Yesterdays workout: 8/11/11

An awesome workout yesterday even if there are still certain things I can't do due to a rotator cuff injury on my right shoulder but working around and doing things I have not done for years such as curls and tricep extensions.

I went for supersets of 4 x 8-10 reps with 45secs rest between supersets.

1) Trigger point therapy, mobility, rotator cuff movements.

2) Single arm bottoms up kettlebell press (surprisingly this feels great on my shoulder, the extra grip activation allows for some great stability
throughout arm and shouler). 10reps@20kg
Deadlifts 10reps@170kg

3) Stiff leg Deadlifts 10@140kg
Weighted leg lowers 10@6kg

4) Face pulls with a 3sec negative. 10@50kg
Cable tricep extensions with a 3 sec negative 10@35kg

5) rear cable raises (awesome for my shoulder) with a 3 sec negative 10@5kg (I know little weights but the burn was insane)
Skull crushers with a 3 sec negative 10@50kg

As you can see this is a very different workout plan compared to my usual stuff but hey, you gotta listen to your body and change things up now and again. As I can't do a lot of the bigger lifts such as cleans, jerks and back squats which are high intensity moves I have made up for this with very brief rest periods between supersets, it's tough but gives the workout the intensity I prefer. Body split type training is not really my thing but doing it this way feels pretty dam good.

If you are unsure what some of these exercises may look like please get in touch and I will be happy to help.

Be sure to check out our brand new website www.fitterlondon.co.uk for some great blog posts, articles, training ideas and recipes. Be great to know what you think.

Happy training,

Matt

RKC Vs IKFF, or is there more to it?

As a personal trainer, strength enthusiast and kettlebell instructor who has done both the RKC and IKFF kettlebell certifications I am often asked which one I prefer or which would I suggest for someone looking to gain a kettlebell certification. So in this post I would like to give a little breakdown of each course, the good points, the bad points and my overall honest opinion.

I started using kettlebells for my own training about 4 years ago. I heard about them, googled them, watched some videos, gave it a go...........I was hooked. I loved them.

I showed Keris (my girlfriend and co founder of Fitter London) a thing or two with them and it wasn't long before she was hooked either.

It was here we dicided to look into kettlebell courses in London, we found a 1 day course based In north London and booked onto it. They were both RKC certified trainers so after the research I had done I figured this was a winner. Straight away I realised my technique needed a lot of fine tuning and I enjoyed the feeling of more efficient kettlebell movement.

BUT,

By the end of the day I felt as though corners had been cut and that 1 day simply was not enough to fully understand kettlebell training. I wanted to learn more.

It was here we looked further into the RKC certification. I was at first shocked at the price, it was not cheap and it did not even include accommodation or flights. The next one in Europe was in Budapest in August (2009) and we thought sod it, lets do it. We wanted kettlebells to be a huge part of our fitness business and our own training regimes and figured what better than to learn from the best. We were passionate about them and were prepared to pay the price.

RKC is fronted by Pavel Tsatsouline.

We were all packed and ready to go, so here is my RKC Pros and cons:

RKC is a 3 day certification and I was slightly anxious at what we had in store for us.

PROS:

- RKC is a very thorough training system, every movement was broken down into stages to ensure a full understanding, we were constantly being corrected and assessed.

- All instructors were happy to answer questions and were incredibly knowledgable.

- Everything was clear and very easy to understand due to the very well structured nature of the cert.

- Repetition was a big thing but I love this as it really drummed home the techniques.

- They took a personal trainers needs in to consideration as there was a huge focus on breakdown and progressions to teach your clients. There were also plenty of alternatives for people who struggled with certain movements.

- There were plenty of instructors there so you never felt you were on your own unaware if your doing things correctly or not.

- After each day I had aches in all the right places and felt as though I was learning so much every minute.

- Massive attention to detail.

CONS:

- Before we had even done anything we were asked to perform the snatch test. This test inloves performing 100 snatches in under 5 mins. Men above 60kg used a 24kg kettlebell, men under 60kg used a 20kg, women above 56kg used a 16kg and women below 56kg used 12 kg. I didn't agree with this, I was aware that a lot of preparation before the cert was involved but to perform what I believed was a very technical lift with a predetermined weight without instruction was unsafe and was an injury waiting to happen for some. By the way, someone did get very badly injured and it ended the cert straight away.

- Too military based for my liking. I don't mind a disciplined approach but some of these dudes were just plain arrogant and were dishing out orders like we were in the army. They saw it fit to throw drills at us that were incredibly testing for most and for some unbarable. I love hard work but when my technique is being effected because an instructor loves the sound of his own voice too much it got quite annoying. A bit over the top at times to say the least.

- Practice makes perfect but if someone has not yet developed the strength to perform a certain movement with the suggested weight then its only right they drop weight and perform the movement correctly right? Not here. I believe men should be able to handle atleast 1.5 times there bodyweight on a deadlift but I dont start them on that weight, they practice, they progress and we work up to it. To make someone feel like a failure for good judgement again did not sit well with me.

Conclusion:

Aside from the stated cons, RKC was worth every penny for me. It was jam packed with great information and I was buzzing with inspiration, I coudnt wait to show our Fitter London members everything we had learnt. From start to finish it was well structured and incredibly engaging.

It was during our RKC certification that we kept hearing the name Steve Cotter going around. We had not heard much of this guy so we decided to check him out. He used to be part of RKC but decided to go his seperate way and set up the IKFF certification. I watched some of Steve Cotters videos and all I can say is......WOW. I was in awe of this guy, so fit, strong, explosive and insanely mobile. It wasn't long before I was looking to see when he was next in London.

It was Febuary 2010 and we were booked onto his level 1 course. The IKFF course was half the price of RKC which was great :-). It was 2 days long and I couldn't wait to meet the guy who was so inspiring just through his videos.

Before I go in to the pros and cons I want to highlight that Steve Cotters approach to kettlebell lifting is very different to that of the RKC. RKC has more of an explosive, full body tension approach and IKFF is a more fluid approach with a big focus on reducing tension in order to keep fatigue at bay for as long as possible. The style was completely different, from the general movement and breathing to duration and grip technique.

I have to admit at first this was not what I was expecting but it was not long before I was engaged and loving it.

Pros:

- Completely different style and was really excited and learning what seemed an opposite approach to kettlebell lifting.

- Huge emphasis on warm ups and mobility which was amazing.

- Went over exercises that I had never done before such as overhead squats which are fantastic.

- The lay out was incredibly challenging, varied and fun.

- There was no fitness test or wieght requirment but just a big focus on correct and safe technique which was made clear from the start. This was great and took the pressure off which allowed for a more enjoyable experience.

- Great group of instructors who were incredibly knowledgable and well experienced.

Cons:

- I felt that there was less attention to detail compared to RKC and at times quite vague.

- There was not the approach to corrective exercises that I was expecting, it was more of a if this doesnt feel right go lighter type of thing but I was looking for more answers here.

- I felt that due to the longer duration style of this training (a long cycle is 10 mins long) that this style would not go down too well with my clients especially as they were used to the RKC style of training.

To be honest that is all I have for this one as I loved this course and I met some great like minded people there too.

So, which one did I prefer?

To be honest, I can't really say. But what I will say is always keep an open mind, broaden your horizons and never stop learning. I use both techniques from the certs and they go down a treat in classes, on PT sessions and as part of my own training regime.

I don't for a second regret doing either of them, they have played a huge role in my journey as the eternal student and I value both of these courses equally, however I will say in my experience, the RKC approach has been more client friendly and they have responded better to this technique.

My biggest bit of advice is whichever course you choose to do dont get sucked in to the whole cult thing. I believe the RKC system is guilty of this and most RKC instructors believe their method is the only way and nothing else matters. Some even go to the extremes of getting tatoos and all wearing the same trousers which is when it gets a little too much for me. This is a very narrow minded approach and I dont agree with it. IKFF was not like this at all and I liked that.

IKFF for me highlighted the importance of longevity which i had not really considered before this. Mobility is now a huge part of my routine and the more fluid approach to kettlebell lifting is a great way to take a little break from all that heavy lifting and body tension that is involved in most training regimes.

Ideally I'd say if you can afford to, do both certs. I would not have one without the other but that's just me.

Since doing these I have worked with many other great coaches and most recently the awesome Mike Mahker when he was in the UK in Feb this year.

Mike Mahler again had a very different take on kettlebell training and there was a big focus on heavy lifting whilst reducing tension and also explosive power. Personally, this is the style of training I have always enjoyed (Im a rugby player so this makes sense) and I loved every minute of this course.

Mike Mahler's approach was incredibly simple yet highly effective, his hormone optimisation lecture alone was worth the money and his style of kettlebell lifting has complemented the training of myself, my classes and my clients very well.

Working with the best in the industry has taught me a hell of allot and each of the above workshops has provided an even deeper knowledge into an industry and style of training I absolutely love. So get yourself out there, don't stick to one so called style. Experiment and find what works for you, have your own take on it and put it out there. Better yet, don't rely solely on kettlebell training, I love kettlebells but they make up a fraction of what training tools I use for my clients and our classes.

