ultra-FIT MAGAZINE
Fitness for ALL Bodies
Vol.21 No.7 August 2011 £3.99
GET FIT FAST!
GET FIT
FAST! Get an athlete’s body Sprint Workout
VOLUME TWENTY ONE NUMBER SEVEN
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Top Tips for Great Fitness Kettlebell workout Stronger Back workout Powerclub workout Get Cycle Fit
Running Shoes reviewed Beat Father Time Workout whatever your age Fit 4 Business Duncan Bannatyne
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contents Volume 21 Number 7 August 2011
Special two
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cover issue
Cover: Duncan Bannatyne Shot by Simon Howard www.snhfoto.co.uk Cover: Jessica Ennis Shot by Mark Shearman www.athleticsimages.com
Regulars P8 BODY & SOLE P14 ultra-FIT INTERVIEW Adventurer Supreme Sir Ranulph Fiennes
P20 FIT KITCHEN
Performance Nutrition – latest news
P22 MIND
Life motivation
P24 NUTRITION Cook Recovery food
P26 INNOVATION
Tomorrow’s fitness products today
P58 TOP FITNESS TIPS
Features P18 FIT TIPS By Joey Bull
P30 FIT 4 BUSINESS Duncan Bannatyne
P44 NEED FOR SPEED Sprint drills and get faster plan
P52 R&R Recovery
P62 KING OF SPIN Johnny G
P66 PUNCHING POWER Tips and conditioning
P60 UNDERSTANDING FITNESS
P86 TEVA MOUNTAIN GAMES
P90 SHOE TEST
P102 PAUL CHEK
Hydration
Running shoes
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By Caroline Sandry
A man not afraid of controversy
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P70 INDOOR ROWING Training plan
P74 CLUB REPS Powerclub workout
P94 PILATES FOR SPORT
Tennis. By Caroline Sandry
P98 FIT4SPORT
Fast Driver – Golf training
P101 NEXT ISSUE PAGE P113 SUBSCRIBE TO ultra-FIT
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P106 ultra-FIT/Bodypower MODEL BODIES 2011 Nikki Jenkins James St Leger
P111 Enter the ultra-FIT cover model search 2011
Workouts P28 BEST EXERCISES YOU’VE NEVER DONE!
BEAT FATHER TIME
P34 BUILD A GREAT BACK
P79 BEST BODY AT 50
P40 6-WEEK WORKOUT
P82 DECADES OF FITNESS
P54 BOIL THE KETTLE
Chris Zaremba explains how he got his By Pat Dale
Strong to Cycle
Kettercise Workout
AUGUST 2011 ultra-FIT
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Sir Ranulph
THE ultra-FIT INTERVIEW
Fiennes By Caroline Sandry
Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE is described by The Guinness Book of Records as ‘The world’s greatest living explorer’. He is a living hero. Not only was he first to reach both Poles, the first to cross the Antarctic and Arctic Ocean, the first to circumnavigate the world along its polar axis, but he has also raised millions for charity and has been named the UK’s top celebrity fundraiser by Justgiving.com
I
met with the legend at his latest charity venture ‘Seeing is Believing’ – a global initiative designed to tackle avoidable blindness. As ambassador to the cause, he hopes to help raise enough funds to help save 6,500 people’s eyesight in developing countries around the world. The first big fundraiser was, ‘The Standard Chartered Great City Race’ that took place on July 14th.
CS: You have maintained an incredible level of fitness. What’s your advice to budding adventurers? SRF: Well, it’s totally different for a 60 year old and a 40 year old or a younger person. I wrote a book called ‘Fit for Life’ (available through Amazon) and it’s ok (getting fit) for average people who read chapter one and start doing all of it, but when it comes to the problematic stuff from chapter 10 onwards, I basically say that if you’re over 40 then don’t even try it! The same applies to me now – the sort of levels of fitness that I try to maintain now are totally limited compared to when I was younger, so the advice varies according to age and sport. CS: I read in one of your books that you recommended 2 hours of running every other day as an antidote to aging… SRF: (laughs) I might have said that in the past! Actually now 2 hours twice a week is more like it! I will do a 2 hour run and then some stretches – something I have had to add in since passing 60.
