Friday, 7 February 2014
Update!
With regard to my own training, I started experimenting with some pretty intense stuff in the form of Muscle and Fitness' 'Rock Hard' workout. In all honesty when I first looked at it, I doubted that I could even attempt to complete such a high level of workout, and worried that I wouldn't have enough energy to complete a full week. The first month consisted of a four day split of Legs, Chest, Back, and Shoulders. Two of those days also included an abs circuit at the end, with legs day also consisting of 30 minutes of steady state cardio post workout. I should also mention that I was averaging around 40 sets with reps 12+ in each of these workouts. At this point my diet wasn't quite on point, although I was eating healthily. So with such an intense plan I saw a considerable difference in my body, and my fitness skyrocketed thanks to the intense volume and the inclusion of cardio (I've never been a big cardio person, struggled to run for ten minutes straight around 18 months ago.
After the first month of this workout, I was pumped and ready for a new challenge; so I decided to progress to the more intense second month of the plan. This was structured with a five day split consisting of Quads and Hamstrings, Chest, Arms, Back, and Shoulders, Calves and Forearms. I suddenly found myself completing less sets overall each workout, but an element of German volume training had been dropped into the workouts, though the Muscle and Fitness variant was to perform 10 sets of 10 reps in 10 minutes, so each set and its rest time would be encapsulated in the same minute. Abs were also included three times a week, with three sessions of HIIT and two sessions of steady state cardio being split between the routines and performed post workout. As with the month before, I was eating healthily but my diet still could have done with a lot of tweaking.
Its safe to say that after completing that level of training over the course of the two months, I became much fitter, faster and stronger than ever before and I noticed a drastic change in my body. This continued up until Christmas last year, but in the New Year I was searching for a new challenge; I decided that I was ready to take my diet to the next level and to freshen up my workout formats. I'd noticed Icon Nutrition were advertising a 90 day challenge. All you had to do was purchase a pack which included a tailored nutrition and training plan, 2.2kg of whey protein, a large tub of their pre workout 'Ignite' (Which still remains my favourite pre workout), a t shirt and a bottle. They offered 10% off on this plan and I snapped it up straight away. Needless to say the training plan is an intense one, including three weights sessions all followed by an intense ab circuit, and three cardio sessions per week. They're all detailed and perfectly explained, there's also a home workout that you can complete which is pretty damn intense too. As for the nutrition plan, I'm finding it to be completely spot on, I've seen a huge change in my body and I'm really starting to shred fat. Plus, its a pretty cheap plan to follow and you can always chop and change some things to your liking, although the plan is varied with multiple options already. It's safe to say that since I've been on this 90 day challenge, I've been getting the perfect amount of nutrients and this is the best that I've ever felt. So anyone that's really interested in toning up and getting really healthy, the stack is definitely worth buying. I'd better also mention that they do other plans for specific goals too. I'll drop links at the end of this post for everything that I've mentioned so far.
The last thing that I want to focus on is the importance of choosing your environment very carefully. By this I mean that one of the most important things is to surround yourself with likeminded and/or wholly supportive people. Even if it's just through social networking sites like Twitter, find people that inspire you and let them continue to do so. Personally I've had endless support from my family and friends and I couldn't ask for any more from them, they're pretty damn amazing. However, there are so many people that I follow on Twitter that continue to inspire me and the fitness community is full of people that love to support eachother and you'll find that a lot of people will pass on their advice free of charge and with a hell of a lot of enthusiasm. For example, I've found that big communities and companies like BodyActive, Icon Nutrition and Machine Fitness are absolutely amazing for encouraging and recognising the people around them and they're in my opinion both at the pinnacle of the fitness community with regard to the effort that they show. You can find all of them on Twitter if you're interested in seeing what they have to say.
Here is the link to the Rock Hard workouts -
http://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/rock-hard-training-plans-build-serious-muscle
and of course the Icon Nutrition 90 day challenge -
http://www.iconnutrition.co.uk/ICON90
Hope you all found the stuff I had to say interesting, and I hope that I can at least help one person with the resources from this post.
Alex.
