StudyFit Sept 2014 Issue 1

seP 2014 | issue 1

AsK tHe AcADemic

EASY TO

mAKe reciPes

WitH mArtiN mAcDoNAlD A GuiDe to

Mass

uNiVersitY societY

crossfit

+

DAViD bissell, ADAm HoPe, oWeN HubbArD, betHANY lorD, rAcHAel torDoff & ANDY “tHe mAcHiNe” osborNe

Matt sallis EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MR UNIVERSITY

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About mAss

SEP 2014 | ISSUE 1 Read all about the fastest growing student fitness community. With all the information you need on MASS and the story of how it all began pages 5-6 are a must read.

tHe mAss GAmes

The Ultimate student fitness league just got even better. The MASS Games is expanding opening up new competitions and adding regional qualifiers to the mix. Check out pages 8 and 9 for a list of all the competitions available.

10 tHiNGs All beGiNNers sHoulD KNoW

Everybody’s got to start somewhere. But by reading this section you’ll be a little more clued up on the things that many of us wish we knew when we got started.

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eXclusiVe iNterVieW WitH mr uNiVersitY mAtt sAllis

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colleGe bAll… iN tHe uK!

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AsK tHe AcADemic

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WorlD recorD HolDer iN tHe beNcH Press, oWeN HubbArD

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rAcHAel torDoff stuDeNt trANsformAtioN

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CROSSFIT, THE FITNESS CRAZE THAT’S SWEEPING THE NATION

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StudyFit caught up with the champ to find out a little more about him and get some expert training advice. Fancy yourself as the next Mr University? Then turn to page 12 to see what it takes to be the champ.

American Football at UK Universities is booming, it’s the performance sport that all the students are raving about.

On Page 16 StudyFit hears from Mr University Athletic winner and Great Britain player Adam Hope for the low down on the sport.

We hope you’ve been enjoying your freshers week. But for those of you who have been enjoying it maybe a little too much on page 18 we speak with nutrition expert Martin MacDonald to address some common student queries.

At only 21 years of age Owen Hubbard set the bench press world record and is one of the best Powerlifters in the world! This Bournemouth University student is on a one way street to being the very best. Turn to page 20 for a full interview with Owen.

Transforming your physique is a long and hard road. And is it really worth it in the end? Rachael is here to tell you that it’s worth every second. On page 22 Rachael tells us why it was the best thing she’s ever done.

On page 24 we hear from renowned CrossFit trainer Andre “The Machine” Osborne on what CrossFit is all about and what it could do for you. Turn to page 25 and there is an exclusive interview with Student Throwdown winner Bethany Lord.

NutritioN

Understanding nutrition is important for long term consistency, so is knowing how to shop on a budget and design a meal plan. Turn to pages 26– 29 for an introduction to understand nutrition and some money saving student shopping tips.

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stuDYfit reADers

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reciPes

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creDits

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Advice & tips from your fellow students on all the different aspects of University life. Turn over to page 30 and you’ll see the winner from our most embarrassing gym moment’s competition.

On page 32 nutrition student and reading MASS president shares her best meals with you. These recipes are easy to make, cost effective and absolutely delicious…. Oh yeah!

Thanks to all those who have contributed to the magazine.

stuDeNt HAbits Are cHANGiNG; our outlooK oN uNiVersitY life is sHiftiNG… stuDYfit is Here to oPeN Your miND to A WHole NeW stuDeNt stereotYPe. Hello and welcome to the first issue of StudyFit, a magazine by The Body MASS. The reason for launching StudyFit is an obvious one, health and fitness at University is booming! Sport England recently released their University activation fund, BodyPower Exhibition is attracting record numbers of student visitors and the amount of established MASS societies is well into double figures. Thousands of copies have been printed of this magazine and shipped to Universities across the UK. It gives us great pride to be reaching this many students with stories, advice, inspiration and motivation on health and fitness.

Taking on the challenge of putting this magazine together was very daunting. And it was a long few weeks of compiling and editing it all. But it’s been an amazing experience. The best part of it has been speaking with and reading the stories of all of the students that are featured. Along the way I have been able to interview and speak with young role models and stars in the making.

On Page 12 you will find an interview with Matt Sallis who’s had an amazing journey, his training advice is well structured and effective, educating us on aspects of training that I remember getting wrong at first myself!

On page 19 is Owen Hubbard, the junior world bench press record holder and an extremely dedicated individual. And on page 24 is Bethany Lord, the UK’s fittest student. But these aren’t the only highlights, from advice on alcohol consumption to shopping on a budget… StudyFit is jam packed with lots of must read tips!

All of the students in this magazine have hobbies, social lives and uni work to get done. They are just like you. This means you stand just as much chance of achieving what they have. All of the information on everything you need to know is in the magazine you’re holding in your hands – all you need to do is supply the dedication.

Yours,

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club committee members of 2014/15

ABOUT

This is a University Society like no other. When Freshers’ Week rolls out each year at Universities across the country, lads and girls flock to sign up for the traditionally popular Football and Netball teams.

So what about those students interested in other sports, who may not want to sign up for such teams? Why should these students miss out on the benefits of joining a society? Well with MASS they no longer have to!

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The Muscle and Athletic Sports Society (MASS) has changed all of that. MASS is a society for health, fitness and weightlifting sports. Some sports included are Bodybuilding, Powerlifting, Olympic Weightlifting, Strongman and CrossFit. It aims to build a community, help support members and give students the chance to try out all of the above sports regardless of their goals or previous experience.

MASS’ range of sports is a harmonic blend of unrepresented,

interlinking niche sports that have been long awaiting representation.

Through sporting opportunities and advisory services we involve members in activities focused around weightlifting, martial arts or general health and fitness and equip yoU with the motivation and know how to do it on your own outside of the organised MASS events. We aim to motivate, inspire and encourage students to look after and improve their body whilst enjoying their University experience.

As a society MASS has been set up in such a way that it can appeal to as many students as possible and offer a broad range of benefits to its members.

When joining the society there are immediate benefits. members are able to obtain discounts on sports supplements, membership and entry at specific gyms and receive access to exclusive taster classes to kick-start the year. The Society also offers a beginners pack as well as many other guidance documents for those members who may be new to training and looking for advice.

crAiG ricHeY, coVeNtrY uNiVersitY tHeboDYmAssorG @tHeboDYmAss

Our links to organisations in the fitness industry means that an array of other great benefits and discounts are also available to members throughout the year.

Taster sessions are offered at the beginning of each academic year then throughout the year most events are focused on training and improvement. MASS also offers general health, fitness and muscle building advice to any members looking for tips, as well as extra services for athletes wishing to increase their performance and competitive opportunities for those looking to pursue their sport on a professional level.

There are hands on events held for members over the course of the academic year. These include weekly group training events, fitness expos, one-off fitness classes, lectures and seminars. Renowned Bodybuilder Dave Titterton recently held a seminar with MASS in March.

If you want to put your skills to the test in a friendly atmosphere then The MASS Games is for you. Our student league where individual athlete’s and University teams compete both

regionally and nationally against other Universities will certainly motivate you to hit the gym hard! on page (8) you will find full details on what the MASS Games can offer you!

If all of the above wasn’t already enough then for the fitness fanatics there are group trips to exhibitions throughout the year.

Previous trips have seen members attend the 2012 National fitness awards, the Uk Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation Championships 2013, and BodyPower expo 2014 where maSS itself was in fact exhibiting!

“Initially I thought it would be a MASSive challenge, especially considering I was in my fourth and final year of University…. so I had plenty of work to do.

Getting a committee together from different fitness backgrounds helped break the work down a lot, which made it a really enjoyable experience. all of our disci-

plines combined gave everyone a chance to develop different approaches to their training. health and fitness was a big interest to many students at my University so when we launched the society it received an amazing reception. It felt great to be responsible for something that students were relying upon and to provide useful input on the running of our events. I’m glad to have been involved in MASS as it has given me an outlet to express my passion for fitness as well as acquire some fresh stash!,” – Chuk Uzowuru, nottingham MASS founder Whilst nobody at MASS claims to be a Personal Trainer, MASS offers the chance to talk, train and become friends with people who have lots of knowledge and years of experience in these

topics, as well as the chance to observe their training or nutrition.

Anyone can join MASS. Whether you have a physique that rivals Arnold Schwarzenegger or have never set foot in a gym, if you want to transform your body and are motivated to achieve goals in our areas of sports then MASS can help you make it happen! And give you the opportunity to make some great friends along the way!

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

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

“The MASS games gave me something to channel my energy into, I found great pleasure in working towards competing against students from universities across the country, not only was it fulfilling to compete for my university’s fitness society, but through the games I’ve met so many amazing people. Game on!”

– Tak Chi-Ho, male Student Athlete of the Year 2014

“Challenging, exciting and unique - three words to describe my experience of the MASS games. Great atmosphere with tons of camaraderie! Would highly recommend to anyone who wants to test their strength or seriously get into the sport of powerlifting.”

– Mani Owugha, MASS’s Most Powerful Man 2014.

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Female Champion

MALE CHAMPION

Bethany Lord

TAK CHI-HO

University of Leicester

LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY

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

There are both regional competitions and national competitions catering to all levels of experience.

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

The highest scoring male and female are recognised as the Student Athletes of the Year and the highest scoring University is crowned The MASS Games Champions.

Congratulations to Loughborough who were the winning University for the 2013/14 academic year

Olympic Weightlifting

Mass olympic weightifting Olympic Weightlifting, as seen in the Olympics, is an athletic discipline where the athlete attempts a maximum-weight single lift of a barbell loaded with weight plates. The two lifts performed are the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk. Each weightlifter receives three attempts in each, and the combined total of the highest two successful lifts determines the overall result. There are bodyweight categories ranging from <56kg to 105kg+.

A national competition will be held during term 2 in 2015.

strength athletics Mass’s strongest Man Otherwise known as strongman, an eclectic strength competition in which competitors lift atlas stones, cars, yokes, perform the farms walk and flip tyres. The most famous competition of this type is the World’s Strongest Man. A national MASS’s Strongest Man competition will be held during term 3 just after your end of year exams. #Massstrongman

#Massolylifting

powerlifting Mass’s Most powerful Man

Powerlifting is a strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. The combined total of the highest three successful lifts determines the overall score. MASS powerlifting is affiliated with the GBPF (Great British Powerlifting Federation) and all competitions are ‘unequipped’.

