tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65905448615569285472024-03-05T07:33:52.514-08:00FIT in five hundred wordsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-28641090896352060622015-03-01T03:35:00.001-08:002015-03-01T03:35:13.040-08:00The end...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This isn't the end. This is just the beginning of another journey for me. I've more than enjoyed posting on this blog over the last few years and sharing with you the information I know it takes to achieve serious fitness results. Even if you only took one useful piece of info from the 100+ posts I did! then I'm happy. I personally just wanted to say thank you for following and reading over the last few years. But as this door closes, another one opens....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For more fitness tips to take your game to another level, follow me here...</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-58359316328084048222015-01-02T13:52:00.003-08:002015-01-02T13:55:31.579-08:005 tips for a healthier, stronger, fitter, leaner you in 2015<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2015 is upon us! Put these 5 tips into your regular routine for <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">a healthier, stronger, fitter, leaner you this year.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Set a solid goal</span></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You'd be surprised how often I have this conversation with people...</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Me: "so what are you trying to achieve Mr X?"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mr X: " well, err, just looking to get fitter really"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After another 10 minutes of digging around, something like this usually comes out...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mr X: "I've got a beach holiday in 6 months and I'd really like to lose 10lbs and work on my chest"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There it is!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So set a clear, SMART goal that motivates you, and work towards it with laser guided focus. Without a destination you don't know where you're going.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDP_WWnXGFpvSlRx5F9Ew0HkYTOteFwKGB18GA9CctIgfBIuPbX1RD3reIhgZD4BMm7E4tkYQgaDYBn6t6TlfCb5-TENHE3z3SBnFL9N_pwe-3z4sDs2PQV79uY2W98NdSjRgbHrSvyk/s1600/Untitled-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDP_WWnXGFpvSlRx5F9Ew0HkYTOteFwKGB18GA9CctIgfBIuPbX1RD3reIhgZD4BMm7E4tkYQgaDYBn6t6TlfCb5-TENHE3z3SBnFL9N_pwe-3z4sDs2PQV79uY2W98NdSjRgbHrSvyk/s1600/Untitled-1.jpg" height="150" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Make mobility part of your everyday routine </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Keeping on top of regular soft tissue work is so important for sustained performance and faster recovery. Use tools like foam rollers, massage balls, voodoo compression bands and jump stretch bands to improve mobility and relieve any minor aches and pains. I'm taking it that seriously this year, I've planned in 2 random mobility drills everyday on my calander, with 2 days a week reserved for working on problem areas. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EKnRlcI2jk0/VKcSJaWRvyI/AAAAAAAAA5U/9qxUSe1LEx8/s1600/2015%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EKnRlcI2jk0/VKcSJaWRvyI/AAAAAAAAA5U/9qxUSe1LEx8/s1600/2015%2B-%2B1" height="319" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Record your workouts</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Results are born from progression. Therefor it is paramount you're progressing your reps, sets, weights etc. to achieve the desired training effect. I'm yet to meet a person that can remember every weight, rep range, tempo, exercise, set and rest period from the previous session. </span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Skip carbs at breakfast</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Carbs release serotonin. A calming neurotransmitter within the body. This could put you in a sleepy mood, I'm sure you'll agree not an ideal way to start the day. Go for a high protein/moderate fat combo for sustained blood sugar levels right up to lunch.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spike your drinking water during your workouts with electrolyte powder</span></b><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You're a wet, moving organism. If your tissues are dehydrated they will dry up like tinder for a campfire, become sticky and prevent your body from moving in optimal range. With dehydration comes a decrease in work capacity by up to 30%. Prevent this from happening by spiking your intra-workout drink with electrolytes.</span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-7823356134311642182014-12-21T14:09:00.000-08:002014-12-21T14:09:28.570-08:00Intra-workout fuel recipe<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been asked a few times in the last week... "Breckell, what's that green slime you're drinking during your workout?" Well, it's my top secret, special intra-workout rocket fuel mix that allows me to push past any plateau that gets in my way! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just kidding! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You'll probably notice around your gym more and more people are starting to drink some sort of coloured water during their workout. Many brands are making their own intra-workout products, but be warned some ingredients they may contain might just be wasting your time and money. That's why I make my own, this is what it includes...</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_w8SgCuN6OU/VJc4X6YTBbI/AAAAAAAAA4k/3SPhnzYzRKA/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_w8SgCuN6OU/VJc4X6YTBbI/AAAAAAAAA4k/3SPhnzYzRKA/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10-15g apple BCAA's</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">BCAA's can prevent catobilism. They also compete with the amino acid tryptophan, a precursor to the calming neurotransmitter - serotonin. Who wants to feel "calm" during a workout? You want to be altert and ready to give it everything. I like apple, but you can go for whatever flavour you fancy.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Electrolytes</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You're a wet, moving organism. If your tissues are dehydrated they will dry up like tinder for a campfire, become sticky and prevent your body from moving in optimal range. With dehydration comes a decrease in work capacity by up to 30%. Prevent this from happening by spiking your intra-workout drink with electrolytes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's it. Simple, yet effective. No BS included. