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Todays Training- Sunday & Monday

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Sunday Training

Hello All,

I’ve decided that for now at least this will be the last update of my daily training diary. It’s been going for around 2 weeks and hopefully given you an idea of what i do and how i train. It was never intended to go on forever and I’d hate to get to the stage where I am boring you. I’ll do it again as and when i change my training drastically. As always if you have any questions please feel free to ask or drop in some comments.

Sunday: Yes Sunday….I don’t normally train on Sundays but the kids were out, I had 50 minutes to kill so i thought why not. I feel that my Chest is lagging behind a bit compared to some other parts so this was a good chance to give it an extra session. So here we go.

Incline Barbell bench press. This is not an exercise i do too often but thought I’d give it a go and hit it hard. I tried to hit 10 sets although struggled a bit on the last 2. I did 2 warm up sets of 12 reps@40kg, 2 sets of 10 reps@50kg, 2 sets of 6 reps at 60kg, 2 sets of 6@50kg and then 2 sets to failure @40kg which only got to 10 and then 7 reps.

Then onto a flat bench and some dumbbells. I picked up 2 sets, a 22kg set and a 14kg set. I then supersetted dumbbell press (alternate 1 arm then the other) with the 22kg’s which also strengthens the core, with dumbbell fly’s with the 14kg’s, 4 sets in total.

Finally over to the cable machine and 4 sets of standing cable crossover. This was not too heavy (25kg on each side) but with real concentration on squeezing the Pec’s as much as possible.

That was me pretty much done but i just wanted to finish with some cardio/HiiT. Out into the Gym car park which was pretty empty and did some sprints. The distance was about 50m. Sprinted the distance at about 90% capacity and to a slow walk back to the start. Repeated 8 times, then got in the car and went home, Sunday training finished.

Monday: Today i wanted to hit back, abs and possibly some biceps if i had time. Last week i did heavy deadlifts and have come to the conclusion that i need to be more careful with them as my lower back and left hip hurts and i still have some sciatica down my left leg and into my calf…..so no Deadlifts for me today.

I started wide grip pull ups. I’m not good at these but they are gradually improving. I cranked out 5 sets of 7 reps, although the last 2 sets were more like 6 and a bit.

Then over to a bench and some heavy bent over single arm rows with 35kg. I concentrated on really pulling with my back and rowing the weight up and back to my hip rather than pulling with bicep. 4 sets of 8 reps on each side.

Then over to the Lat pulldown machine. 3 sets of wide grip pulldowns with palms forward super setted with close grip pulldowns with palms facing backwards towards my face. Again the concentration was on pulling down with the Lats and squeezing the scapular together.

Finally to the cable machine for some high level face pulls with a rope, again concentrating on squeezing the rear Delts and Traps. That was back done.

Next on to Abs. I like to work Abs in a circuit to really fry them and also because it saves time.

Hanging leg raises 8 reps, straight into V sit type sit ups where you touch hands to toes, but using a 6kg medicine ball for 12 reps, and then finally a 45 second plank. No rest between exercises and 4 sets.

I had 10 minutes left so just grabbed an EZ curl bar and banged out 6 sets of 10 reps with 30kg.

Job done, time to head home. My back is killing me today so may have a day off from training tomorrow.

Take Care,

John

Todays Training- Resistance Super Sets, HiiT stylie!

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CircuitsSummer is coming, I have a holiday booked and I freely admit I’m vain. I like to look as good as i can in my beach shorts so need to start adjusting my training accordingly. Therefore I’ll still be hitting the weights but will be making some changes to how i train a couple of time a week. Generally speaking I’ll be throwing in some weights based resistance circuits, a bit more HiiT and just aiming to burn some fat and get a bit leaner. Also trying to be good when it comes to food and diet so bye bye to the Wine, Beer and Crisps that I love (well at least to some extent, I’m not an angel after all).

So here is todays training workout. Basically i picked sets of two exercises at a time and did them as Supersets with very little rest.

I started with Hanging Leg raises supersetted with Chest/Tricep dips on parallel bars. 8 hanging leg raises, straight into 12 dips. Then rest for around 45 seconds and repeat. 3 sets in total.

