GB Personal Training Ltd

Health, Fitness & Wellbeing

Top 7 Exercise Challenges. How do you compare?

By Greg Brookes

Challenge #1: Turkish Get Ups with 1/2 Bodyweight x 5 reps

The ultimate full body exercise for stabilisation and mobility. If you want to bomb proof your body against injury then this is the exercise to master.

Rumour has it that ancient greeks were not taught to strength train with any extra load until they could get o ff the ground with that same weight held over head.

By completing this test the young Greeks were able to demonstrate their ability to dynamically stabilise the weight before moving onto more prime mover based exercises. This is a lesson that is so often ignored as newcomers get injured diving into the weight stack without ensuring their body has adequate stability before they start.

Challenge #2: Push Ups x 100 reps

The Push Up is so much more that just a horizontal pressing movement, it’s a huge core stabilisation exercise too. It’s always interesting to see big bench pressers perform a push up, the core is always quick to collapse and sag. I like to think of the Push Up as a moving plank from the hands.

Ensure that you utilise as much muscle as you can by corkscrewing the arms inwards and pulling yourself down with your lats. The lowering part of the movement (eccentric) should be slow and controlled and the pushing up (concentric) phase should be fast and explosive. You can also add a Push Up plus to the top of the movement to work on the scapular.

Challenge #3: Pistols Squats x 10

You can’t find a better single leg exercise for working on pure single leg strength, mobility and stability. The Pistol or One Legged Squat requires good balance, excellent mobility at the hips and ankle, and brute strength in the glute, quad and hamstring.

Research shows that the Glute Medius, a very important hip stabilisation muscle, is more active in the Pistol than any other exercise, beating the clam and others hands down. For those who struggle with balance a counter balance weight can be held in front or a TRX can be used for support.

Challenge #4: Chin Ups x 20

This powerful exercise is where many people struggle, there is huge core integration along with scapular stability and brute pulling power. Common problems seen are a craning of the neck, over active traps that create a hunching of the shoulders, and using momentum by kipping.

To perfect good Chin Ups you can regress the movement by using bands attached to the bar and under one foot. Keep the movement strict, use the lats to pull you up by thinking about protecting your armpits, go all the way down to the bottom but don’t let your shoulder blades drop by keeping everything packed and keep the chest high at the top. Don’t crane your neck to get over the bar.

Challenge #5: Deadlift at twice bodyweight x 1 rep

The real big boy of strength training. Uses practically every muscle in the body and strengthens the posterior chain that is so good for posture as well as performance.

I managed to achieve my Deadlift record by sticking to the classic 5 x 5 once and occasionally twice per week. So that’s 5 reps and 5 sets. I increased the weight by 2.5 – 5kg each week.

Remember that the Deadlift is called a Deadlift because it is pulled from the ground from a dead position. So in theory you should be performing 5 x 1 reps. I always deadlift in barefeet and drive heavily through the heels.

Top 7 Exercise Challenges
Image my Amber Karnes

I never use straps, if my grip strength is not ready then the rest of me is not ready either, we all work together.

Challenge #6: 2000M Row in Under 7 mins

I’m very particular when it comes to cardiovascular training, not because I don’t like it but more because I don’t like to waste time. This indoor rower workout is excellent for improving your cardiovascular strength and anaerobic threshold.

Rowing is an often neglected exercise and very powerful to counteract all the slouching and anterior based workouts that are so common.

A good rowing technique heavy works the quads, glutes, core and back. I like the scapular retraction benefi ts of the movement. Give this challenge a go, the last time I completed it my legs were like jelly and I staggered around the gym grabbing hold of things to stop my falling over!

Challenge #7: One Mile Run (under 4 minutes)

I know what you are thinking, that’s a ridiculous challenge. But it’s interesting to note that when Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute mile back in 1954, he not only broke a record but a psychological barrier. Many thought it was not possible but following Rogers achievement many people followed in quick succession.

This challenge like all the others ARE possible, you just need to be committed and have a progressive plan. Start with a 6 or 7 minute mile, then set yourself progressive targets and see how close you can get. I’m not saying you will make 4 minutes but use it as a target.

