Motivation!

Motivation!

Is there something you want so bad? Something you want to achieve?

Something you want to do?

Well listen up and learn! You’ve to be motivated, there has to be a need to achieve! If you want it go get it, regretting that you never tried is a bigger regret that trying and failing. You only live once so make the most of it!

How many of you regret something that you could have done but didn’t? "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". Don’t expect to reach the end in a few steps. You need to be motivated and stay motivated, no one is going to take your first step for you. YOU have to take the first step in order to begin your journey, so stop contemplating and take that step!

Think about what is stopping you from achieving what you want. Write down how you are going to overcome the things stopping you. As they say (John Heywood says) ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’. Take things step by step and things will become clear, don’t over complicate things by trying to do too much at once, Just listen to what Garry Barlow says "have a little patience" ;)

Any questions or need advise? Contact me via twitter (@biffa2) or facebook.

Try something different! Parkour!

                                                          Fancy trying something new ?

Me jumping off Southport Pier :D

I've decided to start posting on my blog again :D On this post I'm going to share with you one of my hobbies. Free running/Parkour is a brilliant form of exercise that requires good Co-ordination, Balance, Flexibility, Endurance, strength, Power and confidence. It's a very functional form of exercise that will challenge you body in so many ways. If this is something you think you might enjoy then you should give it a try but take caution as it can be very dangerous as i have found out a few times. Free running/Parkour is all about being precise and confident and it is very important that you warm before hand to help reduce the chance of injuring yourself. 

Before you read the rest of my post take a look at my latest video that was filmed between 2011 Q4 - 2012 Q1. The video was intended to be a lot longer but during filming i received an injury to my left knee which ended the filming as I re-tore my lateral meniscus cartilage which has recently been successfully operated on :D 

I'd like to thank my friends for participation in creating this video and a big thanks to Craig Charlton who filmed and created this video :D If you would like to see more videos from Craig check out his youtube channels >>>> SuperExtremeTV and craigcharlie16 <<<<

Why not challenge yourself to try something new like free running! It's an amazing and unique way to exercise that will improve your all round fitness! It's an all in one type of training that along with healthy nutrition will benefit you in so many ways like improving your Cardiovascular fitness, Flexibility, muscle mass, power, co-ordination, balance, spatial awareness all of which is what it takes to become a true athlete!! Also in my opinion it's one of the best ways to burn fat and achieve a well defined body!

Preston Guild hall :D

Preston bus station

If you would like to know any information about free running or Parkour then post a comment and I'll gladly help :D youtube >> biffa91 and biffa3run <<

More posts coming soon!  :D Ciao mio amici! 

I'ts time to take action today!!!!!

IT’S TIME TO TAKE ACTION TODAY, NOT NEXT WEEK, NOT TOMORROW, BUT TODAY!!!

Do you have goals? Do you want to become fitter? Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to build muscle? Well? Its time to STOP CONTEMPLATING and time to START TAKING ACTION TODAY!!!!!!.

Over the next few weeks and months I am going to be expanding my blog so what ever goals you have, what ever it is you want to achieve, I will help you towards getting there!! WHY START TOMORROW WHEN YOU CAN START TODAY!! 

I will be adding new pages to expand and categorise different goals that people might have! For example if you what to lose weight and aren’t sure how, no worries because their will be a separate page on my blog that will help you with that.

Okay, with that said a done here is something you can start and do today to become a healthier and fitter you!! 

Try this just for one week and feel the difference!!!

First up……….Nutrition – In with the good out with the bad

• Eat plenty of natural foods and avoid all junk food (takeaways, sweets, chocolate, fizzy pop, ect. You all no it’s bad!!)
• Cut out alcohol or at least cut down (drink in moderation is okay, binge drinking however is completely the wrong thing to do if you are really committed to achieving your goals!!
• Avoid white carbohydrates and replace with wholemeal or wholegrain, this will aid in reducing your body fat!
• Drink plenty of water through out the day! Drink a minimum of 2 litres. After one week of drinking water throughout the day you will feel the different in how you feel. Check out my very first post about water - http://biffa-healthandfitness.blogspot.com/2011/02/why-water-is-more-important-than-you.html
• Eat 4-6 small meals a day, this will aid in speeding up your metabolism which in turn will result in your body burning more calories!
• 5 a day? Nope 7 a day – 3 fruit & 4 vegetables 

Next up……….Exercise – Run fat boy run! Time to burn fat!! Quick!!!

Cardiovascular, Fat burning workout   

Warm up - 5 minuets slow jogging to warm up then do10 body squats, then 12 lunges.