There are bodyweight categories ranging from <59kg all the way up to 120kg+.

the student throwdown the UK’s fittest students

Every year a CrossFit Throwdown is held to find the fittest male and female CrossFit Student in the UK. CrossFit Leicester and MASS host “The Student Throwdown” and the next one is due to take place in 2015! For full information turn to page 24. #studentthrowdown

Regional competitions are during term 1 in 2014 with the national competition following that in term 2 in 2015. #Masspowerlifting

Have you been lurking in your uni gym building a physique that will inspire your fellow students to put the pizza down and pick up a protein shake? Do you fancy yourself as the next Arnold Schwarzenegger or better yet the next Matt Sallis!? Have you got a bikini bod that would rival Ms University Holly Welch’s? If your answer is yes to any of these questions then we’ve got just what you’ve been waiting for! Get on the Mr University stage this year! After a huge inaugural year Mr University is back bigger and better! The three students behind the competition David Bissell, Sean Lee Rice & Max Kalu have told Study Fit ‘we have spent the whole summer planning and we’re pleased to announce Mr University 2015 to the student community.’

Last year Leicester University saw over 40 students from universities across the UK step on stage to compete in the first Mr University show’s Mr University, Mr University Athletic and Ms University classes. The show was a dazzling success with tickets selling out and the Microsoft sponsored live stream of the show being viewed 32,000 times.

Building on the success of Mr University’s first year the team have decided to expand the competition and take the competition directly to the nation’s students. Mr University 2015 will consist of 6 regional qualifiers across February and March held at Universities across the UK culminating in a grand finale at the Bodypower expo on the weekend of 15th May 2015.

Expect shredded students, fitness celebrity judges & extensive press coverage!

Stay tuned for more info and get ready to be inspired!

To get involved you can contact the Mr University team on ‘mruniversity@thebodymass.org’ or through Facebook ‘Mr University’ & Twitter and Instagram @Mr_UniversityUK

#booksandbiceps

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every experienced gym goer out there can remember the first time they moseyed into the gym, full of fear, confusion, and insecurity. though most of us make it past these initial stages, some never do. Some quit training, mostly because they don’t understand it. if only there was a seasoned lifter at every gym that could talk to beginners and educate them on what things are important and what things aren’t very important.....

Below are the more common sources of confusion and misunderstanding that newcomers to resistance training share.

Hypertrophy is Your Friend The word hypertrophy refers to muscle growth. If you’re a male, then chances are you don’t need any convincing about the merits of strength training for hypertrophy.

However, if you’re a woman, then you might be on the fence. Perhaps you just want to get skinny and don’t want any appreciable gains in muscle mass. This is all well and good, but just know that your diet largely determines whether you gain weight, maintain weight, or lose weight. Exercise certainly helps, but not as much as most people assume (at least not in the amounts that most people perform).

At any rate, in a caloric surplus, strength training will cause the weight that you gain to consist of a higher proportion of muscle and a lower proportion of fat. At a caloric maintenance, strength training will cause your body to recompose so that you gain more muscle, lose fat, and improve your bodyfat percentage. At a caloric deficit, strength training will cause the weight that you lose to consist of a higher proportion of fat and a lower proportion of muscle.

This is important, as you want to maintain your muscle as you lose weight. First of all, muscle mass influences your metabolic rate, so

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holding onto your muscle will keep your metabolism elevated. And second, holding onto muscle will allow you to retain your curves.

Nobody ever says, “My goal is to get skinny-fat.” If you get skinny but you have little muscle, flabby glutes, and 30% bodyfat levels or more, then we’re almost certain that you won’t be pleased with your physique.

When you lose weight, you rarely just lose fat for weight loss. You have to do everything in your power to preserve the muscle and whittle off the fat.

As you can see, strength training is “pro-anabolic” training when gaining weight and “anti-catabolic” training when losing weight. It helps no matter what your goals are and what your diet is like.

The Exercises Become Easier Over Time Starting out, nothing seems to feel natural. Asymmetries are everywhere, rhythm is lacking, and coordination is terrible. This is especially true for compound, multi-joint lifts. Maintaining good form is incredibly difficult, especially as load and effort increase. The ability to contract certain muscles or feel certain muscles working during movements can be challenging at first, and cues like, “stay tight”

don’t seem to make much sense early on. Going to failure leads to terrible break-down in form, as does performing anything heavier than 5 reps. Don’t worry, this all changes over time.

The good news is that every single training session, you’ll be rapidly increasing your stability and coordination. Every week, the lifts feel more and more natural. In 2-3 months, most of the lifts will feel right, and in a year, you’ll feel quite confident in your form and exercise competency. You’ll be able to get much more out of heavy lifting, and you’ll be able to hold much better form when taking a set close to failure. Make sure you consistently use strict form – your nervous system will be grooving motor programs so they become roughly automatic, and you want these memorized motor patterns to be solid.

SORENESS IS OVERATED Many lifters gauge the effectiveness of their workouts on how sore they are over the following couple of days post-workout. This, is short-sighted.

Soreness is a decent indicator of muscle damage, but muscle damage is just one of three primary mechanisms (and probably the least important) of muscle hypertrophy.

Moreover, exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) is more related to strain than activation, meaning that you can just do a ton of exercise that stretches the muscle to long lengths without highly activating the muscle and you will create damage. Finally, novelty leads to greater soreness, so if you were hell-bent on getting sore, then you could just do a bunch of new exercises.

However, these strategies aren’t ideal for building muscle, building strength, or shaping the body.

Some soreness is good, but the law of diminishing returns applies.

Excessive soreness prevents you from achieving quality workouts on subsequent days. If you perform full body training sessions several times per week, then soreness will prevent you from gaining strength. Building a stronger body over time should be the long-term goal, not crippling yourself so that you can barely move the following day.

Cardio is Overrated Sure, cardio is great for your health and stamina. But so is strength training. Ever wear a heart rate monitor when you lift? If so, then you’re well aware of how effective plain old resistance training is for

stimulating the cardiovascular system. But we know what you’re thinking – cardio is vital for fat loss.

Is it really?

Think about this. Two twins weigh 90kg and are 25% bodyfat. They want to get leaner. Twin A does cardio all year long. By the end of the year, he loses five kilograms. 2.5 of the kilograms lost are fat and the other 2.5 are muscle. Now he weighs 85kg and is now 24% bodyfat. Twin B lifts weights all year long and consumes some additional protein each day. By the end of the year, he too loses 5kg. However, he ended up putting on 2.5kg of muscle while simultaneously losing 7.5kg’s of fat. He’s now 85kg and his bodyfat percentage has dropped to 18%.

Twin B looks much better than twin A. Lifting weights is incredible for improving body composition over time, but you have to gain strength and engage in progressive overload.

You want to get as strong as possible in all rep ranges in a variety of movements at a given bodyweight to maximize your aesthetics.

Strength is Underrated It’s not just about going to the gym and doing the exercises. Showing up and simply “going through the motions” will not yield fantastic results. You have to push yourself on many levels... push yourself to maintain sound technical form when the going gets tough... push yourself to squeeze out another rep... push yourself to add 2.5-5 more kilograms to the bar... push yourself to master new exercises and variations.

There will be times when your strength gains stagnate. You’ll have to analyse your form, analyse your training program, and consider everything else outside of the gym (diet, sleep, stress, etc.). But if you’re dialled in on gaining strength, you will prevail. Every year, your body will be stronger than it was the year before, and your physique will continue to improve. Strength creates curves and shapes the body.

The same cannot be said for cardio and stretching. Prioritize progressive overload and your body will thank you for it.

Consistency is the Name of the Game

6. Consistency is the Name of the Game

We know you’re gung-ho. You want to fast-forward your results and do everything possible to get ripped quickly. However, less is more.

Training four hours a day, seven days per week won’t help you reach your goals more quickly, quite the opposite. It could easily lead to overuse injury, which would stop your progress dead in its tracks. You don’t need to combine every method under the sun.

We all read about new exercises and new regimens. We see the headlines just like you... sprinting for fat loss, plyos for power, gruelling conditioning workouts to get you shredded, and various stretching movements for “long, lean muscles.”

The temptation to train for hours on end is there for all of us, but it didn’t work for us, and it won’t work for you. What you need is not endless exercise or crash diets, but consistency in the gym. It takes time to create adaptation.

However, the rate at which these adaptations occur is rather slow. You will not get the body of your dreams overnight. In fact, you won’t get the body of your dreams in 30-days. In a year, you’ll be very pleased with your progress, but it is very likely that you still will not be completely satisfied.

Building your best body is a work in progress that takes years to achieve.

Consistency is the name of the game, make small improvements each week to gradually progress.

Neural Improvements 7. Neural Improvements Precede Hypertrophic Improvements Precede Hypertrophic Improvements During your first couple of months of strength training, you’ll likely be asking yourself, “What in the heck is going on – I’m gaining tons of strength, but my body isn’t changing

much?” This is normal. During your first six weeks of training, your strength will rapidly increase, but these improvements will be brought upon largely by the nervous system. Your brain will figure out what you want it to do and will begin to coordinate the muscle actions and activate the proper muscles in the proper timing sequence more effectively. After a month or two, the primary cause of strength gains begin to be brought upon by hypertrophy. Your muscles will now begin to grow, and your shape will start improving. Make sure you stick it out during these initial times so you can reap the rewards of your hard work.

8. You Can’t Out-Train a Crummy Diet

You Can’t OutTrain a Crummy Diet

Diet is equally, if not more, important than strength training for physique purposes. The person who consumes a nutritious, healthy diet and stays active will have a better physique than the person who trains hard but eats poorly, even if this person doesn’t lift weights. You need to make sure you’re regularly consuming the proper number of calories and the proper ratios of protein, carbohydrates, and fat.

Many women don’t consume enough protein, and this negatively impacts their rate of physique improvement.

Many individuals regularly consume too many calories, too much sugar, and too much saturated fat. Don’t get me wrong, a healthy diet has room for sugar and fat, but you can’t just eat whatever the heck you want and expect to possess a great physique. That is, unless you have elite genetics or you rarely crave junk food. Good nutrition and training go hand-in-hand, so make sure you don’t sabotage your gains by eating poorly.

Suffering and Progress Aren’t Linearly Correlated

9. Suffering and Progress Aren’t Linearly Correlated

Many lifters mistakenly believe that the more they suffer the

better results they’ll see. Sure, strength training is challenging.

