Sunday 31 August 2014

Kayaking amongst other things

Welcome to 5.14 Fitness,






I have just got back from an all day kayaking trip, 8 miles (12.8 km) upstream- so it was hard work to fight against the current! It was preparation for my kayaking expedition which will be 26 miles (equal to a marathon) that I will start not this Saturday but the one after and finish on that Sunday evening, hopefully!




So time for some information on why kayaking is a great form of exercise:
  • It works numerous body parts including; back, core, arms and chest. Even though the action of paddling is fairly unchallenging after hundreds of repetitions, this straight forward motion is a great way of  toning these muscles and burning fat. This is because you have to be active all the time so calories are being used up constantly, so it also helps with weight loss.
  • Kayaking relieves stress, by being active and outdoors, your body become move relaxed and at home to its self, Any aggression or anger can be taken out on the intensity of the exercise.
  • It is simply great fun, why do you think it is one of the worlds most rapidly growing sports? What is not to like?
Okay, so I am going to move on to some other news, and that is that thorough having a word with a couple of mates and some contacts of mine, I have managed to get a free gym pass for a month at a new gym in my area! Perks of being a blogger!  The conditions are that I have to fill in some reviews and questionnaires about how I find it and encourage other young people to do the same. Well to uphold my end of the bargain, I shall post daily on how things our going, what equipment and exercises I have done and found effective but also giving you the lowdown on what things to avoid.


So I will start this as soon as my body has recovered, I will give myself a few days of low intensity training, before pushing at the start of the term and seeing how much progress I make in them 14 weeks.  




Hope this helps, thanks for watching; please comment, plus one, follow, eat clean and train hard- peace!


Jason

Saturday 30 August 2014

Muscle size- in realation to fat

Welcome to 5.14 Fitness,




Okay guys, today I will be writing about a subject on which there is much confusion and a topic in which I have been asked a tone of questions on.


So does having big arms mean you will be stronger with someone who also works out just with smaller arms?




Here is the little introduction behind this post, so today I have been hanging out at my buddies gym and we were talking about size and the best way to get etc... My mate is a top rugby player; he plays all most everyday and goes to the gym at least once a week and he has huge arms! Despite this I (who am significantly smaller- muscle wise) am able to lift more, do more chin-ups, press ups and so forth.




How? Well chin-ups and press ups do depend on how much you weight (but his weight to rep ratio is still lower than mine), well to cut a long story short: size does not always equal a greater strength and performance.


This is probably due to the density of our muscle fibres; my mate is a rugby player, therefore he has adapted his body to play rugby.
  • He needs to get bigger (muscles) to increase his centre of gravity so he does not get pushed over so easily, he plays rugby almost everyday at a constant high intensity 
  • He needs to gain weight so he gain more momentum, he eats more to gain more weight 
  • He needs to get stronger so he can compete more on the field; he lifts heavy but quite inconsistently to achieve this
However, he thinks as he is playing rugby- a sport than uses a lot of your body- he can burn so many calories it does not matter what he eats. More calories equal more energy?  This is true but when he is eating rubbish and not exercising what do you think happens to all that food. It turns to fat!


So to review my mate:
  •  He exercises at a high intensity every day
  • He eats a lot (and most of it is shit)
  • He lifts heavy when he can be bothered to workout
The result he gaining size very quickly and looking pretty good, but he is not as strong as someone who eats clean, works out consistently, does high reps of reasonably light weight and also takes time to rest. This is because  he is working hard, destroying and rebuilding muscle fibres so much that his body cannot keep up as he does not take as much time to rest. Consequently his body needs fixing and quickly, so it simply finds something that it can use to increase the weight of his muscles, what is an easy source to manipulate that can be found in the body? I know what about all the fat from the shit his been eating! So what has happened is fat cells have developed between the muscle fibres in his arms, making them look bigger and making them harder to break down. So the muscle in his arm essentially consists of some muscle supported by fat!


