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Ironman Nice - Race Report

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

So that’s it, Ironman Nice has been completed, and now it’s time to tell you just how it all went, so read, enjoy, and then decide to do something to REALLY challenge yourself this year ;-)

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Ironman France, Nice, June 27th 2010

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Hands down, this was is the hardest, most gruelling, relentless race I’ve ever competed in, but it’s also the greatest. I’ll kick things off by telling you the lead up to the race:

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I eventually flew out to Nice on the Thursday, after being sat on the runway for 3 1/2 hours due to a strike in France. Upon arrival, I got to the hotel (in the centre of Nice), unpacked a few things, built my bike, then went off to meet my buddy Sam Wait at the Ironman Expo to register, sign the waiver and get our transition bags, race numbers etc..

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After looking round the expo, we headed off to have a look at the start along the Prom Des Anglais, right on the beach. Already the whole place seemed to be buzzing, with hundreds of soon to be Ironman athletes wondering around, swimming in the beautiful sea, cycling, running, and soaking up the sun. The organisers were in the process of constructing the finish line, stands, transition tents and bike racks, and I got massively excited picturing myself crossing the line at the end of the race.

Getting hungry, I headed back to the hotel via a butchers and fresh veg shop, then cooked up fresh chicken breast and steamed potato  on the George Foreman grill and vegetable steamer that I’d packed in my suitcase in order to ensure my diet remained clean. After happily watching Italy crash out of the world cup, I headed out for an easy 30 minute run with a few 60 second bursts of pace, then headed back, showered and into bed.

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I was up at 6am the next day, steaming more potato, and some eggs as well, then headed off to the beach for a swim around 7 with Sam. The sea was immense. Warm, blue and a pleasure to swim in. A far cry from Weymouth Beach in April when I began this seasons open water swim training. Part of my bike had been damaged in transit, so I took that to the Shimano bike mechanics at the Expo, who sorted it out for me. After a bit of sunshine and a lot more chicken, rice and potato, I headed off to meet my girlfriend who was flying in that morning, before later heading out for an easy spin on the bike with Sam along the prom. Then it was more chicken, more rice, more eggs, then bed.

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On Saturday morning I’d planned to get up early and head out for a swim, but woke up at 5.30, and decided that an extra couple of hours sleep would do me better than half hour in the water, so went back to sleep. I headed out with my girlfriend to the Expo, bought some new tires for my bike, fitted them, left her on the beach and then headed back to the hotel to pack my transition bags, do some final checks on the bike, and ensure all my nutrition was sorted and ready for the morning. By now I’ve got pretty excited, and am getting the standard random giggles whenever I think about what I’m about to do the following day. It gets to 5.45 and it’s time to head off to check in my bike and transition bags. The nerves start to set in a little now, not so much about the race, but whether my knee, which had been in poor form for the last 3-4 weeks, would do it’s job on the day. Anyway, checking in was smooth and stress free, and took little time, which left me loads of time to cook and eat before getting an early night.

However, I ended up watching Ghana beat USA in the World Cup on TV, so bed didn’t end up as early as I’d hoped! After tossing and turning, I finally got to sleep, and 4 hours later was up at 3.30am, cooking and eating skinless steamed potato, steamed rice, grilled chicken, steamed eggs and half a small slice of pineapple as a treat. What a breakfast. It was so dry that every mouthful needed to be flushed with a big gulp of water, and even then it wasn’t fun! Still, it was going to do the job, and do it well, so I forced it down (well, most of it). I had a quick shower to wake myself up properly, necked an energy drink while getting dressed, grabbed my stuff and headed out, excited, and ready to get stuck into some serious work.

After leaving my girlfriend at the entrance to the bike park, I headed in, pumped my tires, attached all my food and drink to the bike, queued for half hour for the toilets, got the wetsuit on, and headed down to the beach with 2500 other people.

