New Year, New Goals

When Big Ben sounded and London's skyline lit up with fireworks it sparked the beginning of 2017. A new year means new resolutions and for the keen gym geeks out there it often means new goals in the gym. It's key to set these goals so they'll challenge you but also be achievable and realistic for you to complete.

I've spoken about this in previous posts but goals should always be SMART, meaning they're Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and with a Time frame. These are the fundamentals when it comes to setting goals that will keep you motivated and push you to become a better you.

Another important factor is to understand why you should set up goals. Now for me they set up the direction of my training by focusing my attention towards goal-relevant activities and away from goal-irrelevant activities. For example, if a marathon runner sets out to improve cardiovascular fitness, running economy and muscular strength then he should focus on improving these areas, something towards their goal. They should not focus on other tasks such as their clean and jerk. Yes aspects of this may somewhat help in running but is it still relevant to running itself? This approach will allow you to focus on the most important aspects of training and in essence, ensure your training is as efficient and effective as possible.

As I mentioned earlier on the post motivation is huge in any type of training and the way you set your goals can help with this. Goals allow for an easy assessment of performance and enable you to learn more about your training abilities which can subsequently help to replace boredom with challenge. As you start achieving your goals you will build your own self-directed motivation and replace fear and tension with focus and confidence. These factors combined often lead to more rewarding training.

My last point is set both short and long term goals in order to see success. No goal is too big in my eyes but you must set short term goals in order to achieve this. So, set one long term goal encompassing all that you want to achieve but within this set short term goals. These could be daily, weekly or monthly but something which when put together with others will help in achieving that long term goal.

For me goal setting is an extremely powerful technique for enhancing performance that can be applied by absolutely anyone ranging from elite athlete to recreational gym-goer. Goals help you to establish your ultimate destination, they offer a prudent method of identifying the roads you can take to get there, and indeed, they let you know when you have arrived. It is important to consider the different type of goals and how these can be implemented into your training regime so that you remain focused on your gym goals.

Happy New Year one and all.

Jack

Crossfit

With the Crossfit opens fast approaching us gearing up to the ever growing crossfit games in the summer, I thought I would do a quick post on some of my favourite crossfit workouts which can be used for those of you with little time for training in your busy schedules or, for those who want a quick, intense workout.

Crossfit is part of a strength and conditioning programme, which is designed for anyone of any ability or age. It consists of varied, high intensity functional movements which is why it has grown so huge in recent years and used by many organisations. From my own experience this has become massive in the Military as all of the movements are functional to what might be needed in a combat situation, this therefore conditioning the solider in the right way to prepare them for when their physical attributes are called upon. Furthermore it is a very fun way to train and providing the equipment is at hand, large groups can be trained together. Crossfit is also a community and a way of living, seen mainly through the 'Paleo Diet' which if you don't know what it is I will be explaining in a later blog.

The only one thing I have against Crossfit is the fact they give you a certain amount of reps of an exercise to complete in a certain time. Don't get me wrong this is great for motivating yourself against others however, with speed comes poor form and when lifting heavy things can go totally wrong. So just make sure you don't sacrifice speed for form!!!

So why not give it a try?? I'm not a true cross-fitter however I do incorporate it into my workout regime as a cardio session or on days when I've not got access to a gym, so it is great for those who can't afford a gym membership and yet still can have an amazing workout. These are a few which I like doing, but if not Crossfit HQ release a WOD (workout of the day) each day so you have your own training regime to follow right there. Don't forget these WOD's all have regressions for those that are just starting out, or movements can be changed and just use the format for people with specific goals.

Cindy
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats
As many rounds in 20 minutes

Fran
40kg thrusters
Pull ups
21-15-9 reps for time

Murph
1 mile run
100 pull ups
200 push ups
300 squats
1 mile run
For time

Jackie
1000m row
20kg thrusters (50 reps)
Pull ups (30 reps)
For time

Give these WOD's a go and let me know how you get on. The mixture of strength and cardio will definitely push you to the edge.

