MRT SHOWS ITS A HEAVYWEIGHT VS FAT!!!

Sick and tired of spending ridiculous amounts of time doing cardio with little or no results? Welcome to a way of thinking that will blast that stubborn fat and help you reach your potential quicker – the first step- read this blog!

You ask, what is metabolic resistance training?

Barbell Squats, hard working when burning fat!

Metabolic Resistance Training (MRT) isn’t for the faint hearted, it’s an intensive workout that brings a cardiovascular element into resistance training. What’s even better is that this can all be achieved in as little as 45 minutes. MRT workouts encompass the entire body and increase your calorie burn by tenfold, accelerating your metabolism. MRT spreads improvement across multiple desired targets and when properly used in a training programme, MRT can help you build muscle, burn fat and gain strength at the same time.

There are different types of MRT which we will cover later in the blog for now looking at the super set method which you can be very imaginative with and pair two contrasting body parts (agonist/antagonist) or go with two complete separate body parts such as dumbbell chest press followed immediately by barbell squat. Each exercise should be 15 – 20 reps at about 60 – 65% of your single rep max [1RM]; the key to optimising results is to train at maximal or near-maximal levels of effort and the short recovery periods.

The idea is to take most sets to muscular failure or close to it (equating to a Rated Perceived Exertion [RPE] of 9 or 10 on a scale of 1-10). If you aren't sufficiently pushing yourself to complete each set, you will not reach your fat burning potential. In order to ensure the maximum gains Complete the superset, rest for 30 seconds and repeat 3times before finally resting for 1 minute and moving on to a new superset use around 5 – 6 supersets per workout, the fitter and stronger you become the shorter the rest period can become. 

Whichever method you choose will increase your energy expenditure from normal training regimes and can approach as high as 600 – 700 calories in a single 45 minute session whilst building muscle as well. The calorie count will also increase during the “after burn” the period which the body is attempting to return to a normal state and continues to have an elevated metabolic rate which can last depending on the intensity of your work out between 12 – 24 hrs.

Body Weight Exercises are great!

MRT should be a total-body routine that works all the major muscles each session. Since the energy expenditure of an exercise relates directly to the amount of muscle(s) worked, incorporate multi-joint exercises whenever possible. Involve more muscle, and you expend more energy. Use big compound movements such as squats, rows and presses will work the muscles of the torso and thighs.

Repetitions should be performed at a moderately fast tempo, particularly on the concentric portion (the "positive" half) of the movement. Aim to perform concentric lifts as explosively as possible without sacrificing clean technique. The eccentric part of the movement (the “negative” half) should be performed slower 3-4 seconds to make the muscles working resist the gravity pull on the down phase of each rep which will have significant effect on energy expenditure during the workout. 

As previously touched on there are different types of MRT routines 2 of which are explained below.

Supersets

 As previously explained you can pair two contrasting body parts (agonist/antagonist) i.e. chest then back or go with two complete separate body parts. Personally my preference is with pairing two complete different exercises which work separate body parts usually one upper body with one lower body allowing you to be far more imaginative, anything goes! An example of a superset MRT workout is as follows:

1a) Alternate dumbbell bench press (can use gym ball for optimum expenditure)

1b) Barbell squat

2a) Barbell squat thrusters

2b) DB single arm row

3a) Arnold press

3b) DB Alternate forward lunge

4a) Straight arm Lat pull down

4b) Jack knife with push ups

5a) Tricep dips (weighted for extra expenditure)

5b) DB Split squats

Metabolic conditioning training (MCT)

MCT is a method in which you increase the amount of exercise without rest; this can be anything from 4 exercises back to back through to insane workouts of 15 different exercises without rest. The exercises can be performed for desired amounts of reps or time. They can be bodyweight or resistance based or a mixture of both with the added intensity of aerobic exercises. 

The idea is to keep the near maximal effort and the longer periods of fat busting work ads to the intensity and the burn achieved heightening the metabolic rate even further.

This method is recommended for those people who are looking for that extra burn and increased aerobic capacity whilst still recruiting and building muscle (MRT is for greater muscle recruitment). This is probably the most demanding of all the MRT techniques; it's sure to leave you physically beat by the end of your session but with awesome results. I've used this extensively with clients and can guarantee that it takes your fat burning potential to a whole new level.

The exercises can as previously touched on be a mixture of resistance and bodyweight with the added intensity of aerobic exercises in between. As with the previous principles you are looking to perform multi joint large compound movements to create a whole body workout. As your fitness increases you can add to the number of exercises performed each round. To start with I recommend a round of 5 exercises followed by a minutes rest and repeat 3 to 4 times.

