More Quick Tips

Mr Delia Steele

29.09.2011

The good thing about quick tips is that they are easy to read but might teach you valuable lessons about stuff & things. Read these, you might learn a thing or two and we've linked them up to articles and videos so you can find out more. If you want to.

Chunk your Learning!

When learning the Turkish Get Up please, oh please, break down and master one piece at a time. Don't rush through it, get it half right, and then put your body in awkward positions - you've only got two shoulders and they are important! Do yourself a favour, master each bit separately, be patient and build it up slowly.

 

Squats hurt your knees?

Before saying you can't squat because it hurts your knees, get your technique checked. Far too often people squat all wrong and bring on the pain themselves. Push your bum back, get the weight through your heels, drive your knees out and feel like you are squatting in-between your legs. If you got all that down and it still hurts, get some help. You may have issues.

 

Don't blindly follow the Gifted

Here's a great quote from maximum muscle by Matthew Perryman: 'The fitness industry is the only industry where "hey look at me" can be taken seriously as an argument' - There are too many variables in fitness. Just because someone looks great, doesn't mean there program will work for you. Learn the ropes, use some logic & common sense - don't blindly follow the genetically gifted.

 

Pull Hard, Pull Heavy, Pull Often

We've told you before and we will tell you again, if you want to be fit and healthy, you need a strong back. If you want big biceps, you need to train to pull heavy weights - and if you want to be athletic you can't just train what you can see in the mirror. A strong back is one of the foundations of health and fitness. Free weights, machines, cables and ropes all have their place here.

 

Timewasting

Don't waste time on unstable surface training. Unless the ground usually moves in your sport, leave the BOSU, the Wobble Boards and the Swiss Balls to the side and concentrate on getting stronger without wobbling around all over the place.

 

Don't Make your body hate you

If you don't move your body, it will hate you.
If you don't move your body, it will cease up, hurt and whine.
On non training days, especially when you're stuck behind your desk, do a few mobility drills (like this one) to oil the machine. You don't have to work hard, but if you keep moving your life will be better for it.

 

Overhead Squat - A Lot

These are a really great exercises to have as part of your warm up and mobility drills at the start of your session. Even if you're not doing them for strength, they are still hard and worth doing to keep your squat movement pattern well practiced. They will warm you up nicely and ensure your legs and thoracic spine maintain athletic readiness. Do it.

 

Love your Programme!

It's important to love your programme. As much as it's important to do smart work, it's important that you love your programme. It's important that it excites you and that you believe it will work. Without this, you're less likely to give it all you've got. Strive to do the right stuff, but also strive to find things you like!

 

Need Speed?

Get on some shuttle runs. Stick 2 markers down 10 metres apart. Aim to sprint between them with quick neat turns. As soon as your speed stops, have a rest. Repeat 5 times at top pace and you will see your speed shoot up. Then hit the football pitch and dominate all before you.

 

It's All Stress!

Remember that resistance training is stress, cardio training is stress, 'dieting' is stress, stressing is stress and going about your normal activities can be stressful. For successful fat loss or training, you have to manage how much stress you are putting on your body - more isn't always better. But it is sometimes. Think it over. But don't stress.

 

Single Arm Rows

Cable machines aren't just for chest flys! They can be used for humpteen different varieties of horizontal rows - if you are like most folk, you could do with more of this in your life. Check out this vid for one way of doing this. Don't forget to do both arms.

 

Hungry?

Hungry? On the move? No problem: go to supermarket, walk past sandwich counter and pasta snack pots. Do not pick up. Go to meat section. Pick up quality pack of cooked meat. Pick up pack of watercress. Go directly to checkout. Do not pass doughnut cabinet. Pay. Take watercress, wrap in ham. Eat. go back to pre planned activities.

 

It's Complicated!

Cut 3500 calories per week from your diet and you will lose a pound of fat right? WRONG. Fitness is simple, but complicated - always try to remember this! The 'calorie equation' is very complicated and affected by many factors. For a start, always measure body composition and not simply weight or you will be wrongly disheartened.

 

There are many ways to skin a cat..

As outlined here there are many ways to achieve your goal in fitness. Don't get overly attached to what others think you should do, simply remember the principles of specificity, consistency and progressive overload and find a way to train that suits your body and your amount of mental-ness!

 

Train your Hammies to Co-operate!

Being able to tilt your pelvis correctly is essential when learning squats, lunges, swings and other athletic movements. This little drill is great for training hip tilt, mobilising your hamstrings and adductors and warming up for business. Watch the vid, stick it in your routine - train your hamstrings to cooperate and be happy.

 

Eyes on the Bell

A lot of overhead Kettlebell skills like the Windmill, The Bent Press and the Side Press require you to keep your eyes on the Bell. The only way to control heavy weights in this position is to keep your eyes on them, your arm locked and of course to learn it carefully. Get your eyes up, concentrate and avoid dropping it on your head.

 

Proper Fitness Ain't News!

One must be careful where one reads about fitness. If you're picking up your info in the newspaper or glossy magazine, be aware of why it's there. You're unlikely to find sound advice under a flashy headline in a mainstream publication. Even if you do, it's probably taken out of context. PROPER FITNESS is NOT NEWS!!!

 

Boost Leg Power

Once you have mastered bodyweight Lunges, move onto these Jumping Lunges for a while and practice putting maximum force into the ground through your front heal every time you jump. They won't take the place of adding weights and lifting heavy but are great for training your legs to be quick and powerful.

 

Fear Injury!

In training, with all the hype you can read about how to get faster this and quicker that, it's easy to over-reach and risk a nasty booboo. But if you take a longterm mindset, be cautious and avoid injury you are far more likely to achieve continued success. Fear injury, train smart, stay healthy and you will be in great shape longterm. Short term miracle fads and plans are for suckers and unfit folk who need the novelty. You're better than this.

 

 

Beware of Strangers!

Be careful where you learn training techniques from. The handsome well muscled fella down the gym may look like he knows what he is doing, but he probably doesn't. The commercial gym environment is often not the place to learn effective methods, the 'fit' looking fella is probably just more genetically gifted than you. Learn with care, stay focused & don't talk to strangers!

 

You don't always need a bench!

Too many guys waste half their Monday night workout waiting around to use the benches in over-crowded free weight areas. But, you don't need to! Floor presses, floor pullovers, dips and press up varieties can offer more than enough variety for building your chest muscles without waiting around in overcrowded gyms. Unless your a competitive power-lifter don't waste time waiting for the bench, just get your ass on the floor and push some iron or your own bodyweight.

 

Hungry?

Hungry? On the move? No problem: Buy bag of spinach, one lemon and 1 or 2 packs of prawns. Open bag of spinach. Tip prawns into bag. Aggressively bite open lemon. Squeeze into bag. Eat. Wipe hands on jeans afterwards. Don't make excuses, just get More-Athletic.

 

Outside the Foot Double Swing

Once you've mastered the basic Kettlebell Swing and you're ready to go heavy and vary things a tad. Try this variety developed by the mighty Mike Mahler: you swing outside the legs allowing for extra range of motion. The added range will let you use heavier bells and look cool in the process. Learn carefully on this one, we refuse to be held responsible if you smash in your knee cap when trying it out.

 

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