"What's the point of personal training?.."

I often explain to people that having a job such as a personal trainer can be difficult. You don't have any tangible products as such to sell; instead your offering a concept, your time and a new way of life.

The customer pays their hard earned money and doesn't receive a nice piece of clothing or electrical goods; more often than not after that first transaction, they get nothing!

Once that barrier is crossed, there are still some people who aren't quite sure what it's all about.

So...

"What's the point of personal training?.."

Well, there's no one-size-fits-all answer; just like the training, it's personal. Here are just a few of the things that working with a personal trainer can offer:

KNOWLEDGE...
Despite what you may think from visiting some of your gyms, you can't just be a personal trainer without some study. Sure, some trainers are better than others, and some are very average to say the least. But they have one thing in common - knowledge.

I'm forever telling people that when I first joined a gym, I probably wasted 2 years of training incorrectly. I did a bit of this, some of that, some of what I read somewhere, some of what my friends were doing and tried to copy big guys in the gym.

You wouldn't buy a car and "just figure it out" without having lessons. So why join a gym with no experience and go it alone?..

If you can find a well educated and knowledgeable PT, train with them for a little while, take notes, get a program out of it and release yourself into the world of fitness with a bag full of knowledge. Don't be afraid to have tastes and ask questions to get a feel for their knowledge.

BUILDING GOOD HABITS...
When you've always done something one way, it's very difficult to correct or amend this. They say, "to form a habit you have to do it the same way 21 times consecutively". Imagine you've done something incorrectly for years, the issue is probably much bigger!

It's hard to put into words the importance of good technique in the gym. Good technique reduces the risk of injury, offers greater benefit from the exercise, will allow you to progress and lift more in the long term, isolates muscles and doesn't allow for compensation from other muscle groups. In short, with the correct technique you'll improve faster an won't hurt yourself at the same time. Training alone or with friends often leads to less focus on tidy technique and instead emphasis on lifting larger weights. A personal trainer can get you on track, improve your technique and offer you timeless pointers to use in the future and set you on the right path for a successful gym career.

These guys could really do with a technique check or two:
- Home gym amusing video
- Deadlift fails and funnies

MAKING THINGS REGIMENTED...
Some people work best to a timetable. They aim for three gym visits a week, then someone asks them out for a drink one night after work, one day they work late and one day their too tired to go. As a result, they're lucky if they get one visit a week to the gym. For these people PT can be ideal. Making appointments which they need to stick to, with, or without enthusiasm. It's a great way to add structure to your week and make sure you get the exercise you need and want.

Some people will even go further than this and say things to their trainers such as "I need an ass kicking". They have an old school idea of PT's shouting at them in a militant fashion and the think that's the kick they need in order to make them work hard. If that's what you want and need, most trainers will be happy to help. But don't worry, that's not the way most personal training sessions work!

MOTIVATION OR FEAR OF FAILURE...
There are certain mind sets which, without anyone watching, will cut corners. We've probably all done it at some point. If this happens in the gym, you do 10 repetitions when you'd set out to do 12. Ten minutes into your 15 minute run you decide "that's probably enough", or when you look at the biscuit jar you think "one or two can't hurt - I've earned them!" Then PT can really help you.

Knowing that you're going to be measuring your success by gains or losses and will be re-tested/measured/weighed on a regular basis can be a great deterrent from cutting corners. More often than not we know the difference between right and wrong, good and bad, it just helps if someone points it out every once in a while.

VARIETY...
The gym can be a boring place. But it really doesn't have to be! Doing the same thing over and over is not only boring, but it's also ineffective. The body adapts to demands over time and if you keep up the same gym program, exercises, weights, tempo etc, your body will figure this out, no longer be tested or shocked and no longer forced to evolve.

There can be ENDLESS exercises and variations on exercises that can be performed to help avoid boredom and maintain progression. But, if you don't know them or don't know which ones work best then you need to ask.

Make sure when you approach a PT, you let them know from day one exactly what it is you want to get out of it (they should ask to be fair). If it's some more variety and new moves you need then tell them what you do and what you're looking to gain - why not book a taster and see just how much they know?..

A TRAINING BOOST...
So you've been training on your own for "X" number of years and you've done well; shed some weight and built some muscle, but it all seems to have slowed down a little.

Progression isn't coming as fast as it did and your body doesn't seem to be changing. Working with a personal trainer with new ideas, moves, structure to sessions and weekly workout can really shock your system and offer a great boost to your usual regime.

"PERSONAL" TRAINING...
Personal training is exactly that - "personal". If you train with someone, or you've been taken under the arm of your more experienced gym buddy then the likelihood is, you do the exercises just because that's what they do and advise you to do.

Personal training should be specialised to everyone dependent on their current level of activity, previous history and knowledge, capabilities and end goals. Your training might be getting you somewhere, but is it exactly where you want to be heading, do you struggle with specific areas of your body, knowledge of how to improve certain aspects, organise your workout schedule and what and when to eat? A good PT can advise you through all of this and even offer information on how to adjust and improve your other sessions during the week.

