6 Healthy Heart Foods

1. Almonds - A decent handful daily will help reduce your risk of heart problems by 12%. It's all down to the vitamin E.

2. Red wine - YES! Surprisingly red wine can help reduce your risk of heart disease. A 125ml glass will reduce it by 32% and if you your on a no alcohol diet then opt for grape juice. It's all about the antioxidants.

3. Dark Chocolate - Anything over 70% will give you polyphenols that can cut your risk by 21%. Only have a little bar though.

4. Garlic - A few cloves can help reduce your risk of heart disease by 25%. Get it in your spag bol!

5. Fruit and Veg - Obviously these beauties will load you up with antioxidants to help flush out anything bad and reduce your risk by up to 21%.

6. Finally Fish - Fish with omega 3's will help reduce your risk by 14% if you have it 3-4 times a week. The size you want is about the same as a deck of playing cards.

The ultimate 40's workout

The best way to get your body into tip top condition is to hit it with short sharp bursts. Keep the body guessing and it will keep getting fitter and stronger.

1. Straight bar push down and cable rope curl superset. On a cable set up one cable for a push down with a bar to the top and the other with a rope to the bottom to hit your biceps and triceps with 4 supersets of 10 reps and only rest 60 seconds once you have done both moves back to back once. Then repeat 3 more times.

2. Cable crossovers superset with isometric press up. Perform 10 reps on the cable crossovers and then get into a press up position and lower till you feel your chest stretching and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat the superset 4 times.

3. Russian twist and leg raises. Perform 10 Russian twists and then 10 lying leg raises or to challenge yourself 10 hanging leg raises. That's one superset and yes you have guessed it. Perform it 4 times.

4. Seated rows. On a cable set up the D handles at the bottom of the station and perform 4 sets of 10 reps of seated rows. And your lucky as this is no superset.

5. Alternating split squat lunges. Drop into a lunge position and push off your feet into the air and switch your stance in mid air to land with the opposite foot in front. Perform 4 sets of 20 reps.

6. Choose 3 cardio pieces and on the first do 10 minutes of 65% of your max heart rate. Then do 10 minutes on the second piece at 90% of your max then on the final 3rd piece drop back down to 65% again and complete 8 minutes and then 2 minutes as a cool down.

The 30's workout

Today DJHFitness brings you the ultimate 30's workout. At this age you need to increase your testosterone levels and growth hormone by working multiple muscle groups in big lifts. 


1. Squats. Remember to keep the arch in your back and push with your heels. You should be able to wiggle your toes throughout the entire move. Do 4 sets of 8 reps.


2. Lat Pulldown. Use a machine or cable and sit underneath pulling the bar or handles down to your chest whilst leaning back slightly. Do 4 sets of 8 reps


3. Deadlift. Stand over a barbell, feet flat on the floor and shoulder-width apart, with toes just under the bar. Squat down and take hold of the bar with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder width. Keeping your arms extended, lift the bar by driving through the heels and thrusting your hips forward when the bar has cleared your knees. Keep the bar as close to your body as possible and pull your shoulders back at the top of the movement. Do 4 sets of 8 reps.



4. Dips. Set yourself up at a dip station and steady yourself in the extended position. Keep your torso straight and your shoulders directly above your hands. Lower your body till your elbow reaches 90 degrees and then push back up to the start position. Do 4 sets of 8-10 reps



5. Dumbbell Bench Press. Lie on a bench with a set of dumbbells on your thighs and lie back raising the dumbbells up into the air. Keeping your elbows at 45 degrees to your side lower the dumbbells till you have a 90 degree bend in your elbow. Then push the dumbbells up whilst keeping your shoulders pinned back to the bench. 



6. Interval Sprints. Like the 20's workout we finish with sprints to give us 5 minutes of high intensity cardio instead of 30 minutes of boredom. Setup a treadmill to a 9 out of 10 speed and alternate for 20 seconds working and 20 seconds rest. When resting jump on the side and let the belt keep running.

The 20's workout

Whilst your in your 20's your body is going to give you back whatever you put in as long as you use the correct workout. Here is the best workout to maximise your lean muscle capabilities. 

Incline Bench Press at a 30 degree angle - 5 sets of 4 reps at 85% 1RM

Romanian Deadlift - 5 sets of 8 at 70% 1RM

Jump Squat - 3 sets of 8 at 70% 1RM

Clean and Jerk - 3 sets of 10 reps at 70% 1RM

Chin Ups - 3 sets of 8 reps

Sprints - Warm up for 5 minutes then set the speed to an effort level of 9 out of 10. Sprint for 20 seconds then jump onto the sides of the treadmill and rest for 20 seconds. Repeat for 5 minutes. 

Turn It Off

Today we look at why television can cause unnecessary weight gain. In recent research it has been proven that people link TV with food. So when people eat they will watch TV or if they are going to watch TV....they eat. And it isn't just eating, it's snacking! On top of this it will 9 times out of 10 be bad snacking. Crisps, chocolate and other rubbish you don't need in your diet. There is one simple way though that you can stop this. Turn it off. It is simple. When your watching television and you get the urge to grab a snack or have your TV dinner. Turn it off. You will find that because every time you want food you have to turn the TV off it will get annoying. So to avoid the snacking and stop the mindless eating, turn the TV off, when you want to scoff.

Triceps over Biceps

In the race for big guns 99% of people will train their biceps hard and forget about their triceps. This is a mistake as your triceps make up two thirds of your arm. So if you don't work those tri's hard you will never have sleeve pinching guns. To really get your arms pumped and growing use big moves. Try this little tricep workout to get the gun show started.

Close grip bench press - 3 sets - Reaching failure by the 8th rep

Perform the next three exercises as a tri set.
Complete the tri set 3 times.

Rope Pulldowns - 10 reps
Tricep extensions with dumbbells - 10 reps
Dips - to failure

Testosterone Boosters

To build muscle we need testosterone. To do this we need foods that are going to raise our levels of testosterone. The next few foods will help you on your way to bigger guns and a smaller waist.

Eggs - The yolk in eggs gives you vitamin D but is also full of testosterone. This will raise you levels and the high protein content in eggs too will also give those muscles a good kick. Have 2-3 a day, 3-4 times a week.

Garlic - Garlic helps to lower levels of cortisol the stress hormone. Cortisol fights with testosterone for muscles sites so if your stressed your testosterone will be lower. Also cortisol will cause weight gain so remove the stress and reap the rewards.

Tuna - The vitamin D in tuna also bolsters your testosterone by up to 90%. Also tuna gives you a high sex drive which again is down to the testosterone boost. Have a tin on opposite days to eggs to keep the levels up every single day.

Milk - Milk offers us amino acids which help to lower the high oestrgen levels that overweight people carry. So if your looking to build muscle and get slim have two 200ml glasses of semi skimmed milk a day to raise testosterone levels and reduce the blubber.

