#TheTop12BestFoodToEat

The Fantastic 12

This list is inspired by the many authors I read, fitness and nutritional gurus such as Poliquin, Venuto Paul, Rooney Martin or Michael Matthews, as well as the information collected in the many diets I explored. I read quote that clarified everything, if you want to be lean or burn fat Learn from those who do it best, "the natural body builders" and here I am humbling myself and learning from the masters of nutrition.

I want to share my knowledge with you guys, so read and apply. If at least you stay away from the baddies and focus on the good ones, you will be in the right direction. 

Please find below a list of foods you must have at home! 

THE FANTASTIC 12 

Whole fresh fruits

Cruciferous vegetables 

Root vegetables (sweet potatoes)

Quinoa

Beans and pulses

Coconut milk

chicken and turkey 

Cold water fish

Sea food

Eggs and egg whites

Lean cuts of red meat, game meats

Coconut oil

Picture from my own cupboard, no hypocrisy... I have the BAD on the left, milk chocolate and ketchup and the GOOD  on the right, 85% dark chocolate and fresh tomatoes. To be on track get more from the right than the left side! 

Want Vs Wish...

Summer holiday is approaching and the gym and many fitness facilities, clubs will be invaded by people who WISH to be or look fit for the summer!

Many people will recognize and should recognize themselves while and after reading this post.

But let start by stages... What do you really want? This is an important question! Do you really BADLY want to be fit, Fitter at YOUR FITTEST?

If the answer is yes keep on reading although it hurts... If the answer is NO, I am sure you have better things to do!

Everything important in our lives follow the same process:

We first decide, We WANT IT.

WE PLAN, WE PREPARE OURSELVES.

WE LIVE THE STRUGGLE, WE SUFFER, FIGHT, FALL AND STAND BACK UP.

AND AFTER MANY BATTLES... WE CONQUER!

Examples: it takes approximately 9 months to become a parent?

WRONG!! It took me 17 years...

I HAD TO FEEL READY, WHICH TOOK ME AGES...

TO FIND THE ONE!

TO CONVINCE HER THAT I WAS THE ONE!

AND FINALLY TO TRY FOR A CHILD AND BECOME A FAMILY...17 years!

To get your life time job can also be a lifetime investment...I work since I am 20 years old and I am working or better living the dream for 6 years now.

In fact I am personal trainer for 6 years now, during 16 years I worked but it is only 6 years ago that I am doing what I REALLY WANTED TO DO.

What do I try to say?

Something powerful and simple, everything, anything important we want to achieve in life takes time.

In order to achieve anything significant in life, we have to work hard, work properly, be consistent and determined.

IS IT GOING TO BE DIFFERENT FOR FITNESS OR GETTING THE PHYSIQUE OF A LIFE TIME?

"HELL NO"

"I was born a fighter and I became a champion".

I was chubby as a boy, always in the pack...NEVER WINNER!

BUT I HAD A VISION, A PLAN.

I WANTED TO BE HAPPY, I WANTED TO INSPIRE, I WANTED TO WIN!

"I did what the majority of people with FEW TO NO TALENTS DO.

I researched, studied, PLANNED AND WORKED REALLY HARD."

At age 33 after, 21 years of training athletics, football... I finally won a National individual competition.

21 YEARS!!

So DO YOU STILL THINK THAN TO BE READY FOR THE SUMMER IS GOING TO BE AN EASY TASK?

To be ready for the summer or to really WANT to be ready for the summer is the first step.

I will help you in the weeks to come with posts on nutrition and training to prepare yourself for the necessary changes you need in order to achieve your goals.

The lucky members of 24/7 Norwich, are invited to come and sweat with us in the many classes I run, the others get in touch!

I will post the workouts we do and I will also sell a 2 months TrainForLifeHotSummerBody Nutrition and Training plan.

One image says more than thousand words...hard workouts, you end up breathless, destroyed but YOU FEEL ALIVE AND FILLED WITH A FEELING OF ACHIEVEMENT... 

#TheTrainForLifeWayOfLife

Week of 16th of May

"Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn". Losing is sometimes a blessing in disguise...

I will refer in that post to Luke my friend and training partner and to myself. We both trained hard to take part to the BJJ British Open which took place Saturday and Sunday 14-15th of May, last weekend.

Luke went, and I had to pull out as getting there was impossible due to some problems with the competition organization.

Luke didn't do well, as he lost in his first fight, but he came back with lots of positive things to think about.

In my case, I enjoyed my No Show,I went to train on double sessions on Saturday and Sunday, on both days I was with the people I enjoy being with my PT clients and the gym members as well as the members if the Train For Life Community.

To add to the mix I spent more quality time with my family, instead of being on the road for over 6 hours,  I spent the day with my boys and wife and add a catch up on FaceTime with Aziz my best friend.

All situations have always different lectures and if we look closely, we can find or make good from bad.

We both started the week with a break of BJJ, We resumed our BJJ training on Wednesday morning. I, nevertheless went to spar at Icon BJJ Norwich academy on Monday evening and saw and felt that the competition preparation was starting to bring some benefits as my BJJ has and is improving.

As we first met Luke and I on Wednesday, we reflected on what happened to him during the competition and started to work on solutions.

The best, was that him not doing well was not down to our training or our approach of the competition. It was done to a lack of competition experience. Luke last competed years ago, so there was a lot going on for him on the day.

On top of that, he realized first hand that in term of BJJ and conditioning, he was far better than his opponent! He was actually really well prepared, despite not competing for years his BJJ was solid and at "good" competition standard.

Without getting in details, we were satisfied about the outcome. As it turns out that the "negative" experience reinforced our focus.

The way we planned our training sessions totally fit to the competition context. The problem was simply linked to the faith!

In fact we plan, then we need to believe in our preparation and APPLY!

Right after our chat, we started to train again and plan our coming training sessions for weeks to come.

The moral is high, so his our energy and determination. The upsetting situation we went through had just boosted our desire to become HARDER, BETTER,FASTER, STRONGER

Luke and I, with OUR Bronze medal from the BJJ European Championship 2016. Our medal, as without Luke support, I would have come home empty handed!

#TheTrainForLifeWayOfLife

Week of 9th of May

Monday:

5-6.30am BJJ: Medium intensity.

6.45-7.30am Tabata Class: High intensity. 5 5' workouts, 3 with free weights and 2 cardio and body weight routines . Really tough, what I needed. It sets the tone for the week.

6.20-7pm Cardio and Bodyweight HIIT as I couldn't attend the sparring BJJ class.

I almost didnt do the session as my legs were so stiff that I could hardly move them, but after 5' of a slow warmup, I was good to go. It was painful but I hit an extraordinary sense of achievements.

Tuesday:

Got up at 86.2kg on the scale. I LOST 700g in a DAY!!!!

5-6am BJJ: Medium intensity

6-6.45pm Spin: Medium intensity

I AM SHATTERED, I CAN HARDLY MOVE. It brings me back bad memories. Last year for the same competition I felt like this. Unfortunately, it was during the competition.

IT IS AN OMEN! I planned to train Friday and rest just on Saturday before the competition on Sunday. I DECIDED TO CHANGE MY PLANS, I WILL REST FRIDAY AND SATURDAY TO REACH THE COMPETITION IN A GOOD STATE AND NOT BURNOUT!

Wednesday:

BJJ 5-6.30am: Take downs and side control, Medium intensity

HIIT 6.45-7.30am, High intensity.

Thursday 11th Last training day before competition.

BJJ 5-6.30am

6.45-7.30am conditioning, High Intensity

6.30-7.30pm swimming session, High Intensity

This is me done, now I have to unwind and prepare myself mentally for the competition ahead.

Friday: Rest.

As you may know, I finally decided on Friday not to attend the #TheBJJBritishOpen2016. Instead of dwelling on the "Negatives". I decided to focus on the POSITIVES.

I Got to train on double sessions on Saturday and Sunday, on both days I was with the people I enjoy being with, my PT clients and the gym members and the Train For Life Community members.

To add to the mix I spent more quality time with my family, instead of being on the road for over 6 hours,  I spent the day with my boys and wife and add a catch up on FaceTime with Aziz my best friend.

All situations have always different lectures and if we look closely, we can find or make good from bad.

Nothing compares to family time... 