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I wasn’t too excited about the swim start. I’d raced in Bolton last year and that wasn’t too fun, but there was just 1500 people there. 2500 people in the sea was set to be a nasty encounter, with punches, kicks pushes, slaps, and people pulling you down and swimming over you. Still, I decided to get right in amongst it and hammer it out any way I could. The atmosphere was already electric, and as soon as it hit 6.30am, the race began. We piled into the sea, and the carnage began. Arms flying, head getting whacked, kicked in the face, pulled under, swallowing water, it all happened. Do you stop? Not even if you wanted to. Stop and you’ll get swum over, probably concussed, and may not come back up until you get dragged out. Not an option. To be fair though, I quite enjoyed the swim! Most of the time swimming for 70 minutes gets pretty dull, but when you’re constantly having to avoid being hit, it makes it a little more interesting to say the least, and time passes nicely. I swam pretty well, and had no problems. More than I can say for the owners of the dozens of empty swim hats and goggles I saw floating and sinking in the sea, some right at the very start!

Anyway, my swim split was 1h12m which I was happy enough with, and after slipping out of my wetsuit, grabbing my transition bag and getting ready, I legged it out, got my bike and headed off, feeling fresh, happy and ready to bang it. The bike leg starts off flat, fast and easy, so I was able to stay aero for the first 20km and hit some good speeds at a high cadence. You then hit the first hill, a 500m climb up a steep incline. We’d been warned about this as being a tough hill, but to be honest it was nothing even compared to Abbotsbury hill. The hardest bit was trying not to crash into the hundred other people climbing it at the same time.

A while into the bike, and there’s an epic 20km climb, which isn’t made any easier by 30+ degree heat. This was intense and the climb seemed to go on forever. There were people stopping on the side of the road, falling off, bikes breaking and ambulances with lights flashing. Never a good sign. The good thing was that at the top of this climb you knew that you’d done the hardest art of the course. I’d felt strong the whole way for the first 49 miles, but at mile 50, I had the worst most painful, horrific cramps I have ever experienced. Not just in one place, but in both sets of quads, both sets of hamstrings, both glutes and both sets of abductors. I hoped that I;d be able to shake these off, but despite taking on plenty of water, loads of energy drink and salt sticks, it wouldn’t go. Every now and again my legs would literally stop working due to the involuntary contractions, with quads fighting hamstrings and hip flexors fighting my glutes for the right to take me down. I kept having to slow, almost to a stop, and it for the first time it crossed my mind that it was possible I wouldn’t actually be able to complete the race. This is when mind over body takes over. It’s just cramp I told myself, and despite the absolute agony that caused me to occasionally let out some sort of an ‘arrrgghhh’ sound, just a minor setback. I could still move, so I could still bang it out, and even if it meant slowing considerably, stopping was never an option. Anyway, there were a couple of fun descents, some nice flat roads and the a nasty 12km climb, which again, went on, and on, and on. The landscape and scenery was immense, among the best I’ve ever seen, but when you looked over the edge of the 2-3ft high wall lining the road, you saw a shear drop down the mountain. best to stay away from there given the cramp situation!

After this last big climb the bike was largely easy. The cramps were still horrendous and frequent, but the remainder of the course was downhill, and flat at the bottom. The descents were amazing. Flying down a mountain at 30-35mph on a bike, round 180 degree bends, past shear drops, was an awesome sensation. Not so awesome for those who came off. I must have seen the ambulances go by around 10 times during the bike course. There were people with bust bikes all over the place having fallen off. Couldn’t help but just feel glad I was in one piece!

My bike split ended up at 5h57m, which although I was aiming for 5h30m, I was pleased with due tot he situation with my legs. I entered transition, someone racked my bike, then I grabbed my bag and hobbled off to get into my run gear. By now the day was intensely hot, up to around 35 degrees, and the run didn’t look fun. It’s flat, yes, but utterly relentless and extremely hard with no respite from the intense sun. My legs were still fully cramped, and so just moving was an effort, but I started the run relatively brightly. As the cramps worsened and the heat intensified, my speed dropped. The course involved 4 laps of running up the prom for just over 3 miles, then back to collect a coloured wristband, until you’d collected all 3 bands and were finally allowed to finish on your last lap after 26.2 miles of pain. The thousands of onlookers in the crowd that lined the streets were fantastic, and every time you’d start to walk, you’d just here ALLEZ! ALLEZ! and would have to get your ass back up and at least try to run, cramp or no cramp.

The run went on for what seemed like an eternity, when in fact it was around 4h16m. Severely unimpressive, and a far cry from the 3h30m I wanted to hit. But bearing in mind my legs had been in a severely damaged state for around 7 hours by the end of the race, I was happy enough to come home in 11h39m.

