One Personal Training

Joslyn's Blog Spot - Ouch!!!

2010-02-08T20:40:00.006Z

First of all, a huge thank you to all of you for sponsoring us in the crazy task of hauling ass up the gherkin!!! We've been in training for four weeks for it and yesterday we did it!! We were all feeling pretty good beforehand but remained slightly dubious about just how long it was going to take!! Some people were making wild claims about four minutes to the top, whilst others who train regularly seemed to have completed it in fifteen minutes!! We just didn't know! Anyway, I'm sure all of the guys will give you their individual accounts of it...here's mine.

*First thoughts on Sunday morning - 'this was a crap idea!!!!!'
*2 hours before the climb - fuelled with carbs and hoping to digest them properly with the nerves
*45 minutes before the climb - feeling emotional with the team, just feeling really proud!!
*30 minutes before the climb jogging to the gherkin - that building looks (bleep) massive...back to 'this was a crap idea' thoughts!
*20 minutes before the climb - speaking to NSPCC about nearly reaching our fundraising target...positive thoughts of 'this is bloody worth it'
*10 minutes before climb - final nervous wee!
*30 seconds before the climb - cheering Jamie and Mike as they go off first
*GO!! - first few flights feeling good
*Flight 5 - why are my legs already tired?...crap!!...these stairs are taller than the ones we've been training on!!
*Flight 6 - oh pants...am I gonna walk this??
*Flights 7-20 passing people, trying to be supportive with you can do it remarks etc...
*Flights 20-28 Combo of two-steps walk and pull body up by bannisters, and single step jogging...more of the former...
*Flight 29...10 more to go...legs burning...heart racing...pass more people...
*Flights 30-37 nearly there, God this hurts, nearly there...
*Flight 38...thank (beep) for that!!!!!
*Two minutes post-climb...get papped...not really feeling in the photographic mood, breathing is a challenge!!!

*Five minutes post-climb...can string small sentences together
*Thirty minutes post-climb...realisation that we haven't had our complimentary glass of champagne
*Thirty minutes and one second post-climb...sprint up to top floor for glass of bubbly
*Thirty five minutes post-climb...happily nibbling on free mars bar from goodie bag
*Forty minutes post-climb...blaming mars bar for the fuzzy feeling in my head and not...erm champagne!!

It was an awesome day, and weirdly...I'd do it again!!

Good bye cyber food!

2010-02-04T21:45:00.002Z

Well oh well, after 3 weeks of torture I entered the transition period. Not quite like Jamie as I am not fully back to normal food. I am now having two meals a day instead of one. How I missed having breakfast is simply unbelievable ... It's been purely blissful experience over the last few days having been able to finally taste and chew a solid meal every morning. Eggs, smoked salmon and a small piece of rye bread, some veggies (tomatoes and mushrooms) in addition ... mmmmmmmm!

So how did I find it you may ask... Well as I have been talking to some of you, my body got much leaner! I think I can say that I have not been that lean before. However I would never ever recommend it to any of you (I've said it before and will if I am ever asked again). Purely because it has not been designed for ordinary training people wanting to lose body fat. Simple! It's being used by body builders to strip off that fat before competitions. And if they want to go through it, fair play to them but the side effects are nasty and you need to be VERY strict and stick to it (including diet plan, workouts and transition period). Hormones are all over the place as even though there are fats included in the plan (fish oils and, flax seed and peanut butter) there is no cholesterol which is a very important building block for hormones, including testosterone and serotonin (feel good hormone) to name but a few. My body just not felt right. Terrible mood swings, elevated stress levels and I have not been sleeping very well either. Even though training has been going strong I could not continue for much longer. And to be honest there is no need to. Don't get me wrong, I am happy I did it. As I said it's been a great experience in getting to know my body even more so I can share my experiences with you wanting to get rid of some lipids happily living around your hips and waist.

Saying that there is no need to carry on I mean it!! You need to understand that in order to lose body fat, appropriate nutrition is key. Exercise will keep your metabolism going, start the process, make you feel better and make your body more capable, but if you train hard for an hour and then go and have a nasty take away for lunch what is the point in the first place? I am ranting on again, I know but food is responsible for 60-80% of what you are going to achieve trying to change your body. And as I said last week it is entirely up to you what you are going to do with it. And really there is no need to go and buy your lunch in a local caff or have cereal for breakfast to save time. Making decent brekkie in the morning will not take more than 10 minutes and healthy lunch and dinner could be anything between 20min up to an hour (and that is when the chicken sits in the oven and you can do whatever you want while it roasts). Enough for today. And I know what I am going to do next week ... look out for some simple, natural and really yummy ideas for breakfasts, lunches and dinners ... next Thursday ... watch this space :)

Have a wicked weekend and think about us on Sunday as we climb up 1037 steps of the mighty Gherkin ...

Marta :)

Thoughtful Tuesday - 23

2010-02-02T14:02:00.002Z

So this weekend I stopped my semi-liquid diet and reverted back to normal eating. I'm still going to have a shake in the morning and probably one more during the day. A couple of reasons for this is that I want to ease myself back in to things and also well it's just nice and easy to have a shake! I have really enjoyed not spending money on going to places like Eat, I end up spending a small fortune each day which is silly. So I've decided to bring some things in. So seeing as I love my eggs I thought I'd find a way of having them. What I've got is very simple and straight forward. All you need is one of those cup cake baking trays, you know the ones with about 12 scoops in them. Then you need to lightly fry up some spinach, add some garlic, onions, whatever you want really. Once they are done you need to pile them up in to the baking tray scoops. Then whisk up some eggs and pour the eggs over each of your vegtable mixtures. Place the tray in a pre-heated oven and leave them till cooked. How long I'm not sure as I'm going to try it out tonight so will let you know, but it won't take long! Then you'll have lots of nice little frittatas to take to work to snack on during the day!