Sure, you will have to sacrifice in order to make progress. Sure, you will have to abstain from eating too much of certain foods. As you gain experience, strength, and conditioning, your workouts become more and more rigorous and demanding, which can be daunting. However, life doesn’t have to absolutely suck in order for you to see excellent results.

You can get in and out of the gym in around an hour, you can and should take days off from training, you can season your foods, you can incorporate the foods you love into your diet in proper amounts, you can enjoy variety in your diet and experiment with new recipes, and you can plan ahead of time to allow yourself some wiggle room at social gatherings so you can splurge a little bit. You need to create a regimen that’s flexible and sustainable, so make sure your training and diet isn’t so gruelling that it’ll cause you to quit in a couple of months. Start thinking about longevity and learn to enjoy your healthy habits.

You will have terrible days in the gym

10. You will have terrible days in the gym

Some days, nothing will go right.

Technique that you’ve demonstrated correctly hundreds of times begins to break down for no discernible reason. Weights that you’ve doubled all of a sudden feel brutally heavy.

You just can’t get into the groove of the session and everything is slow and grinding.

This can be down to many reasons but ultimately, bad training days happen to all of us at some point.

You’ve just got to get your work done if you can, try and take some positives away with you and hope for a better session next time.

So there you have it – ten things that all beginning lifters should be aware of. Lifting weights is tough. Stepping inside of a weight room for the first time is intimidating. Changing your daily routine takes determination and dedication. But you must stick with it, as the rewards are numerous.

Lifting weights makes you look good, feel good, and function well. But you need to know what you’re doing. Hopefully this article has shed some light on what things are critical in allowing you to reach your full potential.

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specific techniques to relevant lifts – i.e. for my strength phase I use the ‘rest pause’ technique and for my hypertrophy phase I use supersets and drop sets.

Cover Model, Sponsored Athlete and Mr University 2014 Matt Sallis tells StudyFit about how it all started and his route to winning the Mr University crown. We then go into detail on the champ’s training philosophy that’s got him to where he is today.

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Matt is from Essex, 25 years of age and in his third year of a BA (Hons) Strength & Conditioning degree at St. Mary’s University. As a teen he was a jack of all sports, good at most but struggled to ‘excel’ in one discipline. Matt was turned down from many competitive team selections due to a lack of size and strength. At age 15 he took it upon himself to purchase a second hand multi-gym – after much hard graft at the local market.

It’s safe to say he was hooked from the offset! But it wasn’t all fun and games from there, Matt’s biggest spark of motivation came after recovering from a serious lung operation.

“Years flew by with memberships in many gyms and doing the basics wrong but my whole perspective changed early 2009 when I’d been rushed to hospital to find I had septicaemia and pneumonia, which led to a serious lung operation. Post-surgery my bodyweight had fallen to 8.5 stone after lying in a hospital bed for over two months! As you can imagine, during this period I had a lot of time to reflect and for some reason my motivation to achieve became even higher! I’d come across the Men’s Health magazine cover model competition (from my predominant reading material at the time) during my stay and decided this was going to be my milestone back to health! After this experience I paid much more attention to the principles of training and nutrition through reading and application - I wanted never to be in a state of ill health again!”

Since then Matt has dedicated himself to fitness, becoming almost unstoppable!

Along his journey he’s been on magazine covers, competed in LA , won many trophies and to top it all off he’s on his way to a 1st class degree!

you find it and what motivates you to keep competing?

How important to you is knowing the basics, learning and increasing your knowledge?

Once I’d returned to health I guess competing was naturally the next level for me, I wanted to inspire the masses somehow and stepping on stage allows you to show everyone how hard you can really work! But also what can be achieved with a little determination and desire.

Now I’ve just got the bug, as you can probably tell by the amount of appearances I’ve made within the last year! I do it because I enjoy it, you meet like-minded people and the level of discipline required carries over to many aspects of my life. That being said, many people find getting into stage condition a chore...... I see it as part of my lifestyle, I like always have something keeping me on my toes both mentally and physically.

I’ve had my most successful year at university, as well as other ventures, since I’ve been competing!

The day I turned 16 I signed up to the nearest gym (a fitness first!) and like any other young lad embarking on a mission to ‘get big’ it was chest and arms on the agenda every day, and I didn’t really pay much attention to nutrition. It was only until after I had fallen seriously ill that I really took a different perspective into my health, wellbeing and learning, not just aesthetics. I’ve developed my physique so much more over the past year or so since getting my head in books, but also applying what I’ve learnt. I think it’s just as important to apply trial and error and make mistakes in your training/ nutrition as well as studying. Fitness philosophy and theory is ever changing, it’s imperative to keep up!

You’re a regular competitor in fitness and physique competitions, what gave you the drive to get into competing, how do

What’s your philosophy on Nutrition?

to training/nutrition stimulus. It was only after countless years of reading and application that I figured what works for me, but even now after 10 years I’m still learning! I don’t count macros to the point, neither my calories. I just know what types, amounts and timing of foods is optimal for my body’s adaptation and output through years of smart and patient trial/error. Counting is an added stress in my eyes, and only really needed if you’re aiming for sub 5% bodyfat. I plan what I’ll be eating a week ahead and then re-assess based on how I feel; I prepare only a day’s food at once - the night before.

I am however CONSISTENT with this approach. I believe it is important to fit your training and nutrition around your lifestyle, not the other way around, to maintain a positive mental state. This is particularly important for us students!

What’s your philosophy on training?

I strongly believe in knowing how YOUR own body works and reacts

I generally stick to a well -rounded technical base whereby I’ll start with a compound movement using barbells under strength based protocols, then I’ll move into dumbbell work using higher rep ranges between 8-12reps, whilst lastly working on machines to fatigue the particular muscle group(s) in question. Depending on the phase I’m currently in I’ll allocate

What are your greatest achievements to date? What are your future aims?

It has to be the three magazine covers – Men’s health, Healthy for Men magazine, and now StudyFit! Another would be when I was crowned the first Mr University, that’s definitely always going to be highlight for me. More importantly I’ve managed to graduate from Plymouth University with a 1st class honours in Strength & Conditioning for my first two years, so I’ll be off to St. Mary’s, Twickenham to hopefully come away with a full 1st class BA honours after my final year there!

Whilst there I’ll be looking to bag some serious career experience with some top sporting clubs.

As per my future as a physique competitor, I’m aiming for top three at the UKBFF British finals this year, the international stage after that.

My dream job would be an S&C position within an Olympic youth development board!

WITH MATT SALLIS

“The common mistake that beginner and sometimes even experienced lifters make is overthinking or overcomplicating their training.

For a successful and easily tracked progressive plan it is a simple matter of manipulating the basic variables”

KEY INFORMATION Compound exercises – a multi-joint/multi-

muscle group exercise

Isolation exercises – a single-joint/single-

muscle group exercise

Sets – a group of reps Concentric – the lifting portion of the exercise

Eccentric – the returning/lowering portion of

the exercise

Intensity – the weight at which the exercise is performed Reps – ‘repetition’, one rep represents one complete movement of the exercise in question. Lower rep ranges, 1-6, tend to produce muscular strength gains. Rep range 6-12 tends to produce hypertrophic (muscular growth) gains, and higher rep ranges 15+ produce muscular endurance gains. Though specific rep ranges target different goals, this is an inter-relationship spectrum.

Tempo – the rate/speed in seconds at which

the lift is performed. Tempo can be used to differentiate training. Quicker performing reps aim to produce speed and therefore muscular power, whilst slower performing reps are aimed at increasing time-under-tension (TUT) and therefore growth.

For example, a tempo of 1-0-4-0 represents the speed in seconds of each part of the lift and can be read as LIFT-NO PAUSERETURN-NO PAUSE (in seconds).

Rest intervals – the amount of rest time given between sets. Rest periods can vary and is dependent on your goal. When training for strength rest times between 2-5mins are employed to enable the lifter to recover enough to perform again at the same capacity, this is also the case when Power is the goal.

Shorter rest times between sets, 5-90 seconds, are used to induce metabolic fatigue/lactate build up within the muscle and employed when muscle growth is your goal. Though specific rest times are designed for different goals, it is an inter-relationship spectrum.

To help you on your way to your ideal body it’s imperative to think about these things: 1. What is your goal?! Do you want to compete!? Or add 20kg onto your bench press?! Be as specific as you can 2. How many times a week can you train? From this you can determine your training split; you want to be hitting all muscle groups AT LEAST once a week.

3. When would you like to achieve your goal by? This will determine the number of phases your overall plan will consist of.

4. Do you have weak parts you need to work on? Generally you’ll want to hit these with more volume, or with specific exercises.

5. What is your training environment? Be sure to plan your sessions so that you can actually perform them, go check your gym out first and take note of what equipment it has. This will come in handy when that time comes to change things up.

6. Choose a mixture of exercises. Generally I choose 1-2 compound exercises, and 2-4 isolation exercises for each muscle group. Sessions should start with compound movements and move into isolation work.

7. Know your numbers! Set rep ranges, numbers of sets and rest times, which will be dependent on your goal.

8. Plan your attack! Once you have these basics set in stone you can then go as far as to use EXCEL to plan your attack. Use each column as a new week, and the rows as an exercise – from there you can input/plan your progressions over the weeks. Alternatively there are mobile Apps that can do this.

Steady State Cardio – low intensity cardio usually set around <75% MHR (maximum heart rate) and for longer periods of time. It uses predominantly type1 muscle fibres (muscular endurance fibres) and some type2 and tends to be most people’s choice for targeted fat loss.

HIIT Cardio – High Intensity Interval Training – short bursts of intense work followed by an active recovery. Performed in shorter periods but at >75% MHR depending on ability, fitness and goal. Employs type 2a and 2x muscle fibres, spares muscle wastage and although isn’t as effective at acutely utilising fat stores for fuel it has a prolonged fat-burning effect thereafter.

“There are a number of factors to take into account when planning your training, the key is sticking to the basics and arranging them so that everything plays a part in working towards your goal.

Once and only once you’ve mastered being CONSISTENT with the above then it’s time to look at ways of upping the ante with Intensity ramping, plateau busting methods.....

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Too often lifters tend to prematurely believe they have ‘hit the wall’ with progression in growth or strength and immediately turn to the fault or sell by date of their exercises, when really all that’s needed is slight manipulations of the basic variables. That being said, others can tend to stick to the same exercises and exercise variables for way too long allowing the musculature to fully adapt to the stimulus being applied.

