"Have yourself a very merry (healthy) Christmas..."

It's that time of year again, your house is lined with chocolates, your fridge stuffed with food and the cupboard over-flowing with alcohol.

What can you do about it? Go completely without and constantly say "No thank you." ?... Unlikely.

While the heading of this blog might be a little misleading ("healthy"?..) here's a few ideas that you can try to focus on to make sure that all of your hard work in 2012 wasn't a complete waste of time. Remember, "Even when you're being bad, be good."

EXERCISE:
Lets get it right - you should NOT stop exercising over Christmas! In fact, you probably have more free time and rest time than during your normal week. Get outside, get moving and be active. Even if it's a long walk over varying terrains one day, be creative. Many gyms will close for Christmas so you'll need to use your imagination. Get outside, wrap up and at least do some interval running and bodyweight exercises: If you're working with just your bodyweight here's 21 exercise ideas: 21 BODYWEIGHT EXERCISES 

Or if you live anywhere near a kids park, here's a decent workout you can try:
PARK WORKOUT

DON'T leave it until late in the day. Something will come up, a film will come on, a family member will come round, a game will come out, you'll drink alcohol, you'll get too comfy at home or you'll fall asleep. Get it done early and spend the rest of your day enjoying yourself with family.

BREAKFAST:
So there's a packet of celebrations already open in the morning - this is no excuse. Don't fall at the first hurdle and head for chocolates - start your day right. Make sure every breakfast has 20g + protein content as a starting point. If you want to join in with a nice cooked breakfast that is being shared in some format, load up on the meat and eggs portions and avoid toasts, cereals and fruit juices. No one will even notice but you can be safe in the knowledge that you're not spiking your blood sugar levels and encouraging fat retention from the get-go.

SNACKS:
Stock up for the winter - before it gets too near to Christmas I'd recommend stocking up on protein powder and small snack protein bars. PhD diet whey bars are tasty, deceptively filling and will give you a little taste of green tea and CLA to help keep fat cells mobilised and minimise fat storage (not to say it's a free for all and you should eat as you please). Also a "blend" shake can be a great way to get a sweet fix, add nutrients to your day and keep you full while maintaining energy levels. Eating chocolate will add sugar, give you peaks and drops in energy levels, encourage fat retention and also take a long time to fill you up meaning you continue to reach for more. A blend shake will give you a chocolate fix but digest over a longer period to avoid these issue.

CHRISTMAS DINNER:
No issues with loading up on Turkey and other meats. Use self control for portion control when it comes to: Potatoes, stuffing and other High GI carbs. Drink water before and during your meal - not alcohol.

THE ALCOHOL THING:
Firstly, do NOT mis-read this and think the following suggestions are "good for you" - we're talking damage limitation. If you're intent on having a drink then these are the less "bad" options. NOT "good for you" options. Bloody Mary, Vodka & Soda and Guinness made this list - 9 drinks options here: http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2012/07/the-nine-healthiest-alcoholic-drinks/

FURTHER DAMAGE LIMITATION:
There are a few supplements available that are designed to keep your immune system strong, limit damage caused to the liver by alcohol, minimise fat consumption from food and keep bodily functions working full throttle in order to maintain energy levels and digest food efficiently. Multivitamins, milk thistle, CLA, electrolytes and plenty of water usually come top of the list.

SELF CONTROL AND PLANNING:
The main two things that you'll need in order to not let Christmas ruin your hard work is self control and planning. You might not be able to eat what you want "because you fancy it". Instead being aware of what you're eating and what you're likely to eat that day should impact each meal. ie: If you have a big Christmas dinner coming up and friends coming over for a drink, be aware of this when selecting snacks and lunch choices.

Likewise, planning in your training, planning meals and structuring your day rather than just seeing what happens is the only way that you'll be able to stay on track in some form. Look ahead and plan the Christmas period. When do you have social engagements? When are you likely to be out all day or with visitors? When might you feel a little tired or worse for wear? These will all impact your training structure for the week. If you're pushed for time, don't be afraid to go for a quick 20-25 min interval run or some form of bodyweight circuit at home.

SLEEP:
As I have said in many blogs, the importance of sleep is heavily under-rated. Christmas can be a great time to get an early night, or lay in, or nap during the day. Try out short naps at various times and see what impact they have on your mood, appetite and energy levels. You may uncover something that you want to try and use regularly during the year - even if it's only practical to do so at the weekends.

