Pump iron to burn fat

Simply put, weight training will give you the slim, toned, sculpted physique that cardio alone just cannot do.

The development of muscle leads to an increase in your metabolism, meaning while at rest & doing nothing your body will still be burning calories at a higher rate. Its all about the afterburn, if done properly after a weight session your muscles should ache, this is known as Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness (DOMS). What this is, is mini micro tears in your muscles from the stress of the exercise that repairs itself back stronger in order to cope with that exercise again. The recuperation period normally takes between 24-72hrs, during this period the body is working hard to repair and therefore burns a lot more calories at rest than cardio. Don't worry about the scales as with weight training it will look deceiving as the weight stays the same but you notice a much more slender and lean physique. Muscle is more dense than fat so even though weighing the same muscle appears a lot more compact.

I tend to assess new-bees at the gym for a little while before offering assistance and what I notice is that a person will go from 1 cardio machine to another for a whole hour, do this for a few weeks, get bored, not see their desired results and then abandon the gym still forking out their monthly fee. Those that I do speak to, the general fitness goal tends to be weight loss or wanting to tone up, the moment I mention weight training as a highly effective tool for both I am met with a unanimous response of "I don't want to bulk up", or "I wanna burn the fat 1st for a few weeks and then do weights". Can I dispel the myth now that doing weights automatically means you will turn into the hulk. Ladies you do not produce the required amount of testosterone to blow up like the hulk, the muscular ladies you see go to extreme lengths to get that way. Guys as long as you are doing the correct repetitions and maintaining a low rest period, you too will not bulk up to great measures.

Cardio will help you lose weight Im not denying that but is your desire really to just be a shapeless drape of skin over bones or would you like a nice defined physique. You only have to look at a marathon runner to see the physique countless cardio will get you in comparison to a athlete who incorporates weight training into their training.

 Hours jogging on the treadmill will not perk up the booty and an hour on the cross trainer wont reduce the moobs either. But what will is weights!!! Ladies get in the free weights room/area, don't be afraid its not just for men. I train a lot of women who all do weights, bodyweight or some form of resistance training and not one of them have hulked up, one even deadlifts and squats her own bodyweight.

Guys blast the MOOBS with the Bench Press and trim that GUT with Pull ups, Ladies shape that BOOTY with weighted Squats and banish the BINGO WINGS with Tricep extensions.


The sooner you push, pull or lift a weight the sooner you'll see results.


Written By

Erron Dussard
STONEiMAGE Management LTD
@Stoneimage

To carb or not to carb?

This debate will continue to go on while people remain dieting in order to lose weight, carbohydrates (carbs) have been highly publicised by some diets as being a prime nutrient of weight gain. Low-carb diets are food plans that restrict carbohydrate consumption for weight loss. Foods high in carbohydrates, such as bread and pasta are restricted and replaced with protein rich foods (e.g. meat), high fat foods (e.g. dairy and fried food) and foods low in carbs (e.g. green leafy vegetables). This forces the body to use fat & protein from food also stored body fat as its main source of energy and weight loss can take place rapidly. Some well known diets like the Atkins, Stillman or Hollywood use these methods, they have become famous for their fast results and are regularly used by celebrities on a short term basis before a film or award show. Other benefits such as blood sugar levels being reduced and lower blood pressure have been documented, but these diets have not gone without their criticism. Overlooking the superficial benefits there are severe underlying health risks which dieticians and researchers are keen to point out. Risks such as kidney damage from the high levels of proteins, heart disease and a risk of cancer are just a few of the listed risks. The brain is also fuelled by carbs so with these diets you can suffer from a lack of concentration too. Carbohydrates are the bodies’ main and optimum energy source so without carbs in your diet it can lead to a real lack of energy so strenuous exercise is not recommended and this is not a diet taken by sports people, it is like the lazy persons option to losing weight.  

It is true that huge amounts of weight can be lost really quickly so that’s why I say that if you wish to follow the diet then it should be a short term option. With it comes the consequences of yo-yo dieting, as the body now craves carbs, once you again introduce it into your diet you can quickly put the weight back on. I would never be an advocate of such dieting methods and believe that everything should be consumed in moderation making sure that your calorie intake does not exceed your calorie expenditure, so simply put exercise and eat a balanced diet is my tip to losing weight.       

Written by

Erron Dussard

STONEiMAGE Management LTD

Legs, Bums and Tums

It’s true, it’s a common problem and you most definitely aren’t the only one. If I was to ask you what parts of your body would you want to tone up right now? What would you say??? 

Before you all scream the answers at your computers, let me hazard a guess, “Legs, Bum and Tum”. Now I’m not a female mind reading genius (I wish), just a Personal Trainer who has heard these body parts mentioned time and time again.

