tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46344538296806347972024-02-07T04:54:52.976+00:00Training BlogUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-14450544560465435302013-09-03T13:22:00.001+01:002013-09-03T13:22:45.361+01:00Be inspired: "The world is your gym" - Ross EnamaitSince reading a few articles on Ross Enamaits blog, I have been looking at stuff in a new light. Everything I pass now, I wonder how I could use it in some way to challenge myself. Simple things like poles, fences, walls, slabs of concrete, are all now portable - use anywhere - pieces of gym equipment. Yesterday was inset day and also the last day before my son starts school. I thought I'd use the day to teach him how to ride his bike without stabilisers. The journey to the park turned into a mini-workout, with my son getting as much involved as I was, only stopping until he was bored and wanted to move onto the next. Our first stop was a barrier to stop cyclists from charging down an alleyway. We together performed tonnes of exercises, pull-ups, muscle-ups, jumping, swinging and poking slugs with sticks. I took a few pictures and posted them on instagram while we were there...<br />
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We also found things to do with a post we found in a field...<br />
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If you are interested in reading the original articles, you can find them here:<br />
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<a href="http://rosstraining.com/blog/2012/08/28/the-world-is-your-gym/" target="_blank">The World is your gym 1</a><br />
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<a href="http://rosstraining.com/blog/2012/08/28/the-world-is-your-gym-2/" target="_blank">The World is your gym 2</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-31389761392707736642013-07-29T21:46:00.000+01:002013-07-29T21:46:47.661+01:00PR on deadlift (205 kg / 250 lbs)Another video I made several months ago that forgot to post on the blog. This is still my PR for my one rep max on deadlift. I haven't gone heavy in a while, so looking forward to doing something soon.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-61174765075301931912013-07-29T21:40:00.001+01:002013-07-29T21:40:24.926+01:00Playing with Jump Rope transitionsHere is a video from a while back I didn't share on my blog. It shows my progress with switching between running in place and double-unders, something I refer to as transitioning. It's quite a frustrating skill to develop, since it's mostly about timing and speed; double-unders are difficult to perform without speed and it's cumbersome to try and change the speed of the rope when making a transition. As you can see, it's not perfect, but it's a step in the right direction...<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-38896768101492690852013-07-21T22:19:00.003+01:002013-07-21T22:19:27.259+01:00Your home is your gym<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="710" scrolling="no" src="//instagram.com/p/cCXwuIypVe/embed/" width="612"></iframe><br />
Inspired by this post: <a href="http://rosstraining.com/blog/2013/07/19/rosstraining-on-instagram/">http://rosstraining.com/blog/2013/07/19/rosstraining-on-instagram/</a><br />
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I felt the urge to explore things around the home I could use as exercise equipment. The hardest to find are things to use as pull-up equipment, since not much around the home is sturdy enough to support my weight. However, the stairwell makes for a great pull-up station, even though there is little prospect of being able to use it for muscle-ups. But everybody has a solid floor, on which you can perform infinite variations of press, squat and lunge movements. #NoExcusesUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-76941078055066811792012-10-24T08:52:00.000+01:002012-10-24T08:52:20.943+01:00Advice: It doesn't have to be that complicatedI was in the gym yesterday and was approached by someone asking various questions, from the age-old "how to lose some weight?" and "how to make" this or that "bigger?". So one question that stuck in my mind was "How do I make my shoulders look wider?". The simple and honest truth is, you can't make them "look" wider, you have to make them "be" wider. <br />
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At the time, this guy was using the squat rack, albeit the wrong way round, given he couldn't see where to rack the bar with his back to the rack. After pointing out that he is likely to get squashed under the bar if he falls forward and foul of the rack arms, he realised why the mirror is the other side of the rack; not for posing, but so you can see what you are doing with the bar. Obviously fairly new to this, I adjusted my response accordingly, though I may have sounded a little patronising:<br />
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<i>"If you want to make your shoulders wider, you need to regularly perform the shoulder press."</i></blockquote>
He questioned it as if I wasn't revealing some secret formula to building shoulders. But I explained that there is nothing untoward about body building. You just need time, patience and consistency. Pick an exercise and stick with it until you see progress decline. When this happens, change it. When it happens again, change it back to what you were doing before or change it again. Variation is sometimes all that is needed to overcome a plateau.<br />
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I think more often, people are under the impression that you can transform your body over night. I even see some guys who believe in this ideology so profusely that they think they have actually transformed their bodies in a few months, when all they have actually done is increased their body fat percentage through eating too much weight gaining supplements. I wouldn't mind, except they strut around the gym with their chest puffed out and traps poised like their lats are too big to stand with their posture otherwise, throwing weights on the floor to make some kind of statement (what is it by the way, I haven't actually figured this out?). These people identify themselves when they pick up 25 kg dumbbells and shout "encouraging" words at each other when they get to their sixth and final rep, before throwing the weights on the floor in the most irritating and cumbersome way possible. Well done, you deserve a pat on the back!<br />
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The truth is, these things take time. Don't expect to see results overnight and don't be consumed by what you read in magazines or on the internet; especially not from someone who is kindly taking your money for advice. If you think about it, magazine publishers and personal trainers aren't going to tell you how simple it is to actually achieve your goals, because then you wouldn't buy their magazines or pay extortionate rates for them to tell you how important it is that you use a bosu ball, balancing on one foot, performing bent over rows in order to build "the shoulders you have always wanted". Maybe I am wrong; maybe people want to balance on a one foot stood on a bosu ball, believing this is the best way to build their shoulders. Maybe the magazines are just a front for an undercover ring of one legged bosu ball shoulder press experts? If so, I'll stick to what I am doing and what I know works and mind my own business.<br />
