Kettlebells - The Emperors New Clothes??

Unfortunately the fitness world seems to jump from fad to fad thanks to the massive sums of money spent by the unwise public year upon year. From diet programs that claim to lose a stone a week to pieces of equipment that soon are found cluttering up peoples sheds and garages worldwide.
Anything that is marketed as quick or easy is jumped on- take the vibration plate for example- an excellent rehabilitating tool when used correctly but for weight loss just too ineffective to produce any real results. Or for instance the horrendous ab cradle.Designed to make exercise once again 'easier' by easing the load on the neck- one fundamental flaw though- it creates a huge imbalance in the flexor chain with the abdominals isolated these grow stronger, whilst the neck flexors atrophy (as the head is supported) leading to postural imbalances and also increased risk of injury- but hey I'm sure that 1000 crunch will help you on your way to a six pack- what rot on all levels!
Kettlebells have seen a massive rise on the fitness scene with many a unqualified and inexperienced trainer jumping on the band waggon and telling their clients that these are the last word in fitness.
As many of you know I am a keen advocate of all things kettlebells and they are by far my favourite fitness tool to work with. They promote excellent reactive core stability, flexibility, cardiovascular fitness endurance and to a certain degree strength- but- and this is a BIG but, they should not be used as a stand alone tool for several groups of people.
Firstly for hypertrophy. For muscle gain simply don't bother- an untrained individual may experience some muscle growth with kettlebells but an intermediate to advanced lifter should not switch to sole kettlebell use- the same way you wouldn't limit yourself to solely machines,dumbbells or barbells. For certain exercises yes they do provide an extra pull towards the starting position - like a cable- think flys and curls, but for many motions they are simply impractical with the weight needed eg a bench press- the bells would have to be so large that the wrists would be placed in excessive extension and why not simply use a standard lift which will be easier to manipluate?
Some people advocate them as a stand alone tool for athletes- again I say no. Athletes within periodised programs during their max strength and conversion to power stages need to subject their bodies to massive poundages on the barbell that simply can not be achieved with a kettlebell. The instability factor of having two independant bells also lowers the poundage being used and so becomes ineffective. Kettlebels as a light supplement to standard training can definitely have a place in an athletes current routine to improve shoulder and core stability though but it should be just that a supplement.
So who are kettlebells for? They are an excellent supplement to most peoples training - and for a few an excellent stand alone tool.
But those who use them as a stand alone tool should really only be concerned with an improvement in general fitness.They should not be aiming for anything particulary specific as you will not reach maximal levels of strength or endurance or power soley with kettlebells- the heavy load of the barbell is required.
They are also an excellent addition to any athletes cardio vascular conditioning, mainly though in anaerobic/aerobic cross over zone- such as many fighters and grapllers work in.
I train 3 times a week with the bells mainly to improve my grappling fitness- for which they are excellent. However I still put in 2-3 really heavy compound lifting sessions under the bar to keep my strength levels near their peak which I find works best.So don't see kettlebells as another fad- they are not; however see them in the context they are meant to be- as a supplement to a well planned diverse routine.
Stay Strong