Start workout: 10 minutes running at a medium pace, then do some sprint intervals – 20 seconds sprinting followed by 40 seconds slow jogging or walking then repeat 4 more times!

Cool down – 5 minutes slow jogging or walking. Now do some stretches to stretch out the muscles reducing soreness the next day or two (lol) Hold each stretch for 15-30 seconds, make sure you can feel the stretch.

Leave a day in-between workouts! 

Muscle conditioning workout – Circuit training (x 3 Circuits)

Reverse lunges - 20 reps, 10 each side

Press ups – maximum reps

Crunch – 15-30 reps

Jump squats – 15 reps

Berpies – 15-20 reps

Bicycles – 20-30 reps

Star jumps – 15 reps

Dorsal raise - 12-15 reps

Complete each exercise one after another without rest. After completing all exercises rest 60-90 seconds the complete 2 more circuits.

YOU NOW HAVE WHAT YOU NEED TO START TAKING ACTION TODAY!!!!!!!

Good luck!! :D

How to set your own goals and targets

Setting goals and targets is the very first thing you need to consider when trying to achieve some thing. You need to give your self some thing to work towards weather it’s a short term, mid term or long term goal.

Setting goals and targets is very important if you are trying to improve on any task or your physical well being, this might be losing weight, building muscle, increasing your weight, toning up or any other aspect of health & fitness that you wish to improve on.

First of all you need to pick your goals and targets from which you would like meet and achieve in a certain period of time, then you need to take a look at each goal and target you have set your self and see if it meets the criteria from the SMART goal setting guide which you can see below.

·        S = Specific

·        M = Measurable

·        A = Attainable

·        R = Realistic

·        T = Timely 

Specific

Your goals should be straightforward and emphasize what you would like to happen in the goal you have set yourself. Specifics will help you to focus your efforts and clearly define what you are going to do in your goal.

Specific is the What, Why and How from the smart guide.

·        What are you going to do? Use action words such as direct, organize, coordinate, lead, develop, plan, build and etc.

·        Why is it important to do at this time? What do you want to ultimately accomplish?

·        How are you going to do it? (By…..)

Ensure that your goals are very specific, clear and easy, instead of setting a goal to lose weight or be healthier, set a specific goal to lose 5lbs or to walk at least to miles every day.

Measurable  

If your can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.  You need to choose a goal that has measurable progress, so you can see the change occur. You need to be specific for the time you want to complete your goal in, for example my goal is to lose 4 lbs in one month so I am going to try to lose 1lb each week. This would be a specific and measurable goal. So if you set your self a goal just to lose weight then this will neither be specific or measurable.

It is important to be measurable in your goals because it keeps you on track so you can reach your target dates.

Attainable

When you identify your goals that are most important to you, you will begin to figure out the ways in which they can be achieved, your goals will become much more clear and achievable.

If you set goals that are to far out of your reach it is likely that you will not commit to them even if you start the goal to the best of your intentions, subconsciously you will no that you have set your goal to far out of reach and therefore you will not be working your 100% which will result in certain failure. So it is important that you make your goals attainable so you don’t fail your goals.

The success from achieving your goals will keep you motivated and wanting to work harder and harder.

Your goal needs to stretch you slightly so you can feel that you can attain your goal, which will need real commitment from you. For example if you set yourself a goal to lose 20lbs in one week then obviously it is not attainable but if your set your goal to lose 1lb then when you have completed that try to lose a further 1lb. this way your goal will be easily attainable.

Realistic

You need your goal to be realistic so the skills and knowledge you have are able to complete the goal, the term realistic does not mean that your goal should be easy, it means the goal should be Do-able. Your goal should push you but it should not break you.

Your goal needs to be realistic to you at this present time so for example if you could only lift 10kg in a bicep curl by setting your goal to be able to lift 15kg would be un-realistic.

Your need to set your goal so that it takes some effort for you to complete. Set your goal to high then you will fail, set your goal to low then you will send the message that you are not very capable. You need to set the bar high enough for a satisfying achievement.

Timely

You need to set a time frame for the goal: By next week, in three months, at the end of my second year at university. Putting an end point on your goal gives you a clear target to work towards.

If you do not set a time to complete your goals, your goals will tend to happen in your own time when you feel like it. With out a time limit there is not urgency to start taking action now.

Time must be measurable, attainable and realistic.

So if your follow the smart guide to setting your goals and meeting your targets the benefits will show and your motivation and confidence will continue to grow, you will feel and look good and will continue improving.  

When setting your goals and targets out, write them down in big clear writing on a piece of paper. Put your goals in a place where you can see them every day to ensure that your goals and targets are always in view. Always ensure that when you have completed your goal or target that you give you self a new one.