SNACKS:
If your home is anything like mine then there will be more chocolates around your home than every before. You might find yourself enjoying a mini chocolate at breakfast time but try to create some simple, tasty and more nutritious snacks that you can eat while everyone else is reaching for the chocolates and snacks.

EASY RECIPE:
- 2 x cups of oats
- 3 x scoops of chocolate whey
- 1 tbl spoon organic crunchy peanut butter
- 1 cup water
- handful of raisins
- large sprinkle of flaxseed (optional)

Stir well in a bowl, move into baking tray and place in freezer for 2 hours + for a cheeky chocolate oat and protein pieces - great snack for a little protein and keeping you full between meals but still getting your chocolate fix.

Christmas time is a time when families and friends are much more readily available so it can be easy to completely neglect your lifestyle of clean eating and exercise. Planning and structuring your days ahead of time is the only solution.

BUT... make sure you enjoy it - Christmas comes but once a year.

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GUEST BLOG: Rope Training Exercises by the CRAZE Pre Workout Guys

With 365 days in a year, doing the same workout can be boring and unproductive in the long run. Instead of the usual cardio-weights-cardio routine, I'm going to introduce you to something way more interesting and way more fun - rope training exercises! Working with rope is great for your body. And hey, getting to tangle with a 2 - 3 inch diameter rope is just plain awesome.

Rope Training Benefits

This amazing training regimen is one of the few exercises classified as "core training." Basically, rope or heavy rope trains the core of our bodies which includes deep muscles like abdominal muscles and back as well as the large muscle groups like pectorals, deltoids and thighs. Targeting your core also has several benefits:

Increased Metabolism

Training the core of your body leads to increased metabolism. Exercising with a heavy rope combines resistance, flexion and extension at various degrees of force. Doing this will require using the large muscle groups in your body, which consume a lot of energy.

Fat Loss

As your metabolism increases with rope training, you also burn fat. Metabolism is the balance of catabolism or cell destruction and anabolism or cellular growth. Catabolism isn't all bad as it is also useful in reducing the number of fat cells. Still, anabolism or cell growth is a great energy burner which can also help because we need more energy to grow cells than to destroy them.

Better Fine and Gross motor coordination

There are two types of motor coordination. Fine motor coordination involves minute movements such as curling a finger or batting an eyelash. Gross motor on the other hand is general movement of legs, arms, torso, neck etc. Over time, we develop reflexes that can ruin our body coordination. Rope training can actually help return fine and gross motor coordination - there have actually ben studies on this! The key lies in repetition and form. The heavy rope keeps your body in perfect form and repetition brings back precision in movement.

Availability

Instead of working out in a gym full of people, you can do rope training exercises with, of course, a piece of rope. Many recommend a heavy rope with smaller diameter for new enthusiasts, bodybuilders and athletes.
All you need is a piece of rope - this can be bought in most hardware stores. In fact, you can use old heavy ropes and perform the exercises efficiently.
There are various experts on rope training who can help you begin your exercises and provide the proper guidance. If you're located near Windsor, UK - you're in luck! Michael Darren is a personal trainer able to guide your rope training exercies. If you are located somewhere else, check your local gym if they have heavy rope for your training needs. Your local gym might have someone with similar expertise in rope training.

Types of Rope Training

Let's talk about a few things you can do with the ropes. Get ready to get worked!

• Pull-Ups - Setup your thick rope to hang over a supine row setup. Now grab a hold and do pull-ups. Your forearms and smaller muscles will be screaming, and you'll do far less than you can do normal pullups. Do them before doing regular pull-ups!
• Rope Battling - From the image above (courtesy of the Art of Manliness), take one in each hand and whip them in alternating movements for time. Make that rope MOVE!
• Sled Pull - Attach your rope to the end of something heavy that can move - like a sled. Pull it towards you in rowing-style movements. Do this outside or somewhere where you won't damage the floor!

It's not easy at first, but these are REAL functional exercises that will give you the forearms of a cattle rancher!

Another Benefit Reduced risks of Injury

That's right, one of the benefits of rope training exercises include a reduced risk of injury. Exercising your core body strength actually increases body coordination. With increased body coordination, you can easily avoid injury especially athletic injuries. Sports scientists have found that people with lower core stability or joint integrity are at a higher risk of developing sports injuries.

