KEEP BELIEVING . . KEEP FIGHTING. . KEEP KICKING ASS!

Tuesday 31st Jan - Training Log (Light Week

2012-01-31T22:39:00.001+11:00

Push Press

Bar x 3

25 x 3

30 x 3

35 x 3 (4 sets)

Push Jerk

35 x 2

40 x 2 (3 sets)

Front Squats

Bar x 3

35 x 3

45 x 3

55 x 3 (4 sets)

Bent over Rows

35 x 8 (3 sets)

Training Log - Monday 30th Jan, 2012 (Light Week)

2012-01-30T21:13:00.000+11:00

LIGHT WEEK

Snatches

Bar x 3

25 x 3

30 x 3 (3 sets)

Snatch Pulls

35 x 3

45 x 3

55 x 3 (4 sets)

Back Squats

35 x 3

45 x 3

55 x 3

65 x 3 (4 sets)

Good Mornings

20 x 5

30 x 5 (3 sets)

Hammer Curls

8reps x 3sets

the talking barbell.

2012-01-30T12:19:00.001+11:00

Alloy steel. 2.05m long. 15kg. 25mm diameter.

The biggest enemy of the state.

It lies completely motionless on the ground, but it knows you. All of you. It knows you like no one else knows you.

It knows your fears . . It knows when you’re afraid . . It knows by your body language . . The way you look at it with those cold eyes of desperation . . by the heaviness of your breath . . the twitching in your fingers . . the nervous stomping of your feet . .

And it talks to you. Small constant talk in your ear.

It tells you who you are . . who you’re not . . what you’re capable of.

It tells you no. It tells you there’s no way. It tells you to fuck off, go home . . don’t bother coming back.

It tells you you’ve tried all this before . . but you lost . . what makes you think you can do it AGAIN . . you’re just going to lose AGAIN . . why would you put yourself through that AGAIN . .

It tells you you’re dead meat on a barbell plate if you choose to go to battle . . it tells you to call your partner and tell them you won’t be making it home tonight . .

It hisses like a snake . . slithering its words into your ear. . filling up your head with its venom . .

But all that talk . . it doesn’t matter.

Not tonight.

I step up to the platform . . to the enemy they call the barbell . .

Yeh you can talk barbell . . but so can I.

I’ve got a lot to say . . so you best buckle up.

Training Log - Saturday 28th Jan 2012

2012-01-29T11:08:00.002+11:00

Saturday 28th Jan 2012

Hang Snatches

Bar x 3
25 x 3
30 x 3 (3 sets)

Hang Snatch Pulls
35 x 3
45 x 3
55 x 3 (3 sets)

Split Jerks
Bar x 3
35 x 3
40 x 3 (4 sets)

Front Squats
35 x 4
45 x 4
55 x 4
65 x 3
75 x 3
80 x 2 (PB)

Overhead Squats
Bar x 3
25 x 3 (4 sets)

NOTES: Jerks felt better . . really need to focus on getting under the bar.

keep on keeping on . .

2011-11-24T11:17:00.002+11:00

It's funny . . sometimes it's SO much harder to remind yourself what you're doing . . why you're doing it . . other times you have tunnel vision . . you know EXACTLY what needs to get done . . WHY you're killing yourself over it . . but your body still may not respond the way you want . .
Sometimes the minutes spent training feel a lot longer than they should . . sometimes it feels like it’s flown by . .

Sometimes you feel like you have all the support in the world . . you thrive on that energy and put it into your training . . but there are times when even though you may have all that support . . you still feel like you’re out there all alone . . it’s just you on the edge of the cliff . . going through the motions . . no one or nothing can make you feel better . . no motivational quotes . . no slap on the ass . . no amount of stimulants . . so you just go through the motions . . like a zombie . .

No one understands what goes on in your head before . . during . . or after a training session . . no one knows how much passion you have inside of you . . how much energy you have . . when you have your ups . . your downs . . when you feel totally depleted . . how much effort you put in when no ones around . . when you don’t know think you can do it . .

No one knows your thought process . . how scared you really are sometimes . . the fear of failure AND fear of success . . fear of not knowing the end of the road . . what it will take to get there . . if you’ve put in enough time . . enough effort . . fear of letting yourself down . . fear of letting others down . . fear of not reaching your own expectations . . others expectations . .

But through all this training . . the thoughts in our heads . . the things that encourage us and discourage us . . we learn SO much about ourselves . . what makes us tick . . what makes us click . . and sometimes the things we discover we don’t want to see for ourselves . . but we become better all the better for it . .

I question myself every day . . yes I feel ALL of these feelings . . I go through ALL of these times . . but that’s what I find motivating . . I don’t have the answers . . I don’t pretend that I do . . I just keep fighting and maybe something good happens . . maybe it doesn’t.

Who are you without your job title ??

2011-10-18T09:45:00.001+11:00

Whenever we meet somebody new, the topic of conversation almost always steers towards the question . .

“what do you do for a living?”

And when we’re kids, we tell Mummy & Daddy what we want to be when we grow up.

It’s embedded in our brains at a young age that career comes first, & then you build your life around THAT.

Because of that, we have the tendency to attach others, and especially attach OURSELVES to job titles to such an extent that we allow it to define who we are.

I’m not talking about being passionate about something .. or wanting success in something . . but the point where you allow your work and your success/failure at work to dictate the type of person YOU are.

If your job was no longer there for you when you woke up tomorrow morning, how would you react ?? what kind of emotions would you feel ??

Would you feel depressed . . ??

Would you feel lost . . ??

Would you feel empty . . ??

Would it change the way you see yourself as a person . . ??

When you define your own self worth by something EXTERNAL of yourself (like your job), you give that external thing control over your emotions, over your way of thinking . . over your way of feeling . . you’re basically giving it permission to hijack your life.

. . and when the time inevitably comes where something doesn’t go to plan, you stuff up, that loss doesn’t just effect your career anymore, it has a carry-over effect and begins to mould and shape how you view YOURSELF. And that’s when shit starts to get ugly.

The fuck ups that happen at work are not reflections of who you are.

You aren’t a regional manager . . a lawyer . . a sparky . . an athlete . . you are YOU. You were this before your title, you are you now, you are going to be YOU after this title.

In the military, you are not your rank. Rank is INFORMATION. You are not information.

You’re not the games you lose . . the tasks you fail . . the positions you don’t get.

Accomplishments are in the past . . you AREN’T in the past . . so how could you possibly be your accomplishments?

Your morals . . your values . . your belief system . . what you will fight for . . what you will die for . . the very essence of your being . . THAT is who you are . . those aspects of yourself need to live on a different island and be locked away . .

. . and you need to acknowledge them every single day that you’re alive and kicking on this earth . . because when you lose all the tangible things in this world . . your job . . your money . . that’s all you’re left with.

And if your whole life value is based around your 9-5 job . . if you’re attached hook, line and sinker . . when that fucks up, you fuck up too . . you’re left with this VOID that can’t be filled . . because you’ve trained yourself to become all about that ONE external thing. . and when that goes . . you go too.

When shit happens externally of ourselves that we’re not prepared for , those things shouldn’t effect how you view yourself as a person . . that shouldn’t be the test of your self worth . . of who and what you represent as a person –

instead, your morals . . your values . . that belief system you have with yourself, should prove to overpower any sticky situation we get stuck in, because in essence, that’s all that is REAL in this world . . and if you mix that in with the fake stuff . . you’re in trouble.

So how do you not become your success?

Easy in theory . . hard in application . .

1) Figure out what your beliefs, morals, and values are.

. . and never, ever stray from them. These babies are the backbone to every single decision you make in life.

2) Redefine success.

Success doesn’t mean having your mates acknowledge you . . success coincides with your values . . if you fail, it shouldn’t affect how you view yourself as a person and the person that you are. It’s its own separate entity, living on its own separate island.

3) Figure out what else turns you on. Don’t get attached to one thing and one thing only. Enjoy lots of things. For every outlet, you should have another outlet.

4) Spend time on your own everyday.

Whether it be in the morning, or lying down in bed before you nod off . . rediscover what’s important in your life . . spend time inside your own head.

5) Write.

Once a week allocate a time to writing whatever it is that’s on your mind . . WHATEVER comes out off the top of your head . . ideas . . concepts . . emotions . . frustrations . . grocery lists . . it doesn’t matter . . you’d be surprised how invigorating it is to empty some of that storage space inside your brain.

If your job can survive without you, you can survive without your job.

Ankle Mobility

2011-10-11T11:52:00.001+11:00

HEY YOU! You know those things attached to your feet . . they’re called ankles . . they are craving your attention . . maybe you can spend some time getting to know them . . one on one date ?

Most people . . probably you (& recently, i’ve found me). . will lack range of motion in dorsiflexion (refer to sexy picture above) . .

Get up & do this wall test to see how much ankle range you have:

How’d you go?

If you got 10cm or above . . *HI 5*

If not . . NEVER FEAR, MEL IS HERE.

WHY DO I WANT TO DO BORING ANKLE MOBILITY DRILLS?

It’s going to allow you to get deeper in movements like the squat . .

It’s going to allow you to sit more upright in movements like the squat . .

It’s going to allow you to utilize more of your glutes & hamstrings, & release that tension/pain off your knee . .

It’s going to mean BIGGER NUMBERS in your lifts . .

It’s going to allow you to generate more power, with less effort . .

Check out this article by Michael Boyle, there’s a test in there you can do to figure out if you have a flexibility or a mobility issue with your ankle . . PLUS, he talks about the relationship between ankle mobility & knee/lower back pain.

A Joint by Joint Approach to Training

Another awesome 2-Part article on Foot Function in sports (definitely worth a read) -

Foot Function in Sport Performance

ALRIGHT . .

SO HOW DO WE FIX THIS PROBLEMO?

If you have a mobilization issue . . here are a couple of vids to get you going . . make sure you pay attention to what you’re doing . . do this drills PROPERLY or else you’re not going to see a change . .

I would do these everyday until you see some kind of improvement . . then you can back off to only performing them on your training days . . ankle mobility doesn’t happen overnight so keep at it & be patient with it.

COOL TRAINING VIDS

2011-10-10T08:20:00.001+11:00

Anthony Gatto is a juggler for Cirque du Soleil . . jugglers are SO underestimated . . the hand/eye coordination, visual reaction time, peripheral vision that gets developed when you train this way is advantageous in ANY sport . . i’ll have to write out a post specific to jugglers soon . . AMAZING ATHLETES.

Chad Vaughn, 2 time Olympian weightlifter, 6 time National champion, & is currently the American record holder in Clean & Jerk at 190kg (77kg weight class). Flows like ballet.

This dude makes one arm push ups look girly . .

1150 TYRE FLIPS @ 230 bodyweight.

One-Legged High Jumper wins world record .. this dude is amazing. Sorry . . what were you saying about your problems?

Awesome conditioning/strengthening drill by Glenn Pendlay for the posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, lower back) & abs.

Awesome Triple Jump Drill . . .

PARKOUR TRAINING . . lot of respect for these athletes . . very underestimated.

Overtraining VS Under recovery - Doctor Hartman

2011-09-29T12:40:00.001+10:00

"Overtraining is real, but it is very misunderstood and grossly overstated by most people. 99% of people will never experience overtraining, and maybe only 5-10% of athletes. Now, fatigue is common and a normal response to training. For full blown overtraining to occur that fatigue would have to accumulate over a period of months. Most people will take a few days off, or an overuse injury limits their training, before overtraining develops."

Continue Reading - Overtraining VS Under Recovery

Training when sick . .

2011-09-28T13:12:00.005+10:00

“ Look at it this way: if you only have 100 credits that can be spent on recovery (reducing inflammation, healing things, etc.) and a typical workout will require 75 credits to recover from, and you are experiencing an infection that has already depleted 110 credits, you don’t have any credits to use for training, and you increase your defecit. The system is in a weakened state, and then you weaken it significantly more by asking it to do more when it can barely do less. It’s like a nation being trillions of dollars in debt, and then continuing to spend billions of dollars to try and make money — it doesn’t make any fucking sense. ”

Continue reading article - To train or not to train?

PART 1) TENDONITIS SOLUTIONS

2011-09-26T12:04:00.013+10:00

This is going to be a 5 PART post . . as i want to specifically target each common area of tendonitis (elbows, knees, shoulders, wrists) & provide specific exercises to strengthen/rehab each area.

Part 1 (this post) i'm explaining what tendonitis is & what causes it.

TENDONITIS.

If you're going to take up weightlifting of any kind, i think it's a NECESSITY to understand the types of things your body is going to go through, specifically in terms of acute injuries, so you don't FREAK OUT when it does happen to you (if you train seriously, it's a matter of when, not if) . .you should know how to manage & perform basic rehab on yourself to recover as quickly & effectively as possible without having to rush to a physio everytime you sense a bit of uncomfortableness.

Tendonitis is one of those things that everyone goes through . . and it's handy to understand how it all works.

SO GRAB A SEAT & LISTEN UP.

What the hell is it?

A tendon is a band of fibrous tissue. Tendons connect your muscles to the bones. When a muscle contracts, it pulls on a bone to cause movement. The tendon is the force that provides the pull/movement of that contraction. Tendons usually glide easily and smoothly as the muscle contracts.

Tendonitis is the result of a tendon becoming inflammed, and the pulling of that muscle becomes irritated & painful.

Why do i get it?

Tendons are EVERYWHERE in the body . . but tendonitis is more commonly found in the elbow, wrist, shoulder, knee. Why? Because these areas of the body don't get pumped with a high blood supply, so when you injury these areas, not enough oxygen can be provided to those areas to provide quick healing of the tendon.

Tendonitis is an overuse injury. I've recently started Olympic lifting, and i've got a little bit of tendonitis in my knees . . why? because i'm squatting a hell of a lot & my body hasn't adapted to the new activity yet . . maybe i did too much volume too soon, and the tendons haven't had a chance to adapt.

How do i know if i have it??
I'll go into this in more detail specific to the particular area of tendonitis in the next posts but in general, symptoms are:

sharp pain when moving the joint
the joint is sensitive to touch
unable to fully lengthen the joint without pain

So how do i fix it ??

Do i rest until the pain goes away . . do i work through the pain ??

The worst thing you could possibly do is rest for an extended period of time, and then go back to exactly what it was you were doing to cause the pain in the first place.

The tendons need to adapt to the activity that you're doing, so simply resting is not going to do anything but bring the inflammation down.

You need to make sure the tendons are staying mobilized and being supplied with as much blood & oxygen as possible, and that you're strengthening that tendon as quickly as possible to get it back to being stronger than it was pre-tendonitis.

Here's an article by Peter Blanchonette based around curing tendonitis with eccentric movements (eccentric movements are the contraction of a muscle during lengthening - for example, the downward initiation of a bicep curl) - The Eccentric Solution

PART 2 i will talk specifically about KNEE TENDONITIS causes & solutions.

all or nothing VS something - my AHA moment.

2011-09-23T12:16:00.000+10:00

One quality about myself that i'm constantly working on is this concept of "ALL OR NOTHING".

I've always been the type to either put my all in something, or nothing . . ESPECIALLY when it comes to my training.

So in the past, when i've been injured, i wouldn't train that body part at all if i couldn't train it 100% . . i would simply train another body part or not do anything.

I've had CONSTANT issues with my hamstring . . and i've now strained my biceps femoris (hamstring muscle) AGAIN.

Last night . . after being pissed off with the mother fuckin world, i was analyzing my current situation with my hamstring . . and reflecting on past injuries . . and my reaction to past injuries . . and it's always been me being pissed off . . and me feeling like i'm at effect of the injury . . i've always seen injuries as my body rebelling against me . . & being the reason why i'm not getting to where i'm endlessly trying to get with my training . . i've seen injuries as some sort of road block . . the devil.

I'm slowly (when i say slowly, i mean slowwwwwwly) coming to realize that maybe my body is simply trying to help me . . warn me that i need to back off . . it's trying to work WITH me, not AGAINST me . . that my body isn't ready for what my mind is necessarily ready for . . that i need to spend a little bit more time working on a particular movement before i up the weight . . or spend a little bit more time learning about my body & its weaknesses . .

I've always been the impatient type when it comes to my goals . . i want to know everything now . . i want to do everything now . .

But i think i'm coming to really realize that this whole training thing is a marathon, it ain't a sprint . . i have all the time in the world to achieve what i want to achieve . .
I think we learn our life lessons in different forms & my training is me learning the act of patience & that doing SOMETHING is a necessary accompaniment to doing "ALL OR NOTHING" . . and the two have their place in your training . . at different times.

9 RESTORATION TIPS BY JOHN PAUL CATANZARO (ELITE FTS)

2011-09-20T12:03:00.001+10:00

John talks everything from sleep . . nutrition . . contrast baths to massage and stretching -

" For contrast showers, Charlie Francis recommends three minutes as hot as you can stand followed by one minute as cold as you can stand repeated three times for the best results. This is performed once or twice per day. It is important to cover the whole body though, including the head. The key is the level of difference between hot and cold temperatures as well as varying the time spent at each temperature. And for the most part, you should end with cold "

9 Restoration Tips By John Paul Catanzaro

VIKING LAWS

2011-09-19T11:49:00.002+10:00

VIKING LAWS

1. BE BRAVE AND AGGRESSIVE

BE DIRECT

GRAB ALL OPPORTUNITIES

USE VARYING METHODS OF ATTACK

BE VERSATILE AND AGILE

ATTACK ONE TARGET AT A TIME

DON’T PLAN EVERYTHING IN DETAIL

USE TOP QUALITY WEAPONS

2. BE PREPARED

KEEP WEAPONS IN GOOD CONDITION

KEEP IN SHAPE

FIND GOOD BATTLE COMRADES

AGREE ON IMPORTANT POINTS

CHOOSE ONE CHIEF

3. BE A GOOD MERCHANT

FIND OUT WHAT THE MARKET NEEDS

DON’T PROMISE WHAT YOU CANNOT DELIVER

DON’T DEMAND OVERPAYMENT

AGRRANGE THINGS SO THAT YOU CAN RETURN

4. KEEP THE CAMP IN ORDER

KEEP THINGS TIDY AND ORGANIZED

ARRANGE ENJOYABLE ACTIVITIES WHICH STRENGTHEN THE GROUP

MAKE SURE EVERYBODY DOES USEFUL WORK

CONSULT ALL MEMBERS OF THE GROUP FOR ADVICE

References:
http://arikjohnson.posterous.com/the-viking-laws

the law of vibration . .

