Hey, it's been a while since I've been here, reason is I've been doing other things, like becoming a Dad :)
However, I've got a new initiative and a new website. Be great if you could come on over and have a look.
http://www.realbodysolutions.co.uk/
Real Body Solutions is about putting it all together. The mind and body form a system, which is an expression of you. Change one and it will influence the other. If you want to change your body, then change your mind.
Friday, 7 September 2012
Thursday, 13 November 2008
Free Workouts
How good is your workout? Whether you reach your fitness goals or not depends up on the type of workout you are doing. If your workout routine is not specific to your final goal then you will never get there. So it’s really important that you choose the right workout for you so you end up where you want to be. For example, if you wish to lose body fat then you need to incorporate a fat burning workout into your weekly routine.
A fat burning workout will focus on higher repetitions but at a lower intensity by reducing the amount of resistance that is used in the exercise. This provides an aerobic element to the workout and increases the use of fat as a fuel for the muscles, hence promotes a reduction in overall body fat.
On the other hand if your goal is to increase muscle size then you need to be including a muscle building workout into your weekly routine. Weight lifting exercises form the basis of most strength and body building workouts, although you can gain increases in strength and muscle size by using your own body weight for example. So it is possible to see a considerable increase in size and strength with basic home workouts.
All types of workouts are made up of a selection of exercises that challenge the different muscles around the body. A good workout routine will target all the major muscle groups within the body. It is possible that the workout may be split into several routines throughout the week. Each routine will target different areas of the body on different days. So for example a 3 day split routine might be broken down in the following way;
Day 1: - leg exercises and core exercises.
Day 2: - chest exercises, shoulder exercises and arm exercises
Day 3: - back exercises, arm exercises and ab exercises
You could also compile all the exercises together in one whole body workout and complete the same routine 2 or 3 times per week.
If you are really serious about improving your fitness and are looking for the best free workouts then visit WorkoutBox. WorkoutBox is a brand new online fitness community where you can find effective workout routines and exercises to suit your level. All the workouts can be rated by the users so you can see what’s working for others before you try it for yourself.
A fat burning workout will focus on higher repetitions but at a lower intensity by reducing the amount of resistance that is used in the exercise. This provides an aerobic element to the workout and increases the use of fat as a fuel for the muscles, hence promotes a reduction in overall body fat.
On the other hand if your goal is to increase muscle size then you need to be including a muscle building workout into your weekly routine. Weight lifting exercises form the basis of most strength and body building workouts, although you can gain increases in strength and muscle size by using your own body weight for example. So it is possible to see a considerable increase in size and strength with basic home workouts.
All types of workouts are made up of a selection of exercises that challenge the different muscles around the body. A good workout routine will target all the major muscle groups within the body. It is possible that the workout may be split into several routines throughout the week. Each routine will target different areas of the body on different days. So for example a 3 day split routine might be broken down in the following way;
Day 1: - leg exercises and core exercises.
Day 2: - chest exercises, shoulder exercises and arm exercises
Day 3: - back exercises, arm exercises and ab exercises
You could also compile all the exercises together in one whole body workout and complete the same routine 2 or 3 times per week.
If you are really serious about improving your fitness and are looking for the best free workouts then visit WorkoutBox. WorkoutBox is a brand new online fitness community where you can find effective workout routines and exercises to suit your level. All the workouts can be rated by the users so you can see what’s working for others before you try it for yourself.
Thursday, 4 September 2008
Workout Routines for Toning
The best exercise routines for great muscle tone are a combination of CV and resistance training. For muscles to become visually toned you need to focus on 2 things;
1. The muscle to be in a state of constant tension or readiness to act over a period of time
2. Low overall body fat levels
Both of these states can be achieved by applying the correct training program. Toning of a muscle occurs through regular usage and can be achieved by training a specific muscle group to become responsive and 'ready for action' by applying a low intensity (65% 1 RM), high repetition range (15 - 20 reps), low volume (2 to 3 sets) training program. This is known as muscular endurance training which can be better defined as the ability of a muscle to perform repeated actions for a long period.
Most people confuse muscle tone with muscle size. This is not the case. Muscular size (hypertrophy) is only achieved by applying a moderate intensity training program (67% to 85% 1RM) with an intermediate repetition range (8 to 12 reps), but with a high volume, (3 to 6 sets). Increases in muscular size and strength are also greatly affected by calorie intake as an increase in quality protein is required to help achieve muscle growth.
A low level of body fat will help to expose toned muscles giving the impression of a increase in muscle size. So an optimum diet is also necessary to help reduce overall body fat. Try to make smart food choice by including fresh vegatable, fruit, lean meats and fish in your diet. Cut out junk food and reduce alcohol intake.
