Here Are Three Things You MUST Take To The Gym With You!

Yesterday I talked about the three things you must NOT bring into the gym. Today I'll be discussing the three things you MUST bring to the gym:

1) Stopwatch - Rest intervals between sets/exercises is possibly one of the underestimated factors when it comes to training. Too little and you'll be insufficiently recovered, too much and the training response will be lost. As a general rule of thumb the shorter the rest intervals the greater the metabolic cascade. (i.e fat loss) The greater the rest the more neural recovery you'll have. (i.e training for strength)
Remember your rest intervals will help dictate the training response.

2) Training Log or Notepad - I see so many trainees lifting weights, bashing set after set out without recording their progress. This is such a dumb move as the likely hood of someone being able to remember their previous sessions, weights, sets and rest is extremely slim - invest in a notepad and start recording your sessions. You harvest results on data not guess work!

3) A Focused Mind - You'll find both endurance and strength improves when you enter the gym with a clear and focused mind. It's important you separate your personal/work life from the gym. If you can do that then you'll soon see your progress take off.
Training should be a time dedicated to YOU - don't let problems at work get in the way of your results!

Here Are Three Things You Must NOT Take To The Gym With You!

Here are 3 things you must NOT take to the gym with you:

1) Mobile phone - leave your phone in your gym bag. There's evidence to support that training with a mobile phone decreases testosterone levels by 31% as well as a drop in strength.

2) Heat magazine, Complete Works Of Shakespeare, or any book for that matter - the gym is a place for training, not for reading... I don't walk into my local library with a pair of resistance bands and perform a set of push ups - keep it in your locker!

3) Ego - This is possibly one of the No 1 causes of most injuries and poor results. Many people will favour weight over technique which results in improper movement patterns and poor muscular development. Tip: leave your ego in the dressing room!

Tomorrow I will be taking about the top 3 things you MUST take into the gym.

Success Story - Triple fat loss drop

I've just come out of measuring body fat for three of my clients... And would just like to say congratulations to all three on their successful drops in body fat.

Client 1 - dropped a total of 4.6% across the last 3 weeks!

Client 2 - dropped a total of 1% in a week!

Client 3 - has dropped an incredible 6.3% in just short of a month!

How have these three achieved such incredible drops in fat loss? They've all adopted the Systems of Hall Training!

5 Facts About Omega 3!

I'm just on my way home from attending a fascinating seminar by Dr Lars Lindmark on the benefits of fish oil. I'd like to share 5 top facts I learnt today:

1) Our total omega 3 intake has dropped 80% from what is was 100 years ago.
2) Hong Kong and Japan have the highest omega 3 intake in the world but also the lowest heart disease and cognitive disorders, according to studies.
3) Omega 3 is considered the No 3 "drug" to help combat depression.
4) By supplementing only 500mgs of fish oil per day will decrease the risk of coronary heart disease by 30%.
5) Eyesight deteriorates as we get older. The retina is comprised of 60% omega 3 fat. By supplementing with omega 3 you can reduce your chances of sight related problems and 'slow' down the acing process.

Here's 5 reasons why you should be supplementing your diet with the invaluable fat... Omega 3.

This Weeks Top Tip

Strengthening the external rotators of the shoulder and the scapulae retractor to the point of structural balance are the two best ways at improving your chin ups and pressing movements.

Another Reason Why Steady State Cardio Makes You Fat

A lot of people are still under the impression that spending hours on the treadmill will help lose body fat, despite plenty of research stating the opposite.

A study published by Williams and Woods (2006) using almost 13,000 habitual runners observed they all tended to get fatter every year, even those who ran more than 68 km a week! 

One of the many problems with long distance cardio is the body adapts too quickly to the stimulus placed upon it and is regarded useless after 6-8 weeks.

If you're looking at improving your body composition my advice would be, ditch the treadmill and start lifting some weight.

Source: The effects of changing exercise levels on weight and age-related weight gain.