Next was standing alternate arm shoulder press with 15kg dumbbells supersetted with Kettlebell swings (2 hands between legs). Concentrate on bracing the core when doing the shoulder press and pushing with the shoulders not the triceps and then thrusting forward with the hips and glutes when doing the swing. 10 reps each side for the dumbbell press and then 12 reps for the Kettlebell swings.3 sets in total.

Next bent over Dumbbell rows supersetted with Goblet squats. Again using the same 15kg Dumbells in each hand concentrate on squeezing the weight up, back and into the side and pulling with the back rather than the Bicep, then standard Goblet squats with a fairly wide Sumo stance and going down as deep as possible to stretch the Glutes and Hamstrings. 3 sets in total.

Next I used an exercise ball as a bench and did Dumbell Chest press. The ball wobbles slightly which means you engage your core to maintain stability and you also get a really deep stretch in your chest as you lower the weight down. 15kg for 10 reps.This was immediately followed by standard exercise ball crunches x 15 reps. 3 sets in total.

The final exercises of the circuit were on the cable machine. I set up a single handle at mid chest level with 20kg on it. Then did Cable twists or woodchoppers as they are sometimes called. 10 reps on the right and then 10 on the left. I supersetted this with Tricep pushdowns on another machine. 12 reps at 50kg.

That was it for the weights. These exercises used pretty much every part of my body – Shoulders, Chest, Back, Legs, Abs etc and gave me a pretty good full body workout but would also have burnt calories due to the superset effect and low rest periods.

Finally i headed over to the running machine. Incline up to 4.5. Speed up to almost sprint level. I jumped on and did 20 seconds running at speed, then stepped off and rested for 30 seconds. Repeated this 6 time. Then did 2 more reps with 30 seconds sprinting and 30 seconds rest so 8 in total.

That’s it, done. Back to doing some mass building stuff tomorrow in training and then something similar to this on Friday maybe. As always, if you have any questions please ask. It’s probably cheeky of me to ask but if you are enjoying these posts, or any of the stuff i put out, then please share or Like them from the website or Facebook, Linked In or wherever you are reading them. I really appreciate it.

Have a good evening.

Take Care,

John

 

Learn how to shrink your belly Instantly!!

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anterior-pelvic-tilt2 Pelvic Tilt.

 

 

 

 

Does your belly protrude no matter how many Ab exercises you do? Can’t seem to lose that stubborn last bit of belly fat, or worse than that, you HAVE lost the weight but you still look fat? Suffer from lower back pain, sore hips or pain down your thighs, knees and even down the side of your calves? When sitting in one position for long periods such as on planes or long car journeys do you suffer from cramps or agonising pains in your legs and back? Does any of this sound like you?

Well you are not alone….I do too and I’d estimate that probably 50% of the population in one way or another suffer from some of these symptoms. So what causes it? Anterior Pelvic Tilt. “What the hell is that, never heard of it?”  Well it’s a very common postural problem that often goes hand in hand with a range of other issues such as tight Hip Flexors, weak Glutes (Bum muscles) and weakness in a little heard of muscle called the Psoas which in conjunction with another muscle forms the Iliopsoas (don’t worry i won’t bore you with science for too long). This muscle which no-one has heard of is crucial. It is the only muscle that joins the top half of your body (lower spine) to the lower half (pelvis and thigh bones). It has a dramatic effect on your lower back, hips and pelvic region and can cause issues right down your legs and up your entire back.

So now onto the good stuff. One of the symptoms of weakness in any of these muscles and regions is Anterior Pelvic Tilt. Take a look at the diagrams at the top. In laymans terms what happens is that your pelvis tips forwards and the front moves down. This causes an un-natural curve in the base of the spine and puts pressure on nerves and muscles throughout the pelvic, lower spine and thigh area that are not meant to have pressure on them. That causes chronic lower back pain, sciatica or pain in the legs, and even pain down as far as the calves and feet. It affects your posture, how you walk and in the long term the health of your entire body. This condition most commonly affects people who spend large periods of time sitting down such as office workers, can or lorry drivers etc.

The title of this article was “how to shrink your belly instantly”. That wasn’t a scam and i can prove it to you right now. One of the other main unfortunate side effects of Anterior Pelvic Tilt is that it forces you to stick your belly out. So even if you are slim, if you constantly stand in an APT pose your belly WILL stick out and you WILL look like you are carrying weight, even if you are not. The good news is you can correct that instantly.

