3 Weeks to Improve your Strength

Strength is the ability to apply as much force as possible in a single all out effort. Yes, strength is useful in sport and yes, it is a practical part of everyday life. It is a health related component of fitness. However, strength is also a key portal to bragging rights. A way to get people talking behind your back but not in a negative manner. People will be talking about you for the correct reasons. Follow these 5 steps to lifting more weight. Change up your current routine and you will be smashing your rep max tests in no time.

Use Dynamic Tension

Dynamic tension is a very underused toll. Most people have raised their arms to their side and flexed their biceps at one time or another. This is all dynamic tension is. Placing your muscles under continuous tension through flexing. When you flex your muscles, more muscle fibres are recruited. This is a wicked method of boosting strength and hypertrophy. Dynamic tension also protects your joints. For example; when you practice a biceps curl the elbow is under a lot of tension. By flexing the triceps through the entire range of this exercise you will create more balanced tension on the elbow which will lower joint stress.

Fire Up That Mid-Section

Your skeleton is a fantastic structure. It is the foundation of your shape. We mould our muscles around our skeleton. It supports us. However, the skeleton needs help in that department. Between our rib cage and pelvis, the only structure of the skeleton present is the lumbar vertebra. The lumbar vertebra is apart of your spine and consists of 5 small bones which are segregated by cartilage. Our mid-section muscles such as the rectus and transverse abdominals, the internal and external oblique’s and the erector spinal are supporters of the upper body. They are not designed to move in a frantic dynamic manner but their purpose is to prevent movement. Use this information in choosing your core exercises. Practice plank variations and other isometric exercises to blast those abs.

Work Those Compound Exercises

To make the more out of your session it is important to utilise compound exercises. The 3 main power lifts are a good way to start. There include the Bench Press, Squat and Deadlift. Also add Pull Ups, Cable Rows and Lunges. These full body movements activate a generous amount of muscle fibres and mimic most sporting and daily actions. Because more muscle fibres are recruited, you will find that the weight you will be using is freaking heavy! You will load that neural-muscular system and encourage testosterone production.

Change Up The Grip

Your body can get use to the same old tired routine. Keeping things the same will certainly result in a weight lifting stand still which is wasteful for all your hard effort. We all have our favourite exercises and we don’t need to stop doing them. It’s just a matter of mixing things up. For example; when Bench Pressing we can use two dumbbells held with our palms facing towards each other as oppose to using a straight bar. We can practice Front Squats instead of Back Squats or we can do Sumo Deadlifts rather than Romanian Deadlifts. This effective alteration will change what muscle fibres you recruited, the order in which they are recruited and therefore works areas which haven’t gathered a lot of attention in your previous routine.

Smash Your Weaknesses

Most exercises have a sticking point. For most people the toughest part of the Deadlift is the initial pull from the ground. For Bench Press people seem to struggle with lifting the bar from the chest. You can nail those weaknesses with partial repetitions and isometric exercises. Whilst Bench Pressing, try holding the bar just off your chest. You will need to use a lighter weight. The tension should not be held for more than 10 seconds using a spotter is absolutely crucial for your health and safety. Try performing a few repetitions of a partial Squat. Go down into a Squat until your hips are just lower than your knees. From there just do 5 low range squats. Nail your weaknesses until they become your strengths!

Setting New Years Resolutions

Now it's that time of year again. Social media will be flooded with posts such as "new year new me," or "time to stop smoking." I hate to sound so negative but there will be a lot of failures coming to surface within the next 6 weeks. Don't be one of them. I have put together a few tips to help you stick to your New Years resolution and make a positive change in your life. 

Tell Everyone

Tell your mother, your father, your siblings, your friends......your dog! Tell everyone. Tell them what your goals are, when you wish to achieve this goal and how you intend to do it. This will make you accountable if you start to fall short on your task. It's a fantastic motivator. 

Keep Track

Make sure that your goal is measurable. This simply mean numbers. If you're improving your body composition you should keep an eye on your waist circumference. If you're smoking you should know how many you've cut down by as the weeks go on. 

Chart It

this follows on from the previous goal. Keeping a paper track of your goals will provide you with a visual track, provide your goal with a physical entity and will in return increase your motivation. It's even more motivating when you can visually show people how far you've come. 

