New Years Resolutions

So with it being the time of year when new years changes and resolutions begin to from and people beginning to make changes to their lives, training and dieting seem to be some of the most popular resolutions. In this post I am going to discuss some of the main areas to focus on and how to make sure that this year you achieve your goals.

1. Clear Aim:
You must make sure that you have a clear aim in mind. Don't just say I am going to lose weight, or I am going to get stronger, or get fit. set yourself goals and a target. By aiming for specific things you automatically become more focused and when you achieve them you will become so much more motivated to keep going and ultimately succeeding in your aim.
For example I am entering a competition in April and have outlined my aims for it, to train 6 days a week and then take sunday as a rest and posing day, to get down to 5% bodyfat, and to make some lean muscle gains as I go.

2. Action Plan:
You need a plan. Its simple, no plan, no result. What you need to do is look at your aim and break it down into smaller manageable chunks, for example if you wanted to lose 2 stone before the end of March you have to aim to lose 3/4 of a stone each month, which is around 2 pounds per week. Then plan your training and diet around this. Similarly if you wanted to be able to bench press 100kg by march you have to look at what you are doing now and then design a plan that will help you slowly increase your strength over the next 3 months so that you achieve your goals.

3. Motivation:
This can be sometimes one of the hardest things to find. At the start it is easy, the whole new year, new me attitude drives you for a week or so and then it starts to burn out. So having something that motivates you to keep going is key. Firstly find exercises and a training style that will help you achieve your goals and that you enjoy, then find images, people or emotions that inspire you to keep working hard, it could be a sporting hero, a trainer or training partner, or just something like music. What ever works for you make sure to keep it handy and when you feel like giving in break out your motivation and keep fighting on. Sometimes it is good to enter a competition or have a specific important date like a wedding or formal or birthday that yo want to achieve your aim by, that way you cant just say I will start tomorrow or the next day because you are losing time to work for it because although you keep putting it off the date you picked keeps getting closer.

4. It takes time:
The first few weeks or months are the hardest, because you want the results so bad right away, but it takes time to get the body moving and responding to your training. You may get an initial push for the first week but after that it slows down for a while. Don't worry this happens to everyone but if you keep working hard you will begin to move towards your goals and soon you will begin to see the bog transformation that you wanted.
Imagine clay. When you want to work with it, at the start it is all cold and hard to move, and it takes time for the clay to warm up and become more malleable, that is your body when you start training, its cold and takes time before you can start to shape it and create what you want. 

5. Progress pics and tracking progress:
This is an important step for everyone. If you want to lose weight or gain muscle it is hard for you to see the results as you see your body all day everyday so you don;t notice the small changes. However if you take a picture of yourself on day one, write down your age, weight and goals and save it. Then in two weeks take another picture and do the same thing again. In another two weeks do it again and then another two weeks after that. then get all the pictures out and compare them. the difference will amaze you and motivate you.

If you are aiming for strength write down the weight you use each week and the reps and sets you do, then after a few weeks look back and see the improvements, even if it is just a few extra reps or a slightly heavier weight it is still an improvement and if you keep working hard you will achieve your aims.

If you want to discuss your training or get personal training and diet advice form me feel free  to contact me on facebook at www.facebook.com/kurtfitness or email me at kurtfitness@hotmail.com

Med Ball Shoulder Burn out

This is a great way to finish off your shoulder workout and give the muscles a really deep burn out. It can be done with either a medicine ball or a weight plate and works the front and side deltoids. It is really good for adding extra definition and shape to these muscles as well as giving that burn out and endurance for future workouts. Check it out:

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Amir Khan full body workout

Khan uses a range of intense full body circuits to help him burn fat, build speed and explosive power and pack on lean muscle. When discussing this workout routine Khan's trainer, Alex Ariza says, "Aim for completeness. It's no good having speed, but no power, or strength and no balance." 

In the following circuit you will use 90% of the muscle in your body as well as working all of the main muscle groups that are needed for any great martial artist and boxer. Perform each of the exercises shown below for 30 seconds, then move straight onto the next exercise, with no gaps in between, rest for 1-2 minutes in between circuits and then go again. You want to repeat this 3-4 times to get the most out of it.

1. Barbell punch - Take a barbell and turn it upright with the top leaning towards you at an angle, punch the bar out in rapid bursts of 5 punches per arm and keep switching arms until the 30 seconds are up. This will mostly work your triceps, shoulders and core.