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-21682362400042186082014-12-11T06:27:00.000-08:002014-12-11T06:39:34.772-08:00The spin class enthusiasts mobility drills <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I used to say "if you want tight hamstrings and a headache, go to a spin class!" But I've come to learn there is no such thing as a bad spin class, just bad spin class attendees. If you're a regular spinner, and currently suffering with a niggle in the hamstring, calves so tight you could use them as guitar strings or achey hips, this probably isn't news to you, but the short 5 minute cool down of a few static stretches at the end of a class just isn't enough. You need to be able to perform some basic maintenance on your body regularly to keep your muscles and joints working in an optimal range. Otherwise problems get worse and worse and BAM! you've got an injury on your hands. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's 4 drills you can perform anywhere/anytime to help recovery and restoration from a spin class. </span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Calves foam roller smash</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We'll start from the bottom up. Many inexperienced cyclists try and create power when they ride from the ankle joint, not the big strong muscles such as the quads, calves and glutes. This shreds your calves meaning they get very tight and your left missing ankle range. Counteract this by A: learning to cycle properly and B: performing this drill. Cross one leg over the other and place the roller on your Achilles and very slowly work your way up and down the calf. Pause on any tender spots for 20-30 sec and spend at least 2 minutes per side exploring around the calf. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aoCKlhEYnNE/VImoKcZRypI/AAAAAAAAA3k/N4xpSVHCr7w/s1600/2014%2B-%2B3" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aoCKlhEYnNE/VImoKcZRypI/AAAAAAAAA3k/N4xpSVHCr7w/s1600/2014%2B-%2B3" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">Hamstring ball smash</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hamstrings take a pounding from cycling. Tight hamstrings are bad news and can lead to a</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">bunch of other bad things like lower back pain. Take a hard ball of some kind (massage ball, cricket ball, golf ball, tennis ball) and take a seat. Place the ball under your hamstring and explore around. You'll be unpleasantly surprised with what you might find here, as the hamstring muscle fibres tend to get all junked up. Once again two minutes of exploring per side.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e8j1P21x8mg/VImoKW1QMeI/AAAAAAAAA3k/kOotkhTVeo8/s1600/2014%2B-%2B4" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e8j1P21x8mg/VImoKW1QMeI/AAAAAAAAA3k/kOotkhTVeo8/s1600/2014%2B-%2B4" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Couch stretch</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spinning requires a lot of sitting. And sitting wrecks your hip action. You'll get really tight in the anterior hip/hip flexor area. This stretch will work wonders at opening your hips back out. 2 minutes per side.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yqk7vX01Qpk/VImoKVxgUII/AAAAAAAAA3k/ExzBzLIRgb4/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yqk7vX01Qpk/VImoKVxgUII/AAAAAAAAA3k/ExzBzLIRgb4/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" height="244" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">T-spine smash </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next time you're in a spin class and you go for one of those big sprints, you'll see everyone ducks down to make themselves more aerodynamic. Look at everyone's spine! It's in a big C shape. Now imagine keeping the spine in this position and standing up. Over time this is the effect it's going to have, so open that thoracic spine back up with this drill. Place a roller on your thoracic spine area and reach all the way over your head. Hang out like this for, yep you guessed it - 2 mins.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_-cqnIk-Zoc/VImpVM9Vk6I/AAAAAAAAA4E/6imkjnnQH6Y/s1600/2014%2B-%2B2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_-cqnIk-Zoc/VImpVM9Vk6I/AAAAAAAAA4E/6imkjnnQH6Y/s1600/2014%2B-%2B2" height="173" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-19945639356915944532014-11-24T13:05:00.001-08:002014-11-24T13:08:16.789-08:005 fat loss tips for an alien<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So the other day I was asked "what fat loss tips would you offer that are so simple even an alien could understand them?". Here's my response....</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IqBuAhJ51Ds/VHOdJz31DeI/AAAAAAAAA3A/Avjc92olITY/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IqBuAhJ51Ds/VHOdJz31DeI/AAAAAAAAA3A/Avjc92olITY/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" height="320" width="291" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drink 2-4 litres of water a day</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Staying hydrated is a must for optimal performance in life as well as the gym! Keeping hydrated is also important for fat metabolism.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Watch carbs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Carbs are quite energy dense, and I'm sure you'll all agree - they are very easy to over eat on. Carbs also effect your blood sugar levels. For fat loss our goal is to keep blood sugar levels stable.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Focus on consuming lean protein</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Protein will help repair and recover your muscles from your workouts. It's also quite hard to digest, meaning it'll cost more calories to do so.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eat little and often</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even though there's actually no evidence that eating little and often will raise your metabolism for whatever reasons it seems to work for most people.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Make resistance training and intervals your main training modes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A smart combo of resistance and interval work will raise your metabolic rate for up to 48 hours after your session! Resistance training will help build or at least maintain the muscle you have, the reason we want to do this is because muscle mass is metabolically active tissue. Meaning it'll burn calories even when you're at rest.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-40752926479927660642014-11-18T08:41:00.001-08:002014-11-18T08:45:20.681-08:00Beating the bench press warm up blues<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hands in the air if you do a couple of light sets of bench press for your bench press/chest day warm up?....</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F5lpo5BzfCE/VGtztG_YspI/AAAAAAAAA2k/bJTP-aMMU0U/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F5lpo5BzfCE/VGtztG_YspI/AAAAAAAAA2k/bJTP-aMMU0U/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How about this for a more productive bench press/chest day warm up....</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Step 1:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> the kettlebell shoulder mobilisation. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BaWdYT23Fqs/VFpRRPimNYI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/b7bDA-iUUWI/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BaWdYT23Fqs/VFpRRPimNYI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/b7bDA-iUUWI/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Great for resetting the shoulder into an optimal position for pressing before you train chest. For more info check out my full post on the drill here (the before/after pics have to be seen to be believed) </span><br />
