There is literally NO excuse for eating badly

So before you read the headline and think I'm either unrealistic, militant, a moron or all three, read on.

I'm not asking you to never eat a chip again, never touch alcohol again and never touch another Haribo (I know I could never fully say "bye" to my friend Mr.Haribo).

What I AM saying is there is ALWAYS a choice. So when people say: "I know I'm going to eat badly this week because of...." then that's fine. But that's your choice.

Make the choice: Do you want to carry on optimising your training 100%? Or do you want a beer? Do you want to continue to make steady progress in reward for all of your hard work? Or, do you want some chips?

Neither is necessarily the "wrong" answer. But don't tell me how badly you want to lose weight the day before you eat a tub of Ben and Jerry's because you had organised to go the cinema so it was inevitable.

Obviously there will be times where you turn to the dark side and eat something from the less desirable list. But, use a little forward planning, know when these are and then avoid other easier and less appealing slip ups.

For instance, you're heading out for a meal with your partner and you're looking forward to a drink before hand and probably pudding after. Fine, but knowing this is coming you can't just grab some breakfast on the way to work which ends up being a croissant and a coffee, grab a sandwich and a bottle of coke at lunch and then some sweets for an afternoon pick-up. If you're booking in some slip-ups, you need to be flawless before and after.

Here's some ways to spot these hurdles and some choices you can make. Do them all and you're a far better person than me. Avoid the majority and you're likely to be doing better than you are now:

"I have to go out for dinner"

That's fine and no one would expect you to stay in and never venture out for food. There's usually a varied menu at most places you visit and, if you really want to focus on your food choices, you can ask for a tweaked version of the listed meal. For instance, if you're at an establishment that seems to believe chips are an essential addition to any meal, then simply ask them to trade the chips for additional vegetables. No one will blink twice at the request and you won't even be faced with the temptation of chips on your plate. Of course, there will be some restaurants that you deliberately visit for an unhealthy food option such as a pizza place or your favourite burger and beer combo. But... if that's the case be sure to consider that as a treat to yourself and not a "go-to" dinner. Also, be sure to make sure your food before this meal is outstanding. If you can, try to exercise that day. Exercise has been heavily linked with improving decision making around food choices.

"I was in and out of meetings all day"

This is a common one and often an excuse for "grabbing a sandwich on the go". Instead, why not prep your food the night before and eat it in instalments between meeting. You must get 5 minutes surely? Another idea is to have a casein protein shake just before your meeting. It will keep you fuelled and alert through longer meetings and also supply protein to your body over a prolonguied period. Finally, if it's not a bit Captain Keeno, why not make healthy protein snacks? 1) Your boss will love you, 2) You can eat healthy snacks throughout and not be forced into picking at junk.

"I don't have time for breakfast in the mornings"

Simple. Wake up earlier. Breakfast doesn't need to take hours to create. You can make and eat a nutritious breakfast such as scrambled eggs with mushrooms and turkey (my favourite) in a matter of minutes. There's no excuse! If you're tired in the mornings then go to bed earlier. Or, just stop moaning, get up and make your breakfast while you're tired and get on with it. You want to be in better physical shape? But not as much as 15 minutes more sleep? You obviously don't want it that badly.

"I don't have time to prepare my lunch"

Prepare it the night before. Either cook extra dinner and put that aside for lunch the next day or just take the time to prepare your lunch before you settle down for the evening. You DO have time, it's just a case of identifying the time and addressing the issue in advance. Remember: Tupperware is your friend!

"I don't get home from work until late"

Your problem is similar. The solution is: preparation. While you're happy to wait a few minutes for your microwave meal to cook or for your take away to be heated and delivered this time could easily be spent cooking a quick meal such as grilling some basic meat that you had ready to use. It's perfectly manageable; it's just a case of if you can be bothered or not.

"They only serve junk food"

If you know that you're heading somewhere with poor food options, perhaps even your workplace, then you'll need to prepare your own food. The easiest option is to take left overs from last nights dinner. Failing that, you'll need to find 5 minutes either the night before or in the morning to throw together something to take with you.

