At Hall Personal training, we ensure we stay on top of the latest research in the health, fitness, strength and conditioning journals. That way we know we are providing the best possible advice to our clients, combining theoretical knowledge with our years of practical experience.

Our junior trainer Tobi has scoured the research for January to see what’s new in the fitness industry and provide some top tips you can introduce into your training straight away!

1. Heavy loads are better than moderate loads for increasing strength.
A recent study study compared the effects of heavy loads (2-4RM) versus moderate loads (8-12RM). Heavy load training led to an increase of 30% in 1RM back squat and 14.5% in 1RM bench press, whereas 16.7% and 10.5% respectively were noticed in the moderate load group.

Although the study was unable to find the exact mechanism that led to the strength gains in the heavy load group, this is still valuable information and is definitely worth considering if you’re looking to increase your strength.
2. Looking to increase your 100m sprint time? Try Blood Flow Restriction training.
Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) training is when you use lighter loads in the region of 20-30% of 1RM, and restrict blood flow using an item such as a resistance band, a technique commonly used during hypertrophy training.

When performing 6 sets of 100m sprints at 60-70%, sprint times were reduced by 0.38-0.24s. This was compared to a normal programme without the use of BFR. Although times decreased, the difference was less than the difference observed in the BFR group. So next time you decide to increase sprint times, slap on a resistance band, restrict that blood flow and get sprinting.
3. If you’re a footballer and have ever had an ankle injury, then this tip is for you
I’m a footballer and I’ve had many ankle injuries that just kept coming back. I couldn’t quite figure out why, but a study is now suggesting that hip extension strength could be the cause. Over a three-season period they collected data which suggests that low hip extension strength increased the incidence of injury. They concluded that footballers were not able to rely on their hip strength during running, jumping or agility type movements. It’s not known whether increasing hip strength would reduce the incidence of injury but I myself have been working on my glutes the last few months and have noticed that I no longer get any pain in my ankles. Exercises such as glute bridges or hip thrusters should do the trick.
4.Try the 3/7 protocol for building strength
It’s widely known that long rest periods have been used for developing strength and shorter rest periods have been used to develop hypertrophy. The 3/7 approach adopts an incremental approach in the number of repetitions per set (5 sets in total) with 15 seconds of rest between sets. A new study found that the 3/7 protocol led to greater gains in strength (29.8%) compared to a standard set of 4×6, with a rest time of two and a half minutes (21.8%).
5. Males are more likely to suffer from groin pain compared to women
The groin is the inner part of our thighs, which is made up of a group of muscles known as the adductors. The adductor group consist of the adductor longus (most commonly injured muscle), adductor magnus, adductor brevis, gracilis and the tiny pectineus. In females, the rectus abdominals (or abs) inserts onto the pubic bone where as in males it inserts into the gracilis (one of the adductor muscles).
Women have wider hips than men (90 vs. 65 degrees ) that can affect the line of pull of the adductor muscles.

Sports that require a sudden change of direction e.g. football, rugby, tennis and badminton to name a few, tend to see a lot more groin injuries in men. Adductor training can help prevent this from happening and the work ratio of adductor to abductor work should be greater than 80% in favor of the adductors.

Exercises that strengthen your adductors include, Romanian deadlifts, wide stance squats, lateral lunges or the traditional adductor machine.

References:
1.Differential Effects of Heavy Versus Moderate Loads on Measures of Strength and Hypertrophy in Resistance-Trained Men. Schoenfeld, B. J., Contreras, B., Vigotsky, A. D., & Peterson, M. (2016). Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 15(4), 715.
2. Low Intensity Sprint Training With Blood Flow Restriction Improves 100M Dash, by Behringer, M., Behlau, D., Montag, J., McCourt, M. & Mester, J. (2016). The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research
3. Hip Strength As An Intrinsic Risk Factor For Lateral Ankle Sprains In Youth Soccer Players: A 3-Season Prospective Study. De Ridder, R., Witvrouw, E., Dolphens, M., Roosen, P., & Van Ginckel, A. (2017). American Journal Of Sports Medicine.
4. Effect Of A Strength Training Method Characterized By An Incremental Number Of Repetitions Across Sets And A Very Short Rest Interval. Laurent, C., Penzer, F., Letroye, B., Carpentier, A., Baudry, S., & Duchateau, J. (2016). Science & Sports.
5. Anatomical and morphological characteristics may explain why groin pain is more common in male than female athletes. Schache, A. G., Woodley, S. J., Schilders, E., Orchard, J. W., & Crossley, K. M. (2016). British Journal of Sports Medicine.

It’s Blue Monday, believed to be ‘the most depressing day of the year’. Christmas is over, many people are regretting the extra chocolate they munched over the festive period, feeling bad about the diet they haven’t stuck to, and it’s still dark and cold, and a long time until the summer. Even with Oxford’s glorious sunsets, things can look pretty bleak.

