Keri McKibbin Personal Training

Next week is an opportunity to finally get it right, get yourself out of the slumber of christmas and january, and finally reach the physical condition you’ve craved for all this time. Not only physically, but mentally too. You’ve always known its more than a diet, its more than an exercise programme, its the mind that in fact may be the most important part.

How long have you put up with faddy diets? What about those rubbish exercise equipment you have bought off satellite tv or a sports shop? Was it really a good investment or did that piece of equipment simply become anothe coat hanger?

Are you going to give yourself 12 weeks this time to get it right, to give yourself the opportunity to finally be in shape for summer? This is when the hard work starts, and this is the time when you outlast those who will be giving up their faddy programmes by valentine’s day!

Making this commitment for 12 weeks will also give you huge mental strength as previously mentioned to take on anything in life you want. If you develop self-discipline, and its all a matter of practice, you can apply that to life’s difficult challenges too. You’re going to develop a lot more energy too, and when you have that energy, you’re automatically going to feel a lot better too, it’s natural.

Are you fed up of being written off, and never letting your potential come to the fore? Are you fed up of people doubting whether you can get fit and healthy at all, this is the time to prove everyone wrong, and finally gets some huge compliments back in your life too, and they will continue if you manage to lay down a solid structure in your life, and theres no reason not to!

My first tip is to take a photograph of yourself this weekend, then again in 12 weeks, there should be a big difference, try and wear tighter fitting clothes as baggy t-shirts wont show your progress as well. Then measure your waist and hips, and write down your height in inhces, the goal is to get your waist under half your height in inches. You’re also going to keep a diary too, every day jotting down all your hopes and aspirations, and the reality of doing these 12 weeks, then after  the 12 weeks, you need to write a short essay on your experiences, and brutally honest as possible, and we will post those who want to post them, these will be valuable in helping others.

Plus you will get everyday help from me, and all the pointers and examples of exercise programmes to help you along.

More to come this week but this is an idea of what we need. Also, if you have any blood pressure issues etc, may be a good idea to get yourself checked out by your doctor, so he can check your progress out at the end, plus you can buy cheap bp machines in chemists these days. It is advisable to get your doctor’s approval before beginning any exercise programme. Safety is always my number one concern.

Speak soon,

Keri

How many people do you know that have climbed the ladder of success, but they have found out that when they have got to the top, they have been climbing the wrong wall. I have met a few, and they have been some of the unhappiest people i have ever met.

There was the story about the millionnaire business owner sitting in a restaurant with his protege, who became very successful himself. He had a large home, a parking place close the front door, and a brass nameplate on his office door. As they were back slapping each other on how well they had done, the business owner asked his protege “how he would define successs”? He replied he couldn’t really answer. Then, the business owner told him that being successful for most people was achieving and having the things that were important to them.

The protege then started to list all the things that were important to him and made him happy, he never mentioned his job. The boss then asked “well, you’re happy right?”, “well no” came the reply. And then the boss asked “well, you’re successful right?”, he didn’t have a reply. The protege just sat there thinking.

To cut a long story short, the protege quit his job two months later. The boss begged him to stay, but there was nothing he could do. He reminded his boss of the conversation he had, and thanked him for pushing him into doing something with his life that he actually loved, and was important to him.

He used to be in telecommunications, he now has a roofing company! He always loved working with wood and now he’s hammering shingles on roofs and building porches and guess what? He’s happy.

I have a post way back called Your drving force, look it up and you will be asked to list those things that really get you out of bed in the morning, those things that are really important to you and drive you on to achieve great things. Once you make a list, you will realise that being fit, strong and healthy is a major part of you achieving all of those things, and most importantly, being happy. It’s a good idea to fill it in, as the 12 week challenge starts next monday, and this will help you keep motivated and strong.

Give it a go,

Keri

All of us have had ups and downs in the past, some more than others. We do tend though to focus on the negative periods in our lives, the times when we took a chance on something, whether it was a business opportunity that never came to anything, a relationship that went wrong, when we got injured from exercising in a freak accident maybe, when we lost all of that weight, then put it all back on and more! When we perhaps trusted people and got let down, when we never got the recognition for doing something well in work, when we did anything really, and it turned out badly!!

The facts are that when we bring these moments up, and we talk about them, it usually destroys our ambitions to try the same thing again. Most people will try certain things in their teens and early 20’s maybe, and because they never worked, their lives become a graveyard of ambition. They often moan that the person who did succeed was “lucky”, had “more money”, or had more “influence”, and life can become full of bitterness and jealousy is you let this mantra run your life.

Let’s turn it around, think of those moments that you WERE successful in life, come on, there must have been a few, or even more than a few! What are those moments you were proud, and actually blushed when you were complemented on doing a good job at something? When we think of these times, its hard not to being a smile to our faces, or deep down inside, and the world of possibility that existed in our lives exactly at that moment.

People usually take the next step at that moment or they act when they are desperate! Most people never take action because taking action takes confidence. Confidence is not often achieved until you overcome challenges, so taking that action suddenly becomes a nervous thing to do, and it seems something very difficult to do. The good news is that once you take action, it will become a habit and once you take the next piece of action after that, you will be on your way to becoming successful.

Taking action right now can be easy as making a new shopping list out, cutting all the rubbish out, cutting all or most of the alcohol out, cutting the ready meal out etc. What about signing up for a new educational course that will help get you promotion at work, or get another job for instance, now that’s a pretty powerful course of action even in these dark recessionary times, but one thing’s for sure, it won’t be a recession for ever and if you improve yourself, you’re going to come out stronger.

How about signing yourself up and commiting yourself to more workouts a week, demand more out of yourself and really commit yourself to as higher standard of health which automatically leads to a higher quality of life. What about making those calls you have been putting off, to improve realtionships or getting that business off the ground you always thought you had the talent for?