I really hope this post has been informative, as I said I simply wanted to put an honest opinion out there and here it is.

I am still learning and have plenty of other great coaches I would like go work with so watch this space.

If anyone has any questions about any of these courses then please get in touch id be happy to help matt@fitterlondon.co.uk

Listen, learn, practice and improve.

Yours in training,

Matt

P.s check out our brand new website which launched last week www.fitterlondon.co.uk we are very proud of it and hope you enjoy the content. Honest feedback is always welcome.

Yesterdays workout: 16/9/11

Had a beast of a workout yesterday and feeling on top of the world today and raring for some more training.

1) a thorough warm up and mobility.

2) deep squats 5x5reps (first 2 sets were progressively heavier warm up sets)

Supersetted with:

Single arm dumbbell rows 5x8reps with a 4 sec negative (last set was with 3 drop sets to failure)

3) 3 sets of 5 reps of a charles poliquin variation on squats to hit the VMO (these are brutal and my VMO is feeling it today, in a good way of course)

See it here: http://www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/693/The_VMO_Solution.aspx?lang=EN

4) stiff leg Deadlifts (explosive reps) 3x12rps (the last 4 reps of every set set the hamstrings and glutes on fire)

Supersetted with:

Dumbell shoulder press 3x8reps with a 4 sec negative.

5) cable tricep extensions 3x10 reps with a 4sec negative

Supersetted with:

Reverse grip ez bar curls 3x10 reps with a 4sec negative (feeling the burn baby)

6) mobility and stretch.

Plastered myself with magnesium oil after my workout which is working wonders for my recovery and reducing DOMS.

Bring on today's workout.

Have a great day folks and happy lifting.

Yours in strength,

Matt

Mondays workout: 5/9/11

Awesome workout on Monday with Rich which I can still feel the effects of today. Feels great.

1) squats 2 working sets of death sets (20 reps) these were done to the absolute max with 1min rest between sets. WOW.

Superset the following:

2) close grip press ups 10 reps with a 5sec negative and explosive press x 3 sets (harder than they look)
reverse grip barbell rows 10 reps with a 5 sec negative x 3 sets (my lats feel great today)

3) supinated grip wide pull ups 3 sets of 8
Leg extensions 10 reps with 5sec negative x 3 sets

4) cool down and stretch

Again just stuck to the 3 supersets as well as the death sets to ensure focus on reps and go for quality over quantity. I feel great for it and highly recommend everything play around with their rep ranges and tempo of reps for great results.

Have an awesome day.

Yours in strength,

Matt Whitmore

7 Ways To Improve Your Deadlift Immediately

Hey Guys and Girls,

Here is a great video with 7 very simple solutions to improve your deadlift immediately. The list could easily be longer but I would say these are 7 very common problems that I experience with my clients or fellow gym members.

I view the deadlift as one of the most effective exercises you can do whatever your goals are. If you can master this then you're on to good things.

Many seem to believe that the deadlift places a lot of stress on your back and has a high injury risk. That's a load of rubbish as any exercise performed badly has a high risk of injury. If done correctly and effectively, this is a risk free exercise that will simply change the way you train and I'm sure this video will help you to do just that.

7 reasons why you're not getting the results you want from your deadlift.

1. Going too heavy too soon:
   It's a great feeling ripping a huge amount of weight from the floor in one explosive movement but dont get carried away. Take your time and perfect your tecnique before you start piling the weight on the bar.
   At the moment, I personally work on (example) the 5 sets of 5 reps system with 3 minutes rest between sets. I'm focusing on strength training for the time being. I do 3 progressively heavier warm up sets followed by 2 working sets. I then aim to perform 3 working sets on this poundage. Once I have done so, I increase the weight and again aim for 2 working sets with a view of increasing to 3 etc. I also throw in some 1 rep max lifts or 5 sets of 3 reps to keep my body guessing and hitting heavier poundages. By all means though taiolor the rep and set range to your goals.
   
   
2. Stance:
   This can be a crucial decider in the efficiency of your lift although it often is a matter of personal preference which is why it's important to play around with different stances and discover which works best for you. I persoanlly know some seriously strong dudes that have quite a narrow stance but I also know some guys who lift a crazy weight with what I would say was quite a wide stance, to each to their own. I personally prefer about shoulder width with my toes angled out very slightly.
   
   
3. Your bum is too high:
   Getting my butt down, personally added some serious weight to my lift. Although my back was straight, by keeping my hips so high I was not engaging my legs enough in the lift which meant my poundages were limited. It was fine when I was working to a higher rep range, say 8-10 reps but to lift big you need to get your arse down.
   
   
4. The bar is not close enough to your shins:
   The path of the bar on the deadlift should be as straight as possible and if you start with the bar too far from the shins you have immediately created problems for yourself. In order to maintain a smooth lift, the bar should be touching the shins at the bottom and almost graze the shins and the quads to the top of the movement. I often come away from a deadlift session with bloodied shins which is a sign of just how close I maintain the bar to my legs. You also compromise your lower back when the bar is too far from the shins, as you know this is never a good thing.
   
   
5. Not engaging the lats:
   When at the bottom of the lift, retract the shoulders by engaging the lats to ensure a solid start to the lift. Now I must say that when you start to move some seriously heavy weights, let's use ex world record holder Andy Bolton as an example, it becomes increasingly harder to maintain such a position. However if the muscle's intent is there and the other muscles in the lift are firing as they should it will not cause any problems. If you stay too relaxed in the upper back and lats, this can allow the weight of the bar to round your shoulders forward which often has a knock on effect and causes a curve in the spine.
   
   
6. You're not engaging your midsection:
   Believe me, doing crunches will never improve your deadlift however ensuring you engage your mid section is invaluable to your lift. When in the bottom position, before you show that bar who's boss, take a deep breath as deep as you can into your stomach, this will create the tension required in the midsection to support the spine and remove any softness from the lift. Your breathing alone could make a huge difference.
   
   
7. Too much slack in your arms:
   What I'm referring to here is those who start their lift with bent arms. This is an injury risk and will do nothing for your deadlift. Eliminate slack from the bar and the arms. If the bar can make that rattling sound when in your grip that means their is too much slack. Get rid of it and I assure you will instantly feel the lift so much more in all the right places.

The video goes in to greater detail on these points so please have a look and implement these tips today. I promise you will feel an immediate difference.



I have been performing the deadlift for years and I'm always looking for different techniques and teaching points. As much as I have discovered that different people have different techniques that suit them better, I believe as a rule of thumb the above changes will see nothing but improvement. I personally used to keep my hips way too high and this really prevented me from getting to a substantial weight as I simply was not using my legs enough. As soon as I got my arse down, I added 15kg to my lift straight away, this is no lie.

Now, I'm no deadlift expert and I'm certainly not lifting a super human poundage but I do have experience in this exercise and it's a movement I take very seriously and remain to seek improved techniques, program design and rep range structure in order to take it too the next level. I ensure I always feel it in the right places whether I'm smashing multiple sets of singles or going for 4 sets of 8 reps. Anyone who stands up after a lift clutching their lower back in pain (I'm sure you have all seen it) needs to asses their technique.

So remember this:

1. Step up to the bar with a shouder width stance, and toes angled out slightly with the bar touching your shins.
2. Drop the hips down to fully engage the legs and glutes.
3. Pack the shoulders back by engaging the lats.
   
4. Remove every once of slack out the bar and the arms
5. Take a huge breath in to the stomach to brace the midsection and support the spine.
6. Then rip that bar from the floor driving through your heels.
7. Reverse the movement and repeat.
   

I'm sure you can relate to some if not all of the above points and I hope it can add as much value to your training as it has mine.

Happy lifting,

Matt Whitmore

Today's workout: 2/9/11

Yet another awesome workout today with my training partner Rich. Even if my Deadlifts did not feel as good as previous weeks I didn't let it get to me although was hoping to beat my PB but there is always next week.

Here is how it went down:

1) warm up and mobility work

2) Deadlifts 3 warm up sets followed by 4 working sets of singles (1 rep max) with 3 mins rest between sets

The rest were performed as supersets.

3) front squats 4 working sets of 6 reps
Pull ups 5 reps with a 10 second negative on each (these were brutal and my lats felt huge, infact if jumped off a building I think I could of glided :- ) with 90secs rest

4) cable tricep extension 3 working sets of 12 reps with a 4 sec negative
Hammer curls with fat Gripz 3 working sets of 12 reps with a 4 sec negative with 60secs rest

5) cool down and stretch

Big well done to Rich for smashing his PB on his Deadlifts, awesome stuff.

Feeling good now and looking forward to 2 days of rest and recovery in preparation for another big session on Monday morning.

Bring it on.

BOSH.

Have a great day,

Matt

My Wild Physique Unleashed :Part 4

Hey there people, hope you are all well and keepin it gangsta ;-)

Last time I left you with what some will see as a rough patch in my life - an eating disorder which developed from an unhealthy obsession with exercise and nutrition. However I like to see it as a huge learning curve that I have gained so much experience from. I also told you how I dropped out of my A'Levels to kick start my career as a Personal Trainer. The first stop here was to become a Level 2 fitness instructor.

