StudyFit February 2015 Issue 2

THE NUMBER ONE MAGAZINE FOR STUDENT FITNESS & LIFESTYLE

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ATHLETE

LEAN 365

TIPS TO STAY LEAN YEAR ROUND AT UNI

THE ULTIMATE STUDENT FITNESS TOURNAMENT

15TH – 17TH MAY 2015, NEC, BIRMINGHAM

PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF THE BODY’S POWER

Student Deal on Page 26 Loan busting deals and discounts inside!

Exclusive interviews

with Theo Morgan, Tom Bliss, Brooke Wood, Hannah Chan & Craig Richey

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CONTENTS 5 Editors letter

7 Join MASS The Muscle & Athletic Sports Society is sweeping the nation. Turn to page 7 and get yourself signed up ASAP.

8 Exclusive StudyFit GymShark Discount!

32 The return of the champ…

As a judge!

Matt Sallis is back and will be judging the 2015 MASS Student Physique Championship. Turn to page 32 to read his advice for this years competitors.

38 BUCS Trainer 44 HIIT Training

9 Society News All the latest MASS news straight from our club presidents. From group seminars to individual success stories… it’s all going down on the MASS Uni scene!

13 Eye on Science

Lifestyle 15 Motivation 19 Your Choice 21 Doing it all 23 Student Transformation WINNERS Turn to page 23 to read the stories of this issues StudyFit Transformation winners!

Sports

26 The MASS Games

The ultimate student fitness tournament is here. Hundreds of the UK's most athletic, aesthetic, fit, strong and courageous students will be battling it out for those MASS Games points across 7 competitions stretching from February to April. Turn to page 26 and let the Games begin…

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Ramp up your calories burnt with High Intensity Interval Training

45 The Big 3 – Squat, Deadlift & Bench 47 Strength Training: Pyramid Vs 5x5 54 Lean 365 with Craig Richey MASS SPC 2014 tall class champion Craig Richey talks with StudyFit about how he stayed so lean at Uni.

57 The UK’s Fittest student,

Theo Morgan This Cardiff University student puts the ‘BEAST’ in BEASTMODE… Turn to page 57 to find out exactly why!

Female Fitness 61 Girls that Lift The New Year brings a new forecast of fitness trends and 2015 shows a marked shift towards all things weights related. Emma Pudge tells us how this could be revolutionary in changing attitudes towards how women train.

63 an Interview with Brooke Wood 65 Hannah Chan

Nutrition

67 Ask the Academic Martin MacDonald is back for another feature of ‘Ask The Academic’. We whittled down all of your questions into our top 4 and put them to the British Weightlifting Nutritionist, Derby University academic and the UK’s leading consultant, Martin MacDonald.

69 Nutrient timing 72 Flexible Dieting Rob Keil and Ryan Kirk take a look at If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) and flexible dieting student style

73 Bulking not sulking

Supplements, really? Shaun Howell takes a look at the importance of sports supplements and what role they should or shouldn’t play in supplementing your training and nutrition.

77 Creatine 101

79 #MASSterchef Nutrition student Sarah Catford is BACK with more jaw dropping recipes in the #MASSterchef feature.

81 Recipes

In the Know 83 Shop to Success 84 Public Health StudyFit gets serious with Ben Bickford, who explains why talking about obesity is important and how we can lead our generation into good health.

85 The Best of YouTube Let’s face it; we all spend a lot of time procrastinating online… so it might as well be time well spent! George Kefalas breaks down his top picks of fitness YouTube channels to subscribe to.

87 Product Reviews

75 Protein Problems 4

Editors

Letter Are you back from Christmas, finished exams and fired up to get your fittest ever? Or have you fallen off track and completely lost your mojo? Whatever the case, now is the time to start smashing it, both in and out of the gym. So brush off the cobwebs and get back to it because term 2 is the most exciting term of the year, its varsity season, the MASS Games begins and if you’re a final year student then you’re probably thinking about your graduation plans too. So much potential lies in this term, potential to achieve your fitness goals and plan your future all while making life long memories with good friends… StudyFit is here to inspire you to do just that!

I’d like to thank everyone for their amazing response to the September issue of the magazine. Students Union’s, University gyms, MASS societies and you, the students, all received StudyFit with open arms. Based on the success of the previous issue we have now expanded the magazine from 32 pages to a whopping 92 and have a team of 50 student writers. Thank you for making this possible.

This issue consists of 7 gripping sections; news, lifestyle, sports, trainer, female fitness, nutrition and In the Know. Making us the number one magazine for student fitness and lifestyle. You’ll find everything from relationship and drinking advice, motivation and business tips, competitions and interviews, science and academics to periodization, linear programming, student-proof recipes and how to shop on a student budget.

2015 fitness trends show a big shift towards everything weight training. On page 59 Emma Pudge discusses how this could revolutionise the way women train and in the trainer section we explore many weight training methods and techniques that you can apply to your training to sky rocket your strength.

The ultimate student fitness tournament is here! The MASS Games consists of Powerlifting, Strongman, Physique & Bikini, Olympic Weightlifting and CrossFit. So if you’re an avid student lifter then turn to page 26 where we give you the low down on the MASS Games, with all the information you need to get involved and make your mark on the tournament.

We interview many inspirational students and graduates. Mr University Matt Sallis is back to judge the MASS SPC, he gives his advice for 2015 competitors on page 32. We interview the UK’s fittest student on page 57 and on page 54 Craig Richey gives his top tips that’ll help you to stay lean all year round at Uni. In the female fitness section we interview upcoming student athletes Brooke Wood and Hannah Chan and in BUCS international Rugby player and Loughborough graduate Tom Bliss tells us his story.

Shaun Howell’s ‘Eye on Science’ feature brings you the latest discoveries straight from academic journals and on page 65 we put your questions to Martin MacDonald in ‘Ask The Academic’.

Those are just some of the highlights. Unfortunately there’s not enough room tell you about everything you can learn in this magazine. So turn the page and get stuck in… Because once you finish reading you’ll be inspired, motivated and equipped with everything you need to make 2015 your year!

Yours, David Bissell

David Bissell StudyFit Editor-In-Chief Founder & Director of MASS

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The official publication of

Editor At StudyFit, we practice what we preach! All of our editors are students just like you who get stuck into the action! So here’s a look at some of the amazingly talented guys and girls who have contributed to this issue…

Rob Keil Uni: University of Exeter Course: Exercise and Sport Science Type of training: Heavy, 8-rep, 90 seconds rest hypertrophy training Interests: Avid basketball player and pizza eater (sadly only occasionally). Until recently, I was an S&C coach for Exeter City Academy FC and truly believe nothing can beat a good cup of tea at the end of the day. Used to look down upon gym-goers before university and now, ironically, I am an utter gym-rat.

Funny Fact: My ridiculously high metabolism means I can fit almost anything into my daily macros.

Contribution to this issue: HIIT Training, Places to Shop.

Eleanor Cook Uni: University of Exeter Course: BA English Type of training: Mostly heavy pyramid training with some super-setting.

Interests: Obviously the gym! Weight-training is my passion - I am not a cardio fan. I love singing and play guitar and piano. And on my rest days nothing can beat TV box set marathons with a duvet and a cup of tea.

Funny Fact: I once got stuck under the barbell while doing hip thrusts... I could lift the weight with my hips and glutes, but not my arms to get it off!

Contribution to this issue: Girls that Lift, 6 healthy swaps, Goodies for Gains

Shaun Howell Uni: Cardiff University Course: Engineering PhD Type of training: Strength biased CrossFit Interests: Fitness, travel, BBQ and coffee enthusiast! The majority of my time is spent on my PhD developing smart city technologies. Outside of that you can find me in the gym; either improving my strength towards long-term CrossFit ambitions or coaching strength sports. I love to travel and try new food, especially different types of BBQ. Funny Fact: Once ate a 5000 Calorie Nando’s meal Contribution to this issue: Eye on Science, Protein Problems, Interview of Theo Morgan, How to use a Weight belt, Welsh Powerlifting Competition Report

Name: Emma Louise Pudge Uni: University of Exeter Course: English with Study in North America Type of training: A combination of hypertrophy and strength training Interests: Continuously pursuing the best, most fulfilling, and meaningful life I can by improving myself and reaching out to others. I’m really interested in the psychology of what makes us happy and productive, so I am always reading, blogging and sharing articles on the subject. A self-confessed foodie and love to share, photograph and eat great food in fab locations with friends and families (luckily I respond well to ‘cheating’!). I’ve competed in horse riding to a high level, and ski train regularly with the uni, but weight-training is where my heart lies! Training has transformed my life and gives me an amazing sense that change begins with me and my own body.

Funny fact: People know me at the gym as the girl who takes a sandwich break mid-workout!

Contribution to this issue: Girls that Lift, Bulking not Sulking, WheyHey reciew

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Join

Societies Get motived and inspired to take your fitness to new levels!

The Muscle & Athletic Sports Society Start your MASS journey by joining today!

The national chain of clubs that’s sweeping the nation! MASS is a society for health, fitness and weightlifting sports. Some sports included are Bodybuilding, Powerlifting, Olympic Weightlifting, Strongman and CrossFit. Our community helps support members with their goals and gives students the chance to try out all of the above sports regardless of previous experience.

MASS’ range of sports is a harmonic blend of interlinking niche sports that have been long awaiting representation. Through sporting opportunities and advisory services we involve members in activities from lectures to group training events and trips, all focused around health and fitness. Let our clubs equip YOU with the motivation and know how to make it happen!

MASS Societies De Montfort University Glyndwr University Northumbria University Oxford Brookes University Plymouth University Southampton Solent University Swansea University University of Brighton University of Bristol University of East Anglia University of Essex University of Leicester University of Nottingham University of Reading University of Salford

Affiliates clubs Cardiff University Complete Fitness Loughborough Fitness & Welbeing Society Royal Holloway FitSoc Manchester University Fit & Lift

Not on the list? Start MASS at Your University!

A fitness community already exists at your University. It’s time to give that community a society. The MASS revolution started in Leicester and is happening all across the country – even in the USA! Run your own events, excel fitness at your University, receive visits from top athletes, create a supportive network, achieve awesome results all while making great friends and boosting your CV!

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Full support and guidance is offered to all start-ups.

Email info@thebodymass.org to get involved.

Student Discount use code SF15 for 15% OFF entire Order

www.gymshark.com 8

Society The latest goings on,

straight from the societies!

News

CUCF’s Stand Up For War Children This November saw Cardiff University Complete Fitness stand up for war children in their charity fitness event. They performed 5500 burpees and smashed their 55000kg deadlift target to raise money for War Child; a charity which supports 55000+ children per year. With a 100kg and a 50kg barbell all their athletes got involved and achieved a total of 70000kg. The burpees did their worst and it was a fight to the line but they got there! 5 hours later they had beaten their targets and raised awareness about a great charity along with £300 to help protect childhoods around the world.

Shaun Howell, Club President, Cardiff University Complete Fitness

Manchester get their kit off for the naked calendar!

Keeping consistent and making gains We’re very happy with how our weekly strength and conditioning sessions are going at the University gym. Week in week out our members are hitting it hard at the S&C session among other events and the progress speaks for itself. We’d also like to shout out to our local sports store sponsor ‘Taurus’ for all the support!

Joshua Bramley, Club President, DMU MASS.

This is the final naked photo we here at the University of Manchester Fit&Lift Society did as part of the Union’s charity calendar. The calendar consists of many naked photos’ all tastefully done of course, all taken to raise money for the various charities supported by the Manchester RAG. You can get your hands on the calendar as a perfect gift for friends/family/significant others at www.manchesterstudentsunion.com. All money goes to charity so don’t be afraid to get more than one! You never know when you might need them!

Jamie Massey, Club President, Manchester University Fit & Lift.

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Learning from the Pro’s We had 2x British Champion and 2013 overall Champion Ricardo ”RudeBoy” Correia and his coach Nathan “The Wizard” Harman, give a training and nutrition seminar here in Bristol. MASS members had the opportunity to ask the professionals all the questions they wanted and gained lots of insight on what it takes to become a Pro Bodybuilder. Everyone got supplement and clothing goodie bags as well. Thanks to SN-UK for organizing it for us.

Pushing the boundaries in more ways than one!

Omar Barakat, Club President, Bristol MASS

Firing on all cylinders!

Team Reading won the University team award at the MASS London Student Powerlifting Championship and then we took it to the next level for the national final with Delroy McQueen, raw deadlift record holder and general #BAMF coming to Reading in January to show us the ways (it was great!). There’s exciting nutrition seminars in the works, as well as tasters planned in Olympic Weightlifting, CrossFit and Strongman. We want to finish by saying good luck to our members that are mid-way through their prep for the MASS SPC, so stay strong guys, all the hard work WILL be worth it! #onthatchickenandbroccolihype Sarah Catford, Club President, Reading MASS

RHUL Fitness society kicked off with a great start this term at the London championships, with members winning 1st place overall & the U57kg class, and 2nd in the U83kg class respectively. Hannah has recently been certified as an advanced sports and exercise nutrition advisor. Neelam, the society’s yoga instructor has started running yoga sessions for the American Football men’s team who have found it very beneficial, and strongly suggests guys try yoga. Our president George and treasurer Sabrina participated in the Spartan race and tough mudder… That’s how we roll.

Hannah Chan, Vice President, Royal Holloway FitSoc

Warehouse Wednesdays Every Wednesday brings the number one event for bodybuildiers, powerlifters and strongmen alike. On a weekly basis MASS guys and girls come together to crush the iron at The Warehouse Gym, the recently awarded the Regional Gym of the Year Midlands and Wales 2014. We love it at the warehouse where we train our athletes for the MASS powerlifting and strongman competitions with equipment such as atlas stones, car deadlifts, Viking press, log lifts and countless deadlift platforms and squat racks.

Sam White, Club President, Leicester MASS

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Rebecca Edward's PB Throw-down The Midlands Powerlifting Competition gave everyone a run for their money; experienced and non-experienced. But Rebecca Edwards, third year law student and Women's Rugby President from University of East Anglia, gave it more than she had ever done before. She achieved Personal Bests in all 3 of her lifts by a long mile, never having attempted them before. UEA MASS is extremely proud of her, especially as it was her first powerlifting competition. Prime example of how every fitness enthusiast should be pushing themselves! We hope to see her in the national powerlifting competition and the MASS SPC 2015!

Heleena Waltham, Club President UEA MASS

It’s official!

We’re extremely proud of officially becoming a ratified Sports Club after all of our hard work over the last 6 months. Our President Nathan and Secretary Lee attended the MASS Regional Powerlifting Competition in Southampton. Both Committee members performed well nationwide with Lee winning the title of the MASS’s Most Powerful Man and Nathan coming 3rd in the under 83kg category in the Country. Interest has sparked for MASS Student Physique Championships with a number of members aiming to compete, we won the team title in 2014 are aiming to make it two years running!

Light Weight Baby!

We kicked off our first year this September with more sign ups than we could have imagined during the welcome week, which was fantastic! We’re chuffed to have cash funding from our Students Union. Our members competed and did well in the Northern Powerlifting Champs. We’ve got great affiliations with top of the range training centres providing us with coaching and are looking forward to hitting the ground running in 2015! We can’t wait for the MASS SPC and are BUZZING for BODYPOWER! Nikita-Marie Scholes, Club President, Northumbria MASS

Nathan Etherington, Club President, Plymouth MASS

Prepping for the SPC With Bola Labulo taking the overall 83kg class in impressive fashion in the recent and very competitive MASS student powerlifting series, our attention here at the University of Brighton MASS has turned towards the Southern SPC; where Luke Thompson and Oliver Robey will be heading the MASS Brighton team along with others, hoping to reach the national final in April (2015). Luke and Oliver are both keen to step on stage with very competitive physique’s, they’re preparing vigorously with their diets, training and posing practise alongside other students here at Brighton MASS, who are all to step on stage for the first time when the Southern Student Physique Competition arrives on March 14th.

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On a Roll!

We kicked off our first year this September with more sign ups than we could have imagined during the welcome week, which was fantastic! We’re chuffed to have cash funding from our Students Union. Our members competed and did well in the Northern Powerlifting Champs. We’ve got great affiliations with top of the range training centres providing us with coaching and are looking forward to hitting the ground running in 2015! We can’t wait for the MASS SPC and are BUZZING for BODYPOWER!

Bring on the finals!

As president of Solent MASS I would like to say a massive well done to all our competitors in the Southern Powerlifting Regional at CrossFit Solent! Our team won a hard earned second place losing to our archenemies Southampton Uni by 4 points on Wilkes totals.

Although none of our team won their individual categories, Tom Weaver (-73kg) and myself (-105kg) both finished 2nd and Dominic blossom came 3rd in a fierce -73kg. The CrossFit Solent boys competing on home turf Daniel Duncan (-73kg) and Caz Fox (-105kg) both hit some nice PR’s on the day! Overall the comp was a top experience and we can’t wait for the next one.

Nikita-Marie Scholes, Club President, Northumbria MASS

Pick Heavy Things Up and Put Them Down Again!

The Nottingham chapter of MASS has had a successful first semester since officially being unveiled to the university at Fresher’s fair, where the collection of muscled men in stringer vests drew so much attention the nearby dance society had to start a dance off in an unsuccessful battle for superiority. That platform was built upon with the first social, where a good turnout allowed the committee members to meet a selection of the keenest bodybuilders, weightlifters and powerlifters from the university, where a hardy few sacrificed their macros and the next day’s training session to represent MASS in a night club. The highlight of the year was almost certainly the strong showing by the University of Nottingham at the MASS Midlands Powerlifting champs, where 10 members competed across the weight categories and only the old enemy, Loughborough University stopped us from taking the overall team winner. Also, a special shout out to Geoffrey Kirby - the gorilla who pulled a gargantuan 285kg deadlift and set the highest record across the whole series. Towards the end of the semester the society has gone from strength to strength, with the committee starting to put out nutrition and training articles to help all of the MASS members achieve their various goals. Furthermore, we liaised with the university’s sports centre to organize a weekly training session, enabling all of the MASS members to get together and do what we do best – PICK HEAVY THINGS UP AND PUT THEM DOWN AGAIN!

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ON SCIENCE The StudyFit geeks have been researching away to bring you the latest findings in sports, exercise and nutrition!

Neuromuscular fatigue to power loading using a weight-stack device fitted with or without additional rubber band resistance.

Peltonen et al. 2014. JSC.

Work Distribution Influences Session RPE Response during Resistance Exercise Matched for Total Volume.

Kraft et al. 2014. JSC. This article looks at how the perceived difficulty of a training session varies depending on how the work done is distributed across sets, separate to the total amount of work done. Specifically, the authors look at the difference in perceived difficulty between high load/low rep and low load/high rep workouts. They conclude that high load/low rep workouts cause a greater perceived exertion, and that a ‘session rate of perceived exertion’ is a useful metric in evaluating changes in training load. So feeling like you’ve taken a beating after a 10 x 3 squat session is to be expected, science!

Respiratory Muscle Activity During Simultaneous Stationary Cycling and Inspiratory Muscle Training.

Hellyer et al. 2014. JSC.

If you’ve ever seen people lifting with big rubber bands attached to their barbell and wondered why, here’s the latest bit of insight into the phenomenon of accommodating resistance popularised in large part by Westside Barbell (the strongest gym in the world, if you didn’t know). This article tested a number of muscle and movement metrics with and without a rubber band attached to a knee extension machine (chosen because it’s more straightforward than a compound movement). 15 healthy males approximately 28 years old and 79kg participated in this cross-over study and their acute response was measured. Ultimately, the authors concluded that adding a rubber band does effectively change the training stimulus and could be beneficial in improving maximal force production, although not for purely improving muscle activation.

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If you’ve never heard of inspiratory muscle training (IMT), you’ve only seen the surface of the ‘cardio iceberg’. IMT applies resistance training principles to your breathing muscles to allow you to breathe deeper and with less effort while under metabolic stress (think about trying to hit heavy front squats after a 400m run). The benefit you’ll reap from IMT depends vastly on your goals/sport and how much of a limiting factor your breathing muscles are towards reaching your goals. If your breathing rhythm is constrained to set portions of a movement (like breathing in on the recovery portion of a rowing stroke) and/or you struggle to breathe deeply during performance you may find IMT helpful. This article examines the difference between using an IMT device on its own versus using it on a stationary bike and finds that using both is more effective at recruiting the diaphragm than resting IMT. Take a look into IMT and bear in mind that using it during cardio may be more effective than on its own.

By Shaun Howell

DOUBLE your bench press strength

in just 6 weeks with one small technique change Are you that person who struggles with plateaus in the gym? Maybe you’ve been stuck pressing the same weight for weeks and after exhausting every issue of Men’s Fitness you’re still not getting any stronger!

So what if I told you that simply increasing your bar speed could double your strength gains and help you reach weights you’ve never dreamed of lifting?

Sounds too good to be true, right?

Well you’re in luck! A group of Spanish Sport Scientists have found that, in the bench press, your bar speed can directly determine your strength improvements. Their study on maximal intended velocity training, published in the European Journal of Sports Science in October 2014, has provided lifters with the answer they’ve desperately been looking for.

Of course, the key performance measurement was the bench press, which they took and formed two different sub-groups; a maximum-velocity group and a half-velocity group. Their incredibly interesting findings demonstrated that pressing the bar up from your chest (i.e. the concentric phase) with maximum intended velocity (i.e. as quick as you physically can) doubled strength gains versus pressing the bar with a deliberate half-velocity (i.e. slow and controlled).

strength performance from pre- to post-training, but one-repetition maximum (1RM) strength improved by 18% in those who focused on pressing the bar up with max speed, generating as much force as possible, versus a 9% improvement in those who focused on pressing the bar up with deliberate half-speed. Furthermore, heavy weights were lifted twice as fast by those that trained with max-speed versus half-speed reps when compared from pre- to post-training (36% vs. 17% improvement).

So, instead of constantly testing your strength and pushing the heaviest weight possible, start improving your strength by picking a moderate-heavy weight and focusing on building explosive strength and firing the barbell up from your chest with as much force as possible.

Turn to page 52 for an example of a structured programme including sets and reps at given percentages of your 1RM for the Bench Press.

Adam James #EyeOnScience

Twenty young males took part in the study and trained 3 times a week for 6 weeks. Both groups improved

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The driver

BEHIND THE

motivator Setting the scene Buzz, buzz, buzz. With a jerking fright, my mind wanders out of my sleeping dream world.

Without even perceiving the consequences of my actions, I automatically swing my hand onto my iPhone and search for that infamous snooze button. I do love lying in bed, being lazy and not reaching my exercise goals. There seems to be two types of people in this world. There are the snoozers and the strange people (the ones who do not snooze).

Whichever person you are, you shalt fear because motivation is a well-researched area in science and it seems as though we can use the research to get us into the gym. This concept of motivation is what we are going to have a look at right here right now. Also, we will see if we can conjure up some ideas to stop us poking that attractive snooze button.

I know most of you will be shouting confusingly, “I would never wake up to go to the gym, I go to the gym in the evening.” Do not distress yourself; this notion called motivation is needed at all times of the day, to get you in the gym and lifting.

What is motivation?

Firstly, let’s look at what motivation actually means.

Definitions state that motivation means a process that initiates, directs and maintains goal-directed behaviours. The word on the street is that it is the driver behind our actions in life.

“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.”

Given the quote above, what gives us the motivation to try? There are multiple theories behind motivation but I feel boring you with the views of famous psychologists such as Freud and Skinner would be redundant.

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Instead, lets pick up on a key word in the definition of motivation. Goal. I feel as though this word gets heaved around the gym more than during a medicine ball slam.

What does goal actually mean? It is written that a goal is a terminal point that is reached through effort.

If you are like me, then these words do not help much.

Therefore think about a long and winding road up a hill.

At multiple and certain points along the road on that hill, there are flags. These flags are goals. They are targets you have set yourself and you want to reach them but it takes effort to get to them.