SO... 
In short, there's a heap of reasons why personal training can work for you. Whether you're taking your first steps into a gym, you've trained for 20 years in a gym, or you're a competitive athlete, that individual attention and "personal" approach can be applied to you in order for you to increase the benefits of your training and keep you motivated.

Perhaps ask yourself: Are you 100% confident that your training schedule, exercises, techniques and intensity mean you're getting the most from your training?...

As I will continue to say, "No one knows everything" so why not bend the ear of one of a personal trainer, see what they have to offer and see if you think they could help you improve your training?
This isn't a sales pitch, it's just fact...

DON'T FORGET, YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON: www.twitter.com/MichaelD_PT

Healthy eating tips - a realistic guide

When it comes to nutrition and specifically, nutrition advice,I ALWAYS say,

"It needs to be sustainable."

By this I mean people's approach to dieting. It's unrealistic to ask the average person to know the exact content of every meal, weigh out each ingredient for home cooked meals and avoid completely some of the naughty things they enjoy eating. Unless you have a nutritionist, a chef and don't keep a regular job then for many, this isn't a realistic way of life.

For the average person, nutrition management can be significantly improved at your diet issues in much more general terms and taking the following measures to control any poor eating habits...

Portion control...
We've grown up hearing "finish what's on your plate" and "Don't let that go to waste!" and had this conditioned into us from an early age. It's a hard habit to break but an easy one to control - don't put it on the plate. It's often said that the body takes 20 minutes to realise that it's full so inevitably we often eat too much and feel over-full shortly after.

My advice to my clients that struggle with portion control is:
Plate up what you'd usually eat, then, take a third of everything and take it off the plate. If you're GENUINELY hungry 20 minutes after dinner you can have some more. If you find yourself cutting this third from every meal then you've cut your daily calories by a third (aside from snacks) How easy was that!?!..

If lunchtime sandwiches are your downfall, make yourself some wraps, less carbs and there's no way you can stuff all the same filling into that, simple, but it works!

Cheat days ( I prefer "treat" days)...
If you're told "Never do this..", "avoid this at all costs..", "You're not allowed this.." then you'll soon resent your diet and fall off the wagon.
So dangle yourself a carrot. Tell yourself that if you can control your eating habits for just 5 days then you can have a "cheat/treat day" where you eat something a little naughty. This means no mid-week drinking, takeaways, sweets and other naughty bits, knowing that Friday or Saturday is going to be your day.

You'd be surprised how much better things taste when you have them less often. And if you can't control yourself for just 5 days then you have to take a serious look at your will power and commitment to be healthy.

Food preparation...
If you decide to "just pick something up" for lunch or while you're on the go then you'll be hard pushed to find anything that you can classify as mildly "healthy". Seriously, take a walk around your local BP petrol station and try to piece together a worthwhile on-the-go meal. Don't be fooled by pasta "salads". Using the word "salad" doesn't make it healthy!

For this reason, food preparation is essential! Preparing fresh food for the day ahead or tomorrow's lunch will have huge repercussions on your health. It might mean a few less minutes in bed but it's well worth it.

If you seriously can't bring yourself to do it the cook too much at meal times. Cook too much for dinner and use it for lunches later in the week.

Hunger scale...
If at times you find yourself eating for eating's sake then try using a hunger scale. Before you eat, stop and think, "Out of 10, how hungry am I?.." If the answer is 1-5: You don't get to eat, 6-8: it's meal time, 9 or 10: you've left it too late; sure you gota eat but be aware that you've gone too long without food.

By using this scale, this will firstly stop you eating just "because you wanted to" and also make you more aware of your hunger, eating patterns and habits. Often people eat through habit and not hunger.

Drink, drink, drink...
The brain can, at times, have difficulty differentiating between being hungry and being thirsty. When you feel hungry make sure your first reaction is get a drink of water. Have a drink and wait a while if you're still really hungry then go for it, if not, stick with the water for a little.

Most people don't drink enough during the day as it is and this can seriously slow down your metabolism. So, even if you do decide to eat after, adding to your daily water intake will do you some good.

Eat more...
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I just said eat less, BUT, there's a large proportion of people who need to eat more, or at leats more often. It's imperative to NOT skip meals, specifically breakfast! The body likes things to be regulated. It likes to know when it's going to get fed, how much is going to be expected of it in terms of activity and how much rest it can have each day. If you're eating sparadically and skipping meals at times then the body will panic and begin to store fuel and insulation... fat! If you don't want your body to store fat you need to feed it on a regular basis.

Snack with food, not with "snacks"...
When people say "snack" they generally think crisps, biscuit, bits and pieces basically. The actual nutritional value in most of these foods is usually pretty poor and as a result won't fuel you sufficiently and will inevitably, leave you feeling hungry soon after and eating again.