Finally I’d like to say thanks to everyone who has been checking out my blog. If you have any suggestions don’t hesitate and message me, Grazie J 

Nutrition and weight guide

A quick guide on nutrition and weight maintenance.

Daily intake of Calories should be split up into three parts, Fats, Carbohydrates and proteins. Although the below percentages would change for different goals.

-          Fats – 30%

-          Proteins – 10-15%

-          Carbohydrates – 55-60%

Now that we have the percentages, which will divide our daily calories up into Fats, Proteins and Carbohydrates, we can now find out how many calories and grams we should be aiming for to achieve these percentages.

Example target weight = 60Kg

Step 1 calculate your BMR (basic metabolic rate) This is the number of calories your body will use as fuel for maintaining basic life functions such as breathing, circulation, brain and nervous system function, body warmth, etc. To calculate your BMR you need to times your desired body weight in Kg by 25, the calculation for the example target weight (60Kg) is below.

BMR calculation - 60 x 25 = 1500Kcal per day

Step 2 calories for your daily activity level – Now we need to add our daily activity level onto our BMR.

Sedentary Life style            + 20%

Moderately active life style + 50%

Very active life style            + 100%

BMR, calorie intake = 1500Kcal

Activity level = 50% - 1500/50% = 750 +1500 = 2250Kcals per day.

BMR + Activity Level = 2250 Kcal Per day

We now have the amount of calories you should be aiming for per day, so let’s now find out how many calories per Fat, Protein and carbohydrates this would calculate to.

-          Fats                    – 2250 x 30% = 775 Kcal                  

-          Proteins              – 2250 x 15% = 337.5 Kcal

-          Carbohydrates    – 2250 x 55% = 1237.5 Kcal 

Now we have worked out calories per Fat, Proteins and Carbohydrates, lets find out how many grams we would need to consume.

-          Fats                    - 775/9 = 86g

-          Proteins              - 337.5/4 = 85g

-          Carbohydrates    - 1237.5/4 = 309g

Now you know what calories/Grams to intake per day for Fats, Proteins and Carbohydrates, all that remains now is to track the food you eat daily and ensure that you try to meet your daily intake requirements, as closely as possible.

Now its time to see what foods we should be eating, first let’s start with:

Carbohydrates:

-          Wholegrain Rice

-          Wholegrain Bread

-          Potatoes

-          Wholegrain Pasta

-          Fruits

-          Vegetables

Fats

-          Non-saturated

-          Polyunsaturated

-          Monounsaturated

-          Oily fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines or tuna)

-          Extra virgin oil (for cooking with)

-     Nuts

Proteins

-          Lean meats

-          Chicken breast

-          Eggs

-          Fish

-          Milk (Low or non-fat)

-          Ham

-          Beef

-          Turkey

Now finally an example of a daily food diary;

7:30 AM – Breakfast – scrambled egg (1 whole egg 2 whites) with wholegrain bread and porridge (50g oats, 180 – 200ml Milk)

10:30 AM – Small snack – Coffee and Banana

13:00 PM – Lunch – wholegrain rice 250g, 1 – 2 chicken breasts, vegetables and a small salad.

15:30 – Small snack – Piece of fruit or veg and a couple of Brazil and pecan nuts.

18:00 – Dinner – Boiled potatoes, vegetables and fish.

20:30 – Small snack – small bowl of no added sugar alpen 45g

Water – drink at least 2ltrs a day. 500ml before bed to speed up your metabolism and when you wake up.

Remember the above food diary, is an example, so following this diary, might not equate the calories for Fat, Protein and Carbohydrates that you require.

It may take a week or two; to get your food diary to the point that you are getting as close to your daily requirements as possible, so don’t panic if, within the first week you are not hitting these requirements, it’s all about trial and error. 

Next post I will put up what percentages of carbohydrates, protein and fats you should be aiming for if you have a goal in mind. Ciao!!!!

Low reps vs High reps

Hey! First of all I would like to say thanks to everyone that has been following and checking out my blog. I hope to continue updating my blog on a weekly basis. If you have any suggestions be sure to comment me. This is my 5^th post which is on Low reps vs. High reps. This post will cover the effects of doing low reps and high reps, the different components of fitness that they each effect, Strength, Hypertrophy (muscle building) and muscular endurance

The number of reps that you perform for each exercise will determine what component of fitness you are going to be targeting or how your body will change. There are different components of fitness that are specific to certain sports. I will be covering two components of fitness, Strength, and muscular endurance and what reps you need to do for hypertrophy (muscle building).

