The January Gym Rush

So, Christmas is over and we've all eaten too much. Don't feel too guilty about it, as I think it's the one time of the year where you should be able to enjoy yourself for a few days and relax on what you eat and do. I still threw in a few push-ups and body squats myself, but this was more to give my metabolism a small boost before enjoying all those Christmas treats...

After Christmas comes the New Year which also brings a 101 New Year resolutions. It's a fair bet that a big chunk of these will involve fitness and it's no surprise that new memberships for gym's are at their highest in January. Great for gyms as aside from the new member numbers before the end of the tax year, after 1 or 2 months most of these new members will stop going to the gym via a number of excuses. What's surprising is a lot of them won't cancel their membership so the gym owners can sit back collecting the money. They hardly chase people up in case they jog the memory and the person they called decide to cancel their membership.
The biggest problem comes to long term gym users, the men and women who use the gym week-in, week-out.

For 4 to 6 weeks we see people who have no idea what their doing, attempting to use gym equipment they have probably never even seen before. A few will have paid extra money for some sessions with a personal trainer but even then, I've seen some really bad trainers just give the out a few exercises and hand out a long list of cardio machines to use. This way they can stand and talk to their client while collecting money which frankly they don't deserve. The new member doesn't know any better and will think this is the right way to go - endless, boring cardio and a few weights thrown in here and there. It's no wonder the numbers of people using the gym go into a decline after February.

A few will walk around with a few pages torn from a fitness magazine trying to copy the routines given (I must admit, this was me some years back). At least they have a routine, but as no one has shown them how to do each exercise (and they hardly ever ask anyone) they also soon get bored and you never see them again. The magazine routines also nearly always involve the heavy use of weight machines which as discussed in a previous blog aren't great to say the least, and can end up causing more harm then good.

The new members who I take an interest in are the one's who will start from scratch using free-weights and will concentrate on form before trying to lift anything heavier - this tell's you that they have taken the time to at least do some proper research. They won't be trying to show off to the opposite sex and they won't be rushing through everything. These are the people who will be taking the time to learn the moves and will even ask other gym users for advice - a few times now this has happened to me and while I'm no expert, it feels good when someone asks for your help.

Another thing to look out for are people who will add weight and mix up their routines. This stops them becoming bored, will allow them to use different muscles and some will say even confuse your muscle. Regardless of what happens, you'll be making your muscle work harder to adapt which will result in your body becoming stronger and being able to cope with what you throw at it next time.

But whatever you do, you must make progress, be it with the size of the weights your lifting or the time you complete a circuit or distance in. Without challenging both mind and muscle you won't reap the benefits of the workout.

If you do see someone new at the gym then take the time to say hello and even offer to help if you want - their bound to be nervous and remember, you were the newbie once...!
Talk soon,
Dan

A bad day at the gym.

We all have bad day's at work - you know from the start that it will be one of those days and that no matter how hard you try, it just isn't going to work out. At the end of the day you can look back over how things went - did I do something different? Was I well rested? Was it my fault?

By looking back over what you may have done wrong or what you could've done differently, you'll be better prepared for next time.

The same can happen at the gym. I go before work and normally I'm ok. But this morning, I just didn't feel 'right'. I've felt this before and I've still gone, as once I get in the gym, I feel like "well I'm here so I may as well do something" and normally when this happens, I end up having a great workout.

However, today was different. No matter how much I tried to fire myself up, I just couldn't. I also felt weak and tired and had no energy in my arms. I shuffled about for 25 minutes but in the end just gave up, had a shower and went to work.

So how come I felt like this? My sleep wasn't that great last night but I still got a solid 6 hours. Yesterday I had a day off work and went to visit a friend and then spent some time playing Video Games, so I didn't do anything stressful.

I was doing circuit training this morning which I don't normally do, but then I also did some circuit training on Wednesday and although I felt shattered afterwards, I wasn't anymore tired then I normally am after a workout.

The only thing that did spring to mind was that I hadn't eaten as much as normal yesterday, or all week to be honest. All I had was some fruit and a protein shake for breakfast, a ham & tomato sandwich at my friends as well as a small piece of chocolate (the guilt!), another shake when I got home and a main meal in the evening which had veg, chickpeas, potatoes and garlic in it. This isn't much by anyone standards, but when you train hard it's pretty poor.

People worry that they have to eat less to lose weight but without food, you won't have the fuel to train. Train hard and you grow bigger muscles, which in turn means your metabolism gets a boost. This then means you can eat more, train harder and fuel even bigger muscles. Obviously you need to remember to eat as cleanly as possible (with a few treats allowed here and there within reason), but without fuel you simply can't function - not in the gym, at work or at home.

