Posts Tagged ‘fat loss’

« Older Entries

Jeremy Reid Interview

Friday, January 18th, 2013

Ever thought you are so far off ripped that it is something you could never achieve? Jeremy Reid is here to not just tell you different, but to show you. He wasn’t born a body builder nor did he think he would be when he started his journey, but he is living proof of what momentum and dedication can truly achieve. Through our quest to show a ‘Beginner’s Guide to Getting Ripped’ we felt that Jeremy was a fantastic role model and someone that everyone, no matter what level, could learn from.

Jeremy Reid Fitness

We approached Jeremy about sharing his story and inspiration and he very graciously agreed to speak with us about his journey. Have a read, feel inspired and follow his continued journey and inspiration.

Can you tell us what things happened that made you decided to turn your life around and get in serious shape?
It all really started when I weighed myself for the first time in a long time. The scale read 280lbs and it scared me, I certainly knew I was “heavy” but not that heavy. However I didn’t take action for several more months and several more pounds later (I’m guessing my start weight was around 300lbs). I had no experience in training or nutrition but knew that I needed to exercise so I joined a gym and did cardio 6-7 days a week, and at least do some of the basic nutrition things everyone knows about (stop drinking regular soda, no fast food, no candy, etc.). I also was a heavy smoker and I knew that had to go so I immediately stopped smoking, as well as drinking alcohol heavily. Just off that alone I dropped about 70-80 pounds in a matter of months. Shortly after starting I did as much research as I could on nutrition and fitness to take everything to the next level.

When you started out, did you simply want to lose a few lbs, or did you know you would keep going until you were in such awesome shape?
When I was first starting out I just knew I needed to drop some fat. I never imagined I’d start competing as a bodybuilder in the future, I just knew I was obese. After I lost about 60 pounds I started lifting weights and quickly fell in love with the way it made me feel and once some more fat came off, the way it made me look.
How do you keep yourself motivated when you have to deal with work, life and everything else on a daily basis? Motivation has never really been a problem for me. I set my mind to something and I make it happen. From the moment I started lifting weights I’d look at the photos in the magazines of these big guys and I’d picture those muscles on me. I burned that image in my head and strive after that not only in my workouts, but all day when meals need to be eaten, or prepped, etc.

Even now, I have multiple jobs, a family of 5 to support, etc. but it’s such a priority to me that I just make it happen.

Is there anyone that you look to for inspiration, someone who offers great advice?
There are a lot of people I look to for inspiration. Honestly all these people on my page that tell me I’m an inspiration, it makes me work harder and fuels that fire even hotter in me. The coach I hired for my first contest prep ended up becoming a very close friend. He is a huge national level bodybuilder and has shared so much advice and guidance in the last couple years it’s amazing and I am extremely grateful.

Did you hire a coach or trainer, or is everything self-taught?
I was self-taught for many years. I’ve learned a lot from talking with other people that obviously knew what they were talking about, and reading a lot of books and websites. I did study and get my personal training certificate a few years ago just to do it and advance my knowledge. It wasn’t until I started my prep for my first bodybuilding competition that I hired a coach to do my diet and workouts.

What advice would you have for someone that wants to start lifting weights but has no idea what to do?
Something that is very important to me now but I never considered when I started, is injury. I LOVE the sport of bodybuilding and something like a torn muscle could take me out of it so I lift smart and use proper form to make sure I am bringing incredible intensity in the gym but not to the point where I am going to hurt myself long term. Accidents could happen, and I have injuries I work through, but that makes it even more important to lift smart. I’d say if you are just starting out, do as much research as you can. If you can afford it, hire an experienced personal trainer to guide you into this sport the right way.

What made you take on the challenge of competing?
It was simply the next step. I had been living the lifestyle of a bodybuilder so naturally I wanted to at least experience it once. I hired a coach, we picked a show and did it.

As your diet and preparation becomes more strict in the last 12 weeks leading up to an event, how do you juggle social events, eating out. Do you need to just say no?
Yes and no, if it’s an event that I can pass up on without hurting a friends or family members feelings, I’d rather just stay home and focus. However I have went to several events in the past while dieting for a show or photo shoot. I usually show up with my trusty cooler of meals and simply drink water. I try to stay away from restaurants, but have gone to several during preps with family and didn’t eat the food.

Are your friends/family supportive, or do you find yourself constantly saying no to people trying to feed you lol?
All in all, they are supportive. My immediate family especially is very supportive but as we go to friends house sometimes they don’t really know just how restrictive my diet needs to be at times, and I have gotten a lot of judgment because of it. It comes with the sport.

Finally, can you tell us what your favourite workout is, what your favourite cheat meal is, and who your favourite inspiration/athlete is?
YES! I LOVE lifting arms, I’ve always had a large torso, big chest, big back, but small arms, even now they are a lagging body part so I love to go in there and just destroy them, then walk around with them all pumped up wishing that was the size they’d stay at! Haha

My 2 favorite foods for cheat meals are either a HUGE homemade cheeseburger and a mountain of baked fries, or a pizza.

Without a doubt my favorite bodybuilder is IFBB pro Mark Dugdale. I have always liked his physique but after seeing his videos and then talking with him it was awesome to see how much he loves God and puts God and his family first. That was such an inspiration to me. I was blessed with the opportunity to catch a couple workouts with Mark last year. It was amazing. I learned so much and got to go to dinner with him and his wife, they are both amazing people and we’ve kept in touch since.

What are your personal goals for 2013?
I’m excited I finally created my Facebook page, I have always liked helping people and this will allow me a platform to help and inspire on a much larger scale. I plan to be very active on here this year. As far as my physique goals, I competed in NPC middle weight at my last show. I was at the very top of the weight class so I am taking the year to build as much muscle as possible and hopefully come into 2014 as a competitive light heavy weight.

Interview by Barbara Graham through our Facebook resource – Beginners Guide to Getting Ripped – Check it out for more tips and information.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in General, Interviews | Comments Off on Jeremy Reid Interview

How To Get Six Pack Abs

Wednesday, July 25th, 2012


If there is one question that comes up time and time again, it’s “How do I get a six pack?” 

For every 5 questions I get asked, this is usually one of them.

Generally speaking, there is no definitive answer to this question, there are simply methods that work and those that don’t. But rather than attempt to answer it yet again, I thought a fresh point of view might be useful. And what better view is there than an established author on the subject of Fat Loss and abdominal development?

Theo M. Whittington is the author of The Fat Loss Handbook and he has not only agreed to give us some insight into how to develop your six pack, but he has also set up a fantastic deal for anyone reading this blog which he has broken down below.

But I’m sure you just want to get to it now, so I’m going to leave it to Theo to take it from here…

Everyone wants to know how to get lean, defined abs.. right?

Whether you’re a man or a woman, whether you’re 16 or 60, you’d like your midsection to look firm and flat. Today I’m going to share an excerpt from my book, The Fat Loss Handbook that shows you how to get great abs that you can be proud of. 

In recent years there have been two myths that have misguided many people, they go something like this.

  1. Doing sit ups everyday will melt away the fat and give you ripped abs
  2. Everyone has abs, you don’t need to train them –  Just lose the fat on top of them.

There’s a grain of truth to both of these but if you want to have well developed and lean abs, you must understand that these are incorrect statements. The process of achieving impressive abs is one of development and unveiling.

The development of your abs 

It is true that everyone has abs but does everyone have well developed abs? No. To say that you don’t have to work your abs and that you just need to diet is like a cast of actors saying “We’ll be there on show night, so we don’t need to practice.” It’s ridiculous, the abs must be developed.

