Posted on

Wednesday, 10th October

Being optimistic about your progress is one of the most important habits you need to get into, or you will forever be like the economy, you will be going through “boom and bust” for the rest of your life, in health and fitness terms.

For example, you can do really well in your training, and be really pleased with your progress.

Then all of a sudden it may take one thing to doubt your progress.

You could have an illness, an injury or just go through a period of training when you’re not able to reach your previous highs in terms of performance in your training.

During all of these times, you still could be losing inches off your waist, losing body fat, and your heart rate may still be getting stronger all the time.

Despite all of this, you will doubt your progress somehow!!!

I have encountered many individuals like this, and I think it’s a human trait to doubt ourselves even when evidence suggests we should never doubt for one second!

This is when hard numbers have to take over!

If your waist measurement is coming down or already in healthy range, then you are DOING VERY WELL!!!

If your body fat is coming down or in a healthy range already, then you should be very pleased at your level of conditioning.

If you have a healthy strong heart rate 72 beats per minute or less, then you are doing everything right, and you are performing and recovering well from exercise.

Like I said, despite all of this overwhelming evidence, people sometimes still doubt themselves. This is exactly the time to change your mindset and start celebrating where you are, and be optimistic that not only can you sustain this progress, but you can actually improve it each month!!

Justified optimism is the one big thing that will take you forward, and keep doing so. Doubt is the only thing that can hold you back!!

Reinforcing your optimism on a daily basis is vital so get practicing right now!!!

Twitt
Posted on

Tuesday, 24th April

If when you start an exercise programme, you are simple shown around machines and then told basically to get on with it, you need to seriously ask WHY you are paying that gym or whatever, MONEY to help get fit?!!!

Its impossible to know how to get fit after just one session, it simply cannot happen. Its like learning a new job, it takes a while before you get comfortable with the way things work and the order you do them.

Joining a gym that is just interested in your money is very much a big gamble with your health and you should seriously think about a different approach.

Okay, lets say you get over the typical approach by many gyms, and you actually get to the stage where you know what you’re doing, then how about that original programme you were given? Has it expanded at all? Have you progressed? Or are you stuck in the same old rut all the time?

This is another BIG problem i see. People are given programmes to follow, however basic, but are never told when to move on, how to move on, IF they should be moving on!! The lack of back up support is often appalling, and this is another big reason  why people quit gyms in a big way.

You could and should look to improve your programme at least every 2 weeks, some will be able to do it every week, especially if you are new to fitness and if you respond well to exercise. The programme is always fluid and will change on the individual’s response entirely in my view.

Since i train individually, i know only too well that people respond at different rates and times, and ALL of them need maximum support when they start off, and even when they may have been training for years, they constantly need new prorgrammes, fresh dietary advice and always fresh motivation!!!!

If you are not being treated as an individual, then you are being cheated and progress for you is not likely to come quick!!

Twitt
Posted on

Friday, 9th december

Before we go over more training methods, i would like to comment on all the feedback i had to last friday’s post of having a christmas party, enjoying the whole process but suffering terribly the next day from drinking too much alcohol!!!

Most people who have been through the process over the last week or so tell me it goes like this!

You go out on the party, drink far more than normal, have a great time, and then reality starts biting hard the very next morning!!!!

If you wake up early like me, you wake up with a vile headache and a feeling of sickness.

You need a walk to clear your head, but because of the amount of alcohol, it doesnt make the usual big difference!!!

Then you come back home and try and eat food, drink water and a coffee. Somehow this doesnt cut it this time!!!

Then you have lunch which helps a bit, and then with every meal the feeling gets a little better, but you cant wait to hit the sack the following night!!!! And early too!!

Then the next day, you expect good performance but even the next day after that you feel lousy, and getting your body to feel good is a conundrum of the highest complexity!!!

Then the next few days, you are so glad to get back to eating well, and getting your body used to exercise again, but you will notice that your body doesnt respond quite as prompty and as freely as usual!!! These feelings can go on all week long!!!

Most if not all of the feedback i have had is like this! This means that alcohol in excess SEVERELY AFFECTS PERFORMANCE and wrecks progress, and if you’re looking to keep on improving, or even FEEL normal, then heavy drinking over christmas has to be the LAST thing on your mind.

I’m glad i learned my lesson last week and dont intend repeating it any time soon!!!

Twitt
Posted on

Thursday, 8th December

As we talk about interval training, the next step up from that is non-stop training!!!

I should point out that this is not for the beginner who has just started training by any means, more for someone who has already been training for a while, and has achieved a good standard of fitness.

For example, if you started off doing a circuit such as this for 10 reps per exercise-

Press ups

arm dips

squats

sit ups

squat thrusts

So after you do this exercise, that would be it for most people, they would then rest, and wait to get their breath back before moving on with another circuit.

Those people who have followed this type of circuit will know that after a while, you will  not need the rest after the first circuit, and you will be able to move on to the next circuit straight away. Its at that point you may need a rest!

Then after a bit more experience, you may be able to move on to the third circuit even with no rest. This is when your fitness levels could be considered excelllent.

Then what after that?

If you are fit and conditioned enough, then you could start aiming to piece most workouts together as non-stop workouts, stopping very rarely indeed, only making sure you stop for sips of water, which are ultra-important and help cool your body down when doing a lot of high intensity training.

Most people  i know who have got to this stage, rarely want to train another way unless they have had a break from training for a few weeks, which will take quite a bit of time to get used to again of course.

If you train in more of a non-stop manner, however long that maybe (and its usually for 30 mins or less), you will burn more fat, gain more endurance, and generally be in the shape of your life!!!

Twitt
Posted on

Wednesday, 31st August

One of the most heartening stories we see in the papers yesterday and today was the probably signing by Manchester City of Ex-Manchester Utd midfielder Owen Hargreaves.

Hargreaves has had a varied career after being born in canada, he then moved to Germany and was a major player for Bayerrn Munich, and from there became a much valued player for England, gaining international respect and becoming the first player named on the team sheet.

He then joined manchester utd and after a very impressive and promising start, was limited to just 26 appearances.

His last comeback was limited to just a few minutes when he pulled his hamstring.

Manchester Utd decided not to offer him a new contract this season, despite him  offering to play for them for free!!!

He then famously shot a video of himself training and the levels he is currently at. To say the levels he was pushing himself to were very high would be an understatement!! You can see the video on youtube and just put a search in for owen hargreaves training video. He did much of this training while he took part in rehab in los angeles, physical rehab i meant of course!!!! This took him 3 months and spent 3 hours a day mastering certain movements all over again, especially around the knee area, where his intitial problem was.

You will see a lot of different exercises, and many of you who have trained with me or are training with me right now will recognise a lot of the exercises.

It turns out that these are the most efficient exercises for your body and make sure you are training in the most results based manner we know. I am always researching new  training and the great thing we are able to do now is do far more in a shorter period of time purely down to exercise selection and execution, and the focus is always on self-improvement and develpment, this never stops!!!

Read the owen hargreaves story, it will inspire you to get out there again and do something worthwhile!!!

Twitt