Goals, motivation and non-snoozing At this point in this article, lots of questions may be popping into your head like, what is at the top of the hill? Or why is this goal thing related to motivation?

In answer to your first question, that I cheekily chose, the top of the hill is a complex matter. To describe what is at the top of the hill would take another article. However, for now, ultimately the top of this hill is your vision.

Your vision of why you do what you do. This is all I can say on this matter for now.

Lets use our critical intellectual skills taught by our amazing lecturers that cost us an arm and a leg (sorry about the cliché), to interconnect goals and motivation and not pressing that snooze button.

When you set a goal, you intrinsically initiate a drive to reach these challenging flag points. This intrinsic drive developed by goals is associated with increasing motivation.

Imagine one dark winters morning you are lying in your bed. The voices in your head are telling you, it is too dark and too cold to get up. You are about to press that devilishly attractive snoozer. But a voice in your head

tells you there was a reason you set that alarm clock.

The voice reminds you of your goals and in defiance you step out of bed and do not look back. The goals you set have intrinsically driven up your motivation to get you to the gym.

To take this a step further, when you reach a goal, you are rewarded with success. This feeling of success leads to your motivation to be exacerbated and your drive to reach new goals is increased further. This is essential because there are many goals along your exercise journey and with each flag reached you become exponentially driven to reach the next flag.

It‘s up to you I know I have not spoken about how to set goals but I will in the future. For now, set your long-term vision and short-term goals to reach this vision. Because next time you hear “buzz, buzz, buzz,” what do you think you will do?

By Ben Bickford

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Finding time to train at university You can always find TIME to train Before we even discuss ways to find time to train at university, I feel it is important to remember that you can train without having a gym membership card or having to be restricted by gym opening hours. The variety of bodyweight exercises or fitness equipment you can buy and use is so vast that it means you can always find TIME to train at home or outdoors. Even if you are a late riser, the vast number of 24hour gyms available now means that a gym is always open.

Spend less time indulging We devote time to our social life, work, and other activities including things you may not even realize consume a big portion of your day (how many hours do you spend sitting at a computer on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter?). These are all things in which we can spend less time indulging. Everyone has 168 hours in a week and finding 4-5 hours out of that to commit to training should not be that difficult. People often overestimate the amount of time they will have to devote to training whilst at university. People who go to the gym 2 hours a day, 7 days a week often burn out after only one week. In order for you to find the time to train at university you ultimately have to make training a habit and build fitness into your lifestyle.

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Early riser or Late gym goer The University timetable for the majority of students is the only thing consistent within university life.

Therefore you can plan the time you wish to spend in the gym around your timetable. Lectures start and finish between the hours of 0900-1800 with students often having large gaps between lectures each day. Worst-case scenario is you find the time to train outside of these hours. Start with just 3-4 hours a week scheduled into your routine. If you’re looking for an empty gym, pre 9am is the time to get training. The majority of university gyms won’t be busy at this time, as the vast number of university students choose to get up later in the day.

This is my preferred time to train as I know no matter what day of the week it is I won’t have any commitments before 9 o clock.

Catch the gym bug

Cut your gym time in half with HIIT

If you’re a regular gym goer you will know about the endorphin rush you get after training and therefore I find my energy levels throughout the day are higher if I train in the morning. There is nothing better than walking out of the gym on campus bright eyed and ready for the day whilst observing all the other students still half asleep. If that sounds like you then I would recommend purchasing a sunrise simulating alarm clock, which definitely helps wake you up more naturally in those dark winter mornings. Late night training from 6pm will guarantee you a busier gym. This is due to more students feeling like they have now woken up or are attempting a last ditch effort to put on some muscle before a night out. A WORD OF CAUTION; If you plan to take pre workout with an evening workout, it’s unlikely you’re going to get an early night.

Building fitness into your daily routine By building fitness into your daily routine and keeping to a set time of day for your workout you’re more likely to start the habit building process and start training consistently. By making the decision to invest a set amount of time each week to workouts, you set a standard to you set a standard to achieve.

This allows you to objectively measure whether you are on track to meet your goals. If I have set the goal of 4 sessions a week before the week has begun I have a clear vision of what must occur that week for it to be regarded as a success.

By Adam Tarpey

If you are truly pressed for time, you can break your fitness sessions into shorter intervals that are performed at certain times during the day, such as during your lunch break. I have often gone into the gym knowing I only have 30 minutes, so Im focused and know that im going to do HIIT on the bike or I will do my own weight circuit with no rest periods.

The key thing here is your level of intensity, not time you spend in the gym. A person training at a higher intensity can do a more effective workout in 20 minutes than someone who spends an hour at a lower intensity.

Turn to page 44 for more on HIIT training

Prioritise and Plan In the end we can see that the problem regarding finding time to train isn’t actually due to the lack of time in the day, it is down to you not building fitness into your lifestyle and poor planning. Coming to the gym and working out shouldn’t be a chore and something you dread and if it is; I guarantee that you are approaching it all the wrong way. Barack Obama wears pretty much the same colour suit each day, by his own admission saying that he has enough decisions to make without having to add one more each day. We can apply this logic to finding time to workout. If you leave deciding what time and whether you will go to the gym to a decision each day you make your life more difficult.

Planning at the beginning of each week what goals you must achieve allows you to plan, prioritise and execute your daily routine more effectively without having to waste time and energy each day deciding if and when you should workout. Hours you spend in the gym will more than make up for themselves in productivity later during the day. Remember, life is short but if you invest your time in keeping fit, you might just live a lot longer. So the real question is why wouldn’t you?

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BATTLE OF THE BARS The party lifestyle is the primary cause of weight gain at university; everyone else seems to love it so why shouldn’t we?

It’s a sad reality that to have fun at uni, one is expected to sleep all day and drink all night- we are surrounded by care free party animals sharing their stories from the night before, and are often made to feel boring for not wanting to do the same.

There will always be that one big night that goes down in history, but you just don’t know if ‘tonight’ will be it. The truth is it probably won’t: the next day you’ll feel tired, your head will ache and your stomach will churn. You might hit snooze on the alarm telling you to exercise, or hit the gym half-heartedlylacking energy, strength and motivation.

Drink

Kcal

Shot of whisky

64

Shot of tequila

70

Shot of Sambuca

100

Shot of Vodka

110

Pint of beer

170

250ml Wine

190

Jager Bomb

209

I believe the only way to decide what’s best for you is to stop focussing on the opinions of others. It’s important to weigh up how much you will gain from having a drink and how much it will set you back. Do you really need that pint in your hand to have fun? If your answer is yes, perhaps you should consider why. If on the other hand, you have more fun doing squats with a bar than doing shots behind one, don’t let anyone persuade you otherwise!

Nevertheless, balance is essential, and to have a great work ethic you should not deprive yourself of play. It’s inevitable that you’ll let your hair down here and there, so don’t tie it back up with regret. Keep your eyes in the direction you want to go and manage your goals accordingly, working harder around the nights you want to accommodate.

We all know that nothing worth having comes easily, so ask yourself if the party lifestyle is helping you achieve your fitness goals to the best of your ability. To be successful, you must learn to prioritise, and to do this, you will need to make some sacrifices.

DRUNKEN DISADVANTAGES: • There are 7 calories per gram of alcohol - almost as many as pure fat • Alcohol makes pumping blood around your body difficult, compromising man hood at the best of times • A lack of sleep hinders muscle recovery and growth • As your body tries to expel alcohol, other processes like fat burning are slowed down

How to

Socials…

Which are you?

How not to

By By Britta ZeltmannTarpey

Read more at www.drinkaware.co.uk/check-the-facts/health-effects-of-alcohol/healthy-lifestyle/can-alcohol-affect-sports-performance-and-fitness-levels 19

Is Your Relationship Making You FAT? 6 Tips to Avoid the Love Chub and Keep the Romance Love is a beautiful thing. It is crazy to think you can meet someone that makes you feel like you are walking on air. Your life suddenly becomes filled with dinner dates, movies, and nights out. Indulgence becomes almost second nature. Entranced by the delight filling your heart, you may fail to notice the fat filling you cells, well, that is until your favourite clothing item is suddenly too small. But worry no more! There is a way to keep the fun and your fitness. With these six simple tips you can continue to love your partner and your body.

1. Love Trap: Frequent Restaurant Dining

4. Love Trap: Nights In

Not only are you being served larger portion sizes, there are also the cocktails, drinks, and fancy desserts.

There are usually less healthy options and that spells disaster when coupled with an increased inclination to splurge.

Love Tip: To cut down on calories and make sure you are eating some nutrients make sure each meal includes at least one vegetable (chips don’t count!). If you must have dessert, split it. Try cooking meals together at home. Not only will they be healthier, but it also serves as great time to bond and saves money.

Most people have a tendency to snack mindlessly when just sitting around the house.

Love Tip: Sip on water instead of eating or do something that keeps your hands busy, like playing games.

Try not to eat directly from large packages because it is harder to judge portions that way.

2. Love Trap: Comfort What could be so bad about being comfortable?

Maybe not wanting to work out because you have someone who will love you regardless and you don’t have to worry about attracting new people.

Love Tip: Retain a desire to stay hot not only for the other person, but yourself. Nothing is more attractive than a happy and healthy person.

3. Love Trap: Time Management You may find yourself skipping gym and altering your schedule to spend time with your partner.

Love Tip: Your fitness and other hobbies existed before your partner and can still be a part of your life. Try going to the gym as a couple. You could spot each other while lifting or race each other on the treadmills.

5. Love Trap: Competing with Your Boyfriend Often ladies try to eat as much as their male partner so as not to seem picky, anorexic, or simply to look cool. For some reason, guys seem to enjoy it when a girl eats a lot of food.

Love Tip: Women need fewer calories than men. Most guys naturally have faster metabolisms. It is not a competition. Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full.

6. Love Trap: Break Up Binges Unfortunately, there comes a time in some relationships where there is a relationship no longer. Breakups can be hard to deal with and it’s easy to want to reach for a pint of ice cream and sulk in front of the telly all day, but that comes at a cost, usually your waistline.

Love Tip: Centre your sad energy into something productive, like exercise, which releases mood lifting endorphins. You will also have the motivation of wanting to look super fit now that you’re back in the dating pool.

By: Jessica Ashley Burnett

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with Bola Labulo

Young? Ambitious? Driven?… Prove it!

Upon arriving at University we’re full of hopes, dreams and all sorts of ideas of the amazing and wonderful things we plan to achieve.

University is an oyster; it’s a chance to figure out what you want to do in life and gives you the freedom and opportunities to make steps towards where you want to be before the restraints of working life are placed upon you. So ask yourself, just how hard are you working towards your goals? Are you making weekly steps to where you want to be? Or are your hopes and dreams but an afterthought in the back of your mind…

The University years pass much quicker than we care to realise. The graduate job market is very competitive which means you have to start making plans far before graduation. Partying all the way through to your final year before thinking about what’s next will leave you in a sticky situation, scrambling to find a job at the same time as finishing your final assignments… Not an easy combo to manage!

StudyFit caught up with Bola Labulo, a 22 year old Business & Events Management undergraduate at the University of Brighton, to get his thoughts on the subject. Bola is the founder and president of Brighton MASS, he plays in the 1st American Football team, maintains a good social life AND runs his own business…

Bola, you must be a very busy guy, how do you fit it all in?

Yeah I’m pretty busy most of the time, fitting it all in gets tough and sometimes I have to prioritise things in order of importance, whichever needs to be done soonest I get out of the way asap. It’s worked well for me so far.

Does it require a particular mind-set? Like, do you wake up I the morning say to yourself “Today will be a great day!”?

Having so much to do can be really daunting, I do have to tell myself really cheesy things like that to get me going. There are days where I’m running on only two or three hours sleep. It helps to find ways to keep myself motivated, the main thing that gets me going is knowing that if you get up enough, do enough and meet enough people things will almost fall into place, effort is always rewarded eventually.

When did you figure out what you want to achieve at University? And what is that?

I started off doing an Engineering degree but I decided that it just wasn’t what I wanted to do; I rushed into the decision to study it and didn’t give it much thought. It was after that I decided to move to a business related degree because I realised that it related more to my final goals. I have run a small business in the past and I decided building a better knowledge base around that is the best option for me.

21

GymHype is your baby! Tell us about it?

Yes! GymHype is my own gym and fitness wear brand, it’s something I’m quite proud of and have very high hopes for. I’ve always loved design and fitness has been one of my many passions for as long as I can remember.

Before actually getting it off the ground I had been brainstorming how I could bring those interests together for months. I have designed apparel for teams in the past and have had great feedback and it just all made sense to me.

I’m hoping to really make an impact with the brand, competition is tough but I love a challenge!

How hard was it to start a business while at Uni? I would actually say that getting started is the easiest part of it all, if you have an idea brainstorm, plan and when you’re confident start as soon as you can! I would argue that university is one of the best times to get started because your responsibilities are far fewer than they will be when you graduate and go into full time work.

Obviously it’s still important to enjoy yourself (party yeah!), How do you like to let loose?

I love sport if I’m not watching it I’m playing it! I’m currently a Line-backer with my University’s American football team Brighton Tsunami who managed to claim the southern conference title last year with an undefeated run. Playing the sport is one of the best decisions I made at university, I even had a cheeky invite to be part of the Great Britain student squad!

Besides sport I do enjoy a good night! Sport socials at the infamous Oceana (Now Pryzm) are a must, you don’t have to be insanely strict to keep your goals on track.

Going out and having a good time with friends is not out of the question for me.

Tell us about your graduation plans?

By graduation my target is to be in a very good position with my company so that when I do graduate I will be able to focus 100% on that and possibly expand to additional ventures soon after, nothing is set in stone though!

What are your top tips for becoming more focused?

Write lists, decide what needs doing first and write them down in order with deadlines and tick them off one by one, it might seem silly but you need to prioritise things and if you get into the habit of being organised it will get easier. Try not to think about what will happen if you fail and more about what will happen when you succeed.

So there you have it folks, now make haste while the sun shines…

22

STUDENT We run the StudyFit transformation competition in every issue, to motivate and inspire YOU to act on your desires and make your dreams a REALITY! Here’s this issues transformation winners. All of the students here have hobbies, social lives and Uni work to get done. They are just like you. So there’s no reason why you don’t stand just as much chance of achieving what they have. Everything you need to know is in the magazine your holding in your hands, all you need to do is supply the dedication.

WINNER Nikita Marie-Scholes Sports development and coaching student, Northumbria University.

Realising I was making my way up the clothes sizes I knew it was time to change… So I got myself to the gym barely knowing a barbell from a dumbbell but determined to lose the weight. This transformation wasn't easy and yes I did want to give up more than once but consistency is key! One and half years on and I feel amazing and currently prepping to compete in bikini at the 2015 MASS Student Physique Championship.

September 2012 – September 2014

Runners Up Hope Scott Art and Design student, Birmingham City University.

I've fallen in love with fitness from starting my journey just 11 months ago! I joined a gym in January 2014 and hired a personal trainer. Our personalities clicked instantly and I began to make serious gains! My goal was to go from skinny to strong. Fitness has boosted my confidence physically and mentally, I have never looked back and have my eyes set on becoming a fitness model.

January 2014 - December 2014

Victoria Kenny Biomedical Sciences student, University of Bath.

As I reached the age of 18 I had a fear of being noticed, I thought it was safer to disappear and become unnoticed than to stand up for who I was. As a result I began my battle with anorexia nervosa. And my weight dropped lower and lower. In January 2014 i made a list of new year’s resolutions. To deal with the trauma I experienced and to become strong, sexy and sassy (cringe I know) but this was what I wanted.

When I made these many people didn’t believe I could do it, they thought that I would just remain unwell however from that day I got better, I regained fat, I then got a gym membership and have been working on sculpting a strong, muscular and lean physique ever since.

December 2013 – December 2014

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STUDENT WINNER Dhinil Patel Economics Student, University of Warwick.

I started training at 62Kg with 20% body fat in January 2012, 1 term into my 3 year degree and absolutely fell in love with it. I've always been someone who loves improving and progressing in any aspect of life and seeing the results day by day was the biggest motivation for me to keep on persisting.

The transformation was a slow process, as well as training I completely changed my diet. I owe so much to the experience after finally reaching 72KG with ~9% body. It’s made me realise that as long as you stay disciplined, believe in yourself and stay true to yourself you can really achieve anything you want in life. (Shout out to my coaches Akash Vaghela & Shyam Kotecha) January 2012 – January 2014

Runners Up Daniel Olusina Actual Science Student, University of Kent.

I've been training for just over 3 years now. During the 3 years I have trained I weighed 69kg in my before picture and now weigh 90.5kg in my after picture. I first started going to the gym in the first week of freshers weighing only 69kg and got completely hooked. Blessed or cursed with a high metabolism (whatever way you want to view it) meant I had to eat a lot of calories to see improvements! Over the three years I've done 2 bulks from 69kg to 83kg and then after a cut I then bulked again from 79kg to 90.5kg.

I started off with a 50kg bench, 30kg squat and not knowing what a deadlift was. Now I have a 140kg bench, 185kg squat and a 230kg deadlift.

Consistency really does bring the muscle and strength gains!

September 2011 – August 2014

Ashwin Gurung FDA Finance and Law student, Bournemouth University.

On the left is when I used to go out most nights, get pissed, probably on 2 meals a day at max... Pretty much anorexic! But then I decided to hit the gym purely because my dad and brother forced me to. Once i started training, I fell in love with the progress i was seeing. It was a different feeling. The journeys been hard as a student, sticking to a nutrition plan and avoiding alcohol is probably the hardest thing I had to face but the fact that I wanted it so bad is what made it possible, i changed my social life to get shredded! Doesn't mean I didn't go out but I kept it to the minimum.

Looking back I don't regret a single moment and I can proudly say every single rep and the sweat was worth it!

May 2012 – May 2014

Now it’s your turn!

To enter the StudyFit May issue contest email studyfit@thebodymass.org with your before and after images and paragraph about your journey. Deadline for entries is April 3rd 2015.

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25

HUGE

PRIZ E FU ND

Sometimes you need to ask yourself…

Do You Even Lift?! And if you’re not sure of the answer, then it’s time to find out!

This January marks the opening of the 2015 MASS Games, University teams and individual students from up and down the country will be battling it out across 5 sports to take home the prestigious titles of University Champions and Male and Female athletes of the Year.

It is in the games where student fitness sport truly comes to life. A tournament where you can set yourself a goal and put your skills to the test against student’s from all across the UK. Take part in Powerlifting, Strongman, Olympic Weightlifting, CrossFit or Physique as an individual athlete and as part of your University’s team.

Every single competition offers a friendly and welcoming atmosphere where the majority of competitors are beginners.

Within each competition there are a range of categories, catering to all levels of experience.

Not a beginner? Then it’s time to get competitive! With a national leader board and huge prizes for the winners the MASS games is the ultimate tournament for avid student lifters. Points are earned across the competitions for both individual and University results. The point’s you win contribute to your placing in the games.

How it works Individual’s tournament

University Team tournament

Hundreds of students 5 competitions An average of 79 points available at each 190 Women’s points available 205 Men’s points available Win by being the male or female student athlete to finish the tournament with the highest points 2014 Champions – Tak Chi-Ho & Bethany Lord

20 MASS Societies 5 competitions 80 points available at each 400 total points available Win by being the MASS society to finish the tournament with the highest points 2014 Champions – Loughborough University

(Turn to page 36 for the full breakdown of the scoring system)

Let the Games begin…

26

BEATING PERSONAL BESTS LEFT, RIGHT AND CENTRE! 5 Regional meets and over 100 competitors later...We have our winners! The MASS Student Powerlifting Championship has been the biggest series of MASS competitions to date, thank you to everyone who’s been involved. The Meets took place in Leicester, Manchester, Cardiff, London and Southampton.

Personal Bests were set left, right and centre and for many students it was their first competition experience!

Scores from the 5 regionals have been combined into one scoresheet to give the following results...

University Team With the biggest deadlifter across the competition paving the way for them, a solid University of Nottingham took 3rd. In second place, with a staggering 16 students they brought the biggest team across the competitions, it's Cardiff University .

But out in front with what can only be described as a spectacular set of athletes... winners of the University Team title are... Loughborough University!

Men's Wilks Overall 1

Lee Titmus

Plymouth

412

2

Sam Meade

Warwick

406

3

Scott Manifold

Cardiff

395

Women's Wilks Overall 1

Leane Knight

Wolverhampton

319

2

Hannah Chan

Royal Holloway

300

3

Cari Davies

Cardiff

296

Records Squat

Sam Meade

Warwick

252.5kg

Bench Press

Matthew Edgar

Bangor

177.5kg

Deadlift

Geoffrey Kirby

Nottingham

285kg

Total

Sam Meade

Warwick

687.5kg

The Welsh Regional

Full Scoresheet >>>

The heady mix of chalk, grunting and cheering emanating from Dragon CrossFit one Saturday afternoon in November could only mean one thing; the MASS Powerlifting Championships Welsh Regionals were under way. As one of the 5 regional competitions held across the country this event allowed beginner and experienced student powerlifters alike to show their strength at each of the big three: squat, bench press and deadlift. And show it they did!

Following an introduction from MASS chairman David Bissell and affiliated GBPF representatives, the group was split into 2 flights: females and lighter males then heavier males. The females had an increased turnout compared to previous years and the highest squat went to Carrie Shearer with 87.5kg, highest bench press went to Sophie Wheeler at 50kg and Deadlift to Cari Davies at 140kg. Cari also bagged the highest total with 272.5kg and achieved the highest female Wilks.

In the male competition there was a hotly competitive 93kg category which saw Scott Manifold win the squat and bench press at 230kg and 140kg respectively, getting him the highest total on the day of 627.5kg despite being pipped on the deadlift by Ryan Strother’s 260kg pull.

Overall, Cardiff University Complete Fitness stole the show on home turf with 16 athletes from TeamCardiff producing a team Wilks total of 1451 courtesy of Scott Manifold (CUCF’s head coach), David Crole, James Noble and Matthew Foxwell. A great atmosphere on the day made this a brilliant introduction to the sport for many newcomers and the experienced supervision of GBPF allowed a fair and safe meet for old hands.

By Shaun Howell

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SCORESHEET

28

REGIONAL

WINNERS!

Lee Titmus University: Plymouth Course: Physiotherapy

What got you into powerlifting to begin with?

Had a few mates in the gym I trained at before coming to uni that competed, so figured I’d give it a go when the South West qualifier was held there. I also have little interest in bodybuilding or that style of training as it does not benefit me in a sporting environment.

Year of Study: Final year Age: 27 years old

What was your training like to get you where you are now?

Height: 5’9ft

Lot of heavy triple, cluster sets and paused reps. Pretty much all compound movements to reduce fatigue so I can continue to play other sports.

Weight: 94.2kg

How did it feel to place top of the MASS Powerlifting regionals?

Squat

240kg

Bench

140kg

Deadlift

280kg

Total

660kg

Wilks

411.5255

Leane Knight

Pretty good, placed 5th in the World Powerlifting Championships 2 weeks beforehand, so was nice to take a win after that!

Where do you see yourself going with the sport in the future?

Hoping to take some records next year in squat and deadiift, not far off them also hoping to take 1st in the UK next year.

What got you into powerlifting to begin with?

When I moved house I changed gyms, and it was there that I got into it.

The owner of my gym advertised a regional qualifier last year, as he's University: Wolverhampton been doing it a long time. I didn't really have a clue what it was all Course: about, but a few of the other members were giving it a go, so I thought Sports Coaching Practice why not. It was at my first comp that I qualified for nationals in the Year of study: 2 upper weight category. I've been hooked ever since.

Age: 24 years old Height: 5'7"

What was your training like to get where you are now?

