Last week I attended a seminar put on by 'Shredded By Science' (Luke Johnson) and presented by Eric Helms (3DMJ). The title of the seminar was, 'Evidence Based Bodybuilding for the Natural Competitor.' Normally, this seminar wouldn't have registered on my radar, but Brad Schoenfeld (one of the world's top researchers into muscle hypertrophy) recommended listening to anything Eric Helms says. So with this endorsement, I booked the course without fully knowing what the content would be. I can honestly say that I was so glad I did as the content was of the highest quality.
Usually at PT courses, you can guarantee three things. People shoe-horned into tight tops. People come dressed ready to work out. Chicken and water bottles everywhere. However, there was a mix of people at this one. There were no grunting or derogatory put-downs to be heard. The attendees were all a really pleasant bunch of people who were prepared to soak up the info. Despite many men being in the doghouse due to the course being on Easter Sunday!
Eric is studying for his second Phd and is from a bodybuilding background. His team have worked with 100's of competitors and have helped many to become champion drug-free bodybuilders. He is one of the few people who have mixed the science with the practical application of bodybuilding. From the outset, what came across was a humble, light hearted approach to water down the testosterone that flows through our industry. Again, it is a unique quality in the fitness industry to have someone with as much knowledge and experience as him, yet to have a complete absence of ego. This allowed him to delve into some of the darker element of competitive bodybuilding such as eating disorders and staying sane throughout your career. The room was deafly quiet during this section and he said, "this is often the most uncomfortable part of the talk, but it needs saying." I'm glad he did and it made wonder whether we focus enough on the mental side of our client's health when prescribing diet and exercise.
Eric's goal for all his athletes is for them to be able to love what they do until they are in their 70's and for them to stay healthy. People are very quick to stamp the title, 'unhealthy', on things we don't understand, especially in bodybuidling. Quite often, with very little evidence to back up our position. I used to be one of these people. Eric astutely pointed out that bodybuilding does attract obsessive and very focused people, but if they aren't harming their health, it's not an issue. He backed this up with his take on how to balance a passion for bodybuilding with living a normal life.
As far as the physiology was concerned, there were some great protocols he suggested to follow. They would take you at least 6 months to follow. Also, like a true professional, he distanced himself from having a system or guru status and encouraged everyone to read all the associated references on all his information. This gave us three times the content we were expecting.
In summary, I will be looking out for more of Eric's seminars and I would encourage anyone else to do the same. Due to his commitments to studying, business and training, I doubt there will be many opportunities. I would also suggest to anyone considering competing in bodybuiliding, that look at his wesbite as they will find everything they need.
Monday, 28 April 2014
Tuesday, 1 April 2014
Can women do press ups?
" I can't do press ups."
It's something I hear from women, time and time again, during the many classes I've taught. I have had to spend time with all my female clients to master the press up as most have struggled with this. However, I never really understood why people thought this inability was a female trait. Evidence points towards an obvious strength difference between men and women. Hence the probable naming of 'girl/women's pressups'. This term concerns me as it goes against most scientific evidence which shows me that there is no reason why women can't do press ups. Let me elaborate.
When you collect data in a scientific way, the quality of the research will come down to two things. The quality of the people you tested and how you interpret the results. Coming to the conclusion that women can't do press ups is often founded by observing women who can't do them. But when you look closer, you see that being female is not the reason. Many women can't do press ups, but it's not because they are women. It's merely a correlation. However, correlation does not imply causation. It's a bit like saying most criminals are right handed, so therefore you are more likely to be a criminal if you're right handed. It's a lazy way of thinking.
The women I see who can't do press ups normally can't for the following reasons.
- They've not exercised their upper body for many years.
- They have poor shoulder blade function and therefore can't load their arms very well.
- They have poor neck stability.
- They can't stiffen their hips and engage the muscles around the trunk which adds more pressure to the arms and shoulders.
- They have a poor strength to weight ratio. Or a poor strength to height ratio.
