5 ways to reduce the effect of DOMS

Introduction

In my experience DOMS (short for Delayed Onset Muscular Soreness), is one of the most common factors that stop many newbies from achieving their training and transformation goals.

Usually, one of two things happen. The trainee dramatically reduces their training output, resulting in the individual not getting a great enough stimulus to force the body to adapt, or they quit training altogether.

Is training always going to make me sore BC?

Not necessarily. After the initial adaptation phase, which can last between 2-3 weeks (everyone is different), your body will start to get used to the new stimulus and you wont ache so much.

This is the main reason for starting out with a gradual progressive program that is intelligently personalised to your individual ability.

If you throw yourself into a training program that a friend or colleague has shown or told you about (or even worse, that you've found online), you're asking for trouble. Doing this could result in injury or in the best case scenario, serious DOMS.

So BC, How do I start?

The first thing that you should do is to consult a professional trainer. This seems obvoius but many try the DIY approach and either fail or get injured.

Basic Human Movements
1- Squat/Lunge
2- Press up (Push)
3- Bodyweight Row (Pull)
4- Good morning  (Hip Hinge)
5- Plank (Core stabilising)

In my opinion, if you can't perform the basic human movements, then you have no business doing any resistance machines or free weights which leads me nicely into my first way to reduce DOMS.

1-Don't run before you can walk

If you can't perform the exercises above then stop trying to do fancy kettlebell exercises,  body pump, spinning classes and the latest fad class that involves sprinting backward on a fitball in a studio that looks like a disco with the heating on 100 degrees (Ok, maybe I got a bit carried away there but you get the point).

2- A car wont run on water alone

If your nutrition is not on point you will recover more slowly. Fact... When you finish your workout you need protein and a moderate amount of carbohydrates.

I recommend that my clients eat a balanced meal of a good quality protein source, some vegetables and a decent serving of carbohydrates (all of which should come from single ingredient food items). The second best option is to take a good quality protein shake to help get these nutrients in if a lack of time/preparation is an issue.

This healthy meal should be consumed within 90 minutes after the workout to further aid the recovery process.

3- We heal in our sleep

You should be aiming to get between 7-8 hours of sleep each night. When you sleep, your body is working overtime to help your fatigued muscles to grow and repair.

Also as a side note, if you are aiming to lose fat, your body uses fat as its main source of energy when you are sleeping. If you want to get leaner or stay lean then make sure you get your sleep dialed in each night.

4- When your sore, train more

Now I don't mean that I want you to anihilate yourself when you're already in pain however, active recovery is a viable way to help your aching muscles recover. Think of it this way, blood carries nutrients and oxygen around your body (both of which help you to recover faster).

The most essential nutrient that you need to recover is protein. Protein's job is to help the cells of your body to grow and reapir. This includes your hair, nails, skin and not forgetting your muscle fibres.

Back to active recovery though, my favorite way to implement active recovery is to just move. Go for a swim, a bike ride, a walk, play a sport or use a rowing machine. The options are endless but just move. If you stay still you'll stiffen up and heal slower.

5- Eat some cherries. Yes Cherries!

Consuming a couple of handfulls of cherries after you train can help to reduce the effects of DOMS. Cherries contain a nutrient called anthocyanin which helps to increase the amount of oxygen that goes to your muscles. This will promote faster recovery and as an added benefit, the carbohydrates within the cherries will help to shuttle protein to your muscles faster because when your body is in an insulin sensitive state (post training) the glycogen from the cherries will be sucked away from your fat cells and directly into the muscles that you have just finished training.

Summary

So there we have it, 5 ways to reduce the effects of DOMS. Don't go mad when you first start training. If your experienced in training already and you still get sore try some of the above tips and you'll be sure to speed up your recovery process.

Feel free to post any questions, comments or feedback below. Let me know of any topics that you want me to discuss and I'll be sure to consider them for futere blog posts.

Stay strong, be healthy and help others. 

BC

Real Core Training

Introduction

I have been requested to do a post today on core training.

Lets start by first understanding the definition of the "core."

The core is a group of muscles that stabilises the torso including the spine and the vital organs.

The core consists of the following muscles that work as a team to create stability; the transverse abdominis (TVA), the internal and external obliques, the intercostals, the errector spinae, the quadratus lumborium, the multifidis and the most popular muscle that most people know of in the torso, the rectus abdominis (otherwise known as your six pack).

The main role of the core group of muscles is to maintain a rigid torso whilst the limbs are moving an maximal or submaximal velocity.

A good example of this is a 100m sprinter. The sprinter moves their arms and legs at maximal speed, in order to finish the race in the fastest time. The function of the core is to remain tight during the whole race to stop excess movement and lost force production and lets not forget, protection of the vital organs which are also inside the torso.

Understanding the function of the core helps us gain a greater understanding about the most realistic/sports specific way that we should all train our core group of muscles.

