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.