Importance of form and technique

When starting out in the fitness world many people overlook the importance of both the technique of the exercise they are performing and the form they are using. What I have noticed in my local gym in the past is that a lot of people are more focused on how much weight they can shift instead of focusing on how the weight is being moved and the amount of tension that they are placing on the muscle throughout the lift. This isn't to say that lifting heavy and quickly is wrong, as it can be beneficial for increasing strength in the 3-5 rep range however when wanting to focus on hypertrophy(the building of muscle) one must place pressure on the muscle.

Form

Form is incredibly important when it comes to weight lifting. You see it all the time when you enter the gym, with people performing exercises so poorly that they are an accident waiting to happen. By performing an exercise incorrectly you are increasing your chances severely of an injury such as a bad back on down the line. A good example is the dead-lift, which is one of the most poorly performed exercise about with a lot of people placing as much weight on the bar as possible instead of thinking about the correct way of lifting it off the ground. In dead-lifting you must make sure that you do not round or hyper-extend your back as this can cause lower back injury. The hips must be kept high and should not drop during the lift and when pulling the weight lock your knees and hips at the top before bringing your hips back,bending your knees to bring the bar back to its original position. Another compound lift that is done with poor form is the bench press. Bench press is a favourite amongst gym goers with many young lads trying to out do each other. However performing this exercise wrong can have severe implications such as dropping the bar on yourself or placing undo pressure on your back. During the lift the bar should be brought down touching the chest in line with the nipple line and be pushed back up with your feet firmly on the ground and shoulders against the bench. This should be done without rounding the back or lifting the legs of the ground . Elbows should be sticking out as you are trying to target the chest muscles and not the triceps which will be taking most of the pressure if the elbows are tucked in. A good website which shows and clearly demonstrates the correct form for each exercise is www.stronglifts.com.

Time Under Tension

Time under tension refers the time time the muscle is spent under the tension of the weight being lifted. For example, if someone was performing a dumbbell chest press and on the way down they took 3 seconds then the muscle was under tension for 3 seconds. Usually in programs you will see three number in order such as 2:1:2 which basically means two seconds on the way down, 1 second at the bottom and 2 seconds on the way back up. Time under tension is great for building muscle as the  muscle is placed under a sustained pressure for a given time. In order to do this a lighter weight may be required and the rep range is best kept between 10-15 reps for hypertrophy. By slowing down the lift it allows the person performing it to have a better mind muscle connection meaning that they can feel the muscle working and understand how it is working. A longer period under pressure causes more tiny tears in the muscle which are then rebuilt during the recovery period leading to the growth in muscle tissue as your body attempts to adapt to the new pressures put on it.

Carbohydrates- Explained

Carbohydrates

What are Carbohydrates??

Carbs are the main source of fuel our bodies use for functioning. They are one of the three macro-nutrients ( The other 2 being fat and protein) and will usually make up the highest percentage of your diet. Carbohydrates increase the glucose levels within the body. There are two types of carbs and these are, simple carbs and complex carbs. 

Carbohydrates have been giving a bad name generally in the world of fitness.With many people going on low carb diets such as the Atkins diet in an attempt to get rid of that stubborn gut. This can be an effective way to reduce both body fat and weight by putting the body into a ketogenic state which in simple terms is where your body uses fat as the main source of fuel over carbohydrates. Being in a ketogenic state can have advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage is the obvious reduction in body fat however in order to get into a ketogenic state you need to limit your carbs to very few or none at all which can be very difficult for many people as energy levels decrease and fatigue kicks in . This however will only last for a week or so as your body makes the change from carbs to fats as the primary fuel source. Carbs can have a very important place however in both muscle building and fat loss, the two types can be seen below:



Source-http://joshcoggs.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/gi.png

What are simple Carbs?

Simple carbs are carbs which will give your body fuel almost immediately after you consume them. Some examples of these carbs are white bread,jelly babies (sugary sweets in general), fizzy drinks and white rice.The reason for the increase in energy by consuming these carbs is that they are quickly processed through the digestive system leading to a rise in the glucose levels within the body. This in turn leads to a sharp rise in insulin which if not controlled can lead to a sugar crash. These carbs are best consumed immediately before or after a workout giving the body quick energy stores so you can smash out a new Personal best! By consuming after a workout with a protein shake it will increase the insulin which will drive protein straight into the weakened muscle tissue. So in 'simple' terms (couldn't resist) eating fast acting carbs before and after a workout can lead to some helpful gains and new PBs!

What are Complex Carbs? 

