New Year, New Me – Sticking to Your New Years Resolution

New Year, New Me – Sticking to Your New Years Resolution

The fitness industry expects it. Two months of excessively busy gyms, fitness classes and a sharp increase in sales of fitness equipment and diet books. For most it’s a process repeatedly yearly, they start well then fall off the wagon or lose interest. Every year there are some success stories, the New Year worked as the catalyst for them to finally reach their fitness goals, to start living a healthier lifestyle.

I think it’s great that people have that reason to go out and make a positive change. That they can use this time of year as inspiration to go out and try something that is out of their comfort zone. So I’m going to identify some ways that can help you to stick with it, to not become sickened with salads and long runs in the rain.

The first step is to Clearly Identify Your Goals. Write it down, there’s no negotiating with it, there’s no explaining your way out of it. You find your goal and you reach it. Weight loss is the usual one, so I’ll use it as an example. I should clarify that improved fitness isn’t about losing weight, it’s about reducing body fat. The scales are a good (and easy) way to measure initial progress, but further progress should be identified by body fat % reduction. Having your goal as, ‘I want to lose weight’, is not clear enough. Your goals should be S.M.A.R.T (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time Based).  This applies to everything in life, if you want to achieve something then you set small goals that help you/show progress towards your ultimate goal. Applying S.M.A.R.T to the goal, ‘I want to lose weight’ would look like:

Specific: I want to lose weight

Measurable: I want to lose 1 stone

Achievable/Agreed Upon: is it possible for you to lose 1 stone? /If you’re working with a coach do they think it is achievable?

Realistic: Is it realistic for you to be able to lose 1 stone?

Time based: 2 months (My diet plans are usually designed for clients to safely lose 3lbs/week)

This sets out the planning for a short-term goal. I get my clients to identify a short, medium and long term goal. I believe it’s essential for them to write down what they want to achieve. It helps to keep them focused on the goal. Once we’ve achieved one, we move on to the next, or you may identify another goal in the meantime.

Once we’ve identified our goals, it’s time to Plan How We Are Going to Achieve Them. It’s important we pick something that is going to help us on our way, but also something that we enjoy (or like the look of). If you don’t like running, don’t run. Don’t think that losing weight is about doing things you don’t like doing. There’s something out there for everyone. Joining the gym and going to use a treadmill 6 times a week (probably) won’t get you closer to your goals. Look at the internet for inspiration but don’t waste your money on fad fitness things. Check out home training videos, gym videos, look for classes you might like. There’s many, many classes out there. Most fitness classes are based around the concept of interval training, which is the best form of exercise for weight loss. Most classes have pictures, videos and info online. Have a good look and see if it’s something you might like. Talk to the instructors, ask questions and try it out! If you don’t like it, try something else!

Research, train smart not hard(well maybe smart and hard). I once told a potential employer that I was a lazy fitness enthusiast. I said that it meant I always look for the most efficient ways to achieve anything. That being said, when you love doing something, nothing is hard work. Everything you need to know about diet and fitness is online. In fact, there’s too much. You will find disinformation. There’s a simple way to avoid falling into the wrong methods. If you read an article, consider who wrote it and why. If it goes against, what you know to be true, then consider it false. This is the most important part: If it says something that you want to be true, but you know it isn’t, then ignore it. If anyone tells you, you can eat 600g of chocolate a day, as long as you’re drinking a ‘juice based product’, it’s probably BS.

Everything in Moderation, don’t kill yourself off. Train at least 3 times a week, at most 6. But build it up gradually. Ease yourself into it. If you want to see results, I wouldn’t train less than 3 times a week. If you jump right in at 6, then you’re likely to get some sort of injury. Adapt your diet, keep the foods you like but make it healthier. I love cheese, I still eat lots of cheese. It’s about balance, I’ve written several articles about weight loss. Check them out, they’ll tell you what you need to know. Don’t just trade your cereal and take away for 6 salads a day. Adapt your lifestyle. You’re more likely to stick to it if it doesn’t completely sicken you. Also, have a day off each week and eat whatever you want. If you fall off your diet, don’t give up completely, stay as close as you can to it.