Try to snack on real food. This leads on nicely from the idea of cooking too much, if it's there in the fridge it's easy and tastes decent too. What about the thirds you've taken from dinners now you're all about portion control? Use them for snacks later in the week.

Don't fight fat with Fad's!...
There seems to be endless "Fad diets", often popularised by celebrities, from the Atkins diet, to Special K diet or cabbage soup diet. Whatever it is, avoid it. They have their time and place, if you want to do a last minute reduction for a special event, night out or holiday, go for it. But know that any weight loss is likely to be temporary. If diets worked there wouldn't be a diet industry... there would just be A diet and we'd all stick to it. As I said in the opener, what you eat must be sustainable; these diets are too extreme and too hard to follow. Can you say you'll never drink alcohol, never treat yourself to something sweet, never eat a takeaway or meal out?.. NO?.. then ultimately, the diet will fail.

Summary...
In short, there's LOADS you can do to help control eating habits and improve the quality of what you're feeding on. You don't have to be militant about it, and you should let yourself enjoy food, alcohol, treats and whatever floats your boat... but in moderation. Most people use the 70/30 rule (70% good Vs 30% bad food) and that's not a bad approach.

Often it's just a case of being more aware of what you're sticking in and thinking before doing. It may feel alien at first but it can soon become an easy and sustainable habit.

Don't forget to follow me on (that's not me below): www.twitter.com/MichaelD_PT

1000 Reps - What happened next?..

Well, it's been a while since I mentioned the 1000 Repetitions Club but we've been busy.
Since my initial failure and Matt Lovett's (co-founder of The Thousand Rep Kru) break into the 1000 Reps Kru, I've also joined him.

It was AWESOME, we changed up the format and made it a little more interesting.

GONE:
- Shoulder specific weights! Hanging on to he dumbbells really takes its toll on your grip and shoulders as it is before adding in front/lat raises or shoulder press.

ADDED:
- A new format. Still 10 exercises, but split into 5 and 5. Ie: Do five exercises 10 times, then the other five, 10 times. This makes it more competitive as one set will inevitably be faster so you can't really gauge if you're going to finish ahead of others, it helps to keep you motivated
- Conditioning/cardio elements. One exercise in each group of five that's aimed at getting your heart going and gradually wearing you down
- Putting the dumbbells down. In order to give your shoulders a rest we've started using exercises without the dumbbells and just your body weight. Still hard and still very tiring

So the SECOND effort at a thousand reps looked like this...

CIRCUIT ONE:
- Floor chest press
- Alternate Side lunges (5 each way)
- Russian twists with one dumbbell
- Upright rows
- Mountain climbers

CIRCUIT TWO:
- Backwards lunges
- Reverse flys
- Ab crunches and single arm chest press combo (5 each arm)
- Squats
- Up/downs (plank to press up position and back to plan)

So, again, Matt beat me (35mins 32 Vs 37mins 47). Whatever, I finished it with 10Kg dumbbells and joined the club!

Speaking of the club, there are a load more members now!

We enjoyed it so much that we kept on discussing it with gym members after.
There was a lot of interest so we did a trial run and opened it up as a class format on the gym floor, one in the day time, one in the evening.

First time round over 20 people took place! It was AWESOME! Watching people go for it, sweat it out and feel a whole new level of tiredness!

People really went for it and it was the girls in fact who laid down some serious times!! (using 6kg dumbbells but hay, they were quick!!)

Check out some of the pictures here: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/home.php?sk=group_177144515630114&ap=1

Don't forget you can follow me on: www.twitter.com/MichaelD_PT

Stop making excuses to NOT exercise!

GGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

I'm getting frustrated! Why do people consistently make excuses to NOT exercise?...

You're not doing it for the sake of it, because it's fashionable, or because you had some spare time to fill; it's for a better way of life, a healthier lifestyle, stronger heart and lungs, to reduce the risk of injury and illness and improve the way you look and feel - reason enough I think!!!

So WHY do people continue to make excuses (let's be honest, that's usually what they are) to not exercise!?!?.. A few favourites of mine...

"I'M TOO OLD"
Rubbish!!! You're body will become as immobile as you let it. When EVER anyone says this to me I tell them about Nanny Nicholls (a real person), 87 years old, dances 3 times per week, hearing is spot on, she's young at heart, very mobile and very independent. Because she keeps herself active! If you don't use it - you WILL lose it!

So you didn't do the same, it's NEVER too late to start. I'm not suggesting a marathon or Everest climb, but you can significantly improve health and well being at any age!

Just like when you go on holiday and leave your car standing for two weeks, it might not start again without a push, your body, if left alone and unused, will also need a hand starting up. It may make funny noises and not feel quite right but it can soon be a regularly used and reliable runner!

"I HAVE AN INJURY" Worse yet - "I HAVE BACK PROBLEMS"
These back problems are probably caused by your weight! Think about it - what kind of strain is the weight around your front going to be putting on your poor back - it's time to shift it!

