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

Want to burn fat, get strong, have superior energy levels and avoid excuses?

Then cook in bulk.

I can't eat well
I just don't have the time
I can't cook my own lunches for work
I work too late
blah blah blah blah blah!

I have a simple solution to this......cook more food.

I, too, start work early and finish late. A typical day for me is a 6.30am client followed by 7-9 more throughout the day until about 7.30pm. I then get home around 8.30-9pm. This means I'm out of the house from 5.45am until 8.30-9pm at night. I could easily sloth on the sofa and claim I am too tired and don't have the time, reach for the phone and order an Indian take away. Don't get me wrong, I sometimes do, but it’s rare.

I like to eat well and be prepared.Thats why when I cook, I cook big. Here is a great example:

A very simple, quick and tasty meal to prepare that will last for days. Great to have for lunches or the next days dinner.

To be honest roasting veg is a winner. It’s nutritious, tastes good and can be cooked in bulk quantities:

• Chop a load of sweet potato, red onion, parsnips, carrots, butternut squash and wack it in a baking tray.
• Mix with some macadamia nut oil, mixed herbs, salt and pepper then in the oven it goes. It takes 5mins to prepare and then whilst it's cooking get some steaks in the pan and you’re away.
• Cook enough steaks to last for dinner and tomorrow’s lunch, it doesn’t take any longer so if you’re cooking dinner anyway you might as well cook a bit extra for your lunch.
  

This way, you enjoy a tasy nutritious lunch, save money and you can be safe in the knowledge you’re eating good quality food.

Another great tip is to bulk cook your meat and poultry. Invest in a decent sized baking tray and cook a couple of days worth of meat or poultry.

Here I chopped two whole chickens, marinated them in macadamia nut oil, cayenne chilli powder, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper and cooked them in the oven. This was enough for both mine and Keris’ dinner and our lunches the following day. It was so easy to prepare, tasted amazing and lunch the next day was sorted.


I always recomend folk eat a good breakfast but I understand and extra 20 minutes in bed can be the most appealing thing in the world at times. Which is why I recommend my egg loaf.


This is great for breakfast on the go or something to get down you upon waking as it requires no prep, just eat it. Simply mix 6-8 whole free range organic eggs with chopped red pinion, chopped red pepper, some smoked salmon and a bit of seasoning and cook in the oven for 15-20 mins.

A good protein hit, healthy fats and antioxidants and it tastes great. You can use spinach, mushrooms, chopped tomatoes whatever you like. Be creative and enjoy. Again, something like this will last a couple of days.

So, invest in some baking trays and some tupperware boxes and get cooking. Stop making excuses and feed your body with the good food it deserves rather than spending money on that shop brought processed crap. Saying that, we have a great blog series coming soon with some great tips on where to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner and advice on what choices to make. I'm sure you'll find this of interest.

The point of this post is to assure you that cooking your own breakfast, lunches and dinners is not as time consuming or expensive as you think. It is very time friendly and easy on the wallet and can also be incredibly enjoyable if you put your mind to it. I used to hate cooking and would often put together the easiest dish possible. Uncle Ben’s 2 minute Rice, a tin of tuna and a tin of sweetcorn was a favourite of mine :-) Now i love trying out new ideas and I feel very satisfied when I'm tucking in to my tasty, healthy and hearty lunches whilst other people opt for their processed, fat laden lunches.

People often ask how I manage to maintain high energy levels throughout the day and I always say it’s my diet. This may sound obvious but it is often over looked and people are always looking for other reasons as to why their energy levels have dropped. When more often that not they have had a carb rich and processed breakfast which has now seen them have a blood sugar crash. Start your day right, snack well, eat a good lunch and your body will thank you for it not to mention your training sessions will benefit too.

Hope you enjoyed this quick post and please if you have any questions or would like some recipe ideas please don’t hesitate to get in touch at matt@fitterlondon.co.uk

Have 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

Caveman Survival in a 21st Century Office by Ceri Jones

I’m not going to sit here and say that eating Paleo is easy at first - it does require some planning and thinking ahead (that for me is the fun part!), but once you’ve worked out how it can easily fit with your lifestyle (whatever your career) , it really is plain sailing.