So I completed my 2 week intensive fitness instructor course with flying colours, a lot of it came quite naturally to me as it was something I was already well read in and of course I had a fair few years of training experience already behind me.

It was time to get a job.....

I had an interview with GLL (Greenwich Liesure limited) which was a local authority gym chain. I was really nervous as this was a huge deal to me, although I already had a part time job at WHSmiths in Lewisham so had been for interviews before. I was cr*pping myself.

With the interview done and dusted off I went to my evening job at WHSmiths, I decided to walk all the way from Woolwich (GLL's head office) to Lewisham as I had time and just wanted to think things through and assessing how well I thought I had done in the interview.
About 40 minutes after leaving their head office, I had a phone call from a blocked number. To my surprise it was the lady who had just interviewed me, "I'm pleased to tell you we are keen to offer you a part time position at our Greenwich location". I was over the moon and could not wait to get started. Firstly because I got a job as a fitness instructor and secondly because this club was a 10min walk from where I lived. They must have been desperate as they wanted me to start in 2 days time. I of course said yes.

I didn't want to leave my evening job at WHSmiths and asked if I could just work morning shifts, to which they were delighted as no one wanted this shift. 2 days later, it's 6am and I'm being shown the ropes by the supervisor. 6am, it's a crazy hour, I had to get up at 5am to ensure I was fed, packed my lunch and washed ready for my first day. But I was that excited that I was awake before my alarm keen to get started.

I was soon shocked to find out that my role as a fitness instructor involved more cleaning and machine maintenance than anything else, I also discovered that we only had a 30 minute break as opposed to an hour. This was a huge dilemma for me as my gym shift was 6am-3pm and my WHSmith shift was 4-9pm. When was I going to train?

I could have easily used this as an opportunity to use the whole "I don't have time" excuse, but I'm better than that. I knew I had to make some changes to my routine and fit it in in my lunch break.

So at this point I was still devoted to my body split routine and focused on 2 body parts per session. I had 25mins to nail a workout which left me 5 mins to shower. I remember the workouts very well, here is how it looked:

MON: chest and back. 3x10, superset everything and rest 45secs between supersets.

1) Incline Dumbell press
Pull ups
2) Press ups
Barbell rows
3) Cable flys
Cable rows

TUE: legs and shoulders 3x10, superset everything and rest 45secs between supersets.

1) Dumbell squats (no rack)
Dumbell shoulder press
2) Dumbell lunges
Side raises
3) Dumbell step ups
Barbell upright rows

WED: rower and abs

1) 2000m on the rower

2) Weighted sit ups
Plank

THU: arms

1) Barbell curls
Close press ups
2) Hammer curls
Cable tricep extensions
3) Reverse close grip lat pull downs
Cable rope extensions

FRI: Rest, as I had rugby the next day.

Thursday was the one day I had off from working at WHSmiths as I had rugby training. Looking back this was an amazing achievement that I managed to work 2 jobs, train, play rugby and still loved every bit of it. I loved the challenge of being pushed for time and reducing the rest periods added a great cardiovascular element to my training.

I continued with this style of training, mixing up the order of exercises and throwing in some new things here and there but overall it was pretty basic and I got good results from it. I was going at such a speed that even after I showered I was still pouring with sweat for anther 30mins after my workout.

As you can imagine, my lunch hour was spent training so when did a brother eat? This is where I was a little crafty, I used to book in a fake induction and sneak into the cleaning cubourd and quickly scoffed down a couple of sandwiches and a cup of tea.

I had to do what I had to do ;-)

I would finish my shift at 3 and then walk from Greenwich to Lewisham, eating my other sandwiches on the move to ensure I was not starving at my second job. I was now well over my eating disorder so I used to snack on a snickers bar or two throughout my evening shift :-). 9pm would come and it was off home for a feast before doing it all over again.

I kept this up for about 2 years, I was 19 and had a girlfriend and loved socialising with my mates. My job was now getting in the way of my social calender and I was out at weekends getting hardly any sleep which meant come Monday, I was shattered. Working 2 jobs, training and socialising was taking its toll. I didn’t want to quit any of the jobs as the money was good and I had some good friends at each.

Until.........

Things were getting that tough that, pro plus tablets, lucozade and red bulls became a staple in my diet to get me through the day. I finished my morning shift at the gym and felt like s**t, I decided to call in sick at WHSmiths and go and get some rest.

My best mate called and wanted to go for a chinese and a drink and I hadn't been out for a which and thought why not. I was at his house waiting for him to change and BOOM, I collapsed on the floor. I was conscious, but it was as if I physically could not stand up, I dragged myself from the floor and told my pal that I had to go home. I felt dreadful. Over the next few days I ended up errupting in ulcers, vomiting whenever I ate and my energy was so low I may as well have just not bothered going to work as I was useless. I, of course, stopped training although I was not happy about it. This lasted for 6 weeks. Enough was enough. I'm sure some of you are wondering why I had not seen a doctor yet? Well, the truth is I was a stubborn sod and thought I could overcome it, I was very wrong.

I went to the doctor's, they ran blood tests and they concluded I was suffering from exhaustion. I was fatigued and they advised me to socialise less and to quit one of my jobs. It was here I realised the extent of what I was doing. I handed in my notice at WHSmiths and went for an interview for a full time position as a fitness instructor. Although I was already working full time hours I was on part time pay. The good news is I got the job so would get paid more which made it a lot easier cutting down to one job.

I will never forget the first time I walked out of the gym at 3pm knowing I didn't have to go and work a 5 hours shift else where. I could go home, to the pub, round my mate's house, I could do whatever I wanted and it was a fantastic feeling. I could now enjoy my 30 minute break and train in the afternoon at another gym (one with far better equipment and a squat rack).

So I was finally over my exhaustion, I felt normal again and could not have been more excited at the though of getting into my training regime again.

I could now work the late shift at the gym which was great as I could get my workout done early, get a good bit of lunch before starting my shift. I didnt leave the gym until 10.30pm on a late shift and I was in no mood to cook that late so I would always pick up 2 beef burgers and a chicken burger from the Morleys fast food take away down the road. My, how things have changed ;-)

I had my life back, training hard, sleeping plenty, socialising and able to spend more timewithm girlfriend. Things were good.

I had learnt a very valuable lesson but what is important is that I took it on board, learnt from my mistakes and made a change for the better. I know it is a place i will never be again.

Things to take away from this rather long blog :-)

• You always have time to train. I managed to fit an awesome workout into a 20 minute time frame and still got great results. No more excuses.
  
• You can’t go 100mph all the time. Down time is essential, regardless of how young or hard working you are. Your body must recover otherwise you will pay the price. Your health is more important than any job so look after yourself and be smart about what you do with your day.
• You can achieve anything if you put your mind to it. I was incredibly proud of how disciplined I was back then, although my routine was not sustainable, it taught me just how strong we are both physically and mentally. I worked 2 jobs, went out with friends, trained 5 times a week and had a girlfriend. I was like clockwork. This was great for a while but it can't last. My point is we as humans are capable of many things but do NOT ever take it for granted.
  

Next time I will share with you how my training regime took a huge twist which took my gains to a whole new level and how I then took the leap from Fitness Instructor (glorified cleaner) to a Personal Trainer. I will discuss how a horrible rugby injury made me see things from a different perspective and how I finally listened to those who would lecture me on my not so clean diet.

Sorry for waffling.

Until next time,

Matt Whitmore

Grip strength development series part 7: The Plate Pinch

Hey folks,

This week I return with yet another awesome grip building exercise, the plate pinch. This exercise is a lot harder than it looks but produces great results. Don't let the weight you will be using fool you, as I'm sure you will have to start relatively light but I am certain you will soon see a real difference.

Simply get a smooth plate, not one with a little ledge to hold as that's cheating. Pinch the plate with all your fingers and thumbs as close to the edge of the plate as possible. Hold it by your side and squeeze those fingers and hands as if your life depended on it. Aim for 30-60sec holds. Once that feels comfortable go heavier. Another progression is to hold 2 plates together making for a thicker grip and a far more challenging exercise but still absolutely awesome for your finger, thumb, hand and forearm strength.

Remember, it's all well and good training your forearms but it's not the forearms that grab the bar it's the hands, so be sure to train them too.



Throw this into the mix and let me know how you get on. Again place it at the end of your workout as not to compimise your grip for other exercises.

When you have mastered this try reducing the numbers of fingers gripping the plate. A real test is the thumb and the two fingers next to it, brutal.

Make sure your fingers and thumbs are straight, if they are bent once again you are cheating. So start light, do it properly and build from there.

Enjoy and until next time,

Matt Whitmore

The power of Deadlifts, squats and pull ups

6 weeks ago I managed to injure my right shoulder, I'm not quite sure how but it was pretty damn painful and was a real show stopper. Kettlebells presses, snatches, bench press and press ups were out the window. I was gutted but anyone who trains knows that injuries will happen from time to time and it was just something I had to work around, as frustrating as that is.

