“Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save & preserve it.”

Plato 427-347 BC







“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”

Lao-Tzu










Gymless Training Blog

Laziness At Its Worst

Alistair Ramsay - Monday, May 17, 2010
This evening I was passing through Waterloo Station on my way home. Now anyone who has ever been to Waterloo Station will confirm just how chaotic this place is in rush hour, it is carnage! Hordes of people rushing to get to the overland, scores of people crushing onto the underground, all in all a thoroughly unpleasant place to be.

However one thing about this rush hour really ticked me off. As I entered the station there was a big mob of stressed out people fighting tooth and claw to make it to their trains on time. A bottleneck had formed at a single escalator heading up into the main concourse. Nothing too strange about that I hear you say?

True, but what got me was that LITERALLY right next to the escalator was a perfectly good set of stairs, and I do mean right next to, it was 1m away running parallel to the escalator. What amazed me most was that there was not a single person queuing to get up this flight of stairs. Seriously, not one! It was not even a long flight of stairs, 30 steps max.

This is a dark sign and shows just how chronically lazy humans are becoming, small wonder then that the western world is getting fatter and sicker. I dread to think what the world will be like in another hundred years if people are already too lazy to walk up a small flight of stairs.

Please don't join the lazy crowd.......


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Recommended Equipment - Kettlebells

Alistair Ramsay - Friday, May 14, 2010

Kettlebell Training

"Achieve more, train less with Kettlebells"

     

Are you interested in learning how to unlock the power of these awesome training tools? Click below to see why you should be.....

Why you should train with kettlebells

With one single kettlebell you can simultaneously perform; Strength Training, Cardio-Vascular Training, Flexiblity Training and Core Stability Training.
The combination of which will burn body fat quicker than any treadmill and leave you with a strong, lean & healthy body that looks every bit as good as it moves. They really are a complete fitness solution and one that costs less than the price of one months membership to your average gym and can store away in the smallest of cupboards.

Where can you get Kettlebells?

United Kingdom

If you live in the United Kingdom then I recommend getting your Kettlebells from London Kettlebells. LKB Kettlebells are excellent quality and come in the full range of weights from 6kg up to 60kg. Importantly their Kettlebells are also built to the right dimensions to avoid injuring your wrist. I have got a large number of kettlebells through LKB and everytime their customer service and speed of delivery has been excellent.

Click on the kettlebells below to access the London Kettlebell store;

              




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Recommended Equipment - TNT Cable System

Alistair Ramsay - Friday, May 14, 2010

TNT Cable System

"Affordable, Portable and Hugely Effective"



Since adding the TNT Cable System into my own workout programs (and my training clients) I have noticed some fanastic gains in my strength and power. This bit of kit is very affordable, very portable and hugely versatile allowing you to perform pushing, pressing, pulling, rotational and lower body exercises. The resistance can be juggled around in seconds from very gentle to EXTREMELY CHALLENGING.

One of the great things about using resistance bands in your strength training program is that they reverse the normal strength curve.

What does this mean?

When you lift a traditional weight such as a kettlebell, the movement will get easier as the joints move to a more favourable biomechanical postitions. This is why we all having sticking points in certain exercises which are often early in the movement. Resistance Bands reverse this trend by increasing the resistance as you move into the stronger biomechanical positions. Seriously, after working on my Presses with the TNT Cable System I found previously heavy kettlebells, shot up like air.

The Strength Company are the exclusive suppliers of Lifeline Equipment in the UK. Their customer service is first class and I have received all my orders from them in under 24 hours.

Here is the blurb from The Strength Company about the TNT Cable System;

"The ultimate choice for Size - Strength - Power. Generates up to 240 Pounds of Resistance Instantly!

The Lifeline® TNT Cable System is proven to be better than weights for developing size, strength and power, according to Kevin Pasquay, MS, Performance Director at Sports Science Center. The TNT is simply the most powerful resistance cable set on the market.

