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Posts Tagged ‘andy sloan’
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
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!
Tags: andy sloan, ironman france, ironman france 2010, ironman nice, ironman nice 2010, ironman weymouth, triathlon dorset, triathlon weymouth
Posted in News, Triathlon Training | No Comments »
SUMMER SLIMMER 2010 - Outdoor fat loss program starting this April
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
- 8 x early morning 45 minute bootcamp style outdoor training sessions in picturesque locations in and around Weymouth, delivered by one of only three Functional Training Specialists in the whole of Europe
- Full training program to complete outside of ‘bootcamp’ sessions
- Full diet complete with recipe ideas and example meal plans
- Email and telephone support as and when you need it
Tags: andy sloan, bootcamp weymouth, fat loss, fat loss weymouth, outdoor fitness weymouth, Personal trainer weymouth, procision fitness
Posted in Group Fitness | No Comments »
2 Weeks into the Ironman Project
Sunday, March 7th, 2010
Well, today is one of my rest days in terms of training, so i thought I’d take the opportunity to let you now how the initial 2 weeks of training has gone on this new way of training that I’m ‘guinea pigging’ is going.
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In week 1 I trained for a total of just 7 hours, and in week 2 I racked up just 8, but ALREADY the results are starting to show! Now obviously I’m still not going to give away any specifics with regard tot he program, but I have to say that the extra rest I’m getting seems to be making a real difference. Despite working long days (3 days a week I’m up at 4.30m to train a client 30 miles away), I’m able to put a great amount of energy into every single session, no matter what time of day I’m training.
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This week I did a little testing session on the bike, and hit out a time that was slightly better than the same route, at the same sort of intensity, as I did at week 20 last year. As for running, I hammered out a hardcore session yesterday (I’d love to tell you the details but just can’t!!!), and knocked up a time that last year took me to week 12 to achieve. In terms of the swim, well that still sucks as the shoulder really isn’t up to it yet. Having said that, I’m just doing kick right now and having never put any focus whatsoever of kicking, it’s improving rapidly. Last year my swim times plateaued in training after hitting my time target for a 2.4 miler at about week 24. As soon as my shoulder is swim ready, it’ll probably take about 10-12 weeks until I’m hitting the same time as for last year. BUT, my feeling is that if this year I can do a little kicking rather than dragging two hairy anchors behind me, I still should be able to knock some time off last years IM swim. So right now I’m happy enough to kick kick kick!
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So you can see that right now, things are looking pretty good with training. Times are coming down, fitness levels are on the way up, and the training is time efficient and fun. Bonus.
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Until next time.
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Andy
Tags: andy sloan, ironman, procision fitness, triathlon weymouth
Posted in Triathlon Training | 1 Comment »
Triathletes, do we need to train so much?
Sunday, February 28th, 2010
Triathlon training at any level takes time, and lots of it. Professionals may train for up to 30-40 hours per week, and novices right up to age groupers will often put in between 4-25 hours per week depending on their circumstances. But is all this really necessary? Do we NEED to train for that long, or is alot of what we are doing, purely JUNK MILES? Is there a better way to train?
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I’ll be clear on something right now: The purpose of this post is not to try and change the way you train, or to rubbish any other method of training, rather, it is to encourage people to have an open mind when it comes to training for triathlon, and to let you know just what I’m up to right now in terms of training, following my week in Florida.
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During the mentorship program, in one of our final lectures, we got talking about swim training, and in particular, why it is that a sprint swimmer will put in so many hours and miles in the pool each week, when they are training for a race that lasts less than a minute. Do they really need to spend so long training? After all, a 100-400m track athlete doesn’t spend so long training, and we are all humans, so how is it beneficial for a sprint swimmer to train for so long? Would it not be more beneficial to have shorter, more focussed workouts, and more rest in order to allow proper recovery and reduce the risk of injury and over training? After all, how many swimmers (in particular children who are overtrained) develop shoulder, back and hip problems? I don’t know the exact figure, but it’s alot! We then spoke about marathon running, and again, is it really necessary to put in 40-80 miles a week, or would it be more beneficial to have shorter, more focussed workouts, with a bigger emphasis on recovery? After all, you make your improvements while you recover.
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We then touched on triathlon, and again the same things came up. Is it NECESSARY to do so many hours? Has ANYONE ever experimented with far less hours, but a much increased quality of training at the expense of junk miles? If you’re training for a long race, do you have to train for as long as the race (or at least each discipline) will take you? If you’re training for Ironman, that could mean putting in 2+ hour swims, 8+ hour bike rides and 5+ hour runs. No not every session, but you get the idea I’m sure. What I’m also sure of, is that there HAS to be a much better way to train. Step up Juan Carlos.