Do the “rocking chair” test. Imagine you are 80 years old on a rocking chair, and imagine you’re regretting not doing something that would have changed your life for the better? When you’re 80, chances are that you would have really given EVERYTHING a go at least once, or if you fail the first time, try a different approach that may have a better chance of working, keep trying and show you can do it!

When a child starts to crawl, and then walk, you wouldn’t tell him/her to give up if the child kept falling over. You would give them time because most kids eventually walk. If you take action, and actually follow through and go after what you want, and don’t give up until you get there, you can be sure you’re going to be majorly more successful than if you never tried in the first place.

It’s great having all this chat, but unless you take action, you won’t get anywhere. Homework today is to do TWO things by close of play tonight that can/will change your life, however small or big!

Let me know how you get on or are you going to let another opportunity pass?!!

Keri

Ok, we have got through friday night, we have reduced our takeaways or not even had them at all!! What about today, i never really do fried breakfasts but what about you?

What about eating out lunch time, or the weekly visit to the chip shop?

What about the binge you usually do on a saturday, the extra beer, the extra wine, the extra starter, main course and dessert?!! Saturday night pizza anyone?!

What about all the extra stuff you do whilst you shop, “that won’t hurt, that doesn’t really matter, and there’s only 200 calories in this ready meal”!!

Once a week, the “cheat meal” doesn’t really matter as it will keep your sanity from the rigours of the week but i’m telling you now that as most of the people i have trained notice, once you eat well, you’re not so tempted to go mad ALL weekend because you will have negative side effects, like i said i suffer from wheezing from sugary/fatty food, and by sunday night i will feel like a 90 year old who has smoked all his life, if i have 3 days of eating badly, plus i can easily put on a few pounds, and then monday morning runs are not a great feeling at all, in fact they can be downright horrible and a massive struggle.

I encourage you this weekend to feel what it’s really like to cut down a little bit if you have an excess weekend, and let me know how good it feels on monday morning? Do you feel lighter, do your workouts feel better, are you motivated to do better because things are suddenly “easier”?!

Let’s work through this weekend by analysing each day, this is saturday so let’s see what happens!!

P.S. If you are in the supermarket, have a look in other people’s trolleys and look at the person pushing it, the trolley will be full of good or bad food, this will often tell you if that person is in shape or not! A fun game for you this weekend!

Have fun whatever you do!

Keri

Performance eating and drinking

 Most people I know need a lot of energy and most are concerned they way they look, I was anyway and most people I talk to are. I’ve always worked on that if you eat healthily and well 6 days a week, then one day isn’t going to matter too much. On the other hand, if you eat badly 6 days a week, then one good day of eating good foods is not going to do that much good for you. What I’m saying is to eat well most of the time, and then enjoy yourself when you want something you really fancy now and again, that’s not going to do any harm. What I am saying though is the choices you make on what you eat and drink, are critical to get your body looking and feeling good.

Let’s lay the basics down and see what really matters for your body

There are 6 different types of essential nutrients you need in your diet-fats, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals and water. Each of these are needed to stay alive and healthy. The body gets energy from fats, carbohydrates and proteins, while vitamins, minerals, and water help to regulate energy processes in your body.

 When you surf, run, jump, throw, ski, skip, lift etc, they all require energy supplied from food.

 

ENERGY

Most surfers seem to be always on the go and need a high energy level, so they need a high-performance diet. Fats provide the most energy but include 9 calories per gram, while carbohydrates and proteins each supply around 4 calories per gram. Alcohol, which the body doesn’t need, supplies around 7 calories per gram. This is why that high-fat diets are bad news for you and can seriously damage your health, leading often to weight problems and a variety of diseases in later life. For example, if you have 10g of fat, then that equals 90 calories, 10g or carbs or protein equals 40 calories-massive difference?!!

Energy intake is vital if you workout/play sports or you need to lose some weight. Starving yourself and over-exercising can affect your health in a bad way, hit your performance hard and make you feel miserable, a bad idea all round and I see it more or less every day.

 If you’re trying to lose weight, the best way is to lose it gradually, decreasing your calories intake from food slowly, so weight is lost slowly. Ever see those programmes about past slimmer’s of the year? Without exception, they all put the weight back on and more! This is why faddy diet’s don’t work so don’t fall for it and the advertising that goes with it!!

 

The fact’s are that most people exceed their energy requirements every day. That’s why around 60% of this country is considered overweight, overeating and not exercising enough are the main reasons. This programme tries to sort these problems out once and for all, and more importantly, get you all feeling good about yourselves every day and wanting to achieve something really big!

 

Fats

Fats are the most energy rich food source. Most people try to carry little fat but fat serves as the body’s main storage depot. It also protects and insulates your vital organs. You may have heard a lot about “fatty acids” recently? Fats are called “saturated” if they contain high amount of saturated fatty acids, foods high in saturated fat include hamburgers and steak, cheese, butter and whole milk. Mono un-saturated and polyunsaturated fats come from plants such as olives, peanuts, corn, soybeans and sunflowers. Food manufactures can also make “hydrogenated” fats to make them saturated, this will increase the texture of the food and increase the shelf-life of their products, these are BAD NEWS for your body!

Most people consume 30-40% of their total calories from fat, while the body only needs a fraction of this. The high fat diet increases the chances of heart disease and some types of cancer so is bad news all round. Most nutritionists recommend that fat intake be less than 30% of total calories consumed.

As well as restricting the amount of saturated fat in your diet, it’s important to choose better sources instead, olive oil is high in good essential fatty acids, and most kinds of fish (mackerel, trout, salmon) are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are thought to reduce the risk of heart disease.