Changing the level of resistance is done easily in seconds with the unique 3 in 1 handles. Using the lightest cable, you can go from 30 to 60 to 90 lbs of resistance in seconds. Giving you endless possibilities with the most powerful, portable piece of exercise equipment ever made, it’s the only system you’ll need. TRY it…but be warned, a serious challenge is approaching!"






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Recommended Equipment - Lifeline Power Wheel

Alistair Ramsay - Friday, May 14, 2010

Lifeline Power Wheel

"Simply the best core training tool around"



Forget endless crunches which do nothing more than ruin your posture, by far the best way to train your abdominals is by lengthening under tension. The Power Wheel allows you to do just that as well as a whole host of other challenging exercises that will train the strength, power and stability of your core muscles. The Power Wheel can be held with your hands or attached to your feet to open up a further array of exercises.

The Strength Company
are the exclusive suppliers of Lifeline Equipment in the UK including the Power Wheel. Their customer service is first class and I have received all my orders from them in under 24 hours.


Here is the Power Wheel blurb from The Strength Company website;

"Voted "The Best" Core Trainer in the World!

No machine works the abs and back like the Power Wheel." - Matt Furey, Author of Combat Abs

The Lifeline® Power Wheel dynamically improves core strength, power and balance. Designed to fit hands or feet, the Power Wheel forces your core-muscles to adapt and stabilize with each dynamic move for the strongest back and abs ever!

The Lifeline® Power Wheel was determined to be "The Best Core Trainer in the World" by an independent research study done at the University of California Berkeley"





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Recommended Equipment - Jungle Gym

Alistair Ramsay - Friday, May 14, 2010

The Jungle Gym

"The ultimate anytime anywhere fitness solution"



Bodyweight training is one of the most underestimated training tools available in the fitness world, so much time and money is spent developing expensive and over-rated contraptions that we often lose site of what is right in front of us....our own bodyweight.


Using your bodyweight alone you can readily;

  • Lose weight
  • Enhance your strength
  • Develop stamina & endurance
  • Improve flexibility & mobility
  • Learn to move with grace, power and precision
Your body really is the complete fitness package, costs you nothing and allows you to train anywhere, anytime. Lets quickly look at some of the reasons why I think bodyweight training is so great;

  • Developing the ability to comfortably move your own body throught key movement patterns is about as functional as training gets
  • You learn to move your body as a single integrated unit, not as a collection of body parts as many gym machines will have you do
  • You can train multiple facets of fitness from maximum strength, strength endurance, speed & explosiveness, core stability and flexibility
  • Less Risk of Injury than many other forms of resistance training
  • It costs nothing and can be done anytime, anywhere

Strength purists will argue that there is a limit to how beneficial bodyweight training is for strength gains, it would be interesting to see how many elevated one arm push ups and/or one arm pull ups these same people are capable of? Still not convinced, have a glance at elite gymnasts for a visual demonstration of how effective bodyweight training can be. The strength, power and mobility of these athletes is truly phenomenal.

Whilst you can accomplish a huge amount using just your bodyweight and no other equipment whatsoever, there is one piece of training equipment that really adds value to your bodyweight training program and opens up a multitude of unique and challenging exercises.

Enter the Jungle Gym made by Lifeline USA.

The Jungle Gym is a complete fitness solution which you can use anywhere from your home, garden or local park. You can even take it on holiday with you. I am a massive fan of bodyweight training and the addition of the Jungle Gym allows you to work ALL muscle groups using just your bodyweight and no other equipment. Using the Jungle Gym you can;

  • Burn body fat
  • Increase total body strength
  • Enhance flexbility
  • Increase core stability
  • Improve athletic performance
  • Work up to your first pull up
  • All done anytime, anywhere

It really is a fantastically versatile bit of kit, suitable for complete beginners to hard core athletes.