Make A Deadline

The aim of a New Years resolution is to achieve a specific goal by the end of that year. December the 31st is a stretch. By that point you may be able to achieve multiple goals or you may be enjoying the benefits of the goal you achieved several months ago. Provide a deadline. If you wish to run a marathon in 2016 then make the marathon date your deadline date. If you want to lose 5kg in weight you should give yourself 12 weeks to manage it. 

Expect To Fall Short Now And Then

You never fail until you quit. Sometimes your weight loss diet may fall short because you were tempted by a muffin. You could pick up an injury which halts your marathon training for a week. Don't be disheartened and cut yourself some slack. You're human. However you must get back on the horse as soon as the opportunity arises. 

6 Habits to Take into 2016

An exercise psychologist once told me that a habit takes 7 weeks to build. I don't know if this is true but I try to live by that principle. It's worked so far. It may just be a placebo effect or 7 weeks may be the perfect amount of time to lodge a repetitive habit in your mind. Either way it's good. I would recommend adding these 6 things into your list of habits. Good things that will improve your daily life for many years to come. 

1. Batch Cook

I know it may seem inconvenient but try it. Use Sunday evening to set up your week. You'll only need 2 hours unless you really want to add variety to your meal but it will save you so much time for the rest of your potentially hectic week. You can also rely on your meals being much healthier.

2. Set your Day Up the Night Before

When I wake up, my coffee mug is on the counter waiting for me. My bowl and tub of oats will sit on the table whilst berries and almond milk stay situated in the fridge. Since doing this life has felt easier, I've never missed breakfast and I always feel fresh for the day.

3. Add the Turkish Get Up into your Training

It's a fantastic exercise that is heavily underrated. No it will not give you the same burn that a set of squats will and no it is not the best exercise to build explosive arm muscles. It is a brilliant drill for improving shoulder stabilisation. This is crucial for upping your bench press. The Turkish Get Up trains the shoulder in regards to the transverse plane. Very few exercises do this. 

4. Buy a Gym Ball

It's not the sitting down that wrecks people's body. It's the lack of movement. Office workers become subject to tight hip flexors, weak gluteus muscles and poor thoracic spine mobility. By sitting on a gym ball you will find that your level of movement will increase, your mid section will need to be more active and your metabolism will take a boost. Just simply replace your chair. 

5. Take Vitamin D3

Unless you live in an amazing climate with a blazing sun in the sky all year round, you cannot promise your body the nutritional nourishment it requires with food and sunlight alone. D3 is an effective calcium regulator. Therefore it is essential for bone growth and muscular contraction.

6. Switch Off your TV an Hour Before you Sleep

Use this time to sharpen your mind with reading or to practice meditation. You may wish to do what I do and prepare your meals for the next day. The light from your TV has been proven to lower sleep levels. You may still sleep well after watching TV but is it good quality sleep? Is it deep REM sleep that last longer than 7 hours? I doubt it. 

Re-Energise From Your Christmas Slump

Sorry for not typing out a blog post in a little while. I’ve had time off to enjoy the festivities. As you all know that always involves eating too much. From the cheese and crackers to the cheese cakes, the mighty tone of chocolate or the horrendous amount of alcohol. Yes, we pig out. Our stomachs feel like the inside of a churning litter truck and our energy is at an all time low. So what are you going to do about it? When you wake up, make these three things your top priority’s for the day ahead.

Mountain Biking

I don’t like road biking. It’s crowded with vehicles. Motor vehicles that would most definitely win in a game of chicken! The air isn’t as clean as country air and with traffic lights there can be too much stopping and starting.

Mountain biking is brilliant. You can gather fresh air through  beautiful woodlands. You may also enjoy the light hearted circular rhythm of your cycling gait. Running can cause too much of an uncomfortable up and down pounding on a poorly stomach. Keep it fresh and keep it smooth.

Don’t worry if you don’t have a bike. Try a 15 minute stroll through the forest or beach. If you have a dog, take you pet for a longer walk than you would usually provide him/her with.