There are three main parts of the abs that we will focus on:

  1. Rectus Abdominis -Your six-pack muscle
  2. Obliques -The internal and external obliques make up the sides of your abs
  3. Transverse Abdominis -This muscle lies beneath above muscles and acts as a corset to draw your abdomen in

The Rectus Abdominis 

The rectus abdominis is the muscle that is worked most by sit-ups, crunches and leg raises yet despite the ab training culture, this muscle is not strong or well developed in most people, this is evident from a glance around your local town or city, a trained eye will probably see many examples of lordosis of the spine partially due to weak lower abs. The rectus abdominis muscle acts to bend the spine forward, exercises such as crunches and sit-ups target the upper sections of the muscle whereas hanging leg raises target the lower part far more. Do not neglect to include a lower abdominal exercise, this area is weak in most people. 

The Internal and External Obliques 

The oblique muscles are also undertrained in most people, the obliques can be trained with twisting movements of the trunk and with side bends. The oblique muscles are very useful for reducing the size of the waist when trained and don’t thicken the waist significantly like many claim. If you want a visually pleasing midsection then some exercise for the oblique muscles is always necessary.

The Transverse Abdominis

The transverse abdominis is a very interesting muscle, especially in a world where expanding waistlines are a big concern. The action of this muscle is to draw in the abdomen, to literally make you appear slimmer. Although many fitness professionals will tell you that you can’t flatten your

abdomen with exercise, this isn’t completely true. You can’t exercise your abs and expect pounds of fat to evaporate but you can strengthen the muscles that draw your abdomen in so that your abs become firm and tight. This isn’t achieved with hundreds of sit ups, crunches or in fact any of the usual, gym- popular exercises. It is is done with an exercise called the vacuum. The vacuum isn’t an exercise you see too often and is an exercise most people never come across. In the simplest terms this exercise is ‘sucking in your gut’ but there’s a lot more to it than that. (Note: The exercise description isn’t included here, I’m afraid)

The Serratus Anterior Muscle 

Development of the abs wouldn’t be complete without a mention of the little known serratus anterior muscle. The serratus attaches the shoulder blade to the ribs at the front of the body, it is not technically a part of the abdominal muscle group but it strongly enhances the visual impact of the abs when properly developed so it is included here. The serratus anterior muscle pulls the shoulder blade forwards, it is the antagonist of the rhomboids and lower trapezius muscle. As the bench press has largely replaced the push up in many peoples resistance training routines this muscle is sometimes not developed proportionately with other muscles. The serratus is trained by flaring the shoulder blades at the top of push ups, shoulder presses and dips.

Complete Abdominal Development

Make use of these effective exercises to develop strong abs.

Hanging Knee Raise                  3-4 x 10

Abdominal Crunches               3-4 x 10

Russian Twists                            3-4 x 20

Straight-Legged Sit-ups           3-4 x 10

 

How to reveal your abs? For the next 14 days you can get The Fat Loss Handbook for only £9.99 (50% off) and learn effective strategies for a leaner body. I’d like to thank Mark for the opportunity to contribute to the Dynamic Core Solutions blog.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Exercise | Comments Off on How To Get Six Pack Abs

What a load of Metabolics

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

It feels like there is a new workout technique, diet, piece of ‘revolutionary’ equipment or quick fix being released or promoted every day.

And with each new idea or theory comes a new catchy name or sound-bite.

OK things need names and if it truly is new and revolutionary, it stands to reason you want the name to be memorable. That’s just marketing. Problem is, marketing is coming at the expense of content.

There’s little new or revolutionary. It might be new, but useless (I refer you to the shake weight, ‘shape up’ shoes, slendertone etc) or it’s just a well marketed version of the same old garbage – See my post on Zumba, Body Pump and Vibroplates.

Back in the day exercises might get associated with the person that invented or popularized them, as in the Arnold Press, the Zeicher Squat. Nowadays it seems the label is the important part.

How many Thor or Captain America workouts have we had this year? In the past few years 300 & Spartan workouts were all the rage along with the more recent Spartacus workouts. Thing is, they mostly end up just being big circuits with no real difference to any other circuit training or drill based workouts. Why? Because then they can be performed for groups which can bring in more money than training an individual.

Does anyone honestly think Spartacus trained, not only with little dumbbells and in a circuit format but, to the dance music that invariably comes with these classes? Did anyone really believe that the 300 workouts were the one key secret to getting the cast to their 6 pack physique ready for that film? And do we honestly think Chris Evans or Chris Hemsworth had one secret workout that no one else has ever tried that was key to their physiques in Captain America & Thor?

Are people really that gullible?

Unfortunately the answer has to be, in part anyway, a resounding yes. Otherwise, why would these things keep popping up, getting quoted and being used?

It’s only a matter of time before we get the Tom Hardy ‘Warrior’ workout (or perhaps they will wait to ‘Bane Train’).

Then there are ‘descriptive’ titles. Now, forgive me for being Mr Picky, but surely a descriptive title should tell you what the workout, technique or theory does that others don’t? The one I have heard a lot over the past couple of years is ‘Metabolic Training’ – What the heck does that mean? Is it suggesting that if you use this training you will raise your metabolism? Is there any form of training that does’t raise your metabolism? Getting out of a chair or going for a walk will raise your metabolism! If we are talking raising it and keeping it raised beyond the scope of the workout, then any anaerobic training, HIIT or heavy resistance training will do that (a lot more than these faddy workouts ever will). What it is really referring to is EPOC (Excess Post exercise Oxygen Consumption) and the creation of an Oxygen Debt. But, there is no one ‘magic’ workout that makes that happen above all others.

Another is ‘Endurance Training’! Could you be a bit more specific? Mostly this is used to describe high reps. But sitting in a freezer to prep for a trip to the Arctic would be endurance training, or hill walking could be endurance training. In fact almost anything that will last (or endure) could be considered endurance training. Endurance for what?

Then there is ‘slim-a-size’, ‘yummy bummy’, ‘slimfast diets’… and on and on…

In the end it is just sticking fancy labels on things to hide the fact that there truly is no substance to it. It just sounds good.

Training is not done just for the sake of it, it is done to achieve something. So there should be some thought behind why you are doing things.

Just realize, there is very little that is actually new and things that work are the things that last, not fads or gimmicks. If it has been done for decades there is likely a reason. If it is shiny and new, it is likely either a re-hash of something old or is untested garbage with a well marketed visual image.

Even the tried and tested stuff can get irritating when people walk around the gym talking about their latest 5/3/1 routine, 5×5, German Volume Training or Russian Strength Sets as if they are something new that they just invented.

All the workouts I have mentioned are reasonably good workouts with solid benefits, but to treat them like they are the latest ‘miracle’ and the fast track to a ripped physique, huge growth or a shredded six pack, that’s just bull crap and cause me switch off.

So here’s a shiny new technique for you. It’s called Metacolonic Training. It is where you take your metabolic training, your Superhero Workouts,  faddy diets, gimmicks and your quick fix solutions and you shove them up your…

And relax!

That’s my view anyway – perhaps you like these gimmicks, or you have actually seen some staggering results from them.

Or are you as frustrated as I am with hearing this nonsense day in and day out?

I’m sure, regardless, you will have heard of at least a few of them.

So what do you think? Is there anything here of validity or is it simply more layers to convince people that there are ‘easy’ fixes available and that hard work, effort and dedication can simply be bypassed?

Comment below and let me know.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in H.I.I.T. | 3 Comments »

You’ve worked hard all week, you deserve a night off.