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<a href="http://fitinfivehundredwords.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/counteracting-21st-century-shoulders.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://fitinfivehundredwords.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/counteracting-21st-century-shoulders.html</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">Step 2:</span> elbow voodoo band mobilisation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wD_pIS-btLw/VE-YywGK2cI/AAAAAAAAAzs/Gpt-Xfhc02k/s1600/2014%2B-%2B2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wD_pIS-btLw/VE-YywGK2cI/AAAAAAAAAzs/Gpt-Xfhc02k/s1600/2014%2B-%2B2" height="320" width="239" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Great for loosening the elbows, allowing for a full range of motion during presses. Once again for more info check out the whole post on this drill here </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://fitinfivehundredwords.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/voodoo-band-elbow-mobilisation.html">http://fitinfivehundredwords.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/voodoo-band-elbow-mobilisation.html</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">Step 3:</span> a couple of light sets of your first exercise, ramping up to your first working set weight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">Step 4:</span> have a good workout! </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-63257237441740962632014-11-11T07:24:00.000-08:002014-11-11T07:24:38.638-08:00Create a vision board for continued motivation Setting goals is something that we're all familiar with. In fact, it's so common today that it's becoming a little mundane! So why not take that a little further and create yourself a vision board?<br />
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A vision board is quite simply a collage of images of things you're currently working towards. Whether that be you're ideal figure, a new watch or a dream holiday you've always wanted to go on. Once you've created you're vision board place it in a prominent place that your going to see every day, so that it can keep reminding you to stay focused on your goals. The kitchen fridge for example, or use my idea and save it as your phone wallpaper.....<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KxcEYt0OEVE/VGImCbT9YKI/AAAAAAAAA2A/juqpTbSSjFM/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KxcEYt0OEVE/VGImCbT9YKI/AAAAAAAAA2A/juqpTbSSjFM/s320/2014%2B-%2B1" width="180" /></a></div>
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Most of it is pretty obvious, but here's the reasoning behind my vision board:<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Top left</span> - Steve Reeves circa 1950, proof that tall people can have a set of legs!<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Top middle</span> - Vegas, a place I've always dreamed of going. I've recently had some friends visit and it sounds epic.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Top right</span> - Actor and fitness model, Joe Manganiello. Still what I think to be the ultimate male physique and a look I want to work towards.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Bottom left</span> - The new Mercedes A class.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Bottom right</span> - A house key. Currently embarking on the daunting task of saving for a place of my own.<br />
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<b><i>"Creative visualisation is real. It's a powerful force that works to shape future outcomes."</i></b> Harvard Medical School<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-63903936777603339012014-11-05T08:39:00.000-08:002014-11-05T08:39:59.837-08:00Counteracting 21st century shoulders<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Living in the 21st century amongst cars, desk jobs, computers, mobile phones, sofas in front of the TV and heavy chest pressing in the gym etc. We all tend to live in the front of the shoulder capsule and get this forward rounding shoulder appearance. Now I've tried many different techniques to try and correct this and improve my own posture, but nothing has been more effective than the kettlebell shoulder capsule mobilisation. </span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What you'll need</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An 8-12kg kettlebell and a jump stretch band</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How to do it</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's quite a complicated set up, but once you get it right it'll work wonders!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-Lying on your back, Use the jump stretch band to get a lateral distraction of the shoulder joint.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-Press the kettlebell into the sky (like a chest press) and hold it in position. I like to use my free arm to steady my working arm. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-Drive your hips up off the floor, as you do this you'll feel your scapular move out of the way and your shoulder drop back, then return your hips to the floor. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-Hang out in this position for at least 2 minutes to see some change. You can also internally/externally rotate your arm to encourage improved range of motion with your shoulder in a better position. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BaWdYT23Fqs/VFpRRPimNYI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/b7bDA-iUUWI/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BaWdYT23Fqs/VFpRRPimNYI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/b7bDA-iUUWI/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Why it works </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The jump stretch band gently opens up the shoulder joint whilst the weight of the kettlebell drives the shoulder back into the socket into an optimal position. You'll see results from this after just 2 minutes, however for long term change make this drill part of your weekly routine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Test....re-test. Boom!</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aRC7U8eRIAM/VFpRRAjSosI/AAAAAAAAA1c/POK5eAvF234/s1600/2014%2B-%2B2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aRC7U8eRIAM/VFpRRAjSosI/AAAAAAAAA1c/POK5eAvF234/s1600/2014%2B-%2B2" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-82764656144857217982014-11-02T03:19:00.000-08:002014-11-02T03:19:44.533-08:00The Captain Morgan pose<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drinking Captain Morgan's rum is cool, but do you know what's even cooler?...standing like him!