You will be amazed at how quickly your time improves if you run consistently. Ensure you rest well and warm up well prior to each attempt. Wear a heart rate monitor and monitor your progress as your anaerobic threshold improves.

These fitness challenges were chosen because they utilise exercises that I believe improve your general health and fitness. They can all be achieved with dedication and a progressive goal setting plan. Now select one and get started.

Have you tried any of these exercises? Love to know how you got on below…

 

Top 10 Core and Abs Exercises You're Probably NOT Doing

By Greg Brookes

Selecting the correct Core and Ab exercises doesn’t have to be difficult. The days of Sit-Ups and Crunches are over unless you want to destroy your posture and ruin your lower back. The Core and Abs need to be targeted in a scientific way, from all directions, and in a way they are designed to function.

With all this in mind here are my selection of top 10 Core and Ab exercises:

1. Slow Mountain Climbers

The core is primarily designed to prevent movement of the spine, this protects your spine from sudden movements or impacts that may threaten you. Slow Mountain Climbers place the spine in a stable position with gravity pushing down on it. By alternatively drawing the knees to the elbows you challenge your spines stability as well as activating the obliques.

2. Side Plank with Rotation

A lateral spinal stability drill but with an added movement. Like the slow mountain climbers the core works hard to prevent the spine from collapsing. By rotating and threading the arm underneath the body you challenge your spinal stability further and at the same time work your thoracic rotation. Limitations in the thoracic spine are responsible for issues in the lower back so this additional movement is an added bonus.

3. Cable Chop

The core can be attacked in four directions from the cable chop: top right to bottom left, top left to bottom right, bottom right to top left and bottom left to top right. Here the main objective is to prevent rotation of the spine. Reset the weight stack after each rep and learn to re-engage the core each time. It is interesting to note which of the 4 quadrants listed above you struggle with most and then progress this quadrant to balance out your core.

4. Roll Outs

Remember the old AB wheels, well they are back! Rolling out forwards with your hands on the wheel requires a huge amount of core strength and activation as the body tries extremely hard to avoid collapsing at the lower back. This can be a very hard exercise for the beginner but can be made easier by using a stability ball and starting from the knees.

5. Side Plank with Leg Raise

Similar principles to the “Side Plank with Rotation” above but this time you include some hip ABduction. For this exercise you stay in the side plank position and raise the top leg slowly. Avoid external rotation or opening of the hips, stay in line. This exercise is not only intense on the lateral workings of the core but also strengthens the Glute Medius, an important muscle for hip stability and often weak in today’s society.

6. Bird Dog with Rotation

A fundamental exercise that concentrates on the sling systems that connect shoulder to opposite hip. From all fours the opposite arm and leg are extended activating the back extensors. The elbow is then brought towards the knee and then extended out again. Notice how this movement pattern emulates our basic walking and running cross pattern. Strength in this pattern is paramount for general movement and function in daily life.

7. Dirty Dogs

A great number of the core muscles are designed to prevent the back from being over extended. Simple Up and Down Dogs as performed in Yoga will leave you with sore abs as your core works hard to prevent you from over extending your back in the Upwards Facing Dog position. You can take this traditional yoga movement and make it slightly more demanding by reaching back towards the opposite toe in the down dog position.

8. Push Ups

We are all familiar with the regular push up but did you know that they are a great core strengthener too? Push Ups are difficult for many people, not because they have weak upper body strength but because they have weak core strength. You can think of the push up as a moving plank. Clap Push Ups and Push Ups off a Swiss Ball just add more of a core challenge as the demand to stay rigid increases. Ever wondered why some guys can bench press hundreds of pounds but can’t do many push ups? Well now you know, strong chest but weak core!

9. Diaphragm Breathing

The Core and Abs can be divided into Inner and Outer. The Outer consists of all the famous muscles: 6 pack abs, obliques etc. The Inner core is what braces and provides a compression chamber to support the spine. No need to wear a weight lifters belt when you can strengthen your own inner corset and provide your own as nature intended. Simple deep diaphragm breathing from all fours drawing in the naval towards the spine on the Out breath and pushing it out on the In breath, will strengthen your inner corset and take inches off your waist.

