NathanWilliamsTraining

"Take me to the next level"

2012-01-05T01:36:00.000-08:00

...Not my words, but the first welcome words of atleast 3 of my clients this week.

Hi all,

What a start to the new year, well its was good, lets not overdo it. I personally started a new training plan which im testing and mentioned before so will update later and in future blogs. Also, a few of my badass clients stormed in the Gym, pushed past all the fat people stretching on the mats, grabbed me by the collar of my tight-fitted gym shirt and yelled:

"quit f*cking around... take me to the next level!"

Im slightly exaggerating (pushing fat people off the mats is totally true) of course but improvement does seem to be the common trend of my guys this year. and so it should be!

Adopt Shark theory... Move forward or die!

So im taking time away from my beginner salsa lessons and writing my guide (for normal gym users and PT clients) to "take it to the next level", hope you enjoy it, use/agree with the advice or identify where you are and what you need to do to make a step forward in the gym.

Step 1: Nutrition

Seriously am i still asking you to eat better? Kids eat rubbish then they grow up. The angry Nath doesn't even want to say anymore but 'kind 2012 buddhist-reading' Nath says 'show them the way'.

Ok, this is the basics...

A) Stop eating Carbs if you're not moving around. Earn your carbs people! Eat according to your daily needs. If you dont train and you work in an office, guess how much carbs you need per day to 'fuel' your body? NOT MANY AT ALL

People always ask me about rice... "can i eat rice?' "i cant get rid of it' or 'all my family eat rice'

"If you cant stop eating rice then you better start competing in regular triathlons"

Rice is popular around the world because it low in price and energy dense, great if you have zero money and no options to survive, not so great (in fact, lets be frank - its shit) for fat loss! The other problem is what rice is served with. Unless you're some bland-food loving moron then you gonna need sauce and other nasties on that white, hip-maker. DONT DO IT, simples.

B) Eat more veggies. veggies can fill your plate and are low in calories, they combine well with all foods and there is great variety. If thats not enough for you they are full of vitamins and minerals and in my opinion (when it comes to losing weight/fat) far superior to fruit.

C) Liquids. Keep it simple, keep it sugar-free. Black coffee, Green tea, herbal teas and water. Think thats boring? your waist-line and the girlfriend/wife/mistress or all three will disagree in about 6 weeks time when you're undoing smaller trousers..... better stop there.

DO NOT frequent starbucks for white mocha frappacino's. I only use that example because thats my once-a-month treat. I really do enjoy it but im not stupid enough to go back every day and pretend im not eating a liquid dessert, because thats what your doing. 1000 calories in 5 minutes - cheers!

If it looks f*cking unbelievable, then its probably high in calories!

Water intake. How much do you drink? i would say 90% of people could drink more. Its healthy for the body and will fill the gaps that you have kept for dirty snacks. Get into water. If you dont drink any... you are a mong and deserve to fall over.

No water... No live

Step 2: Alcohol (think anti-nutrition)

In James Duigans "clean and lean diet" he says the following:

"As a rule of thumb i advise my clients to avoid alcohol until they have reached their target weight"

Simple and amazing advice and sort of a cool challenge? Dont allow yourself a drink until you've reached a target weight loss for that month - that would definately get people working hard and eating better.

If you cant give up Alcohol then i cant be accountable for any fat loss results you want to achieve. I can certainly help but i 100% cannot gaurantee results. Thats my own version i tell clients.

Alcohol is possibly the biggest de-railer of them all

Ok, Half time. Lets re-cap:

Step 1: Nutrition - are you on top of that? Its kind of important. Sort it out quickly or the rest of this list will not matter at all.

Step 2: Alcohol - could you go a month without drinking? Try it. If you have been drinking for the past 15 years (i have) then i dont see the issue with having a small break in destroying your liver? im not being all holy, its true. Bars and pubs will still be there next month and more than happy to take your money in return for a headache. If you cant stop, dont expect dramatic change quickly. Alcohol is anti-progress for all things in the body, plus it makes you want to eat toxic foods - double bummer!

Step 3: Activity Levels

How many hours a week are you training? ok up that to over 5 hours right now.

How are you training? If you are doing 5 hours per week and still overweight, honestly ask yourself why you think that is. I watched a very overweight person walking at 3kmph on the treadmill last year. And before you tell me "well atleast she is in the gym" I disagreee. She could have spent that time working out a great food shopping list and got better results. Why should walking slow in a gym be classed as good? its really not.

My point is if you aren't changing your gym shirt every time you train then you probably haven't worked hard enough. Be honest and put some hard work in. After all the heart rate testing we have been doing, its amazing the difference in heart rates when you try hard instead of just going through the motions. Put it in. If you dont then you'll be re-reading this next year and trying to kick-start yourself again after another failed year in the gym.

Step 4: Buy a heart rate monitor and be accountable for every minute of every session.

I did a standard 'bodybuilding' session with one of my clients last week as a change-up. I burned 217 calories in an hour - lifting decent weight, upper body exercises (superset fashion). I was shocked at how low that is, its really not enough. So doing that workout 5-6 times a week (max 1500cals burned/week) and eat a shitty diet and you can see why most guys in the gym are big shoulders-big waist. Worrying about muscle size when your waist is around 38" is stupid.

I think the next quote sums it up nicely. I would love to say its mine, but i saw it on facebook last week:

"Dont Look at the sacles, look in the mirror. Bitches dont ask what weight you are when you take you're shirt off!"

Yeah grandma, i just said 'bitches' - deal with it

Step 5: Change the way you train/exercise

'If you always do what you always do, you will always get what you always got'. There are other similar quotes but you catch my drift? Im always surprised when people tell me they've trained the same way for years and still aren't in the shape they want. success leaves clues. If it was the best way to train you would be happy. Is it time to look at another method?

Always done weights? try some cardio once in a while

Love taking classes? Maybe try a sterngth and conditioning program.

Always doing the same style/intensity training? (shameless plug) Maybe its time you hired someone who knows better or buy a well-known program that will get help you get to your goal.

Recently i changed styles, moved away from what i thought was best from me and towards something new - the results have been amazing! Try something different or try harder at the things you do now. Both will work.

"Everything you ever wanted is waiting for you outside your comfort zone"

Step 6: Consistency

Put the work in and be patient. Commit the next 6 months in the gym to reverse about 10 years of your life. If you think you can cheat your body into getting into great shape then you've been watching too much shopping channel infomercials!

Check out the youtube video of the 'tug-toner' - pretty funny!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMs-4fUZd-k

Trust if it vibrates... need to tread carefully here... its not gonna melt the fat off your trouble areas. Fads which require little or no effort for amazing results are music to fat, lazy people's ears. Get real and DO WORK.

Final thoughts

If you're ready to really step up the fitness efforts this year:

- Commit to eating foods that will improve your health and decrease your waistline

- Drink only liquids that are sugar-free, preferably herbal teas, black coffee and water

- Cut out alcohol until you hit a target weight

- Up your physical activity to 5 or more hours per week

- Buy a heart rate monitor and be accounatble for every second of your training efforts

- Change the way you train or seek out ways/people that will optimize what you are currently doing

- Be in it for the long haul. Its 6 months until summer - see you on the beach! speedos not welcome.

Happy new year all, share this blog with Facebook friends or via email. spread the word :)

Organic stretching protocol

2011-12-29T20:15:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Even as i sit here this week in December i can tell you 2012 is gonna be a massive year. I have been creating a new training program which has been in a test phase for about 8 weeks and is rocking my world! How much? Well, my Bodyfat is back under 10% so the program has been great for visual goals. Also, as a massive side-effect (and almost by mistake) im started to perform at a very high 'fitness' level, how high?

For those of you who know rowing times, my target for 2000m by end of January is 6:56. Which is pretty decent. In fact, for my weight category would put me in the top 50 (rank 42) rows in the world (concept 2 website) this year! Pretty cool side effect from a muscle building/fat loss program? Anyway, more to come on that pretty soon... but as you can imagine im pretty excited going into the new year!

Todays blog is all about a system that i incorporate with my clients which i call 'organic stretching' and something which i have found is helping everyone that incorporates it.

If you think this is 'gay' then you probably are tight and need to stretch more

I believe it was Paul Chek who first began this method (I used to have a kick ass book called "Eat, move and be healthy" but one of my clients in Bahrain never give it back to me!) which encourages people to "stretch what is tight and pass on what is not". For more quality reading on stretching, type in 'Paul Chek stretching" into google and this guy literally wrote the book on the subject.

Great book... Somewhere gathering dust in the southern tip of Bahrain!

So here is what i have adopted. We want every muscle to 'feel the same' therefore you have to listen to what your body is telling you and adapt the time and pressure accordingly. For example, this is a normal stretching prescription:

- 30s stretcth on each quad

- 30s stretch on each hamstring

Before i carry on, what if you play a one-sided sport/activity like golf? One side will definately be tighter than the other, so a standard stretching program becomes useless in terms of re-balancing.

To quote Eric Cressey recently:

"The best training programs are assymetrical"

And that is 100% correct in my opinion. The same goes for stretching. Just this morning my client LP said they felt really tight on their left glute so we hit that stretch for 30s then moved onto the right and they felt nothing. We immediately went back to the left and stretched for a further 30s. And thats basically it. Stretch what feels tight and move past what doesn't, thats the beauty of balance.

Achieving balance often leads to pain free movement and improved performance

My personal stretching always involves twice as much strecthing on my left side (particularly hip, glute and hamstring) as i have spent all my life rotating in sports on that 'power' side (golf, soccer, cricket).

Final thoughts

Take 20-30 minutes to fully stretch and note what 'feels' tighter, either write down or keep a mental note of this and allow that to form the basis of your new "re-balancing" stretching program. If any of you still think stretching is pretty gay or 'just for women' - then you need to wake up and realise that "tight is weak" and tight is the first step towards inbalances and injury.

Gonna be busy right through xmas/new year with training and writing so speak soon :)

The Health game

2011-12-09T18:13:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

Another quick (and hopefully useful) blog on how to keep track of results/diet. Like the last blog on Music to help workouts this idea is just something a little different which could be used to get you to your personal goals.

We are going to play a game, well you're going to play... i'll be the host.

Alan Partridge, arguably the worlds greatest host

We are going to play "The Health Game" (cue cheesy tune) where the goal of the game is to get to 100 points.

The rules

- You earn points (maximum 3 per day) for doing things that put you closer to your goal (fat loss, muscle building, wellness, etc)

- You lose points for doing stuff that take you further from your goals (eating shit food, not exercising, drinking alcohol, etc)

- The points earned/taken away are reflective of the crime (and you must be honest with the crime)

Here are a few of my guidelines:

Scoring

- Completed training session = 1 point
- Every meal that fits your training goal = 1/2 point
- Bed before 1030pm = 1 point
- Drink 3L water = 1 point
- Massage = 1 point
- Day out being active = 1 point
- post workout nutrition = 1/2 point

Being stroked while earning points? Win, Win.

REMEMBER 3 points scored per day maximum.

Losing

- Fast food = -3 points (nulify any scoring that day)
- Alcohol x 1 = -1 point
- Alcohol x more than 1 = -3 points (nulify any scoring that day)
- Eating after 7pm = -1 point
- Bed after 12 midnight = -1 point
- Sugary drinks = -2 points
- coffee after training = -1 point

More than 2 of these and you have 0 points for that day

*you can create your own scoring list based on whats important to you. Just be sure to not over-reward yourself for doing average things and always punish your scoring for doing the worst things (fast food, alcohol bingeing, sugary drinks).

Everyone starts on 0... Play this game for a day, see how you score. Play this game for a week, see how you score. If you cant get off square 1 with your scoring then you probably have some very bad, DAILY habits that are stopping you getting anywhere near your training goals.

Example Yesterday for me looked this:

A.m.

- training session (fasted) = 1 point
- post workout nutrition = 1/2 point
- Sushi/sashimi lunch with banana = 1/2 point
- water intake good = 1 point

(at this point im looking at a maximum 3 point day... woop effing woop!)

P.m.

- Chicken Katsu curry with udon noodles in fast food establishment (nulify point scoring for day)
- Frappacino with Almond snickers

Dont ask me why but i just fancied it, and although it did no long term damage, my new total for the next day was ZERO (0) Nothing.

This is how most people live their whole lives. Play the game, see how many points you can score today, the next week, the rest of the year. My personal goal is to score 20 points over the next 7 days and 30 points before xmas day.

This is just a bit of fun, let me know if it works for you. Imagine getting to 100 and take a look at yourself in the mirror - im 100% sure there would be changes!

See ya :)

Exercise to music

2011-12-02T23:01:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

Just a quickie this time around. Do you have steady state cardio work in your plan? Im not here to judge and say you shouldn't (truth is i have personally benefited from doing some LSD over the past month).

Long Steady Duration... what were you thinking? Tut Tut

While doing my rowing challenge i found it great to listen to music. Heavy metal was perfect for tough, short distances. Dance music was my steady work over 10 minutes. As my playlist had the same shuffle i was getting bored. So i decided to SHUFFLE my entire itunes.

Wow, what a great move that was. This allows you to perform different intensities based on the tempo or feeling of each tune. For example:

1-4 minutes (Phil Collins) - easy pace 2:15/500 getting into a rhythym.

5-8 minutes (Tenacious D) - Boom! im up to 85% and picked me speed up to 1:50/500

9-13 minutes (David guetta) - kept Rpm high (32 per minute) but light to match fast paced song

14-18 minutes (Coldplay) - slow pace with intervals of speed (chorus)

My Ipod was dictating my speed and mood with music! It felt good. Fartlek is not a new concept but i really loved this and it ate the time away really quickly... Great if you dont like steady cardio much!

Try it out. Just make sure you have varying music. Too much Metallica will kill you, Too much david Gray will leave you in 1st gear, Too much Michael Buble and i'd probably kick you off the rower for listening to Michael Buble!

Not a good pose, Not good rowing music

Try it out and see what you think, personally i loved it.

Nice and quick as promised :)

Walking the talk

2011-11-30T22:01:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

Its been another mental week for me in my PT career. I presented a talk on injury prevention for marathon running last saturday - which went really well. I started my own new training project BBHR which is going amazingly well and i have managed to fit in 45 PT sessions in the past 7 days! mental hours by any standard... but im still smiling, just.

One of my last blogs was on quotes (and how to make them real) and ever since i have been reeling qoutes off to anyone who will listen. Ive even been making my own up! Here is my latest:

"Beware of those who talk, Walk with those who walk... and Learn from those who do both"

So here is my story...

A young man (lets call him Nathan) arrives in Singapore in April, bouyed by the fact that he knows a lot of stuff and arrives in his new location ready to be an instant success...

Ive learnt a lot of stuff over the past decade about training, but sometime late in 2010 i decided to stop applying that knowledge to myself and my training. I still carried on doing the good work i was doing (relying on my TALK). When i got in my new gym (for reasons that i have explained in previous blogs) I was atl east 25lbs overweight. Without realising it i was now ALL talk. I had the same knowledge but i was not living it, i was not wearing my expertise as a badge, as a billboard for my product.

