The Football Strength, Speed and Endurance Program

With the current football season drawing to a close, most players will do very little exercise during the break until the dreaded pre-season training sessions take place.

Some may go for a run a couple of times a week and others may opt for a kick-around with their mates.

Why not take advantage of the break and get yourself stronger, quicker and fitter.

Get the upper-hand on your competitors and start next season at the top of your game.

During the break, 1-2-1 Fitness will be offering routines specifically designed to increase your strength, speed and endurance.

These are all vital components to make you a better player.

1-2-1 Fitness is also offering to train 2 people for the price of 1, so why not train with a friend / team mate and split the costs?

If you want to start next season fitter than the rest, then contact me for further details.

Tea Benefits. Not drinking it ? You should be !

Energy drinks, fat burners, green tea capsules, why not just go to the source? It's convenient and cheaper! Green tea offers a ton of health benefits including disease-fighting antioxidants, assists in burning fat, and even protects your pearly whites, keeping you energized and looking your best.

More Tea, Please
The next time you're in line at Starbucks you may want to think about ordering tea instead of your usual coffee. With only 1/3 the amount of caffeine it may not be enough to perk up the avid coffee drinker, but tea offers numerous health benefits that will keep you going in the long run.

Tea has been popular for thousands of years all over the world. It is the second most consumed beverage behind water. Teas such as black, green, white, and oolong are made from the leaves of the evergreen tree camellia sinensis, which contains polyphenol antioxidants.

Antioxidants are important in a person's diet, because they rid the body of molecules called free radicals, which are a by-product of cellular activity, pollution, and the natural aging process.

Free radicals are destructive within the body, because they harm DNA molecules and pave the way for illness and disease. High amounts of antioxidants can be found in fruits and vegetables and other plant based foods such as the dried leaves used to make brewed tea.


Green Tea Benefits
One of the most studied teas for its amazing health benefits is green tea. Green tea is rich in catechin polyphenols, such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is an antioxidant with cancer fighting powers.

Studies have shown it can aid in protection against various forms of cancer including esophageal, gastric, skin, ovarian, lung, and colon cancer. Studies have also shown that drinking 2-3 cups per day can lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and decrease the risk of heart attack.

Not only does green tea contain immune boosting antioxidants, but it can also protect your teeth. Tea has bacteria killing properties to fight plaque, gum disease, and bad breath. Tea contains fluoride, which can protect against cavities.

Green tea has gotten a couple of knocks for it's fluoride content, despite the positive attributes, since too much fluoride can be bad for you. It is recommended that a person receive no more than 10/mg of fluoride per day. Loose leaf green tea only contains about 0.3 mg of fluoride, so unless you're drinking about 30 cups per day, don't worry.

Studies suggest that the polyphenols in green tea can help reduce and prevent rheumatoid arthritis. One study found that regular tea drinkers reported to have stronger bones and were less likely to develop arthritis. Those who drank tea regularly for 10 years or more had higher bone mineral density in their spines than non-tea drinkers.


Conclusion
Green tea is currently gaining more popularity due to studies that suggest it aids in weight loss. The combination of EGCG and caffeine in green tea work together to stimulate thermogenesis, heat production in the body. It increases fat oxidation and increases energy expenditure.

Although EGCG is capable of giving metabolism a boost, drinking a cup or two of green tea is not a weight loss remedy. A Japanese study shows that 5 cups of green tea per day only burns about 70 calories through thermogenesis. Drink your tea for all the health benefits, but keep in mind that you must always exercise and eat a well balanced diet for weight management.

There are tons of teas to choose from, but high quality loose leaf teas are the best. Brew your tea for 3-5 minutes to bring out the antioxidants. Add honey, milk, lemon or sugar to sweeten. Relax, sip, and enjoy.

Interval Training and High-Intensity Weight Training for women reducing body-fat levels

For years, marathon cardio sessions were 'mandatory' for women who wanted to lower their body fat. These sessions were long and boring... nothing like 2 hours on a recumbent bike!