Monitor Progress take photos, jump on the scales twice a week. Make sure you’re on track to meet your goals. If you are not, get back to the research stage and tweak your training and diet. Get on the scales even if you know you’re not going to like what they say. Pay attention to your fitness levels, they should improve quickly with regular exercise.

Keep it Fresh to keep constant improvement you have to keep changing it up. When I write programmes I tell clients to stick to them for 3 weeks, diet and training. Once you’ve done a solid 3 weeks, we should see enough progress to mix it up. Your body adapts to certain movements over time and expends less calories in performing them. Keep it guessing, keep it working hard.

I’m in the fitness industry because it’s my passion. I’m not a salesman cashing in.

If you require any help or advice then feel free to contact me at contact@MattRichPT.com.

Or visit www.MattRichPT.com

Also check out my other articles! 

Be Like Water - A Philosophy of Martial Arts

I still consider myself relatively new to martial arts. I started, as many do, with karate when I was a child. It wasn't until I was 19 that I took up Muay Thai. After a spell of injury I started to take things more seriously. When I was 22 I started training in multiple disciplines, to work on my fitness and, because martial arts fascinated me. That was 6 years ago. Since then I have trained in many gyms around the word, picking up multiple disciplines and testing myself in some competitive events.

I found that some schools were more accepting than others. I've trained with some great coaches, but I never really understood the mindset of those who thought their discipline was superior to others. In my experience, most disciplines overlap. Modern disciplines borrow from the traditional, adapted for practical use. New training equipment has made some methods appear, to me, outdated.  Traditional martial arts still have their place, there's a reason some of them have been around for so long. One of the main selling points of traditional martial arts for me is, it's a glimpse into history. Martial arts is part of being human, the ability to fight and defend ones-self has long been an integral part of life, through the ages. It's evolution is as important as its source.

Modern martial arts are developed for the modern lifestyle. They are designed to be practical, easy to use. They are developed around modern thought, modern weapons and to work against multiple disciplines. Weapons like staffs, swords and nunchaku fighting has become a less imminent threat, whereas most traditional disciplines don't cover firearms etc. Modern martial arts can often be underdeveloped. They are simplified to make them easier and quicker to pick up. To develop them further requires looking into their origin.

Sporting martial arts have also changed the way in which martial arts develop. Introducing competition and a rule-set take out some weapons. I'll use boxing as an example. Boxing is a great sport, and most other full contact sports borrow from it heavily. However, a professional boxer taking part in mixed martial arts is usually a disaster. You can't box off of your back (with any real significance). As a method of self defence, boxing isn't great. Most street fights end up in a grapple, As both parties try to avoid getting hit. That being said, boxing is a tool used in most full contact sports. Generating power with your hands is, in itself, an art-form. It's also a really tough sport, you get hit in the head lots!

Mixed martial arts has helped to develop martial arts exponentially. It brings together multiple disciplines and has helped the evolution of martial arts. It shows which martial arts work well, and which don't, under (one of) the most realistic sporting rule sets. It brings together fighters from various disciplines and shows how the styles work against each other. It also emphasises the importance of grappling arts. In the early stages of the UFC most disciplines were rendered useless against Brazilian Ju Jitsu.  As a martial artist I often get asked if I train in MMA, which technically I do and technically I don't. I don't (usually) train in the sporting aspects of it, though I do train in multiple disciplines.

The reason I train where I do, and teach where I do is because I train with somebody with a similar philosophy to me. Neil Walton of Pro Defence (where I train and teach) is a master of multiple disciplines. He's always exploring different methods, and inventing training methods. I have learnt a lot off him and I apply this, not only to martial arts, but to fitness training in general. With his background, Neil looks at the reality aspect of martial arts. From warning signs, defusing a situation, legality and escaping, to body mechanics, nerve points, and the science behind martial arts.