#BJJBRITISHOPENORGANIZATIONCHAOS2016

BIG PROBLEM!!The BJJ BRITISH OPEN ORGANIZATION HAS MESSED UP WITH THE ORGANIZATION.The competition was supposed to take place from the 14-15th of May, today and the tomorrow.We received the "Pre-Schedule of the fight at 00h32am  in the night of Thursday to Friday. 

This was not it, The schedule was then changed on Friday at 3pm, distorting all the last minutes arrangements possibly made by the competitors...

IN PROFESSIONAL BJJ, SOME FIGHTERS RAISED THEIR VOICES REMEMBERING THAT MEDALS DONT PAY BILLS!

We are amateurs who are paying to take part in BJJ competitions, in order to do so we have to make sacrifices, arrangements to be able to do what we like, which is to practice BJJ.

The last thing we need is the organizers of the competitions to mess up with the organization!

WHY AM I PISSED OFF?

I haven't heard of a BJJ competition where the fighters don't have any idea of when they fight the afternoon before the competition.

But on the other hand we receive a Do and Don't set of rules, like being there 1h30min before the start of the bracket or food bag check...

THE QUESTION IS WHY?

The answer is simple, QUANTITY DOES NOT ALWAYS MEAN QUALITY!

The organization of the tournament proudly stated that we are 1600 participants, but because of the lateness of the information (schedules), the abusive time certain brackets are starting some of the competitors like myself will not be able to attend.

As an example some brackets start at 9am when the doors open at 8.15am ( we have been advised that their will be a bag check!) and you have to drive 3 hours to get there and you didn't have the time or money to book a hotel nearby or when your brackets starts around 8pm assuming there are no delays, which means you will be home around midnight...

WHAT I TRY TO SAY IS, THAT EVERYTHING ABOUT THE COMPETITION IS FOCUSED ON MONEY AND NOT THE FIGHTERS.

LATENESS OF INFORMATIONS, LATE START OF THE BRACKETS: All that lead to extra costs in hotels, work arrangements or etc...
SECURITY CHECK OF THE BAGS TO STOP PEOPLE FROM BRINGING FOOD: I understand that they want to sell their own food, nevertheless if the fighters are expected to be in the venue 1h30 minutes before the start of their brackets and the doors open at 8.15am WITH ON TOP OF THAT A SECURITY CHECK...IT IS CLEAR THAT THE TOURNAMENT MAY NOT BE ON SCHEDULE!

As a customer who paid for a service, my sole interest is to be able to enjoy the service I paid for. After weeks of hard training and dieting I will not be able to compete because we are 1600, a number that the organization of the tournament could not handle!

 **ATTENTION ALL COMPETITORS**

Thank you once again for your amazing support, we have well and truly smashed last years numbers with over 1600 competitors in total competing over the 2 days.

Please make sure you read all of this email as it holds some very important information for the upcoming weekend.

Firstly, if you need to get in touch, please DO NOT reply to this email as it will not get actioned.

The timed schedule has now been confirmed and attached so you can see what time your category will be called to the ball pen.

**PLEASE NOTE THE TIMES GIVEN ARE AN APPROXIMATE TIME.  ALL COMPETITORS MUST AIM TO BE AT THE VENUE AT LEAST 1HR 30MINS BEFORE THE TIME GIVEN INCASE WE ARE RUNNING AHEAD OF SCHEDULE**

This year we are planning on opening the doors at 8:15am on Saturday, this is to ensure that everyone gets inside with enough time to get changed and warmed up before the first fights at 10am.

Upon arrival of the venue, there are 4 doors at the main entrance, door 1 and 2 will be for the competitors and coaches (who have requested a coach pass) and door 3 and 4 will be for ALL spectators. Parents, please note that 1 responsible adult can wait in the competitors line with your child and can pay as a spectator at the competitors registration desk, you will not be expected to join the other queue once your child has registered. However all other spectators that have travelled with you will need to queue up in the designated spectators queue.

**THERE WILL BE A SECURITY BAG CHECK UPON ARRIVAL, THIS IS REQUIRED BY THE VENUE BY LAW SO PLEASE BE READY TO CO-OPERATE WITH THE VENUES SECURITY STAFF AND HELP US TO REDUCE THE DELAY OF GETTING INSIDE THE VENUE**

Food and drink (fizzy drinks) will NOT be allowed inside the venue unless it is for medical or dietary requirements, therefore, if this is the case please make sure you tell the security when they are checking your bags.

The venue have confirmed that fruit, water, protein drinks & healthy snacks WILL be allowed.

I hope you are looking forward to the weekend as much as we are.

Good luck everyone and we will see there!!

British Open Team

Last and only time I won the British Open... I won't repeat this year for sure!! 

#TheTrainForLifeWayOfLife

 "Hard Work and consistency (in nutrition) Always Pays Off"

Sunday morning 6.30-7.30am TOUGH CONDITIONING SESSION with my client and friend Gurvinder.

9.30-10.30am Spin class.

To start with massive credit to Gurvinder for several reasons, first of all he smashed the workout time beating his time by miles.

The workout consisted of 21 thrusters  and 21 push ups,  bar with with 43kg barbell then 18, 15,12,9,6 and 3 reps.

He did the workout a month ago in 25'55" and today in 20'15". On top of that he dropped 2.5kg in the last month sticking to his diet and it paid off!

I myself completed the 16.5 Crossfit open workout in 14'00" beating my best time by 1 second...

I kept on with 4 sets of 5 90kg squat and deadlift and finally I finished with 1 hour Spin.

What is the take?

You don't make it happen without hard work and consistency, without intensity and discipline!

Here is the man, hard working fella! Now the table seem to turn and go his way. Well deserved. 

#BJJBRITISHOPENTRAININGCAMP2016

Day 3 to 8 followed the same pattern, after 17 training sessions in a week and a tight control of my food intake. I managed to lose 3.5kg!!

My fitness routine is as shown below, I trained 2-3 hours per day divided in 2-3 sessions per day. One session of moderate intensity (BJJ) and the others are HIIT (high intensity interval training).

Fitness:

Friday: BJJ medium Intensity and Spin High Intensity.

Saturday: Rest as, I was knackered, stiff and achy.

Sunday: 1h Resistance training, light Intensity and 1h Spin high Intensity.

Monday: BJJ medium Intensity, 30' Conditioning High intensity and 1h Spin High Intensity.

Tuesday: BJJ medium Intensity and 45' Spin High Intensity.

Wednesday: BJJ medium Intensity, 30' Conditioning High intensity and 45' Spin High Intensity.

Nutrition: 

I made sure to stick to my calorie intake, between 2500-3000. My usual calorie intake is around 3500 calories with the same level of activity.

My protein intake is high, The fats an carbs are medium/low.

My water intake is between 2-3 litres. 

Finally, I listened to my body, ate when hungry and didn't stop myself from having the things I like, just stick to the quantities and calories. 

The bottom pictures was taken first thing in the morning before training last week Thursday 28th of April. I weighed 90.2kg at the time.

The tp picture are from this morning Wednesday the 4th of May. I now weigh 86.7kg, I lost 3.5kg in a week. 

The differences if you pay attention are my waist is smaller, my face slimmer and my abs start to show more. 

#BJJBRITISHOPENTRAININGCAMP2016

And here we go again, the training camp has started...HARD diet AND training ARE IN ORDER.

I came back from a 4 days break in France to celebrate my 42nd Spring, slightly overweight.

I weighed myself at 90.2kg and my fighting weight is 86-86.5kg. In other words, I have 4kg to lose in 19 days in order to compete in the BJJ BRITISH OPEN 2016.

It is an important competition for me, as the last time I went there, I lost BADLY as a purple belt in the adult bracket.

IT WAS A FRUSTRATING AND HUMBLING EXPERIENCE...it reminded me that I love BJJ, I love to compete and I love TO WIN.

Since that experience I practice BJJ train BJJ 4 times/week from 5-6.30am for a total of 10-15 hours  instead of 1-2h. I put away excuses and turn my expectations into achievable goals.

The hard work has paid off as I turned Brown belt and won a Bronze in the 2016 BJJ EUROPEAN Championship, so my goal is to get better and be the best British brown belt.

Day 1 Wednesday 27th of April

5-6.30 BJJ Drills, Moderate intensity.

6.30-6.40am, High intensity: Bike 10' 5440m R10 with altitude mask 18000m. Felt i could do more, but satisfied as it was the first time in a month that I used the mask and also because I am overweight. 

HIIT 6.45-7.30am, High intensity:

I managed 10 minutes workout and another 4 minutes then I had to stop as my lower back was really tight.This was it for the day.