Key word _ STIMULUS. A muscle doesn’t necessarily understand things like range of motion, but the STRESS being applied. In fact it takes several weeks for a muscle to even learn a new movement pattern, some months or years depending on the technicality (of which doesn’t apply to bodybuilding movements). Therefore, if you change exercises too often then you might limit your ability to progress, grow bigger and get stronger! That being said, when size and strength gains are the goal it’s not ideal to let the muscle to fully adapt to a movement, it takes 8-16 weeks for a muscle to fully adapt to a movement – this is how often you should change up movement patterns.

Below are some basic principles to help bust through a plateau:

Rest pause:

Tempo Change:

REST TIME:

Drop sets:

a 5-15secs interrep pause used during strength/power phases

a change in lifting speed, most commonly the slow negative portion of lift. Useful during growth phases.

a progressive shortening of rest times will provide new stimulus for metabolic fatigue

a drop in intensity interset; used in growth phases to increase the time spent under tension

Supersets:

Isometric holds:

Intensity Change:

Pre & Postexhaustion:

usually a forceful squeeze/hold at the top or bottom of a range of movement.

a progressive weight increase will elicit growth and strength gains.

pre or postexhaust a muscle group in an isolation exercise before or after a compound movement

one exercise set immediately followed by another exercise set of either same muscle group but different movement patterns, or of a different muscle group completely.

Mr University Matt Sallis’ training program

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*Exercises with the same letter are a superset. E.g. A1) and A2) are to be performed consecutively. For intermediate to advanced level athletes

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with mr UniverSity athletiC, adam hoPe. More and more students at University are getting into American Football, and with its recent introduction to BUCS (British Universities College Sports) it’s more important than ever that players are exploding over the touchline and bringing the point’s home for their University. StudyFit spoke to Mr University Athletic winner and GB American Football player Adam Hope to find out all about what American Football has done for him.

The sport of American Football has taught me much about myself and has instilled traits that I will carry forward to other aspects of my life.

Dedication, perseverance, attitude, commitment, effort and success are just a few of the qualities that you’ll learn! Not only have I (and many others) developed these traits but I have done so whilst having extremely great fun and making some life-long friends from multiple countries. American Football at University level is a must. It is a sport that rewards effort and commitment, where rewards are earned not given; for me, this is the thrill. I would encourage everyone to try it and stick at it for at least a year.

I love it so much because of the rush of adrenaline you get when you make big play, lay a huge hit, truck an opponent, or score a vital Touchdown in the dying seconds. It’s a sport where all players can make an impact and can change the tempo of the game in one single play.

Playing football at University brought me a whole new circle of friends - far bigger than I’d ever imagine. There is a great community amongst American Footballers, from all teams, across the globe and being part of American Football has allowed me to make great friends from all across the UK and USA, it’s really quite amazing. It’s allowed me to travel to Sweden, Italy, Netherlands, and the USA and make some great connections along the way. Events such as team socials, long journeys to away games (always the best), play-off football, end of season meals, tours and exhibition games have all given me some great memories I will never forget.

Having the time to be an American Football player as part of your University life all comes down to time management and priorities. Some people prioritise FIFA and drinking, others don’t. I find training and playing extremely enjoyable, and it’s great to give my mind a rest from studying. It may seem like a lot of time to commit but the rewards really are worth it. Quite simply, you make time, you learn to make the most of what you have and in fact become far more productive.

I first was introduced to American Football about 6 months before I was set to start University, through a friend for my hometown Youth team; Sheffield Tomahawks. As a scrawny 70kg lad I wasn’t the biggest, but I was quick. As such I was selected to play Running Back (RB). After a summer playing this position I decided to continue the sport at Loughborough University and ended up as the starting Running Back for 4 years.

During my Freshman year I started off playing a combination of Slot Receiver and Running Back – quick, yet not big enough to carry the full load running the ball. I sharply realised I needed to add more size and with some help to my training and nutrition I was able to add approximately 15kg in my first year. Ever since then I have honed my position as a work-horse Running Back. All in all, I have been playing for 6 years now and still love the sport.

“Getting involved in American Football at University was one of the greatest decisions I have made in my life.”

My highest achievement as a player has to be representing Great Britain in both their senior team and Student team, and scoring in both tournaments. Representing the senior GB team has to be the greatest, as it took the greatest amount of work. I was first invited to a trial for the GB Lions in 2010, weeks before the European Championships in Frankfurt. I didn’t make the cut, and I promised myself that next time round I’d be selected. It took a hell of a lot of work to make the next team, and at times I questioned whether the effort was really worth it, but standing on the field in Milan under the flood lights with 3000 fans watching and hearing the national anthem play was such an immense and proud feeling that confirmed it was all worthwhile.

Other achievements I am proud of have been winning the League’s Most valuable Player award and receiving Full Colours from Loughborough University. Whilst I never played the sport for accolades, it is a great feeling to have your efforts recognised – and American Football is a sport that does so.

Since graduating in June 2014 I’m in full time work and am currently awaiting details for the next GB tournament, I hope to make the team once again!

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what doeS it take to Be the BeSt? genetiCS, Skill, dediCation, training, PraCtiCe – all of thoSe. however, i alwayS rememBer the Saying “hard work BeatS talent when talent failS to work hard”....

KNOW YOUR NUTRITION There is no ‘one size fits all’ for nutrition; the demands of each position require different nutritional goals. For example, the diet of a 290lb Lineman will be much different to that of a 170lb Defensive Back. However, I would firstly suggest eating enough calories to suit your training needs; you cannot perform if you’re not properly fuelled.

Secondly, eating high quality food sources and avoiding processed foods – you wouldn’t put poor quality fuel in a race car. Finally I would stress the importance of post workout refuelling; simple carbohydrates and protein in a 3:1 ratio. My diet typically played around with carb cycling, where I would consume a larger proportion of carbs (mainly starches) on higher intensity training days.

I tried to eat well but also within the constraints of a student budget; this involved a lot of eggs, milk, rice and beef and Peanut Butter.

If I was to recommend supplements I would suggest Creatine, ZMA and vitamin D.

TRAIN BY SEASON Off-season training: is about looking at your weaknesses and improving them. This should include working on the movements involved in the game and perhaps improving your strength, speed, fat loss or weight gain. It all depends on the individual, but simply put, it is a time where you can focus a great deal of time on physical improvement.

Pre-season training: should taper towards the specific requirements of your sport. So for me this was typically improving my footwork agility and power endurance. You want to be prepared for the upcoming season to hit your first game at full speed.

In-season training: for me this focuses on skill development, and strength maintenance. I typically drop to sub-maximal training, and remove speed work as this is covered in practice and during games (extremely taxing on the CNS). For guys who may not see a lot of game time, you can add more training sessions in to help improve your weaknesses. I typically switch to full body training and incorporate relevant shoulder and hip mobility work.

TRAIN SPORT SPECIFIC The biggest mistake I see is players training like a bodybuilder. If bodybuilding made you a better player, then all bodybuilders would play in the NFL. Performance is totally different to Aesthetics.

Look at the movements of the sport, look at the performance requirements of the sport, and incorporate them in your training. The commonly used ‘3 sets of 10 reps’ isn’t the best for American Football!

Adam’s Top 5 Exercises for Sports Performance • Push ups • Pull-ups • Medicine ball throws • Hill Sprints • Single leg Split squat

Never be satisfied with your performance. There is always something to improve.

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AC A D E M I C

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

I GET WASTED 3-4 TIMES A WEEK WHILE I’M OUT TRYING TO PULL FRESHER’S.... HOW DETRIMENTAL IS ALL THIS DRINKING AND LATE NIGHTS TO MY HEALTH AND FITNESS? Fortunately the alcohol part of this question can be answered with data from actual research; however it is impossible to quantify just how much of an effect this will have. very recent research

by Parr et al (2014) studied protein synthesis in response to a protein feeding after training with and without alcohol. The amount of alcohol used in the study was enough to get you ‘wasted’ so you can take the results as being pretty valid!

The results showed that protein synthesis was significantly reduced by 24% in the group that consumed the alcohol as opposed to protein alone. The researchers concluded that “alcohol ingestion suppresses the anabolic response in skeletal muscle and may therefore impair recovery and adaptation to training and/or subsequent performance.” Previous in vivo research has also shown that baseline protein synthesis rates can still be impaired up to 24 hours after training therefore if you are binge drinking 4 times per

week you could well never be recovering optimally.

Whether ‘late nights’ will have a detrimental effect is any bodies guess and will depend on other factors. Sleep is obviously important in the recovery process however the question is, would late nights be followed by waking up late and therefore getting adequate sleep? Or would the late night be followed by an early start, leading to inadequate sleep, and therefore recovery, and perhaps a substandard performance in the gym?

In my opinion, and that is all it is, it is the knock on effects of inadequate sleep that would be more detrimental to progress than any specific physiological responses.

FRESHERS WEEK LEFT ME WITH A BIT OF A GUT SO I’M TRYING TO TRIM UP, I ASKED MY FRIEND IN THE GYM FOR SOME ADVICE AND HE TOLD ME NO CARBS AFTER 6, BRO! ARE CARBS REALLY THE ENEMY? Carbs are certainly not the enemy for someone who goes to the gym! More specifically, the idea that having carbohydrate after some predetermined hour of the day is more fattening than having them at some other time is a myth that has been firmly blown out of the water. ‘Cutting out carbs’ in many people does lead to a transient decrease in body fat however the reason for this is a reduction in calories, not some unique hormonal or metabolic response to eliminating carbs. Earlier in my career I would often get asked questions about ‘a quick diet for holiday’ by my fellow gym trainers; my response was often ‘stop drinking, cut the carbs’ as I knew, for the two weeks they had before holiday this would work and wouldn’t require a great deal more input. If you want to low your ‘gut’ then your best bet is to combine a decent training program with a consistent diet that manages your hunger to a level where you can eat few enough kcals to lose weight. Generally speaking, get your protein intake adequate at around 2g/kg of your bodyweight, eat plenty of

green leafy vegetables at each meal and then manipulate your carb and fat intake depending on the foods you prefer to eat and the way they affect your hunger.