As you can probably imagine, complex carbs are the opposite of simple carbs. They take a lot longer to be broken down by the digestive system and will keep you fuelled for longer periods. These are better consumed at the start of the day to set you up for another cracking day of work and weightlifting! Examples of these are Oats (swear by these,taste awesome with whey protein!), wholemeal bread and brown basmati rice (Tilda rice is brilliant btw). These carbs have a low G.I rating which means that they gradually increase the glucose levels in the body and insulin doesn't spike rapidly.

New Workout I'm Currently Using

I have been currently focusing on lean mass gain and have implemented a workout which I believe will achieve this whilst increasing strength and keeping fat gains to a minimum. The workout involves 8 exercises a day focusing on separate body parts daily. All the workouts are supersets and due to the high intensity they would be more suited to a more experienced weight lifter. The workout consists of three supersets with rep ranges of 5 reps, 10 reps 15 reps and 20 reps. The focus of the first superset (5 reps) is to increase strength, I try to go as heavy as possible in order to push my muscle to failure.The second superset is more intense and will involve 10 reps of each exercise with a 4 second negative (slowly bringing the weight down then pushing quickly back up), the idea of this is to increase hypertrophy within the muscle, leading to increased muscle size. The next superset of exercises is performed in the 15 rep range which focuses on both hypertrophy and endurance. In order to get the best out of the 15 rep superset it's best to perform each exercise with a 2 second negative. Finally the 20 rep superset or as i like to call it the 'finisher' focuses on muscle endurance and overall stamina. By the end of each workout it is safe to say that a rest is needed and I usually take two active rest days a week where I train weak points such as abs and calfs as well as performing 10 dead-mills.

What are dead-mills?

Dead-mills involve pushing the belt of the treadmill manually using you're legs whilst the treadmill is turned off. Beware these are extremely difficult and you have to be in god shape before performing them, at the start I could only do about 2 without feeling the need to be sick but after a few weeks you're body gets used to it and you can do more and more each week. Basically it involves pushing the treadmill for 15-20 seconds then having 30-40 seconds rest in between , doing this 10 times. You're heart rate should be around 80-90% which as you can see is high so if you are overweight I don't recommend doing these.

The workout that I'm using can be seen below:

Day 1- Chest and Back

• 5 reps of dead-lifts super-setted with 5 reps of incline bench press (4 sets)
• 10 reps of  one arm rows super-setted with 10 reps of incline dumbbell press (4 sets)
• 15 reps of t-bar rows super-setted with 15 reps of machine chest press (4 sets)
• 20 reps of cable rows super-setted with 20 reps of chest flyes. (4 sets)

Day 2-  Active Rest Day

• 5 dead-mills before calf workout 
• calf raises- 3 sets of 15
• inner calf raises- 4 sets of 15
• outer calf raises- 4 sets of 15
• 5 dead-mills after calf workout

Day 3- Arm Day

• 5 reps of barbell curls super-setted with 5 reps of close grip bench press (4 sets)
• 10 reps of rope curls super-setted with 10 reps of rope push-downs (4 sets)
• 15 reps twisted curls super-setted with 15 reps of skull crushers (4 sets)
• 20 reps of hammer curls super-setted with 20 reps of tricep kickbacks (4 sets)

Day 4- Active Rest Day

•  5 dead-mills before abs workout
• Weighted crunches- 3 sets of 15
• Leg raises- 3 sets of 15
• plank- 3 sets of 1 Min
• 5 dead-mills

Day 5- Leg Day

• 5 reps of leg press super-setted with 5 reps of roman deadlifts (4 sets)
• 10 reps of squats super-setted with 10 reps of hamstring curls (4 sets)
• 15 reps of leg press super-setted with 15 reps of leg curls (4 sets)
• 20 reps of squats super-setted with dumbbell lunges (4 sets)

Day 6-  Rest Day

• No workout!

Day 7- Shoulders

• 5 reps of overhead press super-setted with 5 reps of back flyes (4 sets)
• 10 reps of front raises super-setted with 10 reps of side raises (4 sets)
• 15 reps of clean and press super-setted with bench rear delt flyes (4 sets)
• 20 reps of low pulley row to neck super-setted with 20 reps of shrugs (4 sets)

So there you have it , if you do not understand any off the exercises this link to bodybuilding.com will lead you to all you need to know.