Drink Smartly

Today looks at certain drinks and how they can aid your training goals. I will look at coffee, green tea and even alcohol.

Coffee - Coffee can be a big aid to you in the gym and out of it. Coffee contains caffeine which will speed up your metabolism helping fat loss. If you want to really get the best out of it have it with no sugar or milk. Also a cup 30 minutes before training will increase your strength gains and also boost your mental alertness throughout your workout.

Green tea - This chinese tea is a diamond in the rough for anyone trying to reduce their body fat. Like coffee it speeds up your metabolism helping fat loss but also it contains polyphenols which help breakdown fat in the body. To improve it one more step a cup of green tea within two hours after a meal will help increase the breakdown of fat by a third! So make the smart choice and upgrade your next cuppa.

Alcohol - Alcohol can actually be beneficial if.....you trying to bulk up. The reason is that alcohol inhibits the amount of fatty acids in your bloodstream so your body will burn fewer calories sparing them for those hard grafting workouts and to build the bulk you want. We should try to not have more than 0.8kg of alcohol per kg of body-weight. This means an 80kg man can have 2.5 pints a day before it starts to give girth to your gut instead of your guns.

Beat muscle soreness

After a big session in the gym you need to restore those glycogen levels. How can you do this you may ask? Bananas. This is because bananas are more useful than gel bars or isotonic drinks at refueling your glycogen stores for your next session. The GI index of bananas will get protein to your muscles quicker and start the rebuilding process of your muscles to help you recover a lot quicker. The reason the bananas are able to stop soreness is because blood levels of a compound that prevent soreness and inflammation were higher after eating a banana that what they where after any other carb based sports drink. So grab a bunch and get going.

Cut calories at meal times

Here is today's blog with just a few tips on how to cut calories at meal times to get you into shape for summer.

1. Adding lemon juice to a meal can reduce the GI index level of a food slowing the speed it will be absorbed into your bloodstream. This is brilliant as the Higher the GI level, the bigger the insulin rise and we all should know from previous blogs this will cause fat storage if the sudden energy burst you have isn't used.

2. Have 2 glasses of water before a meal and it can reduce calorie consumption by up to 90 calories. Simple but effective.

3. Adding vinegar to your salads can really help you get into shape and it could be the secret to your summer six pack. Research has shown that vinegar can reduce body-fat by up to 10%.

4. Finally apples also will help reduce the calories taken in during a meal if you eat one before. So they don't just keep the doctor away but they will keep the calories at bay too.

 

Don't obsess about weight

When people come to me and say I want to lose weight I always use a mix of cardio and weights to burn big calories and gain lean muscle in both men and women. The reason? The more lean muscle we have the quicker our metabolism will be resulting in more calories burned. So how does this then affect our weight? Well muscle weighs more than fat so if a client loses weight in the first few weeks then starts to not lose any then they start to worry. Have you ever had this happen? If so then don't worry. If your doing weights and building new muscle whilst losing fat this will most likely happen or you might gain weight. Because muscle weighs more than fat as you put on muscle it will give you a nice lean, toned body which will be burning hundreds of calories a day. So don't obsess about your weight. Instead try to take a picture of yourself at the start of your program then after a month take another. This way you can see the changes over a period. Most of us don't tend to notice much change if we look at ourselves everyday so try to avoid checking yourself out in the mirror and take a picture, work hard and the results will show.

Sat Fat Offenders

If you out and you think "I haven't eaten for 3 hours" then you know you need something to keep you metabolism ticking over. And if your out shopping it's hard to eat healthy being surrounded by fast food places. If you then enter one of these let's hope you make the correct choice. Below are a list of the sat fat offenders and which options opting for instead won't pile on unnecessary pounds.

At Burger King - Have the sweet chilli chicken wrap over the XL Bacon Double Cheeseburger. The wrap only contains 2g of sat fats compared to the burgers 24g of sat that. That's 120% of a females sat fat allowance and 80% of a males.

At KFC - Avoid the colonels big daddy burger and chow down the brazer burger to save you 11g of saturated fat whilst getting some good quality protein.

At Mcdonalds - Lose the big tasty with bacon with its 22g of saturated fat and enjoy the quarter pounder with cheese to cut out 9g of saturated fat. This is still high so if you are nearer a kfc or bk then make the correct choice.

In a subway - Forget that spicy italian wrap and take the 6" beef sub with bbq sauce. This sub gives you protein but also only 1.5g of fat. This is the same amount as you find in some protein bars or even shakes!

Think about these when you out so all your hard work won't be wasted in the gym and remember "Results is what it's all about"

Hold It Steady

When people workout they use straight sets and supersets and many other ways to stimulate their muscles. A very good way that people really look past is using isometric exercises. Isometric exercises or holds are when you hold a position whilst the muscle is under tension. An explanation is during a bicep curl you could curl the dumbbell up and hold the position when you reach a 90 degree bend in your elbow. Doing this keeps a constant strain on the muscles and tires the muscle out even more than usual and faster. It is also good if you find your rush your sets and struggle to slow down your repetitions. Below is a few exercises regularly used in the gym in which you can add isometric holds.

Cable Flyes - Halfway through the concentric phase of the fly hold the position for 2 seconds, carry on until you reach the full range of motion. As you come back in the eccentric phase stop again in the same position for 2 seconds and finish the rep. That's one.

Reverse Cable Flyes - The same as above but for the back muscles.

Isometric Lat Raises - Get a partner to stand behind you and raise you arms out to the side at 45 degrees. Get your partner to press down on your hands as you press against them. If you arms reach shoulder height get a stronger partner. If you train alone then get a pair of dumbbells and hold then at shoulder height out to the side. Hold this position for 30 seconds and try to fight against the decent.

Dumbbell Curl - Take a pair of dumbbells and hold them at your sides. Palms facing forwards curl one up to 90 degrees and hold it there. Curl the other dumbbell all the way up and back down. Then curl it up to 90 degrees and switch to curl on the other side curling the dumbbell from the 90 degree hold up to your shoulder, all the way down then back up to 90 degrees.

Tricep Rope Extension - Stand to a cable pulley and put the cable all the way to the top pin. Attach a rope to it and stand holding the rope. Keeping your elbows in extend the rope to 90 degrees and hold for 2 seconds, then complete the concentric phase. Pause at the bottom and contract the tricep then on the eccentric phase stop again at 90 degrees for 2 seconds before completing the full rep.

God Like Power - Part 2

Here is the second circuit used by Chris Hemsworth to get him into shape to play the God Of Thunder. Complete circuit 1 from yesterday 3 times one day and complete todays circuit 3 times on another day with 2 days rest in between to build key muscle for big strength and power.