2. Explosive press ups - Assume a push up position and either perfrom clap push ups or normal push ups but make sure that your hands leave the floor with each rep. To make it harder bring in a step and place one hand on the step, as you explode up from the push up use your abs and legs to completely lift your body off the ground and leap across to the other side of the bench. This will work your chest, shoulders and triceps as well as your core.
check out the video if your unsure -

3. Wall ball squats - Hold a medicine ball in your hands at chest level and squat down and explode up from the squat and throw the medicine ball up in the air like a basketball chest pass. as you catch the ball squat back down and repeat for the 30 seconds. This will work your legs, core and triceps.

4. Static hold - like a plank but with straight arms, this exercise requires an exercise ball. Place your feet on the ball and hold yourself steady with straight arms for the 30 seconds, to make it harder use a bosu as well and place your hands on it. This will aid your balance and core strength.

5. Medicine ball slam - Lift a medicine ball above your head then crunch your abs forwards as you slam the ball into the ground, catch it as it bounces and repeat. This will work your core and shoulders.

6. Farmers walk - lift the heaviest dumbbells you can and walk up and down a 10 metre line as many times as you can in the 30 seconds. This will aid your shoulder and trapesious muscles and help your stability.

Protein Cycling

This video explains how and why you need to cycle your protein intake in order to get the most out of your training and help build muscle.It also discusses the health benefits and how it will benefit your muscle building potential. Check it out:

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Rep range for upper/lower body

So I know I have already touched onto the subject of rep ranges before in a previous post and video but this time I'm taking it in a different direction. Rather than looking at different aims like building strength vs muscle or losing fat and gaining power, I am going to look at the recommended differences in rep ranges for the upper body and lower body muscles.

Upper Body: 8-12 reps
If you want to build muscle and add shape and size to the upper body muscles, such as biceps, back, chest etc, you should be aiming for around 8-12 reps. This is supported not only by sports science research but is also touched upon in both Bob Paris' book 'Beyond Built' and 'Arnold Schwarzenegger's modern encyclopaedia of modern body building.'
according to this research the best rep range to work to is 8-12 reps for all upper body exercises. Mr Bob Paris says to pick a weight you can perform with god technique but that makes you work hard. Aim for 8-10 reps and then push on to 12 reps. Once you can do the 12 reps for all of the sets for that exercise then it is time to up the weight and push on from there.
However research does point out that if you combine this rep range with a few sessions of heavier lifts aiming for 6 reps say you will develop even better muscular size and thickness. This is because although the 8-12 rep range drives more growth, the power training encourages tighter bonding of the muscle fibres making the muscle look thicker and more 3D when posing. Arnold recommends doing the 8-12 range in most training sessions with 1 day a week focusing on a certain body parts heavier lift, e.g a heavy single dumbbell row for back or a heavy bench press for chest.

Lower Body: 10-15 reps
There is some debate over if the best range is 10-15 or 12-15 reps for lower body, and some who even say as much as 20 reps, but I will stick to 15 for now.
as the lower body muscles are naturally used more often than the ones in our upper bodies, and generally support and carry more weight than your upper body they have a greater muscular endurance and so grow best under a higher rep range. This is again supported by sports science research and 'Arnold Schwarzenegger's modern encyclopaedia of modern body building.' 
However this is a more general description. For the Quads, glutes and hamstrings this rep range of 10-15 works well for most people, providing enough stress and pressure on the legs to work them hard and force the muscles to grow and recover. But when we look at the calves it is a much stranger story. Some peoples calves respond to reps of 15+ and others respond better to heavier training with maybe only 8-10 reps of perfect form. What it really comes down to is finding which works for you and unfortunately with calves genetics can play a big role.
Again just like the upper body Arnold and many sports science research papers suggest that using heavier training days with either a Squat or dead lift will work wonders for thickening and hardening the muscle in the legs. Aiming for 6-8 reps and going extra heavy, still making sure you use good form and a good depth with the squats you can really bring up your legs. But make sure to use the higher reps for the majority of your training.

Core:
This muscle group is so diverse that there is no set rep range. For me personally I prefer higher reps when isolation the muscle for example doing 30+ reps of crunches super setted with maybe 30 reps of russian twists or leg raises. I also like to use ab circuits when training the abdominal muscles. Check them out by searching down he side of the page for them or search ab circuit in the search bar above.
When it comes tot he lower back it is harder to say. When we do a plank for instance it is only one rep and is better the longer you hold it. But with things like deadlifts, or back extensions the rep range varys, for deadlifts most people stick to 6-10 reps but with the extensions I have gone to 20+ reps before and tried to use a slow, controlled and almost perfect form, getting a good squeeze and stretch with each rep.