Weight: 63kg

I don't have a typical power lifter routine. In fact, I train more like a bodybuilder. Until recently I was undecided about what route I wanted to take. Aesthetics was my main aim before I tried this. Having progressed so far in the sport already I've put all my efforts and research towards getting my numbers up and techniques better. Being new to the sport I'm still trying to find what works for me. At the moment I do a 6 day split and incorporate the three lifts into it. Monday is upper back, Tuesday is legs, Wednesday is chest, Thursday is arms and core, Friday is shoulders, Saturday is deadlifts.

Squat

100kg

Bench

55kg

Deadlift

145kg

Total

300kg

Wilks

319

How did it feel to place top of the MASS powerlifting regionals?

Although winning is ace, I was more pleased with reaching my desired total of the year, which was 300kg. However, I was checking the scores each week to see if I was still at the top. I was more pleased for my friend that I introduced to the sport winning her category at her first competition and seeing her progress.

Where do you see yourself going with the sport on the future?

Now that I've decided to put aesthetics on the back burner and concentrate on powerlifting, I hope to introduce more people, especially students, to the sport. I look forward to learning more about the sport and training and generally just seeing how I progress. I look forward to nationals next year and seeing how my lifts increase over the next nine months.

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NATIONALS The MASS national student Powerlifting Championship is your chance to throw it down against the UK’s top student lifters. Represent your University and bring a team to compete with the best of the best.

Saturday 21st February b lu C g n ti if tl h ig e W n e re G l a n th Be

Entries are taken individually. We take your University’s top 3 male and 1 female wilks scores to give your overall University team score, therefore a ‘team’ must have at least 3 males and 1 female. The national championship is refereed by the Great British Powerlifting Federation (GBPF) and doubles as a GBPF national qualifier.

Online

Facebook

Entry Form 30

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The Return ofthe champion…

…As a Judge!

STU IPS DENT PHYSIQUE CHAMPIONSH

Matt Sallis is back and on the Judging panel for the 2015 MASS SPC. After winning in 2014 Matt Sallis has been on a competition frenzy, stacking up the trophies, photoshoots and magazine features. StudyFit caught up with Matt to talk about what he’s been up to, his goals for the future, what he’s looking for as a judge and to get some advice for this year’s competitors.

Matt, it’s been a while… We’ve missed you! What have you been up to since winning the show, how are you settling into your final year at Uni and what are your current goals?

A LOT has gone on since Mr University! I guess in that time my main focus has been competing. It’s been around 9 months after winning the show and I’ve stepped on stage five times since! I’m asked a lot how and why I’ve competed this many times within such a short space of time, but it’s still my first year in competition so I wanted to gain as much experience as possible and develop my approach to preparation. This half of the year, since my third year at uni started, has been tough to juggle work load and preparation but I’ve found my results have got better under pressure both on stage and at Uni. Now that my next competition isn’t until April my main aims are to complete my degree and develop a career with full focus, but after a great experience this year my on stage my aims in terms of competing are directed at European and world stage appearances.

We’re very pleased to have you on the judging panel for the 2015 MASS SPC! How does it feel, judge?

I’m very excited to be back judging the 2015 shows! It will be great to experience the competition from this perspective and I think it will benefit my approaches to future shows for my own preparation. I’m really looking forward to seeing what the student stage can produce this year; last year was full of unexpected talent. Now the stereotype of our society is beginning to lift and more are becoming interested in competing and fitness, it can only get better!

As a judge, what are you looking for in competitors?

As you can imagine I’ve become very particular in the look I want to achieve and how I present that on stage, but you also have to be sensitive to the foundations of the criteria in each of the classes. I’ll be looking for a balanced mixture of these aspects, who can also present a confident demeanour with poise and a smile! In my opinion you can instantly tell, just from the way a person presents themselves from the moment they walk out on stage, that they’ve worked hard and they have been motivated by intrinsic factors. Of course the physique is just as important as presentation, and for me overall aesthetics and balance are the key traits to a winning physique. So I won’t be looking for the biggest competitor, nor the leanest…..I’ll be looking for the big 3 P’s – Proportion, presentation and personality!

What qualities make a champion and what advice do you have for competitors hoping to make it?

I think it is difficult to define a champion; every champion is different and great in their own ways and has stood out for those reasons. Qualities that I think are important however are the ones that people don’t actually see. A champion should be willing to accept defeat or criticism and then learn and develop from these experiences. In relation to what I’m looking for as a judge, this is something that I believe you can get a sense of by the way a competitor portrays themselves on stage. Someone who shows they want to be on that stage, shows humble confidence and belief that they can stand out, literally own the stage with simply their presence….but also respect the physiques around them and the hard work fellow competitors have also endured. A champion will stand out because of their unique individuality, so just be yourself….enjoy the day and show that you are!

I’d like to encourage the student masses to get involved with this unique competition! You’ll get to display your hard work as well as the personality that’s driven it…..this is something that most employers and sponsors’ will want to see when making their ultimate decision in their candidate choice. Who knows who might be watching on the day, who knows what may come of it, but it will certainly leave you hungry for success either way…..competing certainly has done for me and notably other fellow student competitors. Just remember, you have no power over who you compete against, you have no power over the judges’ decisions so concern yourself with displaying your own hard work with all you’ve got, then you will ultimately be content whatever the result.

www.mattsallis.co.uk Instagram @mattsallis3 Twitter @matt_sallis 32

CrossFit Leicester & MASS present the second annual Student Throwdown Saturday 11th April 2015 Location: CrossFit Leicester Cost to enter: ÂŁ30

The game is on for the title of UK’s Fittest Student with the 2015 Student Throwdown.

Leicester, is getting ready to feel its energy quotient blast through the roof on 11th April 2015, with the 2nd Annual Student Throwdown, so come and join in and test yourself against the fittest university students in the UK! The Student Throwdown hosted by CrossFit Leicester & MASS, is the only competition in the UK to find the fittest male and female CrossFit students in the UK. The Student Throwdown was launched in 2014, and was designed to give student athletes, from University Clubs and CrossFit boxes an all-inclusive arena to showcase their CrossFit skills and fitness levels in a spirit of fun and friendly competition. This event attracted over 30 competing athletes and 100 spectators from all over the United Kingdom. The 2014 Student Throwdown did not disappoint, bringing together the CrossFit University student community in an action packed event for both the athletes and spectators.

The stage is set for excitement at the 2015 Student Throwdown with a variety of challenging WODs to test student athletes overall fitness from strength, speed, power, endurance, and will power, for the crowds to witness and the athletes to experience. This promises to be an explosive day, jam packed with energising workouts in CrossFit Leicester's 14,000 square foot warehouse, complete with sound system, DJ, videographers and photographers. The day is pretty much guaranteed to be a spectacular!

GET REGISTERING TODAY

ALL LEVELS OF STUDENT ATHLETE ARE WELCOME

SAVE THE DATE SATURDAY 11TH APRIL 2015 Find entry details at

www.thebodymass.org

Student Throwdown @ST2k15

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The biggest and best student strongman competition is here. MASS’s Strongest Man 2015 will see the most monstrous students battle it out for those MASS Games points and the titles of MASS’s Strongest Man and Woman.

The men will be split into three categories, the ladies two, all of whom will have to complete 5 daring events. Starting with the legendary farms walk, and finishing on the tricky Atlas Stones.

The Warehouse gym play host to the competition. TWG are yearly finalists in the national fitness awards ‘strength gym of the year’ award. Home to many of the UK’s strongest men, they have hosted multiple strongman competitions and boast an entire strongman section.

For those assuming the biggest students will win… This competition’s not just about sheer strength; these athletes will require endurance, solid technique and iron will power to get them to the end of the day still standing.

To enter email: info@thebodymass.org Winner of the 2012 competition and MASS’s very first Strongest Man It’s awesome to see how Mass’s strongest man has really exploded in popularity, it was great fun and I’m really pleased to hold the title of the first winner, everyone participating is doing such a brilliant job of promoting the competition further to help it continue to spread across our Uni’s!

Strongman is such a fantastic sport because it truly is a complete test of raw power, technique, fitness, and speed. The feats you can achieve in strongman are awe inspiring. Lifting a bar never quite feels as rewarding as deadlifting a car for reps or wrestling with atlas stones to get them on the platform. Saying you lifted a car or a 90kg rock sounds cool, and IT IS! I really enjoyed strongman training on a weekly basis whilst at Uni, it is truly one of the most welcoming and inclusive sports there are, everyone is welcoming and literally anyone can do it.

Before starting strongman style training I was pretty weak in most aspects of training, after a while of strongman training I decided to see what I could do with my new found strength so I competed in a regional GBPF Powerlifting event and won my category! On the whole, once you master strongman, you’ll have the strength, fitness and grit to master anything in training and life! I would strongly recommend anyone who is considering getting into fitness or any form of training to give strongman a try, its such great fun and really is one the most varied forms of training you can do, nothing quite hits your body from all angles like pulling a sled and or filliping a tyre!

THE EVENTS Farmers Walk There and back.

Drop and turn.

Log Press 60 seconds for reps Loading Medley Get 3 items over the yoke Deadlift 60 seconds for reps Men – Car Deadlift Women – Trap bar Deadlift Atlas Stones Round robin going up in stone weight

CATEGORIES Men's <85kg, <105kg, (open) Women's <65kg, 65kg+ (open)

Cost to enter: £15 Spectator entry: Free

Saturday 21st March The Warehouse Gym 47 Parker Drive Leicester, LE4 0JP

If you want to build your fitness, strength, power, or even just make training fun… give strongman a try!

Tristan Alden – MASS’s original Strongest Man

www.nutrision.co.uk 34

British Student Championships 2015 Open to anyone enrolled in further or higher education as of 1/1/15

Email: enquiries@britishweightlifting.org or call 01132 249 402 for more info Follow @GBWeightLifting for updates and announcements

More information to come in February 35

Individuals tournament 5 competitions Each with 78-80 MASS points available, 190 Women’s MASS points available, 205 Men’s MASS points available, 395 total MASS points available Win by being the male or female student athlete to finish with the highest points at the end of the tournament

University Team tournament 5 competitions 80 points available at each 400 points up for grabs across the tournament Win by being the University Team to finish with the highest points at the end of the tournament.

Individual – 79 points.

8 men’s categories, 7 women’s categories, 15 categories total.

Top two individual category finishers receive MASS points (1st – 2 points, 2nd – 1 points) 45 Top three Wilkinson Coefficient finishers receive MASS points (1st – 8 points, 2nd – 6 points, 3rd – 3 points) 34 Team – 80 points At least 3 men and 1 woman Top five team finishers receive MASS points (1st –24 points, 2nd – 20 points, 3rd – 16 points, 4th – 12 points 5th – 8 points) 80

Individual – 79 points

OLYMPIC OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING

8 men’s categories, 7 women’s categories, 15 categories total.

Top two individual category finishers receive MASS points (1st – 2 points, 2nd – 1 points) 45 Top three Sinclair Coefficient finishers receive MASS points (1st – 8 points, 2nd – 6 points, 3rd – 3 points) 34 Team – 80 points At least 3 men and 1 woman Top five team finishers receive MASS points (1st –24 points, 2nd – 20 points, 3rd – 16 points, 4th – 12 points 5th – 8 points) 80

Individual – 79 points 8 men’s categories, 7 women’s categories, 15 categories total.

Top two individual category finishers receive MASS points (1st – 6 points, 2nd – 3 points) 45 Top three open finishers receive MASS points (1st – 8 points, 2nd – 6 points, 3rd – 3 points) 34 Team – 80 points At least 3 men and 1 woman Top five team finishers receive MASS points (1st –24 points, 2nd – 20 points, 3rd – 16 points, 4th – 12 points 5th – 8 points) 80

Individuals – 80 points Top five individual finishers receive MASS points (1st –12 points, 2nd – 10 points, 3rd – 8 points, 4th – 6 points 5th – 4 points) 80 (40 male 40 female) CROSSFIT

Team – 80 points At least 3 men and 1 woman Top five team finishers receive MASS points (1st –24 points, 2nd – 20 points, 3rd – 16 points, 4th – 12 points 5th – 8 points) 80

Individuals – 78 points 5 men’s categories, 4 women’s categories, 9 categories total.

Top three individual category finishers receive MASS points (1st – 3 points, 2nd – 2 points, 3rd – 1 points) Overall winners receive MASS points (1st – 12 points) 24

STU IPS DENT PHYSIQUE CHAMPIONSH

Team – 80 points At least 3 men and 1 woman Top five team finishers receive MASS points (1st –24 points, 2nd – 20 points, 3rd – 16 points, 4th – 12 points 5th – 8 points) 80

View the live scores at www.thebodymass.org 36

THE COMPETITIONS 21st February Bethnal Green Weightlifting Club MASS National Student Powerlifting Championship (GBPF)

8th March Leicester University Students Union MASS Student Physique Championship Qualifier STU IPS DENT PHYSIQUE CHAMPIONSH

14th March

Southampton University Students Union MASS Student Physique Championship Qualifier

21st March The Warehouse Gym, Leicester MASSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Strongest Man 2015

DATE TBA OLYMPIC

Location TBA MASS Weightlifting Championship (BWL)

11th April CrossFit, Leicester MASS Student Throwdown by CrossFit Leicester 25th April

STU IPS DENT PHYSIQUE CHAMPIONSH

37

Student Central University of London MASS Student Physique Championship Grand Finale

Welcome to the brand new BUCS section Here in our BUCS section you can read about the all important aspects of training that’ll help you excel in your sport. Whether it is on the pitch, the court, the track, the range, in the dome, in the pool, in the air, on the platform, on the wall or wherever you play… you can benefit from our BUCS section!

In this issue we hear from Paul O’Brien on how to train like an athlete and Emma Pudge interviews Tom Bliss, the Loughborough graduate turned professional rugby player.

Paul is currently finishing his MSc in Strength & Conditioning at St Mary's University whilst employed as a Strength & Conditioning coach at Bournemouth University. He’s worked in both the U.K (AFC Bournemouth, Exeter City FC) and U.S (Northern Arizona University). As well as coaching Bournemouth University’s sports teams Paul is a freelance fitness instructor and personal trainer with over 5 years' experience in health and fitness.

Turn over the page for Paul’s ‘How to Train like an Athlete’ feature…

38

How to train like an athlete: PERIODIZATION More than often, the number one problem any athlete faces is a failure to plan or prepare gym sessions appropriately around their sport. The issue I often see around university gyms is that so many athletes over-train by using hypertrophy based techniques all year around.

At this point it is important to decide what your training goals are; do you want to body-build or need to build your body for your sport? If it is the latter option then it is imperative that you understand how to periodize your resistance training. This is to ensure that you hit your targets in competition and significantly reduce the risk of injury.

(PART 1)

Microcycle

Mesocycle

This consists of individual / weekly workouts.

This is a block of microcycles focusing on either Hypertrophy, strength or power

Macrocycle A year long plan combining different training phases to prepare athlete for competition.

What is periodization?

Periodization is the process that coaches use when developing an annual training program; it categorises the athlete’s goals and training into different stages and allows for a steady development, preparing the athlete to peak for competition. Periodization cycles are altered through the adjustment of training variables such as exercise, load and volume in an attempt to influence the most affective adaptation necessary at any given stage of a season.

Once we understand how to categorise our goals it is then important we use the following steps:

STAGE 1

How to plan your year:

STAGE 2

In periodization we divide our stages/goals into microcycles, mesocycles and macrocycles.

These stages allow us to focus on a specific goal that is catered to improve a specific area of sporting performance within a given timeline i.e. strength, power, speed.

STAGE 3

Identify competition dates or fixtures that you must peak for. (include other important dates also e.g. exams or holidays).

Outline the weeks and months between the current date and competition date.

Separate the year into preparation, pre-competition, and competition phase.

Below is an example of how to structure a basic periodization plan for a BUCS athlete: Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

In-season Strength (Maintenance)

June Off-season

Rest

Hypertrophy

July

Aug

Sept

Pre-season Strength (Development)

Oct

Nov

Dec

In-season Power

Strength (Maintenance)

Once the sporting year has been scheduled, you are then ready to start developing your mesocycles and microcycles accordingly for each training phase. Read part two of “How to train like an athlete” to understand how to program all-year round .

39

How to train like an athlete: THE WEEKLY TRAINING REGIME After looking back at your yearly plan you should have divided the year into stages. Once this is completed we can then focus on the following stages:

STAGE 4

STAGE 5

Design a programme for the necessary microcycles and macrocycles.

Establish a training protocol and load percentages for each phase.

Below is an example of a standard university athlete’s weekly schedule: Days

Session

Monday

Strength & Conditioning

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

Team Training Captains Run BUCS Gameday Recovery

Friday

Strength & Conditioning Sport Specific training

Saturday

STAGE 6

Include regular testing protocol to track athletic progress (e.g. fitness tests, max lifting tests and analysing sports performances).

Planning your sessions: Once you know your competition dates it is then important that you program any resistance training sessions accordingly. Throughout the week there are many things you should consider, below are the questions that should be asked when planning a weekly conditioning programme:

1

How many times a week am I competing?

2 When do i compete? (mid-week or weekend) 3

What is my current training goal.

After these questions are answered, it is then crucial that you decide how to organise the following training principles: • • • •

(PART 2)

Progression Exercise selection Intensity Recovery durations

Recovery or Match

As the university season is imminent, most student athletes have to cater to their pre-season training themselves. Once the season has started, students generally have around three to four hours a week to spend in the gym. It is therefore vital that you optimise the quality of each workout.

Considering that you may only have two to three hours a week to spend on your strength and conditioning, the important factor here is to look at the areas that really need working on and maintaining. Most athletes will complete their cardio, speed and agility work during sport specific sessions, so improving strength and power should be your number one priority. It is therefore key that you create an even balance between work and rest that helps to maintain or develop yourself around competition.

When designing your programmes you should stick to a yearly plan, and ensure that training is completed with the correct protocol to ensure maximal adaptation e.g. pre-season is used to develop strength and power.

Below are the guidelines for each training phase and its corresponding protocol: Reps

Hypertrophy Strength Endurance Power

8 – 12 4–8 12 – 20 2-5

Sets

3–6 2–5 3–4 3-5

Intensity (% of 1RM)

75% 80 – 90 50 – 75 70 - 95

Once you have figured out your yearly plans your priority should then look to combine the best training programme possible. I advise that each individual exercise is evaluated to check its suitability for an athlete’s specific requirements. Train like an athlete part 3 looks to focus on how to train and recover like a pro during the competitive season.

By Paul O’Brien 40

ATHELETES AFTER UNIVERSITY How did it all begin?

TOM BLISS

I first joined my local rugby club Cobham RFC aged 7 and haven’t looked back since. I quickly developed a love for the game and played for numerous school, county and divisional teams as I grew up.

Was university always part of the plan?

Yes very much so. I had my goals set on achieving a degree before focusing on pursuing a career in rugby. It was tricky at times to find a balance between sport and academics but I managed to come out of Loughborough University with a 2:1 degree.

What did you gain as an athlete by going to university?

University not only expanded my knowledge in the area of business management but also taught me how to balance and prioritise what was most important.

For the majority of the time training and playing was my priority but I knew I had to also make time for my studies and also have some fun when the time was right. What is more, gaining a degree is extremely reassuring as I now have a degree to fall back on if I was ever to have a career threatening injury. Being part of the rugby team at Loughborough was a fantastic experience both on and off the pitch as it taught me qualities such as loyalty and leadership– values integral to everyday life. The coaching and the facilities were also second to none which gave me the best chance for success. Loughborough’s known as a breeding ground for athletes so I knew I was in the right place to hopefully be spotted which is what led to my contract at Wasps.

What are you doing now?

I am now a professional rugby player at Wasps.

What is the biggest difference between university and professional level sport, in particular rugby? What advice would you give to a student athlete making the transition into professional sport?

Fortunately Loughborough was a very professional environment with regard to the rugby which made the transition to full time professional rugby relatively seamless. The behaviours and lifestyle of a professional athlete were already ingrained which meant I didn’t have to change manners to an extent. Having said that, the attention to detail in the professional game is far more meticulous. My advice is simple, love what you do and if you don’t enjoy it, whether it be the early morning gym sessions or the gut wrenching fitness, just stop and pursue another career.

RUGBY Which rugby player made the biggest impact on your career?

I always idolised Jonny Wilkinson as a kid growing up.

Who is at the top of their game at the moment in rugby?

The likes of Aaron Smith, the all blacks number 9, is someone who I watch closely. He’s got an awesome set of skills and is a world class player

What are your goals for 2015?

My goal is to gain another professional contract with Wasps at the end of the summer and see where that takes me.

What do you see as being the key to success?

Mastering the little things that require skill over talent and constantly striving to learn and become a better player each day. Most importantly you have to love what you do.

UNIVERSITY LIFESTYLE What was your daily nutrition like as a student?

When I was on the go, which was most of the time, I would prepare Tupperware’s. My go to would be chicken, sweet potato sprinkled with paprika and avocado. I always had a bag of nuts and a protein shake with me as well. Having a love for cooking made meal times back at the house quite enjoyable. I would regularly knock up some form of chilli with lean beef mince which would last me several days. My supplementation was relatively straight forward. I would normally have a whey based protein shake with carbs post work out and just a whey shake at other points around the day.

5 university fridge essentials: Greek yoghurt Peanut Butter Some form of meat/fish Avocado’s Sweet potato Is

it acceptable for students not to drink on a night out?

Each to their own but I personally found not drinking on nights out awkward and boring. Having a few drinks at the appropriate time does no harm.

How did you balance studying and training?

It was hard at times to motivate myself when I was tired after training to head to the library and work but with ominous deadlines I somehow found a way. The obvious sacrifice at university is going out less. Whilst most university students go out several times per week it was usually just the once for me.

41

Where do student athletes go wrong?

As you can imagine there are quite a few distractions at university - drinking, partying and the like, but staying true to yourself and what you want to achieve helps negate this. Others take for advantage the facilities and opportunities that come their way. You should jump at the chance of any opportunity.

TRAINING What does your current training programme involve?

My current weekly schedule involves 3 to 4 gym sessions, 3 team rugby sessions and 2 to 3 individual skills sessions where I’ll work on my kicking and passing. Also depending on how much game time you had on the weekend there is an option to do ‘fitness top ups’ which will either be pitch based shuttles or off feet on the watt bike.

How do you fuel your workouts?

Fortunately at Wasps we’re sponsored by Maxinutrition which means our every need is catered for. At the moment I am currently taking an ‘all in one’ shake post gym and training which is protein and carb based. I also supplement with Omega 3, daily vitamins and ZMA (zinc and magnesium) before bed.

What has made the biggest difference to your performance on the field?

Throughout pre-season we had several Hypoxic swimming sessions which involved swimming numerous lengths at various intensities under water. This placed huge strain on our lungs and aerobic systems. This in addition to the other on pitch aerobic shuttle sessions we did stood me. So I would attribute my high fitness levels to superior performance on the field.

Biggest mistake you made when you were younger?

My biggest mistake was going into the gym ‘blind’ at a young age. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing and the majority of sessions were based around chest and arms. You don’t have to be a genius to work out that overtraining of this muscle group led to bad posture.

Best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Master the things which require no talent. Things such as fitness, nutrition and daily well-being require no talent, there is therefore no excuse to not get them spot on.

Day in the Life A normal day would involve gym and a skills session in the morning followed by a team rugby session in the afternoon where we would run through our plays/patterns and work on any technical areas. Recovery protocol each day involves a post workout shake and an ice bath for 3 minutes.

FACT FILE Name: Tom Bliss Sport: Rugby Union University and degree title: Information Management and Business Studies Current job: Professional Rugby Player

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43

What you need to know to

reveal that six-pack in no time

BIKE High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is slowly beginning to grow in popularity with more media and research publicity, but why should YOU start doing it?

The essence of HIIT is to work maximally for a set period of time, then have a period of rest and repeat. Although this may seem like quite a daunting prospect, from a practical standpoint it can reduce your workout time significantly.

Instead of plodding along on a treadmill for an hour, you can be done and dusted with your cardio in 15 minutes.