Circuit 2:

Zercher Squats: Rack a bar at waist height and grip it in the crock of your elbow. Step back and squat down until your elbows touch your knees. That's one. Perform 6-8 reps.

Eccentric Lateral Holds: With a dumbbell in each hand hold at shoulder level for 30 seconds and fight the descent.

Rowing Intervals: Set a rower to maximum level and row as hard as you can for 20 seconds then slow and steady for 10 seconds. Complete until you reach 4 minutes.

Barbell Punch Press: Set a barbell in the corner and hold it in your right hand. Rock back and punch it forwards. Then change your stance and complete on the other side. That's one rep. Complete 8 reps each side.

Medicine Ball Slams: Stand with a medicine ball in your hands. Raise the ball above your head with straight arms and slam in down forcefully into the ground. Complete 8 reps.

Weight Plate Circles: Grab a heavy weight and with your arms slightly bent rotate it over and around your head in a constant motion for 30 seconds in one direction then 30 seconds in the other.

Rest for 60 seconds and complete 2 more times.

God Like Power

Today brings your the workout that got Chris Hemsworth into shape to play Thor, The God Of Thunder!
Whilst eating a lot, Hemsworh put on too much size to get ready for the role. He had to trim down so to do so he used these high intensity circuits to maintain his muscle and burn fat which can be a very hard thing to do. Here are the two circuits Hemsworth completed to keep building and shred fat for a body worthy of any God.

Circuit 1:

Side to side pull-ups: Hang from a pull up bar and complete a pull up touching your chin to your left hand, lower and repeat to your right hand. Complete for 6-8 reps each side.

Cable Crossovers: Use a cable machine and complete 8-12 reps to carve a chest of steel

High incline treadmill sprint: Set a treadmill to a 10% incline and sprint for 45 seconds at 70% of your max.

Medicine ball throw: Stand left side on to a wall with a medicine ball in the crock of your right elbow. Bring it back and fling it at the wall turning to land with your other foot nearest the wall. Complete 8 reps each side.

Cable wood chops: Use a cable machine and stand side on with a cable at shoulder height. Keeping straight arms all the way, pull the cable around to hip height for 6-8 reps each side to have the core of Thor!

Farmers Walk: Grab a set of heavy dumbbells and find a space in front you about 5m in length. Hold the dumbbells and walk 5m turn and walk back.

Repeat the circuit 3-4 times resting 60 seconds in between each circuit. You don't need to rest in between each exercise!!!

Make sure you check back tomorrow for the second circuit used by Hemsworth as well. It isn't easy being a god!

Motivational Boosters

When you regularly hit the gym you get into a routine but getting into it can be hard. The reason? Motivation!
It is the same with dieting. We can do it for 2-3 days then unless we are very strict and disciplined we fall off the rails and start scoffing again. Again we lack motivation. Here are a few things to get you looking forward to the gyms to make big improvements to your lifestyle and live healthier.

1. Have a cheat day or cheat meal. If you aren't as strict have one day a week when you eat the things you crave. Chocolate, crisps, takeaway, beer, wine etc. Enjoy these things on that one day and be strict the other six days. If you can be disciplined then have a cheat meal instead of the whole day. This kick of rubbish in your system will be a change to your healthy ways and you metabolism will speed up to kick it out!

2. Use someone you look up to as inspiration. It sounds like a thing you did when you where a kid but it works. If you say "I wanna be like him or her" then the person you choose will make you work hard to look like them.

3. Book a holiday. As soon as people book a holiday abroad they think "I need to get my beach body" so they join the gym and start to hit it, hard. This will mean you want to get in shape to look good on the beach instead of walking about with a beer gut all holiday.

4. Pack you gym kit the night before. It will make you more likely to use it than if you have to get up and do it on the day.

5. Picture yourself through your partners eyes. Imagine what they want to see or if you can put up with the criticism then get them to tell you your worst feature, whether its your legs etc and then go and work them. It works as we all want to look good for our partners especially if they are in good shape. Just make sure it doesn't cause arguments etc.

6. Make a playlist. Music can be a real big motivator in the gym so if you pick songs you love instead of rubbish they have on in the gyms sometimes then you will have a workout of enjoyment as well as pain. Also make sure the playlist is long enough for your session as playing on your ipod wastes precious time.

7. Finally do things you enjoy. There are certain moves people don't like so if you really dislike a move don't do it as it will cause you to not want to go to the gym to do it. Instead find an alternative. If you don't like pull ups do lat pulldowns etc.

Build Strength on the course

Today's blog is for any golfer that wants to improve their game but also shows moves that can be used in the gym to build power and take control of your training. These next moves will show you how to hit further, build power and take control of your swing to really strengthen your body and game and also they will help you burn more calories over 18 holes.

Hit further by working your hip rotators. To improve your hip control use single leg squats or for a challenge use alternating single leg squats. These give you a solid foundation and good balance to get equal distribution throughout your swing. Lower into a single leg squat and drive up landing on the other leg and lowering. Then repeat. 3 sets of 8 on each leg should do it.

To build power then build your core. Your core is the staple to have a powerful body so making it strong will help you in all sports not just golf. Try reverse twisting crunches to hit your core and obliques whilst attracting female attention from your ripped abs. Lie on your back and perform a reverse crunch. When your hips are off the ground rotate your knees to your right and then go back to the start and repeat on your left. 3 sets of 15 reps each side will improve your torso control and strengthen your posture muscles giving you stronger controlled rotations meaning more controlled power. If it becomes too easy then hold a weight between your knees to really rip it up.

Finally take control of your club by building your rotator cuffs in your shoulders. Building these little beauties will increase your control over your club on the fairway and especially in the rough and sand to get you onto the green sooner. To do this take a dumbbell in each hand and have them at your sides. Then raise one to the side and the other out in front of you till you reach shoulder height and lower slowly. Alternate sides doing 16 reps overall for 3 sets. You might need a few new t-shirts as well for those boulder shoulders.      

Healthy Pancakes

For pancake lovers out there who are trying to lose some weight or diet then there is a way to overcome your cravings by having pancakes. How? Try this simple recipe instead of your normal pancakes to help your stop the cravings and also feed your body protein and slow release carbs for the day. For porridge pancakes you will need:
4oz of porridge oats
1 egg
and milk or water if your really strict

Simply make like you would make normal pancakes but all your are doing is changing your flour for porridge oats. Once cooked serve with peanut butter or fresh fruit and greek yoghurt. This breakfast will give your a great start to the day giving you protein from the eggs and peanut butter, slow release carbs from the porridge and vitamins from the egg yolk and any fruit your have. Adding yoghurt will give more protein as well and yoghurt has been shown to aid fat loss. So for a breakfast to remove the pangs for pancakes try these magic little numbers to see how you get on.

How do you like your eggs in the morning?