This is fine for when he is playing rugby and it is helping his game- it is a problem most players of the sport suffer from and one that I am conscious to avoid-, but what happens when he stops playing rugby or he gets injured and is out for a while? Well his muscles will no longer be needed ( as he is not exercising ) so his body will break them down and as he is eating unhealthily he just add more fat to his arms. So he will have lost muscle and got fat, this will make it hard for when he starts exercising again as he is now totally out of shape and is sent back to square one- all his hard work... lost!


How do you avoid this scenario? Well I would recommend eating clean and if you need calories try foods such as nuts and cereal which contain a lot of energy. When lifting only use light weights, I am 14 and I only lift 5kg dumbbells; this is partly as lighting too heavy can stump your growth or lead to accidents, so stick to something light, yeah I know it takes longer to reach your goals, but that way you will have pure muscle fibres! Another tip is too not only exercise regularly (football, running, rugby, whatever) but to workout (work specific muscle groups, e.g. sit ups, press-ups, squats) consistently. My final piece of advance is to get a lot of rest in there as well, this is when your body actually changes, and by rest I don't mean days on the x-box, I am talking about sleep; aim for the minimum of 8 hours a day (or should I say night?)! If you stick to these tips you will not only get great results you will also minimise the risk of any problems that could occur.


Thanks for reading, please check out the blog again soon; if you have any ideas/comments/questions feel free to contact me all your opinions are valid and are respected greatly; remember to plus one everything, share the blog with friends, follow, eat clean and work hard- peace!


Jason        

Friday 29 August 2014

Drinking

Welcome to 5.14 Fitness,


Today I will walk you through what you should drink as well as what you should avoid. Everyone knows about healthy eating, but not so many people think about what are the right substances to be drinking.


Most people know that drinking alcohol is not something you should do before exercise as it will decrease your sporting performance. This is because it effects your balance, co-ordination and how you think and act (making you more confident but it also lowers your level of concentration and focus), therefore your general performance will not be as strong as per normal.
Another type of drink you should definitely steer well clear of are fizzy drinks and sodas! Why? Because they are jam packed full of sugar and caffeine, which does provide a source of short release energy, but they can destroy your liver and kidney, cause diabetes as well as raising blood pressure which can lead to heart attacks and strokes. If I was to recommend a weekly dosage 1-2 cans is more than enough, as (although they taste great)they need to be kept in moderation and if possible, you should remove them from them from your diet entirely.


I am now going to move on to one of my favourite drinks and it is one that is actually good for body: milk. Now the important thing about milk is that you do not get full fat; I know it tastes the best and we will all miss its creamy texture, but it is simply not good for you. It is literally fat in a bottle; fat raises cholesterol, blocking veins which can again lead to heart attacks strokes and other cardiovascular issues. You should ideally drink at least one (proper glass that is actually full) of red top milk everyday, however for people such as myself who need their milk to have some taste and flavour green top milk is the next best thing. But having a glass a day is crucial! You need to have milk as it contains calcium; this strengthens bones and teeth, but it also contains protein which is used for muscle growth and repair.


 I am now moving on to a drink which is good for you as well as bad for you- a bit unusual I know just bare with me.  Juice! As in apple, orange and cranberry- the stuff you have for breakfast in the morning. Although it contains vitamins, it is essentially sugar water and we all know what sugar does, in fact it is equally as sugary as some fizzy drinks. Some people ignore this fact as they are natural sugars so they must be okay, well yes we do need some sugar but there is no difference in terms of damage to your body between natural and processed sugars.
The final sugary drink is a drink that is mostly consumed by younger people but squash is again sugar water but only this time without the vitamins. In addition many people make the drink far too strong which just increases the sugar levels further- not good.


To finish, the drink that I recommend most is plain old water. Why? It can provide more energy than any energy drink (so consume about 2 hours before exercise to make sure you get energy and it does not sit in his stomach- which leads to a stich), it contains fluoride which is good for your teeth and the final factor supporting this beverage is that it contains 0 calories and sugars so it does exactly no harm to your body. I would recommend drinking water with every meal ( I know it is boring and flavourless but if you have it with food it is not so bad believe me) everyday.


Hope this helps, thanks for reading; please plus one everything, comment, follow, eat clean and work hard-peace!


