Studyfit July 2015 by StudyFit Magazine

THE NUMBER ONE MAGAZINE FOR STUDENT FITNESS AND LIFESTYLE

By MASS

JULY 2015 ISSUE 3

THE STUDENT

COOKBOOK KILLER MOVES FOR

A NEW PROFESSIONAL BEST

CLEAN EATING VS IIFYM HOW TO: THE OLYMPIC LIFTS

SHAUN HOWELL

STUDENT DISCOUNTS INSIDE Daniel Olusina, Tom Mangan, Josh Leader, Heleena Waltham

FUNCTION STRENGTH SPORT THE MASSTER PLAN

CATHERINE SMITH FROM THE TRACK TO THE RACK

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Contents 6

Green tea, triathlons and gym myths. Three pieces of advice that can help you instantly!

The Latest Findings in Sports, Exercise and Nutrition Straight from Academic Journals

Read all about the fastest growing student fitness community with 25 Universities, 250 competitors and 3,500 members.

Everything you need to know on how to balance your fitness lifestyle during your university years.

The ultimate student fitness tournament has drawn to an end. We award the highest achieving societies of 2014/15. Get all the info on who won what!

From the Track to the Rack

Aesthetics Vs Performance

Catherine Smith talks about how her transition from track to powerlifting was one of the best decisions she ever made

Aesthetics or performance, lifting or cardio, strength or endurance, gym or field, individual or team… Is it possible to get the best of both worlds? Emma Pudge interviews Tom Mangan to find out!

Easy Digest

MASS Awards

How To: The Olympic Lifts Get ready for Rio 2016 with our step by step instruction on how to perform the clean & jerk and the snatch.

Eye on Science

Mind Blowing Muscle Building Techniques Bust plateaus, add excitement to your training and make gains with our selection of muscle building techniques by Tom Mangan

She Lifts… Bro

Gear

The good and the bad of being a female weightlifter at Uni.

StudyFit delves into the fitness market to show you what’s hot right now. + A huge section of Student Discounts.

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MASS Society

Balancing fitness as a student

Function, Strength, Sport; The MASSter Plan Identify your goals, make the most of research and plan training in the short and long term. It’s time to paint a bigger picture! Shaun Howell tells us how.

7 Killer Moves to a New Professional Best Emma Pudge investigates as to why fit students are more employable than ever before.

Weightlifting in CrossFit it’s all about work capacity. Weightlifting increases your work capacity and can help you excel in CrossFit and almost every physical sport!

Push up or Shut up

The Student Cookbook

Instagram for Fitness

Mark Harvey reinvents the push up into a viable bench press alternative.

If you're bored of eating chicken and rice every day and struggle for nutrition ideas fear no more, here’s just a few examples of muscle building macro mash ups that will help your training goals.

Rumina Awal looks into what makes Instagram such an influential platform in marketing and monitoring the game of fitness. #doyoueveninstagram

David Bissell

This Issue’s Top Writers>

Shaun Howell

Cardiff University, Civil Engineering PhD student, Society Club President, CrossFit and strength expert.

Emma Pudge

University of Exeter, English Literature student, creative writer, health and fitness blogger.

Contributors>

EDITORS letter

Founder & Director or MASS, StudyFit Editor-in-Chief

This issue comes after the most exciting term to date. The MASS Games has been a thrilling tournament of back-to-back competitions. From Southampton to Leicester to London we’ve been up and down the country putting on competitions for the most courageous University athletes and it all climaxed on the 6th June at CrossFit Leicester with the Student Throwdown. Turn to page 14 where you can see all the scores! One of the biggest benefits of being a member of MASS is the enormous sense of support you feel consistently. When you’re part of a community of people who are on the same mission and you receive encouragement and guidance you’re not only going to work harder, but you’ll enjoy it more too, and are ready to take on any challenges that come your way. At MASS we encourage you to embrace our community for what it is: an opportunity to break the barriers of your body’s power. One student who has done just that is Cardiff club president and cover model Shaun Howell. Shaun’s guided many of his members towards their goals and led his team to the top end of the MASS Games Leaderboard. Learn about his approach to building a strong base for sport on page 20. With graduation now only a stone throw away for some you might be about to start a job or be on the hunt. During this period it’s important to keep on top of your fitness and remember that it’s just as important as studies and work AND it could just be the edge that separates you from the pack on the job hunt. On page 12 Emma Pudge discusses why fitness fanatic students are being considered more employable than ever before. For more ways to get strong, head to www.thebodymass.org. Where you’ll find videos, photos from events, recipe ideas, athlete interviews, scores from the games, society information and more. We want to hear from you! What’s your top student fitness tip? As well as taking our feedback survey you can talk to us on our website page, tweet us at @thebodymass, post on our Facebook page or tag us on Instagram @thebodymass. Your feedback is essential to our sucess!

Brandon Tiller Roop Thaker Daniel Olusina Jack Lenton Tom Mangan Mark Harvey Josh Leader Dale Rawlings Jake Burgess Rumina Awal Heleena Waltham Scott Phillipson Matt Marsh Joe McCormick

Featured>

Catherine Smith

Cover Model, My Transition from Track to Powerlifting (Page 16) Loughborough University, Sports Science student, sprinter and powerlifting athlete.

Josh Leader

IIFYM Vs Clean eating, which is best? (Page 28) University of Leeds, Medical student, men’s physique competitor, national junior champion 2015.

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A natural Fat Burning Supplement. A powder or capsule that can torch fat naturally?

With the number of people in the gym ever increasing, treadmills smoking and the sight of people crunching widespread, the question burning on everybody’s lips, does that magic supplement exist?

There are whispers in the corners of gyms, telling you this and that, those sceptics laughing the idea off, and those who sink down every supplement thrust upon them with the hope it is the one. I’m sure you’ve heard of green tea extract amongst those whispers, but is the cousin of Britain’s famous brew really a heavyweight in the fat burning industry? Well we’ll have you know that green tea may potentially be the Holy Grail, the key to a sculptured physique. Replace your regular tea with green tea. Or if you were never a big tea drinker in the first place then try having a cup 30 minutes after each meal and see the differences for yourself. Alternatively you can buy green tea extract supplements, combine with caffeine for the best results! Words by Brandon Tiller, University of Southampton

I always had a keen interest in competing in a triathlon but had no idea how to train for it, nor did I know anyone who had competed in one. I believed that triathlons were only for the super fit, those who would swim the English Channel and run marathons every month. Having not been a strong swimmer, a powerful cyclist or a fast runner, on paper a triathlon would not suit my abilities, so I didn't do anything at all. When I finally put my mind to it, within 3 months of training I competed in my first triathlon. I realised that triathlons are not impossible. Since then, as well as lifting heavy weights at the gym, I’ve competed in dozens of triathlons and pushed my limits more than I thought I ever could. Words by Roop Thaker, Kings College London With a new wave of bro science and sub optimal gym advice being circulated throughout University gyms we feel it is necessary to distinguish which pieces of advice are beneficial and which are pure fiction. To start you off here’s the low down on one of our least favourite myths: “If your muscles aren’t completely sore the day after then you haven’t worked hard enough” A LOT of people use how sore their muscles are as an indicator of how well their previous session has gone. This soreness is known as DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and is a result of your muscle adapting to a new exercise or routine. As you continue to grow stronger, continue to do the routine more often and train that muscle group more frequently the DOMS will eventually decrease and you may end up receiving hardly any DOMS after your sessions. If that happens you’re not doing anything wrong, it actually shows that your muscles are adapting. A much better measure of progress is if progressive overload is being achieved each session. Either in the form of slightly heavier weights, more reps or more sets. Words by Daniel Olusina, University of Kent. 06

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EYE ON SCIENCE with PhD student Shaun Howell

With the recent growth of Strongman and the appeal of its varied and functional approach, the use of strongman style training to supplement or replace conventional resistance training methods is attractive to lots of people. This article is the first to investigate whether this type of training benefits your body composition, strength, power and speed. The researchers divided 30 rugby players (male, approx. 23 years old with 4 years of weight training experience) into either ‘strongman’ or ‘traditional’ training groups for 7 weeks and tested their change in test scores. Both groups did resistance training twice per week, and their programs were matched to contain similar movements and loading. The traditional program consisted of clean and jerk, deadlift, military press, back squat and one arm row (3 sets of 5 at 80%, representative), and the strongman program consisted of log lift, farmers walk, axle press, sled pull and arm over arm prowler pull. The study found that both groups improved over the 7 weeks, with similar improvements at functional performance measures. The strongman group improved more in terms of muscle mass, acceleration and especially bent over row 1RM. The traditional group improved more at squat and deadlift 1RM, horizontal jump, turning ability and sled pushing though. Overall, the study found that strongman training is a viable alternative to traditional methods. For me, the personal relevance of this study comes down to your goals; if you want to get stronger with a barbell then do traditional training, if you want to get better at a sport then find research specific to that sport. It’s very interesting though that the strongman program produced more muscle mass gains and I’d love to see more research into this; either way it’s always fun to mix up your training and see how it affects your progress personally.

The Latest Findings in Sports, Exercise and Nutrition Straight from Academic Journals INFLUENCE OF VARIABLE RESISTANCE LOADING ON SUBSEQUENT FREE WEIGHT MAXIMAL BACK SQUAT PERFORMANCE, Oct 2014. MINAS A. MINA | ANTHONY J. BLAZEVICH | GIANNIS GIAKAS | ANTHONY D. KAY

Fancy adding 8% to your back squat after one session? This article suggests you can do exactly that, by warming up with variable resistance. The authors tested 16 men (approx. 26 years old with more than 3 years of weight training experience) for 1RM in a back squat to 90° knee flexion, then another day tested them again under either control conditions or following a variable resistance warmup. The use of variable resistance was 2 sets of 3 reps at 85% 1RM, with 35% of that coming from band tension. The result was that none of the athletes in the control group increased their 1RM, but 81% of athletes in the variable resistance group increased their 1RM, by approximately 8%! This was achieved without a reduction in knee flexion in the test group, so they weren’t cheating the rep. Supplementary results suggest that this was possible because the variable resistance warmup potentiated the neuromuscular system. Take home message: try using a band tension warmup next time you test a 1RM and see if it helps! WWW.THEBODYMASS.ORG

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The National Chain of Clubs That’s Sweeping the Nation. Start Your University Fitness Journey, Joining at Freshers 2015!

