GETTING STARTED
A few points for you to remember as you start this journey - There is no perfect plan (training or nutrition), you may fail a few times or think you've failed (don't beat yourself up about, tomorrow is a new day) and it's not easy and takes commitment, hard work and most importantly CONSISTENCY (if it was easy, everybody would have god/goddess physiques.
EVERYBODY IS DIFFERENT.
Our job now is to experiment and find what works for you, no gimmicks, no extreme diets, no eliminating foods. If you try a certain way and don't see the intended results, make adjustments and start again until you start to see your hard work come to fruition.
BELOW ARE SOME USEFUL TIPS TO HELP YOU GET STARTED
EVERYBODY IS DIFFERENT.
Our job now is to experiment and find what works for you, no gimmicks, no extreme diets, no eliminating foods. If you try a certain way and don't see the intended results, make adjustments and start again until you start to see your hard work come to fruition.
BELOW ARE SOME USEFUL TIPS TO HELP YOU GET STARTED
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TIP 1
Create a schedule Plan your week, add the days your going to do certain things like exercise, go to the gym, do your shopping etc. Be as detailed or vague as you want. Plan your meals for the week, write it down and place it in prominent place in the kitchen Don't forgot to add your progress days where you will measure your body progress. CHECK OUT MY 'CREATING A SCHEDULE' VIDEO FOR INSPIRATION - COMING SOON *RESOURCE - DOWNLOAD MY >> SCHEDULE PLANNER << |
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TIP 2
Anthropometric Measurements Take your Anthropometric measurements which include your height, weight, body fat and body measurements. You've probably already done this during the lifestyle questionnaire, however if you haven't, get cracking! Every week/couple of weeks/month you'll be required to check in and report your progress. WEIGHING IN - This can be done daily, every couple of days or once a week/month. If you decide to do it more than once per week, you will need to take an average for that week. TIPS: - Ensure you stick to the same time of day (1st thing in morning, before breakfast) - Wear the same clothes (minimum is better) OTHER MEASUREMENTS - This will be done every 4 to 6 weeks and will include measurements of Hips and Waist - you decide if your want to track other measurements such as arms, legs and chest (majority men) CHECK OUT MY 'THE SCALES' VIDEO FOR INFO, HINTS AND USEFUL TIPS - COMING SOON |
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TIP 3
Progress Pictures In my opinion, the single most powerful tool for measuring progress is pictures. It's important that you undertake pictures at the start of your journey and at intervals approx every 4 to 6 weeks alongside body measurements and can be sent to your coach. Uploading and sending these images are not compulsory until you are ready to do so. Your coach may encourage you to share the images with them to review your progress. Any images shared beyond you and your coach for celebration or marketing purposes requires your prior consent and will be communicated with you before being shared. It is important that you: 1. Stay in a consistent location, ideally with a plain background such as a closed door 2. Expose target areas i.e. abs - therefore don't cover your tummy etc 3. If covered, Wear something that will show your silhouette, but nothing too tight fitting and avoid black unless it's Contrasting to the background, i.e. white background, dark clothes 4. Try and use the same or similar clothes 5. Take pictures of 3 positions; FRONT FACING, SIDE FACING and BACK FACING SEE EXAMPLE |
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SMALL DAILY OR WEEKLY Establishing new intentions and creating better habits May not be directly linked to your big goal but will help lay useful foundations sustain your big goal Examples include: waking 1 hour before leaving the house no social media after 7pm writing down a daily to do list spend 20 minutes outdoors drink 1 glass of water upon waking get your clothes out the night before |
BIG MONTHLY OR YEARLY The bigger picture The most important reason that will make the biggest impact to your life, understanding why it's impact will have he biggest impact and what it will look like when you've achieved it and all the milestones on how to do it Examples include: lose 1 stone Squat double my body weight Fit into size 10 dress |
TIP 4
Dream Big: Set your goals The most common goals/targets people choose tend to based around how much we weigh, now even though its a good indicator to determine fat loss/gain, the scales aren't paramount to progress therefore when setting your goals, consider: - Increase strength and fitness - Better movement, mobility and range of motion - Improvement in your internal narrative (self worth, positive affirmation, self kindness etc.) - Better relationships with food - Improved posture - Increased confidence - Changes in physique - Improved habits and consistency with your routine How much you weigh will be the by-product of these - good or bad Every target should be SMART (Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound) so simply answer these and write them down: - What do you want? - When by? - Why is it important to you? - How will you know you've achieved it? - How will you achieve it? VISUALS ARE A GREAT WAY TO KEEP YOU MOTIVATED SUCH AS A CHART FOR EXAMPLE. *RESOURCE - DOWNLOAD MY >> GOAL CHART << |