Whilst doing variations of sit ups, crunches, leg raises and rotational exercises like russian twists are good for isolating individual areas of the core muscles the crossover to real life functionality is poor.

The Loaded Carry
The loaded carry is one of the best real core training exercises. There are many different variations of loaded carry but some of my favorites are as follows;
1-Single arm dumbbell carry
2-Farmers walk
3-Suitcase carry
4-Overhead carry
5-Yoke walk

Single Arm Carry
This exercise is great as you will be pulled to one side as your walking, forcing your core muscles down the opposite side to work as a group so that you aren't pulled over to the side your holding the DB on. These are great as a warm up to any workout as they dont necessarily have to be heavy and they get all of your limbs and torso working.

Farmers Walk
The farmers walk is another good warm up or metabolic finisher at the end of your workout depending on how heavy you want to go. You will hold a dumbbell or a kettlebell in each hand and walk for a set distance at speed. All of the core group of muscles will be engaged during this exercise.

Suitcase Carry
You will need slightly more room to perform this exercise than the others. For the suitcase carry you will stand between two barbells, before performing a deadlift and walking a set distance with them both in your hands. Because of the length of the barbells, it may be best to do this exercise outside or at a quite time in the gym. This exercise will challenge not only your core group of muscles but also your grip, forearms and trapezius too.

Overhead Carry
This is one of my favourite core exercises. It can be done single handed or with both hands overhead. If you have limited shoulder mobility you may want to avoid this exercise or try the single handed version. The placement of the object in hand must be held slightly behind your head and stacked directly over the shoulders. Walk for a set distance or time. This exercise engages all of the core group of muscles.

Yoke Walk
This is the version of a loaded carry that you can really overload. Place a barbell in a high bar potition on your back (ontop of your trapezius), unrack the bar from the rack and go for a walk for time or distance. Because of the amount of weight that you can load up and walk with, this exercise causes the greatest amount of stabilisation requirement. I would not reccomend that you did this when training alone and if you do train alone, always ask for a spotter when performing this exercise. This works not only every muscle within the core but it works every muscle in your body.

Summary
So now we understand that the core muscles work as a group to stabilise our torso whilst our limbs are moving. The faster we move our limbs, the more we need to  stabilise our core muscles. Sit ups, crunches, leg raises and other core isolation exercises are fine but the crossover to real core strength and stability is very minimal. Incorporate one or all of the above versions of loaded carry to see a huge boost in performance and asthetics.

Until next week, train hard, stay positive and never stop developing yourself in every aspect of life.

BC

Why should women lift weights?

Introduction

For fat loss and muscle tone at least, the thing that I hear many women ask is, "what's the best thing that I can do to achieve this goal?"

Is it cardio? Are classes better? How about abdominal training because thats the area I want to lose my 'weight' from?

STOP!!!

Allow me to shed some light on this topic;

1) Doing cardio alone will help you become smaller than you are (under the assumption that you are creating a calorie deficit with a combination of food and exercise) but that's all it will do! You won't look anymore toned, you won't necessarily be able to see shape on your abdomen and you will likely become what's know in the industry as skinny fat. You will become a smaller version of your not toned self unless you have exceptional genetics in terms of muscularity (which is uncommon).

2) Depending on the class, you could see a benefit if they incorporate some weights and HIIT training. Sorry guys but Zumba, Legs, bums and tums and yoga classes aren't going to help with the outlined goals of losing fat and achieving a more toned physique. 

If you do like the classes then do them but do them for fun, not for a specific training goal as they are generalized not designed specifically for you. I will always encourage keeping active and doing exercises that you enjoy. 

3) Training abdominals for fat loss without having a structured nutrition and resistance training plan in place is like having a large pizza to yourself with a salad on the side. Its pointless...

So how do ladies lose fat then?

Both the males and females burn fat and improve muscle tone by being in a deficit of calories and performing resistance exercise that allow you to grow or retain muscle whilst being in a calorie deficit.

The only difference being, that women naturally have higher estrogen levels than men, which can make it a little more difficult to achieve fat loss as fast as their male counterpart. It is still very achievable though and it can be done with a few little tricks.

There are three ways to burn fat

1) I'm going to sound like a broken record here.... Be in a calorie deficit!

2) Manage your insulin levels. Don't let them spike too sharply and try to keep them stable throughout the day.

3) Increase the size of your overall musculature.

How do we do that?

1) Simply burn more calories than you consume. There are lots of different ways to track this however, the easiest way is to just eat very slightly smaller portions and gently over a period of 2-3 week's increase your activity to 30-45 mins per day with 1 day per week of eating a little more than the other six. This allows for balance because you should have everything in moderation including moderation.

2) You stop your insulin levels from spiking by limiting the amount of processed foods that you consume, cutting sugar out of your diet and eating a variety of foods that have a low glycemic index whilst increasing your protein and healthy fat intake. Protein, fibre and fat cause no insulin response. You can consume your food in the order of veggies and salad, then protein followed by carbohydrate. This reduces the insulin spike from the carbohydrate, helps to manage your blood sugar levels and will balance out your hormones.