Preparing for Rope Training

Training with ropes will still take a lot of energy and effort from you. It's always best to prepare for rope training with the following guidelines.
Have a medical check up: Make sure that you are medically healthy before doing any training with rope. If your doctor tells you rope training is too strenuous for you, listen to him, and ask for alternatives.
Diet before, during and after Rope Training: What you eat will still affect how you train. If you want to bust the fat while maintaining nutrients for your muscles, Fat Loss Factor by Marc Lobliner is one of the best diet management books you can read, and it's free.
Choosing a rope: Most gyms will have heavy ropes available for you to use. If you train at home, check your local hardware stores.
Choose a Trainer: Initially, it is best to get expert advice from someone. As mentioned, people in Windsor, UK can turn to Michael Darren and to do rope training with him.
Take a Pre-Workout drink and Supplements: Warm ups will be able to prepare you but a pre-workout supplement will rev your body for a nice workout with ropes. It's highly suggested that you choose a PWO that can help release stored energy in your body, specifically geared for cutting fat tissue. CRAZE from Driven Sports is one of the best supplements you can use for rope training. You can also take protein supplements like BCAA during the actual workout and replenish yourself with a whey protein isolate after workout.
Cool down: After playing with the ropes, initiate cool down to properly rest muscles. Stopping abruptly might stop the awesome muscle pumps you get from training.
A brand new workout with great benefits to spice up your usual routine will keep you fit and motivated at the same time. Add in an extra boost with CRAZE and you'll be mastering those ropes in no time!

References:

• Ozer D, Duzgun I, Baltaci G, Karacan S, Colakoglu F., "The effects of rope or weighted rope jump training on strength, coordination and proprioception in adolescent female volleyball players."
• Alessandra Bianchi, "They get a lift from their workouts" Boston.com
• Revive Your Routine With Heavy Rope Training - Mensfitness.com

This article was written by Mike at http://www.CrazePreWorkout.com - Thanks for reading!

10 ways to make yourself more "bad ass"

I know what you're thinking - The guy in this picture is bad-ass! And you're right. But, you can be more bad-ass too if you do these 10 things every single week without fail. Start now and watch the change...

1) Deadlift - Full range, off the floor with good form and plenty of weight
2) Share your knowledge - Why keep it to yourself? Find an outlet (preferably one where people want to hear it) and share
3) Squat - You choose: back squat, front squat, overhead squat - plenty of depth, plenty of weight
4) Master your bodyweight - Pull up, push up, dip, squat, lunge
5) Sprint - Intervals are quick, easy and effective - get some done
6) Listen to others and learn - Always learn, never stop learning, never stop listening
7) Stretch, foam roll and stay mobile - Focus on recovery and mobility and include it as part of your training schedule
8) Improve your knowledge and read - There are plenty of resources out there, make the most of them
9) Train outdoors - Fresh air and in the elements. Try it bare foot -get crawling and get muddy
10) Be nice to people!

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Change your grip, change your life (2)

 

This is the second part of my grip focused blog. The other post: “Change Your Grip, Change Your Life (1)” explained the importance of grip training and also ways in which you could encorporate different grip methods into your current training.

One area that I skipped was “Towel Grip Training” this blog. Towel Grip Training is a great method of grip training for a number of reasons:

1)      Unlike most grip-focused work, it DOESN’T wreck your hands. This will be welcome news for any regular gym goer

2)      It doesn’t require much equipment – simple one or two small hand towels – easy to pack in your gym bag and not a huge pain to leave in there just in case

3)      It’s versitle. With a little imagination you can use towel training for lots of exercises to add an element of grip. You can even use it in outdoor training with pull ups, inverted rows and similar

Below is a video I made which will give you 5 simple but effective exercise ideas for towel training. Give them a go and pay attention to the demand it’s placing on your grip – your forearms and hands might not thank you for it!

 If that doesn't work, Click here...

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8 "Don't"'s when designing gym programmes

Despite the fact that most popular fitness publications offer "the best" gym programmes for anyone who wishes to buy their publication, following generic programmes won't work for everyone.
 
It can be tricky telling everyone to "Do exactly this". Ultimately, if there was a perfect program we'd all just do that.
 
I think it's essential to know exactly what you're going to do in a session, before you enter the gym and how this fits into a larger, periodised and specific program. Knowing this will allow you to be confident in the knowledge that each session is steering you towards becoming the person you want to be. Basically, you're not just "doing some bits."