You know the song says "how do you like your eggs in the morning?" etc well following it up and having eggs for breakfast can help you lose fat, gain muscle and stop you from taking in extra calories later on in the day. First eggs are full of vitamin D with 20% of your RDA per egg, they optimise your fat burning, protect your bones and boost your immune system. Eggs are also great for muscle building. With 6g of protein per egg 2-3 will kick start your metabolism and fill you with vitamins and minerals from the yolk first thing. Lastly eggs are brilliant for losing weight as studies show that having eggs for breakfast stops you craving carby, starchy foods later on in the day. Try scrambled, poached or boiled eggs on wholegrain toast for breakfast or if you fancy something different a Spanish omelette will really fill you with plenty of vitamins from all the veg in there too.    

Gym Jargon

If your new to the gym or are not sure about things people are on about it can get confusing. Here are a few things that you might hear in the gym and you may think "what does that mean?":

Rep - This is doing the exercise once like performing one press up. Nice and easy to start.

Set - This is a multiple amount of reps. So if you do 8 press ups then stop that is one set.

Concentric phase - This is the lifting part of a lift. The concentric phase is the hardest part so the push in a bench press or pulling the bar to your chest in a bent over row.

Eccentric phase - This is the lowering phase in a lift. This is usually the easiest part but going slow on this phase will really help your gains.

1RM - If you see this on a sign or on someones workout it means 1 rep max. Simple really. The maximum amount you can lift on that exercise.

Anabolic window - This is the hour after a workout when your body is most responsive to building muscle so getting a source of protein in that hour as soon as your workout finishes is crucial.

Superset - Performing two exercises back to back is known as a superset. There are many different types of supersets. If you want to know more then check out my supersets blog.

These are a few of the many things you may hear in the gym but if you hear anymore then leave a comment or contact me and I will get back to your to help you with your query.

Slow and steady wins the race

When you lift tempo can be key to building lean muscle. The reason is that the longer a muscle is under strain the more damage it does to the tissue making it grow back bigger and stronger. This known as time under tension of the muscle. So if you regularly hit the gym but have started seeing your gains slow and you do your reps as quick as you can then this might be the problem. What can you do about it? Slow down! This is especially important for the eccentric phase or the lowering phase. The way you lift can also depend on your goals. It has been shown in studies that lifting quick will increase you calorie burn by 10% but you won't cause as big a breakdown of your muscles. If you are training for muscle I would recommend a 3120 tempo. This is 3 seconds for the eccentric phase, 1 second rest at the bottom, 2 seconds up and a no rest at the top. To build strength and power a the tempo mainly used would be 4010. This mean that your power comes from the explosive 1 second, or less, concentric (pushing or pulling) phase. Varying your tempo can also be a great way to get over a plateau in your training. Just mixing up such a simple thing can really help you reach your goals quicker. To avoid plateau's you can mix up your tempo each week to keep your body guessing and growing back bigger and stronger.

Your 6 pack guide

Everyone wants a six pack and to get it there is no point just doing endless crunches. They won't get your anywhere. To get your 6 pack you need to first remove the layer of fat sitting over the top of your abs. Then you need to stimulate the muscles with complex core busting moves. Your 6 pack is made up of mainly your transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques.

Transverse abdominis are major players in getting a lean and ripped looking 6 pack is to train the TA. This muscle sits behind your rectus abdominis and acts as a corset which holds your organs in and when trained gives you a leaner looking gut. It also protects your spine at the same time and strengthening the muscle will improve your strength in not just abdominal moves but also big lifts like the squat, deadlift and bench press. To train your TA use the plank and dragon flyes to really work that core and use big moves like the squat and deadlift too because when your core supports you in these moves the TA is trained at the same time.

The rectus abdominis is the bit everyone wants to see. This is your 6 pack muscle that runs from your rib cage to your pelvis. It isn't actually seperate muscle but just a single muscle seperated by tendons. To get this to show your need to reduce your body-fat % and also train the muscle with a variety of moves. A key more is the barbell rollout. This moves stretches the muscle and put it into a weak position so it will have to grow back stronger to support your next time.

The external obliques handle any movement of twisting, rotation etc like swinging a racket or bat or throwing a punch. Keeping these lean, in men especially can be crucial to getting the abs your want as men tend to store fat around this area. Get yours into shape with wood-choppers and cable rotations.

To finish the internal obliques are a diamond in the rough. These act as shock absorbers and protect your spine and core when you twist too quick. They also help raise your diaphragm up and down to help with breathing so training these are crucial. They will be hit with rotations and wood-choppers but add some side planks in their too to nail them hard then leave them to rest. Otherwise breathing for the next few days might be a bit achy.

When high GI can help

High GI foods get a lot of bad rep but there is one time when they can be helpful to us. High GI foods like white bread, white rice and white potatoes release their energy quickly and this can be a problem if you consume often, even in small portions. The reason being is that when they release their energy it is sent to the muscles to give them energy but if you don't use it then it will get stored as fat, nine times out of ten, around your abdomen. The only time to use these carbs then are either before or after training. If you consume them before you will feed your muscles the energy they need before a workout to power you through. Consuming them after will really enhance your recovery. How? The energy released will cause an insulin spike which will flood your muscles with protein to help them recover quicker and refill your glycogen stores for your next workout. To maximise the potential of these carbs consume them with protein to really give a super kick to your recovery period. I advise a jacket potato with tuna or buy an all in one shake as neither are high in fat but will give you the protein and carbs you need to really boost the growth and repair of your muscles. If you have whey protein powder then have it with a banana or even try blending the two together to make your own banana protein shake.

The magic of beans on toast

The classic, filling lunch can be a great way to help you reach your goals and build muscle. How you ask? Beans are full of slow release carbohydrates, fibre and protein to keep you full and burning muscle all day whilst giving you slow release energy to beat the mid afternoon slump. The magic of beans on toast really kicks in when you pair it with two pieces of wholegrain toast. The reason being that when you compare the amino acids in half a tin of beans compared to a sirloin steak the steak holds double the amount of aminos as the beans. This changes dramatically when you put half a tin on two pieces of wholegrain toast (the stuff with the seeds in) the beans then beat the steak in the amino race. The reason this helps is because amino acids are the base of protein in your muscles so upping the intake of foods in these will help you recover quicker and stop catabolism (the breakdown) of your muscles. So for a great start to the day or to aid your recovery look to beans on toast as a new muscle building meal.

Why women should do weights!

Yes ladies you read correctly. Women should do weights. Why?
It will get you a leaner and fitter body much quicker. How?
When you lift weights you raise the speed of metabolism for up to the next 72 hours which means your body is burning more calories than what it would do naturally. This then results in more calories burned and we all know you ladies love to count your calories. Also lifting weights increases your lean muscle tissue which will permanently increase the speed of your metabolism. And don't worry ladies. Lifting weights won't mean you will become a bodybuilder. A female doesn't have enough testosterone like a male to increase muscle tissue so you needn't worry about growing massive biceps. So to get a leaner body then stay to short cardio under 20 minutes and incorporate a weights circuit into your workout 2-3 times a weeks to keep the intensity up and the calories burning.