3)To build muscle, we need to have a training routine in place that is based around resistance training. Now that doesn't mean that you will end up looking like the hulk. In fact, this is a myth for most women (and most men quite frankly) and is very frustrating to those that know how hard it is to gain muscle without gaining too much fat.

One of my favourite analogies for using weight training to achieve fat loss is;

"If you put a steak onto the barbecue what happens? The steak goes from being soft and and large with a higher fat content, to the steak shrinking, getting firmer and the fat drips out."

This is what happens when you do weights. Your body will shrink because you'll lose fat and your muscles will become firmer and more toned. 

Having more muscle will speed up your metabolic rate (the number of calories that you burn each day) and maks it easier to achieve a deficit of calories.

Summary

When you combine the three methods above you will achieve a steady fat loss and long term success. There are many 'fad' diets out there that promise fast results and some do deliver what they say.

If you want long term fat loss and a toned physique, then follow the advise above and you'll be sure to make an improvement.

Always remember that when embarking on any exercise routine you should always have a health check with your doctor first and consult a trained professional who can advise you on how to safely perform the correct exercises to help you achieve your goals.

Stay strong, be happy and enjoy your journey.

BC

There's more to Personal Training than Grueling Workouts

Introduction

When I first started Personal Training (Over 16 years ago) I wanted to help my clients to exercise safely, make their training more effective with the new knowledge that I had gained for my personal training courses and help them to improve thier lives in the fastest possible time. I had no idea at that time, the knowledge I had gained wouldn't come close to preparing me for the job that I had ahead of me. 

The lessons that I have learned over the last 16 years have completely changed the way that I think about training and life.

"The best way to learn is to teach." Frank Oppenheimer

When I qualified I passed all of my exams with the best possible grades, flying colours you might say. You could even say that at the time I was a little big headed about my latest achievement and even though on paper I was a qualified PT and had many years of training myself under my belt, in reality I was still an 18 year old young man who had no experience in working with the public or helping people achieve their personal goals.

Time to Grow

Over time I improved my people skills, my business skills and the ability to research newly released training data on the most effective methods to help my clients improve both safely and quickly. This personal growth turned into increased PT sales, improved relationships with current clients and an authenticity that can't be faked by just a good sales person. I have and always will practice what I preach meaning, if I ask you to do it, you can bet that I will have practiced the new exercise technique, intricate details of an exercise (a different way of doing the same exercise) or dietary method many times before I ever mention it. 

The clients that I train and the great results that my clients get, allowed my confidence to grow. I was no longer big headed about how good I thought I was. I have improved with the understanding that I will never have learned it all but the self-assurance that I can help the vast majority of clients to be physically more advanced and have a better education in nutritional techniques to achieve many different goals.

"The more you learn, the more you'll realise how little you know." Joe Abercrombie

I am always humble about the results my clients get and I make a point of giving them any credit for the results that they achieve. I am only a guide on their journey and the client is the person who must walk the path to the top of the mountain. I feel an overwhelming sense of pride when my clients break through their training, nutrition and self-development goals.

Training isn't always the answer!

Sometimes the right thing to do when trying to keep your clients on track, is to not train them (hear me out before you get out the torches). I have had many clients over the years that have come to their training session in no fit state to train down to personal circumstances (sometimes out of their control and sometimes within their control). 

It could be one of a many different reasons that prevent them from being able to train and in my sessions, if you aren't in the right frame of mind to train, you shouldn't train (risk vs reward must be in favour of reward). I have taken clients out for a walk or just found a quiet space for them to vent, cry or shout in these circumstances.

Short term, this may not contribute to a client achieving their goals on this given day but in the long term, if life situations gets ontop of them, this can hold back their training more than missing a day of training. Sometimes taking a small step backwards to allow for future steps forwards is a necessary action. 

Different Perspective

I have a different perspective on this subject to many trainers. Too many trainers believe that their job is simply to train and advise their clients and when the hour is up the client isn't thier problem until the next session. Sadly, this is all too common. The trainers I have known over the years with this attitude don't stay in this industry for long. I am fortunate to have been in the presence on a regular basis of a diverse and intelligent group of PT's that share similar views to myself (Iron sharpens Iron!).

More than a Personal Trainer

The thing that they don't teach you when you are learning to become a PT however, is that as a PT, you are obliged to do whatever it takes to get your clients to stay on track. This is where I believe many fall short on service to their clients.

Whether you like it or not, you will build up a relationship with each and every individual client that you train and on top of a trainer, you will become a friend, counselor, roll model and a pillar of support for some if not all of your clients. There is so much more to being PT than gruelling workouts, diet advice and a few scripted encouraging words.

Please feel free to add in anything that you feel I have missed out in the comments below. I would love to hear your comments on your own PT experiences.

Until next time, be healthy, stay strong and enjoy life.

BC