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At the end of the mentorship program, a few hours before we were flying back to the UK, I sat down with JC to get his thoughts on Ironman training, and in particular, to help me reduce my own Ironman training volume. Now, as well as the fact that I’m 100% sure that there are more effective methods of training for triathlon than are currently being utilised, I’m also recovering from a shoulder operation which has sidelined my swimming for 12 weeks, cycling for 8 weeks, and running for 11 weeks. On top of that, I work a long hours (much like you), and juggle a girlfriend, friends and family at the same time. Right now I have just 18 weeks to get into the best, injury free condition of my life in order to knock the 45-60 minutes off my Ironman time at IM France on June 27th (that’s my personal goal for the year).
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JC is a huge lover of all things sport and fitness, and was more than happy to look at my proposed training program, and after checking out my program, subsequently decided to slash my training hours by about 40%, and ‘play around’ with intensity a little, as well as introducing some pretty exciting new techniques. We then came up with a plan of attack. A structure was formed, followed by specific phases, and I spent much of the long flight home planning out each individual session. What we have come up with is something that has NEVER been tried, or at least documented, within the industry, and could well be something that will help triathletes all over the globe to achieve their goals in less time, with more recovery, and increased performance.
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What methods are we employing?
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Well…..there have to be some secrets right?! All I can tell you is that a couple of methods could, and probably will, raise a few eyebrows in the triathlon world, but both JC and I are extremely confident that what we have devised will work, and when it does, we are going to be ready to transform the way many triathletes go about their training, leaving you with more time, more energy, and better performance.
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From now, leading up to June 27th, I’ll be posting regularly on here letting you know how the training is going, the results I’m seeing and everything else….except of course the program! So keep your eyes on this area, and feel free to add your own comments Before you leave, checkout this video of myself and JC talking about the plan right here
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Wish us luck!
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Andy
Tags: andy sloan, functional training, ironman weymouth, jc santana, Personal trainer weymouth, procision fitness, triathlon dorset, triathlon weymouth
Posted in Triathlon Training, Uncategorized | No Comments »
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
Tags: andy sloan, functional training, jc santana, Personal trainer weymouth, procision fitness
Posted in IHP Functional Training Mentorship with JC Santana | No Comments »
New Fitness Class Starting in Weymouth
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
For those of you who attended the infamous ‘Hardcore and Outdoors’ sessions throughout 2008/9, you’ll know just how fun it is training in the outdoors, with the elements, your bodyweight, a few tires, some sandbags, and Dorsets only guaranteed results personal trainer leading you through exciting, challenging, and most of all EFFECTIVE exercises and workouts.
Well I’ve got some great news for you now! IT’S BACK! Well almost. The name has changed, the time has changed slightly, and the session is now more than ever available for people of all ability levels to enjoy and reap the rewards from. The emphasis is on making training fun, efficient, and 100% effective, with minimal equipment but maximum reward.
Sessions take place in the great outdoors, and you’ll be training at a load of different locations from beaches to fields. Sessions take place whatever the weather, and so will never be cancelled due to weather conditions (unless there’s a monster hurricaine, or it starts hailing iceburgs).
The new program, TURBULENT TUESDAYS, is kicking off with a bang with a FREE SESSION on TUESDAY FEB 2ND to wet your apetite. This session will be meeting at Cafe Oasis, Overcombe Corner, Preston, at 7pm, and will last approximately 30-45 minutes. To book a free place at this session simply email me with the title TURBULENT TUESDAYS.
The course will commence properly on TUESDAY 23RD FEB, and this initial phase will run for 6 weeks. All sessions and locations have been planned and are set to be pretty great, and each session is a metabolism boosting, fat busting workout that’ll get your body working, feeling and looking better than ever.
Sessions are 100% satisfaction guaranteed, so if you think the session wasn’t up to scratch, simply ask for your money back and you can have it as my way of an apology
The 6 week course costs just £28 and places are stricly limited in order to ensure that the quality of delivery is as good as it ought to be, so get yourself booked in quick to avoid disappointment. If there are places available after the start date, single sessions can be paid for at £6 per session.
The sessions will meet at the following locations, all at 7pm for approx 45-60 minutes.
To register your interest on the course, please contact me asap.
Andy
Tags: andy sloan, fitness class weymouth, group fitness weymouth, outdoor fitness class weymouth, Personal trainer weymouth
Posted in Group Fitness | No Comments »
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?
Tags: andy sloan, fitness weymouth, Personal trainer weymouth, procision fitness
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Weymouth Personal Trainer gives you 10+ types of push up to try!
Friday, December 11th, 2009
This post stems from a recent conversation I had with a friend of mine who had been doing push ups for few weeks and now is not making further progress with them, and subsequently got bored of them and eliminated them from his routine. Now, there is no need for anyone to ever get bored with push ups, as there is pretty much an endless variety that you can perform, of varying difficulties.
The push up is one of the single most effective exercises for developing total body strength. Not only do your chest, shoulders and arms get a great workout, but so does your core, your hips, and just about everything else! So why is it that some people hate push ups? In my experience it seems that those people who dislike the push up fall into one of 3 categories. 1 - they can’t do a push up. 2 - they have got bored with them. 3 - their goal is bodybuilding and they feel the push up can not sufficiently fatigue them to make the necessary gains.