As for injuries, granted, some will make it unrealistic to exercise heavily, but.. I've seen people in a gym before on crutches! If you REALLY want to, there is usually ALWAYS a way to get in some exercise!

"I DON'T HAVE TIME WITH WORK"
Work will ALWAYS be there. but unless you don't do something about your health, you might not be!! Stay fit and work becomes less of a strain! Simple as that!

"I DON'T NEED TO EXERCISE - I'M NOT FAT"
I don't give a ****! You're walking round with a Ferrari chassis and a Ford Fiesta engine! Just because you're body looks OK, it doesn't mean it's not crying out inside with all the crap fuel you throw into it. No one has a perfect body (internally OR externally) so you can always improve; whether it's the way you look, muscle tone, waist line etc or the strength of your heart and lungs, you need to do something!

"I'M TOO UNFIT!"
This is ridiculous! EVERYONE has their first gym visit, but if you make it a habit you'll soon be up to speed with the rest of them. Maybe avoid spin classes if you've done no exercise for the past 5 years but there's absolutely no reason why you can't have a regular gym program! Seek the help of a fitness professional - I bet they'd be more than happy to lend a hand.

If I hear "I'M TOO UNFIT FOR PERSONAL TRAINING" one more time, I think I'll cry! That's WHY you have it - to help improve your fitness. It's not a one size fits all package, the trainer is there to asses your current fitness levels and improve them. How can you be too unfit for that?...

"GYMS ARE BORING!"
Gyms ARE boring, but then so is your workplace and you spend enough time there! A gym is as interesting and fun as you make it. Talk to people, smile at people, take a friend, vary your program, try new exercises, try classes - there's PLENTY you can do to stop the gym being boring! We're WELL past the 80's style 30 mins treadmill and 30 mins rowing, bicep curls and home routines! Sample what's on offer.

"I DON'T WANT TO SPEND MY LIFE IN A GYM!"
.. Don't then!!!?... Come for a bit though, a few times a week maybe?.. You can get an AWESOME workout finished in 45 minutes or under; Classes rarely run for much longer than that too! Are you telling me you can't make 45 minutes free in your week a few times for the sake of a stronger heart and lungs, less chance of disease, a better physique and improved happiness in the way you look and feel?... Didn't think so!

DON'T FORGET YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON: http://twitter.com/MichaelD_PT

Do it the same... but different...

So often I speak to people and hear things such as,

"I know my routine"

And they have no interest in listening to new ideas, suggestions and advice.

I always say "No one knows everything, so listen!" I will HAPPILY listen to advice from others on the one condition: they can tell me "WHY?".

WHY should I do it your way? WHY is it better? WHY will I benefit?

So it frustrates me to even hear people describe their program as a "routine" !!!!

A gym program should not be routine, variety is key when it comes to making gains and bettering yourself.

So you may not want to rip up your gym program and start over. That's fine, but why not experiment with variations. Add a few twists and tweaks to your usual exercises, their format, tempo and technique. Then, sit back and admire your gains.

Some ideas...

GRIP

Varying your grip is one of the most under-rated ways of boosting your gains. Probably the best example is when working an exercise for your back. The back is such a vast area it's important to try and hit as many areas as possible. This is made easier by varying your grip; try narrow and wide variation, over-hand and under-hand variations and feel the difference.

It's not just back, consider your grip width on things such as bench press and for push ups or dips; even your feet distance for squats.

BALANCE

Adding an element of balance to an exercise can really test you and make the exercise much more challenging, targeted and rewarding.

By using tools such as a Bosu and emphasising balance you not only have more to think about and improve balance, but you negate the use of momentum and as a result, isolate the target muscle or muscle groups - win, win!

REPETITIONS

If you become familiar with how 10, 12, or 15 repetitions feel then it's time to shock your system!

If you always work to a format of 3 sets of 10. Or a pyramid of 12, 10, 8, why not focus a month on high repetitions. Really throw in something different. Nothing less than 12 reps, starting each exercise with 2 sets of 20 repetitions (eg: 20, 20, 15, 12). You'd be surprised how you can spot your shortcomings and also build a much more rounded "strength" while gaining some firm and quality mass.

SUPER-SET

Another shock tactic that a lot of people steer clear of is a "super-set". Simply carrying out two exercises back-to-back with no rest. Stop letting your body rest so much, push it to the limit,fill your muscles with blood, make your heart pump and work continuously for a longer period. Try it, you'll feel ace!

RUN THE RACK

Now.. writing this paragraph I'm not sure if "run the rack" is a phrase I heard somewhere or half made up myself!?!... Either way, I like it!

Basic idea, start an exercise (maybe your final exercise as a "finisher") on a really low weight, carry out no more than 15 repetitions. Finish your set, take a few second, move to a heavier weight. Work your way up the rack finishing on a heavy weight with just 4-6 reps.

For example, last week I did this with shrugs; with hardly any rest I got a serious sweat on doing this (number in bracket = repetitions): 16kg (15), 20kg (15), 24kg (12), 28kg (12), 32kg (12), 36kg (10), 40kg (10), 44kg(5), 44k (5).

