The key to any successful fitness programme is variety. While all of the ‘standard’ exercises and lifts, such as the bench press and squat, are key, there are many more little-known exercises that could also help you achieve your goals.

To help with your workout inspiration, here are five upper body exercises you probably didn’t know existed, but should definitely include in your next workout!

 1.    Standing Cable Pallof Press
Origin: This exercise was introduced in 2006, and named after the Boston-based physical therapist, John Pallof.

Targets: It works the core’s ‘true’ fuction – stability over movement. It resists the trunk going into side flexion (bending to the side) and extension (bending backwards), working the core and abs hard! It also helps to bring the hips into a strong posterior pelvic tilt position (hips tucked underneath) along with keeping your abs braced.

Who can do it? It’s an exercise that can be both regressed and progressed for any level of ability. Standing (feet neutral) is probably the most basic version of this exercise. Once you’ve mastered this you can then play around with feet position (split stance) and then move into a kneeling position.

2.    Z Press
Origin: This movement is named after strongman Zydrunas Savickas.

Targets: Core, shoulders – requires hip mobility, trunk strength, hamstring flexibility and lumber strength, as well as thoracic spine mobility.

Who can do it? This is a much harder exercise than your standard overhead press, and if you expect to lift an equal amount of weight as you would during your overhead press then you will be disappointed! It is best attempted by those familiar with weightlifting. Make sure you keep your heels and the back of the knees in contact with the floor and then perform the movement like a standard overhead press.

If you struggle to keep the legs straight and the lower back stiff, then try widening your foot position slightly, which will make room for your hips, or place a small step under your bum to reduce the degree of hip flexion. This exercise requires a huge amount of trunk stability and hip mobility, and if you find you’re lifting less than half the weight for your standing overhead press then you need to work on your truck stability and hip mobility before tackling it.

3.    Kneeling Zottman Curl
Origin: Named after the 19^th Century strongman, George Zottman.

Targets: all of the muscles that flex your elbow joint. The concentric portion (as you curl the dumbbells up) primarily targets the biceps, with them being in a mechanically strong position when your palms are facing upwards.  At the top of the exercise, rotate the wrists, switching to a pronated grip (palms down). As we lower the weight, we readily engage the brachioradialis (a muscle which runs from the forearm to the upper arm) and brachialis (the muscle located beneath the biceps), effectively combining two exercises in one.

Who can do it? Anyone; those new to weightlifting should just start with a smaller weight! We find the Zottman curl has a strong carry over for chin up or pull up strength especially in females, due to the biomechanics of the lift.

Typically you’ll see people performing this in a standing position. Personally, I prefer a kneeling position as eliminates the ability to cheat or force the weight up by swinging from the back or using the legs. When in a kneeling position I find it places more emphasis on the core and glutes by holding a posterior pelvic tilt position.

4.    California Press
Origin: Believed to have been named by members of Gold’s Gym in California back in the ‘70s.

Targets: It’s a hybrid exercise that’s a cross between the close-grip bench press and lying triceps extension. It’s a popular assistance exercise among the powerlifting community, particularly by lifters who need to increase the size of their triceps and strength to bring up their bench press weight.
A good starting weight for this exercise would be a halfway weight between what you would lift when you close-grip bench press and what you would use when performing lying triceps extensions. If you find yourself going too heavy too soon, you’ll more than likely compromise technique and it’ll revert back to being a close-grip bench press.

Who can do it? This is best practiced by somebody familiar with weightlifting, who has experience in both the close-drip bench press and lying triceps extension.

5.     Pendlay Row
Origin: Named after former Junior World Champion in Powerlifting and Collegiate National Champion in Olympic Weightlifting, Glenn Pendlay. 

Targets: Maximal back strength and explosiveness – great for improving deadlifts!

Who can do it? This exercise should only be attemped by those with a strong core and lower back. Starting and stopping each rep from the floor minimises the time the weight is suspended, allowing for a split second recovery and easing the burden on the lower back. This allows for a greater amount of weight to be lifted compared to the bent over row. However, due to the body’s position and pull from the ground, the body is having to resist the bar’s downward force meaning you’ll need a strong core and low back if you want to be pulling sufficient weight. It should be performed with lower reps (4-8) and an explosive manner.

Hopefully this post has given you a few ideas on how you can spice up your next programme. Watch this space for five lower body exercises you should be using too!

With the sun finally making an appearance, new runners are beginning to take to the streets, fields and hills. I often find that people are nervous before they take up running, but there’s no need to be – running is an excellent way to improve your general fitness and also kick-start any weight loss you may be trying to achieve.

Here are a few of the most common worries I hear, and the reasons why they shouldn’t be anything to fear!

