Covid 19 Lockdown
During the Covid-19 level 4 lockdown I'll be regularly updating body weight style workouts every week. These workouts will be free to use during this period. Once the lockdown period finishes and we all have access to equipment again I'll be updating more gym-based HIIT circuits, tests and training programs as part of an online on-demand training option for clients. So for those who prefer to train at home independently then I can provide personalised training programs that you can follow whenever and wherever you want. This is ideal for people who are self-motivated and know what they want to achieve but just require the direction on how to get there. If you're looking for a fresh-start, want to train independently and are up for a new challenge with your exercise then on-demand training is for you. More information to come. If you are interested in future on-demand training then use the enquiry form at the bottom of the page to register your interest.
Nutrition
The main focus of my nutrition plan is to encourage you to have a sensible and balanced intake from all the main food groups: carbohydrate, protein and good fats. I don't believe in crash-dieting or to omit entire food groups for short or long periods of time. This approach isn't sustainable and will promote long term metabolic damage (greater muscle breakdown which slows down your metabolic rate of fat burn). The foundations of any quality exercise routine and of your general overall health rely heavily on an intake of quality nutrient-dense foods which enables you to feel and function at your best. The typical western diet of today is too heavily focused on high sugar and low nutrient-dense foods that provide very little nutritional benefit to the body. Fuelling your body with too much processed food can very easily lead to a daily energy surplus (without even realising it) resulting in weight gain. Minimising your intake of unhealthly processed food while increasing your intake of complex starchy carbs will help to increase your insulin sensitivity, decreasing your likelihood of diabetes and reducing your body fat levels around your stomach at the same time. I recommend taking in sufficient protein from animal and plant based sources. Protein is an essential requirement of a healthy diet as it's important for muscle repair and helps to form the building blocks to which muscle is built. Without enough protein you're only operating at limited capacity and your fitness goals will be much more difficult to achieve. Good fats sourced from fish, nuts, seeds and avocado is also essential in my perspective. A diet sufficient in healthy omega-3 fats relative to omega-6 promotes better hormone health, better immunity and will reduce inflammation.
The #1 factor in you being able to lose body fat and/or build muscle depends on your calorie intake. It's not rocket science; too many calories leads to weight gain and too few calories leads to weight loss. Based on your exercise goals and lifestyle habits I will determine what your energy balance should be in order to stimulate a change in body shape and at the same time provide the body with enough energy to sustain quality training sessions. The other key factor enabling you to change your body shape most efficiently comes down to your macronutrient levels (carbs, protein and fats). A calorie restriction will cause general weight loss, but by having the correct focus and balance of these 3 food groups will contribute to more fat-weight being lost compared to muscle-weight loss. Maximising all your hard-earned efforts in the gym by having a sufficient protein intake will mean a faster recovery, greater ability to build muscle, and will prevent metabolic damage which effects your longer term ability to keep the fat off (and to keep the muscle on). With your personalised meal plan I will determine all this for you. Futhermore, seeing results as a consequence of following the correct eating habits will motivate you to keep working.
Unfortuntely I don't promote a secret weight loss pill or a magical line of supplements that will transform your body overnight. Supplements will only be of benefit as an addition to a good eating plan - they cannot mask a poor one.
The key to your level of success ultimately comes down to good choices and clean eating. Sorry to tell you there's no short cuts and it will take some initial sacrifice to recalibrate your taste buds and change your body's preference to quality nutrient-dense foods. A good diet should not feel like you are actually dieting - learning the 'what' and 'how much' are the key factors in being able to reset your eating habits for your long term health.