GIFT VOUCHER'S NOW AVAIALBLE

07/08/2010

Struggling to find a meaningfull present for your nearest and dearest?

The 'Ramp-Up Package' Gift voucher could be just the answer!

You've all experienced the Ramp-Up phenomenon:

• 12 Persoanl Training sessions that help people rediscover health & fitness
• It could change someone's life!
  

Turn a friend onto fitness today!

Just ask for details

CARBS GOOD,FAT BAD???

04/08/2010

Ask yourself these questions before you watch the  first video:

1. Do i think fat is bad for my health?
2. If so, why do i think fat is bad for my health, and who told me this?

If you answered "Yes i think fat is bad for me, and everybody told me so", then here are some 'everybodies' who definately didn't tell you.

Michael Eades M.D.is one of the experts featured in this video.  He has long been an advocate of the Paleolithic diet, having monitored the health profiles of thousands of his patients and the effects of the modern American diet on their health.


How did we get here?

Wonder where our fixation with sugar originated.  These adverts from the 60's and 70's shed at least some light on it.



When you finish laughing at how naieve we were back in the 70's check out this up-to-date cereal advert.




Apart from being amazed that sugar is still allowed to be marketed at kids, we're wondering what the random phrase "part of this good breakfast" is doing (at 29seconds).  Part of this good breakfast doesn't actually mean anything but it sounds a lot like "part of a good breakfast".  And if you're really not paying attention, and who does during the adverts, it throws up associations with the ubiqitous  "part of a balanced diet".  This advert even links sugar with cravings and we're still not concerned!

It's almost like they don't care about our health, and just want us to buy their product...and that just can't be so...could it?!?!?

In summary, for decades we've been fed the message, 'fat is bad' and 'carbohydrate (sugar) is good'.  This one-two punch has caused today's obesity epidemic and is likely responsible for your growing waistline, and more importantly is your answer to reversing it.  Kick your sugar craving today!

(Self) Myofascial release

30/07/2010

We haven't met anyone who wasn't 'tight somewhere on their body.  That's why, provided it doesn't gather dust under the bed, a foam roller is possibly the best £20 you'll spend on your health! 

Don't bother with instructional DVDs as there are plenty of free resources on the net.  Meet our friend Jai here with one of the better instructional videos.

As with anything, dig around for your own research, but here's a good start point and GET ROLLING!

Kip Meets Ben

29/07/2010


Never one to miss a fitness opportunity Kip decided to run up Ben Nevis last week.




Kip seen here raring to go at the start line! 

From this vantage point most of 'The Ben' standing at 4409ft is largely hidden from view.  You can however, just make out the start of the trail traversing left to right through the lush green foot of the mountain.


















The lower part of the Ben Nevis 'tourist route' is well maintained steps.











A well-earned water-stop half-way up!

Getting up into the clouds but still another 20-30mins climbing to do.

















At last, after a little under 2 hours, the 'moonscape' summit. 


With boulders covering the top third of the trail, the terrain will either strengthen or slay your ankles!








We were never going to worry the legendary Kenny Stuarts record of 1hr 25mins up and down the mountain, but we had a great time nonetheless.  Not to mention some very puzzled looks on the way up!



NB: Nobody seems to worry this record as it has stood unbroken since 1984.  Surely a candidate for the longest standing record in running.  Anybody know of any longer records?

"I Don't Want to Get Bulky, I just want to Tone Up"

27/07/2010

Many of our female clients worry that lifting big weights will make them "bulky".

However, if toning is the goal then lifting big things is the way to do it!.

Lots of self-proclaimed fitness experts talk about toning the muscles, which sounds very cool but very few define what they actually mean. US Strength coach Mark Rippetoe helps us out with this physiological rationale.

The term "muscle tone" or tonus describes an electrophysiological phenomenon, a measure of ionic flow across muscle cell membranes. It can he thought of as the muscle's readiness to do anaerobic wort. The more fit the muscle, the more electrophysiological activity it exhibits at rest. Lack of exercise leads to poor tone, aerobic exercise improves tone a little hit, low-intensity weight training improves tone more, and high-intensity training improves tone the fastest.

Heavy strength training increases muscle tone by creating a muscle with greater residual tension while in a rested state.  So even at rest the muscle is relatively firm...ready to 'fire' at a moments notice.  Of course, even the most toned muscle can be hidden behind a wall of fat, but that's where better eating habits come in.

Also notice that Rippetoe states that aerobic training (that's jogging, aerobics, yoga, zumbafitness and all the rest of it) won't tone as much as light weight training let alone high-intensity training.

So that's the toning taken care of, what about getting bulky?

Top 10 Reasons Heavy Weights Don't Bulk Up the Female Athlete

Adapted from an article by Tim Kontos, David Adamson, and Sarah Walls

1. Women do not have nearly as much testosterone as men.  Because men have more testosterone, they are much more equipped to gain muscle.
   

2. Women can develop a huge amount of muscle-mass but only through chemical enhancement.  If you take the missing link that separates men from women and add it back in, what do you have? A man!

3. For women, toning is what happens when the muscle is developed through training. Since the testosterone is not present in sufficient amounts, the muscle will develop, but it won't gain a large amount of mass.
   

4. Bodybuilders train differently to strength builders.  The repetition range that most women would prefer to do (8-20 reps) promotes hypertrophy (muscle growth). For example, a bodybuilding program will have three exercises per body part. For the chest, they will do flat bench for three sets of 12, incline for three sets of 12, and decline bench for three sets of 12. This adds up to 108 total repetitions. A program geared towards strength will have one exercise for the chest--flat bench for six sets of three with progressively heavier weight. This equals 18 total repetitions. High volume (108 reps) causes considerable muscle damage, which in turn, results in hypertrophy. The considerably lower volume (18 reps) will build more strength and cause minimal bulking. 

5. Heavy weights will promote strength not size. This has been proven time and time again. When lifting weights over 85 percent, the primary stress imposed upon the body is placed on the nervous system, not on the muscles. Therefore, strength will improve by a neurological effect while not increasing the size of the muscles.

And, according to Zatsiorsky and Kreamer in Science and Practice of Strength Training, women need to train with heavy weights not only to strengthen the muscles but also to cause positive adaptations in the bones and connective tissues.

6. Bulking up is not an overnight process. Many women think they will start lifting   weights, wake up one morning, and say "What happened! I'm huge!" This doesn't happen.   The men that you see who have more muscle than the average person have worked hard for a long time (years) to get that way. If you bulk up overnight, contact us because we want to do what you're doing.

7. What the personal trainer is prescribing is not working. Many female athletes come into a new program and say they want to do body weight step-ups, body weight lunges,   and leg extensions because it's what their personal trainer back home had them do. However, many of these girls need to look in a mirror and have a reality check because   their trainer's so-called magical toning exercises are not working. Trainers will hand out easy workouts and tell people they work because they know that if they make the program too hard the client will complain. And, if the client is complaining, there's a good chance the trainer might lose that client (a client to a trainer equals money). 

8. Bulking up is calorie dependant. This means if you eat more than you are burning, you will gain weight. If you eat less than you are burning, you will lose weight. Unfortunately, most female athletes perceive any weight gain as "bulking up" and do not give attention to the fact that they are simply getting fatter. As Todd Hamer, a strength and conditioning coach at George Mason University said, "Squats don't bulk you up. It's the ten beers a night that bulk you up." This cannot be emphasized enough. 

If you're a female athlete and training with heavy weights (or not), you need to watch what you eat. Let's be real--the main concern that female athletes have when coming to their coach about gaining weight is not their performance but aesthetics.