MASS is a society for health, fitness and weightlifting sports. We can help you get motivated to achieve your fitness goals through our community of like-minded students. You can find a gym buddy, get advice on the problems that have been troubling you, access discounts, enter competitions, go on group trips, attend talks from top professionals, and much more!

Club Feature

The recently ratified Bournemouth MASS are off to a flying start in their first year as a club. Joseph Gregory, the founder and current president shared a few words on his experience…

“When establishing MASS at Bournemouth University I wasn’t sure what to expect, I certainly didn’t envision the strong and confident team of athletes who have performed so well during this year’s events. We’re proud to have done well in Powerlifting and the SPC, but our strongest aspect is our team spirit! Such a huge amount of dedication has been contributed by each member, the drive and focus is real, and the results speak for themselves. The ability to celebrate your achievements with team mates, who are also close friends, is a highly rewarding feeling. Truth be told, we probably spend more time together outside of the gym than within it! I would like to congratulate each member of BU MASS for their hard work and also the good times we have shared. I couldn’t imagine a better way to finish university, than amongst such a close group of friends with the same passion. A Passion for fitness”

FIND YOUR SOCIETY

Clubs exist at over 20 Universities. If you’re lucky your University might be on the list. Find your club, get signed up and start your University fitness journey.

START MASS AT YOUR UNI

Not on the list? Start MASS at your Uni! A Fitness Community already exists at your University. It’s time to give that community a society. Run your own events, excel fitness at your University, receive visits from top athletes, create a supportive network, achieve awesome results, all while making good friends and boosting your CV.

Don’t wait any longer… Join MASS! 08

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GYMSHARK

STUDENT DISCOUNT USE CODE SF15 FOR 15% OFF ENTIRE ORDER

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Lifestyle>

Balancing fitness as a student

Words Jack Lenton

All you need to know on how to balance your fitness lifestyle during your university years. Throughout your university years it is easy to feel overwhelmed and sometimes perhaps a little lost. This can be because there are many different facets of life calling, and often calling in contrasting directions. Balancing the fitness lifestyle with your studies, part time work, a social life and whatever else you have on your plate is certainly tricky. Especially as fitness and physique sports are unlike any other pursuit. To get optimal results, round the clock attention is required. Unfortunately it is not as simple as training hard, chugging down a protein shake and then grabbing a few hours’ sleep after a marathon Xbox session. It is a big commitment to never miss a training session, count calories, measure macros, perfect your nutrient timing and ensure you are still resting enough to recover. It can also be costly – with supplements, food, a gym membership and training apparel costs soon adding up. This especially becomes a problem as a student with limited income. Add all of this on top of a dedicated student’s workload, as well as the constant pressures from friends to stray from your strict lifestyle and it becomes an even greater task. But nothing worth having comes easy, eh?

Love What You Do So, let’s get down to it, how can all this be balanced? Allowing you to achieve your full potential without becoming entirely burned out. The first step is learning to love what you do, fall in love with making progress, bettering yourself daily and succeeding. Everyone wants the success at the end of the road, but he who can enjoy the journey will certainly travel the furthest. Being committed to the cause is crucial to getting the most out of your endeavours; here is where the old cliché ‘you get out what you put in’ rings true. If you are not putting 100% effort into every training session (yes, even that 5th set of heavy squats on leg day), hitting your macronutrient targets daily and recovering well then you cannot expect optimal results. Just as if you spend much of your 2 hour study slot procrastinating and then frantically fit a 1000 word essay into the last 20 minutes… you cannot expect to be awarded with the best grade.

Set Goals for Success When you are working clearly towards targets you have set, every small piece of progress you make brings you closer to success – and then everything you do has meaning and a purpose. This leads onto the next most important point, goal setting. Having goals that are ‘SMART’: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time specific. This will motivate you during tough times, as well as allowing you to track your progress effectively. It is no good just saying ‘I want to gain some weight’. Do you want to gain 1lb of muscle? 10lbs? Realistically, will you have to gain 14lbs and then shed 4lbs of fat to reach your target? These are all questions only you can answer, but once you have clear goals in mind that can be monitored as your journey continues it will motivate you beyond belief. Visualise your goals, and remember why you embarked upon this journey in the first place. It will go a long way to pushing you through tough times as your motivation begins to fade. Making these goals short, medium and long term is effective too, since as you start meeting your short term goals you get closer to your medium and long term goals, with the satisfaction and determination snowballing from there.

Decide On Your Priorities Priorities also need to be set, education does come before fitness, but with effective time management why should you have to compromise on either? It all comes down to how you use your 24 hours in a day, if you want to succeed with your education, build your dream physique and hold down a part time job whilst still maintaining a social life… then some less important daily events are going to have to be waived. Think about it, were the 2 hours you spent watching television truly beneficial to any of your goals? What about that hour spent watching funny cat videos on YouTube instead of finishing off your university project? In all seriousness, to truly succeed in multiple areas of your life you have to prioritise certain tasks, whilst being as productive as possible in everything you embark upon. 10

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Be a Life Long Learner Something that ties in with enjoying the journey is making sure you are continually learning and expanding your knowledge. This of course first applies to university, ensuring you are doing all you can to get the best grades possible. From the fitness side of things education is also vital, you need to be as open as possible to new ideas, concepts, theories and practices whilst still keeping your level of scepticism high enough to filter out the nonsense. There is a massive amount of information out there on fitness. Be it on nutrition, training, rest or supplementation you can guarantee you will find contrasting information that one person will swear by, yet another will condemn. Just because a certain programme works for an IFBB pro, it does not mean that you can blindly follow it and get results, or certainly not optimal results anyway. Ultimately it is all about being knowledgeable enough to put yourself in the most advantageous position possible. The internet gives us great capabilities to access huge amounts of information at our fingertips, but it also gives anyone the ability to express their opinions for the masses to see. Books, seminars, and research papers can all be great sources of information. Question everything before blindly accepting it as fact, and continue to learn and grow along your journey. You will keep looking back on what you have been doing and realise how it could be improved, but do not let it get you down, it is all part of a learning curve that will never truly end.

Budgeting Made Simple It would be unwise to discuss living the fitness lifestyle at university without mentioning an important factor for many students - budget. You will need to watch your budget closely, it is easy to be drawn to the allure of supplements and whatever concoctions you think may give you a quick edge, but getting down a solid base of nutrition and proper training is of paramount importance. The priorities are finding a good value gym that contains enough equipment for your needs, and being thrifty with your food shopping. Once you have established a main budget for your food and gym membership you then have to decide if you can stretch your money to additional supplements and leisure activities. Supplements are just as the name suggests; a supplementary factor to your diet. For example: when trying to increase your strength, do you need creatine? No. But would it be optimal to use it? Yes. It is about investing in your body and determining what will be beneficial to you, if you can justify the monetary outlay. The supplements you take may only give you a 5% edge, but if you are willing and can afford to pay for that edge, well then it is down to your judgement. Just do not go and spend all of your money on the latest, shiny pre-workout powder and testosterone booster before you realise you do not even have enough spare cash to cover your rent this month. If you are struggling to make ends meet then cut costs where ever you can. Could you buy your meat frozen in bulk? Could you negotiate on your gym contract? Budget logically and realistically and you will soon realise that this lifestyle is not as expensive as everyone assumes.

So there you have it; a few of the considerations for students looking to live a fit lifestyle. Now get out there and dominate every lifting session, ace your class projects, keep your nutrition on point and do not forget to keep a healthy life-balance with family and friends. Remember that consistency is vital and you will need to be patient to see real improvements. Finally, do not forget to enjoy the journey. It may be a time-consuming and a frustrating hobby at times â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but damn, it is worth it.

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Lifestyle>

Words Emma Pudge

Open-mindedness

For student athletes, time spent at the gym, on the pitch, or in the kitchen marks out a clear distinction between our personal and academic or professional lives. We see it as a radical way of re-engaging with our physical bodies in a university environment that trains only one muscle: the brain. Most of us will have come across the principle of mind-muscle connection – the idea that we can psychologically and intellectually increase our physical performance – but what if we reversed this? What if physically and actively recruiting our muscles could enhance our intellectual and professional performance? I suggest that an argument in favour of a muscle-mind connection is equally convincing and accounts for why fitness-fanatic students are being considered as more employable than ever before. In the face of an unprecedented number of graduates, Studyfit has investigated what it is that employers see in fitness students that gives them the performance edge…

The fitness world has come a long way since the days where “low reps to build muscle, high reps to burn fat” was accepted on face-value, just as the financial world will no longer suggest encouraging people to spend more will solve the economy. Negotiating the complex, contradictory and novel messages out there requires open-mindedness – something that you demonstrate as an athlete every time that you embark on a new training programme or try a new nutritional strategy.

Ambition Whether you compete nationally, intermurally or just against yourself, your fitness achievements will have been ignited by personal ambition. The scale of your accomplishments is, in this case, irrelevant. Ambition is a way of describing the direction in which you are moving, and tells an employer that in your eyes, progress is the only option.

Commitment Employers know that candidates will always appear keen, motivated and dedicated at interview, just as a lot of people who take up a fitness regime begin with boundless enthusiasm. But what about a month, 3 months, a year down the line? If we go by what happens with exercise programmes, people’s motivation wains, their performance declines and they no longer yield the results they experienced at the start. So if you’ve stuck it out and upheld your commitments, even when the going-gets-tough, that is a good indication of your ability to keep on going and continue to draw out positive results for the company, even when the novelty of the job wears off.

