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Thursday, 2nd February

Hands up who has jacked it in for this very cold spell of weather?

If you did, it probably leads to a pattern of behaviour that has stopped you getting into the shape you’re really capable of.

Did you quit last summer in the really hot spell of weather because it was “too hot” to train?

When it rains, do you find it easier to stay in the house and not do anything?

If your training is governed by the weather, then as I always say, you had better write off nine months of the year. This will be a serious obstacle to getting into any kind of good physical condition!

This type of weather usually dictates who you will see out exercising too. The coastal paths in mumbles, Swansea marina, Llanelli and burry port are always full on a nice day, full of individuals or groups dressed in the latest workout gear, and this is to be applauded.

Week’s like these though when it is brutally cold always sort out who’s serious about their training and who’s not. Im not trying to make some kind of “we are better than you because we train in the freezing cold” comment either (I actively encourage everyone to exercise as many of you know), its just that you need to realise that the weather REALLY DOES NOT and should not make a difference to your ability to train.

One less excuse is always welcome and the weather seemingly is a big excuse for many.

Your inside options in terms of workouts should really be firing on all cylinders now, and when you do resistance/strength training like you would inside, your levels of body hardness and staying lean in general should be at their highest.

What I like about inside workouts as well is that they are measurable.

5 press ups in week one can easily turn into 30 press ups in week 6, and this along can lead to a difference not only in performance, but in terms of results of course.

If you never measure your performance, then how do you know you’re improving. Most people have not got a great memory so this is why its vital you write things down, especially in your early stages of training experience.

When you write things down, your goals will become much more real and you will be focused much more on every workout, because you know the pressure will always be on to try and improve.

Use this weather as an opportunity, rather than an immovable object that stops you in your tracks!!

Twitt
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Tuesday, 31st January

The very end of the month and some of you i know have had excellent months, some of you have hardly got going for various reasons, but its never too late and theres absolutely no time to waste.

A hidden danger of inactivity and not eating so well is blood pressure problems.

A lady approached me today saying hers was going up to borderline figures, and the doctor had ordered her to do something about it.

I have had great success in the past with individuals with blood pressure issues, and i always try to apply a simple formula that works pretty much every time!

The three things you need to address are the following.

Number one is exercise. If you are not active, you are not keeping your circulation going, you are not bringing the fresh quantities of oxygen in, and your body will not function quite so well without it, this is a fact so you have every incentive to get going!

Number two is salt and salt ridden products. For example, if you cook with salt, you need to stop it right now as this will be a big help. You definitely need to stop adding salt to your food, this is a massive no-no when it comes to eating, this will push your blood pressure right up over time.

Another factor is food already prepared such as ready meals and fast food. These are always loaded with salt that will destroy you over the long term, and contribute to blood pressure problems in a big way. Take this rubbish out of your life, replace it all with fresh natural food and you will be amazed at the difference!

Number three is alcohol. If you are trying to reduce blood pressure, please either eliminate or certainly keep your alcohol to an absolute minimum!!! This will have a tremendous effect on your blood pressure, and get your internal system working far more efficiently.

I know i have been brief but change these three vital things straight away, and your blood pressure problems will significantly improve!!!

Twitt
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Monday, 30th January

Time is extremely limited for us all so you had better be making the most out of every workout you undertake!!!

Most of us never get around to everything we planned to do unfortunately, and a set of weekly workouts are definitely part of that category!

How many of you plan to exercise 4, 5 or even 6 times a week actually DO train all of these times EVERY WEEK?!!!

I think unless you’re very dedicated and have been training a long, long time, you are  not going to appreciate how tough it is at times to get through a schedule such as this.

This is why i always try to emphasise how vital it is to train at least THREE times a week, and working your WHOLE body each time you train.

Forget all of those “let’s do one body part” excuses for workouts, they DO NOT work and never really worked even in the 70’s and especially 1980’s when they were the in fashion thing to do! The people who did make them work were usually loaded up on drugs, therefore creating an uneven playing field.

Every time you hit the gym, or you do a workout outside, or you do a workout in your living room, you HAVE TO MAKE IT COUNT EVERY TIME!!!