9. The freshman 15 is not caused by strength training. It is physiologically impossible to gain 15 lbs of muscle in only a few weeks unless you are on performance enhancing  drugs. Yes the freshman 15 can come on in only a few weeks. This becomes more complex when an athlete comes to a new school, starts a new training program, and also  has a considerable change in her diet (i.e. only eating one or two times per day in addition to adding 6-8 beers per evening for 2-4 evenings per week). They gain fat weight, get slower, and then blame the strength program. Of course, strength training being the   underlying cause is the only reasonable answer for weight gain. The fact that two meals per day has slowed the athlete's metabolism down to almost zero and then the multiple beers added on top of that couldn't have anything to do with weight gain...it must be the lifting.

10.  Most of the so-called experts are only experts on how to sound like they know what they are talking about. The people who "educate" female athletes on training and   nutrition have no idea what they're talking about. Let's face it--how many people do you know who claim to "know a thing or two about lifting and nutrition?" Now, how many   people do you know who actually know what they're talking about, have lived the life,   dieted down to make a weight class requirement, or got on stage at single digit body fat?   Invariably, these so-called experts are also the people who blame their gut on poor genetics.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...We're Back!!!

24/07/10

More like...Just when your Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) had eased up...We're back!!!

Or possibly...

Just when you thought it was safe to eat carbs...We're back!!!

Many thanks to Siobhan for organising those runs last week, and well done to all those who took part, or managed to stay active whilst we were away!

We'll be rolling with a Hard Week starting as of Monday.  Followed by Harder/Hardest/Active Recovery for the proceeding 3 weeks.

Can't wait for the week to start!

See you all sooooon!!!

Run Meet

15/07/10

Want to work on your running?

There is a group of Evolutionary athletes meeting for a run or three next week.

The Time: 0930hrs Monday 19th, Wednesday 21st, and Friday 23rd July 2010
The Place: Meet at Blaydon Rugby Club Car Park, for a run along the Derwent Walk
Contact: Siobhan is rounding up the troops! Not a problem If you haven't told Siobhan that you'd like to join the fun, just give Laura a txt and we'll let Siobhan know that you're coming.

Suggested Itinerary

2 Miles: 1 mile walk/jog warm-up, followed by 1 mile best effort

1 Mile Run Targets
Level I: Male 9min15s Female 10min
Level II: Male 7min30s Female 8min10s
Level III: Male 6min10s Female 6min50s

For a different challenge try...

4 Miles:  2 mile walk/jog warm-up, followed by 2 mile best effort

Take as long as you want for the warm-up, but knuckle down for the main effort (1 miler or 2 miler), and make sure you record your time!

Most of all ENJOY!



 

Acts of Health: The Press

14/07/10

Although we use a nice balanced bar-bell in the gym, the Press can be done with any object.  Indeed, it is important to remember that this is a functional movement and not one that we 'designed' in the gym.

Functional is a word that gets banded about in fitness corners, we define it as having a 'real-world' application; ie. there is a need to be able to lift things overhead.

It's also fun!  Hence the random desire to pick a large stone up...or is that just me!

Community

13/07/10

From Day 1 our clients know that we're not a 'regular' gym. 

'Regular' gyms 'talk'...

• Let's Start Your Journey!
• Your Vision is Our Goal!
• We'll Get There Together!
• More Pleasure Less Pain!
• Life.  Be Fit For it!
  

...but they don't always 'listen'. 

With that in mind...

We'd love to hear your suggestions. What can we do to make Evolutionary Fitness a better place?

Please post (to comments, or via email) one thing you like and one thing you'd like to see us change in the next 3 months.

As Coaches, we'd like to take this opportunity to say, one thing we love about Evolutionary Fitness is...

• The genuine sense of Community. 

Let's face it, fitness is hard work.  So, when we see our clients help each other loading barbells, or perhaps inquire about one-an-others general day-to-day lives, or the heart-felt support for an individual good effort, we know we have a gym with a solid support-network to take on this challenge.

One thing we'd love to change is...

• The 'Gravel path of Doom' down to the gym.  Although it certainly develops ankle strength and fires-up the stabilising muscle groups, it's hardly welcoming!  The landlord has ruled out laying tarmac, so if anyone has any cost-effective suggestions (read cheap!) please let us know.

Caring-sharing Community cont...

You want examples of how benevolent our members are?  Well, we don't know any other health-club where gym-members would be thoughtful enough to...

• Bring the trainers mozi-repellent for their forthcoming camping trip to Scotland. 
• Gift us exotic health-treats...carried all the way from London
• Make us homemade chocolate biscuit cake...which we obviously didn't enjoy...much.
  
• Donate health-related seminars on DVD
  
• Knit a weightlifting doll...there can't possibly be another Gym where the members go around knitting icons of the staff can there?
• Furnish the gym-dog with toys, bowls, beds...do other gyms even have a 'Gym-Dog?
  

Kip; our resident 'Guard-Dog' loves the Community Spirit...and also chasing rabbits...mainly chasing rabbits, but also the Community Spirit.


















If you're heading to Scotland, we've been given the top-tip that this moisturiser by 'Avon', is guaranteed to keep the Wee Beasties at bay!  Unless Alison is pulling our chain of course!


The Chocolate Biscuit Cake that we didn't enjoy...much!



'Jimmy' our very own Weightlifting Doll (Gym-ee, get it?  We still like the name Mathew!)


In conclusion, the more presents we get, the less Burpees you guys get...I mean...

...In conclusion, we appreciate all the support you've shown us and continue to show each other.  It's what set us apart, and helps you guys achieve the results you want.  

Before and After

12/07/10

I think Mark's trying to put us out of business with these 'Before' and 'After' photos!


BEFORE...      ...AND...    ...AFTER!


"I want you in my BELLY!" 

Before and After a new I-phone App that is!!!

Our Warm-up is Your Work-out!

09/07/10

• The Path Less Travelled: Nice to Look Back and See Where You've Been!

As athletes we are driven by, and focused on, our next fitness goal, and that's a good thing. 

Once in awhile however, it's nice to look back and see just how far we've come already. 

We know we are fitter, but just how much fitter?  Those who have adopted a log-book as a means to keep track, will see the statistics of their journey.  Those that haven't (shame) will need to rack their brains for a significant marker on that road.

Perhaps if you think back to that very first session; The circuit you did that day came to be Christened, 'Geoffrey'; It consists of a run around the block, followed by 36 (15-12-9) Squats, Push-ups, and Ring-rows, and another run around the block.  That's it!

Essentially it is what you now do for a warm-up.  A typical warm-up (like you need reminding!) consists of either a 400m/600m run around the block, together with 30 (3 sets of 10) push-ups, squats, sit-ups, and ring-rows,  Perhaps washed down with maybe some burpees, or bug walks, or another run around the block to finish.  Then we do heavy weights...and then, after all that, we'll throw the MAIN EFFORT at you!  Typically you collapse in a sweaty mess and then in a few minutes you're on your feet chatting, and we do it all again a day or two later...and for some the very next day!

You'll have your own story following your first session but what we typically see is the person turning white as a sheet, or sometimes beetroot red...lack of speech for a good 10minutes...and a look of startled bewilderment.  There has been talk of people vomiting and falling asleep in the bath.  Though know-one has vomited and fallen asleep in the bath to our knowledge.  Not only that, but there's a very good chance that you weren't able to walk properly, let alone train, for the next couple of days. 

It's all good because we've all been there and done it...everybody does the  'Geoffrey' on Day 1.

Exhibit A: The aftermath of the first Geoffrey Circuit.  At least it looks like he had protein for breakfast!








So, given that your warm-up used to be your workout what has been the key to your success? 

• perseverance,
  
• tenacity,
  
• consistency
• ...simply showing up at the gym come rain or shine!