- They haven't practised them.
- They have never been taught how to do them.
None of these are distinctly exclusive to females. In elite level sport, there is a negligible difference between men and women with regards to performance. However, it's more noticeable in untrained people as men most likely get closer their genetic potential in the gym environment, compared to women.
The clean and jerk which is considered one of the hardest lifts in weight lifting, the women's record is 143kg (63 kg bodyweight). Men at 62 kg is 182 kg. This is the biggest gap I have found between men and women with regards to strength. However, you have to train for at least 10 years to even be considered a good Olympic lifter. Most people aren't elite level and will therefore not notice this difference. I have personally witnessed women lift more than their male counterparts.
The main observation why women as a whole can't do them is down to culture. It's seen as un-femine for women to train. People make derogatory comments about women if they are muscular or weight train. It's considered a male endeavour. This is ever more evident as girls are falling out of sport as early as 3. At this age, girls aren't falling out of sport. Their parents aren't encouraging them to participate. Which again comes down to culture.
The amount of load on the arms is around 60% of your bodyweight. If you are overweight, it is natural that you will find them harder. 60% of a lot weighs more than 60% of a little. Before the daggers come my way, let me point out two things. Firstly, most of the women who came to my classes said they were overweight. Secondly, 75% of the UK population are now overweight or obese.
So before we start throwing around sexist, lazy stereotypes, we need to acknowledge that we don't move well enough and haven't practised press ups enough to state that there is recognisable male/female difference.
Don't take my word for this. Check out this effort.
http://www.sport360.com/article/health-and-fitness/18643/uae-resident-eva-clarke-smashes-push-ups-world-record
I've create a programme designed to get people (mainly women) to improve their press ups and bust this myth for good. If you are interested, read the next blog!
How many of these press ups can you do?
The clean and jerk which is considered one of the hardest lifts in weight lifting, the women's record is 143kg (63 kg bodyweight). Men at 62 kg is 182 kg. This is the biggest gap I have found between men and women with regards to strength. However, you have to train for at least 10 years to even be considered a good Olympic lifter. Most people aren't elite level and will therefore not notice this difference. I have personally witnessed women lift more than their male counterparts.
The main observation why women as a whole can't do them is down to culture. It's seen as un-femine for women to train. People make derogatory comments about women if they are muscular or weight train. It's considered a male endeavour. This is ever more evident as girls are falling out of sport as early as 3. At this age, girls aren't falling out of sport. Their parents aren't encouraging them to participate. Which again comes down to culture.
The amount of load on the arms is around 60% of your bodyweight. If you are overweight, it is natural that you will find them harder. 60% of a lot weighs more than 60% of a little. Before the daggers come my way, let me point out two things. Firstly, most of the women who came to my classes said they were overweight. Secondly, 75% of the UK population are now overweight or obese.
So before we start throwing around sexist, lazy stereotypes, we need to acknowledge that we don't move well enough and haven't practised press ups enough to state that there is recognisable male/female difference.
Don't take my word for this. Check out this effort.
http://www.sport360.com/article/health-and-fitness/18643/uae-resident-eva-clarke-smashes-push-ups-world-record
I've create a programme designed to get people (mainly women) to improve their press ups and bust this myth for good. If you are interested, read the next blog!
How many of these press ups can you do?
Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Shoe me your feet
I was teaching a class the other day and I decided to go 'off piste'. I often do this if I feel I can show people something new. This wasn't always something my teachers liked at School!
Everyone was positioned on one knee, as if they were about to perform a lunge. I then noticed that some people had their toes extended (toes curled up towards the shin) or neutral (toes pointed). I then asked those who didn't use their toes to attempt to curl them back so the toes were on the floor. Many really struggled. I decided that it would be a good point to explain a little about the toes and their importance in how the body works.