"I had to take clients out"

Often people will use client entertainment as a green light to let lose with food and drink. While you don't want to make people feel uneasy or appear boring and unable to let your hair down, ask yourself: would they ACTUALLY care if I didn't drink? If you can avoid mid-week drinking or drinking for the sake of it on a regular basis this will have a huge impact on body composition and dietary choices. If you think you might be pressured into drinking why not drive and use that as your excuse for not drinking? They're unlikely to put pressure on you throughout the evening to drink then. Just as above, if it genuinely is unavoidable, take this into consideration with your food and exercise regime in the time before and after your client night out.

"I'm flying that day so can't control my food options"

This one is tricky but again, if you REALLY don't want to let things slip you have choices. many long-haul flights won't allow you to take food produce into another country. However, if you eat the food in the air they won't mind. This means that you can prepare all of the food you want and eat on-board. Alternatively, make sure you're fuelled pre-flight by eating ahead of time and even having a casein proteins hake or bar on flight or just before hand for high quality, slow releasing nutrients.

"My family won't eat healthy things if I cook it for them"

Firstly, if they're children, yes they will. Children learn from their environment and only understand from experience. If you don't make a big fuss about it and even try to make interesting meals with fresh produce then they can be enjoyable and the children won't think anything of it. If the problem (child) is a little older or your partner is the issue then either try to cook something a little more diverse (millions of options online) or cook separate meals. Don't suffer failure as a result of someone else's narrow mindedness.

As I said, you're unlikly to stick to all of these examples in your life but, be aware of them before they arise and plan around them where possible rather than accepting them and falling at the first hurdle. All it takes is a little foresight and a hell of a lot of will power... That's all!

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@MichaelD_PT) and YouTube

Be More Flexible

It can be hard to break a habit, particularly when it comes to your gym routines. The amount of times I see the same faces, doing the same sessions week in, week out in a gym. Or people waiting religiously for a piece of gym equipment as they "need" to use it next.

Y'all need to be more flexible. Make the most of hurdles and see your glass as half full - not half empty! What do I mean? Here's what I mean:

Someone is using equipment you need:

Try to come up with an alternative exercise. If there isn't the heavy weight you want then try to add an element of stability or work a single limb with exercises such as pistol squats rather than regular back squats. Add an element of conditioning or a new challenge for you and your body. Do things at a higher intensity or for a much greater number of repetitions.

You don't have time to exercise:
Increase your intensity and work in a circuit format. See if you can do all of the usual exercises at a much greater intensity with less rest time. Or, create a new workout routine which focuses on the same areas but gets your heart rate much higher.

The gym is too busy:

Come up with a workout using minimal equipment. Things such as kettlbells or a barbell complex are a good idea. Equipment like a TRX or Powerbags are also very versatile pieces of equipment. If you want some more ideas for workouts using minimal equipment see here: Ideas

You're stuck at home because of "X":

Try using your own bodyweight. There's plenty you can do aside from just press ups. In fact, here's 21 ideas for you: 21 Bodyweight Ideas

You have an injury:

Don't avoid the gym all together. instead spent longer focusing on other body parts, especially the weaker parts. Even if you had a broken bone there will always be some exercises available to you. If you have a repeating injury, spend time focusing on "pre-hab" - improving your weaker areas ahead of any injuries to minimise risk of them repeating. You might even double up on a session in a week. For instance if you had a damaged elbow, you might do 2 leg sessions that week to help recovery.

You're tired of the gym:

If the gym is physically and mentally taking its toll on you consider a de-loading week. There's only so much your central nervous system can take, not to mention smaller joints such as your elbows which can take a pounding over the weeks. You might be pleasantly surprised that this de-loading week can significantly improve your strength and progress in the weeks to follow. I'll write more about de-loading next month and link it here...

You don't like certain sessions:

The likelihood is you do the sessions you enjoy most first (chest Monday), and the sessions you dislike are done at the tail end of the week... if at all. Why not switch this up? Take all of the exercises that you don't like and get them done ASAP in the week. That way they're done and not hanging over your head and likely to be ignored at a later date. For instance with me, I usually train my legs on a Monday as I find it mentally taxing. I will also try and include exercises on a Tuesday session such as cleans and bench press into a really quick session as I don't enjoy them at all. Then I know the rest of the week is mine to enjoy.

