Posts in “Building Muscle”
Men, Muscles, and Masculinity
Over the next three weeks I am going to introduce some of my findings coming out of my PhD. These relate to how the muscularity plays a pivotal role in our identities, and may benefit (or hinder us) in managing the impressions we both have of ourselves and project to others. These blogs will include, […]
Read articleWhy Do YOU Exercise?
I recently did a presentation about the effects of exercise on the body. The main purpose was to describe the physical effects i.e. your heart beating faster and therefore getting stronger, the effects of exercise on your bones and muscles and so on. But I opened the presentation with the question “why do you exercise” […]
Read articleMy Top Exercises for Training Your Abs
In my opinion having a strong and stable trunk aka core, abs, 6 pack, oblique’s or however you refer to your abdominal and spinal section of your body, is crucial. It is crucial not only for looking good and being able to plank for 10 minutes plus, but also crucial for increasing strength in an […]
Read articleA Fresh Twist To An Old Classic – No Carb Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe
This is a fresh twist to an old classic, also a great way to get the enjoyment out of a comfort food, but without all the naughtiness. Here is our No Carb Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe…..mmmmm! Ok, so it’s not completely carb free – the courgetti and other veg add some carbs, but it’s free of processed […]
Read articleTop Chest Training Tips
Incline vs decline. Barbell or dumbbells. Mass or strength. How much rest? These are just some examples of the conversations we’ve been having in the gym this week. The truth is that there is no one way to train your chest! Plus everyone trains differently as everyone has different training goals. But to help out, here […]
Read articleA Day In The Life Of A Personal Trainer – 6 Months After Graduating
Instead of something directly related to exercise, nutrition and health, I am going to write about what my typical week consists of 6 months after graduating from university. Obviously you will get an idea of my training and nutrition as we go through too, which as a personal trainer is obviously something I care about, […]
Read articleTweaking Your Squat – Squat Variations
Having some form of squat in your training session is probably the one of most important movement to include. The squat is a compound movement which means it requires multiple joints to fire at once. Squatting with any type of free weight (barbell/dumbbell/kettlebell) activates your trunk muscles, so can be really effective at strength and […]
Read articleThis Is How I Roll – Foam Rolling Techniques
If you’ve ever read any of my blogs, you will know that I believe EVERYONE who does any kind of fitness should do two things : Yoga and Foam Roll. For those of you who already use a foam roller of any sort, I would ask the question “when do you use it”? If you […]
Read articleWeak As I Am…..Overcoming Weakness
(image: https://pixabay.com/en/caricature-man-weak-effort-812270/) As personal trainers we hear this a lot – “my arms are so weak” , “am I the weakest client you’ve ever had?” and so on. As no one person is the same as the next, why would we be comparing ourselves to others – we shouldn’t be! And if you’re worried about your arms […]
Read articleMake Time For Yourself
Our personal training client’s success stories are all different, as no one client is the same. Likewise it’s not unusual for personal training clients to change their goals! Meet Lucy. Lucy’s goals include wanting to get strong, to lose weight, to get better at running, to have a hard workout, to unwind, and more importantly – to follow the motto […]
Read articleUnderstanding Anabolic Steroids – Part 2
Following on from last week’s blog, this article continues to look at understanding anabolic steroids and will cover the physiological and psychological side effects, the stereotypical profile of a steroid user, and some “real life” motives for the use of steroids. There are many proposed and perceived side effects of steroids, many of which are […]
Read article15 Tips To Become Stronger
Strength training has numerous benefits beyond simply counting numbers. It has been shown to enhance speed, agility, recovery rate, injury resilience, joint health, bone mineral density, and even endurance performance. So here are 15 tips to get stronger which you can include in your training sessions and develop your strength, quicker and more efficiently. Prioritise […]
Read articleUnderstanding Anabolic Steroids – Part One!
The use of anabolic steroids is often a taboo subject in the health and fitness industry, with many not wanting to discuss it because of it’s seedy and immoral nature. For me, this is part of the reason so many individuals will misuse these substances and cause themselves unnecessary harm due to a lack of […]
Read articlePosture Advice Part 3 – Lordosis
Did you know that 8 out of 10 people will suffer with non-specific lower back pain – that’s pain which cannot be attributed to spinal structural problems or infection. It’s a scary number – so why aren’t we doing more to help stop the pain from occurring in the first place? It’s probably because as […]
Read articlePeriodisation For Rugby Players
What is Periodisation? Periodisation refers to the structuring and phasing of your training. The process breaks your training plan into periods or phases, but also takes into account all aspects of your performance such as strength, power, CV and muscular endurance, and skills. For rugby players it is important to ensure that the stresses and […]
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