Are you doing your "Functional Training"?

One of the trends we are seeing in the fitness industry is the need to be doing your 'Functional Training' and seems to be exercises using certain pieces of kit such as bosu, kettle bells, TRX etc and challenging things like your stability.

A obvious example is instead of doing a dumbbell bicep curl, standing on a bosu or wobble board and doing the same dumbbell bicep curl has made it 'Functional' and therefore superior.

What does Functional mean?

Oxford dictionaries (online) defines functional as (edited);

• 
  

  1of or having a special activity, purpose, or task:

  a functional role
• relating to the way in which something works or operates:

                there are important functional differences between left and right brain     2designed to be practical and useful, rather than attractive:    a small, functional bathroom
The key word here is PURPOSE, every exercise you do should have a purpose relating to your physique objective.
Therefore, a dumbbell bicep, seated or standing, is functional for building bigger arms.  Running in the park is functional if you are competing in a marathon, standing on a Bosu is functional if you are trying to increase stabilising ability.
Hopefully everyone is doing their functional training, because if you are doing an exercise that is not appropriate to your goals then neither is the exercise functional, but worse, you are wasting your time!
Pick your exercises wisely, and use them appropriately.
Darren.

10 x 10 Training

10 x 10 Training, also known as 'German Volume Training' (GVT) is a very simple training format that pops up in trends from time to time but has been around for a long time.

It consists of picking a compound exercise such as Squats, bench Press, Pull Ups and performing 10 sets of 10 repetitions at the same weight.  Each workout you perform just one exercise per bodypart, this week I did as follows;

Monday; Standing Military Press
Tuesday; squats
Thursday; bench Press
Friday; Towel Pull Ups.

(Note I have not performed any exercise for Bicep, tricep, Calves as these will be effectively recruited within the compound moves, if necessary perform 3 sets of 15 reps with an emphasis/isolation move on the assisting muscle ie; tricep pressdowns on chest day, calf raises on leg day).

To Perform this workout;

After 2 warm up sets of your chosen exercise set weight at which you can perform 15 reps.  Time your sets so that your 10 rep set takes 40-60 seconds of continuous movement to complete (try not to work faster as stimulus is lost).

At the end of the first set ret for a strict 90 second period, then perform set number 2 across 40-60 seconds again.

Keep this schedule until you complete 10 sets. 

If you complete 10 sets of 10 reps the weight needs to be heavier next time.  If you have the correct weight setting your completed reps will look something like this 10/10/8/7/5/6/7/7/8/8.  Strangely the reps appear to drop in the middle sets, and rise towards the end (why?  hasn't been figured out yet).

benefits of this training include it beinga great plateau buster, a good waay of building up endurance while training for muscle size and allowing you to ensure progression in strength.  Another benefit of this workout is that you can be in and out of the gym in 30 minutes while still getting a killer workout (just try not to do it at busy times and piss off other people trying to train as well). 

Enjoy, stay strong,

Darren.

Fat Burners already in your Kitchen.

In this blog is a list of herbs and spices that can aid in all your fat loss goals by adding them to your healthy meals.

Ginseng

Ginseng is valued for its ability to boost energy levels and speed metabolism. Panax ginseng, in particular, has been linked to weight loss benefits, with one study showing obese, diabetic mice given panax ginseng extracts not only had improvements in insulin sensitivity, but also lost a significant amount of weight after 12 days.

Cayenne Pepper

Capsaicin, the compound that gives peppers their heat, may help fight obesity by decreasing calorie intake, shrinking fat tissue, and lowering blood fat levels, as well as fight fat buildup by triggering beneficial protein changes in your body.
Part of the benefit may be due to capsaicin's heat potential, as it is a thermogenic substance that may temporarily increase thermogenesis in your body, where your body burns fuel such as fat to create heat, with beneficial impacts on metabolism and fat storage. Research suggests that consuming thermogenic ingredients may boost your metabolism by up to 5 percent, and increase fat burning by up to 16 percent. It may even help counteract the decrease in metabolic rate that often occurs during weight loss.

Cinnamon

This spice may help to boost your metabolism, and it also has impressive benefits for blood sugar regulation, making it an ideal seasoning for people with diabetes or pre-diabetes. Cinnamon has been found to significantly reduce blood sugar levels, triglycerides, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes, as well as increase glucose metabolism by about 20 times, which would significantly improve your ability to regulate blood sugar.

Black Pepper

Black pepper contains a substance called piperine, which not only gives it its pungent flavor, but also blocks the formation of new fat cells. When combined with capsaicin and other substances, black pepper was also found to burn as many calories as taking a 20-minute walk. As an aside, black pepper also increases the bioavailability of just about all other foods -- herbs and other compounds – making it a healthy choice for virtually any meal.

Chili Powder

Chili Powder contains Capsaicin which fires up your meatabolism.  Chili Powder also contains DCT which has been shown to stimulate the breakdown of fats.

Mustard

The mustard plant is actually in the cruciferous family of vegetables (along with broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts, for instance). Mustard seeds have been shown to boost metabolic rate by 25 percent, which means you'll burn calories more efficiently. In fact, just 3/5 teaspoon of mustard seeds daily may help you burn an extra 45 calories an hour.

Turmeric

If you're a fan of curry, you're probably also a fan of turmeric, as this is the yellow-orange spice that makes the foundation of many curry dishes. Curcumin, one of turmeric's most thoroughly studied active ingredients, reduces the formation of fat tissue by suppressing the blood vessels needed to form it, and therefore may contribute to lower body fat and body weight gain.
Curcumin may also be useful for the treatment and prevention of obesity-related chronic diseases, as the interactions of curcumin with several key signal transduction pathways in the body result in improvements in insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and other inflammatory symptoms associated with obesity and metabolic disorders.