Sunday, 17 November 2013
Motivation
Motivation, its a powerful thing. It keeps you chasing your goals and encourages you to work harder and harder to bring those goals closer. Motivation can come in a variety of forms from direct or indirect influences. Since I've started to really train (16 months ago) people have commented on my commitment and asked me where my motivation and drive comes from. It got me questioning myself and at first I struggled to see what set me apart from a lot of others. I don't see training/dieting as a means to an end, and I absolutely love everything about them. My motivation boils down to the fact that I see this as a lifestyle and not just a chore. That's not just a self centred and narcissistic claim, take a moment to think about some big fitness icons. They love to train in the same way that any sports people love to train. They do this because they want to and not because they have to.
A phrase that always rang true for me was 'A Product of My Environment' I first heard this from Fitness Made EZ (Paul Corkery) and its a term that needs little analysis but has rather a strong meaning. Everyone is a product of their environment in some way or another. What if you constructed your own environment? By this I mean that you could surround yourself with people and communities that support and reinforce your own goals. Find those positive influences that encourage you to make that change for the better and connect with them. The fitness community is vast and usually extremely welcoming (in my experience). If you put in the work to surround yourself with these influences then you will definitely reap the rewards.
One thing that I've always been guilty of is beating myself up about my appearance and if it weren't for the people around me I'd still see myself in the same way. Its hard to see your own progress when you're so used to looking at yourself in a mirror on a daily basis. Pictures can help, but I prefer to rely on the input of friends and family. I've become so frustrated at points after months of clean eating and hard training and not seeing a difference, it took an outsider's view to make me realise that I'd made a lot more progress than I'd first thought.
So, the bottom line? Motivation can come from anywhere, but it doesn't just appear out of nowhere. You have to put in the effort to find your positive influences and to adapt your mindset. At first it all might seem like a chore, but give it a chance - you might learn to love it.
This is the part that I love the most, the name dropping. Like I said, you have to find your own inspiration; but maybe you could start by looking at who inspired me. In the beginning I had one single inspiration in the form of Fitness Made EZ - Paul Corkery (@Fitnessmadeez on Twitter and Facebook). I've learned a lot from him thanks to his non-bullshit, tenacious and active approach. As both a fitness source and a fighter, his input and support have been a huge help to me and he continues to be one of the big influences on my lifestyle. Next are the guys over at BodyActive. They included me in their community and offered me so much support and even gave me the opportunity to blog on their website (which I'd love to do on a regular basis), frankly I'm humbled to be a part of that community. Icon Nutrition have also been a huge influence, especially lately. They're amazing to interact with, always there to offer their input and they have a great team of athletes to help with that. Also they happen to make some of the most amazing supplements that I've ever tried. Kavan Byrne also provided some specific input, I had trouble training certain areas and he pointed me in the right direction and had me making gains again. I also recently discovered Emmy Glover's blog (lovelaughandlift.blogspot.co.uk) which is actually a really refreshing and balanced view on training and a healthy lifestyle, and I look forward to reading more of her posts.
That's all from me for now! Hopefully I'll be able to get some more posts up soon. Make sure to check out everyone that I've mentioned and see for yourself why I rate them so highly. As always, if you've got any questions then you can catch me on Twitter (@Wrighty__).
Thursday, 13 June 2013
The Weight Training Antidote - REVIEW!
Now, enough about the structure of the book - on to the content! I'm very wary of giving too much away with regard to the information contained within the text, so I'll try and omit any chance of spoilers. Basically, Adam introduces a system to break up what he considers to be the most important aspects of a healthy lifestyle (A simple system which I thoroughly agree with) - He then goes into these key aspects in detail in each chapter. Basically, any aspect of healthy life that you can think of - Adam has it covered in one way or another, whether it's in regard to Training, Nutrition, etc. He also offers a complete and detailed structure for successful training plans, and even goes as far as to offer a sample of these workouts. The structure that he offers is something that I'd toyed with the idea of but I'd never really looked into it in detail - after reading his explanations of this structure, its something that I'll definitely be adopting with regard to future training. It's safe to say that this method has completely blown my mind and changed my outlook on training! He also offers some solid nutritional advice that I'll most definitely be adopting, as its the thing that I most struggle with. You can probably find some of this nutritional advice by piecing together countless other sources, but 'The Weight Training Antidote' is the only place that you'll find this information plus more in a coherent and effective manner.
