Workout Inspiration

September 4th, 2010

For many people, going to the gym is not an option. A gym has many advantages…like a supermarket its all under one roof. However they may not suit everyone. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t find some other ways to exercise. I like to give some of my clients home workout programs that they can do themselves when not training with me, with little and sometimes no equipment.

Its amazing if you do a little research online and read a little, you can learn a lot. The sky is the limit when it comes to exercise, all you need is a little floor space and some motivation. Sometimes a friend helps, so that you won’t feel like the only lunatic doing burpees in the local park.

You can look at YouTube, LifeHacker, millions of other websites and blogs like this one, here are one or two that you might be interested in:

http://hundredpushups.com/index.html

http://www.dumblittleman.com/2009/09/how-to-design-your-own-fail-safe.html

So theres a start, stop making excuses, get moving and spread the gospel of burpees and squats to your friends.

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Paleo progress and problems

September 4th, 2010

So its now day 4 of my one month Paleo challenge and things are going well so far. Its been a bit of an eye opener in some ways. I honestly thought I had planned things out quite well but I underestimated how much fruit and veg I would need, so I need to shop again sooner than I had thought. The last thing you want to happen at a time like this is to run out of paleo-friendly foods.

I have noticed that I’m starting to notice a nicer flavour in fruit and veg. I’m not sure if this is just in my head…but I’m def noticing more flavour in things, possibly the lack of sugar intake means that I’m re-discovering the flavour in so-called ‘rabbit food’! I had the most delicious apple today, they don’t usually taste that nice! But hopefully its a nice side effect.

I had my first eating out challenge today in Inchadonny. Sitting in the sunshine and looking at the menu it suddenly dawned on me that I couldn’t eat most of the meals on the menu. I settled on a chicken caeser salad BUT had to ask the bemused waiter to leave out the croutons. Oh and the parmesan. Is there a sauce on it? Leave it out too please. But it was still tasty, and I really enjoyed it.

So all in all, things are going well and I feel fine. I’m going to increase the amount of calories I’m taking in, and I’m going to order some tasty dried beef treats from www.biltong.ie (these are great for snacks and pre/post workout protein sources).

I’m still wondering if I’m going to start feeling worse sometime soon…time will tell for the tiller man!

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Day 1 Done!

September 2nd, 2010

Hi all, well Day 1 of the Paleo challenge went off without a hitch. Just to give you an idea of what I’m eating, here it is:

Breakfast:

2 Scrambled eggs with peppers and scallion.

2 slices chicken breast

1 cup of green tea

Mid Morning:

1 Banana

Lunch:

A large salad containing the following:

1 tin of tuna in sunflower oil,

yellow pepper,

baby leaf salad,

raw broccoli (you get used to it…),

1 scallion,

7-8 slices of courget chopped up,

4 mint leaves chopped up finely (YUM!)

Wasn’t as dry as it sounds.

Then I had around 20g of mixed nuts with another cup of green tea.

Mid-Afternoon Snack

2 Mandarins and a cup of green tea. One of these days I’ll actually turn green.

Dinner

1 Steak fillet courtesy of Mammy Hegarty,

Fried onions & peppers

5-6 Spinach leaves

After dinner I had 2 cups of green tea. Did I mention I like green tea?

Later

Watched the Heartbreak Kid with Ben Stiller and celebrated with 10 strawberries.

1 Cup of Rooibos tea (a caffeine free South African ‘red’ tea) for a change.

So the biggest challenge I found was not having any dark chocolate or the odd yoghurt as a snack. I love having a small bit of dark choc late in the evening but…its gotta go! A couple of challenges came up, I have to plan post-workout meals a little bit better, my schedule is a bit topsy-turvey at the moment which meant that I went too long after my workout at 5pm before I ate. Bad planning. I’m going to have to plan a bit better to get through the month unscathed. Plus I must drink more water and start recording it.

I used to think fresh strawberries were the nicest smell of all time, but now its a tie with mint leaves. BE-A-UTIFUL as Jim Carey would say.

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Starting Paleo Challenge

August 31st, 2010

Gulp.

Yes, I promised it last month and now the time is nigh. The 1 month Paleo Challenge. I must denounce dairy products, grains and refined carbohydrates, all sugars, legumes and banish them from the cupboards and fridge. Sounds like a lot of hassle doesn’t it…so what is all about?