 

 

 

 

 

Try to stick to foods where fats makes up 30% or less of the total calories so get used to reading food labels. You can never avoid fatty food totally and sometimes it’s a good idea to have a bit of what you fancy. For instance, having a higher-fat meal in a restaurant is nice sometimes, try to balance it out though earlier/later in the day with a lower fat/sugar meal.

 

 

 

 

 

Carbohydrates -the high performance fuel

This is the most important energy source during your workouts/sports and also fuel your brain. Natural foods such as wholemeal/wholegrain breads, wholegrain cereals like Porridge, wholegrain pastas, kidney beans and potatoes are great examples to power you through the day.

Sweet tasting foods such as sugar and honey are examples of simple carbohydrates, while high fibre foods such as fruits, some vegetables, and grains as mentioned, are complex carbohydrates. A diet high in fibre is essential to gastrointestinal health and prevention of colon cancer. Complex carbohydrates should the main emphasis of your diet with food like sugar and honey kept to a minimum.

The bottom line is for you to supply your body with a continuous supply of carbohydrates throughout the day, starting with a good breakfast to replenish energy stories after the long night without any fuel intake.

 

Proteins

Proteins are the most important structural material, making much of muscle, bone, enzymes, some hormones, and cell membranes. Active young adults need plenty of protein-about 1.5g per kg body weight-because they must supply the demands for growth and the protein requirements for exercise (to repair muscle tissue that has been broken down after a workout).

Protein is also important for those involved in endurance exercise. Protein in your meals help maintain blood sugar for many hours and prevent hunger pangs. The  building blocks of proteins are called amino acids, which break down slowly and act like time-released blood sugar tablets (lots of energy).

Proteins give your muscles firmness and shape and good examples include chicken, turkey, fish, lean beef and eggs. Protein is fantastic for making you feel full and stops you from binge eating. Protein can make your bones stronger too, milk being a great food for this and provides Vitamin D for your body. If you don’t get enough Vitamin D, your bones get weaker especially if you’ve got a weakness for soft drinks. So to be stronger bones, try milk, yoghurts, cottage cheese and lower fat cheeses.

 

Vitamins and minerals

 A balanced diet should provide most of your vitamin and mineral needs to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Vitamins work with enzymes to drive the body’s metabolism and aid in the protection and production of red blood cells. While vitamins are not produced by the body, they are only needed in very small amounts. Vitamin C is considered safe as long as it’s not consumed in mega-doses like some athletes do, and if your diet is not so good as it could be. Vitamin C and E may also protect the body from destructive chemicals like free radicals which cause ageing, degenerative diseases, and breakdown of the immune system (which means you‘re wide open to illnesses). Free radicals can be thought of as rust that attacks cells. Antioxidants (which we hear a lot about in the media) fight free radicals and help prevent ageing and diseases such as hardening of the arteries. Vitamins C and E act as anti-oxidants that help eliminate free radicals and protect your body from their destructive effects. Most fresh fruit and vegetables would be great foods packed full of vitamins and minerals.

 

Water

Water makes up 60% of the body and makes your skin look fantastic. It helps to keep you feeling full and keeps your body temperature constant. Even a 2% drop in body water will affect your exercise performance-especially in children and young adults.

As well as plain water, water is found in nearly all foods, especially fruits, vegetables and liquids. While your body can make water as part of it’s metabolism, 80-90% of daily water comes from your diet. You lose water every day in your urine and sweat for example.

Water and salt affects your body water. Dehydration upsets the balance and disrupts communication between different parts of the body and results in poor coordination and muscle stiffness which you may have suffered from in the past. You also lose salt from your body when you sweat, this can cause muscle cramps because dehydration speeds muscle fatigue, the leading cause of cramps.

You should try to replace water losses before, during and immediately after exercise. If you don’t have enough water (8 glasses minimum), your body has to work harder all day long and that why many people feel exhausted during the day for no reason.

Drink plenty of water, I can’t overstress it!!

 

Some other reasons why most people are overweight and/or don’t perform at their best in food terms

 

 

We don’t know what we’re eating!

The first thing I do to new clients is get them to keep food diary for 7 days. It’s always a shock to the person keeping the diary because they then realise how much they’ve eaten, or sometimes how badly they‘ve eaten. It’s then easy for me to point out where they’ve gone wrong, why you’ve eaten certain foods and what we can do to put it right. You may be surprised at yours when you fill it in!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Portion size

You go to any fast-food restaurant and the portion sizes are getting out of control, add to that all the fat and sugar in the meal and you have a recipe for disaster! If you go often enough, you begin to accept that this is the normal size of a meal and make this the norm at home. Extra calories means extra weight full stop!

When you’re thinking of portions sizes, try imagining your clenched fist as a guide. For example, a piece of chicken/turkey/lean beef would the size of your fist, so would carbohydrates such as jacket potato, rice or pasta and fill the rest of your plate up with veggies!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eating out

Most people go out the weekend and are likely to bump into a fast food place, fact of life that there‘s tons of them in Llanelli and Swansea! The good news is that as long as you have eaten well most of the week, then one burger is not going to kill you or suddenly put a stone on you! It’s the eating over the whole week that matters. Most fast food places do offer healthier options now though, depending on where you are you can choose from wraps, jacket potatoes with various fillings, lower fat desserts, lower fat burgers and I’m going to be boring again but they do offer fruit from time to time and remains the best choice (plus it won‘t give you a bad stomach and make you feel like sleeping all day afterwards!!).

 

 

So after all that, how to I know how to put a meal together that’s good for me?!!!