2011-09-17T09:21:00.001+10:00

I was at the supermarket yesterday, doing my what seems to be daily rounds lately . .

and the cashier performs the oh-so monotonous “Hi, how are you?” . .

as usual i play along with a . . “great thanks, and you?” . .

. . . and he goes on to say “i’m tired . . nearly end of shift . . just want to home” . .

This raised a point of awareness for me:

That particular attitude of “i’m tired” exists more and more throughout conversation every single day. .

“I’m angry”

“I’m tired”

“I’m in a shitty mood”

When you acknowledge that you are feeling a particular way, you give that emotion, that vibration within your body, additional energy . .

Everything in this universe is energy.

Everything in this universe vibrates.

Nothing rests ever.

Everything vibrates at a particular frequency/speed.

Vibrations constantly alternate between high and low frequencies . .

When you’re feeling tired or run down, your vibrations are heavier, slower and low.

When you’re having a laugh or kissing your boyfriend, your body’s vibrations are lighter, higher and faster.

In other words, when you’re thinking negatively, you vibrate at a lower frequency.

Additionally, that vibration in your body draws in those similar vibrations around you . . bringing it into your own energy field.

You’re literally feeding yourself with energy . . what energy? it depends on your vibration.

Over time, if you’ve attracted all this negative energy (through anger,sadness,fear,jealousy,criticism) into your own personal energy field . . all those vibrations are operating at a low, slow speed . . they’re practically dead.

Which means they’re unable to attract those higher vibrations of frequency because it simply doesn’t have that kind of strength.

That’s why it’s SOOOOO important that you’re constantly aware of what’s going on inside your head, that internal talk is VITAL to your success . . bringing playfulness, happiness, that kid-like mentality to situations draws in those fast, high vibrations.

Check out the vids below for a little bit more depth:

Bob Proctor below talks about how the law of vibration works:

So how do you get yourself in the right vibrational tone?

So enough with that “i’m tired” bullshit . . acknowledge when you are manifesting those negative vibrations . . don’t give it a name . . just let that negative feeling/vibration come and go . . over time, it will become easier to channel in those awesome high speed vibrations.

Mel.

PALEO RECIPE: MEATZA (PIZZA WITH A MEAT CRUST)

2011-09-15T10:47:00.013+10:00

PIZZA WITHOUT THE CRAPPY STARCH.

For once, you don't have to feel guilty for hogging all the pizza . . i mean meatza to yourself.

These babies are so yummy you could have them for BREAKFAST . . DINNER & LUNCH !!

There's over a million variations in terms of toppings. . so i've picked a few from various websites but get creative with them !! . . use whatever ingredients you have in the fridge (as long as its fresh & paleo-sexual) . .

GO NUTS!!

OREGANO - http://primalnut.com/2011/08/23/meatza-pizza-with-a-ground-beef-crust/

SHRIMP & VEGGIES - http://library-rss.crossfit.com/free/rss/pdf/CFJ_Meatza_Recipe_March2011.pdf

MUSHROOM - http://paleohmygoodness.blogspot.com/2011/05/meatza-my-way.html

Let me know what variations work for you so i can try them !!!!

References

http://freetheanimal.com/images/2011/04/500/Meatza.jpg

http://paleohmygoodness.blogspot.com/2011/05/meatza-my-way.html

http://library-rss.crossfit.com/free/rss/pdf/CFJ_Meatza_Recipe_March2011.pdf

http://primalnut.com/2011/08/23/meatza-pizza-with-a-ground-beef-crust/

the beginning . .

2011-09-14T12:05:00.013+10:00

I've been training Oly lifts with coach for a couple of weeks now . . i felt it was time for a change & i wanted to challenge myself in other areas of strength that i'm not used to . . i wanted to be in that uncomfortable zone again . .

Training is 3 x a week at the moment . .

Each session usually starts & ends with either front squats or back squats . .

In the middle of that my mind is being stimulated by the 3000 verbal cues coach is giving me . .

"FAST ELBOWS"
"FINISH"
"SHRUG HARDER"
"SHOULDERS OVER THE BAR"
"EXPLOSIVE HIPS"

My mind understands but my body seems to absorb the information at a muchhhhhhh slower snail rate . .

Just when you think you've got one part of the movement down, something else springs up to show you that . . no . . you in fact DON'T KNOW SHIT.

OH . . and when you think you've done all the squatting you could possibly do . . that was just the warm up.

I can see that it definitely takes patience (something that i know not of . . but am learning to apply) . . belief in yourself . . and knowing how your body works as one unit.

Each lift is like a symphony . . each instrument works in harmony with one another to produce the perfect note . . the same way every muscle in the body works in harmony to create a beautiful lift . . the symphony builds up to an explosive, aggressive sound . . the same way the hips move violently against the bar creating that necessary momentum to make a lift . .

Every session the bar and my body are learning to work together that little bit more fluidly . . every session i know more than i did the last . . it's frustrating as hell but i'm grateful i have 2 arms and 2 legs to be able to do whatever i set out to do.

My strength & flexibility are there . . i just need to get the momentum & the timing of each pull . . which means doing a shit load of reps . . consistency is always key.

The interesting part is you can pretty much train Oly lifts everyday . . because you're DRILLING technique every session & reps rarely go past 5 . . although by the end of it it does equate to a high volume.

Don't get me wrong . . each session is mentally & physically draining but in a completely different way than i'm used to.

Clean & Jerks i'm comfortable with - coach thinks i will be a Squat Jerker because of my flexibility . . but i want to go the Split Jerk route . . it just feels more comfortable for me . . along with the fact that squat jerks mean you have a small margain for error if you want to make the lift . . you can work with a split jerk if it's a bit shaky . . anyway that's up for discussion a LOT later on when my lifts improve.

Squat Jerk

Split Jerk

Yesterday we drilled snatches for a good half of the session . . that is one tough MF movement to master . . but i'm not one to quit when shit gets hard. PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE

" There have been times when my stomach was empty because I had no money for food but, I still trained.

There was a time I was in love with my wife but, my spouse was no longer in love with me. On the day she rid of me, I still went into the gym and trained.

I was once hit by a car. My neck and back hurt terribly but, I still trained.

I have had to work long hours that went well into the night but, I still went to the gym and I trained.

My mother took her last breath in my arms,but as badly as I hurt, I wiped my tears and I trained.

Nothing and no one matters to me more than what I am fighting for each and everyday in that weight room and on my platform.

I do not care how I feel, what I may lose out on, or what the weight may feel like either in my hands or resting on my chest.

I renounce the idea of hard and the concept of heavy.

I detach myself from negativity and, as a weightlifter, I find the courage to never let anything, which I have no control over, dictate my performance either on the platform or in any other of my life' responsibilities.

You must learn to do the same if you want to become a great weightlifter. You must learn to do the same if you want to win. "

- Donny Shankle

PEACE.
Mel

GO GO GREEN

2011-07-31T12:04:00.003+10:00

GO GO GREEN

Beautiful sweet, satisfying taste filled with so much green goodness !!

INVEST:

2 medium sized cucumbers

1 bunch of baby spinach

1 bunch of Italian spinach

1 red apple

Bunch of ice (optional)

. . .

Blend ingredients in processor.

. . . . & YOU'RE DONE!!

You end up with this amazing dark green colour . . the colour of the world :)

Great for brekky or lunch . . you can't help but feel healthier when you have it.

Enjoy!

x Mel

STARCHLESS COCONUT PANCAKES

2011-05-22T13:06:00.001+10:00

http://www.dashingdish.com/2010/05/peanut-butter-cake-pancakes/

I made these babies today . . click on the link above guys . . really good website with a lot of low carb ideas !!

Here’s what mine came out like . . nice & fluffy !!

battle with the mind . .

2011-03-29T12:55:00.001+11:00

I’m always looking for ways to tune up the old brain . . make it work better then it did the day before . . it’s like a bank . . i want to build up interest over a certain amount of time . . 100 years from now my brain is going to be worth it’s weight in gold

BUT .. it’s a constant battle to train or reprogram your mind to think a certain way about things that happen in your daily life.

How you mentally approach what happens to you . . the choices you make, the lack of choices you make . . how you handle a situation . . the negative thoughts that run through your head . . negative association to things . .

We’ve been programmed with so much EMOTION as people . . to feel a certain way when something happens to us . . be sad when someone doesn’t call . . be happy when someone makes the effort . . be angry when something doesn’t go our way.

We give WAY too much power to others & external things.

We gotta learn to let go of the belief that “without this, i cannot be happy.”

“Without this person in my life, i cannot be happy.”

“Without this opportunity, i cannot be happy.”

Happiness doesn’t lie in these things.

People feel emptiness and then rush to fill that emptiness with someone or something.

We go through agonies over things WE create in our own heads . . we convince ourselves our happiness depends on certain things.

If someone lies to you, are you upset because they lied to you?

No.

In your mind, you’ve put this person on a pedestal and based your happiness on their actions . . so now that they’ve let you down, you’re upset.

I’m reading this book by Anthony De Mello “Discovering Awareness”, and here’s an analogy that i really, really like that i think sums us up to a T:

“You’ve got a concert hall. Symphony is playing. You’ve settled down nicely in your seat. Dark atmosphere. And you’re getting ready to enjoy it. And then suddenly you remember you forgot to lock your car. You can’t get out, too disturbing, you can’t enjoy the music, caught in between, that’s the image of life for most people. Constant anxiety. What am I going to do now, what’s going to happen next, How do I cope with this, how do I cope with that.”

I just think that’s so true, in SO many ways.

MENTALLY, we need to reprogram our brains to not be so emotionally drained by the external . . and program our minds to subconsciously deal with things in a calmer state. . not go into that “fight or flight” mode . . that anxiety and stressful emotional rollercoaster in our heads when “negative” things happen to us. Whether it be related to work . . relationships . . partners . . whatever.

It’s a CONSTANT struggle . . everyday . . but i know that i’ve come a LONG way in how i react to things mentally now . . it’s just about making that conscious effort to make that shift in your head & detach yourself from those reactions that drain you.

LITTLE BITS & PIECES

2011-03-27T09:47:00.001+11:00

1) Be wholly perfect

i think that we’ve been raised at a society to spend our lives trying to be this definition of “PERFECT” . . when we’re really this live sculpture of art . . that when you look at it, it appears perfect to the eye.

But when you look a little closer, you can see the workings behind it.

The lines . . the minor chips . . the carvings . . the imprints . . the hours, days, years of hard labour that has gone into making it what it is.

All we can ever be and try to be is whole. Not perfect, whole . . in all areas of our lives. Being whole is being happy with what we have . . but still angry enough to want more.

2) Just bloody do it already

End of the day . . you KNOW what you need to do to lose that extra person you’ve been carrying out for 20 years. It’s not rocket science. Eat that little bit healthier and exercise that little bit more. Your choice. 30 pounds of fat . . or 30 pounds of excuses?

3) Pick something . . and stick with it

You can’t possibly do heavy ass weight sessions mixed in with 2-3 days of MMA . . with a side salad of tennis. I mean really. . what the fuck! Pick ONE thing . . and tailor your training around it. If you don’t, you’re going to get injured. It’s not IF, it’s WHEN.

4) Open your eyes

Reading the label on something is not enough. 98% fat free does not mean 98% sugar free. Labels lie, ingredient lists don’t lie. Read the INGREDIENTS LIST, not the label. And get familiar with the various names of “natural” sugars, because even the ingredient list will try to trick you! Tricky bastards.

5) What can you get away with?

When it comes to training, you don’t want to be changing too much too soon. Jumping from no cardio to 2 hours cardio is stupid. Your body is going to plateau and ask you to give it more than you are more sooner than later. . then what are you going to do ? 3 HOURS ?? Your body will react to little changes, especially when you start working out . . no need to go nuts.

6) Stop with the questions

Asking 1000 questions is a BIG warning sign that you’re not starting something you know you need to. If you’ve spent months, years on forums, reading magazines featuring the “shredded in 7 days" workouts, meanwhile plonking your ass on the couch – you need to take responsibility and admit that you’re just being a lazy procrastinator.

7) Drop the all or nothing . . and do SOMETHING

Unless you’re an athlete or you have a particular goal you’re aiming towards, exercise doesn’t have to be this “structured” thing.

Sometimes people look too much into it . . the amounts of planning and preparation is SO EXTENSIVE . . so much so that people see it as a “chore” because the funs taken out of it . . majority of people don’t function best like that. Because when circumstances change, say if you’ve got a track session on and it’s raining, mentally you say to yourself, if i can’t do track today i can’t do anything else . . you’re going to constantly look for a “get out of jail free” card.

Circumstances are never going to be 100%. Just do your thing . . go for a run . . go for a walk . . go for a skip . . who cares . . long as you’re active and you’re out there DOING . . don’t let anybody tell you what is “good” or “bad” because being active does not mean training till you puke.

Why mobilize ?? Why stretch ?? Why Foam Roll ?? THIS is why !!

2011-03-24T17:06:00.001+11:00

being alone with yourself (the PG RATED way)

2011-03-17T10:02:00.001+11:00

When you’re working late on a Saturday night . .

When you’re in the gym at 12.00AM . .

When it’s 2AM, everybody is asleep and you’re catching up on new research . . to make you that much wiser . .

Those are the times when you know you’re doing it for YOU.

When there’s no one around you to look pretty for . .

no one around you to impress . .

to talk to . .

to make the time fly by . .

It’s just you and your mind.

The only energy that resonates is through your mind, body and soul.

And a lot of people are scared of that . .

And a lot of people don’t KNOW they’re scared of that . . because they don’t spend enough time with themselves.

They don’t want to be alone with themselves for too long . . because they don’t like what they feel DEEP DOWN . . you know those people who are always with somebody else .. scared to venture out on their own . . their core beliefs and values are messed up . . they don’t like what they see . . they’re afraid of what might happen if they fail . . there thoughts go back to “what will people think of me.”

But what you learn through spending quality time with yourself . . like you would your best mate . . really knowing yourself from the inside, out . . getting inside your own head for a little bit . . is the EPITOME of success . . it’s the only way that you’ll truly know if you’re doing what you’re doing for the right reasons . . if you’re doing something for yourself . . or if you’re doing it to score points with the girl next door.

Being alone with yourself can be the loneliest place in the world, or it can be the happiest place in the world.

Your choice.

real life motivation . .

2011-03-15T08:27:00.001+11:00

i needed motivation today . . not from a magazine . . not from a youtube video . . not from those cliche quotes of the day . . REAL LIFE motivation.

So i went down to the track.

Over the past couple of weeks, that place has been sanctuary.

It’s so peaceful down there.

Nobody yells . . nobody lifts heavy things . . but there’s a silence there that speaks so loud.

You can always spot that one body in the midst of all that ground.

You know that they train from the heart on that track . . because they don’t think anybody is watching . . but they’re training like EVERYBODY is watching.

They’ve got noone to impress . . no bets to settle . . but they run like it’s the last time they’ll ever run again.

They leave their footprints in the ground.

They may not be a “professional athlete” . . but in that moment, they trained like one.

In that moment, they inspired the hell out of me.

Sometimes you don’t have to be big the biggest in the room to make a positive change in someone’s life . .

Just in doing what you’re passionate about, doing it with as much force as possible, you have the ability to change someone else’s world.

And that’s a BIG thing.

So thank you track star !!

positivity vs realism

2011-02-28T10:25:00.001+11:00

I’ve always been a deep thinker.

I’m very curious about why people act a certain way or do certain things . . AND how this can change depending on who they’re with.

I notice certain people give off the illusion that they’re happy . . optimistic . . never a bad thing to say about anybody . .

What’s the issue ?? This only really lasts for a couple of minutes every few hours of the day. When they’re around people.

But when they’re faced on their own, with their own problems . . and it’s SMACK BANG in their face . . they fall.

There’s NO WAY that you can develop a positive outlook on life FORCING yourself to be happy or FORCING yourself to think positively just because it’s the “right thing” to do.

Blind optimism is not only naive, but its a disservice to yourself.

A few cliche “daily quotes” sent to your work inbox everyday is not going to cut it.

Sure, it may make you feel good for 2 seconds, but the day is made up of 24 hours.

You need to know WHY you get sad . . WHY you get angry . . WHY you get negative . . and usually it’s associated with something external of yourself . .

When you link the world and other people to your OWN happiness over weeks . . months . . years . . decades . . that shit builds up and GRINDS YOU TO THE GROUND.

Before you know it, it becomes an automated, unquestioned, unconsidered, FIXED, no choice, way of responding to the people and the world around you.

Only you have the power to make yourself optimistic, happy.

NOONE can do it for you . . no matter how much you think they can . . how much they make you smile . . how much they can offer you . . it always comes back to the relationship you have with yourself.

It doesn’t matter how you are when you’re around other people, it matters how you are when you’re around YOURSELF.

If you’re happy with YOURSELF . . that exudes from the inside out.

sharing is not caring.

2011-02-22T08:57:00.001+11:00

I’ve always been selective with who i share personal information with . . about my goals . . my passions . . interests . . research.

The older i get, the more i realize many people don’t want to know or care . . or ask for the sake of it, hoping you’ll give a generic “good, thanks” answer.

EXAMPLE: Yesterday, i was having a chat with my mum and we were talking about Almond milk, and i was telling her how i wanted to make my own from scratch, as it would be a lot cheaper . . blah blah blah.

She responded with a “what are you going to use THAT for. Why can’t you just buy Soy milk. It’s going to sit in the fridge and you’re not going to use it.”