Example of MCT as follows:

1) Barbell clean and press

2) Burpees

3) Inverted row

4) Walkouts with mountain climbers and push up

5) Barbell or bodyweight squats (optional jump squat)

Complete circuit for desired reps or time (15 – 20 reps) (45 seconds – 1 min) using 50% - 55% 1RM then repeat 3 or 4 times.

So to unleash your fat burning potential jump on the MRT train today be imaginative and ditch the long boring cardio sessions to reach your goals. Be sure to keep us posted and let us know about your results.

Why BBQs are GOOD for you!

It's that time of year and for once the British summer has not let us down this weekend! The Olympics have been fantastic and we are all motivated to keepfit and be healthier! So why not crack on the BBQ and get the music on.

As if we don’t need any excuse already!? BBQ’s are fun and let’s be honest make us feel good. Foods that we all serve at our BBQs are generally grilled meats, vegetables, salads and for a few of us grilled fish. These foods not only taste fantastic they are comfort foods. Making us feel better, get rid of everyday stress, makes us feel welcome and less lonely! It’s actually proven in recent studies. Being outside also makes feel more relaxed and more like we are not at work! All making us feel better. So its no wonder I ask myself, should everyday be BBQ day!?

The meat that we serve is grilled, which have less fat than other cooking methods such as frying! As it cooks you here that sizzles on the BBQ as the fat is released from the meat being cooked. Ensuring our meat is healthier and carrying less calories.  In turn reduced fat intake also helps to control and lower bad cholesterol levels in our body, basically the fat you can’t see which is called visceral fat. This fat causes cardiovascular disease, stroke, heart attacks and type 2 diabetes! Grilled meat also retains more riboflavin basically vitamin B2, which helps to produce red blood cells and helping with body growth!

Great Value for money at Stilton Butchers!

Also one thing we haven’t mentioned is time! Never seems like we have enough of it. So why waste it cooking? Well BBQs are a quick why of cooking. By grilling your food it also helps preserve many of the nutritional value of the meat and vegetables that you cook. The quicker cooking time ensures fewer vitamins are lost. Making the actual nutritional value higher!

All in all BBQs are a great way to have fun, stay healthy and relax! Everything should be eaten in moderation so BBQs don’t come free! But there still not a bad way to enjoy food with loved ones and friends!

The Ankle Joint!

Now the ankle joint is one of the most complex and interesting in the body. Whether your learning anatomy for your personal trainer courses, degree or sports massage courses, it leads to some very interesting reading. 
One thing to always bear in mind though. Due to the larger number of textbooks and literature on the human body, some books tend to call things different names. For example in the case of the ankle, some call it a hinge joint, others a condyloid joint. 

How your foot is made up!

The ankle joint is a Synovial joint. Synovial meaning freely movable and does have a similar characteristic to the knee and elbow. All have a joint capsule and Synovial membrane surrounding the structure. All have bones articulating there, for the ankle its the tibia, fibula and talus bone of the foot. All end of bones are covered with hylaine cartlige. The synovial membrane secretes synovial fluid when movement occurs. This acts as a lubrication, bit like oil in a car, enabling the structure to function smoothly. 
The ankle has two joints. The subtalar is the lesser known of the two. Bringing together the end of the fibula (distal end - meaning furthest away from the body.) and the cuboid and smaller bones of the foot. This joint allows the foot to move over uneven ground and motions such as inversion and eversion. The more well documented second join is the talocrucal joint. This is a hinge joint and connects the distal ends of the tibia and fibular with the talus bone in the foot.The tibia and talus bear most of our body weight than the smaller fibula and talus connection. The joint allows movements such as dorsiflexion and plantarflexion. When we jump or stand on our tip toes we engage these two movements. 

Lateral Ankle Ligaments.

The structure of the ankle also has several important ligaments that help stability and aid movement within the joint.  The lateral aspect of the ankle and its ligaments are the most commonly injured and most more often than not mentioned.
Looking at the lateral ligaments we have the anterior (meaning front) talofibular ligament and the posterior (meaning behind) talofibular ligament. Passing from the tip of the lateral malleolus to the talus posteriorly. This ligament helps limit dorsi flexion. 
Both connect the smaller fibular with the talus, the larger most proximal bone of the foot. The anterior talofibular helps limit plantarflexion of the foot and ensure that the ankle joint doesn't over stretch and stress.  The last lateral ligament we are talking about is the calcaneofibular ligament. Connecting the calcaneous (our heel bone) and the fibular. This ligament helps to resist adduction and again ensures the well being of the joint. 