I know you’ve hear it a million times but it’s going to be a million and one! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!!! Look at it this day, if you’ve been to bed for 8 hours and don’t have food, your body won’t start burning calories at a fast rate, your body still thinks it’s asleep and is still in “yawn” mode, you’re going to feel like rubbish all morning and your blood sugar levels will be on the floor, 10.30am break time and your first port of call is a bar of chocolate from the shop and I don’t blame you! I’d be the same too if I was starving but if you manage to make around 1 minute’s of effort and eat breakfast, you’ll feel full straight away, make your body burn calories INSTANTLY and burn fat straight away too. Try and get a glass of water down you too, all the bad stuff in your body that’s build up overnight will then be instantly flushed out-simple. Plus if you want to really clear skin and no spots, a good supply of water is vital! How do I know? Of course I’ve studied it anyway but I happen to train one of the best beauty therapists in the business, and she says good old fashioned water is ten time as good as all the creams you see in the shops!!

 

Ideas for a big start to the day

A bowl of porridge with a piece of fruit

A boiled egg with wholemeal toast, and a piece of fruit

A boiled egg with a wholemeal bagel and piece of fruit

Poached eggs on toast with no butter

Wholemeal toast with flavoured cottage cheese for energy and taste

Egg white omelette with peppers and mushrooms

A wholemeal muffin with some cottage cheese

Fruit salad with natural and low fat yoghurt

A wholemeal bagel with some cottage cheese

Wholemeal toast with natural peanut butter and piece of fruit

A bowl of Weetabix

Muesli with no added sugar or salt

A bowl of Shredded wheat

An omelette with 2 eggs and mushrooms and tomatoes, lose the yolk on one of the eggs, plus some wholemeal toast if you can

Try having a glass of semi-skimmed or skimmed milk with each meal

Breakfast burrito-fill a small whole-wheat tortillo with 3 scrambled egg whites. Add one tablespoon of salsa, half a tablespoon of low fat cheese, and one tablespoon of low fat sour cream. Roll and serve with a big glass of water

Porridge with skimmed milk with sultanas as a sweetener

 

 

Water when you rise

Having some water when you first get up may seem like the last thing on your mind but it’s hugely important to start your day off right. When you get up and have your first pee, you may see it’s darker in colour than normal because your body has lost water overnight. Your body desperately needs water as soon as you get up and will clean your system up straight away. Using the colour of your urine as a sign of your water needs is a good method. Keeping it clear is the way to go!

 

Snack time!

I always encourage everyone I train to eat every 3 hours, this speeds your metabolism up (the rate your body burns calories) and let’s your body hold onto precious muscle. Why is muscle important? One pound of muscle burns more than 35 calories a day, one pound of body fat burns 2 calories!!! The more lean you are, carrying a healthy degree of muscle, the more your body burns body fat at rest. You don’t lose the fat when you train, you lose it the other 23 hours a day when you’re not exercising and that’s the truth. Working out and eating every 3 hours (small amounts) is the key to being strong and burning fat. Do things the easy and you’ll be in great shape!

 

Snacks need to come in to keep up your energy, and to avoid hunger pangs, so take time out both mid-morning and mid-afternoon to consume some of the following;

Fresh fruit of all kinds-apples, pears, bananas, berries, kiwi fruit, plums, grapes etc

 

Dried fruit can also be good and is a sweet alternative but keep them in moderation-sultanas, raisins, figs and apricots are all nice choices

 

Low-fat yoghurts but make sure they’re not full of sugar

 

Nuts-as long as you’re not allergic of course!

Almonds, brazil nuts all contain essential fats that are great for the body. Keep them to a small handful and you won’t consume too many calories at one time.

 

Remember your metabolism slows down if you stop putting good fuel like this in your body. It may even hold onto fat just in case it needs some energy later, missing meals is a common mistake so don’t make it yours. You’re out to perform at your best and feel the best you ever have so let’s nail this thing once and for all!

 

 

 

Lunch hour

If you’ve followed the plan, you need to use the same principles for lunch. Plenty of energy from carbohydrates, a fist sized amount of protein and a small amount of fat. From now on, try and think of lunch as just another meal, not something to last you until later on in the evening. Some lunch choices could be met on the school menu and try and look at the ones that obviously don’t include the processed junk that’s going to ruin your energy levels and health in the future maybe. These choices are something to think of, you may not be able to have them every day but they may give you some ideas on good food at home or at school.

 

Jacket potato with a tin of tuna/salmon/mackerel/sardines and one small teaspoon of low-fat mayo plus any veggies or salad you can

Jacket potato with some plain cottage cheese or flavoured cottage cheese (you can get pineapple, onion and chives, tuna and sweet corn etc) with veggies if you can

Lemon chicken and potato-smother a grilled chicken breast with freshly squeezed lemon, microwave a plain potato and serve with fresh carrots

Fast food choice-have a grilled chicken salad with some reduced-fat dressing plus a serving of low fat ice cream they may have in the restaurant

Brown rice salad with beans and asparagus

Couscous salad with chicken

Chicken or beef cawl

Fast food-a slice of vegeterian pizza, a small salad with reduced-fat dressing and a cup of semi-skimmed milk

Pasta/tuna salad

Grab some pasta, a cup of carrots, 1 medium tomato, half a cup of cucumber, a can of tuna and an apple afterwards. You can substitute the tuna for chicken, turkey, lean beef, any fish, just mix it up a bit!

If you’re  having sandwiches, try your best to use wholemeal or whole-wheat bread, try cutting the spread to a minimum if you can, and use some protein fillings again such as any white meat, any fish, any cottage cheese or lean beef.

A lean beef sandwich if you fancy it from time to time-a couple of slices of lean roast beef on whole-grain bread, not too much mustard or no mustard even better but up to you!) and some grapes for afters

 

Afternoon snacks

You’re having an awesome day if you’ve done well this far, make sure you get over this bump in the road and you’ll be flying! Keep it to the snacks I suggested earlier, any fruit, nuts, dried fruit etc which all rise the sugar back up much more slowly than a Snickers bar would! Your body responds to constant and steady blood sugar levels and eating this way is going to hit it perfectly!

