Foam Rollers and Christmas Party

Christmas Drinks this year is in Smyths Pub in Ranelagh, Friday 11th October at 8pm. A few free scoops and a bit of food is promised to all FTI gym goers.

Also check out this sent in to me by one of my clients Siobhan,

http://www.independent.ie/health/diet-fitness/fit-to-be-tried-foam-rollers-1966213.html

Check out this article, i couldnt have put it better myself. Maybe foam rollers will be the new craze, Functional Training Ireland has only been using them for 3 years now, no seriously its a well made article, explaining the benefits of Rolling around the floor in pain, another client of mine terms it therapuetic discomfort.

Exercise of the week # 3

The Cat Camel Exercise is great for back pain sufferers and is actually surprisingly a great abdominal exercise too. Looking at this exercise here you wouldnt think it hits your abs at all, but trust me if you get your chin tucked in properly you will fire that hard to hit lower ab area.

Essentially get on all fours, keep your bum and hands where they are, your trying to get your mid section to work. at no stage through this exercise do you bend your elbows.

Drop your lower back to the floor, so you like like a cat?

Now reverse this position and really tuck your chin in tight to your body. You should feel it work your tummy muscles now.

I reccomend doing this 12times in a row. Let me know how you get on.

Simple stuff to help your workouts

1. Write a weekly food diary.

There are many benefits to this but chiefly you will actually see what you are really eating. Be honest with yourself and write every detail. Armed with this humbling information there could be simple fixes that could save you pounds of bodyweight over the year.

2. Get really good technique in the key lifts.

Some people worry too much about the little things before they can master a squat, a push up, a chin up, a lunge, a dumbbell row. Lets say if you can do ten of these well each start thinking about the harder stuff. (ok chin ups are hard but you can use a band to help you)

3. Go easy on the bread.

Excessive consumption of white bread or brown bread (I see no real difference between the two) is hurting many the slimmers chances of leaning out. Avoid bread like you are allergic to it, chances are you will still eat enough anyway.

4. An apple a day keeps the doctor at bay.

Apples are so handy for a healthy snack, not only are they really good but they are so easily available. Instead of reaching for a bar or crisps next time your peckish, reach for an apple.

5. Eat a breakfast.

Simple fact of life, people who eat a healthy breakfast are slimmer than those who skip the most important meal of the day. Most people know this one and choose to ignore it, never skip breakfast.

6. Always eat after training.

After training your body craves nutrition, current research indicates you have around a 20 minute window of opportunity to ingest calories post workout. Quite simply you will not believe the difference taking a small amount of carbs and protien post workout will make over the course of a year. Honestly how many people do this? With any team I train the first rule I make is no food - no train.

7. Fish Oil works

An overwhelming body of research has shown that fish oil or omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial for a myriad of good things in the human body, one of them being fat loss. Get on "the fish" as soon as possible.

8. Beware of weekends.

Unfortunatley you can undue all your hard work during the week by having a big weekend, its a fact of life that nearly all of us go out on the weekends and consume too much calories. Why not plan for this and ensure you are kept active on the weekends?

9. Not all calories are created equal.

There is far more to nutrition than just counting your "points" or calorie intake.
Here's an example of why not it's not just about how many calories you consume:
If we take two people of fairly equal size and fitness level. We put both people on the same training program and allow each person to eat 3,000 calories per day.
Person A - can only get his calories from lean meats /salmon, fresh fruits and vegetables and sweet potatoes and brown rice
Person B -- can only get his calories from candy, ice cream and fast food
After 8 weeks or so, who do you think is going to look better?
Obviously person A.
So even though both people trained the same way and ate the same amount of calories, they will most definitely end up with very different results.
This is why when it comes to calories, it's not the quantity that's most important, it's the quality.

10. Cereals are not as healthy as you think. In fact many are not healthy at all.

Most if not all traditional cereals are essentially loads of processed sugar in a bowl, yet its the number one choice for people around the country. How essentially sugar ladened processed maize is construed as healthy is just down to clever marketing? A healthy start to day should be back to basics, eggs, lean rashers, organic porridge or muesli. For the busy individual a protein shake with some fruit would be a must better option than your popular cereals.

Ross Strength and Speed

It was great to meet Sean Ross a Strength and Conditioning coach from Little Rock Arkansas last night. Tonnes of Strength and Conditioning information was talked over a few pints of Guinness.