The science behind HIIT training is that it leads to similar energy expenditure in the 24 hours post-exercise compared to moderate-intensity exercise (exercise that you can easily perform for over 30 minutes) and that it leads to significant increases in heart and lung function. Therefore, you not only receive the same potential weight-loss benefits in a quarter of the time, you also improve your physical fitness to a much greater extent than with moderate-intensity exercise.

30 seconds all-out, 2 minutes active recovery (slow pedalling with no resistance) Repeat 5 times

BIKE 15 seconds all out, 45 seconds active recovery Repeat 10 times

ROW 20 seconds all-out, 20 seconds active recovery Repeat 8 times

But what does a HIIT workout look like? Here are a couple of examples to get you goingâ&#x20AC;Ś

These are just some sample workouts to get your creative juices flowing, from here you can make up your own HIIT workouts and reap the rewards. However, it is essential that you give 100% effort when you are working during HIIT training, so you may not be thanking me once you are finishedâ&#x20AC;Ś

By Rob Keil

RUN 10 seconds sprint, 30 seconds active recovery Repeat 10 times

44

So you want to train like an athlete? You see the physical presence of your sporting idols and no matter how hard you try you just can’t get the same performance/aesthetic gains? Well hopefully this article can help solve your issues.

Whilst you’re in the gym training every bicep exercise possible, you probably aren’t going to achieve your goal of becoming bigger, stronger and faster. There is a reason why elite athletes are the people in the best physical condition. I can guarantee that if you’re not adapting following your training, you probably aren’t replicating the hard work they put in during strength and conditioning sessions. If you’re someone that wants to train like an athlete but doesn’t know how to, here are three fundamental exercises you can’t afford to miss out on (AND WHY!!).

Back Squat

Squatting is a fundamental exercise for developing whole body muscle; as well as the obvious fact that squats develop your glutes and quads. Squats are actually an anabolic exercise that will promote the release of testosterone and HGH which contribute to the development of whole body muscle function and growth.

If done correctly, squatting heavy loads will without a doubt make you run faster and jump higher.

This is because an exposure to regular heavy compound exercise will increase the efficiency and frequency of Type II Fibres.

EVERY successful athlete includes some form of squatting in his or her training programme.

And for those of you that struggle to stay injury-free, squatting could also be the answer to your problems. Most common sports injuries are associated with weak ligaments and stabilising muscles. By simply squatting you are able to strengthen these connective tissues which can reduce the probability of injury and keep you in training.

Squatting has also been associated with the improvement of flexibility at the hip, knee and ankle. It also helps provide an athlete with a greater range of movement in exercise that again reduces the probability of injury

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Barbell Deadlift Just like squats, the deadlift promotes whole body muscle development; and similarly produces an increased release of testosterone and HGH in the body. For those of you that think deadlifts are simply a lower back exercise, you are truly mistaken.

During a deadlift the body will utilise every muscle starting at your traps all the way to your calves, hence why most athletes who train this exercise pack on lean muscle.

In the typical aesthetic based gym environment with everyone focused on chest gains, it is pretty easy to get caught up in only exercising the mirror muscles. I mean a lot of these guys look in good shape, why do anything different to them? Well deadlifts target the posterior chain intensely and are the best lift to maintain equilibrium of muscular physique, strength and stability. No healthy athlete will only be strong in one muscle group. Athletic skills require multiple muscle groups in order to be affective. This improved stability is also very important to prevent injuries which will in turn, keep you training.

Bench-press Last but not least, bench press is probably the most fundamental exercise for development of upper body strength, size and athletic function. As a compound exercise bench press directly targets a large group of muscles and is not solely a chest exercise. Throughout the bench press, the deltoids, lats, triceps, pectorals and abdominals are all being used. This is why it’s a true determinant of upper body strength and is a big factor for why many professional sports i.e. American football will use it within their selection process as a true measuring stick of upper body strength.

In summary: By making these three exercises the cornerstones of your training program you can stimulate the endocrine system. This means that it will produce hormones, increase flexibility and strengthen the connective tissues as well as increase type II muscle fibres which produce higher force outputs.

So there it is, the answers to all of your questions. If you’re new to the gym make sure that you quit heading to biceps first and train one of the real compound lifts I’ve discussed in this article. Athletes have fantastic physiques, if you train like one there is no reason why you can’t look like one.

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5x5 Vs Pyramid Find the best approach for those plateaubusting strength gains.

The battle over the approach to strength training is ever apparent in the world of both powerlifting and bodybuilding; with the usual 2 paths of strength constantly popping up….you know what I’m talking about. It’s the classic battle between pyramid training vs 5x5.

5x5 What is the 5x5 routine?

The 5x5 is one of simplest approaches to training, and can be used for any exercise that the individual desires.

After being used for many years for strength with notable fans such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, the methodology has remained the same. This methodology is 5 sets of 5 repetitions.

Lifting ~85% of the lifters 1 rep max will provide sufficient tension to get maximum muscle fibre recruitment. Your metabolism will shoot through the roof, and combined with the muscle fibre recruitment, is a winning combination for both strength and size.

A typical 5x5 routine: -Warmup (Start on a light weight, usually just the bar of about 20 x reps. Do as many sets as you feel necessary).

The warmup may seem tedious; however by having warmed up you”ll actually actually increase the weight that you will be able to lift, and that’s always good, right?

- Set 1: If this is your first time this set can be quite trial and error and you will want a weight that will push your limits to reach 5 reps. As mentioned earlier, usually go for about 80%-85% of your 1 rep max.

- Set 2, 3, 4, 5: Once you have found this ideal weight, continue to push for 5 reps. You’ll really feel those last couple of sets!

Once you reach 5 sets of 5 reps, increase in the weight next time you do this workout by around 2.5-5kg total (progressive overload).

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Pros Easy to follow Proven to work if done correctly with progressive overload

Cons People can see it as a bit of a dull routine!

Pyramid Training The typical pyramid is larger on the bottom than on the top? Correct. As the pyramid increases, the triangular shape narrows until it is almost a point. Now imagine that as a training technique, with high reps to start with (being the bottom), and as you step up the weight you decrease the reps moving up the pyramid.

The approach: Now, once the individual has completely gone up the pyramid until they are in much lower rep ranges (1-3 reps), they have used a variety of high rep training combined with low training. Giving your body this method of training ensures that both muscle power and muscle hypotrophy (muscle size) is achieved, giving you a killer workout.

Determining the suitable weight for each set will be something that will take a bit if adjusting until you know the correct weight.

A typical pyramid training regime 1 - 2 Reps 3 - 4 Reps 5 - 8 Reps 9 - 10 Reps 12 - 15 Reps Pros The variety of rep ranges gives the body a full workout Builds strength, and is also proven to build a load of muscle too (thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not too bad).

Cons It could be seen that the individual may not to be able to lift as heavy on the heavier sets due to the higher rep previous sets zapping the glycogen from the muscles.

The add in of a bit of variety is also nice!

By Ryan Kirk

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The Deadlift Bent Vs Flat Back Pu lling

The purpose of this article is to create awareness of deadlift technique and provide a fairly objective comparison between flat and round backed pulling. I also share my anecdote of how I applied some general ideas to offer a practical example of a transition from rounded to more flat backed pulls. I am coming from the perspective of a powerlifter, so this is all about maximizing the weight on the bar within reasonable safety considerations.

If you take away just a couple things, understand that just as with the age old conventional vs. sumo issue, neither flat nor rounded pulling are better than the other by default and you need context to answer that question. Technique overhaul will take varying amounts of time depending on your circumstance. Much of this is anecdotal, and merely to suggest some first steps in a longer term process that’ll require much more effort on your part to figure out.

WHAT KIND OF MOBILITY DO YOU NEED?

CONCLUSION FROM THE MECHANICAL ANALYSIS

An important part of being able to pull with a flat back is being able to get to the bar in the first place with a flat back. Sufficient mobility to perform this is necessary, to pull flat backed. The conventional tends to challenge hip flexion greatly, depending on lifter body type. The sumo needs less hip flexion, but is more demanding on hip external rotation and abduction.

The above suggests that the reason many pull rounded to circumvent relative weakness at the floor and/or have not the mobility to get to the bar without rounding.

MECHANICS AND DEADLIFTING If we have a lever arm and a fulcrum, the Moment generated about the fulcrum depends on amount of force applied and the perpendicular distance between the fulcrum and line of force. So: (Moment = Horizontal Distance x Weight M = HD x W).

Note that the more bent over the figure, the greater the length of the moment arm between the hip joint (fulcrum) and weight (force), the greater the moment. Referring to the equation, this means that (More Bent Over HD goes up M goes up).

From above, the more bent over, the greater the moment, thus the more hip extension force must be generated to overcome inertia.

You can test this by pulling off blocks. Getting a given weight moving off blocks is easier than getting it moving off the ground.

You will also realize that rounding your back cuts the moment arm down on the floor. You can break the weight off more easily, but you’ll have to grind to lockout.

[You will notice that I skipped talk about knee angles and knee extension forces to keep it simple. They’re less important and the story is virtually identical to what we see with the hips.]

If you keep your back flat, you must tough it out on the ground, but can finish more easily if you near lockout. If you pull rounded, you get around weakness near the floor, but will grind as you must unround at lockout. Granted, the degree of being (Rounded – Flat) lies on a continuous spectrum, so it’s grey all over, not black and white. Regardless, you’ll have to pick your poison.

This may actually provide a rule of thumb to assess rounding.

If on a heavy lift the bar is relatively slow at the bottom and fast at lockout, the back is fairly flat. If the reverse is true, it might be quite rounded.

HOW MAY WE SET UP? A ‘TOP-DOWN’ APPROACH I will begin to weave in my personal experience much more from here on and discuss my approach to changing my technique.

The first thing to change was my set up. How could I pull with a flat back without learning to establish a neutral spine?

I took a few pages out of Kelly Starrett’s mobilityWOD Youtube videos and prioritized set up and spinal positioning as he suggests for his athletes.

I squeezed my glutes to set the lower back in a more neutral position and hold it by bracing. I lock my lats down by tucking my shoulder blades into their pockets. All of this happens before I even reach for the bar because if I flatten out my back from a rounded position in the bottom of the deadlift, it’s more likely to break position when I pull than if I set it up first and keep it neutral all the way.

I’ve seen strong lifters get tight in the bottom. They may reach for the bar rounded (generally, the lower back is solid though mid-back upwards may be flexed at first), then tighten up into neutral or slight extension. This is something I can’t do.

Look at the moment arms. The figures starting in the rounded position and off the blocks reduce the moment arm between ther hip and bar. This makes it easier to get the weight moving.

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WORKING THE WEAKNESS AND STAYING TIGHT After nailing the set up, I could consistently get to the bar and pull without rounding at lighter weights. The problem now was pushing the weights I could handle with this technique. It needed time, proper weight selection, and consistent practice. If you’re consciously trying to pull with a flat back, you may round at the bottom if the weight is simply too heavy or technique was subpar (set up error, forgot a cue, couldn’t be patient near floor etc.). I found paused deadlifts where you pull the bar off the ground, but pause somewhere in the movement (like below the knees) before finishing it, to be very helpful in tackling part of this issue. I practiced them pausing as close to the floor as I could to accentuate that weak position. They offered specific practice as I could load them up fairly heavily and apart from the pause was identical to the deadlift, allowing set up practice as well.

On another note, I’ve found that to remain in a neutral position, engaging the lats is very important. They are useful for stabilizing the back under load and help keep the bar close to you. Keeping the bar close to you is important as minimizing the moment arm between the hip and the bar makes it easier to maintain spinal position. I cue myself to pull my shoulders into my back pockets. This really helps me to stay tight, which keeps my back in check particularly on the heaviest reps. When I pulled my most recent max of 207.5kg at the MASS London Student Powerlifting Championship, my back was fortunately well locked down even though it felt like a true max. While it was slow off the ground, the lockout was quick and my form felt very solid.

Deficit deadlifts – These may not be the best for everyone as it may challenge mobility significantly. I think your technique should be very solid and you must be able to reach the bar while keeping a neutral back if you wish to use them.

On less specific movements - Exercises like GHR’s, rows and lat pulldowns are great but may not be very useful here if you have a technique issue, which is not necessarily a muscle size issue. If you’re in doubt, just do the deadlift itself. You don’t have to stop doing less specific accessories. But if you’re adding them to improve the deadlift, I think you will be let down.

SUMMARY In summary…Check that you can get to the bar with a neutral back and practice pulling from the floor with this new technique with light weights initially. You may start light but the load on the bar must progressively increase while preserving technique; the sets should feel challenging, but your technique should look solid when reviewing it on video. You can develop patience and bottom end strength with competition deadlifts alone, but some deadlift variants may accelerate improvement by increasing emphasis on weak areas in the range of motion. My process will be different from yours, but if you take your time and focus on developing and working your very own process, the small things will slowly add up to a large, noticeable result with time and who knows… you could just be the next MASS deadlift record holder!

By Dan Chin

HOW MUCH WEIGHT SHOULD THERE BE ON THE BAR? Strike a balance between heavy and light. You may pull light weights for a period of time to solidify technique and practice set up, but we must think further ahead. Too light and the training won’t be specific to improving your max with the new technique. Too heavy and you’ll default to a rounded position.

I would suggest sets of 2-5 of challenging, but not excessive weight. An example of a set with roughly the right load should feel quite tough, but you should have felt that your technique was solid AND you could pull 1-3 more reps with that technique.

Solid technique should feel secure and if you observed it, it needn’t be perfect, but probably should score at least an 8/10 if you had to rate how good it looked. You can progress by increasing the weight a fixed amount each session or week, but rein it in right away if you see serious breakdown.

It’s important not to max out, but rather spend time accumulating volume and practice. Singles (1 rep sets) may also be appropriate if you would like to get lots of practice with setting up. The suggestions should work with the deadlift variants I’ll describe shortly.

To assess technique integrity, use feel, the rule of thumb about bar speeds, have a trusted partner assess, or better yet, use a camera.

DEADLIFT VARIANTS Paused deadlift – You pause somewhere in the movement, like below the knees or near the floor. Where you pause depends on where the bar slows down the most (this is below, not AT the sticking point). It’s the most specific movement on this list Block pulls – You pull the deadlift from blocks, reducing the range of motion. These are less specific than the paused deadlift, but can teach positioning, especially to those who have mobility issues; don’t load it up too much and make it an overload movement.

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With many different types of weightlifting belts and much confusion around their use and potential benefits here’s a quick low-down on how to get the most from your belt.

Firstly, I wouldn’t advocate belts for the rank beginner; it will act as a band-aid for your weak midline and improve your lifts initially but you’ll probably be doing it wrong, which can actually make injury more likely and limit long-term improvement. Instead, develop isometric strength in your midsection and get used to using a Valsalva (see below). When that’s second nature and a trustworthy person (not just any old lifting buddy) consistently approves your spine position through various compound movements, start playing with a weight belt. Take it easy though; holding your breath whilst exerting maximal force is a natural phenomenon but it does spike your blood pressure and if you’re not used to it you could feel light headed or, in rare cases, pass out. Get used to it gradually!

Weightlifting belts are used primarily to increase strength in movements where force must be transferred from the shoulders to the hips (pretty much all movements, to varying extents). Belts facilitate this by allowing increased intra-abdominal pressure to keep the trunk rigid, thereby reducing the dissipation of the force produced by your lower body, meaning more potential force to apply to the weight. To see how this works, take a deep breath in, close your airway, then try to exhale forcefully and squeeze your abs (Valsava manoeuvre); you’ll find your trunk just got a lot more rigid. Do this before and throughout a heavy lift and you should notice less spinal movement and feel stronger. This works because you have a plethora of muscles (not just your six pack!) which form a natural weight belt around your abdomen and you’re trying to expand your lungs within this ‘rigid’ structure; increasing pressure and structural integrity in the process. By performing the same manoeuvre with a weight belt you supplement your muscular belt’s rigidity and can hence increase internal pressure even more.

So the ultimate solution is to get a super strong abdomen through direct isometric training and beltless reps, then use the belt when you need to supplement your abdominal strength in your heavy compound work.

Note that a Valsalva with and without a belt will feel different because your abdomen will have to expand slightly to ‘take out the slack’, so using a belt should be practised as a skill in itself.

Now the nitty-gritty! Once you’ve chosen the right type of belt (a whole other article!), its use comes down to a few key points. Firstly, the belt should sit comfortably between the bottom of your ribcage and the top of your pelvis; this will take a bit of playing around with.

Remember, you’re aiming to achieve maximum pressure when you brace your abs against the belt and perform a Valsalva. Secondly, belt tightness is critical; it should feel very tight mid-rep but be loose enough when resting that you can push your abs out slightly before reaching peak tension in the belt (because your abs will not be able to engage maximally if they’re pulled inwards by the belt). How tight to set your belt depends on the belt material (if it’s a more stretchy material you should set it slightly tighter), belly fat (the more fat the tighter you should set it, as fat is more compressible than tensed muscle) and personal preference. Ultimately each of these only results in small changes so have a play around at a weight that’s challenging but you’re sure you can lift and mark the best setting for future use. As a rough starting point, you should just about be able to slide a flat hand between the belt and your stomach when relaxed. Whilst most movements involve some transfer of force through the trunk, you’ll notice the most benefit from wearing a belt in compound movements such as the powerlifts (yes even bench press), Olympic lifts (although it may affect your bar path, read up and decide for yourself) and strongman style lifts. As a side note, many belts will ‘creep’ over time so you may find that you need to set the belt to a tighter setting after a few months of use to achieve the same actual tightness.

When the right belt is used correctly it can make a huge positive difference to you in the short and long terms and is another effective weapon in your weightlifting arsenal.

P.S. natural materials and some synthetics will ‘mould’ to the wearer’s shape over prolonged use, so lifters can be hesitant to share their belt!

By Shaun Howell

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Its proven that a simple linear programme can increase strength, so why not give it a go and see for yourself!

Here’s an example of a structured programme including sets and reps at given percentages of your 1RM for the Bench Press:

Total volume:

Week

Sets

Reps

Total

(100kg 1RM example)

1 (60% 1RM)

3

12

36

60kg x 36 = 2160

2 (65% 1RM)

4

9

36

65kg x 36 = 2340

3 (70% 1RM)

5

7

35

70kg x 35 = 2450

4 (75% 1RM)

7

5

35

75kg x 35 = 2625

Total

9575kg

After completing the 4 week cycle, increase the workout weights by 2.5-5kg OR increase your 1RM value by 5-10% and calculate the new workout weights based on your new 1RM value using the same percentages, and repeat the cycle).

A simple but effective structure like this is all you need to get you through those tough times under the bar. What you’re seeing is a basic linear progression model, which in simple terms is the gradual increase in weight over time whilst maintaining the same rep range by manipulating the number of sets and reps which in turn, gradually increases the total volume of weight lifted per session, per week.

Why do we care about this? Increasing training volume over time is what’s known as progressive overload. Overloading our muscles with extra weight and volume forces hypertrophy and neuromuscular adaptation, which are the processes of becoming stronger.

By following this programme as well as concentrating on increasing your bar speed when performing the Bench Press, you’ll be jet set to sky rocket your strength and vanish any training limitations to your strength gains.

Food for thought: Could this technique be transferred to other compound lifts such as the Squat and Dead lift and gain similar results? Why not try for yourself and track your progress along the way!

By Adam James

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TRAINING PARTNER

Before we delve into the pros and cons of training partners, I feel it is crucial to remember that weight training is very much an individual pursuit. Each individual, before picking up a weight has a goal in mind and therefore their training program must be centred around that goal. I have had many years training both solo and with a partner and I like to think that I have achieved a certain amount of success using both methods.

We must think of a training partner as another piece of gym equipment that is going to help you build muscle.

The most common error you see in a gym is not going heavy enough consistently in order to build good quality muscle. Often individuals stop short of muscle failure due to the fear of the weight dropping on them or lack motivation to continue within the set. The only safe way you are going to be able to push yourself past your previous one rep max or three rep max is with a spotting partner to aid you.

Anyone who has been to the gym over a consistent period of time will understand that motivation to go to the gym is often full of ups and downs, both mentally and physically (burning out). Periods when training seems hard cause you to ease off the poundage or cut the sessions short. A good training partner can help to overcome these sticking points and help put training right back on track. Constructive critism combined with competition from your training partner can add the X factor to your sessions, making each session something you look forward to. Accountability is often a great motivator when going to the gym consistently, so having a training partner is great as you should never want to let them down regarding a session, which in the long run will make you go consistently. But if you always rely on the other person for that, you will never develop the ability to motivate yourself. When the training partner moves on, most people slow up or stop making progress or simply quit training.

TRAINING SOLO

When looking for a training partner I feel it is crucial that you both must be aiming for the same or similar fitness goal. This will mean that your intensity levels remain consistent and your zen like focus that you must have in the gym remains intact. The idea of competition always pushes an individual and this is why your training partner must lift similar if not more weight to you. If your training partner doesn’t lift a similar amount your intensity levels will drop with constantly changing weight and the idea of competition is stifled.

If you are a fitness beginner, I would encourage you to find a training partner who will help you start working towards your own fitness goals. When learning to master new exercises, it is always best to have a training partner to help you fix your form and so I encourage any new beginner to find a training partner. Entering a gym for the first time alone can also be an intimidating thing, something your training partner will help you overcome.

You can train alone in a gym, but the very fact that there are people all around you in the gym, even though technically you are not training with someone as a partner, sort of eliminates the training “alone” part of the equation.

Personally I prefer to train alone the majority of the time so that I can dictate and execute my own training plan and tempo during the session without fail. I find training alone is a sort of test in a way. When the going gets tough am I going to ring the bell. I can quit the session at any point without any reprimand; but I push myself through each gruelling session day after day. However I know if I have a heavy session approaching in my regime or if I want added motivation in my sessions I can call upon my training partner to help push my session to the next level.

Let’s not forget champions come in pairs of two as they push themselves to perfection and quitting is never an option.

By Adam Tarpey 53

At 21 years of age Craig Richey has become the go-to-guy when it comes to staying lean all year round. The Physiotherapy gradate from Coventry University is enjoying life post-Uni as the lead trainer at the new BodyPower Personal Training Studio in Dorridge. In his final year as a student Craig won the tall category at the MASS SPC and competed at Fit Factor. StudyFit caught up with the man of the moment to find out how he managed to stay ripped at Uni…

How to STAY lean through University Training 1. Plan Ahead and just do it Have a schedule of when you’re going to go and what you’re going to do. It's easy to say "I will go later" which usually turns into "I will just go tomorrow" and by the time you know it you haven't trained all week. Having a set schedule with set times will give you structure, will help you mentally and physically prepare and push you towards getting into a routine.

2. Make workouts efficient A solid workout can take as little as 30 minutes to complete if done efficiently. Eliminate the 5 minute chats with everyone you’re acquainted with. These sabotage attempts to keep your heart rate elevated.

Minimise rest time between working sets, superset alternate muscle groups (eg chest and back) and start with compound movements (eg bench press, squat, deadlift) to ramp up the calories burned per session.

3. Find a training partner Especially in university having a set training partner with the same motivation and goals can be a huge asset. You will feed off one another, push each other through workouts and not let each other miss a session. A training partner will also help push you past failure safely with assistance and give you a bit if friendly competition to take your training to the next level.

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Nutrition 1. If you don't have it.. You won't eat it It's simple but makes sense and was something I stuck to throughout university. Avoid buying unnecessary unhealthy food and avoid impulse buying. This will stop the unhealthy dinners, late night snacking and in an indirect way, force to you eat the clean whole foods you buy when shopping.

2. Cut down on junk, alcohol and eating out As we all know University is a very social time and fitness is a lifestyle. So finding a balance is important. Cutting back on these three things will drastically reduce calorie intake and eliminate those empty, non-nutritional calories.

If I do go out what should I drink?

