January 2014
January 10th
Triceps, or as women like to call them BINGO WINGS! The triceps have 3 parts to them Lateral, long and medial heads. All play a role in achieving good looking arms. I always tell the guys that if you want to have awesome arms, train your triceps just as much as your bicep. The triceps have a vital role in a number of movements which include the bench press and over head press as these are the secondary muscle to assist in these types of lifts. So if these a lacking then other areas of will also lack.
The great things about triceps are you can train them very simply and at home. Here are my top 2 triceps exercises to at home or the gym.
Close grip push ups. These are just a normal push up but your aim is to get you hands as close together as possible. Keep you elbows pinned in and under there body. To make this exercise more difficult you can do this on a medicine ball of stability ball. This creates a very unstable position and other muscles such as the core and shoulders come in to play to help support the body. Contract the triceps’ at the top of the position. Make sure your wrist a warm and have been stretched during this movement as it can place a lot of stress on the wrist joint if done incorrectly or if you have not done a warm up.
3-4 sets 8-10 reps
Chair/step dips. Place your hands at the rear of the body fingers facing away. Bend from the elbow not the shoulder joint until you’re as far as you can go down. You should aim for your bum to almost hit the floor. Keep working on depth each time to improve mobility and flexibility. To make this more difficult you can place one foot flat on the floor and the other out straight which will also hit the core. Swap each leg after each set.
3-4 sets 10-15 reps
January 3rd
New year New me!
How many of you say this every year? We have all done it at some point and most of us fail WHY? Its pretty simple, we set unrealistic goals!
If you have a goal that’s great but really look at it and see how you can break that down in to smaller manageable chunks. Lets say your goal is to loose 2 stone. Do not be fooled in to these false marketing campaigns saying how you can have the ultimate body in 6 weeks! They are Lying!
Break the goal down in to 6/7 months which will take you to the summer. This is the time we all want to be able to wear shorts, vests and feel god dam good about ourselves.
Look at your life style and see how you can fit in your fitness/gym sessions and how and when you can eat. I have so many busy clients who just can’t eat 6 meals a day and go to the gym 5/6 times a week, it’s just not manageable for them. We make little changes at a time so as to not swamp them with ridiculous meal plans or training times. Each month we have a goal which includes a fat loss number, a specific weight to lift or a distant to run. When you plan this way each specific goal is more clear and achievable.
Do not look at other people and say I want to look like that! YOU WILL NEVER BE THAT PERSON. Be YOU!
As part of you goal setting take pictures and measurements every 2 weeks to track progress. Use the scales but don’t let them take over. Scales do not know what they are weighing, fat, muscle, water they have no idea. Remember muscle weighs more than fat. Look at the mirror and go off how you look and feel.
You need to train a minimum 3 times a week, these don’t have to be hour long sessions. One of the quickest ways to burn fat it HIIT training. High Intensity Interval Training. These work outs are designed to push your self to a maximum effort over a short period of time. Take a look at the session below and give it ago. Remember you need to push your self to that point you have never been before in order for this to be affective. If you can still carry on after the session you have not pushed your self to the limit. When I ask people how hard can you push your self they always say hard. I guarantee I can push you harder then you ever dreamed of, and this is PT/coaches job. Its all about the mental game people.
HIIT TRAINING SESSION.(body weight)
Perform 10 reps of each exercise and increase by 5 each round for 5 rounds.
10 STAR JUMPS
10 SIT UPS
10 SQUATS
10 PRESS UPS
REST 1 MINTUE
10 LUNGES
10 LEG RAISES
10 HIGH KNEES
10 DIPS (USE A CHAIR)
REST 1 MINTUE
10 MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS
10 BURPESS
10 LEG OUTS TO IN (PUSH UP POSITION, THEN EXTEND EACH LEG OUT TO THE SIDE THEN BACK TO THE MIDDLE)
10 JUMP JACKS (FEET TOGETHER BEND YOU KNEES AND TOUCH YOU TOES THN EXPLODE UP IN TO A STAR JUMP)
Remember to warm a short warm up before hand with some dynamic stretches, choose 4 exercises and perform them at 40/50% 3 times. Post exercise stretches are a must. After you have finished perform you static stretches and hold for up to a minute.
Good luck and Happy New Year
Steve
8th November 2013
Squats squats squats!
Probably the most important exercise any one can do. The legs are the foundation of any ones physique wether that be in sports,aesthetics or every day life.
The squat can help build muscle in the thighs, bottom, hamstrings and calves. If done correctly it can release the the growth hormone testosterone and aid muscle growth in entire body and which guy doesn’t want that.
Don’t worry lady’s you will not grow like Arnold Schwarzenegger but will will build a toned strong physique which all women should embrace.
Squats can burn a whole lot of calories due the size if the muscle group being used. So if you want to burn some fat you have got to squat.
Functional movement. Being able to do every day activities is a must for all humans. Squats will help with balance, mobility and co-ordination. We should all be able to perform every day activities such as squatting down, climbing stairs Etc with ease. This goes back to to hunter gatherer days not the sedentary life style a lot of people live now.
Injury prevention. When we squat we make our muscle, joints, ligaments and tendons stronger. Increasing the strength in your ankles, hips and core is vital for, sports and everyday walking.
So with all those in mind you would be a fool not to squat. Incorporate them in to you gym programme or just do them at home.
Key teaching points are as follows.
-Place feet forward at roughly shoulder width apart.
- chest up nice and high.
- hips back.
- Screw the heels in to the floor.
- weight in the back of the heels and drive through.
- deep breath in and keep the core tight as you drive up.
- try to break 90 degrees.
- use your arms as balance.
- drive the knees out.
Steve Sheppard
