Intervals & Dice Dynamics

Yes the title is dodgy, but the general idea is solid.

While heading home yesterday I got involved in a conversation about the use of time for training.

Since giving the gentlemen various training options using waves, ladders and varied rep set ups with an On The Minute (OTM) set up he admitted it allows him to manage his training far better.

Then my mind wondered to the use of dice, Pavel Tsatsouline has some interesting ideas on this.

Instead of using the rolls to choose the waves for the EMOM I though of literally using it to select each set or reps for that minute.

Two dice will give you as many as 2-12 reps per minute.

This would work well for a lot movements/exercises, for example:

• Push Ups
• Kettlebell Swings
• Goblet Squats
• Pull Ups
• any of the variations of these can also be used

Although if the 12 is too hard then one dice would suffice giving 1-6 reps per set.

I began to think that movements such as clean & press, or other such larger compound lifts would suit here, and additionally the timing doesn’t need to just be OTM, it could be every 2min, 3min etc.

In the end it’ll come down to what you’re doing.

Hitting anywhere from 10-40min in this fashion works well as you’re able to get in a lot of solid working sets. Plus you can also alternate lifts if you choose, here’s some examples all based on 30min OTM.

• Clean & Press
• Press Ups, Swings alternated
• Pistol Squat, alternating leg each min
• Pull Ups, Double Rack Squat
• Double Half Snatch

This style of training is very simple, but for results I’d suggest training is high frequency and you select 3-4 overall movements to focus on for around 10 weeks so that you can build some decent volume as changing things too often will result in very little overall progress due to a lack of progressive stimulus.

Here’s something that’s just floated into mind for a starting 10 week block.

Session A – Swings, Press Ups – two dice
Session B – Double Rack Squat, Renegade Row – two dice
Session C – Clean & Press – one dice
10-40min sessions based on what time you’ve got available.

Enjoy,
Ross

If you’re looking for an easy way to make money as a PT in 2023, you’re going to want to read this.

I could set the scene with a long emotional story that makes your heart sing and your eyes water with it’s great ending.

That would require me to be a decent writer and story teller, which I’m not.

So instead the root of pragmatic honesty is the one chosen for today.

The easiest way to boot your income in 2023 is nothing new or fancy…

In fact it’s literally the same thing a lot have repackaged for about 60 years.

You will make easy money by getting people hot & sweaty with the training you offer/advice/prescribe.

Seriously.

That’s all you’ve got to do.

When it comes to people training with you face to face, or even online for that matter.

They all come with a bias with what they think they need to do for the outcome they want.

This is firmly set.

Having people train in such a way that leaves them gasping for air while strewn across the nearest object fills them with joy.

You see they will FEEL like they have done something.

It’s one of the key elements to remember when it comes to training and programming for people.

Every client wants to feel a specific was as a result of their training.

It will be linked to what they think they need to be doing to achieve their desired result.

Giving people this will have them buy in more deeply to what you’re offering because it appeal emotionally.

Now it may or may not be what they need, however that’s not the point here.

The potential clients waiting for you to ask them for their patronage all want to leave a session ticking their expected boxes.

I use the hot & sweaty note above because most people starting 2023 will desire to shift their Christmas weight.

As much as people enjoy eating all the roast potatoes at Christmas they don’t want to look like one.

It’ll make any fat-loss style training an easy sell.

Regarding marketing images you’ve various options however if you’re using social media/online avenues then video is top trumps.

Specifically you’ll want a video of people training in such a way that conveys this idea – Sky high heart rate

Why?

Because people associate a high heart rate with working hard and burning fat and losing weight.

Throw together a short session to film that contains battle rope slams, some sort of jumping activity with a few press ups that leaves the participants a bit disheveled and people will flock to pay for the same thing.

You will also find benefit in mentioning that the average amount of calories (kcal) burned each session will be a minimum of 500.

Essentially anything related to them doing a lot of work that is hard/fatiguing is a winner.

Don’t believe me?

F45
Trib3
Hyrox
CrossFit
HIIT Gyms/Classes

All of these sell pretty much the same thing – HARD WORK

Yes some are more structured than others with more potential for variation.

