Why Derian House, why a mountain?

So i've been quiet for a while as i've been concentrating on training for the mountain and life in general,  as that often steps in the way from time to time.

I just wanted to post about the cause i'm flogging myself for and why I chose to run up a mountain when i'm not a runner, per say and i'm certainly not a fell runner! I'm finding that out the hard way! Believe it haha.

So why did I choose Derian House children's hospice to raise money for when there are so many great and worthy causes knocking about. I've ran for cancer before, i've boxed for a number of different charities including Joining Jack, the police benevolent fund and the fire service's equivalent and there are many more out there.

Some of my friends already champion the cause for Derian House and have already raised money for the them through, hikes, walks, climbs, sky diving etc. So when i was choosing my cause i asked myself what their fuss was about and researched Derian. What I found was a local place that was making massive impact on children from the area that had life threatening, life shortening illnesses. A lot of the time the life shortening meaning far too short. They also provide the parents and families of these amazing young people respite and a  short break from their unique life, so that they may re-charge their batteries.

This video explains a hell of a lot and more than i can probably put into words:

Derian House Video

It really hit home with me, I have two beautiful daughters and I am blessed that they are both healthy. But where would life be for me and my Mrs if they weren't and things where more complicated. I count myself as being very blessed because so many other parents have challenges before them that must test them mentally and physically that I just don't have. And pray I never have to.

Why a mountain?!

So why did I choose this race. 20 miles, 3650 feet, natural and man made obstacles. Simple really, its gonna push me, i'm going to have to go through some sacrifice and pain to get to the finish line. Its a proper task. Something that if i don't put the time and effort into i'm going to get found out pretty quickly and consumed by that mountain.

Because if your going to ask people to hand over some of their hard earned cash for your cause they should get something for their money and by that I mean they're gonna get the satisfaction that this is causing me physical and mental pain. I'm losing toe nails, i've got sore joints, feet, muscles. Sometimes I don't want to go out training, thoughts enter my head that i'm not going to be able to go as fast as I want. Mentally torturing myself when i'm out running, i should be going quicker, i should be running harder. Because I always want to push the limits the boundaries.

I am not physically suited to long distance endurance.

None of this will stop me, quite the opposite. I will keep pushing, keep working harder. Like i've said many times. Snowdon is mine.

Its not the actual challenge that people are handing their money over for its the cause and the sacrifice that you are making. For me when I decide whether to sponsor someone or not for something they are doing I will ultimately look at how much sacrifice are they making. How hard are they pushing themselves to achieve something for their cause. So it only makes sense that if i do something I need people to know that its gonna hurt, test and push me to my limit. The challenge is not just on the 6th September, the challenge has been going on for months and months before hand.

Some amazing people have backed me with more than just a cash donation so far.

Ben Coomber and Transdermal Technology have pledged his support with his own new awesome products, Recover Spray and Performance Spray. Some blogs and videos to come very soon about these.
www.TransdermalTechnology.com

Alpine Outdoors have backed me providing me with awesome kit for the race.
www.Alpineoutdoors.co.uk

Worthy Fitness Centre have been behind from the word go providing me with use of their training facility when i need to change things up.
https://www.facebook.com/WorthyFitnessCentre

Just a little insight to whats going on. :)

Please visit my page and if you can leave a donation


www.virginmoneygiving.com/DanvsMountain

and check out Derian House

www.derianhouse.co.uk



Cheers

Dan The BJJ Boxer

Facebook: www.facebook.com/DanvsMountain

Twitter: @TheBJJBoxer

Burn Fatty Bum bum

"I just wanna strip some fat, I just wanna tone up, I just wanna cut up, I just wanna lean out, I want to lose weight" ETC, ETC , ETC 

"I want to get fit" "I NEED to get fit"

Things mentioned everyday by the everyday Joe or Jane wanting to lose to some "weight." However if you want to lose some "weight" does this mean you want to lose fat and muscle? Does it matter to you where that "weight" comes from or do you not care as long as the scales reflect a loss! Sometimes I think that this is a unhealthy gauge of how well you are doing on your goal,  don't get me wrong I do think that scales should be used, just not on their own.

When people do say the above, all of the above I think it is a fairly safe assumption to say that what they really want to do is burn some fat and what they are really saying to themselves is:

"I want to use this excess fat I have gained from being inactive and over eating certain foods as energy, so I can look better and feel fitter."

After all I don't think I know anyone, male or female who wants to lose lean muscle but sometimes this happens because of the approach they take just to see a loss on the scale. This can be for a load of reasons but the main one I see is being extremely low carb, low fat, low calorie diets and exercise. And in some cases those crazy juice diets.....but thats a rant for another day.

So fat burning, what is it and how does the body do it.  

The body uses fat and carbohydrate for energy and it is awesome at storing both, it is very effective at holding on to it and generally not a lot stands in the bodies way when it is doing this.  Fat burning is simply the process that the body uses to use fat as an energy source. Unfortunately a lot of things can get in the way of the body using fat as an energy source. Poor diet, lack of exercise, too much exercise, stress, eating certain foods at the wrong time, over eating certain foods.

The body can only store a certain amount of carbohydrate for energy, and its kept in the muscles. Fat on the other hand can be stored for fun, in the adipose found beneath the skin, around organs and also in the muscle. Hence why when people are consuming more energy than they can use throughout the day it gets readily stored in a lot of different places.