We all have different strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. There is a martial art to suit everyone. A well rounded martial artist should have good grasp on both the traditional, and the modern. Once you have developed an understanding of your art, you should look at expanding your knowledge. There's more to martial arts than fighting, you can learn important aspects of movement, body mechanics, balance and discipline. Arts, especially modern ones, should look to constantly develop with new techniques to avoid becoming stagnant or obsolete.

Weight Loss. Trick or Treat?.... Trick

It's a little late for a Halloween-themed article. But, that's when I thought it up so I'm just going to run with it.

With my clients I find myself regularly saying that we are using a certain exercise (or series of exercises) to 'trick' the body. The same thing happens when I talk about diet, there's little 'tricks' you can use to confuse your body, make it do what you want it to do. In the fitness industry this is usually to 'lose weight and tone up'.

This is quite easily achievable with a little knowledge of nutrition. That's why there's always so many fad diets about. These companies use one of the tricks and re-brand it to make some quick cash. The problem is, it is unsustainable. They are usually bad for you if you stick with them. You also don't learn anything by using them so you're at the mercy of the next fad diet to achieve your goals.

The problem now isn't that there isn't enough information online. I've spend days reading up on things. The problem is that there is too much information, and too much misinformation.

If you're keen on trying out a new diet then, when reading up on it, just think of the following points:

• Is it healthy? Low carb diets are the main one I'm targeting here. Low carb diets are effective, but they can effect things like mood, energy levels and injuries. Which leads to the next point. 
• Is it sustainable? Again, low carb will be my example, it will work perfectly at first, but if used for a long period of time any deviation from the diet and your body will try to replenish its fat stores quickly. 
• Is it cost effective? Dieting on a budget is possible, you don't need to buy Weight Watcher meals or anything like that, just be aware of what you're putting into your body.
• Can I do it? A diet has to be suited to you. When looking for the most effective dieting methods for myself, I've tried lots of different ways, I look at the information, see if it complies with what I know to be true about nutrition and design a plan around that for myself, based on my likes, access and budget.

Tricking your body is the quickest way to see results but it's not always sustainable. In this, as in everything fitness, we must find balance. Borrowing from the tricks that we find, mixing it in with a balanced and healthy diet. Making sure we find what works best for ourselves. 

The same goes for training. There's an ever increasing number of interval-based classes. Things like insanity, metafit, boxercise, circuits etc. They all borrow from the same school of High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T). There was a time when I would have said that, if you want to lose weight, do 6 HIIT sessions a week and eat low carbs. Now I understand things a little better I'd suggest that was a bad idea. 

HIIT tricks your body into thinking it's working harder than it is (even though it's working pretty hard), you get your heart rate right up with high intensity exercises with short rests in between. Metafit claims to work for several hours after you complete it and I believe that completely. It certainly makes you sweat for some time after. For weight loss I'd recommend HIIT sessions twice a week and endurance cardio as well. This way you introduce balance into your training.

Just to conclude, to make quick changes to your body composition, tricking is the way to go. But, you must balance it with a healthier lifestyle. When reading things on the internet or when taking advice off of somebody, just question weather it complies with your understanding of health and fitness.

If you ever require any advice then please get in touch with me. Advice is free. I'd rather everybody achieve their fitness goals safely, and in good health.

www.MattRichPT.com

A Traveller's Diet - Healthy Food on the Go

Diets come in all shapes and sizes. Some are designed to work quickly, others are to suit preferences. Some are good for you. Some are not. Whatever your diet may be there’s something that can be immensely disrupting, travelling. My view to diet is that you will begin to see results once you start thinking about what you’re putting into your body and, perhaps more importantly, why. I use flexible dieting for myself, and my clients, but I don’t discriminate about diet. If it works for you great. But you should probably be aware that if a diet involves you eating 30 cheeseburgers a day it’s probably not a good one to be on. A little common sense goes a long way.

Diet shouldn’t be a temporary thing, it should be about improving your lifestyle to achieve your goals, or just to be healthier. I hear things like, ‘oh yeah, that diet really works, but you pile it back on after you’ve stopped doing it’. There’s got to be a little compromise in there, you shouldn’t have to eat food that you don’t like, but at the same time, you shouldn’t just eat crap.