Jason

Thursday 28 August 2014

Emotions

Welcome to 5.14 Fitness, 

I am going to start off with something quite serious, the reason I did not post the other day was because I was visiting a close friend of mine who has just been diagnosed with cancer.

 This is obviously a very bad situation, however later that day I was able to use this emotion to push my self harder and increase the  intensity of my workouts. This makes exercising more effective so I will be able to train the same, but with a greater intensity, I will be able to get better results.

Other ways to increase your intensity by using your emotions to motivate yourself to work harder and reach your goals, is to listen to inspiration music. This does not necessarily have to be a dramatic all out, heart felt song, but something that clicks with you and gets you pumped and rearing to achieve. For me 'Am I wrong?' does the job, but I also vibe with Eminem tracks- such as 'Not afraid', 'No love' and 'Survival'- but it is really a song that gets your adrenalin rushing and this varies from person to person.
You can also do the same by thinking of situations that get you wanting to work hard ( often sad ones )or your personal goals and imagining you reaching them. These are all great forms of motivation that can improve your workouts, and results making your goals one step closer to reality.

Hope this helps thanks for reading; plus one everything, follow and comment, eat clean and work hard- peace!

Jason 

Wednesday 27 August 2014

End of holiday; back to normal, back to routine!

Welcome back to 5.14 fitness,


This is going to be a short post this morning, but I will make sure I add some more stuff throughout the day so make sure you keep following! I know it has been a long time since I last posted but been having problems with dodgy internet connection and all (you know how it is), but the good news is I am now back from holiday and I can now really push myself harder to get the results and keep to a set routine. So what is to come over the next few weeks: well I am will (eventually) put up some pictures, renew my goals and see where I am at, explore and demonstrate new methods and workouts as well as improving the blog and responding to your comments and issues. As I said not a long post, but more will follow.


Thanks for reading; remember +1 everything, comment and follow, eat clean and work hard- peace!


Jason

Thursday 21 August 2014

Intensity week (kinda)

Wassup 5.14 Fitness,

Another quick progress check for a post today, sorry to disappoint but I will be back from France by next week so yeah... 
I have a confession today I did over sleep, which is not good as it makes your body gain weight a you are hardly burning any calories! But after a slow start I hit arms heavy with more weight work and heavy rep lighting. This was followed by archery, which is not only great fun but it improves coordination and vision and on the heavy bows boy does it work your arms. I have now just rounded the day off with the ab workout as per usual. I am still feeling pumped and ready, and my abs are making great progress with strength and definition and well as general improvements in my triceps and biceps which is what I am really aiming for. To improve I could do with being more enthusiastic in the mornings and a bit of cardio would not hurt, therefore when I come back to the UK, I will not struggle so much.

Thanks for reading; remember plus one everything, follow and comment, eat clean an work hard- peace!

Jason

Wednesday 20 August 2014

Intensity week

Hey 5.14 Fitness,

Just another progress check I am afraid! Today I am generally feeling quite tired with waves of energy surging on occasion. After completing an 8km kayaking route along France's coldest river ( a great way to burn fat and strengthen arms ), I did some heavy rep lighting o the light weights (5kg), before ending my day with my normal ab routine! However, I have to say I have not been eating to well, after tonight's barbecue and some snacking and soft drinks throughout the day, I am a little disappointed with my self, but I would rather eat than reach a catabolic state- where your body breaks down muscle for energy instead of fat! So there is an area to improve tomorrow, but I did have more dairy today so that is a good thing. I am feeling great about myself every time I look in the mirror and I am also receiving complements around me due to my hard work. My core is feeling stronger and looking defined and well structured; die to the lighting arms are now catching up. Cannot wait to get home and to start running again and really burn some fat! 

Thanks for reading; please plus one everything, comment and follow, eat clean and work hard- peace!

