Reach4Fitness

Category: Training & Advice

  • Overcoming limitations

    I have always had mixed feelings about people selfies, are they proof of self-obsession of self –promotion?
    However I think that sometimes, they are telling a story from which we can gain to learn.
    I want to tell you about my comeback to training after two shoulder operations and finding a way to train around injuries.

    In the autumn of 2013 I an operation on my left shoulder followed by my right should shortly afterwards.  I spent months rehabilitating and returned to light training in the end of February 2014. However my left shoulder has always been in some level of pain, weaker and prone to limitations. To make matters worse, I then picked up two further injuries, a torn pectoral muscle and a hamstring tear.  It was probably due to slight over training, compounded by lack of sleep / recovery time and age.
    Some of you may agree with my wife at this point, that it may be time to give up! The problem is I am not ready to give up

    When I was younger I was devastated mentally by any injuries, but as the time passes and the injuries heal, I have learnt that there are ways to work around limitations and disadvantages.  When training clients, and myself I use my experience of training different sports (Olympic free style wrestling, cross country running, karate, basket ball, kick boxing body building, MMA) and overtaking my own injuries and limitations to help clients get result, faster and in a safe manner.

    This is due to a passion; interest and almost 30 years of training and personal development and a keen interest in seeing my clients achieve their own personal goals and be the best that they can be.

    You must want to do it, to make it happen, find your own small, measurable goals that that you want to achieve.  This can be Improving your diet, losing a small amount of weight each week, increasing your running distances, lifting more weight, dropping a dress size. The most important is to visualise how you want to look and how you want to feel, in the new fitter you.
    If you look for excuses, you will find plenty of reasons not to train. Just keep training and reaching your goals, keep going you will get there

    P.S. I took this photo on my 40th Birthday 19/12/2014. You might say that it is nothing special, and without my history they are probably right, however training around various injuries including a bad shoulder, lack of sleep and being 40, I think this picture tells a good story.

    I have just had my second operation on my left shoulder and I will come back stronger than before

    Keep in good health! – Artur

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  • High Intensity Interval Training: what, why and for who?

    High Intensity Interval Training: what, why and for who?

    High Intensity Interval Training

    At the beginning of 2014, every magazine and gym had adverts or articles promoting High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) – in the form of TABATA training, Les Mills GRIT, INSANITY, etc. Most of them promise you great results (increasing fitness and power level, toned body, lost fat) during short-30min. intense work-outs, which combining aerobic, plyometric and strength exercises.

    The big question is-does it work? And more importantly – is it for everybody?

    The main point to understand is that you will get benefits with every type of combined cardio-strengthening program, however with higher intensity and heavier weights, the benefits, will be greater.

    HIIT is so intense that participants achieve amazing results in a relatively short period of time. The question is, are you determent enough to keep pushing yourself, move faster, jump higher, lift heavier. Most of people just want to tick the box that they have done class and HIIT is not about ticking boxes.

    Enough general talking, I will focus mainly on bio-chemical benefits of HIIT:

    Grown Hormone Release
    GH stimulates cell reproduction and regeneration, improving immune system, increase protein synthesis and burns body fat! It also decreases recovery time and it is partly responsible for your youthful look.

    Opioid Response
    HIIT exercise has been found to release the body’s natural opioids – endorphins and enklephalins. They are responsible for pain relief, stress reduction and improving moods. Higher intensity – happier you (simplifying a bit).

    Nitric Oxide Synthase
    A group of enzymes that can do both – good and bad in your body.
    An increased level of eNOS and nNOS is responsible for blood flow to muscles and brain, improving your heart health, tissue repair and giving you more energy. You will perform better and be more focused.

    On the other hand, increased iNOS can result in destruction of immune cells, damage to muscles fibres and inflammation, leading to muscle wasting, pain and injury (common symptoms of overtraining).

    Increase of Resting Metabolic Rate
    The higher the intensity of your training, the greater the increase in your resting metabolic rate (RMR), allowing you to burn calories for longer, even after finishing exercises (researches shows if you do HIIT for 1h, your RMR is increased up to 10h. Beautiful! Imagine yourself sitting in your leaving room and watching Breaking Bad and still burning calories). In comparison, training for 1H within your comfort zone, speed ups RMR for up to 30-40min. Not so great.

    HIIT & the Sexes
    Males who undertake HIIT will also notice an increased level of testosterone, responsible for muscle building, fat burning, elevating energy levels and improving sport performance. Fortunately, HIIT doesn’t affect women level of testosterone in any way.

    So Who Should do
    All sounds very well, but it is important to remember that everybody who thinks about starting training using HIIT approach has to have quite good level of fitness to begin with, with good technic of all the basics lifts (clean, squats, dead-lift, lunges or even press-ups, etc.). It is very demanding method of training, which gets you very good results but only if you push yourself to maximum, which can carry high risk of injuries.

    More and more often, I see personal trainers training some of their beginner-clients using HIIT exercises and methods, this is completely wrong and can only lead to injuries. (You can’t ask somebody to run before they learn how to walk.)

    You must remember that HIIT must go in partnership with sufficient rest periods, your body needs time for recovery, otherwise you will over-train. Balance is everything. You should definitely forget about HIIT if you have any medical conditions (like hypertension, for example), you are pregnant, or have recent injuries. Be honest with yourself and answer these questions:

    Do you dare to train hard? Is your body ready for it?

    Please don’t train your ego, train your body. See what is best for you. All fashions will pass, next year they will try to sell us something even better.

    Artur