However if you ask the people that go to these kinds of places what their favourite style of training is 9/10 times you’ll be met with with the answer of ‘conditioning’ or perhaps ‘met-con’ depending on their social semantics.

Here’s a suggestion regarding a set up for the above (in a face to face sense)

The Offer:
– 10 weeks of total training
– 2/3 40min sessions per week
– 1 nutritional group check up/Q&A each week (zoom or face to face)
– A PDF copy of all the sessions
– Discount off future group training bookings

A super basic offer for a group of perhaps 10-20 people at £200-400 per person (£20-40 per week, bargain)

You won’t draw people in with this though as what is listed above are all features.

What draw people in are benefits.

Specially deep emotional benefits that you know people desire.

For example –

Fitting back in to the Dress that turned heads at the Christmas party
Dropping up to 3 inches off their waist line
Shifting the festive 15 they gained ready for the spring and wearing their favourite cute clothes
Feel like the old you again & regain your confidence

You get the idea.

Of course the average participant tends to be female hence the examples lean more towards that crowd.

This will get people in the door, from here you’ve then got the opportunity to have them become long term clients.

One thing to remember is that people are very hesitant to commit to long term fitness goals.

It’s why 10 week training blocks work well.

They’re long enough to get a decent result, yet short enough that people don’t feel like they will be chained to them forever.

Ideally we’d like those that opt for this offer to stay for the year because we know the benefits to their life they will gain.

Average people are sadly hesitant to commit to anything that means they need to change their habits/behaviours.

It’s why you can always sell the message of training with you will get them hot & sweaty.

To average people that is their ‘get out of jail free’ card for living a life that may have less than great choices/behaviours in it.

Many use this style of training to justify their sweet treats, bottles of wine and nights out.

A lot of people are not really interested in getting jaw dropping results truth be told.

They just want to be ‘just above average’ within their peer group.

Meaning so long as they’re not the one in the WORST SHAPE they’re happy enough and will pay you for this feeling.

Oh yea, how would this translate online?

Pretty much the same as with face to face however instead of offering 40min sessions face to face you’d have two options.

Zoom Lead Sessions – pre recorded or live
Pre Programmed Sessions – clients to record them to send you to (plus tag you on socials where possible)

The price might need an adjustment to say £300 for the 10 weeks, as that £30 per week or just over £4 per day.

You’ll see a lot of sales people in fitness these days using the line – “You can have ‘insert result’ for the price of a daily coffee“

This makes it easy to afford and justify.

Once again remember that people BUY with EMOTION and use logic to justify their purchase after the fact.

Being getting the message about about your offer as soon as possible, meaning today.

Planet the seed and seek out people you know resonate/like the idea of hot & sweaty = hard work = results (fat/weight loss).

So when it come to making easy money in 2023 that’s one way you can do it.

Sell/appeal to people’s emotions and desires to shift the festive 15 and get back in to a shape that doesn’t resemble a Christmas Pudding.

Enjoy,
Ross

Bonus Tip – You might find making your fitness niche all about burning kcal through conditioning very lucrative.

Cardio is a poor choice for fat loss

Gasping for air, body strew across the floor hardly moving or ringing out a top soaked through is a badge of honour a lot of people chase. 

These and other things are a sign of a good training session where hard work had been done. 

Clearly this is the best way to burn calories and shift excess weight/fat.

In their minds it won’t take many of these before all of the results desired are achieved.

An unfortunate truth is that training balls to the wall will only result in this fashion can only possibly end with at best some level of improved fitness, be that endurance or VO2 Max and maybe a small amount of lean tissue growth in some specific areas if their body deemed it worthy to do so. 

There’s also the rush of endorphins and various other feel good neurotransmitters/hormones that come as the result from hammering out a monstrous sweat-fest. 

Fat loss, or the weight loss people typically desire when embarking on this kind of journey is small.

In fact it’s usually just execs water they may have been holding on to, and possibly some stored muscle glycogen, and this can fluctuate daily which is why an initial loss of 6-14lbs isn’t uncommon in the first few weeks of training like this.

You’ll find this is seen as a success in the eyes of many. 

Thus the comments of paris come in thick and fast. 

Be aware though that this is brief relief, it’s not a lasting solution and any weight that was lost wasn’t due to it being a large amount of stored body fat, which means it’ll soon be put back on after a night of drinking where.

