If building lean muscle mass is your main goal then you need to ensure you are performing enough volume on each muscle group per workout. This is one of the biggest mistakes I see people make, they will only do a few hard sets for 3-4 exercises 9-12 sets is not enough volume generally speaking for most people to achieve a substantial amount of muscle hypertrophy. Keep rest to 60-75 seconds to get more volume in your workout and focus on producing the greatest amount of stress on the muscle, you may do fewer reps or need to reduce the load as you do more sets but thats fine, the goal is to produce stress, damage and put the muscle under tension for hypertrophy not to get stronger.
on the flip side I do see some idiots do a HUGE amount of volume in their 2 our arm workouts but there is very little focus on keeping the muscle under tension and producing stress and trauma that these workouts are also ineffective!
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Faster Fat loss...
This is a very simple and very effective tip... rest less! If you're main goal is fat loss then you should rest no longer than 60 seconds between sets and exercises. If you are working hard enough and lifting the maximum loads you can for each given exercises you will not lose muscle... this will also allow you to increase the density of your workouts to get a greater metabolic effect.
What I've Learnt about... Hamstrings
The Hamstrings are a 'Pennate' Muscle, a pennate muscle is where the muscle fibers attached obliquely (in a slanting position) to the tendon. These types of muscle allow for greater force production and shorter range of movements. This fact alone already gives us a good indication about how the hamstrings should be trained... Heavy, as you need to produce a lot of force. Try to fail on the eccentric phase before the concentric phase...
The Hamstrings also produce more than one major movement and joint, Hip extensions and Knee flexion. You should include variations of both movements in your workouts.
Top exercises for the Hamstrings
1. Nordic Raises or Glute Ham Raises
2. Deadlift/ Romanian Deadlift
3. Hip Extensions
4. Lying Leg Curl, 2 up 1 down
The Hamstrings also produce more than one major movement and joint, Hip extensions and Knee flexion. You should include variations of both movements in your workouts.
Top exercises for the Hamstrings
1. Nordic Raises or Glute Ham Raises
2. Deadlift/ Romanian Deadlift
3. Hip Extensions
4. Lying Leg Curl, 2 up 1 down
Improve your Squat...
One way to improve your squat is stretching your calves. Flexibility or lack of I find is the main factor why people fail technically on the squat long before they fail muscularly.
Lower yourself into the stretch position of a standing calf raise (uni lateral or bi lateral) and force your heels down as much as possible. Hold this stretch for 60-120 seconds, do 6 reps and then do the same in a seated position. You can get under the calf raise machine or seated machine and add more load to your stretch if needed.
To assess the effectiveness of your stretch, perform a few sets of squats up to about 50-65% the weight you will use for working sets, stretch, then go back to your squat. This is definitely something you should keep on top of and do as part of your workout every week.
Lower yourself into the stretch position of a standing calf raise (uni lateral or bi lateral) and force your heels down as much as possible. Hold this stretch for 60-120 seconds, do 6 reps and then do the same in a seated position. You can get under the calf raise machine or seated machine and add more load to your stretch if needed.
To assess the effectiveness of your stretch, perform a few sets of squats up to about 50-65% the weight you will use for working sets, stretch, then go back to your squat. This is definitely something you should keep on top of and do as part of your workout every week.
Facts about Fruit...
People always say to me, Fruit is really good for, you need to have your 5 a day... Firstly it is 5 fruit and veg portions a day (which still isn't enough!) and fruit can be good for you, but it can also be bad for you.
Fruits contain good anti oxidants and fibre, the darker the fruit the more anti oxidants it typically contains. If you are going to have fruit make sure it is organic, if its not its not likely to contain all the good stuff!
Fruit contains fructose which is a sugar so its a carbohydrate, the difference between fructose and other sugars is that fructose only replenished liver glycogen, so if your liver glycogen is full (which is likely if you eat carbohydrates all day) then there is only one other place it can be stored... as fat in the adipose tissue. When you consume sugars you will get an insulin response from the body, especially if you consume them on their own. Doing the BioSignature test we can assess your tolerance to insulin, this is vitally important as the more sensitive you are the more risk you have of getting fat from foods! If you spike insulin through excessive or refined sugar intake and/or lack of sensitivity you increase the risk of fat storage, if you spike insulin you will spike cortisol as a result. Cortisol is a hormone that promotes fat storage especially around the abdominals.