1.     Will I cause damage to my joints (specifically knees) from excessive running?
There is no definitive answer to this as it depends on a number of factors such as age, fitness, strength and previous training history. The action of running should not cause damage to a healthy strong joint, especially if you are running correctly and factoring strength and mobility training into your routine. If you are particularly worried I would suggest getting a professional to run you through a movement screen to test whether the main muscles used for running (glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors and quads) are activating correctly and working together efficiently. If they are, then it is unlikely you will damage your joints.

2.     What if I’m not the right build for running?
Women seem to struggle with this more than men. With differing body shapes and the constant image of the typical runner on billboards and in magazines this is a common worry. You may not be slight and light weight but that does not mean you cannot or should not run. The lighter you are the easier it may be to cover those long miles but the heavier you are the more power and strength you may have for the sprint finish and speed required while racing (if that added weight comes from muscle). It is no secret that the less body fat you have the easier you will find running but this shouldn’t prevent you from getting started, after all, running could help you lose some of this stubborn body fat. Compression clothing and tight sports bras can help keep those jiggly bits under wraps while covering you up and allowing you to not feel weighed down. Everyone can run, and the more they do, the easier it will become.

3.     Am I running far enough?
Most people running for fitness will assume the more miles they cover the better, but this is not always the case. If you are new to running start short. I usually suggest 3k-5k continuous running. If you are a complete newbie to exercise, pick a time and run for that amount of time, for example 10 minutes. Increase this by 2-5 minutes or 0.5-1k once you are stronger at that particular distance or time. There is little benefit in jumping straight into a long run of 8-15k before you are fit as the work effort will plummet. Starting at the longer distance is like trying to lift 100kg with no previous strength training…it ain’t gonna happen. If you can’t run 5k in 25 minutes you will never run 10k in 50 minutes. Work your way up and once you reach the longer distances you will be much faster and stronger than if you had started with them.

4.     I don’t know when to increase my distances.
Whether you are running for fitness or running to train for a particular distance you should always vary the distance and route. The body adapts to a stimulus if completed regularly over a short period of time. Once you have run 5k of the same route 5-10 times the body becomes more efficient at that distance. When once you found it almost impossible to maintain 5 minutes per kilometre you now will find it relatively comfortable. To see progress, you must overload the body and change the stimulus regularly. I suggest changing the route every 4-6 weeks and incorporating runs of different distances/speeds every week. Ideally, aim for 2-3 runs a week at varying intensities: for example a 5k fast run, 10k moderate run and one interval/speed session.

5.     Should I use a treadmill or run outside? What is the difference?
There is a huge difference between running on a treadmill and taking to the streets or fields. Anyone who uses treadmills and runs outside regularly will most likely agree that you can run for longer without tiring as quickly on a treadmill; this is due to the difference in terrain such as the lack of hills, grass and gravel. The foot strikes the ground at the same angle continuously on a treadmill which can cause injury of a long period of time. The feet and ankles are designed to stabilize when traveling on uneven surfaces. The constant impact at the same angel can upset the joints, tendons and muscles all over the body. There is nothing wrong with using a treadmill occasionally as it may allow you to reach more distance, but I would suggest mixing it up and only using the treadmill when necessary. After all, it’s so much more interesting to run outside! If you plan to complete a race outside my advice would definitely be to train outside, to allow the body time to adapt.

6.     I feel exhausted after 60 seconds, I can’t carry on.
I hear this a lot! Running is a weight bearing exercise, meaning you are carrying all your weight continuously unlike activities such as cycling or using the cross trainer. Due to this, larger runners may find it harder, but anyone who is new to running will struggle more in the first 5 minutes than after the first 15 minutes. Your body need time to adapt and start circulating oxygen. Running in the morning or after long periods of sitting can also make you feel breathless as this can cause blood pooling when the valves of veins in your legs do not work effectively, thereby making it difficult for blood to return to the heart. I suggest a 5-minute jog/walk to get the blood circulating and raise the heart rate, along with a 5-minute dynamic mobility session before running.

7.     Are all the fancy gadget and monitors necessary?
If you are new to running then I always say you need the bare minimum: a suitable pair of trainers and comfortable lightweight clothes. Many runners get bogged down in timing their runs with GPS watches and measuring their heart rate per kilometre. This can be very helpful if you are a regular runner training for a race or, completing runs requiring a specific pace such as tempo runs and fartlek runs (runs with varying pace). For the average recreational runner, I do not believe these gadgets to be necessary. Just get running, build the distance/time running and increase your fitness. The beauty of running is in its simplicity.

Another month has been and gone, and with it, the usual stream of brand new fitness research has appeared. But what does this new research say, and how can you use to benefit your training?