Those with the best intentions and a good knowledge of diet could be disrupted by having to travel and ruining their routine. Not only will your diet suffer, but it will usually get in the way of training too. I get asked a lot about designing diets for people on the move. Or diets for people who are too busy to prepare food.

My own experience of this comes from working a 0 hour contract, I’d be asked to do shifts short notice, sometimes starting at 6am, sometimes finishing at 10pm. It meant that I couldn’t always prepare food. It meant that sometimes it was a good break from work to walk over to the shop.

The thing is, I worked in a gym, and I couldn’t be seen to be eating unhealthy. I also felt that maintaining a good diet and healthy lifestyle was part of my job. I can be very specific with my food, on a weight cut I’ll weigh everything, and I’ll meet my macros exactly. When I’m training for size and strength, I’ll relax it a little. I’ll eat healthy but a lot more, usually 6-8 meals a day.

My advice to anyone travelling would be to prepare in advance. If you know you’re heading away for a couple of days you could take several prepped meals and just supplement them from the shop with nuts/fruit/etc.

If preparing meals isn’t for you (as it often isn’t for me) then you can look for healthy prepared foods from the shop.

1.      1. Chicken – You can buy prepared chicken from most shops. In Asda they have very low fat chicken breast available in jerk, sweet chilli, peri peri and roast. In Tesco they have pulled chicken. It’s worth having a look at nutritional info on the back to make sure the protein is around 20% and fat is less than 10%.  I always look for chicken first, it fills you up and it’s usually got pretty good macros.

2.       2. Fruit – Fresh fruit is usually available, they do handy little fruit salad pots in most big shops. If they don’t have fresh fruit they likely have dried fruit which works well too. If going for dry fruit, make sure it’s not overly dosed in oil, as that will make it higher fat content.

3.       3. Nuts – High protein snack, it’s quite high fat content but a good one to graze on. Don’t overdo it with nuts but they are an awesome snack throughout the day.

4.       4. Cheese – High protein is usually the way to go with diet, I quite like the macros on Babybell lights. 20% protein and 10% fat if I remember correctly.

5.      5.  Protein shakes – Most shops now stock protein shakes, always check the macros but these are really good source of protein, they fill you up and as long as their fat and carb content isn’t too high then they will help with fat loss.

That’s a few examples that I personally would look for. It’s down to preference but it’s worth just having a look at the nutritional information on items in a shop. Ready-made sandwiches and meals are often full of crap. So take a look before you buy a ready-made pasta salad thinking you’re making a healthy choice!

I also encourage my clients not to have big meals, rather small meals and often. This is a trick to speed up the metabolism. It decreases appetite and makes your body more efficient. Things like nuts and fruit can be grazed on and is therefore ideal. 

Preparation is key, whether that is having the meals ready made, or at least knowing what you’re looking for before you step into the shop.

Hope this helps, contact me at contact@MattRichPT.com if you require further information on this, or any other fitness related questions!

Cheers,
Matt

MattRichPT.com  

The 'C' Word

Cardio

It’s become something of a boast for me that I never do cardio. I lost 22% body fat (from 28% to 6%) without ever running on a treadmill or doing any endurance cardio. At work I see people running for so long it makes me tired. I can sit through a 7 hour tattoo and just mentally go to another place but the agony of 3 minutes of running on a treadmill, and the boredom, make me give up right away. I find that music helps but my eyes constantly wonder back to the time, ever so slowly creeping by. No matter how fast you run, row or pedal it never seems to speed up.

The other thing I think I should point out is that the people doing endless amounts of cardio are often trying to lose weight. What they find is that after the initial marginal loss, they struggle to lose any more. The plateau happens very quickly with cardio focused training. Maybe I’m so against cardio because I really struggle with it. I am often impressed with the pure endurance I see in people training at my gym. I understand the amount of time and effort it takes to get to the point at which is looks effortless.

The last bash I’ll have at cardio is: It is not the most effective way to lose weight. After your body becomes used to it, it burns minimal calories. Much like performing the same resistance movements, your body will become more efficient at that movement and it will require less effort to do it. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it allows you to increase the intensity. You can run longer, lift heavier etc. But I’ll reiterate my point; it isn’t the most effective way to lose weight.