Friday, October 28th, 2011

When you spend enough time with people who have similar goals, you start to see patterns emerging. One that I have become more and more aware of is the idea of the ‘night off’.

Most people work hard all week and when the weekend comes, they naturally feel deserving of a break from being strict, healthy or sensible. And if that is what keeps you going through the week, then you should be free to make that choice.

However, I am reminded of something Anthony Robbins once said, that ‘people spend their entire week wishing it away in order to get to a 2 day period, during which they do things to their body that stops them from remembering it’.

And I’m sure, if that doesn’t apply to you, you know of people who it does.

Chances are (being on this site) you have a goal, be it fat loss, muscle building or toning, and you want to achieve. And hopefully, if you have read my other posts, you have an emotional attachment to that goal.

But often even the most driven people continue with the idea that, if they push hard all week and eat healthy, they earn the right to splurge. Maybe it’s just one night per week or a couple per month.

However, what I would like people to understand is that one night per week isn’t simply the sum total of that night.

A few drinks and junk food on a Friday usually leads to poor sleep, dehydration (which puts a strain on the activity of your liver – compromising its ability to mobilize stored fats)  and a long lie.

Activity levels on Saturday are then, like it or not, at a lower level. Your system is still working hard to reset (so digestion and fat burning remain compromised).

Then there is the craving for fried food or more savory junk food. That, in turn, leaves you feeling poor for most of the day with the idea of eating something nutritious or healthy being the furthest thing from your mind.

You may try hitting the gym, but your level is not at its usual standard. You might laugh it off gaining lots of sympathy from those who have been there before, but that isn’t getting the work done and is simply a sub-standard session.

You probably haven’t consumed enough water to fully re-hydrate.

Later you may prepare a higher quality meal, but either over eat (mistaking thirst for hunger) or not eat enough, as you still feel a touch fragile.

At night you may consider a ‘hair of the dog’ remedy to carry you through, when actually an early night would be preferable.

Come Sunday, you may feel better, but given your sub-optimal Saturday, chances are you are still not firing on all levels.

That whole process could go on to affect a further 2 or 3 days. I’ve seen people destroy and entire week from with one night.

If that is what you choose to do, great. Just do it in the knowledge that one night is not just the sum of its intake. Its effects on your progress can be exponentially higher. Only by accepting that can you truly determine if the benefits outweigh any losses to your progress..

So next time you reach for that ‘one’ glass of wine, that ‘one’ beer, that ‘one’ pizza slice. Just remember it is not just the calories you are consuming that count, it is the total effect on your system over the subsequent hours and days.

A malteser may only be ’11 calories of naughyness’, but the hormonal effects are so much more and that should be considered before you justify its consumption.

Make informed choices not those justified through emotional logic or advertising.

If you truly want to change or progress, then make your choice and don’t compromise.

But what do you think?

Too strict?

Do you find you can overcome the ‘hangover’ effects and get straight back on track?

Or is this something that has been holding you back and you have just been kidding yourself?

Comment below and let me know.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in H.I.I.T. | 7 Comments »

Why Count Reps? – Every Rep Counts!

Monday, September 19th, 2011

If you have ever spent any time in a gym, lifted weights or even if you have only read the odd magazine or internet article, you will invariably have seen some kind of rep prescription. 3 sets of 10 reps; 5 sets of 5 reps; 2 sets of 12 reps…

But what does it mean? Why would you want to stick to those reps? Why do you need to count reps at all?

There are a couple of reasons why a set number of reps are commonly used in the creation of training programmes.

The first is to develop progression and give a target.

If you were able to lift a set weight for 10 reps last time round, perhaps you want to force out 12 this time. That’s progression, you have lifted more, so you have improved and you will force your muscles to develop. By having the number in your head you know what you have to achieve. There is a finish line in sight. So when you get to 8 reps and it starts to burn, you can tell yourself you haven’t made your target yet and force through to find the additional 4 reps.

The other reason has a more academic foundation.

There have been a number of studies carried out on the effects of different rep ranges on muscular development. Although each study used differing parameters, the general conclusions were that, lifting in the lower rep ranges (below 6 reps) is optimal for strength increase and mid range reps (8-12) were best for hypertrophy.

The higher rep ranges (12+) resulted in differing conclusions depending on the study. Strengthening of tendons; lengthening the muscle fibres; endurance within the movement etc. All these have been shown as optimal reasons for using this rep range.

So when someone is devising a programme they will generally use these rep ranges as a guide depending on their primary focus.

Both reasons are perfectly valid and can happily be used as a tool within your training regime. The problem comes when these reasons become gospel. They are the rules and there is no deviating from them.

There is no doubt that progression is important for development when training and that utilizing reps as a method of tracking your progression is a useful tool. Having that target in mind is certainly a way of ensuring you push far enough to promote progression.

What you should remember though is development is never linear. You can’t force a one or two rep progression with every workout. You may be able to for a few weeks, but eventually that progression will stop. That doesn’t mean, as is often claimed, that you have hit a plateau. More likely you have just spent the first few weeks becoming anatomically adapted to the movement, which made it look more like muscular progression. But it is often at this point that the real development starts.

In other words, constantly changing your routine whenever you appear to plateau is not as good an idea as it may appear.

Also, just because you can’t do more or even as much as you did previously, doesn’t necessarily mean you have gotten weaker. You could be just as strong, or perhaps stronger, but if you’ve had a long, stressful day or a poor night’s sleep, you can’t expect your body to perform optimally.

[intlink id=”979″ type=”post”]See this article for more on this.[/intlink]

Not only that, but what if you are particularly invigorated on a particular day? Setting yourself a target could be very limiting.

Say you managed 10 reps last time, so today you are going to push out 12. What if you actually had enough in the tank for 15 or 16? You start to struggle at 11 so stop at 12, after all you made your target, you have just lost the opportunity for an additional 3 or 4 reps.

So, you can see, using reps as a target is generally not the optimal way to train.

Not all reps are equal.

How you lift is crucial to the return you get. As I covered in [intlink id=”1047″ type=”post”]This Article[/intlink] you should be looking to give your all in every rep. Either you should be lifting explosively with full contraction and constant tension on the muscle or carrying out controlled negatives enforcing your mind muscle connection etc.

Regardless of the technique you are employing, every rep requires you to give it your full, undivided attention.

If you are busy counting reps, that is just another distraction you don’t need and most likely you will start to think about how many you have left rather than making the most of the rep you are on.

It is for that reason that I generally prefer to work in the lower rep ranges.

Which brings us to reason number 2 – Different rep ranges should be used for different results.

It is issues like this that show the difference between pure science and real world application.

In a like for like situation it may well be mildly optimal for each result to be in the rep range described earlier. But regardless of your target, all rep ranges will show some kind of improvement. Low reps will cause hypertrophy and high reps will increase strength (assuming you are nutritionally set).  However, working in the low rep range will allow you to maintain focus on each and every rep.

Generally I have found that, above 6 reps, most people lose their intensity and focus and start looking to get through to the end.

You should always aim to do is as much work as you can.

Your muscle fibres will always fire in order (smallest to largest) and the way to get to the larger fibres is to apply as much force from the muscle as possible.

The most common route for doing that is to add weight. But if you remember your high school physics, weight (or mass) is only part of the equation.

Force = Mass x Acceleration

So the other factor is acceleration. If you accelerate a lighter weight faster than you would a heavy weight, you are potentially generating the same amount of force. To that end, the optimal movement would obviously be to accelerate a heavy weight fast.