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My one piece of advice that covers pretty much any muscle group is: Keep it simple. That's it. If you want to know how to build a particular muscle, just stand in the mirror and identify ways of flexing that muscle as part of a compound or in isolation. There will be many ways you can flex a muscle, but you need to identify what works best for you! Generally, everything boils down to three basic principles, since these principles are pretty much all that the body is mechanically capable of:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Pushing / Pressing</li>
<li>Pulling</li>
<li>Twisting</li>
</ul>
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You can apply these principles to any part of the body and use the principles to formulate exercises to work selective or collective muscles. But one thing for sure is, you will not invent anything new! There is already a well established collection of simple exercises out there that have stood the test of time. Eventually, everything leads back to these basic exercises and eventually everybody realises, that because something is so simple, does not make it ineffective.</div>
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So, if you want to build your shoulders. I urge you to stop trying to discover the best way to build your shoulders or the most obscure way to build your shoulders. Instead, just go an pick up some dumbbells and start pressing them above your head. Before long you will need heavier dumbbells or will be performing more repetitions. This is an indication what you are doing is working, so stick with it. </div>
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Again, if you want to build your chest, perform push-ups. When push-ups are too easy, use dumbbells. I never advocate barbells, simply because they are not necessary and add an element of danger when trying to lift to failure. Dumbbells can be dropped on the floor if your spotter is rubbish. Better still, holding one dumbbell means you can spot yourself with your other hand, then switch sides. </div>
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Make sure you do pull-ups. Start by lying under a squat rack. Keep your feet on the floor and pull your chest towards the bar. The more upright you stand, the easier it is, so start fairly upright and gradually become more horizontal over time. Eventually you will have enough strength to muster a real pull-up. Once there, do those to failure. When that's too easy, you will be at a stage where you will be able to figure out what to do next.</div>
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Do dead lifts and squats. These are all important compound exercises that will help you build strength all over. It will help you become more stable and more confident with weight. As a minimum, perform leg presses regularly.</div>
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Don't get caught up on what you can see in the mirror. Exercising those T-Shirt muscles will have you looking weird from angles you can't see yourself from in the mirror. Your posture will end up wrong and you will most likely end up with an injury years down the line. Instead, keep everything balanced. If you work your chest, work your back next time. If you pull, push in the opposite direction. Work your legs!! There is nothing worse that the guy with an enormous upper body and stick thing sparrow legs. It looks ridiculous. If your legs are behind, work them twice as often as the rest of your body. Let them catch up.</div>
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If you don't like a particular exercise because it's too difficult or doesn't massage your ego enough, then that's all the more reason to do it. Usually if something is hard, there is a reason. That reason will be that your are not as strong as your thought you were. Stop doing those easy exercises and concentrate on something harder, something more challenging.</div>
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Hmm. I have rambled on with this way beyond my original expectations. But this has been rather medicinal to me, firstly venting my frustration at mistakes I see all the time and secondly writing down some of the truths I have to regurgitate on a regular basis. But if you got this far and found it hit a nerve or you found it enlightened you somehow, then I hope it helps you on your journey. If you still believe there is magic in bosu ball balancing that will build you mystical muscle mass and super powers, you go for it, don't let me or anyone else stand in the way of your progress! In the words of Mr and Mr Hodge, this is all just advice. It's advice based on my own personal experiences and challenges I have faced. If you follow it, good for you. If you choose not to, good for you.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-89639118586163434562012-10-22T07:22:00.002+01:002012-10-22T07:22:38.922+01:00Words of wisdom from Elliot HulseYesterday I posted an entry about the Hodge Twins and essentially to treat what they preach as semantics for a well formed and well balanced lifestyle or body building programme, instead of treating their advices as schematics. There are no such "schematics" for producing good results. Yes, if you are new to this, then pretty much just about anything will work in the early phases of your development. But as you progress, it gets harder. You must contest your own body's flaws, limitations and barriers, that will be unique to you. It is at this point you will struggle to find results in what served you for so long. You will be craving something to produce those short term results you once saw. A blueprint of some kind that you can follow to the letter and build muscle fast, get strong fast or get conditioned fast. Unfortunately, although some may lead you to believe, there is no such thing. The only things that will help you achieve your goals are:<br />
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<ul>
<li><b>Commitment</b></li>
<ul>
<li>You must stay committed to your programme.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Patience</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Lack of patience will have you questioning your goals and your programme. You won't notice change overnight. When experimenting with something new, give it a few months. Be patient!</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Experience</b></li>
<ul>