The sweet end

The sweet end

Upon crossing the finish line, you get what you’ve been picturing every time you thought about skipping a training session, every time yo feel at all down during the race, and every time you thought about just giving up; that golden Ironman medal. The thing that tells the world that you’ve just swam 2.4 miles, cycled 112 miles, then run a 26.2 mile marathon at the end of it, and that reminds you of what you’ve achieved, and that you can accomplish just about anything you set your mind to, so long as you’re willing to commit, sacrifice, and stop at nothing to achieve what you set out to. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is simply the word extra. Extra will power, extra motivation, extra effort, extra attitude and extra determination to succeed. The accomplishment of the 2000+ people who managed to finish this race, and in fact the race itself, is truly extraordinary.

Next stop = Ironman UK in Bolton, August 1st 2010. Yep, 5 weeks after Nice!

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Day 5 on IHP Mentorship Program

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

One word.

WOW

It’s extremely hard to explain just how amazing this past week has been. Mind blowing stuff, and capped off this afternoon with the most intense, and stimulating lecture I have ever experienced. I’ll take you back to the start of today.

We got to IHP bright and early this morning, and managed to get in a sneaky workout prior to the start of the days program, which really set us up for the day. The morning kicked off with a lecture from Elvin, another one of IHP’s fantastic trainers. We looked through business skills, the importance of education, philosophy, and communication through JC’s CLUEPRO model.

We then had a session with Cesar in which we went through the Fitmoves protocols. This is an excellent way to train people in small groups for an amazing aerobic and strength workout at the same time, and follows the 4 pillars of human movement also. The way it works is an aerobic exercise in the centre (such as stepping, crossovers, skipping, or a million other methods), and then one exercise for each pillar of human movement around the outside (so one push/pull, one locomotion, one rotation and one level change). This is the very same method of training that Cesar used himself prior to becoming an IHP trainer, and lost 3 stone in fat, and now stands in incredible shape. Bottom line = IT WORKS! He then took us through a few other protocols and methods of training, and threw in a bunch of cool aerobic exercises too.

After that, we had a little time off, which enabled us to get a little prep in ready for our FUnctional Training Specialist exam which we were set to complete in the evening. Following on from that, JC gave an inspirational lecture, in which he developed what Elvin had already gone through with regard to business and philosophy, and then went into the 4 L’s. Live, Love, Learn, and Legacy. To some, initially, these will just be words, but when interpreted and developed upon in the manner in which JC has done, you can see how each one has helped forge the legacy that is IHP and JC Santana. When broken down as they have been, those 4 words are all you need to worry about in business and in life, and by ensuring all 4 are as good as is humanly possible, success is there for you, whether you’re wanting to make £1 million, lose 10lbs, become a professional athlete, or simply maximise your human potential.

An hour or so after this lecture, the three of us from the UK sat the Functional Training Specialist Exam, and JC was so excited to see the results that he had them marked within the hour. The result? All passed with flying colours and we have now become the ONLY people in the whole of EUROPE with this certification, and everything that it and IHP stands for. This however is just the beginning, as the journey is longer than a week, longer than a year, longer than 10 years. But for now, what’s next is this. In July 2010, myself, Matt Luxton, and Danny Hague are coming back out here to Florida as assistant coaches for the next IHP International Mentorship. The opportunity to help other people from the UK and around the globe to gain what we have in this week is a real honor and privlige, and we can;t wait to get back out here.

Tomorrow we’re popping back down to IHP with JC to hammer some last minute training, but then it’s back to the UK, ready to give YOU, even more amazing results.

I’ll soon be posting a pile of videos from the week so that you can get even more insight into what’s been happeining here, as well as an interview with JC that we have just come back from filming.

Have a great day.

Andy ;-)

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Day 4 at IHP

Friday, February 19th, 2010

Day 4……this week is going far too fast! JC picks us up from the hotel and we head to IHP, with some Santana (the guitarist) music in the background on the CD player.

The first lecture was taken by JC, this was probably the best so far…not quite sure how they keep getting better and better but they do! We learnt about programme design and the stages required to optimise performance. With this we learnt how to adapt this to help clientele with limited time or specific individual needs.

