Workout to suit your body type

We all come in different shapes and sizes, therefore the results we achieve through training are different. Our maximum potentials are different and the speed in which we attain results will be different.  Have you ever wondered why your friend only needs to look at a dumbbell before he starts swelling up with muscle? Or why your sister can drop a dress size in a week just by controlling her eating?  While you fight tooth and nail just to lose a couple of pounds. It all comes down to the different body-types.

There are 3 categories known as the Somatotype which are used to describe someone’s body shape, Ectomorph (long limbs and slender), Mesomorph (broad shoulders) and Endomorph (round physique). You will generally tend to fall into one of the categories but it is not unusual to have a blend of 2. What I have done is break down the respective groups and suggest workout methods to help you achieve your goal.

Typical traits of an ectomorph:

•          Small “delicate” frame and bone structure
•          Flat chest
•          Small shoulders
•          Thin long limbs
•          Lean muscle mass
•          Finds it hard to gain weight
•          Fast metabolism

Ectomorphs struggle to gain weight easily so if you fall into this category and your fitness goal is to gain size then you will need to really increase your calorie intake substantially, eating loads of protein and supplementation is recommended. In terms of exercise you want to focus on compound movements working the larger muscle groups. Exercises for you are Squats, Deadlifts, Bench press, Pull ups and dips, working in a rep range of 8-12.

Typical traits on a Mesomorph:

•         Athletic
•          Hard body with well defined muscles
•          Rectangular shaped body
•          Strong broad shoulders
•          Gains muscle easily
•          Gains fat more easily than ectomorphs

Mesomorphs gain muscle easily and are best suited to weight training; the only problem is they can put on fat quickly. If your desire is to gain muscle but stay cut then I suggest you watch your calorie intake and include High Intensity Interval Training with your weight sessions. Interval sets of 1min sprints followed by 3mins jogging at a slower pace repeating for 20-30mins or incorporate a circuit session in your weekly regime also where you do a sequence of exercises packed together without rest in between, normally done by a measure of time rather than reps.

Typical traits of an Endomorph:

·        Soft and round body

·        Gains muscle and fat very easily

·        Is generally short and “stocky”

·        Round physique

·        Finds it hard to lose fat

·        Slow metabolism

Endomorphs carry the most fat so to trim down, dietary habits are important and you’ll need to do loads of cardio as well as lifting light weights doing high repetitions of 15+. A cardio exercise that is highly recommended is Boxing which is great for toning and burning the fat plus loads of fun.

Written by

Erron Dussard

STONEiMAGE Management LTD

@Stoneimage

Better health more wealth

We relate the acquisition of wealth to working hard, having an entrepreneurial mind or having a god given talent. How many of you relate the acquisition of wealth to your health?

Well its logical to think that better health means less days off sick, more work done, better appraisals leading ultimately to salary increases and promotions. Looking into it a little deeper, post exercise there is a release of endorphins into the body similar to that after orgasm which gives you that feel good factor. Those who exercise frequently benefit hugely from this natural high, so much so that when you extract exercise from the routine it is normal to feel low & depressed. Those who exercise frequently have lower stress levels than their lazier counterparts.  Your productivity levels will  go through the roof , your thirst for new challenges and opportunities will increase, your mind will be clearer of stress to be more creative and you will be far happier.


I had a phone conversation with my aunt after she done the STONEiMAGE30minCircuit, she was deliriously high on endorphins, you could hear the excitement in her voice. She said post workout that she was feeling really energised which is down to kickstarting your metabolism into gear. After 6-9hrs of sleep your metabolism slows itself down as you don't need the energy throughout the night, that is why when we first get up everything we do is in slow motion, that knocks on to how you start work and so on. A bit of exercise in the morning can really ignite your day and set you up for a real good one, TRY IT!!! Added to the biological benefits you also look better, when you look better you definitely feel better, your confidence is high and you wake up every day with a real purpose.