 

Evening meal

You’ve done it!!!!!!!! If you’ve got to the evening and followed the plan, congratulations and awesome effort! You shouldn’t be as hungry as you normally are. You are less likely now to make poor choices in the evening, and if you’ve taken some of what I said in, you’re going to have much more control of what you eat than you used to! Using chicken, turkey, lean beef, fish as protein choices is a great way to start, a jacket or sweet potato, rice, or pasta (remember the fist sized-serving would be perfect), and some vegetables to fill up the rest of the plate.

Other choices could be spaghetti with whole-grain pasta and meatballs, have some salad on the side with reduced-fat dressing. A healthier fast food meal could be a reduced fat Caesar salad add to some grilled chicken, have some potatoes with it but halve your normal quantity because they’re usually been fried or something. You could have a lightly breaded fillet of fish with a jacket or sweet potato with some kidney or green beans, and some yoghurt and berries for dessert. You could also try some steak, a jacket or sweet potato or some rice, with some reduced fat dressing, and some semi-skimmed milk as a drink.

 

The bottom line is that you’re going to ALWAYS feel sluggish and lacking in energy, with the occasional bad stomach if you eat processed junk food, like crisps, chocolate, fried foods, chips, fried bacon and eggs etc. I know that EVERY person who had made the CHOICE to eat healthier and better all round, can no longer stand the junk food mentioned because they feel so GOOD without it. Don’t eat food because all your friends tell you to, eat good food because you want to look after your body and feel much better than you ever thought-you‘ve got your own mind and the right to make the right choices-up to you!

Don’t be put off by the title, most of you can use this one, and it’s ultra-informative anyway so take out what you want out of this. This programme has worked well for clients i have in the pro sports arena, such as surfing and golf, and the results have been sensational.

Let me know what you think of this one!

Your key to unlimited potential and sports conditioning!

Training for strength, speed, endurance, power, agility, balance, coordination and flexibility

When my father opened a gym way back in 1957, if you did any weight-training, you’d probably get looked at daft if you said you were going down the gym to lift weights. You were told you may have a heart attack, you’d put too much stress on your bones, your growth would be stunted, it would slow you down for sports, you’d become “muscle-bound“, it would all turn to fat once you’ve stopped, it’s unnatural, it’s cheating and so on! The funny part now is the absolute reverse is true and weight-training, strength-training or whatever you wish to call it, is the most recommended activity by just about every doctor and health expert to help you in just about every area of health.

 

The fastest sprinters in the world all use weights extensively as well as every other major sport if they want to significantly improve their performance and health. I’ve had professional sports coaches go through this programme and they all agree on the massive benefits it offers.

 

 Talking about health, how about keeping away diabetes, not developing weak bones, increasing your chances of avoiding some cancers, slowing down the ageing process later on in life, having better balance for sports and life, having stronger joint and generally feeling pretty fantastic?!! Read on if it sounds good;

If you’re a male, you will see some real positive gains all round in the way you look and feel, and if you’re a female, please don’t worry about getting big or muscular, you have a tenth of the male hormone that boys have and most boys or MEN even I know struggle to put any serious muscle on, you will NOT get “too big” from doing weight-training full stop unless you purposely consumed loads of food and overdid It and lifted massive weights!

All the girls I have ever trained have seen their bodies actually get smaller. Here’s a fact for you, if you substitute 5 pounds of sagging fat of your body for 5 pounds of muscle, you’ll not only look better but burn up to an extra 250 calories a day without doing anything! That’s why have a lean, shaplier body is the EASY way of STAYING in shape, it takes a bit of work to get there but once you’re there, it becomes a very pleasant experience to be in control of your body and weight!

 

The workout!

I don’t believe in faddy exercise programmes, most fitness DVD’s are worthless and often use fraudulent claims on their effectiveness. The same with faddy exercise equipment, how many of you at home have a parent who’s bought some “wonder” fat burner machine, then after 2 months it becomes a coat hanger at the back of a cupboard somewhere!! If something seems to be too good to be true, then it probably is.

 

The basics

You have to start off slow with any exercise programme, or you‘re likely to get hurt and so stiff, you won‘t be able to get out of bed in the morning. I told you we’re going to avoid all the faddy exercises, instead we’re going to concentrate on what really works, then create variations so you’ll never get bored and really understand how to create an exercise programme yourself, anytime and anywhere, all it takes is you following the plan and following me through the programme!

 

I try never to do the same workout twice with all my personal training sessions, and you don’t need to either, once you master the basics and get to know how strong your body is.

 

For your lower back-hyper extensions

For your legs-squats and lunges

For your shoulders-shoulder presses, lateral raises

For your chest-bench presses and flyes

For your back-dumbbell rows

For your triceps (back of your arms)-arm dips, tricep extensions

For your biceps (front of arms)-dumbbell curls

For your stomach and core-sit ups, plank

Aerobic conditioning-alternate squat thrusts

 

 

 

Before anyone jumps in a says they can think of a lot more, I’m going to come back and tell you that I know a lot more too. All I’m saying that these exercises are tried and tested to bring massive RESULTS, and that in my job is pretty important to deliver and you’re going to get them!

 

Variety

These exercises look limited but really they’re not and will provide you with more exercises than you ever thought. I’m going to show you how to do these exercises on a big, comfy fit ball which will improve areas you may never have thought of but are so vital, and most can be done with just a set of dumbbells. I have a special routine that needs no equipment that’s one of my favourites, and has been tried out on practically everyone I’ve trained, and has brought massive results. I have routines that you can use in the gym that will bring big results, and we’re going to have some workouts to follow which involve speed, endurance and agility (running, cycling, jumping etc), which will come in the next section.