German Volume Training

Here is a blog for those who are struggling to put on size. German Volume Training is a guaranteed way of putting on size and muscle. Famous in NFL squads to add size during the off season, German Volume Training is the perfect way to add size. FAST! So how does it work. German Volume Training involves you taking one exercise for a body part and doing 10 sets of 10 reps at 60% of your 1RM. You pair two different muscles and then superset the exercises to really work you. This will really push you and while you may not feel it at the start you definately will be at the end. There are many ways to split the programme up but here is a rough idea. With the programme make sure you rest a day in between workouts and leave 5-7 days before doing the same workout again.

Day 1: Chest and Back

Flat Dumbbell Presses - 10 sets of 10 reps
Superset with
Chin Ups - 10 sets of 10 reps

Incline Dumbbell Flyes - 3 sets of 10 reps
Superset with
Bent Over Row - 3 sets of 10 reps

Day:2 Rest

Day 3: Legs and Abs

Barbell Squat - 10 sets of 10 reps
superset with
Straight leg deadlift - 10 sets of 10 reps

Hanging knee raise - 3 sets of 10 reps
superset with
Calf Raise - 3 sets of 10 reps

Day 4: Rest

Day 5: Shoulders and Arms

Dips - 10 sets of 10 reps
Superset with
Incline Dumbbell Curl - 10 sets of 10 reps

Lat raise - 3 sets of 10 reps
Superset with
Upright Row - 3 sets of 10 reps

Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Light cardio if you want or rest

Quick Hunger Busters

Here are a few quick hunger busters to keep the hunger pangs at bay:

1. Apples - Their fibre will keep you full in between meals and the sugar will stop you picking into the biscuit tin later.
2. Peanut butter - Their healthy fats and protein are great to keep you going and pair with an apple to really give you a top snack.
3. Oatcakes - Compared to ryvita or rice cakes oatcakes have low GI, slow release energy powers to keep you full up and stop a carb crash later on in the day.
4. Almonds - These again are like the peanut butter with their protein to keep you full but they have less saturated fat if your really looking to cut up.
5. And last but not least - Green tea. Yes not a food but green tea is a great hunger buster to swap your normal cup for a great hunger buster and fat burner.

Are you actually hungry?

Most of you might be thinking yes but in fact this post is about whether you are actually hungry or is your body thirsty. The reason being that many of us don't drink enough water and as the body is 70% water we need to keep our levels topped up. When our bodies are thirsty sometimes we mistake it for hunger and we eat. The problem is your not actually hungry but your body wants fluids so we eat and use the fluids in the food to fill ourselves. This can then cause excess, unnecessary eating which can lead to weight gain. So next time your hungry try drinking some water and see how you feel after. Another point to make is that your body needs water to function properly especially if you partake in exercise. The reason being that if we are dehydrated by just 2% you will feel tired and lose strength and endurance in the gym. Also the body needs water to aid the transportation of vitamins and minerals around the body to aid those workouts and help us recover after a session. So to make sure your on top of your game and drink a minimum of 2 litres of water a day. If you don't want to carry a big bottle around then put 4 elastic bands on a bottle. Once you have drunk one bottle take one band off and put it on your wrist. Then re-fill the bottle and as soon as all 4 bands are on your wrist you have drunk your 2 litres. Anything more is a bonus.

Legs - The bodies natural growth hormone

Every gym has what I like to call an ''upside down triangle man''. These are the blokes with a big chest, broad back, cannon ball delts but no legs and they look silly because as soon as they wear shorts their lower body looks tiny. You will hear them saying "I want more size. I want bigger biceps" etc but they won't ever get any bigger because they don't work their legs. Your legs are the biggest muscles in your body and every time you work them they release big growth hormones into the body giving your muscles an anabolic state to work with. This then means that when it releases these hormones it feeds the other muscles being worked making them grow bigger and stronger. The result? A bigger, stronger, leaner body. Working your legs doesn't just mean you will get big. If you are looking for a leaner look then working your legs will help you burn more calories, resulting in reduced body fat and more lean muscle by increasing your metabolic rate. So don't shy away from leg work in fear you will have tree trunks thighs the next day. So no matter what your goal is working your legs will get you there a lot quicker. For the best way to get these hormones firing the body incorporate squats, dead-lifts and lunges into your next workout as these compound moves work all of your leg muscles burning more calories giving your better results.

Hit the hay

You might be dieting hard and sweating endlessly in the gym but still not be seeing gains and the time you go to sleep or the amount of sleep you get might be effecting this. When you train your body needs rest to grow and repair and when you sleep this is multiplied even more as your body releases hormones to repair those muscles that have been worked. The best results are seen for 7-8 hours worth of sleep with a minimum of 6 being what you need. Also hitting the hay before midnight will double the amount of hormones released making your recovery time and gains happen quicker too. So for those of you that feel your doing everything right but your still struggling then have a think about what time you go to sleep and how many hours your getting and how this could be effecting your true potential in and out of the gym.

More than mirror muscles

Many guys who want to get in shape want 3 things. 

1. Big arms

2. Big Chest

3. Ripped abs

The problem? You have muscles in your back too and not training them as hard or harder than these mirror muscles can have detrimental effects on your bodies overall strength and look. You've seen the lad who come in the gym and bench, then bench some more. Well next time you see them look at their posture and you will notice the way they stand reminds you of a gorilla. This is because all that bench work and not enough chest work has wound their chest so tight it rounds their shoulders and gives them a hunchback posture. To avoid this you need to work your back the same amount or slightly more and you also want your chest and back to be of equal strength or your back be stronger if you can. This will help to draw those shoulder back to where they should be and avoid injuries that can come with overstretched back and rear shoulder muscles. Also if you have a slight hunched posture it is important to get this sorted before you start to work on your chest, again to prevent injuries and give you a taller, broader posture. The other part to this is that you want to make sure you stretch you muscles to prevent them from tightening up after your workout. 

Beat the stress to beat your gut

We all get stressed in life but too much stress could be the reason you  are not achieving your fitness goals or reaching your full potential in and out the gym. You might have a perfect plan that changes every 6-8 weeks and you might have a set 7 day diet plan that would get anyone ripped but if your stressed these won't get you the body you want. Stress causes the release of cortisol in the body which causes fat to store around your abdominal region and can cause chronic diseases in the long run and it can also weaken your immune system making your prone to illnesses too. So to beat your gut for the summer your need to beat stress and relax. The only time stress might be useful is to get angry in the gym. Getting angry has been shown to increase strength in the gym but apart from this stress is a big no. So make sure you leave it in the gym and leave calm, relaxed and stress free for the ultimate stress free summer.