My training focus over the last 10 weeks has been on strength. I simply want to get as strong as possible and after reading 'Dinosaur Training' by Brooks Kubik I was ready to go. I set myself some targets and followed Brooks guidelines and the results were coming in.

However......

I literally woke up one morning feeling as awesome as ever :-) I went off to work and attempted to demonstrate a press up to a client. There it was, a shooting pain deep in my rear delt that I felt at the bottom position of the press up. Once I finished with my client I had a little play around to work out what it could be. I physically could not press a thing and shoulder rotation movements were very uncomfortable.

I threw a huge wobbly as, just like most, getting injured is never great news especially when I felt so focused with my training and was getting stronger each week. But after Keris told me to man up and look at ways of making it better rather than just getting annoyed, I did exactly that.

I still had my Deadlifts, squats, pull ups, rows, curls to do and rotational movements for my abs so not all was lost but I did deeply miss shoulder pressing. Never been that bothered about benching but I love pressing heavy weights overhead, I always have.

Here is an example strength routine and shoulder rehab program I have been doing:

Trigger point therapy, Indian clubs and mobility drills

1. Deadlifts 5x5
2. Bottom position squats/weighted wide pull ups 5x5
3. Reverse cable wood chops 5x10 each side
   Cable face pulls 5x15
4. Mobility and stretch.
   

I would tinker with the rep range switching between 5x5, 5x3 and heavy singles

So 6 weeks down the line and the shoulder is feeling good, even though I have not so much as done a press up in that time. I suppose the fact that my Deadlifts and squats were going so well it distracted me from the absence of pressing movements.



Last week I decided to have a little go at some single arm kettlebell shoulder presses, which I love. To my surprise, I lifted the same weight for 5 reps that I did 6 weeks ago and I even had more in the tank. Unfortunately it's the heaviest kettlebell I have (40kg) before making the jump to my 64kg kettlebell and I'm not quite there yet for shoulder presses :-)

I honestly could not believe it but I 100% put it down to the big movements that are deadlifts, squats and pull ups. I may not have done any pressing at all but did not lose a single bit of pressing strength, infact I felt stronger. This was awesome news and I was buzzing. The truth is I was expecting to have to drop poundage as it had been 6 weeks, I never expected to feel so powerful.

If deadlfts, squats and pull ups are not part of your routine then you are simply missing out on some of the greatest gains in your training regime.

They are at the moment the bread and butter of my regime and I have gained 2kg in muscle mass, I'm stronger than ever before and I feel great. Whatever your goals are these movements will work wonders for you.

It's not about just going through the motions, these compound movements require focus and attention to detail. Once you have mastered them and start adding some serious weight to the bar, smashing PBs and not a single sign of injury, you feel on top of the world, unstoppable and you have an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment.

Learn the movements, get them in your routine and experience some serious results.

Train smart, eat well and sleep peacfully,

Matt Whitmore

Happy Birthday Matt

A true gent and a real grafter. A sensitive softie who always makes time to call his Mum at the end of the day. He gets beyond excited when it comes to food and has endless energy that goes beyond the gym. Destined for great things as he masters anything he puts his mind to.

He makes me laugh every day with his body popping and Keith Lemon impressions, keeps me strong and makes life one big adventure.

An all round exceptional guy who deserves an exceptional birthday.

Happy Birthday Matt!

Two-Finger Single Arm Kettlebell Swing (Grip Strength Development Series: Part 6)

Hey Guys and Gals,

So last time round I hit you with a bit of 2 bells in one hand action and this week I want to stick with using kettlebells to advance you in your journey towards superior grip strength. I introduce - The 2 finger single arm kettlebell swing.

You may remember the 2 finger barbell deadlift I shared with you a couple of weeks back. As mentioned, training your fingers individually is a great way to improve your grip strength. The great thing with using the 2 finger grip on the swing is that it's incredibly demanding keeping a hold of an object that you are explosively swinging away from the body. This is why it is very important to start light to condition yourself properly and only progress when it feels comfortable to do so.

Whatever you do, DON'T take 1,2 or 3 finger grip work lightly as it's incredibly demanding on the fingers, ligaments and tendons but when done properly they are absolutely awesome grip building exercises.

As always mess around with the rep ranges depending on your goals. I like to go nice and heavy (as usual) on these with a 5-10 rep range but feel free to increase the rep range for more grip endurance.

Also, works great with double bell work (a kettlebell in each hand), inside the leg swings or Mike Mahler style outside the leg swings.

Give it a try and as always let me know what you think.



Have a great day,

Matt

My Wild Physique Unleashed: Part 3

Last time I left you with my journey through school, getting well into my training regime and maintaining my hench status :-) Doing everything a teenager did just with a huge passion to train.

I went through the rest of my school years like this until I hit my college years. This is where things took a drastic turn...........

I had a well established routine going on that I stuck to religiously. I hated missing a training session but didn't lose any sleep if I did. I was 15 years old and started investing in fitness mags such as Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Flex, Muscle and Development, the list is endless. I was amazed by the guys I saw in these mags, so big and ripped, just how I wanted to be.

The thing that caught my eye that I had never before even thought about was nutrition and in this instance, meal plans to get big and lean. I looked at them only to be shocked as they were nothing like what I was eating. For me it was Frosties for breakast, fish & chips for lunch, chocolate and Dr Pepper, not to mention my post workout meal of deep fried chicken and chips from the Chicken Cottage across the road from the gym. I still have memories of my bus journey home and being that pumped and tired from my workouts that even holding up my chicken leg to eat it was hard work :-)

I knew instantly that I needed to change my diet and also the mags were screaming and shouting about protein shakes amongst other supplements. Of course I had to get me some of that.

Things changed, I started having eggs or porridge for breakfast, drinking water instead of Dr Pepper, wholegrain sandwiches instead of chocolate. I introduced protein shakes post workout, in fact my immediate post workout meal was a protein shake and a banana and honey sandwich. I used to look forward to this about half way through my workout. It was amazing.

I may have been young but it was not long until I really noticed a difference in my physical appearance and I was getting heavier and most drastically stronger.

On my next visit to the gym I was informed on arrival that system indicated I was due for a review of my workout and a body stat analysis. A body stat measures your body fat, lean mass and water etc I thought why not. So the instructor linked the leads up to me entered the relevant data........"Wow you're 5.2% body fat", he said, "Is that good", I replied. Apparently it put me in the same category as an elite athlete, so you could say I left the gym that evening feeling pretty good about myself.

Dun dun dun............the juicy bit

I thought - I had gotten bigger, stronger and leaner and now been told I was like an elite athlete. It had to be the new eating regime I was on I thought. But I couldn't help but feel that I wanted to get to 4% body fat. And if only I reduced even more fat in my diet I would get even more gains.

All of a sudden, I stopped adding sugar to my porridge, I didn't put butter in my sandwiches and I refused to add tomato ketchup to anything (looking back this was crazy as ketchup was my favourite thing in the world and was added to everything I ate) but it was full of sugar and I decided it had to go. I became obsessed with reading the calorie and fat content on everything I ate and if the fat was high or it had a lot of calories, I didnt touch it with a barge pole.

Slowly my portions got smaller, my food became bland and boring as in my head nothing that tasted any good could possibly be healthy. My post workout chicken and chips was a distant memory and to be honest I was obsessed.

I would refuse to eat a sandwich that had butter or mayo, I would turn away desserts put in front of me, nor would I eat chocolate. And I'm talking never, not even a little bit. I became gaunt and ridiculously lean to the point where my family were worried about me.

I felt abnormal, whilst all my friends were eating burgers and chips, chocolate and ice cream, all things I was so desperate to eat but felt overwhelmed with guilt just by thinking about it. It was clear I had developed an eating problem, one that actually took over my life for almost a year......seriously. I was miserable, didn't eat out with friends, I felt depressed and felt like a weirdo but I honestly felt as though there was nothing I could do about it. The months went by and the more miserable I became, my training became a chore that was purely just another part of my obsession with being lean, strong and big.

Men's Health saved my life:

Now, as much as I don't rate the magazine nowadays, back then I believed everything I read. I remember this issue very well, it was the summer holidays and they had a six week, bigger and stronger training regime by some top sports coach. This seemed perfect as I had 6 weeks off until college. It covered training over a 6 week period and also had a diet plan to follow. The regime was split into 2 halves, the first part was targetted towards getting big and the second was all about getting strong. Now the thing that struck me about this pull out was the guy featured in it. He was huge and was completey ripped and was lifting what appeared to be huge weights. I wanted to look just like that. I was so excited at the thought of going back to college and being the man mountain that was on every page of this pull out.

But then I got to the diet part..........

It was here I was left somewhat confused. As I was back where I was the previous year in that everything it said I should be doing was the complete opposite to what I was actually doing. Now I was on the right track in terms of what I was eating but more so just how little I was consuming. I will never forget the words "To get big you need to lift big and eat big".

I was told to eat healthy fats, get plenty of carbs and lean protein in my diet. Pasta, bread, cheeses, chicken and tonnes of vegetables. I felt low, like I had been wasting my time for a year although I was only doing what i thought best. I believed it all being the naive kid I was. I went out with my grand parents that very day with a shopping list.