The body uses the energy from carbs that are stored in the muscles for intense exercise, thats when these energy stores get used. Also these stores will be used when the individual is on a low carb diet.

Steady State Cardio.

The body in turn uses fat as energy at a much more moderate intensity, say a long brisk walk. Of course the fitness of the individual will effect this greatly. Someone who is heavily overweight will find simply walking promotes the effective fat burn. Where someone who has a decent level of fitness  looking to lose just a few pounds of fat will find getting to a steady paced run promotes an effective fat burn. As long as the body does not reach a high intensity the carb stores will be spared in the muscles. So some people state that this low to moderate exercise is the best way to burn fat. But for me it isn't great or really effective. For a couple of reasons in my opinion.

1. You are not increasing your fitness, you may burn some fat but you will not increase your capacity to work harder, you will not strengthen your heart significantly or make your lungs stronger and more efficient. Especially if you are looking to pass a fitness test like so many of my colleagues are going through right now.

2. Once you stop the activity, your body will slow down the rate at which it is using fat as an energy store until it eventually goes back to the rate that it was using fat before.

SO EFFECTIVELY YOU ARE ONLY BURNING MORE FAT WHILE YOUR TRAINING.

High Intensity Interval Training and Lifting Heavy Things. NOW WE'RE TALKING !!

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and Weight training rely much more on carbs stored in the muscle for energy. Because the intensity is higher. However they still use fat as energy also. HIIT involves periods of high intensity exercise followed by short periods of rest and then repeat. For example 1 minute hitting the heavy bag in a boxing gym followed by 30 seconds rest...repeat for a number of rounds or lifting a barbell with a certain weight as many times as you can in 1 minute then rest 30 seconds followed by another exercise and so on. So pretty much circuit training to most people. The type of circuit and set of exercise will differ greatly from gym to gym and depending on who your trainer is or what magazine or website you're reading. But the sentiment remains the same. Go hard, rest little, go hard, rest little, go hard, rest little....and so on. Now this type of training for me is far more effective for the following reasons:

1. You will increase your fitness (Strength, endurance, agility etc) because you will be making your heart, lungs and muscles work harder than they are used to. They will have to adapt to meet the demands you place on them. Hence your fitness increases.

2. You will increase the rate at which your body burns fat throughout the day and night. Where as with the steady walk or jog you have been on before may be great for burning fat during, HIIT or even weight lifting will set you up for burning a higher rate of fat all day not just during.

So if you are trying to pass that fitness test at work you need to be doing interval training in my opinion, going for steady jog just won't cut it. Unless you are jogging then sprinting, jogging then sprinting, jogging then sprinting and so on, you get the idea.

This is where the scales may fail you and wreck your mind set if your are interval training and lifting some weight and maybe doing some low intensity steady stuff too (going for a walk with the dog or family) because you are likely to build some lean muscle. Building lean muscle does not mean getting massive or jacked or hench or whatever they say. In reality there won't be a massive size difference with a little gain of lean muscle. It is very hard to gain muscle like the pro's ! That goes for you too girls. The scales will not give you a true reflection of how you are doing. You need to do a couple of other things also.

Take pictures, before and after type of thing. Do this every 4 to 6 weeks.

Take measurements. Measure your biceps, your waist and your thighs for example. By all means measure where you want but bear in my mind, no amount of training will increase some things :)

Have small tests for yourself. A short run, a bleep test, anything you can measure. Timing yourself is probably the easiest and do them every couple of weeks. Check your improvement.

You need to look at all these things, just looking at the scales alone is not enough and is a recipe for disaster in the mind.

And finally you can't out train a bad diet. NUTRITION plays a massive part.

I normally finish a blog with a recommendation, so I will do so as per usual. A couple to be exact.

Noticed how fit fighters are??! Thats because they spend a tremendous amount of time training in intervals. Check out my mates gym Worthy Fit. Boxing gym offering the lot, HIIT circuits, boxing training, you can even involve the kids ! Awesome atmosphere and a real warm friendly welcome for anyone. Chris will make you feel part of the gym's family from your first visit but I warn you he never shuts his motor mouth and has his favourite cd's on repeat :)

Find Chris At;

Worthy Fit
Unit 9, Stirling Industrial Estate, HorwichBolton

Phone	07596 725064
Website	http://www.worthyfitness.co.uk

Twitter: @WorthyFit

Facebook: Worthy Fitness Centre


Also talking about HIIT and hardcore training to turn the ordinary into the extrordinary you need to check out Punisher Training. Awesome content, intense workouts and again awesome attitude to working together to smash those goals whatever they maybe.

Find the Punisher at;

Punishertraining.co.uk

Twitter: @PunisherTrain

Facebook: Punisher Training UK

Next time I will talk more about weight training, in particular Layne Norton's P.H.A.T system that I have been using for the past few months.....and then we'll move on to what I will be doing for the next few months. It involves. A mountain, running, sprinting, climbing, abseiling, jumping , swimming. 20 miles...pain :)

Laterz..

The BJJ Boxer 

Twitter: @TheBJJBoxer

Facebook: The BJJ Boxer 

Marathons can make YOU FAT!