10. Interval Sprints

Not only great for fat loss and cardiovascular conditioning but intensive on the core muscles too. Fast and explosive cross diagonal engagement of the core is as nature intended. You don’t have to sprint from a wild animal just try 5-8 sprints of 20-30 seconds resting until your heart rate comes back down to 60-75 % of you max heart rate before repeating. Ensure you have a good level of Cardio health before trying this one!

These are my top core exercise recommendations. With the addition of a good clean nutrition plan, and a reduction in stress levels and you are well on your way to the body of your dreams.

Have you tried any of these Exercises? Let me know how you got on below…

What Everybody Ought to Know About Fat Loss

By Greg Brookes

Have you ever wondered why you simply cannot lose weight or reduce that bulging belly? Well here is your answer…Fat Loss is a little more complicated than many think, there is no miracle exercise. It is important to look at the body as a whole. Here are the 3 fundamentals that you will need to follow in order to lose that stubborn fat and feel a million dollars.

what everybody ought to know about fat loss
Image by Randomplaces

1. Stress

Stress produces energy as a survival mechanism. Look out there’s a tiger! The body produces huge amounts of energy in order to optimise escape or deal with the situation. Getting stressed and producing energy while sitting down at work causes a rise in energy but no way of spending it. The body has to work hard to deal with excess energy, the hormone insulin is used to store energy in both the liver and our fat cells. So stress really does make you fat!

Stress also causes stimulation of the Sympathetic Nervous System (Fight or Flight) and shuts down the opposite the Parasympathetic Nervous System (Rest and Digest). So the whole time we are stressed we are unable to digest our food. So don’t eat at your desk choose a quiet and peaceful environment for good digestion.

Over stimulation of our stress hormones can wear out our Adrenal Glands. The more stress false alarms the body has to deal with, whether its from stimulants like caffeine or cigarettes, or from work, financial or relationship stress, they all contribute to exhausting your Adrenal Glands. Worn out Adrenal Glands lead to excessive fatigue and a whole host of hormonal issues including weight gain.

2. Nutrition

Food intolerance is a big problem today. Most people suffer in some degree or another. Gluten is the biggest problem. Dairy is also another. Many foods are now highly processed or relatively new to our ancient digestive systems. Food intolerance’s can cause leaky gut syndrome, auto immune problems, bloating, depression, and fatigue to name just a few.

Toxins are also a major problem. We are digesting more toxins today than ever before. Most vegetables are sprayed with chemicals all of which must be dealt with by the body. We all store toxins in our fat cells. Fat provides a natural barrier to protect the vital organs from the problems of toxic chemicals. Unless you eliminate as many toxins as possible your body will retain fat to protect the body.

Balancing blood sugar levels is vital for fat loss. Carbohydrates and stimulants are the enemy here. The more the body has to deal with surges of simple sugars the more it struggles to maintain an energy balance and stores energy in our fat cells. To stay energised, free of cravings and reduce fat storage you must manage your blood sugar levels.

3. Exercise

Most of us sit all day. We need to move more, the opposite of movement is death. So lets get moving. You don’t need to run to work or go nuts at a gym class you just need to move more often. Walk more, play more and have fun with your body 🙂

Most workouts and exercise routines in magazine don’t work in tune with your body and nature. The body dictates how it should move. Bicep curls are great for body building but useless for fat loss or everyday life. We need to be intelligent about how we exercise and base all movements on how the body is designed to move. We need to stimulate as many muscles as possible and enjoy ourselves.

Everyone is different, we don’t all need the same type of exercise. A one size fits all approach to workout design will only get you so far. We need to start at the centre and work outwards. Make progressions in a safe and logical way. Running before you can walk is ridiculous, and so is professional workout routines for unprofessional athletes. We need to use common sense and tailor make workouts to our abilities and not someone else’s.