Now I’ll say some nice things about cardio. The reason I’m even talking about cardio is that I have recently encountered some problems in my training. I have a muscle imbalance which has caused an injury in my shoulder, I have torn a ligament in my arm and I have sprained my ankle. To top that off I had a cold that has left me with a chest infection. I did a lung capacity test on myself last week which showed I had about 300/whatever it’s measured in. Which is apparently less than half of what is should be for a healthy man my age. So I have the equivalent to 1 lung at the moment.

Now, I didn’t want to have to give up training completely. I work in a gym, I have a home gym and I pay a monthly subscription to another gym. My life is very gym-oriented. And, though I have to concede, I need to take it easy. I don’t want to give up completely. So I took the following steps: I’ve got my diet in order, I’ve started doing lower intensity exercise. I can still lift weights, (but only light ones) I can still do some body-weight stuff and I can still do (some) movement training. The problem I am facing is that the intensity is too low; I don’t feel like I’ve been doing enough. So I woke up one morning and decided to add in some cardio.

It had been almost 10 years since I had done cardio in a commercial gym. I'll admit, I didn't even know what one wears to do cardio in a gym. I had to consult my parents. I have done some outdoor running when I needed to cut weight and increase my fitness levels for my fight. I also do a lot of skipping and rounds on the bag. Even then, that’s more interval style training rather than endurance cardio. So I went to the gym, I did 10 minutes on a spin bike, then 3x3 min rounds on the bag, then 10 more minutes on the bike and then finished off with some circuit training. It was perhaps the biggest endorphin rush I’ve had at the gym in a good few years. I can see why it appeals to some people and once you get through the struggle And after you get better at it, I’d imagine you look at the clock less.

I did this style of training one day, the next day I had a martial arts class so I skipped the gym that day then the next day I did it again. I felt my lung capacity had increased, I felt my body had already adapted to that style of training. I upped the intensity. That night (last night) I decided to check out what classes were on before I had to start work.  There was a spin class, as I’ve been using the spinner I thought it might be a good idea. Now, I’m not totally new to spin classes. I did used to go to them about 10 years ago. I know it’s hard. But I thought, “Hey, I’ve been doing this cardio thing for 3 days now, let’s test it”.

The class was with my boss, which I thought would make me push myself harder. I turned up to a small class, I was planning on hiding in the back, but the entire front row was empty. It’s coming up to the Easter weekend so I’m guessing that’s why there were less people there. The spin classes are usually hard to get booked in to.

Leading the class I’m sure she made it harder because I was there. We did a ‘strength’ ride. The class was really difficult, my lungs were burning, my legs were burning but I pushed through, I kept pace all the way through. Mentally I knew I could do it so I really pushed myself. Classes are where I shine because, although it’s not a race, it is a race. I’m going to beat everyone in that room or there’s no point in being there. I raced away and I pushed really hard. It was interesting to see how my HIIT training translated into endurance cardio. I kept up for the 45 minutes but I didn’t have much more to give after that.

It’s made me re-evaluate the benefits of cardio training. It may not be the most effective form of exercise for weight loss. But it will aid in weight loss. It will also improve fitness levels. There’s a reason it’s called ‘cardio’, it’s good for your heart, and it’s also good for your lungs. To anyone who trains a lot, I’d recommend adding some cardio in. I believe it adds another dimension to your training. I also believe it’s an excellent way to measure the level of your fitness and see the improvements.

I just hope I can get to the point where I’m not watching the clock constantly.

Don’t be afraid of the ‘C’ word.

Descriptive Gym Program

So I made a program for a member the other day. I took her through it all but it was a 3-day split and she was worried she wouldn't remember it all. Which is a fair point, it's difficult to learn a load of different movements in one go. That's probably why so many people at the gym have such terrible form. In an effort to combat this I wrote her a descriptive plan.

So, here's a descriptive workout plan:

Workout Plan Instructions

General posture points

Feet shoulder width apart, parallel.