I started to train well. But (without making to much noise about it) i was in serious pain. My knees hurt, my back was hurting, to be totally honest - i felt like shit. The WALK had turned into a crawl, and a painful one. On top of this i was struggling to enjoy my work, i was complaining about my long hours, the long working week and i was stressing about everything. It was hard to convince gym members of my skills as a trainer when i didnt project any image of it. Business slowed down as did my evening walks home - i was at the edge of my sanity.

The walks home through Geylang were getting weird!

On to September and i was about to hit Day 1 of the newest, baddest training plan i had written to get me back into shape (deadlifts, heavy, sets of 5) but i felt awful. I stopped after 1 set and decided to fix my body.

I wrote about this in my blog on Yoga:

http://www.nathanwilliamstraining.blogspot.com/2011/09/outside-comfort-zone.html

After some internet fitness debating with fellow trainers in the UK and Australia i realized that over the past 5 years i had completely neglected my 'fitness'; this is where my new focus would lie. i began to cycle/row/sprint and most instantly i started to have more energy, my diet cleaned up (future blog on IM fasting) and i was regaining a swagger (WALK). My interest was back and i started to create some really cool programs for people, my TALK was now in full swing.

Sometime in October, i met a new gym member called Thomas (a guy who WALKS and TALKS) , who i knew i wanted to learn from and train with. Fortunately, my knowledge and new-found enthusiasm meant that he felt the same and now we meet daily to really push our limits on the gym floor. Now i can say that my training (WALK) is really back on.

Whooooooooooooooo!

While this has been going on, my clients have suddenly picked up their sessions, some guys/girls are now hitting 3 x week and claiming they feel great from the fresh approaches ive introduced. They see the changes in me and i definately see the changes in them. Evening clients are now scrambling for morning slots (which are fully booked) - 1 client offered to buy a slot off another client (his workmate) for $10! Training is good and Business is good.

The main thing i have taken from the past 3 months is that being positive creates positive situations... and the opposite is definately true. Smiling and saying 'hello' to gym members is leading me to PT leads. Being visibly back in shape has helped me attract interest and my January new client interest is currently about 5 - if you consider i now have 25 active clients, its pretty significant for business. Who knew? Smiling and talking could help me earn more money? Try it out. Im pretty sure it would improve almost anyone's fortunes.

Final thoughts

I arrived in Singapore full of talk, no action.

"Beware of those who talk"

I found a trainer partner that i knew would make me 'step up' and challenge my physically.

"Walk with those who walk"

Getting back in shape and being more positive and open to others has increased interest from gym members in my training and PT product.

"Learn from those who do both"

If you fall into any of the above categories then there is a sure-fire pathway to resolve it in my story. Smile and enjoy what you do, talk to people you normally ignore and be surprised at where it will lead.

More shorter blogs coming soon! Please leave comments/abuse, share with FB friends :)

What happens when... You take a 7 day break from the internet?

2011-11-07T21:49:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

I just finished a 7 day (almost total) ban on the internet. I wanted to see what i could get done in 7 days when my small slots of spare time were devoted to my ongoing 'to-do' list and not chatting, debating, updating my facebook and other training forums.

The social phenomenon of our generation could also be the biggest time-waster? Dis-like.

Sunday 31 October

To get the most out of this week i decided to make a 'to-do' list, here is what i came up with:

DO

- 25+ PT sessions (in a week where i had 2 day on a course, this was a tough ask)
- write up presentation for staff training (basic assessment and program design)
- write or plan 2 x articles for fitnorama.com
- write or plan 1 x seminar for standard chartered marathon (core training for runners)
- write up 20+ new clients training programs
- write up notes from all collected training/programs to create several new templates for new sessions
- train every day (5-6 day including weights, rowing, mobility, etc)
- row at least 15,000m (as part of Xmas rowing challenge) future blog
- look for 2/3 new clients
- review all client info and make business plan for remainder of 2011
- read 'fit for life' by Martin Rooney (on MRT to work and before bed)
- clear out unwanted emails and check emails daily (at one time in the day)
- take dog for a walk when possible
- clear apartment each evening before sitting down to rest
- prepare healthy food for next day before sleeping (when possible)
- attend PTA global course (fri and sat) all day
- send important emails
- skype brother (gavin) as planned the week before

some list for a week but i was determined to crack on with it.

A bit sneaky of me but right after i announced my facebook fast on my fitness page, I started on the client programs. needing 3 a day to keep my goal - i hit 3 that afternoon, great start - also read some of my book and managed to create a sheet of 65 new/unused exercises that i planned to try-out for new client programs.

DONT

- log in to facebook at any time - done!
- spend more than 2-3 minutes on bbc sport, checking football scores - done! (Spurs are still winning so im happy)
- watch TV for more than 30 minutes a day (if at all) - probably did 30-60 minutes at the end of the day. Mostly watching downloaded X factor!

Have you ever calculated how much TV you watch a week? Get other things done... or sleep!

Below is what i achieved:

- 25+ PT sessions (in a week where i had 2 day on a course, this was a tough ask)

I worked on the morning of my day off to ensure i did 26 sessions in the week

- Write up presentation for staff training (basic assessment and program design)

I completed this one evening after work, took about an hour.

- Write or plan 2 x articles for fitnorama.com

Not got around to this yet but its next on my list

- Write or plan 1 x seminar for standard chartered marathon (core training for runners)

Planned my seminar presentation, will attempt to write up on powerpoint later this week

- Write up 20+ new clients training programs

I managed 15 - which isn't too bad! I will continue with the other 10 this week @ 1 per day

- Write up notes from all collected training/programs to create several new templates for new sessions

Not got around to this yet, i spent 6 weeks trying new stuff out - it will take a whole focused day to get through all the info

- Train every day (5-6 day including weights, rowing, mobility, etc)

I did this no problem, loving training right now, varying intensity with general feeling so if im tired i ease off slightly

- Row at least 15,000m (as part of Xmas rowing challenge) future blog

including the weekend before i rowed 21,000m in past 8 days - im well ahead of my target and im looking for much more by xmas day, including a crazy xmas eve final push!

- Look for 2/3 new clients

I already have 2 new clients who are coming onboard in January, i also have spoken to 2 other clients (more importantly morning clients) as i want to reduce my evening hours in the new year.

- Review all client info and make business plan for remainder of 2011

Half achieved this. Need to review half way through this month and see if im on track.

- Read 'fit for life' by Martin Rooney (on MRT to work and before bed)

Every spare minute i had (MRT journey to work and before bed) was spent reading this book. Im 50 pages off finishing it which should be by the end of the week. What a great read for any training professional and training-minded person, top class

- Clear out unwanted emails and check emails daily (at one time in the day)

I got my unread emails from 110 down to the 10 i would read (Nate Green, John Romaniello, Nick Tuminiello, Eric Cressey, etc). Plus i subscribed to about 5 other new blogs (Contreras, Weingroff and others) for some diversity in my reading

- Take dog for a walk when possible

Regrettably i dont get to spend much time with my new best friend, its an area that i need to improve, even if it means taking him out when im tired - if you own a dog then you should exercise them regularly (especially athlete dogs like whippets/greyhounds). Thanks to Becks he has had regular walks and runs.

How could you say no to this face?

- Clear apartment each evening before sitting down to rest

Getting good at this, it makes me happier when i do some general cleaning before sitting down at night. Making food for next day is essential so this works well for me.

- Prepare healthy food for next day before sleeping (when possible)

See above, bit slack during course days last week but back on track this week with my steamer!

- Attend PTA global course (fri and sat) all day

WoW! what a course, lots of new perspectives on client needs, new ways to move, foam roll and im getting instant results from using the system. Ian o' Dwyer and Rodney Corn are the business - world class presenters with world class knowledge! look forward to learning from them in the future. Check out their youtube stuff.

Attend courses regularly to refresh your knowledge and energy

- Send important emails

Sent the few important emails that needed sending, job done.

- Skype brother (gavin) as planned the week before

Regrettably i forgot this until sunday night and i was in bed when my brother text me. 8 hours time difference so i need to have a set time where we both can commit.

Conclusion

Looking at the list im very happy with what i achieved during the past 7 days, in terms of progress it was a world class week. I didnt (hardly) waste any time on things that were un-important to my life/work/goals and it paid massive dividends this week. Since Saturday i have been completing really good sessions and everyone seems really happy (not that they are usually down about training with me!)

What can you take from this?

Taking great advice from Todd Durkin's "IMPACT" training book:

"Completing 5 things per day off your 'to-do' list will result in a world class day"

Before you hit the sack each night, write 5 things down that you would like to acheive the next day - wake up and get them done = world class day. If you can hit 5 world class days in the week (mon-fri) then i think your productivity/life will significantly improve.

My list for this week:

- 5-10 client training programs
- Deliver staff seminar on assessment & program design
- Row 15,000m
- Train 4-5 times
- Write up standard chartered marathon
- Find time to skype my brother
- Spend quality time with my dog!
- Prepare food each night
- Plan and write Fitnorama article
- write this blog... DONE!

Whats your list for tomorrow? Whats your goals for this week?

Comment and Share with facebook friends (just dont spend too long on there!)

See ya

12 great quotes... and how to make them real!

2011-10-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

While training last week in a fasted state i had an amazing mind-fart of ideas and eneded up with 8-12 qulaity brand-new blog ideas. The first of these was a "best quotes" type blog. I always read/share/recite memorable quotes almost on a daily basis. They sound cool, they feel good to recite, but there is one problem...

"They (quotes) dont actually mean anything, unless you turn them into an action?"

Here are 12 inspirational quotes, complete with NWT "tough love" action plans to set them in motion:

"Knowing is not enough: we must apply. Willing is not enough: we must do". ~ Goethe

(as some of the text is copied and pasted, the font is a bit funky throughout the blog, anyone who has eplisepsy... Im really sorry about that, i hope you can still read the blog)

1. Albert Einstein

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result"

NWT: I wish every person who hit the gym and constantly weighs themselves could have this stamped on their foreheads. identify your training/physique goal and find out what you need to do to get it done, its pointless banging out sets of heavy bench press if your a) overweight and b) if your goal is to look leaner. Or indeed skinny guys wanting to be big but doing Spinning and BodyPump x 3/week and eating like a mouse, whats that all about!!??

2. Emil Zapotek

"Between the borders of pain and suffering, the men are seperated from the boys"

NWT: I love this quote (and have it as tattoo on my ribcage) because it reminds me that in order to excel at different tasks - you have to put the work in. Its the difference between loving leg days and missing them out - you either have it or you don't.

"This crazy polish bastard started a marathon by sprinting to put off opponents!"

3. Wayne Gretzky

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take"

NWT: Whatever your goal is, go for it! If you miss then understand why and dont make the same mistake again. Failing at something sometimes is valuable process towards achieving success, dont be afraid of it.

4. Robbie Williams

"Youth is wasted on the young, before you know its come and gone"

NWT: If you have experience, share it with someone who is younger than you. I love training 16-20 year old clients because i know that they are getting a far better introduction to weight training/fitness than i did - that gives me a buzz that i actually passed something on. Yes it was fun to learn and train the way i did BUT i would have loved to have got into the really important stuff earlier than i did. This week i had a chat to a young guy in the gym who has been "smashing" himself 6 days a week - long story short, i told him if i could go back to his age i would warm up and stretch more and not be so focused on chest and shoulders. I think he took something from it.

4. George Burns

"I'd rather be a failure at something I enjoy than a success at something I hate"

NWT: I dont know what the stats are on "% people who do what they love every day and get paid for it" i think its less than 1%! Im not saying go out and quit your job and become a zoo keeper tomorrow (interestingly enough, i think that would be my second best job), i'm suggesting if you are miserable in your current job and have a choice to re-train without affecting your current income/lifestyle then why not go for something that will make you happy in the long term? Im fully ware that this is not an easy thing to just up and do - but really think about the barriers that stop you. If they are all your own created thoughts then break them down and take a jump!

5. Bodi (Patrick Swayze) "Point Break"

"Why be a slave to the system when you can be its master"

NWT: I think the best recent example i can give here is about nutritional choices that you make every day. If you know you work at a place where all the food outlets are both expensive and not great for your fat loss goals, then prepare food and take it into work. Dont accept a problem, fix it.

6. Mel Gibson (Braveheart)

"Every man dies, but not every man really lives"

The first part of this saying is (unfortunately) true, we are all going to die one day. As this is a blog on how to make things 'real' im not going to say 'seize the day' or bullshit to that effect but you can live out these statements by making better choices, braver choices. Start by deciding what your purpose in life is, what would make you happier than anything? It could be look after injured animals, it could be play football on a beach in brazil, who knows? Decide what that is and do something small every day/week/month to get towards it. BUT (warning) dont bullshit yourself and waste time.

Example (not my own): I want to live in australia one day.

action 1: research places in australia you may want to live in.
action 2: Research the requirements for a working visa and job opportunities

action 3: set dates and save money each week/month

etc, etc, etc.

7. Anonymous

"You are the exact average of the 5 people you spend the most time with"

NWT: If you hang around with assholes, you will turn out to be an asshole. If you live/go out with/ spend time with negative people - you will be a negative person! get rid of the energy vampires in your life and start to surround yourself with people you want to be like.

8. Yoda (Star Wars)

"Do or do not.... There is no try"

NWT: For a 900 year old green dwarf, Yoda spoke a lot of common sense. Confidence is the key to most things. "If you tell yourself you cant do something, you're probably right!" (i stole that quote BTW). Have the confidence to fail at things, try things out and convince yourself you can pull it off. If things dont go as you planned, you have a good idea of how to suceed at them the next time you try.

9. Roy Keane

"Do not compromise in what you believe in"

NWT: Stick to your guns, don't sell out. If you believe in something then stand by your own judgement. This quote came from footballer Roy Keane who left the Irish world cup squad in 2002 because he beleived the Ireland squad were not taking the tournament seriously and was annoyed that the management had below par expectations and preparation for the tournament. he stood up, took a lot shit and was kicked out of the team. He wouldn't compromise hi high standards and missed out on what should have been the pinnacle of his footballing career.

I liked very few things about 'keano' as a player, that changed after i read his book

10. LL Cool J

"To be a champion you have to live like a champion. You cant eat cupckaes every day and stand in the mirror expecting to look like some else"

NWT: Stop kidding yourself about getting into great shape if you train lousy and eat shit. Set aside 12-20 weeks where you lay off the booze, spend all the money you save (from not drinking/partying) on better quality food and possibly a trainer if you need one. Get on a structured training program that focuses on your training goals and get more sleep. Doing the same shitty routine and drinking 2 nights a week and expecting to have miraculous results is just f*cking silly - get real.

Swayze... what a man!