I've been near as damned it Paleo since last December. As I enjoy planning my food and discovering new recipes, for me the hardest thing wasn’t eating all this wonderful Paleo food but rather having confidence to explain to people around me why I had decided to overhaul my eating habits in this way - But why not? Why is choosing to eat Paleo any different from being a Vegetarian, Vegan, Fruitarian or Raw Food connoisseur? I went along with this line when first explaining to my family, friends and colleagues why I was no longer regularly eating pasta and porridge, refusing afternoon cake, or why now I prefer my coffee black. A stream of questions about being a Paleo followed and ultimately I believe I gained their respect for sticking to my guns (although they do still laugh at me for eating Chicken for breakfast). Surviving the office environment is tough; office hours can be long, sedentary, and mid-afternoon munchies, birthdays, lunches out, conferences and after work drinks all provide plenty of distractions. Here are some of my personal tips to help get you through;

The PFA



In my office we have an area called the PFA (the projects food area), so called because it's situated on some spare desk space at the end of the Projects Team pod. The PFA ALWAYS contains morsels of food, a half eaten packed of crumbled digestive biscuits, some random sweets from Joe Blogg's recent trip to Greece, a pot of M&S mini-bites just because it's Tuesday and we all need cheering up?? I'm sure this all sounds familiar... Even with a rock-hard will of steel I know it’s not always easy to ignore the PFA, especially when it’s 3.30pm, you're tired and having a really hard day. I’m not going to lie and say that I never dip into it, but there are ways you can avoid it... Firstly get organised and bring your own personal supply of snacks, of if you’re feeling generous bring Paleo snacks to share - A bag of nuts or fruit for starters (punnets of berries always a winner). Or if you’re feeling really adventurous make some Paleo cakes to share, yes sweet (healthy) treats ARE allowed. When I have time at the weekend or a spare evening I make up a huge batch of cakes stick them in the freezer and then bring them out as and when I fancy them. I have great satisfaction in feeding other people my Paleo creations, especially when they show complete surprise just how tasty Paleo recipes can be. Being a cake maker can have other benefits too - you get repaid by a constant supply of tea (green or herbal of course)

Food preparation

Does your office have a fridge, freezer or microwave? Make use of them!
I have breakfast at work most days having spent the first part of my day in a Fitter London class! The microwave can be incredibly useful and used in conjunction with some trusty Tupperware you’re just 60 seconds away from scrambled eggs. If you also throw in some diced tomatoes, pepper, prawns or salmon you get an omelette in a bowl. If you also top this with some avocado the meal is a total winner! I’ve even got one of those plastic things that makes boiled eggs in the microwave (yes really, I found it in Robert Dyas). Dippy eggs with crudités make a great afternoon snack!

Personally I prefer to bring in my own food for lunch, rather than visit the local Pret.... If I’m making big curry, stew or soup at home in the week I make extra portions for my freezer so that I can take them out first thing and hey presto they have defrosted by lunchtime. I also keep extra frozen veg in the office freezer so if ‘m really hungry I can us it to pad out my Bolognaise stew or Thai Curry for example.

Office Lunch?

Someone suggests lunch out, and your first thought is well, that’s Paleo out of the window for today? Au contraire, I have yet to find a cafe, restaurant or pub where a Paleo meal can’t be found, and if necessary don’t be afraid or embarrassed to ask to sub one item for another. Keris’ previous article sums this up nicely. They know me now in our local cafe and are always quite happy to give me extra salad instead of chips (though are constantly surprised I can easily conquer half a chicken).

Another slightly challenging situation for a Paleo can be the conference / training day / meeting lunch. On my second day as a Paleo I was out at a staff training day, where I knew sandwiches would be served up at lunch. I didn’t want to fail so early on, so made sure I asked before hand if it might be possible to have a salad (with protein of course). If you don’t feel comfortable spending the next 30 minutes explaining why you don’t want a sandwich then just them you have a wheat allergy.... That should help!

The Office Birthday



Is it someone’s birthday soon? Offer to make the cake – a great excuse to put your new found recipes to use. I was deeply touched that on my birthday this year along with buying a classic cake from M&S my colleague made me a Paleo Carrot cake. Guess which one got eaten first and was still talked about for weeks afterwards? – yep the Carrot cake! My endless ranting has obviously started to pay off! The same goes for office cake sales, make some Paleo versions to sell, people will soon realise Paleo = tasty!)

Post-work drinks

7pm Friday night, you've been in the pub since 5, had a few glasses of wine (Pinot Noir or Rioja of course) and you're starving. You've scanned the pub food menu and there is nothing but chips, or fish finger sandwiches on the bar menu (if you're lucky a handful of nuts) so what to do?? Again it’s a bit of a plan in advance thing. There are some snack bars (such as Nakd) out there that which can be yanked out of a handbag in a matter of seconds, and even though they can be quite carby are a billion times better than chips. Failing that an emergency bag of nuts or a pack of meat from the supermarket (bought in your lunch hour or en route to the pub) are a good plan!