AS YOU MIGHT HAVE GUESSED.... I STRUGGLE WITH CONSISTENCY! I’LL GO HARD ON MY DIET FOR 2 WEEKS AND BEGIN TO SEE RESULTS, THEN PUT IT STRAIGHT BACK ON IN A FEW DAYS AND FEEL SHIT ABOUT MYSELF. WHAT’S THE KEY TO MAINTAINING A HEALTHY DIET AND ACHIEVING LONG TERM RESULTS? What a question! It’s not one that I can objectively answer but I can talk from my experiences with clients. The key might be finding a way to change your psyche away from a ‘going hard’ type mentality. If you’re after consistency then you need to make realistic changes that you can sustain OR you need to have a baseline diet that allows you to maintain your progress and then have periods of progression that can be a little more aggressive.

Often having a specific goal in mind is a great incentive to keep on track; for instance booking a holiday, a photoshoot or the most motivating of all... entering yourself in a bodybuilding show!

Either way, don’t do anything without an exit plan in mind and don’t be insane – expecting to do the same things you’ve done before and expecting different results.

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

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

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

Mac-Nutrition) would love to help you.

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Celebrating the end of exams just a found whole new meaning, recent Bournemouth University graduate Owen Hubbard left the partying to the rest of us as he flew out to South Africa to set the Junior World Record in the Bench Press! Just 1 hour after the final exam of his entire degree Owen boarded a plane to the IPF World Classics where at only 21 years of age and 83kg in bodyweight he bench pressed a staggering 190.5 kilograms.... That’s like three times the weight of Mo Farah holding a watermelon! As well a ginormous bench Owen can Squat 257.5kg and Deadlift 265kg giving him a combined powerlifting total of 705kg...... lightweight baby?! StudyFit caught up with the student power lifter, originally from Merthyr Tydfil, to find out more about him, how he built such strength while at University and what his future plans are. Naturally, there was only one question to open with...

You’re one of the UK’s strongest students! What’s that like?

“It’s not really something I think about too much, but it’s nice to be reminded from time to time! The great thing about powerlifting is that you can always get stronger, so I haven’t finished achieving yet.”

How and why did you start Powerlifting? How long has it taken you to build your strength?

“I started Powerlifting at quite a young age, around 15. As a younger child I was a bit of a fat kid sitting at 11 stone, aged 11. So to combat this I joined the local gym which was a real chalk, meat heads and rusty bars type gym. This environment introduced me to weight training pretty early on and through this style of training I ended up losing quite a bit of weight and getting down to around 8% body fat. Then I did what quite a lot of gym goers do, and became complacent. Luckily there were a few guys in the gym, who competed in powerlifting. I’d seen them shifting these massive weight and thought yeah, I wanna be able to do that! So I jumped in at the deep end, and 2 months later I was in my first comp totalling around 360kg in the 75kg class. From there I caught the bug and never looked back.”

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

“Throughout my time at Bournemouth University I’ve been fortunate enough to train with a powersports club, Bournemouth Barbell. This is run by a terrific coach, Paul Rees, who has helped me since my first year of University. It’s safe to say that without him I wouldn’t be where I am now.

He creates a good lifting environment with other likeminded lifters which, I believe, is paramount to success.”

How have you learned what works for you and what doesn’t?

“It’s a lot of trial and error. I train with my coach, Paul, 3 times a week but the rest of the week I train on my own due to work commitments. Over the years I have

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picked up a lot of things that I know works for me in both my nutrition and training. After every training cycle I review and adapt to what suits my needs at that particular moment in time. By doing this you can work on weaknesses and build on strengths!”

Which body parts do you find toughest to work on?

“I wouldn’t say there was a body part that I find toughest to work but there is an exercise for sure..... I HATE deadlifts! Probably because they are my weakest lift by far. But all I can do is keep working at it as much as possible until it gets better. I blame my short arms...”

Weakest lift? You lift 265kg!

Make the rest of us feel small why don’t you Owen!?

What type of diet do you follow?

“This is an aspect of my training that I’ve done a lot of experimenting with in the past and I’ve finally got to a point where I can keep my performance up as well as maintaining my body weight around 83kg.

This is very important for a power lifter who has to stay at a particular weight for his or her category. I usually train each day at around 5pm. Before I train my meals are mostly high fat, high protein (around a 50:50 ratio) with no carbs. Post workout this is where I introduce carbohydrates into my diet, around 150/200g altogether... depending on how hard the session has been! Over the years I’ve found I don’t really hit the higher rep ranges enough to warrant a ridiculously high carbohydrate intake throughout the day. Carbs just tend to make me sluggish for lifting more than anything. This is what works for me!”

What is the IPF and what was it like competing in the IPF so close to your final exams?

“The IPF is the International Powerlifting Federation and is the largest drug tested federation in the sport of Powerlifting.

I was fortunate enough to compete in their World Classic Powerlifting Championships in South Africa in June this year. Competing there was pretty stressful considering my last Uni exam was the same day as my flight out

to South Africa! My social life suffered a little leading up to the competition as I spent early mornings in the library so that I had enough time to train in the evenings. I’m glad I had the opportunity to lift out there and it was definitely worth the stress leading up to the competition!”

How do you motivate yourself to train and eat clean?

“For me this is easy. I want to be the best and I know if don’t do it, someone else will. I have the ambition to become a World Champion and I know that’s not going to happen unless I’m training as hard as I can all the time.

What tips have you for others who want to take up Powerlifting?

“The Great Britain Powerlifting Federation (GBPF) website is a good place to start or see if your University have a club, learn the rules and compete! Powerlifting is such a welcoming sport and that’s what got me hooked in the first place. I was a 15 year old boy with no idea what I was doing in my first competition and I was welcomed and supported by the other guys at my gym who had been lifting for years!”

What would you say is the key to managing training and diet as a student?

“Diet is preparation for sure. For the last few months of my degree I lived out of Tupperware in the library shovelling mackerel salad down my throat. I was probably the last person you would want to sit next to but it’s got to be done!

Training is similar and you get out of your training what you put into it. If I wasn’t too far away from a competition I would socialise and go on nights out without a problem, but I would do it strategically.

Basically never go out the night before a heavy squat session as that hangover is just going to make it a write off! Bench on the other hand, your lying down so it’s not too bad!”

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

“Obviously the occasional night out never hurt anyone. Also I’m a bit of a secret nerd inside too so I love my gaming and anything do to with superheroes. Sad I know... “ What are your future plans?

“I’ve graduated from Bournemouth University now with a 2:1 in nutrition and am personal training out of 180 degrees gym in Sandbanks. It’s a nice place to be, training people on the beach!

Competition wise I have a bit of a break now until the British Classics in October held in Dover, so I’m training for some big numbers there.”

OWEN’S TRAINING REGIME

Training can vary depending on how far away from a competition I am. The closer to a competition I am the heavier the weights and my session become more intense and focused on the main three lifts; squat, bench and deadlift. On the other hand, the further away from a competition I incorporate more variance, assistance and repetitions. Typically leading up to competition my training consists of the following;

Monday – Squats • Squats - 8 sets x 6 reps (preceded by at least 2 warm up sets)

Tuesday – Assistance Bench • Barbell floor press – 5 sets x 5 reps • Overhead press – 5 sets x 5 reps • Weighted dips – 5 sets x 5 reps • Bench press (speed work) – 10 sets x 3 reps (explosive) • Abdominal roll outs – 3 sets x 10 reps • Weighted sit ups (on a decline bench) – 3 sets x 10reps • Finish with foam rolling and mobility work

Wednesday – Deadlifts • Deadlifts – 10 sets x 2 reps (building the weight up) • Deficit or block pull deadlifts – 6 sets x 3 reps • Weighted chin ups – 5 sets x 5 reps • Weighted side bends – 5 sets x 5 reps

Thursday – Bench • Bench Press – 8 sets of 6 reps (preceded by at least 2 warm up sets) • ‘Board’ or ‘chains’ Bench Press – 5 sets x 3 reps

Friday – Assistance work/active recovery • Bent-over rows – 3 sets x 10 reps (concentrating on technique and squeezing the scapula together) • Wide grip chin ups – 3 sets x 10 reps superset with Lateral raise – 3 sets x 10 reps • Barbell curls – 100 reps in as little amount of sets as possible • Abdominal roll outs – 3 sets x 12 reps • Weighted sit ups (on a decline bench) – 3 sets x 10reps • Finish with 20/30 minutes of foam rolling

Saturday – Deadlifts and squats

Sunday – Bench Similar session to Thursday’s but usually a little lighter and stricter. This means incorporating paused bench into the session. Paused bench involved a 1 second pause at the bottom of the rep before pressing the bar; this is how the bench press is performed in powerlifting. When training I usually pause the first and last repetition.

Owen’s titles • Commonwealth Champion 2010 • British Classic Champion 2013 • British Equipped Champion 2014 • Junior World Record Holder in the Bench Press @ 83kg (190.5kg) • British classic record holder for both the junior and senior

• Deadlifts – 5 x 5’s • Deficits speed deadlifts – 3 x 5’s • Squats – 5 x 5’s • Heavy bent over rows – 3 x 5’s • Weighted sit ups – 3 x 20’s • Glute ham raise – 2 x 20’s • Back raises – 2 x 20’s

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StUdent tranSformation

Plymouth University Computing student Rachael Tordoff, 20, transformed her body in 12 months.

She took on the challenge of a lifetime when she decided ditch the PlayStation for the gym....and this is what happened!

“I remember the day, this time last year when I realised I had gone from trying to squeeze into a size 10 to suddenly not being able to fit into my size 14 jeans. When realising I was borderline a size 16. I decided at that point I had to change my entire lifestyle before it got worse.

competing to see how far I could push my body and my mind. Mr University was a great experience I want to shout out to the world and say you DON’T have to have a background of fitness to compete!

Once I achieved my goal of being ‘bikini

The journey was long and bumpy, it wasn’t just about losing fat; I had to learn about myself and my body. I was never active growing up, I was the typical TV/gamer couch potato snacker and I didn’t even realised that I was doing it!

During my journey I started to enjoy the process, started believing in myself and actually thinking “I’ve got something here”, and so I decided I wanted to start

“I feel healthy, happy, and positive in every aspect of my life now.

It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.” “you dON’T have to have a background of fitness to compete!”

“The journey was long and bumpy, it wasn’t just about losing fat...”

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fitness ready’ I realised it was only the beginning. I am now training for an 85 mile cycling race and plan on doing a triathlon, something I never thought I would do and this is all because I realised how much I could push myself whilst preparing for the Mr University competition.”