Waking up a bloated mess post binge is common. 

It’s also why many that go down this route to burn off that ‘little bit’ before a holiday, wedding or event end up rebounding back to be larger than before and then don’t shift that either. 

You’ll see it in daily photos, or at least the ones that aren’t edited to high heaven.

People get slowly bigger each year due to excess body fat gain because of their misunderstanding of how to drop fat and keep it off. 

Cardio and HIIT training is seen as the gold standard for losing weight (body fat) when in reality it’s not the gold standard, if anything it’s a tool for keeping it off and helping create better lifestyle habits.

Many won’t believe this, however all you need to is look at the endless amount of avid acolytes of cardio/HIIT (that didn’t adjust kcal correctly, or improve they quality of nutrition) and see they all carry pretty much the same amount of body fat they did at the beginning.

Yes they are far fitter than the average person, giving rise to the jovial term: fit-ish and all the mantras that come with it that essentially create a comfortable and accepting environment for them to justify not eating as they choose.

Don’t mistake the words above, you can be whatever you choose in life, that’s your prerogative.

When it comes to endless amounts of cardio there can be various health and fitness benefits, however it’s not the greatest tool for shifting fat on it’s own due how metabolism works and the pure and simple fact that a kcal deficit will be required and it best achieved by manipulating nutrition, not just doing more training (specifically cardio).

You see you don’t necessarily burn extra calories doing more cardio/training, you merely use up more of what your body had allocated for it’s needs for the day.

This means it’ll adjust and adapt by down regulating internal processes, etc to account for the energy used training, as a result a lot of people end up eating more due to this metabolic shuffle (plus they feel they’ve earned a treat too) which results in many putting themselves in a surplus of sorts on more than on occasion, sadly this is why some train like demons and continue to gain body fat, much to their frustration.

You’ll find a lot of science on this, although for a consolidated reference grab a copy of the book ‘Burn – The Misunderstood Science Of Metabolism’ by Herman Pontzer.

The quick guide for those that have the goal of changing body composition is as follows:

• Establish an energy deficit – BW in lbs x13 for a starting number
• Aim for foods high in nutrient density 
• Eat adequate amounts of high quality protein – 1g per pound 
• Train for strength 3-4 days per week 

Also remember that is a small amount of cardio helps with your adherence to the above then by all means throw it in, just accept that it doesn’t burn as many calories as is claimed and it’s also not the best method for shifting excess weight in the form of body fat.

It’s why you’ll find those that got frustrated running endless miles that lead to nowhere and swapped to lifting ended up breaking through their plateau didn’t go back to their old ways.

Give the above some deep thought and ask yourself what you really want from your training.

Merely to tick a box, feel like you’ve done something and fit in with the crowd or to actually make progress while also achieving change like never before because there’s only a few ways you’ll find have stood the test of time in this regard.

Enjoy, 
Ross 

Periodising cardio.

Usually the average person will do this without any rhyme or reason, they just do it.

No consideration for heart rate targets or what they’re actually trying to achieve.

Keeping it simple you’ve got 3 main types of CV to program:

Steady State – Long Run
Interval – Planned Sprints
Fartlek – Mixture of sprinting, jogging, walking

Nothing spectacularly new, although you can also hit the old heart muscle by a combination method that is lifting related CV.

Think complexes with dumbbells, bars, bell, bags, etc.

One of the ideas behind the hybrid of weight/CV is to have a change in the muscle composition and gain more mitochondria as a result and this would happen in by playing with density, sustained effort/repeated muscular contractions with a suitable load to really create the desired oxygen debt.

All good for fat-loss too, provided you do some basic maths & tracking.

Any of these methods are great for establishing your heart rate targets:

Old Faithful: 220 – Age
Karvonen Formula: 206.9-(age *.67)-RHR * %Effort+RHR
MAF Method: 180 – Age
Any Online Calculator

Once you’ve gotten the numbers you can begin programming whichever out of the cardio above that suits you.

It is worth remembering that while you may enjoy the more higher intensity/impact, this may not quite be the most optimal if you also plan on achieving other goals such as strength, for example.

Many forget to account for the additional fatigue.