Importantly the Jungle Gym is also FUN to use, with hundreds of exercise variations targetting all the key movements (lower body, pushing, pulling, core) so you will never get bored with your training. Whether you are an athlete, weekend warrior or just starting out on your fitness journey the Jungle Gym can form an integral component to your training program.

Visit the The Strength Company to learn more about this great product.
 





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Hate Running? Like sport? I have good news for you

Alistair Ramsay - Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Recent studies have shown that playing 5-a-side football is better for your health than traditional cardio workouts such as jogging. The studies showed that 5-a-side football was more effective at;

  • Cutting the risk of heart disease
  • Reducing blood pressure
  • Reducing cholesterol levels
  • Increased bone density
  • Increased oxygen uptake
  • Helping you lose weight
Not bad right? The reason this type of exercise is more effective than traditional running routines is that playing a sport gives you more of a complete workout. You mix in periods of high intensity running/sprinting with low intensity active recovery (much like interval training which has been proven to be more effective for fat loss). In addition playing a sport is much more multi-directional. You have to accelerate and decelerate rapidly, run forward, backwards, side-to-side, twist, turn and jump. All these movements help load the musculoskeletal system to a far greater extent than traditional cardio routines.

The other great thing about playing a sport vs going running is that it is infinitely more fun. The more you enjoy it the more likely you are to do it and the better you feel for it. Also, because you are enjoying yourself you will not even notice that you are getting a great workout at the same time.

You can check out the full article by clicking below;

Play Football For Health

The one thing I disagree with is that the article claims 5-a-side football is better than strength training. This is clearly not true if getting stronger and building lean muscle is one of your goals. To accomplish these goals, strength training is a must. However from a conditioning stand point, yes a high-octane game of 5-a-side is going to be far better for your cardio-respiratory fitness than a strength training workout.

So there you have it, if you want to increase both the effectiveness and the enjoyment of your conditioning routines playing a high tempo sport appears to be the way to go. My suggestions would be football, touch rugby, hockey or squash!!

If you have any question/comments regarding this post it would be great to hear from you. Please get in touch using the "comments" link below and I shall aim to get back to you ASAP

Alistair Ramsay
BSc Applied Sports Science

Personal Trainer London



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Latest Super Shake

Alistair Ramsay - Tuesday, May 11, 2010
I have just created my new favourite super shake and thought I would share it with you;

1 x Banana

1 x Tablespoon Organic Peanut Butter
1 x Tablespoon of Udo's Oil
1 x Scoop of Sun Warrior Rice Protein (Chocolate Flavour)
5 x Ice Cubes

Throw this lot into the blender and add water (how much depends on how thick you want the shake). Blend all the ingredients, pour into a glass and enjoy. Pure heaven.

Not only does it taste great, it is packed full of energy, healthy fats and a complete amino acid profile!

For an even healthier alternative try some organic almond butter in place of the peanut butter!

Hope you enjoy it

N.B. If you are looking to burn fat then just beware how much peanut/almond butter you put in, it is very energy dense!

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Udo's Oil - Healthy Fats Recommendation

Alistair Ramsay - Monday, May 10, 2010
Getting more healthy fats into your diet is something most people could benefit from enormously. Most people are getting far too many Omega 6 fatty acids and not enough Omega 3 fatty acids. Research suggests that not only are healthy fats important for a multitude of health functions such as reducing inflammation but they are also linked to significant improvements in body composition.

Udo's Oil is my preferred source of healthy fats. it is an organic blend of flax, sesame and sunflower seed oils, combined with oils from evening primrose, rice germ, oat germ and coconut.

Udo's Oil is the creation of Dr Udo Erasmus, PhD and contains the ideal 2:1:1 balance of Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids.
 




The stuff tastes great drizzled on salads or cooked vegetables. Alternatively I like to add a table spoon to my home made smoothies and sometimes I will even gulp down a table spoon of the stuff on its own, mmm!!

Udo's Oil is available from a number of suppliers in the UK, personally I get mine from Amazon, but if you shop around you might be able to find it cheaper elsewhere....let me know if you do!