1. The kind of shoes you are wearing will affect your squat?
Ever wondered how your shoes can affect your squat? Well, wearing normal sports shoes could be hampering your progress, as it increases the amount of dorsiflexion at the ankle (when you point your toes up). When this is compared to performance in weightlifting shoes, the amount of ankle dorsiflexion is reduced, allowing your knees to travel further over your toes. This is particularly beneficial for people with limited mobility in the ankles. So if you enjoy squatting and find that you have limited mobility in the ankles, then give it a try using weightlifting shoes.

2. Focusing on external cues helps to increase maximal force.
What do you concentrate on when you’re lifting, your muscles (internal cues) or the impact you are having on your immediate environment (external cues)?
A study carried out by Halperin et al looked at the difference between focusing on internal and external cues during the mid-thigh pull. They found that focusing on external cues can improve maximal force production by 9 per cent, when compared to the 3 per cent improvement found when concentrating on internal cues.
The take-home message from this is that rather than focusing on what your body is doing, take into consideration the environment that you are in and use it to your advantage. For example, focus on pushing your feet firmly into the ground when you deadlift, and try and force the ground away from you, or trying to split the bar apart when you are doing a close-grip bench press.

3. Smoking will ruin your fitness efforts.
In the spirit of World No Tobacco Day, we thought we’d better look into the impacts smoking has on fitness. Even if you’re young and fit, and train often, it’s unlikely you’ll escape all the negative side effects of smoking. One study looked at the effects of smoking on physical fitness among 3,045 Navy personnel and found that smoking was associated with lower exercise levels and lower physical endurance, both cardio and muscular. Even after differences in the exercise levels of smokers and the non-smokers were taken into account, the smokers fared worse in the tests. If you’re looking to improve your general health and physical fitness, smoking should be one of the first things you drop.

4. Squatting can help increase your sprint performance.
The benefits of squatting seem to come up in all of our monthly posts, but if you’re still not convinced that squats are for you, did you know that they can even improve your sprint performance? That’s not to say you have to go and squat with heavy weights. A study by Custodio et al tested the effects of low and moderate load full squat training on changes in sprint running times over 10m, 20m and 10-20m split. What they noticed was that using low loads (40-60 per cent of 1RM) to improve 10-20 split and the 20m sprint was greater than using moderate load (65-80% of 1RM). So you don’t need to squat heavy to see an improvement in performance!

5. Losing weight will affect your appetite.
As we know, in order to achieve weight loss we must create an energy deficit by altering the amount of energy consumed versus the amount of energy we expend. This can be achieved through our diets, through exercise or a combination of both. However, once we’ve lost weight, it leads to a decrease in activity energy expenditure. NEAT (Non-exercise activity thermogenesis) or the activities of daily living, play a big role when you are trying to lose weight. Its importance is often underrated. A study found that activity energy expenditure decreased to 400kcal in people who had lost at least 10 per cent of their bodyweight compared to controls, even if you have kept the weight off for a year. So even once you’ve reached your target weight, it’s important to keep your NEAT/daily activity levels up.

Here are a few ways that you can increase your NEAT levels:

• Walk to work
•  Walk during you lunch hour
•  Take a family walk after dinner
•  Set up a treadmill in front of the tv
•  Cut the grass with push lawn mower
•  Take the stairs
•  Park further away
•  Walk to a co-workers desk instead of emailing them
•  Get off a bus stop early
•  Walk a dog
• Buying a pedometer – conscious, consistent efforts to improve NEAT must be made to help with long-term fat loss success.

References:
1. Influence of footwear type on barbell back squat using 50, 70, and 90% of one repetition maximum: a biomechanical analysis, by Whitting, Meir, Crowley-McHattan, & Holding, in The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research (2016)
2. The effects of attentional focusing instructions on force production during the isometric mid-thigh pull, by Halperin, Williams, Martin & Chapman, in The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research (2016)
3. Conway TL, Cronan TA. Smoking, exercise, and physical fitness. Prev Med. (1992)
4. Effect of low- vs. moderate-load squat training on strength, jump and sprint performance in physically active women, by Mora-Custodio, Rodríguez-Rosell, Pareja-Blanco, Yañez-García & González-Badillo, in International Journal of Sports Medicine (2016)
5.Appetite and energy balancing by Rogers & Brunstrom in Physiology & Behaviour (2016)

With the release of last week’s budget, it seems everyone is talking about the sugar tax. Over the last few days I’ve read several opinions on whether this is a good idea and ultimately, whether it will help to halt the obesity crisis – the million-dollar question!

