Training Philosophy

Hello,

Today i have started my new training cycle. I am starting with the strength based mesocycle which was written by strength coach and neurophysiologist Chad Waterbury. If you are interested in this program, you can check it out at the t-nation website.
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/strengthfocused_mesocycle&cr=

When performing this program, i caused me to think; in the gym we can learn more about ourselves than nearly anywhere else.

Think about this for a second. where else can you challenge your physical endurance, strength, mental toughness, determination, motivation, confidence and dedication? It takes a great deal of physical and mental toughness to put 100kg on your back to do a set of squats to muscular failure. It takes confidence and bravery to climb up on the chin up bar to perform a set of chins with the whole gym able to watch you. In the gym, there is no where to hide. The weights do not lie. Either you can lift them or you can't.

These qualities that are developed in the gym can easily transfer over into other areas of life. This is one of the reasons I personally believe every one should do some form of resistance training. It is truly a path to self development that is measurable and refinable. If you are not improving in the gym, you can see easily if you are not working hard enough. The results will speak for themselves. if you are involved in self development and are not training in the gym, please do yourself a favour and hire a quality coach and start training. These qualities that you will learn are not quick fixes and are not transient in nature. rather they will build qualities of character that will truly lead to self improvement and development.

Paul

Training 10.02.09

Hello

Back Squats - 10 sets of 3 at 100kg - blasted through these 60 secs rest

Bulgarian Dumbbell Squats - 3 sets of 8 at 30 kgs

Split Squats - 3 sets of 10 at 20kg

Today was a leg day with a quad focus. Later this week i will hit the hip extensors.

I will also start my new program go through the details of it next week.

Paul

Traing 09.02.09

Hi again

Here is my workout for the day. Big focus on upper body closed chain strength.

A1. Pulls Ups
A2. Swing Dips 10 sets of 3 reps, 30 secs rest between exercises

B1. Inverted Row
B2. Clap Push Up 6 sets of 5 reps, 30 secs rest between exercises

C1. Seated 45 degree trap raise
C2. Hindu Push Ups 4 sets of 6 reps, 30 secs rest between exercises

I then finished with an isometric chin up hold for 45 seconds and a eccentric quasi-isometric for the push up of one minute. A eccentric-quasi isometric is where you place yourself in the fully stretched position of an exercise like a push up or lunge. From here you hold this position and as you fatigue you sink deeper and deeper into a stretch. You generally position yourself on steps so you can go deeper than what is normally allowed. They help with tendon strength and elasticity, lactic acid tolerance, posture, regaining R.O.M and muscle soreness. try them out but prepare to hurt!

Paul

Training 08.02.09

Hello,

Today's training was another cardio recovery session. 25 mins on the cross trainer to be exact.

Today however I performed the entire training session with water in my mouth. This is a fantastic way to improve your nasal breathing efficiency and prevents your heart rate from going to high. I was working at a pace that was significantly faster than the people around me and my average heart rate was no higher than 116BPM.

Try it and let me know how you go!

Paul

Training 07.02.09

Hello

Today's workout was a conditioning workout with a focus on core strength.

Circuit
Gymnastics L Sit - Max Hold (around 15 seconds, these are hard!)
Handstand Push Ups - 5 reps
Hanging Leg Raises - 8 Reps
Medicine Ball Jump Lunge with Twist - 10 reps, 3kg medicine ball
Cable Woodchop - 8 reps per side weight was 20 kg

Rest 60 seconds repeat 4 times

I followed that with a modified Tabata Protocol 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds rest for 5 minutes.

Exercises - Cycled between front squat (40 kg), back squat (40kg) and push ups.

This is a very challenging protocol and was great fun!