Muscle Contractions

This video discusses the three main types of muscle contractions, (concentric, static and eccentric contractions) what they are, how to use them and how best to focus on each contraction in order to get the most out of your workouts depending on your own specific training or sports related aims.

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Shoulder Tips

This is a video in which I discuss how to get the most out of each shoulder workout. How I myself, layout my workouts and routines, as well as all of the moves and pairings I use to try to build round and full shoulders. Check it out:

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Chest Tips

This video discusses a list of variations of chest exercises, some useful tips on how to work your chest better as well as how to build an effective and useful chest workout to suit your needs. Check it out:

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Body Fat

So I am going to talk about body fat and how it is read and what your score or percentage means in terms of overall health and why it is important to stay in a healthy range.

So the first thing to talk about is how to check your body fat reading. Well there are a number of ways, you can buy an electronic reader or use a machine that will take your BMI, Height, Weight and body fat% but this can be inaccurate if you are carrying a lot of water weight or excess muscle as it often doesn't take into account muscle mass for your BMI and this can affect the body fat reading a little.
Instead I prefer to use callipers to measure body fat, they are accurate and when you take a 5 point reading or 7 point reading then it only helps with the accuracy. They are also easy to use and cheap to buy online, costing no more than 5-10 pounds for a basic kit.
It is best to take it early in the morning before you shower in order to prevent water weight becoming an inaccuracy in the test. It also means that if you become bloated later in the day it wont affect it either. So where do you take the readings? Below are the 1,5, and 7 reading areas to use.

1. Stomach, 1 hands width from the belly button on either side
2. Upper chest, around 1 inch below the collar bone
3. Back, just below the shoulder blade on either side
4. Tricep, about midway down the back of your arm between the shoulder and elbow
5. Thigh, 1 palms width up from the knee
6. abdominals just above the belly button
7. 5th rib, just below the armpit and level with the fifth rib, to be taken on your side (so come down from the armpit until level with the 5th rib)

A five point reading is usually accurate enough but if you are thinking of going for a competition then I recommend using all 7.

Once you have the readings, add them up, divide them by the number of measurements you took and you get your score. Then insert your score into a body fat table which will compare your score with your age group to give you an accurate body fat reading.

So what is a healthy range?
According to most score charts if you are between the ages of 16 and 21 and male then your healthy range is 8-16 on your average score which is a body fat of 8.5-15.5%.
If you are 16-21 and female your healthy range is between 10 and 17 which is a body fat range of 19-24.8%.

This may seem weird that a similar reading would give a higher percent by almost double, but that is because the female body holds more fat internally, below the skin and muscle to protect the ovaries and womb during pregnancy and child bearing age. So that is why it is higher, but don't worry that is still a lean score when you consider the leanest possible score in terms of percent is 11% for females.

If you are a male scoring in the 21+ body fat percentage and are male you are creeping into the health risk stage and over 25 is a serious health warning. For females if you score over 30% then there is the same risk.

Here is a picture of some callipers and a scale to check your score against: (click to enlarge)

Water and hydration

I question I get a lot is how much water/fluid should I be drinking on a daily basis?
Now water is vital in the body for many different reasons including the obvious one, for hydration. But it also plays a vital role in metabolism, protein synthesis, and fat burning. Check out the video below for more info and the rough recommended amount of water for you each day.

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Mr Olympia 2013

So, it all came down to the big guns once again. The Mr Olympia athletes gathered in Las Vegas, Nevada for the 49th annual Mr Olympia contest. Would Phill Heath claim his third or would the torch be passed?

This year was predicted to be the most competitive show ever in Olympia history with not only 3 previous Olympia winners all going for the title, but with exciting new prospects like Big Ramy and with 21 competitors this year, anything could happen.

So Friday came and the press conference shed some light on who wanted it more with both Phil Heath and Kai Greene exchanging remarks and Dennis Wolf form Germany staking a claim to be in his best shape ever. But of course this was all just talk, would it hold up on Friday and Saturday for the prejudging and posing? On the morning of Friday 27th September the athletes gathered and spent hour after hour posing in different orders and formations as the judges attempted to find any weaknesses or subtle differences in each mans physique. After this comparison was concluded it appeared that 4 time Mr Olympia jay Cutler wouldn't make the top 6 and that once again Phil had walked away with his title, but could he maintain his dominance into Saturday nights live show?