Common Ankle Injury.

Medial Ankle Ligaments.

The joints medial ligaments or deltoid ligament which it is more commonly know. Help to limit eversion of the foot and is rarely injured. As medially the body bears more weight and the instance of injury usually occurs when the foot is in an inverted position as well as in plantarflexion. With most of the mechanisms for these movements in the lateral aspect of the ankle. Therefore causing more injury.  
When studying for qualifications such as sports massage courses and when you are looking to become a personal trainer it is very important to understand the complexity  of a joint such as the ankle.

Talking your way to a slimmer you!

Now I am not suggesting that you deliver a full blown speech to your dinning partners! However research does suggest that taking breaks whilst you eat can help prolong satisfied feeling so of hunger. It makes sense if you shovel as much food in, like you’re at an all you can buffet with the lads and bragging rights are on the table, and then your body doesn't have time to register the food and become satisfied. So you eating quicker will actually make you eat more. Then at the end when your body has time to register, you feel bloated and are unable to digest that mountain of food!

Enjoy the taste of that steak! No need to rush it ! 

Now taking your time at dinner with friends or family, savouring the taste of that fillet steak, roast chicken or even steamed fish can help lower levels of a hunger stimulating hormone called ghrelin.  When you eat, remember the story of the tortoise and the hare. Slowly and surly will get you there! 

Apply the same principle to overall weight lose. When people lose too much weight in a short space of time, the body will release a hormone called leptin causing those ever so annoying pangs of hunger! We have all had those occasions when we will eat just about anything.

Losing weight slower and in a more gradually manor ensures leptin isn’t released as the body doesn’t feel like it’s starving! Tricking your body really. Slowly lowering calories and food intake will ensure your body doesn’t think it’s in famine! Also helping in the future as your body won’t look to store your grub any chance it gets!  

Our Knee!

The knee on the face of it seems a very simple structure. With a simple movement, going forward and back, being utilised everyday. In work, rest and play.

However what we don’t see, the stuff that goes on beneath the surface is a feat of design. The function of the knee is to allow support of the body and to help you lower yourself into positions such as squatting (sitting). Basically moving your torso up and down as you move through out your day working or playing a sport.

Medial Aspect of Knee

The structure itself has two joints, one a lot more obvious than the other. That’s where we will begin as it’s the most commonly described during a&p lessons, qualifications such as gym instructor and personal trainer courses. The tibio femoral joint brings together the *distal end of the femur and the *superior aspect of the tibia. The joint has two menisci. The menisci are avascular structures, meaning a poor blood supply. These two menisci help support and cushion the joint helping to enable movements such as rotation. Both articulating bones are covered at the ends by hyaline cartilage, this helps reduce friction in the joint. The joint itself is a synovial joint (which means freely movable.). See FIG 1, which demonstrates the basic structure of a synovial joint. Outlining a joint capsule, synovial membrane. 

The tibia itself is linked to the femur by two very strong ligaments, the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and the PCL (Posterior cruciate ligament). They both help stabilise the joint and help stop un-needed twisting between the two bones. They are backed up by two collateral ligaments that run either side of the knee. They are known as the medial collateral ligament (MCL) and the Lateral collateral Ligament (LCL). Both strap like and avascular in nature. Both helping to stabilise the movement 

FAT = HEALTHY!

FATS are often excluded in a diet!

Let’s be totally honest in modern society we are obsessed by physical appearance. More often than not, we are willing to sacrifice our health to achieve this. We look at our diet and what’s the first thing to get the chop? The answer is quite simply FAT!

It’s true that some fats are bad, but despite our beliefs, some fats are good and removing them totally from your diet can lead to health problems and in the end you’ll gain weight! It sounds all good at the start, cut my fat intake etc and in truth some short term goals will be achieved, mainly due to the fact that your calorie intake has decreased.

It’s all about the types of fat you put into your diet that means selecting the right foods and the right amounts. We can then improve help and ensure our body is less susceptible to disease and infection. Easily said than done right, why does chocolate and crisps have to be bad for us!

Fats can be broken down into two groups, unsaturated and saturated fats. The Saturated fats are the type of fat that you find in foods such as bacon, dairy products and crisps and sorry to say chocolate . These saturated fats are linked to an increase d risk of heart disease and other health effects that we would all like to avoid. However the most effective way to avoid these problems is not to cut fat out of your diet totally, but simply to replace saturated fat with the healthy unsaturated fat.

Getting the facts can ensure a healthy future!

