Muscle gain, Weight loss. Your solution to getting fit!
Thursday 31 January 2013
Tuesday 29 January 2013
Mental Attitude
Its All In The Mind
Exercise is predominantly thought of as a workout for the body. You go for a run, lift weights or attend an exercise class. Many people are very good at signing up for these kinds of activities, but not necessarily good at sticking to them.
What makes you stop? Sometimes it is due to unforeseen circumstances that cannot be helped. More often than not though, it is your mind deciding that it is no longer worth the time or the effort to continue.
When your mind gives up, your body probably isn't done. There is still distance that can be run or reps that can be completed. Having control over you mind will allow you to truly push your body to its limit. Here are some tips for gaining control over your mind.
1. Find a happy place
When your going through a tough patch in a session your mind will invariably suggest quitting, sitting down and giving up. It happens to us all. A good way to get through this is to let your mind wander to something else, something happier and relaxing. Disengaging your mind from your body in this way allows you to 'forget' about the exercise and how tired you are and lets your body carry on doing what it can. Just make sure you keep doing the exercise right!
2. Give up control
When we have control over our own actions and boundaries, we make things easier for ourselves. If we give up that control, our body can be pushed much, much further. Exercising with a friend or a trainer allows you to relinquish control of your body (to an extent) to that person. They can then tell you where the finish line is and when to stop.
3. Get angry!
Angry is a very basic human emotion. When angry, our minds can become a bit disconnected from your actions. To use this in exercise, you should learn to get angry from time to time. not at anything in particular, just be angry. Be angry at the weights, at work or at the person that pulled out in front of you in your car earlier that day. Being angry allows you to override the softer side of your mind that wants to quit. You will try and get to the end of your workout with as much energy as you can muster, and only then will you realise how much it aches.
Exercise is predominantly thought of as a workout for the body. You go for a run, lift weights or attend an exercise class. Many people are very good at signing up for these kinds of activities, but not necessarily good at sticking to them.
What makes you stop? Sometimes it is due to unforeseen circumstances that cannot be helped. More often than not though, it is your mind deciding that it is no longer worth the time or the effort to continue.
When your mind gives up, your body probably isn't done. There is still distance that can be run or reps that can be completed. Having control over you mind will allow you to truly push your body to its limit. Here are some tips for gaining control over your mind.
1. Find a happy place
When your going through a tough patch in a session your mind will invariably suggest quitting, sitting down and giving up. It happens to us all. A good way to get through this is to let your mind wander to something else, something happier and relaxing. Disengaging your mind from your body in this way allows you to 'forget' about the exercise and how tired you are and lets your body carry on doing what it can. Just make sure you keep doing the exercise right!
2. Give up control
When we have control over our own actions and boundaries, we make things easier for ourselves. If we give up that control, our body can be pushed much, much further. Exercising with a friend or a trainer allows you to relinquish control of your body (to an extent) to that person. They can then tell you where the finish line is and when to stop.
3. Get angry!
Angry is a very basic human emotion. When angry, our minds can become a bit disconnected from your actions. To use this in exercise, you should learn to get angry from time to time. not at anything in particular, just be angry. Be angry at the weights, at work or at the person that pulled out in front of you in your car earlier that day. Being angry allows you to override the softer side of your mind that wants to quit. You will try and get to the end of your workout with as much energy as you can muster, and only then will you realise how much it aches.
Sunday 27 January 2013
Sunday 20 January 2013
Priority Training
When you follow a weight training plan, you will start out having certain goals that you want to achieve. Chances are that as you progress through your training plan, certain aspects of your goals will progress faster than others. This due to the exercises that you are performing during the sessions, or it could be due to the order that you work your muscles in.
The order that you work your muscles in can greatly affect the results of your training plan. Those that you work at the beginning of your session will generally respond better to training than groups that you work later in the session. This is due to a couple of simple factors. When you start a training session, your body is full of energy ready to be used. All the available energy is transported to the muscle being worked at the beginning, giving it a massive reserve of energy and nutrients to draw upon while you exercise it. As you progress through your workout, the amount of energy you have begins to dwindle, leaving very little (hopefully) for the last exercises in your workout. Having less energy available mean you are less able to push the muscle as hard, reducing the gains you can make.
Another factor that affects the progress made by training is your mental attitude during the time you are training for. When you start the session, you are mentally fresh, like your body is physically fresh. As you get further and further into your session, your willpower will being to decrease (even if you don't want it to). The mental toughness needed to push through your exercises is draining on your mind. The exercises being to tire out your nervous system, making forcing the contraction of your muscles seem so much harder.
When you being to notice one part of your body progressing faster than the others, think about the concept of prioritising muscle groups within a workout. If you want to improve you shoulder strength and size, train your shoulders at the beginning of the session. Remember not to work muscles that are needed in exercises later in your session first though, as this can hider your progress even more. Groups like your arms cannot be prioritised in a session as working your biceps first would have an impact on your back workout. The best way to prioritise arms is to have a separate session altogether. Other groups, like your core muscles, can be worked at the beginning of a session without too much impact on other exercises.
The order that you work your muscles in can greatly affect the results of your training plan. Those that you work at the beginning of your session will generally respond better to training than groups that you work later in the session. This is due to a couple of simple factors. When you start a training session, your body is full of energy ready to be used. All the available energy is transported to the muscle being worked at the beginning, giving it a massive reserve of energy and nutrients to draw upon while you exercise it. As you progress through your workout, the amount of energy you have begins to dwindle, leaving very little (hopefully) for the last exercises in your workout. Having less energy available mean you are less able to push the muscle as hard, reducing the gains you can make.