The toes are designed to move in many ways which we restrict by wearing shoes or simple not moving very much. As we get older, you see people walking as if they are wearing a plaster cast on their feet. It's almost mummy like, as their feet shuffle towards their destination. One of the major contributors of this adapted gait is the inability to be able to flex and extend the toes. This then helps to propel and cushion the feet towards their destination. The lack of movement isn't an ageing issue. It's a lack of movement over a long period of time which has caused this. The actions of flexion and extending the toes, move the foot through positions which allow stiffness and suppleness of the foot and ankle joint. Alongside the ankle joint, this allows force (you + gravity) to be distributed to provide a cushioning for your joints when your foot hits the floor. The amount of force returned up through the ground can vary from two (walking) to ten (sprinting) times your body weight. If this force wasn't dissipated, it would most likely lead to serious injury to your knees, hips or pelvis. Then, when you push off (extend the toes) you are propelled forward. The muscles around the hip then bring the leg back around to strike the floor again. This is what is known as the gait cycle.
What I like about teaching is you learn a lot about how people move on a daily basis. If someone can't use their toes very well in a class, chances are they will not use them as much when walking around. This stiffness was apparent in the stretch I tried to get the participants to do (see the pictures at the end). Some were quite amazed at how little movement they had. It can create all sorts of walking and running styles. Some good and some not so good. I don't want to make this post technical, but I do want to point out a few things.
- Keeping your feet locked up in your shoes all day is a really bad idea.
- Force and loads from walking and running must go somewhere. If the foot and toes don't allow weight to be disspated, the loads will increase through the knees and hips.
- If your parents have bunions, I would advise you work on your toe flexibility, especially if your toes crowd or you have the beginnings of hammer toe.
- If you can't spread your toes or push up onto the balls of your feet without swinging forward, you've probably already started to decrease the function of your foot.
- Try the flexion, extension and spreading exercise to see if your toes are tight.
If you have good knee flexibility, this should be comfortable. Don't attempt it if you don't.
Make sure you do this under a soft surface.
Try these two to see how your toes move. You should be able to hold each one comfortably for 10 seconds. Note that your bum comes down to your heels. It doesn't have to touch, but you need to make sure that your bum is the same distance from your heels in both exercises.
I'll also put up an accompanying video to explain this further.
Let's see your feet out!
Sunday, 19 January 2014
How to get the most out of your gym.
If you read my last post, I mentioned about the current wave of offers to entice you to join the gym. Hopefully, I helped you to get some clarity as to whether joining the gym is the right thing for you to do. So if you are at the gym, here are a few pointers to help you in the right direction.
The body is great at adapting. It is what we are best at. With the correct level of stress and recovery, your body is quite remarkable at adapting to most things thrown at it. Where we suffer or don't hit goals is we don't use the correct amount of stress or we don't use the correct amount of recovery.
In this example, exercise is the main stressor. If you are a cardio person, the main stressor will be the length of your workout time and the intensity you work at. You want some stress, but unless you are training for an event which requires long distance work, you don't need to do cardio for an hour in the gym. If you perform a workout several times per week, the total time you spend in the gym can get shorter. If you run twice a week, you might want to do 20-40 mins. If you train more than this, I would suggest you do 10-20 mins of continuous work. You might be asking what do you do for the remainder? Weight's circuits, warming up and some trunk/core work would be best.
If pure weights are your thing, recovery is the key here. It's difficult to over exert yourself in a weights session as you're limited by how much you can lift. However, what you need to take into consideration is when you next train that muscle and how hard you train it. When I used to train at Crystal Palace with powerlifters and GB athletes, they trained 5+ days per week. However, they had lighter sessions as part of their programme. A concept alien to most guys in the gym. This only really applies if you train more than twice a week. Aim for a day off in between tough workouts. Some of my clients train twice a day so it is possible to train with weights many times in the week. However, you need to ensure that you don't do two mammoth sessions back to back. In fact, you will find that your lighter sessions help you get bigger and stronger. Particularly if you work on mobility and weaknesses. The hardest thing will be reining in our ego and not caring about others judging what you are lifting.