Obviously there’s a huge difference between feeling a bit down because it’s January and suffering from clinical depression, which will affect sufferers at any time of year, not just because the Christmas break is over – that’s a distinction that is often lost when Blue Monday is discussed. However, there is an entire body of research showing how exercise can help to reduce the symptoms of depression, whether it’s a fleeting dip in mood or a more sustained medical condition. Nobody will claim it’s the silver bullet, but it’s difficult to argue with the fact that for many people, it can be a real help.

Depression is estimated to affect 2.6 in 100 people (1), which means that in Oxford there are nearly four thousand people suffering from the condition, as well as those who will suffer from low periods not classified as depression.

Often, depression is treated with anti-depressant drugs, or with talking therapies including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or mindfulness. As well as reams of medical research looking at the benefits of these traditional therapies for depression, there is a lot of effort that has gone into looking at whether exercise can be a beneficial treatment. Even exercise alone is widely believed to be better than receiving no treatment (2).

But why does exercise have this effect? Well, there are several reasons:

1. It releases beneficial chemicals in your brain
It’s common knowledge that when you exercise, endorphins are released leading to a phenomenon known as ‘Runner’s High’. This is the same chemical that is released when you laugh. Endorphins also act as a sedative and a pain blocker, further emphasising their benefit.

2. It is associated with improved self-worth and body image
One of the great things about exercise, whether weight training or cardio, is how quickly you can see progress. If you’re new to exercise then running 5k may be a struggle, or you may find it difficult to lift weights with good form. After even a few weeks of consistent effort jogging 5k will be notably easier, and you will find that the weights you are using will have become heavier. This is immensely satisfying, and can help to improve feelings of self-worth but also body image, when the associated physical benefits of training start to kick in.

3. It can be sociable
When you’re feeling low, getting out of bed to go to the gym may be the last thing you feel like doing. But if you’ve signed up for a class or arranged to meet a friend, or even a personal trainer then the sense of accountability should increase, making it easier to take that all important first step out of the door.

4. You’re in control
By choosing to exercise you are choosing to make a positive step for your mental health. Having a sense of power over your recovery can banish those feelings of helplessness and being trapped that often creep in.

5. It’s sustainable
Once exercise becomes habitual, it stops being an effort to get to the gym or go for that run – in the most part anyway! Everybody will have bad days when they don’t feel like training, but ensuring that you take the next opportunity to go, or just soldiering through, will ensure that exercise becomes a sustainable part of your daily or weekly routine, so you consistently feel the benefits.

So what next? You may have been reading this blog post thinking, ‘great, exercise may help me feel better, but where do I start?’

There are so many options here and it’s crucial you find something you enjoy. If the thought of running on a treadmill for thirty minutes fills you with dread, then it’s unlikely you’ll enjoy it, or stick to it.

Why not see what exercise classes there are in your local gym, or see if there’s a local running club? If you’re intimidated by the more intense classes then give something like Zumba a go and ease yourself into it. Find a friend who could do with some extra accountability and agree to meet them at the gym at a certain time. If you want to take your exercise regime more seriously, why not look into semi-private or even 1-on-1 personal training to escalate your results, and increase that all-important incentive to turn up to your sessions?

There are a million and one different ways to exercise. Once you’ve taken that first step, it should get easier. Give several things a go, find one you like and set moderate and achievable goals. If for you that means exercising once per week then great – start there and build up. The key is taking a step in the right direction.

References:
1. http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/statistics-and-facts-about-mental-health/how-common-are-mental-health-problems/
2. http://www.epocrates.com/dacc/1310/ExerciseForDepressionCochrane1310.pdf 

What you’re in for – 1000 words
– 7-10 minutes reading time

Why are we having an obesity crisis?
This is the great health question of our generation.
Many arguments have been made and presented in response to the ever-growing concern about our health and that of our children. Sugary drinks, the excessive consumption of carbohydrates, ‘good’ calories vs ‘bad’ calories.

Some arguments are more relevant than others.

What’s clear is that with 61.7% of the United Kingdom’s population being either overweight or obese (1) and so much fog around the cause of obesity, a much needed solution has yet to be found.

In this article I’ll be examining the argument that ‘slow metabolisms’ are the root cause of obesity and weight gain.

So, buckle up, because we’re about to tumble down the rabbit hole…

What is ‘Metabolism’?
Firstly, it’s important for us to define what our metabolism actually is. We can do this by splitting it up into four sections;

RMR (resting metabolic rate) – This makes up the amount of calories or energy used during periods of rest or low periods of activity such a sleeping, or likewise, watching Netflix when you should be sleeping.

NEAT (non exercise activity thermogenesis) – This component of metabolism is everything in between total rest and absolute activity. Think walking, maintaining good posture and if you’re one of those really annoying co-workers, fidgeting.

The curve ball with NEAT is that it can vary between 15-50% when it comes to making up an individual’s metabolism! (2) But more on that later.

EAT (exercise activity thermogenesis) – You guessed it. This is the amount of calories we expend or burn performing physical exercise.

TEF (thermic effect of food) – Finally, it takes energy to digest the food we eat. Ironic right? It costs calories to eat calories. The amount of energy we burn digesting food falls under this bracket of metabolism.