If your target is hypertrophy, the convention might be to do 3 sets of 10, but what if you did 10 sets of 3? What if you just kept the rest periods short and gave your full focus to every one of the 3 reps? You would be able to use a heavier weight, but you’d still do the same number of reps. The volume would be greater and you would have lifted with greater intensity. And if you are lifting at that low rep range, you don’t need to count. 3 is easy to track. And if you only do 2 or you do 4, so what?

Just keep your focus on the individual reps, not the number.

If, on the other hand, your training requires you to be working in the higher rep ranges (8-12), you still don’t need to count. If you end up doing 15 or more, you will be very aware that the set has gone on too long and you need a heavier weight. If you only managed 5, you will know it wasn’t enough without counting the reps out and that your weight is too heavy.

Just focus on each individual rep, make every rep count and continue to push until you have truly failed (assuming maximum reps were the purpose of the exercise).

That way, you are more likely to be focused on your form, your technique, your contractions, your range of motion and you will be getting much more in return from your workout. If you have given up time out of your day to go and make improvements, then why waste reps?

Stop getting hung up on numbers. Yes it’s good to see progression, but if you are giving your all at all times, the progression will come. Feel free to test yourself every few months, but don’t get caught up on bean counting.

Numbers are meaningless for most people. You want your body to look good, you want to feel good, you want to improve, so make the most of every element and don’t get distracted by reps, weight or time. They are simply distractions and you have enough to focus on.

Make the most of your workouts. Stop counting reps and make EVERY rep count!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Exercise | Comments Off on Why Count Reps? – Every Rep Counts!

Are you really giving your all?

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

Until now I’ve mainly been looking at excuses that are likely to be holding many people back in their pursuit of an improved physicality and fitness levels. Obviously as a reader of this blog, you are probably not someone who is greatly hampered by such things, but it never hurts to instil the odd reminder now and again.

Today I want to discuss something else that has probably affected all of us at some point.

It’s not so much an excuse, but it is something that is limiting more people in their progress than you might think. In fact it is something I see hour after hour, day in day out. If there is a group of people training, chances are this is affecting at least one of them.

The question is – Are you giving your All at All times?

Just turning up to the gym and going through the motions is not enough to make progress.

If you are one of those people that head for the recumbent bike with a book, have a read while you spin the pedals around, then step off without a hair out of place and think that was a worthwhile 30mins or whatever, then I can assure you, your results are a long way off.

In fact, if that is you, then either make a decision to change right now, or stop reading right here and don’t come back to this site until you are willing to put in some kind of effort.

Similarly, when you hit the weights room, regardless of what you are lifting for, whether it be hypertrophy, strength, fat loss or toning, how you lift is as important, if not more important, than what you lift.

The people that make real progress are the ones who put their all into every rep of every set. If the target of the set is failure, then push to failure, not just until it gets uncomfortable. If the aim is to recruit as many muscle fibres as possible, then you are looking to lift, not just heavy, but with acceleration. Accelerating a heavy weight is the optimal route to accessing your deep threshold motor units, ensuring the largest stimulus for your muscles. If the target is speed, then push to the end, push through the wall and force your body to adapt.

In other words, just making the movement pattern is not enough.

Yes, it is important to learn correct form. It is necessary to spend some time developing your mind muscle connection. It is a good idea to work on bringing up weaknesses. But, regardless of the type of workout you are doing, it is of critical importance that you make the most of it.

Why waste reps?

Now I’m not a big advocate of HIT training, but there is one thing that you can learn from that method. Make every lift, every movement and every set as important as it would be if you only had one chance to make it work. With HIT training you perform one set for each muscle group. One set and one set alone.

Let’s assume you are looking for some major chest development. Imagine each week you only had one set of 5 reps of bench pressing in which to achieve that. 5 reps and that’s it until next week. You would be much more focused, you’d ensure you kept your chest muscles activated throughout the movement on every rep, you’d accelerate the bar with everything you had, you’d squeeze every rep for all it was worth, you’d ensure a full range of motion and you’d do it all with the heaviest weight you could manage.

After all, you’ve only got one shot at this and that has to be enough to make your chest grow.

HIT or no HIT, this is the sort of focus you should be applying to every rep of every set, regardless of the number of sets.

2 people can do the same workout and get massively different results. You could put that down to genetic makeup. But the fact is the person who puts their all into every rep will always outshine the person who just goes through the motions.

Always be in control.

When you are lifting weights, you control the bar, don’t let the bar control you. You lower it and you ‘command’ it back up. That is a very different process than letting it drop under gravity and then trying to grind it back up (before resting at the lockout position for 5 seconds).

If you are doing something a bit more cardiovascular, be in control of your breathing and your form. Remain focused and keep your posture. Then, even though your breaths may shorten and your heart rate quicken, you can control it back down again at a comfortable pace. Don’t bend over double gasping for air. It’s your body, you control it.

“What about overtraining?”

In my experience the attempt to avoid overtraining is, in itself, the most overdone thing in a gym. I am so sick of hearing the ‘overtraining’ excuse.

It is incredibly hard to reach a level of overtraining. I’m not talking about a bit of fatigue because you pushed heavy on a few workouts despite not having enough sleep [intlink id=”979″ type=”post”]I’ve already covered how to deal with that[/intlink] or getting ill from training heavy and hard on a poor diet. That’s a nutritional issue. True overtraining takes weeks to recover from and would require a level of training that most regular people could never find the time to achieve.

I’ve actually seen people stop their workout because the clock told them they had been training for an hour and they didn’t want to go one minute over. I’ve heard others talk of the mythical 45min maximum session time.

It’s all garbage and nothing more than an excuse to stop or simply a lack of proper information.

Think about it – When does the 45mins start? When you hit the gym floor? When you enter the gym? When you lift your first weight? What if you lifted something heavy just before you came to the gym (maybe you had to move a couch) does that mean you better get to the gym quick as your 45mins have started? Of course not!

Train to the maximum level that you can optimally recover from.

Some days that could be 20mins other days it could be 5hrs. There are no set rules and relying on a clock is just finding another constraint to hold you back.

If someone is there to spot you, that doesn’t give you licence to give up.

If you are doing an exercise and you get to a rep that is a real push. It’s probably going to be your final rep, you know you have nothing more to give – in fact you’re not sure you are even going to make this one. Just because you’ve got someone standing over you is not a reason to just relax every muscle safe in the knowledge there is someone there to help you up with the bar.

Your spotter is not there to lift the bar for you, their purpose is to give you as little assistance as possible whilst keeping you safe. Don’t make them have to upright row the bar back onto its hooks because you didn’t have the determination to push out that final rep.

If you are doing 50 meter sprints, don’t just stop and walk at 40 meters because it’s your 6th set, your lungs are heaving & your legs feel like jelly. You lift your chin and you push as hard as you can, it might be slower than a sprint, you may be barely moving, but you set yourself a distance of 50 meters, so that is what you push for. Giving your all right to the line.

I have to return again to the reason you are training at all. The result you are looking to achieve. The physique you so desperately crave. Remind yourself of the reason you are doing this, see it in your head, reconnect with the emotion and use it to push you in every aspect of your training.

The same goes for your diet. Use the emotion to help you decide what to eat or drink. Are your cravings stronger than that emotion? Or are you simply ‘giving in’ because it’s easier at that moment?

You want a result, you have made a commitment to do something about it, you have set aside time to train for that result, so why would you then give sub-optimal effort levels?