<li>You need to try things for yourself. Don't take someone's word for it that a given exercise will or will not work. Create your own programme to experiment with it. Prove or disprove if it works for you or not. But least of all, don't consider that someone is wrong if it doesn't work in your favour; what works for you, may not work for them and vice versa.</li>
</ul>
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Shortly after posting, I was trawling through my YouTube subscriptions and came across a video from Elliot Hulse; someone who I deem to be a valued professional, given he reads real material, and also someone who practices what they preach. Whilst we both share very different goals, our approach is very similar...<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-18823880259212546422012-10-21T21:31:00.001+01:002012-10-21T21:32:37.281+01:00Hodge Twins - A.K.A. Twin Muscle WorkoutI came across these guys quite some time ago now and shared their YouTube channel with a few friends, who found them equally entertaining. Until now, I don't think I have ever mentioned them on this blog, so perhaps it's a good time to share. They have a few channels now, but the channel I primarily focus on is their body building channel. Whilst I don't agree with everything they preach, I do like the fact they are honest about what they say being their opinion based on their own life experiences. I can relate to this and often find myself in a position whereby people question my motives, regime or diet, trying to apply what works for me to their own lifestyle. This will not work. Not only am I genetically unique compared to anyone else I know, my daily routine and habits also differ, meaning I have a completely different resting metabolic rate. Take my dad for example. Genetically we are the same or at least extremely similar. But we both have jobs at different ends of the spectrum. I am desk bound for 70% of my day, doing my full time occupation. But for 20% of it, I am pushing myself hard to keep up with those that can cruise throughout the day at a constant consistent pace. The other 10% is spent running at a moderate pace, being a father and husband. My dad on the other hand, is on his feet 80% of his day, doing a very manual job. The extra physical exertion he experiences from day to day would mean, anything I find works for me may not work for him. I also have no idea what his sleeping patterns are. Energy levels fluctuate throughout the day, with most peoples optimal energy output being between 4pm and 6pm. However, I am not most people and since I wake at 5am every morning and commute 60 miles to work, my 4pm actually arrives a lot sooner at around 12pm. So between 12pm and 2pm, I am energetically at my optimum; the best time to smash the gym! Everybody leads a different lifestyle, be it hobby or habit. You can question what I do, when I do it and how I go about it, but don't think you can contest it. I am content with my approach and I find my approach works for me. If you have something that works too, great! That means you have found something that works for you. But you haven't found a secret formula, nor a magical blueprint as you might lead yourself to believe. You have simply discovered the unique formula and blueprint that was made to work for you and you alone, and one that easily fits your lifestyle.<br />
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With this in mind, watch and enjoy the Hodge Twins, but don't take what they say as the definitive. They are merely two very funny and very talented individuals who are sharing their experiences through their body building journey. Of course, experiment and try some, if not all of the techniques they are sharing. But don't allow yourself to be consumed by their success with the belief that your own success can follow, if you mimic everything they do.<br />
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This is one of my favourites, but if you can, find the link to their channel and find yourself your own favourite...<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-39163681201625731842012-09-16T11:38:00.002+01:002012-09-16T11:38:41.572+01:00Back and biceps routineThis is the routine I have been following for the past eight or nine weeks. It is time to change it, so before I do, I thought I'd log this one. Details of weights / sets are in the video description. I finished with some roll outs, which I have been working on intermittently for the past few months. My last video to include this exercise shows that I was not getting my body close enough to the floor. Now I am happy with the proximity to the floor and just need to focus on extension of my arms, trying to avoid bending them at the elbow.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-26012069300109325682012-09-13T10:51:00.000+01:002012-09-13T10:51:03.209+01:00Obscure lifting injuryFor the past nine weeks or so, I have had to put up with an unconventional injury I acquired whilst lifting. It's not the conventional injury you'd associate with lifting, which would typically be some sort of strain, torn ligament or muscle. This is in fact oral and was the result of biting my lip! Typically, you'd get an ulcer, it would heal and that would be that. But in my case, it healed but then came back and persisted as such, repeatedly healing and coming back. I have now since been to a consultant who specialises in such things and has diagnosed it as a Mucocele. Typically these things will heal themselves, but when they have persisted beyond three weeks or so, surgery is inevitably required to remove the gland.<br />
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Here is an article on Mucoceles: <a href="http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1076717-overview" target="_blank">http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1076717-overview</a><br />
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Hopefully I will get an appointment to have the faulty gland removed and that will be that. There are some risks associated with the removal, but really, I am not that worried given how annoying this thing is and how painful it gets when swollen. My advice is to avoid biting your lip when you lift and of course when eating. If you are struggling not to, it might be worth investing in a mouth guard and wearing it to stop you from lip biting.<br />
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Might I add that this is generally only an issue when lifting heavy, since it's the strain associated with lifting heavy that can make you do irrational things, such as biting your lip!<br />
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If all that wasn't enough to put you off your tea, here is a photo of my Mucocele.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-55324735183025010502012-09-08T12:56:00.001+01:002012-09-08T12:56:24.205+01:00Update: 8th Sept<div>