I LOVE MY MAMMA, but there’s particular things i just can’t talk to her about, because she doesn’t understand my lifestyle.

Most times people aren’t going to understand why you do things, usually it’s because they don’t want to . . they CHOOSE not to open their mind to it because it’s got nothing to do with THEM and it doesn’t affect their OWN lives.

People are always going to have their self-righteous ideas of what’s wrong and right in the world . . what’s wrong and right in your life, why you SHOULDN’T do what you’re doing . . and somehow always have a better way of doing things (even though they haven’t actually done them).

My passions in life . . my goals . . my dreams . . each and every workout i do . . they’re all like my little babies . . they hold sentimental value to me . . i keep them close to my heart and soul . .

I RARELY go into detail about my training with anyone.

Because when i’m out there, it’s just me, my body, and my mind . . it’s my own little world for that 1-2 hours . . like when you go to church, you pray and light a candle . . you don’t tell anybody what you’re praying for . . well my workouts are my prayer and i won’t EVER let anybody disrupt it.

I don’t need random poisonous statements and ideas that outsiders pluck from their asshole to work their way into my world.

If i know somebody is going to appreciate what i’m trying to accomplish, genuinely want to listen, then i’m all for it.

Otherwise, nada.

So, even though you want your loved ones and your friends to get hell excited about the things you do, and things you’ve learnt, be ok with them not reacting the way you think they will.

And be ok with keeping things to yourself sometimes.

give-up-itis

2011-02-21T08:26:00.001+11:00

I did half my workout in the rain yesterday.

Every inch of a lap i walked, people were dropping off like flies.

It was interesting yet damn disappointing to watch.

It’s just fucking water dropping down from the sky, but people were acting like the heavens were coming down on them.

The mums and dads of the cricket team BOLTED to their cars like they were getting chased by the mafia. no serious, they did.

. . All because things got a wittleeeeee bit uncomfortable.

AWWW . . POOR YOU. *pinches your cheeks*

Well guess what princess, that’s EXACTLY how life is.

It gets dirty.

The weather forecast is not going to bring out the sunshine because you decided to get off your ass and workout today.

The rain is going to eventually stop.

Sure you may not burn more calories by working out in the rain but you’re going to achieve something MUCH more valuable . .

You’re going to be mentally stronger, because you overcame something many don’t have the balls to do.

Those are the people that don’t finish things they start.

The amazing thing is, you can choose to be either person . .

And you may even be BOTH people in different areas of your life.

You may be mentally tough in your workouts . . push through no dramas . . you just DECIDE to get it done, no excuses.

But when it comes to your career, you may give up on an opportunity if it feels out of reach . . if you think you’re not capable . .

Or a project is going to taking a little longer than expected, you throw in the towel.

We all have give-up-itis in one area more than others.

But we all have the opportunity to change that.

You can change that right now.

figure out who you are, and be it.

2011-02-19T10:29:00.001+11:00

There’s nothing more real . . more unequivocally HONEST than the surroundings we take in every, single day.

The trees don’t lie . . the sky is a constant breath of fresh air . . the flowers that bloom hold undeniable yet simple beauty.

And then there are us. Humans. Human beings.

The complete opposite to all these things.

We’re angry, stubborn, self-righteous, jealous, kind yet unforgiving . . and most of all . .

. . we are trademarked copies of who we want to be.

Many people spend majority of their time following everybody else . .

Talking about everybody else . .

Doing what everybody else is doing . .

Things are CLOWDED.

Caring more about what other people’s reactions are going to be than what is actually EXISTING in our own lives . . that’s fucked up.

Missing out on what holds true in our own soul . . neglecting our own personal freedom . . refusing to feed our OWN passions.

If there is a wrong way to live, that is it!

I suppose it was drilled into us from a young age, to act a certain way . . not do this . . not do that . . sit up straight, speak only when spoken to. BLAH BLAH BLAH.

To behave and “act” a certain way . . we are raised to become actors during childhood !!

So we do the same during middle school.

Of course as adults we do the same thing . . because we’re all about being in a comfort zone.

As adults, we have to UNLEARN things we’ve been told.

No one gets what they want out of life being guarded and composed . . doing the “right thing”.

To get anywhere you want to go requires ACTS OF VIOLENCE.

(metaphorically speaking of course )

It requires you to take on your own form of thinking.

Figuring out the depth of yourself . . finding out the answers on your OWN path in your OWN way.

Being fine with not necessarily fitting in to a particular lifestyle.

Being fine with spending time ALONE with yourself to figure out just what holds true value to you and your life.

We need to stop acting and start being.

Acting drains your energy, and buries your soul.

If you don’t want to do something, don’t do it.

Don’t FORCE yourself to think a certain way about something if it doesn’t feel right.

It comes back to realigning your thoughts with what you care about . . what makes you emotional and what makes you FEEL.

Figure out who you are, then be it.

“ Patterning your life around other's opinions is nothing more than slavery.” – Lawana Blackwell

DAY 4– RAW FOOD CHALLENGE & HEADACHES

2011-02-18T10:20:00.001+11:00

The raw food challenge is going really well.

The only thing that is uncomfortable are the headaches i’m fighting with that tend to occur in the evenings . . ANNOYING!

I did some research on this, and basically what happens is toxins in your body always move to places that are less dense. When your blood becomes filled with toxins from eating toxic food, the toxins in your liver can’t filter them fast enough and they get pushed into your lymphatic fluid.

The fluid surrounds every single cell in your body.

Once we start this detoxification process, the blood becomes THINNER because now the liver can do its job a lot easier.

Now the blood becomes FLOODED with the toxins that were stored in the lymphatic fluid.

The blood becomes thick with toxins causing our blood pressure to rise.

One of those symptoms is headaches.

If your headache is really bad, and unbearable, basically all you need to do is slow this detoxification process down – eat something cooked. Steamed vegetables would be the best option.

If you can deal with the headache, even better, headaches can range from person to person.

Depending on the toxicity of your body.

In terms of cravings, i have none. Not even for meat.

My body must be happy with the nutrients it’s getting.

I’m surprisingly not even over consuming nuts . . miracles do happen!

DAY 4 FOOD DIARY -

10AM

11.30AM

3.30PM – Zucchini Soup with 4 bean mix (Recipe: http://thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com/2007/09/simply-raw-soups.html)

DAY 3–RAW FOOD CHALLENGE

2011-02-17T09:51:00.001+11:00

11AM – Veggie Juice (Orange, carrot, celery, lemon, avocado, spinach . . this one was YUMMY)

1PM – Veggie Salad (iceberg lettuce, cucumber, spring onion, tomatoes, broccoli, pine nuts, mixed nut & seed mix, parsley, celery, bit of sea salt & vinegar)

3.30PM – Bean + Nut Salad (similar to salad above, just added 4 bean mix . . (forgot to take a pic . . sorry) haha

Notes:

Was happy with my 3 meals . . i went back for seconds with the salads . . lots more veggies and salad . . really filled me up fast.

Wasn’t hungry at all past my last meal which is a good thing i suppose.

This might sound weird, but ever since going on this raw food challenge i feel SO much more in tune with the environment, with nature, and with my surroundings in general.

I am able to think a lot clearer . .

I feel like i’m eating the way we were always supposed to to be eating before all these diets came along . . before the “commercial” part of life came about . . i feel more at one with the earth and with myself.

the RIGHT kind of peer pressure

2011-02-17T08:44:00.001+11:00

It’s human nature to compare ourselves to others in life . . it’s just the way we work.

“Peer pressure” is usually used in the negative sense of the word.

But peer pressure is not necessarily a bad thing when it’s directed in the RIGHT way.

Picture this . .

You’re surrounded by people who don’t exercise . . don’t eat right . . don’t know anything about health and fitness . .

You one day decide to give a shit about living longer and hey, figure it wouldn’t hurt to look good naked . . so you start going out for runs . .

Soon you get tired . . and, as nature takes its course, you oh, so desperately want to quit.

You’re dying . . you can’t breathe properly . . you want to quit.

Your mind goes back to the friends AROUND you who don’t exercise . . who DON’T give a shit about their health & fitness . . your brain is telling you “well you’ve done more than THEY did . . you DESERVE to stop.”

When it’s 10 o’clock at night, and you feel like reaching for the double coated tim tams in the fridge . . your brain is going to tell you “well you exercised today, that’s more than your friends did . . you definitely DESERVE that chocolate. EAT UP BABY.”

But what happens when . .

The moment you decided you wanted to change your life around . . you subscribed to a few fitness websites . . associated yourself with people passionate about their health, passionate about exercise . . got a few tips and tricks.

So you’re out for that run . .

Soon you get tired . . and oh, so desperately want to quit.

But your mind DOESN’T go back to those friends who don’t exercise . . to your colleague Daniella down the road who drinks 10 cups of chai lattes a day, and complains that the 232382 diets she tried last week just aren’t working.

When you feel like giving up on that last leg of the run, you’re going to compare yourself to those amazing fitness freaks on that website you subscribed to that are training for ultra marathons . . who work out 2-3 hours a day, 7 times a week . . and you’re going to say to yourself “if they can do that, i’m fucking doing this last lap.”

My point?

You need to shovel out the crappy relationships you have, kneed out all the crappy thoughts that enter your head . . and compare yourself to the best.

Because comparing yourself to the average Joe is NOT going to get you anywhere but nowhere.

Roll with the BIG LEAGUES, and you can’t go wrong.

DAY 2–RAW FOOD CHALLENGE

2011-02-16T10:53:00.001+11:00

What happens when you eat a 6,1290 calorie meal ??

Check it:

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theworldnewser/2009/07/what-exactly-does-a-6190-calorie-lunch-do-to-your-body.html

Interesting uh?

As i was saying in my previous post . . the more food you eat, the HARDER your body is going to have to work to process & digest those foods . . especially foods our body isn’t biologically designed to digest . . like red meat . . what we want to do is minimize the amount of stress on the body (pick and choose foods easiest to be digested) while getting maximum benefits . . more bang for the buck !! $$$

I’ve come across some awesome websites for raw food cooking . . check them out below:

http://www.therawdessert.com/ http://www.rawmazing.com/ (thanks Chelle - http://chellesultimatechallenge.blogspot.com/) http://thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com/ http://www.raw-food-diet-inspiration.com/

DAY 2 – PICTURE DIARY

7.00AM. Banana

7.30AM. 1/2 Orange

11.30AM. Veggie Juice (carrot, pineapple, broccoli, cucumber, lemon, ice . . anything i could find in the house pretty much)

1.30PM Handful of mixed nuts & seeds

2.30PM Celery Stick

5.30PM Watermelon

7.00PM Cucumber & Tomato Salad (cucumber, tomato, parsley, cashews, sea salt, vinegar, olive oil . . i think that’s it) . . i was forced to eat at my grandmas half the day so had to make do with the salad she had already made . . prob wouldn’t have put vinegar in there, as it’s quite acidic or as much olive oil or salt but EH . . could be worse.

Notes: AWESOME today . . feeling light, feeling good . . had a bit of a headache Day 1, before bed, but all was good.

Managed to go to bed at 10PM and woke up at 4.00AM . . crazy right?

Then i kinda stayed up for a couple hours and went back to bed for a couple hours . . so evened out.

Woke up feeling tight, because i hadn’t eaten past 7PM last night . . gave my system the time it needed to completely digest everything.

Another thing i’ve noticed is that i’m filling up a LOT faster on the raw veggies i’m having . . when i was eating cooked veggies i would be having a HELL of a lot more. I’m putting it down to the fact that i’m absorbing ALL of the nutrients from the raw veggies as opposed to only 20% of the cooked veggies.

Feeling really good, this is easier than i thought.

DAY 1–RAW FOOD DIET

2011-02-14T16:17:00.000+11:00

I’ve decided to go one step further with my raw food challenge & take on “The Daylight Diet” by Paul Nison.

http://paulnison.com/

There’s a couple things associated with this concept of eating . . such as meal timing, meal combinations . . but i’m going to stress meal timing in this post.

Part of the concept is to not eat when the sun goes down (depending on where you are in the world the sun goes down at different times . . 5-8ish).

This stems back to the Medieval times.

Back then, they only used to eat 2 meals a day.

Breakfast + Dinner. (and maybe a small supper/soup before the sun came down).

The kings who could afford lamps and candlelight stayed up longer than the peasants and ate.

Then technology started to grow, money had to be made, so people started to work longer hours (up to 16 hour days).

Longer hours ment people didn’t have time to go home for a big meal in the early afternoon, so they pushed dinner back dinner to after work . . and supper was then pushed back to even later – midnight.

Peasants soon were able to afford lanterns and candlelight, and stayed up to eat as well.

So now they were getting up, having breakfast, and would have this HUGE gap between breakfast and dinner time. (16 or so hours).

So they introduced a drink called “luncheon” to fill them up.

What happened? It didn’t fill them up.

So they ate a lump of bread with it.

You combine “lump” with “luncheon” and you get “LUNCH”.

So they had breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper pushed back to even later, midnight.

The 1950’s-1960’s, was the most dangerous era . . televisions were introduced. They started to watch tv, what do you do when you watch tv . . you eat.

Advertising would make them eat.

This is when overeating started to happen . . and all sorts of diseases & issues began to arise.

When it’s dark out, our body switches to a mode where it’s time to sleep and rest . . this is when our body begins the process of cleansing and restoring itself.

If you’re scoffing your face during this process, you’re interrupting this cycle.

Anytime you eat, your body has to work. You eat ALL DAY LONG, you’re never giving your system a chance to rest.

The more you make your body work, the more energy you’re putting out, the more sleep you’re going to need to balance everything out.

2-3 meals a day should be plenty for your body .. if you’re eating the right types of foods, at the right times, in the right portions.

Check out Paul’s website for vids . . or type his name in youtube.

Very interesting stuff !! Will be buying his book in the next couple of days too so will keep you posted.

I could go on and on . . there’s a couple more things to the concept but i’ll leave it there for today . .

OK . . SO HERE’S DAY 1 OF EATING BELOW:

11.00AM Handful of grapes

12.30PM 1 carrot

2.00PM Green Super Juice – Pineapple, broccoli, lemon, 1/4 avocado, ice.

4.00PM Handful Almonds

5.30PM Mixed Green Salad – avocado, lettuce, cucumber, mushrooms, broccoli

NOTES:

Energy levels were fine on Day 1.

Didn’t eat too much , wasn’t really hungry.

The main difference was my stomach felt a LOT lighter . . i didn’t feel weighed down or sluggish after i finished my meals. I felt like all the food was being digested a lot easier . . different to when you consume smeat and you can feel it in your stomach an hour or two after. Quite a good feeling.

Went to bed early (10ish) and woke up early too . . 3.45AM. Feeling awesome for Day 2.

DAY 2 HERE WE COME.

RESOURCES

http://paulnison.com/

http://www.rawlifehealthshow.com/

7 DAY RAW FOOD CHALLENGE

2011-02-14T11:05:00.001+11:00

Ok,

So i’ve decided to set a challenge for myself over the next week starting TODAY.

Raw foods ONLY for 7 days.

This includes all fresh & dried fruits, fresh fruit juices, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouts.

Off the bat, i know everyone has their own opinions about eating raw, or not eating meat, or whatever . . but i’ve done my research, and i’m not doing it for YOU, i’m doing it for ME.

My main reasons behind this are:

Numerous studies/research has shown what an all natural, raw diet does to your body.
Gain control back over my eating habits and recognise exactly what i’m putting into my body (cravings, amount of food i’m eating, times i’m eating, etc). I’ve been slacking off a bit with my food choices lately and as a result been feeling sluggish. SO .. time to get my shit together.
My diet at the moment relies highly on protein & good quality fats, and i want to experience how if by changing the percentage of macro-nutrients around . . including more fruit in my diet . . raw veg instead of cook . . it will impact my energy levels (hopefully for the better).

I’ve tried this a couple times before but my head wasn’t in the right place . . even though it was only for a couple of days the last time i did it . . i felt a lot lighter . . a lot tighter (probably due to the decrease of sodium)

I’m 100% committed to doing this for 7 days minimum . . if all goes well, i’ll extend it another week, then another week . . maybe 30 days !!

I’ll be taking daily pics of EVERYTHING i eat over the 7 days . . along with daily blogs of my feelings, emotions, energy levels that go along with change of diet . . not only to hold myself accountable but for anyone who is interested in trying it one day . . it’s good to have these kind of references to refer to.

I’ll also include various resources relating to raw food lifestyles and recipes . .

PAUL NISON explains below how our body will adapt to anything we put into it . . and even though alarm bells will go off relating to the toxic foods we’re eating, if we keep ignoring these signs (headaches, sluggishness, lack of energy) sooner or later we’re not going to hear those warning bells anymore and those diseases are going to creep up on us. I don’t know about you, but that scares the hell out of me.

Will post pics of Day 1 + feedback tomorrow . .

Anyone who has tried this before or is looking at joining me . . let me know !! Would love to hear what you guys have to say.

PEACE OUT.

the one & only ingredient needed for success . .

2011-02-11T08:49:00.001+11:00

the only thing you will ever need to be successful in anything throughout life . . is to never stop.

Never stop trying . .

Never stop acknowledging your failures . .

Never stop believing . .

Never stop reading . .

Never stop taking action . .

Never stop asking questions . .

Never stop looking for the answers . .

Never stop putting your foot in every door possible . .

Never stop making yourself heard . .

Never stop exploring opportunities . .

Never stop refusing to take no for an answer . .

Never stop trusting the process . .

Never stop learning . .

Never stop growing . .

Never stop craving & wanting more . .

Never stop. Period.

there’s no excuse.

2011-02-10T08:59:00.001+11:00

there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be living the life you want to live . . doing what you’re passionate about every day.

If circumstances don’t allow, you should have some sort of plan set up that is going to get you on your way to doing what you want.

You should be doing what you want, or taking planned action to doing what you want.

Imagine a world where everyone genuinely cares whether they turn up to work on time . .

When they wake up before their alarm gets them up . .