 The longest I've gone without exercise is 8weeks which I enforced on myself when I done the STONEiMAGE Experiment last year and those 2 months were my most unproductive months to date since I've been in business. A lack of energy, enthusiasm and motivation financially put a strain on the company and in that period I did not sign up 1 new client. I was a mere shadow of my previous self, very glum and uninspiring, I'm probably lucky to of kept my clients during that period. Once I restarted exercise again I felt rejuvenated, the spring in my step was back, I felt a lot better about myself therefore working better and being a better trainer to my clients. Within days I had signed up 2 new clients and not because I done anything different in my approach but my aura would have been better, much more approachable and enthused which led to those 2 people wanting to train with me. Exercise gives me the energy to take on new business challenges and explore new opportunities which can only be beneficial. 


To achieve all that you wish to achieve you need to be at your best both mind and body. They work in tandem  so for me, to have an imbalance in one aspect of your life it is surely to have affect on another. 


Written by


Erron Dussard
STONEiMAGE Management
www.stone-img.com

Too busy for your HEALTH

"I really want to get in shape but I don't have the time."
"I only have about 30mins training time, what effective workout can I do?"
"I don't want to sign up with a gym membership".

1st off I'm going to challenge those who say they do not have time to exercise, "like really, come on." No matter how busy you are you should afford 3hrs a week to your health. Your health is the most important thing above all, so my answer to you is make time. I question how much those said people actually really want to be fit & healthy, they're more into the idea of exercising rather than actually doing it. Exercise shouldn't be a hobby or chore but a way of life, we were made to move so get moving!!!

3hrs a week can be accumulated over a few days, now tell me 30mins a day is not feasible for 6days. Still not feasible? Please click the "X" at the top right corner of the screen...........
Ok now to all those who are now sitting up in their seats paying attention 30mins a day can still be effective. High intensity training is the newly publicised form of training, short, sharp & intense. Like Interval sprints over long drawn out jogs, its all about high intensity in short bursts followed by rest periods.

There is no better form of training for this then circuit. A sequence of exercises done one after the other with no rest in between for a set amount of time followed by a short recovery period and then move on to the next sequence or repeat. High intensity is all about getting the heart up working at 80-100% capacity. There is this suggestion that for fat loss you should work in the 'fat burning zone' which is more 30-50% capacity. I agree working at that capacity is more fat burning than fitness but working at high intensity will ultimately burn more calories, improve fitness & increase your metabolic rate so even after training your furnace like body will still be burning calories at a high rate hours/days after your workout. Now why would you spend 1hr plodding along on the treadmill, bike or x-trainer when you can do a high intensity circuit for half the time, improve your fitness, burn more calories during & after workout?! With your extra 30mins now you can get back to working busily.

"ok I'm convinced, how do I devise a circuit?"

Problem solved I've devised a 'STONEiMAGE 30min Circuit' training routine that you can do. It gets even better this circuit requires no equipment & can be done anywhere (no gym membership needed), your body is all the tool that is needed. How do you get your hands on said circuit??? To get started all you need to do is email info@stone-img.com and quote 'STONEiMAGE 30min Circuit', oh yeah did I mention its FREE!!!

Circuit training is for all fitness levels, you do as many repetitions as you can in the set time. The programme will always remain challenging as the fitter you get the more reps you'll do. 30mins a day, 6days a week with 1 days rest, do this for 4weeks maintaining a healthy diet & I guarantee change (take before & after photos as proof, best results will get a prize).

Allegedly summer is around the corner, are you beach ready? What you waiting for?! Email me info@stone-img.com quote 'STONEiMAGE 30min Circuit'

Written by

Erron Dussard
STONEiMAGE Management
www.stone-img.com

Fat loss over weight loss

"I don't get it, whats the difference?"

Well yes there is a difference that many are unaware of and knowing the difference may lead you to reassessing your fitness goals. Major difference is what happens to the fat in your body, with weight loss you may follow a cardio based training programme which not only burns fat but muscle too. Whereas fat loss is all about reducing your body and visceral (internal more dangerous fat surrounding your organs) fat while increasing muscle percentage which will be created by following a weights & high intensity cardio programme.

"So if I lose fat and increase muscle I will still be the same size?"

No, muscle is a lot more dense than fat so even though weighing the same a stone of muscle will appear a lot smaller than a stone of fat. We all have muscle on our body which contracts to create movement but what makes us appear bigger or smaller are the levels of fat on top.