So, if you're going to design your own programmes, you should take some of the guess work out of it and NOT do a few things. Follow these hints below and avoid some common mistakes:
 
DON'T do too much
Sometimes less is more. A long gym session is not necessarily a good one, nor "better" than a 30 minute session. If you want results, often intensity is one of the main thing that lacks in most peoples programmes. Try to restrict yourself to (roughly) an hour in the gym. If you're ACTUALLY working hard that is MORE than enough!
 
DON'T abuse your grip
Grip strength is one of the thing that lets people down in key larger exercises such as deadlifts, pull ups etc. Try to do those exercises requiring a lot of grip strength ("pull" exercises) early on in your session. Try not to involve a large number of grip-centric exercises in one session. If your grip is a weak link, read here on how to improve it in your training: click me, read me!
 
DON'T leave "technical" stuff until the end of a session
By "technical" I mean exercises that require the most coordination, concentration and muscular recruitment. Squats, cleans, deadlifts and the like all require a lot of coordination and for you to engage various areas of your body. Do this at the end when fatigued and watch your technique suffer. Best get them done first ay?.. For that matter, probably best to not put a LOAD of these exercises in one session. Personally I'd say 3 maximum. You can do more if you want, that's just my opinion.
 
DON'T do loads of isolation
Loads of people say “functional exercises” or “compound movements” are best, so this won’t be the first time you read this. Compund exercises are multi-joint movements that rmuscle groups in a single exercise. Isolation work can be boring, warrants slow results and often isn't addressing bigger issues. Sure, it needs doing, but it shouldn't be your main focus or use of time. Basically, it’s like painting the front door of a house that’s falling down.

DON'T plan sessions that need the entire gym to be empty
Unless you have your own private gym (you lucky sausage you!) then it’s likely there will be other folk in the gym when you train; especially if you’re training during peak hours. If you want to do a circuit style workout and increase the intensity of your workout as discussed above, make sure you plan properly. Use equipment that’s next to each other, move equipment closer to one another or better still, use the same equipment for more than one exercise. For example pair bench press and bent over row and use the same bar for both.

DON'T add variety for the sake of variety
There aren’t many things in life that are worth doing that you can master first time round. The gym is no different. Personally, I’ll squat, overhead squat, deadlift, pull up, bench press and overhead press in some form every week. I do it because they’re good exercises, I like them and I want to be better at them. Stop chopping and changing your gym work from week to week. I’m not saying “never change it” but try tweaking exercises or adding variations before you completely re-write your workouts.

DON'T neglect mobility
This is a lesson that I learned the hard way (one of many!)  Don’t neglect mobility! It might feel “boring” at times and is often the thing that gets neglected when time is tight but it’s essential if you don’t want your results to eventually plateaux and suffer. Try to incorporate some form of mobility work in every session... SOMETHING!

DON'T forget to de-load
You can’t just keep going and doing more and more – eventually your body will pack in. If you do lots of strength work, make sure that you schedule a de-loading week at some stage every 4 -6 weeks. Use it to recover, repair and come back stronger. Focus heavily on mobility and work on technique and practice areas you’re unhappy with; focus less on weight.

DON'T do the stuff above and you should have a good basis for a pretty trusty workout program.

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Reasons you're not getting any stronger

Question: Are you lifting heavier weights (with good form) than you did 6 months ago?

I’d estimate at LEAST 50% of people would answer "no"... or not significantly larger anyway. So why? What’s the point of going to the gym if you’re not going to get any better at it? How do you expect to look any different than 6 months ago if you’re doing pretty much the same as you were 6 months ago? Even if you’re not doing out and out “strength training” you should be making SOME improvements; male or female, young or old.

So here’s a few key reasons why you might not be getting any stronger...

No structure...

If your plan is to go to the gym and do strength training by adding a heavy weight and lifting it not many times, then the week after change the weight a bit and adjust the reps accordingly, then you’ll quickly plateaux. It’s essential that you have a structure to your program; something that’s tried and tested and may take some time but will offer results. Without that you’ll be working hard and getting nowhere.

No deloading...

One key element of that structure is a scheduled deloading period. Basically, every 4-6 weeks spend at least a week away from heavy lifting. Work on areas that will compliment your gym work such as mobility and technique make repair and recovery your main focus. It may pain you and seem non-logical to back off the weights when you’re trying to get stronger but it’s a long game – trust the process.

Too much variety...