Get Your Head In The Books

Turn off your TV set and read. Read anything you enjoy. If it’s a book on your favourite hobby or self improvement you will learn valuable skills. If it’s a fictitious novel then that is also fine. Fictional literature is the best type of book you can read to improve how articulate you are. Biographies are inspirational and magazines are still better than developing square eyes from your TV.

Reading will help you to sharpen up your mental state which is quite important after too much chill and Netflix!

 Juice It Up

Try to ingest a delicious, sweet tasting smoothie. Mix in the berries for antioxidants and vitamin C. Fight the bacteria which goes around this time of year. Mix up the colours. Your micronutrients are essential to increase your energy level and to enhance your daily functions.

    

Equipment for Practising Acceleration

Acceleration is the time between standing still and top end speed. It is argued that in many cases acceleration is more important than top end speed, especially in sports such as football, soccer, rugby and basketball. In order to encourage good technique there are specific pieces of equipment that can mimic specific stages of the acceleration.

The Initial Step

I pinched this drill from Ido Portal. Take a light poll. This could be a broom stick handle, a very light aerobic bar or just about anything with the same dimensions and light weight. Place one end of the poll on the floor and support the other end out in front of your with one hand. Drop the poll and lunge towards it in order to catch the tip before it hits the floor. Try to catch it as close to the floor as possible.

The Drive

For the drive, you cannot beat a good prowler push. Take a low grip, maintain a solid posture and drive with the knees. You should always be able to sprint. Don’t use so much weight that it slows you down to a walk. Use a lot of weight but never walk if speed is your aim.

 Finalising the Acceleration Process

There are multiple ways of working the hinge pattern. The Kettle Bell Swing is a very explosive exercise for multiple dynamic movements. For maximum exertion a tyre flip is a fantastic exercise. Consider the fact that the tyre flip requires forward force. This makes it so much more relevant top sprinting. 

Considerations Whilst Planning an Athletic Cardiovascular Routine

Cardiovascular endurance is the cardio and respiratory systems ability to preserver through intense and continuous efforts. It is an essential component in an athletes training programme. Constructing a programme properly is essential. I take 2 considerations in developing the programme.

Consideration 1: The Physiological Aspects of the Sport

It is obvious that too much endurance work will be detrimental to an athletes explosive capabilities. Always remember that fast twitch muscle fibres may oxidise and develop slow twitch properties. This is an issue that can't be reversed. The endurance properties of a programme may be more appropriate in round format. For example; 5 sets of 3 minute rounds of squat jumps and push ups. 

For the explosive aspects I always enjoy high intensity interval training with an active recovery.

Consideration 2: The Sporting Season

At this point of the year it is vital that the type of exercise is heavily observed. 

During off season, sprinting is ideal. Sprinting will help to dynamically improve hip flexes flexibility and summon explosive power. Sprinting is a gross motor skill and therefor allows maximum muscle fibres to be used during exercise. Sprinting also provides specificity to sporting activity without performing the sport itself. 

Sprinting is however not suitable during the competitive season. If running is heavily present in a specific sport (for example; football, soccer, rugby, basketball) then placing it into the cardiovascular regime may very well result in repetitive stress injuries. Cycling will be more appropriate.  

Top 5 Exercises for Bigger Guns!

I think it is important to understand a little bit of basic anatomy of the two main muscles of the upper arm. 

The Biceps are responsible for supination of the radius over the ulna, elbow flexion and shoulder abduction. 

The Triceps make up 2 thirds of the arm. Treat the Triceps well and you will achieve sleeve ripping muscles before you know it! The Triceps are responsible for pronation of the radius over the ulna and elbow extension.

With this knowledge of movement and human biology, we can establish which exercises are ideal for arm day domination. 

1. Skull Crushers

This is my favourite Triceps exercise. The Skull Crusher places the Triceps into a position of bio mechanical difficulty where it is very difficult to find assistance from another muscle. The Skull Crusher is the ultimate Triceps isolation exercise.

2. Rope Pull Down

The Triceps are made up of 3 heads. The lateral head, the medial head and the long head. To make sure you hit all areas you need to be extending your arms with heavy load and with a variety of different grips. The Rope Pull Down slams on activation for all 3 heads in one mighty move.

3. Close Grip Bench Press

Big guns require big moves and the Close Grip Bench Press is as big as it gets for your upper limbs. The close grip bench press with stimulate growth and strength gains through neural loading. 