Contrary to popular belief, fat can not be spot reduced by just training a particular area, such as the abdomen and arms. Imagine your body is like an ice cube. Turn up the heat and you will melt across your whole surface area and not just in one place.
Here's a interval workout routine I did the other day, which is great for increasing muscle tone and reducing body fat.
20 minute Cardiovascular interval session.
Can be performed any way you like; running, walking, cycling, swimming etc.
1. The muscle to be in a state of constant tension or readiness to act over a period of time
2. Low overall body fat levels
Both of these states can be achieved by applying the correct training program. Toning of a muscle occurs through regular usage and can be achieved by training a specific muscle group to become responsive and 'ready for action' by applying a low intensity (65% 1 RM), high repetition range (15 - 20 reps), low volume (2 to 3 sets) training program. This is known as muscular endurance training which can be better defined as the ability of a muscle to perform repeated actions for a long period.
Most people confuse muscle tone with muscle size. This is not the case. Muscular size (hypertrophy) is only achieved by applying a moderate intensity training program (67% to 85% 1RM) with an intermediate repetition range (8 to 12 reps), but with a high volume, (3 to 6 sets). Increases in muscular size and strength are also greatly affected by calorie intake as an increase in quality protein is required to help achieve muscle growth.
A low level of body fat will help to expose toned muscles giving the impression of a increase in muscle size. So an optimum diet is also necessary to help reduce overall body fat. Try to make smart food choice by including fresh vegatable, fruit, lean meats and fish in your diet. Cut out junk food and reduce alcohol intake.
Contrary to popular belief, fat can not be spot reduced by just training a particular area, such as the abdomen and arms. Imagine your body is like an ice cube. Turn up the heat and you will melt across your whole surface area and not just in one place.
Here's a interval workout routine I did the other day, which is great for increasing muscle tone and reducing body fat.
20 minute Cardiovascular interval session.
Can be performed any way you like; running, walking, cycling, swimming etc.
- 1 to 5 minutes - Warm up - Intensity 3 to 5/10
- 6 minutes - Hard interval - Intensity 8/10
- 7 minutes - Easy interval - Intensity 3/10
- 8 minutes - Hard interval - Intensity 8/10
- 9 minutes - Easy interval - Intensity 3/10
- 10 minutes - Hard interval - Intensity 8/10
- 11 minutes - Easy interval - Intensity 3/10
- 12 minutes - Hard interval - Intensity 8/10
- 13 minutes - Easy interval - Intensity 3/10
- 14 minutes - Hard interval - Intensity 8/10
- 15 minutes - Easy interval - Intensity 3/10
- 16 minutes - Hard interval - Intensity 8/10
- 17 to 20 minutes - Cool down - Intensity 3/10
Resistance Training
For the resistance session try this quick body weight circuit.
Do 15 repetitions of each exercise in a super set. Take 60 seconds rest between each set.
Try to repeat the circuit 3 times. If you can't do 3 sets, just do what you can and work up to it.
Set 1
Squats x 15
Press up x 15
Set 2
Lunge x 15
Tricep press up or tricep dips x 15
Set 3
Squat thrusts x 15
Plank x 30 seconds
Set 4
Side Plank x 30 seconds each side
Wednesday, 13 August 2008
Exercise and nutrition for great results
My half marathon training is going well. I have now completed a week and a half and I'm starting to become more comfortable with running again. With any new exercise, it takes your body time to become accustomed to the new stresses and strains that you are placing up on it. After a while your body learns to cope and you will feel much more comfortable when performing the exercises. This is the stage where you will really start to see improvements.
Whilst you are training it's vital that you give your body the right nutrients to help provide energy and to aid recovery. You need to be eating the right number of calories for the activity you are doing and good quality wholesome food.
In my case, if I'm running for 40 minutes continuously, I need to make sure that my calorie intake is sufficient to my calorie needs. Running for 40 minutes burns approximately 670 calories (This figure will vary for everyone. It depends on your weight and the intensity of your run). If you are trying to lose weight, then it's advisable to only create a calorie deficit of no more than 500 calories per day. This 500 calorie deficit should be created as 250 from food intake and 250 from activity.
But be careful though, because if you increase your activity levels, you may not need to adjust your calorie intake too much or even at all. As you can see from my example above, I'm actually creating a deficit of 670 calories just from activity. I may actually need to increase my calorie intake slightly so my body doesn't think I'm depriving it. If this happens you could be losing weight but also losing vital lean muscle mass, which is a no no.