Capacity You may be surprised to hear that employers don’t want to see someone working at 100%. Why? Because proving that “you have more to give” points to your future potential. A student who dedicates 100% of their efforts to achieving their grades is working at full capacity and therefore demonstrates the limits to what they can offer their employer. On the other hand, take a student who directs 75% of their energies into academics, and 25% into the gym, and nonetheless meets the employer’s expectations. That student will be seen to have greater capacity because employers regard that 25% as valuable reserves that can be tapped into when push-comes-to-shove.

Time efficiency What do HIIT training, tabata, and compound moves all have in common? Time efficiency. The ability to get maximal results in the shortest time-frame whilst using minimal resources simultaneously describes how competitive businesses operate, and the principles behind training with intensity. If you’re able to produce exceptional sporting or aesthetic results in your limited free time, you demonstrate a focused, efficient mind-set that evidences your productivity in the workplace.

Preparation Packing your post-workout shake in with your seminar materials, structuring your programme to allow for adequate rest and recovery – these may be things you do without thinking, but that’s because you’ve conditioned yourself to remain one-step-ahead. Employers look for pro-active, organised, young minds that demonstrate insight so that they can pre-empt possible obstacles and prepare to overcome them.

Strategy Hitting a new max squat, setting a new 5km PB or dropping the final few % body fat is rarely a case of “winging it” – no doubt you approached that goal strategically. Often, implementing these strategies involves making short-term sacrifices for long-term gains (literally)! Evaluating the pros and cons of a more moderate or aggressive bulk, assessing when to deload and when to up the intensity, demands that you make judgement calls in the same way that businesses must decide when to invest, when to economise and how to best utilise their resources. 12

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CASE STUDY: OLIVIA LEAFE “I was selected to attend the BUCS Deloitte Leadership Academy in November, a 2-day course in rural Herefordshire specially designed for student sport leaders. The main things we focussed on were leadership styles, and how teamwork and communication are vital to this. It was emphasised that the skills we develop and display as leaders of sport are exactly what graduate employers are looking for. It’s also important to be able to draw on real-life examples of the skills you have developed from sport and leadership at interviews, and this is particularly attractive to many of the big graduate employers. As a student sport leader, I have been able to demonstrate commitment, organisation and time-management, all in relation to my passion for sport. I learnt lots of tips at the academy that I have been able to bring back into my role as Club Captain of my university football club that are also applicable to day-to-day life and my employment prospects.”

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MASS>

Games

1st Loughborough University 2nd Cardiff University 3rd Bournemouth University

Men’s 1st Zib Atkins 2nd Will Harding

Women’s 1st Cari Davies 2nd Catherine Smith

The MASS Games drew to a close this term, finishing on a high with the national ‘Student Throwdown’. Words Britta Zeltmann The 6th June invited students nationwide to participate in the challenge, hosted by Crossfit Leicester, and battle it out one last time for Uni champions and MASS Athlete of the Year 2015. The ultimate strength and fitness challenge, CrossFit combines all disciplines across the MASS board. The throwdown required athletes to complete 4 gruelling 8‐10 minute WODs (workout of the day), testing both their physical and mental endurance. AMRAPS (as many reps as possible), were the aim of the game, making students complete ‘as many reps as possible’ within the given time windows. Each AMPRAP was a test of limits, which all athletes pushed: Loughborough proved victorious on the day, with both Felix Holland and Katie Wreghitt winning gold for the university. The pair consistently came out top for each challenge, displaying incredible speed, strength and resilience throughout. Joining them on the podium were Leicester’s Barny Dillarstone who took home silver, and John Whittle close behind in 3rd place. Behind Katie in the women’s event was Cardiff University’s 2nd place Britta Zeltmann and newly crowned MASS female Athlete of the Year, Cari Davies. Having consistently reached the podium in each of the Games’ events this year, both Davis and overall men’s winner Zib Atkins of Northampton displayed the strength and dedication required to succeed in all arenas of MASS sports. Not only did each competitor perform with incredible skill and resolve, their support for one another was humbling. The electric CrossFit spirit of the day proved the incredible strength of the MASS community: a perfect note on which to end another successful year.

name men’s 1. zib atkins 2. will harding 3. edmon avetisyan 4.felix holland 5. josh bridgeman name women’s 1. cari davies 2. catherine smith 3. hannah powell 4. katie wreghitt 5. serife ustuner

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university

total

northampton longborough bath longborough longborough

20 10 8 8 8

8 4

8 6

university

total

cardiff longborough bangor longborough bath

16 16 8 8 8

6 8

8 8

university 1. longborough 2. cardiff 3. bournemouth 4. brunel 5. middlesex

total 129 94 80 54 46

pl 44 30 22 2

spc

4 8 8 wl

spc

8 st 2

8 8

sm 33 26

wl 2 24 50 46

spc 16 34 2

8 st 36 36

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Awards

SOCIETY OF THE YEAR

To recognise the most outstanding society. Sponsored by Log it or Lose it Cardiff University

PRESIDENT OF THE YEAR

COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR

To recognise the most outstanding president. Sponsored by Protein Dynamix Sam White, University of Leicester

To recognise the most outstanding collaboration between two societies. Sponsored by Nutripak BodyPower Trip, University of Bristol and Oxford Brookes University

EVENT OF THE YEAR

To recognise the most outstanding society event. Sponsored by Muscle Treats ‘Stand up for War Children’, Charity event, Cardiff University

COMMITTEE OF THE YEAR

To recognise the most outstanding committee. Sponsored by Coconoil University of Reading

COACH OF THE YEAR

To recognise the most supportive society coach. Will Harding, Loughborough University

SPONSOR OF THE YEAR

To recognise our most dedicated sponsor/advertiser USN – Ultimate Sports Nutrition

MEDIA CONTRIBUTOR

To recognise the most supportive media outlet LUST – Leicester University Student Television

FASTEST GROWING SOCIETY

STUDYFIT WRITER OF THE YEAR

To recognise the fastest growing society.

To recognise the most creative StudyFit writer.

Sponsored by Branded Ego

University of Bristol

ALUMNI OF THE YEAR

To award the alumni who has shown the most dedication to helping MASS’s development. Chuk Uzowuru

Emma Pudge, University of Exeter

CLUB MEMBER OF THE YEAR STUDENTS UNION OF THE YEAR

To recognise the most supportive students union Leicester Union

GYM OF THE YEAR

To recognise the most enthusiastic and inspiring club member. Paul Wilson, University of Leicester

To recognise the most supportive gym or training facility The Warehouse Gym, Leicester

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Feature>

Catherine Smith

K C A R T E FROM TH K C A R E H TO T nsition from a r T y M , h it m S e Catherin ing Track to Powerlift

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THE

www.thebodymass.org/shop Student Discount. 20% off use code ‘STUDYFIT20’

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Sport>

BUCS

Words: Emma Pudge

Photography: Scott Phillipson

Aesthetics or performance, lifting or cardio, strength or endurance, gym or field, individual or team – until now, we’ve understood these pairings as choices, or even trade-offs, you have to make as an athlete. But who’s to say you can’t have the best of both worlds? We’ve caught up with Tom Mangan, a Sports and Exercise student at DeMonfort University who proves it is possible to excel on the sports field, and stand out on stage. With the MASS Student Physique Championship Grand Finals and the football Varsity requiring peak condition and performance, we wanted to find out what it takes to be a bodybuilding champion, a goal-scoring striker, a driven individual, a team player, and beneath it all, a fitness-fanatic student just like you… Where did it all begin? I was signed by Aston Villa Academy at the age of 11, so had a great insight into what it takes to be an athlete from a young age. I was also very interested in the fitness side off the pitch and got to take part in sports science at a professional premiership club.   When did you feel your sporting career beginning to take off? My sporting career really took off when a few different clubs such as Leicester City showed interest in me, and at that point, I knew I wanted to get signed. Was university always part of the plan? As a youngster, I couldn’t see past being a professional footballer, but I got a bit of a reality check when I wasn’t offered a scholarship at the club. I decided education was the way forward from there, and decided to pursue my passion for the fitness industry. What have you gained from university as a sportsman? For a start, this past year with DMU football team has helped double the amount of football I play, keeping me match fit throughout the year. It has been a brilliant social opportunity getting to know like-minded people, and Varsity is a privilege to take part in. What’s on your horizons as a university sportsman? First and foremost I will be playing for the first and second team in Varsity vs. Leicester, so I want to win both games and as a striker, maybe notch a goal or two. After that, I’ll see the season out and enjoy club socials.

