Just how many of these things and I supposed to do?
If you have been training for any length of time, you have almost certainly experimented with various rep ranges. Perhaps you started with the classic (and actually much misunderstood, but that’s another story) 3 sets of 10. Maybe you did some 5*5 along the way after reading Bill Starr’s great book. Or maybe you decided that singles was the way forward at some point.
I’ve used all these rep ranges (and many more besides), but until recently I haven’t been able to find a simple method that means i don’t get stale, use different rep ranges, but can measure progression. After playing around with this for the last year or so, it looks like I might have found the ideal way (at least for me) to consider reps. Here it is. Read more on What is the Perfect Rep Range?…
Filed under bodyweight training, building muscle, weight loss by on May 17th, 2012. Comment. 
I have been doing a lot of bodyweight training recently. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, I am very busy and just don’t have time to get to the gym. Secondly, various old injuries are starting to play up and the thought of heaving a barbell around makes my joints want to cry. And thirdly, I am findng more and more that bodyweight training is simply a fun and productive way to train.
The push up might just be one of the best exercises that you could do.
So what am I actually doing? Well without going into all the details,simply because I don’t know yet just how effective this will be long term and also because I’m trying to organize all this into some sort of coherant plan that is actually easy to follow, I’m doing a handful of basic bodyweight exercises and building up the volume week by week.
Filed under bodyweight training, health by on May 16th, 2012. Comment.
vegetables can make hundreds of delicious meals
It all comes down to diet, doesn't it? I mean, there are hundreds of ways to train that can be effective. And there isn't any training program in the world that will do the business if your diet is a mess. So how do you make sense of all the conflicting advice out there and actually get results? Here are 17 tips that you can put into practice right now that really will make a difference.
- Drink more water. I would be willing to bet that most of us don't drink enough water. The health benefits of increased water intake are pretty well-known, but it is just as much about what you DON'T drink when you up your water intake. Apart from better skin, healthier kidneys and fuller muscles, if you drink more water, you are drinking less sweetened stuff like soda and fruit juice.
- Sugar is not your friend. Processed sugar has quite literally nothing going for it. Stop eating it.
- Go hungry. As I have said before, I am a fan of intermittent fasting. Even if you don't like this approach to eating, you don't need to be full all the time. Lot's of good things happen both hormonally and for the digestive tract when you aren't processing food all the time. Read more on 17 Quick Tips to Improve Your Diet...
Filed under health, nutrition, weight loss by on Mar 10th, 2012. Comment.
Do you really want to eat just this?
I hate diets. Sounds strange, doesn't it? I spend a lot of my time training, thinking about training and diet or writing about it. I have alos dieted in a lot of different ways over the years (and I generally don't mean for fat loss). and yet I hate diets.
Why Diets Don't Work
Actually, I should qualify that. I hate any eating plan that involves short-term deprivation or excessivce calorie-counting, depends on eating odd food combinations, or means eating every couple of hours following the clock. Why, you might ask? Let's talk about weight loss. Millions of people every year lose weight by following one of the diet fads...sorry plans... out there. Great! Not really. How many of those people manage to keep the weight off once their diet is over? I'm guessing not that many. So if I don't believe in diets, what do I believe in? Read more on Why I Don’t Do Diets...
Filed under health, nutrition, weight loss by on Mar 6th, 2012. Comment.
All this without 'double twisting Romanian barflys with a3.256 cadence'
I had the misfortune to read a recent fitness training product a while back. It was written by a big name in the fitness industry and was promoted by the usual ring of 'good friends'. After a couple of pages I had to go back and start again. Why? Because despite working out for over twenty years, having an extensive library of training books and a pretty solid grasp on both diet and fitness techniques and technicalities, I had no idea what this particulalr author was talking about! Seriously, if you are wondering what is wrong with the fitness industry, your answer is right there!
Take a look at the picture on the left. This is Arthur Saxon. Looks good, doesn't he? Her got into this shape over a century ago, without supplments, without exactly calculalting his protein intake, without taking exactly 33 and a half hours between workouts to allow for full recovery (or whatever the current 'best way' is). So how did he do all this? Simple... Read more on What is Wrong With the Fitness Industry?...
Filed under bodyweight training, building muscle by on Mar 6th, 2012. Comment.
I have written aleady on here about how much I like Craig Ballentyne’s Turbulence Training system. It is something that I own and have used with different people over the last couple of years. I also borrow Craig’s ideas quite a lot when I’m plannning my own training. Now given that I don’t recommend a lot of the products available on here, you might be wondering “What is turblulence training?” I don’t want to give Craig’s program away for free (I don’t think he would appreciate that much and it is one of the rare things in the fitness industry that is worth its price and a whole lote more). However I don’t expect people to buy blindly-i know I wouldn’t-so he is what it is all about.