The Paleo (a.k.a. Caveman or Neanderthin) diet is all about looking at the contrast between our current state of nutrition and what our ancestors ate. Our ancestors ate mostly things that ran, swam and flew…as well as berries and other vegetation. What about sandwiches, biscuits and cakes? Well no, they ate none of that. Until only about 10,00 years ago. Neanderthin says it best:

“The Paleolithic Diet is the diet that we humans are genetically adapted to eat. The paleolithic age is the same as the Stone Age – so this is a stone age diet or life style. This has been humanity’s preferred diet for something like 2.5 million years, and humans have only genetically changed 0.005% since the introduction of agriculture (the Neolithic). As a rule, agricultural (and technological) products are not healthy to eat, and we should predominantly try to eat only those whole foods that are healthy in their raw state (though almost all humans, including hunter-gatherers cook their food)”

I’m no expert on the subject but I’m willing to give it a go. Some people may have some concerns about it, so in case you are unsure I will explain why I’m going to stay off some of these foods:

  • Grains:

No bread of any kind, pasta, rice (and no potatoes too, although not a grain), oats, barleys, etc. No cereals, cakes, biscuits, crackers and all the rest. Why?

  1. Grains provoke an imflammatory response in the gut. (Lectins, gluten among them).
  2. Grains spike insulin levels. (Carbohydrates are just combinations of sugars after all).
  3. Grains have an acidifying effect on the body.
  4. Grains are dense with calories, yet are nutritionally meagre.
  • Dairy

No milk, cheese, yoghurts etc. Why? For pretty much the same reasons as listed above for grains. I’m not sure if I’m lactose intolerant, but I know I don’t feel my best when I have a lot of dairy, I start to get a bit stuffy in my sinuses. So i’m taking this opportuntiy to leave it out for a month and see how I feel.

  • Sugar

Well this is a no-brainer. There’s sugar in nearly everything we eat that is packaged. When you are buying your foods, check the label and look for sugar content (under carbohydrates). Its impossible to escape if you eat packaged foods with long shelf lives. And it is not good for you! Its possible I’ll feel some withdrawal symptoms such as headaches over the next week or so, really looking forward to that.

Here’s a good video explaining the diet (I hate that word) in basics.

And so it all starts tomorrow. I have done my grocery shopping, the fridge is stocked and all banned foods are going to be thrown away or given away. Luckily, I have a partner in crime in this challenge, my friend James in Dublin is attempting it too. It’ll be good to have someone to share headache stories with and motivate eachother (through fear of being beaten, obviously). It won’t be easy but hey…ain’t nuthin to it but to do it – thats my motto. Starting tomorrow! If anyone wants to join me in the challenge….drop me a line!

Maybe I should go the whole hog and get a loin cloth....

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Ok one more thing…Fat Loss Tips!

August 3rd, 2010

Fat Loss Tips. (Will discuss in more detail in September when I have time!)

People often ask about how to lose weight effectively. Well here are 5 quick tips I can share:

  • Eat Less. Especially cut out the crap. Junk food obviously. But what about if you feel like you’re eating well, but still just can’t shift the excess baggage….well look at your intake of refined carbs (bread of ALL kinds, potatoes, pastas, rice) and sugar (get used to looking at the sugar content in packaged foods….better yet stay away from all packaged foods). Are you eating too much fruit..they contain natural sugars, sugars none-the-less. Are you eating enough veg, fish, meat, fat (see below)? Are you getting enough water?
  • Keep a Diet Diary (see challenge in previous post). This is the best way to start getting a real handle on your long-term weight control. It will help you to become aware of what you are eating, good and bad. Record it daily as you go along. Notice how you feel and look back over your diary to see any contributing factors.
  • Start eating good fats. People are still hung up on ‘Low Fat’ diets (like the crew giving out new Low Fat yoghurts at Mahon Point yesterday!). For low-fat read: ‘ineffective way to lose fat’. What people don’t realise is how an improved intake of good fats (poly-unsaturated and mono-unsaturated) will help your metabolism to burn your fat stores more effectively. Around 10-15 almonds are a good source of good fats for a snack. ‘Good’ fats are also found in nut butters, extra-virgin olive oil for your salads, and oily fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel and tuna. If you don’t like fish (a surprising number of people don’t…silly silly people!) take fish oil supplements. In fact, take them anyway for massive all round benefits.
  • Exercise (duh!). Start small, walking etc. But get going with weights and resistance training as soon as possible or you are missing out big time. All the time, the people I see in the gym who make very little difference to their poor body condition are those who refuse to do weights and instead stay on the treadmill for eternity. Why weights? Too big a topic to cover here but basically your muscles, by nature, need to be worked through their full range of movement to get your metabolism firing and your body fighting fit!
  • Stop listening to your friends. There, I said it. Fearful comments dressed up as care for your health. “You’re getting very thin/big/obsessed”. Whatever, don’t let other people’s poor habits and fears of the unknown (exercise/nutrition) hold you back. Exercise and eating well will be your own investment in your long-term health and it involves sacrifices and discipline (not bad words, tough-love words!). But it’s also enjoyable, as anybody with renewed energy from exercise will attest. There’s nothing like the feeling of a good exercise session finished. For some people in your life, this can bring out their own fears and feelings of inadequacy, and for them the best way of dealing with it to to stop you in your tracks. Just recognise it for what it is, then keep going and keep feeling great!