As the darkness settled across Las Vegas and the bright neon lights began to pound the night sky, the athletes gathered to do one final battle in their attempt to claim the title of Mr Olympia 2013. Each athletes individual posing routine showed improvements from the day before with a lot of people's conditioning improving especially in the case of Kai Greene who appeared to be the main threat to Phil as the night wore on. When it came to the final posedown we were not disappointed and the athletes provided some never before seen action in Mr Olympia history with all 10 final competitors leaving the safety of the stage to walk among the fans and show their wares to those who had so valiantly supported them over the last few months and days.

But in the end it all came down to the judges and with unanimous decision they awarded the title of Mr Olympia, the Sandow trophy, the gold medal and a check for $250,000 to their 2013 winner.......... PHIL HEATH.


Men's top 10 places:
1. Phil Heath (x3 Mr.O)
2. Kai Greene
3. Dennis Wolf
4. Shawn Rhoden
5. Dexter Jackson (x1 Mr.O)
6. Jay Cutler (x4 Mr.O)
7. Roelly Winklaar
8. Mamdouh Elssblay
9. Branch Warren
10. Lionel Beyeke














In other Olympia news Iris Kyle became the most successful olympia competitor ever by securing her 9th Ms Olympia award and she looks strong for a few years yet. In the 212 weight class Wales' James 'Flex' Lewis secured his second Olympia title whilst in the women's physique showdown the title went to Dana Linn Bailey.

If you want to watch the final posedown here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7_2h23pmVc

Sleep Benefits

This video discuses Sleep, how much you should be aiming for, why, and what the benefits to training and muscle building that good sleep provides. Check it out below:

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Abs circuit 4

This Abs circuit has 3 levels and requires no equipment so can be used anywhere, so long as you have enough space to assume a plank and sit up position.The circuit is designed to target all of the Abdominal area, (abs, seratus, obliques and lower back.)
In this circuit style training there are no rep ranges, instead I want you to do as many reps as you can, with good form in 20 seconds per exercise.

Circuit 1:
Abdominal crunch - 20 seconds
Reverse crunch (knee crunch)  - 20 seconds
Toe touches - 20 seconds (feet in close to bum)
Flutter kicks - 20 seconds
Plank - 20 seconds

Circuit 2:
Sit ups - 20 seconds
Lying leg raises - 20 seconds
Toe touches - 20 seconds (put your feet further out)
Scissor kicks - 20 seconds
Plank with alternate hand raises - 20 seconds

Circuit 3:
V-shaped sit ups - 20 seconds
Lying leg raises lifting hips up as well - 20 seconds
Russian twists - 20 seconds
Alternate scissor kicks and flutter kicks (4 of each) - 20 seconds
Plank with alternate hand and feet raises - 20 seconds

Beginners, I recommend using circuits 1 and 2, perform circuit 1 twice with 30-60 seconds rest between circuits and then finish with circuit 2.
Intermediates, I recommend using all 3 in order with 30-45 seconds rest between circuits
Advanced, I recommend using either all three in order with only 30 seconds rest between circuits and perform each exercise for 30 seconds each, or perform circuit 2 twice and then circuit 3.

Harvard step test

The Harvard step test is a simple but effective fitness test that you can perform in around 2 minutes to test your fitness levels and to monitor your fitness levels over a few months.
It is super easy to do and only requires 1 piece of kit.

How does it work?
Its easy all you need is a simple exercise bench or step, like the reebok bench below. Place it in front of you and step up with both feet firmly in the middle of the bench and then both feet back down on the floor, repeat this movement as fast as possible for the time limit making sure that both feet are in the middle of the bench with each step, not just on the edge.
Your aim is to make 120 steps in 90 seconds. If you complete the 120 steps before the 90 seconds are up you pass. But that doesn't mean you stop. If you keep going for the 90 seconds it allows you to use it again and try to beat your number of steps next time.
If you don't make the 120 steps then record your score and try again in a week or two and see if you improve.

If you want to make it harder try to increase the step height by using a bigger bench or hold some dumbbells in your hands to make it harder.
Give it a go and see what you get!

V-Bench Crunch

Here is a great Abs move that not only helps to develop balance and stability, but does this whilst working the upper and lower sections of the abs. It can be performed with or without the medicine ball. I usually use a 3-4 kg ball and try to keep it slow and controlled, squeeze the Abs at the top for a second for extra contraction and definition. Check out the video below:

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Using Pre/Post exhaust training

This video discusses what moves work well when performing pre or post exhaust training for each of the main muscle groups and the required rep range. It is a follow on to the video published 2 weeks ago about progressing your training which can be seen by following the link below:
http://www.fitness-teen.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/progressing-your-training.html

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Fat Burning Foods

So I'm gona talk about some of the best foods to burn fat and boost your metabolism that you should include in your diet. It's not particularly ranked but here are some great ways to burn extra calories and fat simply but using dietary tactics and foods.

