Back to basics for back....

These moves should form great part of your training routine for back...its big basic moves that work...arnold did it in his prime...phill heath is doing in his prime. ..why? Cause they work!

Warming in the winter...

Its that time of the year where we dissappear under layers of warm clothing. ..winter is here.

Its always a good idea to warm up and get muscles into work mode...when its cold/winter its critical that body gets a nice decent warm-up.

I see a lot of people stretching before they train...stretching a cold muscle is not wise...secondly, stretching sends a signal to the brain that tells the brain the work is over, we can relax now...and then you start a workout...see where im going with this...if you stretch before you train, you arebsetting yourself up for a fall...stretch when you done with training.

Warming up...
Any form of cardio for 8-10 min just to get heart rate going and get warm blood pumping throughout the entire body.

I suggest that your first exercise of your program should have at least 2 warm up sets with very light weights.
These sets are not counted as part of program. ..uts for safety reasons only.

Also. ..clothing plays a major role...dress appropriate... dress comfortably so movement is easy...

Everything is a little slower when its cold..so take your time and prepare your body if you want your body to perform optimally without injury.

Keep it warm...keep it safe

Compounds that count...

What is compound exercises? ??
Compound in this text means a move that involves a lot of muscle to contribute to the exercise...
Exercises of these nature normally aquire heavier weights...its big moves with big weights so to speak...

Examples... squats..deadlifts..bench presses. ..these are all very good compound exercises to have in your arsenal of exercises...men or female..these are the fundamentals of weight training of most sports...its the basics and they work...

Why do compound training???

Compound moves forces many muscles to contribute energy to do the move...making this a very anabolic move...meaning it puts factors into play that normally doesnt happen with singular or isolated movements... the 2main ones that we are focusing on is 1 Testosterone and 2 Growth Hormone. .. T and GH plays major roles in the body. ..T is the main key to muscle and GH the main key to fatburning, longevity, sleep patterns just to name a few...

Compound moves should be the basis of any training program if results is aquierd. ..
Do big moves for big changes...
If you are not sure about the technique or havent done it ever...ols consult...a) a trainer at the gym or b) a fitness instructor. .they are there if you need help...these are difficult exercises and there is right way and a wrong way to anything...make sure you are doing the right way...

Train hard but train smart...

Keeping it fresh. ..

Training for wellness and healthy living should be functional as well as fun...everybody likes new things...from the oldest lifter to the most hardcore lifter will lie if they say I dont love a new program even if its nit even a new one.. just something else. ..a change in pace. ..

My programs of any kind has a 6-8week lifespan. .then its time to change...
Why do I do this???

The human body is excellent at adapting. ..the body is designed to build up memory even in muscle...
The idea is to keep the body guessing. ..before the body gets a time to fully adapt to the stimuli, you chnage it uo again for 6-8 weeks.

Ways to keep it fesh....
Change program every 6-8week
Change order of program around...mix the pattern.
Change exercise order in program. .things you normally do last..now begin with that exercise.
Ad extra reps or sets to exercises. .if you normally do low reps. .now go for high reps and visa versa. .
Move away from machines and do more free weight...
These are a few ways to change the same program. ..

Ladies same applies to you...go do a step class for a month or spinning if thats not normally what you do...and the other way around...if you just do cardio or classes. .go hit the weight from time to time... nit trying to step on anybodies toes here...just saying keep it interesting and challenging...the body will thank you for it...

Keep your body guessing. ...

Resting for better results

Yes you read the header correctly. ..resting for better results this ''better" includes fat burning...muscle growth...wellness. ..

From the top... when training of any kind, the body breaks down, cortisol levels rise, catabolic state...
This tears on micro level needs time to heal and recruit new muscle fibres, if this doea not happen then tje micro tears become macro tears and soon injury or over training will result.

Keep in mind that if you train...thats just a small percentage of the transformation,  you can kill yourswlf in the gym, countless hours of lifting and cardio, if your aftermath is not sound then very poor results can be expected...

Now we all know that a good diet is key to any sport really to perform at peak levels...but if there is no time to rest and recover then its all pointless...

Sleep is the king of recovery...the body can only full recuperate and build new cells even burn fat and more defined when you sleep...im talking bout a good nights rest even a afternoon nap.

If you sleep patterns is wack then chances are that you will not lose weight if that is your desired goal...nor will you get stronger or build lean muscle...in all three these cases the exact opposite will occur. ..

When you sleep (REM-rapid eye movement) then magic happens in the body...hormones balance...growth hormone is released (fat burner, longevity, recovery) and Central nervous system gets a chance to recover...

