Thursday 23 October 2014

5 Myths about getting a Six-pack

1) Abs are made in the gym
Most people think that doing all kinds of core and ab exercises will show the six-pack  the fastest. This is not the case, in order to reveal the abdominal muscles; you need to focus on your nutrition first.  The saying, “abs are made in the kitchen” is actually very true; eating correctly will strip the body of the layers of fat, revealing the abdominal muscularity. No matter how many crunches you do, you cannot out-crunch a bad diet! A personal trainer would be able to give you the nutritional advice you need!


2) Crunches and Sit-ups are the best exercises to make the abs show

These exercises are low energy moves and burn relatively few calories.  If you want your six-pack to show, you need to focus on the major calorie burning moves, such as compound moves (squats, lunges, deadlifts, etc). There is no way to actually “spot reduce” fat in the abdominal area, so you need to burn more calories overall.  The more muscles you use at once, the more calories are burned, thus revealing the lean muscle underneath the layer of body fat.


3) Core muscles should be worked every single day
Core muscles (including the abdominals) are just like any other muscle group of the body, and they require adequate rest in order to fully develop.  Be sure you include rest days to allow your muscle groups to fully recover.


4) Do loads of Cardio
When it comes to revealing your muscularity and definition, it’s important to burn calories so the body can strip away body fat.  When it comes to burning the most calories, focus on the most efficient exercises. Cardio is great to add a few more burned calories, but if you want the most calories burned for your time, moving weights is the best option. Maybe hire a personal trainer to help build you a tailor made workout programme!


5) Supplements will make the difference
The bottom line is that supplements only help you if your nutrition and exercise program are correct. Even though some supplements contain caffeine and green tea extract, they won’t make the abdominal muscles magically appear. Eat a clean and balanced diet and you’ll see the difference.



Hope you have found this blog interesting! Remember a Personal Trainer is a great way to help you achieve your goals and get you into shape using the correct training techniques and nutrition!


Rich Palmer PT
“making your fitness goals a reality”


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Wednesday 15 October 2014

5 Reasons not to miss Leg Day!

1) Balance of Physique


Whether you are training for performance or aesthetics, it is important to have balance in your physique. There is nothing more ridiculous looking than a guy with a huge upper body with a pair of chicken legs. A good set of legs is the foundation of a great physique!

2) A Healthy Spine

If you imagine a tree, it is only as strong as the roots and base that are holding it up. The same applies to the human body. One example of this is weak glutes. They put more work on the lower back and hamstrings which leads to tight hip flexors that pull on the lumbar spine. This creates an anterior pelvic tilt causing the abdomen to protrude thus adding further pressure on the back!




3) Increased Fat Loss


The exercises that are most beneficial for fat loss are Squats, Deadlifts, Step-ups, and other variations. The large muscles in the lower body burn more calories, create more lactic acid, and ultimately lead to a greater fat loss effect.  If you want to reveal that six pack make sure you are using the big muscles; your quads, hamstrings and glutes!

4) Bigger, faster and stronger

Squats are one of the most anabolic exercises, lower body exercises in general create more of the anabolic hormones required for building muscles and increasing strength. Women should not be afraid of performing these exercises either. You wont get a masculine physique from these exercises, you will get a great set of legs perfect for that bikini every women wants to wear on the beach!

5) Quality of Life

Quality of life is probably the most important reason to exercise. Mobility impacts quality of life greatly as you get older. Correct lower body training helps maintain flexibility, strength, and mobility. Being able to do the things you love doing later in life is made much more easier when you have taken care of your legs with proper and correct training!



Hope you have found this blog interesting! Remember a Personal Trainer is a great way to help to achieve your goals and get you into shape while making sure you perform the exercises using the correct techniques!


Rich Palmer PT
www.richpalmerpt.co.uk
making your fitness goals a reality”