"But my weight is too high for my height and my BMI says I'm overweight".

BMI readings are just a general measurement which doesn't take the specific distribution of weight into consideration. An olympic sprinter for example is clinically obese using the BMI measurements, I myself have a BMI reading of 26.2 which makes me overweight as the bracket deemed as normal is 18-25. Neither myself or any olympic sprinter would ever be seen as overweight or obese and any suggestion of needing to lose weight would be laughed at.

"ok i'm beginning to understand a little, so what will happen to my body shape with fat loss?"

Ok with losing fat and increasing muscle you will be left looking smaller, leaner while creating a more defined & clear body shape. You can drop dress/suit sizes without dropping too much weight and with a more definite shape your clothes will hold better. Looking in the mirror you will look completely different even if you don't weigh much different.

Once again a blog inspired by a client/trainer conversation and I hope this article will be of useful note when setting your fitness goals. Forget the weighing scales, concentrate more on body composition and measurements of key areas arms, chest, waist (measure at point of belly button), hips (around widest area of hip) and thighs (just below buttocks). Allow your clothes to be your guide, set clothe sizes as your goal.

Fat loss over weight loss

Written by

Erron Dussard
STONEiMAGE Management
www.stone-img.com

The No Carb Diet, STONEiMAGE's verdict

Over the last 2weeks I decided to investigate the no carb diet phenomenon. To say the diet has created a lot of controversy would be an understatement but I thought, hey what the hell, if I'm going to form an opinion on the subject then I should understand it more. So here I am once again experimenting with my body (we all remember what I put it through last yr).

The benefits of eating a non-carb diet are dramatic weight loss and bodyfat reduction in a short period of time. This is because the body turns to fat as its primary energy source in the absence of carbs. Now the opposing controversial effects of a non-carb diet are tiredness & lack of concentration which is because carbs provide the energy to the brain once broken down.

So the last 2weeks have been enlightening for me as I have carbs with every meal normally. Oats, Pasta, Rice, Potato, Bread & Fruit were all off limits. I pretty much went to the extreme of having chicken morning, noon & night literally with babybel's cheese being the snack of choice. The 1st 5days were the toughest with headaches, tiredness & dehydration being the main effects. Up to lunchtime would be fine but by the early evening I found myself feeling really tired & with the headaches I found myself becoming a bit ratty (luckily my clients didn't realise as I concealed the feeling, the fact they see that as my normal behaviour is a bit alarming. Maybe I am an evil sadist). Anyway back were the days of afternoon naps like a baby very similar to what was needed in my last experiment, 1hr would normally do the trick. On another note, no amount of water that I drank would seem to quench my thirst always feeling dehydrated (some days drinking over 3ltrs) & with a horrible dry taste in my mouth, mouthwash was never far away to freshen up. As I began to get annoyed with the constant tiredness & headaches there it was, the silver lining. I had Just finished a light workout (I didn't have the energy to muster anything else) and I was about to go in the shower when I glimpsed my reflection (vein much?!) my abs were showing quite a bit more than before & with just 5days gone even if for a short moment all the negative feelings towards the 'no carb diet' disappeared. Now I know to start with my stomach is fairly toned but the more you get into training the more you look to improve & fine tune the minute of details, so to see this little improvement was something of an achievement. "This no carb malarkey isn't half bad", I allowed myself to think but that all came crashing down at my track sessions on Sundays at Ladywell Arena, Catford, 11am, all are welcome (had to plug it a little). Luckily for me the weather or for whatever reason had resulted in no one turning up. I was there on me tod and quite relieved as even though it was morning I had already felt tired, so I planned a light sprint session. Rocking up about 15-20mins late came my cousin to join in the fun, there & then I knew I would have to work harder than planned. So the structure of our sprint sessions goes 3x150m, 3x100m & 3x50m all ran flat out at maximum effort. The 1st 2 150's I got through with relative ease and I guess the ego got the best of me as we started to stagger the starts and as they usually do, for the better I must add it got a bit competitive. I now decided that I would have to run down my cousin who had a head-start and therefore run 2 or 3 times harder. After the last 150 and 2nd 100m sprint I began to feel so light headed and nauseous that I thought I would faint (don't worry I'm not expecting any sympathy). With my blood sugar already low from the dieting I was doing myself no favours working at 90-100% capacity. When working at such a high intensity your sugar stores are usually burned up so quickly and the fat reserves are called in to use as a secondary energy source, that's why intensity training is the latest thing to be encouraged, short & high energy. So with no carbs in my system and presumably my fat stores running out I was running on empty like a Ferrari without fuel and we all know what will happen if you drive without fuel, eventually the car will breakdown. Luckily my cousin didn't push through with a request for 3x50m at the end which is surprising as when the roles are reversed I am not so forgiving which I'm sure a lot of you can vouch for. After session I was literally craving for sugar like a crack fiend and broke my diet to have a banana, believe me it was really needed. Home, eat & sleep was the order of the day after that. I've only ever felt that bad once and that was again at track but in searing heat.