On another note, as I'm sure you know we are running up the Gherkin for the NSPCC this Sunday and would be very greatful if you could sponsor us if you haven't already.

Thanks!

Joslyn's Blog Spot - Would you do it for your kids?

2010-02-01T20:42:00.003Z

Happy February everyone! I trust you all got the year off to a good start and for those of you that train with us to lose weight, I hope you are riding on the coat tails of losing a pound or two in January!

I came across an interesting article in a January issue of Time magazine about how human evolutionary changes can can be passed from one generation to the next and not over many generations, taking millions of years. This means that we need to be a lot more conscientious about how we treat our own bodies as it may be passed directly onto our children.

So how come all of a sudden we can appear to be able to change genes overnight? Well the genes themselves don't change, however genomes can. A genome is all the genetic material contained in an organism, including its chromosomes, genes and DNA. Are you still with me? Just a bit more science. Attached on top of genomes are epigenomes, and these have the ability to tell your genes to switch on or off. It is through these epigenomes that environmental factors such as stress and poor diet can be passed from one generation to the next.

Let's have a look at what can happen. A paper publised in 2006 in the European Journal of Human Genetics noted that of 14,024 fathers in a longitudinal study tracking parents and their children, 166 of them started smoking before the age of 11. In turn, their sons had higher body mass indexes than other boys by the age of 9. In the Dutch journal Acta Biothoretica Dr. Lars Olov Bygren writes of the Swedish town of Overkalix during the 19th and 20th century. Boys who enjoyed the fruits of overabundant winters, going from near starvation to gluttony, produced grandsons who died on average 6 years before those that endured poor harvests. When socioeconomic variations were taken into account, the difference in lifespan jumped a whopping 32 years!

Both of these epigenetic changes resulted from extreme environmental stressors: boys smoking before the age of 11; and excessive food supply in the case of Overkalix. Once again, it's important to note that these changes don't change genes, but merely send a message that switches them off. If the environmental stressor is removed, the DNA will revert back to its original code. Lasting change, it is believed for now, takes place slowly over many, many generations via natural selection. And so the epigenetic change is a temporary one, albeit long enough to affect the life of your child and your grandchildren.

For us, this means that our current health isn't just about us risking our own lives. Our poor health habits can be passed directly onto our children, and their children. I can't think if a better excuse to ensure that you keep yourself in good health, as we have more than just ourselves to answer to.

Exercise of the Week

2010-01-29T14:36:00.002Z

Inverted Rows

Inverted rows, modified pull ups or fatboys as we sometimes them call in the studio are one of the best back exercises that will build excellent strength in the major muscles of your back along with your biceps. They're also a great postural exercise as they, like all horizontal pull exercises, work to strengthen the muscles around your scapula which often become weak from poor posture.

To perform inverted rows set up a bar in the squat rack and lay under it. You want the bar to be inline with your chest at a full arms length away. Place your feet on top of a stepper so that when you grip the bar you body will be completely horizontal.

Grip the bar with a wider than shoulder width grip with your palms facing your feet. Begin lifting yourself by bending at the shoulder and elbows until the bottom of your chest touches the bar. The aim is to keep you body as straight as possible during the entire movement. As your chest touches the bar breathe out and squeeze your shoulder blades together hard. Focus on keeping your body as straight as possible, contact you abs and don’t let your hips drop.

If you're finding it to difficult to lift yourself or keep your body straight you can regress the exercise by performing it with knees bent and feet flat on the ground.

Next week: Power Cleans.

Mike.

image courtesy: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gEyOuw7eZkA/SAVMyva1aEI/AAAAAAAAAEU/c11OiJCzZkY/s1600-h/inv_row.JPG

Getting thrown around like a rag doll!

2010-01-29T08:42:00.004Z

I have a mate who runs a the strength and conditioning at a Brasilian Jiu Jitsu and MMA (Mixed Martial Arts- if you've been watching Big Brother it's what Alex Reid does but isn't apparently very good at?!)gym in North London. The day started off with 'some conditioning' which consisted of a progressive warm up including jumps, press ups and burpees, followed by the conditioning component which was 4*6minute rounds of pain!

The 6 minute rounds were made up of 6stations where you just moved from one station to the next. The stations included:
- Bulgarian Bag Swings
- Heavy Bag Slams
- Barbell Wood Chops
- Band Pulls and Rotates
- Overhead Ball Throws
- Med Ball Pres Ups
There was no rest between the stations and each took a minute.

I was knackered by the end of the first round, by the fourth I wasn't sure if I was going to pass out, throw up or both. It took my 15minutes to regain composure, which was fine because this was when the No Gi (no pyjama suit) class started. This consisted of practising certain techniques against an opponent. This was quite advanced for me and I kept tying myself in knots.

After 30minutes of the technique session it was time for 4 rounds of sparring which were 5 minutes long each. I did OK in two of the rounds, in the other two I got thrown around like a rag doll. One of the guys was the world No Gi champion and he just easily disposed of any attempt I made to exert any type of force on him.

Overall I had a completely knackering yet enjoyable experience and I will go back for more!

I CAN DO IT ...

2010-01-28T10:00:00.003Z

This week I found myself, yet again, thinking a lot about how our brains and minds work in terms of achieving what we want to achieve and getting where we want to get. I also spoke to some of you about how powerful thinking about those things is.

Thinking differently is what sets the human race apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. Frontal cortex in the brain allows the capability for finding new pathways of experience. The size of the human cortex is also the largest out of all mammals, therefore offering the mental powers of self observation and contemplation.