26 miles plus road running a week, hours of steady state cardio, supplemented with the odd strength training session or interval training session for 16 weeks. On top of all this your diet is mega healthy protein, fats, carbs and veggies every meal and your guaranteed to lose weight, right? You would think so, but training for a marathon can make yo' ass a fat one. Not just your arse but all of you, love handles, back fat, belly fat the lot. 

Remember folks I am an endomorph, and this blog is once again aimed at this amazing yet annoying body type. 

Running is so accessible it's no wonder that so many of us choose to bring this into our training regimes and it does bring results. I'm not writing this to bash it or to put anybody's marathon ambitions down, I write it so if this is something you're doing or thinking of doing for the first time you don't make the same mistakes I did. So by all means go, run like Forrest, break boundaries of endurance and raise some money for charities along the way. 

Many people are serious marathon runners who compete to win and this is their chosen sport but it also attracts a wide range of backgrounds, from people who are raising money for loved ones, people who just love to run and people who love a challenge and new things. I was the latter two there. 

I ran the Manchester Marathon,mApril 2013 for Macmillan Cancer Support, I did not do it alone, I ran with one of my closet friends. In fact I don't know what was worse the pain of hitting the wall or the pain of having to put up with him all day. And I know he probably feels the same :) 4:30 was our time, the weather was horrific and the route was dismal. 

Like anything I've trained for, I trained like a man obsessed, possessed and went totally anal with my diet. Running miles upon miles ( I followed a full beginners plan off the actual website) and adding some strength training in too when I could to help against injury. I thought to myself "this is the ticket to getting ripped Dan, easy with all this cardio." Well I was wrong. Dead wrong. 

MISTAKE NUMBER 1

Like most folk who run for charity I had a full time active job with pressures, and on top of that worked a 24 hr shift pattern. This was my first downfall, not recognising the stress my body was under already. But I was determined so trained exactly the same as someone who may have a 9 to 5 Monday to Friday job, I'm not saying they are less stressful jobs, but in terms of stress that the body is under it is less because of the routine, normal sleep patterns etc. So already my body's cortisol levels are elevated simply due to my work life. Now, CORTISOL is released by the body in response to stress and elevated levels can inhibit the burning of fat. That is as simple as I want to put it. CORTISOL can also inhibit INSULIN, insulin shuttles carbohydrates into the muscle tissue using it for repair, energy etc. CORTISOL can stop this therefore leaving carbohydrates unused in the blood stream. These unused energy sources have to go somewhere right. Yep, straight to your love handles, ass etc. 

                                 

                                14 miles after night shift in the bitter cold = stress/cortisol

MISTAKE NUMBER 2

I thought my diet was spot on, protein, veggies, fats and carbohydrate (the starchy kind, brown rice sweet potato etc) every meal and then snacks made up of carbs in between. After all I was running so much for long periods of time I needed the carbs for energy and repair. I needed to load up, especially before big runs. Wrong! Dumbass. My previous blog://thebjjboxer.blogspot.co.uk/2013_01_01_archive.html

Explains that I am endomorph and that I already have a poor tolerance of starchy carbohydrates and these go straight to my love handles and stomach if I have to much or have them at the wrong time of day. I was probably eating 5 times the amount that I should have been. Brown rice, sweet potato, whole meal bread, ryvita, whole grain pasta. You name a "healthy" carbohydrate and I was eating it with my meals. 

So my body had far too many carbs swimming around in it, it was so physically and hormonally stressed that I started to put fat on and couldn't understand why. In the last 3 weeks of training I put 10 pounds on and it wasn't lean muscle! 

                                      

                                   After the marathon and heavier than when I started training.

                                          Awesome feeling and accomplishment though.

Now I know I'm banging on like I became a right fat lad, I didn't but I did put weight on and didn't lose fat like you would expect. This might be a serious problem if your are well over weight and choose a marathon to make big goals with weight as some often do, so........

What should have I done?

I should have realised I was under too much stress and just adjusted the training slightly, not training with as much frequency or for as long. After all I wasn't trying to break the world record although I approach everything like that nowadays. When I was tired and fatigued I should have backed off and rested making for a better training session the next time round. 

I should have been getting my energy from healthy fat sources such as nuts, avocado, coconut oil, olive oil etc as my body is far more fat adapted and deals with it a lot better rather than packing it full of starchy carbs. 

I should have used these starchy carbs for recovery post workout, for example eating some white rice with my meal after or a small sweet potato, you get the idea. 

Now this is not the right thing to do for everyone, my partner in crime was eating plenty of carbs but he has pigeon legs and arms (cant miss the opportunity to have a dig , I know he will read this) and is a typical ectomorph, a typical runner so he did very well with them and would have probably been fatigued without them.  I was stupid to think I would also. As it all comes down to the individual. 

So if you're an endomorph, have a tough job and are embarking on a marathon training schedule and doing something awesome to raise money apply the right principals and think about the above, you don't want to work like a war horse only to have negative results. 

Will I run a marathon again, I don't think so, its not for me, but I never say never. :) 

And after all it doesn't have to be on a road does it.

http://www.ratracemanvsmountain.com/

Dan

The BJJ Boxer

Twitter: @thebjjboxer 

Facebook: The BJJ Boxer

Fight for that Inch!