11. Christian Thibadaeu (T nation training master)

"Complexity is the language of simple people. Always beware of the guy who sounds impressive"

NWT: Don't listen to people who talk, learn from people who DO. Knowledge is great when applied! Which is why (in my opinion) every trainer should be in decent physical shape - i know some disagree but i personally believe you should 'practise what you preach'.

Inspirational physique for someone nearing 50 years old!

12. Thomas Andrews

"You can't fire a cannon from a rowing boat"

NWT: Train your Goddamn lower body! This was shouted at me by my new training buddy, Thomas - during our 2nd leg session of the week. If you dont train and prioritize your lower body in your training schedule, you will end up suffering... either through muscle imbalances (and ultimately pain) or aesthetically. XL vests and skinny jeans is a look only Johnny bravo should go for!

Look familiar? don't answer if its you

Okay, i have done my 12 best quotes but here are some that i had to put down... with some 'tough love' one-liners!

If you’re bored with life — you don’t get up every morning with a burning desire to do things — you don’t have enough goals. ~ Lou Holtz

NWT: In the words of billy Connolly "Get a fucking job ya like!"

Whether you think you can or you can’t—you’re right! ~ Henry Ford

NWT: Stop talking yourself out of things.

Go out on a limb—that’s where the fruit is. ~ Will Rogers

NWT: Get out of your comfort zone, try something new.

A ship in the harbor is safe. But that’s not what ships are built for. ~ Anonymous

NWT: Give your body the odd test run, see what you can do, push the limits

If you don’t drive your business, you will be driven out of business. ~ BC Forbes, Founder of Forbes Magazine

NWT: Dont ever stand still, always look to better yourself and your product

Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get. ~ Ray Kroc

NWT: Put in the hard work and you will reap the rewards

"Jump off the cliff, learn to fly on the way down" anonymus

NWT: Take a chance, dont overplan the perfect plan, act out the imperfect one

Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly. ~ Stephen R. Covey

NWT: To achieve anything, you have to want it bad enough (attention PT clients on that one)

Selected others (that need no additional comments)

Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity. – John F. Kennedy

The good Lord gave you a body that can stand most anything. It’s your mind you have to convince. – Vincent Lombardi

"i feel the need, the need for speed" Maverick/Goose (top Gun)

60% of the time it works every time (Brian Fantana, anchorman)

Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success. ~ Napoleon Hill

"Everybody wanna be a Bodybuilder, but don't nobody wanna lift no heavy ass weight!" - Ronnie Coleman

Hope you enjoyed reading some of these, i loved writing this one! If you can take one quote that resonates with you and your life and work on the 'tough love' action plan - its been a worthwhile 10 minute read.

As always share with FB friends and enemies :)

Comment and add your own favourite quotes.

Trouble shooting for fat loss... Project Xmas

2011-10-03T02:10:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

*Today marks (another) new dawn in my attitude and renewed attempts to change EVERY single person i train, not just the ones who are good at turning up and 'into it'.

*This is not the first day i have thought this, im just re-energising my efforts for the coming 3 months.

Before i go on, have a read of my older blog post (and one of my best ones) related to this on "habits of effective PT clients". How many of you/your clients share the same traits?

http://nathanwilliamstraining.blogspot.com/2010/10/habits-of-succesful-clients.html

Ok, so im targeting all my gym people here and all my Facebook/blog readers', their people and the people they know with this post. Lets all make a change to our physiques in the next 3 months? Lets call it Project Xmas... sound good? Im challeneging everyone to start to get in their best shape ever by Xmas 2011 and start 2012 as a brand new you.

Interested? Read on. If you don't fancy reading on see point 1 below.

There are several important factors when considering 'why aren't my clients/I getting into better shape, here are my top 8 factors (in order of importance), let me know if you agree/disagree or have more to add:

1. Attitude

You have to ask yourself why you do it? Why are you spending time in the gym? why have you paid for a PT? If you have definite answers for this then i congratulate you and hope you are moving closer to your individual goals. If not then im afraid you may be 'spinning your wheels' and wasting time.

I know a few people who (i believe) are lost in their fitness goals. There is no energy or enthusiasm from them in the gym. No training plan or direction - no goals or targets. If you have a poor attitude towards the gym and bad work ethic then no PT/training program in the world can help you. Training and changing shape begins with YOU and ends with YOU.

How much does changing shape/getting fit mean to you?

Make your transformation one of the most important things in your life and do something daily to get you closer to it. I say one of the most important because there are other important things in life like family, friends and social life that dont need to suffer while on your mission to get fit and lean.

You have to change your attitude towards training

2. Nutrition

(For the purposes of this blog im talking exclusively about weight/fat loss for; building muscle would need a different nutritional guidelines).

How good is your nutrition? Are you eating an optimum diet for weight/fat loss? Its no good saying "i eat really well" then explain how you eat 2 rounds of toast and fruit juice for breakfast. Everybody needs to wake up to proper fat loss nutrition. Cereals, bread and fruit juices are not part if it! Not even for kids. Focus on Protein, Vegetables and fruits at all meal times and only choose wholefoods that will assist your body during exercise. Think of the word THRIVE. when eating ask yourself:

"Will this food help my body THRIVE? or will it hinder and make sluggish?"

You always have choices - choose to eat good foods instead of bad.

Do you know your body-type? Ectomorph, Endomorph or Mesomorph. If your primary goal is weight/fat loss then i'm guessing your probably near the endomorph type.

Carbohydrate tolerance will be lower on Endomorphs and higher on Ectomorphs

You need to understand that this body type (Endomorph) does not handle Carbohydrates well - if you have ever analysed how you perform/feel after big carb-based meals, you should have realized that by now. This is what is keeping you the way you are. Carbohydrate intake for Endomorph body-types (when fat loss is the main goal) should be limited to post workout only. So If your going to the gym once a week and not cutting back on carbohydrates... you can see where people let themselves down regarding fat loss. It will be almost impossible.

"Working for your carbs (post workout only) really works for fat loss"

If you don't adopt a nutritional plan that is designed for fat loss, forget about fat loss!

3. Frequency of training

Lets say you use the gym or see a trainer once a week.

"Honestly, what do you expect to happen?"

Lets get real here and say that it certainly will not be fat loss. Im certainly not saying use a PT 5 times a week, far from that - but (for fat loss) you really need to be training in some form for 5+ hours a week. That could involve any activity of your choice. Going to Malls and eating/drinking does not qualify for activity but unfortunately makes up the bulk of 'social' time in todays society.

If you are the type of person who wishes they are lighter when they jump on the weighing scale daily and dont exercise daily and eat properly, im afraid you may have some form of mental disease, no kidding! You WILL NOT suddenly drop those 10 lbs you want off by hoping and praying. Makle some solid changes - be consistent for about 3 weeks - then (if you have to) weigh yourself, or better still buy some bodyfat calipers and measure once a month.

Use the scales to confirm a weight loss result, not hope for one

Real example: One gym member comes in the same time every week and demands a bodyfat test, if its me that is near by i always ask him "what have you done this week that will make you think anything has changed?". Why bother measuring progress when you do nothing to attain it?

But i digress...

So how important do you think training frequency is when you have average genetics and an average diet? Answer: VERY. You really need to be training more often to see better results.

Exercise or perform pulse-raising activities for more than 5 hours per week before expecting any shift in weight/fat loss.

4. Consistency

Whatever you do, you must be consistent to see results.

'Rome wasn't built in a day"

I used to tell friends and clients that they would get great results in 10-12 weeks, what a fool i was! Believe that the first 10-12 weeks (for some people) is just the beginning, the real progress starts when you/your clients begin to adopt and live new habits over the long term - not just for that month before summer holidays.

Get all the fat-loss ingredients in place and go on a 3-6 month run of healthy living. I challenge you.

5. Type of training

As a trainer, i try to match people's behaviour to their goals. I see too many overweight gym members sitting on isolation machines for 2-3 minute breaks between sets - absolutely the wrong thing to do. the workouts should be dynamic, fast-paced and more metabolically demanding.

"You shouldn't cares how big your biceps are when your 30% bodyfat, concentrate on getting them visible by burning some fat"

If you are looking to lose weight/fat, there are several rules i like to have when considering training type:

1) You must get your heart-rate up

2) *Choose something you are not good at

3) If you can wear the same gym clothes day after day - you are NOT fat loss training

*Fat loss is about inefficiency. Find something that puts you in trouble and watch the heart rate go up and the body fat mely away! Personally - i can skip as long as i want, its not tough for me. But when i run long distance or swim im really not comfortable. Therefore i always choose these 2 forms of exercise when i want to drop weight/fat (because i hate them).

Although she isn't working hard, Im feeling she deserves a mention in my blog!

6. Daily habits

I think a lot can be explained about different body-fat levels on people whern you look at the family's habits. How do your parents eat? What did your grandparents do for social activity? Over the past few years i have noticed that the very lean people i have come across have all had some form of good family habit which involves physical activity

Example: Lets say 2 families live nextdoor to each other. The parents of family A spend weekends camping, trekking, cycling and generally all outdoors activities. Their kids play games/sports in the field and with other families' kids. Family B have obese parents who watch gameshows on tv, they are dpressed with their jobs and eat take-away food as they have no energy to be creative in the kitchen. Their kids lock themselves in the bedroom playing videogames and chatting online to other non-active kids around the world. The parents are just happy that they are not maikg too much noise.

Forward a decade of the pattern...

I guess you see what the difference between Family A and B's kids are right? Family B's kids and parents will complain of slow metabolisms, thyroid function issues and all the other easy-to-blame things that under-active people can call on as excuses. The truth may be that decades of low activity levels and poor nutrition from the family have created that slow metabolism?

Life-long family habits will effect a childs future behaviour, attitude and appearance

Just some food for thought? Does anyone agree or disagree with this theory?

Increase you NEPA (non-exercise physical activity) levels every day. Get outside more and become involved with fun/social activities that involve physical movement.

7. Supplements

When you have checked off the above 6 factors, then i think you should decide on supplementing your diet to acheive better results. Supplements are really the tip of the iceberg when it comes to egtting in great shape - yes they help but buying a supplement and thinking it'll change your physique is just plain dumb.

I would definately recommend meal replacement shakes to those people who are too busy that they skip meals, i am currently using herbalife meal replacements and i'm really enjoying the quick meals that you can create - more on that in future blogs.

In my opinion, products like fat burning supplements can assist fat loss **only if you follow a fat loss diet and training regime. They wont work if you eat normal and train as you've always done.

8. Support group

This factor is often under-looked but very destructive to people's goals. Make sure that your immediate social group (partners, spouses, friends, gym partners, trainer, etc) are all 100% supportive of your efforts. If you have a partner who eats terribly at night time and tries to encourage you to be the same - it will be hard for you to get results.

It happens more often than you think, men and women in relationships instead of appreciating the better form/physique of their partner can very often become jealous at any new-found attention! I will leave it there but it does happen and can cause problems. Create a strong support system with friends/family who will encourage you not try to de-rail any progress.

Real-life story: one of my best ever results was with a client in Bahrain called Nancy. To cut a long story short Nancy had an amazing (i mean amazing!) support group in her husband Shaun and her 2 young boys Ryan and David. Nancy made a change and the whole family made the change too - everything from training to diet. I think some of her brilliant success was due to that support group. Dont underestimate the power in someone encouraging and complimenting you every day

Conclusion/checklist

1. Change your attitude to a positive one. Set a weight/fat loss goal and go after it
2. Adopt a nutritonal strategy that will acheive weight/fat loss
3. Commit to 5 hours of training/activity per week
4. Go on a 3-6 month run of healthy and active living
5. Adopt a training program that will assist weight/fat loss
6. Increase your daily NEPA with fun/social activities
7. Purchase supplements to help fat loss or (meal replacement drinks) to fill in gaps in your diet
8. Choose your support group carefully, distance yourself from any negative influences

- If you can honestly put a tick next to the points above then i personally believe you will get great results.

- If you are missing a few points, spend the next week or so to work on those areas.

- If you are not doing any? You need to wake up to the fact that you may never acheive what you first stepped in the gym to do - that was to get in better shape.

Thanks all, please comment and share with facebook friends :)

outside the comfort zone

2011-09-19T03:49:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

It was the first time in 6 months i had heard my own heart-beat, there was a silence, i sat there (waiting for everyone to arrive) laying down and contemplating sleep. This was to be my first proper yoga session and i was nervous - i assumed i would be really crap and fall over to the amusement of my supple instructor and her rubber friends. I was wrong, i did ok and nobody laughed. In fact i really liked it and will make it regular.

A great way to de-stress

Don't worry im not gonna start sipping wheatgrass and complaining about there are no good vegan cafes in Singapore. I liked it because i absolutely needed it - my body needs it. Its challenging and really good for me... winner, winner, chicken dinner.

I wasnt exactly in the zone/moment or in a perfect state of calm, in fact when the instructor (sonja) ask if we were thinking of anything and to cast away thoughts, i was thinking of how Yogi Bear sounds like Yoga and would he ever need to attempt it? the mind is a weird place.

"See ya Boo-Boo... Gotta run to my class!"

After 45 minutes of determined struggle we got to the last movement - a back-bend (which sounds unappealing to someone who has taken up yoga because he has a stiff back) but i nailed it because i had tricep strength and some couldnt because they had none! oh the irony. As Sonja explained the technique of the move, she explained that everything we had done in class that day (twists, holds, stretches) was to prepare and make the back-bend easier. As she said that, i thought 'blog idea'.

Preparing to do work

The 'yogees' (collective group name for annoying rubber people) spent 45 minutes preparing to practise for 1 challenging move and i thought:

"Should we take this philosophy into our own training?"

Maybe 45 minutes for one single move is a bit excessive in the gym environment but that doesn't have to happen. Even 5-10 minutes of planned, selected drills can increase the performance of the big lifts.

For example, Bench pressing

Before a heavy bench press it would be a good idea to prepare thoroughly:

- Activate the surrounding muscles (serratus anterior, muscles of the rotator cuff, scapula, mid traps)

- Manuoevre our feet in contact with the floor to assist the lift (biomechnical advantage)

- Draw shoulder blades together to create a stronger base (support)

Then lift.

Excellent benching technique involves the whole body

Q: So how come that hardly ever happens? A: Poor preparation and lazy training practises.

Other gym examples to use:

Leg training - Blood flow to the lower body (cycle), joint mobilzation (ankle, knee and hip), exercise rehersal (bodyweight squats and lunges, muscle activation (glutes, adductors)

Sample 10 minute leg warm up for heavy leg training

- 5 minutes cycle (light 30s intervals)

- Ankle rolls, knee circles, hip rotations

- 20 bodyweight squats, 20 reverse lunges, 20 side step and touches

- 1 leg glute raise, side band walks, step-over drill

Simples?

Take home mesage:

1: Determine what the main focus of the session is: (e.g. upper body lifting)

2: Prepare properly for it: (e.g. upper body mobility, muscle activation, warm up/feeler sets)

Not only will this improve your success in the exercise but it will be safer and decrease the chance of injuries.