Whatever the reason, keep it up!  We salute your commitment to not only train hard, but to train often!

Sunshine Run 2010

07/07/10

Evolutionary Fitness were privileged enough to have been head-hunted to lead a warm-up for the Good people taking part in the Evening Chronicle 'Sunshine Run' on the Quayside this evening. 

And of course, with our clients ready for any fitness challenge we also had athletes take part in the race, at very, very short notice indeed!

The Sunshine Fund is a specialised fund in the North East of England that aims to enhance the lives of local disabled children and their families through the provision of essential equipment, learning aids and custom built apparatus.

The Sunshine Fund was established in 1928 by King George V during his visit to Tyneside. To commemorate the opening of the Tyne Bridge, he made a small donation to give children a day out at the coast.

The Evening Chronicle adopted the fund and in 1995 it was granted charitable status when the Chronicle joined forces with the Community Foundation.

Michael and Vicky must have run out of t-shirts this summer as this is there 4th organised fitness event of the season! 

Still with the Blaydon Race in their legs, not to mention a 2hr bike ride, the pair were keen to help raise money for local disabled kids

A special well done to Michael who was given a full 2-hours notice that he was taking part in the run! not only that, but he managed to bag a PB on the day! 


A massive 8 minutes faster than his last 5km...Well Done!!!

"The Stop-Watch is Your Friend"

Two people who also deserve a  mention; Our resident Super-Great-Gran, Jean and her best friend Isabelle.  These two Spring Chickens successfully took part in their first ever race today!

Proving, it's never too late to achieve your fitness goals!

 Well done ladies!









NB: if anyone finds Jeans false teeth around the Quayside area please get in touch.

...Yes, i am in so much trouble for that joke!  If i have a black-eye the next few days you'll know why!

Caption Competition!

05/07/10

We're thinking of running a 'Caption Competition' for these great photos!





You wouldn't catch Delia doing this!       The Fabulous Baker Box-Jump

Send Caption Suggestions on a post Card to:

    PO BOX Mad Cake Baking Women in their Pink Aprons.com

...or simply add them in 'Comments'!

Fitness in Sport

04/07/10



Rafael Nadal cemented his status as the best player in the world with a 6-3 7-5 6-4 demolition of surprise Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych on Centre Court this afternoon.


Although it only took two hours and 13 minutes to win his eighth grand slam title, Nadal's fitness played a huge part, as it always does, in dominating throughout the tournament.

Although he slimmed his frame down to improve his power-to-weight ratio, he is still one of the strongest on the court and it is no surprise that Nadal's fitness generates a lot of attention.

I recall one article last year that revealed his training 'secret', and went on to dictate what you should do to achieve a similar look. 

As you might expect, the article reported that much of Nadal's conditioning comes from on-court practice, and it will be of no surprise to our athletes that his strength was developed in the gym through weightlifting with some of our favourite exercises; 'presses, lunges and squats'. 

Apparently his anaerobic fitness is taken care of with shuttle runs, 'solid hitting' and skipping.  Again these staples of our exercise regimen will come as no surprise to those who train with us.

Indeed running fast and compound weightlifting movements will take you a long, long way on the road to fitness.  However, 'Lift heavy weights and move fast'  doesn't make exciting reading, it just isn't the latest, trendiest, most 'secret' formula for fitness success.  So i was intrigued as to where this article was heading. 

Normally, i skip fitness articles, because if it's not a report on the latest exercise fad, then it's a regurgitation of the *ACSM 1995 standpoint of "20mins of aerobic fitness 3 to 4 times per week", with no regard for serious strength training.  I believe that this is where the whole 'Cardio and crunches' culture came from.

So what did our journalist, in this instance, opt for?

Under the sub-heading 'What You Can Do', here's what she wrote...

"Aerobic exercise three to four times a week will help to reduce any fat that covers your abdominals and crunches performed on a stability ball can help to improve tone. But the most effective exercise for toning the torso is the bicycle manoeuvre. Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed into the ground. Put your hands beside your head. Bring the knees up to about a 45-degree angle and perform a pedal motion as if on a bike, touching your left elbow to your right knee (and vice versa) as you cycle. Do 12 to 15 cycle repetitions and repeat three to four times a week."

..."Brilliant just brilliant!" 

You get access to the World's No.1 Tennis player...a player notorious for his power, stamina and all-round athleticism....and he takes the time out of his busy training schedule to tell you that court-work, weightlifting and sprints are his mainstays...and what do you tell the World...

"Aerobic exercise, crunches and...wait for it...THE BICYCLE MANOEUVRE!"

I don't even want to get into 'The Bicycle Manoevre' but aerobic fitness is, in essence, the very opposite of sprinting (which is Anaerobic).  Running a long distance at a moderate pace is an aerobic exercise, but sprinting is not.  Aerobic means 'with oxygen' and it's the energy source you're using right now reading this article (unless you're reading this whilst sprinting with your new Ipad!).

It's annoying because you don't have to know anything about exercise to have done a good job here; Just report the facts.  If my mum had been sat talking to Rafeal Nadal, she'd have written something like "you need hours of tennis, weightlifting and sprinting shuttles if you want to be as fit as Nadal".  Job done! 

What she wouldn't have attempted to do was put her own spin on it, unless of course, she thought she knew more about being as fit as the Worlds No1 tennis player than...well, the World's No.1 tennis player. 
 
When you consider that this is an 'Award Winning' Health and Fitness Journalist, writing for the Times you quickly understand why there is little hope for the general public

Footnote:
The ACSM updated their findings in 2007 to incorporate "vigorously intense cardio" as part of their new physical activity recommendations.  Although they are at pains to point out "Vigorous-intensity physical activity was implicit in the 1995 recommendation".  Implicit means 'understood, but not directly expressed' which would seem a strange thing to do in offering people guidelines, and sounds a bit like, "yeah, that's what we meant to say".

Just like how they always new strength was a key part in physical fitness; "Muscle-strengthening activities have now been incorporated into the physical activity recommendation" (ACSM 2007)


Graduation Day30/06/10


The Coaches at Evolutionary Fitness acknowledge that Beryl Davison has demonstrated a sound understanding of elementary gymnastics, and basic weightlifting movements in a safe and satisfactory manner.


As a former competitive basketball player, Beryl has a history of physical training, and this was clear from her ability to quickly respond and interpret technical coaching points. 

As one would expect for a basketball player, Beryl was at home with the rapid acceleration and deceleration of the shuttle-runs, and was bolstered by her natural competitive edge.

That said, with no 'pulling' movements in Basketball the Ring-Rows proved a challenge...who doesn't find them a challenge!

Setting the bar high Beryl's tally for Ramp-Up 1 (24/05/2010) was:
8minutes 29seconds - ('The Geoffrey' circuit - indoor protocol). 

A mere month later Beryl managed a Slam-Dunk-ing time of 6mins 18secs ('The Geoffrey' circuit - indoor protocol).

Well Done Beryl and welcome to the EF Family!

We know you guys will anyway, but if you haven't already met Beryl, be sure to introduce yourself and help her settle in to the class work...tell her this is where the hard work really starts!

Neander-thin

23/06/10

There were frequent caveman jokes flying around during the paleo30 challenge but a new piece of research reveals that we're more caveman than we thought!

In the words of John Hawks, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US,

 
"They're us. We're them."

Neanderthals are more complex than they are often portrayed.  They were able to control fire, build complex shelters and in 2009 a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) recorded evidence of make-up containers.  Evidently the Neanderthals liked to glam it up at the weekend!