Jason 

Tuesday 19 August 2014

Intensity week

Hey 5.14 Fitness,

Another tiring day at the villa, after a day of walking, swimming, weight training and about to finish with some ab work and stretching. I will need a good night sleep as I will require all my energy for the  canoeing and workouts planed for tomorrow.
 I still think I am progressing well as my abs have gained some finer definition and my arms are finally putting on some size. I am worried about my running though, there is little space to run safely due to the fact I am surrounded by pathless roads filled with tractors and lorries, I will have to work hard at my stamina to get back to where I was once we arrive d in the UK.
I have also been remembering to eat clean, and to stay away from processed meat and fatty foods. However, I am struggling to gain calcium as I do not was t to consume full fat milk or goats milk which seems to be the only options and my all my calcium comes from cheese and yogurts. 

Thanks for reading; remember to +1 everything, comment, follow, eat clean and to train hard- peace!

Jason 

Monday 18 August 2014

Meat

Hey 5.14 Fitness, 

Another quick post this time on the topic of meats, just watched an awesome documentary on this subject: 'Horizon!'
But first a bit about my progress, not such an intense day to day but again lots of walking, heavy ab workout and lifting and man am I loving the results. Finally seeing my arms take some shape ( I know I promised photos for Friday but I really don't have the equipment on me but they will be up soon, sorry!) 
So on to meats, meat is a great source of protein however red meats particularly are linked to cancer and cardiovascular problems such as heart disease! This is partly down to the high amounts of saturated fat ( these raise cholesterol and blood pressure making your heart work harder leading to heart attacks), but also to do with other chemicals that are stored in the lean part of the meat that react with acids in the stomachs to form a solid which can block arteries! You should especially avoid smoked meats as these are covered in salt ( which raises blood pressure ) and nitrates which are linked with cancer, in addition the actual smoke contains the same chemicals as those of a cigarette and we all know what they can do, don't we? Scientific studies show that by eating too much red meat (for example bacon for breakfast) everyday can reduce your life expectancy by up to two years, thats roughly an hour a day!
So what can you eat instead? 
We need protein in our bodies, especially  if we are trying to improve our muscles. However alternative sources to red meats - which are made up of protein and amino acids- are: white meats (chicken and pork), nuts, beans and dairy.
How often can I have processed meat (ham, salami, beef and sausages) you should save it for special occasions, for example a Sunday Roast. This is because although it is bad for you, red meats are a food of tradition and gathering a symbol of where people bond and come together, we should just keep them in moderation.

Thanks for reading, more post to come soon! Remember +1 everything, follow me, comment, eat clean and work hard- peace! 

Jason

Sunday 17 August 2014

Start of Intensity week

Hey 5.144 Fitness,

Just hit a pretty hardcore cardio then a bit of lightweight lifting followed by my general ab workout and about to do the V line one. Gonna have to be quick because I am running out of charge, if I cannot post today I will tomorrow! I have also been eating pretty clean and with all this hot weather dehydrating my body; I am looking ripped. I am getting great results in ab and shoulder but not as good in arms but I am hoping to change that this week. I am eating protein with every meal to increase calories and to build muscle something I would recommend. Expect another action packed day tomorrow! 

Remember +1 everything, comment- feedback is great, eat clean and work hard- peace!  

Jason 

Saturday 16 August 2014

Walking

Hi 5.14 Fitness

Quick post on something that you might not have considered to be a good form of exercise. Yep, walking ( particularly up hills ) is a great way to burn calories and by burning calories using up the stored fat. Consequently helping with weight loss an muscle definition, if you have walked far enough it is also a real calf burner; adding size and definition. 

So yesterday I climbed the the largest Sand fine in Europe- in arcachon- it was a serious workout. Hill walking is a great way to work legs especially if it is a long and steep hill route. This i because the legs have to move forward as well as carry the weight of the body upwards. 
You should aim to walk a route that is about 3 or more miles as it would require time to work your body fully 
Foods for hill walking: as it is an endurance activity a fair few carbs but it is not too intense so I would not go over the top and I would stick to a balanced diet pretty much. 

Please +1 everything, comment, eat clean and work hard- peace !

Jason

Friday 15 August 2014

Eating according to what you are doing

Hey 5.14 Fitness, 

Being struggling with the Internet here in France so please excuse any delays in my posts. 
So I am going to talk about eating according to what activities you will do. So this basically means that you need to eat to a different diet according to what to are going to do. For example if I was going to do a 50 mile bike ride, I would eat mostly carbohydrates as they give you lots of energy- which is crucial for an activity that goes over a long period of time ( an endurance task )! So there would be no point me eating a load of fruit and vegetable before this activity because, although they are good for you, they would be less effective for this task as they do not provide enough slow burning energy. 
 