How long do you take to warm up?

Do you have a general routin or is it focused towards the training? maybe this blog will make you think about changing.

See you next time :)

Check out my new facebook fitness page (currently under development):

https://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=hpskip#!/pages/Nathan-Williams-Fitness-and-Nutrition/277605628921706

please 'like' to receive further blogs, articles, etc

final practise - back bends

everything we did was designed to prepare for the set move of that day, apply this thinking to training.

legs - glute act

shoulders - mobility/stabilzation

Dog tales

2011-09-15T01:07:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Im officially back writing the blog after as summer break. A busy PT schedule has made me switch priorities for a while and look to concentrate on generating business for myself and not spend so much time doing other things. The blogs will remain shorter and stay frequent, i will be adding them to a facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nathan-Williams-Fitness-and-Nutrition/277605628921706

Please 'like' this and suggest to your friends who may like it.

The page is still in its infancy but pretty soon it will include videos and articles, a link to my new business interest http://www.24sports.tv/ where you can find a ton of videos and free stuff from a group of talented trainers from the UK. Also links to Herbalife, a supplement brand i have now affiliated with. I am really new to the brand myself but am committed to trying it out and giving my clients/friends the best possible advice towards a healthier lifestyle, Herbalife fills in the gaps regards nutrition.

Anyway, today i noticed something that i thought would be a great blog... My dog, Monkey.

"what you looking at?"

Before turning into a sloppy post about my new best mate, hear me out - i have a point coming. I looked at his life and daily habits and tried to work out if i could learn something about myself.

A day in the life of a whippet...

- Wake up at 7am and sometimes have a very small meal

- Light nap around 9am for an hour

- Ideally will walk in the morning with some sprints (usually afternoon)

- Large feeding and bowl of water, with treat

- Longer nap

- Evening feed

- Laze around until bed time and repeat.

Lets break that down...

Nutrition:

He eats 3 small meals (all the same food - high protein) omega 3 supplement for joints and snacks on small pieces of fruit/veggies we give him or spare ribs bones.

If every human ate like that, there wouldn't be any nutrition coaches! its almost paleo and perfect for a lean athlete's needs. Obviously if you have crappy food around the house, you will feed your dog the left-overs of crappy food - there is always lots of fresh veggies around so i regularly give him carrots/apples and he loves it. Stick to low calorie/high nutrient snacks.

Exercise:

Dont forget the core training!

Not all dogs are made equal (like humans) but his exercise routine is flawless. 10 minutes of explosive sprints and multi-directional running. Various random jumping. I guess its a bit like fartlek training. Again, if your a lazy git who wont get up and run around with your dog, he will be out-of-shape and reserach shows he wont be that happy
.
Recovery:

Nothing like a good night's sleep!

Sleep is an important phase of the growth/recovery cycle and this breed of dog loves to sleep - as all top athletes should. When i get a client who tells me they struggle sleeping i almost always now im going to have trouble with them. Be it lack of focus/energy at the gym and the poor lifestyle choices that usually accompany lack of sleep. These clients are notoriously harder to get results with.

Happiness/stress:

Reading all of the above and Monkeys general demeanour, i would hazard a guess that he is a very happy dog. He has virtually no stress (apart from loud noises and local cats) and has a great routine - and he is starting to really grow (taller) and learn (obedience) as he gets older.

Conclusion

My point is that if we try to copy Monkeys' basic exercise routine we would all surely get results. If you are highly stressed, dont exercise, eat poorly and dont sleep well - all areas of your life will suffer. Conversely, if you have a balanced exercise regime, eat 90% healthy foods, take regular naps and get a full nights sleep you will put your body and mind in the correct environment to grow, learn and improve in all areas of your life.

Is your life similar to Monkeys? Or are you "over-living"?

I know over the first half of 2011, mine was definately NOT and i was worse for it. Now i look to take breaks in the afternoon, take my nutrition seriously and follow a balanced routine that promotes recovery and well as training stress.

Share this with Facebook friends (and normal friends) :)

Experts?

2011-07-29T02:24:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Since i wrote last i have been keeping it busy... writing for fitnorama (Learning from the pro's -Part 2: Martin Rooney). I you dont know http://www.fitnorama.com/ is an online fitness E-zine with articles from 'in-the-trenches' PTs and coaches on all contemporary gym stuff. My learning from the pros series (in my opinon) is a really great way to see how the top coaches train people, the cliff notes for their brains if you will. Check it out if you want an alternative fitness read direct to your Iphone.

My blog today is short-ish and sweet-ish. Its about 'experts'. When and how can people call themselves experts? I have a theory i will share later.

Real-life situations:

Newbie trainee is looking to put some mass on and wants someone to train with, he looks around and sees the biggest guy in the gym and asks his advice, he assumes that he is the 'muscle building' expert, right?

Client walks into the gym and wants to get in amazing shape, he seeks out the leanest, best looking trainer and assumes they are the 'fat-loss' expert, correct? (thats a tougher call)

What are you thoughts on that?

"You must complete 10,000 hours of anything to become an expert" Mike Boyle

Very rarely do i disgaree with the great man but that would mean we were all eating experts by now? And im pretty sure there are guys still performing crap gym sessions year-after-year which are far from 'expert'.

Anyway, my theory about being an expert is about 'transformation' and going against genetics, hear me out.

Take Vince DelMonte:

Self named "Skinny Vinny"

Now, IFBB pro physique competitor

Take Eric Cressey:

The worlds thinnest man (and picture!)

Result = Muscle Building expert

Turned into a World record holding powerlifter

Result = Strength training expert

There are many more examples im sure but these are 2 of my favourites because its 2 guys in the industry who have turned themselves into world class 'experts' of their respective fields by personally transforming.

Conclusion

The leanest guys in the gym may be born like that - (i see enough ripped dudes doing crappy workouts to suggest that this is real!), the biggest guy in the gym may be taking steroids (or may just be naturally big people). Therefore these guys/girls are not 'experts' they are just fortunate to naturally possess the gifts that you want.

Find out what people have done and how they got to where they are today - it will give you a much better opinion of whether they are an 'expert' at something or just lucky that they picked the right parents!

Mens health/fitness magazines are a waste of money!

2011-07-15T02:16:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

I have been thinking of a new approach for the blog. Im trying to post as many original ideas as i can. A short while back i read Mens Health and couldn't help but feel like i'd wasted money because i had read all the same articles before.

- Eat quinoa for better carbs

- The best chest workout ever

- How to get Abs this summer

And so on... It never changes. So firstly i will plug the E-zine i write for http://www.fitnorama.com/ as i genuinely believe its as good a fitness read as you'll find today. Simply, because its 'in the trenches' PTs writing about contemporary gym issues. We all know by now that quinoa is good for us!

Anyway the real blog title is 'Man in the mirror'.

Heee Heee! Shamon mutha-fucka!

But its (unfortunately) nothing to do with Leigh Francis' amazing "Bo Selecta" MJ puppet! Its about training goals.

What are you training for?

Not really sure, General fitness, Weight gain, Fat loss.

All standard answers but how do you decide on this? How do you genuinely know. Im gonna introduce a new way of goal setting called 'man in the mirror'. (told you i was making up new shit didn't I?)

Now if you have answered the above question with:

"Im only training for performance, i dont care what i look like"

I would say thats great, but i would also not believe you. Everyone (to some degree) would love to look at themselves and see a great physique. Everyone.

If you disagree, make a comment. But before you do, ask yourself this - If you don't get paid to compete/perform... what the hell are you spending that much time training/dieting for? Dont answer 'my health' because i don't believe that one either!

Its just my opinion but i think 99% people train to look good, the other 1% are professional competitors or taking the moral high road for no apparent reason - just admit it. Personal confession 1:

I started training when i was 14 (in my garage) to get girls attention...

Thats right Monkey man, deal with that.

But I digress...

Man in the mirror exercise

Step 1: Stand in front of a full length mirror with just underwear on. Obviously, at home and not in Debenhams! They dont like that too much.

Step 2: Be brutally honest with what you like/dont like.

- This can be a great way to choose a goal for all sorts of people from Bodybuilders, Women, Overweight, underweight, etc.

If you cant be brutally honest, then get a friend/*spouse who will have an impartial opinion.

*Spouse opinions do carry a severe health warning, probably best a friend does it!

"I meant your ass looks 'nice' and big"

What to expect/What to do?

Think your too thin? Have a look at adding 500-1500 calories of quality food to your daily menu.

Think your too fat? Add in extra cardio sessions and/or change your training to a more metabolic nature

Legs too small? Construct a training program that emphasises lower body.

Upper body too small? Construct a training program the emphasises upper body.

Look like shit? analyse your diet/work/sleep/lifestyle patterns. Make changes for improved health

You can be as specific as you want, only YOU truly know what you want to look like. Identify it and train accordingly.

Personal confession 2: Last week i tried this out and my honest assessment on myself was:

(Ultimate training goal: to get back to single digit BF% and stay there).

Mirror exercise showed:

1) Legs are good size possibly too big for the rest of the body, need to lean out if anything

Include seated bike in training program

2) Bodyfat ok but needs to go down again - *Major Goal*

Add in metabolic/cardio sessions, also 'wind-in' the diet to more strict - little or no alcohol for next month.

3) Shoulders need more work

Include some direct shoulder work

4) Triceps dominate biceps

More direct bicep work, less tricep work - possibly stay away from presses for next month, include flyes for chest?

5) Calves too small against upper legs

Include calf work into each session - heavy/low rep & light/high rep

6) Looking pale! (seriously)

Need to get in sunbathing time on day off!

Step 3: Make your own list and include solutions in a training plan

From my list, you can tell im training for summer - but thats where my head is at right now. My training plan will look different but its what i've identified as being my current visual weaknesses. My current training program has metabolic circuits with core & biceps included. I have calf/shoulder supersets in every session and perform some form of cardio before and after. All around some staple lifts (Push, pull, Lunge) to create some pretty good training sessions.

Performance has been put aside as im not really hitting big calories (see fat loss) so i have no real set numbers in terms of rowing/bike/run/skip sessions - just RPE scale on how im feeling that day.

What are you training for?

Does your current training plan focus on your specific goals? if not - change it today :)

Assessing client condition: How gym sessions should begin

2011-07-12T06:38:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Just a quick one here while i'm in between sessions.

Recently i have been noticing a drop in performance in some of my clients, due to a number of different factors:

- work stress

- lack of sleep

- partying too much

- in need a holiday

The list goes on...

Read people as they walk into the gym

How do i know this?

I spend the first 3-5 minutes of every session chatting to them as they go through a light CV build up. For the most part i try to get everyone to complete 700-1000m on the concept 2 @ 60-70% effort. For my low-level guys/girls its the X-trainer.

Whether you agree in 3-5 minutes steady state exercise to start sessions or not, it allows me to assess the physical and mental condition my client is in before i continue with the day's training plan. If i see/hear something that is off, i immediately change/adjust the session accordingly.

How can you adjust?

- Prolonged warm up.

I have had sessions start with mobility and stay right there on the warm up mat for an hour. Sometimes you just need to lay off your clients when they are not feeling great.

Usually my sessions involve a group of flexible cheerleaders

- Use alternative exercises.

Last week i had a 1000m trial row scheduled in for my client JD. He said to me early that he wasn't feeling too good before we started the session, so i changed the finisher to maximum set of inverted rows and max push ups. Still challenging but a lot less likey to make him throw up!

- Re-schedule the session

Hopefully, your clients are gonna be with you for the long haul and you should care about their day-to-day health enough to call it off when its not right. Just today (friday), My client SL text me 'can we do earlier, im so tired... i can drag myself there now but not later' i replied 'see you monday'.

Hopefully, she knows i have her best interests at heart.

How do you start your sessions? I seen someone open up their session with a heavy set of bench press this week, classic :)

My influences

2011-07-01T01:57:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Im quite excited to write this next blog as it involves some of my favourite people in the world, people who have influenced different parts of my training life and also people who i am (apparently) mentoring and inspiring! but as always, i have a quick rant...

...The blogs just wouldn't be the same would they?

Here is a bit of 'Functional training 101' for you.

STEP 1: Take a client through a basic movement pattern, lets say the (bodyweight) Squat.

STEP 2: Assess if they can perform this basic movement correctly.

If they can, move to STEP 3.

If they cant, move to STEP 4.

If you haven't got a 'Scooby f*cking Doo' what your doing, move to STEP 5.

STEP 3: Program in this movement into a balanced training plan, with some relevant exercise/progressions in line that person's ability. For example, Dumbell Squat.

STEP 4: Have a look whats going wrong. Have they got tight hips? Do their heels rise? Is it a strength issue? Find this out and regress the movement. This is called corrective exercise.

Uncle Scoobs just loves to write shit exercise programs.

STEP 5: Grab your encyclopedia of pointless exercises and randomly choose an exercise that is *more difficult than a basic squat.

*This is important, as you want your client to look really stupid and potentially injure them

STEP 6: Grab a BOSU ball... wait let's grab 2 BOSU balls (thats real training!) and get your client to jump between them. Use whatever sets, technique and rep scheme you like... because lets face it, you have made it up so far so why stop?

STEP 7: Be sure to make some useless observation like 'Ooooh yeah, your ankle propreception looks a little off on the right side... the knee looks weak too"

NO F*CKING SHIT, SHERLOCK!!! They are balancing between 2 plastic fucking balls!!! Arrrggghhh.

Seriously, use the swiss ball and BOSU as tools for progressions for clients who can perform the basics correctly. You may aswell call jumping between 2 BOSU's a 'Twat jump'. Because that's what the people who do them look like.

Ok i'm done. If anyone disagrees with that rant, i really would love to hear your opinion on it?

Brian thought balancing on a BOSU would get him all the hot chicks... Wrong!

Hahahaha....Onto todays blog. All through my life i have been influenced by people. Im going to specifically mention those who have shaped my physical career other wise we could be here all day.

In chronological order...

Gavin Williams

My brother is not a fitness guru (like I) but he did regularly kick my ass in most things. Before you call childline and get them to investigate him, i think its a massive advantage to have a big brother to chase around, try to impress and eventually try to beat. My dad would tell us not to fight in the house... and instead go kick shit out of each other in the garden, he even bought us boxing gloves to do the job (what a guy!). I still remember knocking him (Gavin, not my dad) out over the armchair with a straight left - i think its the only time he was down in his career? (thats my story anyway)

He-Man

Looking back at things, He-Man was obviously on the gear!

Come to think of it....

So was skeletor!!!

My early memories involved getting up extra early to watch various 80s cartoons (perhaps a future blog?). He-Man was one of my top picks. Yes he had a dodgy haircut but he walked around at about 210lbs & 6% bodyfat year-round, carryied a massive sword and rode on a wild cat - what's not to love? What a guy! At the time, he was undoubtedly the hardest guy in the universe and im convinced he was my earliest influence in the muscle and fitness world.

