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Thursday, 6th December

All of us get in a rut from time to time,but we have to make sure we get right back out of it!

First of all, one of the best ways of changing is to change what you do.

For example, if you ideally do 8-10 reps of each exercise and have done for years maybe, have 4 weeks of doing 12 reps per set. You will have to reduce the weight of course, but the extra reps will bring your body a new challenge and you will be pleasantly surprised at the results!

If you do a split routine, in other words you may be doing chest and arms in one workout, shoulders and back the next and then you do this twice each which means 4 days a week with this type of training, then i always find it beneficial getting individuals on whole body workouts that can be done just twice a week with a three day gap in between. This is well proven to bring some spectacular results in a short period of time.

Do drop sets! Say you do a set of curls with your best weight, do 8 reps and instead of ending there, pick up a lighter weight and hit another 8 reps, then pick an even lighter weight up and do 6 reps with that. This will absolutely crucify your muscles and you will find that if you pick just four exercises to do this in a workout, then that will be enough to get the job done in super-quick time!!!

When is the last time you kept an eating diary? This is one of the most overlooked things i see every week, and often explains why many of us don’t get into the shape we really want! Unless we realise how much we eat, what we eat and when, its tough for us to find out whether we are sticking to our plan or not?!!

No time for getting stuck in a rut, reaching a plateau or getting medicore results, you have the chance right now to turn it all around!!

Twitt
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Wednesday, 5th December

So we have discovered there are two sides of the fence in december, those who have given up and those who remain on track to have their best december in years!

The best thing about that statement is that as long as you continue to read, its never going to be too late to get out of the “given up” crowd!!

We have talked a lot about food, but how’s your workouts going?

Are you going through the motions? Are you watching the clock all the way though, can’t wait to get it over with?

If you are one of these individuals, then please stop what you are doing right now, there is much more to learn about your workouts, there is much more to learn about what it means to be fit and how you manage your heart and lung capacity, there is much more to learn about creating a lot more variety and interest in your workouts, and you ought not to waste one more day!!!

Not having a plan and not having any standards in your workouts is a sure fire path to failure, and at best mediocre results so its time for you to pick up the pace!!!!!

Try moving away from doing the treadmill and bike for example, these two things can be excellent parts of your workouts, but there’s more, much more in fact!!!

Please make sure you do an all over strength/resistance workout twice a week with a 2-3 day gap on between, gap in between each set needs to be eventually 45 seconds.

Don’t spend more than 45 minutes in the gym, one hour very maximum. You can have some great workouts in 20-30 minutes if you hit it hard and have a good plan!!!

Always use proper form, no cheating, no swinging and no bad form on any exercise!

Don’t train to impress others, try and impress yourself by constantly improving each week on one exercise. Little improvements over a few weeks can lead to one massive improvement, you know you have it in you!!!

We are going to concentrate on really shaking up your programme this december, no “settling” for mediocrity, get into the crowd who are interested in their strongest december yet!!! You will enjoy christmas far more when it comes and you will be glad you have put the big effort in!!!

Twitt
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Friday, 30th November

Don’t want to seem like some scrooge like character with Christmas coming up, and it’s the first of December tomorrow would you believe!

Anyway, the big question is what kind of Christmas do you think you’re going to have this year?

Apart from the presents and general giving and receiving, we’re talking how you’re going to feel throughout the Christmas period, and how you set yourself up for the new year.

Im all for enjoying myself, its great to have a couple of drinks over Christmas, and letting your hair down from time to time can be a great thing to do.

The big question is if it turns into an everyday affair, and when do you stop?

Do you buy lots of “party food” this year or not? Isn’t it true when we do, that nobody really wants it when they call round the house anyway? Isn’t it true that most people decline it (usually saying that they have eaten already) unless you have an organized party?

This is a great example then of buying rubbish, empty calories into the house that will eventually get eaten by one person usually, and that’s you! From what starts off as a “pick” here and there, will eventually end up in you consuming the whole lot!

Then you will get a taste for it all, and then you are bound to end up getting stuck into the rest of the food, you know the food that you initially bought for “other people”. This is a familiar process I think we have all gone through and it’s

REALLY hard then to get back to normal in eating terms!!!

How about saving yourself some money this year, get yourself a limited amount of treats in, stuff you may actually eat and you know you can control!

Let’s face it, if you need more food or run out, most shops are open right up until Christmas eve, and open sharply on boxing day!! It’s not as if you’re going to be holed up in some bunker for a couple of weeks with no way out, and you have to get as much food in as possible in case you end up “starving”!!!

In these times of austerity, it’s the perfect opportunity for you to buy less junk this year, buy less sugar-laden products, and those you get given to you, please give them away to someone else who hasn’t got the same high ambitions that you have, or give them away to someone who you know that these sweets will make happy!

Time for a fitter and healthier Christmas, and with wiser buying choices, you’re bound to feel and look a whole lot better for it, far better than a normal Christmas anyway and you will thank yourself a lot for it!!!

Twitt
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Thursday, 29th November

The run up to christmas is well and truly underway, and the big issue for me this week is how to get the best out of all the individuals i train in the smallest amount of time possible!!!

Most people are time-crunched these days, life is getting faster and faster, and when you throw the run up to christmas, you have a cocktail that can really stop you training, and at least stop your overall progress in its tracks!

I am used to this situation every single year and have been for years.

The solution? You have to think smart, and make every second of your workout count.

On your weights, if you do 3 sets of 8 reps for example on every exercise, that can come down to 1-2 sets. Do the first set normally, and then try the second set at your maximum capability. The normal 8 reps could easily become 12-15 if you really put a big effort in!!!

If you do your bodyweight exercises such as press ups, arm dips etc, and you usually do 3 lots of them, cut that down to just one lot. For example if you do 3 lots of 12 press ups, then try and aim for 20-25 press ups in one go.

If you go for a regular run, and say it usually lasts for 30 minutes on flat surfaces, then aim to cut that run down 12-15 minutes by either running a lot quicker, using lampposts for interval training (sprint for one post, rest the other, sprint the next post etc), or try incorporating steep hills, and turn your workout into a series of 10 sprints for 30 yards, and try 5 sprinting forwards and 5 backwards.

These are all examples of still getting a lot of quality in your workouts, still getting results and never giving up!!! Especially now its nearly december, where usually most good intentions go off the rails pretty quickly!

Time not to give up, and i challenge you to stay the course!!

Twitt
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Wednesday, 28th November

The individual that you see when you first start an exercise programme is always a reflection of that person’s patterns of action, in other words their habits, the things they do day in day out without even thinking about them.

In order to completely change and tranform yourself to a better you, to a leaner, stronger and fitter you, its obvious and indeed critical that those everyday habits absolutely need to change.

The bad habits are always going to be viewed as the things that hold you back, they stop you from moving forward and achieving long term success.

If you are looking for a higher quality of life, then you had better start adopting a lot better and higher quality habits in your daily life.

The first way to do this is to recognise your lowest level habit, i am talking about the habit that drags you down the most, the one that makes you put on weight or the habit that stops you training regularly, or the habit that makes you think negatively!!!

This bad and ultimately negative habit needs to be transformed into a much more positive pattern of action!!

You will find that as your standard gets higher and higher, it will be a case of continuously raising your standards.

For example, if you currently eat badly 7 days a week, then suddenly eating well 3 days a week would have a big difference to your body.

Once you made that change, you would find that you would want to improve again. The target may well go up to eating well 6 days a week, creating another massive difference. The goals would go higher and higher, depending on what standard of life you want to achieve!! The habits would need to change upwards accordingly.

Set your stall out and make that standard in life as high as you can!!!

Twitt