High Volume Ab Training

Something new i will be adding into my training this week for ab training. This is also similar to how the great bodybuilder Serge Nubret use to train abbs. I will be doing this first thing of a morning before any other training. It involves progressively increasing the amount of reps done for each day of the week, progressively overloading the muscles. Will post a picture after 2 weeks of it and see if there is any noticeable changes.

The exercises are the basic crunch and also reverse crunch. Reps will be split 50/50 for the two exercises
Monday: 100 reps. 50 crunches, 50 reverse crunches
Tuesday: 200
Wednesday: 300
Thursday: 400
Friday: Off to rest for game day
Saturday: Game day
Sunday: 500 reps

Obviously the days you pick to rest can change according to your training plan.

Tips to avoid hamstring injuries

Hamstring injuries are common among athletes who play sports that require powerful accelerations, decelerations or lots of running. The hamstring muscles run down the back of the leg from the pelvis to the bones of the lower leg. The three specific muscles that make up the hamstrings are the biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus. Together these powerful knee flexors are known as the hamstring muscle group. An injury to any of these muscles can range from minor strains, a pulled muscle or even a total rupture of the muscle.

Some common causes of hamstring injuries

Hamstring pulls or strains often occur during an eccentric contraction of the hamstring muscle group as an athlete is running. Just before the foot hits the ground, the hamstrings will contract to slow the forward motion of the lower leg (tibia and foot). Some of the factors which may contribute to a hamstring injury include:

• Doing too much, too soon or pushing beyond your limits
• Tight hip flexors
• Weak glutes (butt muscles)
• Poor flexibility
• Poor muscle strength
• Muscle imbalance between the quadriceps and hamstring muscle groups
• Muscle fatigue that leads to over-exertion
• Improper or no warm-up
• History of hamstring injury

3 Top Tips on how to avoid Injury

1) Have a proper warm up and cooldown. This must include a light jog to get the blood flowing and lots of dynamic stretches and full range of motion movements slowly building into bigger strides and some changing of direction running. Light changes of pace are also ideal.
The cooldown should be a light jog turning it into a walk followed by static stretches, pushing deeper with the stretch each time you alternate legs.

2) Having structural imbalances. Charles Poliquin's research into hamstring injury points out that if you are able to front squat 85% of your back squat, then you have a structural imbalance and your quads are overpowering your hamstrings. This is however, comparing squats with an ass to grass technique.

3) Focus on Flexibility:  Focus the bulk of your  flexibility work on the hip flexors.  Initiating every flexibility session with a good hip flexor stretch will not only help you emphasize the importance of the hip flexors to your athletes, but will reset the pelvis in a more neutral position prior to performing other stretches.

Improving sprint performance for sport

Being a fast runner is pretty much essential if you want to excel in most sports. Lets face it there is really no substitute for speed. So here are my top tips to gain an extra few yards of pace and hopefully break some tackles or get on the outside of a defender in any sport.

1) Squat till you drop! Deep, full range of motion, ass to grass squats are best for building lower body strength and are a must for any kind of speed or strength development.

2) Build a big strong ass! Squats, Lunges, Glute-Ham raises all help build your glutes which is the primary muscle needed for explosive speed.

3) Include plyometric exercises! Squat jumps, Jumping lunges and box jumps all help develope power that is essential for off the mark speed.

4) Keep the reps low and focus on exploding out of each rep.

Now for the science!

A new study in the journal of strength and conditioning was done on professional rugby players and showed that increasing maximal squat strength with an 8 week training program will increase sprint speed over 5, 10 and 20 metre sprints. The participants first performed a 4 week maximal lower body strength program that included back squats, clean pulls, deadlifts and hamstring curls all at around 90% of their 1RM. They then performed a 4 week lower body program that included hang cleans, squats jumps, back squats and hamstring curls all at 85% of their 1RM.

After 8 weeks the rugby players increased their 1RM squat strength by an average of 30kg. These dramatic strength gains resulted in significantly faster sprint speed. The players increased their 5m sprint speed the greatest by an average 7.6%. 10m sprints had an average 7.3% improvement and 20m sprints had a 5.9% increase.

The greater improvement in sprint performance in the initial 5m is most likely because of the higher forces required during the initial acceloration phase. The players got stronger and were able to produce more force with each step to generate that explosive acceleration.

One final note is that the researchers stressed the importance of full deep range of motion squats with a barbell not smith machine in conjuction with plyometric training to get best results.

Rugby Conditioning

Here is a great gym in the UK which do some awesome rugby conditioning workouts. I've recently been incorporating some of these sessions into some of my clients training and they have been getting some seriously good results in skin folds and also max lifts. Check out the videos, a must watch for any rugby diehards keen to get in shape. http://www.r4reach.com/reach-tv/

A personal favorite with James Haskall

Want Superpowers? Eat Superfoods!

Everyone knows Superhero's are way superior to everyday people. But did you know that Superfoods are way superior to everyday foods?  Well soon you will.