Carl Weathers

Everyone loved Rocky, i loved Apollo Creed. I still look back on those early films and i must have been influenced by Carl Weathers' physique. He looked like the perfect athlete. Also in Predator with Arnie, he was still bang in shape... definately one of my teenage influences in terms of what a physique should look like.

"Dillon... You son of a bitch!"

Gary Lucitt

My old friend and sometimes training buddy. We nicknamed him 'Dr Death' which im not sure he likes. Gary was an awesome training partner who would never allow you to beat him... even when you actually beat him. I remember him claiming to be faster than me, we raced, i won comfortably and he still claimed that he was faster than me! You cant teach that self-belief. I also remember coming home from some time away in the Royal Navy and GL had mysteriously gained phenomenal size and strength? Such was the intensity of our competiton, i proceeded to try and match him on leg press with what seemed like an impossible weight... i ended up with my knees past my ears! and nearly got crushed, that would have indeed been a warriors death. Best not mention anymore. Haha!!

Patrick Dale

I was incredibly lucky to have an amazing group of instructors at Premier training in Cyprus in 2006. I can't say enough how much these guys influenced and started my career. I left Cyprus full of it! I knew more than i ever did, i read everyday and was eager to learn more - i haven't really stopped. Patrick Dale stood out for me as the best speaker i had ever listened to, plus he would hang around us lunch-times/after class to train and get involved in the crazy session me and my new fitness clique were developing (Matt Szwinto, Alex Manos, Richie Luxemburg). He introduced me to T-Nation (which is still a pivotal moment for me) and years later has got me my first writing gigs (Ultra-fit.co.uk & Fitnorama). Im now proud to say we are colleagues and good friends.

A mentor that truly 'walks the walk'

Eric Cressey

I had shoulder pain for about 3 years, people would ask what was wrong, my own admission was often "my shoulder is f*cked, i need surgery". Enter Eric Cressey. I emailed Eric about my shoulder and became an online client, he explained what was wrong with my shoulder and wrote some smart programs that gave me some pain relief and performance, I still use the Cressey Performance system to this day. In 2010 i visited the guys at Cressey performance and learned how they did things. What a week! my hands and forearms hurt like hell! but i did win a pull up competition with 19 reps. That about the only thing i came out top in that week, the guys there are machines.

If you ever fancy walking into a gym and instantly become the weakest guy who trains there, Check out Cressey Performance in Hudson, MA.

Martin Rooney

Martin Rooney is probably harder than you.

After being completely impressed with Martin's seminars in Rhode island in 2010. I learned that he had wrestling background, had trained extensively in Muay Thai for over a decade, was a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and also a black belt in Judo. Any of you MMA fans out there will know that those skills are pretty kick-ass at any level.

I have adopted a lot of Martin's bodyweight conditioning since last year and my clients love the variation and combinations with traditional resistance stuff. After the seminar, i hung around like a crazy stalker and talked to him about 'how much PT is enough for a day' he signed my "Training for Warriors" book and spoke to me for about and hour - what a top bloke. I heard someone say of him recently "he makes everyone feel like you're his best friend" - i know the feeling.

The next 2 have influenced my writing style

Tony Gentilcore

If you want to read some top quality fitness information and have a laugh at the same time, read Tony G's blog http://www.tonygentilcore.com/ I definately read some of his stuff about 2 years ago and thought that this was the style i wanted to bring to my own blog. Direct, Ballsy, funny and effective. When i met him at Cressey Performance - he was over the moon...

"Great, you guys are from ENG-ER-LAND.. now i can use the word WANKERS all week"

Oh yeah, and Tony can lift some heavy shit!

John Romaniello

Roman admits this shot is all about the lighting!!!

What can you say? The guy is in top shape, writes funny blogs and is more than happy to have a cheat day in the name of the hormone leptin! Thats enough about me...

John Romaniello is in top shape, writes funny blogs and is more than happy to have a cheat day in the name of the hormone leptin!

Check out http://www.romanfitnesssystems.com/ you wont be dissapointed.

Influences that missed the cut...

Hulk Hogan, Lion-O (Thundercats), Optimus Prime (Transformer), Arnold Schwarzenneger, Sylvester Stallone, Andre Agassi, Robin Smith (cricketer), Mr Motivator (GMTV), Bill Phillips, The Ultimate Warrior.

My Proteges

Leigh Withers

Leigh has been a close friend for the past 20 years and has been a PT for approximately the last 5 years. Leigh ended up replacing me at Fitness First in Bahrain and still works there with around 30+ training clients of all ages and backgrounds. I guess from his own reading and career path, he has a very simliar style to me. Which obviously i am a fan of. I wasn't actually aware that i was a mentor until he told me via email about 2 months ago. Brilliant. Check out his fitness page for 'almost' daily updates on everything health and fitness.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=hpskip#!/JLWithersPT

Lullu Murali

Lullu (Charlie) Murali was putting away weights as a "red-shirt" in Fitness First about 2-3 years ago but had an unbelievable self-belief that he could one day be a top trainer. Today, He is the Head Trainer at The Royal Golf Club in Bahrain with over 25 clients.

How? Turning up every day to a job and getting noticed. When i was looking for a right hand man to join me at the golf club, Leigh Withers (above) said "this is your man" and he hasn't looked back. I had nothing but positive praise from clients and staff about Lullu during my time as manager In Bahrain.

Rebecca Scott-Martin

More recently, my girlfriend and relative newbie PT Rebecca has claimed to be influenced by me! She loves the job and if you can believe this... will sometimes bore me with fitness chat at home!! (not really) all i can say is that it took me about 5 years to acquire all the tools i use now, she has learned all that in her first 6 months - to add to a certification from Premier Training UK.

Its great to see her religiously train through Eric Cressey's "Maximum Strength" program at the gym. Bench press, Deadlifts, Squats, etc. She will start at Pure's new facility in November as one of the top trainers and could 'possibly' out lift most of the guys on Deadlift and Squat. That's hot!

Sorry for the long one guys, im taking (maybe) a whole month off my blog to concentrate all my spare writing time on my book i have been working on, not sure how it will pan out but im committed to getting a version finished asap!

Share with FB friends and enemies :)

See ya soon

The mask of fitness

2011-06-24T01:40:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

When i arrived in the Middle East (Dubai) in Feb 2007, i went for a stroll which took me literally into the middle of the desert. There i came across a mosque during, at that exact time, prayer time. The prayer noise was amazing, it was so foreign, it made me feel like i was a million miles away from home - i loved it.

My first visit to the Middle East, Dubai.

Last week, i was walking home (in Singapore's red light district) and heard beautiful music coming from a buddhist street temple, the monks were chanting and playing music. Again, it made me realise that im a stranger here in Asia, but the moment was, without sounding cheesy... 'magical'. This moment was somewhat spoiled a minute later when i was propositioned by a lady of the night who was 'working' that street. I regretfully declined (.. i had an early session the next morning!) and made my way home. You gotta love Geylang - so diverse!

But i digress...

If your in or around the fitness industry enough, you may have heard the following saying:

"Fatigue masks Fitness"

Well, just for this blog i'm going to introduce my own spin on this quote that seems to be relevant in my life right now and today's fitness industry:

"Fatigue masks Creativity"

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

In my opinion, in any walk of life, too much of anything can be a bad thing. take PT for example, I have started to do 8 or more sessions a day over a 6 day week, which is great financially - but i often feel 'beaten up' mentally and physically at the end of the day... to the point where other areas of my life will suffer or become non-existent.

What's the answer? Is there a 'sweet spot' for productivity and balance?

A 5 day week is probably the right balance in most jobs. 1 day off to do some errands/house work and the other day to relax and get some recovery for the week ahead.

In terms of PT, i think that the 'sweet spot' of daily sessions is 5 hours... 6 at the most. After 6 i really feel that a PT becomes a fitness moron with a clipboard. Enthusiam wanes a little and the mind starts to wander.

Think about this... If you do 8+ sessions in one day, one or more of the following things will definately happen:

- You will not eat correctly
- You will not train correctly
- You will become mentally tired
- You will not have time/energy to read or learn new things

In my opinion, all the above points are essential traits that a 'good' PT should have. Eating well, training well, being focused and continually learning to better serve your clients.

I cant really comment about standard 'desk' jobs but im guessing that out of 8-9 hours in a typical working day, there is about 60-90 minutes of high quality focus and effectiveness! which begs the question...

What hell do people do during a 9-5pm shift?

"I'll be home late tonight honey, Im so busy at work"

Not sure where im going with this one so thats the end. Id love to hear some comments from people with all sorts of jobs.

Do you feel you could do your job in less time? Does over-working effect the way in which you approach your job? How do you feel on Monday mornings compared to Friday afternoons?

The fact that you are reading my blog means that you have time to do things, hopefully this is part of your day that you use for 'continued education'. But i doubt it!

To all the people who read my blog, please leave a comment either here or on Facebook link, start a debate :)

The 'Charisma Man' Workout

2011-06-16T06:26:00.000-07:00

Just a little bit of fun for todays blog...

Have you ever encountered "Charisma Man"?

Charisma Man is massive in Japan

If you have lived and worked in Asia, chances are you have seen numerous 'gentlemen le charisma magnifique' in all workplaces, nightclubs, etc.

Basically, Charisma Man is a normal, weedy, nerd-like character back home who gets no attention from girls. He struggles with all social situations. Yet when he steps off the plane in Asia, he turns into a muscular, handsome social magnet - attracting the attention of every asian girl around him!

Charisma Man lands in Japan!

But life is not so straight forward for CM. Every now and then he bumps into arch-enemy "Evil Western Woman" who exposes him for the skinny geek he really is!

In the new gym where i work "Pure fitness Singapore" there is an ever-growing appreciation society for CM and recently i noticed that some of the guys were training specifically to achieve that 'charisma man look' for evenings out. Back home i think we use to call it 'saturday sets' or 'disco training'. Here we now call it the Charisma man workout.

The goal

Simples... Pump as much blood into the 'T shirt muscles' to create the illusion that you are actually that muscular all through the day. Here, we are calling it the 'Charisma effect' which is useful in any night spots/social gathering.

The charisma principles

1. No leg training! are you insane? Leg training is for athletes! Nobody asks to see your lower body development on the dance-floor, All upper, all anterior!

2. No sleeves! A Vest MUST be worn when completing the Charisma man workout. Tank tops are ok - but vest preferable.

3. Forced reps on every set... get the full charisma pump!

4. You can never perform enough chest exercises in one session.

"i have definitely felt the charisma man effect after this workout! Usually i would attract 3-5 different females on any given night in Singapore, now its easily in the double figures. I always use the charisma principles in the gym before hitting the town... why wouldn't you?"

Ben Salter, Pure Fitness Manager and Singapore charisma man

Are you ready to multiply your charisma by 300% in one session? lets begin...

A1. Bench press 4 x 10

Great start to getting a big charismatic chest pump, slam on the weights - forget about form and depth! stroke your ego and throw as much weight on the bar as you think would impress the other guys watching you smash through these sets! Rest for 2 minutes between sets by texting friends and potential lady targets of your possible locations that evening.

B1. Incline DB press (supersetted with DB flye) 3 x 12/12

Had enough chest? See principle 4 above. Sculpt your pecs with this great combo, ease down on the weight and squeeze hard on each rep for a full charisma pump.

C1. Seated shoulder press 2 sets x max

Want 2 cannonballs filling your XS shirt this weekend? perform 2 sets of this shoulder exercise to maxm the ladies will appreciate it in a few hours time.

D1. DB front raise (supersetted with Cable side raise) 3 x 10/10

Its all about the pump! slow and controlled until you can see veins coming through your skin... dont stop the set until someone in the gym shouts:

"Oh my god, that guys' shoulders are ridiculous!"

Time to bring out the big guns.....!

"When i first arrived in Singapore i had no charisma, i was down on my luck and needed a change. Some of the guys taught me the charisma principles and girls started to talk to me. I also use the workout on mondays to top-up from the weekend, just in case"

"Big" Ron Hannerfield, Pure fitness sales manager

E1. Cable tricep extension (supersetted with Standing DB bicep curls)

Fill your sleeves with this arm combo! use a weight that you can swing up... forget technique, you are charisma man and your in the 'gun-show' so start shooting!

F1. EZ reverse curls into EZ curls (20 reps each)

More guns? why not! slam this combo and turn your slow-worms into pythons... "train for the vein!"

Thats it, fellow Charisma men, go forth and attract more women. They deserve you!

Did Arnold really f*ck things up?

2011-06-14T02:12:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

As you know im starting to write shorter, concise (or if you went to University and walk around with a dash more self-importance than most folk - succinct) blogs which means i can communicate smaller messages, more frequently.

Recently, i started re-listening to my seminar list while on the way to work. Which now allows me to learn for about an hour a day - every day! Although this is not part of the todays message - you may want to purchase an audio book on health, nutrition, life coaching, time management, finances or anything that will make your life a little better. Every minute you spend commuting can now be turned into 'learning time'. How do you think i get such awesome ideas for blogs?

Apart from me actually being awesome.

"I dont know how to put this but... im kind of a big deal"

Did arnold really f*ck things up?

Arnold Schwarzenneger is one of my hero's. Fact.

Early Arnold

Just watch the documentary "Pumping Iron", if that doesn't make you want to wear a dodgy low-cut vest, get in the gym and start throwing out some extra heavy/possibly bad-form shoulder raises while screaming "i love the pump" then we cant be friends. Its brilliant. Its hard not to see why the guy did so well in his life/career. The confidence, charm and humour... anyway im here to ask a different question.

150 years ago, we trained like warriors - 'functional' training was simply training. There were no rubber bands, bosu balls, cable machines, etc. All they had was heavy bags, kettlebells, the human body and other assorted heavy shit to pick up and use. Life was good, hard but good.

Then came the 70's, Arnold, Ridiculous vests/hotpants combo's and the aerobic era. Training got diluted to 'working out' and we all became a little weaker. People started inventing new ways to get fit...

So much wrong with this training scene to comment

There is too much crazy Bshit to mention, the latest one i laughed at was the 'Shaking Dumbell', i dont care what it does, its sounds like a gimmick and you would look like a twat using it.

Maybe it wasn't all bad?

It seems now the fitness industry is returning to more primitive forms of training. We have had enough of the chrome and spandex... its time to get down and dirty again. I personally get excited when i see a gym that looks more a like a dungeon than hairdresser's salon.

Modern day gym

So my questions are...

Did Arnold really f*ck things up?

Did his era create a style of training that was more SHOW than GO?

Or is he (arnold) the reason we are all interested in health and a better body image?

Answers on a postcard please

Share with Facebook friends and enemies :)

Currently the biggest mistake in the gym...

2011-06-08T00:27:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

From now on the length of my blogs will probably be reduced.