I would recommend you stick to berries (anything that ends in berry...) as they do not spike insulin and tend to be darker in colour and contain more anti oxidants. If you want fruits such as bananas and apples then consume them after a resistance workout (Spinning, Zumba or Body pump don't count!)
Fruits contain good anti oxidants and fibre, the darker the fruit the more anti oxidants it typically contains. If you are going to have fruit make sure it is organic, if its not its not likely to contain all the good stuff!
Fruit contains fructose which is a sugar so its a carbohydrate, the difference between fructose and other sugars is that fructose only replenished liver glycogen, so if your liver glycogen is full (which is likely if you eat carbohydrates all day) then there is only one other place it can be stored... as fat in the adipose tissue. When you consume sugars you will get an insulin response from the body, especially if you consume them on their own. Doing the BioSignature test we can assess your tolerance to insulin, this is vitally important as the more sensitive you are the more risk you have of getting fat from foods! If you spike insulin through excessive or refined sugar intake and/or lack of sensitivity you increase the risk of fat storage, if you spike insulin you will spike cortisol as a result. Cortisol is a hormone that promotes fat storage especially around the abdominals.
I would recommend you stick to berries (anything that ends in berry...) as they do not spike insulin and tend to be darker in colour and contain more anti oxidants. If you want fruits such as bananas and apples then consume them after a resistance workout (Spinning, Zumba or Body pump don't count!)
Monday 21 May 2012
High Density Training for Fat loss...
High Density training refers to the total amount of work performed in a workout, I use this method a lot initially with fat loss clients with high body fats (20%+) and females. In order to get more work in there is less emphasis on time under tension so there is less increase in muscle mass with a reduction in body fat being the main emphasis, once body fat is reduced there is more focus on increaseing lean mass to sustain and improves results. We focus on thr concentric phase of the movement being as quick and powerful as possible but still under control, this works on myofibril hypertrophy, this where the muscle fibres get firmer rather than increasing in size (great for females!)
Here is an example of a high density circuit...
A1. Lower Body
A2. Push Movement
A3. Pull Movement
First round perform 10 reps, then 9, 8, 7 all the way down to 1 with as little rest as possible between exercises and sets. That is a total of 165 reps and should be done in less that 10 minutes. To increase the density of workout for next time you would either do same weight in less time, more weight in the same time or more weight in less time!
Here is an example of a high density circuit...
A1. Lower Body
A2. Push Movement
A3. Pull Movement
First round perform 10 reps, then 9, 8, 7 all the way down to 1 with as little rest as possible between exercises and sets. That is a total of 165 reps and should be done in less that 10 minutes. To increase the density of workout for next time you would either do same weight in less time, more weight in the same time or more weight in less time!
21/5 Chest & Back Advanced German Volume Training
A1. DB Chest Press 40kg DB, 10x5, 4010 Tempo, 60 seconds rest
1-5 reps 2-5 reps 3-5 reps 4-5 reps 5-5 reos 6-5 reps 7-5 reps 8-5 reps 9-4 reps 10-4 reps
A2. Wide Grip Pull Ups Bodyweight +15kg, 4010 Tempo, 60 seconds rest
1-5 reps 2-5 reps 3-5 reps 4-5 reps 5-5 reps 6-5 reps 7-5 reps 8-3 reps 9-3 reps 10-3 reps
B1. Incline Press Pronating 32.5kg DB 4x6, 4010 Tempo
B2. Barbell Bent Over Row Supinated Grip 85kg 4x6,4010 tempo
Saturday 19 May 2012
19/5 Legs Advanced GVT...
Worst day of the week!