Now, what does it actually mean? It is pretty simple and obvious, however really hard to acknowledge for some 95% of the human population ... WE ARE ALL SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR OWN DECISIONS. And even though there are certain circumstances in life such as accidents that we are not in total control of, the decision of whether we are going to live a decent life is purely down to us. And by living a decent life I do not mean being able to splash out a small fortune on things we don't really need but actually being in sync with our own bodies and minds, knowing our abilities and being aware of the fact that no one else but us can decide how we feel and what we do each day ...

It may be high time for some of us to contemplate some of the negative thoughts and pre-programmed patterns we are carrying around with us. An important thing is that SELF has no negative thoughts about ITSELF. All thoughts and feelings of anger, sadness, fear, guilt, hate etc, are past perceptions and projections of experiences we went through in our life ... it almost looks like a magic trick that whether consciously or not other people can play on us, keeping us from realising how powerful we really are.

A really important thing to realise is that that neurons that fire together also wire together creating patterns. A real life example will be if we're constantly thinking we are unable to do something, eventually our bodies will believe in that seriously limiting our abilities to achieve what we originally wanted. Second but even more important thing is that the human cortex CAN re-wire creating new wiring patterns. What that means is that no matter what you think we are able to break the pattern and start acting/thinking differently. Remember my very first blog I posted back in October when I joined ONE? There is a way of breaking the vicious circle some of us tend to get stuck in. We just need to accept that this is entirely our decision that we are 100% responsible for!

Have a look at this video and even though some of it may sound a bit like preaching, what I would like you to have a look at is how the neurons actually work, and how they can re-wire to change the old patterns.

Think about it over the weekend ...

"EVERYTHING CAN BE TAKEN AWAY FROM A MAN ... EXCEPT THE ABILITY TO CHOOSE ONES ATTITUDE IN ANY GIVEN SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES"

Viktor Frankt (holocaust survivor)

Till next Thursday

Marta :)

Thoughtful Tuesday - 22

2010-01-26T07:57:00.003Z

So I'm entering in to my 4th week of this diet and to be honest I have relaxed it a bit at the weekend, because, well I wanted a bit of a life! I'm still strict during the week but the weekend I'll eat a bit more. Now my weight has pretty much leveled out which I'm not too fussed about. What has been interesting is that my arms and chest have gotten bigger while their skin folds have gone down. That's a nice little bonus as that is a clear indicator that I've put some muscle on. I'm not too surprised at that fact seeing as my numbers all round have been going up on all major lifts, bench, deadlift, squat, pull ups. That's for both repping and weight. So I'm not at all surprised that I've put some muscle on. I guess if you followed the normal way of thinking this would be impossible as I am in a calorie deficit so how can I be getting bigger and stronger?! Well I actually think that the answer to this is very simple, as long as you time your meals and macronutrient breakdowns right in order to maximise recovery and repair then there is no reason why you can't grow at the same time as losing body fat. This is hard to do for sure but it is possible.

Now on to the not so good news. Like I said I relaxed the protocol at the weekend, now I say relaxed, when throwing it out of the window would probably be a better description! So anyway, I didn't over eat or anything but the majority that I did eat wasn't the best choices and of course there was the booze. What is interesting is where this, albeit temporary fat went. I lost skinfolds everywhere except around my waist line. Now I find this interesting for a couple of reasons. Firstly it shows to me that when there is a hint of bad food/booze going in to my system it goes to my tum (and probably lower back) no surprise there. Secondly, like I said I didn't over eat at the weekend, if anything I didn't eat that much but it was all the wrong stuff, on top of that there was a fair amount of booze. So that just goes to show that you don't always need to eat too much to put on body fat in your "preferred" storage sites. It's all down to choice. Similarly you can probably over eat, in a sense, of the right foods and not put on body fat.

So it really is down to choice, just make sure that 90% of the time you make the right one and you'll be fine!

J

Joslyn's Blog Spot - An afternoon with the GB 2012 hopefuls...

2010-01-25T10:23:00.003Z

Last Wednesday afternoon, I got the opportunity to meet some of the GB 2012 hopefuls and have a chat with them about their training, nutrition and their advice on how to stay motivated.

I met sprinters, hurdlers and pole vaulters, all incredibly lean, and all incredibly focused. My first, chat was with Joey Duck (200m). I think what Joey had to say stuck in my mind the most of all of the girls. With incredible focus on making it to 2012, Joey has no problem keeping herself motivated, however when I asked her what she would say to somebody who struggles to keep themselves fit, she replied "Don't do it to change the way you look...do it because you love it." It makes sense. If you love something, you have no problem doing it, and the aesthetics come as a given.

(No, I'm not jealous that not only is she an amazing athlete, but tall, pretty, and really nice to boot...truly...not jealous)

Next there was Perri Shakes-Drayton (Hurdles) who seems to take everything in her stride. Her advice to stay motivated is just to never forget what it feels like when you hit victory. She said, once you have that feeling, everything is worth it.

(Again, tall, pretty, talented...I'm over it!!)

All of the girls have a fantastic balance of training: circuits; sports specific drills; and plyometrics. I was most jealous of Kate Dennison (Pole Vault) who gets to do acrobatics and gymnastics as part of her training programme! Similarly, food is their fuel, and rest is a necessity.

I think what struck me the most about the girls was the sheer intensity of their drive complemented with an unbelieveably calm exterior. They know where the want to get to, so they do what they have to do to get there, it's as simple and as complicated as that.

Exercise of the Week

2010-01-22T15:46:00.002Z

Overhead press

The overhead press is a great exercise for shoulder development though everything from your arms, chest though your abs, back and legs work hard to lift and stabilise the weight.