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CS: So you have had to adapt your training as you have aged? SRF: Yes, you have to make those types of refinements at a certain creaky age! As of about 60 it definitely started changing and I had to refine my training to, ‘a bit more of this and a bit less of that’! CS: How do you feel about aging and does the attention to your age bother you? SRF: Yes, (but) you try not to think about it. The more you think about it the more it’s there. A good way to think about aging is to remember that more of us are reaching 100 plus years of age (the Queen will have to stop sending out special messages!) and the 82 of
the world primarily because we were not specialists. You needed to have a team of 4, each of whom wasn’t going to let the side down in about 8 separate fitness sports. There was canoeing, sea-canoeing, running with a heavy back pack for many, many miles, mountain biking, horse riding, all these things and others would come into the race. This meant you could have people who were older, who wouldn’t let the side down on any of the activities, but who also didn’t shine brilliantly either. CS: What else helps to make a good team? SRF: You need to have a good team leader who is totally in control. You move as one, so
I will do a 2 hour run and then some stretches – something I have had to add in since passing 60 today is the 68 of yesterday! Therefore 68 is now 50! When I was 50 I was winning races and all kinds of things and I was also a part of a team where the next eldest was usually 23 years younger than me! CS: What kind of team? SRF: I was with the UK adventure racing B team, with people like Steven Seaton (athlete and ex-editor of Runner’s World). We weren’t right up there with the best in
if someone needed a pee, the team leader would wait until everyone needed a pee - by stopping all at the same time you can save a few minutes. Then for example, if the French team were sleeping 2 hours in every 24 and you were sleeping 3 hours in 24, you would be less zombie-like. The team leader needs to make those kinds of decisions. CS: You mentioned sleeping for just 3 hours in every 24. How do you cope
THE ultra-FIT INTERVIEW
AUGUST 2011 ultra-FIT
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BACK WORKOUT
Build a
Great Back Part 1
By Pat Dale Workout Pics Model: James St Leger Workout Pics Photography: Simon Howard snhfoto.co.uk
M
any of us train to look good. Taking this observation one step further many of us will train for aesthetics to build the muscles we can see in the mirror, not those we can’t. It’s not uncommon for novice or unknowledgeable trainers to do set after set of chest, shoulders and biceps exercises followed by just a couple
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of sets of lat pull downs, by way of a token gesture for their back muscles. This is a mistake! There are actually more muscles on the back of your body than there are on the front and a strong, well-developed back can not only add to how you look but also help to injury proof your body. Ironically a well-developed back can also make the muscles on the front of your body
look better. Strong back muscles will hold you in good posture and make your abs look flatter, your chest look deeper and your shoulders look broader. Don’t believe me? Try this: stand in front of a mirror and hunch forwards like an old person, roll your shoulders inwards, lower your head and bend forward at the waist slightly. Not a pretty picture I’m sure you will agree. Now stand up
the lateral plane. Nevertheless, it provides an easy way to remember what muscles you are working when you perform this exercise.
Trapezius Trapezius is a large diamond-shaped muscle that starts at the base of your skull, flares out onto your shoulder blades and then tapers into the lower part of your thoracic (upper) spine. The trapezius is usually broken down into three sections, upper, middle and lower, which are responsible for elevation, retraction and depression of your shoulder girdle respectively.
On completion of these two phases you should be well on your way to building a strong, functional and aesthetically pleasing back which complements the rest of your body.
UPPER BACK (Trapezius)
Back Anatomy
Teres major
Your back is made up of muscle groups/muscles that are often required to work together, but can also be called upon to function in relative isolation.
REAR SHOULDER (Posterior deltoid)
Infraspinatus Rhomboids Teres minor
Erector Spinae You have eight muscles that are collectively called your erector spinae. They have long and unpronounceable Greek names so to keep things simple, we’ll stick with erector spinae! These muscles run up your spine from the top of your sacrum to the base of your skull. Imagine two columns of overlapping muscles on either side of your spine. The erector spinae muscles are responsible for extending your spine, bending you backwards and flexing your spine to the side. When people say they have a weak lower back, it’s generally the lower part of the erector spinae group to which they are referring. By the end of this programme a weak lower back will not be one of your concerns!
Latissimus Dorsi Meaning ‘side of back muscle’, your latisimus dorsi or lats for short, run down the sides of your body from your armpits to your lower back. The lats are very impressive when well developed and look like wings when flexed. These muscles are responsible for extending your shoulder to the rear and also adducting or drawing your arms into the midline of your body. Contrary to popular belief, the lat pull down machine which works these muscles does not get its name because it targets your lats but because you pull your arms down in Exercise
LOWER BACK (Erector spinae)
MIDDLE BACK (Latissimus dorsi)
Your back is made up of muscle groups/ muscles that are often required to work together... Most people tend to focus on the upper traps by performing exercises such as upright rows and shrugs and completely neglect the middle and lower portions of this muscle.