A1. Back Squat 10x5, 4010 Tempo, 115kg
1-5 reps 2-5 reps 3-5 reps 4-5 reps 5-5 reps 6-5 reps(just!) 7-4 reps 8-3 reps 9-3 reps 10-3 reps
A2. Glute Ham Raises 10x5, 5010 Tempo Bodyweight
1-5 reps 2-5 reps 3-5 reps 4-5 reps 5-5 reps 6-5 reps 7-5 reps 8-5 reps 9-5 reps 10-5 reps
B1. Unilateral Leg Press 4x6 5010 Tempo, 150kg
B2. 2 Up 1 Down Seated Hamstring Curl 4x12(total reps)
C. Leg Extensions 100 reps
9 sets at 61kg.
Friday 18 May 2012
18/5 Shoulders & Calves Advanced GVT...
So after a few weeks of crazy workout density I am now moving back to working with more time under tension. I am using the Advanced German Volume Training system as it still allows me to ift heavy but also get in enough volume. Also this system gave me my biggest gains to date, so I am big fan and enjoy the workouts which is half the battle.
A. DB Shoulder Press 10x5, 4010 Tempo, 60 seconds rest.
35kg DB - 1-5 reps 2-5 reps 3-5 reps 4-5 reps 5-5 reps 6-5 reps 7-5 reps 8-4 reps 9-4 reps 10-5 reps
B. DB Lateral Raises 3x10, 3031 Tempo 12kg DB
C. Cable Rear Fly 3x12, 2021 Tempo
Calves
A. Unilateral Standing Calve Raises 4x12, 2220 Tempo 5kg DB
B. Standing Calf Raises toes out 4x12-16, 2220 Tempo
C. Unilateral Seated Calf Raise 3x20, 2210 Tempo
Wednesday 16 May 2012
16/5 ARMS EDT...
Ridiculous Arms session today, I struggled to lift the shaker to my mouth to take my PWO shake...
A1. Dips Bodyweight +50kg 2 reps
A2. Close Grip Chins Bodyweight +25kg 2 reps
30 minutes - 31 sets (62,62) 124 total reps
B1. Close Grip Bench 80kg 8 reps
B2. Incline DB Curls 15kg DB 8 reps
15 minutes - 8 sets (64,64) 128 total reps
C1. EZ Bar Skull Crushers 40kg 10 reps
C2. Seated DB Zottman Curls 10kg DB 10 reps
15 minutes - 5 sets (50,50) 100 total reps
352 total reps!
Tuesday 15 May 2012
15/5 CHEST & BACK EDT...
Another great EDT session today, Chest and Back destroyed!
A1. Bench Press 100kg 2 reps
A2. Pull Ups Body weight +10kg
30 mins - 43 sets (86,86) 172 total reps
B1. Incline DB Press 30kg DB's 6 reps
B2. Single Arm Prone Rows 40kg DB's 6 reps each arm
15 minutes - 8 sets (48,96) 144 total reps
C1. Cable fly 12 reps
C2. Cable reverse fly 12 reps
15 minutes - 4 sets (48,48) 96 total reps
412 total reps!
Monday 14 May 2012
14/5 LEGS EDT...
Today I am doing EDT (Escalting Density Training) for Legs, the idea is to complete as many reps as possible in the given time frame.
6RM
A1. Squat 140kg 2 reps
A2. Glute Ham Raise Body weight +10kg 2 reps
30 minutes - 32 sets,(64,64) 128 Total Reps
10RM
B1. Front foot Elevated Split Squats 30kg DB's 6 reps each leg
B2. Lying Leg Curl (2 Up, 1 Down) 8 reps
15 minutes - 6 sets (62,48) 84 Total Reps
20RM
C1. Leg Press Unilateral 80kg 12 reps each leg
C2. Lying Leg Curl 12 reps
15 minutes - 4 sets (96,48) 144 Total Reps
356 Total Reps for whole workout!
6RM
A1. Squat 140kg 2 reps
A2. Glute Ham Raise Body weight +10kg 2 reps
30 minutes - 32 sets,(64,64) 128 Total Reps
10RM
B1. Front foot Elevated Split Squats 30kg DB's 6 reps each leg
B2. Lying Leg Curl (2 Up, 1 Down) 8 reps
15 minutes - 6 sets (62,48) 84 Total Reps
20RM
C1. Leg Press Unilateral 80kg 12 reps each leg
C2. Lying Leg Curl 12 reps
15 minutes - 4 sets (96,48) 144 Total Reps
356 Total Reps for whole workout!
Supplements...Magnesium
Magnesium deficiency is just as common as Zinc deficiency and will also affect a number of different functions in the body including sleep, brain function, muscle contractions, testosterone, strength, and the absorption of other essential nutrients such as zinc.