The Government’s new tax on sugary drinks will be split into two bands: the first for total sugar above 5g per 100ml, and the second for when total sugar exceeds 8g per 100ml. To give you some context, Coca Cola contains 10.6g of sugar per 100ml, while your typical orange juice has 8g.
The tax won’t be placed on pure fruit juices or milk based drinks. But in an effort to drive down childhood obesity, is this the right approach?

There’s no denying it: our consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) has risen in recent decades, and there is evidence to suggest that this increase is having an impact on obesity and the rising number of cases of type 2 diabetes (Hu. 2013). But sugary drinks alone are not the root of the problem.

The number of articles, statements and scientific studies linking sugary drinks to weight gain makes it easy to point the finger, and come to the conclusion that sugary drinks should be eliminated. In theory, this makes a lot of sense, but when you compare the theoretical data with the observed data, you can see that the actual weight gain associated with sugary drinks is in fact ten times less than was originally theorised, and actually, less than 2% of weight gain can be attributed to drinking sugary drinks (Kaiser 2013)!
It’s only in the last ten years or so that sugar has been demonised for our increasing waistlines. Interestingly, our total consumption of sugar in the UK has actually fallen by 20 per cent in the last 30 years (Barclay. 2011)! In fact, it is our eating patterns as a whole that are to blame. If you look at the most recent data on calorie consumption, we are both eating more (approximately 445 calories more) but also moving less than we were 40 years ago (Church TS, et al). 

Out of the additional 445 Kcals we’re now consuming only 10 percent are from caloric sweeteners

Interestingly out of the 445 extra calories we’re now consuming, less than 10 percent are from sweeteners/sugar; that’s only 45 calories! The remaining calories can be blamed on our increased consumption of refined grains such as french fries, potatoes, crisps and baked goods, along with fats and oils .

Now, placing a tax on sugary drinks does indicate that the Government are realising the extent of the obesity crisis and starting to do something about it. But let’s be honest, the price isn’t going to increase so dramatically that it will force those who buy them to find a healthier alternative. In fact, a lot of the ‘healthier’ alternatives are probably going to have just the same impact (if not worse!) than if you were to choose a sugary drink.
Milkshakes, flavoured waters and off-the-shelf cold coffees can contain nearly as much sugar, if not more, than your average can of soda and they tend to be higher in calories! In fact, if you compare a standard 471ml bottle of chocolate milkshake to a can of coke you’ll find the milkshake has an extra 203 calories. Yet these drinks are exempt from the tax!

If we are serious about tackling childhood obesity, then we must not be naive enough as to think that pushing up the cost of fizzy drinks is going to have a noticeable impact. It is more important to focus on the issue of over-eating in general, and reducing our consumption of delicious but unhealthy foods such as refined grains and fatty foods (Choo 2015). It’s also crucially important that we remain active and encourage our children to put the iPad down, get up off the sofa and out into the fresh air. Only then do I believe we’ll stand a fighting chance of tackling the obesity crisis.

A few possible solutions:
Drink sugar-free alternatives: Now I can understand your immediate reaction to this – “diet drinks cause cancer!” – Well, we now know from the science that unless you’re drinking close to 5 litres of diet soda a day or you’re born with a rare inherited disease (phenylketonuria) you needn’t worry. In fact, there’s emerging evidence to show diet drinks may actually reduce the risk of obesity and weight gain, increasing satiety and reducing food intake. You can read our blog post on sweeteners and diet soda here.

Reducing screen time: The amount of time kids (8-18 year olds) are exposed to electronic devices or lit screens has increased by almost 2 1/4 hours from its level 5 years ago, taking the average amount of time children are exposed to electronic devices to nearly 8 hours per day (Kaiser)! For at least some of that time, they could be being active.

Get kids moving more: The Department of Health recommends at least 1 hour of moderate to vigorous exercise per day, of which only 24 percent of girls and 32 percent of boys (among 2-15 year olds) in England are achieving. One benefit of taxing fizzy drinks is that the money raised will be going towards sports equipment for schools, which should help encourage kids to be more active on a daily basis.

Any move to tackle the obesity crisis must be praised, but the issue is much more deeply rooted in our lifestyles than what we drink. Any serious attempt to tackle the crisis must face up to this fact, and make real efforts to encourage change.

About Chris Hall
As the founder of Hall Training Systems, it is my mission to provide you with the very best personal training experience. I set up Hall Training Systems as Oxford’s leading personal training service in nutrition, performance and weight loss, ensuring I can deliver the very best in training techniques. You can find me on Facebook, Google+ or why not even give us a Tweet @Hall_Training 

In preparation for this year’s Town and Gown 10k race I’ve put together an 8 week training plan that’s designed to get men completing the race in under 50 minutes, and most women within the hour. The plan is designed for someone with beginner’s running experience and can be done without needing to sign up to your local gym.