1. Spices: There are 3 main ones to use here in order to boost metabolism or support fat loss. Black pepper, Cayenne pepper and cinnamon. So the black pepper is great, not only does it boost your metabolism and taste good but it also aids nutrient absorption which will help you build muscle whilst burning fat.The Cayenne pepper contains capsaicin which is great for boosting your metabolism also. Finally the cinnamon is great for controlling blood sugar levels which in turn helps your body burn fat as a main source for fuel and leads to less fat gain.

2. Green tea: Already featured o this blog at http://www.fitness-teen.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/green-tea.html but all I'll say here is that it is one of the main ingredients in metabolism boosting pills and has loads of health benefits. check out the link for full details.

3. Oatmeal: Oats or porridge oats are a great source of low GI (Glycemic index) foods that will help to reduce blood sugar spikes and in turn reduce fat gain. By including porridge in your diet every other morning you will get some great quality carbs for energy and very low sugar and if made with water it should be possibly the best breakfast out there in terms of slow energy release and low sugar levels.

4. Peanut Butter: Okay so here me out, yes I know it is calorie dense and it has a lot of fats per 100g but, the mix of protein and healthy fats means that it is a good metabolism boosting snack to have once or twice a week on wholemeal bread or rice crackers. The mix of healthy fats will aid brain function and skin complexion whilst encouraging the body to use fats as energy and so you may burn more body fat.

5. Almonds: Like peanut butter it is the healthy fats and proteins we want due to all the benefits listed above, but they are also a very low sugar snack and due to the protein and fats can be quite filling and easy to eat on the go. A must for someone who snacks a lot between meals.

6. Lean meats: In order to absorb protein and digest it in your diet  the body is forced to use around 25% of the calories in the protein source just to get it into its system. This is a good way to burn cheap extra calories when you consider that it only takes 10% of the calories in carbohydrates and 5% of those in fats to breakdown and digest. So by having lean meat you will burn more calories and of course lean meats have less calories to begin with and can be filling.

7. Fruit: Fruit is a good way to get simple sugars into your diet and all of the micro-nutrients and vitamins you need to stay healthy, bu fruits can also have great calorie burning advantages. For example in the case of apples, pineapples and strawberries it takes the body more calories to break down and absorb 100g of these fruits than is actually contained in the fruit itself so just by eating pineapple you will burn calories.(of course only a small amount, but every little helps.

8. Water: you need water to break down and use fats and to help promote hydration and proper body function. Aim to drink at least 3 litres a day and an extra 500ml for each hour that you train. 

The Wolverine Workout

So I'm sure many of you have seen and are fans of the Wolverine and X-men films but how does Hugh Jackman get into such good shape for the role of all time action man Logan??
Well here is the workout and some tips for Hugh's trainer that helped him get into top Mutant shape.

Mike Ryan, (Jackman's trainer) says that the routine requires a solid mind and a strong will. It is tough but well worth it. In Ryan's own words - "If the bar ain't bending your just pretending!"


Hugh Jackman performed his workouts early in the morning, some days as early as 4am due to filming requirements and so on.

The Workout:
1. Exercise Bike -  Intervals of 30 seconds fast, 30 seconds steady pace for a total of 20 minutes.
2. Plyometric lunges - assume a lunge position and then jump out of one lunge into the next, repeat this for 3-4 sets to failure with 1 minute breaks in between sets
3. Power Squat - Body weight squat with an explosive jump added in, squat down to parallel and then explode up into a jump, as you hit the ground squat again and repeat. Again we are going to failure so its 3-4 sets with 1 minute rests in between each.

4. Weight plate get up - Only 1 set but we are going to failure again, Grab a weight plate, lie on the floor and hold it against your chest with your arms crossed over it. Tuck your knees to your chest and roll forward until your feet are flat on the floor. Lie down again and repeat. A mat on the floor will protect your lower back.

5. Deadlifts - A big move for big muscles and power, We are again going to failure but we are using a half pyramid format so 3 sets of gradually increasing weight. 

6. barbell Squat - Again another big lift but equaly as vital for building muscle and size. as always it is to failure but like the deadlift we are doing 3 sets of gradually increasing weight

7. Weighted lunges - 3 sets to failure of lunges with alternate legs, pick a heavy set of dumbbells or kettlebells and lunge till you can do no more.

8. treadmill - a 20 minute light incline jog on the treadmill to help burn some extra fat and allow good recovery and blood flow to the damaged muscle fibres is always helpful for growth and recovery.