"Its the guy that's willing to die that's gonna win that inch...life's a game of inches"

~Al Pacino

What a massive kick in the balls I received 12 weeks ago! My life changed again massively, your probably thinking by me saying "kick in the balls" that it was bad. No, not the case, it was awesome! My 2nd daughter was born, Dana. Hence why I haven't blogged for, like, forever (or 12 weeks if your being picky, I like to exaggerate) I'm not gonna pap on about parenthood and being a Dad, that's not what my blog is about. Anyone who has kids knows its AWESOME and if you don't, It's AWESOME, there's the proof I wrote it down. Aside from being awesome its hard work, like anything worth doing.

I thought that i would carry on as usual training, smashing my nutrition getting ready for some more fights and plenty of competing this year. WRONG! Having 2,  sapped my energy and time for my selfish stuff like pissing off out to go learn some new chokes, submissions and sparring with the guys. I had less motivation to train, less motivation to prep my food for work. My sleep was very poor, for obvious reasons, thus my stress levels and cortisol levels (that stuff makes you fat) were through the roof. You could say I fell off the wagon, not to the extent where I ate rubbish all the time. I banished those demons long ago, I just wasn't on point. All this coupled with a new role at work was taken its toll on my goal to be awesome.

But of course this was to be temporary, Dana began to settle and sleep so over the past few weeks my mojo has been returning but I have still been searching for some inspiration. "Life's this game of inches.." Al Pacino makes reference to this in Any Given Sunday in his heart pounding speech to his players. Never has truer word been spoken, however you want to interpret it. My time feeling like i'd been kicked in the balls where as my training and personal pursuits were concerned was just a mere inch in the distance that is my life, and I felt like I've fought for that inch. Just like my weight loss was an inch in the distance of my life, and I certainly fought for that inch. Pacino says that these "inches" are all around us. "You gotta be willing to fight and die to win that inch. Because when you add up all those inches that's gonna make the f#*#**** difference between winning and losing, between living and dying" So whatever your doing whatever small struggle or goal your trying to achieve treat it like one of those inches in the distance of your life. Fight for that inch, because if your not fighting to achieve things you are not truly living.

"Focus and fight for that inch."

I had to re assess my goals and chose some new ones for the near future, because my life has changed. I've decided to get back to basics, simply drop some more body fat and build some lean muscle. Holiday in October...beach body. Nothing else. I will return to training BJJ just not yet, that time at night is being dedicated to my family and children at the minute.

I was hit by some inspiration today by a group of people I am training who are embarking on a new chapter in their lives. They are fighting for one of those "inches" right now, they are working towards a goal that I have already achieved, inches that I have already fought for and won. Sometimes people in my position can forget that. I could see their confidence building today as my colleagues and I led them through the task at hand and I personally wanted them to unlock something inside of them, something that may seem small to other people, but from small acorns great oak trees grow and something as simple as harnessing that inner lion and manifesting it into some authority by way of their voice or actions in the face of adversity could save them in a moment of need and help them to develop. To fight for that inch. Yes, they know little and may have sounded like mice in the beginning but after they fought for that inch today they knew more and sounded like lions, now they have to fight for that next inch. For me to be part of that is truly a privilege, they got me going today and showed me that I had to fight for that inch for them and up my own game.

You can find inspiration anywhere, and there are inches to fight for everywhere.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STp1UtMrKR4

I have listened to this clip a million times, and always before a bout or comp :)

Fight for that inch.

Powders, pills and marketing minefields.....

Powders,Pills and marketing minefields...

"What supplements do you take?" "I want to strip some fat, what can i take to help?" "Whats the best fat burner?" "I want to bulk up, what's the best protein?" 

I've been asked these questions very frequently in recent months, and yes in the past I have been guilty of asking friends, gym goers/owners the same inane questions, sometimes searching for a magic answer that deep down I probably knew didn't exist. When many people come to the decision that they want to achieve a physical goal, whether it be lose a ton of body fat, "bulk up" or "tone up" (love those 2 goals haha) they often believe that they should be reaching for the smartly packaged supplements that promise to deliver the desired results unfortunately never really living up to what they promise. 

"Protein marketing minefield."

Its understandable that people searching for an answer or help for their cause should reach for the supplements after all they are everywhere and promoted by everyone, sports stars, body building champions, some of which having their own line of "unique formula's" and i like most people have tried a hell of a lot of different brands, based on all kinds of info, price, promised results, celebrity endorsements, even smart packaging! Yes, I have been that naive! I've even walked into a supplement store with the idea that i'll simply buy the most expensive, "you get what you pay for so it must be the best stuff." Right!? How misguided could I have been. 

So lets look at where I started with my goal of losing 6 stone and saving my own life from a certain early grave and a life with god knows what health problems. 

"What supplements should I use?" - Ready for the answer?

NONE!!!!!

If you're in the same place I was you are not ready, no where near. It would definitely do you more harm than good. I'm having a safe bet that your diet and nutrition is poor and your putting the wrong amount and type of calories in to fuel you. So why would you add more calories with energy packed workout supplements and recovery drinks. You DON'T need them. Trust me. For you they are added bullshit that you don't need. Now don't get me wrong I am not bashing supplements, I don't hate them, quite the opposite but i'll get to that bit. Bear with me. 

You need to get your diet right, I have heard many industry professionals I now follow say the following and it is definitely the truth!