When you’re constantly thinking of ways to make other people’s lives better . . and in essence, make YOUR life better.

Think of HOW you can achieve what you want . .

not IF . . HOW.

Because HOW opens the doors to possibilities . .

you tell your brain HOW and it’s going to look for answers . . you’ve given it an order . . it’s going to oblige.

There’s ALWAYS a solution.

The more people you speak to . . the more people are going to want to help.

Don’t be that dude that goes through life wishing and wondering what if . . being angry at the world because nothing seems to make you happy.

Money & material things . . don’t make you happy.

When you do what you believe in . . THAT is what makes you happy . .

Respect yourself enough to want more.

body maturity . .

2011-02-09T09:12:00.001+11:00

i think as we grow older we learn to appreciate & respect our surroundings & our community a HECK of a lot more. .

We wake up one morning and suddenly we become angry that someone just threw a cigarette butt out the window . .

. . we make a conscious effort to drive a bit slower on the roads . .

. . we get pissed off at the kids next door for desensitizing their ear drums with the ridiculously loud musica.

Same goes with our bodies . .

As kids, we don’t give two shits about what goes in and out of our bodies . . (i’m generalising here)

if it’s edible, we’ll eat it . . if it’s covered in chocolate, GET OUT THE WAY . . additives & preservatives ?? pft. not in our vocabulary.

Then we get a bit older, hopefully a bit wiser . . the body starts taking on a new shape . . we start to feel a bit sluggish from overeating . . drinking a bit too much . . years of bad food starts to creep up.

We figure we’re going to be around a HELL of a lot longer than we initially thought . . so we look to making some sort of positive & healthy change . . through exercise . . healthy eating . . saying no to alcohol.

MY POINT: Sometimes . . people need TIME.

Time to realise what eating junk for years does to their mind and to their bodies . .

Time to realise that it IS NOT normal to barely be able to make it through each day without huffing and puffing . .

Time to realise that walking to the fridge to grab a 2L of coke is not exercise . .

To finally be able to look into themselves and say “i need to make a change or i’m going to die.”

Sometimes it takes extreme circumstances for some to realise they’re stuck in this big fat rut and if they don’t get out . . they never will.

And sometimes there’s nothing you can possibly say that can change their minds . . they need to figure it out themselves.

And sometimes, that’s ok.

it ain’t all sunshine & rainbows

2011-02-07T08:36:00.001+11:00

When did we, as a society, become motionless . . bored with the world . . unenthused by the miracles of life & the opportunities that lie in our reach?

It’s SO tedious to shift ones self out of bed after getting a measly 8 hours sleep . .

To be surrounded by MAN MADE vehicles in this “traffic” on these MAN MADE streets . . that seemingly always take too long to get to where we need to go . .

Where we’re asked to perform at these things called jobs . . the same robotic function day in and day out . .

. . it’s unheard of that we’re asked to do things like answer the phone . . solve other people’s problems . . for what? it’s not like we’re getting PAYED for it . .

we can barely make it through the day . . it’s all too hard . . after all we’ve only had 12 large cups of coffee . . and GEEZUS it’s not even lunch yet.

Only to go home to a safe house full of those that love us . . full of hand-picked food to nourish us . . to this MAN MADE box shape feature that entertains us every night . .

For those that have their foot stuck up their ass , pacifiers in their mouths . . & fairy dust in their eyes that blind them to the fact that "LIFES TOO HARD" . . really??

Is the miracle of life not good enough for you??

We have blessings, we see problems.

We have family, we’re never around.

We have opportunity, we get distracted.

We have talent, we don’t follow through.

ADDICTED TO EASY . . that’s what we are.

Life isn’t a picture book full of colourful pictures of sunshine & rainbows . . it isn’t Cinderella . . it isn’t “and they lived happily ever after” . . it’s MUCH MORE than that.

YOU get to choose your happy ending . . every moment of every day . .

At times . . yes . . life does fucking suck . . it sucks so hard that you don’t know how the HELL you are going to pull through . . but the only thing you can do is EMBRACE the suck & attack it with violent destruction until obliterated.

Starchless Lasagna

2011-02-06T19:46:00.001+11:00

I would have taken a picture, but the fam scoffed it all down!!!

Promise . . next time

What you need:

450g extra lean ground beef/turkey/chicken
450g zucchini or yellow squash (slice thin)
1 cup reduced fat /fat-free shredded mozzarella cheese
1 jar of low-sugar pasta sauce
Diced onion
Chopped garlic
Spinach (as much as you like, i used 2-3 handfuls)
Seasonings & Herbs (parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary).
400ml fat-free sour cream (or low fat ricotta)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg or two egg whites
Frozen Broccoli/Cauliflower (400g, or as much as you like)

NOTE – You can use as many veggies & whatever veggies you like . . the more veggies the better. (eggplant, mushrooms, capsicum,celery)

Let’s create:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Brown meat in pan. Drain.
Cook spinach & broccoli, drain excess water, chop broccoli.
Heat onion & garlic into a pan with a tiny bit of olive oil, and cook until brown. Mix with browned meat, sauce, and herbs/seasonings.
In a separate bowl, mix liquid ingredients (sour cream, parm, egg or egg white, and chopped broccoli) Add salt and pepper to taste.
In a pan, build a foundation of zucchini, layering them in like this: A layer of sour cream mixture, then a layer of the meat mixture, about half of each.
Repeat with remaining ingredients: another layer of zucchini, another layer of sour cream, another layer of meat. Cover the top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
Cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes or so.

References:

www.t-nation.com

potential is never enough

2011-02-06T07:45:00.001+11:00

it’s always easier to see the potential in others more than the potential in yourself.

Thing is, you can have all the potential in the world . . you can KNOW you have all the potential in the world, but NOONE is going to give a shit enough to hold your pretty little hand and take you through every glitch in the road. . people have their own lives to live and they care more about their success than yours.

Sure you’ll get a little help along the way every now and then. . but it’s ALWAYS going to be up to you to make that potential something more . . turn that lead into gold.

Because potential means NOTHING. .

you don’t make a difference on potential . .

you don’t change people’s lives on potential . .

you don’t learn from potential . .

. . potential isn’t success . . it’s one of those little steps that leads you TO success.

I’ve been there . . i’m at that place sometimes where i settle for less than i think i can achieve . . or there’s too many probable steps to take . . so many paths . . too many options, that i don’t decide anything . . then nature takes it’s course and opportunities disappear . . or the achievement takes 20 times longer than it could have.

When i talk about “potential” . . i’m also referring to people who have achieved what they’ve set out to achieve . but once they do, the hype is over . . that light inside them has blown out. . that rush . . that sense of urgency to take over the world is DEAD.

I think that’s where a lot of us fail.

Anybody can achieve something ONCE . . achieve a goal once . . achieve the perfect body once . . but it’s striving for even MORE than that . . keeping that pace with the next goal and the next goal and the next . . because you don’t know how high that mountain is until you climb up further and further . . and when you DO reach the top and there’s nowhere left to climb . . it’s up to you to find another mountain, higher than the one before and start climbing.

Mindless Eating . .

2011-01-31T09:41:00.001+11:00

Have you ever gone through periods of time where you just eat like a freakin MANIAC . . you’re stomach is SO FULL, but you keep on going . . trying to fill this VOID that seems like a bottomless pit.

OR do you have the tendency to eat EVERYTHING on your plate, each meal?

I think it’s safe to say we’ve ALL been there.

Check this out real quick. .

EXPERIMENT: A number of subjects sat down to a full breakfast with bacon, eggs, sausage, hashbrowns, etc. They were told to eat as much as they wanted to eat until full.

The SAME subjects came back the next morning and were given the same amount of food. This time however, they were BLINDFOLDED. They were told to eat when full, and the results . . dramatically different.

80% stopped half way through their food, the other 20% eating less than half.

Not ONE of them finished their plate.

Eating with a blindfold means you’re relying on your INTERNAL signals as a radar of how full you are.

So why the hell are we overeating???

What part of us is still hungry, if it’s not our stomach?

Professer Wansink observed a 3 year old will stop eating when full, whereas a 5 year old will eat however much is placed in front of them.

The thing is . . your stomach is not the only thing that needs to be fed.

Your brain . . your soul . . your heart . . your mind . . all need food too . .

Spiritually . . we need food.

Spiritual food can involve reading the bible, going to church, meditating . . whatever . . each part of your BEING needs to be fed and enriched EACH and EVERY day.

If you’re lacking in even ONE of those areas . . there’s an imbalance there . . and so the other areas in your life which are easier for you to control (aka, your food intake) are going to try and FILL that void.

UNFORTUNATELY . . it doesn’t work that way . . and you end up doing all harm and no good.

How do you know if you’re really hungry ??

How to tell if you’re really hungry.

The AMAZING thing is . . once you realize what’s missing from your life . . what’s lacking . . what’s incomplete . . what’s malnourished . . whether it be in your career . . in your relationships . . in your friendships . . your CRAVING for balance in life is SO much more important and detrimental than your craving for food could EVER be.

It allows you to reach the next level mentally and spiritually . . and i think that’s what is missing from a LOT of lives . . that spiritual connection to our soul and our bodies.

As lame as it sounds . . it’s the best feeling in the world when you’re at peace with yourself . . when you reach the core of your self . . your subconscious . . and don’t rely or allow external factors to influence who YOU are and your day to day choices.

What’s imbalanced in your life ??

What’s missing from your life ??

What do you need more of ??

Are you in touch with your sub conscious ??

Do you spend time with yourself each day realizing who YOU are without all the external things ??

This is something i’m going to be focusing on this week.

Changes are going to be made in the spiritual side of things for me.

References:

http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/v10/n2/full/oby200215a.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_4613843_lose-weight-keep-offfor-real.html

“MEN” by Oprah

2011-01-27T13:20:00.003+11:00

This is SO TRUE . . that i had to post it . .

Ladies . . pay attention.

If a man wants you, nothing can keep him away.
If he doesn't want you, nothing can make him stay.

Stop making excuses for a man and his behaviour.

All your intuition (or spirit) to save you from heartache.
Stop trying to change yourself for a relationship that's not meant to be.

Slower is better. Never live your life for a man before you find what makes you truly happy.

If a relationship ends because the man was not treating you as you deserve then heck no, you can't "be friends".
A friend wouldn't mistreat a friend.

Don't settle.

If you feel like he is stringing you along, then he probably is. Don't stay because you think "it will get better."
You'll be mad at yourself a year later for staying when things are not better.

The only person you can control in a relationship is you.

Avoid men who've got a bunch of children by a bunch of different women. He didn't marry them when he got them pregnant, why would he treat you any differently?

Always have your own set of friends separate from his.

Maintain boundaries in how a guy treats you. If something bothers you, speak up.

Never let a man know everything. He will use it against you later.

You cannot change a man's behaviour. Change comes from within.

Don't EVER make him feel he is more important than you are... even if he has more education or a “better” job.

Do not make him into a quasi-god.
He is a man, nothing more nothing less.

Never let a man define who you are.
Never borrow someone else's man.

If he cheated with you, he'll cheat on you.
A man will only treat you the way you ALLOW him to treat you.

All men are NOT dogs.

You should not be the one doing all the bending . . compromise is a two way street.

You need time to heal between relationships...there is nothing cute about baggage... deal with your issues before pursuing a new relationship.

Dating is fun...even if he doesn't turn out to be Mr. Right.

Make him miss you sometimes...when a man always know where you are, and you're always readily available to him - he takes it for granted.

Never move into his mother's house. Never co-sign for a man.
Don't fully commit to a man who doesn't give you everything that you need.* Keep him in your radar but get to know others.

You should know that you're the best thing that could ever happen to anyone and if a man mistreats you, HE WILL MISS OUT A GOOD THING.

If he was attracted to you in the first place, just know that he's not the only one.

They're all watching you, so you have a lot of choices. Make the right one.

Ladies take care of your own hearts....
Men treat our woman with respect....

http://www.favorite-famous-quotes.com/oprah-quotes-about-men.html

Starchless Coconut Bread

2011-01-27T12:39:00.001+11:00

This recipe is delish . . it’s quite filling too because of the sweetness of the coconut.

What you need:

6 eggs 1/2 cup (120g) coconut oil 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 3/4 cup (85g) coconut flour/almond meal 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Process:

Mix all the ingredients together . . pour into a sprayed pan that’s going to fit nicely (wipe down with a little coconut oil if you need it).

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-40 minutes (depends on oven/if you use coconut/almond meal)

Toppings:

Anything you want. I had some with Almond butter. You could pretty much do anything. Blueberries, cottage cheese . . wherever your imagination takes you.

Notes:

It will be more like a flatish bread because of the lack of starch . . still just as yummy.

Let me know if you make any alterations to the recipe that turn out yummy or ideas on toppings.

ENJOY!!

x Mel

16 things that piss me off in the gym . .

2011-01-25T08:37:00.001+11:00

First, let me say . . this is purely for shits & giggles .. it doesn’t apply to EVERYONE . . one of few . . so don’t get your panties in a twist & sit back, relax.

1. Nobody needs to wear jeans to the gym. nobody. Long, short, tight, loose. this isn’t a runway show, put the denims AWAY.

2. Wearing sunglasses inside . . really? is the glare from your massive ego making it hard to see normally like everybody else?

3. Don’t ask me for advice and then get defensive. You clearly don’t want to get better, you want JUSTIFICATION for what you’re already doing.

4. You’re DYING to get in shape, yet you expend 90% of your energy collapsed on the floor wimping that you can’t do the exercise . . when you would have been done by now. Lazy prick.

5. Training partners are fine. Training GROUPS? what the fuck is that. 10 guys crowding around one machine . . are we working out or are we dissecting a piece of art?

6. You don’t ALWAYS have to be fancy schmancy . . supersets . . giant sets . . switching here . . moving there. it’s ok to stick with the one movement for more than 60 seconds . . seriously, it’s ok.

7. If you’re natural, fine. If you’re not, fine. But don’t say you are when you’re clearly fucking not. And grab a tissue, because the 3000 pimples on your back are about to perform a volcanic eruption & it ain’t gonna be pretty.

8. Don’t pretend like you don’t know what you’re doing when you’re standing RIGHT in front of the dumbbell rack performing your front raises ?? “Sorry, am i in your way?” . . oh gee, let me think. Asshole.

9. Ladies, if you’re wearing undies as shorts to the gym, don’t complain that you’re getting eye raped. Maybe invest in a little more material and the issue might miraculously resolve itself.

10. I am not going to give you constant reassurance that you look good. Don’t believe me? Fine. You look like shit.

11. “How many more sets you got to go on there mate” . . i’m in the middle of my freaking set . . and you & me . . we’re not “mates”. Right now, you’re a fly in my face.

13. Put the weights back in the right place. If you’re big enough to pick them up, you’re big enough to put them back. I’m not your mum, clean up your own shit.

15. Don’t be a dumbbell whore, and lay out 5 different sizes in advance, in a nice little row. I appreciate the need to be efficient, but making the other 20 people wait is not the idea of a WOO-HOO good time.

16. Bodybuilders, do you really have to take your top off eeeeeeeeeeeevery, tiiiiiiiiiiiiiime you happen to stumble upon your own reflection in the mirror. I don’t think anything is going to look different from now and in 2 minutes time. Only your scale of dickheadness just went up.

What pisses you off?? . . feel free to post below.

don’t be a slut with your training . .

2011-01-24T07:21:00.001+11:00

Soon as i stepped foot in this big, wide world of fitness i got introduced to your typical bodybuilding style of training . . weekly body part splits.

I went hardcore.

I wanted to do every exercise known to man . . tackle everything that was thrown at me.

Since then, even though i haven’t been in the game for long, i’ve been exposed to MANY, many methods of training . .

As a beginner, it’s EFFING overwhelming.

The more research i did . . the more i became what i like to call, a training slut.

One day i would do one style of training. . another day i would do another . . the next day something different . . you get the jist.

The result? Not getting anywhere with my goals.

It’s like having 100 topless guys (or naked chicks . . whatever works) in front of you and you have to pick one . . you don’t understand why you can’t take all of them home with you.

For the girls

For the guys

So what do you do ?? . . you take ONE home and get the digits off the others.

In other words, you pick ONE training method . . let the others linger in the background . . stick with it for as long as required for you to see some sort of change . . and then stick with it for a little longer . . and a little longer after that.

Crossfit . . German Volume training . . athletics . . sprinting, whatever.

You need to understand that EACH method of training requires a certain conditioning period . . usually between 6-8 weeks, but it totally depends on YOUR body.

This allows your muscles, tendons, energy systems, to SLOWLY get accustomed to the fresh new work load and conditions your muscles to work FOR you, not against you (less risk of injury).

Results come with consistency, not consistent change.

The thing about being a beginner is you don’t know what the hell you want out of your training.

But the moment you DECIDE what makes your heart skip a beat . . when you decide to stop pussy-footing around, is when you begin to experience DRAMATIC changes in your body and your mind. . mentally & physically, because you’ll know EXACTLY what you need to do, and exactly when you need to do it.

The problem with being a beginner . . and this goes for MOST beginners . . you’re not alone, is you want results RIGHT now, so you assume if you pack a lot of shit onto your plate, you’re going to see changes QUICKFAST.

But your body won’t be able to cope for long . . especially if the only “exercise” you’ve been doing for the past 20 years is curling the extra cheesy cheetos from the bowl to your mouth.

Give a program the time it deserves to make some hardcore impact.

Don’t say “yeh ok” and a week later you’re doing different shit.

I’m serious, stick with it.

Don’t be that gym slut.

FLOURLESS PIZZA

2011-01-22T20:33:00.001+11:00

I have a tendancy to eat the saaaaame thing day in, day out until i’m dreaming green beans are falling from the sky . . i’m just ultra lazy when it comes to cooking.

Frozen green beans, tuna. microwave. DONE.

SO, as a strategy to CHANGE that . . i’ve decided to cook ONE new thing each week . . can be a dinner, dessert, snack, ANYTHING . . which will probably be done over the weekend.