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How did you come across MASS? I came across MASS via social media and through a friend who used to be a part of DMU. I was particularly inspired when I found out about the SPC Athletic category, and realised I had just enough time to get in shape as I began tightening up my diet in the New Year. Had you ever thought of competing in bodybuilding before MASS? I took part in a small show last year which was very much a stepping-stone that gave me an insight into what I needed to bring to the MASS stage – and it paid off! What does the future hold for you as a physique athlete? I hope to do my best in the finals in London. After that, hopefully maintain a good physique year round until I set my aims on another show! Do you think Varsity sportsmen are open to the idea of stepping up on stage, and are physique athletes open to playing team sports? I think the training required for the different disciplines can work against each other, but it is possible to find a happy medium! I am surprised at the lack of sports people involved in physique, as a lot will already be in good shape due to their training! Are your coaches supportive of you pursuing both avenues? My football coaches would usually be a little more lenient, however this season, with both teams neck-and-neck, I’ve had to be there for pretty much every game and most training sessions. What are the main similarities and differences between how you need to train for football vs. physique? For physique, most of my training is weight-based to increase muscle size and also to burn calories, however football training is very cardio-intense and I have to be very careful not to over train. What are the biggest challenges in balancing your goals? Balancing my goals for SPC and Varsity means that sometimes, I have to prioritise one over the other. Gaging the correct calorie intake can be a hassle, but is an important part of my preparation. What advice would you give a sports player who is considering competing as a physique athlete? Definitely give it a go, even if you finish last you will still have a great sense of achievement and grow in confidence. How did you prepare for the Student Physique Championships? My weight training is pretty intense all year round, as that is what I enjoy most, so it remained constant throughout prep. I assess what I need to work on most and prioritise those body parts. For example I needed more definition in my legs so I upped the reps and sometimes trained them twice a week, which is hard going when I play football too! Then there is the dieting. With restricted carbs, it can be hard to concentrate, let alone train and prepare food every night! Eating 7 meals a day out of Tupperwares is just one of those things I have to do regardless! Did you have to adapt your prep to maintain your football performance?  At first, I panicked my body fat was too high so maintained a pretty low carb intake whether or not I had football. Now that my body fat is roughly where I want it to be, I can afford to raise my intake on games days and cycle carbohydrates up and down throughout the week.  Did your performance suffer as you dropped calories and body fat?  I did suffer, and found I had to drag myself through the day, and felt more sluggish on the pitch, but it was definitely worth it! Having prepped for regionals, I don’t have to go through quite as intense carbohydrate cycling this time round. With the football Varsity and national Student Physique Championships approaching, what is your current focus on? I have been training throughout the year for Varsity so have no issues around being match fit. With 5 weeks until SPC, there may not be a massive opportunity to make gains, but there’s certainly time to lose them, so I’ll be sparing some extra carbs to ensure I recover well from Varsity. How do you balance football and bodybuilding against your studies? My studies have taken bit of a back seat recently, but being disciplined about adequate rest gives me time to catch up! What does the future hold for you? I am a personal trainer so would love to stay within the industry and pursue what I enjoy. Perhaps being a Strength & Conditioning coach at a football club would be a role that would suit me! WWW.THEBODYMASS.ORG

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FUNCTION, , H T G N E R T S SPORT; The MASSter Plan Words Shaun Howell Photography Scott Phillipson

So you’ve started going to the gym, or maybe you’ve been going for a while and have seen some progress, but aren’t sure how it all fits together long term. Maybe you are thinking about starting to work towards a goal but have no idea where to begin. If you want a bit of guidance and context for your thoughts then read on; over the next couple of minutes you’ll get a crash course on goal setting and what factors should guide your thoughts, what the main things to think about are and what you should do from here.

Ground Rules Before we get into it though, I think it’s important to lay some ground rules:

Question everything.

05 Use appropriate commitment.

Think long term.

06 Keep an open mind.

Enjoy training.

This industry is FULL of people who, at best, want to help but don’t know enough to do so. Find the source of information; judge their bias and value, see if everyone agrees with it. Commit to realistic goals, make changes gradually, and engrain positive habits. Overall this has to be a positive experience or you’ll either give up or resent it. Of course there will be bits you don’t enjoy but they should be outweighed by the ‘fun’.

Try new things where appropriate.

If everything’s going great then don’t change it all up. If you’ve stalled, trying a new style of training can be great; find what works for you.

If you want to be the best in the world, you will have to make relationship and career sacrifices. If you just want to be a bit stronger and healthier, you don’t need to make that level of sacrifice, but still need to fix a few things. How important is this to you really? Some bodybuilders are freakishly strong, some powerlifters are crazy lean; there is no one set way of training towards any one set of goals. Don’t be afraid to try a type of training shunned by a group of people unless it’s genuinely dangerous.

OK so down to business; where are you and where do you want to be? Let’s start with the answer you probably do know:

Where Do You Want to Be? Goal setting is a central tenant of planning as it tells you if what you’re doing is working and also encourages you to keep going. Most people’s goals are sort of vague even to them, so in real terms they are really vague. Write down your goal in your own words. This is important as it makes you clarify your thoughts and makes it undeniable to yourself that it is your goal. Now try to boil that statement down to its critical elements: are your goals related to a sport or are they personal, are they physical, are they performance based or aesthetic based? These are some of the factors that should form the core of your thinking and planning; there’s no point in making weight loss the primary goal of your plan if what you actually want from it is to look better or perform better at a sport; clarify and quantify those specific goals.

Where are you? What is your current level and what experience do you have? Write down all the relevant information about your current level. Think resistance training experience in years, body fat %, max effort squat, 400m run time; anything which is relevant to your goal. If you don’t know this stuff, you should, if you think it’s relevant then measure it. This will help you contextualise things you read as the author could have meant it for someone coming from a completely different place. 20

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Function, strength, sport…

Now, depending on where you are and how far you want to go, your journey will occupy one part of the ‘function, strength, sport’ path. This progression implies that you first need to be able to move correctly, then you need to develop a basic level of strength and then you need to apply yourself to a sport or discipline suited to your goals. You may be thinking ‘that sounds like a lot of effort before I really get anywhere’, but getting the basics right first will save you a massive amount of time and effort down the line. Charging into a chest strength routine without fixing your internally rotated shoulders will probably mean pain in a month or a year’s time which then needs time off to fix and recover. If you’re reading this and are not a beginner, it may seem like pointless effort to regress in order to achieve the functionality and/or strength, but again it will help you vastly in the long term by improving movement efficiencies and reducing injury risk and hence time out of training due to injury. Of course each stage should be adapted to your goals, so the strength required by an endurance runner will be completely different (albeit still required) to that of a rugby player or an Olympic weightlifter.

Function Pretty much everybody these days spends most (or at least lots) of their waking life sat down doing something like typing or driving. Unfortunately this position ingrains poor mechanics by shortening the chest muscles, upper traps and hip flexors amongst other areas, and causes weakness in a number of key areas. It’s critical to address these both short term (correcting any seriously poor mechanics so it’s safe to train) and long term (gradually improving through regular, manageable efforts) in order to get the most out of your training and make your long-term goals achievable. Sure you could ignore this step and get good short-term results but ultimately you’ll be limiting your progress and risking injury. Lots of athletes ignore this stage because they’re already good at their sport and it comes back to bite them suddenly after chronic pathological movements. Ideally, do lots of your own research to identify your pathological movement patterns and how to fix them, but failing that see a specialist who really knows their stuff. It honestly is worth the money and time.

Strength The next stage is to develop a basic level of strength in line with your goals. This is easily overlooked as some people assume resistance training is only for people who want to look like bodybuilders or go to World’s Strongest Man. That is incredibly untrue, regardless of your goals some strength training will help you get there. Want to lose fat? A bit of extra muscle will increase your metabolism and make you look a bit leaner; resistance training has been shown to be more effective than cardio in a number of studies. Want to be faster on the pitch? Explosive strength can help your acceleration massively. Want to be healthier? Strength training improves bone density and a number of hormones balances. If strength training is completely foreign to you, give it a try; keep it simple with a very basic 40 minute whole body workout 2 or 3 times per week – squat, bench press, deadlift, assisted pull-up and plank – 3 sets of 10-12 (1 minute on the plank) of each after a warmup set at 60% weight with 90 seconds rest between sets. If you’re already familiar with strength training then you probably ‘get it’ and don’t need this instruction. Read on!

Sport (& Competition) I use the term ‘sport’ here loosely, really I mean choosing a discipline to apply yourself to which you can use as a framework to gauge success in the long term and keep you motivated through community, events and competition (if that’s your thing). Ideally this discipline would be an established sport, as those have the most opportunities for engagement and you’re likely to get the most from them. But even if that doesn’t suit you, it’s important to set out what you want to achieve and what set of skills or traits you want to develop in the long term. There are so many gym/strength sports established or emerging that it’s likely you’ll find one which suits your mind-set and the goals which resonate the strongest with you. This will give you an established measure of performance and probably some examples of people to aspire to. Personally I would also advocate competing from an early stage in your exposure to a sport, as competitions are where you really soak up the excitement of fellow athletes and witness performances to aim for, as well as meeting experienced people who are usually more than happy to talk about their training! From my experience in the gym/strength sport community, competitions are also friendly and encouraging and very welcoming of beginners, so will motivate you to improve.

Hopefully this assortment of thoughts has helped somewhat in terms of painting the big picture, helping you identify some goals and make the most of your own research towards planning your training in the short and long terms. Above all, stick to the ground rules, starting with practising rule #1 by questioning the ground rules and making them your own!

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The term ‘CrossFit’ typically refers to either the company by the same name, the training methodology, or the sport organised by said company. The training methodology and sport aim respectively to increase and test a person’s work capacity through various forms of exercise and for different time durations. The usage of the term is often interchangeable with the term ‘WOD’ (workout of the day) or ‘metcon’ (metabolic conditioning), although to a CrossFitter these are all very specific things. A typical CrossFit training session or competition event is most likely to combine elements of bodyweight movements, weightlifting movements and ‘cardio’ (usually either running or rowing). These are usually prescribed as a set number of repetitions to complete as quickly as possible or as a sequence of repetitions to be completed as many times as possible in a set period of time. The most famous CrossFit prescription called ‘Fran’ is to complete the following as quickly as possible: 21 Thrusters (a front squat followed by a push press - 45kg for men, 30kg for women), 21 Pullups, 15 Thrusters, 15 Pullups, 9 Thrusters, 9 Pullups. This takes a moderately trained person somewhere around 6 minutes, although it has been completed in less than 2. So why is Olympic Weightlifting so important in all this? Well, the answer lies at the heart of CrossFit; work capacity.

