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.

This Weeks Top Tip

Many 'experts' believe coffee isn't good for our health and can cause all sorts of 'problems.' However there have been so many studies backing coffee up, from increasing fat loss and strength output, extending one's life to improving brain health.

In the year 2000, two studies (one in the mainstream journal Neurology) showed that coffee consumption is associated with a reduced risk for Parkinson’s disease. More recent studies have also shown that coffee drinkers are less likely to get Alzheimer’s and dementia, with a decreased risk of about 65% at late-life. It's also been shown to improve short-term cognitive function on various testing parameters like reaction time, choice reaction time, incidental verbal memory, and visual-spatial reasoning.

The mechanisms behind the health benefits of coffee could be the fact that coffee enhances detoxification in the body, and/or its anti-oxidant content and ability to increase insulin sensitivity and reduce the onset of type 2 diabetes... after all Alzheimer's can otherwise be known as type 3 diabetes.

Source: Caffeine as a protective factor in dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Hall Training Systems Is Now On Facebook!

I'm please to announce Hall Training Systems has now landed on Facebook... Finally!

Please take the time to check it out and recommend it to friends and family.
Thank you

Find it @ www.facebook.com/fatlossexpert

Hall Training Systems.co.uk Coming Soon!

I'm please to announce that the design of the Hall Training System website is finally underway. I've teamed up with one of Oxfords top web team - Pandemedia.biz to create what is hopefully going to be Oxfords best and most resourceful personal training website.
The official launch is expect to be towards the end of March and will contain a host of the following features:

• A research corner that will allow people to have access to scientific papers backing up a lot of training, nutrition and health claims. These are great at dispelling common gym myths.
• A video library that will teach people proper exercise technique and provide an array of new exercises to add in to workouts.
• A library of articles that you can download and access to expand your knowledge and aid your training.
• Special client login area that will give my clients access to exclusive articles, download-able protocols and FAQ's.

I'm really excited about the launch and will be sure to inform you of its launch.

This Weeks Top Tip

 Here is another reason you should ditch the treadmill in favor for weights.

Researchers have discovered that resistance training or in other words, training with weights, improved markers of blood pressure more effectively and efficiently than aerobic training. Resistance exercise increases blood flow which is known to reduce blood pressure.

Source: Changes in Arterial Distensibility and Flow-Mediated Dilation After Acute Resistance vs. Aerobic Exercise