We discussed the volumes and frequency required to train each sub section of a programme in a progressive manor. We later focused on power; this can be a combination of force and speed or amount of work done in a specific amount of time. JC shared with us some of his latest findings from the training floor about how to improve power and how to measure increases in power just using a stop watch to record time. This kind of information is not in any books, journals or any publications at present, so it is great to get our hands on this to give our clients the benefit as early as possible.

JC presented us with a very clear and easy to follow template for programme design that takes all the element of risk of leaving a particular movement pattern out of a training programme away. We then talked about the transfer from training room to outside world. JC then discussed his opinions on the need to not over emphasise the increase in absolute strength but more to develop strength you can use. For example, on a rugby field it’s unlikely that you will need to pick up more than 200Kg, so there is no need to keep striving to improve this 200kg figure, why not strive to improve your ability to pick someone up and throw them backwards. This is where the functional exercises give you the edge, transferring absolute strength into something you can use in whatever situation it may be. He is not saying that you don’t need to be absolutely strong to perform well, but when you get to this level, perhaps it’s more beneficial to work on transferring this into a powerful specific movement, rather than worrying whether you can lift 5Lb’s more!

JC also shared his views on the over training culturisation that surrounds swimming and endurance sports.  He proposed that most endurance athletes train too much because they believe that because this is how it was done before, and internationally, this is how they do it in my country so this is how I must train! We need to replace high quantity with high quality. Ultimately it’s not the person who trains the most that wins; it’s the person whose training is most effective that will win!

A practical illustration of this is a swimmer who does a 30 length warm up and swims 10 x 100m and 5 x 150m sprints. If the swimmers event is 50m, then why not train at the pace you want to achieve but for shorter distances, so you know how it feels to go at that pace not at sub maximal paces over distances that aren’t even applicable to your sport.

Right that’s it for me…..tomorrow is the last day…lectures and practical in the morning, then the Functional Training Specialist exam and then a workout with JC to finish me off.

Catch you tomorrow

 

Andy

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Day 3 at IHP

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Wednesday started early with an observation of Conan Silveira, (the owner of the American Top Team) performing a fight specific workout with his trainer, Seth Jordan from IHP. This was another chance to see the triplexes (combination of 3 exercises) in action, with a strength emphasis. He was doing a heavy exercise, followed by a cable/band exercise then followed with a Stability ball exercise. All of these exercises were specific to the movements performed in MMA.

The first lecture of the day was with Griff Fig, IHP’s most senior trainer. Griff discussed the need for rotation exercises for the improvement of speed. This was illustrated with a video analysis of a top Olympic sprinter. This rotation is a result of core strength from the ground up, so implications in terms of core exercise prescription need to be based around exercises that are performed in a standing position.

We then discussed various warm ups and how to integrate dynamic movements that are specific to the movements performed in the actual working sets. Griff then highlighted how traditional exercises can be paired with functional exercises to provide the performance related gains that every client is looking for.

The afternoon session was a practical with Cesar and this was a chance for us to feel how a biplex (e.g. 2 exercises- one traditional paired with a functional exercise working opposite muscle groups) or a Triplex (e.g. Pushing exercise followed by a pulling and a core exercise) session would be for a client. I really like the triplex as it allows the fitness professional to create a great balance between  upper and lower body work and upper or lower body balance/core work. I’ve found this method of training highly effective with clients who I have used it on in the past, in particular for athletic development.

I then finished off the day with a Legs dominated training session with Cesar, based around the biplex method. I concentrated on a heavy first exercise followed by a functional exercise for the back of the core, as my abs were on fire from Tuesday. Here’s how it looked!

1.       Barbell Squats                                                      (3×12) (Heavy legs)

2.       Reverse Hyperextensions on Stability Ball            (3 x 15) (Functional back)

 

1.       Dumbell Split Squat                                              (3×10 each leg) (Heavy legs)

2.       Band Swimmers to Bicep Curl                              (3 x 15) (Functional back)

 

1.       Barbell Deadlift                                                    (3 x 10) (Heavy Legs)

2.       Band Step & Press                                                (3 x 20) (Functional chest and front core)

So this was another fantastic day, and I’m extremely excited about getting back to the UK soon to implement the new methods and principles that have been learned during this course.

Take it easy, and I’ll write again soon!