The body is great at adapting. It is what we are best at. With the correct level of stress and recovery, your body is quite remarkable at adapting to most things thrown at it. Where we suffer or don't hit goals is we don't use the correct amount of stress or we don't use the correct amount of recovery.
In this example, exercise is the main stressor. If you are a cardio person, the main stressor will be the length of your workout time and the intensity you work at. You want some stress, but unless you are training for an event which requires long distance work, you don't need to do cardio for an hour in the gym. If you perform a workout several times per week, the total time you spend in the gym can get shorter. If you run twice a week, you might want to do 20-40 mins. If you train more than this, I would suggest you do 10-20 mins of continuous work. You might be asking what do you do for the remainder? Weight's circuits, warming up and some trunk/core work would be best.
If pure weights are your thing, recovery is the key here. It's difficult to over exert yourself in a weights session as you're limited by how much you can lift. However, what you need to take into consideration is when you next train that muscle and how hard you train it. When I used to train at Crystal Palace with powerlifters and GB athletes, they trained 5+ days per week. However, they had lighter sessions as part of their programme. A concept alien to most guys in the gym. This only really applies if you train more than twice a week. Aim for a day off in between tough workouts. Some of my clients train twice a day so it is possible to train with weights many times in the week. However, you need to ensure that you don't do two mammoth sessions back to back. In fact, you will find that your lighter sessions help you get bigger and stronger. Particularly if you work on mobility and weaknesses. The hardest thing will be reining in our ego and not caring about others judging what you are lifting.
Wednesday, 15 January 2014
Don't think about joining a gym before you read this.
The Coach Chris blog is back with Fit School. I hope you had a nice break over the festive period. I'm going to be doing a series of blogs for those 'gym bunnies out there. So if you fit into this category, these are for you.
You will no doubt be seeing the various offers for gym membership. Perhaps you're thinking that 12 months for the price of 11 or 10 is actually quite appealing. Or the persuasive sales assistant shows you how 'at home' in the gym you will feel. Queue the Family Fortunes 'X' sound.
Here's the thing. Gyms are great for people who like the gym or are motivated to get a good return on investment by going 2-3 times per week. You also need to like exercise. The odds of this being you are pretty slim. When I worked at a gym, the average gym usage was 1.5 visits per month. I once told a story about a client who paid to join an exclusive health club. He went once and always referred to it as the most expensive swim of his life!
On a serious note though, all I care about is you getting a good return on for your hard earned cash, and that you enjoy whatever it is you do. Think long and hard about the deals offered to you. If you get offered a free month, consider the fact that you will probably only use the gym for between 4-6 months. You basically get more time to not use the gym. In my teens, I went to the gym to hang out with my mates. Young boys go through a vein stage so we were trying to outdo each other in our workouts. The social element is crucial for you to make exercise a habit, so try to plug in to a community that is fit and active.
My final point is the reason why you are enticed to join in the first place. You possibly lack the motivation or the inspiration to get fit and healthy. Having a gym membership will not give you this. A gym will only give you a place to exercise, when you can be bothered. Then, when will power wears off, you're back to square one. Don't be in a rush to part with your cash unless you know it will tackle this issue. Classes or training for an event are a good way to tackle the lack of willpower. I actually like the gym and think they are great places to train your body to move better. However, I hate people being hoodwinked into joining somewhere they don't like, and doing things they hate! If this is you or you know someone like this, tell them to not join a gym!!
You will no doubt be seeing the various offers for gym membership. Perhaps you're thinking that 12 months for the price of 11 or 10 is actually quite appealing. Or the persuasive sales assistant shows you how 'at home' in the gym you will feel. Queue the Family Fortunes 'X' sound.
