To help get you motivated, here is a few vids that fire up the blood before training.
So get your ass in gear, set your goals, do the work and achieve everything..
ENJOY
HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT
CROSSFIT CHRIS SPEALLER
WOMEN
This is my opinions on Life, weight training, CrossFit and Coaching. Oh!! and a few RANTS from time to time.
Friday, 28 September 2012
Imtermittent Fasting
Great Article I found on Intermittent Fasting.
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Intermittent
Fasting.
Sounds like the worst thing ever,
right? Starving yourself on purpose?
Well, if you’ve been unsuccessful at
losing weight, if you’ve lost weight but you’ve hit a plateau, or if you just
want to try something new, this might be the jump start you need. I have
started this with my clients in France and to my surprise it has worked beyond
belief. We are dropping 2% BF per week with 6 days of training and one
24hr of fasting this is achieving unbelievable results. Photos to follow soon…..
Diets
– Six Meals For better metabolism ?
For years, the concept of lots of small
meals throughout the day really clicked with me.
If you space out your meals evenly,
keep your calorie count low, you’ll lose weight, right? Lots of people
follow the “eat multiple meals a day” ideology and lose weight, so it
works. Less calories, more meals, evenly spread out. It makes
sense.
However, I’ve recently done some
research and reading on IF…which also makes a lot of sense to me. By not
eating every once a while, your body has to burn the fat in your system for
energy, which would lead to weight loss. Also, by not eating for twenty
four hours, you’re pushing your body into a calorie deficit, which also leads
to weight loss. It makes sense.
So,
how can these two seemingly conflicting ideologies both make sense?Simple – they both allow your body to burn more
calories than you consume. And, if other research on the body’s
physiology while fasting is to be believed, there are multiple other benefits
as well.
What
is Intermittent Fasting?
IF
is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: you purposely avoid eating for a
twenty-four hour period (or two) during the week. Why? Because recent studies have shown
that your metabolism operates more on a marathon basis (how many calories
consumed over a long period of time) than on a sprint basis (what you ate
yesterday). Think long term when it comes to calories consumed and
burned, not short term.
How
Does it Work?
Our bodies are genetically engineered
to deal with feast or famine. Our bodies need fuel to
operate, and if there isn’t any food in the stomach to pull from, it uses the
fat stored within the body for energy. The fat gets burned for energy,
the body keeps moving, and becomes leaner.
Secondly, because of these skipped
meals, you are putting your body into a calorie deficit .Remember, it’s a
marathon, not a sprint, so start thinking of your calories more in terms of
weekly units rather than daily amounts, if that helps. More calories
burned compared to calories consumed = weight loss!
Here is a video the will explain to you
the similarities between fasting an exercise
How
Do You Do It?
Simple:
pick a day (or two) per week and purposely skip breakfast and lunch, and then
eat a normal dinner. – for example, a
fast on Monday, and then another one on Thursday. Liquids are okay on
fasting days, just not ones with calories ie the supplement you are
taking. WATER GOOD
If you’re used to eating a LOT of food,
and you normally eat a big breakfast, this is going to be a pretty big drastic
change. Start by skipping breakfast and see how your body reacts to
it. If you can handle that, work your way up to skipping breakfast and
lunch. I’m not saying you should skip breakfast and lunch every
day. Eat normally five days a week, try a fast one of the other days for
a few weeks and see how your body reacts.
Benefits
of Intermittent Fasting
A recent article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition gives a great overview of these benefits
which include decreases in blood pressure, reduction in oxidative damage to
lipids, protein and DNA, improvement in insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake,
as well as decreases in fat mass.” This study discusses studies
done with humans specifically.
Risks
of Intermittent Fasting
So,
all we see so far are GOOD things about not eating for a full day. What MIGHT
be bad about it? First off, I can
see myself getting extremely hungry to the point of annoyance when starting out
this process. So you’re hungry, fatigued, irritable. Fasting is not very
comfortable. People try to cut back one day and the next day they’re starving
and they overeat.”