Andy

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Day 2 at IHP

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Day 2 started with a workout with JC, we did 5 exercises in a circuit, with 30 seconds work and 15seconds rest for 40 minutes nonstop! This included ropes, stability balls, grip trainers, slings, hydraulic push pulls and a lot of effort! So we were all set up nicely for the day!

The first seminar of the day was a one where we discussed the biomechanics of the core musculature and the applied applications for a number of exercises and movement patterns. Carlos, explained also, the implications when we are trying to improve the performance of various movements for our clients.

Once we had finished this we had the privilege of being invited to watch the American Top Team training. For those of you who haven’t heard off the ATT, they are Mixed Martial Arts and Ultimate Fight Championship professional fighters. We observed a conditioning session and talked with the fighters after the session, gaining a great insight into some different ways to condition and train for different movements and fighting disciplines and styles.

Then we headed back to IHP and we discussed Body weight training circuits, both indoors and outdoors. Cesar, one of IHP’s top trainers, discussed the design of some awesome circuits for improving agility and body composition, which will be an invaluable reference tool for when we get back to the UK.

We finished the day with a brutal session of short but very intense sprints towing a 150lb tyre! Look out for pictures and videos soon!

Speak soon!

Andy

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DAY 1 at IHP in Florida

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

So here we are at the end of day 1 of our IHP mentorship, and we have started with a bang.
First up was 2 hours with the great man himself, JC Santana, discussing the IHP philosophy and the 4 pillars of human movement. This basically defines the way in which we move and emphasises the need to train movements not muscles. Something which I have been implementing with Procision Fitness for quite some time now, since first learning about functional training and studying the work of JC Santana and other top professionals from the field of functional training such as Gary Gray and Grey Cook.
Locomotion- being the way in which we move
Pushing/Pulling
Level Changes-moving the bodies center of mass
Rotation

These 4 categories enable us as fitness professionals to design functional training programmes for clients in order to enhance human performance and movement. The 4 Pillars also allow us to assess muscular strengths and weaknesses and gives us the necessart info to implement progressive training exercises and protocols for anyone from elite ethletes to the elderly. We then spent an hour with one of IHP’s senior trainers, where we looked deeper into functional assessment methods, addressing posture and correct techinques for key movement patterns.

The day then moved to a practical element where we were observing and taking part in the UFC Fighter training circuits , getting to rub shoulders and train with some of the top fighters in UFC, including Cole Miller, a recent winner of the best submission in the UFC. It was great to see the 4 pillars in action and at the same time as you see a young tennis hopeful and an OAP using the same philosophy, but with different exercises and intensities.
The end of the day finished with a Professional volleyball circuit. This was a circuit that was designed to really improve all aspects of strength and conditioning needed for beach volleyball. These included an integration of some of the more succesful traditional exercises, with some of the latest functional exercises really mimicing the movements in the sport. So plenty of jumps, chops, twists, turns and upper body power work.
Tommorrow morning is going to be a real treat, 7:30am doing some nasty training with Matt, Joel, Danny and Carlos Santana, followed by another amazing day at IHP.

Catch you all tomorrow.

Andy

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Weymouth personal trainer heads to IHP, Florida

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

So, I’m currently in my hotel room with my good friend Matt Luxton from Functionally Aware Fitness in Boca Raton, Florida, at the end of the first of what will be 7 amazing days.

 

We are out here with another 2 fitness professionals, Joel Proskewitz and Danny Hague, about to embark on a journey with the worlds leading functional training expert, Juan Carlos Santana, right here in Florida at the Institute of Human Performance

 

The reason for our trip here is to be part of the first ever international IHP functional training mentorship program, and to become the first people in the UK to gain qualification as an IHP Functional Training Specialist, while working with the no. 1 man in the industry.

 

For those who do not know about JC Santana, check out his bio here http://ihpfit.com/component/comprofiler/userprofile/jcs.html for some info into just why he is one of, if not the, most sought after fitness experts in the world.

 

Through completing the mentorship and qualification, we will spend 5 intense days (more than 40 hours) working with JC and his top trainers. We will be gaining first hand insight and experience into his world renownd training protocols and systems that he has developed over an amazing career spanning for well over 30 years, and now implements with everyone from world class athletes to CEO’s, to stay at home mums and rehabilitation clients.