Week2 it seemed that my body had become accustomed to the lack of carbs and without any high intense training I was getting through the days without needing sleep. I even went for a 10km run on Tuesday even though I ran at a slower than usual pace & it was only then the light headed feeling and rattiness reappeared. Physically I was looking even more toned & in just 10days I had lost 2kg and 2.5% of bodyfat.

Pre no carb diet 9.5% bodyfat

Post no carb diet 7% bodyfat

So now today, the end of the experiment & I cant wait to introduce carbs back in to my life after the exile. Conscious that craving the carbs my body will become like a sponge, absorbing and storing the carbs as fat I will re-introduce gradually. This is the mistake many make and end up putting the weight plus some, all back on hence the term yo-yo dieting.

The verdict.........

My thoughts are while I may in my opinion look better, I don't feel as good as I look and it leaves me to pose the question, "No carb diet, vanity over health, is it really worth it???" I'd have to say no, I love my crazy high intensity workouts and I can not operate normally training my clients to the best of my ability during a no carb diet when I feel lethargic. What I will change in my eating is the amount of carbs I have no longer eating carbs in the evening when the sugar isn't needed as I'm not as active (carbs not used up turns to fat). For a short period of 10days before a holiday, wedding, etc I can see the appeal as the results are amazing and very instant. All I would advise is its a false look as you cannot maintain eating that way for a long time and will resort back to size or gain more once you re-introduce carbs. So if you must, do it for only a short period, this is not a healthy long term solution. Its simple exercise, work hard & eat a healthy balanced diet.


Written by

Erron Dussard
STONEiMAGE Management Ltd
www.stone-img.com

For Goodness-Shakes

What are supplements? Should I be taking supplements? What are the benefits?

As fitness enthusiasts novices or experienced we have all found ourselves asking 1 of or all of the above questions at some point in time.

1st off supplements provide vital nutrients in a simple tablet or drink format that are naturally provided by whole foods. "If the nutrients are already found in our food then why do we need supplements?" I hear you all asking. The beauty of supplements is the convenience factor, within 30secs - 1min you could have your protein shake ready or take your tablets. This simple and quick method will provide the vital nutrients that the body needs without requiring the preparation & cooking time needed for a proper whole meal. In the current days when time is vital and we are always on the go, a supplement is perfect to have at the office desk.

If you have a fitness goal that requires you to follow an intense training regime supplements would be of interest to you as some specific supplements provide the necessary nutrients to aid fast recovery & alleviate the soreness to have you ready for your next workout. For the keep fitters who wish to lose weight supplements can provide the nutrients you get from food at a much lower calorie count which is a huge benefit, to lose a lbs of fat per week there needs to be a 2500calorie deficit per week of calorie intake against calorie burned. A lot of those who you would put in the fitness fanatic category who train 5-7 times a week would often be seen with a shake nearby and most of the time its for quick muscle recovery. Its easy for the body to break down being a liquid format and quickly distributed to the muscles.

There are loads of benefits from taking supplements, convenience, quality nutrients, easily broken down, making up dietary deficits etc but and I repeat BUT!!! supplements is just that, a supplementation to food to assist your diet not a complete replacement of whole food. The benefits of whole food can not be replaced and I would always encourage a client to eat whole natural foods. I understand that preparing 6 small meals per day is not feasible, so with limited time and high physical demands from training supplements is a good idea.