I am now going to make a sort of table to show what you should it before certain activity types.

Normal resting, casual sport/work ( going to work ) = equals a balanced diet 

High intensity ( eg big work out )= High calories for energy - carbs, fats, and protein. (Meats, fish, cereal, nuts and milk) 

Endurance ( long distance exercises) = Lots of slow burning energy- carbs and good fats. (Cereal, bread, pasta, nuts and milk)

Body building (working muscles at gym or at home) = Mainly protein to build muscles. (Meats, fish, nuts, beans and milk) 


Thursday 14 August 2014

Arcachon ( sorry ! )

Hi 5.14 Fitness, 

To start off I am going to apologise for my lack of posts as promised. I was travelling all day and only to reach my hotel to find out that It had no wifi, not my fault but I apologise anyway. So today I travelled all along another beautiful French motorway, to the bustling town of arcachon. It is well and truly packed to the rafters here, full of French people ( obviously ) and other Europeans  - except the English! 
Moving on to fitness I did manage to complete a small ab workout earlier today as well as many long walks carrying heavy bags. So I did burn a fair few calories but I did not put on any size. I have to say after a few rest days, I am struggling with my ab workouts this mornings was killer! It is likely that I will be able to go for a run tomorrow; for the first time in ages thanks to a football injury! But I promise I will concentrate all my efforts on this blog and to my health once I reach the villa, it will be the start of what I shall now name : 'Intensity Week!' One positive to take out of the trip so far is that I have managed to avoid the cake shops and to keep eating pretty cleanly I will go into further details later.

Remember to +1 everything, to comment, eat clean and to work hard- peace ! 

Jason 

Tuesday 12 August 2014

Bergerac

Hi 5.14 Fitness,

Just avert quick post as I am about to run out of charge! I will definitely post a new information page preview and I will also workout when ever I find and opportunity. Talking about my progress, I cannot say there has been loads of it since France, however the hot weather is dehydrating my body, this makes the muscles look more defined. I do not feel that my fitness has improved yet but I will continue to try and now we have done most the travelling I will have more time without being so tired. 
So remember to follow everything and comment as well as sleep well, eat clean and work hard- peace! 

Jason 

Poitier

Sup 5.14 Fitness, 

Once again spent all day travelling through the French country, over 5 hours constant in a car- not my cup of tea! Hardly had time to exercise as I was always busy, but I did lug the 28kg suit case across a car park on up and down a flight of stairs- TWICE! Really shattered and too tied to do an in depth page post,moreover as  this was our longest day of driving, I think I will take today as a rest day to allow my body to recover and my muscles to grow. You should take one of these every so often, as this i when your muscles change, when they are not in use.  So they do not actually grow whilst you are in the gym or working out, in fact they grow best when you are resting- aka sleeping! I will start fresh tomorrow, but until then follow everything, comment, eat clean and train hard- peace!

Jason

Rouen

Hi 5.14 Fitness,

Checking out this town called Rouen, the place where Joan of Arc was executed. Then off travelling for another 3 hours to new hotel, should be able to squeeze in a workout at some point, most likely this evening. Hit a small 50 rep crunch session, this is good for upper abs, strengthening and defining. One thing I have noticed about France is that there is a lot of cakes and little fruit so I might have to reshape my diet a little! 
Make sure you follow the blog, me and that you comment and train hard- peace!

Jason 

Monday 11 August 2014

Eating preview ( Carbohydrates )

Hi 5.14 Fitness

Was going to do a page on eating well this evening but as I am away and without my laptop, I am having to blog via the app. Which does not let you write pages only posts! Here is a preview of what I will post as a page when I get back...

So I am going to cut to the chase and get started. Everyone knows that we need to eat fruit and vegetables as well as carbohydrates, protein and dairy with as little fats as possible. To start with I shall go through each of these food types and explain what they do.