Don't forget 70% diet, 30% gym

Jack

The Ideal Breakfast

It's no myth that breakfast is THE most important meal of the day and making sure you are fuelling your body with the right produce is vital for making sure your body is running on full capacity throughout your day even when you're looking to burn body fat. This, therefore, means that your macro nutrients need to be top of the agenda!

Introducing you to the legendary Banana Omelette! This is legendary because everyone I introduce it to  just falls in love with it. So, I suppose you want to know how to make this bad boy?...

Well, it's super easy. 

Ingredients:

1 Large Banana (mashed)

4 egg whites & 2 yolks 

1 scoop of oats

1 Scoop of Vanilla (or a flavour of your choice) Pro10 Whey Protein Powder

A dash of Soya Milk

Fry Light 1 Cal Spray

Honey (if desired)

Method:

Pre-heat saucepan on high heat.

Once banana is mashed in jug, add eggs and whisk until fluffy. Then, add a scoop of oats and Protein Powder along with the dash of milk, whisk until all powder has disappeared. 

Spray saucepan with Fry Light and add mixture, levelling it out to create an even omelette.

Allow this to cook for until colour changes around the edges. Slowly loosen edges before flipping the omelette in half, cooking until liquid has disappeared. 

Time to serve and add honey if you've got a cheeky sweet tooth. 

Enjoy!!! - I know you will. 

Remember 70% diet, 30% gym.

Jack

Creatine Monohydrate by Pro 10 supplements

Are you taking creatine? Have you ever thought about taking creatine? Well this is the one you must buy.

Creatine is found in red meat and tuna but through the process of cooking this is often lost. Your body also produces creatine, however not enough to see substantial gains as your metabolism often burns this, therefore this must be supplemented.

If your goals are to put on size and strength then creatine is a way to aid you for this. Firstly it helps when producing ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which, in turn with type 2b muscle fibres, will help with your explosive power which is why many weightlifters use this supplement. So if you want to get a new pb deadlift, squat or bench press then this supplement will definitely help!!!

Creatine infuses in the muscle, causing water retention to occur, thus helping protein synthesis; and lets not forget a muscle is made up 80% of water. Anyway no more boring stuff, but this will help you put mass on with a good, strength based routine. 

Now the creatine supplement you need to be taking is pro 10 creatine monohydrate. (See link below). I've taken many in the past which have upset my stomach or not dissolved well with water, but this doesn't do any of that. I have seen real gains in my strength as well, taking this supplement twice a day pre and post workout with pro 10 whey concentrate. It goes down a treat. Just follow the cycle of 7 weeks on and a week off, 5 grams a serving and you'll see results. My only one bit of advice would be drink plenty of water as this will aid the creatine to work its magic.

Don't forget 70% diet, 30% gym

Jack

http://www.pro-10.com/en/creatine-monohydrate.html#

Fasted HIIT Training

There is a lot of controversy over fasted cardio in the morning, but I am personally a supporter of it.

Why people dislike this form of cardio is they are worried about losing muscle gains (anabolic state). Glycogen levels are very low in the morning, causing you therefore to have very little energy, therefore your body starts using muscle as energy. To help with this I use Pro10 's BCAA mix along with some maltodextrin, protecting against falling into a anabolic state and low energy levels.

Furthermore as a fasted programme you can use HIIT (high intensity interval training). This can be completed using lots of different ways of cardio, I prefer sprints. HIIT training is short bursts of effort with an elongated period of rest. The benefits to this from sitting on a bike for hours upon end is that it only has to be 20 minute session, great for those who hate doing cardio or those who find it hard to get to a gym. Furthermore like a sprinter, this recruits type 2 muscle fibres. These are the quick, explosive fibres  used which in turn can also help with your strength gains in the gym. Last of all is that it is proven to boast your metabolism, which is the one thing which is needed to burn unwanted body fat. You can therefore see why it's so good and why I do it 

HIIT Workout

10x60m hill efforts, 1 minute rest.

You can cater the workout for yourself, making the effort shorter or the rest longer. Also put things such as burpees in after each effort will really get the heart rate and fat burning up. So why not try this instead of long, low intensity fat burning cardio.

Remember 70% diet, 30% gym

Jack