Fearsome Five

Try this fitness challenge to blast body fat and build muscle in record time:

As many repetitions as possible of the following exercises, with a time limit of 1 minute for each exercise, and less than 15 seconds rest in between the different exercises:

Squats (using a barbell equivalent to 1.5 x your bodyweight)

Bench Press (using a barbell equivalent to your bodyweight)

Chin ups (no added weight)

Dips (no added weight)

Deadlifts (using a barbell equivalent to 1.5 x your bodyweight)

Have fun, and let me know your scores! The highest score I see on film will win a free 1 hour coaching call or email consultation with me.

Check me out on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JRPTfitness

“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” ~ Nietzsche – on that note, try this:

The Tabata protocol – possibly the fastest way to burn fat and separate the mentally strong from the weak.

CAUTION – do not attempt unless you’re in good cardiovascular condition, with no underlying health problems, and under supervision. I’d advise you to check with your doctor and exercise professional before doing these. With that out of the way, I guess you’re wondering what all the fuss is about. Well read on for more fat loss in four minutes than you’d usually get in four hours!

Essentially, this short but brutally effective protocol is as follows:

20 seconds of very high intensity exercise (go at minimum 90% capacity), followed by 10 seconds of rest, and repeat this 8 times. The beauty of it is that you can use any piece of cardiovascular equipment, a barbell or dumbbells, or no equipment at all. Just pick an exercise that works as much of your body as possible. My personal favourite is to do it on a rowing machine, as on most you can set the rest/work periods and just focus on the savage intensity.

A couple of my other favourites include using a barbell for front squats, using dumbbells for ‘thrusters’ – a combination of a squat followed by a shoulder press, or even just plain old sprints. But be warned, with a strict focus on speed, you don’t need to go too heavy.

This will keep your metabolism elevated for increased fat burning for hours to come, and also build your mental strength. When you’ve faced these, other gym challenges seem far less intimidating. Another bonus – it may be hell, but at least it’s only a short four minute stay!

To adapt Friedrich Nietzsche’s famous proclamation to this context – ‘that which does not kill us makes us LEANER!’

Check me out on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JRPTfitness

15 Fantastic Foods

15 Fantastic Foods

Here are the mainstays of my shopping trolley, stock up and fill up on these staples on a regular basis and you can’t go wrong:

1. Chicken breasts

2. Watercress

3. Unsalted nuts

4. Blueberries

5. Broccoli

6. Greek yoghurt

7. Oily fish (eg salmon, mackerel etc)

8. Steak

9. Tuna

10.Wholegrain Rice

11Peppers

12. Onions and garlic

13. Avocadoes

14. Olive oil

15. Sweet potatoes

Ok plus a few cheeky extras if fancy them that didn't make the top 15:

16.Apples

17. Pinot Noir or Merlot (Red wine with the best polyphenol anti-oxidants)

18. Dark chocolate (minimum of 70% cocoa solids)

19. Peanut/almond butter

20. Unsalted Butter

What will you be buying?

Check me out on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JRPTfitness

S

Jonny's Ten Top Tips

Ok guys, here are some basic tips that will benefit anyone looking to be healthier, improve sports performance or body composition/fat loss. Anybody can do these and start building a better you, today!

Simple and straightforward admittedly, but a great place to start.

JONNY’S TEN TOP TIPS

· BE SMART! Set yourself a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-based) goal. Health, fat loss and muscle gain are all at least 70% diet and 30% training!

· RESISTANCE IS USEFUL! Resistance exercise is the most efficient way of both building muscle and burning fat. Use moves that work your whole body, or at least large muscle groups rather than exclusively focusing on cardiovascular training.

· PLAY THE PERCENTAGES! Remember the 80/20 rule – get things right 80% of the time and the 20% isn’t so important! One bad day is no big deal, and can even be beneficial.

· TAKE THE WATERS! Drink more water – aim for a minimum of 2.5 litres spread evenly throughout the day. This should also help with mental clarity.

· LITTLE AND OFTEN! Exercise adds up - little and often will have an impact. 5 minutes extra walking here or there (ie walk rather than taking the tube a few stops) is worthwhile and will make a difference if it becomes incorporated into your daily routine.

· GO NUTS AT BREAKFAST! Eat breakfast, but better still try the meat and nuts breakfast – it seems unconventional but the first thing you eat influences how your brain functions for the rest of the day, which will improve your mental clarity for the entire day, as well as being optimal for losing fat and gaining muscle. All of this in one meal!

· USE THE F WORD! Don’t be scared of fats, essential fats, such as omega 3 fish oils, will help turn off fat storage and turn on fat burning. Avocadoes, nuts, seeds, eggs and olive oil are all good sources.

· SINFUL SUGARS! Minimise consumption of simple sugars, such as those found in sweets and fruit juices.

· DON’T GO BANANAS! Get the majority of your carbohydrates from fibrous vegetables, such as broccoli, asparagus, spinach etc, as well as from berries such as blueberries, blackberries and raspberries rather than from starchy carbohydrates such as pasta and bread. Starchy carbohydrates are fine after exercise but eat for what you’ve just done and what you’re about to do. Remember the fuel tank analogy!

· GET UP TO SPEED! Try to eat some protein every 3 hours to keep your metabolism running at top speed!

Check me out on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JRPTfitness

Jonny Rees LL.B, REPS Cert. PT – email jhlrees@aol.com for a consultation.