It’s why many can program in lower intensity work, or the Steady State side of things far more easily because they’re not that drawing on the nervous system and don’t always create too much fatigue, provided you’re monitoring your heart rate and don’t turn it into slugfest.

You see that is the common issue, people turn everything into a battle.

Keeping this in mind we can look at the programming using this classic principle: FITT

Frequency – 3 days per week
Intensity – 60% HRR
Time – 20min
Type – Steady State (varied: walk, bike, skip etc)

In the light of knowing about basic and time honoured linear periodisation, you may end up with something like this (for say health/fat loss goal that is).

Say we have someone who is very deconditioned –

Week 1 – x3p/w, 60%HRR, 20min
Week 2 – x3p/w, 60%HRR, 25min
Week 3 – x4p/w, 60%HRR, 22min
Week 4 – x4p/w, 60%HRR, 27min
Week 5 – x5p/w, 60%HRR, 24min
Week 6 – x5p/w, 60%HRR, 29min
Week 7 – x6p/w, 60%HRR, 26min
Week 8 – x6p/w, 60%HRR, 31min
Week 9 – x7p/w, 60%HRR, 28min
Week 10 – x7p/w, 60%HRR, 33min

At this point you may choose to tweak things in block2:

Week 1 – x3p/w, 62%HRR, 30min
Week 2 – x3p/w, 62%HRR, 30min
Week 3 – x4p/w, 64%HRR, 30min
Week 4 – x4p/w, 64%HRR, 30min
Week 5 – x5p/w, 66%HRR, 30min
Week 6 – x5p/w, 66%HRR, 30min
Week 7 – x6p/w, 68%HRR, 30min
Week 8 – x6p/w, 68%HRR, 30min
Week 9 – x7p/w, 70%HRR, 30min
Week 10 – x7p/w, 70%HRR, 30min

^ You can laso use other equations calculate how many potnteial calories you burn in each session, just take it with a pinch of salt, as they’re often a guide, not a gospel.

Chances are you can see the pattern here, after this block the intensity might perhaps stay at 70%, then you may look at increasing the time again, perhaps working towards 45min, 7xp/w with 70%HRR, at which point you may opt for starting to add in some more intense forms of CV.

That is provided the base level health & fitness/conditioning goals have been hit (drop in body fat, lowering of resting heart rate, etc).

Of course the cardio is only one element, you’d also do well to have people in making nutritional improvements in regards to the quality of their foods, a small caloric deficit (if they’re carrying too much excess body fat) and in addition to that overall behaviour/habit change.

The comes the age old question.

Do we do this before or after weights?

Personal preference is as follows:

After or at a completely different time.

In an ideal world where people actually stuck to their word and make the positive lifestyle improvements they speak of doing, they’d do this light CV in the AM upon waking.

Combining that with turning off all electronics at say 9pm, and getting to bed before 11pm, and then starting the day at say 5:30-6am for some quick and rewarding CV will not be too hard.

You can delve into the literature, however this sets people up for the day with various cognitive benefits, more perceived energy and also leads to potentially beneficial habit changes in their attitude/personality (more confident, etc).

Another personal preference is to not eat post CV, just because it’s rarely needed and many will overdo their calorie consumption, so waiting for an hour or two post gentle CV as descried above would be ideal.

Before you panic and think you’ll lose all your gains.

Chances are you won’t, in all fairness you’ll probably gain far more benefits to your current progress due to increase conditioning, better & faster recovery due to improved circulation and a whole host of other benefits too.

So dear people, how much thought do you give to your cardio programming?

I know some of you are keen endurance practitioners & athletes, so sharing your knowledge would make for great reading for everyone.

Please do leave your musings below.

Enjoy, Ross

Corona Cardio

Excessive CV work has been very much the go to for a lot of people in this time of lockdown.

 

Most have been taking it up for one or several of these reasons:

 

– Wanting to get out of the house

– An effort to fight gaining excess fat

– Maintaining current fitness/conditioning levels

– It’s all they know now to do

 

While cardio is important, there are some nasty little pitfalls you really need to know.

 

1 – Accumulated Fatigue

 

It’s easy to run just a couple more miles, or cycle and extra 5k, or even going for multiple runs or adventures everyday.