All of these categories can be easily addressed through exploring and introducing a variety of push ups.
Category 1
Now, I am fully aware that loads of people (maybe even you) can’t do the full ones, but I’m yet to train a single person who hasn’t been able to perform some form of a push up, be it on their knees or up against a wall, so there is hope for everyone! If you fall into this category, try the kneeling push up illustrated below. If you find this too hard, adopt the same position, but with your hands on a bench or a step, which will put more of a load through your lower body and less through your upper, meaning it’s much easier to lower down and push back up. If you find that too hard, try standing up against a wall, with your hands flat against it, elbows to approx 90 degrees at the bottom phase, and push yourself away from the wall. The better you become, the further away you can take your feet, making the move progressively harder.
Category 2
With so many variations of this simple move, there is no reason to ever get bored of doing push ups! You can use balls, benches, buddys and plenty more objects and pieces of equipment to make the push up more challenging, fun, and specific to what you want to achieve. Some of my favourite push ups are the partner ones which I’ve outlined below. Now these are pretty advanced, so I wouldn’t recommend attempting them until you and your buddy can each do at least 20 push ups comfortably, and hold a solid plank position for at least a minute.
Hands on shoulders - You’ll find these ones are great for switching on your core and also hitting the triceps as your hands are put in a closer grip. The guy on the floor will also get a great core workout. If, and ONLY if you get real good at these, try both going down and up at the same time, or alaternately!
One hand on hip bone, one hand on shoulder - Another advanced move thats really great for hitting the core for both buddys. If you try these ones, make sure the hand is on the hip and not the lower back. You’ll also want to make sure that you work from both sides, so that everything is worked evenly. Again, to make it harder, try both going down and up at the same time, or alternately (one up one down).
Hands on stability ball - This is a great exercise for hitting the triceps as well as giving your core a decent workout to. In adition to this, you’ll also be providing your shoulder joint with some (often) much needed stability work too. Have your hands more on the sides of the ball as opposed to on the top, as this will be easier on the wrists.
Decline stability ball - This is a great way to add some lower body stability work in while also loading up the shoulders a little more. The higher your feet and legs are, the more weight you’ll have acting down on your upper body, making this a really tough move. Try also performing it with only a single leg on the ball, which really adds a huge eccentric load through the hip of ther planted leg (great for helping train decelleration such as when running).
Decline stability ball with roll up - This is a progression further than the one previously, and gives your hips and abs a great workout while loading up your upper body. On the way up, roll the ball in so your knees come toward your chest, and on the way down, extend the knees and hips so you are in a full push up position at the bottom phase.
Medicine ball ‘one up one down’ - This variation is pretty fun and can be adapted further by adding in a fast passover, a jump, a swapover, increasing/decreasing speed, elevating your legs and a few more ways alike. But try this first simple progression initially. You’ll find that the arm planted on the floor has to work extra hard to compensate for the elevation from the other arm. Don’t have a medicine ball? Use a football or a step instead.
Category 3
If you’re in this category, then I’ll urge you to have a try at the progressions I’ve outlined for you below, because they require some serious strength and explosive power also, and will help you both carve up and grow your chest at the same time.
Close grip medicine ball - These are one of my favourite push ups for hitting the triceps. If you want to make the move harder, turn it into a power move, but exploding off the ball and landing with hands either side, before exploding back up onto the ball as illustrated below.
Pausing med ball push up - These are the ultimate in developing phenomenal core strength, and are my favourite variety of push up to use with many of the athletes I train in various sports due to the immense core and hip strength as well as shoulder and hip stability required for perfect form. Complete the move in a controlled, steady manner, with a 1-2 seconds pause at the top range.
Band resisted push up and air time push up - Resistance bands are a great tool for increasing resistance in push ups. Make sure you have the band placed around your upper back for ultimate loading through the chest, but to hit the core even harder, you can lace the band around your lower back (do not do this one if you have a weak lower back, or are new to resisted push ups).
To make the move even harder, try adding some explosion into it but finishing with your hands (or hands and feet, off the floor! If you still feel your chest needs more of a workout, after each set, hit the bench press with a load that you’d normally hit 12 reps out on, and go to near failure.
Hopefully this post has given you some new ideas of ways in which to make the push up more exciting, specific and effective, ensuring that you remain on track to achieving your goals without your training going stale and unproductive.
Soon I’ll be writing a post of similar style regarding adapting the squat, so keep your eyes pealed.
Until next time, stay motivated, stay strong, and stay healthy.
To your success
Andy
Tags: andy sloan, fitness weymouth, personal trainer dorset, Personal trainer weymouth, training weymouth
Posted in Training, Uncategorized | No Comments »
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.
Tags: andy sloan, fat loss, fitness weymouth, personal trainer, personal trainer dorset, Personal trainer weymouth
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