Go and stand near a mirror where you can see you whole body (preferably nude)…ooooh errr! Stand side on and completely relax into a soft pose, don’t tense or hold anything in. If you have APT your body will slump slightly, you will have a fairly pronounced curve in the base of your spine and most likely your belly will drop forwards and lower and stick out much more than you’d like. Correct? Is that belly protruding?

Now try this. Gently clench your buttocks, slightly tense your stomach muscles and concentrate on trying to tip the front of your pelvic/crotch area up and the back of the same area downwards and tuck your bottom in slightly. In effect you are tipping your pelvis back onto a more level plane. Now look sideways in the mirror again. See the difference? Your belly should have disappeared or at the very least significantly shrunk. It shows that your posture and how you hold yourself has a tremendous effect on how you look.

Now of course that is only a temporary fix (but nice to know when you are out and about and want to look your best in that dress or suit). However you can start to work on it yourself right away. You can learn how it feels to control the angle of your Pelvis. Start by holding the position for 5 minutes every 20 minutes or so and work up from there. Do it while standing as well as sitting. in addition to dramatically improving your posture, alleviating back and leg pain, AND shrinking the appearance of your belly it has the added bonus of toning both your Glutes and Abs as you tense and hold them firm.

I would also suggest you watch the video link Here .  Look past what the guy is wearing and style of the video as it actually contains some excellent information and examples of exercises you can do very easily and quickly. Do these exercises regularly, combine them with what i told you earlier and keep at it on a daily basis. Consistency is key. Gradually you will build the mind – body connection that enables you to control your pelvis as well as strengthen your Psoas, hip flexors , lower back and Glute muscles. Your back pain will ease, your legs will feel better and best of all, that hard work and dieting will finally pay off as you will be able to control that belly and look as amazing  and slim as you deserve.

More articles will follow that show exercise programmes that strengthen your Glutes, hips, Hamstrings and lower back so please keep following them. I believe this is one of my most important posts so far as it address the problem of lower back and hip pain which so badly impinges on so many peoples lives. If you like the article then please share it as widely as possible and I’d also welcome your comments.

Take Care,

John

 

My Daily Training Diary!

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No Pain No GainI’ve had a bad couple of weeks from a health and training perspective. I have lots of good excuses (I’m in the middle of getting a loft extension done, the kids are off school on Easter holidays, it was my birthday and we had a couple of days out to celebrate etc etc, but the truth is I’ve just neglected things a bit and not been training as much as i should. I’m only human, and very much the Ordinary Guy that this blog is about.

So I’m determined that for the next month or so I’m going to be very strict, get back on track and smash the training and healthy eating again. A few people have asked me how i train, what i do, how often etc? So i thought it might be an idea to do a quick daily post outlining what training i have done, what it involved, weights lifted etc. Hopefully some of you will be interested and I’d welcome any comments. It won’t be every day as i tend to do some sort of activity 4 to 5 days per week. If any of you would also be interested in what i eat and my diet then please let me know and maybe I can start to include that as well. So here is day 1.

Thursday: I only had about 50 minutes to squeeze a session in today so the aim was to hit shoulders and arms and maybe do some cardio/abs if i had time. My left shoulder is buggered (that’s a technical term) and as soon as i start to lift any heavyish weights in terms of shoulder press or bench press it becomes sore and stays that way so i have to work around it. Therefore i started with 5 minutes of shoulder joint stretches, muscle stretches, rotator cuff stretches to try to loosen it up as much as possible. Then here is the routine i hit.

1 x warm up set of 10 reps @ 14kg of seated dumbbell shoulder press

1 x 10 reps @ 20kg, followed by 2 x 8 reps@ 22.5kg, followed by 3 x 10 @ 16kg. Rest between all sets was approximately 50/60 seconds.

Then moved on to standing side lateral raises.

I took a 10kg dumbbell in each hand and did alternate reps for each side, 10 reps per side. Then immediately dropped those and picked up 7kg each side and with no rest went into a strict set of 10 reps (both sides at the same time). So effectively supersetted side lateral raises. Repeated 3 times. Rest between sets was about 1 minute max.

Then sat on a bench, leaned forward and went into bent over rear lateral raises. Again i did a superset style. So did 10 reps with 9kg, dropped them and straight into another 10 reps with 5kg. I realise the weight for these lat raises may sound light to some people but… a) I am trying to protect my shoulder and b) If you do them really strictly and only engage your deltoid muscle without “throwing” the weight up, it still gives you an amazing pump and is very effective.