 

This fatigue will build and its effects will sneak up on you.

 

You pace will drop (so will energy expenditure), lean body mass decreases, fat may even begin to be stored and the answer most people go to – MORE CARDIO IS NEEDED!

 

No, you need to recovery and rotate your training, perhaps like this example week:

 

Day 1 – Sprints

Day 2 – Movement & Mobility Work

Day 3 – Long Run

Day 4 – Off

Day 5 – Trail Run (think obstacle course)

Day 6 – Movement & Mobility Work

Day 7 – Off

 

2 – Efficiency

 

When you become more efficient at something you expend less energy, so while your skill/ability has progressed everything else will slow (fat loss, fitness, etc).

 

It’s why setting down a progressive plan is essential, as opposed to running the same route time and again with the only goal of doing it a little faster because there will come a point of diminished or no return on your tie investment.

 

3 – Hunger

 

A lot of cardio makes you hungry.

 

This means that you may in fact eat and extra several hundred calories more than you would have without the excess CV work or if you’d done some intervals of lifted (anaerobic training as opposed to aerobic).

 

You’re often hungry due to the electrolyte loss, so salty foods would help as would some good clear water too.

 

4 – Overestimation of Calories Burned

 

It’s not uncommon for people to overestimate how many they’ve torched and underestimate how many they will then go on to consume.

 

Most devices to track calories are inaccurate.

 

You’ll also find that looking at your watch to see you’ve burned 500 calories and then justifying that glass of wine is a terrible idea because those 500 burned calories in reality is more like 200 burned because you’d have utilised 300cals just being alive for the period of time you trained.

 

This is the biggest mistake people make, they think they’ve knocked of an extra 500 total, and sadly this is rarely if ever the case.

 

5 – RSI

 

Poor mechanics in any cardio endeavour will invariably lead to repetitive strain and injury, meaning you can’t train.

 

Of course most will power on through and ‘tough it out’, which is silly if this it’s nothing more than a hobby.

 

6 – Addiction

 

Like all things you can easily get addicted, and this actually links to number 5 just above, the runners high (release of various hormones & opioid like chemicals in you body) has a dulling effect on the pain you’re in or have caused yourself.

 

People will begin to chase this feeling, causing more and more damage, until eventually there is a very big problem that may be irreversible.

 

There are far better ways to hold onto your level of conditioning and stave off gaining excess fat, while this doesn’t mean you take CV out of your training, just don’t do it in excess.

 

An ideal 4 day cycle would be as follows:

 

Day 1 – Strength

Day 2 – Conditioning

Day 3 – Movement & Mobility & Restoration

Day 4 – Off

 

You repeat the above to your hearts content and you’ll find you gain far more results than you have before because instead of simply doing ‘more’ you’re now doing ‘better’.

 

Give it some thought.

 

Enjoy,

Ross

An odd blend of CV & Strength.

These sessions can be utilised as follows:

 

Option 1 – 20min:

 

A1 – Skipping x10min

B1 – Upper or Lower Body Movement

 

Option 2 – 30min:

 

A1 – Skipping x10min

B1 – Upper or Lower Body Movement

C1 – Skipping x10min

 

Option 3 – 40min:

 

A1 – Skipping x10min

B1 – Upper Body Movement

C1 – Skipping x10min

D1 – Lower Body Movement

 

Option 4 – 50min:

 

A1 – Skipping x10min

B1 – Upper Body Movement

C1 – Skipping x10min

D1 – Lower Body Movement

E1 – Skipping x10min

 

Option 5 – 60min:

 

A1 – Skipping x10min

B1 – Upper Body Movement

C1 – Skipping x10min

D1 – Lower Body Movement

E1 – Skipping x10min

F1 – Upper Body Movement

 

It’s quite easy to comprehend, however the above is the skeleton, the nuance means there are endless options.

 

– Skipping – LISS, Intervals, Tricks

– Upper Body – Push or Pull (horizontal or vertical)

– Lower Body – Hinge or Squat

 

You can also make the standard movements based on reps, TUT, speed, power, endurance or a whole host of other things.