So I'm going to go over my diet and see what can be improved. My breakfast recently has just been a protein shake and some fruit and while this seemed to be ok in the short-term, I'm feeling that maybe I have to add more. Actually, I know I should add more.They do always say that breakfast is the most important part of the day and it's true, as it fuels you for the day ahead. A good breakfast will also stop you snacking.

So I'm going to start having scrambled eggs with tomatoes and re-introduce bread back into my diet, but only for the morning. The rest of the day I'll stay on lean meats, veg and a few pieces of fruit, along with one or two protein shakes. Hopefully the carbs from the bread/toast and the protein from the eggs will give me the morning fuel that I currently seem to be lacking.

Why eggs? Because their a great 'super food'. They keep you fuelled for longer then cereal's, are a great source or protein (7.5g per egg), can help you lose weight by keeping you satisfied longer and can also help with brain and memory developments. Their also cheap - you can pick up a box of 6 with added Omega 3 for about £1.80. You can also boil them for a quick and easy breakfast.

If you feel yourself becoming tired more often, then take the time to have a look at your diet. Even the most smallest of changes could have a big effect.

And if you have a bad day, don't worry - there's always tomorrow...

Talk soon,

Dan

How a notebook could be the missing key to you gaining muscle.

If I was to take you to the gym, I can guess you'll probably (and hopefully...) bring the following: good training shoes, clean kit, a bottle of water and a clean towel. What I can bet you won't bring though, is a notebook and pen. Yet this could be just what you need to breakthrough and take your training to a new level.


You train hard but are you doing the same reps and lifting the same weight as a month ago? How much extra weight can you now lift since last year? The answer is you probably don't know. And if you don't know this, then how do you know if all that hard work and sweat has been worth it?


By writing down everything you do in the gym, you can see what increases you have made and what needs to be worked on. It can also motivate: you don't feel like working out today yet look at your notebook and see how you've already increased your Deadlift by 20kg - that alone should motivate you to try lifting that next extra couple of kg.


It also allows you to review your workout afterwards. Sometimes write down a few words to describe how you feel. Maybe you didn't lift as much as last week so what have you done differently in that time? Maybe you haven't eaten enough or you didn't get enough sleep - next time you train, you can try to rectify this.


You can also see exactly how much you need to lift to be stronger then last time.


You may get some strange looks in the gym, but have the last laugh knowing that your the one who has made progress.


Talk soon,


Dan

Unhappy & unhealthy - Why I had to do something about my weight.

So what makes you want to lose weight? It can be a different trigger for each of us. Horrified by a photo of yourself, an upcoming holiday, feeling unhappy? There's hundreds and each is just as important to one person as it is the next.


My reason was through unhappiness. I've always been big (big built as family would kindly say), more so when I was younger. Then during secondary school I lost a bit of puppy fat from playing Rugby and general P.E. lessons at school. But I was still quite chubby.


I got bigger during Sixth Form but I was lucky in that the fat didn't show (for whatever reason) as much as it did on other people. I even tried to walk round with my belly sucked in but this was impossible to do for longer then a few minutes. But trust me, I tried!


I had a paper round that gave me an hour of walking everyday but that was pretty much it as far as exercise was concerned. I know I wasn't in great shape and started to go jogging with a few mates a few times a month, but then this stopped too.


I got a job at The British Library in November 1998 but my eating habits carried on. Lunch would normally be a white bread sandwich or large roll with crisps and a cake, plus whatever I could get for snacks. I was becoming more and more unfit, sweating even from just walking from one side of the reading room to the next. The tube during the Summer was horrible - I would be standing there with the sweat pouring of me. Not a pretty sight to say the least, and no surprise that I was single!


The big moment for me was around Christmas 2003. It was Boxing Day and I had just come back from an Arsenal game. Some family were round and my mum had laid out loads of food - which I was more then happy to eat, and trust me it was a lot. The following day I weighed myself and I was 20st. The following day I went to Boots and had my body fat reading taken, which was over 30%. I think I've force myself to forget the exact reading...!


It was a massive shock but I stupidly didn't do anything about it, I just carried on. 


Then not long after that, I had what I call my very own 'Lost Weekend'. John Lennon fans will know all about this, except mine involved food and not drugs and alcohol...


Feeling sorry for myself and very unhappy I just went crazy. With no exaggeration, that weekend I eat:


2-3 boxes of Magnum Ice Creams
2-3 Boxes of Coco Pops cereal with milk
Some family sized Jam Swiss Rolls
A whole Black Forest Gateau
34 multi-pack of Walkers crisps
Box of Chocolate Swiss Rolls
Pork Pies
Scotch Eggs


All this, plus the normal meals my mum was making for dinner, and whatever I was making myself for breakfast and lunch. 


On the Monday morning I understandably felt dreadful - no energy, feeling even more depressed and down then ever. I just sat looking at this massive belly looking back, I hated the sight of me in the mirror. 