 

This mentorship is going to enable myself, Matt, Joel and Danny, to further enhance the services we provide our clients with day in day out, helping them get better results, faster and even more effectively than ever before. The knowledge that we will be acquiring here really is priceless, and is going to be invaluable for us all to provide the highest quality of service and performance to our clients.

 

Over the next week, I’ll be writing a daily blog, detailing exactly what it is we have been going through here, so you can gain just a little insight into what is to come in the future of Procision Fitness, and Matt’s Devon and Cornwall based organisation, Functionally Aware Fitness.

 

Enjoy ;-)

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Weymouth Personal Trainer to help 100 people lose 1000lbs of fat for charity!

Friday, December 18th, 2009

 

The last few weeks I have been thinking of ways I can help as many people as possible to lose their excess Christmas poundage this January. I then came up with the idea that I should let 100 people enlist on an online version of my guaranteed results fat loss program for a fraction of the cost of personal training. It then dawned on me that not only should I do this, but rather than myself earn a single penny of it, I should donate all profits to charity! Wow!

 

So after much thought, planning and preparation, I have come up with this . . . . .

 

Starting January 4th, Procision Fitness, Weymouth and Dorset’s ONLY guaranteed results personal trainer, is going to help 100 people lose a total of 1000lbs of body fat, while also raising £1000 of cash for Julia’s House, an amazing local charity that helps children in Dorset suffereing from life limiting conditions.

 

The way I’m going to do it is by getting these 100 people (maybe you) to pay a £10 donation to charity, and try to lose 10lbs of body fat in 28 days (sign up via the big purple form on the homepage of www.procisionfitness.com). Once people have signed up, they (maybe you) get an email from me with a few more details about the program. Then, on January 1st, everyone recieves a copy of my Hit & Miss diet (the same as I use with my private fat loss clients), as well as further instructions. On January 4th the program begins. In the morning, these lucky 100 people will take some simple measurements (as per the instructions I send), and then begin their first workout.

 

Every single day, for 28 days, the 100 strong team will recieve an email directly from me with their days workout (provided via video uploads, photos and instruction so you can’t go wrong), nutritional help, advice on all things health, and more. Workouts take as little as 20 minutes per day, and require no specialist equipment, and the diet involves no magic supplements, starvation, calorie counting or anything like that.

 

At the end of the 28 days, so long as everyone has stuck to the program to the letter, each and every participant will have lost around 10lbs (typical results vary from 5-20lbs on this program), and will have raised at least £1000 for the Julia’s House.

 

So far as I’m aware, this is the first time this has ever happened here in the UK, and it’s set to be quite something. So if you are one of the millions who are looking to lose weight this new year, but don’t fancy private personal training, sign yourself up via the big purple box.

 

What are you waiting for?

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Personal Trainer Weymouth: Fat Loss Mistakes Uncovered

Sunday, November 29th, 2009

It’s getting to that time of year again, where everyone is getting into Christmas mode and beginning to think about work parties, family gatherings and alike, and subsequently the thought of putting on that little black dress, or tight pair of jeans starts getting ever more worrying.

 

Most people’s work Christmas parties  I’m guessing, are going to be happening within the next 3 weeks or so, which really doesn’t seem all that long a time to get down to size and feel confident to wear what you want to , and to be able to indulge a little, knowing that you’ve ‘earned the right’ to. Well what if I was to tell you that in just 2-3 weeks of not making the mistakes I’ve outlined for you below, you could be a clothes size smaller, and ready to slip into any outfit you so desire?

 

The following are the 7 deadly sins of fat loss that my Weymouth and Dorset personal training clients often come to me with during our initial free consultation, and we then seek to banish them for good, with great results! In fact, when all of these cardinal fat loss hindering mistakes are booted out, clients are dropping fat and weight faster and more effectively than they have ever managed before during any of the many fad diets and workout programs they have tried out in the past.