 

Here is an example for the 20min session that covers 5 days of training across a week:

 

Day 1 – Monday

A1 – Skipping x10min – LISS

B1 – Swings x200 reps

 

Day 2 – Tuesday

A1 – Skipping x10min – Intervals (sprint) 10/50

B1 – Push Ups x100 reps

 

Day 3 – Thursday

A1 – Skipping x10min – LISS

B1 – Goblet Squats x200 reps

 

Day 4 – Friday

A1 – Skipping x10min – Tricks (double-under practice)

B1 – Pull Ups x100 reps

 

Day 5 – Saturday

A1 – Skipping x10min – Intervals (high knee) 30/30

B1 – Pike Push Ups x100 reps

 

As you can see, there is minimal kit needed.

 

Of course this doesn’t need to be done with skipping, it can be done with any form of CV, however for most people skipping will yield a lot of bang for their buck.

 

Enjoy,

Ross

What the HIIT?

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” – Inigo Montoya

 

The myth of HIIT.

 

As popular as the coined term is, I can count on one hand the number of people over the last year I’ve personally witnessed actually doing a high intensity interval session.

 

It is a sad truth that many people confuse pushing themselves at a moderate pace with no rest as HIIT.

 

That is not HIIT, it’s more akin to basic endurance work.

 

It is in this knowledge I feel no guilt about telling those who champion this method that they’re not doing what they think.

 

Let us break down the different style of interval training based on the literature and what energy systems it is playing with.

 

Energy Systems & Timings

 

Alactic Anaerobic – (ATP-CP) – 1 to 12 seconds – Immediate

 

Lactic Anaerobic – (Glycolytic – Fast/Slow) – 60 to 120 seconds – Intermediate

 

Aerobic – 120 seconds to potentially hours – Long term

 

WE all have a limited amount of maximal power efforts, typically lasting for a fraction of a second or a few seconds rely entirely on stored ATP.

 

The limitation to continued effort lies in the availability of ATP and our own ability to re-synthesise it during training with insufficient rest, hence why some strength/performance coaches recommend up to 15min rest between these efforts. Fairly logical, however not suitable for the average joe.

 

This being said, that is the price of a high intensity effort.

 

Moving on, if we sustain out effort (as mentioned above) after a few seconds, CP is called upon to replenish the rapidly dwindling ATP as best it can. The CP contribution reaches a peak approximately around about 5-7 seconds (this is where most start to lose significant output capability, they’ve peaked), it is around this point the oxygen-independent glycolysis has already begun to start.

 

If we are to follow this then true HIIT would require people to stop here, rest and aim to repeat this effort, or at least as close to it as possible, alas many keep going because of misguided ‘Insta-Bro/Hoe’ information.

 

Persisting in to a continued effort (while admirable is now hitting a different energy system) maximal force development no longer becomes possible and muscular endurance becomes the dominant component because that’s how the body works.

 

Don’t get me wrong, it is in the next few minutes that a lot of people can attain great benefits from because for most everyday tasks that require effort we rarely ant them to last longer than 2-3minutes. While not quite HIIT, more anaerobic intervals it’s still very useful (most will still call this HIIT by the way).

 

Anyway.

 

Strenuous activity which lasts approximately up to 30 seconds starts the oxygen-independent glycolysis system to rule the roost, however with appropriate rest intervals it help will prevent the build-up of blood lactate allowing for more repeated efforts of this style.

 

If we keep going the more oxygen-independent glycolysis reaches its peak after about 30-40 seconds (in most, this can of course be trained to higher thresholds), and after about 90-120 seconds its contribution becomes minimal as it is replaced by the oxygen-dependent glycolysis.

 

^^ This is the fast/slow glycolysis bit.

 

It is at this point where people confuse HIIT with what they end up doing which is to keep going at a less than ‘high intensity’ pace wth allows the exercise intensity to be kept below the blood lactate threshold or at least allow intra-exercise adequate recovery to be allow allowed, kinda.

 

As such the lactate and protons will be removed (at the same rate as their production for the most part) so that prolonged muscle activity becomes possible.

 

^^ This is where people claim to do HIIT for extended periods of time and while nobel in their idea, it’s no longer what they think it is.

 

Knowing this becomes the reason behind using intervals other than the popular on that trolls social media, such as fartlek, basic interval training, interval circuit training (strength circuits, power circuits, anaerobic circuits etc), which allow for recovery and repeated efforts of muscular work.