The overhead press is performed by taking a bar, placing a barbell across the front of your shoulders then pressing the weight overhead.

The following are key points on how to perform the exercise correctly.

Standing with your feet shoulder width apart, grip the bar and place on the front of your shoulders with a slightly wider than shoulder width grip and have you elbows in front of the bar.

Maintain good posture by sticking your chest out, looking straight ahead and squeezing your glutes. Your knees should remain locked out during the entire movement.

Now you’re in position the only problem to get the bar from the start to finish point is that there’s something in the way – your head. So to counter this when the bar reaches your chin tilt your head back slightly so the bar doesn’t make contact but keep looking forward. When the bar passes your forehead shift your torso forward and lower your head.

At the top position breathe out and lock out your arms, squeeze your shoulders, traps and back.
The overhead press is an excellent addition to your program if you want to see some serious gains in strength and power.

Next week: inverted rows.

Mike.

Where's my food?????

2010-01-21T20:28:00.002Z

Hello everyone ...

Week two nearly done and I must say I am craving 'human' food like hell!!! Ok, ok I am exaggerating a little, but I must honestly say that I am a bit fed up with the chalky flavour of unflavoured protein shakes. They do fill me up for up to 3 hours (that is the frequency you should have them at) which is good, but gulping down my meal in less than 30 sec is definitely taking all pleasure of eating away and does my body no favours. Thank god Jamie's right next to me doing exactly the same thing, otherwise it would be hell of a lot more challenging. Still sticking to one meal a day. Must confess to having some garlic bread and a dessert over the weekend though ;). Boy it tasted good, however the after feeling was not that great as carbs fill me up way too much and make me feel uncomfortable!!!

On the training side it really depends on the day. I tend to have one or two zero energy days, when I am literally struggling to keep my eyes open. Then I seem to be absolutely ok the next day. I guess my body is still trying to figure out what's going on. Training plan consist of 3 weight sessions Monday, Wednesday and Friday and a bloody hard body weight circuit on the weekend. Some of you had a chance to taste what I had to go through last Sunday. I must say I am dreading this weekend! Had a great session on Monday but unfortunately had to give my Wednesday session a miss as my rotator cuff muscles couldn't cope as well as I would like them to. Replaced the session with a heavy leg workout for the step challenge though, so no slacking there :) Some rest and strengthening should get me back on track soon!

Measurements are looking good. Lost 11.3cm in total on the 10 sites that were measured and 11.5mm in skinfolds (8 sites).
Next measurements will be taken on Monday.

I am still intending to go all the way till 7th of Feb.17 days to go ... Will keep you posted on my progress.
Now, off to have dinner ... eeerm ... my evening shake that is!!!

Till next week.

Marta :)

Thinking about going Paleo...

2010-01-20T21:54:00.002Z

It's something I've been considering for a while. I've been interested in how the body has evolved, how it is meant to move and what it should eat for some time. More recently I've become even more interested in what we ate before we started modifying our food sources.

See between the last 5-10 000 years we humans have altered are food sources so much that what we eat today is a far cry from what the ancestors of our foods were pre farming. I recently wrote about how our ancestors would have annihilated us and that this would have had a lot to do with better sources of food and more active lifestyles. So as a result of a little more research I'm going to try and go Paleo!

Now it's virtually impossible to eat completely 'wild' or 'hunter and gatherer' these days, but I'm going to give it a go. Basically I'm going to try eat whole natural foods. You see the human digestive system can't eat grains as they are, they have to be modified. Basically grains were the first refined foods. Whereas most fruits, vegetables, nuts, meats, fish, seeds and eggs can be eaten as they are. It is no coincidence that people end up with wheat and dairy intolerances as these foods are not as nature intended and our bodies will react to them.

For the last 2 weeks my diet has mainly consisted of 4 eggs a day, nuts (various), fish, berries and salad and I feel good for it.

Now I'm not going to become a food hermit and I will eat foods that our outside of what is considered 'Paleo' occasionally but most of the time I'm going to eat like a caveman!!

Thoughtful Tuesday - 21

2010-01-19T13:41:00.002Z

So another week down on the crazy diet and another week to report. So I'm glad to say that I'm still going strong, and also glad to report that I have some numbers this week to back things up with. So a quick breakdown of the numbers are:

11/01/10
Neck : 37cm
Left Arm (at highest peak) : 41cm
Right Arm (at highest peak) : 42cm
Chest (at nipple) : 102cm
Waist (at belly button) : 85cm
Hips (at greater trochanter) : 105cm
Left Thigh (at half way down) : 56cm
Right Thigh (at half way down): 59cm

Skinfolds
Tricep 9.8mm
Bicep 5.4mm
Subscapular 17.8mm
Supra-illiac 12.8mm
Umbilicus 10.8mm

18/01/10
Neck : 37cm
Left Arm (at highest peak) : 41cm
Right Arm (at highest peak) : 42cm
Chest (at nipple) : 101cm
Waist (at belly button) : 81cm
Hips (at greater trochanter) : 103cm
Left Thigh (at half way down) : 58cm
Right Thigh (at half way down): 58cm

Skinfolds
Tricep 8mm
Bicep 4.2mm
Subscapular 17mm
Supra-illiac 11mm
Umbilicus 9mm

Now all in all I'm pretty happy with the results so far. My weight is also starting to hover out at around 86kg, give or take half a kilo or so. Now the measurement I'm most impressed by and also at the same time quite ashamed of is my waist measurement. It dropped 4cm give or take. Oh and if you haven't guessed that isn't me to the right, just thought she looked a bit nicer than me! The shear fact that I let it get that big in the first case really annoys me but also brings me to a nice point. It's very easy to make excuses for yourself and to not notice your body changing, often for the worse. We all do it so don't feel bad but at the same time don't be surprised when it happens. I over indulged over Christmas and it happens. Does that mean it's not going to happen again? Nope, I'll probably do the same thing this year, but I shouldn't be surprised or upset when my body changes for the worse. I'll be honest with you, the main reason I train is so I can look at myself in the mirror and not be horrified, I like to look good nekid, period. Call me vain, I am, it also just so happens that a side effect of the reason I train is that I am also (in general) very healthy. I used to have slightly high blood pressure, I don't now, in fact it probably a little on the low side of perfect, my resting heart rate is in the 50's. So whatever your reason is for training it doesn't matter as long as you stick at it and work hard, you'll get your results.