We live in a culture that eats an abundance of food, but in truth most people are chronically malnourished. Volume does not equal quality, nor does the heart foundation's tick of approval guarantee us a healthy option.
We don't need more choices available to us on the shelves, rather we need to go back to whole, unprocessed real foods. Shopping from the supermarket perimeter is a good place to start. If your food comes without a bar code it's generally a higher nutrient dense option,making it a great choice.

Below are 10 superfoods, keep them, or introduce them into your diet to ensure great health and wellness results.

  1. Avocados
Avocados are rich in vitamin K for blood clotting and strong bones,folic acid for foetal development and magnesium, which helps the body convert food to energy.  Yes, avocados are high in fat but it is good fat, the kind that your body can more easily burn for energy than store!  They also contain high levels of the antioxidant vitamin E and B vitamins for nerve function and energy production.

2. Chillies
Chillies contain a substance called capsaicin, which gives them their hot spicy taste.  Capsaicin is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent and has been used to alleviate the pain associated with arthritis,psoriasis and diabetic neuropathy. Chillies are also a heat-creating or
  thermogenic food, meaning they can help you to burn up more calories!

  3. Eggs
  Eggs are rich in high quality protein for muscle repair and make a
  great breakfast.  Eggs contain beneficial essential fats and
  phosphatidyl choline, which can improve memory and concentration. It is
  the egg yolk that contains cholesterol, but, in moderation, this is not
  though to directly impact on total cholesterol levels in the body.


  4. Peas
  You may not think of humble peas (fresh or frozen) as an obvious
  superfood, but they have lots of health benefits.  Despite their sweet
  taste, peas have a low GI so do not upset blood sugar levels.  The
  fibre they contain can help to lower cholesterol levels and they are
  also higher in protein than most other vegetables.  Peas are an
  excellent source of vitamin C and also contain iron, zinc, B vitamins
  for energy and folate.  They also contain the carotenes lutein and
  zeathanin both are needed for eye health.


  5. Buckwheat
  Buckwheat is a gluten-free grain that is rich in nutrients and very
  versatile. Buckwheat is a good source of iron (it contains more than
  spinach) and calcium. As a wholegrain it also contains B vitamins and a
  bioflavanoid called rutin, which works with vitamin C to strengthen
  blood capillary walls.  Buckwheat can be used as an alternative to
  couscous or rice (grain), for porridge or muesli (flakes) or for
  traditional French buckwheat pancakes (flour).  Japanese soba noodles
  are also made from buckwheat flour.

  6. Walnuts
  People who eat nuts regularly have a far lower risk of heart disease
  than those who do not eat nuts.  This is likely to be due to the
  unsaturated fats helping to lower blood cholesterol levels and the
  blood thinning effects of omega 3 which helps to prevent blood
  clotting and arrhythmia.  Walnuts contain the highest level of omega 3
  among nuts.  They are also a great source of protein, magnesium,
  potassium and vitamin E.


  7. Watercress
  Watercress is normally eaten raw, meaning that the benefits of its high
  nutrient content are maximised even further.  The dark green colour of
  watercress is due to the green pigment chlorophyll, which enables
  plants to create energy through photosynthesis.  Watercress contains
  substances that appear to protect against cancer, including a naturally
  occurring chemical called isothiocynate.  It is also a good source of
  carotenoids for eye-health, vitamin C and B vitamins.  The minerals
  occurring in watercress include calcium and magnesium, which are both
  needed for healthy bones.


  8. Seeds
  Seeds are a great source of essential fats, needed for weight
  management, to protect joints and for healthy skin and hair.  They
  contain lots of protein so make an excellent snack.  All seeds are high
  in calcium for healthy bones and teeth. Linseeds are rich in omega 3
  and add bulk to the diet so are a good way of relieving constipation.
  They also contain phytonutrients call lignans that have a powerful
  antioxidant activity.  Pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of zinc
  for the immune system.


  9. Lemons
  Lemons are excellent for liver detoxification because they stimulate
  the liver to produce more bile, which is needed for the digestion of
  food during the day.  Try squeezing some fresh lemon juice into warm
  water and drinking first thing in the morning.  Lemons are known for
  their high vitamin C content to ward off infections - just a tablespoon
  of lemon juice contains 7mg of vitamin C.  The high antioxidant
  properties of lemon are thought to be cancer-protective.

  10. Fish
  Fish is one of the easiest low-fat, high protein foods to prepare.
  High protein foods are ‘thermogenic’ (energy burning) because protein
  requires more calories to digest than either carbohydrates or fats.
  White fish is rich in minerals, especially iodine, which is needed for
  hormone production and particularly for the thyroid hormone thyroxine.
    Oily fish such as trout, salmon, mackerel and sardines are rich in
  omega 3 which is cardio-protective.  Oily fish also contains the
  fat-soluble vitamins A and D.  Canned fish with edible bones are an
  excellent source of calcium.
  Other great food options are berries, garlic, cinnamon, coconut oil and
  kangaroo.

  Put as much colour, variety and freshness into each meal and always
  drink water regularly throughout your day.

  Nutrition tip

  If your grandma wouldn't recognize it as food, don't eat it.