 

 

How to do the exercises

Hyper extensions-(lower back)

Lie flat out on stomach with hands right in front of you. When ready, raise arms and legs together slowly, so your whole body raises, then lower yourself slowly to really stretch and strengthen your lower back.

 

Squats (legs)

Often called the “king” of exercises, the squat not gives your legs a tremendous boost, but your stomach and lower back too. It also gets you breathing really well and can have a good effect on your heart and lungs once you get used to it and advance.

 

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and a bar resting on your shoulders. Keep your back straight and slowly squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Push yourself back up to a standing position and repeat.

 

 

 

Key points-never lean forward (you’ll strain your back) and keep looking up directly in front of you, never look down. Keep your feet straight and don’t let the weight come onto the balls of your feet. Keep the movement slow to be safe and have big results.

 

Lunges (legs)

Lunges are a great exercise that can bring tremendous results for your legs.

Hold the dumbbells by your sides, with your feet about hip-width apart. Keeping your back straight again, take a big step backward with your left foot. When the ball of your left foot touches the floor, continue the movement by lowering your hips until your right thigh becomes parallel with the floor. Your right knee should be bent at nearly 90 degrees with your right knee directly above your right foot. Gently push yourself back up into the starting position by driving the right foot into the floor, and repeat the move. Do this for 10 reps on the right leg and 10 on the left.

You can also alternate this movement by using a medicine ball instead of the weights. As you go down, you will swing slowly the medicine ball to your right, and then left. This separates your lower and upper body and really works your core area. This would be for more advanced exercisers only. I recommend this for surfers.

 

Shoulders press (shoulders)

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, hold dumbbells in both hands and press dumbbells up above your head and return to the start position (just outside your shoulders), then repeat.

 

 

 

Lateral raises (shoulders)

Stand with feet apart and start with dumbbells by your side. Raise the dumbbells slowly to the side and bend your elbows slightly throughout the movement. Lower dumbbells back down slowly to your side, then repeat.

 

 

 

 

 

Bench presses (chest)

This works your chest, the front of your shoulders and the triceps (back of your arms). Lean back gently on the ball until you are comfortable with upper back and shoulder blades on top, making sure your feet are secure and are totally stable, lower your dumbbells down together to the sides of your chest. Then gently press up with the dumbbells until your arms are fully extended, squeeze your chest muscles for a second, then slowly lower the dumbbells to the starting position. Aim for 8-10 reps.

 

 

Flyes (chest)

Lying back on the ball again getting in the same position as the bench press, this time push the weights together with your palms facing each other. This is the starting position of the move. Slowly, lower the dumbbells to the side in a semi-circle arc until they go down as low as you can, keeping your elbows slightly bent. Then come back up in the same semi-circle arc to the starting position. Aim for 8-10 reps.

 

 

 

 

Dumbbell rows (back)

Hold dumbbells in both hands, bend forward at your waist so that your chest is leaning forward over your feet. Keep your knees slightly bent and your feet just beyond shoulder-width apart. Start with arms fully extended, lift or “row” the dumbbells up and to your stomach area. Return to the start position and repeat. Keep your head up and shoulders back throughout.

 

 

Arm dips

Using any bench literally anywhere, lower yourself down slowly with your hands with your knees bent, then come back up slowly. To make it harder, straighten your legs out, aim for as many as possible without straining yourself of course!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tricep extensions (backs of arms)

Stand up straight with a light dumbbell in your hands and raise it straight above your head. The dumbbell should hang and be vertical, with the top of the dumbbell resting comfortably on the palms of your hands, thumbs around handle. Start off in this position, now slowly lower the weight behind your head until forearms are parallel to floor with elbows pointing to ceiling. Then raise weight slowly over your head and repeat. Always feel as if you’re pushing the weight up and never forward and really try to feel that the back of your arms are doing the work.

 

 

 

Dumbbell curls

You can do this standing, sitting on a bench or a fit ball. Hold dumbbells by your sides, curl the dumbbells up slowly and bring them up towards shoulders. Slowly lower the dumbbells to starting

point, then repeat.

 

Plank

Using your forearms and toes to keep you off the floor, with your bum and back in a flat position, aim to hold yourself up as long as possible. This is fantastic for your lower back and overall stomach strength. A very difficult exercise that beginners will struggle with, but get much at with regular workouts!

 

 

 

Sit ups

Lie on the floor with knees bent and your feet placed flat on the floor. Support with your head gently with your hands as if you were holding a baby. Tense your stomach and then start off by raising your torso forward, raising your head and shoulders slightly off the floor and push your lower back into the floor to extra feel on the movement. Hold it for one second and then lower yourself back to the floor, then repeat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alternate squat thrusts

A great exercise for aerobic conditioning that’s low on joint pressure which is always good. Get in a position as if you were in starting blocks going for a 100m sprint. Hold it there, and simply interchange your legs pushing them back and forth, with your knees nearly touching your elbows. Aim for as many as possible.

 

 

 

The programme in practice-level 1

To get the programme really working for you, we have to get your level of conditioning up steadily but not too quick. Getting fit and healthy, and surf specific takes time, so use the following program with caution and make sure you’re doing the exercises properly to avoid any potential injuries.

For starters this lasts for 2 weeks to get you into it properly!

Monday and Thursday-? Means the maximum number you can possibly do so this will be personal to you.