So what can you do to improve your nutrition for exercise, here are some quick tips to help you along;
08:00 - Breakfast - Muesli, natural yogurt, cup of tea
10:30 - Snack - Banana, handful of mixed nuts
13:00 - Lunch - Tinned tuna, wholemeal pasta, sweetcorn and olive oil
16:30 - Pre-exercise snack - Apple, glass of milk
18:00 - Exercise, run or circuit training
19:30 - Bowl of Meat Chilli, vegetables and small baked potato
21:00 - Natural yogurt and fruit
Make sure that you also drink water during the day. I aim for at least 2 liters, that's approximately 8 glasses per day. If you are training hard you may need more.
Whilst you are training it's vital that you give your body the right nutrients to help provide energy and to aid recovery. You need to be eating the right number of calories for the activity you are doing and good quality wholesome food.
In my case, if I'm running for 40 minutes continuously, I need to make sure that my calorie intake is sufficient to my calorie needs. Running for 40 minutes burns approximately 670 calories (This figure will vary for everyone. It depends on your weight and the intensity of your run). If you are trying to lose weight, then it's advisable to only create a calorie deficit of no more than 500 calories per day. This 500 calorie deficit should be created as 250 from food intake and 250 from activity.
But be careful though, because if you increase your activity levels, you may not need to adjust your calorie intake too much or even at all. As you can see from my example above, I'm actually creating a deficit of 670 calories just from activity. I may actually need to increase my calorie intake slightly so my body doesn't think I'm depriving it. If this happens you could be losing weight but also losing vital lean muscle mass, which is a no no.
So what can you do to improve your nutrition for exercise, here are some quick tips to help you along;
- Eat for energy. You will require carbohydrate for energy. Eat some at least 2 hours before your activity. Something like a banana or a bowl of cereal is ideal.
- Improve the quality of your food. Foods that are high in trans fats and sugar are low in nutrition and just succeed in making you fatter. Cut out processed foods and introduce more whole and fresh foods into your diet.
- Create your own electrolyte sports drink by mixing 250ml of pure fruit juice with 250ml of water and a pinch of salt.
- If your exercise session is longer than one hour, then you will most likely need to take in some extra energy. An electrolyte sports drink such as the one above will provide you with replacement fluids and much needed carbohydrate for more energy.
- It's important to have some protein in your diet as well as good quality fats. These can be found in fresh fish and lean meats as well as nuts and seeds.
08:00 - Breakfast - Muesli, natural yogurt, cup of tea
10:30 - Snack - Banana, handful of mixed nuts
13:00 - Lunch - Tinned tuna, wholemeal pasta, sweetcorn and olive oil
16:30 - Pre-exercise snack - Apple, glass of milk
18:00 - Exercise, run or circuit training
19:30 - Bowl of Meat Chilli, vegetables and small baked potato
21:00 - Natural yogurt and fruit
Make sure that you also drink water during the day. I aim for at least 2 liters, that's approximately 8 glasses per day. If you are training hard you may need more.
Friday, 1 August 2008
Half Marathon Training Schedule
I decided the other day that I need a new challenge. I haven't done any serious running for some time, so I thought that it was time to start working on that area of my fitness again. What better way to do this than to attempt the half marathon distance. I used to do a lot of running about 10 years ago, but have since changed my regular training towards muscular endurance and anaerobic training. Hence I'm probably about 7 to 8 kilos heavier than I was when I was last running seriously. Running is a great way to lose body fat, but I want a training program that won't compromise my lean body mass too much.
So this is my plan. It's a 6 week training schedule, to get me accustomed to running the 13.1 mile half marathon distance at a reasonable pace. I'm not out to break any records, at this point I would just like to complete the distance in an acceptable time.
This is the training schedule I will be following;
This schedule allows me to fit in my regular circuit training sessions so that so that I will still maintain a balance program by factoring in resistance training. This will also help me to maintain my muscle mass whilst reducing body fat.
If you are complete novice at running and fancy the challenge of running the half marathon distance then click here to take you to a beginners training schedule. This site also has some great tips on training and preparation for the race.
I'm going to be monitoring my progress over the next 6 weeks to see how I'm getting on. My goal is to be able to complete the half marathon distance and to lose some body fat in the process, whilst trying to preserve lean body mass.
Let's see how I get on.
Monday, 21 July 2008
Sleep and exercise
Sleep is one of the most important factors affecting a persons health and fitness. The National Sleep Foundation states that sleep is a basic human need and is just as important for good health as diet and exercise.
You need to make sure that you are getting at least 8 hours uninterrupted sleep per night.
Having too little sleep increases what is known as 'sleep debt' and eventually your body will demand the debt to be paid back. Having too little sleep can cause your physical functions to become impaired, affecting reaction times and judgement.