Have been using the jump rope as a warm-up / cool-down routine for the past two years now. I only spend between 10 and 15 minutes a day, excluding weekends, practising different techniques. For the past four or five months, I have been able to incorporate side swings (see them here if interested, I won't embed this one: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q5d_RlfNxw">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q5d_RlfNxw</a> ). However, I have been eluded by double-under to running in place to double-under transitions for a while now, so these are my next skills to acquire on the rope. A few days ago, I managed <u>a</u> rather scruffy looking set of transitions, so it's a start. Definitely need to panic less when making the switch, then I think I will maintain a smoother rhythm. Skip to around the 2 minute mark to see where I got a good set of transitions in.<br />
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I haven't done a video of my usual training programme for a while, so I made a small montage of Weds leg workout. I failed on the 200kg deadlift at the end after hitting 190kg, so maybe next time! I have put the info for weight, sets and reps in the video description if you are interested. Oh, it's probably worth mentioning that it is a strength building programme that incorporates body building protocols, if you are wondering why the rep range is so high. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-48921600681142807542012-07-23T09:06:00.001+01:002012-07-23T09:06:52.931+01:00BBC News: Reducing salt 'would cut cancer'<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18923994" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">BBC News: Reducing salt 'would cut cancer'</a><br />
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I do my best to avoid consuming salt, for other reasons than those highlighted here, but if you are a consumer of heavily processed food, then you are fighting an ever losing battle. Retailers are the least consistent when it comes to labelling of food, sometimes labelling quantities per 35g serving, other times per 100g. Interestingly, they also often have diluted ideas about what constitutes a portion size, so often you will buy something that looks to be low in salt, because you bought it on the presumption that it would be consumed as one serving, but in actual fact, the retailer has labelled the serving size to be a quarter of the contents, and thus there is actually four times the amount of salt than you first thought.<br />
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My advice, steer away from processed foods entirely. It's okay to eat processed food occasionally, like a pizza once a month, but don't make it a weekly habit to consume salty food, especially Monday to Friday. You should treat the working week as a time to abstinence from luxury foods and alcohol. Doing this alone, cuts the amount you consume in a year when you think about how many weeks there are in a year. As much as you might feel that this is a restraint on your liberty, actually the opposite is in effect. Retailers lead you to believe that it is your desire and an expression your liberty and free will to consume junk food, when in actual fact, you are playing into their hands making them millions in profits through sales of cheap, easy to produce, crap.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-84816763887458395842012-07-07T10:44:00.001+01:002012-07-07T10:44:31.304+01:00Athletic greens<div><p>You can buy it in the powdered form, but this is fresh. A while bag of spinach, 2 kiwi fruit, milk, basil and a dash of lemon.</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ma_ssUNX0qOELxfPy3ZuOk9xdUQj1Tr20NH7EU90Uyhcu_vl4mAUUwCtJSXk_g-RCBTwtFs8APotCE7MjFgyKgZhWOx-pVtkTEO4quTe4to3Q_tnF7S008MnaDkNjMdflC0UXmd4KuQ/' /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-91899108020182746882012-06-06T13:03:00.001+01:002012-06-06T13:03:29.841+01:00Nutrition: BCAA powder mixing issuesI have read and heard a lot of people complaining about this stuff, saying it doesn't mix well, tastes awful, etcetera, etcetera. Well, though I can't do much about the taste, if you really can't bear drinking or eating something you don't like, hide your BCAA down the back of the dining room wall unit, along with the broccoli you hid from your parents when you were a child. But, if you can man up to the expectation that generally things that taste bad are actually good for you, then here is a simple tip that will change your opinion about its ability to mix well with liquids...<br />
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<ul>
<li>Place 5g or 10g of BCAA powder in a cup or glass.</li>
<li>Add water.</li>
<li>Wait for ten or so minutes, viola!</li>
</ul>
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I have found BCAA powder to have the same solubility of salt or sugar in water. Though less dense than sugar or water, hence why it floats like sawdust, it still dissolves completely given enough time. You don't even have to stir it, since it will dissolve all by itself, as is the nature of soluble substances. The taste is still as grim as always, so don't expect the foul taste to have disappeared just because you can't see it any more.<br />
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I hope now, you will drink it and STFU! ;-)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-19639238033613694702012-06-06T11:45:00.000+01:002012-06-06T11:47:43.962+01:00Post 10 week program summaryAs I have mentioned in a few previous blogs, I have started incorporating body building protocols in order to experiment with fat loss and mass gaining. For athletes, too much emphasis on body building as opposed to strength building can have dire consequences, often leading to impingement or injury. Since my previous protocols have always been about strength rather than size, I was a little apprehensive about switching to something more muscle development oriented, with less emphasis on nervous system development. So to try and maintain some level of functional strength, I have applied a 50/50 split of compound and isolation, applying body building protocols in both cases.<br />
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So what do I mean when I talk about protocols? Well, think of body building and what the aim of body building is. If you thought the aim of body building is to build muscle then you are right. In essence, the real aim is to cause as much damage to your muscle fibres as possible, in order to promote growth and repair when resting, without injuring yourself of course. With goals like this, it's inevitable that you will be sore the day after if not suffer an onset of DoMS the day after that. However, with strength training, the aim is to gradually build strength, by training your nervous system to activate more muscle tissue, with the side effect of building muscle at the same time. <br />
<br />
<b>Strength Protocols</b><br />