BBC Radio4 aired an interesting documentary on the Neanderthals which revealed among other things how they were adept hunters; "ambush predators", and butchers.  As they had domesticated fire they would likely have cooked any meat, although, eye-balls, guts and the tongue were eaten fresh at the point of kill.

"Fat and bone marrow even more important than meat" Danielle Schreve, Reader in Physical Geography at Royal Holloway, University of London

Are there any lessons here for our health?


Whilst eating  bone marrow does not at first sound appealing, a good broth/stock will contain the ingredients found in bones.  A good chef wouldn't make a soup or gravy with anything else.

Furthermore, perhaps just coincidence, but I recall reading one of the classic texts of old school strongmen; 'Keys to Progress', by Joyn McCallum.  In it he marvels in the wonders of soup stock as a way to gain muscle and improve vigor.

 "soup stock...it's just about the richest pot of water from a nutritional standpoint that you're ever likely to come across."

Perhaps Granny knew more than she was letting on when she refered to chicken soup as, 'medicine'.

Food for thought Anyway!

EF Athlete's In Action

22/06/10

It's always pleasing to hear our athletes challenging themselves and testing their fitness outside of the gym environment.



This month alone, our small band of brothers and sisters have clocked up six official race finishes between them.

The Blaydon Race is well known for it's charged atmosphere and was a popular choice with a lot of our athletes (our modest box represented 0.001% of all runners there!).




One of which was Hazel.  Knocking 3 minutes off her previous best time, she proved that regardless of how long you've been a runner, with the right training and motivation, it's never too late to achieve a PB.  Well Done Hazel!




Vicky and Michael shortly after completing the 2010 Blaydon Race


Michael and Vicky, with some forward thinking, saw this event as a great stepping stone to the Great North Run (half marathon distance) which they hope to complete this September. 

As a born again runner, all finish times are PB's for Michael, but not content with with this, Michael set himself the goal of a sub-60minute finish.

Vicky, as a time-served-runner, was going to ensure Michael achieved this by making sure he didn't set off too early and sticking to his training pace.

Being a good pace-setter is more difficult than you would think.  Everyone has a game-plan but it takes experience not to get caught up in the frantic feverish energy of these large events.  Indeed, some reports suggested that this years start was worse than most with a free-for-all of jumping barriers and elbow barging.  People obviously keen to get across the start line at break neck speed, as the normal course of events will add a couple of minutes onto your 'official' finish time.


Vicky evidently did well, sticking to a comfortable 10 minute mile pace they were soon overtaking the feverish masses who had shot off way too fast, and who were now suffering as a consequence.  With an unofficial finishing time of 58:43 Michael was comfortably under his 10min-mile target.  This is a great first major race for Michael and should give him a great deal of confidence leading up to the Great North Run.  Well Done Michael and Vicky!

This patient strategy employed by Michael and Vicky to great affect, is generally the best bet.  It takes a very experienced and formidable runner to lead from the start. 

Phil Sanderson, the Northumberland Fell Runner (and Lee's arch rival), is one such exception.  With an almost suicidal sprint start he will try and break his opponents early with a large lead.  The talent is in being able to then sustain this lead for another dozen miles or so!

For us mere mortals it is far better to build into the race, draw strength from overtaking other runners and then, if we still have energy in the final third start to make a push. 

This brings us to our final athlete who's had the unfortunate task of trying to break Phil Sanderson's legendary lead (as yet to no avail).  Lee managed to shoe-horn the Blaydon Race into the middle of two other fell-runs as a training run.


Lee wearing sunglasses to reflect the glare from his own white body at the end of the Alwinton 14 miler

The weekend before the Blaydon race, on the 5th of June, saw him compete in the Alwinton 14 miler.  A blistering 31 degrees in the shade!  (No need to call the fashion police, we have Lee trialing compression socks to aid with recovery in response to some calf issues he's had). 

During the Alwinton race a lot of the runners, including Lee, realised that they had made the wrong choice of footwear given the hard-packed and very dry conditions.  It didn't hold him back too much as he was presented with the mug pictured for 3rd place.


Lee's 3rd Place Medal Winners trophy (hate to see what the runners up got!)


On the weekend after the Blaydon Race (20th June) Lee took on his strongest field of competitors to date in the Windy Gyle 9 miler.  Placing 4th, this is probably Lee's best performance to date given the caliber of the runners competing that day..




But back to the Blaydon Race...How did Lee's mountain legs cope with the mean streets of Newcastle?

Well, in an International field of athletes we're pleased to say, 'very well indeed' with an official time of 33mins32seconds

Averaging slightly slower than 5 and a half minute miles, this gave Lee a top 50 place out of 4000 runners in a field featuring elite International athletes.  Well Done Lee!

Ohhhhh, Me Lads!

17/06/10

The Blaydon Race Results are out...

With 4 of our athletes competing, we'll have some race reports to follow once we get all the photos in...Watch this space!

Vitamin D, Are You Getting Enough?

12/06/10

If you could only supplement one vitamin which one would it be?


The clue was already in the title, but our choice would be Vitamin D. 

Why? 

Two reasons; firstly an inadequate level of Vitamin D is linked to a plethora of serious health risks.

The list is long but here are a few...

• Stroke,
  
• heart disease,
  
• diabetes,
  
• cancer,
  
• hypertension,
  
• kidney disease. 
  
• Psychological disorders such as depression and schizophrenia.
  

"adults with the worst deficiency had a 40 percent higher risk of death from cardiac illness. This suggests that vitamin D may be a modifiable, independent risk factor for heart disease".  Kevin Fiscella, M.D. (ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2010))

If all that wasn't enough, it is also associated with body fat and insulin sensitivity, as well as our sleep quality.

Secondly, and crucially, it is difficult to get enough Vitamin D in the diet because it is naturally present in very few foods (mainly just fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and mackerel.  Although, beef liver, cheese, egg yolks, and mushrooms provide smaller amounts).


As you're probably aware, most people meet their vitamin D needs through exposure to sunlight.  This would probably explain why we all universally enjoy having a bit of Sun on our face and tend to head to Sunnier climbs on holiday given the chance. 

Obviously, exposure to sunlight is greatly affected by where we live. 

In the northern Hemisphere for instance, we would have to live somewhere like Morocco (34 Degrees North) for a continuous year round 'supply' of Vitamin D synthesis.  If we happen to live further North, but still somewhere relatively sunny, such as the South of France, we'd expect insufficient sun exposure in the Winter months (November through February). 

When you get as far north as Newcastle you'll be lucky to get enough exposure to the sun for half the year, if not the full year. 




This map shows the potential for synthesis of Vitamin D from average annual UV radiation. 

The colours represent  degrees of UV light, whilst the 3 bands of shading (clear, light dots, heavily dotted) represent 3 zones; adequate sunlight/inadequate for at least one month/Inadequate for the whole of the year on average.









We tend to underestimate just how far North we are (possibly because the Scots are even further North) but Newcastle is further North than some cities in Canada!  Combine that with the fact that we get a lot of cloud cover given our Oceanic climate (Complete cloud cover reduces UV energy by 50%) and we have a recipe for not much opportunity for Vitamin D synthesis.

Evolution has done it's best for the Norsemen, lighter skin pigmentation observed in Northern Countries more readily absorbs UV rays, but once again is impeded (just like our diets) by modern living. 






Modern Living:

• We tend to avoid the sun or use sunscreen because of conflicting health messages
• Electric lighting means we don't need Sunlight to be able to see and therefore work in our homes or at the office
  
• Vitamin A, found in popular supplements such as Cod Liver oil blocks the absorption of Vitamin D
• Typically there is less oily fish consumed in the modern Western diet
  

In conclusion, we think that Vitamin D is an important and undervalued area of health, and whilst sunlight may be the best form of vitamin D production we live in an area incompatible to this method for the vast majority of the year.