Rotator Cuff - A must work muscle

A lot of people performing shoulder, chest, back or even tricep and bicep exercises don't realise the importance of their rotator cuff muscle in their shoulder. The rotator cuff is the local muscle in your shoulder which provides stability and damage or injury to this muscles can affect any type of lifting exercise. The most common types of injury are impingement or eve tears of the rotator cuff. These tend to happen in athletes that throw like baseball pitchers, cricketers, American football quarterbacks or athletes that use a lot of shoulder work like swimmers. Without protection though these injuries can happen to weightlifters and bodybuilders or even general gym goers because of the general wear and tear to the tendons without strengthening the area. If you are ever unlucky and do get an injury to this muscle you will lose strength and may not even be able to perform some exercises like bench presses, pull ups, rows and of course shoulder exercises. To safeguard your shoulders you need to strengthen the rotator cuff. The best exercises to strengthen the rotator cuff are any exercise where you externally rotate the shoulder. The best examples are side lying external rotations or standing cable external rotations so get yours in for lifelong healthy shoulders.  

The Importance of correct form

Keeping correct and safe form is very important in any form of exercise you do. Not performing an exercise with correct form can result in muscle imbalances and even worse injuries. The main thing I see in the gym are people wanting to lift heavy, going to lift heavy then cheating or using improper form to make themselves look big and strong. These are the people that then go and get injuries and are sidelined for weeks from the gym. The main piece of poor form I see are on bicep exercises particularly barbell curls or dumbbell curls. When performing these exercises you see people leaning back or swinging their arms and gaining momentum to lift the weight. This shows terrible form and proves the weight is too heavy for you too lift. The answer....GO LIGHTER!!! Another reason that poor form won't help you is because if you cheat when you lift then you cheat your muscles and they won't grow. The best tips to make sure you lift effectively are to make sure you follow these points on any exercise:

1. Don't arch your back unless you want back problems in later life.
2. Don't strain your neck unless you enjoy neck ache.
3. Don't rock your body to gain momentum otherwise you are cheating your muscles.
4. Breath when lifting, otherwise you will cause your blood pressure to rise, causing you to feel light headed.
5. Use full range of motion to enhance your flexibility and the time and range your muscles are under tension.
6. Focus on the muscles you want to work on and make sure you feel it in those muscles.
7. And lastly only increase the weight on an exercise by small amounts so that none of the other 6 points apply. 

Superfood 5: Blueberries

The last one of your superfoods is blueberries because these little fruity snacks boost brain power. This is thanks to their antioxidants and flavanoids. These little numbers mop up the nasty cells that will damage DNA cell walls. Also they will lower bad cholesterol. This is due to the fibre in blueberries and they also encourage your body to burn fat by triggering hormonal changes in the body. The last thing is that blueberries can help you look younger due to their polyphenols which act as an antioxidant. So make sure your summer fruit salad contains plenty of fruit this year for a better looking and feeling body.

Superfood 4: Garlic

During those winter blues garlic can be your best friend. This is because it helps to fight the common cold due to its natural antibiotics. Garlic contains powerful antibacterial properties, anti yeast and anti-virus properties so stock up on yours in dishes like bolognese or add too your pizza toppings. Also it has anti cancer fighting cells like broccoli and it will also boost your mojo. Not a bad reason to chuck it into dishes to spice things up.

Superfood 3: Broccoli

Today is about Broccoli! The super veg. Broccoli can reduce your risk of heart disease if cooked properly. Don't overcook it basically. When you overcook it, broccoli loses all its nutrients including thioredoxin which protects heart cells from damage so to get the best from your broccoli then stir fry or steam lightly for five minutes. Broccoli also helps to lower blood pressure. It contains the vegetable protein glutamic acid which lowers hypertension. Broccoli  also has cancer fighting effects too so remember to get yours in three times a week if you can.

Superfood 2: Yoghurt

Yoghurt is the way to go. Have it on deserts or by itself with a pinch of cinnamon and you have yourself a great snack. Yoghurt firstly will help promote fat loss. this is due to the calcium reducing fat cells storage ability so the fat you do consume will be used as an energy source. Stay away from the Muller corners, even the fruit kind, and just get fat free Greek natural yoghurt. It also strengthens your immune system too by increasing a protein that will activate immune cells and boost the production of virus fighting antibodies. Lastly yoghurt contains protein so it is great as a snack to keep getting your protein hit throughout the day.

Superfood 1: Eggs

This next 5 blogs will cover 5 major superfoods that will aid your training, fitness goals and general health.

Today's superfood are Eggs.

Eggs are a great source of protein and your body will use 94% of the protein in an egg to aid your tiring muscles. A typical egg holds 6g of protein so they make great snacks in between meals or 3-4 in a meal will really do you a big favor. The high protein will also mean they keep your hunger at bay. Eggs will also protect your eyesight due to their antioxidants and due to the vitamins and minerals in the yolk they will help to maintain good hair, skin and nails. So for strong muscle building and a good look to go with it then forget egg white omelettes and get that yolk in too. 

The Big Myth!

To get a 6 pack you need to do sit ups right? Wrong! Sit ups don't even work you abs. They work your hip flexors. Everyone has a 6 pack...FACT! The problem with not being able to see it is that little layer of abdominal fat sitting over the top. The best way to move this and build you abs at the same time is doing weights and HIIT. These too together will burn more calories than thousands of sit ups and if you incorporate weights in they will keep your body burning calories up to the next 72 hours. To burn these calories though don't start doing bicep curls. You need big, compound moves to work those muscles to the max. The deadlift, squat, bench press, bent over row and military press will burn the most calories and earn you a solid core in no time and paired with high intensity interval training you will be seeing that beach body in no time!

Are you exercising too much?

Exercise alot? Still feel tired and lethargic? Then exercising too much could be your problem. Many people go to the gym and some believe 5, 6 or even 7 is the best way to get in shape. The problem is that if you pound away at your muscles and never give them a chance to rest how will they grow back better and stronger? They wont! I believe that unless you live the lifestyle of a model or a bodybuilder you shouldn't workout 3 days in a row. Every 3rd day take a rest and at the weekend treat yourself, relax, watch dvd's and eat pizza! This will let you unwind, stop you stressing and will help to give your metabolism a big kick if you have been eating clean and healthy Monday to Friday. The other problem is that you might not be eating enough. People who want to lose weight tend to cut calories, especially carbs from their diets. The problem is that doing this while going to the gym means you are burning so many calories you have none to fuel your day. To combat this don't avoid carbs but make sure your eating low GI carbs like wholegrain bread, wholegrain brown rice, brown pasta, sweet potatoes and porridge oats over the white refined versions. This will fuel those big workouts and give you the energy you need to keep you going.