Oily fish, nuts and seeds and oils all very calorific and high in fat (good fat) foods which before would have been avoided like the plague were piled up in my shopping basket. Peanut butter, pasta and brown bread were also present. I also stopped off at holland and barrat on the way back to get a big tub of protien.

I figured if i wanted to look like this guy in the mag, I had to do exactly what the strength coach said. I followed the routine and eating plan to a T. It was just what I needed, I was enjoying my food again guilt free, I was getting stronger, bigger and I just felt so excited about every training session. I got my mojo back and it felt great.

Like I said, Men's Health is not something I follow now but back then it really did save my life, I don't know what I would have done had I not found that pull out.

I went back to my first college year with my new found focus and still managed to maintain my hench status :-) Even my PE teacher Mr Lloyd who was 6ft 7 and built like a brick sh*t house was impressed.

I maintained this similar body split routine and eating guideline throughout my first college year. My passion for training was through the roof, I loved it and no one ever got in the way of my training. This frustrated my girlfriends but I was set in my ways and it was just something they had to deal with.

My first year of college was over and to be honest I hated it. Instead of studying I spent most of my time planning my workouts, reading training articles and watching training videos. I was so bored at college and dreaded most days. I was so excited when the bell went and it was time for my pre workout meal.

It was the middle of the following summer holidays and I was doing my summer job as an ice cream man (such a great job). I was averaging about 5 ice creams a day, a great mass gainer ;-) And it hit me - I wanted to become a personal trainer.

The summer holidays were over I went back to college with a letter stating that I was leaving for my own reasons which was that I was ready to start a career as a personal trainer. The headmaster thought I was mad and told me I would never make a decent leaving without any A levels but I didn't care, I knew what I wanted to do.

I left that day and booked straight on to a 2 week intensive level 2 fitness instructor qualification. I have never looked back since.

So to recap, I developed an obsession which led to an eating disorder and a lack of motivation and illness, I rediscovered my focus and my passion was back, I meant business again and I was on the path to fulfilling my dream to become a personal trainer.

In the next part, I will share with you how I evolved from my body split training routine and how I all of a sudden was on a level with all the guys at the gym who once upon a time were so far ahead of me, infact guys who I thought I could never possibly compete with.

Train smart, eat well and sleep peacefully,

Matt Whitmore

My 5 Day Cleanse

Why Did I Do A Cleanse?
Well aside from all the reasons stated in Keris Marsden's blog post explaining the scientific stuff, my personal reasons were as follows:

1. To Reduce Inflammation:
   Over years and years of training I have, of course, developed little niggles in places and got my aches and piais. Most recently my right shoulder has felt somewhat inflamed and a bit tender. I've been going heavy lately with 5 sets of 5 reps and think I just overdid it a bit. Anyway, after reading up on other people's experiences from doing a cleanse a lot of them mentioned that joint/tendon pain had massively reduced, if not vanished. I'm keen to resume my training regime so reducing inflammation is top of my list.
   
   
2. Reduce Body Fat:
   Now, I don't feel I need to lose any body fat (I hope you will agree), however I'm more curious to see how much bodyfat one can lose in just 7 days. Simple as that.
   
   
3. To Rebalance My Gut:
   It's no secret, I fart A LOT. I'm not ashamed of this and I will continue to do so, so get over it people ;-) I also eat a lot and I suppose it's only right I have gut problems but recently I have felt really bloated and had to make one too many trips to the toilet (Nuff said). Gut healing is one of the big perks to this clense and I would love for my stomach to feel normal again.
   
   
4. The Challenge Of It:
   Anyone who half knows me knows I love to eat, so this was always going to be a huge challenge for me. I knew I would have to apply a serious amount of discipline to get through this and wanted to see if I had it in me.
   
   
5. A Great Blog:
   I knew, due to this being so far out of my comfort zone being a big foody and all, it would make a great blog post. I kept a daily log of what I consumed, the ups and downs, the moods, the cravings and the benefits. I will also log my training each day and how it felt. I'm hoping there is light at the end of the tunnel and my reasons for doing this are fulfilled. Either way I will log my honest feelings and opinion and put it out there at the end of the 5 days.

Officially this cleanse should have lasted for 7 days but I thought - let's not get carried away. Besides I didn't want to spend my Saturday night drinking a shake. No ta.

What physical exercise will I be doing to support my cleanse?
Charles Poliqiun recommends doing 10 sets of 3 reps to avoid lactic acid build up, but I won't take this approach. I will stick to 3 reps but only do 5 sets, I would get seriously bored if I done 10. I'm also going to do plenty of mobility work and stretches and a couple of yoga sessions too. I plan to keep the weights nice and heavy for my 3 reps and im very curious to see how my strength fairs under these circumstances.

What will be hardest part?
I will simply just miss eating, there really is not much else to it. I'm a huge coffee fan and I know I will miss this dearly too. This is a guy who normally consumes 7-8 meals a day and around 4000-4500cals so just the sensation on chewing will be deeply missed.

SO HERE IT IS:

Please forgive me as some is written in past tense and some present due to the stages I wrote the post.

Day 1: Monday 25/7/11
So, it's the first day and I am some what excited to get started and give this a go, which is surprising considering I love eating and I eat a lot. I have many people who can vouch for this. I am mentally ready to do this.

Its 5.15am and I kick my day off with 3 scoops of UltrainflamX mixed with 10g of glutamine, 5 BCAA's and a green tea. As you can imagine this did not even touch the sides compared to my usual feast but at this point I felt good and was ready for the day.

It's now 8.30am, I have drank plenty of filtered water and I now have an hour before my next client and I am starving (I would normally have my second breakfast now) and all of a sudden not feeling so sure about what I had got myself in to. The worst thing was, I had forgotten about the cleanse, as I was finishing with my client I was thinking about what I was going to eat........then it hit me, I couldn't eat. I had a shake and a load of pills to look forward to, great :-(

I wanted to structure my shakes in a similar way to my meals, so I spaced them out over about 6 shakes. My day was roughly as follows each day:

5.15am: 3 scoops of ultrainflamx mixed with 10g of glutamine, 5 BCAA's and a green tea.

8.30am: 3 scoops of ultraclear plus mixed with 10g of glutamine, 5 BCAA's.

10.30am: 3 scoops of ultrainflamx mixed with 10g of glutamine, 5 BCAA's and a green tea.

1pm: 3 scoops of ultraclear plus mixed with 10g of glutamine, 5 BCAA's.

4pm: clean greens drink mixed with 10g of glutamine, 5 BCAA's

6pm: 3 scoops of ultraclear plus mixed with 10g of glutamine, 5 BCAA's.

9pm: primal fibre drink mixed with 10g of glutamine, 5 BCAA's

As you can see it was all liquid based and yes I was weeing every 20 mins but this was to be expected.

Believe it or not my energy levels remained high right up until 9pm. However this is where I crashed and burned, I couldnt even string a sentence togehter, although it had been a busy day this was not how I would normally feel.

I didn't train today as was still recovering from Saturday's beasting (Keris' 'Kettlebells for Strength, Size and a Sixpack class).

Aside from feeling hungry all day long, it really was not as bad as I was expecting. Infact one of the biggest benefits to not eating is that you now have so much time on your hands. I got so much done today because I was not eating anything. It was a great feeling as it was a very productive day.

I applied topical magnesium to the backs of my knees and neck to aid my sleep. I slept really well aside from waking up once in the night for no reason in particular. Apparently this is due the the liver detoxyfying so its a good thing.

Day 2: Tuesday 26/7/11

Please note I used the same layout of shakes as I did yesterday, I just rotated the ultraclear plus flavours slightly between vanilla and banana/pineapple. Neither of which taste amazing but they taste a darn sight better than the ultrainflamx which is simply rank.

When I woke up I felt really bloated for some reason, I felt this way for at least the first 2 hours of awakening but once it went I had that hollow feeling like my stomach was competely empty.

I got to around 2pm I had treated myself to a massage. When finished I was desperate to eat, my energy levels were high but I just wanted to eat. I read Charles poliquins blog entries from his cleanse and noticed he ate celery sticks. This was awesome news, I went straight to Tesco to buy a pack of organic celery sticks. Anyone would have thought they were dipped in chocolate the way I sank my teeth in to them. I have never in my life enjoyed a stick of celery so much.......AMAZING. Just the crunching sound alone was something else.

Once again, my energy levels remained high all day which I still found very surprising. However, I was in a cafe at around 2pm having a green tea whilst being nasaly raped by the smell of a grilled ham and cheese panini being made, I was trying to get through some emails and I was really finding it hard to concentrate on the task in hand. The temptation of not only the sight but the beautiful smell of food was really testing and incredibly frustrating. It was here I called Keris and told her I was struggling, a few words of encouragement and I was back on track :-)

Tuesday is always a long day at work for me and I was devastated at the thought of not going home to a hot dinner. I felt really tired so figured it would be a shake, an episode of 'Rescue Me' and then an early night.