Rhomboids Your rhomboids work alongside your middle trapezius and are located between your scapulae and your spine. They are involved in
retracting your shoulder girdle and like mid traps, are essential for posture and shoulder girdle stability. While we won’t be targeting this muscle specifically, you can be assured that it’s getting plenty of attention, albeit indirectly.
Posterior Deltoids Technically, your posterior deltoid is a shoulder muscle but anatomically, it ties into the traps and lats and is used in just about every back exercise. Also, as every chest and shoulder exercise focuses on the anterior deltoid, its only right we mention this small but essential muscle as well developed posterior delts can really add a lot to the appearance of your back muscles.
Phase One Overview Developing a Platform A chain is only as strong as its weakest link so with that in mind this initial phase of back training is designed to find and eliminate any weak links in your back musculature. This will ensure that your body is muscularly and structurally ready for the more demanding exercises to follow in phase two. Don’t skip this phase, even if you consider yourself an intermediate or even advanced exerciser. Even if you have been lifting a long time, you may have developed weaknesses in your back that needs to be addressed. Chances are, once you have corrected any strength imbalances, you’ll find you are able to make faster progress as a result. In other words, don’t worry about taking a step back if it allows you to take a big jump forwards. Perform each workout twice a week on non-consecutive days, for example Monday and Thursday. Avoid training your biceps on the days immediately before or after your back priority workouts. Precede each and every workout with a thorough warm up including some light cardio and dynamic stretches (functional exercises, such as marching on the spot and arm circles). Cool off with more cardio and plenty of upper body, held stretching. Contrary to popular belief, stretching after strength training actually enhances muscle growth by stretching the fascia or sheath that surrounds your muscles. This phase of training actually includes a specific lat and spinal decompression stretch to ensure you don’t suffer any adaptive shortening as a result of this workout.
Reps
Sets
Recovery
Training System
12, 10, 8, 8
4
60sec
Pyramid*
12 to 15
2
45sec
Straight Set
12, 10, 8, 8
4
45sec
Pyramid*
1
Single Arm Lat Pull Down
2
Reverse Cable Flyes
3
Two Point Dumbbell Rows
4
Romanian Dead-lift/Bent Over Row
6 to 10
2
90sec
Complex
5
Stability Ball Back Extensions
12 to 15
3
60sec
Straight Set
6
Dead Hang
1
1
ALAP**
Straight Set
*Pyramid – increase the weight and decrease the reps set by set ** ALAP – as long as possible
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BACK WORKOUT
with your shoulders pulled back, your chest lifted and your head up and you’ll look like a different person! Neglecting your back muscles is a big mistake – regardless of whether your goal is looking good or functioning well. Like the previous articles in the Build a Better Series, this programme is broken down into two distinct four-week phases: ✱ Phase one – general physical preparedness ✱ Phase two – hypertrophy and strength
U
sain Bolt runs so fast that he could get set speed cameras off in numerous towns around the country - flat out he’s approaching 30mph. In the 9.5sec or so he takes to run his best 100m races his foot will only be in contact with the track for milliseconds of a second on each stride, yet in that time he exerts immense force to propel himself forward. Sprint speed is essential for numerous sports and sprinting is in itself a great way to build a great body as it requires powerful legs, glutes and shoulders and a strong core to channel all that ‘limb power’. To run fast – as well as the body - you need to have a great sprint technique. You won’t run super-fast (whatever your ability) if you don’t have it. Sprint drills are used to maximise athlete’s sprint technique and should be performed by anyone looking to run faster (whatever their sport) and/or shape a great athletic body.
Inside the Fast Lane
Sprinting – the Blue-print
1. Foot-strike drills
The sprint drills that follow are broadly categorised in regard to their relevance to the specific phases of the sprint (running) action – what’s known as the ‘gait’ cycle, specifically foot-strike, stance, drive, toe-off and recovery. Note: that although categorised as such many of the drills have more than just one relevance to the gait cycle. Working through these drills as a session in your park or at a track will provide a great fitness training session. As befits their application to sprinting the drills are dynamic and will require your body to generate power. Consequentially your fast twitch muscle fibres will be required. These fibres (also know as ‘white’ or Type 2 muscle fibres) are not only crucial for speed, but also for shaping and building muscles. On performing some of the drills (and when sprinting) you will be over-coming 2-3 times your body weight on each impact. Say as a guy you weigh 80Kg, that’s 240Kg, imagine squatting that 100-300 plus times (the possible number of contacts you might generate in a sprint drills session) in the gym.