It’s these four components that make up how much energy we burn on a daily basis, or as the people in lab coats like to call it, our total daily expendable energy.

This total daily expendable energy is important, because it determines the “energy out” side of the energy balance theory. 

Diagram courtesy of James Krieger, weightology.com

In order to lose weight, we need to enter a deficit of calories or energy.
In order to gain weight, we need to enter a surplus of calories or energy.

If you bring in more energy than you expend, you’re likely to gain weight.

Energy in, versus energy out.

How do ‘normal’ weight individuals and obese individuals’ metabolisms differ?
If our differing metabolisms do play a fundamental role in the cause of obesity, it’s important that we identify which of its four components are to blame.

While it’s common to assume that it’s our resting metabolic rate (RMR) that dictates whether we’re under or overweight, and more often or not this is the component often referred to when we speak of our metabolism, the research shows us something very different.

While resting metabolic rate (RMR) is variable between people, and even two individuals at the same weight, height and age can have an upper variance threshold of 10 – 15% the difference in RMR between ‘normal’ weight individuals and post-obese persons is frightfully insignificant across the board, estimated at around 100kcal/p/day (3)

What this tells us is that while there may be small discrepancies between the resting metabolic rates between those who suffer, or who have suffered from obesity, a range of 100kcal/p/day is certainly not the cause of excessive weight gain.

If we however, cast our eye across the non-exercise activity thermogenesis component of metabolism, a very different picture is painted.

The power of NEAT
Rather than large differences in resting metabolic rate between ‘normal’, obese and post-obese persons, the largest difference in energy expenditure can be found within NEAT.

In fact, person to person this component can vary immensely, in some cases up to 2000kcal per day! (4)

That is a lot of energy, and it would significantly alter the energy balance between two people, thus more broadly promoting either a caloric deficit, or a caloric surplus. In real terms this is the difference between entering a period of weight loss or a period of weight gain.

The real kicker is that despite RMR being relatively similar across the board in ‘normal’, obese and post-obese persons, NEAT tends to be much lower in the obese population.

It’s important to stress here that it’s ridiculous to take this data and jump to the conclusion that those who have entered an obese category are simply ‘lazy’, as a lower NEAT count has been found to have many contributing factors.

‘Compensators’ for instance may see a reduction in NEAT after performing resistance exercise in an effort to conserve energy, which has been found to be driven at biological level, not psychological. (5)

So what does this mean for my metabolism? 
What we can take from this is good news.

While it’s entirely possible that an individual’s RMR could be unfavourable towards losing weight (which studies such as the recent ‘Biggest Loser’ made headlines with), if the largest discrepancies in metabolic differences come from NEAT, rather than RMR, then we have a real chance to reset the balance.

While of course it is folly to presume a disease as complex as obesity can be cured simply by ‘moving more’, research has shown us that it’s possible to make significant changes in body composition by including habits as simple as reaching 10,000 steps per day. (6)

Rather than focusing on trying to increase RMR, which even with some of the most intense protocols only yield small increments, our time and effort would be far wisely spent doing all we can to increase NEAT.

We can increase our metabolism simply by moving more. Forget green tea tablets, moving more and being active, is the cheapest, most effective metabolism booster you’ll find.

Conclusions
Are some metabolisms slower than others? Entirely possible.

Should I focus on trying to increase my resting metabolic rate? Absolutely not.

Where can I better utilise my time and effort to boost my metabolism? Aim for 10k steps per day (approx.5 miles), and limit the amount of time you spend sitting down or are sedentary as often as possible.

Obesity is a complex topic and a frustrating journey for a great many people. There is however hope for those who are under the impression that their metabolism is ‘broken’ or simply ‘slow’.
The chances are, even if your resting metabolic rate is lower than is optimal, it’s still entirely possible to make positive lifestyle changes through low grade, daily activity and monitoring a calorie reduced diet.

And if you happen to be reading and suffering from obesity…
Know that it’s not easy, and each journey comes with it’s own setbacks and obstacles, but be empowered in the knowledge that you can change.
You are not broken. You are not alone and you can do this.

If you’d like to chat, go hit that email button and let’s grab a coffee. It’s on me. When I’m not writing, I can be a great listener.

References
1. 2013, “Statistics on Obesity, physical activity and diet:England 2013” The Health and Social Care Information Centre
2. 1986, Ravussin et al. “Determinants of 24 hour energy expenditure in man. Methods and results using a respiratory chamber.” Journal of Clinical Investigation Dec; 78(6): 1568-1578
3. 2008, Rosenbaum et al. “Long-term persistence of adaptive thermogenesis in subjects who have maintained a reduced body weight” American Society for Clinical Nutrition
4. Black et al., 1996
5. Di Blasio et al., Menopause, 19(1):23-32, 2012
6. 2006, Schneider, PL et al. “Effects of 10,000 steps per day goal in overweight adults” American Journal of Health Promotion Nov-Dec;21(2) 85-9

So now that Christmas is over I’m sure that a few of us will be thinking about cutting out alcohol for a while or maybe doing “Dry January”. We’ve all heard or read numerous different things about the effects of alcohol, both good and bad. This blog will give you the unbiased information including what alcohol is, the effects it can have on the body, and how you can make smarter choices while still enjoying a tipple.

