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Wednesday, 9th November

A popular request i get a lot of the time is from 14 year old rugby players who want to “bulk up” for rugby.

First of all, 14 is a great age and the recommended earliest age for exercise.

Exercise in terms of weight training is not to be done at 100% flat out capacity with maximum intensity, weight training should be moderate at this age because your bones are still growing. You should start off light under supervision and add weight when the previous weight becomes really easy.

If you’re at a gym, a good programme to start off would be;

one set of everything first week, monday wednesday and friday

two sets of everything second week, same days

three sets of everything in the third week

8 repetitions per exercise and use a weight that tests you over the last couple of reps, but doesnt strain you too much, this is important to follow, NO STRAINING!!!

The exercises

Bench press

squat or leg press

upright rows

one arm dumbbell rowing

arm dips on bench

curls with dumbbells

Plank-aim for 10 seconds working up to 60 seconds over the next few weeks

Most people try to over-complicate things, and of course theres a million other exercises you can pluck out of any magazine, but for best results i would stick to those exercises over the first 4-6 weeks.

Take around one minute in between each set, you’re not there to sit around talking all day!

The first is all about conditioning your body to weight training, it can take a while and some pick it up quicker than others, and after all, you will have plenty of years ahead of you training, so theres no huge pressure to get it right in week one for example!!!

The other temptation is to want to copy others in the gym and want to put too much weight on, this is a big error and two things will happen, you will either get injured or get fed up with not being able to lift as much weight as others!!! This is a long term game and not a flash in the pan type of programme!!!

This is the first basic lesson on how to start off, if you start off properly you will be successful, if you don’t, its highly unlikely you will keep it up even in 3 months!!

More tomorrow!

Twitt
Posted on

Tuesday, 8th November

So now we have got used to the idea we can get in great shape, no matter what the time of year and whatever the weather, you can focus all your attention on actually doing it!!!

Showing some resiliance right now is vital to keep you going in the 6 weeks of so left to christmas.

One of the best ways to that is do something different.

Once we change our programme, we freshen our minds and body to fresh stimulation and the reaction is always positive.

You do the same thing day in day out, week in week out and your results are likely to be average at best. You change things every 6-12 weeks and you are setting yourself up for regular changes to your  physical condition.

The idea of freshening things up is very exciting this time of year, the mere fact that we are talking about big improvements before christmas should excite you.

I have  numerous questions lately about a bad back and how you get around it.

First of all, the number one cause of back pain is weight around the trunk area, so you have got to start eating healthy and drink alcohol a maximum of once week only.

Then there’s posture. Lounging around on a settee can be vicious for your back, and lead to weaknesses. Sitting in a chair in a poor position for longer periods can also destroy your back.

Driving for longer distances is another common disaster waiting to happen, regular breaks in your driving would help.

After you do all of these things, you need to strengthen your core (your back, hamstrings, thighs, stomach) in a well thought out way.

A fit ball would work well, those huge inflatable balls, there are various exercises you can use as discussed previously, and this ball would be a great start.

Apologies for the lack of videos on here but i will rectify that at some stage. If you google how to use a fit ball/swiss ball for back pain, that should give you a decent start as there a ton of videos on the net.

Good luck and start right now by changing your food, it will lessen the strain on your back over time and help make you a new person!!!!

Twitt
Posted on

Monday, 7th November

The very cold weather has finally arrived and its a big wake up call to your body today!

The first reaction is to stay indoors as much as possible and do your best to “hibernate” until april!!! Just like many animals do in the wild!

Then we have to get real and go about our daily lives the best we can.

So now we have got over the fact that we are not going to curl and freeze for the winter, its time to set out a plan!!

Most of you won’t be on salads for the winter, and you may be already switching to hotter, more filling foods already.

The great news is that you can easily stay fit and healthy in the winter and all of this cold weather is no excuse to go into your shell, or “pig out” on fatty and sugary food!

Take soups for example. Are you the type to make your own version of soup full of natural ingredients or the type to rely on tins of soup? The difference can be startling!

For one, the soup you make naturally has the opportunity to be full of vegetables and a good nourishing meat if you fancy meat.