 

So have a read, see which ones you are making, and stop making them starting today. If you do, I’ll guarantee you’ll lose at least a couple of inches in time for the party ;-)

 

1.                Eating refined carbohydrates

 

We all need carbohydrate in our diet, that’s fact. However, what we don’t need is the wrong form of carbohydrate.  Eating carbs that have been refined, such as white pasta, bread, rice, sugar, sweets, cakes, biscuits and all that other nasty sweet stuff, is quite possibly the biggest fat loss mistake that people can make. Sugar, and sugary foods, are addictive to say the least. You eat it, you want more, you want more, you often eat that too! By eating these types of carbs, your body’s response is to hit back with a huge influx of insulin, which ends up making your body store fat. Not only that, but although your energy levels may initially be elevated, shortly after, you will end up on a downer and with reduced energy levels. The way forward is getting your carbs from fresh, natural sources, such as fruit and vegetables, which as well as giving you a much steadier supply of energy, will also fill you up with the vitamins necessary to ‘unlock’ the energy within your foods, as well as boosting immune function and improving your general health.

 

2.      Eating processed foods

 

They’re convenient, their ‘tasty’ (debatable), they’re quick, they’re easy, they’re effortless………….they’re also so full of crap that every time you eat them you are literally filling your body with chemicals and empty calories, and inviting your body to store excess fat. By eating these types of foods, from canned tomatoes through to a full on microwavable curry, you’re voluntarily increasing your body fat and the level of toxins within your body, and decreasing your bodies ability to work as it’s supposed to. If you’re ‘trying’ to lose fat, but still eating packaged and processed foods (yes - even low fat, no fat, low salt, weight watchers, healthy living and all that), you are condemming yourself to failure. If you eat fresh, natural foods, you really can’t go wrong, so enough with the microwave, and get your steamer, oven and grill working, and start eating natural. You’ll be AMAZED at how much of a difference it makes just replacing everything packaged with fresh stuff.

 

3.     Doing your 100 sit ups a day

 

Yes that’s right, many of my personal training clients, when asked, tell me that their fat loss attempts to date have involved doing plenty of sit ups every morning and every night. Well this is a very quick and simple mistake for me to discuss. Doing lots of sit ups will not get you a skinny, toned waist!!!!! If it could, then a third of the population would have great abs, not a BMI that categorises them as obese. The idea of doing loads of sit ups to nuke your belly fat is called spot reducing, which doesn’t, has never, and will never work to reduce body fat. It’s not possible to work one part of your body and burn only the fat from that area. It just doesn’t go like that. The body takes fat from where it wants to. All that doing excessive sit ups does generally, is give people a bad back and poor posture. If you want great abs, you need to be able to see them, so they key is to get rid of the fat that surrounds them (acting on the advice you are reading right now will help you!). You’re far better off doing full body training to reduce fat. The more muscles you work, the more calories you’ll burn. Fact.

 

4.     Steady state cardio

 

Yes, this may well work for a while, and I’ve nothing against steady state cardio. After all, the sport of triathlon is pretty much all about this! However, if you’re training for fat loss, it’s not the weay to go. Many of my clients, as well as banging out sit ups by the hundred, also have previously spend an hour or so walking on a treadmill, cycling on a stationary bike, or plodding up and down on a stepper. Funny thing is, they all say it bores the hell out of them and they don’t get results after the first couple of weeks. So why continue doing it?! Cardio training for fat loss is all about hitting out the interval work. Through using interval training as opposed to steady state cardio, you will burn more ‘free’ calories throughout the day, due to the effect the interval work has on your metabolism (you can elevate it for up to around 24hrs aftre training!). So by putting in a 20-30 minute bout of interval work, you will burn plenty more calories than an hours steady workout, in half (or less) the time. Efficient, effective, and much more fun!

 

5.     Lack of resistance training

 

I don’t want to burn fat not get big muscles. I don’t have time. I don’t like the gym. Just 3 of the primary reasons I hear for why people don’t do resistance training. The exclusion of resistance training one is the biggest mistake people make with their fitness programs. I’ll put it very simply for you though: If you want to lose fat, you need to build some muscle! Now ladies, it’s not to say that you need to get stacked, and get guns like Swartzenegger (in fact, you won’t be able to due to the hormonal differences with men and women), so don’t worry about that. The underlying fact however, is that muscles crave energy, and so the  more muscle you have, the more energy they need to work, so the more calories they will burn. So, by building some lean mass (muscle) you will increae your metabolic rate, and burn more calories even when you sleep. As for using a gym, absolutely no need. Your body is the only equipment you need, and that’s a fact. Just as soon as I get some time, I’ll shoot a short workout video for you and stick it on here ;-). In terms of time, you don;t need much. 20 minutes, 3-5 times per week is whct I use with lots of my personal training clients here in Weymouth and Dorset, and the results are immense.