Ok, ok... its not that bad

Partly because:

- Im really busy again with PT sessions

- Im really starting to get back into my own education again (podcasts, books, new training styles im looking at)

- Finally, I have agreed to write 2 series of articles for Ultra-fit.co.uk and Fitnorama E-mag

You will definately be hearing more on them from me and i will direct you to the artciles when they are live.

Series 1 is called 'Personal Trainer' and will run until they tell me to stop. Its going to be a look at all aspects of the job from all different sides.

Series 2 is called "what i learned from the Pros" and this will be the highlights of learning from all the fitness professionals that have influenced my training career so far. The first article is on Eric Cressey and mostly looks at strength training - check it out when it goes live and you will instantly learn a ton of new (and possibly old) stuff to include in your training or programming.

Strength expert Eric Cressey

Ok, onto todays 'quicker' topic...

The current worst habit im seeing in my gym is weight selection. I have been amazed by the complete lack of technique on most people in my new gym and the problem seems to be EGO-related.

I stood next to a gym member last week, performing the same exercise (Dumbbell side raises... Hey give me a break! im just finishing up a bodybuilding phase!) only he was far weaker and lifting 3 Dumbbells heavier than me... trust me when i say this. I make sure i have good form in everything, i dont compromise on technique and dont mind admitting if i haven't got a weight. Fact.

The gym member in question was doing what i would called 'partial reps' at best. It looked truly awful. Even worse was the idiotic cheering of his mate claiming "all yours brother" or "thats massive mate"...

Correction: THAT IS ACTUALLY SHIT.

http://www.assisted-bench-turns-into-heavy-curl.com/

Forced reps not only look terrible, they dont give any indication of strength gain and if over-subscribed can lead to quicker injuries and burn-out for the inexperienced lifters. I now conciously move a step away from my clients when they are lifting:

A - Because i do actually want it to be 'all them'

B - I normally know (through sensible progressions/programming) what they will be able to do... i rarely go into a set not-knowing if i 'have it' for myself or my clients. Some may call that holding off, i call it sensible PTing. The last time i checked i have no clients who make a living on the number of kgs on any given lifts.

How much can you bench?

Before answering that... ask yourself who really gives a f*ck? If you are an average gym members with goals to 'look good naked' it shouldn't be an important factor.

Conclusion

Be sensible, check in a mirror and be honest with (technique) failure. Log it down, recover well (eating/nutrition/lifestyle) until you hit the same movement again and try to do more. Simples.

Thats the most fundamental aspect of strength training.... progressive overload. If your lifting the same Dumbbells as you were 2 years ago, you're doing something wrong.

Share with Facebook friends and comment.

De-Constructing Group exercise: Part 1 - BodyPump

2011-05-26T00:19:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, especially the bus-drivers of Singapore!

"Im not telling you where this bus stops.... ever!"

I would like to take a few moments at the start of this blog to pay tribute to the skill, manner and professionalism of this elite group of people. For those of you who know me and my humour, you may have guessed that i am actually TAKING THE PISS.

So I am on the bus (don't ask - i just was), the journey is horrible... I won't mention ethnic groups to avoid seeming racist but there were groups of ******* and ******* people in this bus, rubbing next to me... touching me. One ****** gentleman even had the audacity to casually throw his arm up to use the overhead handle, thrusting his arm-pit near my newly-shaven face. The smell was, well.... pretty FUNKY. To be honest it was f*cking gross.

Anyway, 45 minutes later (all on my feet BTW) i'm ready to kill someone. I ask the bus driver where the stop was for my destination. He looked at my as if i had just shown him a severed hand.

Top O' the morning to Ya!

Driver: "No, No stop"

NW: "Where is the stop for Turf City?"

Driver: "No, No stop"

NW: "Ok, where is the stop nearest to Turf City, so i may walk the remainder of the journey?" (I turn into a polite englishman abroad when i'm very annoyed and my language is excellent!)

(Take into consideration, i have told myself if he says 'No, no stop' again, i'm ready to take him out... and probably the rest of the bus)

Driver: "No, No..........."

NW: "Arrrrrrrggghhhhh!!!!! f*ckin' hell. Do your job!"

The bus stop i wanted was literally 3 short stops down the road with a massive TURF CITY THIS WAY!!! sign at the bus stop. I was so annoyed and confused.

This got me thinking about people and their jobs.

Do you really like your job?

Do you actually go into work and give your absolute best to that job every day? This bus driver knew his route, he does it every single day of his life, yet he didn't want to help me... i feel sad that he goes through his day/life with a shitty attitude to bus passengers' questions. It is an easy job - drive the bus and answer people's travel queries, but he couldn't even do that.

I hope he dies alone... wet and very cold (preferably in pain). I would gladly show him the correct stop for the nearest hospital/morgue - should we be on the same bus at the very same time that he is dying.

"Don't just be in your job/field/industry.... Be into it"

I have borrowed that from Martin Rooney's last blog... awesome fitness coach, you should check his stuff out. http://www.trainingforwarriors.com/ Love what you do and its amazing how days at "work" fly by.

Todays blog is slightly controversial and it will look at the 'dangers' and some of the short-comings of group exercise. When writing this i spoke to a few of the GroupX guys in my current gym. Let me say this before i go any further... They are (all the group exercise colleagues i have had the pleasure to work with) amazing people with a passion and skill to train large groups of people at the same time. They also entertain (something which i have been told that i dont do!) and excite their crowds into getting in shape. Im a fan of group X instructors... I certainly couldn't do what they do.

Whats not to love about 2 shiny people training in the rain? Double awesome.

BodyPump

I have tried this class a couple of times (literally twice) and thought it was good, challenging and useful. I understand how someone would include it into their weekly/monthy training schedule... i dont really understand the freaks that do 3-4 BodyPump classes a week (i think thats a recipe for disaster) and dismiss all other forms of exercise as inferior to BP.

The good - BP will give 'almost' a full body workout and it hits different tempo's which is good for basic strength and certainly improved muscular endurance. The fact that people will really end up 'loving' this class is a good thing (loving exercise will mean people will return and stay fit) although many become 'addicted' and miss out on other great forms of training. I will admit, as a concept i like BP a lot... but my argument would be that most people who take it should firstly be individually screened in exercise technique so that participation becomes safe for both client and Instructor. Unfortunately this doesn't happen.

The bad - When i say 'almost a full body session' I mean there is often no 'direct' hamstring tracks, which could lead to strength imbalances in the lower body with multiple BP classes per week/month. Yes there are deadlifts, but they way they are taught in the class emphasises the lower/upper back... which leads me to my final point. Technique. Also, most of the exercises are performed in one movement plane (Frontal); where the body should be trained through all 3 (Frontal, Sagittal and Tranverse) for a fully complete training program.

If i'm wrong on anything so far, Please call me on it? I want to know what you think.

The ugly - The main reason i would be a nervous wreck taking a class is because (as a PT) i'm meticulous about proper exercise technique (everyone should be!).

I can't believe this was a promotional picture to entice people into BodyPump!

Lady 1 (far left) seems ok, not sure why her feet are so close? (But no major worries)

Lady 2 (centre) will have a bad neck in about 4 weeks time from cranking her head up to watch herself

Lady 3 (right) looks like she has a bent back... but who cares! Its a great tune and there are 2000 more reps to go!! wooooppp wooooppp!!! The reason why she goes to the back of the class is probably because she is not very good exercise and wants to hide from everyone else in that particular class.

I genuinely believe that 'some' people go into classes to hide, especially the guys/gals in the back rows. They are not confident on the gym floor (for numerous reasons) and slip into a class where all the attention is seeked/demanded by the front row groupies - wearing the latest Les Mills Body Pump kit and matching headband/wristband set.

Front row 'BP groupie' with Les Mills sleeveless zip top and matching lady gloves... sweet!

Meanwhile, back in the local commercial gym.....

WOW! check out the tekkers on grandma! (front row left)... that looks high quality.

I honestly could have fun with this all day, but that would be un-productive. The catch about taking a class of 25 people is that you have to keep the show going. As an instructor, it is nearly impossible to keep a class full of people energised if he/she was continually correcting the weakest links of the group. How could you possibly know if someone in the back row was performing an exercise correctly with this view?

Answer: You can't even SEE the back row!

One more problem I have with BP (and warrants a blog of its own) is the depth of squats that are taught. Every time i look into a class i see shallow squat patterns (often with too much weight for the prescribed 3 minute tracks) which WILL lead to overworked Vastus Lateralis (side of quads for the lay person). In my experience, general PT clients i assess will struggle with the deep squat pattern because they are too tight, so i can assume the Group X/class crowd are no better. Every 'Pumper' i have had foam roll on their VL has nearly burst a spleen in pain. Its not a coincidence, Its a trend.

Foam rolling is not nice if you have tight VL (from shallow squat technique)

BodyPump Solutions

My goal of this blog was:

a) Make people laugh
b) Share some fitness knowledge
c) NOT to rubbish BodyPump as the devil!

therefore, my solutions for those who go to multiple BP classes per week would be:

1) Back off from 1 class per week and work on soft tissue/flexibility instead, Or take a Yoga class? It will result in a less painful and injury free future as well as promote better technique all around.

Read this for more info http://nathanwilliamstraining.blogspot.com/2010/12/for-fcks-sake-foam-roll.html

2) Foam roll and stretch before and after classes. Stretch what feels tight.

3) If unsure about anything, ask the instructor to keep an eye on you when you take the class, they will be happy to oblige (although you may face a fight with a 'BP groupie' for his/her front row space!)

This blog is getting lengthy so i will leave it and create Part 2: Spinning/RPM. Also my conclusion about group exercise/classes and what classes i think you should be doing.

I can't resist one more.....

"Look at me love... I can rep out barbell rows and take the piss the same time... woop woop, feel the burn!!

Please leave comments at the bottom, i love hate mail! Share with Facebook friends if you like this :)

Welcome to Singapore

2011-05-11T05:31:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Some time in late 2010 i made a massive personal decision to look for new pastures, a new challenge and a chance to carry on my travel and world fitness education. After having 2 offers from Hong Kong and Singapore (SNG), i decided to go with the latter... and it already seems like the right choice. When i was thinking about the content of this blog, i decided against comparing SNG and my former home, Bahrain. I loved my time there i never get into the habit of critising places i have lived or still have friends. Just like my home town, Llanelli. I honestly don't think i could ever live there again (for many reasons) but that doesn't mean i don't like the place.

Home, Sweet Home

Anyway, i digress.... These are the things i have noticed in my first month in SNG.

The first thing i noticed (quite literally) coming off the plane was the humid Climate. If you are a sweaty person, you would fit right in here... sweatin' hell! I have spent the first 2 weeks perspiring (posh name for sweating) and generally being warm. Im getting used to it i think, but locals tell me you cant get used to it - it just is. You sweat in SNG, you will have 3-4 showers per day, get over it.

As a walk to work everyday i pass locals engaging in exercises. People have an Active lifestyle here. Of course there are sedentary people everywhere and this place is no different, but i haven't noticed an abundance of seriously obese people yet, maybe because everyone walks around? Maybe because i work in a gym and i am generally around trimmer people? i pass the same guy every morning doing his 'old man exercises' which are tragic at best - but you know what, he is staying active, i respect the fact that he is off his ass and moving. When i walk home i pass an elderly Tai chi evening class every night, outdoor activities seem to be popular in my neighbourhood (insert red light district jokes here).

Locals love evening Tai Chi

The Food is excellent and really expensive in places. Its interesting to see what is cheap here - Salmon, spinach, Pak choy, organic vegetables are all foods you would pay a lot for in the UK, here they are great value. So no real excuses to overeat on bad foods. Supplements are an outrage! GNC have total dominance in the market and their prices are crazy. When the woman told me GNC standard gold whey was $S200 (100 quid) i nearly choked... "but its buy one, get one free this month" Yeah, i should f*cking hope so. Again, this gives me a chance to get back to proper nutrition and focus on whole foods. I am about to talk with Maximuscle about distributing their products which is great news - i've always liked their stuff and my clients will benefit from them too.

Alcohol is expensive, which is a great thing if you're trying to get back in shape. I don't actually mind this. There are happy hours and cheaper alternatives but i would have to drink on weekdays and in street food joints to take advantage.

Local drinking joints are street side and inexpensive

There is such a wide mix of People here that its hard to say generally what 'people' are like. Its a real blend of cultures and pretty cool to be a part of. Of course, i went to Boat Quay recently and was pleased to see the english 'culture' of getting rat-assed and being sick in public was still very much on display. Brilliant... we are a bunch of dicks with limited class really, aren't we?

I guess i am comparing Orchard Road against anything i saw in Bahrain by saying its nothing like it. The atmosphere, the crowds, the air... everything says more living. My old home does seem pretty dead when i think about it now, not that its a bad thing... its just a really different environment. I particularly enjoy the chirpy music that plays outside my gym each morning - it nearly puts me in a good mood, nearly.

Orchard Road at night

The Public transport system is amazing. Really easy, really cheap and always on time. If i go into this anymore i will be labelled as a bus/train pervert so thats all on that.

The gym is pretty cool, all the people who train here 'seem' to have the right idea about 'functional training' although it has made me re-think about the whole subject (maybe a should write a blog about it) I just see too much of... how can i put it?.... hmmmm.... "f*cking around" in gyms, yes perfect. I mean do you really need to balance on a bosu ball with one leg and do a shoulder press? What happened to a DB shoulder press? I hear fat people talking about the nuances of shoulder training when they should really lose some inches around the waist.

Some member, bless her... (sarcasm) tried to sell Spinning to my PT client while i was training him. Yeah cheers for that, my new 'office-worker' client who has bi-lateral hip tightness and resultant lower back issues really need to spend another hour of his day "smashing" an already tight left hip!!! Thats the thing about cereal-box philosphy, its dangerous in a gym. A little knowledge is dangerous, this lady obviously had it. But i digress....

Im talking about gym users here (and trainers). Basic movements are 'functional'. Squats, lunges, pulls, pushes, etc. It seems that the basics are being over-looked for the latest balancing act, it's bullshit. I honestly cant remember seriously using a bosu ball in the last 6 years - maybe they are good for something? Answers on a postcard below please!

Can you guess what is going to happen next?

I really like the bulgarian bag (like a sandbag) for fat loss circuits and the viper seems like a decent kit for a change of angles. I will add these to my fat loss circuits in time, but for now the correction/strength programming (which works) is still my go-to method for client success... Cheers to the guys at Cressey Performance for that!

Bodybuilding training is very much prevalent here in Singapore, which is surprising. Its been a while since i've trained in a genuine 'civvy' gym so maybe time has stood still and people still train like i used to when i was 18? I'm still to find out. Im seeing a lot of T-shirt muscles and big waists in my first month here and maybe its a reflection of the training/partying culture of ex-pats here? Read the latest T nation (www.t-nation.com) article by TC called "the testosterone principles - most bodybuilders look like crap" its a good read about the above topic.