Low Magnesium will have a detrimental affect on sleep quality. Sleep is The most underated factor when looking at improving body composition. Poor sleep quality will increase cortisol, decrease testosterone and protein synthesis and insulin sensitivity and reduces the production of growth hormone.
Most people who show signs of overtraining is because they do not recover not because they are training too much.
Magnesium is a 'YIN' mineral with calming propeties so it should be taken in the evening and/or after a workout. Replenishing Magnesium levels is more difficult as thr body requires magnesium stores in the body for normal function.
Foods that contain Magnesium are foods such as Halibut, almonds, cashews, and green vegetables, one serving of these foods will only provide about 15 percent of your RDA.
You can supplement with Magnesium, UberMag because it contains that perfect blend of chelates to support overall magnesium levels.Topical Mag and UberMag Plus are best for sleep, topical creams are rapidly absorbed into the body, and UberMag Plus also contains tryptophan, an amino acid that supports relaxation and sleep.
Sunday 13 May 2012
Chest Cure....
There is a US trainer caled Chad Waterbury, he trains alot of MMA fighters and athletes and is pretty good at what he does. He recommends that if your chest is weak or you want to improve it, an easy way is High Frequency Training (HFT).
What you have to do is, from the moment you get up to the moment you go to sleep you must notch up 150 press ups. You never go to failure, and it can take 1 hour or all day.
He also recommends this method for Calves and to improve Pull Ups, the reps recomendations are different so if you want to try either of them look it up. Same principle tho, dont go to failure.
I am going to try it for the next few weeks and see if it makes a difference as I wouldnt mind my chest looking a bit better!!
What you have to do is, from the moment you get up to the moment you go to sleep you must notch up 150 press ups. You never go to failure, and it can take 1 hour or all day.
He also recommends this method for Calves and to improve Pull Ups, the reps recomendations are different so if you want to try either of them look it up. Same principle tho, dont go to failure.
I am going to try it for the next few weeks and see if it makes a difference as I wouldnt mind my chest looking a bit better!!
Supplements... Zinc
Zinc is an essential mineral and plays an important role in digestion, detoxification and hormonal balance. An immediate sign of a Zinc deficiency is a high skinfold on the triceps. You can also do the oral zinc test to see if you can taste the solution, so far no one has passed the test!
Zinc is essential for producing stomach acid, if you dont have enough zinc you wont produce enough stomach acid.
Detoxification require vitamins and minerals for phase one detoxification and amino acids for phase two detoxification. A deficiency in Zinc will have an immediate impact on phase one but also indirectly again on both phase one and two, if you have low stomach acid and poor digestion then you will again reduce the amount of vitamins and minerals and amino acids your get from the foods you eat.
A lack of Zinc can lead to increased production of the 'aromatase' enzyme. This enzyme converts testosterone into estrogen leading to fat gain on the tricpes, pecs, hips and thighs. This is why the triceps can be a good indicator especially for a male. This causes a hormonal imbalance and with higher levels of estrogen you will find it harder to burn fat and build muscle.
Foods that contain Zinc include meats, particularly oysters, beef, crab, pork, and lobster, as well as other protein sources such as yogurt, chick peas, almonds, and cashews.
UberZinc provides 75mg of Zinc (chelated with amino acids to improve absorption)
Dosage is 2 capsules once a day
If a Male shows a high level of aromatisation and zinc deficiency then this could increase to 2 capsules 3 times a day.
Why UberZinc?
Other Zinc supplements firstly arent as strong, only up to 25mg per tablet and they are also normally chelated with calcium, this competes with zinc which will reduce absorption.
Zinc is essential for producing stomach acid, if you dont have enough zinc you wont produce enough stomach acid.
