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Thursday, 12th April

Back pain relief is great like we talked about yesterday, and once you are allowed to exercise again in a more expanded way, you suddenly feel “free” again.

To get to this stage though, and never to go back there again, you MUST keep your core stability work up ideally for the rest of your life, or back pain can often return in the same way as before, and sometimes worse especially as you get into your “senior” years, when re-starting physical activity suddenly seems far more daunting.

As I have said many times, “core stability” work seems the most in fashion term in fitness, and has been for a while, but unfortunately most people who train and some of those who teach exercise, do not know the principles needed to work through an all round programme to engage the muscles necessary to relieve back pain, and increase power throughout the body in general!

Core stability is more than a big exercise ball and just “sitting” on it. For a beginner it will mean light exercise learning the basics, for a professional athlete it can mean aggressive powerful movements that enhance their game.

If like most of us, you are somewhere in between, there is much to learn.

If you belong to a gym that includes only machines to do exercise, then you really are not in the most efficient and “functional” place for your body and its longer term future.

If you are doing the same old routine with machines or just run or cycle every day, then you are missing out on a considerable amount of potential progress. We talk about this all the time on here.

If you have never worked out with a medicine ball, a bosu ball, a club roller, a balance wedge, balance pads etc, then you are cheating yourself out of a body and mind that could be significantly stronger. These are not compromise exercises, they are movements that will give you the edge and take you a million miles further in development!!!

All up to you and expand your mind!!!

Twitt
Posted on

Wednesday, 11th April

Causes of back pain are usually associated with familiar themes.

Lack of core stability, the muscles used in particular to support your spine are prime reasons for that often sickening pain you can get from back pain.

Being overweight though is a massive factor, and because the majority of the population are carrying too much weight, then back pain if a fact of life for the majority of people in this country.

Its not only the extra weight but in particular it’s the weight around the trunk area that makes the problem a lot worse.

Imagine carrying a chair around with you every day and you often will have the feeling that a lot of people have, it’s the uncomfortable and awkward feeling that really makes life a misery at times.

This is why exercise and eating properly really helps from day one.

The moment you start losing weight in the trunk area, your back will become stronger and more flexible, allowing you to do more in life and substantially ease that very unpleasant pain you have been having for a while.

Simply moving every day will create pain relief.

What’s the alternative of NOT moving?

Usually sitting down and this is the root of the problem. Also when you sit down you can tend to lounge and put even more pressure on your weak back.

 Poor posture when you sit even is responsible for long term back pain, the same as poor posture if you work at a computer all day, and most people have experienced a bad back on long car or bus journeys, which when you think about it is a totally unnatural position for your body to be in.

If you do just one thing every day, promise yourself that you will become just a LITTLE more active, this is the first step to ridding yourself of back problems that according to latest statistics, affect 87% of the working population at some point in their lives!!

Twitt
Posted on

Monday, 2nd April

Planning your week starts here and how you have lived your weekend is probably critical to that.

Personally, I had very little sleep due to little children not sleeping, but it still didn’t stop me getting some good exercise sessions in, I just adjusted the way I do things.

Instead of going on my normal 35 minute run, I turned it into a 15 minute slow climb up one of the nightmare hills that overlook Burry Port. I actually see it as “wonderful training route” and not something to be scared of in any way.

This hill gives me high intensity for 15 minutes, and the results are always tremendous. I feel fresh oxygen flooding my body all the way up, this gives me more power and energy for the day, and the weekend it was really needed.

If any of you have been in hospital for any reason that you require an oxygen mask put on you, this will make you realise how important it is. The jolt this can give your immune system can be very valuable, so any time you can try to create this in a natural environment makes perfect sense.

So its Monday all of a sudden after a tough weekend, but the way you have treated your body the weekend, whatever your circumstance will be critical on how you get through today’s workout, to my mind the most important workout of the week that will undoubtedly shape the rest of your week!

Most of us like to have a bit of what we fancy the weekend, whether it’s a couple of glasses of wine, a couple of beers, our favourite “cheat” meal, our favourite cake etc etc. This is good in my view because you would crazy if you didn’t have what you fancied now and again.

Its been proven time and time again if you deprive yourself of treats TOO much, then you are likely to crash and burn, and end up in some almighty that will blow all the good work you have been doing over a period of time.

So if you have these treats on a Saturday, your Sunday morning exercise becomes even more important, in terms of flushing out the toxins and “re-booting” your body in time for today’s workout, in other words getting you primed for a big performance which propels your body into fresh improvements, which after all is what we are all after!!mjn

Twitt
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Wednesday, 21st March

We talked about the value of training yesterday, and by that we meant “quality” training.

I have bumped into people today also who have talked about the importance of different types of training and activities, and how they will bring you yet more results.

This lady i train is suffering from shin splints, and i advised her to keep off the walking for the moment, even though she has a walking marathon in london in 8 weeks. She is now doing a variety of other work with me, so she gets in incredibly good shape, without straining herself.

She has become a very good cyclist in the meantime too, so her fitness levels have reached new highs even though she has an injury. On the weekend, i have told her to go to the pool and use a float again, and just use her legs to complete widths or even lengths. Anyone who has done all of this will find it incredibly tough, but will give a super workout that tests you to the limit without putting any undue strain on.

Another workout i have scheduled for her is underwater walking, which again is very difficult but will bring her some impressive fitness gains. There is ALWAYS a way around an injury, all you have to do is use your imagination and the sky’s the limit!!

Another person i saw today is a policeman, and he had to chase down a criminal this week for the first time in a while.

When he caught him, he had to wrestle and that means grappling with this criminal and using muscles he hadn’t used for a while. He found it okay if a little tiring at the time, but for a couple of days later he was incredibly stiff! Again this is down to challenging your body in a completely different way!!

 The great news is that your body will get huge benefits out of changing your programme around continuously, also it can be a lot more fun.

Give it a go and see how much you enjoy it!!!

Twitt
Posted on

Monday, 19th March 2012

Another monday and you know that should mean a great workout to get you fully into your week, get you movitated and get you fired up for the monday to friday days that are essential for getting a good block of training in.

Whatever way you care to do it, just make sure you do. If you rely on a training partner, then make sure he or she turns up and that they are reliable and never let you down, a common training partner problem!!

If you have a certain ritual that you do before training that makes it a successful one, then please keep it up and keep it going.

You have more light than ever now this time of year, its around 645pm before it gets dark and its very light at 6am when you get up, you do not have any excuse now surely to get yourself going. Take all your excuses out of your life and i find the best way of doing that is exercising early before work, that gets the job done early and you will start the day in a very positive way!!!

Its a monday and hope you have planned things well. If you are working with weights tonight, then plan your other weights sessions for wednesday and friday to give your body a rest. Your cardio work can be done on tuesday, thursday and sunday ideally to make sure you make the most out of every session.

If you plan properly, then you will leave absolutely nothing to chance and you are pretty much guaranteed a good week!

Same with your food, plan to eat fresh and natural foods from monday to friday and have a big of what you fancy at the weekend. This will easily mean you eat well 80% of the time or even more, guaranteeing yet more results and big benefits.

Dont over-complicate it and make good things happen in your life, simplicity will always work for you!!!

Twitt