So today . . it is *drum roll*

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower or a bag of frozen cauliflower
1 cup (113 grams) fat-free / light mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup (56 grams) parmesan cheese, grated
1 egg
Any herbs (oregano, parsley, italian herb mix, garlic powder)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Steam cauliflower or put in the microwave for 10 minutes. Mash until smooth. Strain out as much water as possible.

3. Combine mashed cauliflower with egg, parmesan, mozzarella, and oregano. Form into a "dough ball" and squeeze all excess water. 4. Spray baking pan and mash ingredients into a round crust. 5. Bake for 12-20 minutes (maybe even longer) until golden brown.

6. Top with ANYTHING and EVERYTHING, tomatoes (be careful with the sauce because the base is going to be a little watery). . fat-free cheese, and any toppings of choice: turkey . . pepperoni . . chicken . . mushrooms, spinach, peppers, low-fat Canadian bacon, etc.
7. Place back in oven until cheese melts and toppings are heated, then mentally prepare for the mouth-gasm headed your way.

Toppings:

You want to put as MUCH veggies as you can on it to fill you up . . volumize the shit out of it . . mushrooms . . capsicum . . chilli . . egg . . meat . . turkey . . spinach . . squash . . whatever veggie you can think of that would taste sexy . . use your imagination.

It’s not the PERFECT pizza . . bcos of the texture of the cauliflower, it’s watery in nature so the pizza is going to be quite soft . . just go with it . . it’s flourless pizza . . what more could you want.

Low calorie, high yummy.

MAKE IT. NOW.

Let me know if you guys try this and the different toppings you put on !!

NOTE: one thing that i would probably change is add maybe a little bit of almond meal/coconut flour . . just so it holds together . . maybe 1/4 cup.

ENJOY!

RESOURCES

www.-tnation.com www.google.com

hot cross buns

2011-01-21T12:52:00.001+11:00

so i’m doing my frequent, boring ‘let’s get it over with’ trip to the supermarket . . walk through the doors . . first thing i spot on the left hand entrance . .

HOT CROSS BUNS.

Hot cross buns . . really? We JUST finished recovering from xmas and you’re laying out this red carpet of OBESE on a platter.

It’s JANUARY. Jesus ain’t planning on rising from the dead anytime soon.

“But noone has to buy it” . . majority of people don’t have that self-control . . they’re not INCLINED to think that way . . if something is in front of their face, they’re going to fuckin’ eat it . . why do you think they structure and market the stores that way.

I’m all for one hot cross bun every now and then . . but it’s not that ONE hot cross bun that’s concerning. . it’s the dozen other buns that come after the “i’ll just have one” bun.

I thought we were slowly progressing towards a healthier future . . this is not one of those steps.

Wanna take a step? Try replacing those sugar infested buns with a piece of GREENERY that’s made from actual earth.

Wanna take a bigger step? Don’t buy them. Not because of the bun, not because you’re going to “get fat” . . because of what it REPRESENTS for our future . . each bun you buy, it’s like you’re feeding into their tricks . . be smarter than that.

learning from “mistakes”

2011-01-17T07:33:00.001+11:00

it’s kind of a 50/50 when you give people advice . . especially if it involves them making some sort of change in their life . . EVEN if they’re the ones asking you for it.

You can give them the most AMAZING, simplistic layed out plan with all the diagrams & colourful pretty pictures in the world, but if that person isn’t focused 110% on wanting . . no . . willing to DIE to reach that goal. . it’s just not going to happen.

Because at the end of the day . . people are going to do whatever the fuck they want . . and if that need isn’t great enough to sustain them and make that change . . they’ll go back to old habits . . more sooner than later.

But i think that’s ok.

It’s healthy to go back and forth for a little while . . it means you’re human . . it also means that every time you take a step forward, even if it’s the same damn step you’ve been back and forth on 20 times, you’re standing on that step with a completely different perspective than the last 19 times.

Example: me and my injuries.

I’ve pulled a hamstring, rotator cuff issues , and now i’ve got a strained adductor . .

now these injuries could have been a LOT worse, but the pulled hammy put me out for a good 12 weeks . . the others . . annoying injuries that could have been avoided.

How? By CONDITIONING myself for EVERY SINGLE EXERCISE.

You would think i’d learn the first time to condition myself into it ?

Yeh no . . i’m an idiot when it comes to that.

But i’m learning the hard way . . and i’ve learnt a SHIT load about my body, how to condition myself for exercises, how quickly my muscles recover, how long they take to get fatigued . . and i don’t know if i would have such in depth knowledge if i hadn’t experienced it first hand and suffered.

As STUBBORN as i am . . and how BORING prehab and extended warm ups are. . i’m learning to do what needs to be done, so i can go as hard as i want for a LONG time.

And every BODY is different . . Joe Blog may take 20 weeks to be at the same conditioning as Mary Anne, where it only takes her 11 weeks .. mother nature can be a bitch sometimes.

Shit is going to happen to you in your training that is going to unexpected, is going to set you back, piss you off, maybe you’ll sit on the sidelines for a while . . but you will ALWAYS come up on top because you know something more than you did before that injury . . and you’ll tread with caution if not the next time, than the time after that.

energy.

2010-12-16T07:00:00.001+11:00

When you think of energy, you think of food, right ?

Food = Energy.

If food was energy, every fat person on the earth should be shredded right? Because they have SOOOO much energy to burn.

You don't just get energy from food . . you get it from your mind . .

I would say you get it MORE from your mind than you do your body.

Like when you’re having a shit day . . you can’t be fucked training . . everything’s pissing you off . . then somebody gives you the best news in the world . . and you feel like HAMMERING it in the gym . . what changed in those 2 seconds ?? your internal state . . and when your internal state changes . . it impacts your external state.

Or when you can’t do another minute of cardio, then somebody distracts you and you’ve done an extra 20 minutes than you were supposed to . .

I find that amazing . . how much more we’re REALLY capable of if our mind wasn’t in the way.

If we could make 20 minutes, 30 minutes, and 30 minutes, 40 minutes.

Sometimes you just have to be sneaky with your mind.

Same goes when you're in the gym and you see those people training that look like they are about to DIE . . literally fucking DIE in front of your eyes . . “i caaaaaaaaaan’t dooooo anymoreeeeeeeeeeeee” . . and they’re dragging their asses around the floor . . are you serious?

If you take a look at their posture . . you can tell where they are mentally in that workout . . they are draining the ENERGY out of themselves . . their thoughts are negative and not in conjunction with what what their goals are . .

You can only tell yourself things for so long, but if your body is not expressing the same interest as your mind is . . forget it.

Try this . . stick your chest up, nice and tall, head up . . you INSTANTLY feel better about yourself . . you INSTANTLY have this confidence . . magic right?

Now do the opposite, hunch your shoulders over, look down at the floor, don’t feel high and mighty now do you ??

Sure your mind isn’t that amazing that it’s going to lift the weight for you in your head . . but be their MENTALLY, with your mind AND your body, and the workout will be way more than just a workout.

Your mind can do amazing things for you if you let it.

respect & values.

2010-12-13T08:51:00.001+11:00

Isn’t it funny when you grow up, you respect those that you don't even know . . the rich . . the famous . . the beauty not the brains . . you’re a kid, you don’t know any better . . so you join in on everybody’s else's obsession . . you think they’re known to the world so they MUST be worthy of being respected right?

Then as you grow older, your respect sways toward those that aren’t so famous . . they don’t live in a fancy house . . they don’t do fancy things . . but you respect them for the way they live their lives . . their honesty . . their ambition . . their passion for life . . their love . . all the traits we wish we possessed in ourselves.

It always goes back to the little things in life . . it’s the little things that touch us . . the little things people say . . the little things people do . . or don’t do . .

Life is so fuckin’ big that we hardly pay attention to the little things anymore . . we’re too caught up in what needs to get done . . little things like a smile . . an “i love you” . . a hug . . a compliment . . or just being there to listen to what people have to say . . genuinely listen.

So when something seems overwhelming, i always try and go back to basics . . think about who and what matters most . . go back to my values because that’s what it always comes back to . . values.

If you don’t have a strong sense of what your values are, shit just happens to you. . you take whatever gets thrown at you and you learn to accept it as “this thing called life”.

What are values ?? The things that are most important to you . . what you would fight for . . what’s good . . what’s bad . . what’s wrong.

We do shit that we regret afterwards because we’re just not clear about what we believe unconsciously is right for us.

We need to have a sense of who we are, believe in SOMETHING, know why we do what you do. What we’d put ahead of anything else.

I could go on and on about values . . bottom line: values are the bible of your life. Figure out what means the most to you, and don’t settle for anything less . . easier said than done, but the clearer those values are, the easier it will be to make the little decisions.

TRAINING: Any time is a good time, and any AMOUNT of time you have is enough time.

2010-12-08T18:19:00.001+11:00

Ever since i’ve started training later now . . 9-10ish, i can see how EASY it would be to come up with a million excuses not to go. .

Gotta get up early . .

By the time i get home it will be midnight . .

I won’t get time to relax . .

Gotta cook dinner . .

BLAH BLAH BLAH.

I get it . .

And i feel those thoughts creeping in late in the afternoon too . .

But with me, if there’s a weakness, i’m going to fix it . . that weakness is no good to me . .

I refuse to let those thoughts manifest and bread little babies of excuses.

. . so until i’m bouncing off the walls with energy for those late sessions, i’m going to keep training through that feeling of “uncomfortableness” going through the motions until those ugly thoughts are no longer lingering around inside my head . .

My body will just work when i want it to work . . and my head won’t bother coming up with excuses, because there is, and will be no fucking good excuse.

If you’re freakin’ house burnt down at midnight, i doubt you’d be concerned that you have to “get up early” . . priorities have changed now haven’t they?

Don’t let your mind trick you. Do not let it fool you.

It’s looking for the easy way. You bet your ass it is . . because that’s what it’s used to . . you’ve trained it to be like this . . you’re going to have to work double time for things to change . . physically AND especially, ESPECIALLY, mentally.

i STRONGLY believe that once you get your butt in there. . and you’re surrounded by people that made the effort to be there just like YOU did, that you’re part of something bigger . . something special.

The “late night crew” edge each other on without having to say anything, you know ? . . there’s an unspoken, mutual understanding there.

It doesn’t matter what time it is, someone in the world is going to be training . . that’s how i look at it.

BOTTOM LINE: ANYTIME IS A GOOD TIME . . AND ANY AMOUNT OF TIME THAT YOU HAVE IS ENOUGH TIME.

Just get through that ONE session. Just get through that ONE day.

Your body will thank you for it no matter what.

knowledge.

2010-12-07T09:02:00.001+11:00

Ever since i was little i’ve been extremely curious . . i want to know the “why” of everything. EVERYTHING. that pissed my parents off. haha.

I want to know the world inside out . . i want to know how everything works . . why it works . . how it moves . . how everything moulds together . .

I like finding it out for myself . . it’s fun to me.

But i’d get so impatient with it, because i want to know it all NOW NOW NOW.

But as i get older, i’m learning to appreciate that knowledge takes time . . understanding takes time . .

Then i think how boring it would be if i knew everything about life . . i wouldn’t need to talk to anyone . . do anything . . read any books . . study . . search for any answers . .

I appreciate what i learn from the world daily and i appreciate the fact that i can’t know everything RIGHT NOW . . and i’ll never know everything . .

but knowledge gives you access to AMAZING things.

Information is too AVAILABLE too us these days . .

People think “EHH i can look at it anytime” and never get around to it. EVER.

But if you’re going to be different . . make some sort of a change in the world . . you have to know some sort of shit.

Knowledge is the FOUNDATION, it allows you the ability to control things in your life . . make informed decisions . . know your odds . . the risks you take . .

It’s powerful stuff . .

When you have your OWN knowledge, your life isn’t about other people’s ideas . . other people’s notions . . the decisions they make.

It’s about YOUR decisions, your vision, what inspires YOU.

It’s ok to listen to people but i’m smart enough to know what to take notice of.

Never underestimate the importance of education.

training crossfit . .

2010-12-06T09:35:00.001+11:00

I go through phases with my training . . I get bored . . so i’m always experimenting . . trying new things . . i don’t religiously follow ONE method of training . . i embrace ALL methods of training . . but when i get bored it’s time to switch . .

Right now i’m into the Crossfit workouts . . i’m a dead set beginner . . been doing it for a month off and on due to injuries . .

There’s a HELL of a lot of controversy with Crossfit . . then again it’s the fitness industry, what isn’t there controversy about . .

If you don’t know how Crossfit works . . hop on the website and check it out . .

www.crossfit.com

I could explain it to you, but REALISTICALLY, an explanation doesn’t cut it. You need to experience it.

Alright, i’ll give it a go . .

It’s basically a “GPP program” where you follow different WOD (Workout’s of the Day) that are posted on the website daily . .

So far, i like it a lot.

All exercises are functional . . they have movements ranging from muscle ups . . pull ups . . handstand push ups . . to Olympic lifts . . overhead squats . . running . . snatches . .

Each day focuses on different exercises . . different rep schemes . . different % of weight . .

it’s VARIED . .

1 day you could be running 1k . . another day you could be doing high reps to time . . next day will be a max effort day . . you scale the workout according to your fitness levels . . it’s varied but NOT random . . the sequence of the programming is programmed a SPECIFIC way to get maximal gains across all levels of fitness . . building strength, agility, flexibility, endurance, stamina, speed . .

i like to stick my finger in a lot of pies, i like to have the ability to adapt to ANYTHING a workout throws at me . . a jack of all trades and master of none . . it’s not just about “working out” . . it’s about being fit . . so this style of program works well for me . .

If you’re not an athlete, but you want a taste of what it’s like to perform in a variety of different sports (powerlifting, gymnastics, running) . . this program may serve you.

It’s not easy, it’s freakin’ hard . . VERY challenging . . especially as a beginner . . handstand push ups . . muscle ups . . rope climbs . . lack of breath . . functional movements that you didn’t think EXISTED.

the mental aspect of it . .

Some workouts you have a set time frame, say 20 mins, to do as many reps as possible . . others you have to complete the workout in the fastest time . . it fucks with your head.

That will to do the last push up, the last pull-up, the last squat before time runs out . . is something you can transfer over into real life . . in a fight or flight situation . .

It forces you to develop this incredible relationship with your mind, because your mind is going to want to give up . . it is . . and you need to actively bring your mind & body and FORCE them to work as one , and you have to ACTIVELY do it every, single workout.

it’s quick . .

The workout can be anything from 5 to 20 minutes on high rep days . . depending how quickly you get it done . . some days are longer . . but you’re never in there for 1-2 hours. Not your traditional bodybuilder routines . . everything is functional.

Don’t think because it’s a short workout that it’s not effective . . it forces you to give your all in that short amount of time . . it’s INTENSE . . 100% concentration . . 100% energy . . 100% commitment . . focus on form . . focus on speed . . and you really HAVE to dial in & zone out what’s around you to perform at your max effort.

Every session leaves you lying on the floor fucking DYING to breathe . . the only thing you can hear . . feel . . sense . . is your heart pumping out of your chest . . i like that kinda thing.

I’m not trying to pull you into the darkness . . you don’t HAVE to try it . . hell you could sit on the couch drinking beer and scoffing down pizza for all i care . .

. . but if you’re looking to advance as an athlete or simply pick up some new tricks . . why not try something that you haven’t tried before?

amazing workout

2010-12-03T07:20:00.001+11:00

i was in love with my workout yesterday . .

To time:

1000m Row

50 Thrusters (20kg)

30 Pull Ups

It wasn’t so much the workout, everything about it was just perfect.

Those sessions when you go in there . . your heads in the right place . . your heart . . every muscle in your body is SCREAMING to be played with.

You don’t care who’s where in the gym . . they’re all dots on your radar . . You know what you have to do, and you do it . . no fluffing around . . no eyeing the pretty girl holding the pink dumbbells in the corner . . 100% commitment from every ounce of your being . . that’s when i feel closest to my conscious . . that’s when i feel alive.

I appreciate all my workouts though . .

When i feel like crap . . but i’ll go anyway . . for me it’s like going to see your best friend to cheer you up . . i’ve had a SHIT day . . i don’t want to talk to anyone . . i don’t bother putting on a fake smile . . head in there, STRAIGHT TO THE SQUAT RACK. . that’s where all the red energy is directed . . it’s just me and the squat rack . . and i just rep it the hell out . . until i’m no longer seeing red . . and that’s when i smile.

Beats sitting on the couch with a box of Twinkies hey . .

No matter WHAT happens in the outside world, you’re 100% GUARANTEED to feel better EVERY TIME you workout . . you don’t EVER finish a workout and feel worse than you did before you worked out . .

Broke up with your girlfriend ? Work out ..

Pissed off at the world ? Work out . .

screw motivation.

2010-12-02T07:59:00.001+11:00

“if i can just get motivated i’ll be ok”

Everyone looks to motivation like it’s some EXTERNAL thing . . like its food that we can swallow & it MIRACULOUSLY gives us an overload of energy . .

Relying on external things is like a drug . . you need that fix daily . . you need batteries so you can function 100% . . what’s the problem ??? batteries run out.

And what happens when those external things change ?? Because they will . . THEN what are you going to do ???

If some bodybuilder with a 6 pac is motivating you now . . come off season . . he’s/she’s fat . . what’s going to keep you motivated ??

Motivation doesn’t come from the OUTSIDE . . you can’t feel it .. touch it . . explain it . .

It’s something deeper than we’ll probably ever know . . that inner voice . . that inner drive that you have . . it comes from the DOING . . you get motivated by getting out there and doing what needs to be done . . then you start seeing results . . all of a sudden you don’t need a REASON to do something . . you simply can’t see yourself NOT doing it . . that is TRUE DRIVE . .

No quote or motivational book is going to help you if you don’t help yourself.

“what’s the point”

2010-12-01T10:14:00.001+11:00

You know those days when you think . .

“what the fuck is the point . . REALLY . . what’s the point . . “

You’re thinking . .