Nutrition: heavy breakfast of pasta (little) and lots of chicken, very light lunch and medium dinner, rice, Vegs and chicken-roughly 2300 calories- A GOOD DAY.

Day 2 Thursday 28th

5-6.30 BJJ Drills, Moderate intensity

6.30-6.40am Bike, High intensity: 10' 5590m Resistance 10 with altitude mask 18000m. I Felt confident almost comfortable, and managed 140m more than the previous day.

6.45-7.30am Bodyweight, High intensity:

a 10' workout of 10 body weight Squat, 5 Burpees, 5push ups, add 5 Burpees in each round. I reached Round 35 and 3Burpees. A total of 123 Burpees, 70 bodyweight squat and 30 push ups in 10 minutes.

402 body weight squats in 9'...

6.30-7.30pm swimming, High intensity: My first session after 2 months and it hurt all the way through and even now while I am writing. It was so hard that I lost 1.1kg in the process, call it water or whatever. I left home weighing 88.8kg and weighed myself at 87.7kg before dinner!

Nutrition: heavy breakfast of rice (little) and fish, very light lunch and heavy dinner, chickpeas and beef and some fruits. Roughly 2700-3000 calories- A GOOD DAY.

JUST WEIGHED MYSELF AGAIN, 88.8kg AFTER DINNER. I LOST 1.4kg in 2 DAYS!!!!!

Here I am showing my 2 packs, in normal circumstances I have 4-6. This is what happened when you abuse your mother food. There I am with the altitude mask, I laugh as I start to get used to it and Luke my training partner is knackered... 

TheTrainForLifeWayOfLife

From the 4th to 26th Of April

 #TheTrainForLifeWayOfLife

"Never say Never, Live life fully with no guilt... Take full responsibility, then when the time comes make it Work"

I used to write on a weekly basis, but it took me A bit more than 3 weeks to write this post.

During the last 3 weeks, I just did what I felt like, what I fancied. We, as human being we often make the same mistakes, so it is better to acknowledge that fact and "Never say Never"

1. "Never say Never":

In a perfect world, we are rational people, we plan and execute and by logic everything, go the way we want.

If you manage to do that, great chances are that you are successful! Don't get me wrong, I would like to be able to do that, to plan and execute like " a machine"

Unfortunately, life comes in the way, in form of temptations, opportunities...

As an example, how many of us eat healthy and well for a certain period of time and then lose control?

It happens to me, so I understand that it happens to others. 80/20 is a good ratio of consistency. If you manage to do right 80% of the time and not so good 20%, most likely you will be successful.

Nevertheless, remember, we are human, so not perfect... "Never say never" and live live fully with no guilt.

2. "Live life fully with no guilt"

What make life worth living is to enjoy each and everything we do, in other words, today is to be lived and tomorrow we will make the adjustments and corrections.

I previously talked about nutrition, now I will take work as an example.

In order for me to be happy, I need to comply with my religious, family, fitness and work duties.

Early this year, I was working really hard and getting the financial rewards of my hard work. The truth is that I was not totally happy. As there are so many hours in the day and if you spend a lot of time working you may miss out other important things.

With no shame, I can say that work is important but not to the point that I have to miss out the other vital aspects of my life.

In the last 3 weeks, I put work on "Hold", I worked enough to fulfil my duties, but put forward my welfare. The result is that I feel generally better, as I can rest more, train more and better and give the best of me to my loved ones.

Do I feel guilty of not working as hard as I could? The ANSWER IS NO!

Back in 2002, I was taught about "The cost of opportunity" an economic concept that states: "when we do something, we lose the opportunity of doing something else" in other words if you are busy doing something don't spoil it by thinking about something else or "Live life fully, with no guilt... Take full responsibility, then when the time comes make it work"

3. "Take full responsibility... then when the time comes make it work"

There are many things in life we can control and many others we cannot, so we just need to worry about the things we can control.

To assume our responsibility is important, as stated previously we often make questionable choices. Nevertheless, I believe it is human nature. Personally, I believe that we go through cycles of being and doing really well and then we don't do so well and we have to bounce back and get back on the right path again.

This 3rd point, is just to remind us that our lives is made of cycles and the way we apprehend the phases 1 & 2 make people happy or Miserable.

What is the take?

"Never say Never, Live life fully with no guilt... Take full responsibility, then when the time comes make it Work"

It is a call to Optimism, to enjoy life responsibly!

To be happy, you need to do things that make you happy, you then have to deal with the consequences of your acts. Obviously, the things you do are not unlawful or life frightening!

Finally, once you satisfied that mental, physical break you get back to that healthy routine of yours.

Remember Even successful people go on holiday or get fat...so don't knock your head against the wall because you ate too much or haven't exercised for 3 days...SURELY YOU HAD SOMETHING BETTER TO DO!

My crew, so good to be back home with my Mother, Bros, Sis, Sons and Wife (the photograph) 

My sons crossing the channel...family time is priceless even if it means kilometres on the roads... 

#TogetherWeAreStronger

 #TogetherWeAreStronger

The guys on the pics are important in my BJJ evolution. They supported, support and help me getting better.

A massive thanks to my coach Steve Cowan, Black Belt under maestro ZeMarcello. You always believed in me, never said much but always demonstrated your support when I needed the it most. That Brown Belt I proudly wear, I owe to you.

Thank you Maestro ZeMarcello, people are proud to be coached in important teams such as Atos, AOJ or MGinaction. I am proud to be part of Icon BJJ. 

As Steve, you always have been with me in all my important tournaments from the English Open to The BJJ EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP, where I won 1 bronze, 1 silver and 2 gold under your guidance. 

Finally Luke, my training partner. Luke is purple belt at Icon BJJ and we spend 4 mornings a week from 5-6.30am improving our BJJ, then we keep on with some conditioning. 

I am not ashamed to say that Luke is my "worst"  opponent, as we train so much together, we know each other which makes it really difficult when we spar.

On top of that his guard game is deadly and his top game is getting better everyday.

I feel blessed, I was really proud of becoming Brown belt but I always felt that I was not totally ready for it.

In fact, I became Brown Belt after 5 years of practicing BJJ and 2 years "off" due to the birth of the first of my two sons. 

Steve once told me, "some deserve their belt for different reasons and they GROW INTO BROWN BELT". 

I took at heart to make Steve and Ze proud, I am at Brown belt competition level, but technically I feel like a Blue belt.

There are so many gaps in my game, so many basics that need to be worked on.

I am thanks to Luke's support and the work we put on every week starting to feel the difference, I feel that I am growing into the BROWN BELT STEVE AND ZE SAW IN ME... 

Coach Steve, Maestro ZeMarcello and Luke and Bronze at BJJ European Championship 3 months after becoming Brown Belt. 

#TheTrainForLifeWayOfLife

Week of 28-3rd April: THE FAT LAZY WEEK

"TIME OFF IS TO REST AND RELAX"...As in the previous post, I will not focus on my training but more on the mental approach. As I wrote  "TIME OFF IS TO REST AND RELAX"..., and it is exactly what I did. It is necessary to relax from time to time, it is vital...

MONDAY: double training session

TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY OFF

THURSDAY: Bjj light drills and Kettle bell

FRIDAY: Conditioning and 45' spin. Hurt my right calf while squatting.

SATURDAY: REST

SUNDAY: Conditioning felt good even with the altitude mask. I feel strong and rested.

Conclusions:

Nutrition: I was really bad, I started the week at 86.5kg but on Sunday morning when my sons got up, we went for a "Easter Eggs Hunt", so the first thing I ate from Sunday till Wednesday has been chocolate or cakes. During the week of the 28th 70% of my nutrition was made of chocolate or cakes.

I was 88.8kg on Tuesday around 90.5kg on Thursday...

Fitness: It felt good to be back to train even OVERWEIGHT, I was 2-3kg heavier than usual but just felt slow, not too uncomfortable. I was also full of energy and enthusiastic, the time off did me good.

Rest: I rested a lot during the week, getting up as late as I cod and enjoying naps in the afternoons. I also stayed away from work and spent time reading mangas, watching cartoons and playing with the boys.

Work: I cut myself off the world, no Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. On top of that I did not read any books related to nutrition or fitness...

"TIME OFF IS TO REST AND RELAX"...What is described above is nothing to be ashamed of... and I am quite proud of what I did. I work hard the whole year round to be able to enjoy my family and a proper mental and physical rest, so when the occasion arises, I just want to switch off.