If you are already using the excuse that you [intlink id=”901″ type=”post”]don’t have time[/intlink], then why, when you give yourself some time, would you waste a second of it? Why would you want to take 5min rest periods just because the exercise it tough and you are putting off your next set? Why would you do sub optimal reps? Why would you eat ‘convenience foods’ when it is going to put you back several days? (not very convenient if you ask me).

Change is difficult. Your body is comfortable as it is (even if that comfort is safe in the knowledge that your health is in danger) it doesn’t want to change. If you force it, it will resist and suddenly all excuses seem logical. At that point, your willpower will lose, logic will go out the window until it becomes hindsight and then it becomes clear.

But it’s too late by then!

So, if you have fallen into any of the traps I’ve described, now you can be mindful of them. Realize what you are doing, take a step back, think about what you want to achieve and more importantly, why? Reconnect with that emotion and use that to overcome your excuses.

Never again should you be making [intlink id=”901″ type=”post”]Work[/intlink], [intlink id=”943″ type=”post”]Not Liking Something[/intlink], [intlink id=”979″ type=”post”]Fatigue[/intlink], [intlink id=”1018″ type=”post”]Injuries[/intlink] or Lack Of Intensity a reason for not progressing.

Stop making plans to fail and start planning a route to success.

Your results, your goals, your physique, your health and wellbeing are all in your hands. Take hold of your destiny and leave the excuses behind you. Now go and make the greatest improvements you’ve ever made – No excuses!

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Exercise, General | 1 Comment »

Too Tired to Workout?

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

Over the last few articles I’ve covered some of the often quoted excuses for not fulfilling your potential in your search for a new physique.

We’ve covered using your [intlink id=”901″ type=”post”]work as an excuse[/intlink]  and we’ve looked at reasons why not doing thing because you [intlink id=”943″ type=”post”]don’t like it[/intlink] could be hindering your progress.

Today I want to explore the scenario of being “too tired to workout”

This isn’t an ‘excuse’ per say. This is something to be very mindful of. If you haven’t slept well or stress of the day has gotten the better of you and you are lethargic when you hit the gym, often pushing through regardless is the worst thing you can do.

I’m not saying you should do nothing, but just because you did 5 sets of 8 with 100kg on the bar last time, doesn’t mean you should be looking to match or beat that this time.

As a Personal Trainer, it is generally accepted that one of my responsibilities would be to push clients to their limit each time. However, that is not the case and trainers who follow that mantra for every session could be forcing their clients beyond their means.

Remember, your body reacts, grows or develops when you recover not when working out. So you are always looking to do the most work that you can optimally recover from. If you are in a depleted or fatigued state, your ability to recover is compromised, so you cannot put as much stress on your system and expect to develop. Not only that, but your form is likely to suffer making you more susceptible to injuries.

So if I’m training a client, often times my role is to rein them in and protect them from their own enthusiasm.

If their fatigue levels are particularly bad, I’ll look to change the workout entirely and do more of an activation workout to try and stimulate their CNS. Often this is enough to spark their intensity to a level allowing a phenomenal training session. Other times it will energize them enough to get through the rest of the day and promote a good night’s sleep. This, in turn, generates a much better intensity for the next session.

However, being too tired is never an excuse to do nothing. You can always do some kind of workout and as I said above, it can often lead to a great training session or, at the very least, stimulate a better workout next time.

You should remember that improvement is not about individual workouts. As I stated in the article [intlink id=”627″ type=”post”]playing the long game [/intlink] you should be looking for the cumulative effect of everything you do. So even if a day is not optimal, it is still a point on your development and should be considered as part of your overall progress rather than a day off.

So next time you think you are too tired to train, just remember, you made a commitment, you made an appointment with yourself (you should have this appointment in your diary, it is as important as any other meeting). Remember that goal you set yourself, remember why you set it, re-connect with the emotion then go get started.

Listen to your body as you go. Use your emotional connection with your result to push you to work as hard as you can, but if your focus is poor or you form is suffering, change up what you are doing. Look to use some plyometric training, some explosive work or, at the very least, go for a jog and get some oxygen flowing through your lungs. Then re-assess.

Do you feel more focused now?

If so, ramp up the level again. If not, then you can go home, prep something healthy and nutritious to eat and ensure a good night’s sleep ready to give your all the next day.

If, however, you have the same issue several days in a row, then you have a deeper issue that needs to be addressed.

Start keeping a training log along with your food diary. See if there is any correlation between eating habits and fatigue. Make a note of how much sleep you are getting each night. Make a note of how often you are working late (this goes back to the [intlink id=”901″ type=”post”]too much work excuse[/intlink] and in particular, note each time you have a ‘too tired’ day.

Remember, your health is everything. Without it, your work will suffer, your home life will suffer, your mental health will deteriorate, your relationships will suffer and you increase your risk of permanent issues.

I’ll say it again, you cannot buy your health back. Your health and wellbeing should be your priority not a luxury.

So if you need to put a stop to overtime for a few weeks, stop agreeing to nights out or maybe even stop yourself sitting up too late with the TV, Xbox or Online Poker, make a concerted effort to do so. Spend your time ensuring you are preparing healthy meals, training well and winding down for a good night’s sleep.

Make YOU your priority for a while.

Two or Three weeks should be all you need.

You may think you can’t afford the time, but really, you can’t afford not to give yourself the time.

Remember, training is a stress on the body that, through recovery, you respond and improve from. But if you fill your life with other stresses, you never recover and you are simply annihilating your nervous system. So you can train all you like, but your physique will never improve and you will not be able to undo the stresses of the day.

Stop living for other people and take some time for yourself. The world won’t stop just because you have taken a step back and long term, every aspect of your life will benefit.

So with another common excuse out of the window, hopefully you are running out and have taken the time to reflect on how they are affecting your progress. But there are many more extremely common restrictions to cover and we’ll get to a very big one next time around.

In the meantime, find a way to increase your vitality and energy levels, to increase your training focus, which will improve your recovery, health and vitality, which will increase your energy levels. And the spiral continues. Re-affirm that commitment to change and go make some improvements starting today.

And as ever, I encourage you to leave your thoughts or associated problems or excuses below. Or perhaps your own views on how to deal with them.

The more excuses we can leave behind the more we all benefit and I very much appreciate the feedback.

[intlink id=”1018″ type=”post”]Part 5…  The Injury Excuse[/intlink] 

 

 

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in General | 5 Comments »

Exercises and Nutrition you Simply Don’t Like.

Monday, August 8th, 2011

Last time we looked at the problem of having [intlink id=”901″ type=”post”]too much work[/intlink] and how it really is a choice and an excuse not to achieve the results you are looking for.

And although that is an extremely common excuse these days, the self sabotaging doesn’t end there. So the excuse I want to explore with today’s article is the “I just don’t like it” excuse.

If you read my previous article [intlink id=”402″ type=”post”]How Hate Can Be Turned on its Head[/intlink] you’ll already know that working with an exercise you don’t like is often one of the most beneficial things you can do. If all you ever do is workouts you enjoy or you ‘like’ then you are almost certainly hindering your progress.

Generally people don’t like doing workouts because they are not very good at them or they feel uncomfortable while doing them. The reason for this is you will be using muscles that are lagging or your range of motion is not good enough. Therefore, by not improving these areas, you are drastically limiting your potential and likely making yourself more prone to injuries through muscular imbalances.

Training can be enjoyable at times and the sense of satisfaction at the end of a tough session is hard to beat, but if workouts were easy or comfortable, everyone would do them. But if they were comfortable then they wouldn’t be challenging for your body and so you are not giving your system any reason to respond and develop.

Similarly, when it comes to diet, if something is good for you and is really going to make a difference, then just suck it up and get it down.