I’m bustin’ my ass, day in, day out . . gotta eat right . . be healthy . . work long hours . . find time to exercise . . find time to be social . . find time for myself . . figure out what i want . . what i don’t want . . what i need . . who i need . . who to let go of . . what to have for dinner . .

It’s an endless circle of mixed emotions . . ESPECIALLY when you’re starting off on a new adventure in your life . . you worry about everything that could go wrong . . you don’t know what to expect . . you underestimate how much needs to get done . . where to from here . . how much money will i need . . and you become a STRESS HEAD . .

I’m a MAJOR stress head . . i stress out about BEING stressed .. when it comes to work . . about the little things though . . because i know every decision counts . . and those little things could lead to big things . . yet i’m the complete opposite when it comes to other areas of my life . . and i’ll be really spontaneous . . free as a bird . . one of my many personalities i suppose.

If i catch myself thinking “what’s the point” . . something needs to change RIGHT THEN.

That’s the exact time in my life where i have to CREATE A POINT . . create a reason why i choose to get up earlier than everybody else . . go to bed later than everybody else . .

It’s not easy . . it’s hard . . to DECIDE to be better . . no excuses . . but i’ve always wanted more for myself . . i knew from a very young age that i’d have to work for what i got . . and i’m ok with that . . patience gets a little thin sometimes but i KNOW i can always give more . . do better . . for ME . . not for anybody else . . because i don’t think that ANY of us were put here on this earth to be comfortable . . complacent . . to sit on our ass . . we’re here to offer each other support . . but most of all to share knowledge & let OUR passion flow over to somebody else’s life when they’re thinking “what’s the point”.

I’ll never understand why you would you ever want to be just energy floating around . . but some people, no matter how much potential they have, just can’t be helped . . sometimes you just have to live your life . . leave them in their little corner and let them figure it out or not figure it out . . .

. . . or you could just kick them up the ass. might work. MAYBE.

“You can spend all your time studying the roots . . or you can pick the fruit.”

MOBILITY TIPS 101

2010-11-30T06:54:00.001+11:00

1) FOCUS ON THE MOVEMENT

When i talk about MOBILITY i’m talking about taking a muscle through a specific range of motion.

When something is tight . . or feels unusual . . and you’re looking at fixing the issue . . a lot of people focus on ONE muscle to stretch or mobilize . .

What for ??

How do you know what muscle is tight ??

Every movement we make uses a LOT of muscles working TOGETHER.

So if a particular movement doesn’t feel right . . isn’t it common sense to mobilize the MOVEMENT and not worry about what muscle you’re stretching or what its called . . i don’t give a shit what muscle i’m mobilizing . . as long as the issue is resolved.

SUMMARY: Whatever movement hurts, mobilize in the ENTIRE range of motion. If you’re having an issue in the bottom of the squat . . look at opening up those hips . . get on the floor & figure out a way to get to the tight areas & replicate that movement . .

2) FOAM ROLLING – IF YOU’RE NOT ON IT, GET ON IT.

I’ve talked about it before in previous blogs . . i’m not going to bore you with WHY you should do it . . here’s a link that sums it up well:

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_repair/feel_better_for_10_bucks

TIP: When you’re rolling the I.T Band, a lot of people tend to roll on it like this . . (just watch the movement, you don’t have to listen to him)

HOWEVER, the problem with this is the I.T band is it’s not a muscle . . it’s a MASSIVE piece of connective tissue that doesn’t stretch . . it’s like trying to stretch a steel cable . . it ain’t going to work . . so rolling on it up & down is not loosening up the tissue around it.

A more EFFECTIVE alternative is to pick a spot on your IT band, position yourself the same as above . . but instead of rolling up & down along the IT band, you’re going to roll side to side (so you’re rolling across the quad & the hamstring) really pancaking those fibres and smoothing out those tissues.

This way, you’re really getting in between the insertion of the I.T band to the quads & the hammies . . make sure you’re MOVING, that’s the main thing.

SUMMARY: FOAM ROLL before & after training to keep those tissues smooth.

3. MORE IS NOT BETTER, MORE OFTEN IS BETTER.

If you’ve got 200 tight muscles . . focus on the muscles/movement of the muscles you’re going to be working that day . . if you’re training legs . . no point focusing on mobilizing the shoulders now is there ??

Once again, COMMON SENSE.

And don’t over do it, mobilizing 3-5 times a day is fine . . but 2 mins each movement max in the one session is PLENTY.

Over & out.

21 YEARS OF LIFE . . 21 LESSONS I’VE LEARNT

2010-11-29T07:22:00.001+11:00

1. Sometimes there’s no use trying to understand the WHY of something. You just have to let shit go.

2. Nobody has it all figured out. We’re just hoping for the best.

3. You can “have it all” in life, simply by changing how you think.

4. You can’t learn a whole lifetime of knowledge on a certain topic in a day.

5. We don’t spend enough time nearly enough time with ourselves thinking about NOTHING.

6. Every person you meet is better than you at something.

7. If you aren’t happy being single, you won’t be happy in a relationship.

8. As human beings, we seriously think way too much.

9. Patience is key. Patience is ALSO a pain in my ass.

10. We all experience the same emotions, the same circumstances, at one stage of our lives. We may think we’re alone in the world, but we’re closer than we think.

11. Talent comes naturally . . but talent alone won’t get you anywhere. SKILL comes with HOURS and HOURS of beating on your craft.

12. You can’t please everybody. In fact, majority of the time, you’re pissing someone off.

13. Every problem you have is YOUR responsibility, it doesn’t matter who caused it.

14. You can’t PUSH for something to happen . . it will only take longer . . you need to focus on what you CAN control & things will eventually sort out.

15. Whenever you hate something, it hates you back: people, situations, EVERYTHING.

16. A smile goes a LONG way. So if all else fails, SMILE.

17. Putting something off makes it THAT much harder . . no matter how small.

18. There is ALWAYS somebody out there that has it worse off than you do.

19. Relying on other people or external circumstances to make you happy never works in the long term.

20. Everyone just wants to feel loved and appreciated at the end of the day.

21. People are not lazy. They just don’t have goals that DRIVE them . . and INSPIRE them.

Could have gone on FOREVER . . .

What has life taught you ??

Are weak Adductor Muscles affecting your squat ??

2010-11-26T08:38:00.001+11:00

Whenever you’re looking at increasing strength . . we always want to look at the muscles in the centre of the body – hips . . glutes . . upper legs . .

Because this is where everything happens . . that’s where the force is coming from . . just like a house has a base, our middle is our base.

Yet our Adductors tend to be left out of training programs . .

And as a result . . they get weak . . and our numbers in the lifts aren’t going up AT ALL.

The higher those numbers get in your squat . . the WEAKER those adductors are going to be . . IF you don’t pay attention to them.

Those hammies & quads are going to continue to be overworked . . and those adductors are going to be left behind.

NOW . . i won’t take long with the science shit but you DO need to know where these muscles are . .

Adductor Brevis, Adductor Longus, Adductor Magnus, Gracilis.

They originate close together in the groin area on the pubic bone, and they attach to parts of the femur (quad), running from the top to the bottom of the quad.

STRONG ADDUCTORS ARE ESSENTIAL TO KEEP THAT KNEE JOINT STABLE. They exist to pull the upper leg inward.

So when you’re squatting with weak adductors, they’re not strong enough to hold the knees in the right position . . and eventually . . something is going to give.

Signs of Weak Adductors . .

Your knees will turn slightly inward when you squat or pull heavy.

Good news ?? Those babies respond pa-retty quickly.

Why so weak ??

You may just not be giving it the attention it needs . . the quads & hammies are having all the fun . .

The MAIN reason is you don’t go low enough in the squat . . whether you’ve been taught that way by a trainer . . or it “damages your knees” . . bullshit . . those partial squats damage your knees a HELL of a lot more . . why ?? because the only muscle working is the quads . . and that downward movement places a LOT of stress on the knees . .

when you squat below parallel . . all the muscles & attachments surrounding the knee come in to play and have to work together . . and those muscles get stronger as a result.

PLUS in a full squat, the oh so powerful hips handle the eccentric phase . . (bar is moving down), taking the stress away from the knees.

Let’s get them strong shall we . .

1. GET THAT LAZY ASS KISSING THE GROUND . . WIDE SQUATS.

How wide ? The wider, the better . . your depth will increase as flexibility increases . . right now just make sure your depth is happening.

The adductors really start to join the party when you reach that parallel . . deeper you go . . the more they’re activated.

Go light . . concentrate on form.
Feet need to be pointing straight
Pressure should be on the OUTSIDE of your feet, not on toes or heels.
Torso must stay peeeerfectly upright when you go up and down.
3 x 15-20 reps should be plenty . . but you want to make sure you’re pushing it on those last few reps.

Depending on how bad your adductors are you may want to stick with wide stance squats for all leg workouts . . until you begin to see some improvement.

THEN, get on the wide stance squats twice a week, after your squat session.

2. SUMO DEADLIFTS

Sumo Deadlift

A beautiful exercise that skyrockets those adductors from weak to sleek.

Grip bar with hands inside your thighs, but don’t place your feet so wide that you can’t lower your hips deep enough to be in the right position.
Grip, over/under or you can use straps.
Feet pointed straight ahead, pressure on outside of feet.
Make sure that bar doesn’t drift forward, keep it against the shins.
Think of pushing your feet down THROUGH the floor, rather than pulling that weight up.
Nice and slow on the negative . . don’t let the bar crash down.
Hips low as possible so they force the adductors to work harder.
3 x 15-20 reps

Once it starts getting easy, peezy, go for 5 x 5 . . pure strength routine.

Or you can go 6 . . 7 reps . . whatever your strength method is . . everyone works differently.

3. ADVANCED ISOTONIC-ISOMETRIC EXERCISE

This is for those whose adductors are pretty strong . . but want those numbers to go up in the squats . .

Set the bar across the lowest pins inside the rack, where you would be at the deepest part of your squat.
Put 2 more pins just ABOVE the lower ones. Closer they are together, the better.
Start off with light weights . . trust me.
Squeeze under the loaded bar
Feet wide as you can
Upper body stiff
Take a deep breath
Move the bar up to the top pins, lightly tapping in, then tap the bottom, on the 4th rep, lock the bar against the top pins and HOLD it there for about 10 seconds.

Haha . . you’ll know what i’m talking about when you do it.

Don’t go past 12 counts . . up the weight.

Can do this after a squat session 2-3 times a week.

OVERALL . . keep an eye on those knees when you squat . . it may only be a slight shift now . . but those knees will keep coming further in.

Leave your ego at the door and don’t let those adductors fall behind . . EVERY SINGLE back and leg exercise you do is going to fall short if you do. . that’s a LOT of exercises.

Weak adductors mean poor foot speed . . leaping ability . . endurance.

perfection

2010-11-25T10:30:00.001+11:00

you know it’s funny . . i’m an anti-perfectionist yet i’m a perfectionist . .

i’m not the perfectionist in the way of shoes having to face this way . . or my hair needs to sit that way . .

but my perfectionist habits tend to lie in my goals . . and the things i do that lead to those goals . . each little step needs to be PERFECT . . never to make a mistake . . never to put a foot wrong . . but if i do make a mistake . . each MISTAKE has to be PERFECT . . i can’t let anybody know that i’m NOT perfect in my abilities . . in anything i set out to do . .

. . but i’ve learnt now that BECAUSE of that i’ve missed out on opportunities . . advancements . .

see the thing i’ve realised is . .

when you chase perfection . . when you make PERFECTION your ultimate goal . . you get distracted . . distracted by chasing something that doesn’t exist . . you make YOURSELF feel like a loser . . you feel like shit . . and make everyone around you feel like shit . .

Perfection? No such thing.

Nobody feels perfect 365 days of the year . . millionaires . . superstars . . celebrities . . even if they DO have it all . .

So i’m reprogramming my mind to think of failure as an opportunity . . to learn . . to be a better version of myself . . it’s kind of a “behind the scenes” to what will happen if i fuck up again . .

But whatever DOES happen . . i take responsibility. I create my OWN world . . if you DON’T believe you’re creating your own world . . your successes . . your failures . . then you’re at the mercy of circumstances . . things just “HAPPEN” to you . . you’re an OBJECT . . not a subject.

So when some plan doesn’t work out how i wanted . . i don’t attach negative emotions to it . . i don’t attach negative emotions to something that doesn’t work.

I use THAT failure and figure out what went wrong . . tweak it . . and try it again.

It’s that simple.

EXCUSES

2010-11-22T10:19:00.001+11:00

Excuses . . excuses . . excuses . .

I think of excuses like a “get out of jail free” card . . you can use that ONE excuse, but you can only use it once . . right ??

I was thinking last week . . about the excuses that i’ve made in my life that have stopped me from heading in the direction to where i want to go.

We ALL have different reasons why we make excuses . . but we ALL make them . .

Why? Because they’re so AVAILABLE to us . . we can pretty much use them on EVERYTHING.

Why we can’t work . . why we’re skipping the gym . . why we went off our nutrition plans . . why we didn’t wash the dishes . . why we ordered take out instead of making dinner . .

They don’t even have to be good ones . . but our minds will ACCEPT it.

Thing is though . . these little excuses are the REASON why we don’t get what we want . . or why we don’t achieve our goals sooner.

Where do excuses come from ???

For me . . my parents probably played a big part in it . . i’m not blaming them . . but how you grow up and how you raised is a BIG part of what you become . . unless you make the effort to CHANGE yourself.

My whole life . . my parents have been nothing but motivating & accepting of EVERYTHING that i’ve done . . BUT it’s HOW they motivate.

They would tell me what i fantastic writer i am . . how talented i am . . i’m a great singer . . i’m motivated . . BUT that is all in the present tense . . it’s not a push in the direction i NEED to go . .

So through that i’ve always been satisfied with having the POTENTIAL to do things . . but never really doing them.

Why? Probably because of fear . . because of failing . . of being wrong about something and having to get up off the ground again . .

So i made excuses to myself and everybody else so i wouldn’t have to TRY.

It’s like suffering from a disease . . it only gets worse.

The problem is that excuses become repetitive . . and you don’t just stop after one . . you’re on a fuckin roll . . and repetitiveness brings us HABIT.

BAD HABIT.

Hell . . excuses started back in the Garden of Eden when Adam ate all the fruit and used Eve as the excuse . .

So, the MAIN reason we make excuses is because we’re AFRAID of what will happen if we fail at something . . to protect ourselves from getting hurt . . that EGO that we have as humans . . that we spend our LIVES developing . . we will do anything to protect it.

FEAR OF SUCCESS is a big one too . . fear of what will happen if we actually DO succeed . . the big changes that will take over our lives . . will we be strong enough to handle them? will we change as a person?

How do we stop these lil suckers?

I’m not gonna lie . . it’s something you’ll be accountable for, for your whole life . . everything decision you make daily . . no doubt an excuse will show itself . . but slowly . . those excuses will realise they don’t have a place in you.

1. CATCH YOURSELF OUT . . write down all the instances in the past week that you’ve allowed yourself to make excuses . . however small. You’re going to have to dig deep for this one . . because most of the time we don’t even THINK about it . . and we take on those excuses as facts.

2. LOOK AT THE PROGRESS OF YOUR LIFE. How have those excuses above impacted your life . . what are some BIG things that you stopped yourself from achieving . . this step is important . . until you come to terms with the damage these excuses are doing . . you’ll have no REASON to change.

3. DEATHBED . . Imagine yourself on your deathbed RIGHT NOW. All those headaches . . and excuses . . it’s too cold . . too hot . . too wet . . they seem like BULLSHIT now huh ??

4. ACCEPT THAT YOU CAN CHANGE. . You need to realize that all these excuses . . they’re all out of fear . . and ALLOW yourself to make the appropriate changes to being the best you can be.

5. CHOOSE TO BE DIFFERENT IN 5 YEARS TIME . . What can you do TODAY to be a better version of yourself in 5 years time . . are you in a better place than you were 5 years ago ?? If not, WHY ?? What excuses have stopped you ??

6. LISTEN TO YOUR EXCUSES. Everytime an opportunity comes up . . however small . . either write a list or make a mental list of possible excuses as to why you can’t . . you will find . . that NONE of them outweigh the ONE reason why you can . . and that ONE reason is because you DESERVE good things to come your way . . and you’re going to do WHATEVER it takes to get them.

Excuses are like training wheels . . only when we LET THEM GO . . can we REALLY begin to live.

What excuses do you make to yourself ??

STRAWBERRY 2 MIN “CHEESECAKE” for dieters (LOW CAL)

2010-11-15T11:14:00.001+11:00

Ingredients:

150g Ricotta (low fat)
1 scoop (30g) Strawberry Protein Powder
1 handful nuts (almonds/cashews/whatever)
1/2 tsp Stevia
Handful whole flaxseeds (optional)
Cinnamon (to taste)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together until really smooth and WHALLAH !!

Enjoy !! It seriously takes EXACTLY like cheesecake

ALTERNATIVES: You can add raisins, pumpkin seeds, use a different flavoured protein powder . . add some almond butter . . be creative with it.

Chocolate Protein Pancakes (LOW CARB/LOW CAL)

2010-11-14T12:04:00.002+11:00

Ingredients:

3 egg whites (if you're using liquid egg whites, it's about 2/3 cup)
1 scoop (30g) chocolate protein powder or unflavored soy protein powder
1/2 cup wheat bran
1 tbsp 100% cocoa powder
TINY bit of baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and stevia
Handful of Shredded Coconut (optional)
2 tbsp Almond Milk (optional)

Directions:

Blend all ingredients together.
Spray some oil in a pan, and wait till it begins to bubble.
Pour the batter onto the pan (can make little ones or one BIG ASS one) . . each side will take about 1-2 mins to cook. Soon as it's bubbling on the top flip on the other side.

AND THAT'S IT !!

