Is it all in the genes?

• Do we all have a pre-set that physically we are stuck with from birth passed down from family generations before or are we in complete control of our physical state?
• Why is it easier for some more than others to lose weight or why is it within weeks your friend is sculpted like a god/goddess while you are still looking the same even though you do the same workout?
• If my parents have gained significant amount of weight as they've got older is this my destiny? or on the other end of the scale my dad is an adonis so naturally when I grow up I will be too.

All these questions touch up on the subject of genetics................ 

There is a lot of research going on at the moment to try and identify what it is in genetics that has one group of people respond significantly better to exercise than others. 

I train a numerous amount of different people who come in all different shapes and sizes. Some clients respond to weight training and gain muscle quickly while others don't, some can lose weight quickly while others struggle and with the different shapes comes muscle gains in different areas of their bodies, whether that be bigger bum, legs, chest, shoulders etc. 

When at the start of 2011 I done the STONEiMAGE Experiment where I ate a 5000kcals high fat diet a day for 8weeks my body changed but the changes weren't as drastic as I predicted, was this down to genetics I wondered.

Before

after 8weeks

I found it hard to put on weight, funnily enough I lost weight which was due to the muscle mass drop even with all the high fat, sugar and calories I was taking in without exercising. Even now when I go a small period without training or eating enough I start to lose weight, not talking pounds I'm talking kilos in no time at all. I realise that my body has a pre-set of the weight it wants me to be and will always go back to that setting when I stop training. I have a naturally slim build, broadish shoulders with long limbs similar to my father and no matter how much weights I do I will never resemble the hulk. What is your natural build? What is the build of your parents?

I believe we all have a pre-set that is mostly down to genetics but we can alter our physical appearance if we lead a particular lifestyle whether that be good or bad. Like my earlier blog about somatotypes our natural builds we inadvertently affect the way in which we respond to exercise. Luckily for me my bloodline is full of male and female sport enthusiasts and my dad often likes to boost that he had a natural 6pack without any specific exercise and even up to this day he still has a decent amount of muscle definition even at 50. So its fair to say that genetically i'm blessed but what about those who don't have a bloodline of physically fit and active ancestors surely they should not just assume they're doomed to slobbery, evolution will tell you that we can make alterations. Do you come from a bloodline of athletes? Does your body shape mirror that of your parents?

As a species we have evolved physically throughout the years, you only have to look at how the 100metre sprint times have dropped over the last 50yrs dropping from 9.98 in 1968 - 9.58 in 2009.

With that being said with new technology and new exercise methods have allowed us to physically move forward so that would suggest that genetics can evolve and be changed if you alter your lifestyle and exercise or do something different to the past generations.

Written by

Erron Dussard

STONEiMAGE Management LTD

@Stoneimage

It’s not just your personality she is into..........

What male body parts do it for the women?  here are the exercises to help develop the areas 

A few weeks ago I posed a question to my female friends which heated up my Blackberry and Facebook screen with non-stop feedback throughout the day. I asked the females to list their favoured parts of the male physique. Some answers raised a few eyebrows, with a surprising number of people mentioning hands, but there was a consensus for back, bum, shoulders, arms, abs and the infamous “V” spot. Not to mention cameo appearances for the chest and legs. More than anything, the excited flurry of response made it clear to me that women really do focus on a man's physical appearance just as much as we focus on their bodies. 

There were two main reasons for the attractions, the first obviously being sexual and the second was about the feeling of protection that a man provides. While the ladies loved a man with broad shoulders and strong arms to keep them safe, looking at ripped abs, a toned bum and a cut ‘V’ spot is a major sexual turn on. In general women prefer the look of an athletic swimmer rather than the bodybuilder type. So, if you spend most of your time bench pressing the heaviest weight in the gym so you can be popping buttons off of your shirts then I’d have a little re-think. I know the idea is to work out in the gym and exercise to improve your health and increase your lifespan, but let’s be brutally honest, deep down we go to the gym to make us more attractive and to increase our chances of appealing to the opposite sex. Now I’m not saying girls are only attracted by looks as there’s many other attributes that can get you leering glances from the females, but I stand firm when I say  the first contact you make with anyone is through sight. The girls have to look at your face and body first before they make conversation or even become interested in talking with you?  

