080925 Daily Workout

This workout's a little bit different from the past few. Keep moving through the exercises without stopping. The more you stop the less benefit you'll get for fat-burning and improving your fitness.

Workout

35 Box jump, use Reebok step at full height
35 Jumping pull-ups
35 Kettlebell or Dumbbell swings, 12kg
35 Walking Lunge
35 V-ups (crunch + reverse crunch)
35 Push press, 10-20 kg
35 Back extensions
35 Thrusters 10 - 20kg
35 Burpees
35 Double (or single) unders (i.e. skipping)

Crossfit Workout

The workout below is adapted from Crossfit. Some of their workouts are named. Kind of like hurricanes. Most of the stuff I put on here has been inspired by Crossfit. There is an amazing amount of information on their site as well as linking to other sites that are useful. If it's not on that site it's not worth knowing.

Have a look round their site and if there's anything you want to know more about let me know.

I'll be doing some FREE workouts in October down the Ferry at weekends starting Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th if anyone's interested in coming let me know.

Here's the workout:

"Nicole"

Complete as many rounds as possible in 9 mins (beginners) or 12-15 mins (rest) as you can of:

400m Run
Max Rep Pull Ups

Use assisted, jumping or ring pull ups as required. Post number of pull ups for each round.

Take a Break

Rest should be incorporated into your training schedule, as it is during this time your body repairs and adapts. If you've been following the workouts you're probably needing it, if you've not you've got some catching up to do to deserve the break!

Seriously though, if you have been doing the workouts don't do anything too strenuous. A good idea for most of you would be to work on your squatting technique. I'll leave it up to you to decide if you want to do Wall Squats (facing the wall) or have your hands hovering over the Smith Machine as you squat as low as you can go.

A few of you have been a bit unsure about some of the exercises I've posted so if there are things you are unsure about then if you tell me what you would like to see I could make a video of it and post it for you. You will need to tell me though!

Happy squatting.

3 Pounds Too Heavy?

Someone recently asked me if lifting heavy weights was going to bulk them up. How heavy? A little bit over 3lbs (~6.5kg)! Apparently this little gem came from Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow's Personal Trainer (Tracy Anderson). I'm not even sure where to begin with this one.

I'm hoping her suggestion for light weights is due to the fact that she's encouraging people to train at home, and that's brilliant. However, i think she's missing the point.

Women like terms such as toning and shaping, while men prefer to get "ripped" and "bulk up". Muscles aren't that fussy, they only contract. Yep that's right, the two ends move closer to each other and that's it. Men's and women's. No difference.

The whole point of lifting weights, man or woman, is to make you stronger and more able to deal with everyday tasks. Like shopping. A bag of sugar weighs about 2lbs (although I know none of you will have bags of sugar in your shopping!). Throw in another couple of things and you're quickly over the mystical 3lb limit imposed by Ms Anderson. Oh dear. We're gonna have an army of bulked up and ripped grannies coming out of supermarkets.

Unless you're a bodybuilder (and you'll know 'cause you keep flexing in the mirror) then you're probably not training to get bigger. Most athletes want to have more power without adding mass so use heavy weights. Something about improving neormuscular efficiency, but NOT about getting bigger. Just ask an olympic weightlifter.

So what IS the best way to improve muscle tone? Have you guessed yet? That's right, heavy weights. As long as you rest long enough between sets and don't go to failure you won't trigger muscle growth.

Workout

Front Squat

5 Sets of 5 Reps resting 3-5 minutes in between.

Go as heavy as you can keeping proper form and post what weight you managed.

Discredit the Crunch!

I was speaking with someone the other day about the merits of using instability techniques to get more out of your training. Using stabiliser muscles more allows for better strength development as well as placing a bigger demand on oxygen supply and burning more fat. Pretty good eh?

Anyway, while I was talking about big movements with reasonably heavy loads, he was telling me of bodybuilders that were sitting on stability balls doing lateral raises that had to half their weights so they could lift them. I had to bite my tongue!

Let's compare the workouts:

Bodybuilder in Commercial Gym:

• Sitting down
• Stability Ball
• Isolation Exercise (Lateral Raise)
• Light Weights (lightweights? ha ha)

Our Keg/Beach Workout:

• Upright (On feet - exercise should be done from this position)
• Unstable Surface (Sand)
• Unstable Weight (Keg)
• Compound Exercise (can't think of many muscles not working!)
• Relatively Heavy Weights (kegs ca. 50kg, partners ca. 90kg)
• Carried Over Distance

Ok, so my "weird" training methods used a half-filled beer keg (you're not going to see one of those in a commercial gym anytime soon) and I used them on sand (double whammy for instability!). But just because an exercise is hard or something makes it harder, doesn't make it more effective.