If you have the time look at this
programme from horizon it should help you make you own mind up on IF
Eat,
Fast and Live Longer (science proving that 2 days of fasting can be super
beneficial)
WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO
Why We Do What We Do
From the time we start school, or even before that. We are asked what do we want to be when we’re older.
As a kid we want to be super heroes, police men, firemen, cowboys, and princesses (girls and some boys).
This changes as we get older. Personally mine had changed from week to week depending on what I had seen on TV or in the cinema.
As we grow older, parents, teachers or friends try to push us into colleges, jobs or careers.
I have had many jobs in all different sectors. Some I liked and some I disliked.
You get told you need to work and save money, buy a house, settle down, have a family, which all sounds good if that’s what you want to do.
What if you have all that and the job you’re in is slowly killing you. Jobs are usually 8 hour days, 40 hours a week, 1,920 hours a year. So, over the course of 30 years that equals to 57,600 hours doing something that you’re not happy with. That is a lot of wasted hours.
I have always like sports and exercise (even as a heavy set kid), and I also had a passion for biology in school, mainly the human body and how it works.
When it came to choosing what I wanted to do after school I picked fitness. The reason I chose Fitness was not to learn as much as possible and be the best trainer/coach I could possibly be, but I wanted to be beach body fit. Big chest and arms! To anybody that knows me now would laugh at me to hear this.
Over the years I studied and learned more and more about the fitness industry. The more I read, the more I wanted to know where it came from. If I found a new/old style of training I would look into the person who designed it. Then you find out their influences and find information on them. I have personally studied more in the years after college than in collage because I love what I do
When you stop learning or seeking out information, you have given up.
If you think that you know it all (in any field) I’m here to tell you “take your head out of your arse”
That’s why I do what I do. It’s always changing; there are so many different types of ways to be the best that you can be. The amount of knowledge is unreal and never ending.
Don’t be that guy/girl, find what you love to do and take the necessary steps to make it happen.
If you love what you do, it is not a Job.
Thanks for Reading,
Stephen Kinsella
I KNOW SQUAT 2
I
Know Squat
A few months ago, we talked
about the pros of squatting and why it should be a staple in one’s program.
Just the other day I had a
discussion with some fitness instructors on squatting. Their main question was
why I am so strict when it comes to teaching the squat?
The squat is a one of the
most important exercises there is. It is complex and takes focus to do
correctly. I will admit that while in college and been a young ego kid in the
gym wanting to lift as much as possible I would sacrifice technique and range
of motion to achieve more weight.
This type of training gave
me a twisted spine which resulted in a year without training, 3 years before I
was squatting with decent weight again.
Like with any exercise if
done wrong or with lackluster technique there is a higher potential for injury.
So in response to their question
I am writing a detailed account of the way I teach the squat.
Set up:
Make sure the bar is set up
in the correct position.
You need to have the bar
set lower than shoulder height.
(If the bar is not positioned correctly you will
find yourself on the balls of your feet trying to de-rack the bar, putting you
off balance and in a very compromising position).
Once the bar is set; position
yourself under the bar.
Feet (heels) shoulder with
apart with toes slightly pointed out
Hand grip should be tight,
the closer our hands are to your shoulder the better
Squeezing the bar will also
help engage the lats and tighten the back more.
(If these steps are done correctly you should be
in a ¼ squat position before you begin.)
Before Descent
Take a deep breath and
stand -up straight.
(Do not look down at your feet, it is a bad
habit and will not benefit you when lifting heavy weights)
Take 1-2 steps back from
the rack.
Pick a spot in front of you
for focus.
Keep the chest up. Take a
big breath deep into your belly (this
will tighten your back even more)
Descent:
Push the hips back and down
allowing for your body to lower the weight in a controlled manner
(Do not drop into position)
On the way down keep your
knees wide and tracking over the toes.
Do not stand out of the
Squat until your hips have dropped lower than the knee joint.
(Throughout the entire movement you must keep
your weight on your mid foot-heels.)