Strength training has the disadvantage of being a slow mechanism for building muscle, while being extremely effective at developing the nervous system. Because strength typically involves more weight and fewer repetitions, soreness is often less noticeable, enabling an athlete to train every working day of the week and even multiple times a day; I have been there, training as much as eight times a week, twice a day on a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, whilst resting Wednesday and on weekends. During this program, which lasted for about six months, my strength gains were enormous, even though I didn't actually gain that much actual lean mass. However, the nervous system is much quicker to adapt to changes than muscle tissue, meaning loss of strength over time is more costly than loss of mass over the same period.<br />
<br />
<b>Body Building Protocols</b><br />
Body building is the natural opposite to strength training. Whilst both are focused on a similar goal, in that you want to maximise your potential in terms of strength and size, body building focuses on the aspects of weight lifting that will ultimately result in more muscle mass and definition than practical strength. For example, you will rarely see a body builder whose nervous system is adapted enough to allow them to lift atlas stones or perform other feats associated with power and strength. What they are however, are masters of being able to recruit individual muscles on demand, rather than collectively, hence why they are extremely good at flexing pectoral muscles. The protocol that enables this is isolation and frequency. Muscles are trained to failure on each set, sometimes even past failure when performing X reps or drop sets. Typically, the repetitions would be moderate to high, with fewer sets and less overall volume. That's not to say one protocol is better than the other, they merely have two different goals.<br />
<br />
<b>My Protocol</b><br />
So what have I put together? I have incorporated a moderate repetition program that takes each set to failure, while still incorporating specialist compound movements, like dead lifts, roll-outs, snatches, cleans and squats. Body builders would usually favour leg press machines over squats, since it isolates the legs, requiring less stabilisation and engagement from the upper body. By maintaining some compound movements in the program, the hope is that the nervous system will maintain familiarity in recruiting muscle groups collectively rather than individually, which will ultimately mean I will still be able to continue the enjoyment of strength related lifts on non program specific days. However, this is experimental, so only time will tell.<br />
<br />
<b>My Program Results</b><br />
So ten weeks has now gone by in the blink of an eye, and I feel it's time to share some of the results before I start my next ten week strength/body building program. The figures for the body composition are not accurate in the slightest, but they are consistent. I used a set of scales that employs BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis) to calculate body fat percentages. The scales are cheap and this method of body fat calculation is poor in even the best scales, so I just had to run with it. The percentage is out by about 10%, though the thing about these scales is that they are consistent. So although the fat percentage is wrong, it will hover around that same area allowing me to plot changes in body composition. For the next ten week program, I will look at obtaining some callipers and measuring body composition properly.<br />
<br />
<i>Start of program</i><br />
Weight: 82.7 kg<br />
Body fat: 21.25 kg<br />
Lean mass: 61.45 kg<br />
<br />
<i>End of program</i><br />
Weight: 84 kg<br />
Body fat: 22.18 kg<br />
Lean mass: 61.82 kg<br />
<br />
<i>Gains</i><br />
Weight: 1.3 kg<br />
Body fat: 930 g (32 oz)<br />
Lean mass: 370 g (13 oz)<br />
<br />
Though I gained some fat, about a kg according to the scales, though in reality this is probably more like 500g based on the good old reliable finger calliper test, there was actually an extraordinary amount of muscle tissue gained. In a year, if this consistency is maintained, would equate to a gain of nearly 2 kg of lean mass. Impressive!<br />
<br />
Since I am able to maintain my body fat quite well through intermittent fasting protocols, it wouldn't take much to shed the excess weight gained at the end of the next ten week program, repeating the process every twenty weeks for maintenance.<br />
<br />
<i>How it all looks:</i><br />
As you can see from the charts, there was a definite steady increase in mass, if you ignore the fluctuations from the inclusion of non reference day weigh-ins. At the same time, my body fat didn't really increase all that much, even though there was some peculiar spike mid way through. Again, I can only attribute this to the BIA calculations being sensitive to other factors like humidity or my hydration levels.<br />
<br />
<i>Lean mass chart:</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVcJHyHcqkCAI4z5k19Tr_4nFByE32ZUJA6k5EXUZWJeg2_5sBzjrwmTzEeG3ixlxXvIH3e2d8kJUlNNBmiztxpO7b_OsV-9mPZnrO72FTikqaPPy6zOwHNr6x56i_SAYFSi7AGexUnI/s1600/weigh_in+(1).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVcJHyHcqkCAI4z5k19Tr_4nFByE32ZUJA6k5EXUZWJeg2_5sBzjrwmTzEeG3ixlxXvIH3e2d8kJUlNNBmiztxpO7b_OsV-9mPZnrO72FTikqaPPy6zOwHNr6x56i_SAYFSi7AGexUnI/s400/weigh_in+(1).png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Fat chart:</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxizPB3CeT8Addv_sLmwj3hknZjEjL-tucClZGJVx4r0VMWFIotlZmRvOwV857L2GSzFYII-FCKo5nEOxIA0ow4VawSMkPqhouBE_MEuZ_nWawsRHhTV2fFjdRZ3Ln_u1U9DpoUeLo2rc/s1600/weigh_in.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxizPB3CeT8Addv_sLmwj3hknZjEjL-tucClZGJVx4r0VMWFIotlZmRvOwV857L2GSzFYII-FCKo5nEOxIA0ow4VawSMkPqhouBE_MEuZ_nWawsRHhTV2fFjdRZ3Ln_u1U9DpoUeLo2rc/s400/weigh_in.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>My Program</b><br />
So what did I do for the last ten weeks? Here it is:<br />
<br />
Monday:<br />
Dumb bell bench press: 3 x 8-12 to failure<br />
Shoulder press: 3 x 8-12 to failure<br />
Dips: 3 x 8-12 to failure<br />
Finisher: Push ups to failure<br />
<br />
Tuesday:<br />
Light jump rope work, conditioning finisher and stretching<br />
<br />
Wednesday:<br />
Dead lift: 3 x 8-12 to failure week 1,3,5,7,9; 3 x 15-18 to failure week 2,4,6,8,10<br />
Leg press: 3 x 20-25 to failure<br />
Hamstring extensions: 3 x 15-20 to failure<br />
Finisher: Lunges to failure<br />
<br />
Thursday:<br />
Light jump rope work, stretching<br />
<br />
Friday:<br />
Lat pull downs/pull ups: 3 x 8-12 to failure<br />
Seated biceps curls: 3 x 8-12 to failure<br />
Seated rows: 3 x 8-12 to failure<br />
Finisher: EZ bar cheat curls 3 x 8-12 to failure<br />
<br />
Weekend: Rest<br />
<br />
The dead lift followed a weight reduction repetition increase on even weeks to maintain strength endurance. Also, I found the strictness required for the body building protocol meant I had to move away from pull-ups for lat pull downs, until I was able to increase the weight to beyond body weight; which was difficult given that my weight was increasing at the same sort of rate.<br />
<br />