Why?

Its simple women’s bodies have been purposely created for carrying and giving birth to children so their hips are a little wider, bum shapelier and tum a little softer than men and that is the beauty of women. Whether it’s having a more perk derriere, flatter stomach or a toned set of pins exercise will have a positive effect on your physique.

I’m going to describe and list my Top3 exercises for each body part that you can do at the gym or at home

Legs

Having a toned set of pins is always a popular one whether it’s preparing for the beach or the summer when the skirts come out and the tights are discarded. Exercise can reduce cellulite which is a common problem as women get older. So here are my top3

3. Leg Curls: You’ll need a stability ball for this exercise which is perfect for toning up the back of the thighs. Lie on your back and place both heels on the ball with legs outstretched, raise hips off of the ground, maintain position and then roll the ball back and forth curling your feet backwards.

2. Split squat: you’ll need to use a bench, chair or aerobic step for this exercise which is great for the thighs and can be performed with or without weights. Place your back foot up on the step with your front foot on the floor 2 footsteps ahead, bend your front leg and lower your back knee down before standing back up straight.

1. Ski Sits: This exercise can be performed practically anywhere and being an isometric exercise (muscle contracting static at same length) will help build strength of the legs and leave it smooth and toned. With your back firmly against a wall, squat down into a seated 90degree position and hold this for as long as you can,

Bums

A lot was made of Miss Pippa Middleton’s bum last year being curvy not that I can understand why (could of done with being curvier) but what is clear is that Pippa has a toned physique. With these exercises your bum will gain a new found shape and firmness to it that will have you side glancing at every mirror or window you walk by.

3. Lunges: Now there are loads and loads of variations to this exercise which works to tone the back of the thigh  and the glutes. epending on your training levels you can try tougher adaptations but I’m going to describe the alternating lunge. Step forward with one leg, bend your back leg, lower your knee towards the ground and then, pushing through the heel of your front foot return to starting position before repeating with the other leg.

2. Deadlift: A weighted compound exercise which is highly regarded as one of the top single exercises as it works the arms, back, core and more importantly your glutes. Get a barbell for this exercise, hold the bar in front of your legs with arms straight, slide the bar down the front of your thigh, lean your upper body forward keeping your back straight and as you go lower slightly bend your knees and then lift the bar back up to standing straight.

1. Squats: Had to be number 1, again another exercise that is debated as the best as it also works multiple muscles when done with a barbell across your back. This exercise will help produce a toned bum, creating more prominent curves and a higher booty. An exercise that is often performed with poor technique often leading to injury. So for the correct technique, place feet shoulder width apart, raise your toes up in your trainers, push your bum out, tilt your hips back and squat down to a 90degree angle and then pushing through the heels of your feet stand back up straight.

Try Kelly Stone's Sexy legs and booty workout at home or in the gym

Tums

Sculpting a flat stomach can be the most difficult task where fat covers the deeply buried internal core muscles. As a woman it is the area that gets manipulated the most over the 9month pregnancy period being stretched and pulled every which way. After given birth especially if surgical cutting is involved the lower abdominals become very weak and the area most problematic. Now is time to banish crunches as an ineffective core strengthening/toning exercise. I say this as the crunch targets only the top of the abdominal muscles and if you’ve seen a toned stomach you’d have noticed that there are 6 or sometimes 8 different parts to the abs and that isn’t including the obliques at the sides. From reading my previous blogs you will know my thoughts on ‘Abs are made in the kitchen not the gym’ so be sure to have a healthy balanced diet but here are exercises to further aid you to tone the abs.

3. Scissor kicks: any stomach exercise involving the lifting or raising of your legs will work the lower region of the tum. Lie on your back with your hands by your sides, push your lower back into the floor and then raise your legs 6inches off of the floor and then criss cross over your feet

2. Barbell roll out: kneel down on the floor with a barbell in front of you, place hands on the bar shoulder width apart, roll the bar forward lowering your whole body down with your arms outstretched and then using your core muscles roll the bar back and kneel back up straight.

1. Plank:  My single best abs exercise as it works the whole core. Again an isometric exercise that will help build the strength of the core so the muscle will soon break through the fat. Balance on your forearms and feet raising your whole body up, keeping your back straight with no arches or dips and hold the position for again as long as you can.

These areas may be a problem now but with these exercises and balanced nutrition they will become problems of the past.

Written by

Erron Dussard

STONEiMAGE Management LTD

@Stoneimage

What is H.I.I.T?