"You cant out train a bad diet."  

Everything will fire off your diet and only when that is right can you think about getting ready to supplement. As well as this I think most people who go to the gym never really get to a point where their training volume and intensity warrant the use of even sports drinks never mind proper supplementation. 

I lost 4 stone in body fat before I even thought about supplements, and even then I took some convincing that I could now start to benefit from their use. I remember back asking my 1st boxing coach:

"What supplements should I take?"

His reply was short and to the point."

"Fuck all, you don't need 'em. They're bullshit. Try drinking some water." 

and that was that. I was off supplementation even the idea of it. Was this what he really thought, No but its what I needed to hear at the time in order for me to focus properly on what mattered, getting my food right and focusing my mind on training and the subsequent up coming fight.

It was from this point on that I totally banned supplements from my diet and carried on that way for the years to come. It wasn't until around 12 months ago that I began to open to my mind to supplementation again. I was slow to do this but I wanted my food to be right. Also when i had used whey protein powders and other  stuff in the past i had experienced, bloating, smelly farts, constipation to name but a few symptoms.  But my shifts were demanding on time training and I was now looking to not just burn body fat but really increase performance. I was stuck not knowing what to turn to.  A friend of mine started to sell some supplements that I had never heard of. I had not seen the brand in any shops but I did know that some professional boxers that trained out of my old gym swore by them, some of them top upcoming prospects. Scott Cardle and Callum Johnson to name but 2.

These supplements were from a company called Genetic Supplements and i haven't turned back since.

I started simple, with a whey protein simply for taking post workout when i wouldn't have time for proper food after training when i was starting work. Because of my body's zero tolerance for carbs I opted for OPTIMA-LM, a whey protein with extremely high protein content and low carb profile. It also contains citrulline malate (delays fatigue, helps the body fight fatigue and aids recovery increasing performance) L-leucine (aids recovery and protein synthesis, basically the rate at which your body can convert protein and absorb it) fibre and pre-biotics (for gut health). So you are getting some bang for your buck! AND massive bonus and main selling point for me, NO upset stomach , NO bloating. Absolutely NO adverse effects. That as far as I was concerned was AWESOME. At this stage I only used OPTIMA-LM half an hour post workout to simply help me recover.

It wasn't long until my friend organised a seminar at the REEBOK STADIUM BOLTON. Genetic supplements were going to be present along with a performance nutritionist. At the seminar I met Ben Coomber from Body Type Nutrition and if you have read my other blogs you will know how much of a high regard Iz hold Ben. I also met a gentleman called Neil Johnson, the creator and managing director of Genetic Supplements. I was surprised with his worth ethic, after all genetics were not in all the shops, no weird and wonderful packaging to please the eye and lure people in and Neil was also a massive proponent of not just selling his product with a million promises he was actively promoting that your diet HAS TO BE RIGHT to get the best out of his products and if your not ready you could very well be wasting your money. This held a lot of weight with me, as honesty is rare quality now a days, maybe i'm a little sceptical of  peoples integrity because of my job but I could see that Neil meant what he was saying and his passion for his product and ethos shone through.

Now i still kept my head screwed on and didn't just buy all of genetics products, as my diet was not bang on. I hired Ben and over the following months made massive gains and got my food right understanding what I was doing and why i was doing it was key. This is covered in my previous blogs. I built my use of supplements up and it is only now after working with Ben for 6 months that I am using a range of supplements. But don't forget this has been built up over time and i am now training, not to lose a great amount of weight, i am training to increase my performance, strength and conditioning sometimes training twice a day.

The main thing you need to know when supplementing your diet is exactly what you are taking, when you are supposed to take it and exactly WHY you are taking it. This is all key to succeeding and failing.

What I take and most importantly WHY i take it!

OPTIMA-LM  (only used on training days)Whey protein, containing citrulline malate, L- leucine, BCAA's, prebiotic complex.

I time this post workout, for recovery and to help fight any fatigue. It is low carb so fits my body-type. 

GENETIC SUSTAIN (Only used on training days) Outstanding BCAA (Branch chain amino acids) drink, i usually take this during a workout especially if I train early in the morning around 0530 hrs on an empty stomach (fasted) it helps prevent any muscle being used by my body during an exhaustive session. It also contains the citrulliine malate much like the Optima and also contains beta alanine which increases the muscles efficiency and again helps the body to fight fatigue essential for me in the early hours. Also it tastes AWESOME!

CREATINE (taken every day) Probably one of the oldest and most relied upon supplements for sports performance. A year ago I wouldn't have thought about using creatine again but remember my goals have changed slightly now and i am trying to improve my strength, performance and overall conditioning for my sport. Creatine helps improve performance and recovery and is an integral part of the chemical transaction that occurs within your muscles when doing explosive training. I take 8 grams post workout and on non training days i take the same amount with food. Usually at breakfast time.

GENETIC GREENS POWDER (taken every day) This is definitely a more luxury product for me, i take this usually with breakfast everyday and use it to help my body detoxify and also for my gut health. It designed to keep your body at the right PH balance to help combat the effects of the stresses of everyday life. It is a mix of vegetable proteins, algae, greens, freeze dried berries, mushrooms and green tea. All organic. A word of warning however, unlike the rest of genetics products it tastes rank! But compared to other greens products out there it is palatable. I usually pop a couple grapes in after and the after taste is gone. A definite must have if you lead a stressful lifestyle like shift work like me.