Joslyn's Blog Spot - The day after, the day after!

2010-01-18T21:13:00.008Z

It happens to us all. You haven't trained in a while, you set foot in the gym, and two days later your sentences are peppered with expletives due to every move you make hurting like hell! Welcome to world of DOMS ladies and gentleman - Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness! It's the whip that cracks the day after, the day after!! You wake up the morning after a workout and feel pretty good, and then the next day BAM...you can't walk!!!

So what are DOMS and why to we get them? The jury remains slightly out on this one but the most recent and most plausible argument suggests DOMS is due to micro-tears we get in our muscles when we train. Just a quick note on muscle breakdown. Tears in the muscle might sound a little traumatic, it's not at all. As we train, our muscle fibres do indeed get micro-tears, but grow back stronger, giving us strength increases. So, essentially our muscles breakdown, and then rebuild. However it's not this breaking down process that causes the pain (as you would obviously feel it whilst you train - erm that's a different type of pain). The soreness we feel are the muscle fibres rebuilding. We can feel DOMS at any point from 24-48 hours after a workout.

The best way to get rid of DOMS is to keep moving unfortunately, increased blood flow to your muscles means reduced time spent walking like ants have infiltrated your pants. Try the following for a little relief:

1. Move more, a 20-40 minute cardio session will increase blood flow to the area and speed up recovery.

2. A hot bath, followed by a good stretch.

3. A massage, also to encourage blood flow to the area.

Exercise of the week

2010-01-15T14:11:00.002Z

The Back Squat

This week we are going to focus on the back squat, arguably the most effective strength training exercise. The squat is essentially a basic movement, you lower yourself into a sitting position and then stand up. Though there are a few things to keep in mind when performing this exercise to maximize safety and ensure you get maximum benefits.

To start set the bar up inside a squat rack just below shoulder height. Squat down slightly and place the bar across the muscles of your upper back, make sure it’s secure. Squat up and take a step back so you’re in the middle of the rack. Begin the down phase of the squat by pushing your bum back, not by letting you knees come forward. Your knees should be inline with your toes but don't let them come past as it will put too much pressure on your knees. As you squat down make sure you look straight ahead and keep your chest up to maintain a straight back. When your thighs are below parallel with the floor (the lower the better) keep you hip muscles contracted and drive your hips forward by pushing through your heels and squeezing your glutes as hard as you can all the way to the starting position.

Bodyweight and dumbbells squats are a good way to progress to the back squat. Then once you've mastered them theres fronts squats, overhead squats...

Mike.

An ode to Mr Anonymous...

2010-01-14T19:53:00.007Z

Hello everyone! Me again ... :)

This week's blog has been inspired by Mr Anonymous's comment under Jamie's liquid diet blog from last week. As you all probably know I am a big food girl and love my natural and organic meals more than anything, trying to stay away from all artificial stuff at the same time. Strangely I have decided to test myself and experiment a little on my own body, therefore I have also embarked on the liquid diet boat on Monday. Four days into it and I must say I am already seeing changes in my body. I am attempting to go for the full 28 days it is meant to be done for and I will be finishing on the big day - 7th of Feb when we are running up the Gherkin.

Why am I doing it in the first place? I have never done anything like this before and was very intrigued by the claims beyond it. I also need a kick start for my New Year's training plan as the last 3 months have been a real struggle since my body was refusing to get used to getting up at 5am ... And finally, how am I supposed to talk to you about supplements, protein powders and all that stuff if I have not used it myself? I must say I am not a big fan, however in some types of training they do help, but you need to know what, when and how to take to make it work for you rather than against you.

Mr Anonymous rants about having 6 small healthy meals a day and all that... Well oh well! Don't we all know it! To start with, there is an important question to be asked: Would I recommend doing this to any of my clients? Unlikely!!! The original plan was taken from a body building website and ... are the body builders healthy? Rarely ... Do I want my clients to be unhealthy? NEVER! It is a hardcore thing to do! And the original plan tells you to have ONE, yes one meal a week (not one a day like me and Jamie are having)! We are not claiming we are doing this as a health trick, no way! We are both testing and experimenting with not only our bodies but also psyche and will power. Also Mr Anonymous, there is no real evidence there is a major difference between having 3 larger and 6 smaller meals a day. The only real benefit is that you tend to have more varied diet and eat bigger variety of foods. Another thing is that not very many out there actually know what HEALTHY eating is. And I must admit that in my 'previous life' before becoming a personal trainer I thought my diet was extremely well and healthy stuffing my face with low fat, sugar free 'food like' fake produce. Boy was I wrong ... !!!

