Pull Ups give you wings

Following a video I put up on Instagram @jcdpersonaltraining I thought I'd write a quick blog on pull ups.  In my eyes the one exercise then anyone looking to stay in shape should master. Performed correctly they are the most effective exercise for isolating your posterior chain and growth to your back. Here is a quick break down of the fundamentals when performing a pull up.

Full range of motion : this is the most crucial and something I tell so many people when performing a pull up. A full stretch at the bottom of the rep to a squeeze and full contraction right up to the traps at the top of the rep. Doing this, you will recruit so many more muscle groups and strengthen the posterior chain as a whole. When people add weight to the pull up the range of motion seems to diminish, ensure this doesn't happen. Don't add weight until you are strong enough to using the full range of motion.

Tempo and contraction: This is where the growth occurs. Many neglect tempo for weight, now both have their benefits but lifting lots of weight with little or any form is going to do nothing, as tempo, no matter the weight, will always stimulate the muscle no matter weight, within reason. With a pull up tempo is crucial on the lowering, otherwise known as the eccentric phase. People believe that you only benefit from the pulling element of the movement but lowering your body under control will help with becoming stronger and aid with growth. Anything you have better control over you're automatically going to be stronger at, so don't neglect this. Contraction follows on from this ensuring through each rep as each muscle takes over from the other you're getting the most out of it. Focus on feeling each muscle, squeezing that muscle pulling to bring you closer to the bar. This is where tempo is needed to really feel this, so don't neglect either.

Alternative Exercises: What if I can't do a pull up? Well firstly I would recommended jumping up to the bar and lowering yourself under control, aim for a 4 second count. This will stimulate the muscles needed to perform a pull ups, with perseverance you'll be able to do a full pull up. I wouldn't really recommend using the assisted pull up machines instead use a heavy duty band looped on to the bar putting your foot on the band and then perform the pull up. Depending on the band this will decrease your overall bodyweight, as you become stronger use thinner, not so strong bands and soon you won't need assistance. I recommend this over the machine as it allows for imbalances and a more realistic, functional and closest movement to the pull up itself.

So don't neglect the pull up and if you use the exercise correctly it can aid in giving you a killer back and the better wings than red bull. Head over to my Instagram @jcdpersonaltraining for videos and be sure to follow for more advice.

Happy New Year

Jack

Can I train on a budget? New VXS Gymwear range.

Now two similar questions I get asked a lot as a PT is 'do I have to train here in the gym, can't I train home?' And 'how can I train on a budget?' Now these coincide with one another because often if you want to train at home you aren't going to be able to afford the level and quality of equipment the gym would offer you so because you're on a budget, but here are the essentials and how you can use them to get the most out of you training if you decide to swap the gym for your garage.

Barbell - these are one of the most simplest pieces of equipment people use to train. You can involve all the large compound exercises with these giving you a wide spread of both exercises and muscle groups to train. Along with a couple of weight plates your workouts can be endless. The barbell offers the ability to build strength, hypertrophy or an exercise to throw in with a circuit to improve muscular endurance. If there is one piece of equipment to buy it is this!!!

Dumbbell- much like the barbell a great addition to any home gym. The downfall for me is you would have to spend a little more money building a bigger range of Dumbbells for the different weights, unlike the barbell where plate loading is easier. They offer you compound along with isolation exercises but more so require little space to use so can be brought inside in the colder months with easy storage.

Kettle-bells - these are much more of a specific piece of equipment but are easy to obtain and can still be used as part of any programme. Exercises include that much like the dumbbell, the only point I would like to mention is make sure you are totally comfortable and aware of techniques before you really start upping the weight with kettle-bells. They're quite a dangerous piece of equipment so really take some time into researching what and how to perform an exercise this may otherwise it result in quite a serious injury.

Bodyweight - as often neglected your own bodyweight is such an effective and efficient way to train your body but also so cheap. Find a park and start doing pulls ups super setting them with push ups. 20 sets of 5 pull ups and 10 press ups your upper body will be pretty taxed, add in different variations and you will have achieved a perfect workout. If things get easier add in tempo, which people always neglect for reps or throw together 3 exercises, a rep scheme and see how many rounds of those 3 exercises you can do in a set period of time.