4. Dumbbell Curl

The Dumbbell Curl is superior in developing the Biceps through supination and flexion at the same time. This makes the Dumbbell Curl ahead of the game in terms of Biceps development. 

5. Preacher Curl

If you want to peak up the upper portion of your Biceps then the preacher curl should probably make an appearance in your routine. This pure Biceps isolation exercise is pretty much the Skull Crusher of the Biceps group. 

Why High Intensity Intervals are King of Cardio

I believe in High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). I believe in it's efficiency in developing a number of physical attributes such as cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance and lactate tolerance. Here's a round up of why I choose HIIT over long duration work. 

A HIIT session may be the longest you'll go at such a high tempo. If we look at the standard Tabata workout, 160 seconds are spent working at a vicious, fast passé exercise such as sprinting on a spin bike, Kettle Bell Swings or the dreaded Burpees. Only 80 seconds are spent resting. The specificity to fighters working the rounds or a Rugby player ready to burst for the tri line is phenomenal. 

This high intensity will result in your heart being elevated immensely throughout the full round. This is a cardiovascular demand that is not required during long distance events. However endurance athletes may still benefit from interval training. Interval training improves lactic threshold which means that it'll take longer to build that horrific thigh burn you get whilst hitting the road. 

Long distance exercise is okay on a lighter scale but elite endurance athletes have a low life expectancy. This is due to cardiac scaring of the right ventricle. The cause of this misfortune comes about when the left ventricle over develops and causes a stretch on the right ventricle.

In body composition, HIIT is king of cardio. If you want to tone up, you must be burning more calories than you are consuming. This includes outside the gym as well as in. HIIT raises your metabolism. You can be burning calories for several hours after a workout. 

Build Beastly Back Muscles

Men often neglect their back. No one ever misses chest day and pumping the arms is a Friday afternoon tradition for many men. The back is left behind (pun intended) which is unfortunate because a strong back builds a dominant looking posture and a mighty v-tapir. Plus repping out multiple pull ups is a kick ass party trick. Check out Keep Ups guide to developing shirt ripping back muscles.

#1. Dead Lifts are Crucial

I get wowed all the time by poorly constructed back routines which don't feature the this power lifting favourite. The Dead Lift is perfect for neuromuscular loading which simply suggests that it progresses our central nervous system to deal with heavy poundage. The dead lift is the bees knees in lower back strengthening and requires a phenomenal isometric contraction in the Lats and Traps. Don't miss out!

#2. Pull Ups Trumps Pull Downs

The Lat. Pull Down is a bodybuilding classic but they are not a scratch on the military favourite. Pull Ups are the bomb in frontal plane back exercises. Pull ups require better shoulder stabilisation, better scapular positioning and wicked posture. You can get away with any one of these no no's during Pull Downs (with a high injury risk) but if one of these clumsy faults are present in a Pull Up then you may never go past rep 5. Think of your form first and your intensity later.

#3. Be King of the Row

Bent Over Rows are used for Latismas Dorsi development. That's the large stretch of muscle on the middle of your back which enhances that triangle shaped torso. Performing a row variation with a barbell is not the best. The standard Bent Over Row will place more tension on the lower back and may also result in uneven tension on each side of your body. Try a Single Arm Row instead. Single Arm Rows will see you to a more balanced workout between your left arm and your right arm. This classic will not stress the lower back when done correctly.

#4. Pull High

The Lats often get all the love. Pull Ups, Pull Downs and any rowing variation will build the thickness of your Lats but how about those Traps and Rhomboids? The Face Pull is an ideal exercise to build well functioning scapular movement and to retract those shoulders for an alpha male posture. Face Pulls also dominate the lower part of your Traps into hypertrophy overload! 

#5. Mix Up the Shrug

Don't settle for a scrawny neck. Mix up the Shrug with a variety of different kit. Trap Bars are superb as they place your hands out wide. This creates an inward motion of shrugging to increase the range of motion on this drill. Over Head Shrug with a barbell will stabilise the shoulders and work the vary upper part of your Trapizius muscles. The Over Head Shrug is essential. You don't need it in every routine you do but place it in every couple of weeks because it is important for shoulder safety. 