This is where Personal Training has gone wrong. Exercise has been dumbed-down so much that we need machines to guide movements and work one muscle at a time, rather than develop the body as a whole. Trainers give each other a pat on the back for devising a complex movement that their clients can't perform easily rather than focusing on the basics.

Squats and deadlifts can't be beaten as exercises (except perhaps by olympic lifts which are in essence derivatives of these anyway), but you won't see many fitness professionals doing them in the gym, and even rarer to see them executed properly.

As for Stability Balls and Ab Cradles.....AAARGH!!!! Useless as far as effective training goes. I can see the balls being good fun if you were allowed to kick them around the gym at the people on the cross-trainers but I really can't think of a use for the cradles. If you want to give your mid-section a good workout try this:

Ab Workout

3-5 Rounds of:

15 Dumbbell Swings (should be quite heavy)
15 Sit Ups
15 Back Extensions
15 Leg Raises (hanging or supported)

For time. Post your times to the comments.

p.s. if you want to throw in a couple of rounds of stability ball crunches after feel free!

Want to Lose More Weight?

Look around any commercial gym and it's always the "Cardio" machines that are busy. Why? Is "cardio" the best way to shift those extra pounds? Can you hit that (mythical) "fat-burning zone" only if you waste hour after hour on some useless bit of kit with a TV trying to get RSI?

Maybe after you've spent the past hour in the "fat-burning zone" you'd better do some high rep, light weights to "tone-up" using isolation exercises like bicep curls to "get the burn". Does this resemble your workout plan?

Think about it for a second. If that's the quickest route to success then how come everyone (or at least most people) in the gym aren't getting the results they want? Do you know anyone that trains like that or attends fitness classes that has an envious physique?

Now you may not like the idea of lifting heavy weights, and to some women the idea is abhorrent, but you need to lift heavy, relativley speaking of course, to build fat-burning muscle. If this has you thinking I'm looking candidates to enter a strong man competition, you'd be right! Just kidding. But this is the only way to build useful muscle, tighten up and lose some serious inches! Combine this with high-intensity "cardio" and you'll shrink faster than the wool jumper I've just taken out the tumble dryer.

The best exercises are Squats, Deadlifts, Pressing & Pulling movements with a Barbell and Pull Ups. Big movements, using lots of muscle groups. So..........

Back Squat

5 Sets of 5 Reps, Resting 3-5 minutes between.

Use as heavy a weight as you can but still maintaining proper form.

Post your loads to comments.

Bad knees?

I get a lot of people telling me that they use the elliptical or cross trainer because it's better on their knees than running. In the past I have used them because "it worked more muscles" than running but I have yet to find one that I have not been leaning foraward and felt comfortable on.

Now research carried out in China has found that this unnatural position places more stress on not only the knees but the hips and ankles too than if you had been running on solid ground - even though it is low impact! It's all to do with the foot angle.

So, if you have experienced problems in your ankle, knee or hip what can you do now? Here's two solutions: The Concept II Rower is a fantastic bit of kit, and, because you are pushing along rather than down, there is no impact. If you've been following my posts recently you may have guessed the other one............beach runs! Sand softens the impact of running (and that's the reason it's so effective for fat loss) but if you do have severe joint problems it's better to take things easy at first.

Try them out with Tabata protocols, 20 seconds work followed by 10 seconds rest of either:

Rowing
or
Sprints on sand

Work should be all out for the 20 seconds then a strict 10 second rest (30s in total). Repeat this for 6 - 8 Rounds (3 - 4 mins in total).

Something Different

On the back of the fun (honest it was) we've been having at the beach over the weekend with the kegs (unfortunately only filled with water) I've decided to get some equipment down to the Ferry so we can do more stuff like this. Besides the kegs I'll have the kettlebells, rings and weights I had in my Studio, as well as acquiring more stuff to really rev up the intensity. This is going to be awesome!

Anyone interested in doing something a bit different can come down on Saturday morning for a taster at 11am. Phone or text me first on 07957 804245 so I know how many will be there.

Here's some kettlebell videos to let you see some of the things you can do with them.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY0DbFdBHY8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdIUZOowlLA&feature=related


Carrying on with that the workout is:

50-40-30-20-10 reps for time of:

Swings (Guys 12-16kg, Girls 8-12kg)
Push ups or Dips

Post your times please.

080914 Sunday's Daily Workout Schedule

Get out the gym and get some sun, sand and suffering!

These are so much fun. Working out in the fresh air is revitalising. Another beach workout today but unfortunately we couldn't film it. Cracking day for it down the Ferry, Sun was out and it was pretty warm. Had two filled kegs (we think they around 50kgs) this time, marked two lines about 15-20 metres apart and did:

Farmer's Walk (2 kegs)
Keg Pull (1 keg)
Keg Lift (1 keg)
Keg-on-back Shuttle Runs (1 keg)
Partner Piggy Backs
Fireman's Carry

All the keg work was up to the line and back, partner lifts were 1 run then swap back.