Nutrition: I ate badly and paid very little to no attention to the calories, but as I am writing now, I weighed myself at 87.4kg. I am basically 900g away of my weight after 2 and a half day of CLEAN EATING. I mentally feel awesome as my body craves good food and is not interested in processed, sweet food at all!

Fitness: I came back fresh and hungry. I got frustrated when I lose a workout, so I work harder to get back to my level.

Rest: I learnt a lot these last month about resting. I am obviously older now than last year, but I am definitely having a better year. Part of it is due to the fact that, I pay more attention to my rest, I simply sleep more and accept that I can be tired!

Work: Here, I half blame myself...I should have planned better or assessed what was planned to make sure that my work is done before my vacation.

There is a famous say in the fitness industry, "you cannot out train bad nutrition habits". This also applies to everything else. Good nutrition habits are derived from PLANNING.

If you plan and put in practice in all the compartments of your life, then you will be successful, effective and happier. If you don't, you will waste a lot of Time and energy!

What is the Take?

"TIME OFF IS TO REST AND RELAX"...

We work hard enough the whole year round to relax when we have a deserved break. A good life is  planning 100%, working 80% if you work for someone else, 120% if you work for yourself and resting, chilling out 120% when you can.

Life is about balance, enjoyment and the necessary pain... I train hard not because I like the Pain...what I like is after the pain, the sense of achievement I feel.

I rest HARD, because I deserve it, then I get bored of being fat and lazy and I am happy to go back to my grueling fitness routines...

let me know if you agree or four it differently... 

As explained during this post, the idea is to demonstrate that the TrainForLifePhilosophy #TrainForLifeWayOfLife is to apply some common sense in your training and make each session counts. Bear in mind that, the rule explained above can be at a certain extent applied in everyday life...

At Euro 2012, with the Legend Roger Gracie

After winning Gold in my bracket and Silver a Blue a Belt Absolute in BJJ EURO 2012

#TheTrainForLifeWayOfLife

 #TheTrainForLifeWayOfLife

Hi guys, been a while as I was ready to post the week of 21st, I realized that I was officially OFF DUTY, so I applied the second and important concept TIME OFF IS TO REST AND RELAX...

Today I will not post the workouts but just talk about the two concepts that I want to bring forward.
"Feeling sloppy, tired, Exhausted: 4 main reasons, nutrition, wrong training planning, Mental Burnout, Physical exhaustion " + "TIME OFF IS TO REST AND RELAX"...

Week of 21st-27th March

MONDAY: Felt strong.

TUESDAYFelt: Exhausted, sleepy and stiff. Nevertheless I completed a 45' spin class, which did me good.

WEDNESDAYFelt a bit more energized, but not great.

THURSDAY: a hard BJJ session with sparring starting from the bottom. Then, I Managed only 30" of 45' kettlebell class as I was so tired, exhausted. I decided to do the Best thing I could... TO STOP AND REST

FRIDAY: FORCED EXTRA REST DAY

SATURDAY: Conditioning: A strong session followed by a hour nap and 1h spin. It was a Good strong spin session, I needed 5' to warm up my "heavy legs" but it was a winning session as I was surrounded by a strong cast led by Paul, Kirsten, Laura, Emma, Flori, David, David and Nathan.In the previous conditioning session, the experience with altitude mask is mixed as I felt claustrophobic and had to remove it for 10".

Now the fact that I was exhausted lately must have played in my mental weakness. On the other hand the burpees which killed me last week were almost enjoyable. I ate and slept right after the session so didn't feel so knackerd as usual and had no headaches.

SUNDAY REST DAY: I OFFICIALLY STARTED MY EASTER HOLIDAY.

Fitness: My fitness is going in the right direction, the main reason is that I stay away from injuries. Being consistent in my training aloud me to improve.Rest and Work: My body was begging for rest and I gave it as much as I could, being tired had a negative repercussion on my work.
The Work: I have not been on top of my work as usual, I have been slacking off.I have been slacking for several reasons, on one hand a lack of planning and on the other hand I am mentally and physically exhausted!

Nutrition: I started and finished the week at 86.5kg, without worrying about it, just going through the motion.

"Feeling sloppy, tired, Exhausted: 4 main reasons, nutrition, wrong training planning, Burnout, Physically exhausted". All these elements may be related and one lead to the other.

1- Wrong food: Two examples to illustrate my point, on Wednesday after my HIIT session at 8.30am, I had a breakfast made of porridge, cottage cheese and a milk coffee. I felt sloppy, weak and sleepy. I was still hungry so I had more porridge around 12pm and still felt LOW.

On the other hand on Thursday, I arrived home tired and desperate to sleep. I had a coffee to maintain myself awake till lunch time then I had a high protein meal, 500g of lean turkey and broccoli and cauliflower. The result was that I was alert and ready to go, I felt great, full of energy.

2- Wrong training planning: After Xmas, I had to lose 5kg and at the same time train really hard to be ready to compete to the BJJ European Championship.As I came back from the European Championship at the end of January, I kept training hard and harder without mental or physical break. The break after a competition, is important and necessary to recover and unwind. Not relaxing and easing myself back to training has a cost...you reach a point that your mind and then body cannot keep up!

3- Mentally Burnout: Coming back from the competition, I just thought about getting better so I kept on training hard as if I had to compete again. I never had that mental "break", which I understood later is necessary, "vital"...I believe my physical breakdown was preceded by feeling mentally burnout!

4- Physically exhausted: I believe the body does what the mind says, if my mind does not order, my body does not respond. I train hard enough to pull one workout after the other, so I am mentally tough, but IF the desire to push is not there...there is little my body can do.
What is the take?When we say that everything is linked, it is not a joke! As you read above, being exhausted had a direct impact on my work. My mental and physical exhaustion can also be accentuated by the food I eat.
Guys pay attention to what you eat, as depending on your activity it will benefit you or bring you down. To eat a lot of porridge before a long bike ride is a wonderful idea, but the same meal before sitting down to study is not that great...

Surely one if not the Best of the History of BJJ Xande Ribeiro...

#TheTrainForLifeWayOfLife

Week of 14th of March, "Enjoy What You Do, but keep the balance..."

MONDAY 6-6.45am Tabata 6.45-7.30amWk1: 2' row 568mWk2:4 1' Thruster/10" rest-1' burpees/10"rest R1 18/18-R2 17/18 R15/20-9/22Wk3: Row 2':590mWk4:25" to do 10 FS and 15" to do 10 push ups/10" restRow:611mThe Tabata class felt good, no pain just hard work.
BJJ Sparring 8-9pm
TUESDAY
4 5 55kg clean to thrusters and GM3 7 90kg squat. Bar felt good and strong4 5 60kg FS/10 50kg lat pull downHappy of reaction of back and legs, just have to be careful with cleans as they pull on the rhomboid
kettlebell Wk1: 1' swing clean to squat/10" rest-1' burpees/10"rest R1 Wk2: 4 30" AS and 10 push ups3 30" open close and legs only40' spinA good day
WEDNESDAY

HIIT 6.45-7.30am with 55kg

3 10' Wk

Wk1: 21, 18,15, 12, 9,6 3 lunges and burpees

Wk2: 5 clean to thruster, 150m row.completed R4 1 c&T

Wk3: 5 JP, 5 deadlift, 150m row.R6 50m

THURSDAY

6.45-7.30am kettlebellWk1 21 snatches, 10 burpees. R3 4 burpees Wk2 10 clean to squat 150m row, remove 2 each round.R4 CTWk3: 10 burpees 500m bike. R5
FRIDAY20' BJJ SPARRING 40' spin

SATURDAY REST DAY

SUNDAY

4 10 90kg BS. Felt strong#NEXT 7 95kg

20' row with altitude mask 12000

Wk1: 5 Thrusters, 10 Burpees.150m row 50kg. R4 1 Bu

Wk2: 10 JP, 5 Burpees, 150m row 50kg.R4 4 bu

1H spin.

I really enjoyed the conditioning and the spin, as I managed to do some heavy squats without feeling my back, then in the HIIT session, the 2 10' workouts with altitude mask a 12000 ft were bearable.

Still some claustrophobic moments but I feel I am doing better. Finally the spin was hard, not so much in the class as I enjoy the high resistance workouts. It was later, I had sore legs almost the whole day and no headache, but sleepy.