Onwards an upwards for the next ten weeks, incorporating some changes to the program...<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-27344276885805504372012-05-30T06:42:00.004+01:002012-05-30T06:42:50.093+01:00Food: Prawn and pork paella (50g protein)<div>
This makes enough for two portions. Cooking time approx 45 mins. Protein (50g per serving).<br />
<br />
250g cooked frozen jumbo prawns (40g protein)<br />
1 x red pepper<br />
1 x yellow pepper<br />
1 x Courgette<br />
1 x aubergine<br />
1 x red onion<br />
400g chopped tomatoes<br />
1/2 cup of peas<br />
1 cup brown rice<br />
1/2 bag of fresh spinach<br />2 x pork loin steaks (30g protein each, 60g total)<br />
Smoked paprika<br />
1 teaspoon fennel seeds<br />
Extra virgin olive oil<br />
Olive oil<br />
<br />
Put the brown rice on to boil.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ErhhfyhWyHpI8TSskjOTypHBxsj9MdogUeC7He2humtFtvY6UJq4dqSY99Ih53h871BnF4gf_9s-Yhyphenhyphen5hrcMt3JF5gHbknm31kaUMUNxNKFacIBAvfuT-CElLq6OrzX_AmdXUX26j_I/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ErhhfyhWyHpI8TSskjOTypHBxsj9MdogUeC7He2humtFtvY6UJq4dqSY99Ih53h871BnF4gf_9s-Yhyphenhyphen5hrcMt3JF5gHbknm31kaUMUNxNKFacIBAvfuT-CElLq6OrzX_AmdXUX26j_I/" /></a>Chop all of the veg into fairly big chunks and place it into a very large saucepan or frying pan, along with the spinach. Add enough extra virgin olive oil to coat, cover in lots of paprika (to taste) and cook on a medium heat. Stir frequently.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbm2P_aB-qd2mG2gZdH2Vm8aVcI7dwwtu-DUhhcl0I7TpAQ2aJMvb7GCGeP8QVgojouMW2RzEO7NkKvr1unCSYhKhqRqHKw5XGKmJZ1e03RIqSMsGMoD-0o38Upgc6ry_o3Gh8hGctbag/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbm2P_aB-qd2mG2gZdH2Vm8aVcI7dwwtu-DUhhcl0I7TpAQ2aJMvb7GCGeP8QVgojouMW2RzEO7NkKvr1unCSYhKhqRqHKw5XGKmJZ1e03RIqSMsGMoD-0o38Upgc6ry_o3Gh8hGctbag/" /></a>Dice the pork into small cubes. Put a couple of good glugs of olive oil into a small frying pan with 2 to 3 teaspoons of smoked paprika and a pinch of ground fennel seeds. As the pork and coat well before placing on a medium to high heat. Cook until brown, then spoon the pork pieces into the pan containing the veg, leaving the oil behind. Add the chopped tomatoes to the mix and stir well.<br />
<br />
When the rice is done, drain and add to the pan containing the veg and pork. Mix well.<br />
<br />
Add the frozen prawns. These should be pre cooked, do the just need to be heated, so will not require much coming time.<br />
<br />
Once the prawns are fully defrosted and hot throughout, remove from heat and serve.<br />
<br />
If you want more protein per serving, add another pork loin steak. Pork loins are extremely high in protein, low in fat and are fairly inexpensive. You can usually pick up a pack of 6 loins for under £5 or $8.<br />
<br />
The ingredients listed above are half the amounts purchased. The veg usually comes in packs that mean you can get 4 servings out of the purchase, making the cost per meal about £3 or $4.50 thereabouts.<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-58254275748606351102012-05-29T13:02:00.001+01:002012-05-29T14:30:33.899+01:00Food: New quick quark recipe (55g protein)<div>
1 x sweet potato<br />
250g quark<br />
1 x red onion chopped<br />
120g salmon trimmings<br />
1 x teaspoon of horse radish<br />
Crushed black pepper<br />
Microwave the sweet potato on full power for 10 mins. While that is cooking, chop the onion. Put the onion, horse radish, quark, salmon and black pepper into a bowl and mix until even. When the sweet potato is done, arrange everything on a plate and eat. Viola!<br />
I had half eaten the dish in the photo.<br />
There's roughly 55g protein in this dish.<br />
<br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw0mlw1ks0vU6tlP9hkI7raLeoMxdf6GWCSZs9cGSSXh4YKyewRUnqhyphenhyphenBgnNGHQGxsXxgTq4_ho9vSjUjj25b3T3Qnb74XjRL4YaWPfvYrmEU9xGV04E2-nOgwiskOMcvCnH2K2nf6CX0/" /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-70791646054090709012012-05-24T09:37:00.001+01:002012-05-24T09:38:13.613+01:00Nutrition: Insulin sensitivityI recently came across the following video on YouTube, from one of the many fitness guru's that post their videos on YouTube. In the video, the presenter talks about the effects of high intake of carbohydrates versus low intake of carbohydrates. While much of what is discussed is factually correct and is actually a useful source of information on the topic, there is an element of untruth surrounding the topic of insulin sensitivity at around the 2 minute mark. The presenter describes insulin sensitivity with relation to consumption of carbohydrates as follows:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The gentleman that eats the pasta and feels very energetic, most likely has good insulin sensitivity. The gentleman that eats the pasta and feels like he has to go to sleep, most likely does not.</i></blockquote>
<b>Video in question</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
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<b><br /></b><br />
<br />
While true, that you can use sugar consumption and the body's reaction as a benchmark for insulin sensitivity, the untruth is in the order of the statements. Since the vast majority of healthy people exhibit tiredness after eating carbohydrates, this statement suggests that it is abnormal or those healthy people are exhibiting signs of insulin insensitivity; or type II diabetes as described by our presenter. Don't fear, feeling tired after eating "a big bowl of pasta" is a perfectly normal hormonal response to an increase in blood sugar. Let me explain why...<br />
<br />
<b>Tryptophan</b><br />
This is an essential amino-acid that cannot be synthesised by the body and thus must be obtained through food. The significance of this amino-acid in relation to this topic, is that this particular amino-acid is used by the brain in order to produce the neurotransmitter, serotonin. If you are thinking that serotonin sounds familiar, then that's because you may have heard it used to describe tiredness; we will discuss this in a moment. tryptophan has to compete against a whole array of other amino-acids in the blood stream, in order to get absorbed by the brain. Under normal circumstances, these other amino-acids act like a barrier and prevent absorption. However, if other amino-acid levels are reduced, then concentration of tryptophan increases and thus more tryptophan is able to enter the brain, with the effect of an increase in serotonin production. Generally, foods rich in carbohydrates are also a primary source of tryptophan.<br />
<br />
<b>Serotonin</b><br />
This is a neurotransmitter that is used by the pineal gland, just below the brain, to secrete a endocrine hormone called melatonin. The more serotonin released by the brain, the more melatonin that is secreted from the pineal gland. Let's see what melatonin does...<br />
<br />
<b>Melatonin</b><br />