Keep training hard

Paul

Training 06.02.09

Hello,

Today's workout was a simple slow and steady cardio training session on the cross trainer. Many people (including myself) have written off cardio training in the past. There are many arguments against cardio training such as it burns muscle, increases cortisol, leads to the conversion of intermmediate twitch muscle fibres to type I endurance fibres and causes muscle imbalance syndromes due to the repetitive motion.. Another reason I have heard and I have personally used is that we are not designed to do cardio from an evolutionary perspective. We were designed to throw the rock at the rabbit, not chase it.

I believe that in the fitness industry there is a tendency to over react to any new idea or concept. It either gets hailed as the greatest revolution in training (unstable training) or a total waste of time (the ab roller and thigh blaster). What we need to do is come back to the middle and understand that there is a place for everything. An example of this is a number of strength coaches refuse to use the swiss ball for conditioning labelling it as a 'wimpy' tool. Yet as they say that there are 100's of trainers who are successfully using the swiss ball to train athletes and clients to new levels of excellence.

My personal reasons for aerobic training are three fold:
1. Promote recovery: Aerobic exercise is known for increasing blood flow. ANY exercise promotes blood flow. Increased blood flow facilitates the removal of metabolic waste products and can also improve insulin sensitivity. As I performed a leg session yesterday, I wanted to help my legs recover.
2. Improve heart and lung health: These are important! If they stop working you will be pushing up daisies in no time. Cardio can be damaging to both these vital organs when you push too hard. When I perform cardio I limit my respiration to NASAL BREATHING ONLY and do not deviate. If I cannot maintain nasal breathing I slow down. I have talked about the importance of nasal breathing in other posts and I and sure i will do it again. The key thing to remember is that nasal breathing will prevent over activation of the sympathetic nervous system and will hence negate the release of excessive amounts of cortisol.
3. Relaxation: This type of training is easy on the brain, it allows you to zone out and relax. Considering I am lecturing for 16 days straight in two weeks and have to go over every manual and am in the process of writing 5 more manuals and 2 books it is nice to relax your brain every now and then!

Training Session

25 minutes cardio on cross trainer - nasal breathing intensity ( I did not record the calories burnt; it does not worry me at all and the measurements are totally inaccurate)

Finished with slow wave stretching - a system of stretching that integrates the stretch with the breath for greater range of motion and nervous system synchronisation. See the book Stretch to Win for more information,

Paul

Today's Workout

Hey Everyone

From now on I will be posting my workouts. This is so you guys can have an idea of what I am doing and make sure I'm not slacking! I'm also notoriously bad at recording my own training so this should help nicely. Each month I will also outline my goals fot the month and some of my ideas for why I am doing the exercises I am doing. It always helps to understand the rationale behind a training system because quite often, there is no rational at all!

At the moment I am focusing on gymnastics style training. I personally believe bodyweight training is the best form of training and gymnasts are the perfect example of the physical potential of the human body. My current goal for this month is to familiarize myself with the basic moves and improve my single leg conditioning with pistol squats. Throughout the year I will be aiming to improve my current PB's some of which are:

Back Squat: 180kg
Front Squat: 130kg
Dead Lift: 160kg
Dip: BW + 50kg
Chin Up: BW + 25kg
One Arm Push Up: BW + 40kg
Pistol Squat: BW + 45kg
Barbell Push Press: 85kg

I like this list as it shows a good balance of bodyweight skills, a balance between pushing and pulling exercises and some great leg exercises. What it does reveal to me however is that I need to get stronger in the posterior chain. My front squat should be around 153kg to match my back squat and show strength balance in the legs and torso. I also need to improve my pull up and rowing strength to match my pushing strength and help improve shoulder stability. You will also notice their is no bench press on the list. For the record, I do not perform bench presses as a maximal lift. I much prefer Dumbbell Presses as they are healthier for most peoples shoulders.

Todays program focused on bodyweight leg exercises with some supplemental isometric gymnastic holds and some front squats and step ups. The front squats and step ups were performed with a fairly easy weight (60kgs) with the focus on honing the technique and getting better depth. I truly believe you can never refine your technique enough on certain lifts and every improvement you make will eventually lead to more weight on the bar and better performance.

