My clients often ask me what the difference is between a chin up and a pull up, is one of them English and the other American?
The difference lies in the grip.
Chin-ups generally use a supinated grip (palms facing you) whereas pull-ups generally use a pronated grip (palms facing away).
I will be promoting the benefits of the chin –up and pull- up in more detail in my next blog entry.
For more information on my 1:1 personal training programmes go to Guy Warren Personal Trainer
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This is training method is used by athletes to increase the volume of their workouts, gaining strength without taking longer in the gym. I have brought this into many of my client’s training sessions as it is an excellent way to break through those plateaus we all hit on our way forward. Being pushed through some tough body weight sessions really compliments the resistance training and the combination of these two can achieve some truly impressive results.
It is very simple, as all training should be: If you beat your score from the session before then you are getting stronger and fitter – Logic! Its that simple, but sometimes not that easy! The goal is to go higher every week, every session. All you have to do is start the clock and go for it. A great advantage to this method of training is that the very nature of the system provides you with a very clear goal that is a powerful motivator, and it enables you to focus and really achieve your goals. The time under tension period is massive so do expect to feel some pain but don’t worry you will also definitely see some growth.
Why not take up my Press up challenge.
Start the clock. Start doing your push ups.
Each time you take a break write down your score.
Choose how long you want to rest. When you are not resting you are working.
Do as many push ups as you can in 15 minutes.
Record your score as this now represents your PRZ- Personal Record Zone.
Next time you take this challenge you must try to beat your previous score and increase your PRZ.
Through the science of progressive overload you are getting stronger and you are getting fitter, every single time you break your record.
Feel free to send me your scores at guy@guywarrenpt.co.uk
For more information on my 1:1 personal training programmes go to Guy Warren Personal Trainer
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I have been a personal trainer or over 7 years and have a wealth of experience in dealing with a whole range of people all with different abilities and outlooks. I originally come from a high grade sports background which has given me a good grounding for the career path I have chosen.
Along the way I have seen the fitness industry grow and develop. Exercise wise we are now far more advanced than 10 or even 5 years ago. There have been lots of fads that have died away but also some great developments in our training, not to mention the growing of more sports as well as a gradual shift in the way most of us now approach our fitness training.
A major shift that I witness on a daily basis is how many people are now training outside using the parks natural resources. We now have plenty of trim trails and workout areas all over London. It is possible to have that gym workout outside getting your vitamin D levels up in the process.
There is a type of training out there called “optimal fitness.” This type of training allows you to get extremely strong but without putting on too much weight, think of a boxer training for a fight or a figure skater who needs to be well balanced and strong, staying the same weight but keeping those aesthetic qualities. There are many ways in which we can manipulate training sessions so we can increase the amount of lean body tissue someone has but without having that bulking effect that makes us look like we are completely disproportionate. We can change the way we use our body weight by manipulating reps, time and tempo.
Reps: We can increase and decrease the amount of reps that we undertake. Many people believe that we need to put on serious amounts of weight to get stronger and leaner. Consider though the time under tension that a muscle will go through when it has been contracted upwards of thirty reps or for a minute timed workout. Ouch! All of this will encourage raised testosterone levels in the same way that lifting weights would do.
Time: It doesn’t always have to be reps that we measure our workouts in, we can also manipulate the time of an exercise or sets of exercise. For example Tabata training is a great way of doing just this. The whole circuit will last for 4 minutes. It is laid out in 20 second bursts followed by 10 seconds rest. You can do 8 separate exercise types or you could do just one. You will continually drive yourself to beat the clock keeping the number of reps high.
Tempo Training: A subject that we could spend hours talking through on its own. Next time you perform a squat try counting to 5 when performing the eccentric phase, hold for 1 through the Isometric phase then accelerate upwards to complete the movement. The repeat the movement 10 times. This type of training will encourage lots of motor unit recruitment, therefore adding lean body tissue.
Some good ideas to mix your workouts outside. Let me know how you get on.
For more information on my 1:1 personal training programmes go to Guy Warren Personal Trainer
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Coasteering
An awesome all round body workout!
Last weekend, a group of us headed down to Croyde in Devon to have a go at throwing ourselves off some rocks into the sea, all in the name of fun!
We started by climbing up and around the back of a large group of rocks onto a set of cliffs and found ourselves staring down into an abyss of water. Our guide, Alec, took us through an assortment of routes consisting of jumps into water pools and open sea. Pure fun and extreme exhilaration!
Inject some fun into your outdoor workouts, give Coasteering a go as many different muscle groups and chains are used, and plenty of calories burned.
A great exercise in preparation for climbing and scrambling is the wide grip chin up, this upper body exercise gets your upper body into tip top shape:
Step 1- Find a bar that is horizontal to the ground (most trim trails have these)
Step 2 - Perform a pulling movement bringing your chin above the bar without swinging your hips. Concentrate on keeping your abs tight throughout the movement.
Step 3- Control the downward phase.
NB if you are a beginner to this exercise find a lower bar and perform the exercise with your feet on the ground.
If your thinking of trying coasteering, contact Alec at Southwest Outdoors
For more information on outdoor personal training contact Guy Warren Personal Trainer
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