What I'm trying to say is: be positive and take the opportunity when hurdles arise, to do something different. Train with someone new, try a new exercise or workout, train outside etc etc - You never know, you might like it!

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@MichaelD_PT) and YouTube

The Benefits of Diaphragmatic Breathing

Here's something I bet most of you don't practice... breathing.

And why would you? When you've got something that seems to happen all its own and work perfectly well, why would you prioritise it when you have hardly enough time to fit in all the chest, bicep and traps exercises in one week... WHY??.. Because it just might be the change you need to make a number of significant improvements.

Diaphragmatic breathing is not a new concept, but it's one that many non-athletes don't pay much attention to. But why not when most of the guys at the top of their game utilise it?

Here's the idea:

Basically... you want to be able to breath in the most efficient manner which requires the least amount of energy and effort. Why waste energy on breathing that you could be spending elsewhere? You also want to try and take in the maximum amount of oxygen with the minimum amount of effort.

Helping Recovery:

This type of breathing will improve circulation and also help to lower your heart rate and improve your mood through releasing endorphins. If you ever watch a top level boxer sit between rounds their stomach moves in and out quite significantly. They are breathing using their diaphragm to minimise energy wastage, maximise oxygen intake and also reduce their heart rate and compose themselves.

Helping Performance:

Recently I was assessed during an overhead squat by a competitive Olympic lifter. He explained to me that many people will overly inhale before certain exercises and inhale incorrectly, By doing this, they raise their rib cage and create an unnatural curvature of the spine. This in turn places excessive pressure on the spine and adds loads in non-deal areas such as the pelvis rather than taking the majority of the load in the hamstrings and glutes. It can also be one of the reasons why lots of people end up with the bar appearing behind them and their head leaning far forward at the bottom of the overhead squat. These same breathing mistake can be applied to any squat variation and a number of other key exercises.

Helping Relaxation:

This type of breathing can reduce cortisol levels (stress hormone), increase serotonin levels (happy hormone) and can gradually lower your resting heart rate. Try it before you go to bed. A few breathes in this fashion laying in bed and you'll gradually feel yourself relax and alleviate stress. Simple but very effective!

Other Benefits:

Other benefits have been listed as: Reducing the risk factors for heart disease such as lowering bad cholesterol (LDL), raising good cholesterol (HDL), lowing blood pressure and stabilizing blood sugars. Cuts chances of cancer by as much as 400%. Cuts chances of diabetes by strengthening the insulin beta receptor sites. Slows the aging process by increasing the secretion of human growth hormone (the anti-aging hormone). Optimizes the immune system by strengthening T-cell formation and improving lymphocyte production. Improves your mood by elevating the “feel good” hormone, serotonin, and other positive endorphins. Improves mental focus and concentration by increasing blood flow to the Pre-Frontal Cortex of the brain.

All sited here: http://www.samvarner.com/physical-wellness/deep-breathing.html 

So... How do you do it?

Practice this simple drill: Lay flat on a bed or floor and place one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach. Practice taking a deep breath in and consciously using your stomach muscles. If you're doing it correctly you should breathe in and your stomach should move outwards while your chest remains almost stationary.

It's not the most flattering as you appear to have a larger tummy than before, but rest your ego aside - this is the way forward.

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@MichaelD_PT) and YouTube

10 Conditioning Workouts With Minimal Equipment

If you're...


- In a rush
- the gym is busy
- You don't have access to much equipment
- You fancy a challenge


Then these workouts are for you. Each of them requires only a few pieces of equipment and has been designed to allow one body part to rest and recover while the other works; meaning they can be carried out (fitness provided) in an almost continuous fashion with minimal rest.


It follows one of my training ethos: "TTYE" - Train To Your Environment.


Ideal too if you're in a rush or don't want to spend hours on end in the gym.


Try them, Let me know what you think. Scale them down (or up if you're a champ) and let me know how you get on. Any questions, just shout me on twitter: @MichaelD_PT


SESSION ONE:
- 100m row
- 20 secs rest
20 rounds (30 for advanced).
To make this a real test and apply power to each pull try to complete each 100m in 10 strokes or less. Focus on power not speed/stroke rate.