Hope that covers it, but most of all - take your colleagues along for the ride - they'll thank you for it when their concentration levels reach sky high, and mid afternoon energy slumps are a thing of the past. Plus don’t forget that by working in an office you have one massive advantage over non-office based workers - The Internet! At your fingertips you have access to the biggest Paleo cook book in the world. Type the word Paleo recipe in front of any number of ingredients into Google et voila – inspiration for tonight’s dinner? A snack for tomorrow afternoon? A scrummy cake?

By the way, I do fall off the Paleo Wagon (Friday 3pm usually) when I succumb to the packet of biscuits that have been staring at me for 5 days, but that’s allowed, we’re all human after all, and I know that come Monday I can get right back on it.

The Importance of Personal Bests.

Everyone loves achieving a personal best (PB). Be it shaving seconds off their 10k run, adding 5kg to their bench press or getting out an extra pull up than last week.

Personal bests make you feel good, they inject confidence and provide you with the satisfaction of knowing that the hard work your putting in is paying off.

Here's a perfect example of how a personal best changed my day...

Last Friday was just one of those days - Low on energy, busy week and just felt pretty sh*tty and unmotivated to be honest. Anyway, I had already agreed to train with a friend of mine so there was no getting out of it.
However, I dug deep and to my surprise I managed to pull off a 5 rep max personal best on my deadlift. All of a sudden my workout had a whole new meaning. I then went on to PB on my 5 rep max double arm kettlebell shoulder press. I was on fire, I was buzzing and I felt awesome.

I was now shaking with adrenaline, eager to take on the heaviest weights I could. My mood had done a 180 and I was ready to take on the busy day I had ahead of me. I suppose I was thinking that whatever happens today really won't get to me as I just shifted a sh*tload of weight off the floor. More weight than ever before. It's a great feeling.

So what's the point of this blog post?

Well firstly, to give myself a bit of a shout out, because everybody loves a shout out :-)

Secondly, because it surprises me just how many people just go through the motions with their training. They don't write anything down, they don't monitor their progress. If someone can't even remember what they were lifting last week how can they possibly expect to improve on it this week?

I write all my workouts down to a T. Reps, sets, rest, time of day. I'm not saying I improve week on week, truth is, some weeks my performance or poundages decline. Luckily though, I have a record of what I have been doing so I can see why this may be. Was I still fatigued from my last workout? Did I train at a different time? Had I got enough sleep? Sometimes just having an extra day off can be responsible for a 5-10kg increase in poundage.....seriously

In order to achieve a PB you need to know what your current one is. So as soon as you finish reading this blog, go get yourself a little notebook and a pen and write all your workouts down. Then give yourself some targets and achieve them.

I'm sure you have seen it on facebook. "I lifted 220kg on my deadlift today", "I just nailed a PB on my snatch". People shout about it because they feel good about it. And so they should.

However,

PB's don't just happen overnight, they don't come thick and fast, you have to work hard for them. This is what makes them so satisfying. Remember a PB is personal to you, it doesn't matter if your friend shifts 30kg more than you on Deadlifts. What's important is that you have lifted the heaviest weight ever in your life, you're the strongest you have ever been on that particular exercise.

Don't let other peoples PBs take anything away from yours, simply use them to fuel your next PB.

Here is another great example:

A few months ago, I was doing a photoshoot with a friend of mine CJ Swaby. I know I mention this guy quite often, but he deserves it as he's a great dude and incredibly knowledgeable. However I want to make it very clear that we are just friends and fellow strength enthusiasts. He wants it to be a deeper and more meaningful relationship at times but he really is just not my type ;-)

Just kidding.

On this particular photoshoot for an upcoming project, we were performing various lifts including kettlebells, barbells and bodyweight drills.
We finally got to the deadlift. The idea was we were only going to load the bar up with about 150kg, bang out a few reps and that was that. Anyway, the bar gradually started getting heavier and we were both feeling pretty good. At this point CJ said "f@&*# it, I'm gonna go for a PB", I then as a man with an ego replied "f@&*# it, if you are then I am". So my PB prior to this day was 200kg, I loaded the bar with 215kg. I knew thus was a big jump but I felt good and I had some great encouragement from CJ and the photographer Brian. I took my stance, took some deep breaths, after hearing the CJ yell "rip that bar off the floor" I knew that was my cue to do just that. I proceeded to rip that bar off the floor with far greater ease than I expected. I felt on top of the world, it was a great end to a great day.

Up next was CJ's set. The photoshoot had some how evolved from a light hearted shoot to a testosterone fuelled training session. CJ loaded an awesome 240kg to the bar, I believe 10kg heavier than his previous best. BOOM, he ripped that bar off the floor with ease. From where I was standing it looked like he could have done 250kg.