After a brief warm up of 5 minutes (walking quickly, a slow jog, bike etc) rest maximum of 45 seconds between each exercise

 

 

Exercise	How	Reps	Sets
Back extensions	Floor	12	1
Squats	Standing	12	1
Shoulder  press	Standing	12	1
Bench press	Ball	12	1
Rows	Standing	12	1
Arm dips	Chair/bench	12	1
Dumbbell curls	Standing	12	1
Crunches	Floor	12	1

 

 

 

 

Alternate squat  floor                 ?                     1

thrusts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Level 2 (Third and fourth week)-Monday and Thursday

We’re trying to raise the weight a bit and workout with

more purpose using different positions

 

 

If an exercise is placed with another, e.g flyes with bench press, it is to be done straight away with the other one. This caused even more progress and intensity in the workout which is always good!

Exercise	How?	Reps	Sets
Back extensions	Floor	10	2
Squats with ball	Standing	10	2
Flyes plus bench press	On ball	10 of each	2
Shoulder presses	Sitting	10	2
Lateral raises	Sitting	10	2
Rows	Standing	10	2
Arm dips	Chair/bench	?	2
Tricep extensions	Ball	10	2
Dumbbell curls	Ball	10	2
Crunches	Ball	?	2
Reverse crunches	Floor	?	2

 

 

 

 

Alternate             floor                    ?                       2   

Squat thrusts     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LEVEL 3 (fifth and sixth weeks)-Monday and Thursday

Aim to work with real intensity and aim to raise the weight on each exercise if possible. This time introducing your surf-specific exercises, now that your conditioning as moved on quite a bit if you’ve been following the program, as well as your performance nutrition guidelines!

 

Exercise	How	Reps	Sets
Hyper  extensions/ Then Hamstring lifts	Floor	10	2
Squats with ball/then rolls on ball	Standing	10	2
Lunges with med ball twists	Standing	10	2
Shoulder  presses plus lateral raises	Standing	10 of  each	2
Bench press and flyes	On ball	10 of each	2
Rows then Knee lifts on ball	Standing	10	2
Arm dips plus dumbbell curls	Bench and ball	10 of each	2

 

 

 

 

Alternate            floor                     ?                          2

Squat thrusts

Extra! Plank                  floor             as long as ?      2

 

Practice the plank also by putting one foot on top of the other, which will gives you a bit more out of the exercise.

Aim to use slightly more weight as you go along, as well as keeping your exercise form perfect. You can progress your workouts every week, if you really focus on raising your intensity, as well as eating properly of course and taking in plenty of water. Sounds simple but most people don’t workout every week because they often let excuses become part of their life. Find a way to exercise, rather than making excuses not to! Give it a go and you may be surprised at the effects on your body, as well as the massive boost to your general fitness of course! This will seriously improve surfing and golf fitness, as well as any other sport.

 

 

 

 

 

“Fuel tank” workouts

The name says it all, you can be the strongest, fastest in any sport, but if you can’t go the distance, you’re going to be passed by those who have trained a bit smarter and worked on keeping their “fuel tanks” full and never being out of gas.

 

This can be a very demanding form of exercise so we’re going to keep it to once a week only. This has massive benefits and gets your stamina and endurance up in a record amount of time. This form of training can take place over many different distances but since peak power and speed are our goals, we’re going to concentrate on a simple method. We’ll use a rugby pitch, a local park or athletic track to start with.

Sprint for the straight part of the track/pitch/park, then walk all the way around the bends, then sprint again on the next straight, then walk again, and keep this for a total of TWO LAPS ONLY. The aim is to get to 8 laps and you’ll be in awesome shape! Remember to keep the sprints at real flat-out pace or this method won’t work so well.

Another method is to use lampposts. Jog slowly to first lamppost, then sprint to next lamppost, then jog to next one, then sprint to next and so on. You will get tired VERY quickly with this one so the workout won’t last that long! Aim to improve each time

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Explode workouts (sprints for power ,speed and agility)

Most sports , the most critical movements last for only a few seconds, but need a great amount of power, especially getting through the waves and up on the board, as well as endurance and power to stay in the water for longer periods of time. These exercises will help you develop the ability to accelerate and change directions rapidly and make big gains in your fitness and feel fantastic physically, although making you feel exhausted immediately after doing them!.

To start with, I’ve selected sprints ranging from 20-50 yards which improve strength and performance in most sports. Start off with 3 to 5 reps of 50 yards so you can get used to sprinting at 100% of your maximum pace. Then cut it down to 30 yards the next week and when you’re sprinting, making sure your arm action is vigorous, your arm speed can dictate your leg speed.

After a couple of weeks of getting used to this method of running, aim to increase it to 10 to 20 reps of 30 yard sprints flat out, REST 30-60 seconds between each one or when you’re able to get your breath back.

 

Lateral sprints

Again, these are excellent for most sports and work your legs from different angles. You can use cones, shoes or shirts, set up a zigzag course, run straight for around 5 yards, then run left at a 45 degree angle for 5 yards, then right at a 45 degree angle. Or you could try placing 2 markers 10 yards apart. Sprint from the first marker to the second, touch it, and then sprint back to the first marker.

 

 

Backward sprinting

You have to run backwards in most sports, and this is one of my personal favourites. Backward running will develop your hamstrings and bum areas. We’re keeping it short again, I would keep it to a maximum of 30 yards and use the same way of progressing as forward sprinting.

 

 

 

 

Bounding strides

This is a great one for stride length. Measure a distance of around 20-30 yards and aim to take as few strides as possible over the distance. Aim to take bounding jumps and really stretch yourself.

 

High-knees fast arms

A fine exercise for sprinting power. Aim to use a sprint motion while almost standing still. Pump your arms and lift the knees as high as possible. Try to get 20 strides in just 10 yards. Try 3 sets of 10, you could after a while get up to 10 to 20 sets when your fitness level raises.

