A Fat Boy’s guide
To
Fitness Training
The secrets to successful Fitness Training
Attaining fitness is a very unspecific thing to aim for. "Without a specific destination no journey can be planned". Knowing the reason why training needs to be done in a certain way, and what the phrase “train smarter not harder” means is of massive benefit.
The basic components to training are as follows...
Progression. (Milo's principle of progressive resistance)
Consistency and the benefit of rest
Rugby specific training
Posture & Core strength (The importance of being in control of your body)
Nutrition (The vital ingredient to gain success)
Motivation
Progression: Milo’s principle
The corner stone of fitness, whatever the goal, is Milo's principle. It explains the importance of progression
"Milo was an ancient Greek carpenter but wanted to earn extra cash from wrestling. So he took a Calf and lifted it 20 times a day. By the end of 6 months the Calf was a full grown Bull and he had become incredibly strong and presumably won loads of cash from wrestling. This was because the cow got bigger over a long period of time. In summary, trying to pick a big arse cow up without training isn’t happening.
This principle translates to any fitness objective
Example1. A man who wants to build muscle picks up a weight progressively over a period of months that becomes very slightly heavier and creates fatigue. His body says "ouch I didn’t like that!" so it increases muscle strength & size to cope with the job it’s being asked to do.
Example2. A woman over weight walks progressively faster over the same distance and her body says "ouch I don’t like that!" and reduces her weight to cope with the job it’s being asked to do.
Therefore exercise is all about damaging the body. When it's asked to carry out a task it isn't prepared for, it will repair the damage stronger and fitter than it was in readiness for when it happens again.
However it's important to understand that it's not the length of time you workout for, it's the intensity that needs to increase. Rather than going out for a run and try and progress the duration you run for it should be the distance you cover in the same time. This will increase intensity and create greater gain. Alternatively if you do go for a gym workout, the cardio machines provide the opportunity to monitor energy output (calories burnt). From this the most effective way to train cardio in a gym is to work for 20 minutes and look to increase your calorie score at each work out
Training task 1:
Session 1: Go for a run. Plod out for 10 minutes and then run back within 10 minutes. Remember the exact point you got to.
Session 2: Run out for 10 minutes and beat your last marker. Then aim to get back home again within the 10 minutes.
Carry on with this over 3 months and you'll start to increase intensity close to your optimal level of fitness. This is the level of energy production that causes "hypertrophy" or the damage we need to increase fitness. (It also means you'll never need to go out running for more than 20 minutes - happy days!)
Finally the Krebs cycle is the last thing to understand fully before moving on. By causing this damage we produce Lactic Acid. This in turn is the chemical that causes a chain reaction when converted by the Liver to Glycogen. Glycogen is then pushed back out to the damaged muscle to achieve the repair. (That's a week of University work in 4 lines).
Consistency
No matter how great the training programme if it isn’t carried out on a regulated time scale you’ll never achieve true fitness. This has 2 aspects to it. Firstly we know we need to train more than once a week. But secondly we also need to give the body time to heal following a hard session. Split routines in resistance exercise are imperative as a Krebs cycle will take 36 hours. Therefore rest plays a major part of training. An example of a week’s training could look something like this.....
Monday; 20 minute time trial run / Home Core exercises / Progressive stretch.
Tuesday; Squad / technical training
Wednesday: Lower body Weights / Plyometrics
Thursday; SAQ training or Boxing session or cross training / Upper body weights
Friday: In season – Light cardio (swim / cycle) or core activation work.
Off season - 20min time trial run. / home circuit
SaturdayIn season – Match / Progressive stretch / Beer
SundayIn season - Rest / Beer
Off season – Rest / Beer
This set out allows rest of one system while the other is being worked. However none of these session should take more than 40minutes (excluding squad training). Again the principle of smarter not harder runs alongside quality not quantity.
Rugby Specific training
Although there are 5 different position types all with different tasks in the game power and speed play the major part of the team’s objective. Therefore distance running or endurance training play no part in the sport. The volume of oxygen your blood carries to deliver energy to the muscles and organs (Volume of Oxygen) will increase to its optimum capacity through explosive and high intensity training quicker than lower intensity. The big difference comes with Red (slow twitch) and white (fast twitch) muscle fibres.
At no point during a game will you need to run for more than 5 minutes so why train like it? Plyometrics, dynamic explosive weight training and sprint training are key to a rugby training schedule.
Posture & the importance of core strength:
Unfortunately as a species we have evolved too fast (structurally any way.) Our spines are designed to be in a horizontal or supported position (as we were as knuckle dragging cavemen or even as Apes are now) and therefore not fit for purpose. The average head weighs 10kg, similar to a bowling ball. Balance that ball on top of a broom stick and we’ve got a pretty good representation of our design. If you now imagine tilting that stick forward through 10 degrees whilst holding it with one hand right at the bottom we have a picture of the pressure being placed on our lower back. To justify this further we need to understand the difference between the two different types of muscles holding everything together.
The first, Tonic are the bigger stabilising or “Fixator” muscles such as the Erector Spinea and Rectus Abdominus. These are very strong but react slowly and their job is to hold us upright and respond to gravity. If these are relied on too much they will lock on, seize up and cause back ache. If we could compare these to a car, they would be the engine and body work.