Fat Burning with the Turbulence Effect
Want those abs? Train like Craig.
As you can see from the image on the left and from the banner on the right, Craig is in good shape. surprisingly this isn't true for a lot of the big names in the fitness industry. There are trainers giving out expensive advice that they neither follow nor actually use on anyone they train. Craig uses turbulunce training himself and he he certainly looks good on it!
Of course, there are lots of genetic freaks that are ripped to bits-that doesn't mean they give good advice for the masses. This is really the main reason why I like Turbulence Training. It is an easy-to-follow system that ANYONE can do. There are versions for quite literally anyone out there. Don't believe me? what about these Read more on What is turbulence Training?...
Filed under bodyweight training, cardio, health, weight loss by on Feb 13th, 2012. Comment.
Unless you have been under a rock for the last couple of years, the amount of noise around the various forms of fasting probably hasn’t escaped your attention. All sorts of claims for intermittent fasting diets have been published. The bottom line if you are looking for a weight loss solution is “does it work?”. So what are the intermittent fasting results likely to be?
What is Intermittent Fasting (IF)?
Intermittent fasting expert Brad Pilon
In a nutshell, intermittent fasting, or IF as it is more commonly known, involves alternating periods of fasting and eating. This might mean a 24 hour fast once or twice a week as Brad Pilon recommends in his excellent book, Eat Stop Eat, or it could be something as simple as a daily cycle of 16 hours eating alternated with an 8 hour feeding window. From personal experience, both work well. In fact, I have been using this approach for over a year myself. So what sort of intermittent fasting results can you expect and just why does this particular form of dieting make losing weight much easier? Read more on Intermittent Fasting Results...
Filed under cardio, health, nutrition, weight loss by on Feb 4th, 2012. 1 Comment.
Many people make a choice about the sort of work out routines they should do. They become “cardio bunnies”, spending hours a week on the treadmill and looking absolutely terrible after months of effort. Or they are “pumpers”, never leaving the bench press and that roll of fat hanging over the belt is just part of a “bulking phase” (been there a while though, hasn’t it?) Is there a better way? You bet! Enter Cardio Weight Training.
What is Cardio Weight Training?
Combining two different methods of training into one is really the best choice for almost everyone who is training to look better or training to feel better. Before anyone gets upset and starts explaining why this isn’t for them, there is one exception and this is it:
- You are training for a specific sports goal
This goal might be something like training for a particular sporting event like running a marathon, or perhaps to do a bodybuilding show. These are extreme situations and the work out routines they need should be just as radical. If you don’t fall into this category, why are you using a routine that is not adapted to you and your needs? Read more on Cardio Weight Training…
Filed under bodyweight training, building muscle, cardio, health, weight loss by on Jan 28th, 2012. 1 Comment.
Recently, I’ve had a few people who’ve asked for work out routines. Given that each person is different, both in terms of where they are now and also where they want or need to go, it is hard to give advice which is one size fits all. However, I do have favourite ways to train, both for myself and for others, so here a a couple of ideas for work out routines for different goals.
Work Out Routines For Fat Loss
- Hard work can happen anywhere
Almost everybody could do with losing a few pounds. This is true for people who are looking to build muscle too. Being a bit leaner to start off willimprove something called nutrient partitioning. This simply means that more of what you eat is used for muscle-building and less for stocking bodyfat. There are 1001 approaches and some of them even work! Here is an example of a workout routine that would be good for burning some fat.
Filed under bodyweight training, building muscle, cardio, health, nutrition, weight loss by on Jan 21st, 2012. 1 Comment.
Fat accumulates in different areas for different people. Each one of us has his or her own problem spots. Finding what works best can be a difficult task when looking for work out routines. Exercises for back fat can be a particular problem.
Exercises for Back Fat That Really Work
- Getting rid of the back fat is possible with the right exercises and diet
Why is it so diffcult to find work out routines that are effective for fat that is stored on the back? Actually, the answer is quite simple. all you need to do is look in the mirror. That is why almost every article you read online or in magazines is going to take about those six pack abs or how to build powerful pecs. If you do read work out routines about the rest of the body, it is sure to be about firming up that butt. Exercises for back fat just don't seem to have the same appeal.
Although spot reduction of fat (that is, removing fat solely in one area) doesn't exist, there are certainly some exercises and routines that will be far more effective. Not everyone has access to a gym (or even wants to train in a gym) so I'll give you some options that are light on equipment too and can be done in the privacy of your own home.Bodyweight training can work very well.
Filed under bodyweight training, building muscle, cardio, health, nutrition, weight loss by on Jan 12th, 2012. 6 Comments.