If you perform squats one week, leg press the 2^nd week, lunges the 3^rd week and weighted step ups the 4^th week, don’t be surprised in week 5 that your squat hasn’t improved. You’re not a child and you don’t need to be kept entertained; if you want a better squat then practice squatting.

Not ENOUGH variety...

No this is not a contradiction to the previous point... well, not exactly! What I mean is: If you want to improve deadlifts for instance, just banging out endless deadlifts might soon warrant slow progress or eventually stop progressing. It’s important to exercise complimentary muscle groups for this exercise. For instance, improved pulling and grip strength through pull ups, lat pull down and bent over row will all assist in your mission for a mighty deadlift.

Training alone...

This (in my opinion) isn’t the biggest downfall as it’s very possible to improve strength and train alone; but, if you feel nervous to lift near your limit without a spotter – train with a friend. If you lack motivation at times to aim for one last rep – train with a friend. If you might benefit and work harder with a little healthy competition – train with a friend. Simple, but it might be what you’re lacking.

Too Afraid to fail / Too Rep Sensitive...

In order to find out how strong you are, it’s important to find out how strong you AREN’T. If you’re aiming for a specific number of reps you shouldn’t ALWAYS get every last rep. It’s good to fail; you then know how strong you are and you instantly have a target for the near future. Don’t worry so much about your ego and always making each rep; your body doesn’t know what 5 reps is, your body knows what “can” and “can’t” is.

Poor technique / Mobility...

Most of us will have seen endless amounts of poorly performed exercises and some of us guilty of doing them ourselves – particularly when learning them for the first time. Learning the skill of a lift and performing it incorrectly is understandable, yet plenty of people limit their abilities and progress due to a lack of mobility. Don’t let something so relatively simple be your limiting factor. Include recovery and mobility work in each workout and even more during deloading periods.

Poor technique (2) “Train your body, not your ego”...

This goes back to the technique point in some ways. But, if you’re lifting weights with questionable form as the weight is too heavy for you to do so comfortably with your skill level then it’s time to take some weight off of the bar. Naily your technique and make bigger jumps in your progress. Shoot ahead and chuck on too much weight too soon and you’ll soon hit a wall. Do it now and reep the benefits later. I know it hurts, you’re not as strong as you thought you were, but do it right and you will be.

Laziness...

If you don’t have the discipline to train as often as you need to, try as hard as you need to or attempt all of the repetitions you need to then you won’t get the strength you seek. Simple!

Summary...

Improving strength is a long game – improving real strength is no overnight procedure and something that takes patience and dedication. While we might not all want strength to bend a horse shoe, we should all be aiming to better ourselves and gain strength in some capacity throughout the year.

 

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Failing to prepare...

When it comes to exercise and living a healthy lifestyle planning and preparation is absolutely key. Leave things to chance and the odds are you won’t achieve what you’d hoped for.

The phrase “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” Is an oldy but a goody. Here’s what you need to consider...

Meals...
This is probably the most common downfall with most people’s regime. “Picking up something when you’re out” is the number one NO-NO! There are minimal fast food/convenience food options with a high nutritional value. Plan ahead, cook ahead and prepare ahead. If time is an issue, cook on mass and keep food frozen or stored and ready for the week ahead.

Training...
Before every training session it’s essential to know what you have planned in terms of exercises, repetitions, tempo and rest. More crucially perhaps, it’s important to know how this fits into the bigger picture. Where do you want to be in 6 months time? In order to do that, how will you structure your program for each day, week and month in order to make progress in the direction you want.

Rest...
People are often surprised at how important quality rest is. Do you sleep 8 hours EVERY night? Uninterrupted quality sleep? In a dark, tranquil environment? Unlikely the answer to all of those is “yes”. Simple but crucial for recovery, repair and lowering cortisol levels.

Social Engagements...
So you don’t want to live in the gym and that’s fine. But, prioritising your training over social engagements or at least making time for training is essential to get results. There is always going to be a reason NOT to train: social engagements, family commitments etc but taking these options will inevitably limit results

End goals...
Plan from your end goals backwards. Decide what you want to achieve and then plan your meals and training to the finest details to get you there. Set yourself goals along the way, whether it’s specific strength targets, weight loss milestones or drops in body fat percentage, don’t get to your end date and realise "it didn’t happen". Leave nothing to chance.

So the message...
Don’t leave anything to chance. Plan all details and track progress at regular intervals in order to make sure that you’re on track for success.