If you do go out I would suggest Vodka mixed with soda water/ water (not tonic water) with a squeeze of fresh lemon/lime and plenty of ice. A trick given to me by IFBB figure pro Leah Dolan.

Now it may not be the most appetising of drinks but it means you will consume fewer calories on the night out, it will be cheaper and it will keep you better hydrated meaning you will have less of a hangover in the morning.

3. Eat more protein As we all know, protein is essential when building a physique. It's the trigger for protein synthesis - the repair and rebuilding of the muscle after a hard training session.

Studies have shown that diets rich in protein (recommended numbers vary, but I generally go with around 1.2g per Lb. of bodyweight) have had positive effects on building lean muscle, curbing cravings and staying lean.

A body with more lean muscle mass burns calories much more effectively while at rest. Therefore, by coupling increased protein intake with consistent training, the body will not only burn more calories while working, but also during inactivity.

4. Drink more water The body is composed of 72% water but water intake is usually overlooked when dieting. Water contributes to a feeling of fullness, aids muscle contractions and prevents cramping during sessions so I always carry around a 1L bottle when going to lectures and seminars.

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Lifestyle 1. Rest, relax and listen to your body When training, rest is just as important as training and nutrition.

Schedule in 1-2 or sometimes even 3 days a week of rest dependant on your goals and your schedule. This will allow your body to relax, repair and with the right nutrition, grow.

This will limit the chances of fatigue, injury, burning out or losing motivation.

As most of the repair and growth process happens when we sleep, it is very important to at least get 6 hours sleep a night. This will help regulate hormones, give you more energy the next day and allow you to have a stronger mental focus, not only when in the gym, but when in university.

Craig’s Training Split Monday

Legs

Tuesday

Chest and Abs

Wednesday

Back

Thursday

Shoulders

Friday

Arms

Saturday

Abs + Weak areas

Sunday

Off

Craig’s Abs routine 4x25 Swiss ball crunches

2. Stop Wasting time

4x hanging Leg raises to failure

The main excuse I come across in university is "I don't have enough time". A simple solution is to stop wasting so much time. I feel that we, as students can sometimes be the best procrastinators, television, surfing the internet, chatting online and fooling around take up a lot of time. Keeping in mind that you can get a solid workout done in 30 minutes or less, you could fit a workout or two into your day if your time spent being unproductive is minimised.

4x10-12 ab roll outs

3. Enjoy your time Overall university is a time for enjoying yourself but with the right plan, mindset and goals you can easily stay on track with your physique while doing so! I hope this article will help you get on the road to a leaner, healthier body all year round. If you can tweak all these tips to your lifestyle and apply them consistently, you will notice many positive changes.

3x crunches to failure

Craig’s stats Age

21

Height

5ft 11

Weight

87kg

Any questions find me online: Instagram: @CARRichey Twitter: @CraigARRichey Facebook: TeamRichey

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2014’s Fittest Student Theo is a 4th year medicine student at Cardiff University and when he’s not learning to save lives he’s crushing another WOD. He got into CrossFit after seeing videos online whilst taking a break from rugby and adding metcons to his strength program. Having won The Student Throwdown this year we caught up with Theo to talk shop and see what he puts his success down to!

What are you studying & what year are you in?

I'm currently in my fourth year studying medicine at Cardiff University

How did you get into CrossFit? I first heard about CrossFit through one of my housemates and after having a look at a few videos on youtube decided to give it a go and add some CrossFit style workouts to my own training.

What did you do before that?

Before CrossFit I played a lot of rugby, for school and county back home and then for the Medics side when I came to Cardiff. After a few niggles caused me to take a break from rugby, something needed to fill the space and CrossFit took over from there, I haven’t really looked back since.

Do you have any advice for someone thinking about getting into CrossFit? Get stuck in! A lot of people just see the competitive side of CrossFit and decide it’s too much but no matter what your experience, fitness level or goals there’s a place for you in CrossFit. 57

Theo’s Sta

Bodyweig ht Clean and jerk Snatch Back squ at Front squ at Deadlift 2km row 500m row

ts

95kg 138kg 112kg 210kg 183kg 260kg 6:28 1:21

TRAINING What was your training like when you started CrossFit? Before CrossFit my training revolved a lot around getting as big and as strong as possible for rugby. That meant a lot of bodybuilding and powerlifting style movements. It worked and I managed to make a lot of size and strength gains but my fitness definitely took a hit.

What are your proudest achievements in CrossFit? I was really proud to qualify for and captain the Welsh team in the Inov-8 four nations competition this summer.

In my individual competitions the highlights include the Student Throwdown which I managed to win and qualifying for the The Battle of London 2014 which was an awesome experience.

What principles have governed your training programs recently?

Training to compete in CrossFit means getting as strong and powerful as possible in both the powerlifts and Olympic lifts at the same time as maintaining the highest possible level of cardiovascular fitness and working on skills such as gymnastics, its really tough to get the balance right! As a result the majority of my training sessions will involve a strength component followed by conditioning and skills work.

How tough mentally is it to do the training you do?

It varies, having come from a predominantly strength training background I really enjoy the heavy weight and high volume stuff, although it can be really frustrating when lifts don’t go up when you feel they should. The conditioning on the other hand is less fun… especially when it involves running, and so is a lot tougher for me mentally.

How much do you adapt your training around exams / coursework etc?

Training is a massive stress reliever for me (most of the time) so if anything it becomes more important during exam time so I really make the effort to get to the gym no matter what’s going on.

If there was one thing you would’ve done differently starting out, what would it be?

Mobility work… lots and lots of mobility work. Before I started CrossFit I didn’t give much time to working on my flexibility and focused more on lifting as much weight in whichever way I could which has left me with some massive mobility issues which still cause me problems now.

What was it like to win the student throwdown last year?

It was the first CrossFit competition I had ever won so it was an awesome experience that I’ll remember for a long time. I’m looking forward to competing in this year’s event.

If you had to put your success in CrossFit down to one thing, what would it be?

Although it’s definitely had its disadvantages (mobility issues, bodyweight exercises), having a background in strength training was a huge help going into CrossFit. Having a solid strength base is essential in competitive CrossFit, if you’re unfit then a WOD might take longer but if you’re not able to lift a weight that’s been prescribed then you won’t finish at all.

What does a typical training week look like at the moment? (how long do you spend in the gym/week) at the moment my programme has 5 sessions a week in the gym usually lasting about 2 and a half hours, an active recovery session in the swimming pool and a rest day, which I sometimes use to work on weightlifting technique… so quite a bit of time in the gym.

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Nutrition How important do you think nutrition is in being successful at CrossFit?

Theo’s Perfect Training Session

I think its hugely important, If you want to be getting results in the gym or in competition then you have to be fuelling yourself properly

Olympic Weightlifting

How much time and effort do you put into what you eat?

Strength

I take the time to make sure I’m getting all the energy and nutrients I need for my training from my food which sometimes means doing some food preparation the day before (usually just making a big dinner and having the leftovers for lunch the next day!) but I wouldn’t say I spend much more time preparing food than the average student.

What does a typical day’s nutrition look like?

I try and eat about 6/7 times a day. Breakfast will be a protein shake with whole milk, peanut butter and a banana with snacks mid-morning and before training.

After training I have a high carb and protein shake (whey and oats). Dinner and lunch usually consist of lean meat, carbs mainly from veg and good fats like avocado. I always have some cottage cheese before bed too, love the stuff!

Do you control the times you eat or your macronutrients/food choices etc?

I’m not too strict on timings or macros, as long as the meal is made up of good ingredients and I manage to fit it all my meals into the day, I don’t count carbs or calories.

Find a 1RM then 2 sets at 90% of the following complex: Deadlift, hang squat clean, full squat clean.

Back squat: 8 sets of 4 reps

Conditioning Nate: 20 minute AMRAP of 2 Muscle Ups, 4 Handstand Push-ups, 8 Kettlebell swing at 32kg

Competition Do you vary your training on the approach to a competition? I don’t like to taper too much before a competition. For me mentally I like to know on competition day that I was lifting heavy or training hard very recently. So I usually take the day before off to do some mobility but other than that its business as normal

What goes through your mind when you’re about to start a WOD and in the middle of a WOD Before a WOD starts?

I’m always trying to work out some sort of strategy to break things down or make them more manageable but adrenaline usually means I rarely stick to it once I get started. In the middle of a WOD everything’s usually pretty painful and its just a case of gritting your teeth and trying to keep the pace up.

Do you take any supplements? whey protein, instant oats and a caffeine/beta-alanine/creatine based pre workout for when I need a kick before a session (needed pretty often!)

Is there any other thinking which goes into your nutrition?

As a rule I just try to keep my meals pretty simple, lean(ish) meats, decent carbs, veg and good fats. I try to stay away from the processed stuff and anything high in sugar.

Lifestyle How do you manage to fit training in around a medicine degree?

Training is a large time commitment and medicine can be pretty full on as well but I’ve found that if I manage my time well then its definitely possible to get both done.

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How often do you go out with friends and does your commitment to CrossFit impact those times?

The amount of night outs has definitely dropped since I increased my training and began competing in crossfit, I found that I just wasn’t able to train as hard as I wanted to if I was tired or hung-over from the night before. I still go out for the big occasions although I don’t drink anymore and luckily I have a great group of friends who don’t give me (too much of) a hard time for it.

Do you think your sport makes you stronger mentally for other aspects of your life?

I think any fitness programme or training has an awesome impact in other aspects of life. For me training an competing in Crossfit is a massive stress reliever and definitely makes me happier person outside of the gym.

Interview by Shaun Howell

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Girls

THAT LIFT

The New Year brings a new forecast of fitness trends. Each year, the American College of Sports Medicines offers their predictions on the top fitness trends for the year to come, and 2015 shows a marked shift towards all things weights related.

Body weight training, HIIT, strength training and the use of educational materials (like StudyFit) and personal trainers, make up this year’s top 5. Here at StudyFit, we think this could be revolutionary in changing attitudes towards how women train, and how we view gender in the fitness world, but for women on the receiving end of these new trends, it could prove a culture shock. If you’re asking yourself what it means to be a woman in the weights room, what are the effects of weight training, and how do I begin training, then this is a great place to start.

DO YOU EVEN LIFT, GIRL? “Come to Spinning!”

“Oh, spinning’s not really my thing…”

“How about Insanity?”

“Well the truth is, I don’t do any cardio. I only lift weights.”

In that moment, I accidentally take on one of the biggest cultural notions of this generation: the idea that women workout by doing cardio, and men workout by lifting weights. Fitness gender stereotypes are perhaps the most polarised form of social discrimination still in existence.

We have been conditioned to see fitness and gender in a series of clichéd binaries where dumbbells produce obscene muscle growth, cardio melts fat, and hundreds of crunches can coax hibernating abdominals to surface. In choosing low fat yoghurt, we are somehow choosing a low fat level for our bodies, and in eating protein, we’re ingesting ready-made muscle to slap onto our quads or hamstrings or shoulders. And so people look at me with my “Abercrombie body” and jump to the conclusion that I am a faithful fruitarian who attends spin classes and follows the Instagram 30-day Squat Challenge.

But what happens when I say that I lift weights and aspire to compete in female bodybuilding? That I eat six times a day and take protein supplements? How can I shake off the image of bulging biceps, lightning bolt veins, anger-management issues, steroid-induced desexualisation and masculinity (none of which I have ever encountered as a female in the weights room) that accompany the sport which is so integral to my identity as a young woman?

Sometimes I wish my reflection alone could be testimony to what stereotypically male training methods and male eating habits do to the female body, but I have the sense that those around me are still waiting for my body to erupt into a mountainous muscular spectacle. They continue to grapple with the idea that I can train, eat and supplement in the same way as my male counterparts and maintain my femininity. To me, this is ‘everyday sexism’ to a T. What’s more, in being so prescriptive about how women should train and eat, we exaggerate the caricatures of women eating fruit and yoghurt for breakfast before attempting to burn 800 calories in an hour’s spinning

class, and men wolfing steak and eggs before a workout of eight excruciating deadlifts and testosterone-fuelled bicep curls. Neither paints an accurate picture of how we should train (whether for a beach body or optimal performance).

Where men may need reminding lifting platforms are not podiums upon which their masculinity is judged, women often need convincing that there is nothing unfeminine about lifting weights. The weights room is only male-dominated because enough women aren’t going in there.

If you subscribe to the female aspiration of wanting to look like a Victoria Secret Angel, unsubscribe to the current female culture of cardio and calorie-restriction.

Well-structured shoulders that skim tightly into a well-defined waist and are balanced by strong, shapely legs to achieve the epitomized hourglass figure. You will NOT become big or bulky. Lifting weights elevates metabolism for hours after you finish working out, unlike cardio, whose cortisol (stress) response actually suppresses fat burning. You only have to Instagram #girlsthatlift to see just what I mean.

If you ask me what it is I love about lifting weights, it’s not just the lean athletic feminine body I’m working on, the roaring metabolism I take advantage of, the rush of endorphins I feel after every training session: it’s the incredible sense that physical muscular strength is empowering, as a woman, on an entirely mythological level. Where conventional female fitness ideology is almost oppressive (making the female body smaller, in starker contrast to male strength, even less of a physical imposition), weight lifting has taught me not only how to sculpt my ideal body, but how to stand up for myself as a woman and not be defined by my gender. If you refuse to accept the idea that women belong in the kitchen, you should refuse to accept the idea that women belong on cardio machines. This is the real test of female strength.

Achieving gender equality in the gym, like the ideal physique, is difficult to achieve. However, the key to shifting attitudes is education. Not only does society need to accept weight training as being gender neutral, but we also need to dispel some of the long standing myths, prejudices and assumptions about what lifting weights really does. Like anything in life, extreme points of view usually arise out of ignorance but can be combatted by education, evidence and examples. But how do you go Emma Louise Pudge

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WEIGHT TRAINING MAKES WOMEN BULKY … said no one ever. about explaining your new lifting regime when you too are also grimacing at the clichéd images and misconceptions surrounding women that lift? In this myth-busting mission, we hope to set the facts straight and clear up some of the most commonly mistaken beliefs that still exist today.

The benefits of weight training are endless, and I could go on and on about why women should feel just as empowered as men to pick up the barbell, but the aim of this article is to combat any negative myths or, dare I say, lies, surrounding women who lift.

If the idea of women and weights is new to you, I hope this myth-busting session sheds a new light on the weight room. And if you’re already weight training, then chill with your vitamin water or protein shake and enjoy the read. I want this piece to inspire newcomers, and to act as positive reinforcement for old timers who are working hard to get fit, healthy and strong.

Nowadays, it’s unanimously accepted that women DO lift weights at the gym. However, look back just 10 years ago, and the weight room had a very different dynamic. Why? Because myths which formed during the bodybuilding boom hit women hard and are still banging around today.

Let’s try to debunk some of the biggest myths surrounding women who lift.

MYTH #1 weight training makes women bulky REALITY #1 Fat burning and figure sculpting, I beg to differ…

Women cannot physically produce the amount of testosterone that makes men gain huge amounts of muscle mass. Without this hormone, our muscle size is kept in check, and our figure remains feminine. Images of extremely muscular female bodybuilders give an artificial impression of what weights do to your body – often because their figures are not achieved naturally. A professional also dedicates their entire life to bodybuilding, and the long hours in the gym produce different gains to what the average person can achieve.

Lifting weights and consuming protein is not enough to produce abnormal gains, so you and I don’t need to worry about the side effects of breaking the rules of the sport in pursuit of gains. What we can aim for is the fit feminine bodies seen in the majority of fitness shows nowadays.

MYTH #2 your muscles will turn into fat if you stop weight training REALITY #2 it’s kind of like saying gold can turn into brass Muscle and fat are completely different types of tissues.

When people stop their weight training programs, they start losing muscle due to inactivity and their diets dropping. Resulting to a lower metabolism rate. Poor eating habits, lower metabolism and the lower degrees of muscle mass may give the idea that the muscle is turning into fat but in actual fact, the muscle is being lost and fat is accumulated.

MYTH #3 your fat will turn into muscle when you start weight training REALITY #3 guess what, more alchemy. Can brass turn into gold?

Rumina Awal

This myth may suck that it’s false but it is crucial to get to grips with the differences between muscle and fat. The way a body transformation happens is that you gain muscle through weight training and simultaneously lose fat through cardio and good nutrition. These two tissues are totally different and can never turn one into the other.

MYTH #4 you only need to do cardio to build muscle REALITY #4 by just doing cardio, your body will only burn muscle and fat for fuel.

Confession, I was the ultimate cardio bunny! In fact, that’s all I did. I still enjoy including cardio into my training but I don’t do it as often. The problem here was that I had the wrong mentality of assuming that by concentrating on cardio alone, it will help me achieve the look and strength that I want. Weight training will get your muscle-building machine running, whilst preventing any loss of muscle tissue. The effects of lifting weights has on fat loss is clear.

Muscle and metabolism go hand in hand. The more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn at rest.

This means that muscles speed up your metabolism, resulting in fat loss.

MYTH #5 …but if you do decide to lift weights, they should be very light REALITY #5 you would not notice change in your body whatsoever I’ve heard this one a few times, but why should you only lift very light weights? Muscle responds to resistance and by keeping the resistance too light then there will be no reason for your body to change. Cardio does not change the shape of your body, it helps to shed the pounds.

Weights will definitely sculpt the strong, toned body that most women desire.

There you have ‘the big five’ debunked for good. Now I want to say that I still consider myself a complete beginner at weight lifting. I don’t claim to be or look like an expert; I just love keeping fit and I’m always on the look out for something new to try. Over the summer I was adamant to learn how to weight lift but I wanted to learn from the best. As a complete beginner, I wanted experienced coaches to help me perfect my form and minimize the risks of injury, all without traumatizing my bank account.

Sounds demanding and too good to be true?

But I did it, and turning to your University's MASS society is one of your best sources! I asked around, tracked down, and finally found a fitness club to join. They offer everything and everything to suit beginners and seasoned-lifters alike. After completing the beginners course that focuses on effective movement and form, I now regularly train at a functional weightlifting class that my club offers and guess what, I’ve never looked back since!

Your fitness club may or may not offer these specific programs but I want to emphasize that you really can start from scratch, from the absolute beginning, with zero strength.

This whole process of upholding good nutrition and training values is a learning process and an ongoing journey. If you’re considering weight lifting, I recommend joining a fitness club at your university. It’s likely to be cheaper, easier and a more sociable way to train with like-minded people who will support you with your goals.

The group I’ve joined consists of a mixture of attendees of different fitness levels. It may be a traditionally male dominated sport, but it’s always refreshing to see a small group of us women holding our own.

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BROOKE WOOD

Bikini Competitor, Body temple Brand Ambassador and Mental Health student at Sheffield Hallam University Brooke Wood tells StudyFit all about how she got started, her experience competing in 2014 and the road to the 2015 MASS Student Physique Championships. We then delve into her training philosophy and take a look at the approach to nutrition that’s helped her build her impressive physique.

Tell us a little about you… where are you from? How active were you growing up? What do you study and what made you choose that course? Who is Brooke Wood?

I am originally from a little village called Wheatley near Retford and was brought up in the countryside. I have always been very active as a child and started horse riding at the age of three, I was very lucky and my grandparents provided me with my own stables and horses, I began heavily competing in Showjumping. Every weekend I would travel with my Nan to different shows and by the age of 16 I competed at the European Viewing Trails in Wales. This has made me a very competitive adult! I am due to start my third and final year in Mental Health Nursing in January 2015, I chose this course because I believe I can help individuals with the most complex of mental health needs and educate individuals to try and adopt a more healthy lifestyle. Exercise can be a medication in itself and has massive benefits to improving your mental health. Mental Health Nursing can be challenging at times but it makes it even more rewarding!

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Why did you start training and what’s the journey been like?

I started training after I moved to Leeds two and a half years ago. My main reason for joining a gym was because I had just sold all my horses and needed a new hobby. Moving to a new city I didn’t really know many people so going to the gym began to be a social event for me, meeting loads of new friends who were trying to achieve the same goal. The journey has been thoroughly enjoyable, I feel like such a strong independent women who can take on anything. Training has really given me a sense of achievement and grounded me as a person.

You competed at the 2014 MASS Student Physique Championship and at Fit Factor 2014! What gave you the drive to get into competing, how do you find it and what motivates you to keep competing?

Being very competitive as a child definitely helped, but knowing how hard I had been working in the gym made me itching to get on the stage and show

of my physique! Both competitions were an amazing experience; and all the other competitors were all so inspiring, everyone had their own journey and reason for being there! All the competitors and organisers have always been so helpful and supportive which motivates you even more! I must also thank Body Temple for keeping me motivated and providing with the best supplements, also the encouragements from all the other ambassadors makes me even more determined to do well.

How does your training differ when you’re preparing for a competition?

Training becomes more intense and structured. Heavier weights and I would set myself more difficult goals to achieve.

What body parts do you find toughest to work on? And which are your favourites?

I probably find working my legs is harder as for me they don’t develop as quickly as other parts such as my shoulders. My favourite body parts to train are my abs and glutes.

Where do you train? And do you train by yourself or with others?

I am currently training at Chapel Allerton Gym in Leeds.

I will mainly train by myself but I also enjoy training with friends.

What’s your preferred time of day to train and why?

I enjoy both! I like training in the morning when I can just roll out of bed and head down to the gym which is often empty. But I also like training in the evening to distress and have a big work out when I am determined and more focused.

For many of us, it’s hard to stick to a tight training plan and a stringent diet while at Uni. How do you manage to balance training and eating well alongside your studies?

Being prepared is the key. Preparing food, sticking to a routine with training and making sure you don’t leave your university work to the last minute! I will often go to university in my gym gear so I’m already changed and ready to train!

What’s your philosophy on nutrition?

My main three philosophies on nutrition would be: Try and eat fresh food, you will really see the benefits.

Eat regularly throughout the day. Eating regularly will keep your body replenished and fuel you throughout the day.

Be mindful that just because it works for someone else, doesn’t mean it will work for you. Find out what works for you and stick to it.

What’s your number 1 tip for ladies aiming to build muscle?

Use both the free weights and machines. Don’t be afraid to push yourself and pick up a heavier weight. I really enjoy doing super sets when aiming to build muscle.

What do you like to do when you’re not lifting?

When I’m not lifting or in the gym I enjoy walking my Chihuahua Simba and spending time with my boyfriend and friends.

What are your future plans?

My future plans are to enter the 2015 MASS Student Physique Championships, and UKBFF Bikini classes, continue being a brand ambassador for Body Temple, and aim to be in the best physique I can possibly be in.