Carbohydrates

Carbs are a great source of slow long lasting energy and should be eaten with every meal.  
When we eat these types of food, our body breaks down the carbohydrate into starch. Starch should make up about 50% of the energy that our bodies use; it is the fuel that gets used first ( before any protein, fat or alcohol). In addition, it is also used to build cell walls in order to protect our cells.  If we did not eat carbohydrates are bodies would lack energy especially after exercise- if we could still do it, our bodies would feel flat, heavy and lifeless. 
Some carbs are high in fat and can often lead to gaining weight, this is often true if you are not burning the calories you are putting on, these carbs should be avoided if you are not exercising. However, there are many carbohydrate foods that are also low in fat and in calories, they are pretty plain and basic, so these carbs are good to eat when you are trying to loose weight, these are the types of carbohydrates that we should aim to incorporate into our diets with if we are planning on exercising.
Foods that are high in carbs include: Cereal, bread, pasta and rice
It is particularly effective too eat these food before a high intensity workout or activity, this is so that you do not run out of energy when you body is burning its fuels quickly. People who eat a high carb diet are often endurance sports specialists such as 'Tour de France' riders or long distance runners, so if you are a regular jogger this is the diet for you! 

Arrived

Hey 5.14 Fitness,

Just checked into our first room in France; a little place called Rouen. This is just our first stop off point before we proceed to our villa in the south. Have not had much time to work out yet, other than a 25 rep press up session this morning. Trying to shake off some travel sickness at the moment, so I will exercise once I am feeling a bit brighter. Been up since before 4 am ( English time ), so I think some rest is in order! Make sure you follow the blog - press the +1 in the nav bar- follow me, comment what you think and that you train hard and eat clean, peace! 

Jason 

Sunday 10 August 2014

On may way…

Now leaving the house for holiday bright and early. Driving all day but I promise I will post if there is any wifi at the hotel.Just a reminder that even when we have stuff on that we stick to what we say we will do and keep on exercising. Do not let your hard work fall to nothing.  Please follow myself, the blog ( by pressing the +1 in the nav bar ) comment and train hard, peace !

Jason 

Holidays

Hey 5.14 Fitness,


Just though I would give you a heads up; I am going on holiday tomorrow so not sure whether I will be able to post anything or not. But I will lets you know now, just because I am only holiday does not mean that I will not be working out; a commitment is a commitment and we have to stick to them. So I will continue to exercise when I can and I shall also keep my diet in moderation. Yes it nice to have some time off but, the more you slob out the harder it will be to hit the gym once your fun is over and all your hard work will have led to nothing. I am not saying not to enjoy life and have fun, as long as it is kept in moderation! Stick to your commitments!
DESIRE, DETERMINIATION AND DEDICATION!
I will post when I can and I will also workout when I can so stay focused, follow the blog write some comments and train hard, peace!


Jason

Welcome,


So just a quick post this morning; thought I would walk you guys through what I did yesterday.
I am going to jump straight in and start so without further a do:
  • 1 set of press-ups 55reps (hold from a second and a half to 2 seconds)
  • Lower abdominal workout : (I posted about this the other day, got it from "SixPack Shortcuts") So 1 rep = bicycle crunch (left + right) followed by a jack-knife sit up, one set lasts 30 seconds, up to 15 seconds rest, 7 sets
  • 1 set of diamond centre press-ups 25 reps
  • My general abdominal workout: 50 reps of standard sit-ups, 50 reps right sided sit-ups, 50 reps left sided sit-ups, 50 reps of bicycle crunches (left + right count as one rep) and 50reps of Russian twists (I will go into more detail for this workout at a later date)
  • 1 set of press-ups 25 reps (hold from a second and a half to 2 seconds)
So this is all I did yesterday, does not seem like too much as I only worked abs and arms, but that is due to my leg injury -expect the same today-. However, I will be able to start working out fully again by Monday so prepare for an intense week next week.
So results and thoughts from yesterday's workout. I actually struggled slightly with the press ups but this was due to me trying to hold them for too long,. In particular were the diamond centred ones, but these will always be harder as the weight is focused in a smaller area. I am disappointed to say that I am yet to see any great results aesthetically from my push-ups, my arms re very hard when I tense but size is something they still lack. Moving on to the sit-ups, I was forced to cut the lower abdominal workout short due to other commitments, something I do not recommend, I believe you should always make time for a workout therefore I shall do double of them today. I did say the other day that I was impressed by the results of this workout and I stand by that. I am starting to get definition in my "V " line something that I did not have before I started this workout. The general ab workout is a great way to strengthen muscles and to burn fat, it is one that I have worked up to over a long time and has always produced good results, as it works every part of your abs. The only thing is to get the best possible results I recommend doing an effective fat burning exercise as often as this workout, as it intends to build muscle underneath the fat so when the muscles grow, the fat is pushed outwards. By doing a good fat burning workout, you burn this fat leaving the muscles to long bigger and with better definition.   