Understanding The Programme
Mobility – Use these sessions to do extra work on your flexibility/mobility. For example, static stretches or foam rolling. I would focus on the muscles used most during running e.g Hip flexors, quadriceps, calves, hamstrings and glutes. It may also be helpful to foam roll/stretch or massage the front of your shins to prevent the on-set of shin splints or to reduce the pain if you are unfortunate enough to suffer from them. Buying a good pair of running shoes tailored to your foot and gait would also be extremely useful and further prevent the risk of injury.

Deload: Weeks 4 & 8 – You may realise you are doing less during these weeks. This time will aid in your recovery and can be seen as ‘active rest’. You will still gain a lot from these weeks fitness wise, but try not to overdo it and add more in. Sometimes less is more and when it comes to 10k-training recovery is key!
Week 8 will be your taper week to allow for optimal recovery and get your body hungry for your 10k race.

Intervals – Intervals teach your body to run fast. This is where you get your speed in. Make sure your hard effort is faster than talking pace but sustainable. On weeks 6 and 7 the recovery gets shorter. This is to challenge your aerobic capacity more in the lead up to the race. Make sure you walk or if possible jog the recovery. This session should ideally be competed on a field so you can stay in the same area. This may also allow you to calculate the distance covered in each sprint bout/set.

Sprints/HITT- HIIT is a great way at working two different energy systems of the body. It’ll help improve and increase your fitness levels and ability to recover.  It’s important that you put 100% of your effort into each and every set. Sprint the long length of a football pitch or similar distance, once complete walk back to your start position. Notice this changes in week 6 to a jog back recovery. You could also try this up a hill for approximately 70-100m.

Steady run– Steady runs are an incredibly important part of your active recovery. They help to get the blood flowing through your muscles, pushing out the waste products from the hard sessions. These should be a very steady talking pace. This is the time to really enjoy your running.

About Becky Hodgson
As a successful 800m runner for Oxfordshire Athletics I have a strong postion on evidence based training and application. Strength training is my passion, including passing my knoweldge of lifting on to help other women like myself to see both the physical and practical benefits that strength training has to offer.
You can find me on Facebook, or why not even give us a Tweet @Hall_Training

With it being Eating Disorders Awareness Week, run by national charity beat, I thought it would be an ideal opportuinty to invite in a guest writter to tell us all about her story and how weight training helped her recover.

With nearly three quarters of a million people in the UK affected by one of these illnesses [1], with around 80 percent of anorexics and 50 percent of bulimics presenting with exercise dependence [2], it’s not uncommon for personal trainers to come across unwell individuals. Three years ago I met a young lady who was struggling to recover from anorexia and bulimia, which she’d suffered from since her early teens, so for about seven years. Here, she shares her story, showing how personal training and correct nutritional guidance helped her overcome her illness and regain her health and happiness.

“In September 2012 I decided that I needed to finally kick my eating disorder – every last bit of it. Although I was just about managing to go about my normal life it still influenced me constantly, every day, and I finally managed to decide that enough was enough. I needed to learn how to nourish by body and how to make is strong, but at the same time know that my weight wouldn’t spiral out of control. It was time to remember to feel alive. I went to the gym and sat down for a consultation with Chris. 

In my consultation I explained my situation very honestly. I was told I’d need to eat meat to put on some muscle mass and put butter on my vegetables. I’d been ‘vegetarian’ for four years, purely because of my eating disorder. I left the consultation feeling overwhelmed, and that I couldn’t possibly do what was being asked of me. I decided not to sign up.

Two days later I found myself in my first session with Chris. Somehow my desire to get better had beaten my desperation to cling to my eating habits. I had decided, shakily, to commit 100% to the nutritional advice I was given. No personal trainer aims to make their client fat or unhealthy, so I told myself constantly it was safe. I needed to take a leap of faith to recover, so I threw myself in at the deep end (and had chicken for dinner that night with only a few tears).

Three years later, resistance training has become a huge part of my life. I’m very aware that in some ways this is a way of controlling my body and my food, but it is entirely different to the control exerted by anorexia and bulimia. At first perhaps, there wasn’t too much difference. I used my excessive willpower and applied them to my gym regime, but as exercise has become an established part of my life I’ve relaxed. I try and eat well but am occasionally tempted by some treats, and I’m no longer plagued by guilt if I eat a carbohydrate or, god forbid, some chocolate. I am now in control of my food choices, rather than them controlling me. 

It hasn’t always been plain sailing. I still find it difficult to be weighed by somebody else, and a body fat reading that wasn’t what I hoped can make me wobbly for a couple of hours, but that used to be days or weeks. It took a while to get used to a curvier and more muscular appearance, but now you couldn’t pay me to go back. Once, I nearly relapsed when somebody told me my bum was massive, now I’m quite proud of the muscle I’ve managed to put on and the occasional admiration! 