Healthy foods making you fat?

Rice Cakes - They are supposed to be your healthy snack but with a high GI index there raise your blood sugar levels making you hungry sooner and not filling you up. Swap them for oatcakes to give you a slow release source of carbohydrates to keep you feeling fuller for longer.

Cereal bars - Most of these are full of sugar and fat and not even the good kinds of fat. Swapping these for a piece of fruit like an apple will fill you up a lot more with its fibre and give you plenty of vitamins.

Fruit Juice - For those trying to lose weight this is a definate no. Fruit is good for you but fruit juice is full of sugar and will cause weight gain around your midriff.  Fruit juice has also been found to contain more sugar than the actual fruit does itself.

Salad Dressing - Containing plenty of saturated fats and empty calories make your salad healthier with a little drizzle of olive oil or just enjoy it by itself to make sure your post meal isn't undoing your hard effort put into your gym sessions.

Saturday Night Calorie Savers

After a long hard week everyone looks forward to a takeaway. Here are a few rules to follow when eating out so you can enjoy your food and still be healthy.

1. Don't go for creamy or cheesy sauces. Go for tomato sauces and you will be saving yourself a ton of calories.
2. Go spicy. Spicy food will speed up your metabolism meaning you will burn more calories. So ditch the korma, man up and get that jalfrezi piling up!
3. Avoid anything deep fried or swimming in fat and if you having rice order steamed or boiled over the fried versions too.
4. If you have a starter, opt for lean meat sources like tandoori chicken if you at the Indian. Giving you plenty of protein as well this will fill you up before you main meaning you wont be tucking into nan bread as well.

Supplement Your Goals

To get the most from your training you have to have 3 key aspects. These are training, nutrition and supplementation. Supplementation can provide extra benefits to your training and get you to your goals quicker.  There are many supplements out there and today I will go over the basic but most effective one's to aid your training and fitness goals.

1. Whey Protein - The cheapest and most effective way to get extra protein in without bucket loads of cash going out. To keep building muscle you need to feed your body 6 times a day and try to base each meal with a source of protein. Shakes are convenient as you can have them as a snack in between meals and they are alot easier to consume than a meal. Anyone who is trying to gain muscle should be taking in a shake within 20 minutes of finishing their last rep in a workout. This is the anabolic window when protein will get to your muscles twice as fast and start the growth and repair procedure meaning you will recover quicker for your next session.

2. Creatine - Creatine is the most advanced way of increasing strength gains within your body. Creatine is naturally found in food but supplementation can speed up the rate that the body adapts to new stimulus meaning that if you keep your body guessing and use creatine you will grow bigger and stronger, quicker.

3. BCAA's - BCAA's are branched chain amino acids. These are the 3 amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine and they create a third of the essential amino acids in muscle protein and 40% of the required amino acids by humans. This supplement is a must if you train over one hour as it will prevent catabolism of your muscle if you do train over an hour. They also help you recover quicker and help preserve your energy during workouts and they are a must for anyone who trains on a regular basis.

4. Omega 3 - Omega 3 supplements are brilliant to aid training and reach your goals. One of the main things that makes them so good is that they will help you get your good fats and they have also been shown to increase lean muscle and reduce body fat levels. They are easy to consume as they come in pill form and they save you having to take in lots of oily fish which can also cost a lot too. Taking omega 3 will also help joint and skin health as well so you will keep your joints safe as your muscles grow and your body adapts to a new and better you.  

How Long is too Long?

Are you spending hours in the gym and still not seeing gains? Then the amount of time in the gym could be the key to a better body. If you spend hours in the gym you are most likely undoing the hard work you do in the first hour. The reason is none of us really have the lifestyle of a bodybuilder or a professional athlete as we work etc. So we can't train, then eat and rest, then train more because of time. If you train for 2 hours then during the second hour your body will go into a catabolic state and start to eat your protein and potentially muscle for fuel. This is because you will have used all your fats and carbohydrate stores up for that specific time and you body will need another energy source. So when you are going over an hour for your workout you are not gaining anything! The best way to protect yourself against this is to make your workout shorter. Do this by keeping your workouts more intense, shortening rest time ( no longer than 90 seconds in between sets) and once you have setup your next exercise get on with your first set straight away. If you try this and still find your 15-20 minutes over the hour mark then I will talk about supplements to help your goals including a special one to protect you against catabolism and increase your strength gains and lean muscle.    

Supersets

If your stuck in a hole or short for time then superset your workout.

Supersets are performing two exercises back to back. You can do this for the same body part or opposite body parts which is called antagonistic supersets. 

Same Set can then be divided into pre exhaust or post exhaust. Pre exhaust is tiring a muscle with an isolation move before then moving onto doing a big compound move. This will make sure you take the muscle to complete failure as you will start to use supporting muscles to help once the targeted muscle has completely failed. Post exhaust is the opposite as you will do you big compound move first then finish it off with an isolation move to push it beyond its boundaries. 

Antagonist sets are working opposite muscle groups so you would do a chin up for your biceps followed by dips for your triceps. This means whilst one muscle rests the other will work. It will also work your muscles hard in a short amount of time if you need a quick session. 

People doing supersets have shown to boost there strength gains a lot quicker than people who just do single set workouts. And they save themselves a lot more time! 

24 Hour Muscle

Everyone wanting to put on muscle knows you have to eat more protein to make sure you keep supplying your body with the amino acids it needs. So many of us will get up and start our day with protein, then 3 hours later, more protein and so on. The reason many people find they stop building could be at night. At night when we sleep our body will go into a catabolic state and can start to break down your muscle for an energy source. Many bodybuilders will wake in the night purposely to have a shake but for the people who want a good 8 hours sleep then I suggest you get a source of casein protein to fuel you. Casein is a slow release protein and will release its protein to your muscles gradually throughout the night to stop catabolism and keep your muscles in an anabolic state. The best natural sources of casein are cottage cheese and milk or you can buy a casein powder instead. So make sure you still have you glass of milk before you go to bed. Just make sure you leave the cookies in the cupboard.

Keep mixing it up

How many people do you see coming in the gym everyday and they do the same routine week in week out?
I see my fair amount. Then they moan they aren't seeing changes and they "hit a wall". The Reason?
You need to keep mixing it up! Your program for you fitness goals should change every 6-8 weeks. The reason is that your muscles get used to what you do after about 6-8 weeks so they need to keep having new reason to get bigger and stronger.
Things you can do are:
- Changing your reps each week. So cycling between 1-5 reps one week going heavy, 6-8 a little lighter then  12-15 reps with again less weight and keep rotating the cycle each week
- Change the speed of your reps so you go slow one week then go fast the next so hit all your different muscle  fibres
- Do whole body workouts or circuits instead of just doing split routines all the time. It will mix things up and increase your cardiovascular fitness too.
- And finally changing the exercises you do. This will find weaknesses you never knew you had.