No one seemed to notice that athletes who trained using short duration, intense workouts (such as sprinters) were leaner and more muscular than athletes who did much higher volumes of cardio (long distance runners).


Part 1: Interval Training
Research now shows us that higher intensity training, such as interval training, can deliver the same results in much less time than traditional longer duration cardio sessions.

Many studies prove the effectiveness of high intensity training:

The first major study was conducted in 1985. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition determined that high-intensity training increases metabolism for up to 24 hours after training.

With lower intensity training (steady-state cardio) metabolism returned to normal shortly after the exercises session ended. (It is now an accepted fact that the rate at which you burn fat depends more on how many calories you burn in the hours following your workout as opposed to the number of calories you burn during your workout).

As recently as December 2006, researchers at the University of Guelph in Canada found that two weeks of interval training done on alternate days can increase metabolism by 36% in women.

"Short term intense interval training is highly effective in altering the ratio of lean body mass to fat without compromising muscle size." -Dr. Patrick O'Shea, (Quantum Strength and Power Training, Gaining the Competitive Edge).


What Is Interval Training?
Interval training is characterized by short, intense speed/effort increases during your cardio session, followed by longer duration 'recovery' period in which you return to your usual pace on whatever piece of cardio equipment you are using.

For example, let's say you normally run at 5.0 on the treadmill for 40 minutes. To introduce intervals into your session, you would (once you are warmed up) sprint for 20-30 second 'intervals' (at a higher speed than your usual 5.0), then reduce the speed back to 5.0 (or slightly lower) for 2-3 minutes, depending on your conditioning. This would be repeated for half of your normal cardio time (20 minutes).

That's all there is to it… It seems simple but if you've never tried it, be prepared for an extremely intense workout. Research shows that proper interval training can get you the same results in half the time of steady-state/lower intensity cardio.

This can be done on any piece of cardio equipment. The spin bike is excellent for intervals because of the ease at which you can control the speed/tension.

You should be out of breath at the end of each interval segment. If you can talk comfortably, you are not pushing yourself hard enough!

Just remember to take it easy while you are a beginner.

As your conditioning improves, you can increase intensity by:
1. Increasing the length of the interval segment.
2. Decreasing the 'recovery' time (some of my competitors sprint on a track for 30 seconds and 'recover' for only 1 minute).

Training at this intensity is only for women who are in superior cardiovascular condition. The worse thing you can do is to rush the process and burn out. I've seen this happen far too many times!


Part 2: High-Intensity Weight Training
Look in many exercise magazines for women and you will see workouts that call for 2 or 3 sets of 15 reps per set. A few sets and fifteen reps may be good for someone trying to get or stay in shape, but for someone trying to lose body fat and keep as much muscle as possible; it is not the most efficient way to train.


What Is High-Intensity Resistance Training?
Studies show that higher intensity weight training (lifting heavier weights in the 8-10 rep range) is more effective at burning calories and keeping metabolism elevated, in the hours following your workout, than higher rep training.

The key to fat loss is this continued elevation in metabolism, which continues for 16-24 hours after a high intensity workout. Lower intensity/high rep training and low intensity cardio do not keep your metabolism elevated in the hours following a workout. With lower intensity forms of training, your metabolic rate returns to normal shortly after the workout is finished.

This dispels the myth that high repetition training is the best way of getting 'cut'.

When I talk about high intensity weight training, I'm not just talking about lifting heavy weights. I'm talking about weight training in a manner that:
1. Burns the maximum amount of calories.
2. Keeps all of your hard earned muscle.

These are the two most important goals.

The best way to accomplish both of these goals is to:
1. Use weights that only allow about 8 - 10 repetitions (for most sets - but there are some higher rep exercises such as jump squats which are great for maintaining muscle size and send your heart rate through the roof).
2. Choose multi-joint exercises. These are exercises that require the use of many muscles to execute, such as plyometric pushups or walking lunges with bicep curls.
3. Group the exercises together in a circuit type fashion with minimal rest between sets - repeat these circuits multiple times. (10 minutes to 45 minutes depending on your conditioning).