And with that I just thought to myself "you've got to sort yourself out, this is crazy", and that's what I did.


I started by cutting out all the crap - which as you can see wasn't exactly hard to do. Anyone dropping that amount of processed food would lose weight fast. I also joined a gym (as mentioned in a previous post) and did some jogging. The biggest thing was that my sister was doing Weight Watchers, so I started that too. It was easy enough as she had the books already and was cooking Weight Watcher meals for her, me and my mum.


I managed to lose 4 stone in 6 months, which was a fantastic feeling. I had some horrible sugar crashes at the start but these soon levelled out. Then my sister and mum turned Vegan, so I carried on doing Weight Watchers by myself. I lost a bit more weight - at my lowest I weighed 14.4st. I was slimmer but didn't have much muscle.


In terms of gym work and training, this pretty much leads into the previous post regarding Starting Strength, which you can read further down. 


As for diet, I eventually stopped doing Weight Watchers as I got fed up with counting points. But if someone did want to lose a certain amount of weight, then it's not for everyone but it worked for me. I'm now more careful with what I eat. I used to be a crisp monster but stopped eating these nearly two years ago. I don't miss them at all and certainly don't miss the oil on my fingers and insides! I don't go near any soft drinks and try to stay away from processed foods. I do use protein powder from myprotein.com, but normally for after the gym and sometimes as a quick snack. 


I've still got a bit of a spare tyre which I'm trying to shift, hence me changing my eating towards the Paleo way. I'll talk more about this in an upcoming blog post.


So there's my weight story. I feel so much better then what I did. I keep an old picture of me at my desk (the one which is towards the top of this very blog) to stop me snacking on crisps, chocolate and other processed junk. Saying that, I will sometimes treat myself to dark chocolate - but only a small bit, obviously...! 


Lots of people say it's too hard to lose weight or that they don't have the time. If they are that serious about it, then all they need is some time and effort. If I can do it, then anyone can.


Talk soon,


Dan

How I increased my deadlift from 110kg to 140kg in 2 months

An introduction to Starting Strength.


Pick up a copy of a men's fitness or health magazine, and you'll see the latest workout to help you gain 10lbs of muscle, show your abs etc etc. The problem is, if these really work then why would we need to buy the magazine the following month? You know why - for the new workout that will really, really help you gain 10lbs in muscle, show your abs...


The truth is, a lot of these workouts are based on isolation exercises, where you only use a small amount of muscle. However, switch to compound moves and you'll be using multiple muscles which will lead to an overall increase in muscle mass, which in turn will give you a greater resting metabolic rate. To make this simpler, this means you'll be burning more calories when your sitting on the sofa watching TV.


An example of this is the bicep curl: when doing this, your only really using your bicep (which every guy wishes was that little big bigger). But, change to a chin-up and aside from the bicep, you will also be using the muscle in your lats, forearms and upper & outer back amongst others. When you read it like that, it it makes sense doesn't it?


Basic compound moves are something that anyone with even a slight interest in building muscle should be doing. Some people say it's hard or that it worries them, but all your doing is picking heavy stuff off the floor - what could be simpler?


For a few years I was doing the magazine routines, thinking it would would turn me into the guy on the front cover - which it didn't! My eating wasn't great either but my workout was a case of picking up a few weights and doing some long boring cardio sessions. After a few years I started to become frustrated (this in itself was bad enough, the alarm bells should've started going off in my head much sooner). But the magazines did mention compound moves quite often. So, it started to look like compound moves were the way to go.


I started to do some Google searches on routines that would build muscle. There was a lot of rubbish about but then I came to a programme and website called Stronglifts which was run by a guy called Mehdi. It was based on heavy compound moves where you would increase the weight by a few kg each workout. I thought you would just do a load of compound moves (deadlift, squat, bench, press, clean amongst others) each and every gym session, but this would quickly lead to burnout for the average person.


Stronglifts was a routine where you did 3 compound moves per exercise for 5 reps, over 5 sets. There was workout A and workout B:


Workout A:
Squat 5x5, Bench Press 5x5, Barbell Row 5x5


Workout B:
Squat 5x5, Overhead Press 5x5, Deadlift 5x1


I enjoyed the workout's as it was easy to follow and I was starting to lift some serious weight. But something still didn't feel right and despite following the routine exactly, I wasn't making the gains that a lot of other people on the routine were making. Also, a lot of the users on the Stronglifts forum seemed to have a problem with Mehdi. I did feel some of he's member e-mails were quite blunt (which isn't always a bad thing in training) and that he didn't to seem to like any form of criticism. But he's routine is free to download and like I said, lots of people have made some great gains on it, so it is well worth checking out.


http://stronglifts.com/


When I had been searching on Google, I had seen Starting Strength come up a few times and the name Mark Rippetoe. Joe Weider was another name that came up a lot regarding workout routines and he's incredible well respected. However, I have yet to try any of he's routines so don't feel I should really comment. But he is certainly worth reading up on and is something I'll check out another time.