Brookes training regime My current training regime whilst not training for a competition will roughly consist of: REPS AND SETS

MONDAY

TUESDAY

20mins Cardio on AMT machine Stiff Leg Deadlift

WEDNESDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY 10mins cardio cross trainer

20mins Cardio on AMT machine

20mins Cardio on AMT machine

Bicep bar curl - wide

Seated chest press machine

inner thigh press

Pull ups wide grip

Bicep bar curl - narrow

Kettle bell flyes

outer thigh press

Pull ups narrow grip

10 reps 3 sets

Lat pull down wide

10 reps 3 sets

Lat pull down narrow

10 reps 3 sets at highest weight

Seated cable row

Squats

Cable crossover-chest

Leg press

Straight arm late pull down

10 reps 3 sets at halved weight

Seated cable row

Squats

Cable crossover-chest

Leg press

Straight arm late pull down

8 reps 3 sets

Pull ups

Weighted lunges

Press ups with medicine ball

Calve press

Alternative one arm dumbell row

10 reps 3 sets

Hanging double knee raises Alternated jumping lunges

10 reps 3 sets

Hanging leg raises

Tricep extensions

Push up position bicep curl Barbell bench press - wide grip Leg curl machine quads

Jumping squats with weight Split Jack curl

10 reps 3 sets increasing weight Dumbell Side bends & ranging angel

Close grip seated barbell row

Barbell bench press - narrow grip Leg curl machine hamstrings

Cable cross over for abs

Cable cross over for abs

Leg extensions on cable cross over

Dumbell Side bends

Sit ups and russian twist

Sit ups and russian twist

Skater lunges

Sit ups and russian twist

Leg raises on a bench

Lunges with one leg on a bench Leg raises on a bench Weighted donkey kicks

30 reps 2 sets with 10kg weight Sit ups and russian twist

Weighted Hip thrusts

15 reps 3 sets

Leg raises on a bench

Hip thrusts with 1 leg in the air Leg raises on a bench

10 reps 3 sets

Seated shoulder press

Weighted Glute Kicks

Bicep curls with dumbell

Walk outs

8 reps 4 sets

Shoulder shrugs

Box squat jumps

Tricep dips

Heel touches

Brookes Meal Plan Breakfast: Porridge and handful of red berries (Cod liver oil, Vit D, Vit C, Glutamine) Mid morning: 4 Oat cakes and a green banana Lunch: White fish and Broccoli Mid afternoon: Half a melon

Walk outs Heel touches

Pre Training: Green Banana and Glutamine Post Training: Protein shake Tea: Chicken and Sweet potato Evening: Yogurt and Kiwi 64

h t i w w e i v An inter Hannah comes from Hong Kong and is an undergraduate finalist doing a degree in psychology at Royal Holloway University of London (RHUL). She is also vice president of the RHUL fitness society, plays American football and is getting certified as a sports and exercise nutritional advisor. She wants to pursue a degree in clinical psychology whilst doing powerlifting and online coaching on the side. Her goal for the next year is to qualify for nationals in powerlifting.

How did you get started with weightlifting/ powerlifting and how long have you been doing it?

I first started lifting when I got to university so it’s been a little over 2 years. I started lifting with an aesthetic goal in mind, fell in love with it, as time went by I began to take it more seriously and it became a bigger aspect of my life.

Powerlifting is viewed as a more male oriented sport due to the association of strength and muscles with masculinity, and the generally ‘rough’ nature of weightlifting. What feedback do you get from both guys and girls regarding training and competing in such a sport?

My friends and family are really supportive of what I do. I haven’t ever met someone who straight up said anything negative. I think with whatever you do there are always going to be people who have something negative to say whether it’s to your face or not. I’ve met a lot of like-minded people who share the same passion as me and everyone I’ve bonded with through weightlifting is really supportive and understanding of what I do.

What are the common misconceptions around girls and weightlifting?

The biggest one would be that lifting makes females look manly or bulky. A lot of, if not all of the huge women you see on the internet aren’t practicing clean sport , and that insane amount of muscle you visualise when thinking of a typical female bodybuilder, cannot be achieved naturally. Building muscle takes a LOT of time, and you have to be eating

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enough to support growth. Waking up one day realizing you’re too muscular is something that simply doesn’t happen.

You can’t accidentally get too big. I encourage all girls to lift as I believe lifting will have a way bigger impact on aesthetics than cardio.

Another myth is ‘high reps & low weight to tone’. That’s simply not true, there is no such thing as ‘toned’ muscle versus ‘bulky’ muscle. A ‘toned’ look is achieved through 1) having enough muscle for shape and 2) having low enough body fat so that muscle shape can be seen. Low weight is not sufficient stimulus to support hypertrophy; it’s ineffective and just another form of cardio in my opinion. Training in the 8-12 rep range would be optimal for muscle growth and 1-6 rep range for those who want to focus on strength. That said, you can still increase strength training in the 8-12 rep range and vice versa.

What are the common mistakes females make when it comes to working out to look good?

I can guarantee that most girls who say they need to lose weight don’t actually need to lose weight. Ditch the cardio.

What they do need to do is change their body composition.

This can be done by heavy weight lifting to build muscle. The first few months someone starts lifting are critical as that’s when your body simultaneously loses fat and gains muscle, before adapting to lifting. It doesn’t matter how much cardio you do or how little fat you have, you won’t get the shape and curves you want without a solid muscle base.

Similarly, how will weight training benefit girls who aren’t interested in competing?

Aesthetics is a main one, as mentioned above. Weight training can help you become stronger, feel fitter, increase self-esteem and become more confident. My dedication towards my fitness goals have also led to me to be more dedicated in other aspects of life such as in my studies as well. I’ve also learnt to have a more positive outlook in life.

How were you preparing for the MASS Student Powerlifting Championship?

Before I was training specifically for the competition I was doing power hypertrophy adaptive training (PHAT) which incorporates both powerlifting and bodybuilding style training on different days. For the competition, I trained 4-5x a week, where each session focused on the deadlift, bench or squat (and then repeat the cycle on the 4th session). I trained in the 3-5 rep range and added 1 or 2 accessory movements for each lift.

In the MASS London regional championships you were the Women’s Overall Wilks winner as well as the winner for your weight class. What was the secret to your success and what did you take from the experience?

There were no secrets, but the key to my success (not only at the competition but through my journey) is definitely staying consistent and being dedicated. I prepared for it as seriously as I would have in an open, non-student competition. I did my research, tested my openers, practiced lifting with the commands and got 2 powerlifters in my gym to help me with those.

I learnt a lot from this competition. Firstly I made a mistake in trying to make weight (dropping 3kg of water in less than a week using methods such as carb depleting and dehydration) and this affected my performance on the day.

Looking back I know I shouldn’t have, but I don’t regret it at all because it’s a lesson learnt. I had one of the best experiences of my life; being on the platform with the adrenaline pumping through you, nothing in the world matters when you’re about to lift and all you think about is telling yourself “you got this”. The feeling when everyone else is cheering you on and when you succeed in a lift, it’s like no other.

A lot of students may have their doubts when it comes to competing, due to a tight university schedule, and the time and effort that it takes to prepare for such an event. How did you pull it off?

Three 45-60 minutes sessions in the gym per week is sufficient for a beginner, I’d even argue that going to the gym can increase productivity when it comes to studying. I am more productive when I’ve got a tight schedule, since I have less free time it means I’m less likely to procrastinate by lying around doing nothing. I also don’t think training for a powerlifting competition takes significantly more time than just going to the gym if you train smart. There’s no need to spend ages in the gym training with super high volume, more isn’t always better. Your muscles grow while you’re resting so rest days are important and there’s no need to spend every day in the gym.

What supplements do you take?

I stick to the basics • Creatine monohydrate or Creapure • Multivitamin • Omega 3 fish oil • Whey or casein protein powder (which I mainly use for making protein desserts) A lot of people put too much emphasis on supplements and not enough focus on their diet. Supplements are only the icing on the cake; it isn’t going to drive major changes in your physique/strength if training and nutrition aren’t in check.

What would you say to encourage other female students to try out powerlifting and also what advice would you give to a novice or someone who is just starting out?

Don’t be intimidated by the weights section. I can guarantee that all the guys there are very friendly and will be more than willing to help. I also recommend asking a trainer to make sure your form is correct. ‘Stronglifts 5x5’ and ‘starting strength’ are great beginner programmes if you’re looking for a template workout to get you going.

What would you suggest to someone wanting to get stronger, or someone who is trying to break through a strength plateau?

I recommend having days where you train exclusively 1-5 rep range for those who want to increase strength, and then separate days training in hypertrophy rep ranges. A well-programmed deload should help break through plateaus most of the time. Eating more carbs will also help.

Any last words for our readers?

Everyone starts somewhere. I went from not even being able to lift a barbell to squatting 100+kg. Be consistent, be dedicated, and I guarantee you will get results.

What is your approach to nutrition?

The best diet is one you can maintain; I don’t believe in being super restrictive (i.e. meal plans), because when you restrict yourself too much, whether it be calories or types of food, you end up binging then justifying it as a cheat meal which can become a vicious cycle. By super restrictive I mean cutting out food groups or cutting out macronutrient groups (think low carb/low fat diets). Ask yourself if you can see yourself sticking to that diet for the rest of your life without being miserable. I follow a flexible dieting approach called IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros). A lot of people who have heard about IIFYM think it’s all about eating junk food. It’s not.

Getting enough fibre, fruits and vegetables is always a priority. I follow an 80-20 rule; 80% of my diet comes from whole, unprocessed foods. The other 20% is what I want, so long as it fits my daily caloric allowance; it’s a lifestyle after all. If you take into account for the calories from the occasional sweet/snack, you get equal results and don’t have to sacrifice your sanity or social life by being overly restrictive.

STATS Height

5’1

Competition weight

56kg

Squat

105kg

Bench press

55kg

Deadlift

105kg

You can follow Hannah on Instagram and Twitter Instagram: @Hannahchan921 Twitter: @__HannahChan

by George Kefalas 66

Ask the Academic with

Martin is a Clinical Performance Nutritionist and founder of the UK’s Leading Consultancy for Nutrition Advice, www.Mac-Nutrition.com. Martin now works primarily as the lead nutrition consultant to teams such as Derby County FC and Leicestershire CCC, organisations such as Universal Pictures and Total Greek Yoghurt and many governing bodies, including British Weight Lifting and England Swimming. The rest of Martin’s time is either spent delivering lectures and seminars both nationally and internationally or spent working with the a small number of motivated individual clients whom will benefit from his level expertise and support.

In team sports, considering the frequency of training/events conflicting with body composition requirements nowadays, how would you go about using carbs for performance? I.e. high carb day on game day... or high carb day the day before?

-Matt Sallis, St Mary's University

Answer Without meaning to answer a question you didn’t pose, it’s worth mentioning that carbs aren’t the enemy when it comes to body composition. That said, eating enough carbohydrate to maximise game day performance, every day, would likely lead to body composition issues in the context of a mixed diet. For that reason, you can simply ‘carb cycle’ based on your goals and training intensity for that day. The interesting work being done on training with sub maximal glycogen levels gives us further insights on how to do this, but be cautious before believing this is a magical formula for increased fat loss.

If your body composition is already where you want it to be, you can simply ramp carbohydrate up in the 24-36 hours pre-game with a concomitant reduction in fat/protein intake. If you are trying to reduce body fat, it is possible to maintain good training quality by running a small calorie deficit (& therefore perhaps fewer carbohydrates) throughout the training week & then simply switch to the carb-up strategy as normal 24-36 hours pre-game.

For those of us who need high calories relative to bodyweight, how should we gage protein intake? Should it be done in relation to bodyweight, or as a percentage/ratio of overall calories?

-Matt Sallis, St Mary's University 67

Answer I would always set protein relative to bodyweight whether that be current bodyweight, a target bodyweight or lean body mass (LBM). Setting protein intakes relative to energy needs can give wildly different numbers for the same person when protein requirements do not change to a great extent. The protein intake would be set at a level specific to your target goal. If yourt goal is to gain muscle mass but you are doing large volumes of cardiovascular exercise, you may want to bump protein that bit higher.

Should natural sugars in milk/sweet potatoes/ cottage cheese/dried fruits be limited? Or are they Ok in a balanced diet/meal?

Emma Pudge, University of Exeter

Answer Only under *very* specific circumstances would I recommend limiting natural sugars such as these.

Obviously in the instance of a lactose intolerance, it is recommended to limit even natural milk sugars but the only time I would recommend limiting natural sugars is when they are causing adverse symptoms. In some cases ‘natural sugars’ can cause issues when they are fermented in the gut, leading to symptoms of IBS. However, when it comes to fat loss/muscle gain there is absolutely no need to avoid them.

Bulking then cutting VS slowly putting on ‘lean mass’ – which is best?

Sam White, University of Leicester

Answer A really interesting question and one I wish I had a whiteboard for. It is difficult to answer your question directly as the terms you have used have no real definitions and may mean one thing to you and another to me. What is easy to say is that purposefully eating lots of junk, to massively inflate your calorie intake, so that you gain a couple of pounds a week is not necessary or ‘best’ for muscle gain. The interesting, and unanswerable, question is… ”How much of a calorie surplus should I be in to gain muscle at the fastest possible rate, long-term?” The reason I put ‘long term’ in there is because we know it is possible to gain muscle in a calorie deficit… However, long term, this probably isn’t going to be conducive to long-term muscle gain and more specifically, gaining muscle as quickly as possible.

It is very hard to give a clear, research based answer on this but here is my take. There is a kcal surplus that allows you to have adequate energy (carbohydrate and fat) for training and muscle growth and adequate protein to provide the extra stimulus and building blocks necessary to grow. What do extra kcals above and beyond this figure leave you with? One answer is certainly fat gain, however, could the excess kcals have some other interplay that led to a greater ‘speed’ of muscle gain? Alongside this, is the added fat gain, which you will probably want to get rid of eventually, just wasted time where you could be growing? My take home advice is this: Given that after your first year or two of training, gaining 12lbs of muscle in a year would be an insane achievement… consider much quicker rates of weight gain to come with considerable added body fat that will just have to be dieted off.

Omar Barakat, University of Bristol

My personal website is www.Martin-MacDonald.com with my FREE Intermittent Fasting for single digit body fat resource.

You can also add be on Facebook or follow me on Twitter: @MartinNutrition.

Finally, if you ever want to see a nutritionist, one of the team at my consultancy Mac-Nutrition (www.Mac-Nutrition) would love to help you!

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NUTRIENT TIMING: WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY & HOW? Picture this: you've just finished a workout; you hit some big lifts and feel incredible. What's the first thing you do? If you're anything like most lifters, you probably head straight for your shaker cup, loaded with a big scoop of whey or weight gainer. Sound familiar?

But have you ever thought to question why you do it? What is so supposedly vital about gulping down that hastily blended, lumpy shake, as fast as your gag-reflex will allow?

In this article, we're going to briefly explore some of these concepts and beliefs, then weigh them up against the past and present scientific literature (or should that be 'whey' them up? Get it? - Never mind).

You're probably already familiar with the term 'anabolic window'. The basic concept is that for approximately an hour, post-workout, your body craves protein (P) and carbohydrate (CHO). Theoretically, this is when your body is most anabolic and can therefore synthesize protein at an enhanced rate, due to heightened levels of the hormones responsible for synthesis.

Do I really need a postworkout shake?

This notion was largely introduced at the turn of the 21st century (Munteanu et al., 2014). Around that time, the ACSM, ADA and DoC, released a joint position statement that mentioned the importance of post exercise CH+P consumption, for optimal recovery (Med. & Sci. in Sports & Exercise, 2000).

Several studies of the late nineties, including one published

by Roy et al. (J. Appl. Phys., 1997) suggested that CHO supplementation (1 g/kg) for an hour after resistance exercise can decrease myofibrillar protein breakdown.

Similarly, Levenhagen et al. found significant net gains in whole body protein following immediate post-exercise supplementation, versus a three hour delay (JOFEM, 2001).

Furthermore, they suggested a near six-fold increase in protein synthesis, following immediate CHO+P post-workout, over CHO only feeding.

All sounds pretty promising so far, but what does the modern literature say?

When it comes to nutrient timing, Dr. Brad Schoenfeld and Alan Aragon are your Batman and Robin. Together, they analysed much of the recent literature and published 'Nutrient timing revisited: is there a post-exercise anabolic window?' (JISSN, 2013). They go into tremendous depths, but here's five critical points:

#1 Fasted. Many of the previous studies were on fasted subjects, increasing the importance of immediate nutrition. #2 Net. Studies tend only to look at immediate consumption, not total intake and net protein balance across each day (balance = protein synthesis - breakdown). #3 Newbs. Most studies utilise untrained individuals.

Burd et al. (J. Appl. Phys., 2009) reported that 'newbie' training stimulates both mitochondrial and myofibrillar

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protein synthesis. Whereas, experienced lifters, become more preferential to myofibrillar.

#4 Age. It is suggested that, post-exercise, older individuals utilise greater protein, for muscle protein synthesis, than their younger counterparts (More et al., 2009 & Yang et al., 2012). #5 Conflict. Some studies offer significant support for an 'anabolic window', while others propose that it is entirely mythical (like our abs at Christmas).

Later that year, the dynamic-duo published a meta-analysis

called 'The effect of protein timing on muscle strength and hypertrophy' (JISSN, 2013). They used a multi-level meta-regression (that's 'witchcraft and wizardry' to you and I) to analyse 478 hypertrophy and 525 strength subject's data; from 20 and 23 studies, respectively.

Once again, a huge volume of information can be extracted, but here's another five key points:

#1 Strength. No statistically significant difference was found in strength gains between the treatment and control groups. #2 Hypertrophy. Same outcome as #1. #3 EAA's. 6g of essential amino acids, post-work-

out, can produce a two-fold increase in net protein balance, compared to an essentials and non-essentials blend.

#4 Intake. Total daily protein intake has a greater impact than peri-workout intake.

#5 Time. If there is an anabolic window, it is likely to last greater than the commonly cited ‘one hour’.

you had a good meal a few hours pre-workout, there's no desperate need for protein, you should be good for up to 4-6 hours.

Secondly, the literature suggests that the (questiona-

ble) acute effects of post-workout ingestion, on net protein balance, may be insignificant compared to total intake. So, focus on hitting your macros each day as they have greater impact on your long term results.

Lastly, studies suggest that optimal results can be

achieved from approximately 1.7g/kg protein per day (Lemon et al., 1992) and however you choose to ingest it; shakes, meat, dairy, soy, and whatever else you kids use these days, you're best off simply eating/ drinking it when it most suits you. Ultimately, that's what you're most likely to adhere to and enjoy.

So, next time your friends ask you to go to the cinema straight after your workout, and you've left your shaker cup at home, you don't have to say 'Sorry, I can't, I don't want to lose my gains'. Just pull on your favourite t-shirt (the one that's about two sizes too small, of course, because it shows off ‘the pump’) and go get yourself some popcorn!

Take-home suggestions: So, what practical applications can we take from all this?

Firstly, there's no need to put on your spikes and

sprint to your tub of protein the instant you finish that last set... Not that you own a pair of spikes, because sprinting is cardio, and cardio ruins your gains, right?

Well, that's a debate for another day! But, providing

• Your total daily macros are most important • Try to eat a good meal before training • Don’t worry if you don’t have a shake straight away • Consume some Protein and Carbs within 4-6 hours • 1.7g of protein per Kg body mass, per day, is sufficient 70

are bad – they should make up the largest proportion of your diet. Fats and proteins provide a more functional and structural role to our body and are both vital – however you should avoid trans-fats as they are chemically altered and not good for the body. Carbohydrate and protein contain 4 kcal once broken down in the body and fat contains 9 kcal. However, protein is denser than carbohydrate, therefore if you are looking to lose weight then a higher protein diet will keep you fuller for longer.

To explain the simple breakdown of your diet into individual macronutrients it is best to use a real life example:

An introduction to the dieting concept of ‘If It Fits Your Macros’ ‘If it fits your macros’ (IIFYM) or ‘flexible dieting’ is a dieting technique that is growing in popularity and is based around focusing your diet on total calorific intake and individual macronutrient breakdown, allowing for a varied diet rather than just eating chicken and rice 4 times a day.

The first point to make before going into detail around IIFYM is to explain that this type of dieting is not to be the excuse to your habit of eating 5 cookies and a takeaway pizza daily. Healthy, home-cooked foods are still the staple of flexible dieting, however it just allows more variety with your diet so you can include more of your preferential food choices that you might usually leave out. For example, many people who live by ‘clean eating’ do not eat carbohydrates such as pasta, something that is easy to include within IIFYM. To begin with, there should be a brief explanation of the term ‘macronutrient’. There are 3 food macronutrients: carbohydrate, fat and protein.

Carbohydrates are essential as an energy source, and although in the media they declare that carbs

If your total calorie intake target for building lean muscle is 3,000 kcal, and you have macronutrient target of 50:30:20 (C:P:F), then you should be looking to consume 375g of carbs, 225g protein and 66g of fat.

This is worked out for each macronutrient by taking your percentage of total calorie target and dividing it by the number of calories in that macronutrient.

E.g. For carbohydrate: (3000 x 0.5) ˜ 4 = 375 IIFYM is a way of tracking your calorific intake in its simplest form – macronutrients. It is an intelligent form of diet tracking as, without tracking your calorie intake, how do you know how much to eat in order to put on lean mass or lose fat mass? Apps such as ‘MyFitnessPal’ are very good for estimating your calorie intake as they have most shop-brand foods, and are quick to use.

In the simplest fashion of IIFYM, it does not matter what type of foods you eat as long as you reach (but not exceed) your macro targets. However, you will not reap the full rewards of working out in the gym if you do not have a consistent and healthy diet. Therefore using flexible dieting means that you might be able to include a bagel into your diet as they are relatively high in carbs and protein, and low in fat, but the double-stuff Dominoes pizza is no-no. If you do have a couple of biscuits with your evening tea, flexible dieting means that they can be accommodated as long as they replace other food intake so you do not go over your macro targets.

Many top athletes take a flexible dieting nutritional approach, much like many adopt a ‘clean eating’ stance, however it is worth noting that research has shown clean eating to potentially lead to eating disorders – something not seen in flexible dieting. So long-term, it may be best to stick to flexible dieting and allow yourself the occasional biscuit to stay mentally healthy.

References – Rigid vs. flexible dieting: association with eating disorder symptoms in nonobese women (Stewart et al., 2002 in Appetite)

Rob Keil 71

Dirty and Clean Bulking As students, most of us find it difficult to keep on the clean eating habit due to our naturally restricted wallets. Not to mention the £1.99 McDonald’s meal vouchers that you can find on the back of your local bus ticket, and that’s not including the free cheeseburger that you can get with your NUS card. It is easy to see how we students often resort to the unhealthy food, especially armed with the excuse of “It’s my bulking season”. There is the theory that as long as you hit your macros, your body will be none the wiser.

This article will explain some pros and cons of dirty or clean bulking.

A calorie is just a calorie The chances are you’ve heard this saying before, as it continues to echo through the world of fitness and bodybuilding. I mean, does the body really recognise the difference between a slice of regular pizza from a ‘clean meal’ such as chicken, broccoli, and brown rice (providing the macros are the same)?

This craze is known as ‘flexible dieting’. Flexible dieting is used in diets to satisfy the person’s cravings, preventing them from going on an all-out binge ruining any fitness and health goals. So go ahead and have that slice of pizza with cake to finish. Just don’t let it go over your macros.

As students, this is a very appealing approach, with Iceland chicken nuggets being sold at £4 for 96 of those golden bites of joy. Not to mention it saves money for other necessities such as: Protein, gym memberships, gym gear, and more protein.

Nutrition Obviously, if you choose the dirty path, you will be missing out on a tonne of nutrients, which could be argued will affect results. For example, that side salad on that donor kebab isn’t going to contain the essential vitamins and minerals that one needs for study and of course, gym. A multi vitamin will significantly help these lacking nutrients, however there is only so far that it can take you.

Health benefits This slightly branches off of nutrition, but along with bad nutrition comes some health disadvantages.

Skin Eating foods that are high in sugar and simple carbs can cause the skin to become oilier and acne is encouraged. This is due to the insulin spike that is caused by simple carbs. This spike in insulin increases the production of skin oils (unfortunately) and contributes to the clogging of the skin follicles aka here comes the acne train, and it doesn’t have any breaks.

Cholesterol It is widely known that eating higher doses of saturated fats can lead to a build-up in LDL cholesterol. Low-density lipoproteins (LDL’s) collect in the walls of blood vessels and are also known as ‘bad cholesterol’, whereas high-density lipoproteins (HDL’s) remove these LDL’s. Cholesterol is an essential fatty deposit that is contained within the body, however a diet that consists of large amounts of unhealthy fat can lead to a build-up in ‘bad cholesterol’ which can put pressure on the heart.

Energy Having a clean diet will boost your body’s natural energy, giving you a spring in your step. This again goes back to nutrition.

Higher levels of nutrition lead to your body being happier, and therefore having a higher energy to smash it at the gym. Think of it as natures pre-workout.