It’s All About Work Capacity

A person’s work capacity over a time period is a measure of both how far they can move a weight (or how many reps they can do) and how heavy that weight actually is. It measures a person’s ability to repeatedly exert force, and that is where (Olympic) weightlifting comes in. Weightlifting requires a very high peak force to be exerted on a barbell, and CrossFit proposes that by developing the Olympic lifts (‘Snatch’ and ‘Clean and Jerk’), you develop a person’s ability to produce force. Also, the mechanics of a person’s lower body when performing these lifts is similar to a person jumping then squatting and standing up, which are movement patterns seen throughout CrossFit. This implies that improving at these two lifts should carry over a great deal to the rest of the CrossFit movements; at least that’s the reason for CrossFit stating Olympic Weightlifting as a central pillar of its philosophy. However, it is critical to understand a couple of points: firstly, that the Olympic lifts are highly technical, and secondly, that CrossFit utilises the lifts very differently to the sport of Olympic Weightlifting. These points, as well as other nuances, muddy the water of how to use these lifts in the most effective and safe manner to achieve your goals, and that’s where it becomes important to consider whether you want to compete in the sport of CrossFit or just use the CrossFit training methodology.

they receive only as much attention as any other movement, which limits the benefits they get from them. I personally feel that it’s critical to approach the Olympic lifts the way that people within this sport do so before programming them into your conditioning circuits. That means drilling the lifts regularly (at least twice per week for each full lift) at a moderate-high load for many sets of low reps with rest, and performing a range of accessory movements to improve weak points in the lifts. This approach engrains correct motor patterns, as the weight is sub-maximal and the time period per set is short enough that you can concentrate completely on all the nuances, at a weight which is still challenging enough to expose incorrect technique. Once you have drilled the lifts to the point where making a minute mistake makes the lift ‘feel’ completely wrong, then you can start to use the lifts as a tool to improve work capacity, as you can perform them without either spending all of your energy focusing on technique or not focusing and causing inefficiencies and risk of injury. If you’re programming your own training, incorporating this concept is relatively straightforward. If you’re at a CrossFit gym and are asked to perform Snatches in a metcon, its worth considering whether you can do so effectively or if you’ll be engraining a poor movement pattern by doing so. If you do go for it, keep in mind whether your goal is to gain as much training stimulus as possible from the workout, or whether you want to get the best score possible. The former would imply that using a weight you’re comfortable with and focussing on form is best, whereas the latter implies a different mindset altogether; now you’re seeing CrossFit as a sport...

To Make it Harder… They Make Them Heavier!

Once you’ve been a CrossFitter for a while, you will inevitably consider competing in the sport of CrossFit at either a local ‘throwdown’ or the CrossFit games, and I highly encourage you to do so! However, if you change your goal from ‘being fit and strong’ to ‘doing as well as I can at CrossFit competitions’ it’s important to realise how the sport is different from the training. Firstly, the movements and the time domains in competitions typically come from the same set as in CrossFit training, but the actual prescriptions are not. Given that CrossFit competitions are limited in terms of time (there are often hundreds of competitors to get through and about 6 events in one day), competition organisers can’t generally make the events longer in order to make them harder, so they have to make them heavier. That means that as you compete at a higher and higher level, the emphasis shifts towards rewarding those who can lift the most, rather those with the best cardiovascular systems. It should be obvious then that developing your Olympic lifts is one of the most important things you can do in order to transition to a higher level of CrossFit competitiveness. If you increase your maximal Snatch and Clean and Jerk, you’ll find a prescribed weight easier to lift, and as the Olympic lift movements are so similar to many of the CrossFit movements, there will be a large carryover from training your Olympic Most people who ‘do’ CrossFit just want to be active, healthy, fit (in the lifts and related accessory movements. generic sense of the word) and a bit stronger. These people typically use CrossFit has been described as ‘Olympic Weightlifting plus circuits’, and I CrossFit as a community and an exercise class similar to circuits, but think this emphasises both the importance of Olympic Weightlifting in which contains a strength component and uses a specific set of CrossFit and the importance of a CrossFit training program having more movements. Their exposure to the Olympic lifts will be through technical than a passing resemblance to an Olympic Weightlifting program. The parts of workouts at a very light weight, inside conditioning circuits at a Olympic lifts are highly technical and need to be mastered themselves moderate weight and in ‘strength’ components up to a maximum weight. before they can be used as a tool to develop other aspects of your From what I’ve seen at dozens of CrossFit gyms around the world, fitness. people generally struggle to achieve technical proficiency at these lifts as

Train CrossFit? Or Compete In CrossFit?

Words Shaun Howell

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WEIGHTLIFTING IN THE CROSSFIT WORLD:

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HOW TO: OLYMPIC Setup

Feet a bit narrower than your squat stance, bar above laces, hands just outside feet (wide enough to push your knees out), hook grip on (no excuses!), lats engaged but arms fairly relaxed, rock solid core (valsava!), weight in the heels. Hips should normally be lower than shown; athlete has long legs. Whatever order you tick these off in mentally, make sure you go through the exact same process every time.

Pockets

Torso almost vertical, knees almost extended, arms straight. This is where you need to max out the glutes and quads to transfer as much vertical force to the bar as possible. The bar shouldn’t stop touching your thigh until you reach extension. Film yourself, this bit’s important. You may notice your knees re-bend around this point; try to limit this, but a bit is ok.

First pull: Shin

Think of this part as a push with the legs rather than a pull with the legs; we want your torso angle to stay the same until the bar passes your knees. As the bar breaks the floor it should travel vertically or backwards slightly; it should pass very close to your knees. Arms completely straight. Take the tension out of the bar before fully going for the lift. Don’t rip the bar as quickly as possible; the first pull’s job is primarily to set you up for the second pull, not to generate momentum.

Receive

You have to get from extension to this position about 100 times quicker than you are currently; speed between these positions is absolutely critical. So is being solid in this bottom position; you should get here before the weight does, causing the weight to then fall on you; be ready! Bar resting above front delt, feet need to move outwards to a squat width, knees tracking in line with the feet, torso vertical, ‘core’ and upper back tight. If you struggle to keep elbows high, strengthen your upper back (don’t just keep thinking ‘elbows up’).

Extension

Don’t pull the bar as high as possible; tightening up your arms and shoulders will make you slower to get under the bar and once its heavy will hardly get you any extra height; once its heavy it won’t get near sternum height and catching it is down to speed under the bar. Keep the bar as close as possible; image shown is a bit too far away really. Kill it with glutes and quads. Forearms should stay close (-ish) to vertical; don’t try to front raise it!

Knee, Second Pull

As the bar passes the knee it should stay close to the body and actually touch and slide up the thigh from about the height shown here, this helps stop the bar banging away from you as you extend fully (lycra etc will help this more than thick cotton, if bar is on skin then use talcum powder to lubricate). The torso starts to become more vertical from here so that the hips and knees end up reaching extension in synchronisation. Arms straight; this is a glute and quad exercise!

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Stand and Set

Don’t hang out at the bottom; feel the bar land on your shoulders and use the whip to stand immediately back up. Again, quads and glutes provide force through a strong midsection to the bar. Weak here? Work on your front squat game; pauses, partials, volume, bands, find what works for you but get your front squat numbers up! Knees may come in a bit just after the bottom position; limit this but a tiny bit is fine. At the top you’ll need to reset to get ready for the Jerk; you may want to widen your hands slightly and take a better grip on the bar if you can’t front squat with a full grip.

LIFTS Dip

Torso upright, go through the same mechanics you just did at the top of the front squat. That means knees out rather than pushing them forward. Only a small dip; about a quarter squat. Midsection still solid.

Extension

Similar logic to the previous extension; get as much height on the bar with the lower body as possible without limiting your speed under the bar by trying to push it as high as possible. Film yourself, get a coach; this balance takes practise.

Extension

Set

Similar to the clean setup but with hands much wider. This means you can push the knees out more and sink the hips lower for a more upright torso. Tight hips will make this tough or impossible; get on the mobility work. Weightlifting shows will help a bit in getting the position. Check your clothes aren’t limiting your flexibility.

Make sure you fully extend your knees and hips, again don’t pull the bar up as high as you can with arms and shoulders; you need to be super quick to the catch position. Don’t let the bar drift out in front of you; this picture shows a bit too much forward travel on the bar! When heavy, at this position you may be leaning back far enough that it is unstable; that’s fine as we’re only here for a moment before going to the catch.

First pull, Shin

Receive

As with the clean, the bar moves vertically or towards you a bit. Torso angle stays roughly constant (does depend on your setup; remember you’re just trying to enable a perfect 2nd pull).

Again, similar logic to the first receive; speed, speed, speed, position, strength, speed. Front foot goes forward roughly as much as the back foot goes back. Switch on the glute of that back leg to improve stability. Knees roughly in-plane with the feet. Catch the bar with straight arms; any pressing disqualifies the lift. Work on overhead range of motion to limit overextension of the lower back.

Receive

Stand

Which foot to move first is debated; do your research and stick to one method. Finish with feet together standing tall.

Knee, 2nd pull

The bar will travel further up your thigh because your arms are wider, so stay rocked over a bit longer than you do in a clean. You may notice your knees re-bending (as they come under the bar), a bit of this is fine but limit it; the movement should be smooth throughout with no noticeable transition from one pull to another.

Pockets

Again, torso should be pretty much vertical before you go for a full extension in order to help keep the bar close to you. Feel the weight move from the heels to the balls of your feet.

Speed, speed, speed! No matter who you are you need to work on your speed to this position! You need to catch the bar in a full overhead squat (this picture shows position leaving the catch). This will probably take a great deal of practise and corrective and flexibility work for beginners. Most people can’t hit a proper overhead squat so don’t trust form you see in the gym (unless they snatch 1.5xBW, then maybe they know some things) and do your own research or get a (proper weightlifting) coach. Torso upright, knees roughly in plane with the feet, arms straight and roughly above the ears, shoulders engaged to stabilise overhead (pull your hands apart, ‘break the bar’).

