Goals goals goals

In order to achieve something, you need some form of goal or achievement to work towards.

The goal must be achievable and realistic but dont set the bar to low...challenge yourself!

Long term and short term goals

Your long term goal should be broken up into short constant reachable goals to assist you in getting closer and closer to the bigger picture the main goal...as a form of guidance to see if you still on track and moving towards your main goal

Example
- say you want to lose 10 kg by December then you need to have short term golas to keep you going to help you reach this... in this caes you'll need to schedule regular weigh in session where a certain criteria should be met...let say and average of 3-4kg must be lost per month over the next 3 months to achieve your big goal of losing 10kg by December.
These monthly weigh -ins can be further broken into smaller goals of weighing each week where the goal would be to lose 800g-1, 2kg per week to achieve the 3-4kg loss at the end of each month.

Now you have a goal in mind? Now to formulate the plan on how to reach this goal.

-ask for some professional advice
-find out how you should approach your goals short and long term.
-do reseach
-educated yourself about the things you need to know to help achieve your goals
-get a propper assessment done and ask for personal trainin or a programme designed for your specific needs and goals (remember. ..what works for one..might not work for the next)
-stay focused to achieve the short term goals to finally reach your main goal.
-to achieve goals in the gym surely there is gonna have to be goals outside the gym...diet (what and when to eat, supplements to help aid in goals and so forth)
- make sure you have all the basics covered. .. (training plan, food plan, supplements plan)

If you have a good plan and a guide to get you there...its much easier to stay on it.

TIPS
-set goal
-break main goal into small frequent goals
-get a propper guide to assist you (trainer, training programme,  diet)
- assess yourself and schedule assessments
-make deadlines where certain goals must be met in order to meet the deadline for main goal.

Failing to plan is planning to fail ;-)

Squats for total lower body magic ;-)

You may or may not know, but squats is king when it comes to boosting test,  growth hormone,  burning overall more calories,  works most of the muscles in the human body in one single move (musles - calves, quadriceps, hamstrings,  gluteus,  abdominals, hip flexors, back, shoulders, arms) one rep of a good form propper squat will work all the above muscles and more.

There are many versions of squats that has taken shape over the years, weather it was to make it easier, harder, more isolated,  whatever the case may be, basic squats is your bread and butter when it comes to building an impressive lower body.

Squats is not the easiest of movements due to multiple factors, balance, flexibility,  strength. So when starting out with barbell squats, ask for assistance from fitness instructor or knowledgeable training partner or friend.

Below I have 2pics of a squat, first picture is the start, thats the position you should be in and thats what it looks like, bar balanced and secure on traps, chest out, back straight, feet shoulder width apart.

2pic is at the bottom of the movement, before starting to make your way back to starting position. Notice how everything looks the same as in 1pic only knees is bent, point is your structure must stay upright and tight at all times, all through the motion.

When squating, always keep your head up, look in the mirror at your form and to keep monitoring if you are doing the movement justice.
Squats like any other exercise is save, but in the wrong hands even water becomes a threat ;-).

You always see massive weights on tje bar for this exercise, yes this is a movement that over TIME you'll get really strong, dont rush the processes,  keep focus on contraction and form and the rest will come soon enough.

Exercises that holds similar muscle stimulation is : hack squats, leg press, box jumps, but if you want the results squats is your answer.

Girls if you dont have a squat rack in the ladies section, go to the squat rack in the men section, when it comes to safety and effectiveness there are no area's off limits... will also help motivate guys to train legs;-)

Have fun, be safe.

Window of opportunity

May of you have heard about the window of opportunity,  commen term in bodybuilding - it relates to time periods (windows) where body can utilise more nutrients than at any other time during the day.

There are two main windows that should be utilised or be of greatest concern,  Breakfast & Post -workout.

Breakfast is of the utmost importance, not only is it the corner stone of any good diet but it akso sets the pace for your metabolism throughout the day and more importantly,  its stops catabolism from the "fast" going without food for 8 hours while sleeping.

Post-workout - supplementation and good nutrition as quickly as possible following your weight training session.
At this time body is also going catabolic so firstly its to stop this from continuing.
Body is very open to nutrient uptake following session due to a higher sensitivity to insulin,  which means morw nutrients can be utilised to speed recovery and promote protein synthesis.

In the morning I woukd suggest using more use of fats, carbs yes but fats will have a slower burn keeping you fuller and sugar levels more stable (nuts, natural peanutbutter,  eggs, milk)
Post-workout,  fat should be avoided foe the most due to it slowing down the absorption process of nutrients,  and at this stage you want fast, the fastwr the better, so no fats directly after training. Think whey protein,  high molecular carbs such as vitargo,  followed by chicken and rice or potato or pasta.

For more advanced trainees the use of high sugars or simple carbohydrates are used at these times to furthermore spike insulin levels to drive more nutrients into worked muscles, but thats a chapter by itself.

To make the most of these two windows, make sure you have necessary things in place,  if you know you gonna be busy pack in a shake, always make time for breakfast,  have food prepared for oost training, dont waist the window making the food, spend the window eating it;-)

By making more of these two times in your daily routine, you'll be surprised at how much it adds up to greater recovery,  faster metabolism,  better results.

Gluteus

The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the human body, but (excuse the pun) one that is very under trained, the gluteus is active in many exercises like, squats, lunges, leg pess, most quad movement will invole gluteus,  but very rarely do we isolate this muscle for a more targeted focus.