Supplements Explained

Supplements are used by both pro athletes and everyday people. As reported by Forbes magazine, the supplement industry is projected to grow to a humongous $60 billion industry.there are many uses for supplements, they provide many health benefits such as faster recovery and support for joints and movement and can also aid with both muscle gain and fat loss. Throughout this article I will attempt to explain the benefits and uses of the most popular supplements on the market.

Main Supplements:

1. Whey Protein:

Whey protein is the king of all supplements. Its derived from milk and can aid in both fat loss and muscle gain. Due to its high absorption rate by the body, it is generally taking post workout in the form of a protein shake. The reason behind this is that whey protein contains all of the branch amino acids that are required to grow and develop the bodies muscles and by having a faster absorption rate than other proteins, your bodies muscles will be able to receive these amino acids incredibly quickly, turning your body from a catabolic state ( muscle is being broken down)  into a anabolic state (Muscle fibres are being repaired and muscle growth occurs). As the recommended protein intake is 50 grams a day, people who perform resistance training will require at least 1g/pound of bodyweight. For most people this high protein requirement is hard to meet through whole foods alone therefore many will use a protein supplement. The idea of supplements is to supplement your diet and not replace it, the use of whey protein is to help people reach their daily protein

requirements.

2. Casein Protein:

Casein as well as whey is derived form milk. Casein is slowly digested by the body with digestion taking between 3-4 hours. Due to this its best to be taken right before bed , aiding in muscle repair and growth as you sleep throughout the night. Just like whey, casein is best taken as a protein shake however unlike whey, casein has a thicker texture and requires more liquid when making up.

3. Creatine:

Creatine is the most researched supplement around. Research has shown that creatine helps with both muscle gain and strength gain. The reason for this is that it produces more ATP energy. Without going into too much detail, what this basically means is that it produces more of the energy required when the body quickly needs it. So when you are pumping out the reps on the bench press , creatine will give you're body more quick energy allowing you to push out more reps. As you can see , this will clearly lead to more strength and muscle gains as the workout has increased. As well as increasing ATP, creatine draws water into you're muscle cells , giving a more full look. Due to this you may want to consume more water , perhaps 3 ltrs a day in order to prevent any pressure being placed on your kidneys. If you're going to buy creatine , mono-hydrate is the best out there and has been proven time and time again to be effective. Other forms of creatine such as creatine ester and kre-aklyne haven't had much researched done on them so the safety of using them is 100% guaranteed.

4. Multi-vitamins:

Multi-vitamins are important not just for gym goers and athletes but for everyday people as well. It is a well known fact that the quality of our food in both the UK and the USA  is going down and the loss of important minerals and vitamins through the processing of foods is increasing. Because of this many people fail to get enough vitamins in their diet and many require a multi-vitamin to supplement their diet. Multi-vitamins are especially important for those undertaking an exercise regime as weight lifting, or fat loss can place strain on the immune system. The introduction of a multi-vitamin will keep vitamin and mineral levels high supporting you're immune system whilst you train. In my opinion it is worth the few quid for a vitamin supplement. I would rather train without being sick than having to take time off in order to recover from the likes of the cold.

Supplements are used only to supplement a diet and not to be used as the sole food intake!!

If you found my Supplement guide a good read , check out my fitness guide! contains free workouts and nutrition advice.

Fitness Guide

The purpose of this page is to show the reader the difference between losing weight and losing fat. Throughout the page there will be numerous ways shown for easy, effective fat loss. Detailed workout plans and fat loss explanation will be provided helping those who are both new to the fitness world and those who have been training for years.

Difference between fat loss and Weight loss

Weight loss

There is a huge difference between losing weight and losing fat however currently in society in general that difference isn’t recognised. the idea of standing on the scale and seeing the number reduce each week id very appealing to most people, however most may not no that the majority of what they are losing is muscle and water. By reducing your calorie intake to more than below 500 under your basic metabolic rate ( you will be shown how to calculate this further down the page) you are at risk of your body using up muscle as fuel instead of fat which in the long term can lead to significant muscle loss and therefore a slower metabolic rate. As every pound of muscle uses 50kcals a day in order to work and survive, losing muscle will effectively lead to less calories being burned overall which will make the likely hood of gaining more fat in the long term very high.

Effective ways of losing fat

Cardio

Cardio is very important for both fat loss and overall good health. there are two types of cardio which can be performed and these are high intensity training (Hiit) and Low intensity training (Liss). Both forms of cardio have their benefits and their drawbacks.

What is Hiit?
Hiit is a short and intense cardio workout that involves you pushing yourself to your limits. An example of hiit training is performing a set of 30 second sprints with a recovery period of 60 seconds. as you can see this involves a short high intense burst of energy with a longer rest period between each sprint. the purpose of hiit is that it increases your heart rate to around 85% thus significantly increasing your energy expenditure.