</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sg5hJNJI7iQ/VFYHx7ZtGZI/AAAAAAAAA0E/zmsDaYjCzRQ/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sg5hJNJI7iQ/VFYHx7ZtGZI/AAAAAAAAA0E/zmsDaYjCzRQ/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" height="320" width="256" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A high 80% of the clientele I work with have desk jobs so I'm always focusing on counteracting the detrimental effects of sitting. So what about the other 20% that spend the day standing? Long periods of standing incorrectly can be just as harmful to the spine as sitting can. Look at the images below. On the left is a shot of the spine in neutral which is how it should be ideally. After standing for a number of hours we tend to see an overextension fault of the lumbar spine (middle image). This is bad news for the lower back. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vJsoORiNJ3Q/VFYScd5vsZI/AAAAAAAAA00/FIjNfpWPwnw/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vJsoORiNJ3Q/VFYScd5vsZI/AAAAAAAAA00/FIjNfpWPwnw/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The reason this happens is the muscles such as the glutes and core that play an important role in midline stabilisation start to fatigue. You can save the lumbar spine when this happens by elevating a foot onto a box/ step/ shelf/ dumbell/ keg etc. (right image) This allows the lumbar spine to return to optimum positioning. Now I'm not suggesting you stand like this all day, but every so often adopt the Captain Morgan pose for a few minutes each leg to save your spine.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-81645821849083795722014-10-28T06:46:00.000-07:002014-10-28T06:49:07.400-07:00Voodoo band elbow mobilisation <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why voodoo? Well 90% of my clients I'm sure would agree, using the voodoo band is literally like voodoo magic for hot joint issues! Following on from my previous post on the knee joint drill, here's one for your elbow. If you suffer from stiff painful elbows, or want to improve bench press positioning or shoulder press positioning then this could be for you.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: red;">What you'll need...</span></b><br />A voodoo compression band or a bicycle inner tube cut in half will work just fine.</span></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: red;">How does it work...</span></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wrapping the band around a joint (knee, elbow, ankle etc.) a few inches above and below the joint and keeping the band nice and tight will create compression forces. This helps restore sliding surface function to the underlying banded tissues as well as create a flexion-gaping force at the joint. This can help restore normal range of motion in the joint. Once the band is removed the tissues surrounding the joint will flood with fresh blood bringing nutrients to the muscles and joint for improved recovery. One of the biggest advantages of using the banded mobilisation technique is you can closely mobilise the movement you want to improve.<br /><br /><br /><b><span style="color: red;">How to do it...</span></b><br />Wrap the elbow joint fairly tight a few inches below and above the joint. Start from the bottom and work your way up. With each wrap move the band up around half an inch. </span></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wD_pIS-btLw/VE-YywGK2cI/AAAAAAAAAzs/Gpt-Xfhc02k/s1600/2014%2B-%2B2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wD_pIS-btLw/VE-YywGK2cI/AAAAAAAAAzs/Gpt-Xfhc02k/s1600/2014%2B-%2B2" height="320" width="239" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Move the elbow in different directions (flexion/extension)</span></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. You can even perform a few bench presses or shoulder presses if this is the movement you want to mobilise. Spend around 2-3 minutes in this drill, then change arms. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s2v-DLVgq_o/VE-Yy35XfGI/AAAAAAAAAzg/USx4D3LM1Rc/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s2v-DLVgq_o/VE-Yy35XfGI/AAAAAAAAAzg/USx4D3LM1Rc/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">....literally everyone's interested in voodoo band mobilisation techniques!</span></div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-60283608850988263172014-10-22T07:46:00.000-07:002014-10-22T07:46:33.993-07:00Whey is not always the way!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the tips I'd give to guys and girls that regulary use a whey protein powder (or even a whey protein blend) is to rotate it every so often with a beef protein powder. The main reason being, whey can be quite allergenic. Some individuals can't take whey for this reason right from the outset. Like whey, beef will still deliver those all important amino acids for muscle growth, repair and recovery. The main difference is, unlike whey, beef protein's digestion takes place in the stomach. This avoids the swelling sensation that is commonly associated with whey digestion that takes place in the intestine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I regularly rotate between these two awesome products....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Impact whey protein </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>CarniPro</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And remember for 10% off all <a href="http://myprotein.com/" target="_blank">Myprotein</a> products use code <b>007PT80</b></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lXR8R8g7cM0/VEfBUxy-5yI/AAAAAAAAAzE/VVz39TF_1H4/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lXR8R8g7cM0/VEfBUxy-5yI/AAAAAAAAAzE/VVz39TF_1H4/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-46791773340007235322014-10-19T13:18:00.003-07:002014-10-19T13:18:58.536-07:00The big 100<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This post marks the triple figure milestone! And fast approaching 20k hits, I want to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you for your continued support and giving it a read when you can. For me, even if you take one useful tip away from this blog and apply it to your lifestyle and see a positive outcome then it's worth it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hitting this milestone today did make me take a minute to look back about how far I've come I'm the last few years in my career as a personal trainer and fitness professional. Currently working for the flagship David Lloyd leisure health club and about to hit "platinum trainer" status, things are going well for me. Now one important lesson I've learnt along the way is that no matter where you're headed you should never forget from where you came. I started my PT course with Future Fit Training around 4 years ago now and the first contact I had with a more experienced fit pro was with my tutor Jacqueline Hooton. Thanks to Jacqueline's expertise and guidance and the useful course information from FFT, I believe it's set me up on the path for a long and successful career within the fitness industry. Jacqueline's recently been nominated for the 'most inspiring physical activity professional' for the UK active awards. Myself and Jacqueline would very much appreciate it if you could take 1 minute out of your day and vote for her by clicking the link below!