Conclusions:

Fitness, Rest and Work:

Fitness: My fitness is definitely on the high, I am now working with 60kg instead of 50kg in my HIIT session. I am really happy about it. I also manage on Sunday to do the HIIT workouts with the altitude mask at 12000ft then I went to spin for a hour.My lower back, as well as my shoulders and knees are responding so I enjoy each minute of each session.
Rest and Work: Rest: I follow the line of listening to my body, so I generally rest and relax the necessary.
The work:I am happy with the way things are going, but I feel I need to refocus a bit. As sometimes things change really quickly and you are surprised by the outcomes when you don't interpret or anticipate the changes.

Nutrition:

I decided to put an end to the #TheHighFatHighProteinLowCarbs approach as an experiment and adopt it as my official way of eating.

I feel comfortable eating that way, I am rarely hungry and my energy levels are always high . I also don't like to be on the scale each day, it kind of creates an unhealthy tension.

"What is important is how you feel and look and not how much you weigh", unless you are competing and need to make a required weight.

I decided to weigh myself 1-2 /week.

WHAT IS TODAY MESSAGE?

" Enjoy What You Do, but keep the balance"

I normally go to bed exhausted wishing I can sleep more but also excited as I am thinking about all the things I will do the following day.

Rise and shine, is how I start the day, I get up to Conquer...

5-6.30am BJJ with my training partner Luke 4 times/week, in fact we start training at 5.15-20am as we spend 15' chatting. At first I thought it was being lazy, but I figured out that it is healthy. We train a lot together, this chatting time is about us building our friendship, getting to know each other.

From 6.30-7.30am, I either run and participate in a Tabata/HIIT/Kettlebell or spin class or I PT, either way I enjoy. On one hand the atmosphere of competition in the classes is great and helps me to improve on the other hand  to see my clients working hard and achieve their goals is really satisfying.

After 7.30am, I have more pt sessions or time to read, write on my blog, or study.

Mid morning the easiest and most relaxing part of my day is behind. I am back home and spend the rest of the day with my two boys. I look forward to be with them, but in all honesty a 3 1/2 and a 2yo are "REAL HARD WORK".

6pm I am back at work for a couple of hours and then back home to put my boys to sleep and around 9pm ( the exact time I am writing now), I finally have time for myself, but just a short amount of time as I have to go to sleep and start all over again.

" Enjoy What You, but keep the balance"  is me running during the whole day towards something appealing. Before going to bed I imagine what I will do in BJJ, after BJJ I look forward my following training session and to see my clients, then I want to be with my boys...then I have "too much" of my kids and want some time alone with myself...

Finally I look behind and realize that I am desperate to sleep. The sleep is for me a reward and a necessity as I want to do everything again when I wake up!

Keep the balance refers to the fact that a balance is needed in your activities, in order to enjoy.

One month ago, I was doing a lot on little sleep and quickly realized that it wasn't  working. Now I pay more attention to my rest, the result is that I everything MORE.

As explained during this post, the idea is to demonstrate that the TrainForLifePhilosophy #TrainForLifeWayOfLife is to apply some common sense in your training and make each session counts. Bear in mind that, the rule explained above can be at a certain extent applied in everyday life...

3 years ago, competition day still smiling... 

#TheTrainForLife12BestResistanceTrainingExercises

6. The Lunges

The 6th place goes to lunges, I recently read that the lunges received bad press because it does not allow to lift as heavy as with any kind of squats or deadlifts.

I was surprised and sincerely amused. To be honest with you, the lunges come that low in my list simply because they are BLOODY HARD.

To lunge, you just not only need strength, you also need balance. As a matter of fact the majority of the people who can properly lift decent weights struggle more with the lunges than the squats or deadlifts.

The lunge is the third in contention, as explained in previous posts, the deadlift and the squat are BASIC leg lift, and so are the lunges.

As an example a Jerk Press variation could be a split Jerk and it is the most used technique by the Olympic lifters when they perform a clean and jerk.

Why do I lunge?

1. It is simply harder than squatting and deadlifting, I love the first two lifts and hardly enjoy the latter. In all honesty, to lunge decent weight is a struggle, but as the refrain says, "what does not kill you makes you stronger..."

2. I consider it primordial in a leg routine as it isolates the possible weakest link. I had a left knee operation years ago and as matter of fact my left leg is weaker, so doing lunges help me to strengthen the ligaments and tendons of my weak left leg.

3. It is a nice alternative to squat and deadlift. Don't ask me why, but when injured you can sometimes squat, but not deadlift or the opposite...

The lunges provide lots of variations as you can do them with dumbbell, kettlebell, sand bag, barbell, racking on your shoulders (back lunges), front lunges, overhead and even stepping forward, backward or to the side.

When do I lunge?

To start with, the lunges will be my second or third lift. If I do a leg routine, I will lunge as soon as I am warmed up, I believe it is too demanding to be done after heavy squats or deadlifts.

How do I lunge?

The lunge is a 4 stages movement, which consists of a step forward, bending both your legs till the final position, straightening legs to get back up and step back to the original position.

1. Starting position:

Standing feet hips with apart, chest up, lower back straight (neutral spine) with the bar on my clavicles (same grip as when I do a back squat) or on my collar bone (same grip as when I front squat).

I will step forward with my right foot.

- The step will be straight forward (in line with my hips) , which means that I will land with my feet hips width apart and NOT in line.

- The step length will be, far enough for your left knee to touch the ground. The best tip to know if your lunge is "correct" is (without a bar), step with your right leg forward, left knee on the floor and place your elbows on the front knee, then move your front foot till you FEEL, you are in balance and can hold the position without discomfort for minutes. *The position, I am referring to is the one adopted by all the coaches around the world when they have to talk to their teams...THEY LUNGE!

- Bend both of your legs and till your left knee touches the floor. This is the Final position

2. The final position:

- Your front foot is flat on the floor, your left knee as well well as your left toes are touching the floor, your upper body is as described in step 1.

- You will push "up" from front leg to get back to a standing position and finally step back to finish the movement. 

caution:

* Your "front"knee must not go beyond your toes, as this will put undue stress on knee joint. Your front sheen should be perpendicular to the ground.

Lunges progressions and variations:

As the lunges require a bit of balance, the people with balance issues may find doing lunges, complicated if even hard. Consequently, you need to make sure you are comfortable with the movement before trying to do it with weight.

Body weight lunge:

- Step forward and bend your legs as described in 1, remain in that position and just go up and down for a previously decided number of reps. Then step back and swap leg. It is a simple way to avoid all the balance struggle.

- Using the concept described above step forward, bend your legs, step back and repeat with the same leg till you completed the number of reps you planned. Once done swap leg.

- Once comfortable with the two steps described above, you can go into alternate lunges.

Variations of lunges, from the hardest to the easiest.

Walking or stationary lunges, all the examples below can be done either walking it stationary.

Overhead lunges: keep arm straight, elbows locked and bar overhead.

Front lunges: bar in your collar bone and the front of your shoulders.

Back lunges: bar on back of shoulder.

Dumbbell lunges: here you could go overhead, with Dumbbells at chest level or on the side of your body.

Targeted muscles:

Like the squats and the deadlift the lunges work the big muscles, Quads, hamstrings, gluteus and calves.

It is like the deadlift a "Lady" Favorite as it emphasizes a lot on the gluteus muscles.

The benefits of lunges:

They are numerous, from the balance improvement, the correction of imbalances and strengthening of weaker leg, as well as the speed and vertical jump.

Guys give it a try and share your sensations!

Lisa ready to step into an overhead lunge

#TheHighFatHighProteinLowFat Final Chapter

The Final Chapter 

7-14th of March #TheHighFatHighProteinLowCarbs approach.

This week felt like the week of consistency, I have been consistent from Monday till Saturday. I am happy to agree with most of the studies that point that it takes almost 3 weeks to make of an action a habit.

I really feel now that I am on the middle of the track and not close to the edges, I feel when I am hungry and when I am not. Consequently, I control better my food consumption. Nevertheless, there were moments in the week that I was disappointed not to see on the scale the reflection of my consistency.

Let's have a look at the weight curve during the week.

Monday: 86.1kg

Tuesday: 86.2kg, increased 100g.

Wednesday: 86.4kg, increased 200g.

Thursday: 87kg, increased 600g.

Friday 86.1kg, dropped 900g.

Saturday 86kg, dropped 100g.