Happiness = Weights + Supportive Friends (Scientific FACT)

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Summer Holidays!

August 3rd, 2010

Well its that time of year again for me…I usually take my summer hols in August. This year I have something extra to celebrate as I will be getting married on Friday 6th! After that I’ll be hopping off to South Africa. I’ll be on the lookout for any CrossFit facility although, disappointingly, I’ve done the research and there is no CrossFit in Durban…boo. Yes yes I know, what the hell am I doing looking for a CrossFit box (gym) while on honeymoon. Well all I can say is that my wifey-to-be is very understanding…and loves CrossFit too!

I should really buy this after Friday....

We won’t be restricting ourselves with diet or alcohol, but we will look to keep up a little bit of fitness while away, no harm in that. We both find that it helps us enjoy ourselves that bit more.

Anyway, here’s a few bits and pieces to share before I finish for holidays:

1. Nutritional Challenge at Oakgrove in September

We will be running a new nutritional challenge in September. All you have to do is this:

Sign up. Pay €5. We will give you a food diary. Nominate one food that you will give up for the month. Record what you eat daily from Monday 6th September to 5th October. Hand back in your diary no later than Thursday 7th October. If its filled in fully, you will be entered into a draw to win the full pot of entrace fees!

The aim here is very simple. Start becoming aware of what you are eating, just record it. And you’ll be making an immediate difference to the scales by giving up one simple food item that you know is bad for you. And then possibly win a bit o’ money.

Sign up at Oakgrove with Barbara.

2. Paleo Nutrition Challenge

For anyone who feels ready for a serious dietary challenge, get with this. Basically cut out sugars and grains. My goal is to do it for improved athletic performance, but it really does seem to be the bees knees when it comes to weight loss too. I’ll be doing it after my honeymoon in September, so if anyone wants to join me we can do it together and document our changes on this blog. I’ll post full details in late August, so check back then. In the meantime, read these links:

CrossFit Ireland in Dublin are doing the same this month,

…and have a great nutrition resource to follow.

Mark’s Daily Apple has great information

I’ll see you in September. It’ll be a sinch. Not.

3. Workout of the Week!

30-25-20-15-10-5 reps of the following for time (take 5 mins to watch the vids, then get going!):

Sit Ups (I like these ones best!)

Back Extensions (just make sure to keep spine long, stretch back through toes)

Press (First 30 secs of this vid) with dumbbells

Air Squats (Make sure the hips get below the knees, I’m like a broken record about this).

SO, do 30 reps of each of those 4 exercises, then 25, then 20, all the way to just 5 of each.

If you want to make this workout more manageable, scale to having rest periods of 30 seconds between sets.

Good luck, post any questions to comments.

Thanks all and look forward to seeing everybody in September again!

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Workout of the Week (WOK!)

July 30th, 2010

Ok folks try this one for size…we did this for our CrossFit circuit class this week and used the length of the studio (9m), which is where 18m comes from. Oakgrove members can try it out for themselves, but all you need is some space at home or in your garden to do it!

Perform the following for time:

Run 600m

5 Rounds of:

18m walking lunges

18m bear crawl (keep hips and shoulders low)

20 Sit Ups

20 Back Extensions

Then run 600m again.

Of course warm up well…I will post soon about how to go about warming up your joints and muscles safely.

ENJOY!

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Where are we going?