That's my stack. Built up over time as i educated myself. I also supplement with fish oil, (great for making you lean) Vitamin D (for optimal health and because we definitely do not get enough sunshine in this country) and vitamin C (to boost my immune system).

"I started with these 2, they fit my goals and diet protocols the best." 

People often make the mistake of taking supplements on board because that's what they think goes in hand in hand with a healthy lifestyle and a training plan and for the most part that is true but only when you have got everything else in line, diet, stress and the right training program that is stressing your body enough to warrant it. I time my supplements when my body needs them most, I do not substitute them for real food and if the demand is not there I do not include them that day.

Let me make this clear before i finish, i gain nothing from Ben or genetic supplements by endorsing them as the best and i don't want anything, just for them to carry on doing what they're doing. I am simply a very satisfied customer and i write this blog to share my own experience. Is this supplement stack working for me, i will let you decide in a few weeks when i post some progress pics and subsequent blog.

In closing sort out your nutrition first and then when your ready choose your supplements wisely, learn what your taking and why you are taking it. In my opinion you wont go far wrong with Genetic supplements, they are of the highest quality and contain no soy or cheap low grade ingredients. Not the cheapest but certainly not the most expensive. The fact i think these supplements are the best is simply my opinion have the freedom of mind to look at other brands and make your own informed choices.

"Ross Pearson UFC lightweight chooses Genetic, it wont be long before more follow suit."

You can find my performance nutritionist Ben Coomber:

Facebook:    Ben Coomber

Twitter:        @BenCoomber                @BodyTypeNutri

www.bodytypenutrition.co.uk

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www.geneticsupplements.co.uk

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Twitter:          @GeneticSupp       @neilj_9570 (Neil Genetic MD)

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Carbs are my kryptonite

Carbs are my Kryptonite.

We were all created different and that is an awesome thing that sets us all apart from one another but there is something that we have in common with a lot of people and that will be our body type. Do you remember learning about this at school all those moons ago? I know I do and I thought nothing of it then and I haven’t done since. Little did I know that unlocking the knowledge of my own body type would affect me so positively and that it would have such a profound effect on my success so far. I AM AN ENDOMORPH! An awesome body type in many ways but it also comes with its Achilles heals that if not addressed can be your kryptonite. 

There are two other body types. Ectomorph and Mesomorph. Ectomorphs are typically, slim bodied individuals that struggle to either put on body fat or lean muscle. Whereas Mesomorphs are the body types that we all envy and would like to be, carrying little body fat and gain lots of lean muscle very quickly. The guys and girls in the gym that simply look at dumbbells and grow biceps!

But I am not going to dwell on these body types, simply because they are not me, I said when I started this blog that I will share what knowledge I have found with my own experience and if you are struggling with your body fat or weight issues you may well be an Endomorph like me. Typically soft bodied, round or box shaped and struggle to lose bodyfat. But if the nutrition is correct and you can learn how your body reacts you can burn this body fat quite effectively it just takes discipline because that one “cheat meal” a week can ruin your weeks progress. Trust me I’ve ruined weeks upon weeks of training and dieting in the past! Big upside to being an endomorph, generally we build muscle very easily.

Figuring out my body type was the first major step I took to realising what I needed to do to be successful.

"Out of shape Endomorph, typical Endomorphs shape!!"

I have a poor tolerance towards carbohydrates. The Starch kind!

I started to think about how each type of foods made me feel after I had eaten them, I found that carbohydrates, in particular those high in starch (rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, bread, pasta etc) were in fact my kryptonite. I noticed that after eating a meal containing these I would feel slightly bloated and could be quite lethargic and this was simply because my body did not handle them as well as an energy source. They are absolutely rammed packed full of energy and I cannot process this energy when eating these at every meal. After all a “healthy balanced” diet should contain them at every meal! Or so you would be lead to believe. For some yes, but it depends how your body handles them, remember this is all individual. So for a long time Carbs were my Kryptonite!! I wasn’t using them correctly for my circumstances. A bit like using a hammer to drive a screw in, you’ll just make a mess of the job!

So what did I learn???!! I train to high volume so I need carbs right? Yes! But they’re having a detrimental effect on my body fat! Well..its all in the timing. Starchy carbohydrates are awesome for repairing you body. So after I have done an intense session, whether it be a hard circuit, heavy sparring session or a big lifting workout I will feed my body with these carbs, but not too much, just enough to assist in my recovery. Just enough to feed my depleted muscles! Which for me, is usually, a medium sized sweet potato. A typical post workout meal for me would be:

Large salmon fillet cooked in real butter with chilli seasoning.

Medium sweet potato baked in the oven with a little real butter in the middle.

Steamed broccoli, cauliflower, carrots seasoned with some garlic.

Fish, vegetables and sources of good fats :) Perfect. All the ingredients are either caught or grown. Caveman style.

Importantly if I haven’t trained I don’t eat starchy carbohydrates! I keep my meals to lean meat, vegetables and good sources of fat (nuts, seeds, olive oils amongst others)

Fear not fellow endomorphs, your are truly blessed with this body type. I feel that I am, you just need to understand the beast. An endomorph in shape can be a truly intimidating prospect to tangle with, see below: “THE BADDEST MAN ON THE PLANET.” (at one time)

"In shape Endomorph!"