Ok, thats me done. My next blog is going to offend some folk but its honestly how i feel about the subject: De-constructing group exercise classes

It should be controversial at the very least.

Share on FB, if you like this :)

How i gained 10kgs... Part deux

2011-04-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

If you're new to the blog or didn't read Part 1, here it is:

http://nathanwilliamstraining.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-i-gained-10kg-in-1-month-part-1.html

I suggest reading it first as this blog would make no sense. Its been a while coming but here is part 2 (or deux... because im a dick) of my "how i gained 10kgs in a month" blog.

Firstly, I would like to reply to the person/people who said my blog was "always negative" by saying a nice big "**** ***" and thanks for the feedback even though it is, absolutely useless. Probably like yourself. The blog is meant to be informative and lightly sarcastic in humour (my own brand) - if i have offended you by some of the content in the past then please allow me to say "**** ***" again!

How about making a comment below next time and start a real fitness debate? Not pass ridiculous comments to my friends about what you think of my writing - tell me in person and stop lurking on my blog - take some of the excellent advice here (and it is excellent) and use it for positive means or make some constructive feedback in the comments section. Rant over.

Stop lurking and make a constructive comment!

The Training

In a word - WOW! when i read what training we were going to do over the course of this program i must admit i wasn't looking forward to it, my training partner (Lou, a bodybuilder type) was licking his lips at the slow-tempo-extended rest bonanza that was about to happen! How wrong i was! I absolutely loved the sessions, they ended up as some of the hardest, most productive training sessions i've ever done. I was left completely wiped after each workout - but in a good way!

These are the guidelines:

- 1 max set of each muscle group, completing a minimum of 7 reps

- Lifting tempo is 5:5 @ 7 reps, thats a minimum set duration of *70 seconds

Slow, controlled tempo is the order of the day

*Try completing a 70 second set with a heavy weight at 5:5, let me know how that goes! Hard.com

- 3 minutes rest between each exercise

- NO cardio needed

- You should lift more weight or complete more reps at each training session.

A typical session might look like this:

- DB bench press

- Barbell row

- Squat

- Cable abdominal crunch

- Cable lat pulldown

- Barbell shoulder press

- Tricep pushdown

- DB bicep curls

Or whatever exercises/muscle groups you choose in any order.

There were a number of reasons why i think each session was so good, here are the best ones:

1. Rest

Think of every muscle building program you have been on. I'm guessing it had you training 4-6 times per week trying to hit every muslce group at least twice, possibly 3 times! the more the better, right? Well this programs' main focus is on total recovery after each session and the recovery time actually increases as the month goes on. From 2 days up to 4 days between training! Tim (author) actually experimented until his recovery time was an unbelievable 10 days!

Rest for 2 complete days between sessions 1, 2, 3 and 4... then rest 3 days between sessions 5, 6, 7 and 8... then rest 4 days and so on... We only trained 10 hours in 34 days!

Myth number 1 debunked: The more you train the bigger you get, it seems that this is not the case. Recovery is a massive (and often overlooked) factor in muscle growth.

You need your quality sleep to recover and grow

2. TUT

Over the course of my training career i have moved away from pure bodybuilding training (for different reasons i wont go into here). But, i have never critized bodybuilding training, after all its what made me fall in love with lifting weights, it changed my life. I think people get confused when training like a bodybuilder and the main concept that causes this confusion is time under tension (TUT). All top trainers/bodybuilders i'm sure know that to elicit the best muscular gains, sets have to be anything from 45-120 seconds. Yet the average set performed in the gym is about 20-25 seconds (thats my own guess).

So you can see that those guys looking for pure muscle gain are really missing the point when it comes to hypertrophy (muscle building) training.

This program does not allow you to have short set. Eventually we agreed that all sets were timed at 75 seconds and didn't bother with the reps.

3. Failure

How many people actually train to 'true failure' any more? If you train on your own its very difficult and by my observations a lot of people do not lift enough weight for enough reps to even get close to 'true failure'. Although there is enough literature out there to support that going 'balls to the wall' on every set will quickly catch up with you, that same literature does not involve 2-5 days off complete rest between sessions. It's your call - we tried it and it worked. "Go hard or go home!" Haha, i sound like a hardcore cross-fitter!

4. Full body

Im not going to go into the benefits of full body as opposed to body part training because that subject could take up a whole blog by itself. Personally i think training the body as a whole unit in one session is the most time-efficient and all-around optimum way to train. Thats just my opinion, if you disagree, great... comment below and start a debate. Even if i had more time, i still don't think i would opt for the 'bodybuilding' twice a day, body-part split. This program suggests that you hit each muscle group for 1 set to failure, brutal and simple.

5. Calorie surplus

This is a (excuse the pun) massive area again overlooked for muscle/weight gain. Many factors need to be considered when calculating calorie intake for muscle/weight gain.

For example, I would assume that i need around 3-4000 calories to gain some muscle - with around 800-1000 calories of that being lean protein (200-250g). Its a very basic estimate, that i guess would work.

When i read John Berardi's nutrition section in a great book called "Scrawny to Brawny" (the title doesn't do the book justice) he asked would-be weight gainers to fill in certain numbers to be calculated. these numbers would be based on training type, fitness level, training frequency, job type, etc.

My "Scrawny to Brawny" calculation came to a whopping 5400 calories per day So using my knowledge i could have been up to 2000 calories away from JB's recommended calorie intake for muscle/weight gain. Believe me, over a period of 4-6 weeks that would result in a significant amount of calories and resulting muscle/weight gain.

On the "geek to freak" training plan, the aim every day is to eat close to 6000 calories. Believe me, it may sound like a lot of fun but its really tough. Eating that many calories every day for only a month is a real commitment.

By the way, JB is one of the leading sports nutrition experts in the world today. Still not convinced? One of his superstar personal nutrition clients is George St Pierre. If you don't know who GSP is, i can't help you!

UFC welterweight world champion, GSP

Why i'm not going to give you our exact program....

Part of the reason this training month was so cool was the fact we always were looking to improve the way the session went. We tried different exercises, added and took away things we didn't feel right - it was a true 1 month experimental program which i feel we got right towards the end. I will however share below, what i would do differently if done again - so i can save you some of the mistakes we made!

For the record, if you stick with Tim's methods in "4 hour body" you will get amazing results. You may need to adjust certain things if you have work or other commitments.

What would i do differently?

My goal - lean mass 2-3kg

10kg in 1 month is ridiculous, i know that now - i just wanted to prove i could do it. Next time i would set my goals a lot lower and not gorge out on any food that was put in front of me. I honestly don't think its a good idea to change that rapidly either way... "slow and steady wins the race".

Eat cleaner

I would definitely lower my total calorie intake goal for the next "G2F" training month. I think i could add 2-3kg of quality mass by making that adjustment alone. Also, the fact that i sit here now typing this blog with relatively high BF% levels is obviously not a good practise for a fitness professional. Im being hard on myself here as i completed a very specific goal but if you asked me would i repeat it - i would say no, because i believe all PTs should be in shape at all times to inspire clients to train and eat well.

Concentrate on good, whole foods and plenty of them

Roll/stretch extensively/yoga

This program allows you an amazing amount of rest time. I would program in Foam rolling, mobility, flexibility, yoga, etc on those off days to fully use the time. I didn't do this nearly enough and ended up quite tight in some areas due to the intensity of the training.

You have lots of time to sort your soft tissue out, use it wisely and get better results

Add more direct leg work

Apart from Squats, there was no direct leg work in the training (excluding deadlifts). I would add in some direct hamstrings or calves. Trouble with that is i may have to resort to... drumroll......

MACHINES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Add in machines where needed (what the f*ck!)

Rip my PT uniform off my back and throw my in a cave! Did i just suggest using a machine for weight training? Yes, in fact for this type of training tempo (5:5) machines would be an excellent way to really concentrate on muscle contraction and really get the tempo correct. For example, Squats were really tough and i think leg press could be a great alternative and executed better. Hamstring curl machines could be good? Smith machine could be a good addition for calf raises... who knows? I would definitely include some machines next time, so shoot me.

The smith machine could be a good addition when performing 5:5

Throw in 'Cardio'

I put on a lot weight in a month, simples.

According to my caliper measurements approximately 40-50% of it was bad weight (see the word 'fat') which i know have to lose again. Im not saying i would start running or cycling for extended time (that would then conflict the actual goal for the month) but i would include some intense, heart raising activities next time to keep the waistline tighter. These include:

Skipping
KB swings
Sprints
Tabata (20 seconds hard, 10 seconds rest)
Rowing (500, 1000m)
Farmers Walks

These could be done in any fashion, Im quite liking the Kettlebell swing at the moment, i stick to 4 sets with 30 seconds rest and progress the reps each session. With skipping i tend to hit numbers like 500/1000 but thats just me. I would not go over 10 minutes each session.

Exercise order

You will find out that putting all upper body exercises in order will fry your forearms very quickly, leaving sub-optimal sets on arms (usually at the end). The way we got around this was to mix the exercise order to switch between upper, lower, core, upper, lower and so on.... try it out, the order we ended up with was way better on the forearms and arm strength than the order we started with on day 1.

Get a kick-ass training partner!

Throughout the entire month i trained with fellow PT and (now) Ex-colleague Lulu Murali. We matched each other weights about 85% of the time. I feel like i lift a decent amount of weight when i train - compared to most gym goers anyway. The crazy thing is i had 20kg on Lou!!! Thats one strong MoFo right there. Find yourself a training partner that will bring the best out of you at every training session.

Thanks Lou!

Comment below and share with FB friends if you liked this :)

How i gained 10kg in 1 month... Part 1

2011-04-04T09:20:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

The first version of this blog was massive, too big to be considered a light read. So i have made it into 2 parts for easier digesting (and more blog visits!).

Throughout my time in Bahrain i have heard the sentence which included "...moved to Bahrain and gained 10kgs". Ironically, during the past month that exactly what I (we - me and Lou) did. We took the idea from a book (Tim Ferriss's best-selling 4-hour body) called "the geek to freak program" and went against everything we understood about gaining size and strength and put our faith in a guy who had experimented with himself and got an amazing result.

Possibly the best book i have read.

A quick word on "the 4 hour body". Timothy Ferriss is a modern day genius, read his amazing story and you will agree. In creating this book he spent over a decade experimenting on his body to find out what really happens when we train, eat, sleep, etc. If your looking for a new book to read, this is an absolute goldmine of information on the human body. It de-bunks a lot of the myths we have believed about training for years. From sleeping to sex, from fat loss to weight gain... it's amazing read from start to finish. If my brother is reading this, i am sending him it for his birthday (so wait 2 weeks!).

My start weight on Tuesday March 1st was 80kg and as i write this (April 5th) i am 90kg.

How did we do it? By sticking to a system and seeing it through.

How much of this weight is lean body mass (LBM) and bodyfat %? Its always difficult to be 100% accurate, my honest opinion would be 60/40 in favour of muscle (based on bodyfat measures and calculating LBM) so that means i may have put on as much as 6kg of LBM in one training month.

I quickly research this on the internet. Google "how much muscle can i add in 1 month?"

From Vince Delmonte (a fitness professional - who has great knowledge and products)

"There is not a chance in heaven that you will gain 5 or even 10 pounds of dry muscle in one month or even 3 months - not even close. I hate to be the messenger of this bad news but unless you are using growth enhancing drugs... it's IMPOSSIBLE".

So, i guess thats it? I'm full of shit.

Possibly the angriest kid in the world?

Not really, Vince goes on to talk about glycogen weight, water weight and storage in the full answer http://www.ironmagazine.com/viewarticle-3995.html read it and make your own mind up. It is plausable that dry muscle weight is added over the longer term and glycogen/water weight fills the muscles in the shorter term. Vince mentions that "consistency" is essential in gaining dry muscle, Im totally behind that.

Vince added an impressive 41lbs to his then skinny frame in 6 months using a training program of 4-6 sessions per week. We just added 22lbs in 1 month training in 10 full body weight sessions. Thats just 10 hours of training!

In my opinion (btw you can never be wrong if you start a sentence with those 3 words) Timothy Ferriss has found a better system of gaining size and weight than VDM. VDM is the sort of guy who would already be trying tim's program so i expect i will hear him endorse it soon.

*I guess we can say that LBM can be compromised of dry muslce mass, glycogen and water. Only when an individual is truly ripped (4-6% bodyfat) would you get a more accurate picture of dry muscle mass.

Check out VDM's top quality long-term muscle building program

The goal

To add as much weight as possible in approximately a month (ours ended after 34 days and 10 training sessions). Even though a higher % LBM in the overall weight total was preferable, our fundamental goal was weight gain.

The results

Nathan Williams +10kg (80.5kg - 90.5kg) - previous heaviest ever weight 86kg
Lullu Murali + 8kg (63kg - 71kg) - previous heaviest ever weight 67kg

Impressive numbers which are made even more unbelievable when you consider that we both smashed through our heaviest ever weights by a considerable amount (kg) in such a short space of time.

The training

See Part 2 of this blog

Nutrition (calories) and supplements

The aim of each day is eat excess calories in order to create a calorific excess which will be used in muscle building and recovery. The aim of the supplementation and 'damage control' is to shuttle the calories taking in towards muscle and not fat gain and also to lower cholesterol.

Pasta was my 'go-to' food for over-feeding over the past month

Typical day

Breakfast (6.30am) Metrx meal replacement drink with added creatine and glutamine
2nd breakfast (9am) Baked breakfast croissant with coffee (and fries! or side salad)
Lunch (12noon) Turkey sandwich/Jam on toast/pasta in lunch box, glass of milk, apple
Snacks - almonds/cashews/brazil nuts/seeds
Pre workout - NO explode
Post workout - Metrx meal replacement with added creatine and glutamine (sometimes a muffin)
*Evening - Chicken/tuna/eggs with Quinoa/Pasta/Potatoes
Bed time - Metrx meal replacement or glass of milk with Creatine/Glutamine

*When eating out i tried to stick with steak, baked potato and veg but generally had what i fancied that day. I ended up eating a lot of chips which was pretty poor really.

Supplementation guide

I will just give a list here, you can check the book out for exact details:

Creatine (5-15g a day)
Glutamine (pre program loading phase from Charles Poliquin)
Policosanol (at night)
ALA (every meal)
Chromium (every meal)
Niacin (had really bad flushes so stopped using after about a week)
Vitamin D (my own inclusion)
Cinnamon tablets (in morning with black coffee)
ZMA (my own inclusion)
NO explode (pre training)

Damage Control

Here comes the interesting bit... Have you ever heard of GLUT4 activity? of course not. In a nutshell... it involves exercising or movement after eating a meal.

Austin Powers... in a nutshell

The chinese had an ancient saying which translated to "walk 100 steps after each meal and you will live to 100 years old". Even a thousand years ago the chinese were onto this theory (I remember my brother doing the same when we were kids, not sure where he got that from?). They believed that moving around after each meal would assist the body to better digest and use the nutrients in the food, It turns out they were on to something. Reda more on GLUT4 activity in the book.