Do you struggle with Fat Loss? Let me know your biggest problem below…

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Stretching

By Greg Brookes

stretching
Image by theloushe

#1 – You’re Not Just Stretching Muscle

Every time you stretch you are not just hitting your muscles but other soft tissue too. Fascia, the connective tissue that surrounds muscles, blood vessels and nerves also gets stretched. Lets also not forget the tendons that connect your muscles to your bones. So next time you think you are performing a quad stretch realise that so much more is being put under strain and you may not be targeting the muscle as much as you think you are.

#2 – Everything is Connected

Thomas Myers in his revolutionary book “Anatomy Trains” describes how the body is comprised of connecting pathways of soft tissue. These pathways run through the entire body, some connecting soft tissue from head to toe. With the body interconnected in this way it turns localised stretching into globalised stretching. In other words, by stretching one section of the soft tissue pathway you are influencing other areas throughout that pathway. A simple example is how repeated wearing of high heel shoes shortens the Superficial Back Line (runs from the sole of the foot to the forehead up the back of the body) and can result in back pain and headaches.

#3 – Stretching De-Activates Muscles

The act of lengthening a muscle reduces the ability for that muscle to contract. This is a very useful theory that can be used to assist and activate other muscles. For example stretching the Hamstrings can assist in the firing of the Glutes if the firing pattern of the hip extensors is off. Stretching a muscle certainly will not render it useless but it will reduce its ability to contract.

#4 – We Should All Stretch Differently

We are all unique and have different length tensions throughout the body. There is no “One size fits all” stretching program. Just like tuning a musical instrument we must only address the strings that need adjustment. It is important to understand your own body and then make adjustments accordingly.

#5 – Breathing Influences the Stretch

Deep breathing stimulates the Parasympathetic nervous system and this causes the body to relax. Mediation makes good use of this technique, as does Yoga which is fundamentally about ”The Breath”. When the body is relaxed it lets go of muscle tension. When you stretch you can use the breath to increase your stretching range of movement. As you slowly move into the stretch take a deep and long breath out and feel your tension release, do not fight it. As you breath in come out of the stretch slightly and then return into the stretch as you breath out again.

#6 – Stretching Can Be a Waste of Time

Stretching can be a waste of time if your body NEEDS to retain that tension for stabilisation reasons. A good example is the hamstrings being used to maintain core stability through pelvic alignment. No matter how many times you stretch the Hamstrings they will continue to Grip the pelvis so long as your core stability is weak. The solution is to strengthen the core muscles that maintain pelvic alignment thus enabling the hamstrings to relax. If a muscle simply won’t lengthen then you must look at why it is being held under tension.

#7 – Stretching Can Cause Injury

Knots, Adhesion’s and Scar Tissue leave our soft tissue weak and vulnerable. Putting poor quality soft tissue under strain through stretching can cause further damage. Think about stretching an elastic band with a knot tied in the centre, the knot gets tighter and produces weak breaking points. Spending time addressing your soft tissue through massage and foam rolling will go a long way to improving it quality.

#8 – Stretching is NOT a Warm Up

Static stretching has it place at the beginning of a workout as part of a corrective exercise program but should not be thought of as a warm up. Mobilising the joints and dynamically taking the body through the movement patterns used in the forthcoming workout are far better ways to prepare the body for exercise. Stretching should be thought of as corrective and nothing more!

#9 – Better to Stretch Away From Exercise

Stretching can be done at anytime but stretching when the body is relaxed is the most effective time for correcting muscle tissue length. Stretching in the evening is best. If you try and change soft tissue length during your workout time the sympathetic nervous system is often active and the muscles finds it hard to relax. You can however perform maintenance stretching at this time.

#10 – Stretching is 3 Dimensional

We have over 600 muscles in the body and they all run in different directions. When you stretch you need to consider the angle of the muscles on stretch. For example you have 3 Hamstrings and by just internally or externally rotating the legs you can hit different muscles. If you find one stretch easy then try it from a different angle. You body will always chose the easiest path so look for the lines with restriction.