Powerlifitng - Mike O'Hearn and Rob Riches

Its Monday which can only mean one thing, CHEST DAY!!! All the benches will be rammed with other gym goers, all with the same goal, to get a huge chest!! I will be one of these people trying to improve my bench press. 

Now recently I’ve really been trying to focus on going a lot heavier than I normally would with all movements, with new goals in mind for the big three. 

Bench Press - 1 rep at 1.5 BW = 145kg

Squat - 1 rep at 2 BW = 180kg 

Deadlift - 1 reps at = 230kg.

You may as why? Well certainly Deadlifts and Bench Press I have neglected recently, focusing more on the body building way of training in the hypertrophy range, with more isolated exercises. Recently however I was inspired when scrolling through youtube by a video with Mike O’Hearn and Rob Riches, two people who have totally different ways and ethos to training. See the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8x-Te2J8Ao

Now both guys are huge in the fitness world, with Mike being of this new way of training through the use of powerlifting. Rob adopts more of a bodybuilding based programme. This video however totally changes his way of thinking. It thus inspired me to look more into this type of training and include it more into my programme, always great to mix things up to. 

I shall leave the Deadlift and squat for now and focus on the bench press. Now points that I picked up which really helped me in the following session are as follows:

1. Keep feet planted at all times, attempting to push through these on the movement.
2. Try and bend the bar, keeping your elbows tucked in. (This also prevents shoulder injury).
3. Thumbs around the bar!!!!
4. Think of the chest pulling together on the concentric, (pushing) phase of the movement. 
5. Lower the bar under control, breathing in. Explode up, breathing out. 
6. Keep you body tight!! Your breathing will aid this. 

I put this all into practice and it aided me so much. Bench is one of my weaker areas so I really want to focus on this into the future. I warmed up all my shoulder area and slowly worked my way up to 130kg where I managed to get two reps out, the second one needing a slight assistance. I then attempted 140kg, but just didn’t have the power to get a clean rep out. Below is a video of me doing 130kg for one after as I decided to work in a slight pyramid fashion. Here hopefully you can see everything I have listed above put into practice. 

https://instagram.com/p/6XiCy_HOGp/?taken-by=jacksfitnessforyou

So there you have it, have a look at the video I have linked and check this new way of training through the use of powerlifting. Lets face it if Mike O’Hearn uses it in his programmes it must be good!!!

Jack

Rest Week, MyProtein BCAA and Smartshake

This is my last day in Oman, which means my rest week is coming to an end and it's back to the grind. I am literally craving the gym right now. My body feels well recovered especially after the Thai massage I received yesterday. I would recommend this to anyone that is feeling sore. No more knots in my back!!!!! Yippee!!! One thing I've kept with me all week to aid this recovery however is my BCAA's from MyProtein and of course my smartshake. Two things I can't live without!!!

I am a huge ambassador of MyProtein and all their products. Since I started using them around 3 years ago  they have made huge advancements in the fitness world, recently sponsoring FC Porto. The only supplements I use are MyProtein, which can never be faulted. Now back to the BCCA. 

Branch Chain Amino Acids are the building blocks to protein, known as the essential amino acids. The body needs these for protein synthesis to occur, repairing and building muscle. 8 of the 16 amino acids are produced by the body with the remainder coming from diet. BCAA are even better as they metabolise through the muscle tissue and not the liver therefore arriving straight at the source, this is only unique to BCAA. The main three BCCA are leucine, isoleucine and valine.

So why do I take BCAA? The most overwhelming reason for it is catabolic crisis, losing muscle mass. When the body is running low on energy it starts to break down muscle tissue, targeting amino acids to use as fuel. However through the additional supplementation of BCAA this won't occur as they decrease the activity of the components of protein breakdown . This is the reason why I packed my BCCA to aid recovery and prevent breakdown of the muscle.

When and how should you take this supplement then. I personally in a normal week take a 5 gram scoop in my water whilst training as this is when muscle breakdown is most likely to occur and further taking one before bed as through the night recovery is the main aim in which this will aid in. In my rest week I have just taken some upon waking and pre bedtime. This is £13.29 on MyProtein, with an exclusive offer of 2 for 1 so get on there!!!