Then picked up 2 x 30kg dumbbell and did 3 x 15 reps of shrugs, concentrating on shrugging my shoulders up and back to really work the traps (trapezius). That’s shoulders done.

For arms i normally work with free weights but i watched a video by a guy called Jeff Cavaliere from Athlean X who i rate very highly and would massively recommend his videos. The video is here and it is a cable machine workout that works both biceps and triceps at the same time and wow is it effective. Basically you set a flat handle on a cable machine. I was lucky as at my Gym i had two right next to each other. Have 1 handle up high to do Tricep push downs and one down low for bicep curls. You move from Biceps to Triceps with no rest and move the weights up or down after each set. So…..

1 x 10 reps@ 60kg Tricep push down, followed by 1 x 12 reps@20kg bicep curls. Then 1 x 10 reps@50kg Tricep push down, followed by 1 x 12 reps@30kg bicep curls.  Then 1 x 10 reps@40kg Tricep push down, followed by 1 x 12 reps@40kg bicep curls.  Then 1 x 12 reps@30kg Tricep push down, followed by 1 x 10 reps@50kg bicep curls. Then finally 1 x 12 reps@20kg Tricep push down, followed by 1 x 8 reps@60kg (That’s all i could manage). I rested for a few minutes then squeezed out 2 sets of 15kg hammer curls and 2 sets of 50kg overhead tricep extensions. My arms were fried by the end of it.

I was running out if time so couldn’t do any cardio but quickly did a little ab superset of 8 hanging leg raises, followed by 10 v-sits, followed by 45 second plank. Did it three times and then headed for the door.

Tomorrow I have slightly more time so plan to do back and legs + some cardio stuff.

I hope you like this and enjoy it over the next few days. Please let me know your thoughts.

Take Care,

John

 

 

Ladies….How to banish flabby arms and saggy butts!

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Bingo WingsThe dreaded Bingo wings, dinner lady arms (no offence to dinner ladies), bat wings….whatever you want to call them, most ladies hate them. With summer coming and the time to ditch the jumpers and break out the T-Shirts, summer dresses and even the Bikini’s upon us, many women look in the mirror and sigh discontentedly at the site of those “soft”, flabby and sometimes even saggy bits. It’s not just the backs of your arms, it’s your bum, your thighs, your belly and your waist…….aaaargghhh!!!

Well don’t panic you CAN do something about all of these problems and right now. Mid March gives you time to do something about all of these areas before we properly hit Summer in June.

Firstly, without wanting to sound like a broken record, you all know that what you eat and drink, your diet and nutrition generally is going to play a big part. This isn’t a diet article so i won’t bang on about it but if you can eat cleaner, cut out the processed crap, cut back on sugar, drink less alcohol and ideally also do some cardio based work then you are going to start to lose fat from all of those wobbly areas listed above that you hate.

However in this blog I’m going to focus on what exercises you can do to tone, firm up and add some tightness or even a bit of muscle to those soft bits. First an honesty alert. This is going to take some work. Not necessarily a huge amount of time, 20 to 30 minutes a day will do the job but during that 20 minutes you HAVE to work hard and it will be sore. No pain no gain is a cliché but it’s also true……Right, ready? Here we go.

Baggy Arms: Most women don’t spend much time in everyday life using their Tricep muscles which is the muscle that runs down the back of your upper arm. It is the muscle that extends your arm from a bent to straight position and are also the muscles you use when pushing things away from your body. It is this muscle that you need to work hard and tone up to avoid having baggy, saggy arms. So logically any exercises that involves pushing or better still straightening of your arm against resistance will work this muscle. Here are three you can do at home with no equipment.

Lady push ups: The push up or press up is a great Tricep exercise IF you do it right. The trick is to keep your hands no more than shoulder width apart and as you go down towards the floor keep your elbows tucked in close to your side. Aim for 3 sets of 8.

Chair Tricep Dips: Another great exercise for really isolating the backs of those arms. Initially start with the easy version which means your feet will be quite close to you. Make it harder by gradually moving your feet further away as you get stronger. Also be careful not to come down past a 90 degree bend in your arm or you may damage your shoulder. Aim for 3 sets of 12.