Ascent:
Once the hips have passed
the knee joint, explode up with and return to a standing position:
Squeeze the bar with your
hands.
Keep your chest up.
Push your hips through
engaging the glutes more. Push the knees out.
The movement is finished
when you are standing straight with knees and hips locked out.
Rack the bar and done.
Additional notes:
If you do not have weight
lifting shoes make sure you have flat shoes (Chuck Taylors) or if your gym
allows barefoot.
Try to avoid squatting in
running shoes. They have too much cushion, your weight can shift which is not
good in a squat.
There is a lot to the Squat
and each variation will have its different tips to make the movement more
efficient.
For those ego-driven gym
goers who already squat, go for full range of motion every time.
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Conclusion:
·
Position yourself correctly
·
Focus and take a deep
breath
·
Control the descent on the
way down but don’t overdo this eccentric portion too slow
·
Keep weight on the mid
foot-heels
·
Explode out of the squat,
keep chest big, push hips through and knees out
Thank you for reading,
Stephen Kinsella
Why we all should Squat!!
Why we all should Squat!!
Part 1
If somebody told me that I
could only do 1 exercise for the rest of my life I would have to pick the
Squat.
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Why
the squat???
Because you will not get
another exercise more functional that will benefit you more in life. I know
some people might say bench press or the AWESOME bicep curl because when you
look in a mirror that’s what you see.
Hands down, the squat trumps all.
If you go back before the invention
of the chair, you will find that our ancestors squatted all the time. It was
the natural thing to do, weight on your heels and ass to grass with-out a
thought. We don’t have any recordings of that. So where is my proof. Next time
you play with your children or see any
child under 4 years of age ask them to sit on an imaginary chair or play the sitting game. They will perform a
perfect squat sitting on their heels, Its simple bio-mechanics and genetics but
sad to say that we as a people train ourselves not to squat.
Take any indigenous people
that has not succumbed to the modern way of living and look at their lifestyle
and medical history. Research has shown that the percentage of knee & hip
disease in these people is next to nothing compared to modern society.
But
Squatting is bad for your knees!!! My trainer told me so.
No, No, No. Bad squatting is
bad for you. If your trainer, coach, or
fitness guru tells you not to squat because it is bad for you, he is not
versed on the mechanics of the human body and does not know how to teach.
Squatting is bad if you squat wrong. If you squat the right way your open to an
abundant amount of strength and functional health.
Going
beyond parallel will damage ligaments, cartilage and bones!!!!
Again NO…. To engage the
stretch reflex of the muscles and recruit more muscle fibres your hip must break
parallel with the knee joint. Imagine for a moment you’re in a car and the
person in front of you jams on the brakes causing you to break even harder.
That’s not good for your cars brakes. Now if the person in front of you slows
down and you adjust accordingly, your safe and your brakes will be ok. Consider
your knees a set of brakes if there is a sudden stop you add more pressure and
can damage the joint.
Can
I just leg press, or do the leg curl or leg extension???
Buy all means do, but your
proprioceptors and nervous system will not be active. I have seen people leg
press all the weight on the leg press machine a get off and high 5 their
friend. Well done, but ask them to squat even half the weight they just lifted and you will see
honest strength, that is if they can do
it.
It’s the same with the leg
curl and leg extension. Good machine’s in their own right but again if you
squat, your doing 1 exercise instead of 2 and not only gaining real strength
but saving time in the gym.
Funny
Story
A conversation between a very
well respected coach (no not me..) and a
doctor made me laugh so much I need to write about it.
A client came into his conditioning
centre saying that she can train except she was not allowed to Squat because
she had bad knees. The coach was a bit baffled (if you have bad knees you
should strengthen them) and rang the clients doctor, to his surprise the doctor
confirmed that his client should not squat or do any leg exercise. Question -
how does one make the legs and knees stronger??. The coach asked the doctor can
his client do sit-stands which was getting his client to sit on a box and
stand-up from that position. The Doctor thought
that this was a good idea mmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!! You are not allowed to squat
but you can sit down to a box parallel with the clients knees and stand up from
that position. So you are not allowed to squat but you can squat. Within 1
month the client was not using the box = SQUATING, went back to her doctor and
all her knee pain was gone. Why???? SQUAT, SQUAT, SQUAT.