I had a workout in the morning today but it was really basic stuff sticking to the nice heavy 5 sets of 3 reps with my main focus on back, then a good stretch afterwards. Felt like I was going through the motions more than anything else so not the most satisfying of workouts.

Again I applied the topical magnesium to aid sleep.

I was in bed and suddenly something had dawned on me.......for the first time that I can remember in my life, I had gone a whole day without doing a poo. Sorry for the detail here but I'm a 2-3 times a day man, I mean a lot goes in so a lot's gotta come out :-) but I didn't feel bloated or anything, I'm sure it was purely related to the reduction in the volume of food.

I had an awesome night's sleep, didn't wake up once and felt alert, awake and ready to go on Wednesday.

Day 3: Wednesday 27/7/11

Again when I woke up I had the same bloated feeling as yesterday, but today it was more uncomfortable.

Ah there we go........my first number two in 48hrs, and it felt good :-) Bloated feeling gone and feeling normal again.

My energy levels were really high in the morning up until about 2pm, although I had a pounding headache at around 11am. So 2pm came and then boom, the ultimate energy crash and all I wanted to do was sleep. I felt so lethargic and rough I was ready to jack it all in. I then had a whole organic cucumber to eat and a clean greens drink and within minutes I felt so much better.

Although my energy levels picked up in the afternoon and remained high until the evening I was really struggling to concentrate again. My emails felt like they were taking forever to write, it was like my body was ready for a big heavy workout but my mind was at snail's pace (no comments please, you people are so predictable), very weird.

All my clients were very supportive and encouraging which really helped keep me on track.

Today was easily the hardest day and I was looking forward to it being over. According to others' experiences, the 3rd day is a killer. This reassured me that better days were to come.



I deeply missed eating and again coming home after a long day and no dinner was really hard, so I treated myself to a nice relaxing soak in an Epsom salts bath. Then applied some topical mag and off to bed I went.

Thursday: 28/7/11

I had an awesome nights sleep, the best for a long time. I woke up with no bloating for the first time so far and felt energetic.

Had a busy morning but I always finish work early on a thursday. After my last client I did 30 mins of mobility work and stretching as I planned on having a heavy session on Friday.

When I got home, I lightly steamed some organic broccoli and organic asparagus, again just the sensation of eating solid food was overwhelming. Felt so much better for eating it (mood wise).

Today is my best day, my energy levels are high and finally feel like this cleanse is doing me good. Don't get me wrong an English breakfast would go down a storm but I felt pretty damn awesome all day long.

Sat down in the evening to watch a bit of TV and at 8.30pm I was struggling to keep my eyes open. So I applied my topical magnesium and hit the hay. Excited at the thought of 9hrs sleep.

Friday: 29/7/11

I had the worst night's sleep of the week, it felt like 3 hours sleep as appose to the 9 hours I was so badly looking forward to.

However, nothing was going to keep me from smiling today, as today I could introduce brown rice to my diet. How exciting. I got up early and boiled some organic brown rice and some broccoli and asparagus for my breakfast. Starting the day with a solid meal felt so good, although within moments of finishing I felt so bloated. It was like my stomach had shrunk, although my mood was much better for eating and my energy levels were through the roof, infact the best they had been all week. This was great news as I planned to have a nice heavy training session with my training partner Rich today.

Although neither of us felt as psyched as we normally would, we both managed some nice and heavy lifts and even some PBs which lifted our mood. Although, we would normally finish our sessions with a tasty post workout shake followed by a feast of a meal. As this was not the case today you could say we both just felt pretty miserable and sorry for ourselves.

I decided to have some more brown rice after my workout as my appetite was through the roof, this really helped.

I was busy with clients today which helped keep my mind off things. Although my energy levels were through the roof I was more and rady for this to be over.

Day over, and again I was overwhelmed with joy at the thought of spending the night popping pills and drinking a shake for my dinner but I was only 1 day away from completing the cleanse and there was no was I was going to break.

I HAD DONE IT.

Saturday was here and I was so excited to eat and I must say feeling incredibly proud of myself.

So, let me share the ups downs with you:

The Ups:

1. The pain I was experiencing in my right elbow had completely gone, it felt this way from the Wednesday. I was so pleased.
2. My energy sky rocketed, I felt awesome. It was consistently high all day.
   
3. I felt less bloated and my stomach felt nice and flat, it as a good feeling.
4. I had for sure lost some body fat, nothing drastic but you could see a noticeable difference in my abdominal definition and also my shoulders and arms looked leaner.
   
   



5. I found it really easy to wake up for some reason, I was naturally waking up early and had no problems getting out of bed when the alarm went off.
6. I realised that I was drinking coffee out of liking it as opposed to it being a necessity. This was good to know as I had always told people that I just loved coffee it was never something to get me through the day. I missed it but was more than happy with my herbal teas.
7. I felt victorious, I felt like I had accomplished something that I'm sure many believed I would never pull off. It made me feel incredibly disciplined, I felt mentally stronger for doing it.
8. Overall, by the end of day 5 I was feeling hungry but pretty damn awesome and can certainly say there were benefits to what I had put myself through, but........

The Downs

1. I had a constant feeling of hunger, I was thinking about food 24/7 and this is not a very nice feeling. It made it hard to concentrate.
2. At times I actually felt quite miserable. Not eating meant I had more time to work, I am a bit of a workaholic and as much as I love working I felt as though it was all just work, work, work. Food and training are my release and I missed them both.
3. I was not doing a number 2 regularly enough and I kept getting waves of pretty bad bloating, however I must admit I'm sure I was not consuming enough fibre with my drinks. But now I know for next time.

To be honest these are the only real downs that come to mind, so as you can see the good well out weighs the bad which is always a positive thing.

But the question is - Would I do it again and would I recommend it to others?

For sure I would do it again, I would alter it slightly for my own needs. I have learnt so much about my body over this 5 days and would love to give it another go putting everything I have learnt into place. I can't say I saw or felt the difference I was expecting but what can I say, I'm a very optimistic person and although I was initially very dissapointed with the outcome I soon reminded myself that
a) I didn't do the full 7 days
b) I sometimes forgot to take the suggested supplements
c) I certainly was not getting enough sleep
and
d) I really was way too optimistic.

It is very tough and you have to be mentally ready to do it but I would most definitely recommend people try it although don't try and wing it, consult a Biosignature practitioner like Keris Marsden first to learn the ins and outs and to be properly adviced. If your going to do this you may as well do it properly for maximum gain.

I can't lie, although I did it, I really struggled to stay on track but I think it's so important to test yourself, throw yourself out you comfort zone and really test your boundaries.

I feel as though I have been reset and I feel highly motivated not to throw it all away. Even 3 days after whilst following a clean paleo style diet, I am feeling great. I can't wait to have my first workout, I'm feeling energetic, strong and incredibly focused.



So what are you waiting for contact Keris at Keris@fitterlondon.co.uk now to hear all about it.

Have a great day,

Matt

The Double Kettlebell Single-Arm Swing (Grip Strength Development Series: Part 5)

Hey fellow lifters,

I thought I would mix things up this week and throw some awesome kettlebell exercises your way that will add some serious strength to your grip.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, adding thickness to the bar or object you're lifting will immediately challenge your grip in a completely different way. That's why this week I'm sharing with you the double kettlebell single arm swing. The technique remains the same as the traditional single arm swing with the only difference being that you will be holding two kettlebells (I know Im Stating the obvious but just to be clear). Whether you're a kettlebell sport kinda person or you prefer the hard style swing it works well for both.

It's important you get a really firm grip on the 2 bells before hiking the kettlebells back for the first rep and please don't be afraid to chalk up, it makes a huge difference to the lift.

I like to perform these as heavy as possible for anything between 5-10 reps for nice and explosive reps, however feel free to mix up the rep ranges to cater for your goals. 20-30 reps if you are looking to improve your grip endurance.

Throw this into your regular routine and I guarantee it will add great value to your kettlebell lifting. Using just 1 kettlebell will feel like a piece of cake.

Give it a try, enjoy and I look forward to sharing the next installment with you soon.



Have a great day.

Train smart, eat well and sleep peacefully,

Matt

My Wild Physique Unleashed: Part 2.

So, last time I shared where all my inspirations started from and how my granddad fully supported my passion to train even as a little’un. In this post I want to share how I evolved from the blue plastic 3kg second hand dumbells to an outright gym rat who developed a crazy training obsession.

I stuck to the routine I had thrown together from my Jean Claude van Damme inspirations for months. Banging out my press ups, star jumps, curls and side raises like the little Ninja I was. But a year or so went by and I suddenly stopped doing my routine that I’d been fixated on doing nearly everyday. My Grandad noticed this, sat me down one morning and asked me why. I looked at my Grandad and told him I was bored, "Why? I thought you loved it.", he said. "Because it's too easy", I replied ( by this point I was doing nearly 50 reps on all the exercise and it just got repetitive and boring). I was 10 years old and it was my last day of school before the 6 week holiday (oh how I miss those), I was soon to be 11 and was staying with my grandparents. "Leave it with me", my Grandad said, "now get off to school."