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TIP 5
Get to grips with food early No food is bad, but how much and how often we consume certain foods can impact our bodies negatively. Based on previous experience and desired preference, decide how you'll approach your nutrition and food consumption. I'm an advocate of either the 80/20 method or calorie tracking. Either way, it's important to know roughly, how many calories your body requires to function. Use the below to work out your calorie goal 1. WORK OUT YOUR BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate or in simple terms, the amount of calories your body requires to run all of it's functions before taking into account any movement Men's BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age in years) + 5 Women's BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age in years) - 161 2. WORK OUT YOUR ENERGY EXPENDITURE - The amount of energy your body will burn when undertaking your daily routine and tasks - Sedentary or light activity e.g. Office worker getting little or no exercise = BMR x 1.53 - Active or moderately active e.g. Construction worker or person running one hour daily = BMR x 1.76 - Vigorously active e.g. Agricultural worker (non mechanized) or person swimming two hours daily = BMR x 2.25 3. DECIDE ON YOUR GOAL e.g. LOSE, GAIN OR MAINTAIN - To lose or gain approx 1 pound of fat would equate to burning or consuming 3,500 calories. I would recommend that 1 pound per week is a safe and sustainable starting point, therefore to: Lose weight = deduct 500 calories per day maintain weight = 0 Gain weight = add 500 calories per day |
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CALORIE TRACKING (In my opinion, the most effective tool to aid your goals around weight loss, gain or maintenance)
A FEW TIPS 1. WORK TO WEEKLY TOTALS RATHER THAN DAILY - Work to a weekly target rather than a daily one, that way you can be more flexible with any last minute impromptu coffee catch ups etc. 2. TREAT YOUR CALORIES LIKE YOUR BANK ACCOUNT - Similar to above, saving calories or under achieving daily calories means you have more flexibility to consume more when needed e.g. snacks at the cinema, a couple of beers/glasses of wine, takeaways etc. For majority of people, Monday to Friday working routines are helpful in staying on saving calories due to being distracted with working commitments throughout the day. Plan your social calendar in advance and use the weekdays to bank extra calories. 3. LOGGING IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY - Like everything, if we don't write it down in black and white we estimate/guess, however our estimations can be the difference between making progress and not. We tend to over estimate exercise and under estimate what we have eaten and don't account for things like alcohol, oils and butters, condiments and drinks. USE THE MYFITNESSPAL APP to track your food THE 80/20 METHOD
A great way to balance your health and fitness goals with a balanced lifestyle without tracking and a better way to mange food eating enough nutrient dense foods with Proteins, Carbs, Fats and Vitamins and Minerals. The 80/20 method works on the principle that 80% of the time/week you consume food of nutrient dense value with high macro and micro nutrients (Protein, Carbs, Fats, Vitamins and minerals) and 20% of the time, more relaxed allowing for more calorie dense foods. When following 80% of the 80/20 method, its easier to build a healthier plate/meal by portioning the plate as followed: 1. HALF PLATE - Consisting of green vegetables 2. QUARTER PLATE - Consisting of a source of lean protein 3. QUARTER PLATE - Consisting of carbohydrate sources |
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TIP 6
Checking In Every month or week, you'll be required to check in with us using the CHECK IN FORM. Your coach will send reminders for you to complete them. Checking in with your coach can be a great way to ask questions and stay motivated etc. During the check in period, your coach will be analysing your performance and reviewing whether amendments need to take place, therefore it's important that you update your training plans with any notes such as what weight and how many performed etc with other anthropometric measurements. You have several options on what type of check in you want to submit, from just updating progress to needing support via a catch up call. We all fall off at some point, some sooner than others but check ins are a great tool to keep you in control, motivated, accountable and on track. CHECK OUT MY 'HABIT & BEHAVIOURS' VIDEO FOR SOME USEFUL TIPS - COMING SOON |
OTHER HELPFUL TIPS
DON'T SPEND HOURS IN THE GYM.....TRAIN SMART AND EFFECTIVE
Who has time to spend hours on end in the gym? Between 45-60 minutes, you are able to maintain a level of intensity to achieve some results, otherwise you may be privy to over-training, stagnated workouts and even boredom. Don't be one of these machine killjoys who spends too much time sat on it scrolling their phone, flapping their gums to mates and resting more time than you should.
