Performance is your guide

Let your performance be your guide: part 1:

In this first part, I will outline the general direction this blog is taking, then comes the second part where I will give you an insight into the training, rest and diet structure I have been following that have simply got me stronger, faster and leaner than ever before. Hope you enjoy the read and I'm sure it will help you in some way.

Now I know diet plays a huge role in performance and results but I won't be covering that here, that's a whole different blog.

Mens health, mens fitness, Women's fitness plus plenty of other glossy fitness mags and websites will forever be telling you the best way to get bigger, stronger, lose body fat and get bikini fit in weeks.........however, this is all well and good as advice is always appreciated. But here's the thing, how do they REALLY know what is best for you?

The answer is, they don't. They don't have a clue. Infact, the content in these magazines is very generic information and it has been derived from many different sources from around the world.

One week an 'expert' In America will tell you low weight and high reps is the best way to build your arms then a 'guru' from Australia will tell you the complete opposite. Confused right?

Now I am not saying that you should not read these magazines, however I am saying 'DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ'. Consider trial and error, monitor your performance and your bodies response.

The expert from Amercia may have trained 50 olympic gold medal athletes and the Guru from Australia may have 30 professional football players under his belt. BUT, do you think these coaches train each one of those athletes in exactly the same way? No.

Let's cut to the chase, YOUR PERFORMANCE IS YOUR GUIDE TO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU.

You want to bulk up, you have been following a workout plan and nutrition guide from a leading fitness mag. 6 weeks down the line you see no visible difference and your strength has increased ever so slightly. Did that program work for you? No.

You want to increase your 1 rep max on your deadlift. Your training 6 times a week as advised by some big fella at your local gym who uses up every available weight plate for his deadlift set, he must know what he is talking about surely? After a couple of weeks your energy levels are low, your poundages are decreasing. Did that structure work for you? No.

Your goal is to reduce abdominal fat whilst increasing you upper body strength. A few weeks in you have added kilos to your lifts, have high energy levels and are happy with the visible reduction in your body fat. Ah ha, I think your on to something.

My goal from the off as a skinny teenager was to get big, strong and fast. I spent years following advice in magazines, online info and tips from the big units at the gym. The only problem was, all the information was conflicting. However, I figured I had to do something and I guess work things out for myself.

I have done the whole lot when it comes to training routines. Body split, full body, intervals, endurance work, training everyday to training only 2 -3 times a week. All of which have given me a far greater indication of not only what works for me mentally but also what produced optimal performance, enjoyment and of course results.

I am 'THE ETERNAL STUDENT' and im always open to new training structures and protocols. Although whichever routine I am following, I will pay close attention to my performance. Is it improving? Am I getting better? Do I feel better? These are questions I am constantly asking myself (not out load, as folk would think I was mental).

Personal trainers are not perfect

Personal trainers are not perfect.

This is shocking news right? Personal trainers, fitness professionals, strength coaches......whatever you want to call em, are far from perfect.

Everyone assumes that as someone who works in the industry my diet must be picture perfect, my body a temple blah blah blah.

Let me let you into a little secret, I eat ice cream, I drink alcohol and chocolate, well don't even get me started and yes I get hangovers.

Now, I don't drink everyday, nore do I have ice cream after every meal and I certainly wont polish off a whole slab of chocolate on a daily basis. However I will consume these things every now and again as a treat simply because I want to, because I like them. And so should you.

I find it very frustrating when someone who is clearly over weight tells me "your a personal trainer, you shouldn't be eating that", should my response be well your fat so you shouldn't be eating at all!

Life is about balance and the truth is most of us get it wrong, including personal trainers. Gasp

Another cracker I hear is "well you work in a gym so eating a healthy diet is easy for you", they are absolutely right, my gym cooks me 6 small meals everyday, provides me with 3liters of filtered water and they have the area heavily policed just in case I decide to sink my teeth in to a chocolate eclair. Dont talk shite!

So, the reason I am writing this is to let you all know that as a personal trainer, I don't get as much sleep as I would like, I don't live on grass and freshly caught chicken, I don't eat a bland and unenjoyable diet. I like to eat well, I enjoy what I eat safe in the knowledge that it is healthy as well as being tasty.

You know what you like and you also have a good idea of what is healthy. So simply find healthier ways to cook your favourite meals. Chicken fajitas, chilli con carne, burgers, English breakfasts. These are all on my weekly menu, the difference being I find healthier ways to make them. Grill don't fry, use coconut not vegetable oil, use organic not highly sprayed veg etc. Simple changes that make a big difference.

Also, think structure. If you went out on the piss on Saturday, avoid crappy food on the Sunday. If you had a greasy fry up on Friday morning, don't have a cake after lunch. Add structure to your treats, plan ahead and improvise. That way you won't go overboard and you will appreciate them a lot more.

Much love, grilled chicken and green teas,

Matt

Amazing Breakthrough

Our scientists in the Fitter London lab have been running extensive tests for the last few years and have made a huge breakthrough that will take the health and fitness industry by storm.

We are so confident in the results that we can now put it out as an official statement.

We discovered that when we ran tests on individuals (including both males and females between the ages of 18 - 55) and placed them in a situation where we were trying to advise them on different ways in which they could assist their fat loss goals, achieve great things with their training regime and to lead a healthier, more energetic and happier lifestyle (please know that this advice was only offered to those who requested it as they were not happy with their current physical health/appearance) shockingly 82% of those tested showed strong signs they were suffering from a forever growing condition known as:

"I talk a load of bollocks and can find an excuse for absolutely anything syndrome".

It's shocking I know but the test results prove it. The worst part is that the symptoms of this condition are in most cases unknown to the person with it.

The bad news is that there are as yet no pharmaceutical medicines to counteract this global epidemic.

How to spot if someone has ITALOBACFAEFAAS:

Example:

Someone tells you they are unhappy with their weight and wish to embark on a training and diet protocol to help them lose weight and feel better.

Fitness professional gives advice to then hear:

- I cant possibly cook my own food, I work an 8 hour day like most people and by the time I get home there really is no chance.

- Reduce my alcohol intake? Are you mad, I work in advertising and im always out with clients.

- how can you expect me to get more sleep. By the time I get in and microwave my cottage pie and catch up with my sky plus recordings its gone 11.30.

- lol drink less coffee! that's insane, I get to bed at 11.30 and have to be up at 5.30 for work and you expect me to get by without my caffiene hit.

You get the picture here.

The above is just an example but the point here is that everyone claims they want to make change yet throw every excuse that they have at you as to why those changes are not possible when it comes to the crunch.

Now I am not going to hold anything against these sufferers as all I want to do is help them and rid them of these awful condition before it spreads and takes over the world.

To make change you have to be open to advice and make time to read, learn and trial different methods to discover what works best for you.

If you are 100% happy with how you look, your training, your energy levels and how you feel generally then please crack on with what your doing as it is obviously working great for you.

If on the other hand you are not, then please visit a Fitter London scientist who can help you overcome this awful condition and rid you of it forever.

We at Fitter London are not machines, we do not lead boring and bland lifestyles and live off chicken and leaves. We simply believe in a well balanced, structured lifestyle involving smart yet tasty eating habbits, a rewarding training regime and providing ourselves with the rest we deserve.

Don't be afraid of change, change is good.

Have a vision, lay the stepping stones and then tread them one at a time.

Much love, double espressos and full body workout,

Matt Whitmore