Hopefully reading this article will help you choose your path of gains. There are many pros and cons between dirty and clean bulking, and it’s a lot to take in, however balance is the key. In an ideal world, the fresh organic food will actually be affordable. As students, the idea of flexible dieting within the world of fitness and bodybuilding give us a bit more slack when it comes down to eating clean and nutrient dense foods, but just be careful to get the right balance of junk foods and healthy foods when shopping as you want your body and mind to be running on all cylinders at all times.

Quick Summary • • • • • • • • •

Dirty bulking helps gets the calories up Clean bulking comes with added nutrients The body will be much happier with dense nutrients obtained via clean bulking The clean route, will come with a tonne of health benefits.

Dirty bulking is so much more student friendly cost wise!

Dirty food tastes so much better

Ryan Kirk 72

BULKING

NOT

SULKING

In an idealistic world of uncontrollable anabolism, bulking would mean eating what the hell you want and watching your body morph from Bruce Banner to The Incredible Hulk right before your eyes. That steak you wolfed down with carnal satisfaction would slap itself right on top of your quads or traps, and chocolate chip cookies would inject some energy-giving elixir into your veins, giving you mind-blowing strength to blow past PBs out the water.

NOT SO FAST! The truth about bulking has been lost somewhere between two camps of off-season athletes: those who over-eat, and those who under-eat. To an outsider, bulking is a simple, one-directional process: you eat more so as to gain weight. But to the dedicated athlete, bulking can become an anxious, impulsive process of racing to reach new goals without sabotaging the hard-work spent ‘shredding for summer’. Most athletes rebound between wanting to gain mass but not wanting to gain fat, and at the height of their dismay, pitch for one or the other (often to the detriment of their long term goals) The thing is, bulking is a complex psychological commitment. And so… You’ve got three options….

MR - I’LL - TAKE - A - SIX - PACK - OF - EVERYTHING The guy who eats a whole family size lasagne (and an entire garlic baguette) whilst watching Pumping Iron, and treats his scale-weight like a squat programme, aiming to add 5kg each time.

If you enter the bulking season with a burning desire to pack on fresh muscle you risk being so driven towards your new goal that the hunger for progress presents itself as hunger for absolutely everything in sight. The fear of remaining in a depleted state or watching others overtake you can set off a frenzied drive to see the numbers go up so as to mentally assure you that you are gaining muscle.

Food becomes the holy grail of gains and you use the excuse “I’m bulking” to justify unchecked gorging, gluttony and the accompanying body fat.

But furious calorie-consumption doesn’t just stem from a voracious appetite – often it’s a response to an all-consuming anxiety: the fear of losing gains. .

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Yeahhh Buddy…

Waitwut!?

MR - MUST - BE - LEAN - TO - BE SEEN / MUST - BE SEEN -TO - BE - LEAN

The guy whose body could be used as a roadmap of the human circulatory system he is so vascular, applies more math to his macros than his Economics degree, and turns down a social in case he’s tempted by the peanuts at the bar.

On the other hand if you enter the bulking season tentatively – desperate to avoid even a slight increase in body fat – you may never leave the start blocks. This is particularly true for athletes emerging from contest-prep diets who have come to consider low calories as the norm, carbs as the enemy, and a calorie surplus as dangerous.

Perhaps, once you reverse out of your diet and hit maintenance levels, or begin to notice unfamiliar fullness in your muscles after drying out to look leaner and more vascular, you decide to hit the brakes – permanently.

Arguably, the diet phase was more predictable and more socially acceptable – in the media, weight loss is the universal aspiration; weight gain is a sign of ‘letting oneself go’. And so you get out your macro tracker and hold yourself firmly at maintenance but continue to go in the gym in attempt to gain mass.

The two efforts counteract one another and six months down the line, nothing has changed. Behind this way of thinking are irrepressible fears of self-sabotage, judgement and regret, which can send you from being a confident athlete into a spiral of self-doubt.

So now do you see why it’s not as simple as just upping the calories and waiting for the number of the scales to follow?

The psychological obstacles to progress present an even bigger limit than our body’s physical limits of packing on muscle and gaining strength.

Christmas tends to further exaggerate the distance between these two camps. If you’re a full-throttle gainer, the insurmountable plates of food consumed in the week between Christmas and New Year can set you back weeks, if not months, come the summer.

But if you are anxious about gaining body fat, Christmas is a threatening period of overwhelming temptations to try to resist.

Then in comes January – a month to wipe the slate clean, start a fresh, set goals under the clichéd convention of New Year’s Resolutions.

Although you can’t take back the time spent in bulk free fall (or free for all… you know which camp I’m talking to here!), by understanding the psychological barriers between you and your dream physique, you can take a more accurate look at where you’re at, and a more realistic look at what to do next.

The reality is, anyone who finds themselves reading to the end of this article probably knows exactly what they need to do on the diet and training front – the fact that your ambitions have forced you into a tricky situation is the unwelcome but sometimes inevitable product of drive and aspiration.

Bulking brings its set of challenges, but by respecting the psychology keeping you from meeting your goals, you can adjust accordingly. So take stock, assess your progress and resolve to end the bulking season having gained mental, as well as physical, strength.

But what does that really mean? What happened to option three?

MR - WISE - GUY - WITH - SIZE The guy who plays his cards right, keeping enough on the table to supplement slow, consistent gains throughout the season without laying his hard-earned physique on the line and risk losing everything he’s worked for. This guy adheres to science but goes by instinct too, assesses his progress using the mirror and strength as well as the scales, and has an overarching plan that smoothes out minor setbacks along the way.

Lean bulking, clean bulking, recomposition… whatever name you give it, what we’re talking about is strategically managing the bulking season to maximise hypertrophy (muscle gains) and minimise adipose (body fat) gains.

At the heart of this, is the sensible, flexible balancing of calorie intake and training to ensure your body has a modest surplus of nutrients to rebuild and grow, without spilling over into fat stores. For some, this will mean a macro-controlled nutrition plan, for others, a simple meal plan of 5-6 small meals a day, adjusting the serving sizes.

Most successful bulkers will make allowances for occasional cheats (think the odd glass of mulled wine or slice of your Nan’s Christmas cake) but will monitor their progress so that their future cut is a process of leaning out, not an episode of Biggest Loser. Wise bulkers work out what they can expect to achieve in a single season and accept that sometimes, “something’s got to give” – whether that’s your dream of packing on 10kg of solid muscle, or maintaining sub 10% body fat.

Yeahhh Buddy…

Waitwut!?

Above all, these guys are in it for the long-haul and won’t let short-lived over-enthusiasm or paralysing fear stop them from achieving their long-term goals.

EMMA PUDGE

#bulkingnotsulking 74

PROTEIN PROBLEMS Protein Problems does exactly what it says on the tin. Here we aim to inform beginners and intermediates whether they really need supplements and which ones are worth spending on as a student! Solving all your protein problems…

With the endless hype and plethora of (conflicting) pseudo-science surrounding supplements it’s easy to get confused, especially as a beginner! If you want an intro on what makes sense in terms of scientific evidence, your current ability level and goals and their cost; read on. (This does not constitute medical advice) I’d like to preface my appeal for evidence based decisions with a note; the research community is far more interested in curing disease than which powders will make your biceps bigger, so most supplements have little directly applicable research. Having said that, I would strongly urge you to find quality sources and to research supplements yourself.

Peer-reviewed publications are ideal, followed by recognised experts, but avoid ‘internet personalities’, advice from supplement companies and gym friends.

Next, its critical to understand that your supplement choices are very personal so shouldn’t depend on what your mate decides. Your current ability level, your goals, their importance, your training programme, your current recovery scheme, your finances, and your physiology should all factor into the decision.

A final foreword; it’s easy to spend an amount on supplements that’s far removed from their relative benefit. If you’re not already eating, drinking and sleeping well, there are far more important decisions than what BCAA ratio you should opt for. Fundamentally, supplements should enhance an already good diet by tailoring it to your goals and filling in small gaps which you struggle to fill naturally. With that said, lets look at some of the most common supplements and see to whom they might be useful (assuming you’re already eating your veg and getting 8 hours sleep!):

Whey protein This is a white powder derived from milk which is typically between 80% - 95% protein by weight. There isn’t room here to debate the benefits of other types of protein powders; whey should probably be one of the first supplements you buy.

This is primarily because whey contains a complete amino acid profile, so all the protein consumed can be used without other aminos being necessary (Sindayikengera and Xia 2006, Nilsson et al. 2007). Also, whey is absorbed quickly so is commonly used for the period around your workout, although literature is far from unanimous on the point (Dideriksen et al. 2011). This supplement is useful if you struggle to get enough protein in your diet through whole foods, and around the workout period to maintain a favourable hormonal balance.

Cod liver oil Cod liver oil touts a vast array of benefits inside and outside the gym with many backed by scientific evidence (Tartibian et al. 2009, WebMD [no date]). To understand the ‘whole picture’ around this supplement means understanding many very complicated physiological pathways regarding fatty acids, hormonal pathways and joint mechanics, amongst others.

Personally I would recommend cod liver oil to everyone who doesn’t already eat a lot of fish.

Multivitamins Multivitamins (commonly packaged with minerals) are a very common supplement, partially due to the belief that they in some way reduce the need to eat plants. However, there has been much recent debate as to their efficacy and even suggestions that they may be detrimental, which I would urge you to read up on yourself (examine.com [no date]). My bottom line would be that they in no way reduce the need for you to eat lots of vegetables, because vegetables’ benefits are only partially related to their vitamins and minerals; they also contain fibre, phytochemicals and a number of other things.

Caffeine The world’s most popular psychoactive drug (Majithia 2007) is very popular amongst gym-goers due to its ability to enhance perceived alertness, energy and performance (Duvnjak et al. 2011, Pontifex et al. 2010, Glaister et al. 2008).

Commonly consumed in coffee, this supplement is also taken on its own or as part of a stimulant-based pre-workout supplement. The effects of caffeine are well documented in academia, along with potential dangers (Liddle et al. 2013), although science is still uncovering the way in which we develop a tolerance to caffeine. My advice would be to use caffeine sparingly; if you want to get the benefits for your workout, keep caffeine consumption as low as possible the rest of the day. Also, if athletic performance is your goal make sure you’re not using caffeine to mask the fatigue caused by a diet too low in carbohydrate or otherwise causing poor recovery.

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Creatine Creatine (Monohydrate) is arguably the supplement most unanimously supported by research; this flavourless, colourless powder can pack a big ergogenic punch (examine.com, Gualano et al.

2012, Jager et al. 2011). However, it’s important to understand how creatine works to determine if its right for you. Creatine supplementation increases your body’s stores of creatine phosphate (CP), a precursor to ATP, which is your body’s primary energy source in high-intensity, short duration bursts of exertion. It also makes your muscles store more water, which will make them marginally bigger (the magnitude varies a lot) and a bit softer.

For the average gym-goer, the direct size gains are marginal compared to the benefits you can get from the increased CP; this allows you to recover quicker between sets of exercises, meaning you can get more reps on your 2nd and 3rd sets and hence more training effect. The extra water can be a problem in endurance athletes, where minimising body weight is a high priority. Regarding ‘cycling’, ‘loading’ and ‘wash out’ I will give a very quick answer and ask you to research towards your own conclusions: take 5g every day for the rest of your life.

Other notable mentions which are popular and worthy of discussion include branched chain amino acids, glutamine, natural testosterone boosters and beta alanine, although there’s not enough space here to talk about everything! Overall, your decisions should be very personal based on your current level, short term goals and finances and should keep in mind that supplements make little difference compared to a solid nutrition, training and recovery plan.

Shaun Howell Student Story “As a beginner, I have to admit I was a bit bewildered by supplements. I made the decision to start working out to pack on some size, as most young guys do. I had all the enthusiasm in the world, but I was clueless and I wanted results yesterday.

Being naive, I was susceptible to marketing hype and genuinely thought there was a possibility that I might ‘get ripped 6 pack abs in one week’ or ‘pack on 15lbs of rock hard muscle in one month’. Bear in mind, that as a natural athlete, you can expect to gain an average of 1.5lbs (0.68kg) muscle per month, and it most certainly takes longer than a week to achieve a desirable mid-section.

I saved up for and bought countless tubs of mass gainer and other supplements, having no idea what they really did, just because they had all these absurd claims on the packaging, or I’d heard some bro science that this stuff was what you needed. Later I realised that you also cannot expect to gain muscle by simply taking some sort of protein shake or other supplement when you are A) not in a caloric surplus, B) Don’t have the right macronutrient balance, and C) Aren’t following a well-structured training routine. Fat burners are a similar case; simply taking the pills won’t strip away fat without you putting in the effort at the same time.

It was only really through a mixture of trial & error, and research into products, that I came to the conclusion that supplements are overrated. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying you shouldn’t take supplements, but what I am saying is that people, especially beginners, tend to rely on the supplements alone for results, instead of making sure your diet and training are in check first. The clue is in the name. They SUPPLEMENT your diet and training.“ -Zach Asher, Student at Oxford Brookes University

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CREATINE 101 Are you looking to build some lean muscle naturally and WITHOUT breaking the bank?

One word: creatine. Read on if you want to find out exactly why creatine is god’s gift for your gains...

What is Creatine?

Creatine is one of the most studied and widely used ergogenic (muscle building) supplements on the market. A nitrogenous organic acid, creatine can be naturally synthesised from several amino acids in the body, mainly by the liver. More than 90% of creatine is found in skeletal muscle tissues. Creatine supplementation during training has been reported to promote an increase in lean mass, strength, and burst power output. BUT, an underlying healthy diet is essential for these benefits to actually show. Remember, supplements are meant to SUPPLEMENT your diet!

Discovery Discovered by Chevreul, a French Scientist, in 1835 Creatine plays a prominent role in promoting the energy system of the body by transporting the required quantity of phosphate in order to aid for the conversion of ADP to ATP for its usage by muscle.

What is ATP?

Adenine triphosphate (ATP) is an adenosine-derived nucleotide that contains high-energy phosphate bonds and is used to transport energy to cells for biochemical processes, including muscle contraction and enzymatic metabolism, through its hydrolysis to adenine diphosphate (ADP).

Natural vs Synthetic Creatine Sources As the name suggests, natural creatine is derived from natural sources. Creatine can be synthesised in the body by the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. Prime sources of natural creatine include lean red meat, and fish, such as tuna, salmon, and sashimi, which include methionine and omega 3 fatty acids that aid creatine synthesis. Minimal amounts of creatine can be found in milk and even cranberries! It is estimated that every 1lb of raw meat contains 2g of creatine and every 1lb of beef contains 5g of creatine. Obviously eating at least a 1lb steak every day is not pragmatic and, as students, very expensive! So, synthetic creatine in the form of a supplement is very useful.

Benefits So what is all the fuss about? Creatine is transported by the blood and taken up by tissues with high energy demands, such as the brain and skeletal muscle, through an active transport system. The concentration 77

of ATP in skeletal muscle is usually 2-5 mM. During times of increased energy demands, the creatine phosphate (CP) energy system rapidly resynthesizes ATP from ADP with the use of phosphocreatine (PCr) through a reversible reaction with the enzyme creatine kinase. In skeletal muscle, PCr concentrations may reach 20-35 mM or more. Creatine is effective for “increasing intramuscular PCr stores, increasing the muscle’s ability to resynthesize ATP from ADP to meet increased energy demands” (Kreider RB 2003). This results in increased burst power output and performance during high-intensity activities. Intake of creatine is considered highly beneficial for nerve cells as well as to aid several other bodily functions such as to regulate metabolism and increase endurance levels.

Possible Side-Effects?

The majority of studies conclude that supplementation with creatine for a prolonged period of time using large doses is safe. “Supplementation from 9 weeks up to five 5 years did not adversely affect renal function” (Poortmans JR et al. 2000). Another study examined muscle damage, hepatic (liver) and renal (kidney) function, and found no adverse effects from creatine supplementation (Robinson TM et al. 2000).

Some people experience side effects such as dehydration, nausea, diarrhoea, hypertension and stomach cramps. But this minority has yet to be directly linked to creatine supplementation. I recommend using creatine supplements from licensed nutritionists or registered dieticians.

Myth- Creatine can cause kidney problems…FALSE! In one study which tracked healthy athletes over a 5-year period, those who used creatine at levels up to 15.75g per day showed no effect on markers of renal or kidney stress. In another study conducted by Dr. Kerry Kuehl at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, the kidney function of 36 healthy male and female athletes who consumed 10g of creatine per day was examined. After 12 weeks, Dr. Kuehl found that creatine did not adversely affect kidney function.

The by-product of creatine use in the muscle is creatinine. Creatinine is harmless, and is flushed by the kidneys during glomerular filtration. Little or no creatinine is reabsorbed and so exits the body via urine. If the filtration in the kidney is deficient, creatinine blood levels rise. Creatinine levels in blood and urine are simply used to calculate the creatinine

clearance, which correlates with the glomerular filtration rate. It is however, advised that people with pre-existing medical conditions seek advice from a doctor before taking any form of supplementation.

Myth-Creatine causes excess water retention…FALSE! A recent double-blind, placebo-controlled study found that, after 3 months of creatine use, test subjects showed no significant increase in body water. In fact, the creatine group showed greater gains in total body mass and fat-free mass. This recent study employed the latest in body composition measurements-deuterated water isotopic analysis which utilizes a non-radioactive ‘tracer’. Now it is possible that some inferior-grade creatine may actually promote water gain that results in a soft, puffy look. However, this can be due to several reasons. One, it may not be due to the creatine, but excess sodium. When cheaply manufactured, excess sodium remains in the finished product!

Dosage Although many studies are inconclusive as to the ‘golden’ daily creatine dosage, it has been commonly found that the “ingestion of 3-5g creatine/day is, in the long-term, likely to be as effective at raising tissue levels as a higher 20g dose (loading cycle)” (Hultman E et al.

1996). Yes, the label may state that a ‘20g loading phase is required every day for 7 days, followed by a 2g maintenance dose’ then to cycle off and repeat. But, think business here… brands want to make money! The science states that 3-5g every day, at any time of day, is adequate to saturate your muscle PCr levels, so why do differently?

Different Forms of Creatine Creatine phosphate is impermeable to cell membranes and so cannot get into muscle cells. We therefore require a different form of creatine so that we can easily absorb the compound into our cells. There are various forms, differing in composition, solubility and effectiveness. The three major forms are Creatine Monohydrate, Micronised Creatine, and Creatine Ethyl Ester (CEE).

Micronised Creatine: ‘Pros’ – Essentially the same as Creatine Monohydrate but molecules have been ‘cut up’. This increases the molecular surface area and thus increases the absorption.

‘Cons’ - More expensive.

CEE: ‘Pros’ - Creatine with ester group attached (increased absorption).

‘Cons’ –More expensive, foul taste – opt for capsules to avoid this!

Commercially marketed creatine products do not meet the same quality control standards of pharmaceuticals, so there is always concern regarding impurities and doses higher or lower than stated on the label. In my opinion, CreapureTM is the best bet due to its cost-effectiveness and the fact that it’s the purest (99.99%) micronised creatine monohydrate on the market today.

Made by AlzChem in Germany it undergoes a slightly different manufacturing process to make sure it is free from impurities and unnecessary by-products.

Ultimately, this is a choice down to personal preference and different forms may work better for different people compared to others.

Overview Creatine helps the body replenish energy stores during the CP energy system. This system is used during high burst activities lasting 15s or less. The rational is that if CP store are increased during this phase, the body will be able to complete more repetitions in later sets when the natural levels of CP would be depleted. The ability to perform more reps stimulates protein synthesis, and thus, more muscle tissue is developed. No acute or adverse long-term health risks are involved with creatine supplementation. So, It is no surprise that creatine is the most widely used ergogenic supplement out there!

Jake Burgess

Creatine Monohydrate: ‘Pros’ - Regarded as the most natural form of creatine, safest (most well-documented), cheapest, and most cost-effective.

‘Cons’ – Smaller molecular surface area (lower absorption).

CREATINE 101 78

#MASSterchef With Nutrition student, Sarah Catford I feel quite strongly that healthy food need not be boring, or unaffordable. But I’ll start with a disclaimer. I am not a natural cook. There, I said it. So if you’ve looked ahead, seen the recipes and thought “F*** THAT” then just hold your horses.

So, how do you transition from a no-hoper in the kitchen to a recipe-developing superstar? Obviously not talking about myself here…

You put in the time. You make some mistakes. You learn from them. Then you try again.

While last issue I gave you some ridiculously simple recipes, these are more of an attempt to convince you to actually put aside a couple of hours to make your own food. It doesn’t have to be hard, but it’s worth putting in the effort in order to get yourself prepped with some macro friendly, clean, whole-food meals that (most importantly) taste DAMN FINE. Many of you may be in the midst of your SPC prep and sick of the sight of A) Chicken, B) Rice and C) Broccoli. Seriously though? Just because you want to make progress, doesn’t mean you have to dread another bro meal when you’ve only just had your last. Bleugh.

The slow cooked (student friendly!) baked beans are a ridiculously good source of slow-releasing carbohydrates. Simply add a bowl to your post-workout meal to maximize that all important insulin sensitivity. On the other hand, the cauliflower pizza is good for times when you don’t need any extra carbohydrates (ideal for all you guys starting a cutting cycle!) and is also crazy adaptable. Homemade burgers and egg muffins need no explanation here, and are simple meals that are easily prepped and ready to grab at any given minute. No excuses here guys. After all, those who fail to prepare, PREPARE TO FAIL! Low carb Cauliflower Pizza Ahhhh, Pizza. A student’s dream. A student who’s trying to lean out’s nightmare.

Enter the humble cauliflower! Who knew it could be used as the perfect stand in for Dominos’ carb-laden meat feast? And at a fraction of the cost too…

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Preheat your oven to 200c. Use your grater for something other than cheese and grate up a medium sized head of cauliflower. Put the cauliflower ‘rice’ in a bowl with a couple tablespoons of water, cover, and microwave on high for about 4 minutes until just tender. Drain the cauliflower well and allow it to cool. Meanwhile grate up 100g of cheddar cheese and once the cauliflower is cooled, mix it in along with 1 egg and some salt and pepper. Spread the mixture onto a piece of parchment paper (or tin foil) in a pizza base shape about 1.5cm thick. Stick that in your preheated oven for around 40 minutes, or until it’s reasonably firm and starting to brown. Now the fun part. Preparing your toppings. Who am I to get in the way of your favourite combination of toppings? Go wild. I went with a yoghurt curry sauce (6 tbsps greek yoghurt mixed with 2 tbsp curry powder), pesto, spinach, feta and sardines. Killer combo that I’d highly recommend. Place your topped pizza into the oven for 10 more minutes until your chosen cheese has reached melty perfection. Add parsley if you’re fancy like me. Crack on.

Homemade Baked Beans Much, MUCH better than the original. Make a big batch and freeze ready for meals in an emergency. Chop and fry 4 slices bacon until crispy and add in 3 chopped onions, 3 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp each of paprika, oregano, thyme and chilli powder. Fry on medium high heat until the onions are soft. Add 3 cans chopped tomatoes and 1 cup water (or stock if you have it). Allow this mixture to reduce on the stove over medium / low heat for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grab 3 cans of cannellini beans, drain and rinse in a colander. Once the tomato mixture has reduced for 30 minutes, add in the beans and turn the heat down to low. Cook the beans for 1-3hours, the longer the better as long as the heat is very low. Very good in a bowl with spinach mixed in and a fried egg on top!

Chorizo Burgers Another simple meal prep option (what else are Sunday’s for?! Assignments can wait…) Chop up 1 chorizo sausage and fry in a pan with 1 chopped onion and a handful of finely chopped chestnut mushrooms. Once the mushrooms are cooked and the chorizo has gotten all nice and crispy, allow to cool. Combine 2 tbsp almond flour, 1 egg and 400g lean minced beef in a big bowl. Once the chorizo mixture has cooled, combine with the mince and form into 6 burgers on a baking tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.