Top sprinting requires a curvilinear action of the legs – study Usain Bolt’s technique in slow motion for example, and you’ll see how his foot travels a parabolic curve from the drive phase, through recovery and into stance and foot-strike. Although somewhat obvious, many athletes and sportsmen and sportswomen perform too many drills, particularly high knees in an up and down way, which can lead to faulty sprint biomechanics. The Hip-flexors – the key sprinting muscle Ask many coaches, athletes and fitness trainers what the key sprinting muscles are and they may well argue that they are the quadriceps or the glutes - however, it’s actually the hip-flexors. These muscles are crucial for a powerful and quick stride. They can be seen
as the ‘pivotal’ point (or rather muscle) of the running stride – ‘spinning’ the legs, below the hips and pulling them dynamically from rear to front over and over again. Conditioning these muscles appropriately will therefore have a direct impact on improving sprint and running speed - many of the drills described in this article do just that. Muscle Firing The term ‘muscle firing’ has increasingly been gaining popularity of use in coaching and training circles. Basically the term refers to the rapidity of the interface between the neural signal sent from the athlete’s brain, reaching the muscle and the muscle then contracting (firing). Although a complex mechanism, involving the central nervous system, sprint drills can enhance the rate of muscle firing i.e. neuro-muscular capacity.
As we’ve said a top class sprinter’s foot is on and off the track in milliseconds, yet in this time a huge amount of force is generated. To produce this force optimally, the foot must be moving back towards the body as it strikes the ground and particularly when sprinting the foot should be dorsi-flexed i.e. flexed and held upward. If the foot plantar-flexes (adopts a toes down position) then the optimum transference of velocity across the running surface will not occur.
a) Single Leg Strike Drill
How to Perform: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and then step forward lifting one leg out in front of the body to about a 45-degree angle to the ground, then keeping the heel up, pull the foot quickly back to the ground. Skip between each ‘hit’. Repeat this, ‘hit’, ‘skip’, ‘hit’, ‘skip’ movement, keeping your trunk upright and chin up, whilst co-ordinating your arms with your the legs (that’s opposite arm to leg). Do: 4 x 20m (swapping legs after each rep) Progression: i) Perform the drill with increasing speed and force, skipping more quickly between strikes ii) Perform left, right, left (i.e. alternate foot-strikes)
Rest and recovery between drills Sprint drills are designed to improve technique, therefore it’s best that they are performed with quality. Fatigue will impair the precision of movement. So take plenty of recovery. If fatigue becomes apparent then reduce your reps or the distance over which you perform the drills – failure to do this could result in the ‘wrong’ movement patterns being learnt. Before performing the drills warm up with 5min of jogging and then perform functional movements for all body parts such as marching on the spot and arm swings. Cool down with a couple of minutes of jogging and stretch all major body parts.
A dorsi-flexed foot improves speed
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TRAIN LIKE AN ATHLETE
Inside the Fast Lane - Sprint Drills
TRAIN LIKE AN ATHLETE
b) Straight leg Bounds
The ankles and calf muscles provide crucial power when sprinting and running – although they are often overlooked when compared to the larger thigh and glute muscles (and as has been noted the hip-flexors). If you enhance the ‘elastic’ potential of these structures you will achieve greater speed and power. How to Perform: Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and swing one leg to a 45-degree angle to the ground. Sweep it down quickly to so that your foot contacts the ground in a dorsi-flexed position. Immediately ‘scissor’ the other legs up and then down to pull yourself forward. Keep your chest elevated and coordinate your arms with your legs as you progress over the 20m distance. The harder you strike the ground the quicker you will move. Do: 3 x 20m Progression: after 15m start running normally, whilst emphasising foot-strike.