There are 4 ways to one, train at home but secondly train on a budget. So no more excuse as the gym membership is too expensive or closed at the weekend, make home your own gym!!!

Now for the exciting bit. Yesterday I attended the Team VXS Gymwear open day at the Royal Docks Crossfit Gym. Firstly thank you to Will for his squat clinic and letting us use the gym all afternoon and evening. The event itself was great, catching up with people who have similar goals and objectives they want to achieve, exchanging advice on how to individually achieve them and of course a preview of the new Fusion range.

Today at 1700 GMT marks the release of the new Fusion range but we got to sample this yesterday so thought I better had share my thoughts and all I can say is it's a must buy. As ever they've been really creative with the styling to make you look great in the gym, this becoming more and more of a concern for people, more so than what you're actually doing in there. I got to try out the new t-shirt range and with the baggy waist with a tapered fit to the upper body is ideal for anyone in or out the gym. With a 95% cotton to 5% elastic comparative the feel of the top on you is perfect, not restrictive in areas such as under the arms or when you want to reach overhead it just moves freely with you. Sweat is absorbed straight into the t-shirt and  much like a lot of the Dri-fit ranges doesn't cause the material to stick to your body causing you to feel cold as the session moves on. I didn't get the chance myself to grab a look at the other bits being released in the range but everyone commented on how the quality is second to none, trumping any of the bigger sport wear designers which I personally believe is the biggest reason you need to get out buying this new fusion range. The link is below so get buying and be one of the first to train this out.

http://vxsgymwear.co.uk/collections/new-lines

Have a great week of training, make every moment in the gym worth while and keep intensity high!!

Jack

Can I train on a budget? New VXS Gymwear range.

Now two similar questions I get asked a lot as a PT is 'do I have to train here in the gym, can't I train home?' And 'how can I train on a budget?' Now these coincide with one another because often if you want to train at home you aren't going to be able to afford the level and quality of equipment the gym would offer you so because you're on a budget, but here are the essentials and how you can use them to get the most out of you training if you decide to swap the gym for your garage.

Barbell - these are one of the most simplest pieces of equipment people use to train. You can involve all the large compound exercises with these giving you a wide spread of both exercises and muscle groups to train. Along with a couple of weight plates your workouts can be endless. The barbell offers the ability to build strength, hypertrophy or an exercise to throw in with a circuit to improve muscular endurance. If there is one piece of equipment to buy it is this!!!

Dumbbell- much like the barbell a great addition to any home gym. The downfall for me is you would have to spend a little more money building a bigger range of Dumbbells for the different weights, unlike the barbell where plate loading is easier. They offer you compound along with isolation exercises but more so require little space to use so can be brought inside in the colder months with easy storage.

Kettle-bells - these are much more of a specific piece of equipment but are easy to obtain and can still be used as part of any programme. Exercises include that much like the dumbbell, the only point I would like to mention is make sure you are totally comfortable and aware of techniques before you really start upping the weight with kettle-bells. They're quite a dangerous piece of equipment so really take some time into researching what and how to perform an exercise this may otherwise it result in quite a serious injury.

Bodyweight - as often neglected your own bodyweight is such an effective and efficient way to train your body but also so cheap. Find a park and start doing pulls ups super setting them with push ups. 20 sets of 5 pull ups and 10 press ups your upper body will be pretty taxed, add in different variations and you will have achieved a perfect workout. If things get easier add in tempo, which people always neglect for reps or throw together 3 exercises, a rep scheme and see how many rounds of those 3 exercises you can do in a set period of time.

There are 4 ways to one, train at home but secondly train on a budget. So no more excuse as the gym membership is too expensive or closed at the weekend, make home your own gym!!!

Now for the exciting bit. Yesterday I attended the Team VXS Gymwear open day at the Royal Docks Crossfit Gym. Firstly thank you to Will for his squat clinic and letting us use the gym all afternoon and evening. The event itself was great, catching up with people who have similar goals and objectives they want to achieve, exchanging advice on how to individually achieve them and of course a preview of the new Fusion range.