Wheat Bran is an INSOLUBLE FIBRE, which means it doesn't break down in the small instestine . . it just goes straight through the body (i've written an article on this in my blog) and because of that i don't really count the calories from it . . trial & error has been done on a few people and they haven't had an increase in bf% when including as much wheat bran as they like . . you CAN count the calories if it makes you feel better . .but either way it does help you hit the bathroom quicker than ever before !!

CALORIES with wheat bran: 250 cals (without toppings)

TOPPINGS: It's pretty boring on it's own . . I've used anything from Almond Butter, Cashew Butter, Raisins, Almonds, Berries, Ricotta . . anything will work !!

ENJOY !!

TIGHT QUADS . . HOW IT EFFECTS PERFORMANCE

2010-11-04T10:16:00.001+11:00

I remember when i sat one of the written tests for my Cert III in Personal Training, the ONLY question that i failed on that test was “Name the 4 muscles of the Quadriceps.” . . so i had to redo the WHOLE thing because of that ONE question . .

Since that day i NEVER forget the names of those little suckers.

So let’s break it down . .

The 4 muscles of the Quads are:

Vastus Medialis

Vastus Intermedius

Vastus Lateralis

Rectus Femoris

The Rectus Femoris is the special one . . Rectus meaning strap . . strap of the femur (quad).

Why so SPECIAL?

Because unlike the other 3 quad heads that originate from the femur, the Rectus Femoris originates on the PELVIS . . it crosses the hip joint.

So its job is to straighten the knee AND act as a hip flexor too.

See in the picture above how the Rectus extends all the way up to that hip joint.

If you place your finger on the lower end of your hip bone, you’ll feel where the Rectus attaches.

It extends ALL the way down to your knee . .

So you can see why it would be responsible for a LOT of knee dysfunction.

HIP FLEXOR PAIN

When we’re squatting, and that knee comes forward, even just a little bit, you’ll find after a few reps that the hip will start to feel like it’s on fire . . that BURNING sensation. . that’s the Rectus pulling off the bone a little bit . . because it’s so freakin’ tight.

And this is the same with any muscle . .

If you have a HUGE load and HUGE tension on a muscle, and you create some kind of interference (say, your knee coming forward) . . the force on both ends of that muscle are going to change and increase DRAMATICALLY . . and one end is going to be pulling a lot more load than the other . . that’s exactly what we DON’T want.

So if you’re experiencing that burn in those hips . . you need to be stretching and mobilizing those quads . . release some of that tension . . fix your form . . bring that butt back and down . . don’t let those knees come forward . .

SMALL CHANGES GO A LONG WAY . .

All that quad wants is a little love . .

TEST FOR TIGHT QUADS

You should be able to touch that heel to butt . . if you can’t it needs some work.

PNF STRETCHES

We want to focus on both the rectus & the hip . .

PNF STRETCH 1

Perform PNF . . squeezing & contracting that quad, pushing into the ground for 5 seconds, and then relax and pull that foot in closer . . in the perfect world we want that heel touching the butt !!

PNF STRETCH 2

Contracting for 5 seconds, squeezing the quad of that back leg, release and lean a bit further into it for 10 seconds, repeat until you see no changes or you can’t go any further . . Keep that back straight.

Remember to breathe !!

Doing these stretches before & after training . . if those quads are super tight . . you’ll definitely see a positive change & an increase in performance . . but you HAVE to be consistent . . or else they’re just going to tighten up again the next time you workout.

Let me know how you go !!

Swearing increases pain tolerance . .

2010-11-03T10:15:00.001+11:00

You know the drill . .

You inflict some sort of pain on yourself . . stub a toe . . cut your finger . . and you rip out a word that you probably shouldn’t . .

Or should you ??

Swearing increases pain tolerance, which enables us to withstand pain for longer.

Possibly because it invokes a similar response to when we are in a fight or flight situation and we are fighting for our lives . . it breaks that link of fear of pain and perception of pain.

What’s interesting is that normal language arises from the LEFT side of the brain . . whereas these explicit words arise on the RIGHT side.

A study was performed where “67 undergraduates were recruited, and asked to make two short lists of words - one containing five words they might use after hitting themselves on the thumb with a hammer, the other containing five words they might use to describe a table. The participants submerged one of their hands into room temperature water for three minutes, to provide a standardized starting point, then transferred it to a container of cold water and instructed to keep it submerged for as long as they could. In one condition, they were told to repeat the first swear word they had included in their list; in another, they repeated one of the words describing a table.

The researchers measured how long the participants kept their hands submerged in cold water, and asked them to rate the amount of pain they felt. Their heart rates were also recorded after they had submerged their hands in room temperature water as well as after the submersion in cold water. Contrary to their hypothesis, they found that swearing actually reduced the amount of pain felt. The participants kept their hands submerged in the cold water longer for longer, and also reported experiencing less pain, when they repeated a swear word than when they repeated a word describing a table. Swearing was also associated with increased heart rate.

Swearing therefore enabled the participants to tolerate to the cold temperature for longer, and also caused a reduction in their perception of the pain felt. A difference between males and females was observed. Swearing led to a greater reduction in pain perception and a bigger increase in heart rate in females. Most interestingly though, the effect of swearing in females occurred regardless of their tendency to catastrophise their pain. On the other hand, in the males, catastrophising was found to diminish the effects of swearing on the felt pain. This is interesting in light of other findings which show that men generally catastrophise less, but swear more often, than women.”

So Swearing triggers not only an EMOTIONAL response, but a PHYSICAL one too.

However, the MORE we swear, the less impact that word is going to have on us emotionally . . it will be just as good as saying “CHAIR” when we experience pain.

Yeh, don’t think this article relates to Tony . .

http://scienceblogs.com/neurophilosophy/2009/07/swearing_increases_pain_tolerance.php

KNEE TENDONITIS . . is it the problem with that pain in your knee ??

2010-11-02T11:20:00.001+11:00

Ima break this down so ANYBODY can understand . . here we go . .

TENDON: Tough band of fibrous tissue. It’s job = connecting muscles to bones. When you contract a muscle, it pulls on a bone to produce the movement.

TENDONITIS: When a tendon becomes inflamed and the “pulling” of that muscle to bone becomes irritating.

KNEE TENDONITIS: Inflammation of the tendons in the KNEE area.

Easy enough???

TYPES OF KNEE TENDONITIS

1. Patellar Tendonitis, aka, “Jumpers Knee”: i have this at the moment . . it SUCKS . . BIG TIME !! . .

The patellar tendon is located between the patella (kneecap) and the tibia (shin bone) . . connecting the knee cap to the lower leg.

The quad muscles (upper leg) all insert into the patella, and then into the tibia through the patellar tendon.

COMMON IN: Jumping, training with rapid changes of direction, falling hard on to the knee.

PAIN WILL BE FELT: At the bottom & front of kneecap (especially when pressing on the area, or kneeling).

2. Quadriceps Tendonitis: Affects patellar tendon just ABOVE the kneecap.

COMMON IN: Athletes who use a lot of speed, fast acceleration/deceleration in their training.

PAIN WILL BE FELT: ABOVE the kneecap, especially when you move your knee.

3. Popliteus Tendinitis: This tendon branches out from the back of the thigh bone to the back of the knee, then to the top front of the shin.

It’s job = to keep the lower leg in line with the knee and top of the leg. It connects the two parts of the leg so the lower part does not twist outward.

COMMON IN: Runners, running down hills or along sloping surfaces.

PAIN WILL BE FELT: On the outside of the knee.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE IT ??

Stiffness in the knee after training, and when you wake up
Tender to touch
Tendon may look larger (swollen) and look bigger than the other side
Calf Weakness
Pain when going up and down stairs
Pain when getting up from a seated position
Pain at night

HOW DO I GET BETTER ??

REST: until the swelling goes down
ICE: 15-20 mins EVERY hour without fail for 24-48 hours, as long as the pain persists. We want that swelling to go down ASAP.
BANDAGE: If the pain is strong, bandage your knee (using a cloth, towel, anything you can find). This limits the stress on the knee during movement.

BIGGGGG SOLUTION TO KNEE TENDONITIS = MOBILITY !!

It is VITAL that after you’ve allowed the swelling to go down that you’re keeping that knee in motion. It is NOT going to heal itself . . the pain may go away but what happens when you start exercising again? The pain shows it’s ugly head . . so keep that knee mobile . . we need to strengthen those tendons around the knee.

HOW ??

STANDING QUAD STRETCH

Stand arms length away from wall, injured leg farthest away from wall
Keep one hand on the wall for stability
With other hand, grasp ankle of injured leg and pull heel toward butt
Hold 15-30 seconds. Repeat 2-3 times.

STANDING HAMSTRING STRETCH

Place heel of injured leg on table/chair, height of about 15 inches
Keep knee straight
Lean forward, bending at the hips, straight back, until you feel that stretch in the hamstrings
Hold 15-30 seconds. Repeat 2-3 times.

STRAIGHT LEG RAISE

Lie on back with legs straight out in front of you
Bend knee of uninjured side and place flat on floor.
Tighten injured leg thigh muscle and lift leg about 8 inches off the floor, holding that contraction in the leg.
Slowly lower leg back down.
Perform 3 sets of 10 reps

SIDE-LYING LEG LIFT

Lye on injured side.
Tighten and contract that thigh muscle of the injured leg.
Lift leg 8-10 inches, keeping leg contracted throughout movement.
Keeping the leg straight out, slowly lower.
Perform 3 sets of 10 reps

Once you feel that you are able to do the above with NO PAIN, then go on to these exercises:

STEP-UP

Stand with foot of injured leg on a support (low step) 3-5 inches high.
Keep other foot flat on floor
Slowly step up on to the weight with your injured leg, straightening your knee.
Lower leg back down slowly.
Perform 3 sets of 10.

BALL WALL SQUAT

Stand with back, shoulders, and head against a wall, looking straight ahead.
Keep shoulders relaxed, 2 feet away from wall and shoulder’s width apart
Place a soccer or basketball-sized ball behind back.
Keeping back upright, slowly squat down to a 45-degree angle.
I don’t want you to go down to parallel just yet.
Hold 45 degree angle for 10 seconds, then slowly slide back up the wall.
Build up to 3 sets of 10 reps.

DECLINE ECCENTRIC SQUAT

Stand with both feet on an angled platform.
Put all of your weight on injured leg and squat down to 45 degree angle.
Use other leg to help return to standing position (we’re only focusing on the downward portion of this movement).
When this exercise gets easier, hold weights in your hand.
Perform 3 sets of 10 reps.

As those tendons around the knee get stronger, you can start to incorporate long stride walking, quarter lunges, deeper squats, and work your way up to full depth movement.

DO NOT do explosive movements until that tendon is back to full strength and you can perform the above exercises without pain . .

it’s going to place WAY too much stress on those tendons, and it’s not ready for that yet.

Why your stomach REALLY growls . . .

2010-10-29T11:09:00.001+11:00

Do you run to the fridge every time you hear a weird ass growling side coming from your stomach ??

. . is it really because you’re hungry?

GROWLING HAPPENS ON AN EMPTY OR A FULL STOMACH

When your stomach hasn’t had food for a while, your brain sends a signal to your stomach muscles to start contracting (peristalsis).

These are the SAME contractions that happen when your digestive tract is full.

The contraction is what sends you hunting for food.

You hear the growling a LOT more when you haven’t eaten because your stomach and intestines are empty so it’s easier to hear the movement of air and gas, which accounts for the growling.

Greeks call this "borborygmi” . . meaning rumbling.

INTOLERANCE TO FOODS

When you eat a certain food that your stomach cannot fully digest it remain undigested in the stomach and creates large amounts of air and gas (growling) while the bacteria works away to get rid of it.

SWALLOWING AIR

If you’re stressed or anxious, you may be a habitual air swallower . . if you drink a lot of carbonated drinks . . chewing gum . . talk too much while you eat . . these all can cause a lot of air to be swallowed . . leading to “borborygmi”.

HOW TO AVOID THE GROWL

Prevent Hunger - eat small meals every few hours
Avoid carbonated drinks
Avoid gassy foods - (green beans, artificial sweeteners)
Milk/Milk products – a lot of people tend to be lactose intolerant
Eating more slowly

How Strong Are Your Glutes ?

2010-10-28T06:53:00.001+11:00

Don’t worry . . i won’t make this a chemistry class . .

But first i need to explain a couple of things about the BUTT.

3 muscles that make up the butt:

Gluteus Maximus
Gluteus Medius
Gluteus Minimus

WHY DO WE NEED THEM STRONG ? ?

PREVENT INJURY (knee pain, lower back)

The glutes are part of the posterior chain (along with the hamstrings, and lower back muscles).

If those glutes are not firing during workouts the other muscles are going to take the unnecessary loads . . this will lead to exhaustion and fatigue of those other muscles doing all the work and overtraining causes INJURY.

BIGGER LIFTS

The stronger the posterior chain . . the maximum output those muscles can create . . which translates into bigger numbers on those compound movements.

IN OTHER WORDS: THOSE GLUTES NEED TO ACTIVE AT MAXIMUM POTENTIAL)

IT LOOKS SEXY

Need i say more ??? DAMN !!

HOW STRONG ARE YOUR GLUTES ? ?

Here are 2 simple tests to determine how strong those puppies are . .

TEST 1 – PRONE HIP EXTENSION TEST

Prone Hip Extension

Raise one leg straight up to the roof as high as possible
Keep that leg nice and straight, avoiding a bend in the knee

If you can lift that leg 2-3 inches off the ground without struggling . . you’re AWESOME !!

Look out for:

A significant bending of the knee
Your lower back will “dip” . . it will hyperextend and compensate for the weak glutes

If you’re shaking, that’s fine. It just means your glutes could do with some TLC !!

TEST 2 – BENT LEG HIP EXTENSION

You will need a tennis ball for this one.

Step 1. Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor (sit up position).

Step 2. Place that tennis ball below your bottom rib (check out picture), and bring that knee up, squeezing that tennis ball hard between your thigh and rib.

Step 3. Squeeze and lift those hips as high as you can. Repeat 10 repetitions at a slow and controlled pace . . and keep squeezing that ball . .

If you can perform 10 reps without losing that ball but can’t get those hips high enough so you form a straight line with your body . . they need some work.

Why one leg at a time ??

Because we tend to have one side that is a little or a lot stronger than the other so if there is weakness in one side it’s important that we know that NOW and deal with it . .

LET’S MAKE THESE BAD BOYS STRONG !

Before i show you a few exercises . . it’s important to know what kind of training the glutes respond well to . .

Deadlifts . . squats . . they’re all BIG lifts . . that involve BIG muscle groups . . but the glutes are not the primary muscles involved.

The glutes are one of the largest muscles in the body but they take a back seat in those big lifts and only come out to play when they have to (weak hamstrings, quads, bad form, high level of intensity).

Just because you’re sore from lunges does not mean they’re the best movements to do . . IN FACT . .

Glute Activation in:

Deadlift: 55%

Kneeling Squat: 67%

Sumo Deadlift: 52%

Zercher Squat: 45%

As opposed to the exercises below that i’ve posted . . which have over 100% Glute Activation . .

The glutes respond the best to movements where the leg is bent and the hip is hyperextended . .

FACT: Sprinting, Jogging, Treadmill Walking has proven to active DOUBLE the amount of muscle as the STAIRMASTER . . GO FIGURE.

Glutes are made up of more than 50% slow-twitch fibres . . which means they love HIGH REPS.

BLAH.BLAH.BLAH

on to the good bits . .

1. HIP THRUSTS (Glute Activation: 119%)

BEGINNERS . .

Unilateral Single Leg Hip Thrust

ADVANCED . .

Barbell Hip Thrust

TIPS:

DO NOT rush this movement . . you want it slow and controlled
SQUEEZE those glutes & hold at the top for 2 seconds . .
Make sure you put some sort of foam padding on the bar so you don’t hurt yourself !!
To make it harder, set yourself up on a smith machine . . the range of motion is greater so it will be a lot more effective.

2. SINGLE LEG REVERSE HYPER (Glute Activation: 122%)

Bent Leg Reverse Hyper

TIPS:

Make sure you’re performing one leg at a time . . we want to really focus on that one glute . . get as much isolation as possible
If you haven’t used this machine before, you won’t need any weight . . TRUST ME.
Make sure the movement is slow & controlled
DO NOT hyperextend that back . . you never want that leg above parallel with that bench

3. PENDULUM QUADRUPED HIP EXTENSION (GLUTE ACTIVATION: 112%)

BEGINNERS . .

Quadruped Bent Knee Hip Extension

ADVANCED . .

Pendulum Quadruped Hip Extension

If you have any other glute suggestions . . please feel free to share !!

Let me know how you go with these bad boys !!

Running Basics . . Are you doing it right ????

2010-10-27T10:08:00.001+11:00

He’s persistent i’ll give him that !!

Anybody can run around the block . .

But if you’re planning to make running a part of your exercise regime you need to be able to run the right way . .

We want to be as EFFICIENT as we can . . generate as much POWER as we can . . we want maximum SPEED . . and to prevent any injuries.

Depending on your body structure, the way you run is going to be slightly different than the guy next to you . .

What isn’t running? . . . Sounding like a 300 pound elephant running on the treadmill is a good indicator that maybe you can use some tips . .

Obviously our body structure is going to effect the way we run . . but the basics are still the same:

NUMBER 1: YOU NEED TO RELAX

In any movement, our bodies go through two muscle actions: concentric (muscle shortening, think hard part the movement, upward phase of a bicep curl), and eccentric (muscle lengthening, think E for the EASY part of the movement).

To be SUPER EFFICIENT need those muscles to switch from concentric to eccentric TOP SPEED . . so we can get more turnover with those strides . . which means activating as MANY muscles as possible . . if muscles are tight and under tension, we won’t be able to recruit as many muscles and it will be INEFFICIENT.

EYES FOCUSED 10-20 feet in front of you.

How you position your head IS important . . why ? because it will determine how the rest of your body is aligned and how the energy is transferred throughout your body.