Exercises
A1. L Pistol Squat - 5 reps x 5 sets
A2. Back Lever Support Hang - 5 sets of 15 second holds
A3. Handstands - Held for max tim

B1. Glute Ham Raise - 5 reps x 5 sets 60 secs rest

C1. Front Squat 5 x 5 60 kgs
C2. Bench Step Up 5 x 5 60kgs

I began the workout with foam rolling and a series of dynamic mobility drills and will stretch tonight.

Soon I will write about my health goal for February and how I am planning to achieve it.

Until next time

Paul

General Physical Preparation

Hello All, 

General Physical Preparation, or GPP is a misunderstood factor in most health and fitness programs. We often see GPP referenced in texts on Periodization as the first stage of conditioning. I consider GPP work to be non specific activity that improves your level of conditioning and fitness. This kind of work improves physical capabilities in a way that carries over to all areas of fitness and to a great extent, everyday life.

Workouts performed that fall under the guise of GPP can be anything! Tools I have successfully used include kettle bells, club bells, body weight, barbells, dumbbells, medicine balls, sandbags, sleds, sledgehammers and cars! Anything can be used as an effective tool for GPP and the more varied, the better! I will now give you a few GPP workouts to fit in to your workout routine. They are best placed on days you have scheduled off from your regular exercise routine as a means of recovery by promoting blood flow to the muscles. They can also be put on the end of a workout after your main conditioning work.

Kettle bell GPP workout: This can also be performed with a barbell or dumbbells. Perform 5 reps of each exercise and then move into the next one. A full set is 25 reps. Rest and then repeat 1-3 times. Exercises that work great include - 

Snatch x5

Clean and Press x5

Front Squat x5

Romanian Dead Lift x5

Bent Over Row x5

These will fire up your heart rate and melt fat! Another option is:

Snatch x5

Overhead Squat x5

Squat Push Press x5

Front Squat x5

Romanian Dead lift with bent Over Row x 5

The second option is the more challenging one of the two. A great body weight workout could be something like this:

10 Body weight squats

10 Push Ups

10 Lunges each leg

10 inverted rows

Repeat 10x

This workout will challenge your whole body. To increase the challenge, record how long it takes you to complete the workout. Try to beat it every time you perform it. 

A great sandbag workout i picked up is from The Complete Sandbag Training Course by Brian Jones. He calls this workout the Atlas workout Perform this exercise in a circuit format with 45 seconds rest between exercises

Sandbag Squats (15 each shoulder)

Sandbag Push Jerks - 5 reps

Sandbag Upright Rows - 5 reps

Walk 20 meters holding the sand bag over your head then perform a Turkish Get Up with each arm. Repeat 4 times. Rest 90 secondss. The key is not to to let the sand bag fall below your head. You can put it down when you rest.

The last GPP workout for today is using a car! A training partner is required to hit the brakes and control the steering wheel if things start going pear shaped! From experience (painful experience) I have found automatic gear boxes better. 

The first step is to find a quiet street with a small incline. Pick a distance of around 75 meters and push the car! ideally you want to use good posture and a nice position with your upper body leaning about 45 degrees forward. when you get to your target distance the driver should bring the car back to the start. The pattern i use initially is Push, rest 3 minutes, push, rest 2 minutes, push rest 1 minute and then push once more. This workout gets the quadriceps absolutely screaming and severe burning in the lungs if you are unfit. If this method is practiced with nasal breathing you will be strong!! One funny thing that happens with this training is people stopping to help you because they think you may have had a breakdown!

I hope these ideas have inspired you to do something new and different with your training and I will be posting many more of these training ideas in the future!!

Paul

'The future depends on what we do in the present'

Gandhi 

Insulin and Health

Hello again,

Today we are going to talk about a serious issue that is affecting society. The issue is insulin resistance. As we all know, insulin resistance leads to Type II Diabetes which is one of the biggest killers today. This issue is primarily due to lifestyle factors which can easily be altered. 

