Strength Training: 7s/21s

This is an advanced method of training that the working muscle group in three different ranges of motion within a single set. Its name from the total number of reps per set you form with this training technique in each set, you do a total of 21 repetitions but as three separate sets of 7 reps.

21s are a popular method used by bodybuilders to shock their muscles into new growth by targeting specific ranges of motion (ROM) for a given movement. It’s a mix of partial and full reps within the same set to fully pump your muscles up.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

  • Muscle recruitment is being used maximally throughout the session
  • Increase your strength and endurance
  • Adds variety to your training
  • Can help to burn fat
  • Places enough microtears in the fast-twitch muscle fibres to ensure continued growth which may have faltered after repetitive training
  • It will kick-start muscle growth and hit your body from a new angle
  • It will burn more calories to strip body fat from your muscles, giving you better definition

Low Intensity Steady State Training

Low-intensity steady-state, or LISS, is a method of cardiovascular exercise in which you do aerobic activity at a low-to-moderate intensity for a continuous, and often extended, period.

“LISS” is a newer term used to describe a low-intensity style of training, but this form of exercise has been around for decades. You may also know it as:

  • Low-intensity exercise
  • Steady-state training (SST)
  • Continuous cardiovascular exercise
  • Long slow distance (LSD) training

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

  • It aids in fat burning and fat loss. Steady-state training improves your body’s ability to use fat as fuel instead of using glycogen stored in your muscles
  • It’s appropriate for all levels. Since LISS is easier to do and gentler on the body, it’s appropriate for beginners. Intermediate to advanced fitness levels often use it as part of an endurance training program
  • It allows for easier recovery. Because you’re putting less stress on your heart and body, you may find you recover more quickly and easily from LISS
  • It’s an effective way to train for endurance events. Exercising at a lower intensity for a long period of time puts less stress on your heart and lungs than a more-intense workout
  • It’s also great for recovery after a difficult workout. You can use LISS as a recovery session the day after a high-intensity workout

Glutes

The muscles in the group are:

Gluteus Maximus

Primary function is upper leg (thigh) extension. (i.e., moving the upper leg backwards as in rising from a squat position). The same with bent-leg deadlifting, the rear leg drive when sprinting and any hip extension exercise where the thigh is extended backwards.

Gluteus Medius and Minimus

Perform similar functions depending on the position of the knee and hip joints. With the knee extended, they abduct the thigh (out to the side away from the opposite leg). When running, they stabilize the leg during the single-support phase. With the hips flexed, they internally rotate the thigh. With the hips extended, they externally rotate the thigh.

Gamellus Inferior and Superior

Both assist to laterally rotate the extended thigh.

Quadratus Femoris

A deep muscle in your gluteal region and is generally concerned with lateral rotation and stabilisation of the femur at the hip joint and is a strong external rotator and adductor of the thigh.

Obturator Externus

Primary action is to externally rotate the femur when the hip was in neutral position and flexed at 90°. Its secondary function is as an adductor when the hip was in flexion.

Piriformis

Helps rotate the hip and works with rotators such as the obturator externus and the gemellus inferior. It will rotate the thigh while extended and will abduct, or pull inward, the thigh when flexed.

Facts about Alcohol

There are many mixed messages out there about alcohol. On the one hand, moderate amounts have been linked to health benefits. On the other, it is addictive and highly toxic — especially when you drink too much.

The truth is that the health effects of alcohol vary between individuals and depend on the amount and type of alcohol consumed.

WHAT IS ALCOHOL?

The main psychoactive ingredient in alcoholic beverages is ethanol. Generally referred to as “alcohol,” ethanol is the substance that makes you drunk.

It’s produced by yeasts that digest sugar in certain carb-rich foods, such as:

  • Grapes— used to make wine.
  • Grains— used to make beer.

Alcohol is one of the most popular psychoactive substances in the world. It can have powerful effects on your mood and mental state. By reducing self-consciousness and shyness, alcohol may encourage people to act without inhibition. At the same time, it impairs judgment and promotes behaviour people may end up regretting. Some people drink small amounts at a time, while others tend to binge drink. Binge drinking involves drinking large amounts at a time to get drunk.

DANGERS OF ADDICTION

Some people become addicted to the effects of alcohol, a condition known as alcohol dependence or alcoholism.

An estimated 10% of the UK are believed to have been dependent on alcohol at some point in their life. Alcohol dependence is one of the main causes of alcohol abuse and disability in the UK and a strong risk factor for various diseases.

WHICH TYPE OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE IS BEST?

What you drink matters less than how much you drink.

However, some alcoholic drinks are better than others.

Red wine appears to be particularly beneficial because it is very high in healthy antioxidants. In fact, red wine is linked to more health benefits than any other alcoholic beverage. That said, consuming high amounts does not provide greater health benefits. Heavy drinking causes health problems — regardless of the type of beverage.

What is a balanced diet?

A balanced diet gives your body all the nutrients it needs to function correctly.