c) Foot/ground/reaction and recovery phase drill How to Perform: This drill can be performed separately on one leg or alternating left and right. This description applies to the unilateral version. Start to jog and push your right leg forward, keeping the leg relatively straight, then pull the heel of the left leg dynamically up towards your bottom and through to the front of the hips and then down toward the track to strike the ground in the dorsi-flexed manner as just described in the previous drill. Aim to pull your heel back quickly and under your hips to pull you forward, whilst ‘spinning’ the heel up toward, round and under your body. Co-ordinate your arms with your legs, that’s opposite arm to leg and increase the speed of performance as confidence and specific strength develops. Basically each leg (or both depending on variant) performs an emphasised leg cycle. Do: 4 x 20m (2 on the left and 2 on the right side)
2. Recovery phase drills The recovery phase occurs after the stance phase when the sprinter’s foot is on the track under their hips and it then leaves the ground to be pulled up and through to the front into the next stride.
Sprint Tip: The Hamstrings
The hamstrings play a key role during the recovery phase as they contribute to lifting the heel up behind the body and then control its forward momentum, once the foot moves to an in-front of the hips position before they pull the foot back toward the ground in preparation for foot-strike. It’s at this point when the hamstring is performing a ‘lengthening under load’, eccentric muscular action. If the hamstring muscles are not specifically eccentrically robust then strains may occur – the drills that follow are particularly suited to developing this particular requirement of hamstring strength.
a) ‘Four’ drill
How to Perform: Stand next to a rail (or suitable height object) and place your inside hand against it for balance. Position your outside leg’s foot slightly in advance of the other with the heel slightly lifted off the ground. Your other (standing) foot should be flat on the ground. Keeping your torso upright and your gaze straight ahead, use your hamstrings to pull your heel up to your bottom. Your knee will advance in front of your hips at the end position. Don’t swing the leg. It’s the end position which when viewed from the side looks like a ‘four’ – hence the name of the drill. Focus all your energy on ‘firing’ your hamstrings, to pull your heel up and back. Do: 3 x 10 on each leg
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b) Single Leg cycling
How to Perform: Stand tall, use a rail or other suitable height object for balance. Lift your outside thigh to a position parallel to the ground. Sweep the leg down using your hip flexors (the muscles at the top front of your leg/hip) and round - dynamically pulling your heel up toward your bottom and then to the front of the hips, before sweeping it back down to the ground. Increase speed as confidence and specific strength develops. Progression: Perform two straight legs swings for every cycle
BOXING TRAINING
Punching
POWER By Ian Burbedge
S
o you want to punch harder? It doesn’t mean you have to have a bigger swing or jump into a punch. What you need to do is ‘plant’ – that’s your feet and combine the movement with your hips, shoulders and fist. Doing this will put a massive dent in that bag or the pads. It’s all about technique. There have been exceptional boxers who can throw punches off-balance such as Nazeem Hamed, for example, but they are few and far between. You really do need to have the foundation of firm feet to power your punches. As Patrick Dale wrote in an article on chest training recently, ‘You can’t fire a cannon from a canoe!’ It’s the same principle – a sturdy base will provide the launch pad for power punching.
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I’ve described the punches from the ‘Orthodox’ boxing position (that’s left hand and foot forward), so remember to turn these around if you’re a ‘Southpaw’ (that’s right hand and foot leading).
The Left Hook
Your body weight is transferred onto the back foot enabling the front foot and hip to pivot and twist in the same direction as the fist, the punch will land with the palm of the hand facing downwards, with the punching elbow up slightly enabling the knuckle part of the glove to connect with the target.
The Right Cross The right hook, because it comes from the ‘back’ hand means that your body weight is transferred onto the front foot enabling the back foot to pivot and twist along with the hip to turn the right shoulder and hand into the punch with the knuckles connecting to the target.
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BOXING TRAINING
Punching Technique
POWERCLUB TRAINING
Clubbing It! Powerclub Training
Photography: Grant Pritchard www.grantpritchard.co.uk Getting started Humans have been swinging clubs in some form or other since being on the planet - look back through history and in every civilisation there is evidence of war hammers, tomahawks and staffs of all shapes and sizes. However, clubs are not only weapons of war or even somewhere we go on a Saturday night (!) but also an exciting, dynamic and highly effective training tool. A powerclub is essentially a weighted bat that is heavier at one end (the barrel head). This uneven weight distribution creates a significant increase in the amount of leverage experienced by the user across both joints and musculature during lifting and movement. The centre of mass of the club sits firmly within the barrel head thus the load sits beyond the grip of the hand similar to kettlebells. The challenge of powerclub training is controlling the acceleration and
Basic club positions
deceleration of the barrel end of the club during complex movement patterns. The benefits of powerclub training are far reaching, they can be used extremely effectively to improve body composition, build muscle, improve muscular and cardiovascular endurance and increase power output, they are also superb for increasing grip strength and wrist stability. Another area that’s impacted on is the shoulder joint and shoulder girdle - powerclubs are superb for improving shoulder mobility and stability. As a functional training tool powerclubs are second to none, the more advanced at using them we become the more fluid our movements in turn become and we can introduce complex arcing exercises. These work our body through all three planes of motion (sagittal, frontal and transverse) whilst taking the shoulder joint through a complete range of motion so improving the integrity of the joint.