Sunday 86kg, maintained.

The week results did irritate me, the irritation is due to the fact that from a day to another, there are slight variations in weight which are just linked to liquid retention or going or not to the toilets.

This said, generally you are back to the weight you started the week within 2 days.

After almost two months, I think that I can now assess the experiment and share my findings.

My general sensations:

My mood, mental health, Energy levels and sleep:

The mood: I actually felt happy and irritated at the same time.

I am happy to have found a pattern, a balance. Let say that at the end of January  my weight was averaging 86kg (with hard not sustainable calories cut) and now through consistency, I manage the same results eating, differently but 500-800 calories more.

My training routine is roughly the same and since I cleared the knee and lower back issues, i am in good health. I need to remind you that I have been operated years ago on my knee and depending on what I do, from time to time it hurts. In regard to my lower back, I had an early "40s crisis" of EGO...as I said all cleared and back on track!

I am irritated and upset at the same time as, I have never really been used to weigh myself or try to lose weight. Before competing in martial art such as Thai Boxing (2007-07) and BJJ (2010-up to dates ) my weight has never been a concern.

Suddenly to have to get on the scale every morning, just gets on my nerve. It irritates me for two main reasons. On one hand, I always claimed that WEIGHT is NOT IMPORTANT, it is the way you feel and how it reflects on the clothes you wear.

On the other hand, as mentioned above, depending on the exact time you weigh yourself, if you have been or not to the toilet you can experience a 200-800g weight difference!!

Mental health:

I would qualify it as in line with the mood, the rationale behind that food experiment is to find what works for me and apply at a nutrition level the same philosophy, approach I have in my life.

If I am serious about training, my family, my work, religion, relationship...I have to be about my nutrition!

At a mental level, what is hard is the change, all changes are more or less traumatic. This one is just one more. Once, accustomed everything will be all right. My relationship with food will not feel like an addiction but as something natural.

I need to emphasize that I do not feel "Carbs" cravings. Back in January, when I was on a very low carbs diet, I could feel "weak", physically and mentally. I "needed" to have my dose of starchy carbs as I was moody and weak.

On the #TheHighFatHighProteinLowCarbs, I never felt that way. I always felt energized and I also came up with some standards. Unlike the defenders of "low" carbs, I placed the standards at 150g of starchy carbs/day instead of 60g.

I will shortly write a post comparing, #TheHighFatHighProteinLowCarbs, the Paleo and the Atkins diet.

Energy levels and sleep:

It has been great, I am adamant...I realized back in February that I could not sustain my busy days, that consist of a minimum of two daily training sessions, 7-8hours with my boys (3 1/2 and 2 yo) and 5-6hours work with less than 6 hours sleep.

I have simply been more sensible and prioritized  the most important in my life, my health, my family and my fitness. I simply worked less and found smarter ways to do the things.

My conclusions:

This week I decided to make of #TheHighFatHighProteinLowCarbs approach my official way of eating.

Nevertheless as I mentioned above, I will explain through a comparison between TheHighFatHighProteinLowCarbs, the Paleo and the Atkins diet, why I came to that conclusion.

I just wanted to finish with some important and "unwavering" truths,

1. Up to date, I did not come across a diet that give you results in terms of "weight loss" and body composition "without" COUNTING CALORIES.

I AM HERE TO LEARN, IF I AM WRONG, PLEASE SHARE THE KNOWLEDGE.

2. Use "COMMON SENSE" who are the people who know better about weight loss and body conditioning? The answer is... natural Body builders and martial artists or people who practice a sport sport that involves a weight category.

These people have to make the weight on a specific date, so in order to do so they need to find a "formula".

3. After reading and buying books written by "Natural body builders" and "Strength and Conditioning coaches"  such as M Matthews, T Venuto, M Rooney. I came to the conclusion that the natural body builders diet is one of "THE BEST".

I know, it is blind statement...why? If you just look for weight loss, muscle definition, but don't want to be extremely "cut", the Natural body building approach is not as restrictive as the other approaches.

In fact you are aloud to eat almost anything...Now to get to the sub 2 digits level of leanness you need to make dangerous cuts in carbs consumption, and THAT OBVIOUSLY I DO NOT ADVISE.

4. My last and funny one, "Eat fat and get thin". This is the title of a book I read and led me to start with #TheHighFatHighProteinLowCarbs approach.

This statement is partly true, if you are eating less than your daily calorie allowance and your  diet is made of doughnuts...you may lose weight but look like a doughnut or be as "firm" as one.

On the other hands, if you instead eat lean protein you will look "Leaner".

I did eat a lot of fat and respected my calorie allowance, I lost weight but my body composition was far better when I was having less fat and more protein!

Thanks to have followed me during this journey, I will soon be back to you with some posts on the Atkins, Paleo, And High Fat diet in order to try to find which "nutrition approach" really works.

Please guys feel free to comment and share your views.

That picture was taken on the 27th of January, my weight was 86.5kg and 14 % body fat. I am currently at 86kg after following the #TheHighFatHighProteinLowCarbs approach and I DONT LOOK AS LEAN AS IN THIS PIC. Does fat makes thinner? Leaner, NO!!!

TheTrainForLife12BestBodyWeightExercises

6. Open Close squat (OCS)

The 6th  place in my body Weight list goes to the Open close squat. Some may see it as a variation of the jump squat and they would not be wrong, so why do I rank it 6th.

That exercise took me by surprise as I included it only lately in my routines, it simply provides the advantages of the jump squat without the inconvenience, as well as some adds up.

It is a breath "catching" whole body exercise. The fast lateral opening of the legs, followed by the downward and finally upward motion (jump squat) make the respiratory system work hard.

People wonder why some exercises got you more out of breath than others. The blood in our body circulates from the heart to the muscles, when you work your upper body, it is a closed and close (short distance) circuit. In short you don't get so out of breath but build lots of lactic acid in the upper body muscles. On the other hand when you work your lower body, it feels harder and you have that "lack" of breath feeling and little or less burn in lower body muscles.

The OSC is an "explosive" whole body exercise. If performed at high speed, its execution will force your respiratory system to work really hard to supply blood to all your body muscle.

How to do it?

1. Starting position: Stand upright with your chest up, lower back straight (neutral spine), legs straight and together.

2. Explosively open your legs and lower yourself into a sumo squat.

3. Finishing position: As soon as you reach the bottom of your Sumo squat, jump back up in the starting position.

The benefits of the OCS:

It improves your cardio:

This exercise fits really well in a HIIT (high intensity interval training) as it couples an intense cardiovascular exercise and a demanding leg work.

The whole lower body muscles are worked:

Your calves and thighs feel the "heat" after those repetitive jumps. You will gain explosiveness and strength endurance. In the case of the jumps squat, as soon as the lactic acid has built up, you cannot squat anymore. With the Open Closed Squat, you can carry on and add these extra reps.

The explosiveness is required in order to quickly open your legs and jump back to the original position.

The strength endurance, will be worked as you lower yourself into a deep sumo squat and lift yourself before jumping into the original position.

Your back side as well as your groin get a very tough workout, as coming down into a "Sumo" squat position and jumping back up is demanding.

Finally, it improves hips, knees and ankles flexibility as well, as you areconstantly forced into "stretched" positions in a dynamic manner.

Just give it a try and it will be part of most of your bodyweight routine!

Burpees, push ups and jump squat in action... 

#TheTrainForLifeWayOfLife

 "Don't write off a workout without giving it a try, there are always alternatives"

Week of 7th of March

MONDAY

Conditioning 6-6.45am:

3 5 50kg GM4 10 100kg BS. felt strong, but ended up with a very sore back. So decided to relax and rest a bit before the 6.45-7.30am Tabata class.

Tabata class:
5 sets of 1' work/15" rest with 40kg
WK1: 5 Thrusters, Shuttle Run, 5 OCS open close squatWk2: Over the bar BurpeesWK3: 5 JP Jerk press,SR, 5 OCS  Wk4: 10 Lunges, SR, 5 Push ups - 1 rep each roundrow 4' 1138mI felt good, my lower back did not bother me much, nevertheless I felt my right calf a lot. It slows me down and had me thinking of it all the time.Later in the day, my back was really sore, so I skipped the 8-9pm BJJ Sparting session at the academy.