 

Jumping and plyometrics

Jumping exercises are excellent for building basic strength, power and speed, as well as increasing important bone density, and really getting you up on that board quickly. New research show they build bone mass in girls that will protect them in fractures as they age. It’s important to start off gradually and stop immediately if you get any pain.

 

 

Some of the main exercises include;

Tuck jumps

This is a vigorous exercise but very beneficial. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and bend your knees slightly. Jump up and drive your arms upward. Tuck your knees underneath you as you reach the height of the jump. As you land, extend your legs and retract your arms and get ready to jump again. Aim for 5 to 10 reps, taking as little time as possible between jumps.

 

360 degree squat jumps

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and bend your knees slightly. Jump up and drive your arms upward, spinning in the air as much as possible. As you land retract your arms and get ready to jump again. Start off by turning in only one direction, as you improve, turn to the left on one rep, then turn to the right on the other. Do 5  to 10 reps, taking as little time between jumps.

 

Wall-bounce push-ups

These are simple and the least stressful push-ups. Lean against a wall at a 60 degree angle. Push up from wall with force, then allow yourself to go back against the wall and absorb your fall with your arms. Immediately push off again.

 

Floor bounce push-ups

These are much harder than wall push-ups. Don’t try these until you can do 15 press ups. From a standard press up position, push up with force, extending your elbows until your hands leave the ground. Bounce back to your hands, then repeat exercise.

 

Medicine ball throws

Overhead throws

In a crouched position, grab a medicine ball and throw the ball over your head, behind you using your ankles, knees, hips and arms and jump from the ground as you release the ball

 

Front waist throws

Start off throwing the ball from your waist using an underhand throw, and throwing the ball in front of you as far as possible

 

Side waist throws

Using a partner, throw the ball from your waist but this time to the side, a great exercise especially as the ball gets heavier-they can range from 2kg to 5kg or even more. Start off light and work up.

 

 

 

Flexibility

Good flexibility is vital for your joints to function properly and to prevent injuries. You may also get even stronger by stretching as well as your strength programme. There are endless benefits to a proper stretching programme so try these stretches after each workout and before surfing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good-morning stretch

This stretch helps stretch the spine and shoulders.

Stand with feet shoulder width apart and reach up over your head with your arms extended fully. Stretch by trying to extend your arms as much as possible, first one arm, then the other, then both arms. Hold each stretch for at least 10 seconds

 

Hamstring stretch

Lying on your back, lift one leg up with the other one down, put your hands behind the top part of your knee and pull until you feel some  discomfort. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat on the other leg. Your flexibility will improve with practice.

 

Lunge stretch

This stretches hip thigh and calf muscles

Step forward in a lunge with your right foot and flex your knee. Keep your knee directly above your ankle. Stretch your left leg back so that it is parallel to the floor. Press your hips forward and down until you feel a stretch in your thigh muscle. Balance yourself by placing your arms at your sides, on to of your knee, or on the ground. Repeat exercise on the left side.

 

 

 

 

Shoulder stretch

Stretches the shoulder and upper back. Cross your left arm in front of your body and grasp it with your right hand. Stretch your arm, shoulders and back by gently pulling your arm as close to your body as possible. Repeat stretch with your right arm.

 

Chest stretch

This stretches chest and shoulder muscles. Stand to the side of a wall or post 2-3 feet  away. Place arm on the wall at shoulder level and walk forward until you feel a stretch in your chest and shoulder muscles. Hold the stretch, and then repeat using the other side of the body.

 

 

There are many more exercises but these are enough to get you going!

 

 

Beginners

                                                                                           

Try the resistance workout Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

 

Please make sure you always have at least ONE DAY rest, when you don’t do anything. This will give your body time to rest and recuperate and come back even stronger!

 

Once you become really comfortable with this way of working out, try and go onto the more advanced way of working out on the following page, incorporating many of the best techniques I’ve previously listed.

 

 

 

Advanced for maximum results

Mon-resistance workout with sport-specific after week 4

 

Tuesday-explode workout/plyometrics

 

Wed-rest

 

Thursday-resistance workout (optional surfing too)

 

Friday-fuel tank workout/plyometrics optional

 

Saturday-(optional sports too)

 

Sunday-(optional sports too)

 

 

 

 

A number of years ago, i was talking to one of the manager’s of the biggest gym in the area, and he proudly boasted that they had 6000 members. I looked around at the training area and asked him, “what if they all show up”?, he replied “oh there’s no chance of that”, i then told him that at best you couldn’t fit more than 60 people (at a push) in the gym area, so asked him again, what if even 10% show up, he told me again “there’s no chance of that”! That would still be 600 people (10%)!!

I told him its a sad situation when if you get 60 people, you’re at your maximum, and that’s only 1% of your membership!!! He replied that they rarely had that and most people never showed up after their initial couple of weeks. He went on and told me that the gym machines were all rented and they needed at least a couple of thousand members to pay the overheads and staff.

They would employ sales staff to attract people in supermarkets, getting them to sign direct debits, and this was a process that happened 4-5 times per year, constantly looking for new people because a large percentage would cancel their membership once they realised they never went!

I found out over the years that this practice was common throughout most big scale gyms, and was saddened to see so many people signing up for the new gyms, only to share their dissatisfaction with me when they found out they didn’t use their membership, like i warned them before they signed.

If you’re part of my programme, or using this site to further develop your physical and mental potential, you know you’re not going to get short-changed, given “fancy” advice, or diets that are in fashion for a few weeks. YOU KNOW that you will get tried and tested advice, common sense and a programme that will last you for life!

You may have been a victim of gym mis-selling, been members of countless weight loss clubs, or just not had enough confidence to get into great shape once and for all? Whatever your situation, you can be sure this is the forum where you can get the answer to any question you have, as well as being able to write your own story/experience to inspire others!

Keep your thoughts coming in,

Keri