The Thor Workout

Last summber you may have sat through an epic superhero adventure on the silver screen. The most notable of these movies is the Avengers Age of Ultron. This action packed spectacular featured the mighty Thor, God of Thunder! The charecter was played by Australian actor Chris Hemsworth who had the responsibility of ripping into the shape of the prince of Asgard. If you wish to have the hammer wielding muscles that will get you a date with Natalie Portman, try this 3 day a week full body blast. You'll see a God like figure staring back at you in the mirror after just 6 weeks.

Workout 1

Dead Lift 5 x 5
Bent Over Row 5 x 5
Pull Up 5 x 5

1000m Row
Kettle Bell Swings 3 x 1 minute

Workout 2

Back Squat 5 x 5
Lunges 5 x 25m
Leg Extension 5 x 5

1km Run
Box Jump 3 x 10

Workout 3

Incline Bench Press 5 x 5
Chest Dips 5 x 5
Pull Over 5 x 5

50 Sledge Hammer Wood Chops to a Tyre (each arm)
Medicine Ball Slam Down 3 x 20

Do Exercise to Music Classes Improve Your Fitness?

Exercise to Music classes (ETM) are very popular. You have your common aerobic classes such as aqua, step and general aerobics. There are large companies such as Les Mills, Vibe and Insanity which provide a variety of their own special brand of classes. Some ETM classes that are purely based on dancing such as Zumba and Bokwa. But will they help you achieve your goal?

On the plus side ETM is motivational. You have loud music in a fun social environment that is as much of a party as it is a fitness session. You keep your heart rate up, the workout is varied so that it works different movement patterns and you are lead by a qualified instructor.

There are many negatives that go along with ETM. My personal dislike is the lack of progression. If you work in the rhythm of a beat, there is no change in velocity. In some classes such as Les Mills “Body Pump” you can top up the intensity by adding more weight. However this is only one form of progression which is not enough for substantial physical developments. Not only is progression low but it also goes unmeasured. If you look at an ETM class that does not go by rhythm such as “Insanity,” you do not count repetitions. You pretty much blast out as many moves as you can in a set time frame. You don’t really know if you are getting that much better or if you’re progress has frozen.

On a related note, ETM classes are often too varied. If a session changes every week there is no obvious sign of progression.

Build Insane Endurance

Improving your muscular endurance is arguably a simple task. Keep the reps high and that is specific endurance training. But let's train smart to really pound out the high reps. 

Muscular endurance is the skeletal muscles capability of continuously dealing with training related pressure over a long period of time. It is useful for endurance runners who wish to keep their legs moving  or for boxers to keep their guard up without getting a shoulder ache. 

The old school of muscular endurance training is one of the best. Circuit training. Black a series of exercises back to back with a set time period on each exercise e.g. 1 minute. Between each exercise there is often a rest time but this is not essential. Especially if you're working a variety of body parts in one workout. 

For my clients I have found that weight training works wonders for rapid improvement but I have a very specific way of going about it. It's arguably evil! I don't do 3 sets of 20 repetitions as I don't believe that sufficient endurance gains will come from that. Here is my endurance training protocol:

1. Choose an exercise (in this example I will use a bench press). 

2. Find 30% of your 1 repetition max.

3. Set the timer on for a 2 minute bout. It's endurance training so the timed sets should be long! 

4. Get as many repetitions out as you can within the 2 minutes. Each repetition should be controlled and rhythmic. 

5. Conclude the first set and rest for 20 seconds. You can't rest too long if you want to learn to carry on going! 

6. Complete another set. You won't get as many repetitions out. You'll burn like a hundred suns! 

7. Directly after the 2 minute blast, go into a body weight exercise for the specific muscle you have worked. (So a press up will work well here). Complete as many repetitions as you can without losing form. 

8. Take a 90 second rest and repeat the previous 7 steps. Ouch! 

Complete the circuit 2 times if you're a beginner.

Complete the circuit 4 times if you're a bit more advance.

If you train insane and are quite frankly a bit of a freak you can try 6. 

Have fun! 

Assisted Stretching Done Correctly

Partner stretching is popular within martial-arts but I only use it in very strict circumstances.