Supplements is a billion dollar business and there are endless companies claiming to provide your body with what no other can. Best to do your research before selecting the best supplement to go with.


Written by


Erron Dussard

Strong is the new skinny

Strong is the new skinny.........

This blog was inspired by a 5min debate mid session with one of my female clients. I won't name her but she knows who she is. 1st of all this particular client is extremely fit with a athletically toned physique but slightly rilled me with a request to train towards being skinny. Normally I train clients to their specific targets and tailor their programme in order to achieve their request but this was one goal that I was prepared to go against and debate. First off skinny is not necessarily healthy and secondly skinny does not look good. Lets not confuse skinny with lean, slim or toned, they're completely different looks. 1 still has curves and a defined physique while the other can be likened to a clothes hanger. Women were designed reproductively to have curves so I really don't see the appeal to reduce yourself to skin and bone.

Strong is the new skinny........

Thankfully in more recent times there seems to be a change in tide with more and more women introducing weight training to their workout regime. Even though on the front of female magazines are still digitally touched up models creating an unrealistic image of what a woman should look like there has been more and more media exposure towards women doing weight training. I think this is down to more health & fitness knowledge becoming readily available via the internet, more fitness magazines & personal trainers like myself freely giving tips via Twitter (@Stoneimage), Facebook (Stone Image), Blogs (iMAGEchat), Youtube (STONEiMAGE TV) etc. women are becoming more aware of the benefits weight training brings to fat loss. Notice I used the term fat loss as apposed to weight loss, what weight training does is increase muscle, reduce bodyfat while increasing your metabolism too, so your body burns more calories at rest. You can have an amazing reduction in bodyfat, look a lot leaner and drop dress sizes without dropping too much weight. The fact is muscle is much more dense than fat so 2 women both weighing 60kg can look completely different if one has a much lower bodyfat and higher muscle percentage than the other. The one with the lower bodyfat and higher muscle percentage will look a lot smaller to her more flabby counterpart. Another reason for the tidal change is the increased knowledge that doing weight training will not automatically result in a woman resembling the hulk which even though the myth still exists it is slowly being eradicated. Weight training will give you the physique and muscle tone that cardio alone can't.

Strong is the new skinny......

Most of the celebrity women a lot of you look to when thinking of your future physique are working with personal trainers and doing weight bearing training. It was recently publicised that once stick thin Paris Hilton had now found a love for the odd deadlift or 2. Mel B, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Aniston, Halle Berry (the list goes on) all work with trainers and do weight training. Now there are some extremes like Madonna, Jodie Marsh or any other bodybuilder you can think of but these are results achieved on purpose, not just a natural result of weight training so ladies there is nothing to fear.

Mel B arrives at the gym

Jennifer Aniston in T-bar pose

Jessica Alba shows off her toned physique

Halle Berry is regularly at the gym

Jessica Biel is a self proclaimed gym freak

Strong is the new skinny........

I trained a young lady for the 1st time this week and brought her into the free weights area. Straight away she said she wouldn't go there without me as with all the men in the area she finds it intimidating. I can understand that its an area that the men gravitate to but its not the mens area and theres lots a woman could do in that area to also reap the rewards of muscle tone. I love nothing more than seeing a woman walk into the free weights area and get on with her workout confidently. A lot of the men are impressed to see a woman there rather than making it an intimidating environment. I have a client who is tiny in stature weighing around 53kg but she set a new Deadlift PB of 75kg and Squat PB of 80kg which is more than some of my guys, she grunts and gets the job done with the best of them. Looking at her you wouldn't assume that over 18months I've had her doing all sorts of different weight training and still her muscles are yet to rip through her clothes like some of you would believe to be the result of weights.

Strong is the new skinny.....

Ladies order your STRONGisthenewskinny tshirts for just £20 email info@stone-img.com

Go on give it a go, what have you got to lose apart from the Bingo wings, muffin tops, thunder thighs etc


Written by

Erron Dussard