What is alcohol?
The active ingredient in alcoholic drinks is called ethanol, and this is the part that gets you drunk. Ethanol for alcohol is produced by the fermentation of certain sugars from plant material (i.e. grapes or grains). Yeast is the catalyst for this process, which creates ethanol and carbon dioxide.

What negative effects does alcohol have on the body?
As most of us have probably experienced, alcohol can help you lose your inhibitions and become more confident and self-assured. However, on the flip side of this, it can severely impair cognitive function and judgement, which can lead a person to act in a potentially dangerous way.

Liver problems are common with excessive consumption of alcohol. This is because one of the main functions of the liver is to neutralise toxic substances that enter the body, so it’s susceptible to alcohol damage. Heavy binge drinking can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, which is irreversible and leads to numerous other health problems.

The brain is something that we should all know is affected by alcohol! It is affected on both an acute and chronic level. In worst case scenarios, it can severely impair brain function, lead to an increased risk of dementia, cause brain shrinkage in elderly or middle aged people and even stop people from living independent lives. 

As a personal trainer, it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t mention the effect that alcohol can have on weight gain. Alcohol is known as ‘the fourth macronutrient’ alongside protein, carbohydrate and fat. Alcohol contains more calories per gram than both protein and carbohydrate. Also, unless you are drinking pure ethanol there will be even more calories in the drink from the sugar that is present. Many people don’t realise how many calories they are consuming, leading to weight gain. As always, there are many contributing factors that can cause differences in the effects, like the type of alcoholic drink and drinking habits.

As well as the impact that alcohol can have on the liver, brain, and weight gain there can also be negative impacts on the following:

• Cardiovascular health
• Depression
• Cancer
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Pregnancy
• Alcohol Dependency

Are there any positive effects?
But it’s not all doom and gloom as far as alcohol is concerned. “Light to moderate alcohol consumption reduces the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic stroke, peripheral arterial disease, CHD mortality, and all-cause mortality, especially in the western populations” (Movva & Figueredo 2013). Red wine in particular has a number of health benefits, one being that it is extremely high in antioxidants.

With regards to type 2 diabetes, research has shown that moderate consumption of alcohol can help the symptoms of diabetes by reducing insulin resistance and also to reduce the risk of developing diabetes, unless it is consumed in large amounts, which increases the risk.

There is also research to show that moderate alcohol could actually reduce the risk of dementia, especially in elderly people.

Putting it all together
The truth is that most of the negative effects are a result of heavy drinking whereas light to moderate consumption of alcohol can actually positively impact most of these areas of health. As such, my overall conclusion will be left with Abraham Lincoln who once said “It has long been recognized that the problems with alcohol relate not to the use of a bad thing, but to the abuse of a good thing.”

At Christmas, all the shops on Oxford High Street seem to be selling food and drinks with more flavourings than usual – gingerbread latte’s, cinnamon hot chocolate – but not all of them are bad for you. Our personal trainer Pete has looked at the health benefits of some of the top Christmas flavours, so you can eat them to your heart’s content!

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Cinnamon
Ok, so here is some good news about cinnamon… as well as being delicious, cinnamon actually has a number of potential health benefits. One of the major properties of cinnamon is that it can help to reduce blood sugar levels, with some studies showing up to a 29% reduction in patients with type 2 diabetes (Kirkham et. al. 2009).  As well as this it has also been shown to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and lipid lowering properties. Why not sprinkle some on your next coffee?

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Turmeric
For those of you who don’t know what turmeric is, it’s the spice that makes curry yellow. Along with numerous other compounds, turmeric contains a substance called curcumin, and this is where the good stuff comes from. Curcumin is hailed as an incredible antioxidant (Menon & Sudheer 2007) and a highly potent anti-inflammatory (Jurenka 2009). With lots of chronic western diseases there are often elements of inflammation that play a role, so it is therefore no wonder that curcumin has been linked to aiding numerous different conditions. There have also been several studies that indicate it can also help brain function along with reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer. Use some turmeric in your post-Christmas Turkey curry to feel the benefits!

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Cayenne pepper
Now in cayenne pepper, the jazzy ingredient in this is known as capsaicin. Capsaicin has been shown in different studies to increase fat burning and to suppress appetite. Interestingly, there are different effects depending on tolerance levels, those people who did not regularly eat peppers saw a reduced appetite and an increase in fat burning by adding red peppers to meals. However, people who were accustomed to spicy food saw no significant effects. There have also been some studies on animals that have shown to help with some forms of cancer (Jang et. al. 1989; Mori et. al. 2006) but his has not been proven in humans yet so more research is needed before we can truly believe that. Perfect for spicing up your meat or vege over the Christmas period.