1.      The participants must have excellent communication between them. This involves spotting technique. The partner being stretched is always in control. It is this participant who asks to intensify the stretch, slow the stretch down or stop the stretch all together. This participant must also bring about any important points. If he/she needs to adjust the stretch to correct the technique, he/she must say so. The other partner’s job is to simply ask if the stretched partner is okay.

2.      The participants must be of a high level. Stretching experience leads to better somatic feedback. This simply means that the participants are aware if they can push themselves further into a stretch or they need to stop. Better flexibility also lowers risk of a strain.

Beginners who use this method will certainly put themselves at risk. Here are some alternative methods of assisted stretching:

Gravity

The simple force that vertically acts on our physiology can be used to deepen your split. You can control it by holding onto a wall or a chair. It is always available.

Resistance Bands

Well they’re not always available but resistance bands are certainly a cheap and useful method of enhancing a stretch. They can even be used horizontally which is something that gravity cannot offer. If your resistance band is looped you can anchor it to a stable point. This can be used to progress a hip flexor stretch or a glute stretch.

Towel

Well it may be in your gym bag anyway. Wrap it around your foot to deepen the hamstring stretch or use it to enhance a triceps stretch. Towels are good for when you have the means to hold it with one hand and pull with the other to push a stretch further. 

A Quick Brake Down of Kettlebell Training

Kettlebells have made a fantastic name for themselves. A simple cannon ball with a handle which was brought into popularity by Russian fitness guru Pavel Tsatsuline. It's time to review why Kettlebells are so popular and to take a deeper look into their practical usage. 

Well they were marketed brilliantly. I'm a big fan of Enter the Kettlebell. Pavel second book on Kettlebell training featured heavy focus on the Swing, Clean and Press, Turkish Get Up and the Snatch. They were further brought into the spotlight by some fantastic coaches such as Steve Cotter, Steve Maxwell and Mike Mahler. 

These pioneers to the Kettlebell managed to persuade the market that Kettlebell training is a method of cardiovascular development which does not increase muscle mass. Hypertrophy is a big concern for many women. The truth is, the way people train with Kettlebells can be replicated with dumbbells. The product was the method, not the equipment. The equipment was just associated with the the product. So how do people train with the Kettlebell? Fast, full body exercises with a high focus on the legs. Three ingredients of a weight loss training plan.

So when you look at the the Kettlebell as a piece of kit as oppose to a method, your perspective may change. The weight distribution of a Kettlebell is different to that of a dumbbell and barbell so it's bio-mechanical impact on the skeleton will provide variety. This can potentially mix up training or help to brake poor training progress. Overall training with a Kettlebell is not much different. 

Recently I've encouraged clients to perform swings with weighted plates with a handle. This requires a wide stance which promotes better glute activation. 

Strong Man Inspired Strength Exercises

It has become popular to practice many events performed by strong man competitors. We push prowlers, flip tyres, endure the farmers walk, lift atlas stones and throw. How do we get the most of of this type of training? I believe in implementing them with standard resistance exercises as apart of a sports specific routine. 

Pushing prowlers will provide a brutal challenge for your thighs. What makes this epic drill different is the challenge it provides to your gait and it's similarity to acceleration. Unless you are aiming for a fun hypertrophy training session, you should always be able to nail the prowler with a sprint. After all, to build speed you must move quickly. If the resistance on the prowler causes you to walk it is essential that you lower the weight.

Tyre flips allow us to move forward during resistance exercise. Squats, dead lifts and olympic lifts are brilliant exercises but they do not allow a substantial load which we can distribute horizontally. Horizontal loading is specific to scrims in Rugby and long jumps in Athletics.

Farmers walks have been called the walking plank but I see that as an unfair observation. They operate in the gait pattern which is rare for a heavy resistance exercise. They challenge the grip, work the frontal plane in an isometric (static muscle contraction) manner and above all else they challenge the full body to work as a well functioning unit. 

Atlas stones simply provide variety which can challenge upset the regular manner at which your muscle fibres contract. This is good for co-ordinating various sporting movements. The instability of lifting an Atlas stone will reinforce good posture and technique, encourage slower movement and prevent injury by improving proprioception.