Veg-packed Egg Muffins These really come in handy during lectures when your appetite starts betraying you…

Preheat the oven to 200c. Fry in a pan 1 chopped red pepper, once soft add in spinach and allow to wilt. Leave to cool. In a large bowl, whisk 12 eggs with a handful grated cheese, fresh herbs (basil is good!), salt and pepper. Once the peppers and spinach are cool, combine with the eggs and pour into 12 silicone muffins cases. Put the muffin trays into the oven and bake until the egg is fully cooked (20-25 minutes, depending on your oven).

Fancy yourself as the next #MASSterchef?

Post your recipes on instagram tagging @thebodymass with hashtag #MASSterchef and we’ll pick the best chef to appear in the next issue of StudyFit! 80

STUDENT-PROOF RECIPES Oat banana cookies!

We all love cookies, right? But fitting them into our macros, or clean eating diet, isn't always easy.

Or at least it wasn't... Until now! This high fibre recipe uses just two main ingredients, a few optional extras, takes only 2 minutes to prepare and will make 2 large/ 4 small cookies.

Required Ingredients: 1 medium size, over-ripe banana ~50g of oats

Optional Ingredients: 1 tbsp Honey 1 tbsp brown sugar 25g chocolate of choice Dash of vanilla extract

Macros (with the added Ingredients): Kcals: 410 Protein: 10g Carbohydrates: 80g Fat: 7g Fibre: 8g Andrew Wilhelmsen

Gluten Free Buckwheat Pancakes Often, facing a gluten-free lifestyle can be a bit overwhelming. Excluding ingredients rather than adapting can lead to people feeling that their food choices are limited. However, I am a firm believer in enjoying food whilst gaining the nutrition necessary to pursue an active lifestyle... and that no-one, whether it is a personal lifestyle choice, or a dietary necessity, should ever have to sacrifice pancakes.

Ingredients (Serves 1): 1/2 cup of buckwheat flour 1/2 cup of milk (of your choice*) Tablespoon of honey**

1/2 tsp baking soda Pinch of salt 1 medium egg 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence.

Method 1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.

2. Slowly add the wet ingredients using a food processor until you’re left with a smooth batter (hand mixing is fine, but may take a little longer.)

3. Heat a small frying pan on medium heat, using butter or coconut oil.

4. Pour in about 1/4 of mixture. Wait until small bubbles appear before flipping.

5. I served mine with full fat Greek yoghurt layered between each pancake, sliced bananas, and desiccated coconut.

If (like me) you often taste the mixture before cooking, don’t be worried if it doesn’t taste as you’d expect - once cooked it’s delicious! * can be modified to your dietary requirements - almond, soy, coconut, rice, regular will all be suitable, but each may alter the taste slightly. ** honey is a natural sweetener, so is better for you, but it can be replaced with a tablespoon of stevia, xylitol, or regular sugar.

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Eleanor Cook

6 dietary swaps

Easy(and Affordable!)

Sometimes it’s difficult to know how to adapt your regular diet to better benefit your health and well-being, especially as a student. Instead we’re bombarded by lifestyle magazines and recipe books advising Manuka Honey (approximately £15 per 250g) and Cacao Powder (approximately £7 per 100g). While great to have in the cupboards if you fancy splurging, it’s even better to have affordable, reliable alternatives.

1) Honey instead of Sugar As a natural, unrefined sweetener, honey is often seen as a more favourable alternative to sugar. It’s also sweeter, so less is needed for the same taste. However, it is still high in sugar, so should be used sparingly. Have it over your porridge in the morning, or with Greek yoghurt or quark at night.

honey is used instead of sugar to sweeten this baked oatmeal

2)Full fat instead of low fat options We have recently entered a culture of low-fat everything, but this isn’t as beneficial as would first appear. ‘Good’ fat is essential in a balanced diet - foods containing high density lipoproteins (HDLs) transport cholesterol from the arteries to be broken down in the liver, effectively decreasing the fat available to be stored in tissues.

Foods claiming to be low-fat tend to to be high in sugar instead, to improve the taste. Needless to say, sugar has less nutritional benefits than fats. Instead of thinking low-fat, think good fat: trade shop bought muesli’s for porridge, low-fat Greek yoghurt for full-fat, and include foods such as salmon, mackerel, olive and coconut oil, and nut butters in your diet. But remember, fat is fat, and an excess of anything will lead to weight gain!

5)Poultry breast instead of Thighs/Legs

3)Green Tea instead of Ordinary Green tea is one of the healthiest hot beverages you can opt for.

Unlike builders tea and coffee, it doesn’t need milk and sugar. It also contains anti-oxidants, boosts metabolic rate, and some studies have suggested the catechins it contains has antibacterial qualities, improving your dental and physical health

4)Dark Chocolate of Milk.

The fat and cholesterol content in chicken and turkey breast is a lot lower than that in the thighs and legs.

It also means you can buy less for the same amount of meat, as there are no bones to eat around.

Full - Fat Greek Yoghurt is used in this cinnamon oatmeal parfait for a health, filling start to the day.

Yep, I’m not kidding. Small amounts of dark chocolate have a wealth of proven health benefits.

High in soluble fibre, minerals such as iron, antioxidants and good fatty acids, it’s great to include in your diet to control cravings and better your health at the same time follow Eleanor on instagram at _eleanorcook for more healthy food ideas and gym inspiration

Grilled Chicken Breast with Rice and Vegetables.

6)Vodka instead of Wine While we can try to behave as much as possible, university is also a time of socialising, and, let’s face it, drinking. While moderate consumption is very advisable, if you are drinking on a night out, swap the wine, beer, cider, or sugary drinks for vodka and diet lemonade or soda.

Wine is made from fermented grapes and cider from fermented apples, making the sugar and calorie content very high. Vodka contains much fewer calories, and proportionally, less is needed to feel its effects!

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SHOP TO SUCCESS

Top places to get those muscle-building essentials

Anyone can throw some weights around in the gym and break apart their muscle fibres, what separates the enormous from the egotistical is a dedication to the kitchen. Buying the right foods on a student budget isn’t easy, so here are 3 places that should definitely be going to for your weekly shop.

Iceland is perhaps one of the most overlooked, yet diverse supermarkets of the lot. Their fresh fruit and veg section is very cheap and they boast a good selection of frozen fruit and veg also. Cupboard food is one area that does not necessarily come to mind when you think of Iceland but should be one of their biggest attractions. Eggs (20 for £1.60), tinned tuna (4 tins for £3.50) and noodles (6 nests for £1) are all far cheaper than their competitors and mean that you can keep your wallet healthy as well as your body.

The final stop on your shopping trip should be to Tesco, 4 pints of milk for £1 is not something to be missed! The variety within store means that anything you haven’t been able to find at Iceland will easily be sourced here for a low price. The herb and spice section is also a good place to pick something up that will add some zing to your plain chicken breasts.

The easy bit is knowing where to shop, the tough bit comes when you have to pass through the biscuit aisle without picking up a cheeky pack of digestives.

Grilled Lemon Chicken Breast Words: Rob Keil 83

PUBLIC HEALTH Importance of talking about obesity Happy and sad stories When I use to live in London, I remember sitting on the tube on my way to work with my metro newspaper in hand.

For amusement, sometimes I would place bets on what type of articles would crop up. My best money winner would always be on articles about weight.

The problem I always found with these articles was that they were repetitively synonymous. Pieces of writing would include sad stories about a person stuck in their home for being too obese or a happy story about someone who lost 20 kilograms in three months. As if these articles will get me working out by directly eliciting emotional uproar from these sad or amazing people.

However, what these articles do bring prominence to is the prevalence of people being overweight or obese in our society.

OBESITY

Instead of bustling on about people losing weight, I want to look at the extreme end of the spectrum to prove a point. Therefore firstly, I want to prove notoriety of obesity, so lets look at some facts.

One in four adults are obese in the United Kingdom (UK) 34,000 people die from obesity per year Causes multiple other diseases One of the leading causes of preventable disease.

Now I know facts are boring but they really do hold a lot of value in this context. Basically, Obesity is a huge problem in the UK right now.

From these facts I would like to bring your attention to the word ‘preventable’. This word holds a lot of hope in it.

We as a nation essentially can prevent obesity if we actively try.

Commuting and University Ok so I have used obesity to make a point that the UK is getting heavier. So you are a University Student sitting on a bed, in the early hours of the morning, reading this article because it may help you sleep, asking yourself, how does this article influence me?

Here is the catch. Have you ever thought about how you get to University everyday of the week? Well recent studies have shown that people who used active and public modes of transport had a lower BMI and percentage body fat compared with those who used private transport (driving a car).

Whilst you ponder on this, let me explain. If you use a bike or walk or use the bus or train to get to University, you are more likely to have a lower BMI. Therefore by taking these modes of transport, you will increase your physical activity and are less likely to be overweight.

As a student we sometimes find it hard to exercise but if you make exercise a lifestyle, for example by actively transporting to University, then we may reap some of the benefits shown in these studies.

It’s up to you Next time you are about to plan your journey to University, for a fun filled day of lectures, see this journey as an opportunity to make exercise a part of every aspect as your life. So grab your bike and get pedalling my friends

Ben Bickford Rob Keil 84

F O T S E B THE

E B U T U YO

I know you! I am you! You have an essay due in few days and I bet my life on it that you’d rather watch some videos on YouTube rather than work on it. No worries though, I got you covered. They say if you have to do something bad, at least do it right. For this reason, in this article I will let you know of my top choices of YouTube fitness channels, because if you are going to procrastinate at least you can learn something useful in the process. I know a lot of you may disagree with my list but I only included the absolute best in my opinion and based on my criteria. I am a 23 year old undergraduate student, lifter in the UK, mainly interested in bodybuilding and lately in powerlifting. My main criterion for this list was to include lifters and channels that I can relate to, borrow and compare ideas about training, nutrition and products with them, and apply these concepts to my own life. Another criterion was obviously, valuable, in-depth information that can actually improve me as a lifter and an athlete. I am obviously watching these channels for my entertainment so my last criterion was that these channels should be fun and easy to watch. Without any further talking, here is my list.

1. The student life Sean Thompson TV

Sean is a second year criminology student at the University of Leeds. He is an aspiring Fitness model and he is interested in competing in the Men’s Physique division. Just recently he signed a full time contract with Gymshark, at the age of 19! The reason why I recommend his channel is because of his video series ‘A day in the Diet’, which is a vlog based on a full day of university life. The reason he made the list is because he sets a good example of how to fit studying, gym time, meal planning, and bodybuilding for a student’s budget and of course social life in the day of a university student.

Jessica Pethrus

Jessica is a 20 year old student at the University of Bournemouth. She mostly does powerlifting and Olympic lifting, and the majority of her videos are about her training. She recently started a vlog that goes by the name ‘The destruction series’ and it is a vlog that displays her daily eating, lifting, shopping for food, and eating out. There is also another vlog that goes by the name ‘Full day of eating’ where she specifically shows her meals for the day. If you are a female lifter, or even male, in need for some inspiration, motivation you can only benefit from her lifting videos. It goes without saying that her vlogs about eating can provide to you numerous ideas about foods, recipes and products that you can add to your everyday arsenal.

2. UK BASED LEX FITNESS - TEAMBOOMBABY!

This channel displays the everyday life of a fitness couple; Lex and Lainey. Their vlogs are really easy to watch, informative and at the same time entertaining. They both know their way around lifting weights and are advocates of the If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) type of diet. Their macro friendly food recipes like Lainey’s ‘manwhich’ and food product suggestions are almost certainly the best stuff around. Subscribe, I promise you cannot not love both of them.

The Diet Kitchen

This is a UK based channel presented by Simon Roshdy, a myprotein and musclefood sponsored full time chief, and it is all about food recipes and food recommendations mainly, with some training also . My favourite recipes so far are the home made quest bars; peanut butter jelly bar and vanilla-Oreo bar, and homemade sweet potato fries.

There is also a monthly vlog that goes by the name – ‘my favourite things in the UK’ in which Simon presents a list of his favourite macro friendly, ‘cheat meal‘ products from various brands and stores in the UK. Whether you are looking for some healthy recipes or new products to treat yourself, this channel is definitely for you.

3. The fitness model lifestyle STEVE COOK

Steve is an optimum nutrition sponsored athlete, IFBB pro men’s physique competitor and this year ranked 5th in the Mr Olympia Competition. He may have not won the judges, but for the last 2 years he is a leading figure in the fitness industry and in the YouTube scene with his Swoldier Nation movement. His channel is about training, traveling, lifestyle, cover shoots and what he goes through as a pro bodybuilder and fitness model. He is a great presenter, has a degree in biology/psychology integrated studies and sure knows his stuff. He seems like a real genuine guy and can win you instantly with his physique, the effort that he puts in the gym, and his ideals of being an all-around athlete not just a bodybuilder are a great source of motivation.

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Nikki Blackketter

Nikki is a cellucor sponsored athlete and NPC bikini competitor. Her channel covers a variety of fitness aspects which include training, pre-contest preparation, posing, photo shoots, and full day of eating. The duration of her videos are more or less around 10 minutes and the way that she presents herself and the topics in her videos, make them a really easy and enjoyable watch.

4. TRAINING CanditoTrainingHQ

Jonnie Candito is a 22 year old powerlifting competitor in the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) and whether you are interested in powerlifting or improving the form of your lifts or further progressing in them, this channel is for you. This channel is a goldmine of excellent information about every single major lift, form check, corrections, additions and approaches to achieve further progress. In a sentence if you want to increase your performance and become a better athlete, this channel is a must.

Flexforall2

This channel belongs to Matt Ogus who is a young lifter in his early 20s with tremendous strength for his age as he was training since he was 15. In his vlogs he displays his training sessions along with commentary with his thoughts on how each lifts feel in a particular day and why, while critiquing his form. Moreover he reviews his current programs and provides suggestions that we can all borrow based on how he intends to increase the numbers of a certain lift or improve the size of a specific body part.

Benjamin Pakulski

Is an IFBB pro bodybuilder with a degree in kinesiology. His motto is ‘Educate and Dominate’. Ben’s promise is not to make you stronger, but to achieve your maximum potential of hypertrophy. His knowledge on the correct posture, execution and tempo (the speed for lengthening and shortening a muscle) of exercises, while using simple language to address complex matters were a game changer for me. I highly recommend this channel to everyone, and check out his MI40 University playlist of videos if not all of them!! Remember, ‘Train smarter, not harder’

5. Entertainment BroScienceLife

This channel is all about laughter. Dom Mazetti, the person that presents this show, he is a comedian that satirises the gym life from the point of view of a gym douche but he does it really accurately and in a hilarious way. What you should expect from Dom, are lots and lots of gunshots and of course a lot of tears out of laughing too hard.

6. Motivation ShaQxBB

Badass footage, amazing image effects, epic music and something for everyone whether you are interested in bodybuilding, fitness, physique, bikini categories, there is a video for everyone. Shaqx is according to my opinion the best channel for a quick pre-workout boost, and the evidence that his work is on point can be seen from the millions of views each of his video has.

ZhasniMotivation

A channel dedicated purely to bodybuilding motivation. It’s been around YouTube for over 5 years now, and two words that can be used to describe Mr Zhasni’s work are: quality and consistency. His videos are always able to give me and obviously the masses of his viewers, the chills, and put me in an uplifting mood; pumped up and ready to hit the gym.

7. The King Omarlsuf

I could not, just not place this man in a category of its own. His channel is the most complete fitness channel around, with the greatest depth of information on gaining muscle and building strength and covering topics such as bodybuilding, powerlifting, strongman, nutrition and even psychology of lifts and stress. He has a numerous amount of collaborations with research leaders in the field such as Alan Aragorn and Brad Schoenfeld, as well as veteran athletes and coaches such as Mark Bell and coach Jeremy just to name a few. He addresses a variety of topics and presents them in a very simple to follow way, with good flow, points on the screen and even references below with caption for those who want to explore in more depth, a specific topic. Without exaggeration, if I could subscribe to his channel more than once, I would have done it. That’s how good his content is.

George Kefalas George Kefalas

Yeahhh Buddy…

Waitwut!?

EMMA PUDGE

#bulkingnotsulking

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Gear

This issues must haves for all our student fitfam Strengthshop 10mm Powerlifting Belt • What does it do? Support the back and assist to maintain the correct posture, preventing injury.

• Price: £50 • The product: - Consists of two parts; the belt and the lever.

- Made from Artificial Leather I tested my newly acquired belt for the first time on my final working set of squats at 85% RM (intensity level compared to One repetition Maximum). Recalling back to it, it was not the best idea as I did not wear it before (in an actual lift) to grasp its feeling. However, I regret nothing.

The belt felt really comfortable considering that it was my first time with it and usually such types of belts require some breaking in time (and it will only become more comfortable as time passes by). I never felt more stable and secure while squatting and up to that point I thought that I was squeezing my core tight, but this level of bracing against the belt was on a whole new level. In a way I felt like I was granted a minor form of a super power. The thing that I loved most from this belt, it is how convenient it is. Once you put it on, it remains on your waist and does not fall off and within seconds you can clasp the lever, take a deep breath, brace against it and begin the lift.

Once finished, again it is a matter of a second(s) to unclasp it and release the pressure.

The Good •Artificial leather: - More Bendy and flexible compared to real leather - Mould to the shape of the body - No real need to need to spend weeks breaking in.

• Was pleasantly surprised with how comfortable the belt felt the first time that I used it which must be because of the artificial leather.

• Sturdy, stiff but at the same time comfy • Lever is strong, stays in place and does not get in the way while squatting and deadlifting.

• Convenience factor: Takes a second to clasp or unclasp the lever.

• International Federation of Powerlifting (IPF) approved, and therefore is eligible for using in competitions.

• The big white strength sign on the belt. By far the coolest logo on equipment that I have ever worn. Simplistic, yet great, and if you are anything like me you will get a psychological boost and a sort of a high expectation from yourself to perform well while wearing the strength mark.

The bad • Price: Can be quite expensive for a student’s budget however, it is much cheaper than other more popular brands and its quality is on the same level, if not better. If you can see yourself lifting for a long time, you should see this as one of the best investments that you can possibly do.

• The Lever: Although the lever is very strong and feels unbreakable, it is not guaranteed that at some point it might not break. However, there is always the option for an extra £15 to include a lifetime warrantee.

Strenghshop.co.uk The quality of their brand range is outstanding and it is a great, cheap alternative to more popular brands (which they also sell). Their range includes belts, wraps, straps, knee and elbow sleeves and compression shorts. They even have special packages of the above, if you intent to buy all of them at once.

I ordered an item on Sunday night and received it by Tuesday 2:30 pm. Received mail and phone updates about my order status 3 times throughout the process (in one a half days). They even assigned a specific time frame to their order and offered alternative choices such as assigning another person to receive it on my behalf which is thought was very convenient for a student’s schedule. Customer service was great, they replied within minutes when I initially thought something was wrong with the product (which was not the case).

George Kefalas

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Philips HF3520/01 Wake Up Light.

Rise and Shine it’s Time to Grind Waking up in the early winter mornings is let’s face it not particularly pleasant. The combination of the dark, cold and often wet weather provides a compelling reason to skip that early morning work out and catch an extra hour in bed. It was this line of thinking that led me to discover the Phillips Wake-Up Light alarm clock.

The basic principle is that light stimulates our bodies to release ’wake up’ hormones; whist darkness leaves us in more of a sleepy state. This makes sense and if any of you have ever slept outside or done a bit of camping, you will know how the sunrise is the best alarm clock.

The question is then whether this natural sunrise can really be accurately recreated by what is essentially a posh lamp. Well, the good news is that yes this Wake-Up light definitely works, since I have been using it, close to three months now I have found myself more energetic and not hating the entire world when I wake (always a bonus, right?!).

The bad news is that picking one up will set you back around £130. The

important thing to note here is that there are cheaper models but they only simulate a yellow to white sunrise, whereas what you really want is one that takes you through all the shades of a sunrise from a warm glowing red to an orange, to a yellow finishing with a white light.

So how does it work? I set the alarm for the time I want to wake up say for example 7.00 am. Then the sunrise will start at 6.30am and over the 30 minutes will build into a bright light, it usually wakes me up 10 or so minutes before. You can also set the radio or an alarm sound to come on at your desired time, which works well as a back up. Of course the sunrise time is all customizable from no sunrise at all to the full blown 30 minutes.

I would recommend purchasing one especially if you like to train in the mornings. Whilst it might not be a problem getting up early in the summer months it definitely is tough in the winter months and as such this alarm clock is a God send. Think of this alarm clock as an investment in your health and well being, I promise you, you won’t regret it!

Adam Tarpey

GymHype Awesome looking t-shirt with a top quality fit by Gym HYPE. Snug at the waist with room for those with big delts.

Use code ‘STUDYFIT15’ for 15% off at www.gymhypeclothing.co.uk

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Thank you!

Thank you for reading StudyFit, we hope you’ve been inspired and are ready to act on your goals. Look out for the third issue in May! Thank you to all of the photographers who have supplied images for the magazine.

Thanks to all of the Universities and Students Unions who have supported both MASS and StudyFit. Thank you to all of the MASS societies who have distributed the magazine to their members.

Thank you to all of the students, coaches, organisations and academics who have contributed to the magazine, from full features to sharing it out on social media. We appreciate it!

BECOME A WRITER FOR STUDYFIT Join our 50 students strong team of writers and make your contribution to the magazine that’s shaping the future of student fitness. Applications are open – Email studyfit@thebodymass.org to request an application form. Applications close 28th February.

JOIN THE REVOLUTION University gym, Department or Students Union?

Request to stock StudyFit, get promotional material, online links and all the latest new and updates sent to you. Email studyfit@thebodymass.org

ADVERTISING AND ENQUIRES For advertising, general enquiries or to get featured in StudyFit please email studyfit@thebodymass.org where we’ll be happy to help.

The official publication of

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Writers and contributors: David Bissell (University of Leicester graduate) Shaun Howell (Cardiff University) Ben Bickford (Brighton and Sussex Medical School) Adam Tarpey (University of Southampton) Britta Zeltmann (Cardiff University) Jessica Burnett (Northumbria University) Bola Labulo (University of Brighton) Nikita Marie-Scholes (Northumbria University) Hope Scott (Birmingham City University) Victoria Kenny (University of Bath) Dhinil Patel (University of Warwick) Daniel Olusina (University of Kent) Ashwin Gurung (Bournemouth University) Lee Titmus (Plymouth University) Leane Knight (University of Wolverhampton) Matt Sallis (St Mary’s University) Andy Osborne (CrossFit Leicester) Tristan Alden (University of Leicester graduate) Matthew Marshall (British Weight Lifting) Paul O’Brien (Sport BU) Tom Bliss (Loughborough University graduate) Rob Keil (University of Exeter) Ryan Kirk (Plymouth University) Dan Chin (City University London) Adam James (University of Exeter) Craig Richey (Coventry University graduate) Theo Morgan (Cardiff University) Emma Pudge (University of Exeter) Rumina Awal (Cardiff University) Brooke Wood (Sheffield Hallam University) Hannah Chan (Royal Holloway, University of London) Martin MacDonald (University of Derby Academic) Andrew Wilhelmsen (University of Gloucestershire) Zach Asher (Oxford Brookes University) Jake Burgess (University of Warwick) Sarah Catford (University of Reading) George Kefalas (Royal Holloway, University of London) Luke Thompson (University of Brighton) Jamie Massey (University of Manchester) Joshua Bramley (DeMontfort University) Omar Barakat (University of Bristol) Sam White (University of Leicester) Heleena Waltham (University of East Anglia) Nathan Etherington (Plymouth University) Lucas Tavros (University of Essex) Scott Hutchinson (Southampton Solent University) Sean Tan (University of Nottingham) BUCS (Sports Association) Great Britain Powerlifting Federation (Sports Association) British Weight Lifting (Sports Association) CrossFit Leicester (CrossFit Box) Scott Phillipson (Photographer) Simon Callaghan (Photographer) Simon Howard (Photographer) Matt Marsh (Photographer)

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