercise, work on joint mobility to ensure you can get full range of motion throughout the exercise. 

• If you're time restricted but have hour long lunch break try cutting it with a 30-45min gym session. With the right fitness professional 30-45mins of high intensity full body workout will be enough to kick you into gear... Ask your trainer for an at home workout you can do or gym sessions you can achieve in you own time. Try to get at least 1-2 sessions for home workouts!

• Make healthier food choices, snack on low GI foods/proteins, choose organic, eat whole foods and not packaged, chew your food to a liquid form before swallowing, eat several small meals apposed to 3 large meals, keep hydrated with good sources of water, minimise your toxins such as caffeine and especially alcohol, (no sugary drinks please).....

• Don't forget your stress levels. As prior blog suggests you need to have adequate sleep patterns and do as much as you can to minimise other elements of stress in your life. Happy people are healthy people!