In this article we start with a beginner’s programme to introduce us to powerclubs and get us used to the different dynamic, challenging but manageable movements.
Safety considerations ✱ Make sure there is plenty of room to swing the powerclubs ✱ Make certain you have a strong grip on the club as it will always be trying to get away from you, if your grip starts to fatigue then put the club down and have a rest ✱ Using the correct weight club is crucial. Consider that it’s always easy to make an exercise harder, we can just up the weight a little - so always start nice and easy and make sure your technique is spot on before moving up in weight.
The workout
Make sure you are fully warmed up before you perform the workout. Perform an appropriate pulse raising activity followed by dynamic stretching and muscle activation drills. This could comprise of a circuit of exercises such as squat jumps and supine bridging coupled with lunges and overhead arm swings. Your warm up should last anywhere between 5-10min and remember to cool down, with some CV work and held stretches. For those new to powerclub training the following workout should be performed 1-2 times a week, for an intermediate trainer it can be performed 2-4 times a week. Movements 1-7 should be performed with a powerclub in each hand, but if this is too challenging just use one club, but do to train both sides of the body. Leverage position
Torch position
Sets/Reps/Rest
Shoulder park position Order position
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1. Order Position Front Squat 2. Frontal Shoulder Park Lunge 3. Leverage Press 4. Torch Press 5. Outside Leg Swing 6. Sagittal Arm Cast 7. Swipe 8. Shoulder Park to Club Woodchop
2sets/15reps/1min 2sets/15reps/1min 2sets/15reps/1min 2sets/15reps/1min 2sets/15reps/1min 2sets/15reps/1min 2sets/15reps/1min 2sets/15reps/1min
Intermediate (circuit style) 3-4 sets 15 reps 3-4 sets 15 reps 3-4 sets 15 reps 3-4 sets 15 reps 3-4 sets 15 reps 3-4 sets 15 reps 3-4 sets 15 reps 3-4 sets 15 reps
The order position front squat is a combination of the basic squat and the basic powerclub grip. Targets: quads and hamstrings, glutes, shoulders and biceps ✱ Start with the powerclub in the order position and feet shoulder-width apart ✱ Squat to a thigh’s parallel to the floor position ✱ Keep the clubs upright ✱ Extend thighs to return to start position, keeping your chest elevated
2. Frontal Shoulder Park Lunge
The frontal shoulder park lunge provide a great starting point for single leg club work. Targets: quads and hamstrings, glutes, adductors and abductors (muscles on the inside and outside of the thighs) ✱ Start with the club in the shoulder park position on the opposite side to the leading foot ✱ Step into a side lunge ✱ Keep the trail leg straight and the lead leg knee tracking over its foot ✱ Drive back up using the leg ✱ Keep your chest elevated throughout ✱ Return to start position and repeat
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POWERCLUB TRAINING
1. Order Position Front Squat
FIT 4 LIFE
50 NOT OUT Chris Zaremba tells us how he made the journey from being over-weight and out of shape to a super-fit 50-year old. Main photos: Simon Howard www.snhfoto.co.uk AUGUST 2011 ultra-FIT
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FIT 4 LIFE
I
discovered the benefits of adopting a fitness-based lifestyle pretty late in life. I hadn’t been to the gym until I turned 50. And as for my diet up until that point, I believed that ‘good nutrition’ was to add a diet drink to my burger and fries! However, I have turned things around since then. Now at 54, I believe I have a story worth telling. I had a great time, eating and drinking absolutely anything most of the time. Nutritionally, it was a disaster. As well as being McDonalds’ best customer, curry houses and fish & chip shops near where I lived were able to increase their profit forecasts when they saw me. I was a massive pub-goer and a big fan of traditional British real ale. My maximum weight, which I hit at age 49, was 111kg/245lbs. On turning 50 I decided that I needed to get a grip on my health. My wife, Jenny is keen on fitness, particularly triathlons, cycling and running. I was fed up with her having to wait for me when we cycled together. I also didn’t like being out of breath after running for a bus or up some stairs. So I started ‘doing more exercise’ and ‘watching what I ate’. Neither of these aims were accompanied by planning and the results reflected that. I decided I needed something more. The ‘something more’ happened once I received a referral from a gym receptionist to fitness