Furthermore, given the health implications of too much sun exposure we highly suggest a good quality Vitamin D supplement may be the way forward. 

As always, we urge you to do some research and see what's best for your individual circumstances. 

Here's a few web articles to start you off...

The Guardian

Eat Move Improve

Health In Motion

Move it...it's the Fuzz!

06/06/10

This is one to watch whilst you're having dinner...

Mobility: Use it or lose it.

Graduation Day

05/06/10

The Coaches at Evolutionary Fitness acknowledge that Darren Thompson has demonstrated a sound understanding of elementary gymnastics, and basic weightlifting movements in a safe and satisfactory manner.


As a professional mountain bike instructor, Darren joined us with a solid baseline of aerobic fitness; achieving a non too shabby time of 8minutes 23seconds on 'The Geoffrey' circuit. 

Unfortunately, focusing on one specific sport, whilst neglecting general physical preparedness (GPP), has left Darren with some limited range of motion issues that we've started to address.



Cyclists display 'muted' hip function  because the pedals are turned without the need for the hip to open.








Compare this rather static use of the hip to the huge range of hip angles demonstrated in the Snatch, shown below (one more reason why we love the Olympic Weightlifting!).

The Snatch

Of course, Darren wasn't going to let any range of motion issues stand in the way of beating his initial 'Geoffrey' time.  He managed to shave an additional 2minutes off what was already a fast time, and graduated with a very fast 6minutes 25seconds.

Darren jets off in the next few days to New York, and then on to the mountains of Pennsylvania to work as a mountain-bike guide for the summer.  We wish him safe travels and hope that his new found fitness levels and range of motion help on the mountain trails.

Nice work Darren, make sure you email some photos of you, the bike, and the boulders of Pennsylvania! 

Here's a link to some good daily stretches specific to the cyclist.  Just be sure to add some shoulder rotations (dislocations) into that routine.

Evolutionary Fitness

04/06/10

Why is fitness key to human health and well-being?

This short David Attenborough clip showing "Persistence Hunting" may go some way to explaining why fitness is part of the human condition....

What can we learn from this ancient pattern of life in the modern World? 

It seems we were masters of very low-level endurance (more like power walking than jogging) over many days, whilst being more than capable of extreme levels of short intense displays of strength and agility. 

Art De Vany, Professor of economics at the University of California, believes that our muscle fiber composition reveals that we are adapted to extreme intensity of effort

"If you look at our ancestral activity patterns, you can see that we had lots of languid periods of rest, interspersed with a few short bursts of very-high-intensity efforts.... I believe in variety and intensity of exercise." (Arthur S. De Vany)

We use the terms 'variety', and 'high-intensity' often at the gym, indeed they are cornerstones of our practice.  Whilst we don't tend to use the term "languid periods of rest", you'll often hear us proclaim that everyone should "make sleep a priority" and "rest days are when we get fit, not at the gym".

Unfortunately there are too many who fail to take into account our collective active past and opt for a sedentary lifestyle with predictable results on their health.

Conversely, those who use exercise to promote health often make the same mistake of opting for the middle-ground in their training ( I made this error for a long time).  Walking never featured in my training, but then, neither did all out sprinting.  I tended to follow the popular guidelines of 20-60mins of moderate aerobic training.  The volume was too high and my immune system suffered (frequent colds), whilst the intensity was too low and I failed to develop strength or power.  My running partners also seemed to be plagued by the volume of running and shinsplints, tendinitis and stomach cramps were common.

Professor Art De Vany 6'1", 93kg (14 and a half stone), and has less than 8% body fat...oh and he's 72yrs old!


"High intensity, intermittent and brief training mixed with power walking and play is closer than aerobic exercise, high-volume weight training (body-building type weight training), or sedentism (couch potato) to how our ancestors lived," says De Vany. 




 
If you're bamboozled by the theory, bare in mind that these are all things we instinctively know, the commonsense stuff our mother's tell us about!

In essence its...' WORK, REST & PLAY'

Clean & Lean

01/06/10

Normally health and fitness articles in the popular press make us either laugh, cry or pull our hair out but we were pleasantly surprised by this one...

'Clean & Lean'

The plan is not the usual 'eat less fat, more healthy carbs' nonsense.  Rather it focuses on eating quality foods and ditching the junk.  In essence it is 'paleo' by another name; Paleo for the masses perhaps?


The Cave Man Diet

01/06/10

The caveman or paleo 30 day challenge is (for most people), coming to an end this week.  Hopefully, those who have completed it will have some motivating stories (better yet, motivating before/after photos) to share with those thinking about whether to take the plunge.


EF Athletes In Action

25/05/2010

Our favourite fell-runner has been in action again...

This time in a race they call the 'Fox & Hounds Chase'... because a lot of fell-runners like there real-ale this race starts and finishes at...you guessed it, the Fox & Hounds pub.  It's a well earned pint though, because the runners need to tackle  8.7 miles, and climb 1430ft first.

This is Race 3 of a series of 11 races.  Lee's 6 best finishes of the season will count towards his final tally.


Lee said it was the hardest 9 miles of his life and finished in a very impressive time of 68mins02secs...only 128seconds behind the top slot. 

For us 'non-fell runner types', who can relate to shorter distances better, that's averaging 1min57sec for each 400m covered.  Consider that the Level 1 400m goal is 2mins04sec, and that these guys maintain that pace over many miles and climb hundreds of feet in elevation whilst doing so.  Quite incredible.
 
So, a very impressive 5th place finish for Lee, and another hard fought 44 points to add to his race series.  This moves Lee into fourth place overall!

Nice job Lee!!!

Apparently, after the race you can tuck into Bob Lillie's famous Pie & Peas...Lee will neither confirm or deny this.

 


Range of Motion

23/05/2010

Range of motion (ROM) refers to the normal distance and position a normal joint can move. 

Limited range of motion refers to a joint that has a reduction in its ability to move and we tend to associate this limited flexibility as a by-product of ageing.

However, limited ROM strikes all ages which suggests it may be more about how we use our bodies rather than merely declining with age.

We can see from this photo a demonstration of both normal and poor ROM. 

Geoffrey (in the foreground) looks relaxed in this posture and we can clearly see his left ear past his 'open' shoulder indicating normal ROM.

For Darren, on the other hand, this stretch is almost as demanding as the main workout as he battles his own muscles for more movement.  We can see his ear, but only because he has forced his head down and through.  He leans back at the trunk in an attempt to get his hands further back and compensate for his poor shoulder flexibility, but this will place further stress on his lower back.

If limited ROM makes stretching this hard work imagine how much harder Darren will have to work to press a barbell above his head or develop kipping pull-ups.

Why would we see such a limited range of motion in such a young athlete?

Darren is a professional mountain-bike instructor (he'll be leaving us in a few weeks to go back to the US to work for the Summer guiding) spending many many hours using his muscles to control his machine.    His arms and shoulders are essentially an extension of the shock absorbing front sporks of his bike.  Remaining slightly flexed to absorb constant impact whilst constantly tensioned to prevent his head smashing into the handlebars.   His arms have learnt to operate in this strong but limited position.

The good news for Darren and anyone looking to improve their ROM is that this can be reversed at any age by slowly introducing the muscle to the full ROM through simple progressive stretching.

Friday, Sunny Friday

22/05/2010

Hope you're all enjoying the mini-heatwave this weekend!

We managed to make use of a sunny Friday morning to hit the athletics track.  If you haven't had the opportunity to run on the track yet, don't worry, the days are getting longer, drier and warmer so everyone will get the opportunity to test their running over the coming months.