So we've set our target, got our mind right, cleared out the cupboards of all the sweet, fatty calorie busting chocolaty snacks and now it’s time to start with the exercise. Ok so regrettably not all of us are on the same wavelength yet, some of you may need to go back 2 the earlier blogs for a re-cap before joining back up with us focused folk.

Now for the fun to begin...........

One of the simplest methods for weight loss and improving fitness is running, all you need is a comfortable pair of trainers and you're good to go. Running has so many benefits other than the obvious physical ones, pounding away at the pavements & treadmills are also a great stress release and the runners high you experience afterwards can become somewhat addictive.

warm up for 2mins, 1min fast followed by 3min slow

While a long continuous runs are good there is a way to makeyour runs more effective in less time. This method is called HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training which is set periods of high intensity followed by recovery time at a lower intensity (see graph). An example of this would be 1min sprinting/running with 3mins jogging/walking depending on fitness levels and repeat that for20-30mins. There are many variables and ratios that you can play about with to test the body. The example I gave is the 1:3, but there is also 3:3(3mins slow, 3mins fast) and 1:1(1min fast 1min slow).

 If you are lucky enough to have a running track nearby try the STONEiMAGErunners sprint workout of 3x150m, 4x100m and 5x50m all followed by a walk back to the start point in between each run. In 1hour I burnt 968cals doing this workout with the others and it is great fun with a group of friends.  

The added benefit of the HIIT method are post-workout, your body is left like a furnace burning calories at an increased rate for hours after. Go one better and do your resistance/weight training before your interval runs and your body will still be burning like a furnace up-to 3days after your workout, now how does that sound? you can relax for the next couple of days and still be benefiting from the previous workout. Unknown to most with slower continuous jogging it can be 30mins before the body starts burning your fat stores, which seems like a waste of time especially if you only planned a 30min run. The higher the intensity of the intervals the better, you want to be working at 70-100% with each run/sprint to elevate the heart rate, training your heart to recover quicker will improve your fitness. Working at such a high intensity requires greater muscle recruitment from the body than distant running, as well as your legs your abs and arms work extremely hard too so this is a speedy way to a flat stomach and toned arms.

So lace up and lets get sprinting

Written by 

Erron Dussard

STONEiMAGE Management LTD

@Stoneimage

Abs are made in the kitchen not the gym

A lot of gym goers, keep fitters make the mistake of thinking that all it takes to get a flat stomach is a bit of exercise in the gym a few times a week and hey presto your stomach will be rippling. I'm always telling my clients that is not the case, there’s a lot more to it. It has to be more of a conscious lifestyle change meaning eating healthier, drinking more water, sleeping more and monitoring alcohol consumption. When it comes to getting fit, toned, losing weight or gaining muscle it is 70% nutrition and 30% exercise, hence the title “Abs are made in the kitchen not the gym floor”. You could be one of those people who train relatively hard on a regular basis who seeing great transformation is a challenge for and all it could take is tweaking the way in which you eat, which will end up making a huge difference. Even the best workout programme in the world can be undone by unhealthy eating.The improvements can be so much more efficient and better with a correct nutritional plan.
Takeaways are very convenient and fast food but are saturated in fat. Eating healthy requires a little bit of preparation, a good idea is to cook before the start of the week, package and store your meals.

Other useful tips are snacking on raw nuts, seeds and fruit in between meals. Measure out your portion sizes to avoid over eating, carbohydrates should be measured by what you can cup in your hands, proteins is measured by the palm of your hand.
Basic issues like the regularity of your eating, the portion sizes you consume, the time of day you eat, your hydration levels and obviously what you are eating all play a role in how your body burns or stores the food. The common thought is the less you eat the more weight you lose or the less frequent you eat the better but that is not the case. Our body is so clever that our metabolic rate decreases if we go long periods without eating to avoid burning too much calories and basically falling into starvation. It is at this point when the body begins to store food as fat which is slower releasing of its energy.  If you think of your body as a burning furnace, you don’t wait for the fire to go out before adding more coal you continually add to the fire to keep the flame going. Our body is the same, rather than waiting till you are really hungry before eating with your metabolism slowing down, eat regularly (every 2-3hrs) and eat smaller portions to keep the metabolic furnace burning.

Those are just the basic aspects of nutrition which I have studied and touched upon but to really get to grips with nutrition, making sure you’re receiving the right nutrients for the body acquire the expertise of a specialist ie a dietician. Your nutrition will be the difference between great results and mediocre ones and I like my clients to be the best they can be.

For nutritional tips from STONEiMAGE Dietician Patricia Caprice @Vitalamine on twitter

Written by

Erron Dussard
STONEiMAGE Management LTD
@Stoneimage