The main factor in any insulin problem is carbohydrates. Over consumption of refined carbohydrates and refined sugars lead to a massive spike in blood sugar and a massive release in insulin. This eventually does two main things: it wears out the insulin producing Beta cells of the Pancreas and also leads to the cellular membranes of the body becoming no-responsive to insulin. An analogy is to think of what happens to you when the phone constantly rings. After a while, the majority of us will ignore the call. The cells of the body are the same. If they keep on getting signals from insulin they will soon ignore those signals.

Other factors contribute to this as well. Hyperventilation can also lead to insulin resistance as well. One of the key factors with insulin sensitivity (how well your cells respond to insulin) is the amount of blood that gets to the cells. When we over breathe what happens is that the oxygen molecules bind too tightly to the hemoglobin in the blood and cannot diffuse efficiently into the cellular machinery. This lack of oxygen and blood flow then sets up the stage for insulin resistance.

Another issue is the quality of the meat we are eating. The meat we currently consume has a much higher ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 than it did as little as one hundred years ago. This is due to poor industrial farming techniques such as feeding the animals grains and soybeans which they are not suited for. Grass fed animals and wild game such as venison have a much higher Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio and are therefore better choices. Omega 3 fatty acids help insulin resistance by making the cell membrane more permeable so more nutrients can get in. 

A lack of exercise is a contributing factor as well. Over two thirds of the population do not get anywhere near enough exercise. If any medicine or pill had the same benefits as exercise it would immediately be labelled the greatest drug ever made. Exercise directly contributes to the reduction of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, strokes and any other illness we can think of. The best form of exercise for insulin resistance is not cardiovascular training but rather resistance training. Resistance training increases blood flow to the muscles and also increase lean muscle mass, both of which improve insulin resistance.

Nutrition as we know plays a few roles and there are a few simple steps that we can take to help with insulin resistance. Fish oil supplementation is an excellent method and has far too many benefits to list here. Other factors too look at include reducing the amounts of carbohydrates in the diet. I also like taking a glass of water with a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar 15 minutes before a meal. This has the second effect of improving digestion.  Another supplement that has proven useful has been combining evening primrose oil with Alpha Lipoic Acid. 

With exercise the best option as I said before was resistance training. A good programming structure would be full body workouts, 3-4 times a week alternating an upper body with a lower body exercise. Compound exercises such as squats, dead lifts and push ups would be the best choices as they use a large degree of muscle mass. Rest periods should be short, 45 seconds or less to allow an incomplete recovery. Tempo wise it is a good idea to have a controlled eccentric (lowering phase) of 3-4 seconds and an explosive concentric (lifting) phase. Reps should fall in the muscular endurance category of 10-15 reps. This should be combined with nasal breathing to allow optimal blood flow and prevent the release of cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone and when that is released in excess it leads to problems with blood sugar levels which again compromise insulin.

Emotionally insulin issues relate to the Solar Plexus Chakra or Manipura. This Chakra relates to our self esteem, personal power, will and how we see ourselves in the world. Quite often, feelings of low self esteem lead to eating comfort foods, such as ice cream and chocolate which are full of sugar. Building strength, muscle mass and improving posture through a good exercise program and diet are good steps to improve our self esteem and sense of personal power. What I often do with clients who have insulin resistance issues is perform a Kinesiology treatment on them to get to the root cause of their low self esteem. What i often see is that these problems often extend back to childhood or school. After correcting these issues, I see a massive improvement in Insulin sensitivity. Some clients lose 5 kilos after a week with a balanced Solar Plexus Chakra! Other methods that are useful are counseling, meditation and the internal martial arts such as Tai Chi and Qi Gong.