This is an endocrine hormone that is released into the blood stream to regulate the body's sleep-wake cycle, among a whole host of other antioxidant properties. It lowers body temperature and causes drowsiness, by suppressing nervous activity to the brain.<br />
<br />
Insulin<br />
Insulin, another hormone secreted by the pancreas, has many functions. One of its primary functions is to allow liver, muscles and fat-cells to absorb glucose from the blood stream. It also allows these cells, if required, to absorb amino acids, excluding tryptophan, from the blood and has various anabolic effects. So what?<br />
<br />
<b>The missing links</b><br />
So how does insulin, tryptophan, serotonin and melatonin relate to this topic? Well, the answer lies in the effects of insulin on amino acid levels in the blood as opposed to glucose levels. When the amino acid levels in the blood are reduced, tryptophan is left behind in higher concentration. This allows tryptophan to enter the brains blood barrier and thus results in the production of serotonin and thus melatonin. Good insulin sensitivity is in fact indicative of high levels of melatonin and thus lethargy and tiredness after uptake of carbohydrates. If you feel more energetic having just eaten "a big bowl of pasta", then this would indicate blood glucose saturation and low levels of insulin in the blood: insulin insensitivity. The density of tryptophan would actually be reduced, even though there is an uptake of tryptophan from the carbohydrates, since the glucose molecules are larger and more prominent than most other molecules in the blood stream.<br />
<br />
So lets correct that original statement:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The gentleman that eats the pasta and feels <b>like he has to go to sleep</b>, most likely has good insulin sensitivity. The gentleman that eats the pasta and feels <b>very energetic</b>, most likely does not.</i></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-64030270306510235662012-05-23T14:19:00.000+01:002012-05-23T14:19:56.235+01:00WOD: Jump rope side swings/switchesBeen practising this technique for a while, maybe a couple of months or so, and finally cracked it yesterday. Before then, every attempt seemed to look messy or I would end up lashing myself up in the jump rope, whipping myself in the face or throwing the rope across the gym - accidentally of course! The thing that seemed to help with practising this routine, was to practice the manoeuvre without the rope, visualising foot placement and timing in my head. This approach seemed to pay off and it all came together very quickly within the past couple of weeks. I have only been using the rope once or twice a week lately, figuring that less is more when it comes to allowing your brain time to memorise the routine. Anyway, here's a video of yesterdays session, including some of the less desirable instances, of which includes the rope throwing incident.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-25443818530460536292012-05-21T13:40:00.000+01:002012-05-21T13:40:11.423+01:00Food: Post workout lunchMy usual concoction of kale, veg, beans, sweet potato and eggs had a slight twist today with the addition of some quark! Quark is a "virtually" fat free cream cheese, which seems to behave like cream cheese in the sense that, when you add it to hot food, it melts. Awesome! So I added a whole tub of this to my lunch today, which when you consider that 100g has 13g of protein and 4g of carbs (that's it!), it is a really easy and cheap way to boost the protein content of the meal. I dropped an egg (6g protein) and added this, giving a combined protein content of approximately 77g. That is a bit excessive I know, but this is one of two meals I eat in a day, given the intermittent fasting protocol I choose to follow.<div>
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Here is a picture of the eggs, veg mix and quark before I combined them.</div>
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Here is a picture after I combined the veg and quark; notice the creamy Carbonara look to the whole thing.</div>
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If you are wondering how I made it all, I used two microwaves at work to cook the sweet potato, veg and eggs before mixing the quark in straight out of the fridge. The sweet potato is buried beneath the veg, whole. Here are the ingredients:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
5 x whole eggs [organic] (30g protein, vitamins)</div>
<div>
3 x tomatoes (carotene lycopene - a REALLY powerful anti-oxidant)</div>
<div>
1 x red onion (sulphur, quercetin - another REALLY powerful anti-oxidant)</div>
<div>
1 x yellow bell pepper [organic] (vitamin C, carotene lycopene)</div>
<div>
1 x medium sweet potato (complex carbs, vitamins, fibre)</div>
<div>
400g Haricot beans [organic in water, drained] (15g protein, fibre, folate)</div>
<div>
Kale (Vitamin C)</div>
<div>
1 x 250g tub of quark (32 g protein)</div>
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<br /></div>
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This is what I call super-food!!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-88433192570236657872012-05-21T11:20:00.002+01:002012-05-21T11:20:24.860+01:00PB: 40kg (88lb) Bench Press for 14 repsNew personal best for repetitions on this age old simple routine. I went on to complete another three sets, though progressively fewer reps on each. I go to failure on everything at the moment, with the regime I am following, so it's fairly difficult to maintain the same repetitions for each set, unless I want to rest for longer and potentially be in the gym for in excess of an hour!<br />
<br />
My last effort was 12 repetitions at this weight, so 14 is a good step up. Though 14 is now too many and I need to grab something heavier. Unfortunately, dumbbells only go up to 40kg here, so will be looking to find a new gym in coming weeks. However, I am offloading next week, so there isn't any immediate rush.<br />
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<b>Today's workout was as follows:</b><br />
Dumbbell bench press:<br />
Set 1: 40kg x 14<br />
Set 2: 40kg x 9<br />
Set 3: 40kg x 8<br />
Set 4: 40kg x 7<br />
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Dumbbell Shoulder Press:<br />
Set 1: 24kg x 11<br />
Set 2: 24kg x 8<br />
Set 3: 24kg x 7<br />
Set 4: 24kg x 6<br />
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Weighted Dips:<br />
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Set 1: 40kg x 9<br />
Set 2: 40kg x 5 + 2 eccentric<br />
Set 3: 40kg x 4 + 1 eccentric<br />
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Push-ups to failure: 30 repetitions</div>
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<b>Summary:</b></div>