</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.ukactive.com/events/forthcoming-events/active-training-awards/vote-now"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.ukactive.com/events/forthcoming-events/active-training-awards/vote-now</span></a><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l14MIovEHS0/VEQbq6bzZZI/AAAAAAAAAxw/gciyY4YRqJI/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l14MIovEHS0/VEQbq6bzZZI/AAAAAAAAAxw/gciyY4YRqJI/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" height="118" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I couldn't finish this post without offering some form of tip you can take away with you could I? For an awesome plateau busting training protocol, why not try the 100 reps method. It's also a great way to increase work capacity. To do this, pick a weak or lagging muscle group and select an exercise. Select a weight you can complete 20 reps for. You would then perform as many reps as you can followed by a 30 sec rest. Then pick the bar up and repeat this process until you accumulate 100 total reps. For example:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Biceps - barbell curl - 25kg</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Set 1 - 18 reps</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Set 2 - 18 reps </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Set 3 - 17 reps </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Set 4 - 20 reps</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Set 5- 18 reps</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Set 6 - 9 reps</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Total reps = 100</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have fun!</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X8Eon96vbxs/VEQcdgTKZFI/AAAAAAAAAyU/U2qYk9AICFg/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X8Eon96vbxs/VEQcdgTKZFI/AAAAAAAAAyU/U2qYk9AICFg/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-37714813719478797382014-10-18T10:56:00.001-07:002014-10-18T11:05:03.302-07:00Bulk like Ben Affleck pt.2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In my previous post (pt.1) we looked at training in order to bulk up like Affleck has successfully done for his upcoming role as batman. Obviously that's only half the battle! Proper nutrient intake is also important. Now I don't know for sure what Bens diet consisted of, but I'd put money on it was something like this...</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8f73IBE1EHE/VD5WFVRQ9HI/AAAAAAAAAxI/nJbSfSV29oU/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8f73IBE1EHE/VD5WFVRQ9HI/AAAAAAAAAxI/nJbSfSV29oU/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" height="320" width="212" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 5,4,3,2,1 nutrition basics protocol</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5 small-medium meals a day should be consumed in order to consume enough nutrients, increase the metabolism and maintain energy.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To work out how many carbs you should be eating per day, use this simple formula:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 x bodyweight in kg = total grams of carbs per day</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For example if you weigh 80kg you'd need 320g of carbs per day. Divide this number by 5 and that's how many grams of carbs you should put in each meal. Good carb sources include sweet potato, quinoa and all green vegetables.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aim to drink at least 3 litres of water per day.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To work out how many grams of protein you should be eating per day, use this simple formula </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 x bodyweight in kg = total grams of protein per day</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For example if you weigh 80kg you'd aim for at least 160g of protein per day. Once again divide this number by 5 and that's how much protein you should have in each meal. Good protein sources include eggs, chicken, fish and nuts.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Allow yourself 1 treat meal per week. This could be whatever you're craving, wether that's a pizza, burger and chips or a slice of cake! This will help keep you motivated and a few dirty calories will help towards the muscle building process and keep your metabolism stoked. The only rule is, you have to get straight back on the good quality, clean nutrition intake right away for the next meal.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-60230500033260890362014-10-15T04:11:00.001-07:002014-10-18T10:35:14.025-07:00Bulk like Ben Affleck pt.1<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who's seen the latest pics of Ben Affleck's transformation for his upcoming role as batman? Well if you haven't here's one....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pretty impressive eh? He's certainly bulked out with some superhero worthy muscle mass! For those wondering how he's done it look no further. Now just to clarify I don't know for sure what Bens trainer had him doing, but it was probably something like this...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Following the 1-2,3-4,5-6,7-8,9-10 protocol.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1-2 muscle groups per session</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Focusing on 1-2 muscle groups per session allows you to really stimulate the fibres for optimal growth.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3-4 workouts a week</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3-4 sessions a week is plenty enough for the natural trainer. A 3 day split over 4 training days allows you to train a muscle group every 5 days which is perfect. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This could look like:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Session 1: chest and back </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Session 2: legs </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Session 3: shoulders and arms</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Session 4: repeat cycle</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5-6 total exercises per workout</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For example a chest and back session might look like this:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1A: Barbell bench press</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1B: Pull ups</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2A: Incline db press</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2B: 1 arm db row</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3: Back extensions</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7-8 reps per exercise</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7-8 reps per exercise on a 3010 tempo will be sufficent enough time under tension for gains in muscle and strength. The heavier weights will also hit the fast twitch fibres, which have most potential for growth.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9-10 total sets per muscle group </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Again this is sufficent amount of volume to work the targeted muscle fibres thoroughly, without overtraining. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Using the above example you could do this:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1A: Barbell bench press x5 </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1B: Pull ups x4</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2A: Incline db press x4</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2B: 1 arm db row x4</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3: Back extensions x2</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chest total sets - 9</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back total sets - 10</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-38387380873661456152014-10-14T14:07:00.000-07:002014-10-14T14:07:10.897-07:00T-spine smash<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tackle poor posture, spine mobilty and improved overhead positioning with exercises such as shoulder presses with my favourite spinal mobilty drill...</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What you need</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two massage balls in a sock or 2 lacrosse balls duct taped together will work just fine.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eRWAo_LS7Zk/VD2Ow0uLL-I/AAAAAAAAAww/VZdqDuOXcI4/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eRWAo_LS7Zk/VD2Ow0uLL-I/AAAAAAAAAww/VZdqDuOXcI4/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How to do it</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elevate your feet with your knees bent at 90 degrees and keep your spine in a neutral position. Hug your arms round your body to move the scapular out of the way. Place the 2 balls on the thoracic spine (around chest level). Slowly extend over the balls, but keep your core engaged to prevent any hyperextension of the spine.The great thing about working with the two balls is you can localise the target area and work on 2 segments of the spine at a time. Feel free to move the balls up or down to work on another 2 segments of the T spine. Spend at least 120 seconds on the mobilisation to see and feel some change.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-12320251182210392472014-10-07T03:45:00.000-07:002014-10-07T04:35:00.506-07:00The best shaker bottle<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the last year, a client and friend of mine regularly lectured me on how he found the protein shaker bottles with the metal ball in had the ability to make a better shake than the style with the grid at the top. Eventually I gave in and tired one, and guess what. He was right! They really do make a creamier, smoother shake.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U_0O2ZRKCGM/VDPCV-WbGPI/AAAAAAAAAu8/uFInoCGOahk/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U_0O2ZRKCGM/VDPCV-WbGPI/AAAAAAAAAu8/uFInoCGOahk/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I suppose you're thinking "why is this relevant?!". Well my theory is, if you can make a more enjoyable tasting shake with ease, it becomes something you look forward to having. You'll be less likely to skip it, meaning your nutritional intake is optimal for your goals. And believe me there's nothing worse than having vile tasting, watery, lumpy shake to consume day in day out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Get yours here from <a href="http://www.myprotein.com/protein-accessories/myprotein-blender-bottle/10485098.html" target="_blank">Myprotein </a>and for 10% discount off all products use code <b>007PT80</b></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-15287855004790435792014-10-03T12:17:00.000-07:002014-10-03T12:24:35.286-07:00Compression band knee mobilisation <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Using a compression band for increased joint mobility is nothing new. If you struggle with stiff, tight painful knees, or if you have difficulty driving the knees out during a squat/achieving decent range of motion then this technique might be for you! I've been using it for the last few months and my knees feel stronger, looser and I my knee mechanics are much better during squats. </span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What you'll need...</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A voodoo compression band or a bicycle inner tube cut in half will work just fine.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How does it work...</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wrapping the band around a joint (knee, elbow, ankle etc.) a few inches above and below the joint and keeping the band nice and tight will create compression forces. This helps restore sliding surface function to the underlying banded tissues as well as create a flexion-gaping force at the joint. This can help restore normal range of motion in the joint. Once the band is removed the tissues surrounding the joint will flood with fresh blood bringing nutrients to the muscles and joint for improved recovery. One of the biggest advantages of using the banded mobilisation technique is you can closely mobilise the movement you want to improve. Just like below, I want better knee mechanics during squatting so I'm squatting! </span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How to do it...</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wrap the knee joint fairly tight a few inches below and above the joint. Start from the bottom and work your way up. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cQnKkdMdy90/VC7zlTv-DMI/AAAAAAAAAuM/pjXMs7ozKfk/s1600/2014%2B-%2B2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cQnKkdMdy90/VC7zlTv-DMI/AAAAAAAAAuM/pjXMs7ozKfk/s1600/2014%2B-%2B2" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Start by performing some basics squats. Then sit in the the bottom position allowing the knee to come into deep flexion. You can also drive your knee out with your elbow. The whole drill should last for 2-3 minutes. Then unwrap the knee and perform on the other side. </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-72752485727904657862014-09-23T12:18:00.001-07:002014-09-23T12:18:34.454-07:00Overloading the strength curve<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok so let me start this post by just defining the strength curve. The strength curve is a graphical representation of how the body generates force through a specific range of motion. Different exercises will train the muscles through different parts of the strength curve (low, mid, upper). Now, to thoroughly hit all fibres and really get the best from an exercise you need to overload the strength curve. By tweaking an exercise that let's say normally trains the muscle through the low range of the strength curve, you can work the same muscle through the mid-upper range. Let me further demonstrate this with an example aimed at working the biceps thoroughly...