Traditional thinking suggests that the only way to get better at running, is to run! Whilst we acknowledge that running as an excellent conditioning exercise in itself, we tend to limit any running to short bursts of 400m during a strength and conditioning circuit.  So it's always interesting when we ask our athletes to run longer distances for time at the track.

With the sun belting down it was almost too warm for comfort, but the team soldiered on and achieved some impressive results.


Jane, Laura, and Siobhan; whose going to make the break first?

Here's how they got on...

Siobhan (who has her 400m and 800m Level 1 goal) achieved around 2700m  (just over 6 laps) in 15mins of running with 3 mins rest every 5 minutes.  When ran without breaks, this would equate to a sub-9 min mile (another Level 1 Goal).

Jane, Michael, Laura and Malcolm also had their 400m Level 1 Goal so the aim of the day was to achieve 800m in under 4min:20s.

First over the finish line was Malcolm, smashing the goal by 25seconds and coming in at 3min:55s.






 Laura dug deep and also came well within the 4min:20s cut-off with a very impressive 4min:06s.




Coming home together were Michael and Jane, both crossing the line in 4min:10s, successfully achieving their 800m goal.




So despite the limited running practice, clients continue to achieve goals and reach personal bests...true testament to the hard work done in the gym from week to week.

Great effort guys, keep up the good work.


Strength in Depth

19/05/2010

A whole host of Rowing Goals and Personal Bests got smashed this week...

LEVEL 1 500m Row:  Male @ <1:55   Female @ <2:20

LEVEL 2 500m Row:  Male @ <1:45   Female @ <2:00









I've said it before and i'll say it again...a few minutes on a Concept2 is enough to make a grown man cry...or sick more likely!

Good Effort Gang!!!




Evolutionary Running

18/05/2010

Want some Caveman running to go with your Caveman diet?

Check out Barefoot Running



































Barefoot running may sound like a 'Hippy conspiracy' but it's backed by some smart people.  Take a look at Harvard Professor, Daniel Lieberman's short appraisal in this video...

 The_Barefoot_Professor



11 Gym Rules

17/05/2010

A little Gung-ho but we like this list anyway...




























EF Kids Raise Money for Children's Cancer

13/05/2010

Sian and Eryn pose for photos with one T-shirt after their Charity run at the weekend.  They did get a T-shirt each but Eryn is using hers as a pyjama top and she didn't bring her medal because...

"it's covered in tomato juice"

The run was a mighty 5 Miles cross-country and we're very impressed girls.

WELL DONE!!!

Details

The Distance: 5 Mile
The Venus: Gosforth Race Course
The Date: 09/05/2010
The Charity: Children's Cancer Run
Money Rasied to date: 42 pounds

Where Does He Hide Those Muscles?

07/05/2010

There are a few myths surrounding weight-training, especially women's weight-training.

• Weight training makes you bulky and masculine
• Weight training makes you stiff and muscle-bound
• As long as you exercise you can eat whatever you want
  
• If you stop weight-training your muscle turns to fat
• Women should lift only light weights

Needless to say all of these statements are incorrect.

We'll address some of these other fallacies at a later date, but for now, let us just examine the first two.

As a picture paints a thousand words let's use an example from our gym; Geoffrey (If you want more specific information relating to the female weight-lifter try Top 10 Reasons Heavy Weights Don't Bulk Up Female Athletes )


Geoffrey joined the gym just under a year ago and despite his strength gains going through the roof he has certainly not 'bulked up'.  In fact he joined at 75kg and is now 77kg.  He has lost some body-fat during this period so the net result is probably around a 3kg gain in lean muscle mass, which can hardly be called 'bulking' up.  In fact it's more like the 'toning' up that people, mistakenly, believe they'll achieve with 'cardio and light weights'.

Consider that the female athlete has approximately 20 times less testosterone and you will appreciate how much harder a female athlete will have to work to gain any muscle mass at all.


So how come Geoffrey got strong but didn't bulk up?   For an answer to this it is essential to understand how body-builders achieve their results.  The high volume (lots of reps) approach, favoured by body-builders, causes considerable muscle damage, which in turn, results in hypertrophy (muscle growth).


This high volume is achieved by having multiple exercises per body part. For the chest, body-builders will do flat bench for three sets of 12, incline for three sets of 12, and decline bench for three sets of 12.  A grand total of 108 repetitions for the chest.

With all our athlete's, we focus on considerably lower volume (>25 total reps) but at heavier loads.  (>80% max lift).  For example, if we were to train Geoffrey's chest we would use one exercise (flat bench), with typically five sets of five repetitions or alternatively 3 sets of 5/3/1 reps, with progressively heavier weight.

This leads to more strength with minimal bulking.  When lifting weights over 85 percent, the primary stress imposed upon the body is placed on the nervous system, not on the muscles. Therefore, strength will improve by a neurological effect while not increasing the size of the muscles.

When we combine this type of weightlifting with gymnastic movements and running we believe we achieve a strong, yet more athletic looking frame.

Geoffrey's 'numbers' can speak for themselves; he can shift his own bodyweight, be it in the bench press, the squat, or the dead-lift.  In fact, Geoffrey pulled 120.5kg off the floor just this week (more than one and a half times his bodyweight).   

Though very respectable lifts, they are unlikely to win him any strongman competitions, but Geoffrey is an example of our 'well-rounded' athlete philosophy.

He can run like a gazelle (he currently holds the gym's fastest 400m crown... challenge him to a race!), and this week demonstrated muscular endurance by achieving the Kettle-bell goal of 25 overhead swings with a 24kg kettle-bell.

For Whom The Bell Tolls

03/05/2010

Although we honestly believe that our modest gym has all you need to train elite level athletes you can never have too much of the right equipment!

Introducing our new toys!!!


























They might not look like much, but not all Kettle-bells are created equal.

Like all our equipment, you can be sure we've done our homework and that it's of the best quality.

To the uninitiated our newest editions (the blue ones in the photo) look a little rough and ready but they have been made by Kettle Bell legend and Master Black-Smith, Stan Pike. 

The slight grittiness allows for a better grip, making high rep ballistic exercises like snatches and swings possible without tearing apart your hands. They are made as one piece so there is no welding or attaching of any kind. There is a good amount of room in the handle for all round kettle-bell work regardless of hand size.

None of this will make it any less demanding of course...now get to work!

"I generally avoid running unless I can't help it."
Dave Venus 2010.

01/05/2010

A few people have been asking how Lee got on with his last race up the Cheviot last Sunday, and I would have posted his results except we withdrew Lee from the race due to a chest infection.

Running is never good for recovering from illness and running at race-pace would have been asking for trouble.  Nevertheless, Lee should be good to race again on the 8th May at the particular gruelling Buttermere Sailbeck event.

We took the journey up to the Cheviot anyway, it would give Lee a rare spectators view of a race, and with it the opportunity to observe different racing strategies. 

Whilst we stood drinking coffee, watching everybody register for the race Lee pointed out that he had all his kit with him.  I was just about to tell him that racing wouldn't do him any favours for the hundredth time, when I realised his big daft grin could only mean one thing!

"Yes Lee, I know I like variety in my training but...a fell-race...
.
...against fell-runners...

...people who run up mountains for fun!"

Talk about falling on deaf ears, Lee's grin hadn't diminished one bit!  Trouble was, he knew all my training philosophies, he knew he had me backed into my own corner .  Something about me prattling on one time about how you should train for any eventuality, and how It's no good being strong if you can't run.  The final nail in the coffin was that I once told him, how too many runners wasted training on long slow distance running, and neglected strength and conditioning.

The grin turned to a laugh as he handed over the vest, and I made my way to the registration tent, still holding my coffee.