Here's the thing. Gyms are great for people who like the gym or are motivated to get a good return on investment by going 2-3 times per week. You also need to like exercise. The odds of this being you are pretty slim. When I worked at a gym, the average gym usage was 1.5 visits per month. I once told a story about a client who paid to join an exclusive health club. He went once and always referred to it as the most expensive swim of his life!
On a serious note though, all I care about is you getting a good return on for your hard earned cash, and that you enjoy whatever it is you do. Think long and hard about the deals offered to you. If you get offered a free month, consider the fact that you will probably only use the gym for between 4-6 months. You basically get more time to not use the gym. In my teens, I went to the gym to hang out with my mates. Young boys go through a vein stage so we were trying to outdo each other in our workouts. The social element is crucial for you to make exercise a habit, so try to plug in to a community that is fit and active.
My final point is the reason why you are enticed to join in the first place. You possibly lack the motivation or the inspiration to get fit and healthy. Having a gym membership will not give you this. A gym will only give you a place to exercise, when you can be bothered. Then, when will power wears off, you're back to square one. Don't be in a rush to part with your cash unless you know it will tackle this issue. Classes or training for an event are a good way to tackle the lack of willpower. I actually like the gym and think they are great places to train your body to move better. However, I hate people being hoodwinked into joining somewhere they don't like, and doing things they hate! If this is you or you know someone like this, tell them to not join a gym!!
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Is discipline overrated?
I'm 35, a husband and dad. I eat a mainly paleo diet, take regular exercise and like to lift weights. I fluctuate between 8-11% bodyfat. When I became a dad, it did get up to 14%. For years I used to be the guy who said, I'm lean so you can be. I put the majority of my physical attributes down to discipline. So in theory, if you want a good trainer, you choose the one who will help you with what you struggle with. For most they feel it is discipline. The mainstream theory is those who are overweight or out of shape aren't disciplined.
I'll be 100% honest with you. People think that I must work hard or be very disciplined to be in shape. The truth is, pushing myself hard in the gym or eating steak for breakfast isn't difficult for me. I actually enjoy it. My wife pointed this out a while back and said my mentality is not considered the norm. So maybe some people can push themselves in different ways and it is comfortable for them. Or maybe I'm fortunate that my environment helps me keep fit. Either way, I don't think discipline is a major factor.
If everyone ate better and took regular exercise, we would still have varying bodyfat levels and distribution from person to person. Maybe we wouldn't have as many cases of obesity, but if everyone was equally as disciplined we wouldn't all be super lean. We need to consider that genes and environment are a bigger factor in how you look. Maybe we also need to consider that some people have a unique predisposition to cope with the demands of regular exercise, hunger and staying in shape better than those who can't.
The default setting for the majority of ailments and illness and diseased states of the body if there is an abundance of calories is to store fat. Yet people who are lean seem to go straight for the lack of discipline argument as to why people have high levels of bodyfat. It's as simplistic as saying that alcoholics drink too much, so the answer is to put them on a restricted alcohol diet and work on their mindset. However, we have much more sympathy for alcoholics than we do for overweight individuals. I often hear the comments, "it's not rocket science," yet they wouldn't dream of saying this to an alcoholic.
Now I'm not saying for one second that fat genes are solely responsible for being overweight or obese. What I am saying is that people have different 'challenges' as to what they find easy or a challenge in life. Having a go at the willpower of someone who is overweight is as insane as someone saying your bad English, poor spelling or lack of education is down to your lack of a discipline or willpower. Society used to think this way about dyslexia. Luckily, things have changed.
Here's what I think. Discipline and willpower are overrated. You can condition your subconscious to a degree, but it still runs the show, not your willpower (conscious). Some people are genetically positive or have a negativity bias as discussed by research in Jonathan Haidt's book The Happiness Hypothesis. This means some people will be more prone to bouts of depression and it is down to your genes, not your lack of willpower.You can't just 'pull yourself together.' Overeating or binge eating is linked to stress, so if you can't handle stress very well, chances are you'll want to eat more and therefore have a weight problem. I like this quote by The Biggest Loser Personal Trainer, Charlotte Ord.