If you're a nerd read this http://www.jbc.org/content/269/20/14396.short for more GLUT4 stuff.

Sleep

When you read below in the pro's and con's columns you should see sleep in both. Of course quality sleep is essential for recovery and muscle growth but being tired to the extent of having low energy throughout the day is not good if you have an active job. Throughout the past month I noticed 3 distinct times of the day where i was really tired:

a) On waking - i found it hard to get up, often hitting the snooze button several times before being able to rise. When i did, i never felt fresh in the morning.

b) 1-3pm - yes, its a naturally low time anyway, but the large lunch carb feedings left me really drousy and struggling to stay awake in the afternoon.

c) 9-10pm - i was very tired getting into bed. Again this isn't a bad thing if you are physically tired, but i felt more full from food than anything else

Late night carbs left fido KO'd!

You can make your own mind up, i had some of the best nights sleep in years and some really nice afternoon naps but i realised that im not really in to wasting my daylight hours sleeping; its boring and a bad habit to get in to. Once my diet changes i will enjoy my new energy and get more done.

Geek to freak (G2F) Pro's

Sleep/napping - promotes growth, recovery and repair
Massive recovery time between sessions
All body parts done in one session
(depending on individual) No "cardio" needed
Amazing energy and enthusiasm towards each session (due to infrequency of sessions)
Eating up tp 6000 calories a day allows your diet to go anywhere you want (cheat foods)

Time saved to do other things - let me dwell on this point for a second:

If i just put 10kgs on in 34 days training just 10 hours.

...and a typical Gym member will spent 5-6 hours a week, training each bodypart 2-3 times resulting in 1-2kg gain (normally a great result) in 25+ hours a month...

What the f*ck have we been doing all this time???? training too much and wasting time? it looks like it.

There are few things in life that waste more time than a tricep machine, ARRRGGH!

Before you message me all sorts of crazyness and abuse, remember i'm talking about weight gain which represents a small % of gym members goals but secretly is what most guys are looking to do. Tim Ferriss also has a minimist approach to fat loss in the book, but you got to buy it to find out.

G2F cons

Excessive sleep/napping - unproductive and boring
Same session each time (We loved the training but i realise some people would get bored)
Eating 6000 calories per day is a massive commitment
The 'damage control' exercising is hard to keep up when you eat out
The supplementation protocol is difficult to stick with 100%, you have to be disciplined
Drinking a lot of milk made me feel sick at time

Thats the basics, in part 2 (which i have annoying named part deux) I will take you through the training program, the adjustments we made and what i would do differently. Until next time.

If you want to check out a great new fitness page on facebook, Bahrain-based trainer Leigh Withers has created a great page which includes tips on all things fitness, check it out and leave a comment!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/JLWithersPT

Share with friends on facebook, make comments and look out for Part Deux very soon!

Bonus Blog: 4 ways to F*ck yourself up in under 2 minutes!

2011-04-03T09:43:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

A few blogs ago i wrote how you could f*ck yourself up in under 5 minutes, The extension of that blog became another short post and shows how you can do it in around 2 minutes.

If your still reading and want some further carnage to end your workouts then i have put 4 of the best 'finishers' we use at the end of sessions.

Disclaimer: These finishers will elevate your heart rate. If your heart actually stops at the end of 2 minutes, it's not my fault. Always know your heart rate or be confident in your fitness levels before attempting these challenges!

1. 400m sprint

Why? Dubbed "Hell on Earth" for one reason, this max effort sprint is too long to be comfortable. At 45 seconds, a normal human should build up to lactic threshold and start to burn. Expect to puke up if you push it too hard.

How? Find a running track (200m x 2 or 400m x 1), start your timer and run as fast as you can for that distance

Don't say it's easy if.... you cant do it in less than a minute. If your not seriously out of breath at the end then you did it wrong. Try again without half-assing it.

400m is an absolute bastard

2. Body Matrix

Why? Because it hurts so good and you love that. If you want to give your legs a lactic shower before hitting the showers do this little 2 minute leg-blaster.

How? 24 speed squats, 24 speed lunges, 24 jump lunges, 24 jump squats.

Don't say it's easy if.... you can't do 24 on each move and you do not have good technique on all them. Half-rep merchants need not apply!

Great tits, i mean... tekkers.

3. Texas push up Challenge

Why? To test your upper body strength and muscular endurance and to say you can do it to other gym members

How? 1 full push up, stand up... 2 full push ups, stand up... 3 full push ups, stand up... continue to 10 push ups.

Don't say it's easy if.... you can't complete it under 2 minutes and you cant do proper technique push ups.

No matter your age, there is a no excuse for shallow push ups.

4. DB thrusters & Jump/Burpee (1 minute each)

Why? Because we did this in our recent program (weeks 2 & 3) and everyone hated me for it. Expect to feel like your in the "hurt locker" after 90 seconds. Try another set if you really hate yourself or your clients.

How? Place 2 dumbbells on your shoulders, perform a deep squat and push press the dumbbells up when standing up (repeat for 1 minute). Find a space (preferably 20m long) and perform a standing long jump, then perform a burpee and repeat this for 1 minute. If you still have the will to live, repeat this for one more 2 minute set.

Don't say its easy if.... You cant deep squat or put up aleast 10kg DB's. Also if you can explosively jump and keep going for the 2 minutes!

Enjoy these, well... enjoy would be the last word to describe some of them. But put these on the end of your strength training and get a quick cardio blast that will maximise conditioning while minimizing muscle loss, a genuine win-win situation.

Try these out and share comments on the discussion wall below. As always share with FB friends and spread the word :)

Training Longevity

2011-03-17T09:13:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Its been a crazy last month to say the least. One of my work colleagues mentioned today that i was looking tired. Apart from the fact i had just woken up (30 minutes earlier) and was in work only to pick something up, i suddenly felt it. During the past 28 days i have clocked an impressive 9 flights and visited 6 different places - 50% business 50% pleasure. So i think im entitled to look a bit tired.

To top all this travel off, i have returned to Bahrain as i left it - a war zone! I dont want to get involved in the politics of my most recent adopted country on this blog but the situation is looking more messy with the outbreaks of violence again this week. Its a shame to see a really friendly place break down as it has, which leads me to the biggest bombshell of them all - im leaving!

I have decided to take an opportunity to work in Singapore starting some time in the near future. I have been mulling over a new destination for about 6 months now and the chance to live in an exciting region like the Far East was too good to turn down. Recently, I have been moving further away from the 'gym floor' in my role as a manager and decided to return to what i love to do - train people.

Singapore... not too shabby, eh?

I will leave Bahrain with a heavy heart as i have made some good friends here who im sure i will remain in close contact with. There are honestly too many people to mention and i dont want to leave anyone out here by writing a list (so i wont bother). I must say thank you to every client i have trained over the last 3 years, even the ones that were absolutely rubbish (don't worry, they wont be reading this blog!). We have enjoyed great success together and i can honestly say my top 30% dont actually need me at all anymore - i guess that's the whole point of hiring a PT?

During the past 3 years, I had clients who:

- Climbed Mont Kilimanjaro

- Swam PB's in the Asian Games

- Knocked 30 minutes off marathon times in 12 months

- Became qualified TRX instructors within 6 months of starting training

- Returned from heart problems to be in their best condition ever after 12 months

- Lost 20+ kgs

- Too many 40+ housewives deadlifting bodyweight to mention

- (Female clients) performed proper pullups

- (Female clients) banged out 25+ push ups

- Learned to move their bodies at the ripe old age of 65

- 2 young brothers (aged 7 & 10) who lift, box, TRX and smile every minute doing it!

- Had 'incurable' back trouble that i helped to fix

- Added 20-30 yards to their golf shots

- turned up for a warm smoking a cigar (very funny)

The list goes on.....

I must however go on a short rant (my blog really wouldn't be complete without one short rant would it?). Although i think some days i have the greatest job in the world (honestly i do... look at the list above and tell me how many jobs can help achieve results?). But some days i have the most frustrating job too. People are generally... well, frustrating. My short rant is this...

"Buying PT sessions alone does not or will not help you lose weight/fat/get strong, etc".

After buying a block of PT sessions, the client then must commit to turning up every session and change eating habits. That means not cancelling for coffee mornings or because they have a sniffle or because the gardener didn't water the flowers today so the stress of the the whole day led them to arrange a coffee morning with other ladies of leisure (who think you've gone to skinny anyway since training with that damn welsh PT!)

Coffee mornings... All fun and games until one day you wake up with a massive ass!

I will go on record right now to say that there is a relationship between coffee mornings, missed training sessions and bodyfat. They all help each out in making people a little bit fatter each day.

Some people over the past 3 years have had the audacity to blame me for their short-comings in the gym, apart from being really annoyed with them - i found it quite funny at the same time. I meet all different kinds of people and i have come to recognize these individuals that dont take responsibility for their themselves. Ultimately, you decide what you look like by making a choice on the foods you eat and the activities you perform every day.

I have had clients who (on average) turned up 1 x week, often too sick or weak to train anywhere close vigorously. Who then also admitted to eating poorly and drinking alcohol every weekend. But still complained about me and was actively looking for another trainer to get the results they wanted.

Seriously? Im a trainer not a f*cking magician! Rant over.

Even Paul Daniels would struggle to get results for some of my most difficult PT clients!

Training Longevity

Today's blog will cover the topic of 'training longevity'. Personally i have found myself at the crossroads of my training in recent years. I used to love the 'balls-to-wall' training programs and the sessions where i would crawl out of the gym with my legs shaking. Don't get me wrong - i still do. Its just when you see new PT clients coming in who have been doing the same thing and their bodies are ready to break, i now wonder:

"Is it actually worth it?"

Take a moment to assess your personal goals for using the gym.

Done? Does any of the crazy, brutal training contribute to anything relevant in your life or move you towards your goals? If it does, I would be surprised.

Example: Client X wants to gain upper body mass to go out on the weekend to impress the ladies. Sorry, thats my goal! we'll use it anyway...

Client X is really getting into olympic lifts and wants to ramp up his clean and press (for reasons he is not clear about - maybe to drop some number in a conversation to impress fellow gym monkeys? as it certainly wouldn't impress the girls he would like to attract). Client X is getting strong and tries to lift 90kg. Client X tears his levator scapulae (neck) and his trap/shoulder wont be the same again.

Should client X have stuck with strict seated DB shoulder press for time under tension (TUT) of 60 seconds to elicit hypertrophy for his shoulders? After all, that was his goal... and he could have better avoided a major injury. Its the kind of crazy logic that is seen every minute of every day when you look around a gym. High risk moves that do not yield much reward.

In case your wondering Client X was me in 2006.

Making changes

I recently spoke to my friend and training mentor Patrick Dale about changes in his training and he was loving his new regime of TRX and flexibility work, saying that he was starting to feel better than ever and felt in great shape. That's an area where i see ex-sports people/athletes/heavy gym users moving towards - restorative training. If your smart about your own body then you need to look at the (training) big picture, look at the years ahead not just the months.

"Use training programs that manage stress not accumulate stress"

There will come a time in everyone's gym career where the *1-Dimensional, repetitive training will actually start to hurt. My time has come and gone (shoulder problems for the past 4 years) and it has left me far smarter about what i would and would not do in the future.

*I had originally inserted the word "bodybuilding" here but that is completely unfair. Bodybuilding style training, when done correctly (balanced programming) and with adequate nutritional support can yield excellent results with minimal injuries. The main problem is that most guys using BB programs will target 'mirror muscles' which leads to inbalances and eventually pain and injury. I grew up and started my training love affair with bodybuilding - but unfortunately i didn't have the knowledge I do now regarding program design, nutrition and recovery so that i may have avoided some of the shoulder issues i have had to deal with over the past few years.

TRX seems to be a great training medium between strength and mobility

My short time at Cressey Performance in 2010 showed me that "corrective training to unlock performance" is the smartest way to train, and that is something i try to acheive with every single PT client i train. Identifying weak points and working on them towards a balanced physique is definately the best long-term goal for general fitness clients who want more muscle and less fat.

Common mistakes

I just recently had a 2 new clients who have similar goals and strengths, They:

1. Have a fundamental goal to lose bodyfat and look leaner

2. Have a great work ethic in the gym

3. Have a natural passion and talent for training

4. Have spent the last year annihilating themselves with 'Crossfit' style torture.
5. Have some of the worst flexibility issues i have seen in females since becoming a PT.

Point 4 is the most common problem with general gym goers - they think more is better and no pain is no gain! Yeah right. I wont go into the clients' individual details here but one of the recent new clients had stayed the same weight for the past 12 months, within 10 days of training with me she was down 3 kgs.... how?

History: Previously she had been weight training, quite heavy, sets of 10, eating moderately well with some cheats and occasional alcohol on weekends. So her behaviour was actually supporting weight gain or at the very least weight maintenance.

Whats the fundamental goal? I want to drop some weight.

Tactic: 3 x targeted full body metabolic session (light resistance/high reps) coupled with a strict GFD diet for 7 days.

Result: 3kg Weight loss. New behaviour to match the desired goal = result. After week 1 was done we started to use corrective training to unlock performance and the client is still consistently progressing both in strength and fat loss each week for the past 8 weeks. I believe this is a common case in most people who train without professional advice; muscles get too tight and stressed to recover and improve. Which leads to a lot of frustration, wasted time and could easily lead to serious injuries in the future.

Conclusion

Buying PT sessions from anyone is a 2-way commitment. I see too many people wasting their time in the gym and using PTs as accessories. There is nothing more annoying than turning up to a session (as a PT) with a great program planned out only for a client to no-show - not cool. In an ideal world, PTs should not be afraid to be honest and clear with clients who aren't keeping up with their side of the agreement. This, however (due to commision based industry) is quite rare and takes real courage.

Every person who trains and uses a gym needs to first write down their fundamental goals. Im not talking about "fat down/muscle up" you need to get more specific. E.g. I want to lose 20lbs of bodyfat in the next 12 weeks. Then work out what it will take to acheive that goal. Too many people are training towards results that they do not want. Take your average evening gym user who gets on the X-trainer for 45 minutes - they are doing that because they believe this is the best way to lose bodyfat and get in shape. As a fitness professional, im saying there are more efficient ways to burn bodyfat, cardio training is just one tool you would use... and not necessarily for that length of time. If you dont know what your doing, hire someone who does.

Have a long-term training plan. If your goal (like mine) is to train for the rest of your life then you need to get smarter with training intensity, plan recovery and take foot off the gas once in a while to increase your training longevity.

Lastly, I think moving on is healthy in life. In my job i really believe a good trainer should move gyms or location every 18-24 months to keep things fresh and aim to re-educate and spread the fitness message to another group of people. I am proud of my time in Bahrain and am excited about the future in Singapore. I hope my blog readers will follow me there :)

I hope Bahrain can bounce back from its current situation very soon.

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