The soup in a tin is absolutely loaded with salt and usually sugar which is seriously bad news for your health. Salt and excess salt is the best way to develop problems with blood pressure and water retention, so if you want to feel horrid and bloated, go ahead and stick to the tins!!!!

If you’re into feeling and looking healthy, then this winter you STILL need to make fresh natural food your absolute priority!!! Without eating well, you won’t get anywhere near your goals in health terms so its important right now NOT to fall into the trap of tinned toup and other high salt and sigar products. There are lots of winter vegetables you can use to make soups and broths that will nourish your body in a first class way!!

The ideal time to commit yourself to a whole winter of healthy eating is today so lets give it your best!

Twitt
Posted on

Friday, 4th November

Massive changes in your body will happen if you are training in a proper manner.

For instance, i was doing a one off session with someone yesterday and this person claimed she always did fit ball/swiss ball group classes and was also a regular a pilates classes.

Since a lot of my sessions are now focused on balance and stability work, i was ready for this person’s valuable input on my session.

The result was the exact opposite of the one i expected.

Out of 20 exercises i did on the fit ball, she had only done one of them before, i was stunned.

On the pilates moves i usually do, she had never done one of them.

Guess what too? She still had a bad back despite her appearance at all of these “group classes”!!!

I asked how she found all the new exercises i had given her, and she said she felt relieved because her back was so much looser and the exercises i had given her she felt would quickly strengthen her back. This was good for me to know too, as you are looking for good feedback on the work you do, and getting the right exercise prescription is always important.

It shows that if you do the right exercises, then not only do you get substantially better results, but you spend less time exercising too because you will be getting the job done a lot quicker!

It is like seeing someone who only does treadmill work every session, every week, every month for years. They may appear quite lean, but you know they are missing out on so many elements of health and fitness. For example, they are not doing a lot of muscle toning, bone strengthening, muscular endurance etc etc.

They will need resistance training in their lives if they are to reach their true potential. Sometimes we don’t like leaving out self-enforced comfort zones, but we must do it to reach our true ambitions.

Twitt
Posted on

Thursday, 3rd November

Alarming figures today regarding our dietary habits in wales.

It turns out that we consume a lot more sugar and saturated fat than our English counterparts.

This leads of course due to serious health worries such as diabetes, blood pressure, heart disease and certain cancers.

The NHS is a ticking timebomb and unless we change our habits now or at least very soon, the NHS really wont be able to fund the massive increase in money its going to need from the government.

The biggest problem is the lack of genuine solutions.

They try to encourage kids to eat better in schools, yet are cutting budgets in school canteens to impossible levels, meaning the lowest quality of food is going to be served every break time and lunch time in schools.

I have worked previously in two large comprehensives in the area, and was appalled at what they were serving our future generation. I interviewed the canteen manager and she was desperate to be able to serve more nutritious food, but was stopped doing so by the local authority manager for school budgets.

I then met the local authority manager in charge of this, and she flat out denied that there was rubbish being served every day. I tried arguing my point, AND the canteen manager’s point, but she tried unsuccessfully to shout me down. The person concerned in charge hadn’t the first clue about proper nutrition, she was much more concerned with her figures, which was in my book disgraceful and I told her so!!!!

Then one large comprehensive school near trostre shopping area we all know, actually HAD A SWEET VAN ALLOWED TO COME INTO SCHOOL EVERY DAY!!!

I wanted to meet the headmaster on this point and he refused, or at least try to put me off 6 weeks until he retired!!! What a coward and an example of a public service official more interested in his gold plated pension!!!

With leadership like this in schools, our future and our kids future, AND THE NHS FUTURE is definitely NOT SAFE!!!!

Unless we get kids educated and their parents educated, then we are not going to get fitter and healthier as a nation, that’s for sure!

These high profile campaigns always lack substance and are always just photo opportunities!!! To be honest, seeing ministers trying to fake joining in exercise turns my stomach, the leadership if you can call it that stinks from right from the top, and if that happens, what hope have we got!

Fortunately, there are some good teachers out there still trying to carry the message in the right way, its about time our so called “leaders”  start walking the talk!!!

Twitt