Exercise can be used to promote a good nights sleep. Increasing physical activity tires you out so that your body requires more sleep. On the other hand sleep deprivation can also lead to weight gain simply because you are too tired to do any exercise.
If you're not getting a good nights sleep here are some other factors that can be affecting it;
You need to make sure that you are getting at least 8 hours uninterrupted sleep per night.
Having too little sleep increases what is known as 'sleep debt' and eventually your body will demand the debt to be paid back. Having too little sleep can cause your physical functions to become impaired, affecting reaction times and judgement.
Exercise can be used to promote a good nights sleep. Increasing physical activity tires you out so that your body requires more sleep. On the other hand sleep deprivation can also lead to weight gain simply because you are too tired to do any exercise.
If you're not getting a good nights sleep here are some other factors that can be affecting it;
- Caffeine - tea, coffee and some soft drinks all contain caffeine
- Alcohol - affects your sleeping patterns
- High stress levels
- Drugs - diet pills, decongestants and antidepressants
Sunday, 20 July 2008
5 minutes is all it takes
That's right, can you commit just 5 minutes a day to getting fit? Of course you can, everyone can spare 5 minutes with no excuses.
If you can spare more time then even better.
Here's what I want you to do and I can guarantee that if you stickto this plan, in 6 weeks time your fitness levels will have improved 10 fold. I want you to put aside just 5 minutes every day this week dedicated to nothing else but exercise. That's right, just 5 whole uninterrupted minutes. I don't care what time of day or night it is, whatever suites you.
I want you to get dressed in to your exercise kit and shut the door and tell everyone else around you, not to disturb you for the next 5 minutes. Then do something, I don't care what it is, it can be jumping on the spot, skipping, walking, running, dancing, cycling, anything as long as it gets you out of breath and a little hot and sweaty. Continue for 5 minutes. If you are out of breath, stop and have a rest then start again when you get your breath back, but keep going until the 5 minutes is up.
Do this everyday for a whole week, don't miss a day.
Now; the next part of the plan is, I want you to add an extra 5 minutes every week for the next 6 weeks. So week 2 you will be doing 10 minutes per day, week 3 will be 15 minutes and so on until week 6 you when you will be doing 30 minutes uninterrrupted exercise.
So what is the point of this I hear you ask? Well, one of the biggest excuses I hear from my clients is 'I just don't have the time to exercise around my busy schedule'.
What you need to do is make time for exercise and this is a great way of introducing exercise into your life. It doesn't matter at the moment what you do, you can customize your workouts later once you become more accustomed to exercise and have achieved a basic fitness level. The idea is that you do something to increase your heart rate, get your joints and muscles working. If you don't do any exercise at the moment then this is an ideal way to get started.
This system is specifically aimed at people who don't know what to do and can't get started. The beauty of this system is that it introduces a gradual progression so if you stick with it you can't help but get fit.
So get started now and make this your time for exercise. You will be amazed at how much fitter you are in 6 weeks time.
If you can spare more time then even better.
Here's what I want you to do and I can guarantee that if you stickto this plan, in 6 weeks time your fitness levels will have improved 10 fold. I want you to put aside just 5 minutes every day this week dedicated to nothing else but exercise. That's right, just 5 whole uninterrupted minutes. I don't care what time of day or night it is, whatever suites you.
I want you to get dressed in to your exercise kit and shut the door and tell everyone else around you, not to disturb you for the next 5 minutes. Then do something, I don't care what it is, it can be jumping on the spot, skipping, walking, running, dancing, cycling, anything as long as it gets you out of breath and a little hot and sweaty. Continue for 5 minutes. If you are out of breath, stop and have a rest then start again when you get your breath back, but keep going until the 5 minutes is up.
Do this everyday for a whole week, don't miss a day.
Now; the next part of the plan is, I want you to add an extra 5 minutes every week for the next 6 weeks. So week 2 you will be doing 10 minutes per day, week 3 will be 15 minutes and so on until week 6 you when you will be doing 30 minutes uninterrrupted exercise.
So what is the point of this I hear you ask? Well, one of the biggest excuses I hear from my clients is 'I just don't have the time to exercise around my busy schedule'.
What you need to do is make time for exercise and this is a great way of introducing exercise into your life. It doesn't matter at the moment what you do, you can customize your workouts later once you become more accustomed to exercise and have achieved a basic fitness level. The idea is that you do something to increase your heart rate, get your joints and muscles working. If you don't do any exercise at the moment then this is an ideal way to get started.
This system is specifically aimed at people who don't know what to do and can't get started. The beauty of this system is that it introduces a gradual progression so if you stick with it you can't help but get fit.
So get started now and make this your time for exercise. You will be amazed at how much fitter you are in 6 weeks time.
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