Going to the gym gave me a new focus. Rather than trying to drive the number further down the scales, I am trying to push the weight on my lifts up. Rather than spending all day crying over calories, I spend all day living my life. I love the time I spend in the gym but it’s not the be all and end all. I am healthy, happy and strong, and this new life couldn’t be a stronger contrast to my life with an eating disorder.”

If you or anyone you know has been affected by an eating disorder, or if you wish to talk more about Georgey’s story and how we helped her and others like her, please feel free to send us a message confidentially, or visit beat‘s website.

sources:
1. https://www.b-eat.co.uk/about-beat/media-centre/information-and-statistics-about-eating-disorders
2.  Davis C, Claridge G. The eating disorders as addiction: a psychobiological perspective. Addict Behav. 1998;23(4):463-75.

As a running coach and county competitor I know all too well that having the physical fitness to complete a marathon is one thing, but having the mental fitness to stay motivated for all 26 miles is another feat entirely, and mental fitness is just as important as physical fitness for getting across the finish line.

Here are my top five tips for powering through:

1.      My number one top tip, and maybe quite an obvious one would be to have a great playlist. I find this helps me to get lost in my thoughts and not the miles. But make sure your ipod is fully charged, there’s nothing worse than it running out of battery half way through! It may also be helpful to choose songs with a steady beat, at around the pace you want to run at. That way, when you’re struggling you can concentrate on matching your paces to the beat and it will be easier to keep going.

2.      Ignore the mile markers. Don’t think about how many you’ve done or you have to go just take each mile 1 at a time. Try and think of it as 26 short sections rather than one long one, that way every mile becomes a fresh challenge and a fresh start.

3.      Keep your eyes up front…not on the watch. Watch checking is fine but give yourself target points for when to check. Every five songs can work well as a marker, or perhaps when you’ve been past several mile markers. Continuously checking will make time seem slow, like watching paint dry. Be strict with yourself and you’ll be surprised what great motivation it can be when you look down at your watch and you’re nearer the end or making better time than you thought!

4.      Push through the wall. The wall is a purely mental obstacle and it may well require all of your motivation to push yourself through. Make a list in your head of why you are running the marathon and repeat it to yourself. It could be for personal satisfaction, or to raise money for a particular charity. I like to wear something that reminds me of this charity or person, for example a ribbon on my wrist or a bracelet that is connected to my charity. Just looking at it occasionally can increase my motivation.

5.      When you reach that half way point and you realise you have to do it all over again, think back to all the miles you have completed during training. This may well be somewhere in the 100s. It may be 13.1 miles more to go, but it’s the last 13.1 miles of all those you have already completed so you can give it everything.

If a full marathon sounds a bit too much like hard work, why not give a half marathon a go? Here’s my half marathon plan, which was featured in Health and Fitness Magazine!

*Image courtesy of Barry Cornelius

About Becky Hodgson
As a successful 800m runner for Oxfordshire Athletics I have a strong postion on evidence based training and application. Strength training is my passion, passing my knoweldge of lifting on to help other women like myself to see both the physical and practical benefits that strength training has to offer.
You can find me on Facebook, or why not even give us a Tweet @Hall_Training

It’s breakfast week, otherwise known as ‘Shake up your wake up’ – and this is a campaign we’re fully behind, as it emphasises the importance of our favourite meal of the day! When faced with the choice between getting up a few minutes early to eat or hitting the snooze button again, spending longer in bed can be really tempting, but it could make it much harder for you to achieve your weight loss goals.

At Hall Training, we always encourage our clients to make time for breakfast, and here are just five of the reasons we think it’s so important:

1. A higher protein breakfast may improve weight loss. A recent 12-week study [1] saw three groups eating either a high-protein breakfast (38g), a low-protein breakfast (13g), or no breakfast at all. The study showed that eating a low-protein breakfast was better than eating no breakfast, and that even those with a low-protein breakfast remained the same body fat. But those on the high-protein breakfast ate less calories per day in total, lost body fat, and stayed fuller for longer.

2. Breakfast could stop you (or your kids) eating so much during the day. A recent study [2] found that students (aged 14) who ate a high-protein breakfast (48g) reported they felt fuller and satisfied for a longer period than students who skipped breakfast or ate traditional, higher-carb breakfasts.They also freely chose to eat 130 fewer calories at lunch than the other two groups. Their hormonal profile indicated better appetite control and regulation of metabolism than the students who ate the regular pancakes as well.