This is a very demanding way to train. The heavy weights will maintain your muscle size while the choice of exercise and the circuit format keeps your heart rate high. The calorie burn is tremendous.

If you are not used to this type of training, take it easy at first. High-intensity training places great demands on your body. Proper form is very important because you will become exhausted while performing these exercises and it's easy to get sloppy and lose focus.


Conclusion
The combination of interval training and high-intensity weight training is the most effective way to decrease your body fat percentage. When performing intervals for the first time, decrease the time you normally perform cardio by 50%. Work hard and as your conditioning improves, increase the length of your cardio (interval) sessions.

The same goes for your resistance training. Reduce your normal workout time by 50% if this is your first time trying this type of circuit training. As your body becomes more conditioned, you can increase the length of your workouts. You will actually do more 'work' in these shortened sessions than you did in your longer ones.

Over-indulged at Easter ?

The Top 10 Reasons To Use FULL BODY Workouts

Choosing the appropriate muscle-building workout program is important if you are to maximize the time you spend in the gym and get clear body changing results. Some people are too quick to hop onto the first program they find without really thinking through what they are looking for in a weight lifting program.

Each type of program has its own pros and cons so getting straight in your mind what each one has to offer will make the decision of which program is right for you quite clear. The following are the top ten benefits to using full body workouts.


1. Lower Time Commitment:
The first benefit to using full body workout programs is that there is a much lower time requirement to perform them. If you're someone who has something on the go every night of the week, it can be hard to fit in a four-day-a-week gym program.

Since full body workouts can be performed over the course of just two or three days a week, this allows more time for other obligations in your life.

Depending on how you structure the full body workout program you may find they do take slightly longer in the gym to complete, but when you consider the overall weekly time commitment they require, you'll still end up much further ahead than with other programs such as the upper/lower body split.


2. Increased Muscular Recovery Rates:
The second benefit of full body workouts is the increased muscular recovery rates. One main reason why some people do not get progress on their workout program is simply because they aren't recovering from session to session.

Some people cannot handle back-to-back workouts even though they aren't working the same muscle part, so for those individuals, full body workouts are perfect. You will get at least one day off between each full body workout, so they will give your muscles maximum recovery time.


3. Greater Allowance For Additional Sports Or Activities:
Third, since full body workouts only call for you to be in the gym two to three times a week as already mentioned, this also frees more time for other activities.

If you're currently also doing cardio training either for health purposes or because you want to run a 5 or 10 km, using a full body approach will give you four or five days of the week in which you can complete those activities.

Note that you will still have to be mindful of your recovery rates because exercise is still exercise and is stressful on the body, but at least you won't be forced into doing double-day sessions as you would if you were on a higher frequency lifting schedule.


4. Larger Weekly Testosterone Boosts:
When it comes to really putting on lean muscle mass, the amount of testosterone you have flowing through your body is really going to make a significant difference. The higher the levels of testosterone you have in your body, the faster you're going to be able to build muscle-mass tissue.

When it comes to influencing testosterone release through your resistance training workouts, exercises that utilise full body movements and work as many muscle fibres as possible are going to release the greatest amount of testosterone.

Since you will be making good use of compound exercises in a full body workout in order to work every muscle group thoroughly, this fact makes them ideal for accomplishing this goal. Leg exercises especially are known for this, and in a full body workout you will have at least one leg exercise per workout.


5. Easier Manipulation:
In order to prevent training plateaus, it's important that you're constantly manipulating something about your workout program. This could be the exercises you're performing, the total number of reps you are using, the angle in which you're executing the lift, and so on.

When you're on a split body workout, you're going to be using more total exercises for each workout, making it slightly more difficult to throw in new exercises to prevent the plateau.

When you're using fully body workouts on the other hand, each muscle group is only going to get one or two exercises total, therefore you can easily swap things around either from full body workout to full body workout, or from month to month.