SESSION TWO:
- 30 sec incline run
- 5 Toes to bar
- 5 Barbell Thrusters (men: 40-50kg, ladies: 20-30kg)
5 rounds


SESSION THREE:
- 30 sec steady state bike
- 30 sec heavy hill climb bike
- 4 pull ups
20 rounds


SESSION FOUR:
- 6 Dips
- 6 Pull Ups
- 6 Goblet Squats
-6 Alternating Lunges with the same weight as the squats
6 rounds


SESSION FIVE:
- 1 minute fast on the Watt Bike/Spin Bike 7-8/10RPE
- 10 Kettlebell Swings
20 Rounds
(Add 2 - 4 close grip pull ups using the double handle over the nearby cable frame for an advanced circuit and serious arm pump)


SESSION SIX:
- 100m Row - Set 60 Secs Rest Time
- During the rest time do 10 fast crunches, 10 press ups
Repeat 10 - 20 times


SESSION SEVEN:
Watt Bike/Spin Bike:
- 30 secs heavy
- 30 secs fast
- 30 secs active recovery
12-15 mins


SESSION EIGHT:
- 30 secs Watt Bike/Spin Bike as fast as you can
- 30 sec incline run fast
- 30 sec rowing sprint as fast as you can
- 90 secs rest
repeat 5 more times


SESSION NINE:
- 10 Dumbell Lat Raises
- 20 Alternating Dumbell Curls
- 10 Bench Dips
- 10 Press Ups
- 1 minute fast row
Repeat 5-10 Times


SESSION TEN:
- 30 sec plank
- 30 sec side plank each side
- 10 crunches
- 10 leg raises
- 1 min incline run
repeat 5-10 times 

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter and YouTube and also on Instagram: @TTYEfitness - Plenty more gym ideas there.

Simple Tips To Help Get You To The Gym

Today one of my clients said to me:

“I’ve got a wedding that day... can we train earlier?”

To which I paused for a moment to reabsorb what he said and then replied, “Of course.”

You see many people (probably him included at some stage) would say “I’ve got a wedding that day so I can’t train.” Taking the first hurdle or potential issue as enough reason to not exercise.

There’s an old phrase:

“Those who want to, will find a way. Those who don’t want to, will find an excuse.”

There will be endless barriers and seemingly legitimate reasons to NOT exercise throughout your life. But is your glass half empty or half full? It’s how you approach these potential issues that will dictate your frequency of exercise and, ultimately, your progress (or lack of).

Here’s a few simple ideas for the millions of people that this applies to:

1. Pack your kit and take it with you or leave it on your car seat: If you go home to get changed, the chances are you’ll have a quick sit down, maybe have a snack and soon decide it’s got too late for the gym now. Instead, have your kit staring at you as a constant reminder it’s a gym day
2. Exercise before work (1): Your end of day might not be set in stone and work may drag on causing you to miss the gym. Or, you might be tempted by other things to fill your evenings with like social occasions, seeing friends, spending time with family or, just relaxing. Get the gym out of the way first thing and you’ll know your evenings are yours to do as you wish.
3. Exercise before work (2): If you wake up late or genuinely need more rest some days this gives you a chance to fall back on evening training as a back up. For example, you wake up and REALLY need another hour, that’s fine. Because you usually train before work you now need to go to your back up option of training that evening. Always have a back up
4. Train in your lunch break: This might not be practical for some people as they’re nowhere near a gym or there aren’t shower facilities at work. If you can visit the gym in your lunch break then you’ll be forced to not waste time, train short and intensely and you’ll probably end up fitting in more into a short period. Alternatively, consider outdoor training, bodyweight work and running. If your offices have shower facilities then there’s no reason why you can’t train for 30 mins at lunch time.
5. Meet a friend: If you’re reading this blog then you have some sort of conscience as you’re looking for ways to improve yourself. If you have a conscience then you won’t want to let down your friend. Make plans and stick to them.
6. Hire a personal trainer: People utilise personal trainers for all kinds of purposes. One common one is to keep them regimented. If you’ve booked something in your diary and their diary and you’ve paid for it then you’re much less likely to miss it.
7. Book into a class: Similar concept as the PT idea. Booking yourself into classes is a great way to make yourself accountable and also not go to the gym “later” but plan something precise that means you’re in the gym at the exact time of the class.