Ginger

Ginger is another warming spice that has anti-inflammatory properties and is known to help soothe and relax your intestinal tract. Research also suggests that ginger may have thermogenic properties that help boost your metabolism, as well as have an appetite-suppressant effect when consumed, suggesting a "potential role of ginger in weight management."

Cardamom

Cardamom, an aromatic spice with a spicy-sweet flavor, is another thermogenic herb that helps boost your metabolism and may boost your body's ability to burn fat. Cardamom is a popular herb used in Ayurveda, an ancient holistic system of medicine and natural healing from India.

Cumin

Cumin is useful for digestion and energy production, and may improve glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes. The spice has a long history of medicinal use, and has also been found to enhance memory and provide potent anti-stress benefits.

Don't expect any of these to give you your beach body without a good diet and exercise regime, however, every little helps.

Foam Roller benefits.

Could the Foam roller be the most beneficial piece of kit in your gym?

What is the foam roller?  First off the foam roller is a long cylindrical tool made of foam or rubber and often found laying around the stretch area.

So what can it do for you?

Reduce muscle soreness;  put simply the foam roller can be considered a form of self massage, softening tight muscles and breaking down trigger points (the sore spots within muscle).  This is especially beneficial in the legs and through the back.

Before Workout stetching; using the foam roller is great way of stretching muscles both before and after your workout.  Using beforehand will often allow for a greater range of motion through exercises within the workout.

After Workout Stretching; after a workout the foam roller can help remove lactic acid from the muscles reducing soreness and speeding up recovery.

De-stressing;  If you have been sat at the desk all day, there is nothing better then to relax and stretch out those tense muscles and allow the muscles and skeleton to re-align.

Injury Prevention; All of the above will contribute to healthy, strong muscles that are at less susceptible to injury.

So if your not doing it, its time to get foam rolling.

Stress and Weight loss

For many people weight loss is a difficult task to undertake, sustain and achieve. Many factors can contibute to how effectively you are able to achieve your weight loss goals, such as diet strategy, work and sleep patterns and desire.

However one factor often over looked is stress.  Stress can bring your weight loss to a grinding stop, despite your best efforts to eat and exercie effectively.  Elevated stress levels can cause an increase in the hormone "Cortisol".

Cortisol, among other effects will cause increased stores of abodminal fat, and suppression of the immune system exposing you to greater risk of illness.

Reducing stress levels is an essential part of reducing Cortisol levels and so increaing your ability to burn fat.

So take a look at your life and identify what stresses exist in your life and can you make necessary changes;

• Increase amount of sleep
• Decreasing Work stress levels
• Overcoming Illness
• Introducing a low GI diet
• take time for meditation, or stress relieving physical activty.

Hopefully you are able to identify what is causing stress in your life, if not perhaps discuss it with someone and see if they can identify your sources of stress and how to ddeal or resolve it.

Always remember

"Well in Mind, Well in Body"

Till next time,

Darren.

Protein Rich Diet

For many years, coaches and trainers have been extolling the virtues of a higher protein diet, not only for muscle building, but also for weight loss. However, many people in the mainstream medical community have disputed its effectiveness. Now there's a really good piece of research that supports this notion 100%.


The Research

Researchers at the university of Illinois compared 2 calorie restricted diets- one, a protein rich diet designed to contain higher than normal levels of Leucine, an essential amino acid, the other a higher carbohydrate diet based on the food pyramid.

The findings?  Although both diets contained the same amount of calories, those on the higher-protein diet lost more weight.  Researchers called this the metabolic advantage of a protein-rich diet.

The study looked at 2 levels of exercise;

• Walking 2-3 times per week for a total of less than 100 minutes

• Walking 5 times per week for 30 minutes, plus 2 30 minute weightlifting sessions per week. 

While both groups lost weight, the protein rich, high exercise group not only lost more weight, but almost 100% of the weight loss was fat.  In the high carbohydrate, high exercise group, up to 25-30% of the weight lost was muscle.


How it Works

While both diets lowered total calories, the protein rich diet showed a greater drop in total carbohydrate calories.  By lowering carbohydrate calories the body will quickly turn to fat stores as a fuel source to provide energy.

By maintaining (or raising) protein levels the bodies muscle volume shows little or no drop, so maintaining a higher metabolism (the rate at which the body burns calories fro fuel).


Making it Work for you

Aim to consume 1g of protein per 1lb of bodyweight to maintain total muscle mass, and at the same time, reduce daily carb intake by 50-100g (200-400 kcal).  Maintain this for at least 4 weeks.  If weight loss stops decrease carbohydrate intake by a further 50g.

Ensuring You Progress

I am often approached by gym users telling me they have been training for 9 months but have made little or no progress in the last 6 months and are ready to walk away from the gym, "what am I doing wrong?"

My response is "what have you been doing for the last 9 months?"

 I will get a list of exercises and an outline of this persons diet.

my next question "what have you changed in the last 9 months?"

"Nothing-it worked for the first 3 months"

Is this you?  Have you fallen into this trap?

Taking this very scenario, if you have not previously exercised, any exercise program is going to have an effect on you, however there will be a point at which your body is no longer challenged by this exercise program.

As you are no longer challenged by this program, your body has no requirement to change in order to overcome it.

Time to set yourself some new challenges, do 5mins more on the treadmill, increase your RPM on the bike, add 5kg onto the bar, do an extra 5 reps-whatever it takes to challenge the body again.

Once you complete this new challenge, raise the levels again as soon as possible and never get trapped at the same level again.

The same can be applied to diet, if you are no longer losing fat/weight drop another 200-300 kcal from your daily intake for the next 3-4weeks and changes should begin to occur again.

Keep challenging yourself, keep progressing,

Darren.