When should it be performed?
Due to hiit being very intense the optimum amount of sessions is 2-3 per week. As hiit workouts are only around 25 minutes long , it is very easy for even the busiest people to perform.

What is Liss?
Liss is the most common performed cardio and involves a lower intensity session but over a longer period of time. An example of Liss would be to spend 45 mins jogging on the treadmill. Liss unlike hiit is less demanding and therefore easier for both beginners and people with heart conditions.

Pros and drawbacks of Hiit?
Hiit training has many pros, one being that you only need a short 25 minutes to complete a high intense workout. Secondly the overall calories (including afterburn) are a lot higher than the overall calories burned by Liss. Finally Hiit training is brilliant for maintaining and even building muscle as it targets fast twitch muscles.

A drawback of Hiit is that it doesn't focus on cardio endurance. Another disadvantage is that the calories burned by hiit are mainly from carbs and not fat. Finally it is hard for very overweight people or people with bad joints to perform due to the intense nature of the exercise.

Advantages and Drawbacks of Liss:
A Low Intensity Cardio advantage is that it is a lot easier on people who are overweight and out of shape. This is due to the low intense nature of the exercise. Secondly and most importantly, there is a higher proportion of calories burned from fat during Liss than Hiit. Lastly Liss focuses a lot on endurance as its performed over a longer time period ie. 45 mins.

However a disadvantage of Liss is that the calories burned overall are not as high as the calories burned overall by Hiit. Secondly Liss won’t work on fast twitch muscles which some people may prefer. Finally due to low intense cardio taking so long to perform, it can sometimes be very boring.

In conclusion low intensity cardio burns more fat as your body is in the fat burning zone throughout the workout however high intensity cardio burns more calories overall. Both are effective for losing fat therefore it is up to the individual which type they prefer.

With the right info and the determination , you can achieve anything including getting the body you have always dreamed of!

Effective ways of losing fat (part 2)

Weight training

What is weight training?

Weight training is training with the use of weight such as dumbells, barbells and bodyweight. Weight training is very effective for people looking to lose weight as it burns a lot of calories both at the time of the exercise and also in the following 24 hours (afterburn). beginners starting weight training can gain a significant amount of muscle within the first few months which is mainly down to their bodies not being used to it. The increase in muscle will lead to higher overall calories burned daily due to one pound of muscle requiring 15 calories to survive. This doesn’t sound much however multiply that 15 with the number of days in the year and you can see that a gain of one pound of muscle will lead to 5475 calories burned annually which is around 1.5 pounds of fat (fat contains 3500 kcal per pound).

Beginner workout:

The idea of starting weight training can be a daunting one especially for those who have not performed it in the past. However as goals are passed and the weight increased weekly the gym can become a fun, motivating place to go and burn fat!

The beginner workout is a simplistic one which can be used by people of all weight:

Monday- chest and arms
1. Bench press- 3 sets of 8-10 reps
2. Incline dumbell press (bench placed at 30 degree angle) – 3 sets of 8-10
3. Chest Flyes – 3 sets of 8-10 reps
4. Tricep dips (bodyweight or assisted) – 3 sets of 8
5. Tricep rope pull-downs- 3 sets of 8
6. Bicep Curls- 3 sets of 8

Tuesday- rest day ( or cardio if preferred)

Wednesday- leg day (not to be feared lol)

1. Squats (lightweight) – 3 sets of 10
2. lunges ( bodyweight) – 3 sets of 15
3- calf raises (bodyweight or lightweight)- 3 sets of 15

Friday- Shoulders and Back:

1. Dumbell shoulder press (lightweight) – 3 sets of 8
2. Front lateral raises – 3 sets of 8
3. Pull ups (bodyweight or assisted)- 3 sets of 8
4. Barbell rows (light) – 3 sets of 8

Due to this being a workout for beginners, the exercises should be performed with light weight. As you become stronger you wlll be able to add more and more weight each week leading to a fitter and stronger you!

More advanced weight lifters:

for more advanced weight lifters a workout comprising of all the main compound movements (which are squats, bench press, Deadlifts and shoulder press) is needed.In order to maximise fat loss each set should contain few reps with a heavier weight. This will in turn burn more calories as more energy is being exerted and tearing more muscle fibres leading to a higher afterburn effect.