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter (@MichaelD_PT) and YouTube

Don't Believe The Hype

You don't need to look far to see offers of a drink that will be your solution to muscle gains, a tablet for weight loss, a non-evasive surgical procedure for visible abs, a 2 minute workout for the body you've always wanted and much more.




Some are better disguised than others and some simply try to bamboozle you with words that make you think "Yeah - I need that in my life!" I mean just watch this Garnier advert for an example of these promises...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te3aXFKErXs






Apparently it's the "L-Bifidus" that means I only need to moisturise once a week?... Have I missed something!?...




At times it can be hard to decifer what's hard science, "bro-science" or marketing fluff.




Here's a few things to look out for:




DON'T fall for short term promises
Ultimately, there's a reason you have "gym regulars". Health and being in good condition comes from regular and consistent exercise with a balanced diet the majority of the time. If you could do things for just a short time and have them mastered then there wouldn't be full time athletes. They'd practice once a week and keep a regular job in all of their free time. People dedicate themselves to a sport just like individuals will dedicate years to building and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The guy on the front of the "12 week body" didn't get his physique in 12 weeks... well, if he did, he probably wasn't in bad nick to start with.


Remember your starting point
"The enourmous lady in the advert lost 5 stone in 5 weeks... I'd like to lose 5 stone in 5 week" you say. Consider your current activity level vs their current activity level. The likelihood is if she's buying home workout programmes then she's not a gym member and we can assume therefor, in the majority of cases, she doesn't exercise regularly. So, to take something like the "Insanity" workout and train 6 days a week from doing nothing originally, of COURSE she's going to lose weight! This doesn't mean everyone can expect the same results. The big lady in the add probably would have lost weight if she took her dog for two brisk walks a day; it doesn't mean we can start selling dogs as a weight loss solution.




If your diet has an end date then it's useless
Ultimately you're always "on a diet". It might not be a good diet, but it's your diet. The solution to managing your weight and forming a desirable physique and maintaining the required energy levels is to form a sustainable diet. Dieting for a holiday in four weeks might require some last minute tweaking; but expecting to crash diet for just 4 weeks to undo 40 something weeks of punishing your body!?.. You don't have the balance right there I'm afraid.




If a workout guarantees results - avoid it
There are so many variables that impact results including rest, current activity levels and diet. To offer guaranteed results is impossible. Worse still, if they put a number to it such as "7lbs in the first week" just run for the hills. This is not to say you won't benefit from it at all - just be wary "promises" aren't always promises.




There is no "BEST"
If someone is selling you "the best" (not "one of the best") then they're lying! There is no best! That goes for exercises and diets alike. Different things will work for different individuals. This is why it can be short sighted to buy a product from an online or television advert and expect life changing results every time.




Short and sharp...but not THAT short!
As peoples lives become busier and people become lazier, many people are looking for the next best/shortest thing. While short, sharp intervals are great for burning body fat and improving your metabolic rate, be wary of anything that suggests you do "just 5 minutes a day" or similar. Best solution? Make time and stop being so lazy!




"Look I'm hardly even breaking a sweat but still getting a really great workout"
If the people on the TV sales channel aren't really sweating, they're smiling and chatting non-stop about pointless things then it's not a good workout. You don't have to be in pain to workout but you do need see a distinct difference between "workout mode" and "day-to-day" mode. Somewhere along the line you're going to need to work hard!




Don't believe the hype... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vQaVIoEjOM




Don't forget to follow me on www.twitter.com/MichaelD_PT www.twitter.com/MichaelD_PT and www.youtube.com/user/bigmikept

Exercise is Addictive... Find your addiction

Exercise... why do some people hate it, while others love it, and others can do it sporadically as they feel obliged to exercise?


Are some people doing it wrong? Are some people just wired "that way"?


In my view, exercise can be addictive. It can be taken way too far and cause serious danger for the person taking it too far such as crash dieting, steroids and over-training. However, if you can manage this addiction it can be a highly beneficial part of your life offering improvements in energy levels, body composition, movement, mental clarity, bodily functions and internal health.


I think... you just need to find YOUR addiction and focus on that. Once you start to see progress and improvements in your specific area of interest then you'll have the bug in no time. If you've exercised and not fallen in love with it, here are a few things to focus on and see what flicks that switch in your mind and gets you hooked.