Hips and glutes engaged and tucked in.

Abs engaged, back straight.

Shoulders back.

Head up, looking straight ahead.

Upper Day

TRX Press

Using the TRX to perform a press up, elbows in line with wrists and shoulders. Press up but keep a slight bend on the elbow to avoid locking out the joint. Go down to about a 90 degree angle keeping good posture throughout.

TRX Fly

Keep the same body position as the press but instead of bending the elbows hinge at the shoulders creating a ‘W’ shape with your arms, making sure to engage shoulders and chest.

Wide Grip Pull Ups

Ensure good posture throughout, straight bar grip. (Furthest grips on the assisted pull up machine)

Close grip pull ups

Parallel or ‘hammer’ grip pull ups. Hands are parallel.

Swiss Ball Dumbbell Press

Swiss ball under the shoulders. Keep elbows out and in line with shoulders and wrists directly above elbows. Push from a right angle position until dumbbells meet in the middle above chest.

Swiss Ball Shoulder Press

Sit upright on Swiss ball ensuring good posture. Keep arms out to the sides wrists above elbows. Elbows at a right angle, push upward until dumbbells meet above head. Keep slight bend in elbows.

Barbell Bicep Curls

Upper arms remain locked at the sides, lift from the elbow upwards. Ensure good posture.

Dumbbell Hammer Curls

Same positioning as Barbell curls but weights are held parallel.

Dumbbell Tricep Extensions

Dumbbell is held straight up in the air, lower to behind head, keep upper arm still, pivot at the elbow, ensuring good posture.

Tricep Dips

Feet flat on the floor, arms behind back palms flat on bench, pivot at the elbow until right angle position. Extend through elbows until arms are straight (except a slight bend in elbow to avoid locking out the joint).

Lower Day

BB Squats

Barbell rested on traps, feet shoulder width (or slightly further) apart. Feet pointing forward. Bend knees ensuring they don’t go forward over toes. To avoid this hinge backwards at the hips. Look right ahead to ensure good posture. Keep feet flat on the floor throughout the exercise.

Deadlifts

Barbell on floor, feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart, opposite grip with hands. Bend knees and hinge at the hips ensuring a straight back. Look forward and keep shoulders back. Keep elbows on the outside of your knees. Engage legs, hips, core and back and stand up straight.

Walking lunges

Slow controlled movement. Ensure good posture throughout. Step one foot forward to a distance that both knees are positioned at right angles. Front foot should be flat on the floor; back foot should be on balls of feet. If struggling with balance use a wider stance. Step through into the same position with opposite feet.

Calf Raises

Put a step against a wall. Hold dumbbell or plate in one hand. Use the foot on the same side. Put the ball of your foot on the step and find your balance. Rest your free hand against the wall for balance. Use the ankle pivot point and push through the calf of one foot. Keep the other leg straight but not resting on anything. Use as much of a range of motion as feels comfortable.

Glute Bridges

Rest shoulders against a bench or step. Put legs out far enough so that when you push up you create a right angle with your knees and the rest of your body is flat. Squeeze glutes at the top of the movement.

Leg Extension and Leg Press instructions can be found on the resistance machines.

Circuits

Circuit 1

Clean and Press

Use deadlift technique to lift up the VIPR. Squat down and when standing up raise the VIPR above head like a shoulder press. Ensure strong posture throughout.

Squats

Same as BB squats but without the Barbell. Use slow controlled movement.

Jumping Squats

Land with soft knees, straighten body completely on the jump. Do movement in one motion.

Plyo Lunges

Jump high enough to swap legs but height isn’t the goal in this exercise. The goal is to swap legs quickly. Same posture points as regular lunges.

Lunges

Same as walking lunges but return to start position after each lunge.

Skaters

Sideways plyo lunges. Try not to let the back foot go past the front foot. Ensure a strong base when landing. It’s okay to step while you get used to the movement. The end of each movement you should be in a lunge position.