I came home from school that day like a lunatic, it was the last day before the break and I was so excited. I got back to my Nan and Grandad's, went into the living room to discover a full set of weights waiting for me. It was a 30kg set from argos with a barbell and a pair of Dumbells. I'm sure you know the ones I'm talking about - made by York, gold plates, red collars and a booklet with diagrams of how to do the exercises. I can't explain the excitement I felt, I gave my Grandad the biggest hug ever and couldn't wait to have a workout. WOW, I finally had some big boy weights ;-)

I got them out of the box, set them up and opened the exercise leaflet that had about 20 different exercises in it. I decided my new routine would be to do every exercise in the leaflet in the order stated. I now know this was not the idea of the leaflet but back then I was not to know and I just went for it. Bench press, squats, rows, shoulder presses, curls, upright rows etc, 3 sets of 10 on each. It took me about an hour and a half to do and I loved every second of it. I was now experiencing crazy sensations in the muscles, I felt pumped and my arms felt like they were going to explode but again I loved the feeling. My Grandad thought it was hilarious that I couldn't get my t-shirt off after my workouts, it became such an issue I ended up going old school and training without the t-shirt.

The leaflet advices to lift weights 3 x per week, so I did. I was also playing football 3 x a week and did nothing on a Saturday. Again my Grandad gave me the incentive I needed. He told me that once I could use the full 30kg for all the exercises I could have a brand new set of weights with a bench. That was all I needed, I have always been competitive and once again I had a goal in mind and I loved it when I could lift a little heavier. I stuck to the routine over the summer holidays and at the age of 11, I had developed guns (arms) and I thought it was amazing. The weights I was lifting were increasing fast and the workouts were taking less and less time to complete as I was recovering so much quicker.

It was time for big boy school:

I had been training hard all summer, already with a developed mind set when it came to training and working out to get bigger and stronger. It was time for secondary school and I was crapping myself. Everyone is nervous on their first day of school and I was no different. After a week or so everyone settled in and the egos started to build. The divides were already happening, the hard kids, the geeks, the popular ones and the ones you wouldn't be seen talking to. I went to a predominantly black school and white kids were the minority, this of course was fine with me although it was somewhat intimidating and I suppose I felt I had something to prove.

After a few weeks at school other kids started to comment on how big my arms were for an 11 year old. The girls loved them and it gave me a real confidence boost.

Nowadays, being big doesn't have the same impact it used to but back at school if you were 'hench' you had respect. I had a physical presence from the first year and straight away was placed amongst the hard kids (always a good thing at my school). I can't lie, this attention I received spurred me on to get even bigger and stronger. I carried on with my gold York weights set as well as training in the school gym and before long I had every gold plate on the bar for all my lifts at home and was stacking every machine in my school gym. Straight away this was cool to other kids and added to my status and reputation ;-)

My Grandad promised a new weights set once I could stack my bar with every plate I had (30kg was a lot to an 11 year old). I reminded him of this to which he replied, "I have not forgotten, just be patient".

I couldn't wait, I wanted to join a gym. The only problem was I was too young to do so (as if that would stop me). I went to my local gym in Woolwich and lied about my age and brought enough cash to pay for 3 months up front (I had a summer job working on an ice cream trailer and saved my wages) that way I didn't need to show proof of identity or anything. I was also tall for my age so looked older than I was, but I'm sure it was the deep voice I put on that fooled them ;-)

They gave me my membership card and off I went, I was like a kid in a toy shop and was so excited by the sight of all these heavy weights around. It was a spit and saw dust gym and full of absolute animals but I didn't care, I just wanted to train. I asked one of the units that worked there if they could do me a program. It was a 3 day body split routine and this was very different to my list of 20 excercises I had to get through before.

The York barbell set was now simply a forgotten thing, I had hard nut status at school, I had access to heavy weights and an actual training program, I was buzzing and just loved going to the gym. I kept to my routine religiously, I could see and feel a huge difference and started getting plenty of encouragement from the big dudes at the gym. The following summer came and off I went to my summer job up in Stratford Upon Avon, slighty saddened at the thought of not going to my gym for 6 weeks. Although, this sadness was short lived, I got to my Nan and Grandad's caravan (they lived on a caravan park in the country for half of the year) and to my amazement on the terrace at the back of the garden was a 50kg metal barbell and Dumbell set, an exercise bike, an adjustable bench for flats and inclines and a skipping rope. I had my own little gym to train in for the summer. Again, this was my Grandad's doing and he loved how happy I was and was always supportive.

Now, bear in mind I was 12 years old turning 13, I was a typical kid that ate crap and sweets, loved running around playing football but I had a genuine passion to lift weights, I loved the way it made me feel, the burn, the pump but most importantly the reward. Diet didn't even come into it, I was too young to think about that. It was as simple as eat what and when I want and train. Sometimes I miss that lack of thought that went into things back then, when my training was just what It was. But saying that, I know I would not be where I am today without the attention to the finer details of diet, mobility, rest and supplements etc. But back then there was a sense of freedom about it, I didn't warm up, I didn't cool down nor did I stretch, I just lifted weights, simple.......BOSH

I now had my routine, I stuck to it and I was starting to see a real difference in my physique, I was getting heavier, stronger and way more confident. All this at 13. None of my mates were like me, I had no one to train with, no one that shared my passion to lifts weights. I didn't mind though, I enjoyed training on my own, coming in getting the job done and off I went to get the feast that awaited me at home.

Let's wrap this up, but as you can see I was pretty disciplined from a young a age, I have my family to thank for this, they were old school. Everything I had, I had to earn: If I wanted some new trainers I had to weed the garden.If I wanted a new computer game I had to wash the car. I had a job at the age of 11 and its this that gave me the work ethic I have, both with my job (I was an ice cream man) and the time I spent in the gym. I had no friends that supported my passion but my family did and I owe a lot to them, especially my Grandad.

So, I was always set to continue my weight training journey but in the next installment I will share how things took a very surprising and somewhat unhealthy turn once diet and nutrition came into the mix. I am sure you will be very shocked by what you read but it's all part and parcel of my journey and taught me a hell of allot.

Train smart, eat well and sleep peacefully,

Matt

The Suitcase Deadlift and Progressions (Grip Strength Development Series Part 3: )

Hope you have enjoyed the videos so far and found them useful.

Staying in line with deadlift variations for this series, this week I want to look at the suitcase deadlift with you. I have shared the thick bar deadlift hold and the single arm deadlift, which are two very effective movements, but this is one of my personal favourites in grip strength builders. I know some of you may be thinking that the suitcase deadlift and the single arm deadlift are pretty much the same but you are very wrong.

The biggest difference here is the positioning of the bar, rather than having the more comfortable central grip of the single arm deadlift we now have the bar to the side of the body. Straight away the lift becomes more technical and also tests the grip from a whole new angle not to mention a far greater impact on the abs and obliques (awesome way to hit the midsection without a sit up in sight). We are now taking a grip with the thumb pointing forward away from the body. When developing your grip strength it is so important to hit it from all kinds of angles and continuously test it's boundaries through different thumb and forearm placements.

Our aim here is to test the grip and take our hand strength to a new level. However, do not forget this is a technical lift and we do not want to compromise our form for a heavier poundage. Start by really getting the feel for the lift, get your technique right before adding more weight to the bar. Approach this lift just as you would a regular deadlift. Get low, pack the shoulders back, engage the lats, remove slack from the bar, take a deep stomach breath in and rip the bar from the floor BOSH

I use the 5 sets of 5 reps for this one or nice and heavy singles with 3 minutes between sets.

As a progression, you can either:

- Use Fat Gripz or a thick bar.
- Add a hold at the top (30-60 secs. You may have to reduce the poundage here).

As always, straps are banned, only the use of chalk is allowed. Your grip strength will never get better with the use of straps so ditch em now,man up and get a grip.

Enjoy the video and please get in touch if you have any questions at all. Look forward to your response.



Have a great day,

Matt

We all have the time if we choose to.

Do I have time to train, prepare meals and eat well? Not always, but only because I chose not to.

"I DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO TRAIN" or "I DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO PREPARE MEALS"

These are the 2 most commonly used excuses used by people these days to justify why they do not exercise and why they eat crap.

You have also heard the expression "if you don't have time, make the time". This to me is bang on point. We all have a choice to make but its all about how we prioraties our actions.

Let's use eating as an example here. I eat breakfast at 5.30am to set off at 5.45am to start my day. I have a bag full of tupaware boxes packed with my lunches and snacks for the day. Why do I have this bag full of food? Because I prepared it the night before in 10mins. I simply cooked extra dinner and saved it for the next day, once i finished my dinner I packed the extra chicken breasts, steamed veg and salad into the tupaware boxes, a pot of nuts, and some fruit and I am good to go.

Like i said, this took 10mins to prepare, if that. Remember this is left over dinner so I was cooking anyway, it required no extra effort.

HOWEVER,

Let's not assume I do this everyday, because I dont. There are days where I simply can't be bothered, so I end up buying lunch out or eating out for dinner. But the thing is, this is because I could not be bothered, I made the decision not to prepare my food that day. It was a long day, i was tired and it was late. I chose to spend that time watching tv instead. It was not because I didn't have the time, I simply chose to do something else.