A balanced diet is a diet that contains a variety of foods in certain quantities and proportions so that the requirement for calories, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and alternative nutrients is adequate, noting a small provision of nutrients is held in reserve for those occasions when we go hungry!

A healthy diet is a diet that helps maintain or improve your overall health. A healthy diet provides the body with essential nutrition, fluid, macronutrients, micronutrients, and adequate food energy.

WHY A BALANCED DIET IS IMPORTANT?

A balanced diet supplies the nutrients your body needs to work effectively. Without balanced nutrition, your body is more prone to disease, infection, fatigue, and low performance.

Children who don’t get enough healthy foods may face growth and developmental problems, poor academic performance, and frequent infections. They can also develop unhealthy eating habits that may persist into adulthood.

Without exercise, children also have a higher risk of obesity and various diseases that make up metabolic syndrome, such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

A healthy diet will combine all the nutrients and foods groups mentioned above, but you need to balance them, too. A handy way to remember how much of each food group to eat is the plate method. The “Choose My Plate” initiative recommends:

  • Filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables
  • Filling just over one quarter with grains
  • Filling just under one quarter with protein foods
  • Adding dairy on the side (or a non-dairy replacement).

Keep in mind this is generic and individual needs will vary. Always consult a nutritionist / GP if you are unsure.

Benefits of HIIT Training

HIIT involves short bursts of intense exercise alternated with low-intensity recovery periods. Interestingly, it is perhaps the most time-efficient way to exercise.

Typically, a HIIT workout will range from 10 to 30 minutes in duration.

Despite how short the workout is, it can produce health benefits like twice as much moderate-intensity exercise.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

  • It improves your stamina
  • It increases your strength
  • You’ll burns lots of fat
  • Your body will burn fat after your workout
  • It keeps your heart healthy
  • It keeps you younger
  • It’s fast and therefore relieves stress
  • It can help to strengthen your bones
  • It can help regulate your blood sugar levels
  • Eases muscle stiffness

Benefits of HIT 100s Training

If you want to get a serious pump in a short period of time, this is a great way to add high volume into your workout.

Take a compound exercise, add weight to about 50% of your 10RM and we are going to aim for 100 reps straight off (you will not manage this).

1 rep = 1 second rest. For example, you get to 40 reps, you have 60 reps left so you rest for 60 seconds. Keep going until you get to 100. Once you get to 100, add weight to get to your 10RM and go for 3 sets to failure. Once complete, perform 2-3 isolation exercises between 12-15 reps of the same muscle group.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

  • Stimulate new growth in your body
  • Improves capillarisation within the muscle
  • Plateau buster
  • Promote mental toughness
  • Provides a monster pump (for 20 mins)
  • Good for motivation
  • Increases the glycogen reserves within your target muscle

Triceps

Triceps brachii comes from the Latin for “three-headed muscle of the arm”.

It is the large muscle on the back of your arms and is responsible for extension of the elbow. It is also the antagonist to the biceps brachii and brachialis muscles. The triceps help to fixate the elbow when the hand is involved in fine or intricate movements such as writing. It originates from the scapula, so therefore also becomes a stabilising muscle for the shoulder joint and aids adduction of the arm. The muscle is also capable of contracting statically.

The triceps muscles can be trained either through isolation or compound extension movements. Examples of isolation movements would include cable push downs and extensions where the arms go behind the back.
Examples of compound movements include close grip bench press and military press. A close grip on the bar really targets the triceps more than a wider grip.

You should always train your triceps through their full range of movement as they cross two joints (shoulder and elbow).

It is very rare to rupture or tear your triceps muscles.

Tri-set Strength Training

Tri-sets are doing three exercises back-to-back with no break. During these sets you can either pair exercises that are non-competing, in other words opposing muscle groups, or you can target the same muscle. If you are stuck at a training plateau then tri-sets may be what you need to start progressing again!

A tri-set is a series of three exercises performed in a row with 10 second rests between exercises. You could do squats, leg presses and leg extensions for a quadricep tri-set or the bench press, skull crushers and overhead cable extensions for a tricep tri-set

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

  • Improve muscular endurance and cardiovascular performance
  • Increase athletic performance
  • Can be time efficient
  • Boosts mood and mental health
  • Can promote weight loss
  • Good for motivation
  • Effective for burning calories and building strength

Calves

The calf muscle, on the back of the lower leg, is made up of two muscles:

THE GASTROCNEMIUS
This is the larger calf muscle, forming the bulge visible beneath the skin. The gastrocnemius has two parts or “heads,” which together create its diamond shape.

THE SOLEUS
This is a smaller, flat muscle that lies underneath the gastrocnemius muscle. The gastrocnemius and soleus muscles taper and merge at the base of the calf muscle. Tough connective tissue at the bottom of the calf muscle merges with the Achilles tendon. The Achilles tendon inserts into the heel bone (calcaneus). During walking, running, or jumping, the calf muscle pulls the heel up to allow forward movement.