I have added some pics of more isolated/specific exercises that targets gluteus more directly.
Lunges is great for gluteus,  do keep in mind that a full range of motion and a long stride is needed to fully incorporate the gluteus in lunges or any type of quad training.

Squeezes and flexion are also valuable underutilised tool that works
Just flex as you stand and talk or washing dishes or whatever... flexion is exactly what you are doing in a gym just with added weight, same principals apply to just flexing there is just no added weight. Sqeezing and flexing muscle makes the muscle harder and more firm, so sqeeze it like it owes you money.

Many aerobic/fitness classes have this in there routines, so if doing it by yourself is a bit scary or you feel to shy, do a class with friends till you are more confident and comfortable then you can start doing your own thing.

Stabilisation (the plank)

Doing planks is a very good exercise for the entire abdomen,  the problem is very little people do it correctly,  but too high, but too low, knees bent and so forth. ..

The idea behind this exercise is exactly as the name suggests - plank - the idea is to make thighs and abdomen hars by contracting these muscles to form a straight plank like shape between the outer post which is your toes at one end and your forearms at the other side.

As your muscles fitueg under the stressor (gravity) the body will start fighting back and you'll either lift bum to decrease stress or relax between the "posts", this is where you need to fight back and work hard to keep your structure as stable and straight as possible,  when this is no longer possible then the set is over.

Adding weight to this exercise I would highly recommend. .. a big dont.
This is an exercise that leaves the abdominals very open and exposed so lower back will be involved to help counter, by adding weight to an all ready complex exercise will only increase the risk of injury....

To increase the intensity you can tey the following.
- decrease rest between sets
- blow air out of lungs and contract as hard as you can hold for few and release, but still staying in plank form.
- move forearms further away from toes to increase stressor
- try dong planks last in your abdominal routine, this will axt as a pre-fitueg principle and muscles wont be able to handle the same stress as previous due to exhaustion from other exercises.

If this is a new move to you then I suggest doing it first in the seasion while muscles is still "fresh" and have enough energy to execute correctly.

If not sure...ask please.

Food groups, macro nutrients and putting it all together

Health eating includes a variety of foods from all five food groups, to provide the essential vitamins and minerals,  healthy essential fat, fibre,  proteins and carbohydrates...

Protein is king, but not all proteins are equal.
Best sources includes...
-eggs
-chicken breasts (fillet with no skin)
-lean mince
-lean steak
- fish (salmon,  hake, tuna)
-soy products (use as alternative)
-rice and lentils (the combo of grain and lentil provides complete proteins for body to utilise.

Carbohydrates (energy sources) whole grain and low gi works best to keep insulin at bay and blood sugar levels stable.

- Oats
- rice
-quinoa
-whole grain low gi breads and cereals
-sweet potato
-pastas

Fats and oils - essential is what we aim for due to the facy that body cant make these fats so we need to introduce it via our dietary intake.

- olive oil (keep it cold, heat destroys the chain and fats become less desirable
-nuts and seeds, (almonds, unsalted peanuts,  brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds)
-avo's
-Flaxeed oil and coconut oil

Fruits - provide plenty of micronutrients but they also carry a high fructose (sugar) so tick to low gi fruits

-apples (strong antioxidants)
-bananas(high in potassium)
-pineapples (digestive enzyme bromelain, helps break down food)
- oranges (vit. C and fibre)

Vegetables - avoid starchy vegetables like potatoes,  go for low gi groups...vegetables should form the bulk of your carbohydrate intake.

-spinach
-broccoli
-cauliflower
-cucumbers (raw)
-carrots (raw)
-onions
-fresh garlic

When putting together a nutrition plan use these as your options. If you are not 100% sure go see a health care professional -dietitian or nutritionists.

You are what you eat so make sure you are feeding your body with the right nutrients to yield the best results.

BCAA

Bcaa's... branch chain amino acids

Bcaa's is the fundamentals of muscle...the building blocks that makes and repairs muscle and the development there of...

Bcaa's is very important for any athlete who is serious about recovery and optimal development...

Chicken is very high in bcaa's...you also get it in powder form or pill form, if you are not already making use of this supplement in your arsenal. ..pls do so...it is essential if you are serious about training...

Bcaa gets used directly by muscle, therefore its highly beneficial to use to keep you from hoing into a state of breakdown (catabolism) muscle starts eating away at muscle to provide the fuel that is needed to continue, this is negative and if muscle building is your goal, the one thing you should avoid at all costs.

Reasons to use this supplements
- muscle repair and growth
- improves mood, concentration and sleep
- improves immune function and maintenance of general health
- aids in health digestive tract
- enhancing physical performance and restricts cortisol release during training (cortisol is the hormoan responsible for catabolism,  stress enduced,  any form of stress not just training related).

Hope this sheds a little light on the top of branched chain amino acids ( bcaa's)
Bcaa's is widely available at pharmacies or supplement shops.

Good ratio to look for on labels
- 5g dose providing
- L-leucine;  L-valine; L-isoleucine
- 3; 2; 1 ratio meaning that L-leucine must be the highest, L-valine second and L-isoleucine the lowest of the chain.

My recommendations on dose - 15-20g a day depending on training status.
-5g apon waking to stop catabolism
-5g, 30 min pre-traing
-5-10g immediately post training
- if recovery is not up to par then an additional 5g can be added before bed.