Stand

Don’t hang around down there, feel the whip and stand straight back up; there will be less whip than in a clean but standing straight back up still makes a difference. As a beginner the bar won’t be flexing much, but learn this anyway. Practice and strengthen your position in ‘the hole’ (position at the bottom of a squat) with its own assistance work; snatch balance, isometric holds, pause overhead squats etc but don’t pause in the full lift; receive and go. Strong core and active shoulders as you complete the lift.

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MIND BLOWING MUSCLE BUILDING TECHNIQUES Three methods known for slapping on all kindzzz of gains… Words Tom Mangan Photography Scott Phillipson

FST-7 Fascia Stretch Training A workout fit for Mr. Olympia!

FST-7 was developed by Hany Rambod, the trainer of Jay Cutler and Phil Health involving sets of FST-7 which can be performed on either the first or last exercise for a specific body parts. It stands for Fascia Stretch Training and with seven sets, it will maximize blood flow to the muscle and enhance the pump, stretching your muscle fascia and promoting optimal growth.

GVT

Complete 7 sets of 12 intense quick reps with 30-45 seconds rest between sets. To be performed at the end or beginning of your usual workout, of the specific muscle your training that session.

Bicep workout • 4 X Hammer curls • 4 X Isolation Curls • 4 X E-Z Bar curls • FST-7 Barbell Curls

German Volume Training A simple yet brutal workout to pack on muscle fast!

One exercise per muscle group, ten sets of ten reps, where 10lbs of muscle gained in 6 weeks is not uncommon, even in experienced lifters!

Y3T

How it works…

Yoda 3 Training

How it works…

GVT works on volume and repeated efforts of lifting the same weight for 10 reps, 10 times with a minute and a half rest between sets. First of all, find your one rep max on an exercise such as bench press for the pecs. Then, find 60% of this weight, and that’s what you’ll be lifting for ten sets! Keep the lowering (negative) phase to four seconds, then slightly quicker on the way up for two seconds. Once all ten sets are completed, you can do the same for the other muscle which you are training that day.

A 9 Week training programme which helps pack on muscle and improve vascularity Y3T is a great training technique to make sure you are training each aspect of the muscle, allowing for continuous progress due to its unique weekly cycling. It does this by working different muscle fibres each week.

Chest & Back workout • Bench press at 60% 1RM 10 sets x 10 reps – 90 seconds rest between sets • Lat-pulldown at 60% 1RM 10 sets x 10 reps – 90 seconds rest between sets

How it works…

Week 1 is the ‘Heavy week,’ which works fast twitch fibres 2B. These are big explosive muscle fibres which need to be trained using powerful movements. This means keeping a rep range of 6-10 and sticking to mainly compound movements. Week 2 involves a slightly higher rep range, so 12-16 reps will suffice, aiming to hit the fast twitch type 2a muscle with a bit more emphasis on isolation movements. Week 3 demolishes the slow twitch muscle fibres using reps anywhere between 15 and 100. Repeat the whole thing three times adding additional weight each time to complete the plan!

Chest workout

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Week 1: 6-10 Reps

Week 2: 12-16 Reps

Week 3: 15 + reps

• 4 X Barbell Press • 4 X Incline Press Smith Machine • 4 X Decline Dumbbell Press

• 3 X Barbell Press • 3 X Cable Flies • 3 X Incline Dumbbell Press • 3 X Pec Dec

• 3 X Cable Flies • 3 X Pec Dec • 3 X Incline Flies • 3 X Press ups to Failure

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Reinventing the push up into a viable bench press alternative. You love to bench press. Everyone does. It’s a simple move, you can load up big weights on it, and it trains major muscles you love to see in the mirror. However, the bench press isn’t always the safest option. If you don’t have a spotter, it can be dangerous to overload yourself to a point where you might fail a rep and need the bar lifted off you. Furthermore, excessive bench press in your training can lead to a whole host of shoulder issues. Sometimes, when training your chest and triceps, it can be useful to revert back to the bench presses little brother, the PE teachers favourite: the push up.

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You probably left the push up behind as soon as you discovered the bench press. You now probably view it as a warm up exercise, cranking out a few sets of 10 before you start your chest day. However, by making a few simple tweaks shown in the exercises below, we can amp up the intensity of push ups so you can get great upper body results without even touching a weight. Before you try some of the more intense and advanced push up variations, make sure you’ve mastered the ordinary push up. If you’re not quite sure if you have or haven’t click through to the right >>

Staggered Push Up Set up: Set yourself up for a normal push up; hands below shoulders, core braced, elbows tucked. Now, take one hand and move it forward until it is below your eye line. Your hands are now in the staggered position. Execution: Lower yourself as normal, then focus on driving through your hand that is still below your shoulder on the up phase. Use your more forward hand as a support. When you’re done, take a short rest, switch which hand is forward, and repeat. This move increases the intensity on one pectoral at a time, by increasing the work each side does during one rep. It is a good first move to attempt after mastering the regular push up. Aim for 15 – 20 reps each side before attempting archer push ups.

Archer Push Up Set up: Again, set yourself up for a normal push up; hands below shoulders, core braced, elbows tucked. This time take one hand and extend it out to the side of your body. Raise your extended hand off the palm onto just the fingers and make sure that arm is straight. Imagine looking down on your body and you should see an image similar to an archer with his bow. Your extended hand is ‘drawing the arrow’ while the hand still under the shoulder is ‘holding the bow’. Execution: Similar to the staggered push up, focus on driving through the hand still under your shoulder. Your extended arm should bend slightly as you lower to the bottom point of the push up. Switch sides again and repeat. The archer push up is very similar to the staggered push up in that it isolates the work onto one side of your upper body. However, by moving the non-working arm laterally and further away from the body’s midline, the support is reduced, so the intensity placed on the working arm is further increased. Aim for 10 reps each side before moving on.

Lateral Push Up Set up: Slightly different to the others, you start lateral push ups with both arms extended laterally away from the body. If you looked down on your body, it would resemble a cross. You can keep your fingers facing forwards, or point them out laterally too; whichever is most comfortable for you. Execution: Lower yourself down towards your left hand. You should be moving diagonally downwards, trying to get your left pec as close as you can too your left hand. Drive back up and away so your body becomes central again. Immediately repeat to your right side. This exercise provides a more dynamic version of the archer push up, and the different movement pattern makes it a difficult move to master. Aim to hit 16-20 reps before attempting the daddy of all push ups; the one arm push up. It is hard to let go of the staple upper body exercise of the bench press. Most of us are comfortable and feel at home with a bar above our chest, but you can achieve similar results in a safer and equally as challenging environment with the push ups shown above. As if this article hasn’t already done enough to convince you to try some advanced push ups in your next upper body workout, always remember that push ups work your core at the same time as your pecs and triceps. Words: Mark Harvey WWW.THEBODYMASS.ORG

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Nutrition>

Get Results

iifym vs clean eating

Which is best?

With competition prep campaigns well underway, the two rival parties – #TeamIIFYM and #cleaneaters - are in gridlock over today’s most contentious dietetic policies – how to balance the energy budget, and what do with a calorie deficit. In the face of convincing scientific evidence from both sides of the table, and endless lobbying via online forums, we’ve caught up with medical student Josh Leader to find out why he’s voting for “Clean Eating”…

What exactly do the terms “IIFYM” and “clean eating” mean?

IIFYM stands for “If it fits your macros”. I classify IIFYM as a diet that means you can eat any food source as long as it falls in line with your calculated daily protein, carb, fat, and calorie intake. “Clean eating”, in my book, refers to a diet that consists of natural and nutrient dense foods and focuses on food quality rather than numerical breakdown.

More on Josh Leader University: Leeds Degree title: MBCHB MEDICINE AND SURGERY (3RD YEAR) BSc CLINICAL SCIENCES (CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE) 2014 Age: 21 Height: 170cm Weight: 160lbs What nutritional approach do you choose to follow?

I have adopted both approaches but feel that “clean eating” has had a substantially better impact on my progress.

What are some of the drawbacks of IIFYM?

IIFYM serves to make you gain or lose weight, but for me, that is all this method offers. People can become over-consumed with numbers on the weighing scales and often can lose sight of what is it that they are actually trying to achieve.

What was your experience with IIFYM?

I was able to gain muscle whilst restricting the amount of body fat I put on in the process. Although I did grow using a more flexible diet, the majority of the weight I put on, I would now consider ‘bad weight’ as it accumulated around those burdensome love handles.

What are some of the assumptions people make about “clean eating”?

People seem to think that a ‘clean eating’ approach means that you are constantly eating out of Tupperware and are unable to have a social life. This is not the case at all. ‘Clean eating’ does not mean that you are restricted to only eating the stereotypical bodybuilder meal of chicken and rice but rather refers to a well-rounded diet that is comprised of natural, nutrient dense foods.

What is one of the differences in your diet when you are “eating clean”?

Whilst adopting a clean eating approach, the carbohydrates I consume are more complex and have a lower glycaemic index [GI].

Why is it important to pay attention to carb sources?

Carbohydrates are grouped according to their chemical structures into simple and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are made up of one or two sugars. They are refined sugars that offer very little nutritional value to the body and are often called ‘empty calories,’ so therefore I believe their consumption should be limited to the bare minimum. In comparison to complex carbohydrates, simple carbohydrates are broken down by the body at a faster rate due to their more basic arrangement. Complex carbohydrates comprise of three or more sugars, which are combined to form a polysaccharide. These sugars are mostly rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. As a result of their more complex composition, it takes a longer amount of time to digest them. Furthermore, complex carbohydrates do not spike the sugar levels in the blood as quickly as simple carbohydrates. 28

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What affect does carb quality have on your training?

Eating more complex carbohydrates also had a better impact on my training performance as well as my academic performance. Eating more sugary sources of carbohydrates left me feeling lethargic whereas complex carbohydrates offer a more sustained energy release meaning that I do not experience these highs and lows and consequently am more efficient.

Is there ever a place for simple carbohydrates in a “clean eating” diet?