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Ginger
Unfortunately, I am not a fan of a ginger, but for those of you who are, let me tell you about all the good things ginger can do for you. The biggest is the effect it can have on nausea. Whether this is caused by sea sickness, morning sickness or chemotherapy, studies have shown that just 1 gram or more of ginger can successfully treat the problem (Ernst & Pittler, 2000). As well as aiding with nausea, ginger also appears to help with pain management and has powerful anti-inflammatory properties (Black et. al. 2010). Ginger can be found everywhere over the festive period!

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Garlic
Finally, we have garlic, and luckily the benefits of garlic are much better than it’s smell. Interestingly both the smell and most of the health benefits both come from the same compound which is called allicin. Garlic can be used primarily for preventing the common cold (Josling, 2001). It has also been shown to reduce total cholesterol and/or LDL cholesterol for those who have high cholesterol (Silagy & Neil, 1994) and to lower blood pressure for individuals with high blood pressure (Ashraf et. al. 2013). Why not put some garlic in with your roast potatoes?

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So there we go – plenty of healthy festive seasonings to inject some spice into your Christmas recipes and give your health a boost too!

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Season’s greetings!

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References:
1. Kirkham S, Akilen R, Sharma S, Tsiami A. The potential of cinnamon to reduce blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2009;11(12):1100-13. doi: 10.1111/j.1463-1326.2009.01094.x.
2. Menon VP, Sudheer AR. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2007;595:105-25;595:105-25.
3. Jurenka JS. Anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin, a major constituent of Curcuma longa: a review of preclinical and clinical research. Altern Med Rev. 2009;14(2):141-53.
4. Jang JJ, Kim SH, Yun TK. Inhibitory effect of capsaicin on mouse lung tumor development. In Vivo. 1989;3(1):49-53.
5. Mori A, Lehmann S, O’Kelly J, et al. Capsaicin, a component of red peppers, inhibits the growth of androgen-independent, p53 mutant prostate cancer cells. Cancer Res. 2006;66(6):3222-9.
6. Ernst E, Pittler MH. Efficacy of ginger for nausea and vomiting: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials. Br J Anaesth. 2000;84(3):367-71.
7. Black CD, Herring MP, Hurley DJ, O’Connor PJ. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) reduces muscle pain caused by eccentric exercise. J Pain. 2010;11(9):894-903. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2009.12.013.
8. Josling P. Preventing the common cold with a garlic supplement: a double-blind, placebo-controlled survey. Adv Ther. 2001;18(4):189-93.
9. Silagy C, Neil A. Garlic as a lipid lowering agent–a meta-analysis. J R Coll Physicians Lond. 1994;28(1):39-45.
10. Ashraf R, Khan RA, Ashraf I, Qureshi AA. Effects of Allium sativum (garlic) on systolic and diastolic blood pressure in patients with essential hypertension. Pak J Pharm Sci. 2013;26(5):859-63.

This week my blog posts have had to make way for a fantastic blog post by our personal trainer Becky, on Weight Gain Over Christmas, a subject which seems particularly relevant to me this year!

Over the last two weeks I have had three Christmas parties: my own work one, our Hall Training team one, and one with the team at Studio PT in Summertown. I’ve actually been very impressed with myself, as over the three of them I drank two glasses of champagne and two small glasses of red wine. Those of you who know the old me would know that would just be me getting started at a Christmas party usually! But what I’ve found is that I’m not actually missing alcohol anymore. I’m perfectly happy with water or a Coke Zero, and don’t have any worse a time not having any booze. This is a really nice realisation for me and my drinking habits will definitely be different going forward!

It’s my birthday today and we’re going out for a nice dinner with my family. I’m going to try and eat quite sensibly but still enjoy myself and follow the same logic on Christmas Day too. It’s a hard time of year to diet with all the social occasions, but it’s not as hard as I thought. This is down to one word which actually sums up my last two weeks: guilt.

When I started this process I knew it would be mentally tough, but I wasn’t quite prepared for the way it would distort my thinking. When I was younger I struggled with an eating disorder, at times very severe, for seven years. This diet process hasn’t caused me to relapse – although I have had a couple of wobbly moments – but a lot of the thinking processes are the same. For those who compete or take on a short and extreme transformation process like this, everything has to revolve around food for a period. This means extreme guilt when I eat something ‘wrong’, like the half a mince pie I ate last night. It also means feeling like a failure even though I know I’ve done well.

When I started this process I had a certain goal in my head. In all honesty it was unrealistic and I knew it, but I thought it would be best to be over-ambitious than under-ambitious. These last two weeks I have had to come to terms with the realisation that I’m not going to get there, and the difficulty comes in recognising the progress I have made. It’s been since my last blog that everyone has started to say that they can see I am looking leaner, that I’m looking good, but to be honest I feel exactly the same as I did when I started. My perspective has started to go and it feels as if I’ve failed completely because I haven’t reached the goal I set. I am trying hard to reverse this feeling and concentrate on the positives, but it’s something I’ve heard from others in the fitness industry and who compete – you never feel lean enough. That’s something everyone should be prepared for before they start something like this. Not trying and feeling a bit rubbish about yourself is one thing – you’re not doing anything to make a change. Trying really hard for ten weeks and still feeling rubbish is a totally different thing to get your head around. Support from friends who have been through similar (and much more extreme) processes is invaluable.