REGISTRAR: "Name?"
ME: "Venus.  David."
REGISTRAR: "Age?"
ME: "32"
REGISTRAR: "Fell-running Club?"
ME: "errrrmm...Independent"

So, that's how I came about trotting up 2600ft of the Cheviot last weekend, a fell-runner for the day. 

With friends like these...(my regular running shoes weren't quite up to the job of a fell-running shoe hence the fact if you look closely you'll see that I'm covered in grass and peat after a fall that wouldn't have looked out of place on the BBC's "Total Wipeout' show!).

The Results

My main findings included the fact that, I actually really enjoyed it!  So set yourself a goal that's outside your comfort zone ...Embrace Change! 

It also confirmed the effectiveness of strength training on speeding up recovery times.  Indeed, I was able to train the very next day (including running and squatting and I would like to think nobody noticed any reduce range of motion in any demos on Monday).

One interesting aspect for me was seeing first hand how the agility, accuracy, coordination, and balance training we practice at the gym came into it's own when haring down the steep rocky sections.  I'd assumed that I'd hold my own on the way up only to be past by all these 'mountain goats' on the way down.  In fact it was me who was doing the overtaking! 

I am not making this up when I say another runner gasped "How are you doing that" as I sped past skimming over rocks.  This did buoy my confidence a little too much and I got a bit reckless with the speed eventually. 

Luckily the inevitable fall came on wet grass free of boulders and I rolled back into a run without breaking stride.  I can say that as there's no video footage to the contrary, I probably went down like a bag of hammers!  Either way I felt like a kid running out of control and carefree and I enjoyed every minute including the slide!

As for how I placed in the race, judge for yourself!

"I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it."
Mae West.

28/04/2010

The Paleo Approach

Long-term Health and Fitness requires us to address four elements:

1. Healthy eating
   
2. Strength development
   
3. Improving the 'energy systems'  (you may be more familiar with the terms cardio-vascular training or metabolic conditioning) 
4. Adequate rest & recovery (quality sleep)

Moving heavier loads, doing more press-ups, or achieving that elusive first pull-up, are all signs that our strength is improving, whilst we can see adaptations to our various energy pathways, simply by recording ever-faster times with our benchmark workouts.

The other two factors on the other hand, are a little trickier to nail down.  What an athlete eats or doesn't eat, and how much sleep they achieve is simply down to them.  We rely on athletes understanding that; sleep and nutrition can aid or hinder performance at best, and at worst, will drastically affect one's health.

I was once advised that it is harder to change someone's eating habits, than it is to change their religion.  However, we continue to question and discuss our clients' eating patterns and make suggestions to change. What do we tell them?

Step 1: Cut out the three 'Wicked Whites' of refined sugars, refined flour, and shortening (esp. hydrogenated vegetable oil)
Step 2: Move towards an eating ratio of 40% Carbs 30% Protein and 30% Fat
Step 3: Go 'Paleo'

Step 1 addresses the three main culprits of poor health without a radical change to lifestyle, perhaps providing the most bang for our buck (ie good health insurance with minimal outlay).  Step 2 takes more planning but would ensure adequate protein and good fats whilst controlling insulin sensitivity, the main culprit to weight gain.  Step 3 is a radical adjustment to make but we feel it is worthwhile because;

Quite simply, this diet is the one we operate best on.  It gives us the energy to train most days and hit PBs along the way, to bounce around the gym giving demonstrations be it morning or evening, to train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 4 hours a week, to walk the dog an hour or two every day, to have energy to enjoy a fell-race on a Sunday.  Gone is the lethargy, the bloating, and gone are the frequent bouts of colds and viruses that seem to plague many.

We want you to feel the same. We want you all to experience how great you can truly feel by eliminating all the rubbish from your diet and allowing your body to heal.

We are providing a format for those that are interested, to try this way of eating. Give it a go and let the results speak for themselves. This is not a challenge, but an opportunity for you to feel great, look fantastic and perform at your absolute best.

For those ready for a radical change to your life, click on the 'Paleo' page tab for details.

Gymnastics: European championships - 23 April-2 May 2010

26/04/2010

Men's European Championships; 20-25 April
Women's European Championships; 27 April to 2 May

We are halfway through the European Gymnastics Championships but you'd be forgiven for not noticing. If you have good eyesight and check out the BBC's 'Sport' homepage you just might spot, in between all the football, snooker, football cricket, football, rugby, football, and football, that Team GB, to use the urban vernacular, 'represented' in Birmingham National Indoor Arena!

Not only did 'we' win European Silver, we racked up Gold and another Silver in the Men's pommel horse (photo below), a Bronze on the floor, and a further five junior gold medals! 

On behalf of all our Athletes at the gym ( who all know only too well how hard, even the most rudimentary gymnastic movements are; the L-sit, the push-up, the hand-stand, the pull-up), we'd like to say a huge well done to GREAT BRITAIN EUROPEAN SENIOR TEAM SILVER MEDALLISTS

CONGRATULATIONS
Louis Smith Daniel Keatings Daniel Purvis Kristian Thomas Sam Hunter

CONGRATULATIONS
Coaches - Paul Hall, Andre Popov, Jeff Brooks, Paul Hall, Michelle Bradley.

We salute the hours of training, the professionalism, dedication and self-discipline 

Well Done and Good Luck for 2012!!!

You can catch the highlights by following this link  BBC Gymnastics:European Championship 2010

 

EF Athlete's in Action

23/04/2010

• What: Cheviot Summit Fell-Race; 6 miles 2600ft climb
  
• Where: Wooler, Northumberland
• Who: Lee Grant
• When: 25 April 2010

We'd like to wish Lee Grant the best of luck for his race this Sunday.

Lee has always been a recreational runner but only now, at the age of 30, has he decided to take up competitive fell-running. 

Actually, if you're looking for a sport to compete at well into the future, with veteran age categories of 45, 55, and 65yrs, fell-running could be for you.  Indeed, Fell-runners don't seem to come into their prime until their late 30's and 40's.  This is one sport where experience seems to count for a lot.  Although maximal oxygen consumption (VO₂ max) decreases with age, other factors such as better running economy and fatigue resistance come to the fore.

Northumberland Fell-runner's Association; Not exactly Spring Chickens!













As a newcomer to the sport (this will be his third race) Lee has already got the fell-running community chattering about this rank outsider.  Coming 5th in his first ever race (Brough Law Fell-race), and 7th in his second (Gisborough Moors Fell-race).

• 

Best of luck Lee.

If you're experienced in safe hill travel and are interested in running up Northumberland's Highest summit then this is the perfect organised way of doing it. Starting at Langley Ford near Wooler in Northumberland the race simply runs up to the summit of Cheviot and back again. A distance of 6 miles with 2676 feet of Ascent. The race starts at 11am it's £5 to enter and all the profits goes to Northumberland Search and Rescue. If you need more info then you can email the organiser at glen.cheviot@hotmail.co.uk.

Blaydon Athletics Track

21/04/2010

With spring upon us, we exploited a fine morning to achieve some running goals (everybody's favourite!) at Blaydon running track.

The track has been retained and enhanced lately as part of a borough-wide community Leisure Centre & Primary Care Centre.  Managed by Gateshead Council, it is a great fitness facility right on our doorstep.  What's more, being Council run, it is free of charge. 




Hazel, Jane, Siobhan, Tracy and Laura get some mobility drills done prior to the run























Goals on the agenda included the 400m and 800m runs for time;

• 400m in under 2min 04sec
• 800m in under 4min 20sec 

Kip with an easy lead on the warm-up lap!