Additionally, if you happen to become injured in a particular muscle group, with a full body workout it tends to be easier to omit the exercise(s) that aggravate the injury and replace it with others that don't.

With a split body workout though, if one major muscle group gets injured that could throw off an entire day's workout, so that will definitely put a large kink in your program plan.


6. Decreased CNS Fatigue:
Sixth on the list of advantages of full body workouts is the lower level of central nervous system stress on a week to week basis. Whenever you lift a weight, a stress is placed on the CNS. It doesn't matter if it's a biceps curl or a squat, your CNS will be stimulated.

When you're stimulating the CNS day after day after day, eventually it too begins to fatigue and the overall amount you're able to lift on a daily basis really takes a hit.

The only way to prevent this from happening is to give the CNS a complete break from training, which is accomplished quite thoroughly on full body workouts.

That day in between sessions really goes a long way towards allowing better CNS recovery, so if you're beginning to feel fatigued all the time no matter what you do (short of taking consecutive days off), this might be an indication that you should be switching to a full body workout program instead.


7. Ideal For Home Workouts:
If you're someone who is doing their workouts at home, full body workouts make for a really good option. Often equipment choices will be limited when doing home workouts, so full body workout fit nicely since they require fewer different lifts total, making it easier to complete them just with a set of dumbbells.

Dumbbells can be used to perform walking lunges, deadlifts, lying chest presses, shoulder presses, bent over rows, lateral raises, biceps curls, and overhead triceps extensions, which, when done in combination together, will make up a complete full body workout.


8. Simple Scheduling:
If you're someone who finds life crowding out your workouts on a regular basis, if you're on an upper/lower split or another type of divided workout set-up, this can get to be quite the nuisance.

You must then make the decision of whether you'll perform the workout that was missed on the next workout opportunity, or if you'll just skip that workout entirely and go on to the next. If you repeat the lost workout you're going to be behind in your overall program plan, but if you skip it, then those muscles didn't get worked as they should.

It's quite the predicament to be in and can mess up what would otherwise be a sound plan. With full body workouts though, if you miss a workout, you simply wait until the next opportunity and you'll still be hitting the full body once again.

What's also great is that at most you'll be doing three workouts a week, even if you do miss a day; if you can make it to the gym the next day you won't throw off your weekly schedule, because you will always have some point in the week where you have two consecutive days off.

For this reason, full body workouts are the most practical approach for those who have irregular schedules.


9. Ideal For Fat Loss:
If you're looking for fat loss, then the perfect choice here is also full body workouts. When you're on a fat loss diet you're taking in fewer calories than the body would ideally like, which means a lower level of recovery reserves.

Despite this fact, you still must be stimulating the muscle tissues at least twice per week in order to prevent fat loss on a diet, so cutting back on workouts entirely is not going to be an option.

Full body workouts make for the ideal fat loss workout set-up because they will get you working each muscle group at least twice a week, but won't ask too much from the body in terms of recovery.
This is an important combination because the risk of muscle mass loss on a diet is high for either not working out enough or working out too much, so the two-day-a-week full body workout program is the right compromise between both these issues.


10. Lower Levels Of Boredom:
Finally, the last benefit to full body workouts is lower levels of boredom. The more often you repeat the same activity over and over again the greater the chances that you will find boredom settling in. Since full body workouts require lower levels of frequency, they already have an advantage.

Secondly, since there are so many different ways you can set up and design full body workouts, when you do become bored, it won't take much effort on your part to renew your interest in the program.


Conclusion
So, be sure you give full body workouts a fair consideration. Many people overlook them for what appear to be 'fancier' splits, which are less effective. When done properly, full body workouts can be used to build maximum amounts of muscle regardless of what your current fitness level happens to be.

Contact me if you require assistance creating your own full-body workout.

14 Reasons You Shouldn’t Ignore – Full Squat Benefits !

There seems to be much confusion amongst trainers and trainees as to whether squats should be performed all the way down or just half way.