This first component I will cover will be Strength – the ability to exert force against a resistance. There are different types of strength such as:

Maximum strength – This is the most force that can be applied in a single maximum contraction, your 1RM (1 Rep Max, the most weight that you are able to lift for 1 repetition).

Strength endurance – The ability to lift a force many times, for example if you tried to lift 80% of your 1RM and completed 6 reps this would be your 6RM.

Elastic strength – The ability to overcome a resistance with a fast contraction, for example a basketball player jumping for a slam dunk.

Now that we know the different types of strength we now need to no how we get strong and different ways we can develop our strength.

So first of all how do we get strong? In order to increase our strength we need to work our muscles beyond its normal operation, to do this we need to overload the muscle, this can be done by –

Reps – The number of repetitions that you perform on an exercise, for maximum strength this is usually 1-5 repetitions per exercises.

Sets – The Number of sets of an exercise. This will vary depending on your level of fitness and type of training.

Intensity – Reducing the recovery time between sets and exercises.

Developing strength – Maximum strength – Weight lifting – Strength Endurance – Circuit training, Weight lifting – Elastic strength – Weight lifting, plyometric exercises, conditioning exercises.

Hypertrophy (muscle building) - If your main focus is increasing the size of your muscles then working in the hypertrophy rep range is for you. The Hypertrophy rep range is between 8-12 repetitions for an exercise. Working in this rep range will increase the size of your muscle, a bit of strength increase and better definition. This is the rep range is commonly use by bodybuilders, although this rep range produces bigger muscles it does not justify your strength, bodybuilders may look big but there strength does not represent their size. This is why you should vary the number of repetitions you do every once in a while, otherwise you may just get laughed at by the power lifter half your size but twice as strong. ;)

Reps – The rep range is 8-12 repetitions and will mainly focus on building the size of your muscles but will also contribute to a bit of strength increase and a small increase in muscular endurance.

Sets – This will depend on your fitness level, the number of exercises and the type of training you are doing. For example if you are doing a split routine (A routine that separate all the muscles in the body into separate workouts usually over the period of 7 days) it maybe chest day so you would choose 3 exercises that work your chest doing 3 sets per exercise.

Rest – Again depending on your fitness levels but usually 30 – 120 seconds rest between sets and exercises. The less time resting between sets and exercises will increase the intensity of the workout.

I will now move onto Muscular endurance – The ability to sustain repeated contractions against a resistance for extended amount of time. This rep range is 12-15+ this rep range is good for increasing your muscular endurance and will also help to reduce injuries occurring. Working at this rep range is the best for beginner weight lifters because their body can adapt slowly focusing on good technique and control, this way they can transition to heavier weights without injury.

Reps – 12-15+ repetitions per exercise to focus on increasing your muscular endurance, minimal strength and muscle gain.

Sets – 3-6 sets for an exercise, focus on targeting the larger muscles  

Rest – take 30 – 60 seconds rest between sets and exercises.

Now to finish a table to simplify each type of training

Training type	Reps	Sets per exercise	Rest between sets
Strength	1-5	4-6	30-120 seconds
Strength and hypertrophy	6-10	3-5	30-120 seconds
Hypertrophy	8-12	3-4	30-120 seconds
Muscular endurance & Hypertrophy	10-15	3-6	30-90 seconds
Muscular endurance	12-15+	3-6	30-60 seconds



4 of the best!

The top 4 exercises  (4^th blog post)

Just a quick log J

If someone said to me that I could only ever do 4 exercises to workout the majority of the body’s muscles, increase my strength, burn fat and look good, what would they be and why.

#1 – well my number #1 exercise would be the dead lift

Why? The dead lift is a full body workout exercise; it works all the major muscles in the body but mainly focuses on the legs and the back. This exercise is very good for increasing your strength, your grip and also a good stomach workout.

Muscles worked:

• The back (upper, lower and middle)
• Quadriceps
• Glutes (bum)
• Hamstrings
• Traps
• Neck
• Biceps
• Forearms
• Abs

#2 – Bench press

Why? Also another exercise that is good for building muscle and strength. The bench press will work your chest, anterior deltoid (front part of the shoulder muscles) and your triceps.

'#3 - Squats

Why? Good for increasing strength and muscle mass. This exercise stimulates a release of anabolic hormones such as testosterone. This is great for building muscle fast.

#4 – Clean and press

Why? This is a total body exercise, great for building muscle. This is an exercise that if you could only ever choose one would be a great choice. Just like the dead lift and squats this exercise will release a good amount of testosterone helping to build muscle fast. 

Muscles worked:

• Calves
• Hamstrings
• Glutes
• Quadriceps
• Lower and upper back
• Traps
• Shoulders
• Biceps
• Triceps
• Forearms