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1A: ez bar preacher curl holding onto straps</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6-8 reps</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2121 tempo</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Strength curve target: mid-upper range </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1B: ez bar preacher curl</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">12 reps</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2010 tempo</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Strength curve target: low range</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J_OmL0GoBpg/VCHGX0Kt9yI/AAAAAAAAAts/eXmwamzmQ8c/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J_OmL0GoBpg/VCHGX0Kt9yI/AAAAAAAAAts/eXmwamzmQ8c/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" height="320" width="275" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lG1qiMFhD9E/VCHGXxreKyI/AAAAAAAAAtg/0oU8Rrew_Vk/s1600/2014%2B-%2B2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lG1qiMFhD9E/VCHGXxreKyI/AAAAAAAAAtg/0oU8Rrew_Vk/s1600/2014%2B-%2B2" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By holding onto straps and moving the weight of the ez bar outside the centre of gravity you'll work the biceps through a different range of the strength curve. Now that's how you really push 1 exercise to its limit!</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-85351057210958936012014-09-20T16:07:00.000-07:002014-09-20T16:07:15.687-07:00The tortoise and the hare <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm sure you're all aware of the tortoise and the hare story. The slow tortoise smokes the hare that gets to tired before the finish. As a trainer I know full well how this story can transfer over into a clients success. The hare client tries to implement every healthy nutritional, lifestyle and exercise habit under the sun in week 1. This enthusiasm is great, but it normally leads to failure. The tortoise client develops small habits, working on getting each one nailed down before moving onto the next. This creates long term, sustainable success. Take a look at one of my clients bodyfat caliper test readings over the course of about 10 months. We worked on changing small habits week after week and progresive resistance exercise. Simple, but this dropped his bodyfat by 10%, decreased his fat mass by 10.3kg's and increased his lean body mass. Now there's a few blips here and there (that's life), but the best part is he's now at a weight and shape he's happy with and he's just ticking over. Everything we've changed has developed into a habit that's set for life.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CNMySKSUsnE/VB4G2WgptkI/AAAAAAAAAtA/1HEJWOtX-q4/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CNMySKSUsnE/VB4G2WgptkI/AAAAAAAAAtA/1HEJWOtX-q4/s1600/2014%2B-%2B1" height="172" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So are you a tortoise or a hare? Just remember....</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Slow and steady progress trumps the 2 week success story every time! </span></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-17726772007878849262014-09-12T00:25:00.000-07:002014-09-12T00:27:32.456-07:00Upgrading your armoury <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm a big believer in regularly changing your exercises to see continued progress. Using the same exercises for months in and out (even if you are changing other variables such as reps/weight/tempo etc.) will soon see you plateau. I know this because I was once that guy! Try these different arms exercises to inject some variety and results into your routine...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Seated low pulley cable concentration curl</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A fantastic finisher to your biceps work, you'll get a massive burn! With the elbows in front of the body the short head of the biceps are recruited thoroughly. Make sure you make the most of every rep and squeeze the biceps hard at the top. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-57PR5aOE9pI/VBIcKuFSbiI/AAAAAAAAArQ/9C3b8f6rBZA/s1600/2014%2B-%2B4" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-57PR5aOE9pI/VBIcKuFSbiI/AAAAAAAAArQ/9C3b8f6rBZA/s1600/2014%2B-%2B4" height="320" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Lying ez bar skull crusher with pulley cable attached </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The problem with the lying skull crusher on a flat bench is it mainly works the triceps through the bottom part of the strength curve. Attach a pulley cable to the bar and the triceps will be under constant tension through the whole of the strength curve. For even more fun, have your training partner remove the cable from the bar when you've finished your reps, so you're free to bust out some more (like a drop set).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Ez bar preacher curl holding onto straps</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like with the previous exercise, the ez bar preacher curl only works the biceps through the lower end of the strength curve. In other words as you curl the bar up towards your shoulders the tension tends to minimise in that top position. However if you place the weight outside the centre of gravity (like a kettlebell) and hold onto 2 straps, tension will be on the biceps through the whole range of the strength curve. This exercise tends to work best with a slower tempo like 3031.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Thick grip reverse barbell curl</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thick grips will recruit more motor units than a standard bar. You'll work the forearms harder and improve your grip strength. Flip your grip and your biceps no longer get an effective line of pull. Therefore the brachialis come into play (the golf ball shaped muscle on the side of </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the arm between the bicep and tricep) a muscle of the arms that is often undertrained. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-52458387832873640442014-09-01T07:53:00.000-07:002014-09-01T07:53:39.159-07:00How to do pull-ups (properly)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ah the pull-up, the king of upper body exercises! Often performed incorrectly. With any exercise the smallest of tweaks can have a dramatic impact on your overall performance during the set. And remember if you can perform an exercise better (more reps, more weight etc.) it will have a greater training effect.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wrong.....</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Legs crossed and knees bent behind you. This causes an overextension fault of the lumbar spine. From this position it makes it impossible to engage the glutes, create a neutral spine and therefor create stability in the shoulder joint. The shoulder joint will rise up towards the ears to try and create a stable environment and in turn the lats switch off (the muscle group you're probably trying to hit with this one)</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Right.....</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Legs together, toes pointed just out in front of you. Glutes engaged and core pulled in tight. From this position the spine remains in neutral and there is greater stability within the shoulder joint. Don't be surprised if you can perform more reps from this position!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What you need to remember is with any compound exercise a small fault can cause you to dump torque and leak power, which will take away from the exercise. Think of it like this, your body is an electrical circuit. If the circuit is broken (in this example there is overextension of the lumbar spine) you'll lose power.