Result: 4-5 minutes, 96 repetitions, 288kg shifted, filled, warm traps and forearms!

SINGLE LIMB

Personally, I think that when gaining strength there are a few essential things to maintain. Mobility, form and muscular balance. For the third reason, I think it's important to try and work single limbs at a time during each session.

Why not add some variety to your sessions in this way?.. Single arm dumbell chest press (a favourite of mine), single arm shoulder press, one-leg squat or leg press, one-hand seated row. Pretty much every exercise has an option for this.

These methods will test your co-ordination, core stability if you maintain good form, cardio fitness as you'll work for a much longer time and will also highlight any muscular imbalance or dominant side that you have.

CHANGE THE ORDER

There is NO reason that you need to do the same exercises in the same order. In FACT - it's counter productive for progress!Try changing the order in which you do your exercises at least every few weeks. Also, change the day that you do each program.

Your body likes routine and patter and knowing what demands you'll place on it. Simply changing the order in which you perform exercises can greatly increase the stress on your muscles and encourage growth. try it - you'll be pleasantly surprised!

TIMED/INTERVALS

Instead of working to repetitions, why not ignore the counting and work to a time limit? E.g: Reps in 30 seconds, then rest 30 seconds and repeat. One such method, tabata, was discussed in an earlier post and is a favourite of mine; something I try in some form at least once a week. It's a different way of working, places different demands on the body and requires a completely different mind-frame.

COMBO EXERCISES

Mix two exercises together. It's simple, again places new demands on your body, often tests coordination and speeds up a session. Lunges with a shoulder press, straight leg deadlift with calf raises (and a shrug if you like?), squats and lunges alternate, chest press and flys alternate... the possibilities are endless!

PRE/POST-EXHAUST

If you enjoy making yourself feel weaker or perhaps enjoy a "pumped" feeling try pre-exhaust work. A basic and rewarding one is 60 seconds of dumbbell bicep curls with a light weight. Then straight on to a heavier preacher curl or cable bicep curl. The muscles feel full and both look and feel awesome. You can do this with ANY exercise and it's a good way of filling the muscles with blood before asking them to jump into action, encourage hypertrophy and also add new demands to your training.

Post-exhaust is the opposite. A "drop-set" if you like. Carry out an exercise, thenimmediately either drop the weight by around 50% or start another exercise wit a very light weight and aim for as many repeitions as possible. Same kind of feeling but play around and see which works for you.

CONCLUSION

I think a lot of people really overlook the benefits of adding variation to their workout. DON'T just do what you always do, think about how you can change it, improve it and increase it's complexity or difficulty. Try it a few times, get used to the technique and see if you get any gains from it.

Just a little tweak or few can go a long way - Variety is key! After all: "if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got!"

Don't forget you can follow me on: www.twitter.com/MichaelD_PT

Be inspired - set yourself goals and train for a reason

When I first started using a gym it was so that I could become stronger in order to make me a better rugby player.

YES, I wasted probably the first two years of gym visits as I didn't know what I was doing and so I'd dabble with a few machines, copy a big guy at the gym and maybe try something I'd seen in Men's Health or similar.... not good!

BUT... at least I had a reason. This kept me focused, determined and meant I came to the gym each time with something in mind.

This is ESSENTIAL for anyone, though you may not think it, if you're making progress in the gym you probably have an inspiration.

Find yours. Try...

EMOTIONS
Think of your emotions. How does the gym make you feel afterwards? How do you feel when you haven't been to the gym for a while? Was there an event in your life which spurred you to join the gym? Are you training to improve yourself for something which means a lot to you? How does it feel when you've trained hard for a while and someone compliments you? Many of the people I meet train simply to lift their mood. If it's what keeps you coming through the door, go with it!

FUNCTION
What will going to the gym help you do physically? If you're a keen sportsperson then this is much easier to imagine. I want to be faster, stronger, fitter etc.. This will also help you focus your style of training much more easily. Even if you don't have a sport, function is still important. Consider your job, lifestyle and hobbies. How can you focus your gym work to improve them? ie: if you drive for hours and hours it's important to strengthen your core and back in order to avoid postural problems.

HEALTH
A number of people exercise for health reasons. To avoid disease, aid recovery, lengthen life, improve cardiovascular strength and generally feel more awake, agile and youthful. However, training to "feel healthier" can be a difficult goal to gauge success against. Make sure you have some more tangible goals that can be targeted. Look at your recovery time during cardio work or even make sure that you have regular medicals conducted with particular focus on body fat percentage, resting heart rate and blood pressure. I see too many people visiting the gym to improve their health but in fact hardly break a sweat. Walking through the gym door does NOT make you healthier!!!