Nutrition Pre during and Post Workout

This week I've seem to had many clients confused by exactly what they should be consuming pre, during and post workout.What you consume before your workout will have drastic effects on your training performance. You should be eating 2-4 hours before training - this meal should be comprised of both carbohydrate but also protein. In terms of how much carb you should be consuming you should aim for around 1.5 - 2 grams per kilo of bodyweight of low G.I carbs- i.e porridge,mixed beans,brown rice etc. Your protein consumption should be around 30 grams with this meal too.
Immediately before exercise I recommend consuming 30 grams of high G.I carbs from a liquid source- this doesn't have to be a sports drink but can be for example orange juice,40 grams of raisins, a banana etc- but I tend to opt for a 30 gram energy gel just for ease of use.Remember that you must consume fluid when consuming solid carbs though. If you want to really maximise your performance studies have shown that consuming protein with this carb pre workout hit improves greater endurance and strength than carbs alone and can minimise protein breakdown following exercise.So for instance many times i'll have pre workout gel and also 30 grams of whey protein mixed with 300ml of water before training.
During exercise
During exercise if your are training for the optimum time of 45-60 minutes and your pre workout nutrition has been spot on your shouldn't need to take anything in but water. If however you are training for over this period it is essential that you refuel after the hour each 30 minutes with a 30 gram carb hit ideally in liquid or gel form for easy absorption.With intense training your carbohydrate store will be depleted and studies have shown protein(muscle and organ) breakdown increases by 30% if carbohydrate stores are not in sufficient supply during training- so basically all that hard work is going to nothing and is in fact a detriment to your training.
If you are following a calorie restricted diet for weight loss then you should up you protein intake so that the body has a freely available source of protein to use instead of muscle tissue.
Post workout
Look for about .8gram per kilo of your bodyweight in carbs so for a 75kg man thats about 60grams of carbs. Go for a hit of about 30 grams of protein too. This should be consumed immediately after training while you are still sweating- and so your metabolism still at its peak. If you are really not one for shakes then a pint of skimmed milk and a banana will suffice.But what ever it is you must take this in or again you are severely hindering your recovery and training goals.
After this you should be eating one of your main small balanced meals within about 1-2 hours after this post training snack.
Until Next week Stay Strong
For Personal training in Brighton

Mental Toughness

Mental Toughness and Resilience

''Sparta, Rome, The Knights of Europe, the Samurai... They worshipped strength, because it is strength that makes all other values possible. Nothing survives without it. Who knows what delicate wonders have died out of the world, for want of the strength to survive''

One of the key qualities any person training can have is that of mental toughness – the will to go on when even every fibre of their body is saying stop. I’ve trained many, many different types of people from O.A.P.s to Marines and this quality can be found in the most unexpected people. I’ve seen big shaven headed so called tough guys sobbing into the dirt while on a similar session a middle aged woman tough it out and push through the pain barrier.
Without this quality you will not succeed in your training- period. Success in training only comes from pushing the boundaries within you, not trying but doing.
Anyone has this ability but I believe the soft lives most of us lead have sapped it out from us – as the old saying if you don’t use it you lose it. If you compare our lives to those who lived even 200 years ago those who weren’t rich, their lives were often hard, short and tough. Go back 2000 years and I believe you’ll find people of a different calibre than you get today. And this softness has weakened our bodies and our minds. The french call it the 'eye of the dog' and Charles Poliquin believes that he can judge if an athlete will succeed in 5 minutes of training- if he or she exhibits this quality in training-

'Now, when I'm brought on to train a national team, I can tell which eight of the 12 athletes I want to train. I'll tell the coach that the other four aren't going to make it. I can tell by their attitude in the first training session. In fact, in all seriousness, I can tell who's going to become an Olympic medalist by their first workout.
In French there's a term that means "to have some dog in you." The athletes who have some dog in them are the ones that have the attitude to be winners. They'll work their asses off' - Poliquin

Good news! Mental toughness can be cultivated in those who want to learn it. With regular practise going that one extra minute, rep, mile, what ever it is will make it easier next time you come to push yourself just that little bit more. Give in to lazy maintenance and soon though inevitably you’ll start to slide.

Try visualization when you are lifting. As you lift or push the weight don't think just about moving the bar but think of a situation or scenario that makes you really angry or determined. As most of my strength training is built around making myself stronger for grappling I imagine throwing,pushing off or submitting an apponent all the way through the lift.
There is science behind this too. This technique will hep you release more adrenaline through the lift and so in lay mans terms you'll be able to send faster electrical pulses through your nerves making them contract harder. Of course what motivates me may not motivate you so you'll have to find your own inspiration!
So Stay Strong and keep up!