TUESDAY

5-6.30am BJJ, Luke came back from holiday.
5.15-6pm Kettlebell class, with 24kg Kettlebell

4 sets 1'/15"

Wk1: 10 double swing, 5 pu. Remove 1 rep in each round

Wk2: 5 snatches,5 burpees. Remove 1 rep in each round

Wk3: snatch, windmill, 1/2 TGU

Wk4: open close, legs, arms and lateral

WEDNESDAY

6.45-7.30am HIIT

3 10' wk

Wk1: 21,18,15,12,9,6,3 BS AND BURPEES. I completed R6 1bu

Wk2: 1 SSP strict shoulder press,2 SPP shoulder push press, 3 JP jerk press AND 6 Front Lunges. I completed R7

Wk3: 1 C&J clean and jerk, 2 Cleans, 3 thrusters 150m row. I completed R5.

My shoulder is stronger, as I managed to do strict shoulder press with 50kg for the first time in months. No pain in the back either.

THURSDAY

Kettlebell 6.45-7.30am3 10' wkWk1: 3,6,9,12,18,21 double AS and Burpees. 2'34" left.636m row.Wk2: 1 snatch to squat alternated. 2 clean to squat and 3 thrusters.Wk3: wk1 R3,9,15,21 +wk2. Completed R21+3 cleans to squat.Great workout and good sensations, nevertheless I suffered a lot with the burpees.

FRIDAY

BJJ 30' spar

45' Spin.

First time Sparting seriously with Luke in months, I suffered when at bottom but stayed away from danger. My controls have improved such as my half guard passes. Things went wrong when I rushed it. Got submitted because I switched off... Something to think of and learn from...!

SATURDAY REST DAY

SUNDAY

2 10' wk with 12000ft altitude mask

5 thrusters 150m row. R5 50kg bar

5 JP, 10 AS, 150m row.R5

Hard with mask at times but felt ok in general. Was good at spin even felt full of air. Was really sleepy the rest of the day but no headaches.

An improvement

45' spin

1h spin

CONCLUSIONS:

Fitness, Rest and Work:

Fitness: It was a very good week, a very good week is when you can train. It didn't start as I wanted as my back stopped me from doing certain things. Nevertheless, I managed to train HARD the rest of the week. I will come back to that point to explain the concept: "Don't write off a workout without giving it a try, there are always alternatives".
Rest and Work: I am now really giving Rest the importance it deserves, physical and mental rest. I go to bed earlier with the job done, if it isn't, I am up earlier to do it.At a mental level, I am not "unidimensional" anymore, although I love it, there is more to life than Fitness and Nutrition.To read books related to Islam, and share chats with Hajj Amal, or my friends, to watch my favorites cartoons and play LEGO with my sons give me the mental  break that I need.
The work: It follows the same curve, I am learning from clients, my readings and I try to improve daily. I need to make some adjustments nevertheless as thing can always be improved.

Nutrition:

I started the week at 86kg and finished it at 86kg and I am a bit gutted, it is my own fault though. The week was really good in term of respecting my calorie allowance. I was so good that at times I was upset as I could see my weight go up. This phenomenon never lasted, as the following day or the day after I was back to 86kg.

On Saturday, I was doing extremely well and my wife fell sick and went early to bed. I found myself having to cook and spend the evening on my own. After the evening meal, even before, I wasn't hungry but I forced 2 slices of peanut butter and Nutella down in my belly...Up to 700 extra calories...don't get me wrong, it was good but TOTALLY UNNECESSARY!!!

WHAT IS TODAY MESSAGE?

"Don't write off a workout without giving it a try, there are always alternatives".

To illustrate the statement above I will share the stories of my last days clients. Gurvinder broke one of his finger last week and I told him to come for his PT session, as if nothing happened and he did. I came up together with a session where we avoid putting pressure on the broken finger. Nevertheless, he did some thrusters, jerk presses, push ups and we even used the Kettlebell.

Emily had a dodgy shoulder and felt pain in her knee...what did we do? I had her doing, squat, thruster and taught her the jerk press, an exercise that involves the shoulders.

Carl was sick the entire week, little strength... I just changed the intensity of the work out and tailored the PT session to what he was capable of doing on the day.

A long story short, if you are motivated and you want to train, there is always alternatives. You first need to try what you have planned to do, maybe with a lighter weight.

If it does not work out, start looking for alternatives or totally change the workout.

As a matter of fact, I am not a resistance machine fan, but when I am injured I tend to use them more, as they provide more stability and safety.

As explained during this post, the idea is to demonstrate that the TrainForLifePhilosophy #TrainForLifeWayOfLife is to apply some common sense in your training and make each session counts. Bear in mind that, the rule explained above can be at a certain extent applied in everyday life...

There is always something to do, lift, jump, run...if in group better... 

#TheTrainForlife12BestResistanceTrainingExercises

5. The Thruster

The 5th place goes to the Thruster, the more I think about it, the harder it is to rank the exercises. Why Squat, Deadlift, Good Morning, the Jerk Press and finally thrusters.

I came up with a simple reason, the first two exercises Squat and Deadlift are the essence of "proper" lifting, you cannot do a serious free weight training involving your lower body If you cannot squat or deadlift. In other words all the other lifts depend on your ability to perform these two lifts.

In regard to the Good Morning, some will object that it is not necessary... Partly true. However, the GM can be used for two different purposes. On one hand to focus on your hamstrings and lower back. On the other hand by focusing on your "posterior chain", you improve your posture, strength and lifts in general. 

Finally, the argument used for the Squat and Deadlift is valid for the Jerk Press, as soon as we refer to the upper body. 

A long story short, in order to do a thruster, you need to know how to get the barbell off the floor (deadlift) to your shoulder (clean). Then, you must front squat and finally press overhead. 

In other words, The thruster which is a "Powerhouse" exercise ranks only 5th because its execution depends on you mastering other basic exercises.

The thruster is for the non "Olympic Weight lifting" lifters the ultimate lift. In fact, the best exercises and most difficult exercises are the Snatch, Clean and Jerk and Clean, which all include the deadlift, the squat, a high pull and eventually a kind of press.

The above exercises are highly technical and difficult exercises, that require serious training, instruction and supervision. 

My #TrainForLife12BestResistanceTrainingExercises is composed of the best exercises that the majority of the population can do. My goal is to reach the masses with the best possible exercises without the technical limitations and the dangers...

Why do I Thruster?

Being honest, I thruster because I am limited and it is the hardest lift for the limited people who want something different. 

I am limited: 

I can Front squat 120, Back squat 150kg, I could Jerk press 95kg, overhead squat 90kgbut clean and jerk only 80kg and snatch only 55kg... 

My limitations are technical and physical. From the technical point of view, the clean and the posterior jerk or the snatch are really difficult exercises. From the physical point of view, I have bad shoulders and worst wrists...to move weight down and up is not "too" hard, but to lift the same weight "off" the ground, "catch" it and then lift it up is really taxing and demanding on my shoulder and wrists joints.

This means that the thruster is the best "hard" exercise for people who can only perform lifts that do not require too much explosiveness and that are more joint friendly. As you squat, deadlift or jerk press, you have a fair control of your speed and the lift execution.

How to do a Thruster?

I will not explain how to do a thruster as it would be faster for me to send you to the the chapter 1,2 and 4 of #TheTrainForLife12BestResistanceTrainingExercises.

Putting all the exercises together you have a clear idea of what is the deadlift, the rack (starting position for the JP), the squat and the press.

My only concern here is the thruster starting point.

The starting position: that position is achieved when you a are standing with the barbell  "racked " on your shoulders.

If you have a squat rack, you just need to grab the bar and start. If you don't, the bar will be on the floor and you will have to clean it in order to start with the thrusters.

Follow the step below to clean or power clean or hang clean the bar.

How to clean the bar:

Position yourself as you would do for a deadlift, same grip slightly wider than shoulder width apart and your feet stance will be between hips to shoulder width apart. Your chest pointing forward and lower back straight, your shins can be in contact with the bar.

Step 1: Squat down and execute your deadlift or first pull as the bar pass the level of your knees and your torso is closed to vertical and erect.

Step 2: Perform the second pull by brushing the bar against your mid to upper thigh, move the bar upwards by explosively extending your hips, knees and ankles with a jumping motion.

As you are fully extended. Elevate your shoulders and pull the bar as high as you can and catch it as you rotate your elbows under the bar, into the"rack position.

Step 3: Full clean, power clean and hang clean. What is the difference.

The clean would be after following the steps 1 and 2 finish the lift with a front squat.