3. Eating more calories in the morning could help you lose weight. A study [3] conducted in 2014 found that eating a higher amount of calories (70 per cent) in the first part of the day could help you lose fat mass and improve your insulin sensitivity, as opposed to eating 55 per cent of your calories at the same time. You can find more information about the study and information on calorie-timing on another of our blog posts: How the timeing of calories may be important for weight loss

4. Eating breakfast could help your concentration. A study [4] conducted on children found that 3 hours after eating a low-GL (Glycemic Load) breakfast, their memory and mood improved. Even the day after eating the low-GL breakfast, the children were still processing information faster and showing improved spatial memory, suggesting that the benefits of a low-GL breakfast are accumulative. 

5. Breakfast could help you be more active. An American study [5] looked at the activity levels and number of calories burnt by two groups, one who ate breakfast and the other who didn’t. The results showed that eating breakfast encouraged the participants to engage in more physical activity, and thus burn more calories. The total number of calories burned by those who ate breakfast was 851 per day, compared with just 442 by those who didn’t. 

Although the research isn’t always very clear or consistent, it seems to suggest that there are some advantages to having breakfast, and if you are having breakfast then a high-protein looks to be better than a standard breakfast. 

So, in celebration of Breakfast Week, here are some of the recipes we use to make sure we get plenty of protein at the start of the day!

Sources:
1. Leidy, Heather J., et al. “A high‐protein breakfast prevents body fat gain, through reductions in daily intake and hunger, in “Breakfast skipping” adolescents.” Obesity (2015).
2. Leidy, J., Reki, E. The Addition of a Protein-Rich Breakfast and its Effects on Acute Control and Food Intake in “Breakfast-Skipping” Adolescents. International Journal of Obesity. (2010).
3. Lombardo M, et al. J Am Coll Nutr. 2014 May 8:1-8. [Epub ahead of print.]
4.Young, Hayley, and David Benton. “The effect of using isomaltulose (Palatinose™) to modulate the glycaemic properties of breakfast on the cognitive performance of children.” European journal of nutrition (2014)
5. Betts JA, Richardson JD, Chowdhury EA, Holman GD,  Tsintzas K, Thompson D. The causal role of breakfast in energy balance and health: a randomized controlled trial in lean adults. Am J Clin Nutr. (2014)

About Chris Hall
As the founder of Hall Training Systems, it is my mission to provide you with the very best personal training experience. I set up Hall Training Systems as Oxford’s leading personal training service in nutrition, performance and weight loss, ensuring I can deliver the very best in training techniques.
You can find me on Facebook, Google+ or why not even give us a Tweet @Hall_Training

If you’ve spent the last few weeks scoffing mince pies, drinking mulled wine and missing out on the gym, don’t worry – you’re not alone. The festive season can play havoc on our healthy routines and mean that we soon pile on the pounds. However, the average weight gained over the Christmas break isn’t as bad as you may have been led to believe. There aren’t many high-quality studies that look at body weight and fat changes over the Christmas period but, one study [1] looking at British adults showed an average increase of only 1kg weight gain over a 2-week Christmas break with a maximum weight gain of 4.4kg.
Whatever the weight you may have gained it doesn’t have to be hard to beat the festive bulge and get back in shape.

Set Goals
Having a goal will keep you focused as it allows you to monitor your progress. When we work with clients I will always try to set up two goals.
1. A long-term goal: what they wish to achieve long term i.e. 8-12 months.
2. A short-term goal: what they wish to achieve in the next 1-month or even week on week.

If weight loss is your primarily goal then it’s important to have an end goal weight in mind i.e. 2 stone, to then break this goal weight into smaller targets i.e. to lose 2lbs per week. This way you’ll be able to monitor your progress and track how well you’re getting on, increasing your chances of success.
As a general rule of thumb we tell our clients to expect and aim for between 0.5 percent and 1.7 percent of total body weight loss per week. This would usually be around 1lb – 3lbs per week depending on the individual. Also, it’s important to note that women tend to lose weight 40% slower than men.

Eat Smart
There’s much debate over ‘what diet is the best?’ with certain groups of people favoring low carb diet and others favoring low fat. Personally, I don’t think there’s a straightforward answer as it’s so dependent on the individual.
However, if you’re trying to shift some of the post Christmas pudding, then I do suggest following a low carbohydrate diet for several weeks. Studies [2] have shown that initial weight loss from a low carb diet is slightly superior to that in low fat across a three to six month period. After this time, both diets seem to produce similar results when it comes to weight loss. Christmas is usually a time where we over indulge on fine foods, alcohol and an excess of carbohydrates. Going on a low carbohydrate diet after Christmas will really help to get you back on track and in the habit of selecting sensible and more healthier food choices. When I talk about low carb I don’t mean zero. I would aim for about 20% of your total daily calories to come from carbs or anywhere between 50-70g of carbs per day.
For more information about this take a look at our Pre-Christmas Damage Control post.