I will post a new page today so keep looking and make sure that you follow me and comment of the posts could really do with some feedback, train hard,


Jason  

Saturday 9 August 2014

Press Ups

Hey,


Just wanted to make a quick post on an exercise that I feel not only works for performance but if completed correctly can add some size and great definition: the press up! I do at least one set of a 55 reps (each hold worth 2 seconds)of these a day, this is because they really help with performance and as you are not lighting heavy weights it is not affecting your development. Furthermore it is an exercise that can be completed absolutely anywhere as all you need is yourself.
I know what your thinking "55 push ups! Sounds like a lot" Well truth be told, it is! This is a feat that took over a year of working up to; I started doing 25 and once I found it easy (normally after a week) I would add on another 5 reps and I would build up. These heavy reps improve strength and gradually add size.
In addition to my heavy reps, I also do lesser reps normally about 25. I do these to improve my form and to increase the percentage of weight that my target muscles receive. To elaborate, when I push heavy my  target muscles (triceps and biceps) may struggle to cope and end up spreading the load to other muscles that I am not trying to work. So my arms may only take 60% of the load and other muscles make up the other 40%. Therefore by doing lower reps I increase the percentage of weight on my target muscles. So I could do 100 reps but if my muscles only receive 50% of this, and I can do 75 reps but my arms receive 90% of this (as I find it easier) it will be more effective to do the 75 reps. To conclude, by doing low reps I increase the effectiveness of a workout, so when I do push for higher reps, I work my target muscles as much as possible.


Hope this helps guys, train hard,


Jason  


Alright guys,


Just a reminder that yesterday was my rest day and that a more intense routine will take place to day, I will post what I have done and what I am planning on doing later on today. A bit of a shout out: good luck to all the teams in the English Football League season starts today. Still out with leg injury but should be okay for next week! Friday will be "Flex Friday" so I will post all pictures then. Feeling pumped and ready to go!


Train hard, comment and keep viewing,


Jason

Good morning,


Just woken up from a great nights sleep, feeling pumped and ready to go! So, time to go through the workout from last night. How did I find it? Not too difficult, but I have been doing this one for just over a week now so maybe I am just starting to get used to it. It is designed to work lower abs and to help define "V" lines and that it certainly does. I am already getting great results (picture to be posted next Friday) but I am getting scared of my body getting used to the workout and it not being so effective as my body has adapted to do this specific routine. Therefore I am planning to add more intensity and decrease the amount of rest time from 15 seconds down to 10 seconds. However if you are finding this too difficult you can find an amount of rest time that suits you, remember you want to be intense but you do not want to work yourself too hard and not be able to exercise the rest of the week. Another workout to be posted later a long with some information on a topic (maybe).


Work hard, comment, subscribe, vote, contact me and peace!


Jason

Friday 8 August 2014

First Workout preview

Hey,




About to do first workout so thought I would walk you through it, before hand and then talk about how it went after (obviously). So lets crack on shall we; got this one from a YouTube channel  called "SixPack Shortcuts" its pretty straight forward: 30 seconds of bicycle crunches followed by a jack-knife. One bicycle crunch (left then right) followed by one jack-knife equals one rep, aim for at least 10 reps a set before a 15 second brake then repeat. Try to do 7 sets, if you cannot do it do not worry just push yourself and try your best giving 100% intensity as that's the only way to improve.