In most gyms today, a common instruction during squats, deadlifts, and lunges (as taught by many personal training organizations) is not to allow the knees to travel beyond the toes. Doing so will ultimately cause the destruction of your knees!

I do not agree. There are certain instances where partial range of motion (ROM) is indicated, but for the most part, I teach people the full squat for the following reasons.


Full Squat Benefits

1. It is the most primitive movement pattern known to man; our ancestors used to perform many daily functions (i.e. harvesting, gathering, hunting, cooking, eating, etc.) in a full squat position.

2. Also, in case anyone hasn't noticed, we spend 40 weeks in the fetal position (which is basically a full squat) prior to entering this world - do we come out with bad knees?

3. We should strive to train in full ROM for each and every exercise. The squat is no exception.

4. Every exercise produces stress around a joint - the body then adapts to this stress.

5. Contraction of the quadriceps, the hamstrings, and the gastrocnemius maintains integrity around the knee joint.

6. Sheering and compressive forces do occur around the knee joint (as opposed to only sheering forces that occur in some open kinetic chain lower body exercises, such as the leg extension); however, the large contact area of the patella with the femoral groove (as knee flexion increases during the full squat) helps to dissipate compressive forces.

7. Therefore, not only is the squat - as a closed chain exercise - considered a natural movement pattern with high functional carryover, but it is also a safe exercise if performed correctly (and that includes full ROM!)

8. Drawer tests are performed at a knee angle of 90 degrees because there is a greater amount of laxity in the knee joint at that specific angle. So, does it make sense to only go down half way where you are most vulnerable especially when greater loads can be used (because you are much stronger in this partial ROM?)

9. According to Ironman contributor, George Turner, the fulcrum moves to the knee joint in a parallel squat as opposed to the muscle belly of the quadriceps in a full squat.

10. Think about it, if you constantly trained in a limited ROM, the likelihood of injury increases if one day you happen to squat beyond your trained ROM.

11. Partial squats performed on a regular basis will decrease flexibility.

12. There is a low incidence of lower back pain and knee injury in Aboriginal and Oriental societies which perform full squats on a regular basis.

13. Even Olympic weightlifters who practice full squats have quite healthy knees compared to other athletes.

14. Although you may find some research that indicates full squats as potentially harmful to the knees, only one study has ever proved this to be true. However, it was performed on a skeleton - the same results do not hold true with surrounding connective tissue. On the other hand, numerous studies show the benefits of full squats.

Unfortunately, many personal training certification courses are teaching half squats as a safe version suitable for all individuals and this has now become written in stone.

God forbid that you deviate from this golden rule to do something that our bodies are meant to do!

Read this carefully: squatting should be performed in a full ROM where the hamstrings make contact with the calves (so that no light can be seen passing through your legs at the bottom position).

It is okay for your knees to travel beyond the toes (just do not relax the knees in the bottom position). In other words, keep the legs tight and try to stay as upright as possible throughout the exercise.

Conclusion
So, next time some fitness instructor approaches you in the gym and advises not to go deep while squatting tell him/her that they don't know squat and come and train with me instead!!!

3 Protein Myths. Don’t buy into them !

Claim Number 1:
High Protein Diets Are Bad For Bone Health


Investigation: At one time or another you have probably heard the claim that "high protein diets are bad for your bones, and they cause calcium losses." However, when examining the scientific evidence we see a different picture.

A large study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research showed that both elderly men and women who consumed the most animal protein had the lowest rate of bone loss whereas those who consumed little protein had much higher rates of bone loss.

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has shown that postmenopausal women who consumed the highest amount of protein, particularly animal protein, were least likely to suffer from hip fractures and had the strongest bones.(1)

Heaney and colleagues showed, that in free-living middle-aged women who were studied in a metabolic ward and ingested diets that matched their everyday intakes of protein and phosphorus, calcium losses were significantly positively correlated with protein intake and calcium balance was significantly negatively correlated.(2)

This study, cited extensively since its publication, contributed to the common belief that protein is harmful to bone. Almost two decades later in an editorial that was featured in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Heaney critiqued his own study and reported on recent findings.(3)

In conclusion Heaney stated, "Analysis of the diets of hunter-gatherer societies, and nitrogen isotope ratios of fossil bone collagen, indicate that human physiology evolved in the context of diets with high amounts of animal protein.