Today at 1700 GMT marks the release of the new Fusion range but we got to sample this yesterday so thought I better had share my thoughts and all I can say is it's a must buy. As ever they've been really creative with the styling to make you look great in the gym, this becoming more and more of a concern for people, more so than what you're actually doing in there. I got to try out the new t-shirt range and with the baggy waist with a tapered fit to the upper body is ideal for anyone in or out the gym. With a 95% cotton to 5% elastic comparative the feel of the top on you is perfect, not restrictive in areas such as under the arms or when you want to reach overhead it just moves freely with you. Sweat is absorbed straight into the t-shirt and  much like a lot of the Dri-fit ranges doesn't cause the material to stick to your body causing you to feel cold as the session moves on. I didn't get the chance myself to grab a look at the other bits being released in the range but everyone commented on how the quality is second to none, trumping any of the bigger sport wear designers which I personally believe is the biggest reason you need to get out buying this new fusion range. The link is below so get buying and be one of the first to train this out.

http://vxsgymwear.co.uk/collections/new-lines

Have a great week of training, make every moment in the gym worth while and keep intensity high!!

Jack

Winter Cardio and VXS Gymwear

Today’s blog is going to have to aspects to it with some tips on training and a quick review on some new gym clothing I’m now wearing. 

With the colder weather and darker nights now approaching our bodies are starting to hibernate under more and more clothes meaning that winter bulk has now arrived. Calories aren’t so closely watched, cheat meals become more often, along with cardio a distance pass time as the focus to changes to getting stronger in the gym. Now I agree with this, time shouldn't be wasted walking on the treadmill burning off those calories however cardio should still be part of your training. You may ask how? One thing I tell all my clients is through High Intensity Interval Training, instead of putting this on a piece of CV equipment, integrate it into your workout by including it as some kind of finisher to the muscle groups you're training. Here are a few examples: 

Pull Day : For this I like to use a tyre and a sledgehammer, old school training. 20 alternate sledgehammer tyre hits into 6 tyre flips. As many rounds as possible in 8 minutes, this can be changed depending on ability levels. Both exercises will engage muscles you would have used in your workout plus legs which will really help to boast that heart rate. 

Push Day : Get the battle ropes out and it will quite literally be a battle as to who will give up first, just going say you'll will probably lose. Just take three exercises using the rope, Conga Drums to begin with which are just an up and down movement with the rope. Kong Slam bring the ropes over your head and slam down then Jumping Jack’s with the ropes still in your hand as the last exercise. Complete for a count of 20 on each, take a 20 count rest (preferably the same as your working 20 count, try to avoid cheating) and repeat 4 times. Your anterior chain will be on fire along with your heart rate going through the roof. 

Leg Day : After a long, heavy leg day you really don't want to be doing a lot so lets keep in short and sweet. Time yourself in completing 4 rounds of these exercises in quickest time possible. Record this to see improve but furthermore motivate you for the next leg day to beat your last time. 

5 Burpees

10 Jump Squats

20 Alternate Jumping Lunges. 

Include these quick finishers into your workouts, just to maintain those cardio levels throughout the winter period, because quite simply lifting weights is cardio in itself. 

Now to let you on to a little secret and that is the new gym wear I have been wearing by a company called VXS Gymwear. Now you know I’m not one to rave about clothing but the guys at VXS have really struck gold. The title VXS stands for Velocity x Strength = Power and with these you get a powerful product. I was introduced to them by a friend after he heard about them as an upcoming gym wear company in the UK and he knows the biggest struggle I have in life are getting shorts that fit my waist correctly but yet also manage to fit my upper legs in, so recommend these. So I went to their online shop which I’ll link below and ordered some of their ‘Black Sweatshorts’ in large which equates to my waist size. Received the parcel in 36 hours and straight away put them on to see they actually cater for people that have small waists but yet those who train legs!!! 

I’ve been wearing them quite often over the pass few months and can’t get enough of them. The cotton based shorts ensure comfort in the gym, not restricting movement like many of the mesh material based shorts do. After a good 10 washes in the washing machine they still look like the first time I’ve worn them which shows quality, more so value for money at the price of £18.99. These shorts due to the simple but smart design can be warn anywhere in or out of the gym, but maybe wait till its a little bit warmer for that. The one thing I like the most are the zipped pockets, such a life saver in the gym. Lets say you're mid way through a set performing a incline DB press and your phone falls out of your pockets, causing headphones to fall out and before you know it everything just ends in a mess. With these simply put your music on, zip the pockets up and you're away. The simple things are often things which are overlooked but with VXS they've really thought of the things that you need in every circumstance for the hard working, motivated gym goer. 