Her first glance in the initial crucial seconds will have already given her an impression of what type of person you are and whether she is keen on you. So, you must be physically attractive enough before she becomes emotionally and psychologically attracted too. 

So back to what she likes........  

I’m going to give you some exercise tips to help build and sculpt the muscles she likes.  

The TOP 5: 

I’ll start with the favourite, 6 pack abs and the ‘V’ spot. Everyone has abdominal muscles as they are the internal muscles at the core of the body but it is one of the hardest muscles to bring out for all to see. Please don’t spend your time doing thousands of crunches as that will leave you with an unbalanced core as it targets just one area and if you have layers of fat over the abs crunches won’t shift that fat. My tip is to increase your cardio by doing some interval sprint runs, boxing, rowing or skipping to trim down. After the fat has gone then focus on some quality core exercises that work the whole region like the Plank. The ‘V’ cut is a natural progression of trimming down and having a good core. 

Second which may surprise you guys was the bum, it seems women like to see physically strong glutes as much as we like to see a curvy derriere. One thing that does amuse me is the guys that spend so much time on their upper body and completely neglect the lower half. We’re too busy trying to be the alpha male, impressing other male apes and showing our superiority that we don’t recognise how ridiculous it looks with a big torso and skinny chicken legs. The girls notice though and are not impressed by these disproportions, so guys up your squat and deadlift game. What you don’t know is through working the glute muscles greater testosterone is released into the body which will help you in your gains for size in the upper body also. 

Next was the back, another neglected area in the free weights room as obviously we can’t see our own back so we deem it not to be important. Women love a wide strong back as one female put it, “I like when it looks like you can sink your nails in”, yeah I know WOW!!! To build up your back you want to start doing wide-grip pull ups or if that’s too advanced use the Lat Pull down machine and also the earlier mentioned deadlift exercise hits the back as well as the glutes too. 

After came arms which was no surprise. When talking with an interested female notice how quickly and subtly she touches or glides her fingers across your arms (tale tale sign she’s interested). With that being said don’t all rush to grab the dumbbells and get curling straight away because the real size of your arms is really when it is straight (unless you plan to walk around with your arms curled flexing your biceps all day). Work your triceps by doing dips and narrow armed push ups as the triceps are the larger of the 2 areas around your upper arm. That is not the only part of the arm though guys, when getting specific the forearms were pointed out as a turn on too. Anything requiring you lifting your own bodyweight will automatically strengthen your forearms. 

Last of the 5, but the women assured me it wasn’t by any means the least, was broad swimmer shoulders. Broad shoulders are all about feeling safe and protected while being with their man. Now getting broader is a natural part of weight training but to really target the shoulders these two exercises will help, barbell shoulder press and lateral raises will aid in working the small different parts which make up the shoulder. 

 So that's all you need to know to get the body of her dreams. In the simplest of terms work your full body in a balanced way so that you are in proportion rather than over working the top half, as for a woman it is not at all attractive.

Written by

Erron Dussard

@Stoneimage

Variation: You wont get different results doing the same things

If you want different results, do different things

Keep the body guessing and avoid plateau!!!

We've all heard the saying "if you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got", so why do so many gym goers find themselves stuck doing the same routine and/or attending the same generically structured gym classes for weeks, months even years. When its time to looking at the scales they are left scratching their heads wondering if the scales have broken as their weight hasn't changed.