In terms of nutrition: 

Mike Ryan puts Hugh Jackman on a simple diet that just requires him to eat often. Hugh was eating at least six small meals a day. The regular energy gives him the fuel he needs to build the muscle he burned earlier in the day. For the best results, plan the week's meals ahead of time. Ryan says - "Cooking six or seven meals a day just takes up too much time. Chop it, portion it, and put it in Tupperware. Label each container with the day and the meal. Stick them in the refrigerator or take them to work for easy access."

Hugh also used a small amount of protein supplements to help aid recovery and muscle building but stuck to the basic whey protein in his diet.

Ryan also expresses the need for good hydration and had Jackman drinking anlot of water each day, particularly on training days. It is vital not only for hydration and muscle function, but also for growth and recovery.

Progressing your training

This video discusses a range of cardio and weights training systems to help you progress your training and get the most out of each workout. Weather you are trying to build strength, endurance, lean muscle or get fit and fast these training systems will help. Check out the video below.

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Full Body Circuits

This programme involves 2 full boy circuits to try. It requires only a small amount of kit and is great for boosting fitness, gaining lean muscle and burning fat.

Circuit 1:

1. Push ups
2. Skipping
3. Abdominal Plank
4. Body weight lunges
5. Speed ladder runs (fast feet)
6. Dumbbell curls
7. Abdominal crunches
8. Disc raises (5-10kg disc weight)
9. medicine ball squats
10. Shuttle runs (jogging pace)

Perform the circuit 3 times using 3 time zones per station. So do it once with 15 seconds per station and no rest between the exercises. Then take a 1-2 minute break and go again, this time for 30 seconds per station and then take another 1-2 minute rest. For the final circuit either stick at 30 seconds or go back to 15 seconds per station depending on your fitness level and energy levels. Before you move onto the next circuit take a 2 minute break and get some water.

Circuit 2:

1. Adbominal crunch with medicine ball
2. Push ups
3. Power squats
4. Lateral raise db's +cables
5. Star jumps
6. lunge with knee strike
7. skipping
8. side plank
9. tricep overhead arm extensions using a weights plate
10. shuttle runs (sprint out, jog back)

Again perform the circuit 3 times using 3 time zones per station. So do it once with 15 seconds per station and no rest between the exercises. Then take a 1-2 minute break and go again, this time for 30 seconds per station and then take another 1-2 minute rest. For the final circuit either stick at 30 seconds or go back to 15 seconds per station depending on your fitness level and energy levels.

Grip for Back Training

This video discusses the difference between overhand and underhand grip for targeting different areas of the back, what muscles it hits, what exercises work well with each grip and and how it helps. I personally like to switch it up every few weeks to hit the muscles in a different way and keep the muscles guessing what is comming next. Check it out:

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Fat Burning Pineapple Smoothie

This smoothie is great for boosting your metabolism and burning fat. Its also a great snack to have post workout and on hot summer day like this. 
The pineapple is great as it provides not only 1 of your 5 pieces of fruit and veg a day, but it also contains simple fruit sugars post workout, and it takes your body more calories to breakdown and metabolise the pineapple tan are actually in it. so just by eating pineapple you are in a calorie deficit.
The next ingredient also has metabolism boosting properties, Almonds. These nuts contain a great mix of healthy fats and protein which boost your metabolism and provide some post workout protein for recovery.
The greek yoghurt also aids fat loss, being naturally low in sugar and fat it is a great mixer and helps to thicken the smoothie. Also this yoghurt also helps to reduce the amount of fat absorbed across the intestines after digestion.
As for the cinnamon it too helps with fat loss. It has a minor effect of boosting your metabolism, but this really helps to lower your blood sugar levels and so reduces insulin spikes and extra fat gain.
Finally the whey protein provides simple protein post workout that can be quickly absorbed and used to build new lean muscle.

Ingredients:                                                 Nutritional Values:
100g fresh pineapple                                   Protein- 36g
1 tea spoon of cinnamon                              Carbs-28g
100g of natural greek yoghurt                      Fats-  25g
50g sliced almonds
1 cup of water (200-300ml)
1 scoop of whey protein

Why Calcium is essential

This video discusses just how important calcium is to our diet, especially if you are training regularly. Not only is it used to build strong bones and teeth, but it also plays a key role in muscle contraction and nerve impulse transmission.
Check out the video for the full details:

check out the other youtube videos at my channel - www.youtube.com/user/kurtyweir1 and like us on facebook at either www.facebook.com/pages/Fitness-Teen-blog or www.facebook.com/kurtfitness

How to workout BMI

Body Mass Index, or BMI is designed to show you a measure of your bodyfat based on your height and weight. 
It is very easy to work out and gives you a general idea of weather you are overweight, underweight, or average. So here is how it works, take your height in metres and your weight in pounds and then use one of the two formulas given below.