 

6.     Not eating enough protein

 

This is related to the above. When I have looked at a clients food diary prior to our personal training commencing, the thing that ALWAYS sticks out is the lack of dietary protein. People only ever seem to eat it in their evening meal. Big mistake. Your body needs protein to rebuild your muscles bigger and stronger after work. By effectivle ystarving your body of this vital nutrient, you are reducing its ability to create the lean tissue necessary to boost your metabolism and increase your fat burning potential. Try to get some form of protein in with every meal, but be aware that there are complete (such as in meat, fish, eggs) and incomplete (such as in bread, pasta, pulses) proteins. Go for things like organic beef, fish, chicken, turkey, whole nuts, seeds and organic eggs as your protein sources.

 

7.     No direction

 

This is without doubt, the biggest one. So many people (maybe even you) spend far too much time saying they are going to kick start their fat loss mission, but never get round to it, or go at it half assed. In my experience, the key to fat loss success (and success in general) is having a clear, determined and measurable goal, that is both achievable and challenging (check out my post here for help with seting goals http://www.procisionfitness.com/blog/2009/02/goal-setting-goal-getting/). If you have no direction, you won’t get anywhere. So know what it is you want to achieve, and actually be willing to go for it, pedal to the metal. None of this ‘I’ll start on Monday’ nonsense either, start today, start now, and start achieiving. If you truely want to be a size smaller so you can wear what you want to, and feel comfortable in it, then you will be willing to work for it. Remember, the journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step, so take the first step today by setting yourself a goal.

 

That’s it from me today. Hope you get something from this post, and don;t forget to leave a comment. Your feedback is always great.

 

If you want to find out about my GUARANTEED RESULTS fat loss program, get in touch when you’re ready ;-)

 

 Until next time, good luck.

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TO THE MAX - TRIATHLON SPECIFIC CONDITIONING

Friday, September 18th, 2009

At long last . . . .

 

TO THE MAX - TRIATHLON/ENDURANCE SPORTS SPECIFIC FITNESS CLASS

 

Day and Time: Thursday’s 7pm for 1 hour

Location: Wey Valley School, Dorchester Rd, Weymouth

Start date: THURSDAY 8TH OCTOBER 09

Price: £30 for full 6 week block

 

This class is set to be the first of its kind in Dorset, and is open to all ability levels from novice through to professional athletes. Triathlon is one of the UK’s fastest growing sports, with more people taking it up each year in order to test their endurance to the maximum. With normal distances ranging from Super Sprint to Ironman, the sport is extremely physically and mentally demanding, with athletes generally swimming, cycling and running for anything from 5 to 40 hours per week in training depending on their level and the distance they are training for.

 

However, what many triathletes and endurance athletes frequently neglect is their strength and stability training. Appropriate strength and conditioning for the endurance athlete is essential for optimising performance, but very few have ever explored past the realms of traditional bodybuilding type training, which is largely ineffective for the endurance athlete. It’s for this reason that Procision Fitness has set up ‘To The Max’, a triathlon and endurance sports specific group fitness class, designed entirely to improve swim, bike and run performance through a program of highly specific and functional training.

 

Within the sessions we will be utilising bodyweight, resistance bands, medicine balls and various other bits of equipment in order to perform the most comprehensive range of triathlon specific exercises around, to improve function and subsequent performance. The whole year of training has been devised around the triathlon season, and I’ll be taking the participants through every phase of training, from stability, right through to power endurance and beyond.

 

Due to the nature of triathlon, these sessions will also be of great use to swimmers, cyclists and runners looking to gain an extra edge in their performance. So, if you are a triathlete, endurance athlete, swimmer, cyclist or runner, this session really is a must if you want to not only boost performance, but also learn how to effectively improve your strength and conditioning, all within a fun filled environment!

 

There is also a prize up for grabs, 3 FREE PERSONAL TRAINING SESSIONS for the first person to complete the Procision FItness ‘TO THE MAX’ Leg Slam Challenge!

 

Due to the specific nature of the sessions, numbers are limited to just 16, so be sure to book in quickly to secure your place. For bookings or more details, contact me via andy@procisionfitness.com, or call 07843438173.

 

All bookings must be made by Tuesday 6th October please ;-)

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