July 30th, 2010

Set yourself a goal today

Well, I told you I would talk a little bit about my goals in training. Soooooo….

My wish is to get stronger, for too long now I have been narrowly focussed on cardio endurance and muscular endurance/stamina. No real harm there, but it means that I am nowhere near my potential in terms of strength as I should be.

Currently weighing 60Kg, my aim is to achieve the following:

Deadlift 1 rep max of 2 times my bodyweight (End February 2011).

Front Squat 1 rep max of 1.5 times my bodyweight (End February 2011).

Shoulder Press 1 rep max of 1 times my bodyweight (End February 2011)

Bench Press 1 rep max of 30Kg dumbbells (End December)

I believe these goals are realistic, and of course they are SMART goals. I’m also aiming to get a lot better at:

  • Kipping Pull-ups
  • Skipping (progress toward Double Unders, where rope passes under feet TWICE per jump)
  • Pistols (deep one leg squats)

You should know what smart goals are…which brings me on to your training. What are your goals and how are you going to achieve them?

Let me know, post a comment and I’ll see if I can help :)

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My 10 Exercise Beliefs

July 25th, 2010

We all want to achieve various different goals through exercise. Through my own experience, a vast majority of people want to lose weight which is no surprise. However, before I get to explaining about weight loss (another time!) I’d like to take you through my own beliefs regarding exercise. The following points underpin the way I train every client, whether their aim is weight loss or weight gain through increased muscle. Whatever your goal, I believe in the following:

1. Functional Movements. Basically moving in a true-to-life fashion. Improving the body’s ability to move with greater ease while exercising with natural compound movements that will stand to us in day-to-day living. A Squat is an example of a functional movement. A bicep curl is not.

2. Group exercise. Training alone is hard! I believe that it is natural for people to socialise in groups and that a person’s need for social connections can be fulfilled through exercise in groups or with partners and buddies. Personal training is great because you have someone to drive you on, and lets face it…just to shoot the breeze with someone makes it easier!

3. I believe in training for performance gains and not for aesthetics. This is a tricky one because 99 people out of 100 train to look better and I understand completely. But I believe that looking good (or better!) is simply a positive side effect of improving performance. If you train to perform well and move better you will undoubtedly start to ‘look’ better. If you train simply to look good, you won’t achieve your potential. There is a differnce between the two, believe me.

4. I believe that fitness and health are very strongly linked. I do not believe it is possible to be unfit and healthy at the same time.

5. I believe that there is a strong link between our bodies and our minds, and that physical exercise is an important tool that we can use to strengthen our awareness of both. Again, this will not be most people’s primary goal but who doesn’t want to build their confidence and self-esteem? Exercise certainly helps.

6. I believe that a healthy diet is an integral part of healthy living, and that our fitness and health are very heavily influenced by the quality of our nutrition. I will cover nutrition in much greater detail in upcoming posts including a Nutrition challenge you can join in with me in September!

7. I believe that fitness, like all good things in life, is only achieved with hard work. When you go to the gym, you gotta give it everything. Its interesting to consider this…is that easier to achieve in a group or by yourself? What do you think?

8. I believe in setting goals and objectives. I will cover mine in upcoming posts and fill you in regularly in how I’m getting on!

9. I believe in variety and that excessive routine is unhealthy. How often do you vary your routine? It can be a really simple thing, like adding a new exercise or changing the order of exercises. But variety is really beneficial and most of us are guilty of a lack of real variety in our training.

10. I believe that exercise should be fun, and have a social element that can build friendships.

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Welcome to my blog!

July 24th, 2010

Welcome one and all to the Strive! Personal Training blog of Diarmuid Morley, Level 1 Certified CrossFit trainer. I work at Oakgrove Leisure Centre in Blackrock, Cork.

Well what is this blog all about you might ask? Well I’ll tell you. Its about fitness. My fitness and your fitness. Its about health and the various factors that play a role. Its about nutrition. Its about discussing health and fitness issues, and often, debunking the many many myths that surround exercise and nutrition.

I’m a dedicated CrossFit trainer, so as a personal trainer, my clients practice CrossFit workouts, or WOD’s (Workout of the Day’s). They train for general physical preparedness (GPP)…but more about that another time!

For now, welcome to the blog and keep checking back for updates that you might find interesting. Who knows, you might learn from me, and hopefully I can learn something from all of you that participate!

Diarmuid.

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