Overhead Tricep extension: This is a brilliant exercise that really stretches and tones your Tricep muscle. If you have access to some weights (At home or gym) just use a light dumbbell initially (maybe 1.5 or 2kg) If you don’t have access to a dumbbell then a bottle of water (500ml, 750ml or even 1 litre) will do the job to start with. Aim for 3 sets of 12 reps.  Each day pick 2 of the exercises and do the number of sets listed. Keep rest time between sets fairly low (max 1 minute). It should only take 6/8 minutes total.

Now for your thighs and bum!! Waheey, everyone wants great thighs and a shapely backside don’t they? Again though it’s not easy, your diet is very important but you also have to work hard. Your Quads (front of leg), Hamstrings (back of leg) and Glutes (backside) are some of the biggest muscles in the body and as a result need to be worked hard to change them.

Lunges: There are a number of different variations of the lunge, all of which work a slightly different part of your thighs and backside. Therefore I’d recommend doing a different one each day and rotate them. Initially start without any weight until you feel comfortable and can control the movements. Then as you get stronger add in some weight, but don’t go too heavy. It’s more important to go low when you dip down and really squeeze the muscles as you push back up. Start with 3 sets of 12 (6 on each leg) and work up to 3 sets of 20.

Squats: As with lunges there are many different variations, both with and without weights. To really strengthen and tone your legs you will need to use some weight at some point. However, initially you can do a perfectly good job just with body weight. Again try to use some of the different variations and change each day to work different parts of the leg and backside. Keep your back straight, chest up and head & eyes looking ahead and up. Push your butt backwards and lower it towards the floor, do not lean forward and topple over your feet. If using bodyweight do 3 sets of 12 to 15. If you progress to using some weights do 3 x 8/10.

Hip Thrusters/Glute Bridge: Hip thrusters or the Glute bridge as it is sometimes called is an excellent exercise for toning, firming and shaping your bum. Again it needs to be done correctly and the key thing here is to really focus on squeezing and engaging your Glute or Bum muscles as you push up and at the top of the exercise. Go for 4 sets of 15/16 when using both legs and 3 sets each side of 7/8 when just using one leg. Again i would choose 2 of these exercises to do each day and again it should take less than 10 minutes.

Finally lets get to your stomach and core. The truth of the matter (yes i know the truth hurts) is that if you are carrying a fair amount of excess weight and have a very flabby stomach and waist area it is pretty hard to really tone and shape it without losing some of that weight first. However you can do core and stomach exercises that will pull in and tighten your abdominal and core muscles underneath the soft tissue and simply by pulling you tighter it will give the illusion of having lost a couple of inches.

The Plank: The king of core exercises. Again there are loads of variation and the video shows a few that are all great for women and will work your entire core, ab and waist area. Initially just focus on the plain front plank until you gain some strength and then after a week or so try some of the variations. Everyone’s core strength varies but initially aim for 4 sets of 20 seconds at a time (with only 30/40 seconds rest in between). If that is too hard just do 15 seconds but the aim should be to get up to 45 seconds+ to really make it work. Concentrate on really squeezing everything tightly, your stomach, thighs and butt in particular.

The Hip Lift: This works deep core muscles and lower stomach muscles. Concentrate on keeping your legs straight above and thrusting upwards with your pelvis and lower stomach. If it helps you can slightly place your hands under the edge of your bum/thighs to support yourself. Aim for 3 sets of 10 with 40 seconds rest in between.

Russian Twists: I’ve no idea why they are called that, invented by a Russian i guess. Initially start off doing this without a weight, but again as you get stronger add some weight in. Either use a small dumbbell, a kettle bell or even just a 2 litre bottle of water. Aim for 3 sets of 8 on each side. Concentrate on keeping your feet raised just off the floor and lean very slightly back with your torso which places tension on your abs and core. As with the above choose two exercises each day and rotate them. Again this should only take 7 or 8 minutes tops. With Ab exercises try to keep rest between sets minimal for maximum effect.

That’s it ladies. 20 to 30 minutes each day and believe me in two months you will really notice the difference. Your wobbly arms will be firmer and leaner. Your upper legs and bum will definitely be tighter and shapelier and your waist and midriff will have been pulled in ad you will look slimmer. The key here is hard work. You need to push yourself. As you get better either increase the number of sets and reps or add in some more weight. Just doing the same thing day after day and not improving will halt your progress.

Take Care,

John