AESTHETICS
Aesthetics shouldn't be viewed as a dirty word. Looking around my gym, I'd estimate that well over half of the members use the gym as they want to make their bodies look better and nothing else. If that's for you then that's fine, but don't go to the gym so that your body looks "better"; you need to be much more specific! Focus on areas such as, you want bigger legs, or smaller hips or more definition on your arms, whatever it is, be specific. If it helps, use a visual guide to keep you on track. This should take two parts:

1) If you find a picture of someone, anyone, who has a body that you crave, keep it. They can be a celebrity, model or random from a magazine; either way you need some kind of target
2)Keep a photo log of yourself. This will show your progression more clearly than any other method if "looking good" is your goal. It will also show you where you have fallen short and areas to focus on in the future

Remember: What the mind can imagine, the body can achieve.

IN SUMMARY...
There are MANY reasons why a person might join a gym. To get a healthier lifestyle, lose weight, build muscle mass, appear more toned or improve cardiovascular capabilities.

Whatever the reason, make sure you have a S.M.A.R.T goal

S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Realistic
T = Timed

If you can follow these guidelines then you'll soon notice an improvement in your focus in the gym, commitment to each session and hand-in-hand with that, your results.

Make a note of your goals, making sure the stick to the S.M.A.R.T guidelines and highlight how and where they fit in. Create a timeline and stick it up somewhere that you'll see it. Without a clear timeline in mind, weeks will pass and session after session will go unnoticed. Work to a timeline and you'll feel like you're in control of where you're going and you will know what you can expect.

Don't forget to follow me on www.twitter.com/MichaelD_PT

Wait!.. Use body weight! Keep it minimal

A common complaint or a few variations of the same problem...

"I don't have time to make it to the gym"
"I work out of town" or "I travel a lot with work"
"I need childcare or I can't make the gym"

etc etc...

Well.. there's one simple solution for all of these folks - use your body weight! You don't always need endless amounts of fancy gym equipment!!!!
There are literally hundreds if not thousands of moves that you can do to burn calories, build lean muscle and work up a darn good sweat without the need for any fancy equipment. Add a few tiny pieces such as a swiss ball or barbell and the possibilities become endless!!!!..

Here are a few of the moves that I consider to be the top body weight moves!..

LOWER BODY...
Lunges - these can be done with a number of variations, forwards, backwards, sideways, elevated leg, with additional weights or resistance bands, on an unstable surface such as a Bosu or wobble board

Squats - Try playing around with the stance width and depth of squat. If it's 100% body weight then try one-leg squats - these will make any person work, no matter the size of their wheels

Jump squats - probably not one for anyone who lives above their neighbours, but simply perform squats finishing with a jump, making sure to cushion the landing by bending your knees, which movement automatically leads into the next squat. Basically continuously umping and squatting - good drill!

UPPER BODY...
Press ups - again variety is key. Try varying hand width, elevated feet to emphasise the upper chest and shoulders, one leg lifted to increase core engagement, doing them on your knuckles or perhaps with your hands on uneven surfaces such as one arm on the floor on on a small box

Renegade rows / renegade flys - these are usually performed with weights but with either a small weight or empty hand can still offer an effective workout as it engages a lot of core stability and stabilising muscle groups

Dips - You can perform these with your hands on the side of the bath, or a bed. Make them more difficult by varying the tempo, lifting alternate legs for each dip, placng your feet on something elevated or adding a weight to your lap

CORE / ABS...
Crunches - keep it basic. Crunches are one of the best ways to focus on the upper abs. Hold an object or weight to make it more difficult and hold it at the point where shoulders are highest off the ground for 3 seconds

Leg raises - great way to work your lower abs and add a little top up to the legs. Vary height of movement and speed

"Frogs" - a great way to hit your obliques - a personal favourite move of mine!

CONDITIONING...
Mountain climbers - vary from knees coming inside your elbows, to the outside. Also try it on one leg at a time in a hop-style

"Up-downs" (you may refer to them as something else) - basically climbing from a plank position to a press up and back down, over, and over, and over, and over, and over again...

Burpees - We all hate them and they've been around donkey's years; but for a reason - they're good! VERY good!

These are JUST 9 of the man moves you could try. But imagine on those days where you can't justify a gym visit for half an hour. Or only have time for 30 minutes and not the commute and gym chat when you're there, a quick circuit like that below could be gone over 3 - 5 times. Why not time it and get competitive with yourself!?.. HELLO SWEAT!!!

EXAMPLE CIRCUIT:

- Alternate lunges x 30
- 12 x 1 leg squats
- Press ups - 45 seconds non-stop
- Renegade row x 12 each side
- Renegade flys x 12 each side
- 45 seconds dips, one leg off the floor
- Elevated leg lunges x 10 each leg
- Jump squats x 15
- Press ups - 30 seconds non-stop
- 45 seconds crunches
- 12 x leg raises
- 24 x frogs
- 1 minute rock climbers
- 1 minute "up-downs"
- 15 x burpees

Try it.. I dare ya!!

Here's a few more bodyweight exercise ideas...

 
OR...
If you have access to a play park, why not try something like this?..