The fats we put into our body are biological tools that perform many functions throughout our bodies. Fat is involved in cell membranes and is the chemical starting point for many compounds, including the hormones estrogen and testosterone, so basically helps in the producing of compounds that our bodies need. . Removing fats from our diets could cause these types of processes to slow and lacking production abilities of important compounds such as hormones. A basic rule and a starting point is to ensure you eat more unsaturated fats than saturated fats.

This Unsaturated fat is often seen, spoke or referred to as the ‘good’ fat and has loads of positive benefits to the body, including reducing inflammation (swelling) and improving cholesterol levels. Its widely known that the effects unsaturated fats have on the body help reduce the risk of cardiovascular deaths in society. However as reported in science daily, when a collection of scientists, doctors and nutritionists came together in 2006, they discussed effects such as improved cognitive functioning, and improvement in inflammatory conditions such as arthritis. Also suggested was how vital omega 3 fats are in your diet during pregnancy, to make sure of normal growth, development and cognitive functioning of the baby. There are two forms of unsaturated fats and both are required in the diet. Monounsaturated fats can be found in olive oils, as well as foods such as avocados, nuts, and seeds, such as pumpkin seeds, almonds and hazelnuts. Polyunsaturated fats are in other oils, such fish like salmon.

One very good way of incorporating unsaturated fat into your diet is to eat fish at least two times each week and to eat seeds and nuts such as those listed above, both of which are high in these fats. You could sprinkle them on your yoghurt, cereal or even have them in one of those little bags for snacks!

Saturated fats are often promoted as something that should be entirely cut from the diet and that anything containing saturated fats should be avoided whenever humanly possible. However, this is not necessarily true. Saturated fats do play a beneficial role in the body when in small quantities. Saturated fat in the diet reduces the amount of  lipoprotein. This is a compound that’s been associated with heart disease and cannot be lowered by any other known dietary means,

Saturated fat has been reported to increase the strength of bones, which is especially important in older men and women as we age our bone density decreases. Other benefits include increased lung health and for people like me, most important brain health. Accessing saturated fat in the diet isn’t that taxing, as we all like the foods its most frequently found in!

Fat intake like most things in life should be in balance with everything else, not over doing it really. As we have discussed fat is a very important compound we need in our diets. Most diets will have you exclude it totally, but in reality that is the last thing you should do. Basic rules such as not over doing it, more un saturated than saturated. Fats it’s very important for maintaining and improving health of internal organs and functioning, and decreasing the risk of diseases in un saturated cases of cardiovascular disease.

If you want to lose weight or want to tidy up your diet the best thing to do would be to ask an expert. In the short term yes it will come at a small cost, but can give you the tools, knowledge to ensure you have a healthy future.

How do I become a personal trainer?

How to become a personal trainer is a question more commonly asked than you think . There are many personal trainer courses offered on the internet today and this can sometimes confuse the situation and lead to people not taking the plunge. Many personal trainer courses are offered via distance learning and combine study material and online units. So answering the question how to become a personal trainer is a harder one than first thought, as the choice of providers can be a minefield.

To become a personal trainer we here at Body Aid have made it simply and easy to understand. The first thing you need is a fitness instructor qualification. This can either be in gym or exercise to music, but it has to be at level 2. This ensures you have the basic skills and understanding of the human body to begin a personal trainer course. Many companies offer the two combined, so it’s a complete qualification from the beginning to end. This is a very god way to ensure continuity and in most cases save money. As usually both come at a discounted rate when booked as single courses. The level 2qualification also covers many of the safety and professional aspects of instruction so will count towards units of a personal trainer courses you are considering.

Once you have the level 2 fitness instructor qualification behind you, becoming a personal trainer is in sight! The qualification has four major units which are Anatomy and Physiology, Diet and Nutrition, planning personaltraining sessions and programmes and the last thing will be a practical assessment. Within the practical assessment you will be expected to demonstrate how to take physical measurements of clients such as body fat, blood pressure or bmi and administer physical fitness tests such as the abdominal curl test, cooper 3 mile walk test and of course the dreaded bleep test! All of this plus a practical demonstration of instructional skills when putting a client through differing training approaches. The assessment will involve you taking a client through an initial assessment, taking measurements, a physical test and a designed programmed session. Using several different training approaches. You will be assessed on your skills and knowledge when delivering a session from start to finish.

Like in most courses you will develop the basic skills and understandings to pass the qualification. But will that automatically make you a good personal trainer? Like most things in life experience counts for a lot and it’s the same with personal training. Another under rated skill is organistion. If you have structured approaches and structures you can easily adjust and personalise programmes to suit all your individual clients. Being organised gives you a great starting point and head start in client relationships.

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