So if you believe insulin resistance is an issue that is stopping you from achieving your health goals these following steps can be followed to help you:

1. Supplement with fish oil and Apple Cider Vinegar as directed

2. Begin a resistance training program using the above guidelines and nasal breathing.

3. Eliminate refined sugars and carbohydrates from your diet. This includes breads, pastas, rice cakes and other refined baked goods.

4. Work on underlying issues of low self esteem and personal power. Work through them yourself with some of the methods above or find a good practitioner to help you understand yourself and work through the issue.

Until next time, good luck on the journey!

Paul

'The way to gain a good reputation, is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear' 

Socrates

   

Happy New Year!

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all had a fantastic new years and Christmas! 2009 is a going to be a big year at DC Health as we have some very exciting new developments that will be announced in the next few months. Get ready to learn a lot this year!

With the new year we see people getting on the bandwagon and setting goals that are unrealistic and not likely to be achieved. This is the time of year of fad diets, intense exercise programs with no balance or thought and the quitting of addictions. The sad thing is that only 12% of these people ever achieve their goals and follow through on their resolutions.

I am not a goal setting expert not a motivational guru. What I want to address when looking at these shocking statistics is some of the inherent reasons why these people fail with goals and what things we really need to look at to achieve our goals from a physical standpoint.

Many people vow to lose weight every year. Quite often they will start a fad diet, such as a protein shake diet or lemon detox or some other ridiculous diet. What they need to look at first before is the fundamentals of healthy eating and nutrition. With every single client I see the key is not a miracle supplement of diet plan, it is the following of time tested and true principles that work. before you attempt any diet these are the principles you should follow:

1. Eat every 2-3 hours, no matter what. You should eat between 3-6 meals per day.

2. Eat complete (containing all the essential amino acids), lean protein with each meal.

3. Eat fruits and/or vegetables with each food meal.

4. Ensure that your carbohydrate intake comes from fruits and vegetables. Exception: workout and post-workout drinks and meals.

5. Ensure that 25-35% of your energy intake comes from fat, with your fat intake split equally between saturates (e.g. animal fat), monounsaturates (e.g., olive oil), and polyunsaturates (e.g. flax oil, salmon oil).

6. Drink only non-calorie containing beverages, the best choices being water and green tea.

7. Eat mostly whole foods

This is simple advice. When i give this advice many people say to me, 'well I already knew that'. The question I often throw back at them is 'well, why aren't you doing that'?. Talk about seeing a rabbit in the headlights!

The second area I like to address is exercise. Many people throw themselves into high intensity and density exercise programs with no regards to their physiological load (total amount of stress their body is under), joint health, previous training history or current medical conditions! To not get your body checked out and assessed by a professional blows my mind! To give you an analogy, if you went on a plane and the pilot just decided to go for it and take off without a pre-flight check you might be a little concerned! This however is what I see every day.

One simple pre-flight check that you can do on yourself is to test your respiratory efficiency. This is one of the key elements of program design as how well you breathe dictates how you can and should train. The test is simple; simply go for a walk and count how many steps you can take per one full inhale and exhale through your nose only. if you can achieve over 18 steps this is a good sign. If you cannot however it tells me that your breathing and physiology are comprised in a way that will seriously hamper your results. The best thing to do with starting a program is never go over 50% intensity and never train past your nasal breathing threshold. If you lose the ability to nasal breathe comfortably you are trying too hard.

This vital step covers many bases. It prevents post worout soreness and fatigue. It should help you finish exercise feeling energized, not drained, improve your stress levels and make exercise fun! I believe one of the main reasons people drop out of exercise is that it is not fun! If we have fun we are more than likely to stick to it. The second reason is that it is too hard. This nasal breathing technology helps take exercise out of the 'too hard basket' and puts you back in a place where you control the intensity.

I hope with these suggestions you can hopefully end up with the 12% of people who successfully achieve their new years goals. I will tackle the nature of addictions in a separate post as it is a very complex topic.

Till next time, Paul

'Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking'
Albert Einstein