Another factor that affects the progress made by training is your mental attitude during the time you are training for. When you start the session, you are mentally fresh, like your body is physically fresh. As you get further and further into your session, your willpower will being to decrease (even if you don't want it to). The mental toughness needed to push through your exercises is draining on your mind. The exercises being to tire out your nervous system, making forcing the contraction of your muscles seem so much harder.
When you being to notice one part of your body progressing faster than the others, think about the concept of prioritising muscle groups within a workout. If you want to improve you shoulder strength and size, train your shoulders at the beginning of the session. Remember not to work muscles that are needed in exercises later in your session first though, as this can hider your progress even more. Groups like your arms cannot be prioritised in a session as working your biceps first would have an impact on your back workout. The best way to prioritise arms is to have a separate session altogether. Other groups, like your core muscles, can be worked at the beginning of a session without too much impact on other exercises.
Sunday 13 January 2013
Friday 11 January 2013
Thought for Today
To become the person you want to be, you must be prepared to sacrifice the person that you are. Only then will you truly succeed
Sunday 6 January 2013
New Years Training
In the New Year many people make it their aim to get fit, lose weight or just join a gym. Unfortunately this rush of people is usually short lived. Many people find themselves overwhelmed by the fitness 'lifestyle' or get drawn into the endless slog of running on the treadmill. It is easy to avoid being one of the people that stops, the ones who give up and probably won't ever achieve the physique of their dreams.
Don't Jump in the Deep End
When first starting to exercise, your putting your body through activities that it is not used to. Many people believe that by going to the gym 5 times a week and spending 90 mins doing cardio they will become fit because that is what they see other doing. What they forget though is that the person they are looking up to has most likely been training for a while. What a beginner to a gym and exercising needs to do is build up to doing extensive periods of harder training. This avoids injury and over training.
Make Small Changes
When examining your lifestyle and deciding what to change to achieve your healthy way of living, there are going to be a number of different areas to change. Making all the changes at once can be quite overwhelming, increasing the chances of something slipping and you ultimately becoming despondent. By making small changes you increase your chances of success. You are more likely to stick to training 2 times a week than 5, so you are less likely to skip a session. Instead of completely changing your diet, make little changes. Stop eating chocolate and crisps. Cut out fizzy drinks. Smaller changes like this still have an impact on your progress. As you become accustomed to the changes you make, they become habits and you can being to make more changes. Over time, you can make all the changes you originally planned without feeling overwhelmed by them all.
Notice Progress
Many people stop exercising in February because they feel they have been trying really hard for the whole of January but haven't made any progress. This is unfortunate, as the chances are they have made progress, they just can't see it. The biggest reason people miss noticing progress is because they are obsessed with what the scales say and don't see any physical difference. When you start exercising you body will start burning calories and building muscle. Muscle is heavier than fat and the chances are you will put on more muscle than lose fat in the first few weeks. This causes your weight to not change or even go up! Not seeing any physical progress is a trick of the mind. Most people will see themselves every day in a mirror. If you are trying to transform your physique, chances are you will look for any change on a fairly regular basis. Your body won't change at a fast enough rate to be visible between today and tomorrow, but the cumulative effect can be substantial. The best way to see physical process is to take a photo of yourself and hide it away for 4 weeks. after the 4 weeks take another picture and compare the two. a direct comparison will highlight where you have changed and will motivate you to continue.
Don't Jump in the Deep End
When first starting to exercise, your putting your body through activities that it is not used to. Many people believe that by going to the gym 5 times a week and spending 90 mins doing cardio they will become fit because that is what they see other doing. What they forget though is that the person they are looking up to has most likely been training for a while. What a beginner to a gym and exercising needs to do is build up to doing extensive periods of harder training. This avoids injury and over training.
Make Small Changes
When examining your lifestyle and deciding what to change to achieve your healthy way of living, there are going to be a number of different areas to change. Making all the changes at once can be quite overwhelming, increasing the chances of something slipping and you ultimately becoming despondent. By making small changes you increase your chances of success. You are more likely to stick to training 2 times a week than 5, so you are less likely to skip a session. Instead of completely changing your diet, make little changes. Stop eating chocolate and crisps. Cut out fizzy drinks. Smaller changes like this still have an impact on your progress. As you become accustomed to the changes you make, they become habits and you can being to make more changes. Over time, you can make all the changes you originally planned without feeling overwhelmed by them all.
Notice Progress
Many people stop exercising in February because they feel they have been trying really hard for the whole of January but haven't made any progress. This is unfortunate, as the chances are they have made progress, they just can't see it. The biggest reason people miss noticing progress is because they are obsessed with what the scales say and don't see any physical difference. When you start exercising you body will start burning calories and building muscle. Muscle is heavier than fat and the chances are you will put on more muscle than lose fat in the first few weeks. This causes your weight to not change or even go up! Not seeing any physical progress is a trick of the mind. Most people will see themselves every day in a mirror. If you are trying to transform your physique, chances are you will look for any change on a fairly regular basis. Your body won't change at a fast enough rate to be visible between today and tomorrow, but the cumulative effect can be substantial. The best way to see physical process is to take a photo of yourself and hide it away for 4 weeks. after the 4 weeks take another picture and compare the two. a direct comparison will highlight where you have changed and will motivate you to continue.
Great Transformation
Very different transformation to what you must be used to hearing. The guy goes from seriously skinny to packing some serious muscle. He has a whole Youtube channel and big fanbase. Check out some of his videos.
Saturday 5 January 2013
DodgeFit
New type of class starting in the Walton, Molesey and Kingston area. Very fun way of burning off the Christmas food .
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