Tips on rest...
Try and not train weight 5 days a week without a rest day in between..say a 2 day split 2 training days (monday and tuesday) then an off day (wednesday) and 2days on again (thurday friday) on off days you just do mild walking cardio to circulate fresh blood to muscles...

I also suggest a week off after every 10-12 weeks...this gives body ample time to rest and recover and renew your hunger for training again.

Get a good night's sleep 6-8hours per night... naps is good too...

Train hard...rest hard...keep the balance. ..;)

The Dreadful Scale...

Dont you just hate getting on to tje scale after working your rump off to tip it in your favour and....nothing...

Nothing is correct my friend...and here's why...
After embarking on a new program or fitness goal...one will find one's self on a scale sooner or later...here is what you need to keep in mind...

Changes that happen in the beginning of a program or new goal will start of at micro level...very small (structures inside muscle and fat cells...hormones and energy levels)...so at first no results will be norm...but thats only what the scale tells you...

When the aim is to lose fat and drop a few kilos...this normally happens. ..for a long while the scale is static...doesnt move...here is why..

For a while the body is gonna balance on a scale. ..meaning youll see no results...this is due to the fact that the mody is making new muscle and losing fat at the same rate...therefore no scale movement...look and feel will work much better at this stage...is your pants more loose...do you have more energy. ..do you look and feel different. ..

The scale is a method to check what you weigh...thats all it can do...it takes nothing else into account...therefor dont get discouraged when scale doesnt mirror how you feel or hope for...I myself is not a fan of the scale...its fine to check now and again just where you at from time to time...other than that get to know your body and start paying attention to it...and soon youll find yourself not beingba fan of yhe scale too;)...

Look and feel - 1 .... Scale - 0

Cardio Conundrum

I often get the question ''when is the best time to do cardio'' to burn fat?
Its a very good queation cause so many people get it wrong...

Cardio is  beneficial at anytime for a healthy lifestyle...but if losing fat is the primary objective then there is 2 windows you should make use of...

1) cardio first thing in tje morning on an empty stomach

This approach is primitive but it gets the job done...reason for this is that when you do cardio first thing in the morning the body is running on empty(during the night while sleeping the body uses up all the energy it has stored to maintain and repair the body while in rest mode, so when you wake, the body is already in the reserve stores (fat stores), so all you are doing is  using this to your advantage

Cardio of this nature is slow paced and long duration. ..meaning for example ; walking on treadmill at moderate intensity for a long duration(45min)
This is a safe an effective method to use.

2) after weight training cardio.

This method relies on the same principals as morning cardio due to the fact that you use the weight training to use up all energy sources before getting to cardio...

This method is a lot shorter and much more intense. .. high intensity cardio should be kept under 25 min and intensity should be 80-90% of max output. ..think stepper or rowing(fast pace short duration.

Cardio should be done on off days or rest days...just a nice moderate pace walk will suffice, 20-30min...this is called active recovery. ..heart rate increases and carries fresh oxygen and blood to trained muscles...healing the bidy faster and getting rid of waste products that slows your progress...

Recap: cardio first in the morning on empty for 45min @ moderate pace

Cardio after weight training for 20-25min @high intensity

Cardio on off days for 20-30min @ moderate intensity. ..active recovery. ..
Boom...now you know;)

When life hands you lemons...reap the benefits

Fat burning 101

Firstly. ..weight loss and fat loss is two very different things...weight loss is the loss of weight in the form of fat, muscle, water...where as fat loss is what it suggests its the loss of unwanted fat

The science is fairly simple. .. your calorie output must be greater than the input. .. meaning that your activities during the day must burn more calories than you are consuming. .. say your calorie intake is 1500 calories per day...then calorie expenditure must be around 1800-2000 calories per day...leaving you in a devesit of 500 calories...this will be best and safe way to go about your daily intake and output. ..

Foods that makes the magic happen faster: low gi carbs such as - oats, sweet potatoes,  rice, green veggies (think broccoli)
Quality lean proteins - chicken breasts...lean mince, fish, eggs, lean red meats, whey protein
Good fats - omega 3 is the way to go...avo's, extra virgin olive oil, milk, nuts

Those are the macronutrient you need in everyday life...out of these you plan a diet or meal plan... these foods will make fat burning more attractive for the body to adapt too... the science is - a good quality protein, a good low gi carb that can sustain blood sugar levels and good fats that regulates hormoans and healthy brain function.

Tips: prepare meals in advance to avoid eating junk just to get through the day
Eat smaller more frequent meals throughout the day 4-6 meals
Drink lots of water to help digestion and fat burning.
Never skip breakfast
Eat a big healthy breakfast to kickstart metabolism.