Rachael got through to the finals of Ms University 2014 placing 4th and also won the highest public vote Award with 1,300 Like’s on her photo.

For more inspiration from Rachael follow her on Instagram @rachhtord

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If you’re already slightly confused, asking yourself... what is Crossfit? then we’re about to confuse you even more! But keep on reading and I promise that by the end of this feature you’ll be slightly less confused! So, CrossFit is many things... Primarily, it’s a fitness regimen developed by Coach Greg Glassman over several decades. he was the first person in history to define fitness in a meaningful, measurable way.

Crossfit itself is defined as that which optimizes fitness. it’s also the community that spontaneously arises when people do these workouts together. In fact, the communal aspect of CrossFit is a key component of why it’s so effective!

THE FITNESS CRAZE THAT’S SWEEPING THE NATION what iS CroSSfit and why iS it So effeCtive?

Studyfit met with Crossfit expert andy “the Machine” Osborne to get to grips with the sport. andy has been in the fitness industry for over 15 years and has a wealth of sports science and fitness certifications and qualifications to his name. He is regarded as one of the leading and most respected personal trainers and fitness instructors in the country, and is Head Coach and affiliate owner of Crossfit leicester.

“CrossFit “The Sport of Fitness” is constantly varied, functional exercise done with high-intensity.

CrossFit unlike other fitness programmes covers all the elements of fitness: Strength, cardiovascular endurance, speed, power, flexibility, stamina, coordination, accuracy, agility and balance.

The CrossFit Program was developed to enhance an individual’s competency at all physical tasks. Our athletes are trained to perform successfully at multiple, diverse, and randomized physical challenges.

This fitness is demanded of military and police personnel, fire-fighters, and many sports requiring total or complete physical prowess.

Aside from the breadth and totality of fitness, our program is distinctive, if not unique, in its focus on maximising neuroendocrine response, developing power, cross-training with multiple training modalities, constant training and practise with functional movements, and the development of successful diet strategies.”

So what Sort of StUff woUld i do in a CroSSfit workoUt? “A variety of things! We train our athletes in gymnastics from rudimentary to advanced movements; garnering great capacity at controlling the body both dynamically and statically while maximising strength to weight ratio and flexibility. We also place a heavy emphasis on Olympic Weightlifting having seen this sport’s unique ability to develop an athletes’ explosive power, control of external objects, and mastery of critical motor recruitment patterns. Our athletes are trained to bike, run, swim, and row at short, middle, and long distances guaranteeing exposure and competency in each of the three main metabolic pathways. And finally we encourage and assist our athletes to explore a variety of sports as a vehicle to express and apply their fitness.”

HOW DOES A CROSSFIT GYM DIFFER TO A regUlar gym or health ClUB? “A Crossfit gym or “box” as it’s called, has no treadmills or shiny machines, instead they contain barbells dumbbells, kettlebells, rowers, racks, rigs, jump boxes, wall balls, atlas stones, sandbags and the like. They are focused on running, rowing, skipping and bodyweight exercises. Unlike most gyms all of our sessions are headed by a coach to guide members through the class. A coach focuses on good technique, good form and take the member from the basics and builds them up from there. A good CrossFit box like CrossFit Leicester will teach members the importance of good movement patterns, good posture and being body aware.”

“At CrossFit we work exclusively with compound movements and shorter high intensity cardiovascular sessions. We’ve replaced the lateral raise with push- press, the curl with pull-ups, and the leg extension with squats. For every long distance effort our athletes will do five or six at short distance.

Why? Because compound or functional movements and high intensity or anaerobic cardio is radically more effective at eliciting nearly any desired fitness result. Startlingly, this is not a matter of opinion but solid irrefutable scientific fact and yet the marginally effective old ways persist and are nearly universal.

Our approach is consistent with what is practised in elite training programs associated with major university athletic teams and professional sports. CrossFit endeavours to bring state-of-the-art coaching techniques to the general public and athlete who haven’t access to current technologies, research, and coaching methods.”

what iS a ‘wod’?

“A CrossFit workout or WOD stands for Workout of the Day and is different every day to ensure randomised varied training. A box will each have their own WOD programming that promotes a well-balanced mix of metabolic conditioning, skill development and strength conditioning. A box will typically post the WOD on their website or Facebook page, including advanced-level (‘RX’d’, meaning as prescribed) weights, reps and rounds for men and women. The coaches show athletes how to scale the WOD down or up according to varying fitness and proficiency levels of those taking the class.

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ANDY OSBORNE

HEAD COACH AND AFFILIATE OWNER CROSSFIT LEICESTER AND OWNER OF BOX HQ & ANDY OSBORNE FITNESS PERSONAL training ServiCeS www.leiCeSterCroSSfit.Co.Uk / www. andyoSBornefitneSS.Co.Uk faCeBook: CroSSfit leiCeSter twitter: CroSSfitleiCS

CrossFit is a results driven community who record all of their workouts so that members can track their progress. It encourages people to step outside of their comfort zone and challenge themselves to try new things. You don’t have to be fit to do CrossFit. CrossFit is for everyone and by taking part it will make you fit! The workouts are tailored to your fitness level and experience and no matter how old or young you are you will gain the benefits that CrossFit has to offer.

But It doesn’t stop there, once you’re feeling fit and in the groove of things there’s plenty of opportunities to push yourself further.

CrossFit is not only a fitness regime but a sport in its own right. Every year CrossFit. com hold a competition in the United States to find the fittest man and woman on earth, it’s called “The CrossFit Games”, and this year the titles of fittest man and woman went to Rich Froning and Camille Leblanc Bazinet.

This is a worldwide competition; however you will find local CrossFit competitions run every week/month all over the UK and Europe.

Every year a CrossFit Throwdown is held to find the fittest male and female CrossFit Student in the UK. CrossFit Leicester and MASS host “The Student Throwdown” and the next one is due to take place in 2015!

The Student Throwdown was the first competition in the UK to contest the Sport of Fitness specifically for students. It’s an avenue to showcase your skills and level of fitness. The first annual Student Throwdown was contested in March 2014. With over 30 competing athletes and 100 spectators from all over the United Kingdom, the first annual Student Throwdown, was a thrilling experience for everyone. Due to a groundswell of interest, what started as a small affair arranged to have some fun and friendly competition between University clubs, is morphing into a major competition, drawing high quality competitors from Universities and CrossFit boxes throughout the United Kingdom.

4 diverse, torturous WODs, a semi-final and final and even spectator WOD’s were selected by Andy “The Machine” Osborne, and held on March 23rd 2014. With a raft of exciting equipment and a 14,000 square foot warehouse complete with sound system, DJ, videographers and photographers, the day came off with near military precision.

In the Men’s Rx Division, Theo Morgan of Cardiff University came out on top and in the Women’s Rx Division Bethany Lord of the University of Leicester took first place. Bethany Lord is an all-round athlete to say the least, only one week before powering her way to victory at The Student Throwdown Beth competed in Ms University, a sport which requires a completely different style of training altogether! Beth’s numerous appearances in The MASS Games earned her the title of Student Athlete of the Year. StudyFit caught up with the Women’s champ, Bethany Lord, a 22 year Physiotherapy student from the University of Leicester to find out exactly how she does it all...

How did you get into CrossFit and what do you love about it?

“I’ve always enjoyed keeping fit, and so when a friend said to me that she had just been to the craziest workout ever I had to see what it was all about! Instantly, I knew this was a new door opening for me and after my week induction at Cross Fit Nottingham, I was addicted! The reason I love CrossFit is that it incorporates powerlifting, Olympic lifts, gymnastics, bodyweight exercises and cardio which means that it is constantly varied and every WOD is a challenge.

The adrenalin rush you get is insane and also the CrossFit community is fantastic and it welcomes all abilities!”

How do you manage training with University life?

“Training is something that I look forward to doing, where I can clear my head and blow off some steam after a stressful day studying. I’m not saying it is easy, but dedication is key; I found that being able to motivate myself was very important.”

What motivates you to train?

“I love the buzz you get from training, whether it’s in the gym or at a CrossFit box. I just tell myself if I don’t train then I’m going to get out of shape, my fitness levels will drop and I know that I will be disappointed in myself. I love looking back at where I started and seeing how far I’ve come, I become more and more motivated each time I look at my progress - whether that is an increase in weights, technique improvement or learning a new movement.”

What advice would you give to students interested in starting CrossFit? “Just pop into a free taster session at a box in your chosen city and give it a go! Remember that it’s for all abilities and everyone was a beginner once! Don’t worry about not knowing what to do – there’s always an induction to make sure you are applying the correct technique during a WOD.” What are your top fitness tips?

women’s rx division winner: Bethany Lord What do you like to do when you’re not WODing?

“I enjoy spending time with my family, eating good food and I am currently travelling in South East Asia.”

What are your future plans?

“I have graduated from University now and so I plan to continue training around full-time work and incorporate it with my preparation for competing in Toned Figure, women’s body building.

After competing in Ms University that is another passion I have recently adopted!”

Check us out on Facebook and Twitter to see what happened this year. Then get down to your local box to prepare for The Student Throwdown 2015!

Facebook: Student Throwdown Twitter: @ST2K15

“Train hard, eat clean and when times get tough stay passionate and think of those results you strive for, no matter what others may say.”

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UNDERSTANDING

My name is Mohamed Bouaziz and I am a training sports nutritionist. I graduated from the university of Leicester with a Medical Physiology BSc and am currently studying a postgraduate diploma in applied exercise physiology and sports nutrition. Through my experience and continued desire to self-improve; I hope to enrol into a master’s programme where I can continue this journey. My philosophy revolves around a food first approach to nutrition, and I will explain why it is so important to eat real food!

Metabolism Understanding your biochemistry is the best way to manipulate nutrition for reaching optimal body composition and performance. Central to biochemistry is metabolism. Muscle cell metabolism is fuelled by three different pathways, of which only one relies on oxygen. The end result of each pathway is to generate a molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). We can refer to ATP as our metabolic currency. The food we ingest is broken down into simple molecules (amino acids, fatty acids and glucose) that drive metabolism.

Now you’re asking, how about calories? We eat food, not calories. There is no system in our body that relies solely on calories. Is it reliable to focus our diet on the calories in versus calories out approach? Yes and No! Calories are the master regulators of the metabolism, meaning a positive energy balance will lead to weight gain and negative energy balance will lead to weight loss. However, weight loss is not the same as fat loss.