Get your nutrition right and get your training right and you can unleash an extremely efficient, frightening beast of physical performance. Now i'm not using Mike Tyson as a shining example to the human race, nor do I condone things the man has done outside and inside of the ring, quite the opposite but one thing cannot be ignored when he was "on" he was unstoppable. I'm talking about his physical gifts, one extremely gifted Endomorph. 

But unfortunately if you do not look after your body as an endomorph you wont find yourself as lucky:

"Out of shape Endomorph!"

I have found that my body responds quickly to metabolic type circuits. Intense bursts of exercise followed by short periods of rest. That kind of training most commonly found in boxing gyms, mixed martial arts gyms and any other combat sports forum. If I’m doing weights I go heavy and intense with little rest. After all I have a need to burn calories as, as an endomorph I have fat to burn and keep off! This training is more effective at burning fat than steady state cardio. For me!! Remember if running is your thing brilliant but I’m not built to run. Training this way I’m less likely to get injured and I’m getting a greater response with my body. That’s not to say I can’t run. I trained for and ran a marathon but felt no greater increase in fat loss or body composition than with any other training I’ve done. If anything I got less gain and towards the end put weight on. But thats another story :)

So get a grip on your body type, stand in the mirror if you’ve got fat gathering around your hips, stomach. Round or box shaped. Storing fat on your back and shoulder blades chances you’re an Endomorph just like me. If your going for “jogs” and getting nowhere think to yourself is this the right training for my body type. Seek out your local boxing gym, MMA gym, rugby club etc. Go and join in with their training. You just might find your body responds, fast! You can unleash the beast you just have to know how to.

And after all carbs are not my kryptonite, quite the opposite but only when the amount and time is right. 

The BJJ Boxer
          

"YOU chose to get fat!"

“YOU chose to get fat!”

“Let’s have it right, YOU chose to get fat. YOU chose to ruin your health. YOU had a choice in this and on many occasions YOU chose not to be healthy. YOU chose to eat takeaways instead of making real nutritious food. YOU chose to be lazy and not do any exercise. Don’t blame anyone else or any other circumstances; it’s YOUR own fault that you’re in this place. YOU had a choice in all this.”

Have I got your attention?

It took me years to say the above things to myself and admit that the only person responsible for getting myself in an unfit, lazy, unhealthy and practically dangerous state/lifestyle was ME.  I decided all those times to drink excessive amounts of lager and eat poor takeaway food some with little or no nutrition and I did this over and over, and when I think back to it I knew what I was doing. I wasn’t naïve enough to think that living like this wouldn’t result in me being massively overweight and in poor health. I was always saying “LAST ONE THIS FOR A BIT. START TOMORROW.”

Making poor choices when I was younger.

I began my blog with a small insight to me and what I thought you might need to think about should you have a goal similar to mine and that you were ready to make that change.

I would hazard a guess that you started to read this blog thinking that I was addressing the reader. Not the case, I have found through doing it and having it done to me that preaching and forcing your opinion on someone does not work but rather leading by example and sharing your own experiences in a positive way has a much more profound effect on someone that you are giving advice to or just sharing some time with. The purpose of this blog was for me to share my experience of weight loss and struggling with my weight and also that I may share some of the knowledge that I have gained through trial and error. What has worked the best for me, what has increased my performance the most? What type of training has been the most effective?

The majority of my good experience comes from the last four years. Before that I made some horrific mistakes and worst of all never learnt from them. When I was at my heaviest I was in a dark place mentally, never really showed it and I reckon masked it pretty well with a good sense of humour most of the time self deprecating. I knew I wanted to change but couldn’t admit it. Here are some of the things I tried to do lose the fat:

1. Once I tried to live off an extremely low amount of calories. I would eat rice cakes alone with a drink of cranberry juice for breakfast. Some soup for lunch and then a can of tuna or soup for dinner. Did I lose weight; yes I did around 18 pounds in 2 weeks. Unfortunately I spent all of that time feeling like I could eat a battered rat. I had no energy, I was tired lethargic and I started to come down with a cold. Did I keep the weight off? NO I put it all back on in the amount of time it took to lose it as I started to eat again EPIC FAIL.
2. I then listened to someone who was raving about the Atkins diet. All I heard was “YOU CAN EAT MEAT AND FULL FAT STUFF AND YOU’LL LOSE TONS OF WEIGHT.” Awesome. So that’s what I did I ate nothing but different cuts of meat accompanied by full fat mayonnaise and cheese and things similar to this. It didn’t take long before I had the breath of a thousand buffalo’s, had little to no energy, was lethargic and worst of all craving carbohydrate rich food and sugar. I decided to give myself a cheat meal after a week, pizza and that was it I couldn’t stop. I would try to go back to these “ATKINS DIET RULES” last a couple of days and then gorge on crap! Needless to say this got me nowhere and simply saw me yo yo up and down with my weight. I never actually bothered to learn the science behind the diet. A little learning is a dangerous thing.
3. Supplements!! Yeah. These worked for all these pro body builders, they’re shoving all these protein powders, creatine and other magic formula’s down their necks and they’re ripped. Guess what? I tried them all. Replaced meals with them. Had them with meals. Never really bothering to see what was in them, or learning that they should be used at specific times and when you nutrition is spot on. I ate like garbage and shovelled these fancy labelled wonder products down my neck. Guess what? It didn’t work. I was simply packing extra calories on top of poor nutrition.
4. I tried weight watchers meals, half heartedly still eating junk away from people as I was not satisfied with my nutrition and this caused me to reach for the junk for convenience when caught hungry out and about. 