You cannot get more explosive than a throw. In strong man, keg throws are commonly tested in the Worlds Strongest Man event. This mighty action requires full body explosiveness in the sagittal plane. This is a fantastic way of lowering the number of jumps required in a workout. This could reduce repetitive stress injury's. 

Please feel free to read more:

Instant Squat Corrections

http://icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/instant-squat-corrections.html

Rage Against the Machines

http://icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/rage-against-machines-are-resistance.html

Practical Use of an Aerobic Bar

The simple aerobic bar is pretty much a magic wand to my clients. They're over a metre long, solid in construction and the ones I use only weight 1kg. 1kg is perfect because it's enough weight to offer good somatic feedback without stressing the joints on certain exercises. 

The bar is good for posture checks. I encourage my clients to hold the bar at either end and position it behind their body. They then position the back of their head, t-spine and backside against the bar which lifts their spine into a neutral posture. During a group session I call for a posture check with a bar every 15 minutes. It's resulted in better technical performance from my hard working clan.

To improve practical posture I like to encourage participants to hold the bar behind their neck and run. This is challenging because the arm swing isn't present. The arm swing encourages a counter-lateral action which promotes leg drive power and mid section stability. The trunk works much harder without the arm drive. This principle of overload will carry over as more stability in a normal gait cycle. 

The bar is useful for shoulder mobility. Simply hold either end of the bar, keep your arms straight and lift the bar back and forth over your head. Try to get the bar from touching your stomach to touching your lower back. 

Enjoyed this post? You may also like:

Why Arm Exercises are Functional

http://icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/why-arm-exercises-are-functional.html

5 Dont's of Agility Training

http://icankeepup.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/5-don-of-agility-training.html

December is the Time to Train!

It’s December. The western worlds annual festival of eating ourselves sick. A cold weather season encourages us to wrap up in a blanket and ball up on the sofa as oppose to slogging out a few miles on the road. We prefer to drink spirits to get that warm feeling in our gut instead of visiting the gym to get that sensational burn in our muscles. We say it doesn’t matter. After all, January is a new beginning.

Have you ever stopped to consider how January really goes? On New Years Eve you dedicate yourself to a new years resolution. You may wish to run a marathon, lose a few pound or improve your general health.

January the 1^st is now here and the left over’s are present in a generous amount. This could be alcohol, starchy foods or chocolate. You say to yourself “okay I can’t be wasteful!” You still feel the sugar craving from the hectic holiday fiestas and struggle to use the simple 2 letter word “no!” That’s January the 1^st out the window. Now on to the next day.

January the 2^nd has shown his ugly face and you feel like crap. You’re skin is oily and maybe a bit spotty, you’re stomach feels softer than ever and you can’t shift your arse out of bed. Maybe you will pick up the phone today and commit to that gym membership you mentioned about to your friends and family. You press in the digits and the membership assistant answers the phone. You arrange an appointment for 2 days time.

It’s now the 4^th. Over the past 2 days you probably attempted to eat a little bit better but you’re exactly winning prizes in being clean and lean. You meet up with the membership assistant, take a tour of a leisure club and go about your gym induction.

When the 5^th comes you decide that it’s time to really make a change. Oats and egg whites for breakfast, take a tuna salad to work and go to the gym after your 9pm to 5pm hours (if you’re that lucky). You then walk into the gym with your headphones blasting your favourite upbeat tunes. Oh no. The gym is rammed. You are not the only one who made the new years resolution to get in shape.

So your diet didn’t get off to a flying start, your first time at the gym was horrendous and now your motivation may very well plummet.

Half of January may have passed and only now you’re nailing out 3 solid sessions a week with a clean meal plan. You feel unhappy with the results as you hoped to have achieved more by that date.

Train now or let January eat you alive!

I’m not saying that you should eat like a pro body builder and train like an Olympian. You’re only human and you will have the mighty temptation to drink booze, eat chocolate and laze in the warm living room on a cold winters day but taking on some nutritious solid food and getting the gym work done may very well give you the running start you need to succeed.