But on the bright side, I still have a couple of weeks left. My training is better than ever, I will be able to rest a lot over the Christmas period, I think my abs are there somewhere, and when I’ve finished I will have done exactly what I set out to do – show people how hard it is to really apply yourself for a 12-week period and get a solid six pack. Now to try not to eat all the other mince pies at Christmas…

Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

With Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas and New Year only days ahead, it’s an exciting but also nerve-wracking time for those trying to maintain weight lost over the year or even for those wanting to continue to lose weight.

It is commonly reported in the tabloids that most people put on a shocking 5 lbs. or 2.2kg over the Christmas period. It’s not uncommon for our clients to avoid weighing themselves to try and avoid the damage. But does this statistic actually hold up?

Well, the good news is that it may not. A study focusing on the holiday period found that weight gain between September and March was actually pretty insignificant. Weight was taken in the pre-holiday period, holiday period and post-holiday period in 195 adults. It found that holiday weight gain came to an average of only 0.48kg, not nearly as high as reports above [1]. Another more recent study looking at weight gain over Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas in different countries also backed the above study, showing weight gain of between 0.6-0.8kg over the holiday periods [2].

Most of the weight gain you may see straight after the festive period (the week bewteen Christmas and New Year) is water weight from the extra salt and carbohydrate consumed through all the meat,chocolate and alcohol – Yum! So, some might say we should all stop fretting and enjoy the Christmas period for what it is. A time to enjoy ourselves a celebrate another year!

Though there is another way to look at it. It really has become a ritual in most countries to relax as the year comes to an end, with the plan being to start fresh and tackle the world (and your waist line!) in the New Year. It is a cycle that we all follow year in year out. But if we do this every year and then don’t quite manage to stick to the diet that’s planned, there’s a chance that this cycle is causing a slow increase in our weight year-on-year that goes unnoticed until five to 10 years down the line.

Weight gain in adulthood is common. No one is expected to be the same size they were at 18 when they turn 30. But why?

This is when that 0.6-0.8kg holiday weight gain may be more significant than it seems. 165 participants in the first study above came back for a follow up the following September. It was reported that most had not lost this small holiday weight gain since the last festive period. Now going into another holiday period, they will be facing another almost 1kg weight gain. Making a total of almost 2kg. Again it may seem insignificant, but go 10 years down the line and it’s looking more important. Something to keep in mind as the New Year rolls in.

At Hall Training our advice would be to kick back and relax over the holiday period, enjoy your time with family and friends. The marginal weight gain is worth it to save yourself from being miserable, but get back into gear in the New Year and find that old training/eating regime to prevent the slow increase in weight year-on-year. As the famous saying goes, “It’s not what you eat between Christmas and New Year that’s important, but what you eat between New Year and Christmas”. 

References:
1. Jack A. Yanovski, Susan Z. Yanovski, et al. A prospective study on holiday weight gain. N Engl J Med. (2015)
2. Helander EE, Wansink B, Chieh A. Weight gain over the holidays. N Engl J Med. (2015)

Need last minute ideas for your Christmas list, or want to stock up on stocking fillers for your gym loving other half? Fear not – our junior trainer Tobi has given us a list of his top ten gym bag essentials. In no particular order, here they are:

1. A Good gym towel – Nobody likes to lie on a bench or sit on a resistance kit with someone else’s sweat on it. Wiping that sweat off your forehead or the kit you are using will keep everything hygienic and stop you getting evil looks from the next gym user.
2. Water bottle – Although most gyms have water stations, I think it’s essential every workout bag contains a water bottle. Research recommends that you drink 500ml of water 2 hours before exercise to promote hydration (Convertino et al. 1996). It also suggests that we should be drinking at regular intervals while we’re working out to replace the fluids lost through sweating.
3. Gloves – If you’re into your resistance training then I highly recommend wearing gloves to prevent blisters and calluses forming on your hands. They may not be essential all the time, but heavy lifting can sometimes be painful for your palms, and the gloves should help.
4. Watch (with stop watch function) – For those that take their training seriously, a watch is a good way to monitor your time when training. Trying to count seconds accurately in your head can be tricky and when counting seconds for rest periods, sometimes we may be give ourselves too much rest time (guilty).
5. Phone with a circuit/HIIT counter – Some mobile apps are great for circuits/HIIT training.  My top app to download is “Seconds”. There’s a free version to download and you can input your workout times, rest between sets and rest between intervals. The full version which costs £3.99 will save your previous circuits and timers. Well worth the purchase.
6. A good playlist – Working out to music that you like can improve your performance. A study last year compared running to music that you prefer and music that you may not like (Cole & Maeda 2015). It found that participants ran further when listening to music that they had chosen. From personal experience, I know that I work harder when I am listening to songs that I like.
7. Lifting straps – There’s nothing more frustrating than being limited by your grip. You know your legs could work harder but you can’t physically hold the bar. Lifting straps can be really helpful in getting through the last few reps.
8. Liquid chalk – For the same reason above, but liquid chalk also helps with exercises like pull ups and chin ups or when you have sweaty palms. A must have if you tend to get a bit hot and sweaty during your workouts, which let’s face it, we all should be!
    