For all of those people that are reading this, and thinking 'It sounds like a bodybuilding guide' or 'Its just for men' then you are SEVERELY mistaken. This e-book is about WEIGHT TRAINING - whilst some may associate that directly with bodybuilding, its not the case. Adam describes how and why lifting weights is the most efficient form of exercise and training, not just for bodybuilders, but for athletes, fitness enthusiasts, or even beginners that are looking to get healthy and fit and tone up. In addition to this, he explores the myths and reasons behind the inhibitions held by women over weight training, and why it won't turn them into hulk-like figures, and just make them toned and sexy instead. He offers training tips for both beginners and more advanced enthusiasts too. Overall, within 'The Weight Training Antidote' - Adam Kitchen provides his readers with a tried and tested system which is designed to allow people to lead a healthier lifestyle without having to sacrifice their social life or put things on hold. He doesn't aim this at a specific audience, he aims it at EVERYONE - It doesn't matter if you're Male or Female, Beginner or Advanced - this book will give you the tools and advice necessary to make a huge change in your life, without drastically affecting the other important things. In short, if you're interested in health and fitness in any way, then this book is a must read, I'm giving it a huge 10/10 for both content and structure!
For anyone that's interested in reading this E-book, you can download it for free from the DPA Fitness website - http://dpafitness.com/the-weight-training-antidote ; Also for anyone that's interested in getting involved in BodyActive's community (Which is also free) then just head over to www.bodyactive-nation.co.uk and create yourself an account. If you're on Twitter then get following @DPAFitness and @BodyActive. You can also find me on Twitter @Wrighty__ and on Facebook - www.facebook.com/A.Wright.Fitness. Now get over to DPA and download this book, you will not be disappointed. Happy reading!
Take it easy
Alex.
Wednesday, 12 June 2013
Weekly Update
Monday, 3 June 2013
Up and running once again!
Wednesday, 27 March 2013
Update!
Considering the fact that I haven't touched this blog in a while, I've decided that it's time for an update - a bit of explanation behind where I've been hiding. Anyone that's been following my Facebook and Twitter posts will know that for the last 3 weeks I've been logging a supplement for BodyActive Nation. I've also produced some independent blog posts for their blogging community and sadly its meant neglecting this page greatly. The supplement that I've been logging is called X Factor Advanced developed by a company called Molecular Nutrition. Basically, as BodyActive describe it ' X-Factor has the ability to rapidly assist in lean muscle mass gains, increase fat burning properties and amplify your response to training'. It's main ingredient is Arachidonic acid, an ergogenic acid that has a huge reputation for producing muscle gains. I've been taking this supplement for just over 3 weeks now, and its produced results beyond my wildest dreams. I've toned up and gained some serious muscle, especially in my shoulders.
Of course, its not just been the X Factor that's helped me to push towards my goals as of late. I've recently weighed in at 91.6kg - that's a whole 31kg lost since I started my weight loss journey. I've learned the hard way that if you don't take control of all areas of your lifestyle, then you've got no chance of really hitting your top goals. Since starting to log XFA, I've completely changed my lifestyle and really sorted out my training to ensure that I get the maximum benefits from such a powerful supplement. My diet is now cleaner than ever, and my training is hitting levels of intensity that I could only dream of previously. Of course, I haven't managed to do this all by myself; I've had a lot of help. Most of which has come from EZ, training wise I'm now loosely following his regime with regard to split and cycle. I've also taken some nutritional tips by following his training.
I guess to sum up this post; I've managed to really edge closer to my goals now, and they're almost in touching distance. Lately I've seen a lot of people wanting to commit to their training, but not knowing where to start, or even starting blind. I cannot stress how important it is to really plan your approach to training. A lot of the time, you're going to have to find ways to motivate yourself, you're going to feel like giving up at some point and some things will feel so easy to give in to. I say this because I've experienced it all myself - it's not going to be an easy ride at all. If you really want to reach your goals, you have to put everything you have into getting there. Sacrifices will have to be made, some that you really don't want to make. Believe me though when I tell you that it's all going to be worth it in the end. The sense of self achievement for seeing your goals get closer with each week is just amazing, its one of the best feelings in the world. One of the biggest tips that I can give you is to surround yourself with positive influences. One of the motto's that I live by now is one that I've been introduced to by EZ - 'A Product Of My Environment'. This could not be more true. For anyone that hasn't seen EZ's page, you can find him at - www.facebook.com/fitnessmadeez www.flexdem.com and www.youtube.co.uk/glyphmedia. They've helped me massively along my journey. Anyway, until next time guys,
Train hard, but train safe,
Alex.