SUMMARY...
I'm ALWAYS telling people that their body weight is a great yard stick for functional strength. For example, how many "big guys" would struggle to perform a good set of wide-grip chin ups followed by a set of full-range dips?... Quite a few I'd imagine.

In my opinion, your best piece of equipment is your body! If you can't manoeuvre your own body weight then you really have nothing to be showing off about!

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MichaelD_PT an susbscribe to my YouTube channel

GUEST BLOGGER James Lakin - "Exercise and Nutrition: Some of the MANY myths"

Personal Trainer, James Lakin looks at just SOME of the nutritional myths that circulate in most gyms.

James says,

"You may have been given good and bad advice from other gym freaks on how to build muscle or burn fat. My favourite piece of bad advice that was given to me when I first started out training was from a meat-head I chatted to; unbelievably he said,"

“To get big you should eat KFC!” "I nodded and thanked him for the advice. Thankfully, over the years I have decided to educate myself and not rely on such pearls of wisdom from gym members. Here are just a few myths that must be dismissed!"

1. “My muscle turned to fat” Fat and muscle are two separate tisues. You can increase or decrease muscle or fat but they can not turn into one another.

2. “After training I can eat what I want”After training your breathing and heart rate will remain elevated to return your body to a natural state. To do this you will continue to burn energy and this is what people often refer to as “the golden hour” and mistakenly scoff the things they shouldn’t. After Training your body is crying out for nutrients feed it the energy it needs to replenish your stores to support growth and recovery. Water, protein, minerals and vitamins and not muffins or ice cream.

3. “If I train in the morning without eating breakfast I will lose more weight”Our body needs fuel to perform, without energy your workout will suffer. Research has shown skipping meals can slow down your metabolism eat small meals regularly to avoid this. Allow between an hour and a half and two hours to give your body enough time for digestion.

4. “I eat lots of pasta”
There seems to be a bit of an obsession with pasta. Many athletes load up on the stuff because of its high calorific content but they are burning thousands of calories through training several hours a day. For the average person being in a seated position 8 hours or more a day these excess calories will result in fat being stored if not burnt up! In no way am I saying don’t eat pasta, just be careful it doesn’t cause you to exceed your targeted daily calorie consumption.

5. “Which diet should I go on?”
I hear this a lot, any diet where you are taking in less energy will cause you to lose weight. They may work short term but the dieter can often put it straight back on plus more weight very quickly. A healthier way is to aim to lose no more than 2lbs per week eating a healthy balance of 80% good and 20% a little more relaxed. Two pounds may not sound a lot but in just 7 weeks that’s a whole stone! You will be more likely to sustain healthy eating and lose fat rather than muscle. From experience, clients that have lost weight gradually as opposed to crash or yoyo dieting have been able to keep the weight off. If diets worked, there wouldn't be a diet industr; there would just be a diet that everyone follows?


For more information on James, or to contact him directly regarding nutritional advice and/or personal training, view his website: http://www.uxbridge-fitness.co.uk/

"WOW-WOW" 08/08/10: 1000 reps to make you a better person (or maybe just 800)

I'm forever telling people,
"You don't need any fancy equipment to have a worthwhile training session!"

Personally, I like traditional, old-fashioned, retro, old-school, minimal (call it what you will) training. No flashing lights, unecesary data, over-sized equipment or shiny things.

So.. I created my "10's workout". Here's the format:

- 2x 10Kg dumbells
- 10 exercises
- 10 reps on each
- 10 tmes through

Giving you 100 reps on each exercise and 1000 reps total.

I took a few minutes to scribble down 10 exercises that i could perform alone, in a studio with just me and my dumbells (and a swiss ball).

Here are the exercises that I went with (but not in this order)...

- Chest Press (on swiss ball)
- Squats
- Front raises / lateral raises (5 of each)
- Press ups on the dumbells
- Shoulder press
- Renegade row (5 each arm)
- Bicep curls (5 eacha arm)
- Skull crushers (on the swiss ball)
- Dynamic Lunges (5 on each leg)
- One leg Romanian deadlifts - 5 on each leg (straight leg deadlifts)

With a little peer pressure (thanks Matt), I stuck with it for 8 "laps" giving me 800 reps total. To be honest, I had one eye on the time, but the tiredness of my shoulders was becoming an issue. Looking back, I seriously regret cutting that corner.

This regret was amplified the next day when my friend Matt decided to try it out and pulled out the full 1000. FACT: He is a better man than me!

Review...
Personally, I wouldn't describe this workout as "enjoyable". It was hard work for sure. BUT, gave me a great pump! The veins were working overtime and I got a real sweat on. It wasn't particularly cardio-based but I gradually got more and more tired that day and slept like a trooper. If you try it you'll know exactly what I mean!

It's a very worthwhile workout, there are just a few things to consider.

Issues to consider...
I think the workout could do with a little re-think. The order needs adjusting and I'd chuck out a few of these exercises in exchange for some more core and to give the old shoulders a stretch out or rest.