The only time where I ensure that the carbohydrate source has a higher GI and GL is immediately post work out when I want to quickly raise my insulin levels. However it’s important to note that I am still able to restore my leptin levels without spiking my insulin levels excessively.

What’s the big deal about insulin?

Whilst trying to lean up, the primary focus is to lose body fat. Although insulin creates an extremely anabolic environment that is beneficial for muscle growth, it also inhibits lipolysis (fat breakdown). By preventing the body from entering this state, this will promote maximal fat loss. Nevertheless, insulin provides a catch-22 situation as this is also the time when we are most vulnerable to muscle breakdown too. Whilst in a calorie deficit the body will use any source of energy available to it. We are able to prevent the body entering a catabolic state by supplementing with BCAA’s and glutamine.

How has managing insulin levels impacted on your results?

I have only been able to achieve the next level conditioning that people associate me with through clean eating. I attribute this to keeping my blood level sugars as stable as possible. Whilst adopting an IIFYM approach, one is more likely to spike their blood sugar levels.

Read more on Insulin Why are fats an important part of “clean eating”?

People often do not think beyond the macro-nutritional value of a food and do not take its micro-nutritional value into consideration. Yes, about 85% of the calories from avocado come from fat but avocados also provide other essential nutrients, including fibre, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. Moreover, foods can also have a variety of beneficial physiological effects on the body. With regards to the avocado, it can prime the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as lutein in foods that are eaten in conjunction with it.

What are some of the other health benefits from “eating clean”?

In addition, ‘clean eating’ will result in less exposure to preservatives, sweeteners, additives and allergens, which will also help you achieve that grainy and dry look that many aspire to.

How has “clean eating” affected your appetite and attitude towards food?

People often struggle to diet due to hunger however I have felt dieting is far easier whilst adopting a ‘clean eating’ approach as I feel more full. Although I do not have any cravings, I am also a firm believer in what I do not have I do not miss. If I am to schedule re-feeds whilst dieting I would much prefer doing it ‘clean’ rather than via IIFYM as for me this would only worsen my cravings.

How can you negotiate social situations whilst “eating clean”?

When I go to a restaurant, I will just opt for a starter and a main course rather than having a dessert.

Do you enjoy eating “clean” foods?

As I’ve mentioned, one reason for eating clean is to be the best I can be (so eating for me is about functionality and progress) but another reason is that I actually prefer eating more balanced meals. My diet is so varied that I actually no longer crave any ‘junk’ food. Every angle is hit from taste to texture and I look forward to every meal because every meal is different. Each meal in my diet consists of a different protein, carbohydrate and fat source in order to provide my body with the most efficient tools to help growth whilst remaining lean but more importantly to ensure optimal health.

IIFYM Well there you have it. Josh Leader argues a strong and convincing case for ‘clean eating’. But as with any election, it’s advisable to listen to both sides of the argument before making your decision. So follow this link to find out why Actuarial Science student Daniel Olusina is campaigning for the IIFYM party. Daniel Olusina on IIFYM

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STUDYFIT

Nutrition>

Enjoy Food

Enjoyable Muscle Meals with MASSterchef Dale Rawlings

If you're bored of eating chicken and rice every day and struggle for nutrition ideas fear no more, here’s just a few examples of muscle building macro mash ups that will help your training goals, ignite your metabolism and make you a kitchen maestro. With a couple of shopping tips to help out too.

Turkey burgers with spicy sweet potato mash and broccoli Get your hands on some turkey mince and prepare to get a little messy. Mash the mince in a bowl until it loses stringiness. Add one egg, salt, pepper, chopped onion and seasoning if desired. Form two similar size patties no thicker than 2 inches. Cook in foreman grill or on griddle until cooked all the way through (no pink areas). Wash and peel desired amount of sweet potato, wash again before cutting (this helps soften them) into equal size chunks. Boil the potatoes for roughly 15-20 minutes until they are falling apart when touched with a fork. Drain then add pepper, chilli powder and a teaspoon of low fat butter while mashing with a fork. Steam/microwave/boil broccoli florets and tuck in! Shopping tip: 450g turkey mince costs £1.79 at Aldi and will cover two meals. Broccoli florets can be purchased in large frozen bags which can be stored for weeks and are easy to cook.

Lean beef mince and spinach chilli with basmati rice Fry lean mince in a tiny amount of extra virgin olive oil, when the mince is no longer pink add tinned chopped tomatoes/tomato purée, red kidney beans, chopped onions, chilli powder and cumin. Allow to simmer until fully heated through, add 1/3 bag of spinach and fold in gradually near end of cooking time. Microwave/boil rice as desired before adding the chilli on top. This meal can be made in several portion for the following days. Shopping tip: Add chilli powder and cumin to your cupboard, they cost 49p each at Aldi and help ignite your metabolism – Fat burning heaven. Fresh spinach is relatively cheap although you can purchase frozen to make it last longer.

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Stir fry spicy chicken and vegetables Cut fresh chicken into similar size chunks and add to a pre heated wok or large frying pan, this needs to be lubricated with a little extra Virgin olive oil or one calorie spray. Prepare vegetables into similar sizes or use prepared stir fry vegetables in a bag. Add the vegetables in order of thickness, the thicker ones will take longer to cook. Once the vegetables are added then pour in a small amount of soy sauce, be careful of the sodium content. Add chilli powder and black pepper while continuously stirring. This is an ideal low carb meal but egg noodles can be added for carbohydrate. Shopping tip: Get a bag of fresh already prepared stir fry vegetables from Aldi, this will cover approximately three meals. Add any additional desired vegetables such as mangetout and baby corn.

Spiced Basa fillet with baked sweet potato and Mediterranean vegetables Pierce sweet potato(s) several times before baking in oven for 30-45 minutes at 180 degrees, this is dependent on the size of the potato. Season Basa fillet with chilli powder before oven baking for 20-25 minutes or grilling for 10-15 minutes. Place prepared Mediterranean vegetables on a foiled tray, drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on before putting in oven for 20-25 minutes. Shopping tip: Aldi again, get your hands on 400g skinless and boneless frozen basa fillets for £1.49. The protein content is around 23g per 100g and they are perfect to store for a few weeks.

Chicken with reduced fat pesto, whole wheat pasta and spinach Place chicken breast on a foiled tray, season if desired and put it in the oven for 30-45 minutes on 180 degrees (ovens may vary) until cooked through. Bring a pan of water to the boil before adding whole wheat pasta and simmer for 10-15 mins. Drain off and add 1/3 bag of baby spinach while pasta is still hot, stir in reduced fat pesto before adding chicken breast. Allow the flavours to combine before serving. Shopping tip: Reduced fat pesto is available in most supermarkets. Morrison’s have it as part of their ‘NuMe’ range or pick up a jar in Tesco for £1. Buy chicken breasts in bulk from a butchers and freeze in separate portions, this is perfect for meal prepping and keeps down costs just make sure you defrost them properly.

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Nutrition>

Enjoy Food

THE BEST

E P I C E R E K A C N PROTEIN PA • 638 Calories • 53g Protein • 69g Carbs • 15g Fat Everyone loves having pancakes for breakfast. But it’s no secret that they’re not the healthiest things in the world!

INGREDIENTS:

When you wake up, your body has been without food for hours during your sleep, therefore it is essential to get protein into your system first thing. Having whey protein is perfect. Whey is a fast-digesting protein source and is utilised quickly and efficiently by your body. With a high Leucine content, whey kick-starts protein synthesis - The process of turning protein into muscle tissue. Protein shakes can get pretty boring, so here is one of my favourite breakfast recipes…

DIRECTIONS: 1. Blend the oats until they make a powder. 2. Add whey, egg + egg whites, banana, water and honey and blend until everything has been mixed to form a thick batter. 3. Heat a couple of sprays of oil in a frying pan over a low-medium heat. 4. Pour some batter in the pan to make one pancake. When bubbles form, flip the pancake and cook for a further couple of minutes. 5. Serve and enjoy! Why not top yours off with blueberries and Walden Farms Pancake Syrup!

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By Jake Burgess

Lifestyle>

Social Media

There is no doubt that Instagram has become one of the most significant and active social media to date. The service launched in 2010, as little as five years ago, becoming one of the fastest growing cultural arrivals of the twenty first century with recent figures soaring over 300 million active users by the end of 2014. But what makes Instagram phenomenal is that it has become such an influential platform in marketing and monitoring the game of fitness.

And what do we exactly mean by Instagram? #doyoueveninstagram

To the majority of us, the app requires no introduction however we must acknowledge that Instagram only launched in 2010. Advances in technologies and its impact on culture has us both tech and trend savvy. It’s still important to be open minded that our age and generation plays a huge role in this cultural transition. Instagram is a photo and video sharing service based online and on mobiles. The app enables members to capture, filter and share photos and videos onto their profiles and across other social media including Facebook and Twitter. But, distinctive features of the app include confining photos similar to Polaroid images but most importantly users are able to digitally enhance their images using filters.

Why is Instagram obsessed with fitness? #fitspiration

Photos speak more than words, in fact, they speak volumes. Instagram is image saturated, the whole concept itself is solely focused around imagery. When words are difficult to communicate, posting images simplify the task especially as other social media is either constrained with character limitations or crammed with too many functions of statuses, albums, videos, etc. An image is visual, artistic, the best and perhaps the only way to share your progression in fitness to whoever and whenever you want. The app allows you to follow whomever you wish, mainly for motivational purposes of cultivating these beautiful, inspirational fitness, health and nutrition accounts to help support and motivate us in our day to day goals. It’s common sense that sharing beautiful images creates a positive, motivating ambience, radiating positive emotions.

It’s more than perving #WOD

Many of us students including myself follow fitness accounts not only on the basis of aesthetic images but we love nutritional recipes, workout plans and exercise tips and tricks - all of which are free (almost! if you’re careful)! But this is the best part, we are extremely lucky to have access to so many sources of information in targeting our fitness goals, bearing in mind that not so long ago these little gems of tips were difficult to access without purchasing the magazines or hiring nutritionists and personal trainers. I’m talking about the days before the technological boom! Yes, there really was a time.