A person’s BMI is their Body Mass Index and it can be worked out in one of two ways. Either you can divide their weight in kilograms by their height in metres twice (1) , or you can use a more complex formula shown below(2).

1.       75kg divided by 1.8 metres = 41.66667 then divided by 1.8m again = a BMI value of 23.14

2.       Height in inches squared, then divide your weight in pounds by this your height squared, multiply by conversion factor of 703.

e.g 70.859 inches squared =5021.02, weight in pounds so 165, divided by 5021.02= 0.03286

 then multiply this by 703 =BMI value of  23.1

Your BMI is ranked on a scale to show weather you are overweight,  underweight or at a healthy weight for your height. The scale is shown below:

Under weight = <18.5

Normal, healthy weight = 18.5 -24.9

Overweight = 25-29.9

Obese = 30+

Clinically obese - 35+

However beware that this calculation is not overly accurate interms of body composition as it does not account for muscle mass at all. Infact when I was at 10% bodyfat and 84kg(see pic below) it told me that my BMI was 26.2 which is overweight.

Instead I prefer to use body fat readings to test my weight ans health but this BMI is a globally used formula that i thought may be of use so feel free to use it.

DOMS effect

Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness. Something everyone who trains should have experienced at some point. But what is it?

Well The DOMS effect is caused by a mix up of lactic acid, deoxygenated blood and of course your damaged muscle fibres. The main cause of these factors is eccentric contractions of the muscle during resistance training with free weights or machines, i.e lengthening the muscle in the negative side of the rep. But it can also be caused by plyometric training or even intense cardio training that you aren’t used to.

So now we know what can cause it but how to get rid of it. Well basically we need to help the muscle recover quickly and at the same time, clear the mix of lactic acid and deoxygenated blood. This requires a mixture good nutrition to help the muscle grow and recover but also we need to increase the blood flow to and from the muscle in order to pump out the bad and bring in the good nutrients and oxygen. So when you finish you workout make sure you get a good meal and do some type of cool down, preferably a mixture of light cardio vascular training and stretching to help the muscle recover.

What I recommend is either finishing your workout with 10-15 minutes of light cardio such as incline treadmill walking, steady pace cross trainer or bike or rowing machine. Then make sure you stretch the muscle group you just worked before you go home and get a good meal, such as a mix of slow digest, whole meal carbs, lean meat and veg. Or a recovery shake.

Alternatively you can leave your recover workout until the next day. This works well with legs training. I know they are stiff the next day but going for a 20-30 minute walk and simple stretching after leg day helps a lot. Not only does the walking act as a cool down of sorts but it is a simple and effective way to get increase blood flow and therefore nutrients to the legs without too much discomfort for you.

Try either of these after your next workout and see if it helps you.

How To Carb Cycle

So a lot of people have asked me what is the best nutritional plan to stay lean and ripped once I get shred off the body fat and build lean muscle. Well the best strategy that I would recommend is carb cycling. This is easy to do and follows a simple pattern that aims to keep energy levels high, maintain strength and muscle mass and keep your fat burning metabolism high enough to keep the fat at bay. 

How it works:
You follow a repetitive cycle of 2 low carb days followed by 1 high carb day. So for example Monday low carb, Tuesday low carb, wednesday high carb and so on. What is does is allows your body 2 days to use fat as the predominant energy source whilst topping up your carbohydrates and glycogen stores every three days to allow continue high performance training and efficient energy cycling in the body. If you combine this diet plan with at least 3 litres of water a day then you should maintain a good shape and level of shreddedness all year long. It also allows you to have a cheat meal each week and enjoy some high carb foods like pasta every few days whilst keeping the fat at bay.
On the low carb days the body will tap into your stored body fat as energy and therefore reduce the amount you put on. and on the high carb days, carbohrdrates are the main energy source and it lets the muscles store extra glycogen to help them perform well when you have 2 low carb days in a row.

Example diet for each day:

Low Carb Day:
Breakfast - porridge and 50 grams of almonds
Lunch- tuna salad with some greek yoghurt
Snack- protein shake post workout with a cinamon dusted apple (boost metabolism)
Dinner- Chicken breast and mixed vegetables
Snack- cottage cheese and whey(

Macros= Protein - 160 grams Carbs -110 grams Fats - 45 grams

High Carb day:
Breakfast - porridge and 50 grams of almonds and sliced banana
Lunch- chicken and salad wraps and greek yoghurt
Snack- protein shake post workout and 1 round of peanut butter toast
Dinner- Chicken breast and rice with broccoli
Snack- cottage cheese and whey with 50g oats

Macros= Protein - 175 grams Carbs - 205 grams Fats - 55 grams

Try this out and see if it works for you!