HIIT It Hard
HIIT or, high-intensity interval training is a training technique in which you give an all-out, 100 percept effort through quick, intense bursts of exercise, (working the anaerobic energy system) followed by short, sometimes active, recovery periods.
HIIT is neither better nor less effective when comparing it to weight training but is a tool that defiantly has a lot of advantages over long duration cardio.
For example more people tend to stick to HIIT as less time is needed to perform it. Given that the main reason people don’t exercise is often because of a lack of time [3], HIIT is a really great tool to overcome this.
Research also suggests that greater fat loss is witnessed with HIIT as compared to regular steady state long duration cardio. One study [4] compared a group of people taking in 20 week of endurance work with a group of 15 weeks of HIIT as found that the latter group lost nine times more body fat and 12 percent more visceral fat than the group doing regular endurance work.
HIIT had also shown to both reduce the cravings for carbohydrates by 35 percent [5] and promote muscle glycogen uptake (ability for a muscle to store energy from carbohydrates) by 28 percent compared with only 17 percent seen by people who do regular endurance work [6].

Metabolic Resistance Training
Metabolic Resistance Training or MRT is a combination of intense, efficient cardiovascular and muscular training involving a combination of circuit training, supersets, speed work, compound lifts, all with very little rest, all designed to increase the body’s capacity to burn more calories day to day. MRT is effectively circuit training either pairing a agonistic exercise with antagonist exercise e.g Squat into Leg Curl or a compound lift i.e deadlift into a speed/cardio exercise such as burpees all with very limited rest between sets and between exercises.
MRT is mainly performed in a circuit fashion ideal for people who don’t have a lot of time and training this way has been estimated to burn around 7 kcal/kg/hr [7]. With the energy expenditure approaching around 600Kcals over the course of a workout!

Creating A Habit
In January everyone starts out with tbe best intentions but in reality the average New Year gym enthusiast will give up after only about 8 weeks.
Science [8] has shown it takes 66 days to form a habit and after this time it becomes a part of you’re daily routine. Making fitness part of your daily life will help keep your fitness levels up and your weight constant, far beyond the New Year and even in to the following one!
If you don’t want to be another New Year gym drop out this year then turn your regime into a habit, work out with a personal trainer or friend – it’s said that you’re 80 percent more likely to achieve your weight loss or fitness goal by training with someone as it makes you accountable to someone other than yourself. Why not join a local running club, sign up to a boot camp or a couple of gym classes, link up with a friend or hire a personal trainer?

All of these tips will serve as a great way to kick off the New Year in a smart and efficient way when losing weight and feeling fabulous is concerned.
From everyone here at Hall Training, we wish you a very Happy and Healthy 2016!

Sources:
1. Reid R, Hackett AF. Changes in nutritional status in adults over Christmas 1998. J Hum Nutr Diet.1999;12:513–516. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-277x.1999.00205.
2. Johnston BC, Kanters S, Bandayrel K, et al. Comparison of weight loss among named diet programs in overweight and obese adults: a meta-analysis. JAMA. 2014;312(9):923-33. doi: 10.1001/jama.2014.10397.
3. Inelmen EM, Toffanello ED, Enzi G, et al. Predictors of drop-out in overweight and obese outpatients.International Journal of Obesity. 2005;29(1):122–128.
4. Lysholm J, Wiklander J. Injuries in runners. The American Journal of Sports Medicine. March 1987 1987;15(2):168-171.
5. David T, et al. Obese but not lean adolescents spontaneously decrease energy intake after intensive exercise. Physiol Behav. 2013 [epub ahead of print]
6. Gibala MJ, Little JP, van Essen M, et al. Short-term sprint interval versus traditional endurance training: similar initial adaptations in human skeletal muscle and exercise performance. J Physiol. 2006;575(Pt 3):901-11.
7. Wilmore JH, Parr RB, Ward P, Vodak PA, Barstow TJ, Pipes TV, Grimditch G, Leslie P. Energy cost of circuit weight training. Med Sci Sports. 1978 Summer;10(2):75-8.
8. Lally P, van Jaarsveld CHM, Potts HWW, Wardle J. How are habits formed: modelling habit formation in the real world. Euro J Soc Psychol. 2010;40:998–1009.

About Chris Hall
As the founder of Hall Training Systems, it is my mission to provide you with the very best personal training experience. I set up Hall Training Systems as Oxford’s leading personal training service in nutrition, performance and weight loss, ensuring I can deliver the very best in training techniques.
You can find me on Facebook, Google+ or why not even give us a Tweet @Hall_Training