Are you a super taster? Some people have more taste receptors than others on their tongue. So they are more receptive to salty and bitter tasting foods. There are genetically predetermined dopamine and leptin levels in the brain. These affect how hungry and how much pleasure you derive from food. Someone who is lean probably has their levels under control.
So there you go. I'm sorry to admit, but not drinking very much, not eating processed foods, eating plenty of good sources of protein and taking regular exercise isn't very difficult for me. I'm now very appreciative to whatever has helped me get to this place in my life. At the same time, I'm not going to prescribe my lifestyle as an 'ideal' as there are many factors that contribute to it, not just eating well and exercising. A trigger for me to create a better environment was a deep unhappiness of that stage of life and where it was heading. I certainly am not going to say that I have the secret to being disciplined and it involves me being super regimented and obsessively disciplined. It just looks that way from the outside.
So think about surrounding yourself with the things that will help with your goals. Get an accountability partner, start training with a group. Otherwise, you will eventually slip back to your preferred state, as this is human nature. You can't do it on willpower alone. If we could, everyone would do everything they wanted to do all the time.
Chris.
To find out more about Charlotte Ord, check her our at.....
http://www.charlotteord.com/
I'll be 100% honest with you. People think that I must work hard or be very disciplined to be in shape. The truth is, pushing myself hard in the gym or eating steak for breakfast isn't difficult for me. I actually enjoy it. My wife pointed this out a while back and said my mentality is not considered the norm. So maybe some people can push themselves in different ways and it is comfortable for them. Or maybe I'm fortunate that my environment helps me keep fit. Either way, I don't think discipline is a major factor.
If everyone ate better and took regular exercise, we would still have varying bodyfat levels and distribution from person to person. Maybe we wouldn't have as many cases of obesity, but if everyone was equally as disciplined we wouldn't all be super lean. We need to consider that genes and environment are a bigger factor in how you look. Maybe we also need to consider that some people have a unique predisposition to cope with the demands of regular exercise, hunger and staying in shape better than those who can't.
The default setting for the majority of ailments and illness and diseased states of the body if there is an abundance of calories is to store fat. Yet people who are lean seem to go straight for the lack of discipline argument as to why people have high levels of bodyfat. It's as simplistic as saying that alcoholics drink too much, so the answer is to put them on a restricted alcohol diet and work on their mindset. However, we have much more sympathy for alcoholics than we do for overweight individuals. I often hear the comments, "it's not rocket science," yet they wouldn't dream of saying this to an alcoholic.
Now I'm not saying for one second that fat genes are solely responsible for being overweight or obese. What I am saying is that people have different 'challenges' as to what they find easy or a challenge in life. Having a go at the willpower of someone who is overweight is as insane as someone saying your bad English, poor spelling or lack of education is down to your lack of a discipline or willpower. Society used to think this way about dyslexia. Luckily, things have changed.
Here's what I think. Discipline and willpower are overrated. You can condition your subconscious to a degree, but it still runs the show, not your willpower (conscious). Some people are genetically positive or have a negativity bias as discussed by research in Jonathan Haidt's book The Happiness Hypothesis. This means some people will be more prone to bouts of depression and it is down to your genes, not your lack of willpower.You can't just 'pull yourself together.' Overeating or binge eating is linked to stress, so if you can't handle stress very well, chances are you'll want to eat more and therefore have a weight problem. I like this quote by The Biggest Loser Personal Trainer, Charlotte Ord.
Are you a super taster? Some people have more taste receptors than others on their tongue. So they are more receptive to salty and bitter tasting foods. There are genetically predetermined dopamine and leptin levels in the brain. These affect how hungry and how much pleasure you derive from food. Someone who is lean probably has their levels under control.