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard “I don’t like vegetables” or when you hear the veg intake it consists of only carrots or the occasional salad.

Occasionally I will recommend some kind of peri-workout nutrition in the form of a shake, or some kind of supplement if their lifestyle is making nutritional intake a problem. To then refuse to drink it due to not liking the taste is a poor excuse indeed.

Remember what you are training for. Remember how important that result is to you. Is it really such an issue to eat or drink the odd thing that doesn’t 100% agree with your pallet?

If you are not nutritionally fuelled, your workouts will suffer; your energy levels will suffer; your recovery will suffer. In short, your results will suffer.

I’m not saying all your meals have to be boring or bland. There’s no need to be forcing down chicken and broccoli for every meal. There is a world of variety available without eating garbage and if you have a bit of time, you can really make some exceptionally tasty options (I’ll be adding a few recipes in future articles). But if you are already using the ‘time is short’ excuse, don’t add another one if you have to use some kind of supplement. You can try out different flavours as you go, but if it is your only option, just get it down you. Saying you don’t like something and then chomping on a bar of chocolate, heading to McDonalds or starving yourself.

It may only feel like a ‘just this once’ moment, but these small moments can have huge effects on your results.

So always return to the emotional reason for making the change in the first place. Remember what you want to achieve and why. Think of how you will feel and what it will mean to you to achieve your new physique, to feel healthier, stronger or more vibrant. Remember those changes are for a lifetime and the thing you ‘don’t like’ will only last a few moments. Now ask yourself, which is of greater value to you? Feeling good about yourself or avoiding that one thing?

And just like your exercise choices, you may well find that, by trying foods you didn’t previously like, you may develop a taste for them long term. Then you get the results as well as a healthier pallet to go with it, so further improvements will come much easier in the future.

“I don’t like it” is a child’s response – be better than that! Be the best you can possibly be. So, until next time, when we will be covering another highly common excuse, go prep some greens to go with your next meal.

[intlink id=”979″ type=”post”]Part 4 – The Too Tired Excuse[/intlink]

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Diet & Nutrition, General | 1 Comment »

Work Getting in the way of Training and Results

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011

In my last article I touched on the idea that excuses and motivational issues could be the limiting factor in achieving your physique and fitness goals.

If you missed it you can read it [intlink id=”844″ type=”post”]Here…[/intlink]

Let’s have a look at one of these excuses in detail and see if we can’t find a new way of looking at the problem.

“I’ve had too much on at work” – This is probably the most commonly used excuse when it comes to non compliance with a training or eating programme. Now I don’t want to belittle work requirements. Trust me, I’ve been there, where deadlines are just piling up and the work just has to be done. Given the current economic situation, it is understandable that you may want to give your job a little extra priority, if for no other reason than to ensure you remain employed.

But if that additional effort culminates in taking so much of your time that all you are doing is working, it may be time to take a step back and re-assess your priorities.

Ask yourself – what is it you are working for?

If you are in the employ of someone else or a large company the answer is likely a little different than if you are self employed. But as most people fall into the former category, then it may be worth remembering what a job actually is. Your job will have come about as there was a task or role that is required but could not be fulfilled by the current staffing levels. However, it will only be offered if the output that employing you produces is of greater value than your agreed salary.

In other words, your output is generating additional profit for the company you work for. The harder and more efficiently you work, the more it will benefit your employer (not you). Yes you may win favour, a pay rise or a promotion by going the extra mile, but only if you are also increasing the benefits for your employer in the process.

When you are employed it will be for agreed terms – A set number of hours per day or week, within which you will be obliged to carry out specific tasks. Now if you are the type of person who spends all day procrastinating, updating your Facebook Status, Tweeting, watching YouTube videos or any other unproductive activity (obviously reading this blog excepted) and you get to the end of the day having not carried out the work load you should have been able to during the day, then any additional work hours required to catch up are your own doing and that is something you should maybe look at. But if you are working diligently day in, day out, and yet are still find yourself staying behind every night for an extra 3 or 4 hours to ensure the work gets done. That is not your problem – it’s your employer’s. They have failed to staff the workload properly and it is not your job to bail them out. In fact, by doing so, you are potentially preventing someone else being employed and the only person that really benefits is your employer.
So I repeat the question, what is it you are working for?

Most people work at least partially out of necessity.

You work to live, you do not live to work.

If, however, your workload is such that you have no time left to live your life to its fullest, then what is the point?

If you run yourself into the ground, aren’t getting enough sleep  and ruin your health, who is that going to benefit?

In the end if the result is you can’t do your job properly, your employer will just find someone to replace you. And no matter how much extra income you generated, you won’t be able to just buy back your health.

Without your health you have nothing.

And going back to your initial motivation to change – if you don’t achieve your goals or targets, that emotional kick could end up being more encompassing than motivating. You may just end up downbeat and depressed at your lack of progress and end up feeling worse.

Studies have shown that most people can only really dedicate a huge focus to one or two things at a time. That may have to be work on occasion and that is OK. Perhaps your fitness and training have to go on the back burner for a few weeks. But if you can’t find 4 or 5 hrs from a 168hr week to put towards your fitness and wellbeing, then I’d suggest there is something very wrong with your priorities.

If you are working 12hrs+ every day, I’d suggest there is no way you are giving your work 100% focus and dedication 100% of the time anyway and giving yourself and hour or so to hit the gym, go play football or head out for a run may increase your productivity far more than slogging it out for that extra hour possibly could.

Unfortunately the people who really need to be reading this will most likely be the people who have decided to ‘read it later’ and never get around to it as they have ‘too much work on’.

However, if you are currently in this trap, I’d encourage you to take a step back and re-assess your situation. Or perhaps you know someone who needs to take a step back, then please pass this article or its message on to them and do all you can to encourage them to evaluate their priorities.

As I said, I’ve been there, caught up in the work spiral. It took several years of late nights, poor diet and constant exhaustion before I was able to make the decision to change.

And do you know what happened when I did?

Nothing!

The world kept turning and the work still got done. I made a decision that I would never work late more than 1 day in a row and if the deadlines weren’t going to be achieved as a result, I would put the emphasis back on my employer to ensure additional resources were put on the job. Occasionally they wouldn’t appear at first, but I would hold my ground and leave at (or close to) my contracted time and as the deadline approached, suddenly the resources would become available.

So long as you are upfront and ensure that the situation is clear early on and you do all you can within your agreed hours, then a good employer will accommodate you.

Think of it this way – are there people in your place of work who have to leave to collect their kids from school? Would they be expected to stay behind and leave their children stranded to put a few extra hours in on a project? If you had tickets to a concert that you had booked and paid for a year in advance, would you stay behind and miss the concert? Then why should your gym appointment be any different?

Yes it might be ‘just this once’ and if that’s true, then so be it. But all too often, ‘just this once’ becomes, ‘just this week’ which then becomes a couple of weeks, then a month and before you know it all the effort you had previously put in with training and eating well has been completely undone.

Remember, you work to live, you do not live to work. Recall what you wanted to change and more importantly, why. Re-connect with that emotion. Make it stronger. Make it bigger. Make it more important than anything else. If it is really that important to you, then give it the priority it deserves.

Your health and fitness are not a luxury.

Your wellbeing is not of lesser importance than your job.

It may feel like it sometimes, but take a step back and really think about it. What are you working for? Don’t let your job control your life. Don’t let your fear of losing your job or your desire for promotion destroy your personal life, your health or your self-image.

I’m not belittling your work, it may be very important to you, but always remember, you will not be able to carry out any activity, work related or otherwise, if your body doesn’t function properly.