Aesthetics
If you think you might be driven purely by improvements in your body composition then it's important to track progress in this way. Track measurements using a tape measure for your chest, stomach, arms and legs. Also track body fat percentage using skin fold callipers and take monthly progress photos. These pictures will need to be roughly the same time of day, in the same room with the same lighting. You'd be surprised what a good bit of down lighting can do for "progress". Be sure to follow a structured program tailored to your specific aesthetic adjustments.
NB: Ask someone trained to take specific measurements, it's difficult and often inaccurate to do it yourself.


Strength
If you take enjoyment from seeing progress in your strength and lifting multiple repetitions of a previously unmovable weight then try to follow a strict strength program. There are thousands of programs available but if it's your first time following a strength program try the 5x5 program devised by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s mentor, Reg Park. You can read a detailed blog about it here: (5x5) - This is used by many people worldwide and has been around for years. Though recently it has been suggested that it won't offer significant gains for experienced athletes that have done a lot of strength work previously.
NB: Quality over quantity... train your body not your ego etc etc - Make sure your technique is of a decent standard before aiming to follow any strength programs. The majority of people with less than 5 years of regular gym work under their belt will not need such a regimented or intense program to achieve strength gains.


Function
Perhaps your body doesn't move like it should and you would like nothing more than to move more freely, have more energy, carry less tension and improve your mobility? Think outside the box and move away from traditional, isolation movements. Focus on exercises that will target multiple muscle groups and also allow you to move away from the restrictions of a resistance machine; for example, working with kettlebells, Bulgarian bags, battling ropes and crawling variations. You can still use traditional barbells, dumbells and medicine balls but think full body such as dumbbell snatch, lunges with rotations and squats into overhead press/thrusters. Also focus on improving your mobility outside of sessions with regular (daily if possible) SMR and foam rolling work. This can be done in just a few minutes a day so there's no real excuses.


Competition
Perhaps competition is what drives you? If you feel the need to compete against others to get the most from your workouts then try training in a small group. Alternatively a competitive team environment, sports team or a CrossFit gym might be the solution for you.
NB: If you choose any of these it's likely that you will still need to do some complimentary gym work away from your chosen route. However, having something to focus your own training on is likely to improve the quality of solo training sessions.


Challenge
If you need something to focus your gym efforts then why not sign up for a challenge? There are plenty of non-elite challenges to aim towards from "Tough Mudder" (a muddy, long distance, assault course), to middle-distance runs, mini-Triathlons, amatur strongman/woman etc. Make yourself accountable and run the risk of failure and it's amazing how your training can improve. Set your targets high and watch as a structured training program and you might be pleasantly surprised at how "into" your training you get and what you can achieve.


Get outside
Take your training outside. You don't just have to go for a long distance run! Try sprint intervals, bodyweight movements, crawling (again), take some equipment with you such as a kettlebell and/or a TRX and get creative. A change of environment, sunshine (potentially) and some fresh air can do wonders for your mind, body and mental clarity. I'd always advise that everyone should train outside at LEAST once a week. The impact outdoor training can have on your mood is well documented (for example: article ), it has also been suggested that exercising near to water can increase well-being even further. Exercising outdoors is hugely under-rated and might be just the change you need to get hooked.


Endorphins
When you exercise your body will release endorphins; a chemical in the body linked to the masking of pain or sadness. "Runners high" is a term used by many that have engaged in long-distance running and this is exactly that: the endorphins at work. Exercise can significantly impact your mood, well-being, productivity, energy levels and decision making (see "Executive Decision Function"). Don't believe me? Keep a daily tally of three things: Mood, Productivity, Energy for the 24 hours following exercise using your own scoring system of 1-10. Compare it on non exercise days to the days when you exercise. There's usually a pretty strong correlation.


Personally...
For me it's about the endorphins. I've had my days of wanting to get bigger, leaner, stronger etc and obsessing over the best way to achieve this. These days I sometimes find myself wanting to exercise when I've been lethargic for too long or on days when I'm feeling less positive. It's taken me a while to realise, but my "buzz" is the endorphins... go and find yours.


Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@MichaelD_PT) and YouTube