professional Rob Riches (www.robrichesfitness.com). I set up a couple of personal training sessions with him and his enthusiasm for the fitness lifestyle quickly transferred to me. Rob provided the inspiration to get me keen on training and nutrition – so much so that these became both enjoyable and a priority in my life. Rob initially developed a set of ten measurable targets and a routine to achieve them. Most were defined by weights moved in the gym, for example, maximum weight lifted on 10 biceps curls and 10 bench presses, whilst others include body statistics, such as waist size and bodyfat percentage. I had a couple of incentives to succeed, Rob had shown belief in me and I didn’t want to let him down but perhaps more importantly Jenny was so keen on me attaining my fitness goals that she agreed that if I achieved seven out of the ten targets, then we could stretch our family budget to purchase ‘a prize’ - one of my favourite cars a Mazda MX-5. Definitely the carrot rather than the stick approach! A year later, I succeeded in meeting my targets and ordered the MX-5. I’d enjoyed that year and what had started as a means of losing fat and becoming healthier had become an enjoyable part of my life. It wasn’t a pain to go the gym any more - indeed, it was more of a pain not to. More importantly, Jenny very much approved of the changes in me and encouraged me to not stop at that point. So, I decided to stick with the fitness lifestyle and have developed some new goals, with Rob also continuing in his role as coach and fitness adviser. The quality of the information and advice I continue to receive from him to help in these goals – workout
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2002
2004
2006
2007
As well as being McDonalds’ best customer, curry houses and fish & chip shops near where I lived were able to increase their profit forecasts when they saw me... ✱ Drop my bodyfat down to 12% from 14% ✱ Keep the compliments coming from Jenny! I haven’t set myself a specific weight target – I’m now 75kg/165lb and if the bodyfat comes down and my performances in the gym improve then I am happy to let the bodyweight do what it wants. They’re no automotive incentives this year – although I do wonder how far I’d have to go to get domestic approval for the Porsche 911 I’ve yearned for? I’m keen to continue studying the theory side of nutrition and metabolism and to add more knowledge on anatomy and physiology, as well as further improve my gym skills. To that end I have signed up to do a part-time personal trainer course. And if I continue to make gains and the old body still looks a bit decent then maybe someday a fitness competition stage awaits me, in an age-related category designed for near pensioners! Fitness professional Rob Riches
programmes, specific exercises, body physiology, nutrition, even recipes and cooking lessons – remains outstanding. Towards the end of last year, Rob set up a photo-shoot with ultra-FIT photographer Simon Howard, you can see the results in the photos that accompany the article – oh and what I have achieved! Simon is massively skilled, creative and knows exactly how to get the best from his models. So it’s also a big thanks to Simon, ‘I highly recommend your work’.
To achieve my best body by 55 To remain motivated I have set myself a new goal and that is to achieve the best body I can by my 55th birthday in November this year. To do this end I have created five simple goals: ✱ Increase the weights I lift in the gym ✱ Start seeing some real ab definition ✱ Lose a few more pounds of fat and replace these with the same weight of muscle
Nutrition I target 2700 calories per day, with 35% of these coming from protein and 50% from carbs. This means consuming over 230g of protein per day which I find easy, as I love meat, fish and protein shakes. I have no problem in including a source of complete protein in each meal. I find getting enough decent carbs a bit more tricky though. Now beer still forms a big part of my life – but these days I look for quality, not quantity. It has to be ‘worth it’. The same applies for wine, spirits and (strangely in this sentence of alcoholic beveidges) bread - sorry supermarket white sliced, you’re history. Being in charge of the kitchen – rather than leaving it to fast food outlets – gives me the level of control needed over the nutrient values and quality of the ingredients used. Jenny enjoys the food too and is also a fan of joining me in producing high-quality, nutritionally planned meals at home – and remains surprised that I am keen to do the
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