We are creatures of habit so I understand that if you enjoy something then you'll do it time and again, but the body doesn't work like that. We have been perfectly created to adapt to our environment and the stresses we place the body under. Within 2-3weeks your body will adapt to your workout and it is at that point you need to switch it up and push yourself more with either repetitions or weight. Take your mind back to your 1st proper workout and the aches and pains you felt days after. Also remember after a few weeks, that pain became less crippling after each training session....... That there is the muscles adapting. That aching feeling is known as Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness (or DOMS to us fitness fanatics), this is created by micro tears in the muscles after a tough workout which the body then repairs itself stronger so that the previous workload can be dealt with better. I have been training for years and I still yearn for DOMS after a workout, I see it as my only indication that I've worked out. I'm the same with all my clients, if after a session they don't feel the ache the next day then I know that their body is telling me that it is time to step it up. I'm always pushing myself and my clients to see how far we can push ourselves (actually how far I can push them) in order to reach our true physical potential.

There is no space for plateau when you vary your workouts, your muscles will respond better to variety and the results can be endless. Every 2-3weeks push yourself a little harder, increase the weight slightly or increase the repetitions. After 6weeks completely switch up your training programme, incorporate something new and not only will you benefit physically but mental stimulus too. It must get highly boring doing the same old thing, not seeing any results, restore the fun and enjoyment into your training. Here are a few ideas of the things I have incorporated into my training to add another dimension. Bikram Yoga (yoga postures performed in 40degrees heat) for improved flexibility & balance,

High Intensity Circuit training for anaerobic fitness and fat burning Sprint sessions at my local running track with my running club STONEiMAGE Runners. Bikram Yoga is fast growing, there are various studios scattered across London and they will offer you a trial period for a reduced price so you can try it out. Circuit training is easy and you don't need much equipment, just follow a method of doing numerous exercises one after another without rest in between. Running Clubs: you're never far away from a running club who will offer you the chance to push yourself with the added group morale and social aspects provided by the other runners, search online for your local club.

I challenge you to get out of your comfort zone and try something new NOW!!!!

Remember........

If you want different results, you must do different things.


Written by

Erron Dussard
STONEiMAGE
@Stoneimage

Vanity or Life longevity

Why do some of us pay a regular fee per month for a gym membership, spend a small fortune on training attire, Hire a personal trainer, take part in group training or push ourselves to the limits expending blood, sweat and tears on regular basis?

 Is it down to our wish to feel healthy and live longer or is it all about our desire to look better, whether that be for ourselves or possible suitors?

Over nearly 3yrs being a personal trainer I have trained over 100people and I can count on one hand excluding my pinkie finger and thumb the amount of clients that upon our 1^st consultation have said to me that their main aim is to just feel healthier and improve their living. The requests are normally to lose weight and tone up which I would assumingly relate to appearance based goals, correct me if I’m wrong. Now I’m not saying that we are so self obsessed that all we want to do is to be able to look at ourselves in the mirror and literally want to pounce on our reflection but however you want to sugar coat and justify your attendance in the gym, the underlying reason tends to be that of vanity. Now there’re obviously different levels of vanity and some like to go overboard but we all have a bit of that vain self-loving in us and there’s nothing wrong with that. If you don’t love yourself why should anyone else.

As a personal trainer I know the deeper impact of exercise that cannot be seen to the naked eye, such as the chemical and psychological benefits of regularly exercising. The most commonly spoken chemical benefit of exercise is that of the release of endorphins into the body after an intense workout which leaves you feeling exhilarated in the same way as you would after orgasm. Naturally produced by the body, endorphins are possibly the best (and most legal way)way to achieve a natural high. Psychological benefits include greater self-esteem, confidence, stress release and improved mental alertness. 

My conclusion is that it is more often than not vanity which brings you to the world of exercise in the first place but it’s the health benefits (some of which I listed) which keep you exercising and make that lifestyle change. Simply put they both work together in helping you to become a better you.

Written By

Erron Dussard

STONEiMAGE Management LTD

@Stoneimage