Smartshake is my shaker of choice wherever I go, I just love them!!!  The shaker has a stack based system on the bottom to hold supplements, nuts, just about any small snack. The filtering system which comes with the shaker also means you don't have to worry about any lumps, however this also depends on what powders you use. Microwave safe so you can even warm meals up in them. The last important thing of all is the longevity and how easy it is to wash. For some reason you never seem to get the smell like from others once you've used them a while. If it does just whack it in the dishwasher, yes I forgot to mention that. Plus you drop them and they never break. I'm always dropping stuff!! They have a carabiner on the shaker as well which means it's easy to transport, just attach it to a strap on your gym bag. 

So there you go my rest week is coming to a end, but this two things I defiantly can't live without. Back to the grind tomorrow, can't wait!!!

Jack 

Deadlifts

Now after squats I believe that deadlifts are one of the best exercises you can be performing in the gym. You may ask why? Deadlifts recruit so many different muscles. The explosive phrase coming from the legs, mainly through the hamstrings which are often a muscle group neglected. Then your recruiting all core muscles and upper back with your traps also coming into play, again an area neglected. Then there is the grip which is all coming from forearms. This is why deadlifts are a must to achieve an all round great body.

Deadlifts have always been in my programme but recently I've been suffering with a bit of lower back pain and posture generated issues. I usually perform deadlifts at the end of my back routine as a post exhaustion exercise, performing 100 reps in as few sets as possible. This burns out my whole posterior chain however, the only problem is you don't achieve the strength gains from this exercise. With the change to my split, with me now including a pull day in my routine, additional to my back routine I have added deadlifts to the beginning of the workout and wow, how I've missed them.

Due to me not going heavy on deadlifts for a while I haven't just dived in and gone as heavy as I can, as quickly as possible, I have built it up slowly. I've adopted the pyramid way of training, therefore working all rep ranges with the main attention paid to the top of the pyramid, when I'm working in the strength based reps ranges. Using the remainder of the pyramid more as a pre exhaustion for the the rest of my workout. 

I worked up to 210kg for 3 reps as seen in the photo. Points to note is explode at the beginning of the movement, use the power house that are your legs. Keep the bar as close to your shins and body as possible. Keep that back straight!!! Use your core to aid this, keep it tight. I find holding my breath till the top of the moment helps. A slight pause at the top, then lower the weight under control, again keeping back straight and feel the stretch in your hamstrings. This lowering phase under control requires so much more strength than just dropping the weight, so use it!!! Also you'll feel greater weight transferred to the lats on lowering the weight, as oppose to full concentration on the erector spinal. I am just one in general for performing all my reps slow, unless the muscle is really exhausted and I'm trying to push it that little further. Lastly don't be afraid of the movement and weight. As long as you're doing the right form and your always in control, there shouldn't be a problem. Start light and build yourself up. 

https://instagram.com/p/5hk5rPHOBE/?taken-by=jacksfitnessforyou

The day after I first done this routine my back was on fire for the next few days, a bit like leg DOMS. I hadn't felt like this for a long time!! So start including deadlifts into your routine. I targeted my inner back with close pull downs, rear delts and traps after this, which is an area I'm lacking. It was one of the best workouts I've had in a long while, coming just before I jet out to Oman to visit a friend where I'm going to rest mostly, I'm sure I'll get a few workouts in from my room.

So start DEADLIFTING!!!!!!

Jack

When is the best time to do cardio??

When should I do cardio?

This is the dilemma of lots of people when it comes to cutting season. If I do it pre workout I won't get as good as workout, if I do it post workout I will lose mass, should I do it fasted? These are all questions I get asked all the time and there is no simple answer, but hopefully the following will kind of explain it slightly, helping you make a decision.