Check out Sean's place in this vid on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/user/jameseckhart#p/a/u/1/9TvgDXDLDt4

Check out this Very interesting thread on Swine Flu

I thought this was interesting piece, Dr Mercola is a bit of a legend when it comes to questioning What we eat and what we are TOLD is good for us.


http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/27/Obama-Declares-Swine-Flu-Emergency.aspx

Enjoy!

Exercise of the week #2

Medicine Ball Chops

The med ball chop drill is one of my favourite protocols. I like it as a warm up routine because with proper technique applied the movement can apply itself over a large number of other exercises like deadlifts for example. It is a total body exercise so it is great for conditioning also, meaning getting you fit!

The best thing about this drill however is that it is great at teaching you to hinge from your hips, so what I hear you say, if you cant hinge from your hips expect a visit from you friendly neighbourhood chiropractor or physio any time soon.

Heres how you do it,

Start with the ball(you can use a water bottle or any weight really) and get in the position shown, its a sort of a duck arse pose!(funny names help me remember anyway),

Swing the ball up in the air whilst maintaining a solid core and squeeze the bum muscles at the top of the movement.

Bring the ball back down, never never round your back at this stage keep your spine tall and butt up in the air. What i mean here is not to look like a hunchback whilst coming down.

How many

Do 3 sets of 12 reps, only use between a 2kg and 4kg weight. Happy Training.

Get on the Fish Oil

One of the best Strength coaches in the States Eric Cressey was ahead of his time, and is one smart cookie (i met him once in Tullamore.)

Read his articles on Fish oil Supplementation benefits, The wealth of research is massive.

http://ericcressey.com/fishy-advice-part-ii

Ms Monroe Bench Pressing 1952

Who said women shouldnt lift weights? This was shot in 1952! Proof that arguably the most beautiful women of all time lifted weights as part of her fitness regime, and didnt just do the dreaded "Cardio", it would make you think.

Cycling to work and around Dublin

Cycling or commuting is a great way to get around. I love the fact you are in charge of your own destiny, meaning if you leave your house at a certain time you will be at your destination very closely to your estimated time of travel (barring a puncture). When im cycling into town I always look at people stuck in traffic jams or sitting in vans and see how miserable they are, whilst I whizz by.

I love the fact the Dublin corporation have bikes that anyone can use all over Dublin. I also love the fact that I see more and more people cycling and availing of the cycle to work scheme. The scary thing about the whole scheme though is the amount of cyclists who are cycling around some of the dodgiest roads in Ireland without a helmet.

As someone whos life was literally saved by a 40euro helmet I cant believe this. In fact in one of the billboards promoting the communal bikes they actually had a picture of a girl cycling around without a helmet! I have been cycling in Dublin for a good bit now and have seen some near misses a plenty.

Enjoy cycling, always have lights, spare tubes and levers, a pump and oh a helmet.

Well done to Naomh Fionnbarra GAA Club

A brief well done to Naomh Fionnbarr Hurling team. They recently won the Dublin Intermediate Hurling championship. All of us at Functional Training Ireland wish the club great success in their upcoming Leinster campaign. Naomh Fionnbarra have been training with Functional Training Ireland for a prolonged period.

Exercise of the week #1

We know its confusing trying to remember so many exercises for your home workouts, every week on the blog we will publish an exercise of the week and explain the benefits so you can maximise your workouts, remember its essential to "feel" exercises in the proper spot. I love exercises that expose weaknesses and can be done with very little equipment.

The above exercise is called the Cook Hip lift, Basically its great for (Ill aim not to be too complicated)
1) The bum muscles
2) Its a great lower body workout
3) The hamstring muscles
4) It teaches you to extend from your hips and not your back

In the picture Dualtach is pulling his knee into his chest, this is to stop you using your lower back to lift the hips which is a massive problem with back pain sufferers. The guy who invented the exercise recommends you put a tennis ball in between your thigh and stomach to make sure your leg stays where it should be.

If you cant do the one version, just make it easier with the two leg version also shown.

How do I do it?
Simply get into position and drive your hips in the air, you should feel it in your bum, play around with the angle if its not hitting the "sweet spot". If you cant get balanced do the same exercise on two legs.

How much?
Do 3 sets of 8 reps on each leg.

Feedback?
Let me know how you get on.

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Dublin City Marathon

Well done to everyone who completed the Marathon today, there will be a lot of sore legs arriving into offices around Ireland tommorrow.

My new blog - hope you like it

Welcome to the Functional Training Ireland Blog ,we aim to have interesting and helpful fitness tips and offers for you the reader.