To help you on your quest for surviving this wicked month of indulgence you must make an easy to follow plan to keep in the training mind frame. I make three adjustments. First of all I make sure that I am stocked up on D3 which mimics the sunlight effect that improves calcium regulation and muscular performance. I eat like I always do. The same fruit and vegetable quantities, high protein and whole grain carbohydrates. I just eat extra! It’s not always recommended but I find that by eating the bad food on top of my healthy meals has this effect of increasing my energy and lowering my sugar intake. You can’t eat as much junk if you stuff your face with a juicy chicken breast and vegetables. I also try to stay hydrated. This is taking into consideration that alcohol is a diuretic. When you’re not out on the pop just take on water.

Instant Squat Corrections

The squat is a heavily used primal movement pattern. We use it when we stand up (or use it eccentrically when we sit down), side step, jump or lift. It is by all means a functional exercise. The issue is, if your squat is incorrect many issue can occur. To list a few, upper back stiffness, lower back strain and internal knee damage are very common with my new programme design clients. This post is not based around long term interventions but on what you can do today to prevent injury.

Goblet squats are very handy. Hold a dumbbell rather than a Kettlebell. The bottom part of the dumbbell will rocks away from the body you know you are leaning too far forward. This will help you to keep a tall neutral posture and take pressure off your back.

To prevent your knees from going forward it is useful to keep an aerobic step near by. Place your feet underneath the aerobic step. Keep your shin against the step so that it can’t move forward as you squat down. This will encourage you to activate your posterior chain more. If your knees tilt inwards it is worth looping a resistance band around your thighs. This will provide good somatic feedback and strengthen weak glute muscles.

If you find that your balance shifts to the outside of your foot when you squat stability is lowered. Strengthen your adductors by squatting with a ball between your legs.   

Rage Against the Machines: Are Resistance Machines Really that Bad?

Today I used resistance machines for the first time in months. They're like a treat for me. When I take a brief pause from my Tae Kwon-do competition training I go back to a basic split routine of chest and biceps, back and triceps and legs and shoulders. I train abs on each of these sessions. 

I implement resistance machines into these splits. They allow me to lift heavier and load my nervousness system with resistance that it's not use too. They allow me to take a brake from the same equipment which psychologically is a brilliant thing. A stale routine is one you are not going to progress in. There's nothing wrong with isolating specific areas. In fact in many circumstances I encourage it. People go overboard when it comes to compound exercises. Yes they burn more calories, yes they are more specific in bio-mechanical nature and yes they work much more muscle. But they are not always the best for correcting an imbalance. For example many people may find the hamstring curl machine handy for gaining a better quad to hamstring strength ratio. Machines can provide technical re-enforcement that free weights don't do. So don't slam machines. 

Now there are bad machines and there are good machines. I've split the bad ones up into category's. This will give you an idea of the no no's in your local gym. 

Shoulder wreckers

This group is dedicated to the ugly seats that opt for forcing shoulders to do what they are not designed to do. The main suspect is the dam awful Peck Deck. This monstrosity involves the inwards rotation that has been linked to impingement and finishes with an over stretch that weakens the joint ligaments. The Lat. Pull Down is also a provider to anyone wishing to struggle to put their t-shirt on in the morning. The inward rotation and addiction of this body building favourite is a nuisance for morphing the way your carry your shoulders. 

Hip squeezers 

My hatred, my anger, my enemy! The abductor and adductor machines. I would love to take a sledge hammer to them. They tighten the hips through limited range of motion. This will result in back problems. If you're using the abductor machine to pound your glutes then you are daft! How can you expect your glutes to fire up whilst seated? Just go in the corner and squat! 

Knee stretchers

Like I mentioned earlier the leg curl is useful for correcting an imbalance in specific groups of clients but make sure you use the correct machine. If you're gyms leg curl machine involves sitting upright the. Avoid it. This machine is tricky to adjust, makes direct contact to the joint and can cause tendon damage. The proper leg curl machine is pictured.

Back busters

Anything and everything that involves a sit up or crunch motion is bad news. The constant isotonic contractions of your stomach degenerates the cartridge in your spine and will result in a slipped disk. This is due to your lower back muscles being placed in an inactive position so that it can't provide even tension on the lumbar spine. Also machines which twist your spine to work the obliques are also a bad idea. If your back twists past 5 degrees then the cartridge will torque and become injured.