Cardio firstly doesn't mean going on a run or sitting on a bike for an hour, it can also be done through weights. When I want to start cutting down I include a lot more tri sets (three exercises) and giant sets (four exercises) into my programme. This doesn't just get your heart rate up into the aerobic phase for burning fat but also conditions the muscle more, which whilst cutting it what you want as you are no longer looking for mass. This was all brought to my attention by Shaun Stafford who is WBFF champion and he uses this a lot in his workouts. You can also make your workout more circuit based as oppose to just perform four sets of 10 reps of one exercise then moving on. Bring the weight down but keep the same rep scheme. This is a huge favourite of Mister International 2010 Ryan Terry. Furthermore at the end of each set add 5 burpees on the end or hold the plank for half of your rest period. This being another great alternative.

Now fasted cardio is next. This is a great tool and some people swear by it. My first point would be make sure you take on some BCAA prior to starting in order for your body not to go catabolic, basically using the muscle as a energy source. Again this works for some and doesn't for others. Your body is working off of an empty stomach and therefore as there is no energy source will start using your fat reserves as a form of energy, targeting what you want to get rid of. However, due to the little energy source your body can recruit I don't believe you can fully push yourself using this form. Yes a slow, steady 3mile jog is fine, but if you want to start hitting the intervals then it's kind of a no go area. Living next to Hyde park, I often run into work fasted however my body is just then craving food all day and when your restricting calories as it is, it's not a temptation you want. 

Pre workout cardio I would defiantly say is a no go. It may work for you so give it a try but personally I don't like it. Your either going to hold back in order to save some energy for the main bulk of your workout or max out then have a poor workout. Yes you can make it your warm up and yes you may burn more calories in the main workout however you still won't get the both out of both parts of the workout. Give it a try first and see what you think.

Post workout cardio is last but not least. This is what I am regularly doing on top of my crossfit cardio based workouts I mentioned a few posts back. Your muscles are fully depleted at this point and your body is feeling tired so you really have to be up for it. Many people are worried about muscle break down from doing cardio post workout but I'll let you into two tips. Make sure you drink BCAA throughout your workout and make both parts short and simple. For example I like to do HIIT post workout cardio but still have some corporation to the weight workout I've done prior. For example, yesterday was Chest so I performed 250m row max effort with the rest time being 15 hand release press ups. This I performed 6 times, no rest between efforts and was over in 6 and a half minutes. I was benefitting from the cardio but also exhausting my chest at the same time. You can do the same with any muscle groups, jump squats/burpees for legs, pull ups/inverted row for back, clean and press for shoulders. Or short and sweet and makes you fill great after a workout. You can use all different types of cardio equipment as well, I just like the rower as its a full body workout. Add this on post workout and I know you'll love it. 

Give these all a try and see what you think. Different times work better for others and they all have their advantages and disadvantages. 

Jack

Keeping in shape whilst away on holiday

So with the Easter holidays coming up many of you are going to be going away on holiday but still want to keep in shape for the summer, just like you promised yourself for your New Years Resolution, well your reading the right thing. As I write this post I'm sitting in my hotel in Delhi thinking the exact same thing, so a few steps to keep you on for your goals.

Firstly what your eating is the most important. Now I know your on holiday and you've got to relax therefore meaning you can eat and drink what you want, but as always do it in moderation. If you can go for the healthier option then do. Now I know how hard that can be with most countries washing salads in their own water meaning it's not the best thing to eat, trust me I know I'm struggling in India at the minute. But try and pick up the protein options and not the fried food!!!! With the alcohol side go with the lighter calorific drinks, stay away from the beers and instead opt for a gin and tonic.

Now on to the workout, if there is no gym to do your usual workout and only your room then what do you do?? You can still do a muscle building workout in your hotel room with just your own bodyweight. You can use easy exercises like press-ups, squats, dips and burpees onto advance exercises such as crab walks, ice skaters, crocodile walks and even as far as handstand push ups. So putting this all into your hotel room circuit:
20 press ups,
length of your room crocodile walk,
30 squats, crab walk length of room,
10 burpees,
15 dips.
 For press ups, squats and dips use time under tension for a count of 4010. This will add that little bit more too your workout, helping with the building phase. Give this a try for four rounds, changing if needed the number of reps to your specification.

So next time your in your hotel room not knowing what to do for your phys for the day give this a go.