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-50037445610135847922014-08-23T08:05:00.000-07:002014-08-23T08:05:43.641-07:002 factors for long term success<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Long gone are the days where your trainer would have you believe you need to eat plain tuna and rice out of a tupperware box every day for every meal to see a result!<b> Moderation</b> and <b>consistency</b> are key! These two factors are extremely important and often overlooked if you're after long term progress.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You need to get your mindset into longterm thinking. You need to accept that you may be working towards a 3 month goal, however the journey will not end there. For long term success and ongoing results, consistency is your best friend. To me, the ultimate fitness professional sets an example - they practise what they preach. In my eyes that's moderation. I can live my life how I want and I look how I want....And besides no one envies the trainer that lives on plain tuna and rice out of a Tupperware box 6 times a day!</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-11530727599305684912014-08-08T14:01:00.000-07:002014-08-08T14:01:43.787-07:00Post-exhaust past a plateau <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Post-exhaustion is a fantastic training protocol for stimulating new muscle growth whilst giving you a challenging workout. It involves starting with a compound exercise to fatigue the targeted muscle, followed by an isolation exercise that further taps into the same motor unit pool. This will increase the overall training effect for that muscle group. There are plenty of combinations you can try that will keep your workouts fresh and exciting, but how about this for a post-exhaustion triceps routine....</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />1A: Tricep dips</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 x 8-12</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3011 tempo</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />1B: lying skull crusher</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 x 10-12 reps</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3010 tempo</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u4pyDzVgZis/U9VfH8t35nI/AAAAAAAAAo4/wCtLrdjEezA/s1600/2014+-+2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u4pyDzVgZis/U9VfH8t35nI/AAAAAAAAAo4/wCtLrdjEezA/s1600/2014+-+2" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EF7p05Ml7E8/U9VfH-VPrpI/AAAAAAAAAow/G2E4bfXQzHI/s1600/2014+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EF7p05Ml7E8/U9VfH-VPrpI/AAAAAAAAAow/G2E4bfXQzHI/s1600/2014+-+1" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>If your a regular reader of my blog you'll notice exactly what I've done here. This post is almost the same as my previous post on pre-exhausting past a plateau. I guess my point is that by simply tweaking your workout by changing 2 exercises around you create an entirely new training stimulus.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-36735575980780845432014-07-27T13:23:00.000-07:002014-07-27T13:23:19.776-07:00Pre-exhaust past a plateau <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pre-exhaustion is a fantastic training protocol for stimulating new muscle growth whilst giving you a challenging workout. It involves starting with a single joint exercise to fatigue the targeted muscle, followed by a multi joint exercise that hits the same muscle group, plus a few others. This will increase the overall training effect for that muscle group. There are plenty of combinations you can try that will keep your workouts fresh and exciting, but how about this for a pre-exhaustion triceps routine....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1A: Lying ez bar skull crushers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 x 10-12 reps</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3010 tempo</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1B: tricep dips</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 x 8-12</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3011 tempo</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590544861556928547.post-15628320814045234242014-07-12T10:26:00.001-07:002014-07-12T10:26:21.133-07:00Summer supplement essentials<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One thing I've come to learn when it comes to supplements, is to see the best results your supplements should intentionally work to support the particular training regime you're on. For example - doing a strength phase? Take creatine. Using a high volume protocol? Take beta alanine to help reduce fatigue...etc.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This time of year many gym goers are trying to "shred" "rip-up" "cut" "slice" or whatever the latest fancy word is for reducing body fat whilst gaining or at least maintaining lean body mass for the beach. Here's my favourite 3 Supps that I would include in a summer "shred" plan to see the best results from your training and diet regime.....</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hPQ3bNbZMM8/U8Fu1EnlZ3I/AAAAAAAAAoI/7rZ3mqVwvu4/s1600/2014+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hPQ3bNbZMM8/U8Fu1EnlZ3I/AAAAAAAAAoI/7rZ3mqVwvu4/s1600/2014+-+1" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Caffiene </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why? Fires up the adrenal glands for fatloss, increased energy and focus (particularly important if you're about to smash a workout or are on a calorie deficit diet plan) and it can increase the metabolic rate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How much? Try 5-10mg per KG of body weight before your workout.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Omega 3 </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why? Joint health, faster recovery, fat loss, brain health, they're anabolic - sold!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How much? If you're really serious about your omega 3 intake you'll aim for as many grams per day as your body fat %. So if you're 14% body fat, aim for 14g per day! Sounds like a lot, but as your body fat drops off with this dose, drop your omega 3 intake to match.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">L-arginine </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why? 2 main reasons. Firstly arginine changes into nitric oxide, which causes vasodilation aka blood vessel relaxation. This is great for improved blood flow and incredible muscle pumps - exactly what you want during the beach season! Secondly, some studies have shown arginine to be very effective at increasing human growth hormone levels. Higher GH means less body fat and more muscle!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How much? Try 2-3g twice a day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm sure there are many others you could include! But hopefully from my explanations you can see why I've chose these 3 as my favourites.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For an exclusive 10% off all myprotein products use discount code <b>007PT80</b></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04850035091425444002noreply@blogger.com0