•Set yourself a goal

If you want a great body you will need a goal. There is no point trying to get somewhere if you don’t know where you’re going. When choosing a goal, be

Specific: I want to lose weight is not specific but I want to lose 7 pounds in 4 weeks is.

Measure: Take measurements on either the scales, body fat callipers or even just a tape measure. Whatever tool you use, ensure you have a starting point to compare back to.

Action-based: Set up a step by step plan to follow in order to achieve your goal, ie what workouts and how many will you need to do each week? And what foods will you need to eat for optimal gain?

Realistic: Be realistic when you’re setting a goal. ‘I want to lose 20 pounds in 10 days’ is just not possible, you’re setting yourself up to fail.

Time frame: When setting goals always have a finish date. A 30 day challenge is great as it is a perfect amount of time to make some dramatic changes while setting you up with good habits. We do all of our training in 30 day blocks.

•Have a program and know exactly what your going to do in the workout

When you get into the gym, always have a program. If you don’t, you will find yourself choosing exercises you like, opposed to doing the ones that will give you the best bang for your buck. It is likely you will rest for far too long between sets because you’re chatting away to Dave discussing what happened in Eastenders last night. Your results will ultimately suffer and you will wonder why. Have a plan and stick to it!!

•Train the whole body using compound lifts

The bigger the lift, the more muscle utilised, the more energy expenditure, the more calories you will burn and the leaner you will get!! A great workout that will get you ripped and shredded in no time…..

A1 Kettlebell single arm swings 20 reps

A2 Spiderman push ups 15 reps

A3 Alt Jumping lunges 20 reps (10 each side)

A4 Kettlebell high pulls 20 reps

A5 Burpees 10 reps

Your aim is to get through this circuit as fast as you can, repeat the circuit for 3x in total resting 2 minutes between each circuit.

• Do your dam intervals

Doing 20 minutes of hard intervals will massively boost your metabolism. It will raise you EPOC (Excess post oxygen consumption) defined scientifically as the "recovery of metabolic rate back to pre-exercise levels." For intensive intervals, it can take the metabolism several hours to return to its normality. Recovery of your metabolic rate forces the body to burn more calories as the body is working hard to restore it self back to normal.

•Train with intensity

A great man once said to me "get comfortable being uncomfortable." This statement really rings true in all forms of life. Think about it for a moment. Do you think successful business entrepreneurs made there money sitting on their butt doing nothing or do you think they pushed themselves out of the comfort zone and worked hard. In the gym you might have the best program in the world but it’s worthless without the proper execution.

•Eat a balanced diet

Eat a good balance of proteins, carbohydrates and healthy fats at every meal. Protein in Greek means first, so when creating a meal always think about what protein you will have first. If you want to optimise your fat loss then I suggest getting a complete protein, meaning it’s got all 22 branched chain amino acids. To simplify this even further if it runs, flies or swims then eat it.

As for your carbohydrates, you have poor choices; bread, pasta, potatoes etc and great choices; broccoli, spinach, asparagus etc.. yes vegetables are carbohydrates!!

In the 80s everyone jumped on the low fat diet band wagon and guess what happened?….. Yep everyone got fatter. To simplify there are 2 major reasons for this:

1- Fat is essential, fats provide a source of concentrated energy as well as the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Fat transports these vital nutrients around the body. We also need fat for hormone metabolism, healthy skin and hair, tissue repair, protecting the internal organs and to prevent excessive loss of body heat. Some good healthy fats would be – nuts, seeds, coconut oils, olive oils and avocados.

2- Fat doesn’t make you fat, sugar does!!

•Sleep

Sleep is a heightened anabolic state, accentuating the growth and rejuvenation of the immune, nervous, skeletal and muscular systems. Sleep difficulties are closely associated with psychiatric disorders such as depression, alcoholism and bipolar disorder. Up to 90% of adults with depression are found to have sleep difficulties.

With regards to training you may be working your butt off in the gym but if you’re not getting enough quality sleep then your body will never have a chance to recover and allow itself to develop. Get to bed before 10.30 and ensure you get 8 hours of sleep.

Stay Lean and Happy

Paul & Krystie

RESULTS Personal Training