So, after giving each other the congratulating hand shake we were both buzzing from our feats. And rightly so, we smashed our PBs.

I want to highlight that although CJ shifted a substantial 25kg more than I did, I didn't care as I knew I was now the strongest I have ever been on my deadlifts. And of course I was happy for CJ and not bitter at all, even if he did cheat ;-), like I said I'm not bitter.

So remember, your PB is yours, don't let anyone else take that away from you. Just be sure you then aim for your next one, dont be content in your achievment. Dig deep and pull your next one out of the bag.

Anyway, I'm waffling now but you get the picture.

Create goals, log your progress, achieve PBs and repeat the cycle. It won't always be a smooth ride but as long you write things down at least you will have an explanation as to why this may be.

Anyway, I'm about to go eat a 50oz steak, that's 20oz more than my previous best. Wish me luck.

Have a great day and look forward to your response.

Matt

My journey towards unleashing my inner beast: Intro

This is an introduction to a new series - "My Journey Towards My Wild Physique Unleashed"

I'm sure some of you have seen CJ Swaby's recent blog posts discussing his training methods, dietary changes and mindset disciplines in his journey towards obtaining his wild physique. CJ is not only a good pal of mine, he was also a huge inspiration to me from the moment I met him at a kettlebell course 18 months ago. After reading his awesome blog entries I decided I wanted to share my training journey with you too.

Over the next few weeks I will be posting blogs explaining:

- How I discovered a passion for training from a very young age.
- How I remained disciplined and worked around barriers.
- The mistakes I made along the way.
- How changing my eating habits added kilos to the bar and my own lean mass.
- The key to restoration and recovery for awesome gains.
- And much much more

In my journey towards achieving my forever evolving goals I have tried, I have tested, I have failed and I have also succeeded, but most importantly of all I have learned from my mistakes.

My reason for sharing this journey with you is simply because I want to help you, inspire you and add some great value to your current training, diet regime and lifestyle. I want to share with you the mistakes I made and the fads I followed to prevent you making them yourself. It won't be rocket science, it won't be technical, it's just a South East Londoner's journey towards unleashing his inner beast :-)

Enjoy

Matt

Best Status Updates

I love reading status updates, I like hearing the gossip, what people are up to and there’s loads of useful knowledge sharing that goes on, especially in the health and fitness world. Some updates have the profound ability to lift your spirits. I came across a Personal Trainer in Melbourne who posts some of the best updates on Facebook. Every day he puts up quotes either motivational, inspiring, uplifting or just funny. I asked him if I could share some of my favourites in a Fitter London blog and he agreed.

His name is Anthony Goldsmith (anthony@performants.com.au) you should add him as a friend as I promise his quotes can change your mood for the entire day!






‎”Just like to say most of my quotes are either by myself or unknown. I do not wish to take credit for any. But, if i can make an impact on somebodies life by a simple quote...it makes me happy. I try my best to put up the most powerful quotes to make a difference in people’s life.....after all, I am a personal trainer....isn’t this one of our roles anyway?”
Anthony Goldsmith







Wise Words

Failure is like fertilizer, it may stink, but it’s necessary for proper growth

People too weak to follow their own dreams, will always find a way to discourage yours.

If you want something you have never had, you must be willing to do something you have never done.

Never give up on something that you can't go a day without thinking about.

Won’t power is better than Will power.

Before you talk, listen. Before you react, think. Before you spend, earn. Before you criticize, wait. Before you quit, try.

You can't make the same mistake twice. The second time you make it, it's no longer a mistake. It's a choice.

Dear Past, thanks for all the lessons. Dear Future, I'm ready.

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success


Motivational

I've learned that millions of people can believe in you, and yet none of it matters if you don't believe in yourself.

When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place.

If someone is strong enough to bring you down, show them you're strong enough to get back up.


Feel Good

You want to know who’s got the most amazing and best smile ever? Read the first word again.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you, not because they are not nice, but because YOU are nice.

Your character is more important than your reputation or your wealth. Take good care of it.


Diet and Fitness

A diet is the penalty we pay for exceeding the feed limit.

If you don't watch your figure, no one else will either.

If pubs don’t serve to drunk people, how come Mcdonalds serve fat people?

A man asks a trainer in the gym: "I want to impress that beautiful girl, which machine can I use?" Trainer replies: "Use the ATM"


My Personal Favourites

Bad news: Time flies. Good news: You’re the pilot.

Life always offers you another chance. Its called tomorrow.

Anyone can make you smile...but only certain people can make you happy

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