 

In doing this you can stay in the glycolysis side of training (up to 120, perhaps 180 seconds of sustained work efforts), which while not technically HIIT, it yields more benefit to the majority of people.

 

The work to rest periods for this would be the classic

 

– 1-1

– 1-2

– 1-3

 

So 3min on 3min off, or 3min on 6min off, etc.

 

^^ In the rest you may do some corrective work or other endeavours so the time is utilised effectively.

 

Many typical gym goers will wither away in fear when seeing this because they have been Indoctrinated in to the realms of –

 

“You must be constantly working! Keep going! Never stop moving! It’s not going to count unless you DIE!!!!!”

 

Which is just silly to be perfectly honest and you can see that it just doesn’t work for the majority of people because they have low levels of overall CV, strength, and poor body composition.

 

Does this mean if you’re one of the above with that mindset that you’ve been wasting your time in your training so far?

 

Potentially yes, yes it does, however that doesn’t mean you can change it now and actually become more productive in your training sessions.

 

Believe it or not you will get more out of doing less better then more worse.

 

Trust me, I’ve been the person who did more and it didn’t do me better in the long run.

 

So, your turn.

 

What style in HIIT training do you do and is it actually HIIT of some hybridisation that is something else entirely?

 

Leave your thoughts below.

One move to rule them all

The kettlebell snatch, what a great move.

 

Do you know if there was only time and space enough to do one movement several times a week this would be a high contender.

 

Here is why:

 

– Epic cardiovascular hit

– A true test of mental fortitude

– Power, Strength, Endurance & Muscle is the consequence

– Nothing in the posterior chain gets missed

– Posture, core and grip strength are built

– It’s fun, plus you can get in some quality work in sub 5min

 

What is not to like about a movement that can do all of that in such a short space of time.

 

You will also find that depending on the style of technique used it can affect the results you get, commonly you will find two main styles.

 

– Hard Style – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUAqL8GJlcs

 

– Sport Style – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yODnAz_l1CY

 

The first will yield slightly more strength, the second more CV due to it being a movement of efficiency.

 

Personally I’d advise you utilise both.

 

If you have never done this before than I would suggest you hire a coach to teach you, someone from StrongFirst (or RKC) or an active Kettlebell Sport competitor would be my recommendations for a high quality of instructor.

 

For the sake of thought theory, let us say that you’re going to do the above movement because you life dictates that all you can do for a period of time, say 50 days straight.

 

Yes, I said 50 days straight.

 

How can you train everyday and not tear up your hands or injure yourself?

 

That’s easy, you wave the volume of each session along with the length and you may also do well to see each day as a practice rather than a ‘workout’ because people seem to link the latter word with killing themselves; this is not conducive to long term progress.

 

Here is how you can structure a short cycle of days that repeat.

 

Day 1 – Long Session, 45min, light bell, aim for 200+ reps

Day 2 – Short Intense practice – 5min, AMRAP

Day 3 – 30min session, heavy kettlebell ladders 1-2-3-4-5

Day 4 – Short Intense practice – 10min, AMRAP

Day 5 – 20min Session – medium weight/volume (tech work)

Repeat

 

Also, don’t be afraid to have a session that consists of singles and perhaps doesn’t go beyond 25 reps each arm, it’s okay, technical sessions such as that allow a great amount of recovery while still keeping your body in the groove.

 

You don’t have to kill yourself each time you go in the gym, maybe once or twice a week going hell for leather is good, any more might not be conducive to long term health of performance.

 

Essentially you auto-regulate the training and go by feel.

 

Can you periodise it, yep, that will take some planning though and while that is my person approach some people don’t have the inclination to do such things. As such you’d do well to have a training diary and simply track what you’re doing.

 

Follow a Heavy-Light-Medium-LIght-Repeat approach.

 

Try the above for 50days, trust me, it will be worth it.

 

Enjoy,

Ross

4 Little lung busters that also get you strong.

Morining All,

 

Given the nice weather it’s understandable that people want to shift unwanted fat.

 

Many also want some decent levels of muscle too.

 

Here are some suggestions from me to help you with both, be warned however, they are not as easy as you’d think.