So, I decided to try Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength. Like Stronglifts it consists of two workouts comprised of compound moves but with a few minor changes:


Workout A:
Squat 5x3, Bench 5x3, Deadlift 5x1


Workout B
Squat 5x3, Press 5x3, Clean 3x5


This had a similar approach to Stronglifts, in that you added weight every workout. But to me, the difference was that Mark Rippetoe seemed more approachable and the forum users seemed more open to answering questions and giving advice. There also seemed to be a greater amount of respect for Mark to as a coach. Before starting the programme it's worth reading he's book, which is currently on its second edition with the next edition currently being worked on by Mark:


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Starting-Strength-Basic-Barbell-Training/dp/0976805421/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322497633&sr=8-1


I started the programme on September 26th. In the 2 months since I've added 30kg to my deadlift and 30kg to the zercher squat (there's a reason why I'm currently doing these rather then back squats but that's for another time). My clean has also increased by 15kg. These's may not be the huge numbers that other's have managed to increase, but it's a big improvement for me. I do find though that I've struggled to make big gains on the bench (only 10kg) and overhead press (only a dreadful 5kg). I've tried deloading a few times, which is recommend when you stall on a weight more then 3 times and this has seemed to help.


But more importantly, I've been enjoying the programme. I've also been keeping an excel sheet of my weights and it's great to be able to look at it and see the improvements. It's not so good seeing where you haven't made as good gains, but this in turn can help to motivate you to push on. I have also added bodyweight dips and chin-ups' to some sessions.


There are different level's of Starting Strength but I've only done the basic. But it's really worth check out. You can either do a Google search for 'Mark Rippetoe Starting Strength' for lots of success stories and information about it, or you can go direct to the official website.


http://startingstrength.com/


As I said, I do enjoy the Starting Strength programme, but I've been thinking of trying something completely different (for me anyway). Crossfit and the Gym Jones workouts are becoming more popular by the day and both are something I might try out sooner rather then later.


Talk soon,


Dan

An introduction to Paleo

So, what is Paleo? Basically, it's eating what our ancestors would've eaten thousands of years ago. It's no surprise that relatively recent medical conditions including obesity and diabetes have increased as we eat more processed foods.


The thinking behind this is that our bodies were never designed to digest the everyday foods that you see so regularly in your local supermarket. When shopping it's best to try and stick to the sides of the supermarket, as this is normally where the fresh foods are kept - fresh fruit, fresh veg and fresh meats. Go deeper into the supermarket and it's normally made up of the packaged and processed foods that actually do us far more bad then good. There's also another rule that if your Nan doesn't know what it is, then you probably shouldn't eat it. Cheese strings anyone?


The following guide is taken from the very helpful and well written http://wellnut.com/, run by a guy called Steve Adams. He breaks done what you can and shouldn't eat:


"Paleo:

• Plants:  vegetables; almost any edible plant that grows on this green earth.
• Animals:  MEAT! This includes beef, chicken, pork (including bacon), fish, and eggs (yes, there’s more to this list).
• Nuts:  almonds, walnuts, macadamias, etc. No, this doesn’t include peanuts (they’re a legume).
• Seeds:  sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc….chew away!
• Oils:  Olive oil, coconut oil, fish oil, among others.

Non-Paleo:

• Grains (bread, pasta, rice, and all their derivatives)
• Sugar
• Processed food
• Dairy (although this one is more of a grey area, and much less important than the other points) "

Steve's website is well worth checking out as it gives lots of good introduction advice, as well as some awesome success story's. My particular favourite is Success Story 3 featuring 'The Unconquerable Dave'.


Google 'Paleo success stories' and take a look yourself at how eating this way has helped thousands of people lose weight, feel fitter and healthier and has helped cure a lot of illnesses. Maybe it can help you? One thing to remember though, is that what works for one person doesn't always work for another. But try it for 30 days and if you don't feel or notice any difference, then what have you lost?


Dan

Here we go...

First post on the blog - don't expect too much!

Still getting to grips with how this works but over time I'll be adding content relating to the Paleo (or Primal/Caveman diet to some) way of eating and Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength programme, both of which I've started recently and have already seen some results.

If I ever talk about something I'll always post a link where possible or at least mention the source of the information.

I'll also be giving my own thoughts, views and opinions too, which I'll leave out there for people to discuss/argue/slate...

I'll also try to keep things plain and simple - if I can make sense of it then hopefully other people can!

I don't expect to gain hundreds of readers, but if you do find what I have to say of interest then thank you, it's appreciated.

Talk soon...

Dan