Joint Mobility

This video post shows you a great range of moves that I use pre-workout to help mobilise my joints and prepare my body for intense activity. Basically if you imagine a hinge joint (E.g your elbow) such as that on a door, if the hinge isn't oiled up it is very stiff and more likely to be hard to move or get damaged. Its the same in the joint, the joint itself is surrounded by synovial fluid, but when it is cold or not warmed up properly it is more like a paste than fluid so by doing these moves you held warm up the fluid and get better healthier motion when you train. It helps a lot with big lifts such as squats or bench press and also helps if you are going to perform intense cardio such as long distance running or interval training.

check out the other youtube videos at my channel - www.youtube.com/user/kurtyweir1 and like us on facebook at eitherwww.facebook.com/pages/Fitness-Teen-blog or www.facebook.com/kurtfitness

Training while Travelling

Recently I received a great article form Mike Manning. It discusses a serious problem many people experience at some time, especially this time of year when many of you will be travelling abroad on holiday. Training while travelling a lot is hard, you are not used to the new equipment and chopping and changing time zones can play havoc on your hormones and energy levels, but there are ways to still accommodate your fitness needs while on the move.
Mike says:
‘Travel can create barriers to a healthy lifestyle. Frequent travelers tend to experience overall poorer health than those who travel only occasionally, and those who are away from home 20 days a month experience a much higher risk of obesity than those who travel less than one week each month. Although these are grim statistics, you don’t have to kiss fitness goodbye when you hit the road.
Advance preparation and some basic self-awareness can turn stressful, unhealthy travel time into an opportunity for fitness. Begin planning for healthy options before you leave home, and you’ll be surprised what a difference these plans make.’
Here are some of Mike’s tips:

1.      Research the place where you plan to travel before you leave home. Learn if your health club allows you access to a gym there. Find out about local fitness amenities such as running trails or tracks that are open to the public. Also make sure to do some research before booking a hotel. On a recent trip to Maui I booked a hotel with a 24-hour gym, which allowed me to continue my workout routine seamlessly. I did this by searching through a travel site that listed all the Maui hotels and from here could click through amenities associated with each hotel.

2.      Be sure to pack for success. Include workout clothes and a good pair of trainers as well as a refillable water bottle to help you stay hydrated wherever you go. You might also want to pack portable workout equipment such as a simple exercise band to help you get a powerful workout despite limited time and space.

3.      On your flight, take the opportunity to stretch and perform a few in-flight fitness activities. On long flights, working through a series of these exercises once an hour will help you avoid stiffness, cramping and swelling frequently associated with extended travel.

4.      When you arrive at your destination, take time to orient yourself to your surroundings before rushing to meetings or other events. Find the fitness facilities and other amenities. Take a few moments to familiarize yourself with your room and stretch or do a few yoga moves to get started.

Finally make sure that throughout your stay, take advantage of every opportunity to move and be active. You probably won’t have an entire hour to spend working out in the fitness centre, but you can make short work out sessions effective. If you have a particularly rigorous schedule, squeeze in a quick routine with a chair and your exercise band between afternoon meetings. Ten minutes is long enough to get your heart pumping by doing some jumping jacks, lunges and other on-the-spot activities in the restroom or other secluded spot.

Check out my holiday workout routine that I designed last year, no kit, not cost and almost a full body workout in approximately 30-45 minutes. Check it out by following this link: http://www.fitness-teen.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/holiday-workout.html

References for Mikes article:
NY Times - "Adding Fitness to Your Itinerary" - http://travel.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/travel/adding-fitness-to-your-business-travel-itinerary.html?_r=1&

Gogobot - Travel reviews site for research  - http://www.gogobot.com/

Ace Fitness - "Top Ten IN-Flight Exercises to Reduce Jet Lag" - http://www.acefitness.org/updateable/update_display.aspx?pageID=494

Building Obleaks

This short video outlines many different moves you can use to get great obleaks and build a strong core with plenty of definition and striations. Check it out

check out the other youtube videos at my channel - www.youtube.com/user/kurtyweir1 and like us on facebook at eitherwww.facebook.com/pages/Fitness-Teen-blog or www.facebook.com/kurtfitness