As human beings, our metabolism is influenced by stress, injury, exercise stimulus, body temperature, sleep, mood and so on. Our metabolism is not a machine and is very complex. The amount you’re thinking you’re eating is merely an estimate; calorie content from foods varies. Calories count, but only if you can count the calories, and in reality, it is difficult to count with 100% precision. So don’t be super obsessed with counting that last half a calorie, just be aware that choosing the right food combinations will better dictate your body composition in the long run.

Macronutrients

Now we get into the importance of macronutrients. The three macronutrients are protein, carbohydrates, and fat. A brief explanation of these macros will provide a perspective into the choice of foods we make.

Protein PROTEIN

Follow: @med.nutrition

People fear and monitor fats because fat is calorically dense, which can push you over your calorie limit if you do not monitor intake

Fats = 9Kcal Protein = 4Kcal Carbs = 4Kcal As a Result, a typical diet ratio that’s upheld is 20:40:40 Fats: protein: carbs

Protein is the most critical macronutrient in one’s diet. Muscle is made out of protein, which is essential for muscle growth, repair, and recovery. It’s also a critical fuel source. Enzymes in our digestive tract known as proteases break down protein into amino acids. Amino acids are the simple forms of protein and of the 21, there are 9 essential amino acids we require from our diet. Even though protein is important, the correct quality of protein is essential. Also, acquisition of protein from various food sources such as meat, fish, nuts and dairy will only increase the amino acid profile in one’s diet, thus, lowering the need for protein supplementation. Protein has a high satiety effect, a feeling that you may be familiar with after eating a 13oz grilled sirloin steak.

Recently, the media have stated that high protein diets are detrimental to health. This is yet to be proven.

Provided you have no kidney problems, a high protein diet will not be harmful.

FATS Fatty acids include monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated and trans fatty acids. Fats pose structural and functional roles in our body and are critical for hormone metabolism as well as keeping our nerves insulated.

Saturated fat is not the enemy and is critical when you’re training intensely. Saturated fat promotes healthy testosterone levels, where egg yolks are a good source. Trans fats are the only fats you should absolutely avoid. Trans fats have been altered in the lab and cause havoc in our cells, even though they do give snickers a superb taste! Eating fat doesn’t necessarily make you fat, but certain fats are better than others.

PROTEIN SOURCES Lean cuts of meat: lamb, sirloin, liver, lean ground beef Poultry: chicken and turkey, white and dark meat Fish: cod, tuna, salmon, smoked salmon, mackerel Dairy: almond milk, natural yoghurt, cottage cheese (whey, casein,) Plants: soy, nuts, legumes, whole-wheat grains Fat: there exists a lot of scepticism surrounding fat in the media, health advisories and fitness industry.

We are too fanatical with either being in the High fat or low fat camp

GOOD FATS Nuts; almond, Brazil nut, pecan, hazelnut, peanut, walnuts, cashew, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, olive oil, coconut oil, natural peanut butter, fatty fish, egg yolks, avocado

CARBOHYDRATE Out of the three macronutrients, they are the only ones that are not essential. Other than energy, they provide few benefits. Because the body has its own way of producing carbohydrates from protein and fat you consume. This doesn’t mean that carbs are frightful, but if you’re trying to lose body fat, emphasis should be placed on eating protein, fat and low glycaemic carbohydrate. Refined carbs increase your blood glucose levels, which spikes insulin. An insulin spike can be useful after a workout if glycogen replenishment is the goal, but it’s not great at any other time of day.

High Glycemic Carbs: Special K, table sugar, white potatoes, white rice Low glycemic carbs; Whole grains such as oatmeal, whole-wheat rice/couscous, vegetables, fresh fruit, natural dried fruits, sweet potatoes

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THE EFFECTS OF MACROS: The effect of macros on hormones such as insulin or leptin should be considered as well as caloric value. The overall effect macronutrients have on appetite and mood is very important, we don’t want to be reaching for that brownie and justifying it as flexible dieting! Can you begin to see how calories in vs. calories out is not the full spectrum of dieting; being aware of how meals influence hormones comes with choosing and portioning your food correctly.

MIcronutrients Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals. It is important that we acknowledge the importance of vitamins and minerals because they are essentials to our physiological homeostasis. Therefore, fresh foods and vegetables, as well as high quality meats and dairy become especially important when we are trying to improve our health and performance, not just composition! A trick is to incorporate fresh herbs and spices, which are full of immune system boosting micronutrients.

PORTIONING It is important to obtain the correct balance of macro and micro rich foods in each meal. So what is a good portion size? That depends on your goals. Incorrectly portioning your macros can lead to unwanted weight loss or weight gain. Making sure you include protein, carbs and fats in each meal is important. Don’t go zero-carb or super high protein, because you won’t trigger the right metabolic process that will propel you towards your goals. Two classic student meals that could be considered to be incorrectly portioned are the big bowl of pasta or three chicken breasts on their own. You know who you are!

Your goals and motivation will dictate the level of precision you need to apply to your dieting so the flexibility is great option for sometimes. Are you looking to fight, get a six pack, become a cover model, be a bodybuilder, this brings us nicely into nutrient timing.

Frequency

FREQUENCY

In nutrition, we refer to meal frequency as nutrient timing (NT). Nutrient timing exists as a tool we can use in certain settings when we want to manipulate timing of nutrition towards a certain goal. Now you may ask, is this nutrition around a workout? Is it the periodization of nutrition for long or short term? Is there a post exercise anabolic window? Nutrient timing is a very complex area, so we’re going to look at a few basic tips.

The number one rule is to nail the targeted macro intake for the day! As long as you hit your daily targets you will be on your way to those gains! Secondly, specific timing of nutrient is important, but relative around your training bout. So think of this, how hard and long are you training for? 45 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours? Are you at a high intensity or low intensity? These factors are important to consider before packing your pre-workout.

Your intake of nutrients before or after should mirror your training intensity.

3 tips on nutrient timing that could help you gain more muscle 1. Consume the correct amount of macros across the day 2. Consume 20-40 g of protein 1-2 hours before and after training 3. Eat 4-6 high protein meals Am I saying everybody should do this, definitely not! This is in the context of maximizing lean muscle gains.

Depending on your training regime and calorie limits this will also apply for fat loss. There is a lot of pseudo-science or bro science out there. This applies hugely in nutrient timing! It is important to consider the full spectrum of evidence in the fitness industry. Elite bodybuilders who train 2-4 hours a day will of course/ be more likely to need that intra workout BCAA shake, but does that apply if you’re training for 1 hour three times a week? I consider pseudo-science to be the selective picking of science at exclusion of other valid and important evidence... in other words, not properly analysing the science and taking snippets. This unfortunately is the cherry picking nature of the fitness industry .

Don’t be a person who goes to the extreme, contextualize and use the tools in nutrition to fit around your daily training and lifestyle goals. If you are reading research papers then make sure you read them from top to bottom, familiarizing yourself with the research methods and controls. Don’t just make a decision on mean values! Sometimes you may be that outlier on the graph who loses fat when everyone is gaining fat.

If a paper states there is a significant result, in what context is that significant? Some methods measure fat loss through body mass index (BMI). We all know that BMI is a very inaccurate way of measuring percentage of muscle or fat. To conclude, Think twice about the equipment being used. Don’t become an abstract reader!

FINAL NOTES: Whether its strength, speed, endurance, agility, or that six-pack we have always dreamed of it may take 1, 5 or ten years to reach your goals. Let’s look at it this way, do you want to be a Bruce Lee or look buff on the beach? Yes both have six packs and both are in ‘’shape’’, but I’ve referred to Bruce Lee here as he is a perfect example of phenomenal athletic capacity and psychological intellect. Sports psychology is not shown as much interest as sports physiology, because literature has found it difficult to understand such a phenomenal organ that is the brain. So why pay attention right? Wrong! We all know ourselves, our strengths, and our weaknesses and no matter what, we all have to capacity to improve on various aspects of our being.

Straightening our psychology can achieve our goals because after all, the central nervous system is significant to our existence and function. Focusing on immune health, hydration levels, enjoying the food we eat and getting good sleep will enhance our mental performance which will enhance our physical performance and this will feed forward in a cyclical manner more strongly that a quick fix diet. If you are undergoing a training protocol, it is important to be systematic and employ a periodized program in your training and nutrition. Balance and context are very important here.

In sports nutrition, there exists a toolbox full of tools, such that each tool is as important as the next, and when called upon can deliver a result. Create the virtual toolbox of knowledge and tailor it appropriately to your goals. Strive for self-development and improvement through continuous education. When it comes to research, carefully dissect the literature and make it your responsibility to differentiate between well-controlled science and pseudoscience On a final note, I believe if we avoid the extremes in nutrition, performance will always improve because trying to be over organized can become stressful whilst becoming under organized and your goals may become a mere memory

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Shopping on a student budget is all about common sense. It’s very simple. The key is organisation and sacrifice. Being smart and thinking before you act. Planning ahead in order to not find yourself with an empty fridge. Don’t give into peer pressure, just because the house is ordering a pizza it doesn’t mean you have to get involved.... Leave them to munch their circle of grease in front of the tv while you snack on a bowl of greek yoghurt and nuts as you get tomorrow’s assignment done. Prioritise quality food over expensive spirits and ‘procrastination foods’ and you’ll feel a whole lot better about yourself.

ON A STUDENT BUDGET

frUit and veg;

THE REST; aldi is king! it is excellent quality

MEATS; if you have a few keen gym buddies

Nutritious food doesn’t have to taste plain, adding flavour and variety to meals is simple. don’t be afraid to experiment with the huge selection of fresh herbs and good quality spices that are available.

Buy a few healthy carb sources such as basmati rice, wholemeal pasta and couscous in bulk and use them interchangeably. Have meat sources that you use continuously then save room to vary one or two meals week by week.

Find a local market, where everything is usually ‘‘a pound a bowl’’. You’ll get x3 more bang for your buck at a market than you would in the supermarket. Markets are also great for bargaining quality fresh herbs such as mint, coriander, thyme, garlic, onion and lemons that are all expensive in the grocery stores. If you use these every day in your cooking, buying them individually can equate over time. a trick is to go in the last hour of the day where you can definitely bargain for anything! or house mates, save money by going to the quality local butcher as a group, you’ll be surprised how much discount the butchers will offer if you buy a large amount of meat. By all chipping into a big order of chicken breast you’ll get that price per kg right down.