If you want to learn more about good fats and bad fats then I found this useful article you can check out.


If you have any question/comments regarding this post it would be great to hear from you. Please get in touch using the "comments" link below and I shall aim to get back to you ASAP

Alistair Ramsay
BSc Applied Sports Science

Personal Trainer London
 



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What Is Density Training?

Alistair Ramsay - Saturday, May 08, 2010
Density training is a beautifully simple method of building muscle and strength. In fact it is so simple I would classify it idiot proof.

Simple is good, the simpler a system the less chance it has of going wrong. With density training you can forget about complicated sets and reps schemes, forget about timing your rest periods to the nearest second, forget about TUT and everything else that can make strength training workouts a bit of a chore. Instead all you need to focus on is this;

'Accomplishing more work in a set time'

Your muscles are a biological system and like any biological system they seek to adapt to the demands placed upon them. The more work your muscles are made to do, the greater the stimulus will be for them to grow bigger and stronger. In the science world, 'work' is calculated using the following equation;

Work = Force x Distance

So to increase the amount of work done in a given time period you must either increase the force being produced or increase the distance travelled. That is all there is to it.

  • Force can be increased by increasing the load of an exercise or by altering the tempo of an exercise.
  • Distance can be increased by performing more repetitions.
There are various versions of density training popularised today. However, for me the pick of the bunch is Escalating Density Training. Brilliantly simple and brilliantly effective.

Escalating Density Training (EDT) is the creation of expert strength coach Charles Staley and has become a staple in many of my training programs.

What does an Escalating Density Training workout look like;

  • Pair two exercises that target different muscle groups
  • Set a time period (generally 15 or 20 minutes)
  • Start the clock
  • Alternate between the two exercises
  • Take rests as and when needed
  • Stop the clock when time is up
  • Record the total number of reps performed of each exercise (and load used)
  • Next time you perform the workout, aim to increase your numbers either by performing a) more repetitions of each exercise b) increasing the load of each exercise or c) both
  • Repeat the above steps for a second pairing of exercises
For a full run down of this brilliant system, please visit www.staleytraining.com

Here is an example escalating density training workout using bodyweight calisthenics and kettlebells;

Density Set 1 (15 minutes)

Double Kettlebell Front Squats
Divebomber Push Ups

Density Set 2 (15 minutes)

Pull Ups
Kettlebell Swings

Performance Tips;

  • Don't perform the early sets to failure, in fact you should probably target around 50% of your max reps in the early rounds or you will burn yourself out before the time is up
  • Make sure your technique remains perfect for each and every rep
  • Always record your numbers, without them you have no baseline to monitor improvement
  • Swap exercises every 3-6 weeks to avoid stagnation
  • Make sure the exercises you select target different area's of the body. This way when you are performing an exercise, the muscles used during the previous exercise are getting a rest
The great thing about this training method is that you know exactly when you start and when you are going to finish. From this you can workout exactly what you need to do in order to progress from your last workout. This is a great motivator and I regularly see people push much harder than they otherwise would in a training session in order to top their PB from the previous session. I mean no one wants to take a backwards step right?

The goal of any strength training program is to push your muscles to do more work. More work performed demands an adapation from your muscular system which results in you getting bigger and stronger. Escalating Density Training makes the performance and monitoring of this goal completely idiot proof!!

If you have any question/comments regarding this post it would be great to hear from you. Please get in touch using the "comments" link below and I shall aim to get back to you ASAP

Alistair Ramsay
BSc Applied Sports Science

Personal Trainer London
 


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Interview with Ori Hofmekler - Author Of The Anti-Estrogenic Diet

Alistair Ramsay - Thursday, May 06, 2010
Here is a TV interview with Ori Hofmekler, author of the Anti-Estrogenic Diet. This is my favourite book on nutrition and I thoroughly recommend you get a copy.



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