by Elliot Wilson on June 27, 2009
Hopefully this one doesn’t surprise anyone but fast food, as good as it might taste, is never going to give you the body you’re looking for.
Just for the record, fast food is anything fried, deep fried, grilled, broiled… do I really need to explain fast food?
2. Sugary Food
Another food we need to be avoiding is anything with sugar in it. Cake, cookies, confectionery come to mind, but don’t forget that sugar is found in thousands of other foods, particularly those found in sealed packets in your local supermarket!
You’d be surprised how effective completely cutting out sugar can be. Don’t try and go completely cold turkey on it though, set a goal of 7 days without sugar and see how you go. [click to continue…]
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by Elliot Wilson on June 23, 2009
KISS, it’s not the rock band, and no it doesn’t involve your lips – and yes, I have written about it before on this blog.
KISS = Keep it simple, stupid!
I can truthfully testify that the Internet contains more than enough free information to give you all the knowledge you need to lose weight, grow your muscles and, oh yes, get six-pack abs. The information is all out there friend, but why in the Google era, do you and I find it so hard to locate it?
There are 2 reasons why too much information is a bad thing
1. Information Overload
There is just too much information out there. In fact it would be near impossible for you to trawl through every strand of content relating to health, fitness and losing weight.
Though at first, too much information sounds like a good problem, it doesn’t take long to find out it isn’t.
Read one article and it’ll provide the answer, find another article and it’ll provide a better answer. Do a little more searching and you find a completely different answer, then you come across… get the picture?
At this point most people give up and just guess which information is the best, though in the back of their minds they still have no idea if it will work or not.
2. No One Can Give It To You Simply
What you want is a definitive easy-to-follow resource that you can use to get success right? I want six-pack abs, now tell me how to get them!
Don’t get me wrong, there is a ton of content out there (both free and paid-for) that seeks to answer that exact question. The problem is that it is either inadequate – doesn’t give you the results you’re after, or it is too complex to provide a answer that you can apply to your life.
How many calories? What percentage of protein/carbs/fat? How many sets/reps? What kind of gym? How many meals? Everyone seems to think it is necessary to answer all these questions, and give us all the answers. That’ll surely sort us out, and enable us to have the body we’re after, right? Wrong!
If you’re anything like me, you don’t want to become a bodybuilder, nor do you want to start counting calories and measuring when and how much to eat.
Where is the Dummies Guide to Six-Pack Abs?
Even a Dummies Guide is too much, those books always seek to teach rather than act as a guide. If we really want to keep it simple (stupid!) then we want a guide that is so simple we can follow it without thinking about it.
When you need to build a house, do you build it yourself? When you crash your car, do take a crash course (excuse the pun) in panel beating and engine reconstruction? Similarly if you want to clean up your diet, shed flab and get a chiseled mid-section, why should you spend endless hours trying to become an expert on the topic?
Achieving a six-pack doesn’t need to be complicated – and it certainly isn’t necessary to become a bodybuilder or nutritional expert to reach such a goal.
Surfing The Web Isn’t A Physical Sport!
Come on people, stop drowning in the ocean of information that is the Internet. I encourage you to follow along on this blog where my focus will remain keeping it nice and simple.
So what’s my super simple guide?
It’s nice and simple!
Interested? Then stay tuned folks, there’s more to come!
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by Elliot Wilson on May 4, 2009
You might hear the term ‘functional strength’ and wonder what it means. A lot of bodybuilders will have muscular physiques and yet not be able to use their muscles for any meaningful purpose in every day life. A lot of machines in the gym are so specialized there is no way you would replicate the same movement in everyday life.
Functional strength is being able to do some work around the yard and not get blisters.
Ways to train for this: Kettlebells (without gloves).
Once you’ve had a few workouts with these things you’ll get some nice calluses which will be great at protecting your hands from blisters. They’ll also prove to any one who shakes/holds your hand that you’re not afraid of hard work!
Functional strength is being able to carry your own luggage by yourself. Forget having to tip the doorman, carry your own suitcases to your room!
Ways to train for this: Suitcase squat or lunge
Just grab some kettlebells (or dumbbells) and squat down to the ground. Kettlebells are preferred as you can place them on the ground at each rep (simulating the process of picking up and putting down actual suitcases).
Functional strength is being able to move house/apartment and move the furniture by yourself. Don’t go crazy and try to do everything yourself. But on the other hand, don’t reach for the phone as your first option, humans were built to use more than just their fingers and mouth!
Ways to train for this: Barbell squats or deadlifts.
Fully body compound exercises are great for training your body to lift heavy objects correctly.
Functional strength is never opting for the delivery option when buying whiteware or other heavier things from your local department store – just buy a trolley and get it home and installed yourself.
Ways to train for this: Sandbags.
A sandbag will move and reshape itself as you’re lifting it. This means you end up using a whole lot of muscles you wouldn’t normally be touching with traditional exercises (which will also be beneficial for moving furniture and things like mattresses).
Functional strength is, when there’s no one there to help you and time is of the essence, being able to wheel your wife in a wheelchair with one hand through a hospital at 11pm at night while carrying the new born baby in your other hand. Yes, I’ve been in this situation and I can promise you that no amount of bicep curls will be of any use.
Ways to train for this: Situps.
Strong core muscles will enable you manoeuvre around corners easily. You need to opt for situps over crunches, as situps are more of a compound movement (use a greater range of muscles).
Functional strength is not getting sick. Yes, we all get sick sometimes, but if someone is continually getting sick then I can’t agree that they’re functionaly strong
Ways to train for this: Eat right, sleep well and (if necessary) find out if you’re allergic to anything.
If you’re eating junk then you can forget about functional strength. Eat clean, form a consistant sleep pattern and (along with a good fitness program) you’ll be able to fight off most bugs that come your way.
Functional strength is being able to do all of the above without injuring yourself (i.e. without ruining your back or giving yourself a hernia).
Ways to train for this: Flexibility.
Excercises are great for injury prevention but if you injure youself from doing exercises then there’s something wrong! A lot of injuries happen because we’re actually too inflexible to be performing the exercise. Form a daily stretching ritual before going to bed, not only will you sleep better, but over time you’ll regain some of the flexiblity that (for most of us) was lost when we hit double digits.
What is functional strength to you?
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Hello, this is Elliot Wilson, I'm a blogger from New Zealand and have a passion for fitness.
The articles I write are about being healthy, fit, strong, and looking and feeling good while
we're at it.