The power clean would be after following the steps 1 and 2 finish the lift with a slight dip of the legs.

Finally the hang clean would be to deadlift the bar, as explained in step 1. Then with the bar against your thighs, execute step 2 into a "full clean.

After following the 3 steps explained above, you are standing with the bar racked on your shoulders. You will then squat and as you come back up, press the bar overhead while extending your legs. You will then lower the bar to the initial rack position and repeat the motion as many times as planned in your workout.

The muscles targeted:

The list is endless as the thrusters hit all the muscle involved in a deadlift, squat and a press hamstrings, quads, gluteus, lower back. As well as all the upper body, involving the whole posterior chain, the core (everything from the cervical spine to the hamstrings, back and front). And the shoulders including the arm muscles.

The benefit of the thrusters:

Let call the thruster the "popular" clean and jerk. The clean and jerk well executed is an awesomely difficult movement. The thruster will give you almost the same benefits in a simpler, more controlled and secured version of the clean and jerk.

The thruster is also a very functional exercise, we do on a daily basis grab stuff or little people off the floor and lift them overhead.

The thrusters make you stronger and improve your stamina. It takes few thrusters to be out of breath...

Guys give at a try and share your sensations!

Final position of the lift, head neutral, arms locked, bar over and slightly behind the head, with shoulders stacked over the hips and the hips stacked over the ankles. 

#TheHighFatHighProteinLowCarbs

Week of 29th-6th March #TheHighFatHighProteinLowCarbs approach.

This week just gone felt good, despite the fact that I am not losing crazy amounts of weight. I am just gaining more awareness, understanding of what I have to do and how my body reacts to it. I am also definitely better at sticking to my calorie allowance.

Let's have a look at the weight curve during the week.

Monday: 87kg

Tuesday: 86.6kg, dropped 300g.

Wednesday: 86.7kg, increased 100g.

Thursday: 86.7kg, maintained.

Friday 87kg, increased 300g.

Saturday 86.9kg, dropped 300g.

Sunday 86.6kg, dropped 100g.

I do feel quite positive about this week just gone as I learnt few lessons and few tricks.

1. With nutrition, You need to apply not to be creative. You need to listen not to hear. You need to give to your food the same attention you give to your workouts, work or children.

YOU NEED TO BE SERIOUS ABOUT YOUR FOOD OR IT WILL NOT WORK.

2. That said, what I mean is we know we have to respect the calorie allowance AND MOST OF THE TIME WE SIMPLY DON'T.

I have did respect my calorie allowance  consistently for the last 2 weeks and I am heading in the only possible direction, THE ONLY DIRECTION. I AM LOSING FAT, NOT LARGE AMOUNTS, BUT I DO.

3. The first two points are to reinforce the idea that you have to commit in order to succeed, you have to get new habits, THE RIGHT HABITS.

The few tips and tricks:

- I eat a meal and if I feel I am still hungry, I give it 20' wait. In fact, it takes 20' to your body to realize that you have been filled up and don't need to eat anymore.

- I drink..., in my case a coffee or large tea, both with milk no sugar.

- I simply acknowledge that I am full. I used to deny the fact that I was full and ate with my brain and eyes instead of my belly. That led me to clean my boys and wife plates when I was totally "full".

Let me tell you some, I am from a numerous family and we were not well off, so for me food, money and hard work go together. I hate to throw as I associate it to the hard work my parents had to go through to feed us. On top of that, at home if you were not finishing your plate, one of the sibling would do it for you...

So now I simply put into a container all the "leftover"

- I eat when I am hungry, I tend to be hungry in mid afternoon after my lunch and possible snack. Generally, I have between 700-1000 calories remaining to hit my daily allowance.

What do I do? I simply eat without thinking too much about the evening! Doing that, I generally found myself satisfied and at dinner time, I am not hungry anymore so I eat very little.

If you are Truly hungry, sort yourself out, don't skip that meal. Listen to your body, otherwise  you may  overeat later in the day.

- Las but not least, I have a cheat day. On Saturday evening, I watch a movie with my

wife and we treat ourselves with 2 pancakes each with peanut butter and Nutella. Now, what are the requirements for the cheat day?

My calorie allowance is respected, I eat less during the day to make sure I can relax after dinner. THIS SIMPLE!

These little tricks make the whole process easier.

My conclusions and general sensations:

This week I really started to feel in control, everything related to fat loss was only managed by food. Training has been good but, I dint use training as and excuse to overeat. I focused on food and start to enjoy knowing that I can control myself better.

My mood, Energy levels, mental health and sleep:

I may sound like a broken disc but everything is linked. Doing better at the nutrition level has a direct and positive repercussions on the rest.

The fact that I sorted out my rest and sleeping hours have a positive impact on my mental health and mood. I am generally in a good mood and really positive about life in general.

To come on the 16th of March :

Week 6 of #TheHighFatHighProteinLowFat trial, 7th-13th March.

Please guys feel free to comment and share your views.

Messing about😱 

#TrainForLife12BestBodyWeightExercises

5. Chest and Triceps dips

The fifth  place in my body Weight list goes to the Chest and Triceps dips. It is, once more, a basic exercise and also a "selective" one, as it actually sets people apart. Those who can do them and those who cannot. In general the males are better at it as it requires more upper body strength.

It is one of these exercises that people who are serious about lifting will include in their upper body routine. As a matter of fact Lu Xiajun the -77kg Olympic lifting champion and world record snatch holder, dips with 75kg weight attached to his waist.

As a personal trainer, I have often seen guys who are serious about "upper" body muscles excel at dips.

That reference to "upper" body muscles is simply because, the majority of them have a highly developed upper body and an "average"lower body.

On the other end of the spectrum you will find the "lifters", body builders, crossfitters and people who are interested in calisthenics. These groups of athlete will see the dip as a major exercise as it is will benefit them in many ways.

The female population have more kind of a hate/love relationship with the dip. It is a hard exercise but at the same time a "pivotal" one. Most of the females focus on the same body part and triceps, rank high on the list of muscle to work hard.

Being a challenging exercise, to manage to dip is a source of pride for both genders.

The difference between a chest  and a triceps dip:

There is no major difference, all lies in the body inclination.

The Chest Dip:

Just lean your body forward while dipping.

Targeted muscles:

The chest muscles (pectoral is Major), as well as the arms, shoulders and back muscles are involved in the chest dips.

It is to say that it is a complete upper body workout!

The Triceps Dip:

Keep your body straight at all times while performing the dips.

Targeted muscles:

This modality of Dip solely work the triceps muscles, hence it is referred as "Triceps dip".

How to perform a Dip:

1. Starting position:

You will grasp two bars which will be approximately shoulder width apart. You will have your arms contracted with your elbows locked, chest up, lower back straight (neutral spine), head neutral (facing forward). The rest of your body will be tight, contracted with your core engaged. Your feet are not touching the ground.

2. Finishing position:

You will bend your arms and slowly lower yourself to the final position where your elbows are bent and your shoulders mildly stretched. The posture described in point 1 has to be respected at all time.

Dips for Beginners:

Instead of two bars you will have your hands, shoulder width apart on a bench, a chair or a step

1. Sit and Position your hands shoulder-width apart on a secured bench.

2. Slide your butt off the front of the bench with your legs extended out in front of you.

- Difficulty level 1: You will have your legs bent to start with.

- Difficulty level 2: You can keep your legs straight, if you are strong enough.

- Difficulty level 3: You can put your feet on top of a step or a chair.

3. Straighten your arms, keeping a little bend in your elbows to keep tension on your triceps and off your elbow joints. Off you go, up and down.

Dips variation for advanced athletes:

You can perform the dips as explained above, nevertheless you can make it harder by hanging some weights at your waist or having using two benches, one to support your feet, the other your arms, and you can add weight on your middle section while you dip.

Benefits of the dips and functionality:

The dip is an important day to day exercise, we actually don't realize how much we use it till we struggle getting off bed or our chairs!

Yes we dip first thing in the morning and pretty much every time we sit down...

Apart from aesthetic purposes, the dips is a good alternative to push ups or chest press if you add weight.

The dip can substitute the chest press but also complements it, as stronger shoulders, back and triceps will increase your "push" strength while bench pressing.

The dip is free, versatile and all gender and age friendly:

You can dip anywhere even without equipment at all, depending on your level of fitness you will chose one of the options described above.

Give it a go and share this post with your friends!

No matter what you do, if you do it well, You end up like that...