Train hard,




Jason




Link to "Sixpack Shortcuts" :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uQtPyWkXcc



Welcome

Hi all,


First time writing blog (so allow any mistakes or errors- I will try to learn as quickly as possible) but it has been something I have been interested in doing for a long time especially something I feel so passionately about - fitness and health. So here is what I am going to do: I have set me self numerous goals and targets to work towards concerning my personal health and fitness, I have set no time limit as I am testing to see how long it takes for me to reach them. I will track and record my progress daily and post as often as I can, in an attempt to pass my knowledge on to you and perhaps any information you have, you can share with me!


So moving on to some information about myself; I am a fourteen year old teenager from England, a country not known for its shining health reputation. However, I (myself) am a great lover of sport, I play football, (real football using our feet, not the American version of what we call "Rugby for Wimps" no offence!) badminton, rugby, basketball, golf and I am currently heading for my blue belt in karate. In addition, in the summer I also do athletics; 4 x 100m relay, 300m, 800m, cross country as well as high jump and long jump.


Your probably wondering "Why is someone who does a lot of physical activity writing a blog about improving health and fitness?" Well the truth is, I have already achieved a certain level of health, but I am very competitive and I am trying to push my self further to see how much more I can progress  and to become a stronger competitor in everything that I do. Does not everyone want to do the best they can do? So the number one reason why I work out is to improve my performance in each for my sports and in new activities that I try I will find them a lot easier to start out with as I will have developed my general sporting ability.
I was once told that you need three things to work-out successfully:

DESIRE, DETERMINATION, DEDICATION



and that these qualities can get you to any goal, I standby this and encourage others to do the same and get active as even though we know certain things about fitness we do not all know the body mechanics and how to do things effectively and this is why I am starting this blog: to share my findings so others can have a more productive time learning from what I have done well and what mistakes I have made. 
Other reasons for working out: increases life expectancy and helps the body work better, releases feel-good hormones called endorphins, relieves stress, other people of the same gender instantly respect you and get slightly jealous of you as the brain picks up that looking healthy is a more attractive look than being unhealthy therefore attracting those of the opposite sex.     


So back to the fitness stuff, I am going to share workouts and exercises I do with you guys and track the progress that I make, finding out what is effective and works well and what does not. Okay, what are my personal goals? When working out there are 3 types of goals to choose from and any target you have will fit in to one of these headings: Performance, Aesthetics, Social.
Performance is stuff like power (being strong enough to lift heavier things), speed (work on gaining speed) , endurance (improving stamina, doing an activity over a longer period of time) and balance (not falling over so easily). By working on each of these 4 topics will improve your performance but each one will do it differently.
Aesthetics is how you look so factors like size and definition play a part in the way that you work out.
Social is to do with building self esteem, relieving stress and making new friends whilst exercising.
I will post specific workouts for each of these topics and go in to more detail on this subject at a later date.
Back to my goals then. Well for chest, shoulders and abs I am wanting to get stronger but also gain a fair few inches in size and increase definition, particularly on abs. However, on legs I will push purely for performance, but this is my lowest priority and after picking up a knock in my left leg at football training last week, it could be a while before they see any intense action.


My routine 


I normally stretch twice a day - if your wondering why I include this it is because stretching muscles to warm them up is equally as important as exercising itself- once in the morning and once before I go to bed. I work abs at least once a day as well a press ups equally as regularly, I lift once a week on a Sunday. I will start to run 4 miles a day and complete a all-round routine once my leg has had some time to heal.


Next post will come as soon as possible with more information on specific topics 
Please comment any ideas or suggest any improvements


This has been Jason signing out for the first time, play hard- work harder  and peace!      
     

Hey Guys,


Check the new page for details on what I am planning for the blog more information to follow soon, just setting everything up at the moment. Big week next week as I will start the programme properly, would have been today but I cannot due to leg injury just need a few more days rest to fully recover. So just make sure your eating clean and I will post pictures and first work out tomorrow. Try thinking of what you will want to achieve and set some goals, write them down and keep them in a place where you go regularly to keep reminding yourself of your targets. Good luck,


Jason