9. Resistance bands – Sometimes you may need to use a bit of kit that somebody else is on, or have a particularly long rest period, or just want to keep moving between sets. Resistance bands are a great way to get some non-taxing work in, and are an essential part of a good mobility or stretching routine. A red band and a purple band should set you up well.
10. Exercise Diary/Log Book – This goes without saying, without it how will you know if you are progressing in your lifts or improving in your run distances? Unless you have a photographic memory then I will be forever jealous. I never leave the house without mine as I need mine to tell me what I am training, what exercises I need to be doing and what weights I should be lifting.
11. BONUS ITEM (if your bag is big enough!): Foam Roller – I recently invested in a foam roller and I must say it is one of the best purchases I have made. The benefits of foam rolling – or Self Myofascial Release – are widely known; reduced soreness after activity, improved recovery and muscle relaxation just to name a few. Spend 10-15 minutes after your workout rolling out any areas of soreness and knots.

So there you have it. I hope this blog has been helpful in giving you an idea of what to include in your own gym bag. What weird and wonderful things do you keep tucked away in your bag? Let me know in the comments section.

As we run up to Christmas every man and his dog will be talking about what they’re ‘going to do’ in 2017 so I threw together some of my favourite hacks for creating change and ultimately making it stick! Hopefully some of them will be new to you, and remember that although at Hall Training we’re mainly focused on changing your health for the better, these can be applied to all areas of your life, so Good luck!

Get Clear On Where You’re Going
First and foremost, you’ve got to know where you’re heading. A well-defined end goal provides you with the direction, and from there on it’s simply completing the necessary tasks each day that will afford you the pleasure of reaching that ideal! When things get tough it’s far too easy to fall into the trap of ‘analysis paralysis’ where you find every excuse under the sun not to start or continue to the end. Overcome this by finding someone who’s already achieved what you want and consistently reminding yourself of them, this will inspire hope and motivation for the emotional side of the brain. Also, on the road towards your destination, don’t obsess about falling off the cart, everyone does – recognise it, brush yourself off and get back on it! Keep that dream alive with hope and distinct direction.

Ensure You’re Using Large Contrasts
I was going to suggest breaking your larger goal down into smaller ones but everyone says that – let’s try something else.
Our brains are naturally pre-wired to ignore small changes, it’s just how they work. Checking yourself out in the mirror every day will give the perception of little to no progress because day to day changes are so small and incremental. That’s why I suggest taking progress photos every 30 days and using those as comparisons rather than relying on your daily vanity check in the mirror. Your brain will accidently trick you otherwise, don’t fall prey.

Simplify Your Daily Habits
Habits drive most of our everyday tasks and free up valuable thinking power for more complex situations. We want to build habits that are stitched into our everyday routine, essentially we want to create autopilot actions. Whatever change you’re attempting to make, whether it’s to stop nipping down to your favourite restaurant every lunch break or simply drinking more water each day, habits have to start easy and small otherwise they become overwhelming. Try making a simple salad for just one of your meals each day or carrying around a 2L water bottle – these are simple yet small nudges towards kick starting a new habit. As well as designing constructive habits we need to be wary of destructive ones.

As the famous investor Warren Buffett says – “The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they’re too heavy to be broken” What destructive habits are holding you back?

Use The Environment as Your Ally
By altering your surroundings, you can either make change much easier or significantly harder. Most people take a step in the right direction but let’s go a level deeper. No doubt you’ve been told that if you don’t have ‘bad’ food in the cupboards then you simply can’t eat it. This is definitely true and unsurprisingly works every time! Now, if you’re among the few that can resist the temptation to even place said evil item into your basket then well done, but some of us aren’t that lucky. Maybe a more effective strategy would be to order your shopping online as to avoid stumbling upon unwelcome items in the store. Or paying at the pump instead of in the shop where you spend 5 minutes queueing alongside some of the most tempting confectionery known to man. Yes, they know what they’re doing! Simply put, you can’t rely on willpower alone so how can you shape your environment and ease change?

At the end of the day, change requires commitment and effort, but it is possible, and small tweaks can achieve amazing results! Hopefully these tips have given you a few more ideas to take forward into the New Year. Why not start now, and see what you can achieve by then?

The clocks have gone back and the evenings are darker, but the pace of fresh new research into health and fitness hasn’t slowed down at all. Here are five things we learned last month that may well be useful for your own training! Especially if you suffer from DOMS or a stitch…

1. Certain people experience higher levels of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) than others – bad luck!
Delayed onset muscle soreness is expected after a heavy weights session or a tough interval session, not only in untrained people but also in experienced athletes. This is due to the damage inflicted on the muscle during the workout. The level of soreness may depend on how hard the person trained or how new the person is to that particular programme or exercise. However, a new study has emerged suggesting it might not all be in the training, but in a person genes. So, if your training partner experiences more DOMS than you it may not be that they’re training harder, but caused by their genotypes.