To finish off for today a bit about what I've actually experienced so far ...
First thing. The taste of all the supplements is more than unpleasant, you get used to it though. My brain has been suffering due to lack of carbs and my body getting used to using other stuff as energy sources. After only 4 days it really made me appreciate real food and even though I have been looking at food as one of my best friends rather than enemies for quite some time now I only now truly realised how important is its role in our lives! Just as Jamie I am not craving any processed rubbish at all! The most pleasurable part of my day today (apart from training you of course) was getting myself a beautiful lean, organic fillet steak and some green veg and vine tomatoes to have with it. Mmmmmmmm ... bliss! Just look at it ... isn't it beautiful? Trust me it tasted lush!!!

Remember guys, eating is not only about fueling up your body. It is a major social and emotional part of our existence! Knowing that I will only get to eat 2 meals over the weekend there is an awful lot of preparation going on to make it as special as possible. And I think you should all follow suit and STOP to think about it! Take time to make your kitchen messy, invite your friends and family and treat them to a special meal. GO get cooking!!!

Till next time

Marta :)

Bring on 2010!!

2010-01-13T18:37:00.002Z

Happy New Year peeps!! I didn't get a blog out last week as I'd just gotten back from snowboarding over New Year in Switzerland. The trip was great and the week off was even better. It's left me refreshed, rejuvenated and rearing to go this year.

As you've probably already noticed we've set up a few challenges for all of our clients and the team this year. The team are doing the City Step Challenge which Marta has already blogged about, and we're organising the Yorkshire 3 Peaks in May and the British 3 Peaks in July. More information will be coming shortly.

The City Step Challenge is a race up the Gherkin. We commenced our training together this afternoon which included plenty of lunges, step ups, squats, jumps and running up and down the 106 stairs we have in our building 3 times. The Gherkin has 1070 stairs so we're well on track with our training to give it a proper crack on the 7th of February. It's for the NSPCC so if you want to support us and/or incentivise us to do it fast please sponsor us.

On a personal note my training has started well and so too has my eating. I'm giving Paleolithic eating a shot. It's how our ancestors would have eaten pre-farming 10,000 years ago, basically how our bodies are designed to eat. I'll keep you updated on my progress.

Until next week.....

Thoughtful Tuesday - 20

2010-01-12T10:38:00.003Z

Hey guys so just an update on how things are going from my end. I am glad to report that the early stages of finding it hard only lasted a couple of days. By Wednesday I was really in the swing of things and have been finding it relatively easy since then. Having the meal a day really helps and I find myself really looking forward to getting in that meal. Now that not surprising in the slightest but what is surprising is the fact that I'm craving good wholesome foods for when I do eat. Almost the smell of processed food makes me feel a bit ill. That is a nice side effect of this.

As for results so far, well I've dropped half a stone, now I think that a fair amount of that will be water weight so I'm not expecting anything that dramatic from now on. Some steady decreases will be nice, I don't have much to lose but a bit more would be nice. I didn't take any other measurements when I started which was a mistake but I took some yesterday so I shall see what they are like next week. What I can say is that my abs are now fully visable again (they had gone hiding!) and I feel that my lower back in particular has got smaller.

All in all I'm pretty happy with the first week. The weekend was a little tough, and I must confess that I had a couple of meals on Sunday but they were still very good, healthy meals, not too big, so nothing lost there I feel.

Until my next update!

J

Joslyn's Blog Spot - Did Somebody Say Detox?

2010-01-11T09:48:00.005Z

Of course they did, hell that word is flying around every workplace in January, as people politely refuse a biscuit with their tea (decaf of course!) and are opting for a salad at lunch rather than a sandwich, and you better make sure they have had their berry juice, you can't let a little antioxidant fuel escape at a time like this!!

Yes we are all on the virtuous path of detoxing after the holidays when we sat and ate, and erm ate some more!! But why detox? What are the benefits? Read on...

By removing foods and liquids that make your digestive system work hard, you are really giving your body an opportunity to thrive. A thriving body means that it responds better to exercise, and you feel pretty damn good!

So what foods make your body work that little bit harder?

Wheat (bread, pasta, pastries)
Caffeine
Alcohol
Processed sugar
Dairy
Red meat

Not all of these are bad for you like dairy and red meat, but nevertheless a little break from them will give your body a boost.

The problem however with detox diets is that they often just tell you what you can't eat! Yawn, tell me what I can eat!! I need detail!! I've done the Patrick Holford 9 Day Liver Detox Diet and really like it as he really focuses on what you should be getting in each day as you detox. He suggests you get the following in every day to enhance the detoxification process.

1. Eat a green leafy vegetable every day (cabbage, broccoli, spinach etc.)
2. Have a carrot juice every day (this can be blended with other juices)
3. Take a fish oil supplement every day (it's the fat that helps you burn fat, you need this one! Get it in the form of EPA)
4. Drink 1.5-2 litres of water a day to flush, flush, flush
5. Sprinkle ground seeds on your breakfast or salad
6. Dose up on vitamin C...a miracle worker (I like the powder form taken twice a day)

Here's a little plan that would be great to do for two weeks:

Breakfast:

Porridge made with water, with some blueberries and ground seeds
Poached eggs on toasted rye bread
Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs
Wheat-free muesli and rice or oat milk
Boiled egg and an apple

Mid-morning snack:

A handful of almonds and an apple
An oat cake and some houmous
Carrot sticks and houmous
Walnuts and some berries

Lunch:

Spinach salad with chicken and grapefruit, and a small portion of rice
Tuna nicoise
Puy lentil soup
Tuna salad with a small portion of rice
Mackerel salad with spinach and green peas
Lemon chicken with wheat-free pasta

Mid-afternoon snack:

A handful of almonds and an apple
An oat cake and some houmous
Carrot sticks and houmous
Walnuts and some berries

Dinner:

Grilled salmon and colourful vegetables
Stir-fry turkey and colourful vegetables
Baked cod and salad
Baked chicken and salad

Happy New Year to one and all!!