So SQUAT in the gym, the
office, the street, and a personal favorite do the Van Dame Squat (very
advanced) in the night club.
Thank
you for reading
Stephen
Kinsella
MY TRAINING HELL!
Article was written in 2011
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3 months and 3 days ago I was gearing up for the National Weight Lifting tournament in Belfast.
I was on a 13 week programme to prime my lifts for competition. Looking to hit a 111kg clean and Jerk and a 90kg Snatch.
I felt good and ready for competition. 2 week out from the event I Squatted heavy in the gym wear I work. All was good and I left the squat at 145kg. After training I went through my mobility training.
After my shower I went to coach my client for the night. As the night went on I found my right foot - toe starting to hurt. By the end of the night I ended up limping. I did not put much thought into it and went home to bed.
The next day I woke up to find my foot twice the size and immovable. I happen to have crutches in my apartment from a previous injury and proceed to go to work. After about 3 hours I was on my way to A&E. Spending an hour in the waiting room a doctor called my name. Straight away he diagnosed this as a tendon tear.
Treatment = rest, anti-inflammatory and keep off the foot for 2 weeks. This meant that I was out of the competition. Needless to say I was not a happy camper.
So I did the treatment and all seemed well and in 2 weeks I was walking fine. At the beginning of week 4 I woke up in the middle of the night with my foot throbbing. I could not believe this. So I Spent the morning trying to cool down the heat and pain until the chemist opened to get painkillers.
By the end of the day I was back up at the hospital and found the rudest doctor in the country. I told him what had happened and that I want an x-ray to find out what was going on. After the x-ray came back and was clear I asked what can I do. This is the second time it happened. DOCTOR said “take pain killers and walk on it” I could not Dorsi or Planter (up-down) flex my foot.
So I went to a good Friend who had a look at the tendon. Because of the diagnosis she believed that there was a big tear but was concerned there was no bruising and the history had no impact to the joint.
I went back on pain killers and rested again, took time off work and treated my foot as best as I could. Every thing seemed to go well as I went back for light training.
Everything was going well. I started movement again which after a week I found my grove. The next week I started to add weight to my lifts and by the end of the week I was feeling great and ready to push the weight back up.
2 Days later I woke up to at 5am to my foot in bits again. You can understand I was Pissed. I could not believe what was happening to my foot. I rang our Physio In East Coast Barbell and booked an appointment.
Emma was very good and asked a lot of questions to find the cause of the injury. After a lot of time Emma came up with the conclusion that it could be Gout (GOUT F#*K THAT) I had to go to my GP for blood tests to confirm it.
The Doc said all the symptoms are classic signs of Gout and tested my blood. Blood came back negative (no sign of gout in the blood). So I was given a higher does of anti-inflammatory and went on my merry way.
3 weeks later I start to get a pain in my foot. The Tuesday I was back limping and on the Wednesday I was back at the docs. I was not happy with my treatment and sought out a new Doc that was recommend to me by a client and friend.
So My new Doc seemed to have a better handle on what was happening. She is convinced it is gout but took blood and explained more about it. As much as people say Gout is Food related, new studies are saying different and there is new and better treatment for it.
So Im back on pain killers and anti-inflammatory and have had to take another week of work. Over the past 3 month I have trained some upper body when possible and had 1 week of weight lifting.
Having this Injury/condition has halted a lot of things in my training, work, and social life. But out of this nightmare I pushed to do something that I new worked and have confirmed it over the last 20 days.
Imagine not been able to train, it’s a mind fuck to say the least. But what if you could still get fat loss (not weight loss) amazing energy, lose weight and feel better even though your on crutches.
Well guys I’ve done just that.
My next article will explain how I did and do it.
Thank you for reading
Stephen Kinsella
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