Be sure to check their products out at http://vxsgymwear.co.uk

So, keep your cardio up even through the winter, even just for those quick 10 minutes at the end of the workout and be sure to invest in some good gym wear to help you out in the gym. Because if you look and feel epic in the gym then you'll perform epic. 

Jack

A season to change - New Programme

Writing a new programme

With the summer holidays now over for me looking lean and in shape like I actually attend a gym is not such a priority. This means new goals and objectives within my training are to be made, keeping my motivation and somewhat desire to staying fit. This is the fundamental factor in your training because everything will come together to achieve this end goal. Now for me this is to get the scales to read the grand total of 100kg, yet still be under 12% BF. I've never quite achieved this so this is the main goal along with a few other minor goals such as:
- 180kg Back Squat for 10
- 160kg Bench Press for 5
- Strict Overhead Press 100kg for 5.
I can't stress enough how vital it is to have these in place. When you get to that manic day at work and you realise that you've got to go a train legs that evening, the goal for back squats will force you to get under that bar, squat down and get back up again. It's that motivation that you need when you're just not feeling it.

Now just a quick few pointers when it comes to writing your programme:
1. Don't include too much. Volume has its place in any programme but often when writing workouts people tend to include way to much. Aim for no more than 20 sets, if you're struggling with that add in a superset, mini circuit at the end or even add in a second day into your programme. I'm currently doing this for back as I really want to try and create more width.
2. Set all your weights and reps. I am one of the worse for this myself in that I often end up going into the gym and roughly following what I've written down so this time I've written everything in detail and really follow it to the very last rep. Also ensure you keep slightly adjusting things such as weight to keep pushing yourself and become stronger.
3. Add in a test! Try to include in each workout something that will test you that little bit more, a mini challenge just for that workout. A timed circuit or max weight for reps, just something that will fire you up for that session.
4. Always have you're main objective in mind. Don't go off on a tangent when writing out these plans and remember how you've always wanted big arms so you're going to include them in every workout. Take a step back and think about how you're going to achieve that main goal.

So there you have it. As the sunshine is turning to rain here in London, with the seasons changing its time for you to change. I'm currently running a 8 week strength based programme for a one off price of £50. If you're interested in this or any programmes solely catered to you send me your details at jcdpersonaltraining@gmail.com.

Happy Training

Jack

Do I workout or not?

Do I workout or not?

With the summer holiday season now upon us and family time along with social lives becomes a greater part of life and the routine of wake up, go to work then head to the gym is non existent the question often asked is 'do I workout or not?'. Motivation is at an all time low but you know it's got to be done, here are a few tips to include to get that workout in.

Set yourself a goal. This could be complete this many reps of a certain exercise or a certain amount of rounds of one exercise, anything that you can use as a motivational tool but that once competed you will have had a great workout. Use crossfit workouts, circuits or things such as pack of playing cards. This is something I'd highly recommend nominating an exercise to a suit and the number of the card being the reps performed, use the whole pack and there is your workout.

Set yourself a time limit. If you know all you're going to do is 30 minutes then you're mentally more prepared for what is to come. Count down the minutes or whatever you need to do but you know it's only going to be 30 minutes. Use the AMRAP principle where you must complete as many rounds of a certain circuit in a given time, great upping the intensity, high volume of reps performed along with motivation to beat your pass score or someone else's.

Play Sport. It sounds so simple but many forget this as a form of exercise. With the stunning weather we currently have here in London sport should be at the top of the list as one of the things to be doing. Play it with the family or friends and add in forfeits. Let's take football for example, if a goal is scored 10 press ups, someone skills you 10 star jumps, every corner 10 squats and if you foul someone plank for 30 seconds. Yes it may slow the game down but it can make it fun at the same time as getting some cardio and a strength workout all in one.

So no excuses, stay in shape over the summer.

Jack