I start work at 6.30am and very rarely finish any earlier than 7.30pm, it's a long day but i have my priorities. Which are to eat well and not to eat out too often.

Your priorities may be different, but if you claim your goals are to lose weight, get fit and eat better the "not having time" is simply an excuse and its clear that your goal is not the priority you claim it to be.

Im not perfect (so many people are quick to assume that personal trainers have it easy and that we dont understand what its like blah blah blah, which is a load of rubbish) I just simply priorities preparing my lunches and dinners as i want to eat well and also save money, eating out is not cheap and i cant afford that luxury unfortunately.

Lets summerise:

Eating well and preparing meals is a decision, just as not eating well and not preparing meals is also a decision. We all have a choice, let's make the right one and get our priorities in order. Like I said, yours may be different to mine, which is fine by me just remember this "fail to prepare then prepare to fail".

- Get yourself some tupaware boxes.
- Cook in bulk.
- Save money.

I have tonnes of awesome, easy to make dinner and lunch ideas that require very little effort and taste amazing. If you would like me to share these with you please get in touch matt@fitterlondon.co.uk andi will be more than happy to help.

Train smart, eat well and sleep peacefully,

Matt Whitmore

Todays workout: 19/7/11

Today's strength session consisted of only 3 exercises as i was pushed for time and spent 30 mins on solid mobility work, which felt great.

My mobility work consisted of:

10 mins Trigger point therapy on the grid.
10 mins on various Indian club movements.
10 mins various movements (will post a basic yet effective mobility video soon)

Today's workout was based on 3 working sets of 3 reps with 2 progressively heavier warm up sets of 5 reps.3 minarets between sets.

1) Deadlift

Superset the following then rest 3 mins between supersets.

2) Bottom position squats
Weighted pull ups

Although I only done 3 movements, I had an awesome mobility session and pushed my sets to the extreme on my 3 working sets for each. I feel great and even better........I got a personal best on my 3 rep deadlift. I'm thinking some singles next week to achieve a new 1 rep max :-) BOSH

Getting set for my sprints in the rower and a run tomorrow. Then a good old rest on Thursday.

Train smart, eat well and sleep peacefully,

Matt

My primal journey part 2: by Steven Costello

Progress

So I’ve been living and breathing Paleo for 6 weeks now. The first two weeks were tough … no coffee, carbs, and sugar brought unimaginable mental pain. Remember I loved coffee, carbs and sweet food. But now the Paleo principles are a way of life.

Go heavy or go home

Matt’s prescribed exercise regime was tough (see below). So tough that I nearly cried the first time I did it. It was depressing how weak I was on the pull-ups. I could only manage three! My goal is to torch my belly and build muscle, which means going heavy on the weights. But form is crucial and mine was bad. Personal trainers may be expensive but think of it as an investment rather than a cost … they’ll get you there in half the time. Matt’s plan was right for my body type and he took the time to correct my form.

Freedom to roam

Part of the plan involved becoming a Fitter London Freedom Pass holder which means that I’m now physically and mentally tortured 3 times a week. But the classes are addictive; you’re pushed to the limit in every session, the classes are packed, the music rocks and there’s a great energy in the room. This energy gets you through the pain. And as Matt once said to me, “Pain never killed anyone”.

Matt’s Regime

Mon: Compound

Week 1: 3 x 12 – 15 reps (60 secs rest)
Week 2: 3 x 10 – 12 reps (60 secs rest)
Week 3: 3 x 8 – 10 reps (60 secs rest)
Week 4: 3 x 6 – 8 reps (90 secs rest)

This involves 4 supersets:

1. Incline DB press / dead lift
2. Flat DB press / pull ups
3. Front DB squats / DB row
4. Lunges (DB in each hand) / barbell or DB curls

Tues: Kettlebells for Strength & Bodyweight Conditioning

Weds: Rest

Thurs: Kettlebells - Cardio and Core

Fri: Rest

Sat: Kettlebells for Strength, Size and a Six Pack

Sun: Rest

After 6 weeks of training four times per week I have noticed significant strength gains. I can comfortably do a 32kg double arm swing, shoulder press 20kg on each arm and my recovery times are improving.

Measurements

My body fat dropped from 23.7% to 21% after 3 weeks. I was hoping for more but Keris explained that 0.5-2% a week is the norm. I also dropped 10mm from my waist, which shows that the diet can work in a short amount of time.

The main stumbling block is my belly. It’s still there and doesn’t seem to want to leave my body fast. This points towards high cortisol levels from stress so I’ve been told to make a conscious effort to sleep more, get down time from work, always train early and take magnesium at lunch and in the evening.

I knew this challenge would be tough and it’s at these times that you need to dig deep. Having Matt and Keris is also invaluable in helping me overcome the stumbling blocks.

So a little patience and perseverance is going to be needed. I’m also taking weekly photos and measurements of myself i.e. waist, chest, bicep and quads. Mini results every week is the only motivation I need.

In the next next blog

I’ll explain what supplements I am taking, when and why. I’ll also go into a bit more detail about my diet.

My Journey Towards My Wild Physique Unleashed: Part 1

How I Got Started, My Inspiration and Where I Wanted To Be.

In this first part in my Wild Physique Unleashed blog series I want to share with you where it all started for me, how I developed a passion for training and who my inspirations were.

I was always an active kid, playing every sport known to man. I was one of those annoying kids that never was able to sit still for too long and even now sitting through a film still proves difficult (even a good one).

So you get the picture, I was always active and loved running around blah blah blah.

BUT,

Where did the idea of training come about at such a young age? Rather than just doing it for fun and playing football, tennis or rugby with my pals? Well this is where the legend that is my Grandad comes in to it.

Unfortunately my Dad past away when I was just a toddler so my Grandad had always been the father figure in my life.

He did an amazing job if you ask me, I mean look how well I turned out :-)

My Grandad was a huge presence of a man, 6ft 2, broad shoulders and hands like shovels. Even into his 70's, he was incredibly strong. As a kid I was in awe of him and still am to this day. I wanted to grow up to be just like my Grandad - big, strong and to have a presence.

I was 8 years old and at this point I was a huge Jean Claude Van Damme fan. I mean, not only did this guy have an awesome physique but he could kick some a***. I remember watching one of his films where he was training for an upcoming fight, I saw him lifting weights and doing press ups, star jumps and pull ups. I turned to my grandad and asked him if I could have some weights just like that, he looked at me blankly for a bit and then said, "wait there".

He returned a minute later with 2 tins of baked beans in his hands. "When you can curl these 50 times you can have some weights", he said. I gave him a look like the little gangsta I thought I was and said "Grandad, that's easy, I could do that now". "Go on then", he replied.

So, I took my stance and proceeded to curl the baked bean tins with just the ease I expected to. 28, 29 and 30 I counted out load with a victorious look already on my face.

But wait... I got to rep 35 and all of a sudden my arms were burning like crazy and I started to slow down, my grandad then got all army like on me and told me off for not fully extending my arms at the bottom. He then said that the reps, that I didn't fully extend on, didn't count. I got to 42 and that was me done. My Grandad smirked and told me to get practicing if I wanted the dumbells I had asked for. I threw a wobbly as I hated the fact I had failed, I asked if I could have the dumbbells anyway as I tried so hard but my Grandad was having none of it.

I am, and always have been, very stubborn. I went away and I trained my little arse off, well I kept curling the baked bean tins as often as I could aiming for the 50 every time. I remember even at that age liking that pumped feeling and also the satisfaction of pushing through the muscle burn, it was quite addictive for me even then. Then a couple of weeks later, I was in the kitchen at home and I had done it, I had done the 50 reps, I was over the moon and leaping around the kitchen. BUT WAIT, no one was there to see me do it, how could I prove to my Grandad I had done it? I called him immediately and yelled down the phone, "I have done it I have done it". To my surprise, he told me I could have the dumbbells. "I didnt think you were going to believe me", I said, to which he responded "you couldn't fake that excitement, plus I know you wouldnt lie to me".

The following week my Grandad presented me with a pair of 3kg light blue dumbbells that he had bought from a car boot sale for 50p. I was over the moon with them and could not wait to get started with them. But of course, I was 8 and if I was to do this and train just like Jean Claude Van Damme then I had to look the part. So I got a pair of jogging bottoms and cut them to the knee, I used 2 of my nans tubie grip bandages to cover my ankles and one of my grandads ties to wrap around my head. I then proceeded to replicate the moves he was doing in the film I mentioned earlier. I was sweating like mad and getting really tired but I was loving it.

So here it is. This is where it all started for me, at the age of 8 I found inspiration in my Grandad's appearance, his physical strength and his supportive influence and I had an idol in a film star who was everything I wanted to be.

The next post in the series covers how I never lost the craving to better myself and how I advanced from 3kg dumbells from the car boot sale to a far more serious and disciplined training and diet regime.

Hope you enjoyed my little insight here and look forward to sharing the rest of my journey with you.

Matt