At Hall Training we write personalised programmes for each client to prevent them from training the same muscle two days in a row. Our advice would be to follow the same programme for 5-6 weeks to allow the body to adapt, and to allow approximately 48 hours before training the same muscle again.

2. Struggling with energy lows? Oat bran could be the answer
On your feet all day with little time to eat? Want to reduce those energy highs and lows? It would seem it’s as simple as pre-loading on oat bran. Eating oat bran before a high carbohydrate meal helps to lower post meal glucose absorption by 25%. The most effective dose was 25g, with every 1g seeing a reduction of 4.35% reduction in glucose absorption.
The mechanism is not yet fully understood but scientists believe the gastric emptying of the stomach is delayed by the increase of viscosity/thickness of the stomach contents. The mixing of foods with the digestive enzymes is then reduced, thus slowing glucose absorption. A handy trick if you’ve got a long active day ahead would be to try adding a tablespoon of oat bran to your porridge or morning smoothie. It may also prove useful for stablising blood sugar in those people who have elevated blood glucose levels.

3. Feeling SAD? Brave the cold!
As the nights turn darker and the days get shorter your bright happy mood may start to diminish. According to the mental health association 1 in 15 people in the UK suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). This is a form of mild depression that comes into effect as the seasons change, usually from summer to winter. It can range from a mild form of the winter blues to being so disabling you cannot function between the months of November to February. SAD is usually caused by lack of daylight and is rare in people living within 30 degrees of the equator, where daylight hours are longer.
Your mind may be telling you to wrap up warm, hunker down and hide from the world but recently, psychologists are telling us to brave the cold through water therapy. This could be a cold shower or if you’re feeling particularly low, a long cold dip in your local lake might do the trick.

The simultaneous firing of all skin-based cold receptors—thought to be three to ten times denser than warm receptors—from jumping into the cold may result in a positive therapeutic effect.

4. You might be breathing wrong
Obviously you’d be dead if you weren’t breathing, but surprisingly we all pick up bad breathing habits due to the way we sit and move. Now, we all know the importance of a good warm up before exercise; ideally improving the mobility at each joint through stretching and foam rolling. But how many people reap the benefits long term through these techniques? As a personal trainer I can tell you minor benefits will be seen immediately after the warm up, but clients seem to revert back to their old selves by the next session. They then begin to rush the mobility/warm up routines as the months go on due to lack of long term change.

This month, the Hall Training team had its own ‘Eureka’ moment during a visit from local physiotherapist and ciropractor – Austin Lawrence, who taught us the benefits of proper diaphragmatic breathing on posture and movement quality.

It can be as simple as lying on the floor for several minutes and focusing on breathing deeply into your stomach, letting it expand like a balloon. Spending a couple of minutes doing this each day could be the answer to looser calf and hip muscles, meaning deeper squats and deadlifts and a far more efficient body. Not only this but breathing correctly can also improve muscle activation in the glutes by loosening the sacrum. We suggest fixing your breathing before spending hours with that painful foam roller. Over time breathing through your diaphragm will become second nature.

5. What exactly is a stich? Who knows?
A stitch is an all too familiar feeling, not only with fitness newbies but with seasoned athletes. But what is it? What causes it? And how can we make it go away?
It turns out that the stitch was quite the mystery until a series of studies were conducted over the past decade. An Australian researcher called Darren Morton ruled out popular theories. He induced a stitch by feeding volunteers carbonated drinks followed by running on a treadmill. Then, using electrodes to monitor abdominal muscle and monitored breathing and found no change during the stitch, ruling out abdominal spasms and respiratory muscle spasms.

So, what’s the answer? Well, there still is no definite answer.

Stitches seem to arise often in people with brain lesions or compressed nerves in the thoracic spine (upper back). A 2010 study found a link between the degree of curvature in the spine and susceptibility to stitches. They found the pain can come from extra pressure from the abdominal cavity when the stomach is full and there is excess curvature of the spine. This causes friction on the outer layer of abdominal muscle causing the stitch.
If you find you are particularly susceptible to stitches, we suggest working on your posture daily through mobility exercises and steering clear of food 1-2 hours prior to exercise.

Reference:
1. http://www.innerself.com/content/living/health/healing-disciplines/9542-a-cold-splash-water-therapy-for-depression-chronic-fatigue.html
2. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/s/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad
Baumert P; Lake MJ; Stewart CE; Drust B, Genetic variation and exercise-induced muscle damage: implications for athletic performance, injury and ageing. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2016 Sep
3. Steinert, R.E.; Raederstorff, D.; Wolever, T.M.S.Effect of Consuming Oat Bran Mixed in Water before a Meal on Glycemic Responses in Healthy Humans—A Pilot Study. Nutrients 2016, 8, 524.
4. Lawrence, Austin at Hall Training day, 2016
5. Alex Hutchinson’s ‘Which comes first, cardio or weights?‘