Even if you buy in bulk on your own 9 times out of 10 it’ll still workout as better value for money than the supermarket. Similarly to meat, your local fishmonger will have great quality and variety of seafood. there are always plenty of offers in the fishmonger. Buying whole fish is cheaper, and the guys wearing the silly hat will always clean and cut the fish for you. Become a regular and take your friends, and watch the loyalty discount appear! make sure to freeze the excess, as you don’t want to confuse the flatmates with an organised but reeking fridge.

and value for money. If you don’t have an Aldi near you then look for the nearest value supermarket. Buy the supermarkets own brand of dairy and the largest containers you can carry of the stuff that doesn’t go off.

Alternatively, Amazon can be a great shout for buying large bulk bags of rice, nuts, dried fruits and the like and as it’s delivered it saves you from a torturous journey home carrying it all on your back!

Other than fresh fruit and veg which should be bought at least once a week, the idea is to bulk, bulk, bulk and occasionally, treat yourself to a 13 oz steak or a pound of king prawns, be it for your own pleasure or to keep your mom happy when she comes to visit. Start taking advantage of the loan drop at the beginning of term to invest bulk, this will: a) mean you never run out of chicken, and B) give you a well needed newsflash that you can’t spunk all of your cash on fresher’s week club nights.

CAFFEINE

FISH OILS

– Caffeine, a naturally occurring timethyxanthine, is the most widely used drug in the world. It is a very effective at stimulating the central nervous system (CNS). Caffeine has been shown to successfully increase performance during endurance, power and strength exercises as well as helping you burn fat cells. Even though studies have shown marginal performance enhancing improvements; the placebo of drinking a strong coffee does work wonders. Now, there is no need to waste money every day on Starbucks! Whether it comes from a good quality instant coffee or those tablets we take before exams, caffeine is a winner!

- EPA and DHA are highly unsaturated, essential fatty acids that stand for eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. yes that is mouthful!

They’re called “essential” because your body can’t produce them on its own. Omega-3s are found in fatty fish, like salmon, sardines, tuna and of course, fish oil supplements. The omega-3 fats have been shown to turn on genes that increase fat loss and decrease fat storage, increase muscle recovery and growth, decrease inflammation, and support brain and bone health. If the thought of oily fish is off putting, then fish oils are a must!

– One of the most widely studied supplements, creatine is found naturally in red meat and herring. Creatine has been shown to increase energy and speed up recovery and its use can lead to increased strength and lean muscle mass. In terms of its loading protocol, loading of 15-20g for the first 5-7 days and then a single 3-7g pulse post workout will be sufficient.

Creatine monohydrate is the best form to take and is cheaper than other, ‘’improved formulas’’ that keep appearing on the market. a good tip is to mix it with lukewarm water to increase solubility. There is no reason why you should not be taking creatine, it is not dangerous at all and can add some great spark to your training!

(WHEY/CASEIN) - good quality milk proteins are rich in essential amino acids (EAAS) and also possess many immune boosting effects. They also contain the greatest density of Leucine, which is related to as the protein synthesis trigger. 2-3 g of Leucine is vital for triggering muscle protein synthesis. Whey is the faster digesting out of the two and due to its higher Leucine content is a preferred choice for athletes to potently stimulate muscle protein synthesis during rest and post exercise

CREATINE

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There is a choice here between buying her a drink at vodka revolution or seducing her with a salmon tagliatelle, for less that £10. To make shopping more cost-effective, organise your groceries into three categories. Fruit and veg, meat and the rest (whole grains, rice, oils, dried fruit, nuts, dairy)

milk BaSed ProteinS

The take home message is that supplements do as they say on the tin, they should supplement the diet not replace it!

Now that you know your nutrition, and your shopping sensibly... it’s time to make a meal plan! Making a meal plan pays, when your mind is squabbled with Professor Berthanstein’s quadratic algebraic equations the last thing you want to be worrying about is where you’re going to get your dinner from.

Preparing food and packing it in Tupperware in the morning or the night before saves time & money, ensures that you are consuming adequate nutrition to fuel your training and allows you to get on with your day with one less worry! After all, why come home from Uni to cook dinner, to then have to return to the library, when instead, you could have it all there with you! That’s 1-2 hours wasted right there!

Having meals on tap means you can quickly munch when you need to, power on through the day and still leave yourself enough hours to fit in a gym session having already got your work done..... Bravo Sir! And now that you have your meal plan, you’ll be able to predict how much of each food you’ll need to last the week, minimising wastage..... Hello Mr efficient!

To help you on your way below are some general examples of meal plans. These plans are purely examples and guides to work from. Amounts of foods depend on your training regime, so remember to change things in accordance to your personal requirements. If you are a 100kg individual, the total amount of calories and macros will not be the same as a 70 kg individual!

cUtting

Maintaining

bUlKing

my Calorie intake

Once you know your BMR, you can calculate your daily calorie needs based on your activity level using the ‘Harris Benedict Equation’

Calculate your BMR now at www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator!

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holly CoUZenS, UniverSity of leiCeSter “My embarrassing moment was a few months ago when I strolled into the uni gym at 6:30am on a Monday feeling rather tired.

As I walked towards the changing rooms I failed to see a MASSIVE notice board stating the male and female’s changing rooms had swapped around due to facility construction.

As I continued to walk into the changing room I looked up, I DEFINITELY realised I was in the wrong changing room, saw a lot of things I shouldn’t have and was scared for life!!

As I quickly turned round continuously apologising and covering my eyes, everyone who watched me walk in there was in hysterics, some even had to stop running on the treadmills to compose themselves, ha!

Since then I get reminded about it every morning as I receive whitty jokes. “

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This quick recipe means you have a dinner or lunch on hand, no matter what you have in the fridge. Hell, double the recipe and you are sorted for both!

This makes about 5 small cakes, or 2/3 large ones.

Preheat your oven to about 200°c. Combine 1 can salmon, ½ cup mashed potato (can use mashed sweet potato or canned pumpkin) 1 egg, 2 tbsp flour (can use plain, whole-meal, almond, it’s up to you), handful of finely chopped spring onions (or use dried Italian herbs if you haven’t got any), pinch of cumin, coriander or whatever other spices/herbs you have on hand. Form these into cakes, place on a non-stick surface (tin foil with some olive oil works well) and bake until they are lightly coloured and stay together when poked. Allow to cool slightly.

This ‘recipe’ (if you can even call it that), is embarrassingly simple, and amazingly adaptable. Plus delicious in all kinds of crazy ways. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Take your sweet potatoes (again, 1-2 per person) and chop into quarters or eighths (depending on their size, but the wedges should be pretty chunky; this allows a nice crispy outer, anda gooey middle...)

Don’t bother peeling them; just make sure they’re reasonably clean. Toss them on a lined baking tray with 2 tbsp olive oil (a spray also works well here, to ensure even coating) and enough smoked paprika, chilli powder or herbs as you like (my favourite is paprika, pepper, cinnamon and salt – don’t knock it till you’ve tried it). You don’t want too much spice here, but again, you know if you can take the heat or not, it’s all down to personal preference. Toss the spices well to combine. Bake the wedges for about an hour, but watch them from about 40 minutes. You want them to be nice and soft inside and CRISPY on the outside, but not burnt... You have been warned.

These super simple protein balls are good to have on hand if you don’t feel like spending your entire student loan on protein bars, but need something portable on hand when you’re in need of noms on-the-go. Again, this recipe is extremely adaptable – satiety-increasing ingredients like nuts, seeds and coconut oil can be added to keep you going until you can get a meal in.

Mix together 5 tbsp natural peanut butter (almond butter is also an option), 4 tbsp honey, 1-2 scoops chocolate whey protein powder, 3 tbsp ground flaxseed, 30g chopped dark chocolate (best to mix dry and wet separately and then combine). Roll the mixture into balls and put in the fridge to firm up.

Store in the fridge.

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Feel free to make each of these components separately, but together, they really do shine.

For the salsa, chop a mango into a small mince, about ½ cm large (or chop a pack of ready to eat mango, if you’re feeling lazy), do the same with 1/3 a cucumber.

Combine the mango and cucumber with juice of 1 lime, 1 tsp honey (optional), some fresh coriander and some hot sauce. Allow to sit for an hour (ideally overnight) before serving to allow the flavours to mix (or marry... if you’re feeling fancy).

For the skewers, take a pack of chicken breasts (allow 1-2 breasts per serving) and cut them up into bite size chunks (about 1’-2’) and place in a bowl. Cut 2 limes in half and squeeze the juice over the chicken, here is where a cheapo Cajun or Mexican seasoning will serve you well, if you have a seasoning mix you like, add this to the bowl, mix well, cover, and leave for at least a couple of hours (ideally overnight in the fridge) DON’T SKIP THIS STEP, it leads to the world’s juiciest chicken in the entire world... TRUST ME. When you’re ready to serve, slide the chicken pieces onto skewers and fry in small batches in a little olive oil in a non-stick pan. Check one of the larger pieces of chicken to avoid giving you and all your mates’ food poisoning.

These skewers are good served with some chips, rice, or a cheeky bit of couscous.

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thanK yoU! thank yoU for reading StUdyfit, the nUmBer one magaZine for StUdent fitneSS. we hoPe yoU’ve learnt a lot and are ready to aCt on yoUr goalS. look oUt for the SeCond iSSUe in JanUary!

Thank you to all the photographers who have supplied images for the magazine. thanks to all the Universities who have supported both maSS and StudyFit. Thank you to all of the MASS societies who have distributed the magazine to its readers.

Thank you to all the students who have contributed to the features of the magazine from training advice and interviews to helpful tips posted on social media.

Thank you to all of our sponsors and advertisers.

www.thebodyMass.org for advertising, general enquires or to get featured in studyfit please email studyfit@thebodymass.org

photographers: • front cover and adam hope by Scott Phillipson • front cover photo retouched by Joe mcCormick (www.joemccormick.co.uk) • history of maSS david Bissell by Jason ellis (www.jasonellisphotography.com) • mr University stage by matt marsh (www.mattmarshphotography. co.uk) • matt Sallis training by noel daganta (www.ndpictures.com) • adam hope field photo by nick mortimer • Bethany lord photos by Christian Burton (www.christianburtonphotography.co.uk) • Bola labulo by Simon Callaghan Photography (www.simoncallaghamphotography.com)

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