The second type is the fast twitch or “Phasic” (core) muscles. These are the muscle which would act as the breaks and tyres in our analogy. These are responsible for responding to faulty loading (i.e. reacting quickly when we – squat, lunge, push, pull, twist and bend. The Internal Obliques, Transverse Abdominals and Multifidus are examples and are the muscles which when trained allow us to stand in the position our Dad’s told us to (chest up, shoulder back)
If we compare having poor core (Phasic) muscles to the car, it would be the same as sticking the tyres and breaking system of a Fiat Panda on a Ferrari. Although we would be able to reach amazing speeds, when we needed to stop and turn (or in a human squat, lunge, twist, push, pull or bend) there would be lack of support and it would go horribly wrong. With all this said we need to be looking at the way we get fit. In the old days we took people into the gym and concentrated on their heart and lungs far before toning muscles. This meant putting someone who was overweight and unconditioned on a treadmill or in a step aerobics class. Initially and even for a few years we saw some good results. Then the gym junkies would mysteriously have knee strains, back problems and anthracitic joints. If we would have addressed the alignment of their skeleton none of these problems would have occurred. We are now seeing fit people run out of knees before they run out of life. In other words they can’t get out and run to keep fit as their joints won’t let them.
Nutrition
Some say nutrition is 70% of a successful training regime. But how can we be sure our dietary intake is just right? The following information aims to give you the tools to design an effective eating plan.
Our Metabolic Rate is measured in calories. As our level of activity increases so does our need to consume fuel. Not consuming enough fuel (food) means our energy levels drop and we no longer run properly. Consuming too much and the wrong sort of fuel will result in excessive body fat. Our Basal metabolic rate is how much energy we use at rest. Although we’re not moving we are breathing, thinking, blinking, swallowing etc. Therefore to perform optimally we need to get as close to right amount of calorie uptake a day. International rowers reputedly need a massive 8000kcals a day while in training, but they use every last calorie.
To calculate your BMR, take your body weight in Pounds x 10 - 180lbs x 10 + 1800cal per day burnt if asleep. (What a fantastic day that would be!)
How to determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:
Sedentary (little or no exercise) Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
Light active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
Moderate active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
Very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week)Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
Extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job)Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9
Boosting your Metabolism
Top 5 Tips to increase your Metabolism
• Get active – Not only will exercise increase your metabolic rate while you train it will also cause you to increase muscle mass and density which will means your BMR increases as you become leaner.
• Eat little and often – eating small, regular meals throughout the day, rather than one or two large meals, may help to keep your metabolism ticking over. Surprisingly, around 10 percent of the calories we use each day go on digesting and absorbing food - so the more times you eat, the greater this effect is likely to be.
• Eat plenty of protein-rich foods - research shows that around 25 percent of calories in a protein-rich meal may be burnt off. But make sure you choose low-fat protein foods such as lean meat, skinless chicken and low-fat dairy products.
• Spice up meals - it's not an old wives tale after all! Spices like chilli are thought to raise metabolism by up to 50 percent for up to three hours after eating, due to increasing your heart rate. But before putting the local Indian takeaway on speed dial, work out which curries have the lowest calorie and fat content.
• Swap your daily cuppa for green tea - there's evidence that it contains antioxidants that speed up metabolism.
Protein
Without the right tools to repair the body after exercise you will be missing the most important factor of improving the health & fitness. Protein acts as the building blocks of damaged tissue during exercise.
Taking protein in 6 small even portions through the day will ensure a slow release.
As Protein is water soluble we can only accept up to 2 grams per kilo of body weight. Therefore any excess we take will be wasted down the toilet.
We all know protein is contained in meat but beware of fat contained within the meat. Saturated fats are really bad news and will contribute to an early grave.
Good sources of protein are….
Chicken Breast – 3.5 oz., 30 grams of protein
Turkey – About 7 grams of protein per ounce
Tuna – 6 oz. can, 40 grams of protein
Salmon – 3.5 oz., 27 grams of protein
Eggs – 1 large, 7 grams of protein
Milk – 1 cup, 8 grams of protein (Go with 1% or skim)
Cottage Cheese – 1/2 cup, 15 grams of protein
Almonds, Peanuts, Cashews – 1/4 cup, 8grams, 9 grams, 5 grams of protein
Peanut Butter – 2 Tablespoons, 8 grams of protein
Yogurt – 8-12 grams of protein per cup
Metabolic Type Testing.
A newish theory says that we all fall into one of three categories of “metabolic types”. This theory determines the way we accept and process the food we eat. We should all feel alert, awake and physically optimal two hours after eating.
To liken this to cars:- We’re either petrol, diesel or hybrids. The three type are….
Carb type: These people can survive on 3 square meals a day with Carbohydrates making up the bulk of their diet. If these people eat as a protein type they will feel hungry constantly, get headaches and be unable mentally focus.
Protein type: These are the people who need little and often and their source of energy coming from high protein foods. These are the people who have the sandwiches on day long meetings or training course at lunch and by three o’clock are nodding off in front of the presenter. If they eat as a carb type will feel bloated, tired, and sluggish.
Mixed: These are the people who can cope well on a healthy balance between the two.
Having said all of this we all need the correct proportion of the seven Macronutriants….
Carbohydrates -Protein Fats Vitamins Minerals - Fibre - Water.
To find out more and to try the metabolic type test, have postural assessment or anything to do with fitness or injury please don’t hesitate to call me.
A bit of motivation:
• The greatest danger for most of us not that aim too high and miss but that we aim too low and achieve just that.
• Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’ll probably be right.
• Imagine what you would attempt if you knew you could not fail
Rob Briffitt
Register of Exercise Professional Number: R0008382
Qualified in...
Sports Specific training, Weight Management, GP exercise referral, Postural correction, Core strength development, Nutrition, Sport injury
07913037006
Motto: Do As I Say Not As I Do!