Like I said I never learned from these stupid mistakes and I would go around and around cycling through the above “DIETS” plus some others, like eating nothing but cereal!!  Basically shovelling sugar down my neck 3 meals a day. Destined to fail with that one. Nugget. I've tried low calorie, low fat, low protein, you name it i've done it. 

INSANITY – Doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.”

(sound familiar?) Then you might take something away from my experience.

Was I insane? I reckon so, on some level. Thicker than a submarine door? Yes. I was an idiot. After all I wasn’t cutting corners like this and doing everything else wrong and lazy in my life. I was being quite successful in my professional life and achieving work goals I was setting myself with relative ease, because I was working hard. So why could I not transfer this ethic to my health and fitness. After all I wanted success with that just as bad.

So when did I start to get a handle on this and decide that I was going to change. It was all brought about by chance. Around 4 years ago I was given the opportunity to box for charity and liked the idea of competing, seeing if I could. I got a real bug for the training and with this alone I started to make head road into shedding fat. My diet was still poor but I considered it to be “healthy” eating a mix of protein, carbohydrates and vegetables. I bought into a lot of what other people were telling me to do. 6 meals a day, counting calories, not eating after 2000 hrs, never missing breakfasts and so on. I became obsessed with counting calories to the point I became anal with it much to the annoyance of everyone around me.  Although this tactic worked and it did. I could not sustain it as I was never really learning about the food I was eating and thought that calories in versus calories out was the be all and end all of weight loss. Yes it has a part to play but it is by no means the full equation. Over the 4 years I was boxing I was still up and down with my weight, whilst I was training for a fight I was strict with my eating and whilst I wasn’t I dropped back into old habits.

 Never afraid to fight but never got my nutrition right.

I found my inspiration.

On the 10/11/10 I found my inspiration to change forever. At around 1500 hrs that day my daughter was born and lit a fire inside of me that I had never felt or had before. I knew the moment that I saw her that I had to ensure that I was going to be around for as long as possible for her and that I wanted her to be proud of father. I knew that I had to set an example for her and this is where it all changed. I declared all out war on weight, I decided to box again that year. I was weighing around 98kg when she was born. I decided that I had to clean my diet up, this must be the missing link because I would train like a man possessed, I couldn’t push any harder in the gym. I came up with the notion that if it hadn’t grown or hadn’t been killed I wouldn’t eat or consume it and I counted calories again like some maths wizard. Come September it was fight night and I was 76kg. After the fight however I started to gain weight again. I was sticking to my idea of healthy eating but training had dropped off. I didn’t gain a lot but I could not get the lean physique I wanted and spent months wondering why. I started to naturally sit around 86kg. At the start of 2012 I even trained for and ran a marathon in the coming months and actually put weight on! Thinking my diet was on the money!  But that’s the topic for a separate blog post!

Finally taken control, faster, fitter, stronger. I chose that.

 Later in 2012 I went to a seminar where I met a young man spreading his wisdom on diet and nutrition and that’s where everything changed again and I haven’t looked back since.

In the blog posts that are to follow I will go into detail about what I’m doing and what I’m finding now with my diet and nutrition and I’ve never been better. I thought it was important that you have some idea of where I’ve been, before I tell you where I am or where I’m going!

Please don’t make the same mistakes as me, learn from where I messed up:

1. Fad diets don’t work in the long term, you can’t stick to them forever and you never really gain a full understanding of the nutrition your putting into your body.
2. You can’t starve yourself to lose weight; you WILL fail using this method.
3. Don’t just listen to what people “advise” you to do, sure, take it onboard but find out for yourself if there’s any merit to what they’re saying.
4. Don’t go round in circles trying the same things if you are not getting the results you want. Doing this actually means you’re insane. Look up the definition!! 

On the last blog I mentioned setting goals, a PT that I follow on Twitter, Andy Mckenzie (@IronmacFitness) wrote:

"Setting goals is bullshit. First ask yourself why? When you know that, then the 'real' goal will unveil."

This is so true, its alright setting a bunch of goals but if you dont think about it and come to a realisation of why they are your particular goals they wont mean anything. The goal will become more substantial once you understand why and as Andy said the real goal will become clear. Get Andy followed or find him on facebook, IronMac Fitness if you appreciate the no bull shit approach as I do.

I will mention my goals as I go along but here was one of them for the New Year.

“Start a blog and make a positive impact through my own experience on somebody, even if it’s just one person.”

I received a text message yesterday from a good friend, an old colleague that I have not spoken to for a while, he has always struggled with is weight and has always had a desire to do something about it, I’ve changed his name on the text as not to embarrass him:

So there’s one of my goals already nailed!! Good start to the year by all accounts just with that.

Write down your goals, think about why they are your goals and gain a deeper understanding of them,  set things in motion and make it happen. Learn from my mistakes and your own!

The BJJ Boxer

Twitter: @thebjjboxer