To avoid this and training effectively, incorporate super sets, that way you maintain your intensity and are always working.
TRAINING SESSIONS MUST BE INTENSE AND CONSISTENT
The best way to keep your sessions intense are to rest less, increase reps, sets, weight, time, distance etc.
Progressive Overload = The ability to progress your workouts to improve the area your training. Every session you will be aiming to progress your workout in the following ways:
1. Reduce rest
2. Increase the rep range
3. Increase the set range
4. Increase the weight
5. Increase the duration
6. Increase the level/resistance
CARDIO
Unless your training for a specific endurance style sporting event or goal or you genuinely enjoy spending hours on the treadmill or other cardio equipment then DON'T.
If you want to perform cardio, checkout some of the metabolic conditioning workouts in the members area or keep the intensity high e.g. High Intensity Interval Training - 75-85% max effort for short bursts of 30-60 seconds.
GOOD PAIN/BAD PAIN
- Mild discomfort is part and parcel of the exercise process
- A burning sensation during repetitions is good and should be short lived
- Soreness is common and can occur immediately after performing an exercise/session or several days later.
- Excruciating pain, swelling or any unnatural feelings in joints or ligaments is not normal and you should stop immediately to eliminate further damage. Discuss with your trainer or seek a medical professional.
I recommend performing exercises with NO WEIGHT if you are unfamiliar with and building up to weight, set by set. It is vital to familiarise yourself with the bio-mechanical movement pattern of the exercise. Any injury incurred during exercise may be due to the improper execution or poor technique of the exercise
DON'T SPEND HOURS IN THE GYM.....TRAIN SMART AND EFFECTIVE
Who has time to spend hours on end in the gym? Between 45-60 minutes, you are able to maintain a level of intensity to achieve some results, otherwise you may be privy to over-training, stagnated workouts and even boredom. Don't be one of these machine killjoys who spends too much time sat on it scrolling their phone, flapping their gums to mates and resting more time than you should.
To avoid this and training effectively, incorporate super sets, that way you maintain your intensity and are always working.
TRAINING SESSIONS MUST BE INTENSE AND CONSISTENT
The best way to keep your sessions intense are to rest less, increase reps, sets, weight, time, distance etc.
Progressive Overload = The ability to progress your workouts to improve the area your training. Every session you will be aiming to progress your workout in the following ways:
1. Reduce rest
2. Increase the rep range
3. Increase the set range
4. Increase the weight
5. Increase the duration
6. Increase the level/resistance
CARDIO
Unless your training for a specific endurance style sporting event or goal or you genuinely enjoy spending hours on the treadmill or other cardio equipment then DON'T.
If you want to perform cardio, checkout some of the metabolic conditioning workouts in the members area or keep the intensity high e.g. High Intensity Interval Training - 75-85% max effort for short bursts of 30-60 seconds.
GOOD PAIN/BAD PAIN
- Mild discomfort is part and parcel of the exercise process
- A burning sensation during repetitions is good and should be short lived
- Soreness is common and can occur immediately after performing an exercise/session or several days later.
- Excruciating pain, swelling or any unnatural feelings in joints or ligaments is not normal and you should stop immediately to eliminate further damage. Discuss with your trainer or seek a medical professional.
I recommend performing exercises with NO WEIGHT if you are unfamiliar with and building up to weight, set by set. It is vital to familiarise yourself with the bio-mechanical movement pattern of the exercise. Any injury incurred during exercise may be due to the improper execution or poor technique of the exercise