My own transformation - The beginning

16 weeks today until i go away for a few weeks, a week in India and then on to Thailand with friends to celebrate my friend Stevo's 30th birthday.

So i need to get in shape or should i say i would like to get in shape and as i no longer play any sport i have a reason to get shredded, that being i want to look good on the beach!

Through my blog, twitter (twitter page) and Facebook page (TBD Page) i will log all my workouts and meals as well as my supplement protocol.

Current stats are:
height; 6ft 5"
weight: 111kg
bodyfat: 18%


Dieting for me is not something i enjoy but i know my body well enough and know i can drop fat very quickly with little cardio needed, just some clever diet and supplement manipulations, so rather than slog out the diet for months on end i usually diet for 3-4 weeks and get my abs out for a weeks holiday only for them to disappear within a week of coming back, this time however i'm aiming for conditioning that i can hold.

I have recently started working with the boxer Kell Brook in his preparation for his World Title eliminator fight against Hector Saldivia, as part of this i will be away from the 5th September for a 2 week training camp in Fuertuventura, which is where i will start my diet and training programme, no better place really!

Diet wise the first few weeks will be the same as what i do with all my clients and that is to slowly cut out the bad food habits and bring in the right foods at the right times, this makes the shift to a results driven and healthy diet all the more easier, it also helps boost the metabolism which will be key to dropping bodyfat.

Training will consist of a mix of strength and hypertrophy training, some steady state cv (because i want to ease myself in and i currently have a knee and hip injury which sprints will make worse) and 1-2 metabolic sessions per week along with some 1:1 pad work sessions with Ross Pettifer who is a pro MMA fighter (Ross twitter page)

Current lifts are:

Overhead Press - 90kg 5 sets of 5
Deadlift 200kg - 3 sets of 3
Pendlay Row - 110kg 5 sets of 5
Squats - 150kg for 3 - although no leg work has been done for 3 weeks due to injury
Dumbell incline bench press 55kg for 4 sets of 4

Conditioning/fitness wise - i am ridiculously unfit at the moment, i'll chart my progression as i go.

Supplements i will be using:

Vitamin D - 10,000iu per day
Zinc - 30mg per day
Magnesium - 800mg per day
Super once a day multivit from quest - 1 a day
Super Strength omega 3 - equivalent to 5g EPA per day
Whey Protein (Kinetica Banoffe, Reflex Chocolate and Optimum Nutrition Rocky Road)
Kinetica Oat Gain - for when i want a simple MRP or breakfast

I will use other supplements as and when needed during my diet but these will all remain as the staples, i will write a blog explaining why these are my staples of choice at a later date.

My goals are to add muscle and drop bodyfat, the holy grail, something you cant do at the same time apparently...

Diet so far today (31st August) has been Asda Rocky Road cereal, i finished the pack so i'm not tempted tomorrow, think that was about 800kclas worth and then i had a sausage and egg sandwich with brown sauce...... oh well as the saying goes "diet starts monday"

I will add my start pictures after the weekend, something i'm not looking forward to doing!

Here's one i took the other day

No 6 pack to see here, yet!

Any questions then feel free to ask them on my FB page or on twitter

Twitter page

Facebook page

Iced Green Tea recipe

I like my clients to drink green tea, there's tons of research on the benefits of it and its full of polyphenols which have strong antioxidant properties as well as containing alkaloids such as caffeine.

There have been many claims as to the health benefits of drinking green tea, however the key one's focus around promoting weight loss, increasing hydration and boosting the immune system.

As i'm a big fan of green tea and i like to drink it year round i came up with this recipe (it didn't take me long!) to make it more refreshing during the summer, an iced version that you can make up at night and drink throughout the day.

Here's what you need:

4 green tea bags
sugar free orange cordial
a jug or a protein shaker
an empty 2 litre bottle

Method:
boil the kettle and put the green tea bags in to the jug or protein shaker, add the boiled water and leave to cool. once it's cooled add the concentrated mix to an empty 2 litre water bottle, top it up with water and then add a splash of orange cordial to your preferred taste. Put it in the freezer overnight and take it out in the morning to drink through the day.

Here's a pic of what it looks like before you freeze it:

this is not a bottle of piss!

Because of the orange cordial the usual bitter taste you get from green tea is masked and this makes for a very healthy and refreshing alternative to just plain old water. Now if only we had a roasting summer that lasted more than 3 days!

Pre workout review for MJG Supplements – Grenade 50 calibre

Pre workout review for MJG Supplements – Grenade 50 calibre

I called in to see Matt from MJG supplements for a chat, talk business and basically wish each other well, we had a good chat and I saw the grenade pre workout on display, Matt kindly offered me a free sample in exchange for a review, so here it is.