Circuit 2

Press up

Arms out and in- line with shoulders. Elbows above wrists. Ensure good posture, back flat, heels pushed forward in front of toes.  Lower yourself down slowly as far as comfortable. Chest to floor is ideal. Look forward throughout. Push up until arms are fully extended barring a slight bend in the elbows to avoid hyperextension.

TRX Row

Feet flat on the floor. Hold TRX handles with arms fully extended. Pull arms in, keeping them close to your sides concentrating on the muscle contraction in your back and arms. Keep good posture throughout.

TRX Fly

Hold TRX handles underneath body, arms fully extended. Stay on the balls of your feel, the further back you move them the move bodyweight you add to the exercise. Keep hands parallel and separate them keeping a slight bend in the elbows but do not move elbows throughout the exercise.  Lean forward separating the chest and then push back up. Keep elbows in line with shoulders throughout.

Frontal Raise

Hold a plate in both hands. Stand with good posture and raise the plate in front of your body without bending your arms. Raise the plate until it is slightly higher than your head, ensuring shoulder muscles are engaged. Slowly lower plate as far down as comfortable.

Wood Cutters

Hold a plate with both arms. Keep both arms bent at a right angle. Turn body sideways moving feet into a lunge position and holding the weight slightly past the front leg. Push through the front leg and engage all muscles. Turn to the opposite side lifting the weight about your opposite shoulder. Push through your (now back) leg and lift your heel slightly off the floor. Return to the lunge position in a ‘chopping motion’. Repeat for both sides.

Circuit 3

Mountain Climbers

Start in a press up position with one leg up the middle. Swap the leg without touching the front leg on the floor. Keep hips down throughout the movement and ensure good posture. Look slightly forward to ensure spine alignment.

Crunches

Lay flat on the ground with hands out to the side and fingers on temples. Lift shoulders off the ground and bring knees up to chest. If you feel any strain in your back then make the movement of your upper body smaller. Try not to touch feet back on the floor when you extend them.

Medicine Ball Twists

Sit upright but slightly leaned back. Feet flat on the ground with a right angle on the knees. Hold a medicine ball and touch it on the ground on either side. Keep back straight throughout.

Plank

Keep back straight rest forearms on floor. Push heels in front of toes and engage core muscles.

Here's the original plan:

		3 Day Split
		Upper
Warmup	Light Cardio
	Stretches
Main Program		Reps/mins	Sets		Max	Notes
TRX Press		12	3
TRX Fly		12	3
WG Pull Ups		8	2
CG Pull Ups		8	2
SB DB Press		12	3
SB DB Shoulder Press		10	3
BB Bicep Curls		8	2
DB Hammer Curls		8	2
DB Bicep Curls		8	2
DB Tricep Extentions		12	3
Tricep Dips		10	4
Half Crunches		30	1
Flutters		50	1
MB Twists		30	1
Bridges		20	1
Cooldown
	5 mins treadmill
	Stretches
Notes

		3 Day Split
		Lower
Warmup	3x2 mins skipping
	Stretches
Main Program		Reps/mins	Sets		Max	Notes
BB Squats		10	4
BB Deadlifts		8	3
Walking Lunges		10	4
Calf Raises		12	3
Glute Bridges		20	3
Leg Extention		15	3
Leg Press		20	3
Half Crunches		30	1
Flutters		50	1
MB Twists		30	1
Bridges		20	1
Cooldown
	5 mins incline treadmill
	Stretches
Notes

		3 Day Split
		Compound/Circuit
Warmup	5 mins incline treadmill
	Stretches
Main Program		Reps/mins	Sets		Max	Notes
Circuit 1			2
Clean and Press		5
Squats		10
Jumping Squats		10
Plyo Lunges		10
Lunges		10
Skaters		10
Circuit 2			2
Press ups		10
TRX Row		10
TRX Fly		10
Frontal Raise		10
Wood Cutters		10
Circuit 3			2
Mountain Climbers		20
Crunches		20
Mountain Climbers		20
MB Twists		20
Mountain Climbers		20
Plank
Cooldown
	5 mins incline treadmill
	Stretches
Notes

Or, you could just google it.