Joslyn

Winds of cha(lle)nge

2010-01-07T15:01:00.007Z

Welcome back after a somewhat nice and long break! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE :)

And here we go again ... New Year, new resolutions, new challenges ... HA! That's what it's all going to be about today. Having discussed all this in the studio extensively in the run up to Christmas we have decided to take part in the Step Change and run up the City's mighty Gherkin. That's 38 floors, 1037 steps right up to the top! Crazy you might think, but hell no! It's all in a good cause. We are raising money for charity - the Child's Voice Appeal. The event is taking place on the 7th of February and we are all in the process of getting ready for it. We need to raise £1.5 per step to hit our target so dig deep and help us get there. Here's our donation web link:

http://www.justgiving.com/Onepersonaltraining

Big THANK YOUS go to all of you in advance!!!

And now watch this space as we have something ready for you too. We have planned two hiking/trekking events for this year that you can all get involved in.

We are hitting the Yorkshire 3 Peaks in the third weekend of May. Leaving London on the 14th to have a good night sleep before trekking the hills on Saturday. This should take about 8 hours before we can retire to a pub to have a pint (of water of course!). We shall be returning to London on Sunday 16th.

As we return from the Yorkshire adventures we start training for the next event which will take place in July (the weekend of either 9th or 16th ). This will be the 3 National Peaks Challenge. Flying up to Glasgow on Friday night we will hit Ben Nevis (1344m) early Saturday morning, then catch a coach to Skafell Pike (987m) followed trek up Mount Snowdon (1085m). Again well deserved rest in a nice pub somewhere to re-hydrate our tired bodies. Coming back to London on Sunday.

Both hiking challenges are open to all of you who are training with us here at ONE Training so if you are interested give us a shout and speak to your trainer to get involved. More details will follow soon.

Get those boots out and let's get walking!!!

Marta :)

Thoughtful Tuesday - 20

2010-01-05T11:47:00.003Z

Okay so here we are, start of a new decade! Woohoo, bring on 2010!!

So new year new diet to crack it off. Why not start off with a ridiculous torture treatment eh??! Right so I've decided to do my diet of shakes and 1 meal a day. So this basically consists of about 5 shakes of varying amounts of protein, carbs, fats and fibre and 1 nice, healthy proper meal. At the moment I'm doing dinner as my meal but that might change, we'll see. So I started this yesterday, happy to report I stuck to it! It was a bit of a shock to the system and today is going a bit easier. I think the main problem yesterday was that I got up earlier so I had my first shake very early and so I had to pace them out a bit differently. Anyway, so far so good today, having my 4th shake of the day and it has all gone pretty smoothly. We'll see how it continues!

As for my workouts they are pretty much staying the same, might throw in an extra circuit session for some extra fat loss but that will be about it on that front. Still lift heavy and often to negate as much muscle loss as possible. As long as I keep lifting heavy I should be fine. The body doesn't care, as long as it has to lift heavy, it will hold on to the muscle to lift that weight.

Oh yeah and probably more importantly booze has been knocked on the head for a few weeks. New Year pretty much killed me off on that front! ;-)

So that was a quick one, hopefully I'll have a bit more to let you guys know next week and hopefully a drop in weight and a better reflection! Lets be honest, that's why I train, just an added bonus is that I'm also healthy because of it

J

The year in review...

2009-12-23T09:28:00.002Z

It's been a busy year. In 2009 the One PT studio has gone from strength to strength. The team has grown to a total of 6 trainers. This time last year there were only four of us!

A lot of our clients have experienced amazing results. There have been huge changes in some peoples body composition where in some cases people have dropped inches and lost stones of fat. In other instances people have run 5km's for the first time, there have been marathons and triathlons. Others have been increasing work capacity, strength and strength endurance. We have trained 7 brides for their big days, plenty for looking good on the beach and more recently there has been focus on preparation for hitting the slopes. All in all we hope that whatever you were training for in 2009 your time with us has got you there or a hell of a lot closer!

The momentum gained this year looks to continue in 2010. The team are taking on the Gherkin Challenge in February, we are organising a trekking weekend in May and the 3 Peaks Challenge in June/July. We have also organised educational talks on health, exercise and nutrition as well as put together a health assessment package for local firms and business'. If this is something your company may be interested in please let me or your trainer know.

So from all the team it has been a pleasure working with you all in 2009. We hope that you have a very enjoyable time over the Christmas and New Year period and we hope to see you again in 2010. The studio is closed from the 25th December and re-opens on the 4th January, be good until then.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
BJ

Thoughtful Tuesday - 19

2009-12-23T08:31:00.004Z

Okay so this is the second part to last weeks blog. So just a quick recap or indeed you can just read it again! Basically there is a theory and it's back up by some pretty good science in my view that the only way we could have developed our rather large brains is if another tissue or organ shrank. Now it would seem that the thing that shrank was our GI tract and the ONLY way this could have happened is if our food source changed from a plant based one to a meat based one.

There is also another part to the story. If you just look at our skeletal structure there are some pretty obvious signs that we are in fact meat eaters.