RELAXED SHOULDERS

You need them relaxed. Imagine your shoulders as pendulums . . low . . loose . . and level. No dipping side to side. As you fatigue those shoulders are going to want to creep up to those ears . . don’t you let them creep up!! You want them RELAXED. Give them a good shake if you feel them tensing up.

90 DEGREE ELBOWS . . ARMS FLY BACK

Vital to keeping us centred, gives us momentum in our run, and allows us to create that forward drive. 90 degrees with the elbow. You want those elbows FLYING back . . that’s the only direction you want them going. As those arms drive back it will cause a stretch reflex on your shoulder joint produces that upswing motion, in sync with your knee drive.

Arms should be facing forward at all times, that’s the direction you’re going, that’s where that energy should be directed. Make sure those arms don’t cross the body, this will cause rotation of your body, even if it’s a little rotation this will direct the momentum side to side, making you less efficient.

HANDS RELAXED

Open . . closed . . whatever works for you. Whatever you do, RELAX them. If you’re going closed fist make sure you’re not clenching . . we want everything relaxed.

TORSO IS IN LINE WITH HEAD & SHOULDERS

If your head and shoulders are in the right position your torso will reflect that . . if they’re out of whack, you’re in trouble.

Engage that midline, that trunk. Slight forward lean to support that upper body as it goes over the moving body. Visualize long extension through the spine.

CHEST IS EXPANDED

Chest is expanded, allowing you to breathe easy. Don’t let that torso hunch over too far in front of your centre of gravity, or else your pelvis will tilt forward and it will throw the rest of your body out of alignment. Again, inefficient.

HIGH KNEE DRIVE

High knee drive = more explosive hip extension and maximal power. You want to get that foot above the opposite knee. When that knee reaches knee height, drive that leg down full speed . . You want to spend as less time off the ground as possible. Make sure to land with a slightly bent knee.

Speed of leg going back = speed of your body.

LAND MID FOOT TO TOES

When that leg comes down you want to land with that foot strike directly under your centre of gravity (your hips). Keep that ankle flexed, toes pointed up toward the sky. (dorsiflexion).

Make instant contact with the ball of your foot (mid sole to toes) and imagine you’re pulling the ground behind you with your foot.

Newton’s law: “things in motion like to stay in motion unless acted upon by another force”

If you land on your heels, you’re stopping that forward momentum and causing stress on the knees. It’s like driving the car with your breaks on. You want that foot underneath your body every stride. This generates greater forces to throw that body forward.

Striking with the ball of your foot and pulling it through engages those posterior muscles (glutes and hamstrings). Now you have two of the most powerful muscle groups on your team, helping you bring your centre of gravity forward and create that forward momentum.

I know this sounds like a lot to take in . . so I suggest focusing on one thing at a time . . just remember to be relaxed with it and always be light on your feet.

NO ELEPHANTS !!

As you fatigue, your body will want to compensate and transfer energy into certain areas of your body that it shouldn’t . . so as a beginner you want to stop when you do feel fatigued or feel that your form is beginning to fail . . the last thing you want to do is re-emphasize that bad form.

In Part 2 i’ll go through the phases of conditioning you need to go through in order to build up your running training intensity.

The inches of life . .

2010-10-26T09:57:00.001+11:00

amazing . .

We’re in hell right now . .

And . .

we can stay here . . get the shit kicked out of us . .

Or . .

we can fight our way back into the light . .

we can climb out of hell . . one inch at a time . .

Life’s a game of inches . .

In life, the margin for error is so small . .

One half a step too late . . or too early . . and you don’t quite make it.

One half second too slow, too fast, you don’t quite catch it.

The inches we need are everywhere around us.

They’re in every hour, every minute, every second.

We fight for that inch.

We tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch.

We claw with our fingernails for that inch.

Because we know, when we add up all those inches, that’s gonna make the FUCKING difference between winning and losing . . between living and dying . .

In any fight it’s the guy who is willing to die who is going to win that inch.

That’s what living is . . the 6 inches in front of your face.

How do you sleep ??

2010-10-24T10:11:00.001+11:00

How long do we sleep for . . 7-8 hours a night ???

Well we HOPE for that number . . but we take what we can get right.

So it’s safe to say how we sleep is going to effect our posture in a BIG way . .

How do you sleep ??

Sleeping on your stomach . .

1. BACK: You’re taking your body out of its natural positioning . . you’re exaggerating that arch in your lower back . . causing a LOT of strain . .

2. NECK: Turn your head to the side . . stay there for 15 seconds . . uncomfortable ? well imagine having your neck in that position for about 8 hours !! because that’s what you’re doing . .

3. SHOULDERS: Put your shoulders overhead and hold them there for 8 hours . . enough said ?? It might be comfy as hell but those babies are in extension for a looooooooooooong time . . don’t be that guy.

RESULT IN: Waking up with a stiff neck . . shortened front muscles . . (hips . . quads) . . tight lower back.

HOW TO FIX: DON’T SLEEP ON YOUR STOMACH . . EVER.

This used to be my position . . on the side . . (it might be bad but fuck it’s comfy)

See in this position you’re adopting that internally rotated position with the right leg . . bringing that leg up to 90 degrees and bringing that other thigh down to the ground . . putting a HUGE stressor on that back . .

RESULT IN: Waking up with sore lower back (back ends up rounded for the whole night), shortened hip flexors.

HOW TO FIX: Grab a pillow and shove it between your legs as you’re lying on the side . . it will block that knee and prevent that leg from coming up into a funny rotated position . . keeping those hips in neutral.

Now if you’ve got big quads you’re going to have the tendency to internally rotate . . so make sure you put that pillow between your legs.

On your back . .

Even when you’re on your back . . the head drops back too much . . too much extension of that back, and as a result those shoulders will come forward . . just like a broken head position when you overhead squat.

RESULT IN: tight back (hyperextension all night), tight hip, rounded shoulders

HOW TO FIX: Make sure your pillow is nice and tall . . allowing you to hold that natural curve from neck to lower back . . if it’s not tall enough grab a towel, roll it up, stick it inside your pillow case . . WHALLAH . . instant orthopaedic pillow . .

And make sure you put a pillow underneath those knees . . that’ll do a LOT for your lower back . . and will stop you from adopting that externally rotated position of that left leg in the picture.

If you’ve got sore and firing shoulders . . take a pillow and pop it under your arm . . letting that shoulder drop back into the socket.

Sleep is IMPORTANT. You need to be able to relax those joints . . Sleep is when you’re picking out all that testosterone . . If you screw up that cycle because your neck is out of wack . . that is going to be a problem.

You’re not going to change your sleeping patterns overnight . . but the fact that you’re AWARE . . will make you cautious.

Cheer up . . at least we don’t sleep like this right ???

Do you give your head or your heart ???

2010-10-22T08:06:00.001+11:00

THIS is what it’s all about . .

No matter WHAT you do in your workout . . no matter WHO you are . . you’re going to hit that wall . . that wall’s comin for you . . it’s not “is the wall gonna come” . . OH it’s comin . . it’s what you DO when you hit that wall . .

Do you push through . . do you put your HEART and your SOUL into it . . or do you GIVE UP when it’s too hard ??

When you get passed that wall . . it’s ALL HEART from there . . it’s that fighter spirit we ALL have in us . . but only few make that choice to let that pain ride . .

WHO AM I !? I AM A CHAMPION !!

2010-10-21T08:33:00.001+11:00

I will conquer what has not been conquered.

Defeat will not be in my creed.

I will believe what others have doubted.

I will ALWAYS endeavour the prestige, honour, and respect of myself and my team.

I have trained my mind and my body will follow.

Who Am I !?

I AM A CHAMPION !!

I will acknowledge the fact that my opponents do not expect me to win,

but i will NEVER surrender.

Weakness will not be in my heart.

I will look to my comrades, and to those who have brought me into this world,

and those who have trained me,

and i will draw strength from them.

Who Am I !?

I AM A CHAMPION !!

I will GLADLY go out into the field of battle

and i will move, groove, and do everything that I can do

and i will reach my field of battle by any means at my disposal

And when i get there I will arrive violently.

I will RIP the heart from my enemy and leave it bleeding on the ground,

because he cannot stop me.

Who Am I !?

I AM A CHAMPION !!

To my side I have comrades . .

Comrades that have been with me through thick and thin,

through sacrifice, through blood, through sweat, through tears . .

NEVER will i let them fall,

NEVER will i let them down.

I will NEVER let an enemy behind,

because our opponent does not know my heart.

Who Am I !?

I AM A CHAMPION !!

No one will deny me.

No one will defy me.

And no one will tell me who and what I am and can be.

BELIEF will change my world.

It has moved continents, and countries, and put man on the moon,

and it will carry me through this battle.

Who Am I !?

I AM A CHAMPION !!

Defeat, retreat those are not in my words . .

I do not understand those definitions.

I do not understand when things go wrong.

I do not understand mistakes.

But i do understand this . .

I understand victory, and i understand never surrendering.

No matter how bad things go . .

my heart and my mind will carry my body when my limbs are too weak.

Who Am I !?

I AM A CHAMPION !!

TODAY will be that day . .

not tomorrow, not next week,

but right now, right here,

in your house, in your home.

Who Am I !?

I AM A CHAMPION !!

History will remember me . .

and i will not have to worry about him being kind.

I will define myself.

I will write my own praises,

and no one will tell me what i can and cannot be.

I will NEVER go home . .

not without giving everything I have got.

Cos’ Who Am I !?

I AM A CHAMPION !!

Who Am I !?

I AM A CHAMPION !!

REVERSE HYPER . . what your program craves.

2010-10-18T19:48:00.001+11:00

Powerlifters swear by it.

Dozens of people with bulging and herniated discs recovery with it.

REVERSE HYPER MACHINE.

If you’re at a commercial gym don’t even bother looking . . and what the hell you doing at one anyway?

If you ARE fortunate enough to have them in your gym . . don’t be the only one NOT using it.

Creator Louie Simmons, owner of one of the BADDEST training facilities (Westside Barbell) and powerlifting coach tallied up a SHIT load of injuries from years of heavy lifting.

Physicians recommended surgery after he broke his back twice . . but Louise created the reverse hyper instead to repair the damage.

So what’s so good about it ??

Everything.

People stretch for range of motion . . People build strength for strength . . but THIS MACHINE will do both . . it will build strength THROUGH range of motion.

STRENGTHENS – If you want to build your big lifts . . your cleans . . you don’t build them by doing cleans . . when you have a weakness and you keep doing those cleans . . you’re just over-emphasizing that weakness . . that movement is NOT training that weakness. The way you get stronger is by doing EVERYTHING ELSE.

EVERYTHING in that posterior chain is firing . . glutes, hamstrings, back on the concentric phase, on the eccentric phase it’s therapeutic for the lower back . . creating traction . . opening up those bulging discs and rotating the sacrum (triangular bone at the base of the spine) on each rep.

BULGING DISCS - It’ll cure bulging discs . . the machine decompresses the discs when the weights travel to a position underneath the face.

WEAK ERECTOR SPINAE MUSCLES – When your erector’s are weak, you’ll tend to develop a posture where your upper back is rounded . . your shoulders round . . and your chest is down.

The reverse hyper forces your posterior chain (all the muscles from your neck down to your glutes) to work TOGETHER . . one muscle isn’t working more than the other.

IMPROVES POSTURE

CORRECTS ABNORMAL PELVIC TILT

Is it similar to the back extension ??? Not really.

Back extensions target the same muscle group but the range of motion and recruitment pattern of the muscles is different.

PLUS you get dizzy with too many sets of those back extensions . . not my cup of tea.

How the hell do i use that thing ???

TIPS:

ARCH YOUR BACK at the top of the movement
DON’T HYPEREXTEND your back . . you bring your legs up till your body is in a straight line. You never want your legs parallel . . let your legs fall short of the hyper.
Head comes up as your legs come up . . so you remain in a straight line.
SQUEEZE your butt on the way up . . like you have something between your butt cheeks and you can’t let it drop !!
Bottom position, you want your feet to come underneath the hyper and be able to look at your feet with your head down.
Head goes down when legs come down . . so you’re staying in that straight line.

When do i use it?

Use it in your warm up . . before heavy lifts . . during the workout . . in your cool down . . WHENEVER . . just use it.

Our bodies are Ferrari’s with the hand break on . .

2010-10-13T10:08:00.001+11:00

“Our bodies are Ferrari's with the hand break on”

You might think you’re on top of your game when you’re in the gym . . you’re pushing as hard as you can in your workouts . . hitting big numbers. . you’re giving it all you got . . and that may be TRUE . . based on what you know.

but what you’re NOT doing is controlling the controllable . . mobilizing those muscles and preparing them for what’s to come in your session . .

I see it all the time . .

You step in the gym . . warm up on the TREADMILL for 5 minutes . . maybe do a few arm circles in the air . . couple of side to side head tosses . .

Sweet . . what have you got planned for your workout ??

A Zumba class ??

I KNOW all this technical shit doesn’t sound sexy . . fascia and ligaments and tendons . . who the hell cares!! You don’t need to KNOW what you’re working . . just know and FEEL that it works.

What you care about is getting bigger numbers on your lifts . . burning those extra calories . . getting faster . . quicker . . putting out LESS energy . . getting more bang for your buck . .

Most of us are walking around SO TIGHT that we don’t know where to start . . it’s like one big stress ball . . EVERYTHING hurts . .

. . don’t be that dude . .

Your body DESIRES to be in a pain-free state.

If YOU are prepping for a MAX SQUAT session . . or a workout we’re you’re performing multiple reps of squats . . you need to break it down . .

what MUSCLES are you going to be working in the workout ??

Let’s stick with the squat . . we got quads . . hamstrings . . but MOST IMPORTANTLY what repetitive motion do we have ?? Flexion & Extension . . so we need to get those hip flexors & hip capsules warmed up . .

If those hips are tight . . and you’re warm up is next to none . . what’s going to happen ?? There’s going to be compensation . . that back is going to be arching . . those knees are going to be over bending . . because those hip flexors are NOT going to be able to make that extension at the top of the movement happen . .

So how do we loosen it up??

Get in there with a foam roller . . Lie down on the stomach with that golf ball . . lacrosse ball . . whatever . . stick that under your hip flexors and watch magic happen . . find a tight spot . . you can stay on it . . roll around side to side . . make little circles . . bend that leg up into flexion and extension a few times . . what you’re doing is you’re copying that EXACT motion that is now going to prepare us for that squat session . . because we’re doing that same movement . . flexion and extension. Stay on that muscle for 2 minutes . . perform some contract relax . . contracting that muscle for 5 seconds . . relaxing for 10-20 seconds . .

Need proof that it works???

Perform a squat . . see how those hips feel at the bottom position of the squat . . then work that mobility drill above on one hip . . making sure to take that hip through extension and flexion . . perform the squat again . . notice a difference in the left to right hip ?? HELL YES. Is THAT going to have an affect on your squat ?? HELL YES.

Spending a few minutes each day working on mobility drills relating to that session you’re about to do is going to do SHIT LOADS for your performance . . TRUST ME . . i’ve experienced it myself . . you’re taking off that hand break that prevents you from blowing the shit out of the exhaust (tiring out those opposing, stabilizer muscles) . . allowing your body to work how it was designed to work . . move how it was designed to move . . that optimal range.

Don’t be that dude that allows controllable shit control you . . those fascia tissues should be sliding past one another like silk . . not like pencils rubbing up against each other . . you can only work out like that for so long . . ESPECIALLY if you’re drilling those muscles on a daily basis.

Unwrapping the gifts of a workout . .

2010-10-11T08:09:00.001+11:00

To a LOT of people, working out . . going to the gym . . it’s just a chore . . it HAS to be done just like everything else . . it’s right next to putting out the washing . . making dinner . .

But to the remaining few. . it is SO MUCH MORE.

There’s something about my body and those weights . . when they get together . . something fucking magical happens.

Those weights we move around . . they are GIFTS . .

You unwrap them and all of a sudden you get a LOT more than you bargained for . .

The gift of COMMITMENT – That commitment that we make from DAY 1 to become BETTER, FASTER, HARDER versions of ourselves every single session.

The gift of INTEGRITY – the integrity that we ALWAYS hold up our end of the bargain . . an undivided . . unbroken agreement that we finish each and every workout NO MATTER WHAT.

The gift of RESPECT – respect for ourselves . . respect for the weights . . respect for our peers . . respect for every single person that has achieved what we are pushing hard to achieve.

The gift of PATIENCE – it may not happen today . . tomorrow . . or next year . . but we don’t care . . we ENJOY the process . . and you better believe we aren’t going ANYWHERE until this shit is DONE.

The gift of COURAGE – The courage to go where few dare to go . . where many NEVER go . . the courage to go after what COULD BE . . and not be complacent with “what could have been”.

The gift of STRENGTH – the physical strength to push our bodies to places they’ve never been and don’t ever want to go . . we’re comfortable with the uncomfortable . . and the mental strength to embrace that unrelenting pain . . letting it flow like water through our bodies.

The gift of UNDERSTANDING – Understanding that it’s not going to be simple & easy . . it’s going to be complex & fuckin hard . . but that’s EXACTLY what drives us . . what makes the hairs on the back of our neck stand up.

The gift of TRUTH – The truth of where we have been . . where we are right now . . and where we are going.

The gift of PASSION – There’s nowhere else we would rather be . . it’s all we think about . . all we talk about . . all we dream about . . all we ARE about . . and we wouldn’t change it for the ANYTHING.

The gift of RESPONSIBILITY – Responsibility for our actions . . our inactions . . and the consequence of too much action . .

The gift of CONFIDENCE – the confidence that no matter what the workouts consist of we WILL do it . . we will complete every single rep . . every single movement until it’s DONE . . no workout remains undone.

The gift of UNDERSTANDING – Understanding of exactly what it takes to get to that optimal place . . understanding of the limits of our minds . . understanding of how much more we have in us to give.

These are just a FEW of the MANY gifts we receive from each and every one of our workouts . .

Is it worth it ? Abso-fuckin-lutely.