So not eating properly, not getting any form of exercise, lack of sleep or any combination of these things as a result of your job are simply excuses. And they are excuses borne out of fear, stress or implied obligation.

Don’t be weak, don’t be a drone, be what you need to be. Be what you want to be. Be stronger, be better, be your best self and you will reap the benefits.

In the end, the improved energy, vitality and vigour will transfer into all aspects of your life, including your work. That way, everyone benefits.

I’ll leave you with that for now and next time we’ll take a look at some more excuses that could be stopping you making the progress with your fitness and physique transformation.

Until then I encourage you to have a real think about whether you have used the ‘too much work excuse’ or are currently using it and take some time to really assess your priorities.

Hopefully you will begin to put yourself a little higher in the pecking order and you’ll feel better as a result. Stop making excuses and start being the person you want to be, not the one you feel you have to be.

[intlink id=”943″ type=”post”]Part 3…The I Don’t Like It Excuse[/intlink]

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in General | Comments Off on Work Getting in the way of Training and Results

What to look for when choosing a Personal Trainer

Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010

Choosing a Personal Trainer might seem like a simple process, but make the wrong decision and you could end up spending a fortune in order to flatten that stomach, lose weight & improve your physique and the only size you drop is that of your bank balance.

Here are some tips to help you find the ideal Personal Trainer to help you achieve your specific goals:

Do you need a Personal Trainer? – The simple answer is Yes.

No matter who you are, you can always improve. Whether it be your health, your physique, your stamina or your sporting ability, you can always be better. Working with the right Personal Trainer will always achieve better results than working on your own (scientifically proven). Even the world’s top athletes work with coaches. If you have something you wish to achieve, whether it be a high level sports dream or if you simply want to flatten that stomach, working with a professional will always be of benefit in getting you there.

What do you want from your Personal Trainer? – This is perhaps the most important question. Yet it is often the least explored. Most people will start by asking about fees. Whilst money is an important factor, as everyone has their own budget, there is no point in getting the wrong service for the right price. If you are hiring a Personal Trainer or Coach to work with, then you are most certainly looking for a result of some kind. Therefore you should be looking for the best coach that you can within your budget.

The national average fee for Personal Training in the UK is around £55 per session (I’ll come to the issues with that shortly) so if you find a Personal Trainer charging £20-£25 per session, you could see that as a bargin. After all a Personal Trainer is a Personal Trainer right? But what kind of a service are you likely to receive from such a trainer? Either you will be looking at someone who will be training you outdoors with little to no equipment which, despite what they will tell you, is far from optimal for 99% of the population as far as results are concerned (plus, if you are based in the UK or anywhere with a similar climate, it can be dangerous to train outdoors in the winter months – and it doesn’t make you hard to train that way, it’s just plain stupid!). Alternatively they are desperate for clients and there is probably a reason for that – they are not good enough to survive on reputation alone.

The bottom line is, to a large extent, you get what you pay for and someone charging at the bottom end of the scale will either be racking up clients back to back (at 9 or 10 per day) to cover their costs and still making a living or they are just not good enough to warrant a higher rate. Either way, your results will suffer.

So your biggest question should always be, “what do I want to achieve?” and then find the best person to help you do that. One session, one week or even just one chat with the right person will be far more beneficial than any amount of sessions with someone who is throwing generic programmes at you.

So how much should you pay for Personal Training? – It may not seem so right now, but this is the least important question. The real issue is – how much are the results worth to you? What are you willing to pay to achieve them? And I don’t mean cash here.

To obtain something new there is always a price. In this case the price is commitment. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who can’t afford to get the help they need. Though almost everyone would tell you they can’t. But if you really, genuinely want to make a change then what are you willing to sacrifice? The Friday or Saturday nights out? Your satellite TV subscription? This year’s holiday? Your crisps, biscuits, chocolates, ready meals? The weekly Domino’s Pizza order? The monthly clothes shopping spree? This list could go on but the fact is, if you really look at the money you waste each month on things that are destroying your health and figure, you probably have more money than you think.

Not only that, but, as much as you might have the motivation at the start of the process, it is all too easy to lose the momentum when the going gets tough, when work comes calling, when ‘everyone’ is going out and you have a gym session planned. If the investment was minimal, it wouldn’t mean much to miss ‘just this once’. (Most commercial gyms rely on such apathy). However, if the investment is tough on you, there is no way you will just throw it away for the sake of a moment of weakness.

Work out in advance what you can GENUINELY afford to pay, find the best person for your purposes and then work out the best way to put those things together.

Who is the right Personal Trainer for you? – Only you are going to know the answer to that and the answer is almost never ‘the first link you click on in Google’. You are going to be working with this person for a while and you will be spending a lot of time with them, so you MUST find out if you feel comfortable with them.

The first port of call is usually the web site. This can give you a strong clue. If someone can’t be bothered spending the time to create a presentable website (their image to the world) then how much of an effort do you think they put into your results? A fancy, slick website proves nothing, but a poor one can tell you everything. Also, is that website just a page asking you to contact them or is it a source of information? If the site is little more than a digital business card, then unless that person is just starting out, there is no way to know if you can feel confident with this person. Do they have any idea what they are talking about? Are the passionate about their profession? Or do they simply want you to call them and hand over your hard earned cash?

Next thing to check is, do they offer a free consultation? If not, move on! If someone is not confident enough in themselves to give up an hour or so of their time to chat to you in case you decide not to sign up with them, then they are not good enough, it’s as simple as that. Personal Training should be a passion not a job and the industry is here to help people who are passionate about making a change.

Once you get to the consultation stage, make sure you use it to ensure you are talking to the right person for your needs. You should be in a position, at the end of the conversation, to definitively say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to continuing. If it’s a no, that is entirely your prerogative. This is a big investment and you want a return on it, so you are fully entitled to walk away if this doesn’t feel like the right person for you and you shouldn’t be embarrassed to do so. On the flip side, you should be armed with sufficient queries to know at the end of the consultation if you can go ahead.

If you end the conversation with ‘I’ll think about it’ or ‘I’ll have to talk to my partner’ etc. Then you haven’t come prepared. You are procrastinating. And that is not the way to make a decision to change. Your mind will always create doubt and fear because change is unknown and the unknown could be dangerous. But if you go with the right queries and get the answers you are looking for, plus you feel comfortable with the person you are talking to, there is no reason you should feel sceptical and you should be ready to push on.

What do you ask at the consultation? – Treat it like an interview. Make sure you know what you are getting for your investment. You are investing your time and money in the hope of getting a result, what is this person going to invest in return? This shouldn’t be about time in the gym. In fact, the time in the gym, whilst important, is only one of many elements important to your success. Remember there are 168hrs in a week, unless you intend to spend most of that at the gym then you need to know that you are using the rest of your time wisely. What kind of nutritional advice will you get? Will you receive a diet analysis? Will you get meal plans tailored to your needs? Will you have contact out-with the gym to check if you are doing the right thing or for coaching if you feel you are going off the rails?

How will your progress be tracked? The only way to track body composition improvements is by measuring body fat. This should be done through the use of skinfold callipers (assuming MRI or underwater weighing is out of the question, which it most probably is) NOT – I repeat NOT through the use of an electronic body fat tester or scales. These are far from accurate and will fluctuate from hour to hour depending on your hydration levels. I’ve seen these things measure around 30% one day and the next day show 20% for the same person. That is useless when tracking progress.

