Money Saving Expert

Some pretty good tips for those who have avoided the Jan gym rush but are still planning on joining their local gym.

Martin Lewis Gym Membership Tips

For anyone interested in joining Fitness First there is also a bit of a back door way of getting cheaper membership. Even if you live in London there is nothing to stop you joining an Irish club at a cheaper rate and using your membership in your home club. Interested in finding out more? Give Barry a shout at Fitness First Newtownabbey.

Full Body Routine

Mike Mentzer - loved full body routines













I had planned on hitting upper body on sat and lower body on sun but with work and a bit of grappling yesterday I was left with just one day to do weights. I was meant to start some full body work before today but I was holding onto an Upper Lower split that had worked great. The best plan though is the one you are not on so here is the new look routine.

NEW PLAN

Mon - off
Tue - morn class
Wed - full body
Thur - night class
Fri - full body
Sat - rolling class
Sun - full body

So today my workout basically just came off the top of my head. I decided to keep my rest at a constant 1 min 45 and try to superset as much as possible. I have never really super setted the big three (squats bench and deads) so I decided I would. This should only be attempted when you have textbook technique and are happy enough to leave the ego at the door when choosing weights.

TODAY -

Squats then lunges then rest
Deads then triangles* then rest
Run the rack leg extensions from light to heavy
Bench and seated curl off the end of the bench, rest
Close grip pulldown and tri push on lat machine, rest
Clean press from waist.


- I got all of this done in about 45 - 50 minutes then did some bag work in the studio.

- After deads I lay flat on the ground and lifted my hips into the air for reps mimicking the triangle choke. Many other submissions come from lifting the back and using the hips so I thought I would stick this into my weights plan for fun.

- Some days I may for example have sore quads and will add in more hamstring work and removed quad stuff or keep it in the higher rep range.

- I have been slowly bulking after deciding to leave the dieting until I break at least 15 stone. I currently weigh about 92 kg (around 14 and a half).

Pics to come soon :-)

Bodyfat Machine

So I was in work earlier and the mate at reception lets me have a go on a hand held body fat measuring device not unlike the one pictured here.











Guess what number it spat out?

a) 5
b) 10
c) 15
d) 34.8


Answers in the comments box. Winner will be picked at random and will receive a used scratch card that was almost a winner but was just one treasure chest away from a million.

Use Collars !

Poliquin Performance Centre

If I ever own my own gym / personal training facility it will be a lot like this. Strongman kit and plenty of hard core weight lifting toys and gizmos . . lovely jubbly.

Self Perception

I present you with two pictures of the male form. In the first pic we have the bodybuilder who looks awesome. In the second pic we have an over weight guy playing with his man boobs (also referred to as moobs).

The thing that gets me here - who is happiest with their body?

I bet if you said to the bodybuilder that he looked in great shape he would would jump back with a reply like ' thanks buddy but I still need to lean out a touch more' or 'thanks man but I think next year I'm gonna work on my back more' - If you said to guy number two I bet he doesnt care about how he looks and actually enjoys his curvy figure!

Food for thought :-)

Incline Dumbbell Curls

One of my favourite exercises at the moment. A great isolation move for the guns and with the incline back support you minimize cheating and keep maximum tension on the biceps. Often when guys train full body or an upper lower split they complain about missing the localised pump often found with split routines. This exercise can be supersetted with incline chest press and then when doing some lat pulldowns you could switch to the tricep pushdown. Chest back and guns worked in quick succession - try it out!


Source

Fight Science Videos

Great videos on MMA athletes!

Even if you have no interest in martial arts you still need to watch these videos. Lots of science in relation to the human body. 5 star stuff.

PART ONE



PART TWO

You don't say!

Studies have shown that weight training increases metabolism which leads to fat loss even when you are doing nothing!







Wow!! I have been making a living for 10 years saying the very same thing. Although I often include the fact that running causes more impact injuries and weight training makes you more attractive to the opposite sex (he who curls, gets the girls).

"Professor Ken Fox, an exercise specialist at the University of Bristol, said that attention was increasingly turning to resistance exercise as a means to improve metabolism.

"If you have these muscles, even when you are not doing much, you are still burning up energy.

"It's a hot topic at the moment. It's something that could be particularly useful for older people who may have trouble with endurance exercise, and it can be very satisfying because the effects of resistance training appear very quickly."


Source

Beginner FAQ

To make it easier for newbies both on the blog and on Mens Health I plan to have a shit hot FAQ with plenty of myths busted and links to useful info.







This will be added to a more permanent position on the right of the blog as well as on the MH site to help guys out. Feel free to leave your ideas in the comments section and I will ad stuff as I go. Here are a few pointers so far which have been roughly drawn up. The final FAQ will be tidied up a bit so it flows from point to point a bit better.

1 – I want to look like Brad Pitt in Fight Club?

First off you may have a totally different shape genetically to BP. Your genetics and frame will determine how your chest looks, length of biceps etc. Brad Pitt wasn’t the biggest guy by any means but he was lean. You need to drop the body fat by cleaning up your diet and at the same time introduce some strength training.

2 – Do those ‘Ab Belt’ gizmos really work?

No. If you have an injury then a small electrical impulse may help prevent muscle wastage but they will not give a healthy individual rock hard abs or bulging biceps. Again it takes a healthy diet and some solid strength training to force the human body to change.

3 – How do I lose a stone for the X-mas dinner in 3 weeks / holiday / wedding etc?

Like gaining a qualification or acquiring a new skill it just won’t happen over night. Not only do you need to know what to do in the gym and what to eat around your gym times you also need to know when to rest and change things up. To create a good physique you really need to be doing everything right for at least a few months.

4 – Do I lose the weight first with cardio and then lift weights to tone up?

Strength training when dieting helps preserve muscle which in turn keeps the metabolism high and leaves you with a bit of shape when you have dropped some body fat. Doing cardio without adequate weight training can result in a ‘skinny fat’ physique. No muscle and body fat clinging on for dear life.

5 – When you say cardio what do you mean?

I often refer to cardio as steady state exercise and HIIT as high intensity interval training. The human body adapts to cardio very quick. HIIT is a better alternative as it has an increased effect on the metabolism although gym base HIIT in my opinion is never as good as playing sport. Take up something you enjoy and aim to get better – I recommend Mixed Martial Arts or similar where you can develop a skill and the time flies whereas banging away on a treadmill can just leave you demotivated.

6 – How do I lose weight?

Losing weight and losing fat are two different things altogether. You could wear a sweat suit and sit in a sauna or avoid food all day on the day you go to weigh yourself but this will have no effect on how you look in terms of body composition. To lose FAT you need to tighten up on calories and raise your metabolism by using HIIT (as above- ideally sport) and by adding muscle)

Check my new diet ebook.

7 – But I don’t want to lift weights and end up looking like ‘Arnie’!

‘Arnie’ was a genetic freak who trained and ate like a demon. Although mild compared to today’s pro bodybuilders he also took steroids.

Will you look like him after 3 weeks – no. In the same way that you won’t beat Tiger Woods at golf or out run Paula Radcliff.

8 – Split routine or Full Body Plan?

Check this blog entry.