As always remember diet 70%, gym 30%

Jack

Steve Cook - hypertrophy training

I was recently on youtube just having a little browse when I came across a video from Steve Cook on hypertrophy training, to which I thought I'd share with you. Steve Cook is very popular in the fitness industry after becoming an IFBB pro Men's Physique Competitor, Optimum Nurtition and Bodybuilding.com spokesmen and of course the founder of Swoldier. Swoldier nation is Steve Cook's ethos on training in the gym but furthermore in life. Doing things the right way. This could be through setting goals to achieve in the gym but basically it underpins the drive that causes you to succeed in life. This has become massive with many followers and has really started to bring a different light on the muscle building community.

Back to hypertrophy training. You may ask what is difference between strength and hypertrophy training well, firstly hypertrophy training is a method of strength training and is intended to induce the fastest muscle growth in the shortest period of time without the use of anabolic steroids. There are four different principles to this type of training. Mechanical load is the first, meaning tension loading of the muscle through an exercise. Chronic stimulation which is the theory that a muscle does not need more than 48 hours to recover because within that 48 hours window recovery can still take place with the correct rate of protein and nutrition. Progressive load is also a principle through over time the tissue adapts and becomes resistant to the effects of the first principle, mechanical load. Therefore the load must be increased to overcome adaptation by the body thus, causing growth to occur. Strategic Deconsitioning or in other terms a rest week is where the body has reached a point at the end of a cycle where it can't tolerate more weight, therefore a set period of rest must be take, allowing for the muscle to grow. These are the basics to hypertrophy training, boring stuff out the way now how to put it into practice.

Now as I mentioned early Steve Cook has recorded numerous videos of him doing this type of training online and it is really interesting, where you shall defiantly see growth. He overloads the muscle through 8 reps for 8 sets of the same exercise only allowing for 30 seconds of rest between sets. This therefore allows very little rest for the muscle to recover in anyway, and depending on which exercise your performing can really get the heart pumping. The weight used would not be what you would normally use for an 8 rep set otherwise you will not be able to last for all 8 sets so bring it down by about 30%. He thens pushes it further through either superseting or tri-setting exercises later on into the workout. This becomes really difficult after the muscle is already quite fatigued. With the additional volume in your training hypertrophy will definetly bring about growth. Also if your someone that goes to the gym and just goes through the motions this will bring a stop to that and keep the body guessing of what might be coming next causing it to adapt and grow. I personally tried the 8x8 with arms at the end of my session today and I usually get a burn through supersetting on my arms but this just brought an all together different burn more of any ache, so you should definetly give it a try if you want something new with any workout.

Try this link to see his workout http://bit.ly/1fZhrca

Remember diet 70%, gym 30%

Jack

Training Chest - Rob Riches

The other day I was reading Rob Riches blog and I found his Chest overload article a really great read. For those of you who don't know who Rob Riches is he is a fitness competitor, model and author but most importantly is in amazing shape and is one of only a few top competitors who show people like me and you how he actually trains.

In this article he explains his chest routine, going through his warm up and how he structures his workout to get the best out of his chest. But the section I want to really draw you eye to is when it comes to dumbbell flies. Now I don't know about you and me but I usually go to failure on flies or a drop set, this fatiguing that muscle however, Rob says by this point your type 2b muscle fibres have not yet been used and this is where you will see the best lean muscle gains. He therefore employs a kind of rest and pause method to which I will do a blog on in the near future so be sure to check it out, anyway back to recruiting those type 2b muscle fibres. He then rests for around 20 seconds, allowing for the muscles to recover by 30% and perform a further few reps. This therefore pushing the threshold into a different capacity of the muscle, really feeling a burn.

I attempted this in the gym yesterday and have never felt the muscle had been worked so hard, so I thought I'd share this with you. This is great with any isolation exercise and it pushes the muscle beyond the fatigue threshold where the gains are really made. Be sure to check Rob Riches training articles out on his website.

www.robriches.com

Anyway keep the training up and when you want to try something a bit different, then I definetly recommend giving this a try.

Remember 70% diet, 30% gym

Jack