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Disappointed with the Dips, had pushed 40kg for 12 a couple of weeks ago, so not sure what's going on there. Similarly, the shoulder press seems down, so the offloading week next week hasn't arrived too soon. Up on finisher push-ups though, so pleased with that; this shows chest endurance is improving, despite endurance going into decline with triceps and shoulders.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-83456264240679842122012-05-18T06:41:00.000+01:002012-05-18T06:41:41.471+01:00IF: Post 22 hour fasting mealFinally! 22 hours on from my last meal and I made it through to the next. Despite tempting dry roasted peanuts on offer in the cupboard when I got home, I persevered and waited until 6:30. My meal was a liver, bacon and onion dish with asparagus, courgette and sweet potato; my wife had hers with peas.<br />
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So, has it actually done anything? Well, it's really too early to tell. I am back to my usual 16/8 rota today, until next Thursday when I may try this 22 hour fast again. So, as usual, I stopped eating at 8:30 last night and I won't be eating until at least 12:30 today. Coffee is brewing and gym beckons, so I'll sign out shortly. But first, I thought I'd video cooking the meal, just so you can see what the portion size is, etc. Oh, it tasted great by the way!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-1606988303394216722012-05-17T10:35:00.002+01:002012-05-17T10:36:51.768+01:00IF: Hunger spikesNot been long since my last blog entry, but just wanted to log this hunger spike I am having right now, namely to make a note of the time but also to help take my mind away from it. Hunger spikes typically occur about 4 - 5 hours after eating. Sleep will typically throw this askew, since we would generally sleep for longer; hopefully 7 - 8 hours or more. I have often wondered how long it would be after the first surge in hormones before the next surge of hormones occurs that makes you get that hunger feeling. At this point, I am not starving, so the feelings are completely psychological, developed by hormonal changes occurring in my body. These feelings will gradually subside over the next couple of hours and I will forget I was ever even hungry. I am expecting to get another hunger surge right before I eat, since the psychological act of cooking will no doubt stimulate a hormonal response again. According to research, when I eat, my body will overcompensate with growth hormone production, to maximise on nutritional uptake. This is where some of the benefits to IF are to be made!<br />
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Anyway, lets set this as a 14 hour precedent, which means you will experience hunger 14 hours after having eaten your last meal, when fasting through sleep, and 5 hours since awakening. I woke up at 5 am this morning, as I do every morning, and I was at work by 6:30 am. I am planning on going to the gym for some last minute rehab (light cardio, stretching), in preparation for tomorrow's lifting programme.<br />
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<b>Summary so far (to be continued...):</b><br />
Eat -> Stop (8:30pm) -> Hunger (10:30am) -> (...) -> Eat (6:30pm)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-77416410054436409962012-05-17T10:00:00.000+01:002012-05-17T10:00:32.122+01:00IF: 22 Hour dayToday is a very sedentary day, with little exercise, so it's perfect to throw in a 22 hour fast. Essentially, I haven't eaten anything since 8:30 last night, which was some dry roasted peanuts that followed the chilli con carne I made with a smal sweet potato (Meal 2). Although I only had two meals yesterday, they were substantial and I must have gotten around 160 g of protein and 50 - 60g of carbs, with all the macros from the kale, onions, peppers, beans and whole eggs I consumed. It is now 9:45 am and I haven't eaten for over 13 hours. I have another 9 hours before dinner.<br />
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I had been supplementing my fasts with whey protein isolate (pretty much pure unflavoured whey), but this is not ideal since it's calorific and thus is technically breaking fast. Now I have opted for BCAA powder, which is virtually zero calorie and is much smaller doses (5g) compared to the whey (20g). So all I have consumed this morning is a multi-vitamin tablet, cod-liver oil, black coffee (no sugar), water and my BCAA powder (5g). I will be dosing up with another 5g of BCAA at about 2pm, and there after it will be just water until about 6pm, when I will hit the food.<br />
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When breaking fast, it's important to consume fibrous foods first, to ensure that digestion does not become congested with protein dense food, having been emptied during the fast. I will be supplementing with ground psyllium husks, to improve my fibre uptake. Other than that, my fibre intake this evening will come from kale and onions, with my first fasting meal being liver, bacon and onions with sweet potato mash.<br />
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<b>Reference Day:</b><br />
Until now, my reference day has been on a Monday morning, first thing. I will be moving this to a Friday, since I will be making Thursday a consistent extended-fast day, with every other fast day being 16 hours instead of 22. In theory, since I consume lots of carbs on the weekend, versus carbs I am consuming during the week, a Friday morning reference day makes more sense. So tomorrow will be my first point of reference for Friday's, tailing from Monday's reference. Let's see what fat loss it will show for this week.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-33308522087202060952012-05-16T14:16:00.001+01:002012-05-16T14:16:32.603+01:00IF: Meal 1<div><p>Just a sample fast breaking meal. Fast between 8:30pm and 12:30pm the following day, so 16 hours.</p>
<p>Sweet potato<br>
6 eggs<br>
Kale<br>
Red onions<br>
Chilli<br>
Cannelloni beans<br>
Cajun seasoning<br>
Coconut oil<br>
Extra virgin olive oil<br>
Fresh basil</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4H8HBp6Wf-bHKPdNYJcStscIY0DHBGJlXkl4TXufgALdoAsIygS6uBoPfpqzRmCLj9ElPVtlgIp0O1EniaORJsnwSyS2V6Dc0kBtVHPRIb-BvsI1AiThARnuxySYbqyxR0yLXygY5e_E/' /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634453829680634797.post-25517777716087539502012-05-13T10:47:00.000+01:002012-05-13T10:50:49.253+01:00Lower and Upper Body Conditioning DrillsI have blogged about this workout before, so won't go into too much detail. If you want to know more, then look through my historic posts for "ICT 4". This is the first time I have videoed the routine, so just wanted to post the new video. I have condensed the video into a split screen to make it more interesting and reduce the running time. <br />
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Of note, it's worth watching around the 8:06 mark when my son decided to come and get in on the action. I have no intention of actively encouraging him to participate in the future, since I believe it will be far more effective to allow him to see me exercising and want to participate. Child psychology works in funny ways, usually when you don't want them to do something, they will do it and vice versa.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0