A 5×5 or 6×6 workout is suitable:

Monday- Chest and Back

1. Bench press – 5 sets of reps
2. Incline Bench press – 5 sets of 5 reps
3. Chest flyes – 3 sets of 10 reps
4. bent over rows- 5 sets of 5
5. Deadlifts- 5 sets of 5 reps

Tuesday – rest

Wednesday- leg day

1. Squats- 5 sets of 5 reps
2. straight leg Deadlifts- 5 sets of 5 reps
3. Leg extensions- 5 sets of 5 reps
4. calf raises- 3 sets of 10

Thursday- Biceps and triceps (arm day)
1. Tricep rope pulldowns – 5 sets of 5 reps
2. Tricep dips- 5 sets of 5 reps
3. Bicep barbell curls- 5 sets of 5
4. Preacher curls- 5 sets of 5

Friday – rest (cardio)

Saturday- Shoulders

1. Barbell shoulder press- 5 sets of 5 reps
2. shoulder press (dumbells)- 5 sets of 5 reps
3. shrugs – 5 sets of 5 reps
4. front raises – 3 sets of 10 reps

Sunday – rest or cardio

Intensity?

For a more intense and calories burning workout , lower the rest periods in between sets. generally for a 5×5 routine a rest period of 90 seconds is perfect however this could be lowered to 60 seconds giving a faster , more intense workout.

Eating and Calories!

Calories

The idea of weight loss is simple, in order to lose weight you must consume less calories than your body burns. A pound of fat contains 3500 kcals, therefore in order to burn one pound of fat a reduction of 500 kcals a day is needed.

Steps to workout calories needed:

1. First workout your Basic metabolic rate or BMR which is easily worked out through a BMR calculator on google
. Your BMR tells you how many calories you would burn if your where to do nothing all day.

2. Take your BMR result and add 400 if your a very active person however if you are not , increase it by 200 kcal.

3. After step 2 reduce that figure worked out in step 2 by 500 kcal.

Protein, fat and carbohydrates:

The quality of calories consumed is just as important as the quantity. For fat loss a diet high in protein is needed. The reason for this is that protein is the building block for all parts of the body and is a thermogenic. This means that when you consume protein your body's temperature rises leading to a portion of those calories being burned. As well as having a thermogenic effect, protein will keep you feeling fuller for longer as opposed to a diet high in simple carbs such as white bread and pasta which is due to the slower digesting process required to breakdown protein.

Many websites and diets will tell you that in order to lose fat you must significantly lower your fat intake however that is being increasingly argued against. Fats can be your friend with fats such as omega 3,6 and 9 ( this can be found in foods such as fish and nuts) helping the body to burn fat.

The types of carbohydrates that you consume are also very important. Carbohydrates when consumed lead to an increase in insulin which in turn leads to an energy spike and the increase that glycogen will be stored as fat if not used. By eating whole-grains, oats and brown pasta/rice you will decrease the glycogen stored. This is because complex carbs such as whole-grains, are harder to breakdown by the body leading to energy being released over a longer period of time, effectively reducing the spike in insulin. Simple carbs such as white bread are easily turned into glycogen and cause a rapid, sharp increase in insulin and energy which may lead to glycogen being stored as fat.

Lifestyle not a Diet:
To lose fat and to keep the fat off you should be thinking of this as more as a lifestyle change and not a diet. By substituting simple carbs such as white pasta with whole-grains you can help keep your energy levels sustained throughout the day. Reducing the intake of junk food and sticking to a healthy diet of high protein meat such as chicken and turkey, and healthy green vegetables will lead to a healthier and fitter you!

Supplements

What are Supplements?

Supplements are to be used to supplement your diet and not replace it. They can be very useful for you to increase your nutrient and protein intake which some people may struggle to do with whole food.

Supplement List:

Whey Protein:
Whey protein the is purest for of protein you can buy and is a great way of getting more protein in your diet. During weight training, the use of protein shakes can help with significantly with recovery.

Multivitamin:

When on a calorie controlled diet, some people may not be able to get all of the nutrients and vitamins that their bodies require which is where a multi-vitamin comes in. A lot of exercise and reduction in calories can lead to a lower immune system which a multi-vitamin can help to look after.

Fish Oil:

Fish oil contains omega 3 and 6 which are very good for heart health. As well as supporting health heart it can also help with fat loss.

Conclusion

In conclusion by employing both healthy eating and exercise it can be very easy and enjoyable to lose fat. Losing fat will decrease chances of heart disease and can lead to a happier, more active life. Thanks very much for taking the time to read my page and if you have any comments, feel free to post below!