We did 3 rounds of that in 20:43

Finished off with a dip in the Tay. FREEZING!!!! But good.

If you're in the gym today you can do:

3 - 5 Rounds Maximum Reps of:

Dips
Pull Ups

Note: there is no time limit on this so you can catch your breath before strating the next exercise. A 2 minute break is advisable between exercises.

Post your Rounds, Numbers, Loads (if you are using assistance) and bodyweight (if this worries you, noone knows what height you are, but I need something to compare it to!)

080913 Saturday

Here's a workout a couple of did down the beach yesterday. We did this 3 times and were pretty tired by the end of the 3rd. If anyone's interested in joining in with this sort of stuff drop me a line.

080912

4 Rounds of:

Run 400m or Row 500m as fast as you can then rest 2 minutes.

Note the time for each round.

080909 Tuesday's Daily Workout Schedule

This one is quite tough but so try to keep moving through it, stopping and starting again makes it harder.

Three rounds for time of:

400m Run
21 Kettlebell or Dumbbell Swings
12 Pull ups

Guys, use 12kg - 16kg for swings
Girls, 8kg - 12kg

First set of pull ups should be unbroken at least (i.e. don't stop/ come off bar until they're done).

Post your time to the comments section.

080908 Monday's Daily Workout Schedule

Skill Day

Core Strength

Spend 10-15 mins working on L-sit holds (raising your legs to form an "L" with your body). This can be done either hanging from a bar or supporting yourself on parallel bars or if you can push yourself up from the floor try that. Main thing is to keep your legs (thighs for beginners) parallel to the ground and push your hips forward so they are next to your arms (you will feel a massive difference).

30 second holds are good. If you can't do that build up to holding for a minute in total.

080906 Sunday@s Daily Workout

Oops missed one!

Here we go though:

Dumbell or Kettlebell Snatches (left then right)
Pull Ups

21 - 15 - 9

For time and post times to the comments.

080905 Friday's Daily Workout Schedule

For time:

5 Rounds of:

5 Front Squat
5 Push Press
5 Heavy Dumbell Swings
5 Pull Ups

Pick a weight you can do about 7 reps with and blast through this for time, then post.

If you are doing this in the gym you can do it all in the weights area using the Smith Machine for (Jumping?) pull ups if you are able.

080904 Thursday's Daily Workout Schedule

Skill Day!

Easy one today. I want you to work on your flexibility so this one is probably best done in front of (or at least close to) those big mirrors in the gym so that you can see your form.

Practice all the moves you can think of (e.g. squats, deadlifts, pull up positions) and run through the exercise and take note of what feels tight or limits full range of motion (ROM).

On top of this I'd like to hear your biggest question on:

1) Diet, and;

2) Exercise

Post your questions to the blog please.

080903 Wedneday

This doesn't have much (or rather anything) to do with fitness but thought I'd share it with you anyway. Get the tissues ready! (Nearly got me!)

080903 Wednesday' Daily Workout Schedule

No technical skills required for this one it's all basic movements. The idea is to keep moving throughout so each exercise shouldn't be broken up to more than 3-4 sets.

35 - 60 Pull ups
35 - 60 Push ups
35 - 60 Sit ups
35 - 60 Squats

Pick a number for each exercise and stick with it all the way through the other exercises (i.e. 35 for all exercises NOT 35, 40,45,50!!!!). Only move onto the next exercise once you have completed your specified number of reps.

Ideally this should take around 12-13 mins to complete, 20 mins is the upper end of acceptable.

Post your reps and times to the comments.

080902 Tuesday's Daily Workout Schedule

Guys I need to know you are all training and progressing with the workouts I'm setting you. If you are doing other stuff (e.g. BodyPump classes or bicep curls) then put that up too (even though you know how I feel about them!). For those of you who have weight loss as a goal, come and see me during the week and I'll get you started on something that will skyrocket your results.

For today then:

Back Squat

5 sets of 5 reps resting 3-5minutes between each set.

Stop a couple short of failure but keep pushing for the heaviest weight you can handle. Squats should be ALL the way to the bottom i.e. hip crease AT LEAST parallel with the top of your knee cap.

If you can do 5 reps no bother with a weight stick some more on for the next set.

Post your loads to comments please.

080901 Monday Daily Workout Schedule

Sorry about the missing post from yesterday guys, I'm not able to post from my mobile yet.

Here's the workout:

20-15-10 reps of:

Thrusters (front squat into an overhead press)
Pull Ups

Compare it to 080822 and post your time to comments.