How often will this be tracked. Ideally you are looking for weekly feedback (bi weekly at the most). If you are getting feedback once every 3 months (or less) that is potentially 3 months of doing the wrong thing and therefore 3 months of your time and money wasted.

Remember, weight means nothing. You can lose weight and add fat and you can gain weight and lose fat. You can weigh the same and look worse. The only way to check progress correctly is by measuring your body fat.

How will your workouts be created? Too many PTs treat every client like the next on the conveyor belt. If you are female, short and looking to lose 10lbs and tone up for your holidays, you should not be doing the same workout as a 6ft male who is 80lbs over weight and trying to stay out of hospital. These are extreme examples, but if you find you are turning up and doing the same workout as the person that just left, I’d be questioning the effort and thought that is being applied to your training.

Workouts should be generated to your specific needs. It is a common agreement in the industry that the squat is a highly effective exercise. From that, though, it is common to see PTs making every client that comes through the doors perform this complex movement, regardless of their ability to perform it. Postural issues and general mobility are critical in selecting exercises. It is all very well programming an exercise because it is ‘good’, but if it cannot be performed with good technique, you are heading towards an appointment with a chiropractor or a surgeon in the near future.

What is your guarantee? Remember that big important question of “what do you want from a personal trainer?” Well if you are going to hire someone on this basis, then that ‘something’ should be delivered. If the something you are looking for is time, then go and hire the cheapest person you can find and forget about results. Better yet, just go and find some friends. If you want a result, however, why should you pay for time alone? If you paid someone to decorate your house would you expect them to charge you by the hour or for doing the job? Why should it be different for a Personal Trainer? Remember, the time you spend in the gym with them means nothing if you don’t get a result, so don’t get hung up on 1hr sessions etc.

I have no idea where this notion that a session should last an hour (or 45mins in some cases) came from. I can only assume it is because diaries are generally divided into 15min increments. However, if a PT has every client working out for exactly an hour, then at least half of those people are not getting the correct workout. Some people will respond better to shorter workouts, others longer workouts. If you are someone who responds better to short sessions (say 35mins) would you really want to train for an extra 25mins just because that’s what other trainers do? Similarly, if you need your session to be longer (say 75mins) to get the best out of it, is it ok to cut it off at 1hr?

Let me put it another way, if you had the choice of 2 dentists to do a root canal for you. One could do the job in 3mins and the other would keep you there drilling away for an hour and a half and they both charged the same, would you book the 2nd one because you were getting better value for money? If so, the word masochist springs to mind.

The bottom line is, you are paying for a result and so long as you are following the instruction you are given, you should get that result. If not, what are you paying for? If the trainer is not willing to guarantee a full refund if you do not get into that dress, add that muscle or flatten that stomach under those conditions, then they have no confidence in their ability to achieve them, so why should you?

It’s not a magic wand – Remember, no matter how good a Personal Trainer or Coach is, they can only give you the tools, you still have to commit to them. You have to have faith in what you are being asked to do at all times. If you don’t, then you should be discussing this with them to get clarification and confidence. If you don’t trust them fully, you are working with the wrong person. If you seek clarification and you don’t get it, you are with the wrong person. But it is up to you to make sure you have all the information you are looking for and then to follow it. If you skip sessions, don’t follow nutritional or lifestyle advice, lie about your diet or don’t give your full effort when training, then there is little anyone can do. A good coach will encourage you and give you confidence if you need it, but you still have to commit to the result.

If you have a target in mind, follow these guidelines and commit to the right trainer, you will be rewarded with a more positive self image, a feeling of well being as well as a feeling of elation as everyone around you starts to compliment you on how much better you look. The investment is worth it and who better to invest in than yourself? Just make sure you invest wisely.

A few final pointers:

How a Personal Trainer looks – Never judge a book by its cover. Some of the best coaches in the world don’t live up to the physiques of the athletes they train. Having said that, if they don’t look like they train and aren’t willing to practice what they preach, then they are not ones to be giving out advice. That doesn’t mean if they are overweight, walk away. Again, question them. Ask why they are where they are. You might find that the 150lb guy you are talking to was 250lbs less than a year ago and is well into the journey you are looking to take. Maybe he’s had a fatal injury that has stopped him training for a year, but has been ultra toned in the past. You want someone who knows how to get YOU there. So in an industry built on physiques, you should be able to judge a coach or trainer on theirs, but only once you have all the facts.

Qualifications aren’t everything – Are the people that do the best at University the best at their jobs? Sometimes, but not always. As an example, Norman Foster (the renowned, world famous Architect) got a 3rd at University. Does that make him bad at his job? I think his ‘results’ would say otherwise. The fitness industry is no exception. There are people out there who have no qualifications what so ever, and they could be the best coach for you. Qualifications are a good sign of basic competence. It means that person knows how to train you safely and with a certain amount of knowledge and understanding. But, as with getting your driver’s licence, after you have the certificate, how you act is in your hands. It is more important that the trainer is passionate about their industry and is continually seeking to improve their service, knowledge and techniques. In the end, the results do the talking.

Don’t trust everything you read – When you are searching for a PT you may be impressed by the testimonials. I couldn’t believe this myself at first, but a huge number of those client testimonials are complete works of fiction. Thankfully that is not always the case, but if that is what you are basing your assessment on and all you have to go on is the trainers self generated website or flyer, you may want to investigate further. Testimonials are great to get a feel of the feedback a Personal Trainer is receiving (and it’s better to see that at least they have some than none at all) but if the feeling you get is that they were all written by the same person, you may want to proceed with caution.

Watch out for bean counters – If you do sign up with a trainer, check that you are getting helpful feedback during your sessions. There are many trainers who seem to think that their job is to count the reps for you. If your motivation or feedback sounds anything along the lines of “ONE, TWO, that’s good, THREE, FOUR, lovely, keep going, FIVE, SIX…” You may want to re-assess what you are paying them for. By all means they should push you to do that ‘extra rep’ or encourage you when you get it right, but if you are being told to ‘keep going’ all the time, then either they are not correcting your form, they don’t realize your form needs correcting or you are so good you don’t need them to be there anyway (unless you have trouble counting yourself of course).

Just because it’s written down, doesn’t mean you have to do it. – It is a commonly misconception that every time you enter the gym you should be doing more than you did last time. An extra rep, heavier weights etc. And yes progress is all part of the process. But human development isn’t linear and most people do have a life outside the gym. So if you do 10 reps one day and your trainer forces you to perform 12 reps the next time you do that exercise (despite the fact you are struggling at rep 6) then they are not paying attention and are going to cause you to injure yourself at some point. There has to be accountancy for how you feel that day. Maybe you didn’t sleep too well, perhaps you had a stressful day at work or maybe you didn’t get the ideal nutritional input. Whatever the reason, positive development comes when you train your body to the highest level you can fully recover from. If you push beyond that level, you will either strain a muscle or you will not recover and either regress in your progress, or worse, get sick or even injured. You train to the maximum level you are at that day and if your trainer is pushing you beyond that, they are not doing the job you seek from them. Personal Trainers need to be adaptable and not religiously stick to their notes. Sometimes ‘winging it’ is the best way forward.

Keep these points in mind and hopefully they will help you get the most out of your investment with a Personal Trainer.

Hopefully they are of use. If you have any comments you wish to make or any pieces of advice you’d like to add, post them below. I’d be happy to hear them.

In the meantime, I wish you luck in finding that perfect Personal Trainer for your needs and I guarantee, if you find the right person you will tone those thighs, flatten that stomach, find that six pack, build those biceps, or whatever goal you have set your heart on, in no time.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in General | 1 Comment »

« Older Entries