Now you can, in fact look at the ribcage and pelvis to also make an assumption on dietary habits. So, taking a look at the picture above (which has been taken from the proteinpower website) you can see that both the skeleton of the chimpanzee on the left and the australopithecus afarensis (Lucy) on the right have much wider rib cages and slightly wider pelvises. This is down to the fact that they would have to house a much larger GI tract. You can imagine both these animals to have quite large distended stomachs just by looking at these pictures. The human skeleton on the other hand has a much narrower ribcage and pelvis. Again, you can imagine the lines of the stomach to be much thinner and more svelte (at least that what it's meant to look like, there are exceptions!) this change in structure is down to the much smaller GI tract, which, again, can only exist with a higher quality diet (ie meat)

Now I know that we don't have fangs and claws and a lot of people would argue that we wouldn't have been able to tear flesh from carcases, which is probably true. I would argue that we wouldn't have had to tear flesh as our first attempts at meat were probably as scavengers and as our brains started to grow we developed tools to deal with the rest. Another point on fangs is that gorillas have some pretty nasty fangs on them and they are most definitely vegetarian (for the most part) so that argument doesn't hold weight either

So more fuel for the never ending fire on if we're meat eaters or not. I'll leave it up to you to make your own mind up. I for one will not be giving up my steak any time soon!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

J

Joslyn's Blog Spot - Save the best 'til last...

2009-12-21T22:42:00.003Z

This post isn't itself the best that I have been saving until the end of the year, it's a little more about training theory and how you should always favour your weaker side when doing unilateral work.

Take a lunge for example. For the most part, one side is always going to be easier than the other, my left side is definitely weaker than my right. This could be due to weaker muscles, instability, poor proprioception, or a past injury. Whatever makes the side more difficult is neither here nor there and will probably be being dealt with in your training programme. Which side you prioritise in the movement however, is very important. It is natural to favour your good side and wow your trainer with how efficient you are, leaving the dud side 'til last. However, your ego should be pushed aside and you should always start on your weaker side, whether it's single legged toe taps, reverse lunges, single arm snatches, turkish get ups and so on. You will always have a little extra energy in the pot if you work the weaker side first, giving it a little more opportunity to catch up with the stronger side. If you always work the stronger side first, then you will continue to widen the gap between your weak side and your strong side.

This same principle flows into the rest of your training. It makes sense to put large compound movements (squats, deadlifts, pull ups) that will require extra energy at the beginning of your programme when there is lots of fuel in the tank, rather than scraping up the energy to do them after having done smaller muscle movements like tricep dips and bicep curls.

So think, weaker muscles require more energy left in your pot in order for them to become stronger and bigger movements require more energy left in your pot in order for them to be performed efficiently!

See you in 2010!!! Have a great Christmas!!

Joslyn

Veggie protein

2009-12-17T18:45:00.002Z

Protein, protein, protein....we're all about the protein in the studio. Hopefully that should give you some indication of how important an element it is in your diet - and particularly if your goal is weight loss. So at the risk of sounding like a broken record I'm going to talk about protein...but I'm going to talk about veggie protein. Rather than start with why protein is important I'm going suggest you look back to Jos' blog on Monday and Jamie's blog on Tuesday to get the first parts of this lecture!!

I've recently had a few clients mention they were vegetarian, or at the very least don't like the taste/texture of meat and so rarely eat it. So given that the most common (and unfortunately best) sources of protein are animal based (read Jos' blog from Monday if you're not sure) what do vegetarians or reduced meat eaters have to do to get a decent amount of protein in their diets?

A bit of background about protein:

Protein is made up of amino acids and it is these which are one of the main building blocks of our body. Our bodies supply some of the amino acids we need, and the rest we need to get from our diet. Protein comes in two forms: complete protein which contains all the additional amino acids we need, and incomplete protein which contains only some if the additional amino acids we need.

Protein from animal sources is complete protein - this includes dairy (milk, yoghurt, cheese) and eggs - and this is why it's designated the 'best' protein. It is the easiest natural source of food by which our bodies can get everything they need in the amino acid department.

Plant sources of protein are incomplete protein. Plant sources high in protein include: beans, legumes, nuts, peanut/nut butter and whole grain products. They contain only some of the amino acids we need and therefore you need to eat a very wide range of them to create a whole amino acid chain - a state by which your body can utilise it. They are also less readily absorbed by the body - potentially to a ratio of only 50%, and so you need to eat even more to make sure you get a complete complement. So for example, if a packet of whole grain pasta has 5g of protein in it, your body will probably only be able to absorb and utilise 2-3g at most.

Another source of protein you may have heard of is soya. Soya comes in many forms now including milk, yoghurt and tofu to name a few, as well as many meat alternatives. While it is very high in protein and occasional consumption is fine, there is an argument raging as to whether regular consumption is a good idea. Soya has been shown to have high levels of a component known as isoflavones which imitate estrogen and can therefore cause hormonal imbalances in the body.

So they key to getting enough protein when a veggie? - if you're not vegan than up the eggs for sure and eat as wide a variety of foods as possible. The old veggie staple of pasta with a cheese sauce does not constitute a balanced diet!!! There is a technique called protein complementing for vegetarians which involves combining different types of foods to make sure you are getting a full range of amino acids. The general rule is that different food sources will have different amino acids present so for example a good example of protein complementing would be brown rice with peas - a whole grain and a vegetable.

A final note:

while you can get the full complement of amino acids from a meat free diet, getting enough protein this way, especially for weight loss is very hard. Eggs are absolutely a must and do consider a protein supplement. The better sourced the base materials the better they are for you, and the guys at the studio will be happy to suggest a few to try. Protein is very important for your overall well being and should be a part of every single meal and snack you have. Porridge with a little milk and a few nuts added is a good start, but none of us here would consider you've had anywhere near enough protein to get your metabolism started. Throw in a couple of boiled eggs or a protein shake and you'll be getting there.

That's me for now guys - I'm officially off on my maternity leave from tomorrow, so I'm going to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, a great New Year - and productive training for 2010.

Rach :)

Pictures courtesy of: http://www.vegparadise.com/images/protein2.jpg
http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/news/2008/09/22/good%20sources%20of%20protein-300-90-300-70.jpg