Detoxification require vitamins and minerals for phase one detoxification and amino acids for phase two detoxification. A deficiency in Zinc will have an immediate impact on phase one but also indirectly again on both phase one and two, if you have low stomach acid and poor digestion then you will again reduce the amount of vitamins and minerals and amino acids your get from the foods you eat.
A lack of Zinc can lead to increased production of the 'aromatase' enzyme. This enzyme converts testosterone into estrogen leading to fat gain on the tricpes, pecs, hips and thighs. This is why the triceps can be a good indicator especially for a male. This causes a hormonal imbalance and with higher levels of estrogen you will find it harder to burn fat and build muscle.
Foods that contain Zinc include meats, particularly oysters, beef, crab, pork, and lobster, as well as other protein sources such as yogurt, chick peas, almonds, and cashews.
UberZinc provides 75mg of Zinc (chelated with amino acids to improve absorption)
Dosage is 2 capsules once a day
If a Male shows a high level of aromatisation and zinc deficiency then this could increase to 2 capsules 3 times a day.
Why UberZinc?
Other Zinc supplements firstly arent as strong, only up to 25mg per tablet and they are also normally chelated with calcium, this competes with zinc which will reduce absorption.
4.5 weeks to go...
Benefits of Coffee...
Check out this great video from Charles Poliquin about Coffee and its benefits...
Ask Coach - Benefits of Coffee
Take home points...
1. Make sure its Organic. Coffee is one of the most sprayed crops in the world and its these toxins that are responsible for the bide seide effects associated with coffee
2. Prepare it Properly. Caffeine cannot diffuse across the coffee bean at high speeds, it must be slowly dripped to contain hier amounts of caffeine per ml.
3. Coffee contains high amounts of anti-oxidants, especially polphenolys. This is probably ,most peoples only source of anti oxidants.
4. Studies have shown that those who drink coffee can live up to 5 years longer than those who dont, the reason why could be because it induces liver detoxification processes (tellsyour body to clean itself out)
5. Use coffee 45-60 minutes pre-workout. Caffeine helps to increase muscle strength, it also helps to increase speed of muscle contractions, you spare muscle glycogen meaning you will burn more fat when exercising, increases your mood and concentration.
6. Anti-oxidants in Coffee also have useful properties to help with the pancreas so it helps to increase insulin sensitivity.
Ask Coach - Benefits of Coffee
Take home points...
1. Make sure its Organic. Coffee is one of the most sprayed crops in the world and its these toxins that are responsible for the bide seide effects associated with coffee
2. Prepare it Properly. Caffeine cannot diffuse across the coffee bean at high speeds, it must be slowly dripped to contain hier amounts of caffeine per ml.
3. Coffee contains high amounts of anti-oxidants, especially polphenolys. This is probably ,most peoples only source of anti oxidants.
4. Studies have shown that those who drink coffee can live up to 5 years longer than those who dont, the reason why could be because it induces liver detoxification processes (tellsyour body to clean itself out)
5. Use coffee 45-60 minutes pre-workout. Caffeine helps to increase muscle strength, it also helps to increase speed of muscle contractions, you spare muscle glycogen meaning you will burn more fat when exercising, increases your mood and concentration.
6. Anti-oxidants in Coffee also have useful properties to help with the pancreas so it helps to increase insulin sensitivity.
Wednesday 2 May 2012
Improving your Body Composition... High Protein Breakfast
Having a High Protein breakfast is important if you want to maximise your body composition results. A study in the International Journal of Obesity conducted a study on 3 groups, one group skipped breakfast, one group had breakfast and one group had a high protein breakfast (calories for both breakfasts were the same).
The grouo who ate the high-protein breakfast felt fuller and were less hungry throughout the day. They also freely chose to eat 130 calories less at lunch than both of the other groups, even the group who had breakfast!
So just having breakfast is not enough, make sure you are making the right choices and get the full bang for buck that your time and effort deserves.
The grouo who ate the high-protein breakfast felt fuller and were less hungry throughout the day. They also freely chose to eat 130 calories less at lunch than both of the other groups, even the group who had breakfast!
So just having breakfast is not enough, make sure you are making the right choices and get the full bang for buck that your time and effort deserves.
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