Still, 40 something minutes that gave me an ace pump and all body workout! Try it, see how long it takes you.

NB: After Matt completed his 1000 we decided that we should try it again in a new format. I WILL join the gang!!.. further blogs, images and videos to follow...

Training partner chemistry

Today I was speaking with a friend about a mutual friend of ours and he said,

"I don't want to train with him. I don't want to personal train someone for an hour when I'm trying to train."

Now, while this may sound a little cut-throat to some people, it's a fair point. It got me thinking about training partners, the chemistry between two training buddies, successful training relationships and the other side: arrangements which have a negative impact on training and results.

I see all combinations, two best friends training, large groups working together, solo-trainers or friends who became friends through the gym. However.. some are more successful than others.

Here's a few tips when picking your training partner:

Train with someone who brings something to the table...
Everyone has their first visits to a gym, and we're all constantly learning. No one knows EVERYTHING about working out, but the relationship needs to be a two-way street. It's one thing lending someone a hand, pointing them in the right direction, sorting out their program etc, but it soon wears thin when you need to spoon feed every part of the session.

Find someone that has prior knowledge or a different sporting background to yours but similar goals. For instance, as a rugby player I enjoy gym training with other rugby players but also fighters, sprinters and other power related athletes. Take a break from your usual routine when it's offered. Learn about flexibility from someone, move to a more cardio-based session if someone offers to show you a few bits. Approach sessions with an open mind and be willing to learn.

Big groups don't always mean big results...
I see it LOADS.. big groups of guys and girls who go to the gym together. It probably started as a pair and someone invited someone and so it went on. Bad news.. these aren't great for the gym.
More likely than not, these will be the groups who spread their time between working and chit-chat. For large groups doing weights based exercises, it's going to be a pain adjusting weights to suit everyone; an even bigger pain waiting around for your second set and getting cold while the other 4 do theirs.

As for peak time training, good luck finding 5 treadmills together or enough dumbells and benches for you and your pals.

Last but by NO means least, it's pretty unlikely you're going to find a group of friends all with similar goals. Which leads me to my next point...

Train with people who have similar goals...
Sessions can become HUGELY unproductive if time is spent arguing over exercises, repetitions, order of session etc if partners have different objectives. It's ESSENTIAL to find someone who wants the same thing. True, there's more than one way to skin a cat, but if your goals are poles apart the session is going nowhere.

Working hard... or hardly working?
Make sure when you pick a training partner it isn't someone who is more intent on catching up with you, telling you about their day, their family, their life and every other detail that isn't going to benefit your gym session It's fine to train with a friend but keep the social time and gym time seperate. If your gym partner is a talker or is spending their time trying to look good in the gym and attract members of the opposite sex, then change them. Or, explain your situation and ask them to change themselves. You'll bot benefit from it as the intensity of your sessions will increase so don't be afraid of offending them - it's for their own good.

Get pushed...
A little competition in the gym is always healthy. While I always use the old saying "train your body, not your ego", competition from your friends can improve the intensity of a session. It may be difficult to find a partner of equal size and strength but you may compete in other ways. For instance, weights wise use a percentage of your body weight as the scale for strength. Can you both bench press 100% of your own body weight? What about chin-ups and dips?

With regards to cardio, why not race? Give the less fit person a head start then let them try to not get caught while the fitter person tries their hardest to make up lost ground. Think laterally and introduce competition for the sake of improvement, not for the purpose of an ego boost, embarrassing your friend of to show how big and clever you are.

Without this level of competition and someone pushing you on, it's easy to get complaisant that you are the bigger or stronger or fitter person and if this continues, progress in the gym will be seriously damaged.

Listen up and be open minded...
You may be bigger, faster, leaner, fitter than your training partner, but you don't know everything. If they have an idea, go with it. Variation is key! Likewise, you see something you like that someone in the gym is doing, don't be afraid to ask. We're always learning so if you can get a little something from another gym goer then soak up all you can. I know I said to train with people similar to you, but if the opportunity comes to train with someone new as a one-off session go for it. If you trained with a gymnast and a powerlifter on two separate occasions, you may hate it but if you can take away just one thing from each session then it's been productive. Learning what you don't like and what doesn't work for you is just as important.

One-man(or woman)mission...
To the solo trainers. These guys have it in their favour in terms of time spent in the gym. I myself am usually a solo trainer most of the time and like that I don't need to wait for friends to finish sets, explain an exercise or adjust weights for other people and I can be done with a session quicker than most partners.

However... there are some things you don't get training alone. No spotter for heavier sets, no "let's do one more set" on the day you're feeling tired or even more essential for some people, "we ARE going to the gym - don't be lazy" discussions.

Most significant in my mind, is that unless you consciously aim to do so, sessions will become formulaic and stagnant. Without variety, suggestions from a training partner, tweaking of exercises and new approaches, most people will plod through the same sessions week after week and seriously compromise results.

Don't forget, you can follow me on: http://twitter.com/MichaelD_PT