Key Fitness Tips

Just a quick post with a few tips to keep you fuller for longer and how to get you towards your better body quicker:

1. Drink at least 2 litres of water a day
2. Eat 6 small meals a day and don't go for 3 hours without eating
3. Have more protein as it keeps you fuller 30% longer
4. Do cardio in the morning on an empty stomach to burn abdominal fat quicker
5. Reduce carbs after 3pm and get majority of carbs in you breakfast and lunch
6. Get more than your recommended 5 a day but limit fruits to just 2 because of the sugar content
7. Get a daily multivitamin as a safety barrier to make sure you get em all in!
8. Have a cheat meal or if your not as strict a cheat day once a week. Your metabolism can slow down after a  
    week of health eating and your motivation will be hit too so treat yourself every now and then.

Dieting for your Sport or Goals

There are so many different diets out there depending on your sports or goals and some do work but some don't. The main thing I want to talk about today is the three macro-nutrients:

Protein

Carbohydrates

Fats

Protein is the main building blocks of muscle and helps for growth and repair after those long tiresome sessions in the gym. Made up of amino acids protein will help give you lean muscle, helps your gain strength and size, help you recover for your next session and keep you fuller for longer. If you are training for endurance events etc you should be looking for 1.2g of protein per kg of body weight. For strength you need 1.4-1.6g per kg of body weight and for hypertrophy you will need 2g per kg of body weight to support your needs.

Carbohydrates are you main energy source. This will help supply your muscles with the energy to power your workouts and help to get the protein to your muscles after a workout and throughout the day. Just make sure you are using low GI carbs. High GI carbs like chocolate, sweets, crisps and even white bread and white rice have a high GI index. Now the GI index is the speed at which the energy from the food is dispersed to your body. If  you eat a lot of white bread for instance or potatoes and you aren't exercising and using the energy then you body will store the excess energy as fat! We need low GI foods like oats, wholemeal or even better wholegrain bread, wholegrain brown rice, wholewheat pasta and sweet potatoes to release energy slowly through the day to keep you fueled. The only time good for High GI carbs would be after a workout to help restore your glycogen levels for your next session. This doesn't mean a big ice cream binge though. A banana and a protein shake will do nicely. If you do long endurance events remember you will need more carbs to keep you fueled but if you are only doing 60 minutes in the gym 3-4 times a week and are going for that ripped look you wont need energy drinks with excess sugar and you don't need excess carbs throughout the day. Try to get your carbs in at morning and lunch and a palm size portion if needed at dinner. 

Fats are important in getting you lean. You need to get good fats though. You need to support your body with good fats for a healthy heart, immune system, skin and if you are reducing your carbs they will help to fuel your workouts so protein wont be used. Just make sure they are monounsaturated fats that you will be having and a few polyunsaturated fats. Good sources of these are nuts, avocados, olive oil, olives, and oats. Monounsaturated fats have also been shown to help reduce abdominal fat and reduce the risk of heart disease in later life. Other good sources are fish as they contain the heart healthy omega 3. Omega 3 helps you get good skin and again can help you lose abdominal fat so make sure you get 3-4 servings of fish a week to help your training. 

Beginner Lifters

We all want to look good and doing the correct exercises will really help us achieve this. When you begin lifting whether you are male or female you need to focus on big compound, core busting moves to release hormones in your body, burn more calories and get your core muscles working for a complete whole body workout. If you are new to lifting then stay away from bicep curls or flyes and focus on The 5 Big Moves:

1. Deadlift - The king of gym moves

2. Squat - A real lower body and core killer

3. Bench Press - The ultimate strength test and ego builder

4. Bent over row - For equal back to chest strength so we don't look like gorillas

5. Military press - For boulder shoulders

These 5 moves are going to really make you grow and burn fat at the same time whilst hitting your core hard. Do all the moves standing apart from the bench press obviously and you will be growing all over. 

If you are unsure on any of these moves then ask you PT or fitness instructor in your gym for a demo. 

Beach Body Blast!

Stuck for time?
Training for a summer body?
Then HIIT it!

HIIT is High Intensity Interval Training and if your looking to lose fat for that sexy summer look then it is the way to train, especially if your short for time. It is proven this way of training will strip fat better than long hauls on the treadmill. This is because after 20-30 minutes your body starts to use protein as a fuel source resulting in a loss of lean muscle. So if your training for muscle gains and lean muscle then just think of a marathon runners build when you next go for a 2 hour jog. It can also be completed in the gym or outside and only takes 5 minutes to do.

Ways to train in the gym:
Treadmill - Start off at a jog for 1 minute then set the treadmill to a sprint pace and sprint for 20 seconds. After 20 seconds slow the speed down for 30-40 seconds or if your brave jump onto the sides and leave the belt running for 30 seconds before jumping back on for another 20 seconds. Repeat for 5 working minutes.

Bike - Warm up on a bike for 1 minute then pedal as hard as possible for 20 seconds and then pedal easily to rest for 20 seconds. If it seems to easy put the level up. Repeat this for 5 minutes.

Rower - Warm up for a minute and then set the rower to a challenging level and row hard for 20 seconds and then easy for 20 seconds. Repeat this for 5 minutes.

To train outside the gym find a distance between 2 points whether it be 2 trees or 2 lamp posts or even make your own with 2 cones etc about 60-100 metres apart and then sprint from one to the other then walk back to the 1st. Repeat this ten times to feel the full benefits or more if you fancy a challenge.

The Right Whey?

Are you getting the right whey protein?

There are many types of protein but the one mainly used by many of us is whey. The thing to question is are you using the right whey protein. The two I am on about are concentrate and isolate whey. Most cheaper versions of protein contain whey concentrate as a main product and isolate as a side product which isn't bad. This type of protein will still help to build and repair muscle after workouts so don't chuck it out just yet. If you are paying more for your whey though say £40+ then make sure you are getting isolate as your main ingredient as this type of whey gets to your muscles quicker than concentrate to start your repairing process a lot quicker so you will be better fueled for your next session.

Welcome to D.J.H Fitness

Welcome to D.J.H Fitness!
My name is Dominic Hills and I am a qualified Level 2 Fitness Instructor and a trainee Level 3 Personal Trainer.

Through my blog I can offer fitness advice, exercises and diet or nutrition advice to anyone who has just started going to the gym or who has been a regular user for many years. My site is aimed at all fitness fanatics or just people who want to be generally fit and healthy so don't be afraid to post your questions and use the information on the site to help you reach your fitness goals and ambitions.

If there are any questions to do with the page for example the links to Maxiraw or Myprotein or the referal codes then again don't be afraid to ask.