So who exactly are these leading fitness gurus? #MCM man crush Mondays.

#WCW women crush Wednesdays.

Kyle Clark, 27, Los Angeles 67,000 followers

Jen Selter, 20, New York 2,450,000 followers

‘When you focus on problems, you'll have more problems. When you focus on possibilities, you'll have more opportunities’

"I don't really post a lot of face pictures. I mainly do body selfies,"

Join me for my full article at www.thebodymass.org were I share some of my favourite accounts and get a male students (powerlifter Bryan Leong) position on Instagram accounts. WWW.THEBODYMASS.ORG

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Lifestyle>

Ladies

The good and the bad of being a female weightlifter at Uni. Words Heleena Waltham

Thankfully being a female weightlifter is becoming less and less uncommon, but having been a part of this uprising during the past 3 and a half years of my fitness journey, I have encountered a lot of positive and negative behaviour. Surprisingly not only from males which I’m sure many female gym-goers like myself will have experienced!

So what are the benefits of being ‘that girl who lifts heavy with the big bum’?

Well it’s not hard to get guys attention, if you want it… however, luckily for me, they need not talk to me in person! Thanks to the Facebook page ‘FitFinder’, people can post anonymous messages declaring their flattering, and sometimes creepy, stories to try and find out your name. I have found myself being posted about a few times as ‘the gym girl’, but this one was definitely my favourite and the most impressive.

So if you quite fancy a guy, it adds 100 bonus points to mention that you lift. Or minus 100 if he has a rugby player’s ego (I actually caused a rugby lad to leave the gym once because I was squatting more next to him).

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The Good Never have to wait for equipment, ever!

The next benefit is brilliant for when you don’t have time to be standing around waiting for equipment. More often than not all the benches or squat racks are taken up by groups of footballers, housemates or internationals, but if you ask them how many sets they have left they are usually more than keen to let you jump in, or even give it up early as you “should never disappoint a lady”. See ladies, there are still gentleman in the world! This has also turned out to be a great way to recruit strong guys to join MASS and compete (standard club president behaviour).

You pretty much own your boyfriend

Also, for those who do have a boyfriend, they never want to let you go! They don’t want someone else being able to appreciate that bubble butt. Not only that but it’s an incentive for them to work out just as much as you do for fear that you might leave them for a bigger guy (purely quoting here…). I also get a lot of enjoyment out of how scared my boyfriend gets when my 1RMs increase.

The Bad No, for the second time, I don’t need a spot

However, with all the good aspects comes the bad. Two situations stick out in my mind here; first was a time in my first year at University when I was half way through weighted tricep dips and a guy came over, took the weight off me, and said “you shouldn’t be lifting weights that heavy”, AND WALKED OFF WITH IT. I couldn’t quite fathom the situation to chase after him. Secondly, the ever so 'kind' guys who think you need a spot every time you start squats. Including the time a guy starting spotting me EXTREMELY close to my arse mid-squat and said he was "just trying to help". He quickly scampered off after he saw my face.

Yes I am fit and strong, get over it

Another downfall is that I have found it to be absolutely impossible to manage a whole night out without someone mentioning my squat tekkers or the dreaded question: “How much do you bench?” Even the weekend just gone, I somehow found myself doing press ups in the middle of the dance floor just to get someone to leave me alone! As flattering as it is, my friends get bored of it and end up walking off.

There’s no hiding

But the worst thing, and probably the main reason a lot of girls daren’t enter the gym at all, is that if you DO end up doing something embarrassing you cannot hide it because you stand out like a sore thumb! For example, I once stupidly left the treadmill going on full speed to quickly grab some water… of course I forgot and nonchalantly stepped back on and went flying. There is really nothing you can do to redeem yourself in that situation. Also, getting off a spinning bike one time, I accidently left my foot in the pedal and knocked the whole line of bikes over. Maybe this is just telling me to stop cardio altogether.

Haters gonna hate

My last point refers to my ‘lovely’ housemates and friends who don’t lift. As much as I love them, they find such enjoyment out of making jokes about my interest in fitness “#Madgainz #protein #squats”. I can’t have a cheat meal without hearing “errrmmm what happened to your diet!!!” or my boyfriend taking pictures and posting it on social media. BULLYING ISN’T COOL GUYS.

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Gear>

What's Hot

SPORTS SUPPLEMENTS BCAA Amino Grow Amino Grow is a performance enhancing supplement which uses BCAAs to reduce fatigue and help you get the most out of your workout via fast nutrient absorption. For just 57p per serving, you get 6.5g aminos, 1.75g beta-alanine and 1.25g glutamine, designed to stimulate protein synthesis, increase work capacity, and enhance recovery.

www.usn.co.uk  For 30% off use code ‘MASS30’

Better value than myprotein. You heard it. A Whey protein that’s better value than myprotein. Add the MASS discount ontop and your laughing. Comparison of flavoured whey protein concentrate 1kg pouch  Protein Dynamix Vs MyProtein is  £12.00 Vs £15.79 If it’s bulk and unflavoured you want then myprotein is still king with its 5kg for £46.79. But if you’d like to order a little less and add some great tasting flavour then protein dynamix is the place to go!

Hyperdrive Pre-N.O Pre-Workout

Hyperdrive N.O is a stimulant based pre-workout powder with zero carbs that promises increased focus and a strong pump thanks to caffeine, nitric oxide and niacin. At just 67p per serving, this low-cost preworkout is rated highly amongst users and would be ideal for stacking with other USN products to create the ultimate workout nutritional strategy.

There’s a reason why this product was voted best tasting protein bar, it’s like biting into a Lion bar, accept this lion is big, strong and built with all the right things! In a blind-tasting, the Dynabar’s smooth chocolate coating, crunchy crispies, luxurious caramel layer and smooth vanilla filling could be mistaken for an off-the-shelf chocolate bar, except with 20g premium protein, this is a grab-and-go snack to enhance, not sabotage, those hard-earned gains!

www.proteindynamix.com F   or 20% off plus a free variety bundle use code ‘MASS20’

FITNESS APPAREL The cream of the crop. Be a Visionary. www.gymshark.co.uk  For 15% off use code ‘STUDYFIT15’

Fitness Apparel for athletes. Get your own slogan on the go with their customisable T-Shirt feature! www.frontlinefitness.co.uk  For 10% off use code ‘MASS10’

THE

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That student stash. Show everyone that you’re a part of the fastest growing student fitness community.

Fitness meets fashion. Menswear, womenswear and great selection of cool slogans to choose from.

www.thebodymass.org/shop  For 20% off use code ‘MASS20’

www.brandedego.com  For 20% off use code ‘MASS20’

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Despite a gradual shift away from the enthusiasm for miracle products and futuristic exercise equipment to the belief that all you need to achieve your ideal body, is your body (and a whole lot of hard work), we can’t deny that there is a world of technology, supplements and merchandise out there, designed to bring your goal closer within reach. Here at StudyFit, we’ve been tracking down the latest must-haves, from sweatpants to shaker bottles that promise to give you the competitive edge. Words: Emma Pudge

HEALTH FOODS

Snacking just became legal, with Muscletreats. Imagine a world where you can munch on harbio-like chewies and toffee bars without feeling guilty. Muscletreats have made that world a reality, thanks guys!

Never get caught buying a cheesy baguette on campus ever again. These ready to eat meals can be munched down hot or cold… When your body needs protein the most. Keep it in your kitchen cupboard ready to grab when you’re strapped for time and need to get to a lecture. With a fork inside they’re so convenient for when you’re hungry and need 38g of protein.

www.nutripak.co.uk

www.muscletreats.co.uk

SHAKERS Real goodness. Cook with it, put it in your coffee, do all sorts. There’s more than just coconut oil, check out the full range. And in case you were wondering what the coconut oil hype is all about, it’s not just that it smells and tastes great, coconut oil is metabolised by the body differently to other fats such as butter or vegetable oil. Coconut oil is rich in medium chain triglycerides – a type of fatty acid that goes straight to the liver from the digestive tract to be used as a readily-available source of fuel, and has been shown to increase energy expenditure (calories burned) over a 24hr period.

www.coconoil.co.uk

for 10% off use code ‘MASS10’

COOL ACCESSORIES

The original vortex shaker, Promixx combines the power and strength of a motorised blender in an elegant, transportable, easy-to-use shaker bottle. Promixx’s intelligent design uses the natural phenomena of a vortex to ensure the smoothest blend of liquid and supplement. And you’re not limited to protein powder; the Promixx can be used to blitz pancake batters, omelettes, milkshakes or even cocktails, making it an exceptionally versatile tumbler.

www.promixx.com The world’s first half sphere shaker bottle – Shakesphere listened to customer tales of protein getting trapped in the bottom rim of traditional shaker bottles and responded with an innovative design that eliminates waste and unwanted remnants. What’s more, with add-on storage and bespoke design options to personalise your bottle, the Sheakesphere brings together functionality and flair to produce a bottle which is both practical and aesthetic.

www.shakespherepro.com  For 10% off use code ‘MASS10’.

For Distraction free logging of your workout it’s time to go old school and leave your phone out of the gym. Log it or Lose its books don’t ring, buzz or vibrate. You can’t even take a selfie with them. But they are awesome for logging your progress in the gym and helping you stay focussed.

www.logitorloseit.net

Unlike traditional athletic tape that binds and doesn't stretch, ROCKTAPE is engineered to mimic the human skin. This stretchiness is the secret behind ROCKTAPE. ROCKTAPE stretches up to 180% of its original length but has amazing 'snap-back' or recovery. This is what gives ROCKTAPE its performance advantage over other tapes.

www.rocktape.net

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