I guarantee that if you do make it count each time and really hit it hard, and try to improve nearly every time you train, you will get the results that most people tend to get after working out 5-6 times a week of training moderately.

It’s a myth that the more you do in terms of duration the better, this simply is NOT true!

It’s the quality of work that counts and nothing else, but you have better make sure you are exercising the minimum of 3 times a week as i said!

Its nearly the end of january, so the end of excuses is here too and if you’re serious, set yourself the realistic target of training 3 times a week minimum, hit it hard during these sessions and let the big results roll in!!!

Twitt
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Friday, 27th january 2012

A great today for running, walking or just about anything outside, even if it is brutally cold!

You should ignore the fact that it’s cold, and simply brace yourself for the first five minutes of sheer cold, then you will soon get used to it! There is nothing like it to blow away some cobwebs!!

If you get used to these temperatures, then ANY weather is going to be okay for you. I used to get my chest wheezing pretty hard at the first sign of cold weather in the winter, i actually now find this good for me as it truly breaks me in for the winter.

If weather was a factor in allowing or stopping us training, then we wouldn’t get much training done in this country at all. If i were you, i would factor in that 9 months of the year is going to be terrible weather, and anything better is a bonus.

This gives you the mindset that you will train in any weather, as long as its not too icy and unsafe, and you will be totally willing NOT to make any more excuses about why you are not in shape.

There is nothing worse than making excuses not to train for bad weather.

My other favourites include not making it to the gym because i didn’t have the car, even though you could easily walk.

Then there’s the one about not having a “training partner” or this ficticious training partner always let you down!!!

So say for one minute anyone believe these excuses, i have given you a million ways on how to train in the house, THERE IS NO EXCUSE NOT TO!!!

If you forgot all of those lame excuses right now, and promise yourself you will NEVER make an excuse again not to train, then your mindset will take you to great heights and great shape in particular!!!

Use this weekend for getting out, whatever the weather because you know you’re going to be proud of yourself when you get back, and you’ve had a hot bath or shower.

The power of actually “DOING” is all powerful and will bring fantastic results out of you not thought previously to be possible!!!

Twitt
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Thursday, 26th January

Following on from yesterday, we talked about how to improve quality and intensity of your workouts. We said that cutting down on rest periods was important, as well as much effort you give each exercise of course.

Changing your programme around is always good for your body. So let’s say that you are still doing 6-8 exercises with your weight training, but you have probably designed this so that its mostly fairly moderate exercises each workout, then you need to start changing those more moderate exercises into more challenging calorie-burning exercises/movements that will expend more calories per workout and in particular, reduce body fat at a more rapid rate.

For example, lets say you are doing lat pulldowns for your chosen back exercise, then if you change it to one arm dumbbell rowing, then automatically you are going to have a better, more fat burning workout.

This is because each and every exercise as a “metabolic cost”. What this means is that each exercise has an energy cost and takes a certain amount of calories to perform.

The lat pulldown takes less calories and effort than the one arm dumbbell row. So it shouldn’t take a genius to work out that by switching exercises, you will burn more fat and calories per workout.

If you walked the dog at a moderate pace, then swapping that for running at a moderate pace would significantly help you burn more calories and fat per workout.

This step up in intensity is only possible when you have got used to the lighter more moderate exercises and are comfortable with these. Your conditioning levels are very important and these improvements should only be made gradually.

You can increase the workout intensity on any workout plan you have.

Instead of doing steady long runs, try some hill sprints instead.

Don’t get carried away with the fact that you need to increase the time duration all the time in your workout, this is not really true and all we want is results after all isn’t it?!!!!

If you train for 45 minutes at a time for example, then this is around the maximum time you need to be training. If you find this easy, then as we have talked about the last couple of days, you badly need to increase the intensity and effort going into those 45 minutes.

Don’t get carried away with time and I know a lot of very fit individuals I train can get amazing workouts in just 20-25 minutes. Anyone who has trained with me can testify to that!!!

Train hard but make sure you train smart!

Twitt