Although caution has been urged in the interpretation of such analyses, it remains true that there is certainly no evidence that primitive humans had low intakes of either total protein or animal protein. That, coupled with the generally very robust skeletons of our hominid forbears, makes it difficult to sustain a case, either evidential or deductive, for overall skeletal harm related either to protein intake or to animal protein. Indeed, the balance of the evidence seems to indicate the opposite."

Research suggests that consuming high protein diets that contain sufficient amounts of calcium and Vitamin D do not negatively affect bone health. Researchers at Tufts University in Boston found that adequate ingestion of dietary calcium helps to promote a positive effect of dietary protein on the skeleton in older adults. Also, phosphorus (like in milk and meat) and potassium (found in milk, legumes, and grains) reduce calcium loss, thus negating protein-induced urinary calcium excretion.

Conclusion: A high protein diet that lacks sufficient amounts of calcium and Vitamin D may cause harm to bones. But a high protein diet that contains sufficient amounts of calcium and Vitamin D can have positive effects on bone health.


Claim Number 2:
High Protein Diets Increase The Risk Of Coronary Heart Disease


Investigation: A review conducted by Li and colleagues(4) looked at the relationship between red meat consumption and coronary heart disease factors; 54 studies were reviewed.

Findings of the review indicated that, "Substantial evidence from recent studies shows that lean red meat trimmed of visible fat does not raise total blood cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels." And also that "lean red meat is low in saturated fat, and if consumed in a diet low in SFA (saturated fatty acids), is associated with reductions in LDL-cholesterol in both healthy and hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol) subjects."

In conclusion the studies found that "lean red meat trimmed of visible fat, which is consumed in a diet low in saturated fat does not increase cardiovascular risk factors."

Conclusion: High protein diets that contain excessive calories and high fat may increase risk factors associated with coronary heart disease. But high protein diets that are low to moderate in calories and saturated fat do not increase risk factors. I generally recommend a few servings of lean red meat each week. Red meat is loaded with micronutrients and is a good source of quality protein.


Claim Number 3:
High Protein Diets Are Bad For The Kidneys


Investigation: Media sources often report, "Too much protein stresses the kidney." What does science say?

Martin and colleagues(5) reviewed the available evidence regarding the effects of protein intake on kidney function with a particular emphasis on kidney disease.

The researchers reported, "Although excessive protein intake remains a health concern in individuals with pre-existing renal disease, the literature lacks significant research demonstrating a link between protein intake and the initiation or progression of renal disease in healthy individuals."

In addition they reported, "At present, there is not sufficient proof to warrant public health directives aimed at restricting dietary protein intake in healthy adults for the purpose of preserving renal function." Protein restriction is common treatment for people with kidney problems.

I have known individuals who consume 300-400 grams of protein per day. Guess what, no kidney problems.

Conclusion: There is no evidence that high protein intake causes kidney damage in individuals with healthy kidneys. To many people this may come as a shocker.


References:
1. Tbk Fitness. How to Prevent Osteoporosis. [Online] September 11, 2009 http://www.tbkfitness.org/Osteoporosis.html
2. Heaney RP, et. al. Effects of nitrogen, phosphorus, and caffeine on calcium balance in women. J lab Clin Med, 99:46-55 1982.
3. Heaney R. Protein intake and bone health: the influence of belief systems and the conduct of nutritional science. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 73,1:5-6 Jan 2001.
4. Li D, et. al. Lean meat and heart health. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 14(2):113-9 2005.
5. Martin WF, et. al. Dietary Protein intake and Renal Function. Nutrition & Metabolism 2:25 2005.