 

They play in to the anaerobic nature of training, this will help by creating a large oxygen debt and have a positive effect on not only your VO2 Max, Strength, Calorie Expenditure but also some small increase in EOPC as well.

 

If you want to dig in to this here is a place to start:

 

https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?q=anaerobic+training+benefits+studies&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart

 

Now it’s time for the suggested sessions 🙂

 

1 – Litvinov’

 

A1 – Front Squat x4-8

A2 – 400-800m sprint

Rest 1-5min, repeat 3 times.

 

I find higher rep front squats are great with double kettlebells, while with a barbell you’re better of sticking to 5 and under.

 

Sprint as in run, however if you have not running track feel free to sub this for rowing, watt bike etc.

 

2 – Flaming Death

 

(No idea where that name came from)

 

A1 – Sand Bag Shoulder Carry (sprint if you can) 30-50m

Drop, swap sides, run rack.

Rest 2min, repeat 5 times.

 

If you don’t have a sandbag that’s cool, just find something awkward to pick up an drop on your shoulder.

 

3 – Tabata Fun

 

A1 – Thrusters: 20seconds on, 10seconds off, 8 times

Rest 2-4min, repeat twice more if your form hold up

 

Double kettlebells work a treat for this, dumbbells are okay, bar is good, awkward objects are awesome, just watch your form. Aim for 4-8 reps per round (20 seconds).

 

4 – Homemade Highland Games

 

A1 – Single Arm Kettlebell Clean & Shoulder Throw x100m (alternating sides)

Rest 2min, repeat 3-5times

 

The single arm clean is easy, it’s the catch that tricks people, here is a nice little video from the Kettlebell Kings explaining how:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkijRbPjki0

 

^^ Once you catch the bell here, launch it as far forwards as you can, like a shot-putter would. Repeat alternating arms, start on your weaker side.

 

These can be used as finishers or even stand alone sessions if you really wanted to give them some oomph.

 

All are easy on paper, however in practice you will find this not the case.

 

Enjoy,

Ross

Lift, Lift, LIFT!

“I want to be big and strong”

 

^^ A sentence many a man has said over the years and continues to say to this day.

 

“I want to be lean and strong”

 

^^ Something I’m pleased to announce more women are saying, it seems there has been a shift in them saying ‘I just want to be skinny’ to now learning the benefit of being lean and strong, it’s great to see.

 

While it is only my opinion, I feel everybody should be strong.

 

I’m not talking about record breaking strong, just strong enough to stay healthy and stave off the effects of ageing on the body.

 

These sports all centre around lifting:

 

– Weightlifting (olympic lifting)

– Body Building

– Powerlifting

– Strongman

– CrossFit (some may not like this one)

 

Did you know lifting weights can have the following positive effects on the body:

 

– Improved bone density

– Ligament/tendon health

– Delayed sarcopenia

– Hormonal benefits: Higher testosterone, better insulin regulation, more growth hormone, lower cortisol to name a few

– Lowers body fat (great for improving health)

– A higher TDEE (total daily energy expenditure, more calories burnt in a day)

– Increased strength for sport/daily life

– A boost in confidence

– Looking better naked (the most important benefit, obviously)

 

Those are only some of the benefits, there are numerous more.

 

Personally I’d say the mental improvement is the pivotal one as this can have the biggest impact on a persons life in a very positive way.

 

However….

 

If you’re not an athlete and lift for health/confidence you should do it because you enjoy it, not because you feel you have to, that’s the secret to balance and long term sustainability.

 

Don’t eat yourself up if you miss a session, chalk it up to life and sue it as a rest day, that way you’ll be more motivated when you get to go in, excited to train in fact. Keep this in mind and you’ll find you don’t fall out of love with training.

 

What if lifting isn’t for you?

 

That’s cool, find soothing you do enjoy, here are some other options for improving strength and all achieving all the other benefits mentioned above:

 

– Calisthenics: bodyweight/movement training, loads of fun

– Martial Arts

– Gym Classes

– Track & field

– Kettlebells (sport or hard style)

– Climbing/outdoor sports

 

There are almost endless options.

 

Find something you enjoy, training shouldn’t be a chore.

 

Now go, have fun and make progress.

 

Ross.