So there you go. I'm sorry to admit, but not drinking very much, not eating processed foods, eating plenty of good sources of protein and taking regular exercise isn't very difficult for me. I'm now very appreciative to whatever has helped me get to this place in my life. At the same time, I'm not going to prescribe my lifestyle as an 'ideal' as there are many factors that contribute to it, not just eating well and exercising. A trigger for me to create a better environment was a deep unhappiness of that stage of life and where it was heading. I certainly am not going to say that I have the secret to being disciplined and it involves me being super regimented and obsessively disciplined. It just looks that way from the outside.
So think about surrounding yourself with the things that will help with your goals. Get an accountability partner, start training with a group. Otherwise, you will eventually slip back to your preferred state, as this is human nature. You can't do it on willpower alone. If we could, everyone would do everything they wanted to do all the time.
Chris.
To find out more about Charlotte Ord, check her our at.....
http://www.charlotteord.com/
Monday, 28 January 2013
Set a goal and get some focus.
It's the new year and people have their goals and resolutions. I'm inspired by the many people who've signed up for events such as the London to Paris bike ride, or Tough Mudder. No doubt people are starting to waiver a little, so I'm starting my own to help people get back onto the wagon.
Last year I tried to break 7 mins for a 2000m row. I started out at 7 mins 23 seconds and managed to get down to 7 mins 9 seconds in 6 weeks. If you haven't tried it, it is in my opinion the holy grail of fitness (especially if you're under 75kg). Rowing is an activity where it should be easier the heavier you are as your weight adds to the force you can generate as you are accelerating away. I didn't really consider how much this would be an issue as I challenged a 103kg guy to a sprint challenge and he repeatedly beat me. I took my ego in hand an never looked at the rower again.
Now I'm aiming to get back on the rower with a 3 times per week programme lasting for 16 weeks. It will mean that I will be training twice a day on some days (alongside a weights programme), so I have to prepare otherwise I will disappear and make myself very sick in the process. I will need to prepare:
I don't normally train this way, so it will be an interesting experiment. I think it is also important to lead by example in my job. I constantly set goals for clients and it is important to not only help them reach their goal, but to show them that you are prepared to do the same.
Writing about it is my way of accountability too. So feel free in a few weeks to ask, "how's it going?" As all goals, the challenge isn't when you feel motivated to do the hard work. The challenge is managing the days when you really can't be bothered. That's why some sort of support network is important.
I'll also do some videos about this journey too.
Let me know if you have any challenges of your own.
Chris.
Last year I tried to break 7 mins for a 2000m row. I started out at 7 mins 23 seconds and managed to get down to 7 mins 9 seconds in 6 weeks. If you haven't tried it, it is in my opinion the holy grail of fitness (especially if you're under 75kg). Rowing is an activity where it should be easier the heavier you are as your weight adds to the force you can generate as you are accelerating away. I didn't really consider how much this would be an issue as I challenged a 103kg guy to a sprint challenge and he repeatedly beat me. I took my ego in hand an never looked at the rower again.
Now I'm aiming to get back on the rower with a 3 times per week programme lasting for 16 weeks. It will mean that I will be training twice a day on some days (alongside a weights programme), so I have to prepare otherwise I will disappear and make myself very sick in the process. I will need to prepare:
- Overall food intake.
- More dark green veg.
- Increased antioxidants to offset the oxidative stress of endurance training.
- Pre/post exercise super shake + protein.
- Beetroot shot or similar to get through hard sessions.
- Glutamine for repair and recover.
- Foam roller to maintain mobility.
I don't normally train this way, so it will be an interesting experiment. I think it is also important to lead by example in my job. I constantly set goals for clients and it is important to not only help them reach their goal, but to show them that you are prepared to do the same.
Writing about it is my way of accountability too. So feel free in a few weeks to ask, "how's it going?" As all goals, the challenge isn't when you feel motivated to do the hard work. The challenge is managing the days when you really can't be bothered. That's why some sort of support network is important.
I'll also do some videos about this journey too.
Let me know if you have any challenges of your own.
Chris.
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