Bullshit, Brawn and Business

Today I just want to drop a quick post on having realistic expectations about the adaptations that you can expect your body to make when you are training and dieting. Time and time again I speak to people who tell me that they're struggling because they're either a 'hardgainer' and can't build muscle or that they have a 'slow metabolism' and that they can't lose weight, usually after following or reading a programme set out by a media outlet such as 'Pack On 5kg of Muscle in 6 Weeks' or 'Lose A Stone in a Month'. Well I have news for you... YOU ARE NOT A HARDGAINER NOR DO YOU HAVE A SLOW METABOLISM! You simply aren't giving your body the time and consistency it needs to adapt. When I first started training I was as short-sighted as anyone when it came to my expectations regarding the rate at which I expected to change. I was under the impression that I could turn up to the gym, throw a few weights around, eat reasonably 'he...

So your holiday is 6 weeks away, you've had a sloppy winter and an event packed summer, you get out the shower, look in the mirror and realise you look like a sock full of custard. It's time for drastic action.  First port of call = The internet! Whack in "How to lose fat fast" OR "How to build muscle fast" and BANG up come the results.  Unfortunately 99% of these 'shortcuts' are BULLSHIT! And because I'm so generous I'm going to explain why these 'shortcuts' are BS and explain how to actually get into the condition you want! Myth 1 - Fat Burners - Yes, they do have some benefits such as giving a caffeine boost and therefore mildly suppressing appetite. However, a good strong cup of coffee will also do this and it will save you £££'s. However, the effect of fat burners or coffee will be pretty much non existent if you aren't training 4+ times a week and in a calorie deficit. Myth 2 - Training With Your Hood Up ...

I have been training for 3 years now and I have learnt an awful lot in that time and what I'm going to do in this article is outline the things that I've learnt along the way, often things that I wish I'd of learnt sooner and I may outline why I wish I wish I'd of learnt them sooner. 1. There are no shortcuts to results. You're not going to put in a week of training and wake up with your dream body. It takes months, often years of hard work, dedication and consistency in every aspect of your training. 2. Getting your diet right is the key to getting results. I could make a bet that 95% of people who train do not know exactly how many calories they are consuming each day, how to measure many calories they are consuming and what items are calorie rich and calorie efficient. 3. In order to burn fat you need to be in a calorie deficit (you need to burn more calories than you consume). 4. By the same measure in order to consistently increase muscle and body mass ...

Every diet, when implemented properly has some kind of restrictions, whether thats a restriction of certain foods or the amount of calories you can consume. With restriction come cravings, cravings for the things you can't have. Its human nature to want the things you can't have, but when it comes to diet most of us it seems just can't help ourselves. We're now moving into February and its been a month since you promised yourself that you would eat healthily but the reality of it is a Chinese take away has never sounded so tempting. The problem that I find with the majority of diets today is that they 'ban' certain things and it causes the big red button syndrome amongst people. What I mean by the big red button syndrome is that if somebody tells you don't press the button, the only thing you want to do is press that button. So when somebody tells you that you cannot eat chocolate, the only thing you want is chocolate. What a lot of dieticians and fitn...