I’m a Jack3d junkie, have been for a while but like to try different pre workout supplements every now and then and this one looks promising.

Now you’ve probably heard of grenade fat burners, they stand out not because of their ingredient list (much the same as most fat burners) but because they come in a grenade shaped container, clever marketing really. As a product thought its good and gets a lot of positive reviews, so when I saw that they had brought a pre workout formula out I was really looking forward to trying it.

It’s called 50 calibre and comes in plastic army type looking box, however I only had a sample and it was enough!

I usually ignore the creatine, beta alanine, bcaa, citrulaine malate, arginine and all the other aspects that usually make up a ‘propriety blend’ as the amounts are usually so insignificant that its just in there so they can make the product look better, real world results would require much more than Is added to the pre workout supplements (eg 1.5g creatine, pointless).

Unlike most hardcore pre workouts this one doesn’t include DMAA, I thought it may not give me the focus and energy such as products like jack3d, how wrong was i?!

Firstly the positives – increased energy (although not as good as jack3d) and the pump was ridiculous, I’d literally only have to look at a weight and the veins on my arms were pumped, I got great focus too, not once did I think about quitting on a set, it really helped me to push on through a pretty hard training session which included a lot of multi joint power work. I also felt like I could train for longer and even though the session was intense I never once felt I got close to failure, even though I was training at near maximal weights for the rep range.

Negatives – the worst was the sweating, I’ll refrain from putting in some crass ‘sweating like a…’ comment in but seriously I would like to know how much I’d sweat during my training session. I was dripping wet through from it. As well as this I got an edginess, sort of irritability which wasn’t nice and not very productive. The after affect or come down wasn’t too bad either, there definitely was one but in comparison the say 3 scoops of jack3d this was pretty tame. As well as this it did have a big effect on my appetite

Overall this will definitely work as a pre workout boost and if you’re a regular user of such products then definitely give this a try, the fact it doesn’t contain DMAA but still gives the energy and focus makes this a very good product in my opinion. I prefer a few others that don’t give me the terrible sweating and don’t include the same products as fat burners which knocked my appetite, however if you’re looking to drop weight then adding this will give you that extra benefit.

Nutrition - To be the best - As featured in Alpha Fit (issue 4)

Nutrition – to be the best

I am often asked what the differences are between the diets I write for elite athlete clients and those of the average gym user wanting to perform or look better. The truth is the same foods work for both; there are no secret foods that elite athletes are eating nor are there any supplements they have access to that your average gym user cannot get access to. However there are differences between elite and non-elite that I see too often when it comes to nutrition. Here is an overview of those differences.

1.     Consistency – the number one difference and without doubt the biggest issue when it comes to diet. Eating consistently well brings results. Sticking to a diet requires willpower but when that diet brings you results that earn you a living the willpower struggle diminishes. If your salary depended on eating the right foods and sticking to a diet, I’m sure you would.

2.     Understanding how food works – either the athlete or their nutritionist they work with will have a good understanding of why they are eating specific foods, why their meal timings are set out as they are and what the implications are of straying from the diet. I’m not saying you have to have a qualification in nutrition but an understanding of at least what foods are needed and when will improve your performance

3.     Lack of planning – after consistency this is the biggest issue I see for results not coming quick enough. If you don’t plan your foods out and take the time you will stray from your diet. As a good friend Chris Evers and one of the most committed gym members I have commented, “The engagement with food and the time and the effort you have to put in has to go up if you are to be the best you can be.” To really be the best you have to live the life in the kitchen too.

4.     Underestimating the importance of micronutrients– so often I see how young guys are using a protein powder, Creatine and a pre workout formula but completely ignore micronutrients either from their diet or from supplements, at the very least a multivitamin should be used. Other micronutrients such as Zinc and Vitamin D are excellent for both body composition and sports performance yet these are ignored. Contrast this with the elite and they will at the very least be covering all bases either through food or supplementation. I recently ran my own mini-research in to zinc deficiency of 37 males who bought a tub of protein 28 were deficient in Zinc, only 4 bought Zinc supplements based upon the results from a Zinc sulphate taste test. Begs the question why did they bother with any supplements?

There’s nothing radical there they are just behaviours which elite athletes adhere to and that is what sets them apart in terms of their diet from the average gym user. So what does it take to be the best? Well apart from genetics and great skill, the importance of nutrition is not to be underestimated. If you’re not planning out your diet then you wont ever be the best you can be, as you will never see where you could improve, this is integral to constant progress. Try and implement the above key differences for 3 months and you will be surprised how much progress you will make.