With great running and determination, the team achieved the following;

• Hazel achieved her Level 1: 400m in 1min 53 sec and her 800m goal in 4mins 12sec
• Siobhan, who already has the 400m goal, achieved her Level 1: 800m in 4mins 03sec
• Tracy achieved her Level 1: 400m in 1min 54 sec
• Jane achieved her Level 1: 400m in 1min 54sec

Mission accomplished!

We finished the session with an optional mile, to give everyone a benchmark reference to the 1 mile goal of  9mins. 

With the speed work still in the legs, Siobhan achieved the mile in 10mins 26 sec; Hazel achieved a mile in 10mins 30sec; and Jane stomped home in an impressive 9min 37sec mile.

Well done Ladies! Great work.

'Olympic Dreams'

20/04/2010

Tonight, 22:45 on BBC One (or catch up on BBC i-player)

Check out the BBC's Olympic Dreams programme. 

Tonight It features Zoe Smith, who, at 14 years old, set a world record for her age and bodyweight by lifting a total of 159kg, or 25 stone, in three events.

See BBC iplayer for last weeks Episode 1 featuring diver Tom Daley and World Champion heptathlete Jess Ennis.

'Super-Wellness'

19/04/2010

Society is naturally geared up to try to prevent us getting ill (vaccines, 'Catch it, Kill it Bin it!' adverts etc.), and when we do get ill, to make us well again.  Of course we all appreciate the fine work of Doctors, Nurses, Physiotherapists and the NHS in general, but all of their hard work simply leaves us at 'Neutral'.

What if we were able to move beyond 'Neutral' towards 'Super-Wellness'. Well, we believe that you can and that this is really the definition of fitness. 

Not only can the 'fit' run faster, jump higher, work harder.  They also have lower cholesterol, stronger bones, better blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure, lower resting heart rates.  In fact, it is our contention that any 'health' parameter that you care to mention, or measure, will be best in the athlete.

 

"400m Run, Bodyweight Dead-lift, Can you hear me? Your boys took one hell of a beating!"

16/04/2010

When I went to school, come sports-day, the big lads threw heavy objects (discuss, shot-put), whilst the 'Slim-Jim's' did all the running. What if it were possible to excel at both?  



















Haille Gebreselassie 1500m PR 3:32.39

























Christian Cantwell Shot-put PR: 22.54m


Imagine a friend telling you that a World-Class marathon runner and an elite-level Olympic Weightlifter had just walked into the room.  You look across only to find that there is just one person stood there.  Seems unlikely, but what would that athlete look like?

Decathalete, Roman Šebrle (pictured below), is perhaps the closest approximation to this fictional athlete.  After all, as current World Record holder for the decathlon, Olympic tradition dictates that he holds the title of World's Greatest Athlete (It seems the Wall Street Journal would agree.)













Roman Šebrle 1500m 4:21.98 AND Shot-put PR: 15.33m


However, despite being good at just about everything he remains relatively unknown.  Instead, we tend to remember the 'Specialists'; people like Paula Radcliffe, Usain Bolt, or Jonathan Edwards, because they're the one's setting the World Records (running the fastest. jumping the farthest etc). 

The question is, which one would you rather be ; the Specialist or the Generalist (because this will dictate how you should train)?

The specialist will win his or her sport hands down and lose just about everything else. 

The generalist places a respectable middle-third in the Great North Run, does the C2C cycle-route in a single day, entertains guests at a party with some handstand press-ups, wins the school sports-day father's egg & spoon event, and is the mate you'd call if you needed someone to push your car half a mile to the nearest garage or to help lay your new patio.

That's why we train people to run faster than the weightlifters, whist lifting more than the runners!  Let's take a look at some of our athletes achievements this week;

• Malcolm who lifted more than his bodyweight (BW) with a 95kg Dead-lift, before running a 1:53  400m *steeple-chase.

• Laura also lifted >bodyweight with a 60kg Dead-lift, before running a 2:02 for the 400m *steeple-chase.

• Siobhan, having previously demonstrated a sub-2:05 for the run Dead-lifted 65kg

• Mark, already recorded a BW Dead-lift, taking his speed to the next level with a Level 2; 400m time of 1:28

• Lynn demonstrated not only speed but huge work capacity by taking on, and beating, the 400m speed challenge, after already completing two fast 400m circuits, 30 Kettle-bell Swings, and 30 Good-Morning exercises!
  

*Although there are no actual hurdles on our 400m circuit, it is more akin to a steeple chase than a straightforward 400m given the uphill sections, scree run and stairs!

Congratulations to you all for your on going hard work and dedication. You continue to make us look good!!

TopTip101
13/04/2010

Top-Tip 101: Drink a glass of water at breakfast.

"Drinking water first thing in the morning will gently detox, and flush your system"...

...no wait, somebody just made that up!

Let's just stick to the facts. 

1.  Water is good.  In fact it's essential for life (that's why we're looking for signs of it on distant planets)

2.  If you've been to sleep then you haven't had any water, in any form, for a long time (around a 1/3rd of your day, depending on how long you sleep of course)

3.  It's very difficult (though not impossible) to drink too much water but dangerous and fairly easy to drink too little (especially whilst exercising, or in humid conditions...try exercising in humid conditions without water and see where that gets you!)

4.  You never know when your next opportunity to drink it will be. 


This last statement may seem something out of a Ray Mears survival show, but you're much more likely to ignore your water intake when surrounded by it, than when setting out on some remote trek.  The very ubiquitous nature of water means that we tend to take it for granted; ...why drink it now when we can always grab some later? 

Except we never do...Our days consist of rushing around, we may self-restrict our water intake because going to the toilet means we get less work done, we choose coffee over plain water and water is just plain boring.

So we should plan how much water we would benefit from drinking each day and when and where we are going to get it from.  If water drinking strategies is a plan too far, then simply...drink water for breakfast!



The L-Sit
12/04/2010

Ever wonder how gymnasts get those six-pack abs? One exercise gymnasts use to demonstrate their mid-section strength is the L-Sit/L-Seat (pictured left).

The legs are bent at a 90 degree angle to the torso, forming an "L" shape.



A modified version of the -L-seat is the L-hang where we hang from a pull-up bar (see picture below).  Although this changes the dynamics of the movement somewhat it allows us to train the abs and hip-flexors without the added stress of supporting the body with the arms.

The Level 1 Goal involves holding this static position for 10 seconds and is proving difficult for the majority of our clients.  Mark showed it was more than possible today by easily surpassing the 10 second mark and actually attaining the  Level-2 standard of 30 seconds!




































Level-2 30s L-Hang: Nice job Mark!



'Shakin' it here Boss!'
11/04/2010

Great effort this week guys!  Two classes in particular spring to mind;

The first of which featured the dreaded Sumo-Dead-lift-High-Pull.  As you can see from the photo below it was only marginally easier than doing 12 rounds with an actual Sumo!


















The second class, ran on Friday morning, was a 'Chipper' that goes by the name of 'The Dirty Thirty'.  The DT is 30 reps of just about every exercise we do!  Don't worry if you haven't yet made her acquaintance she'll be appearing at a class near you soon!

...and if you're wondering about the title of the blog, 'Shakin it here Boss!'  It's a quote from a classic film, and it seemed to get Michael through the box jumps during his DT workout.

PS: 30 Burpee prize if you know the film!

If at First You don't succeed!...
06/04/2010

Whether it's 'double-unders', pull-ups or technical Olympic lifts, It's all too easy to get frustrated when things aren't going your way.  Just remember if it were easy, everyone would be doing it!  Here's some wise words on 'failure' by US Basketball legend Michael Jordan.




Wishing You All a Memorable Easter Weekend
01/04/2010

Well, it's Easter Weekend and that can only mean one thing...The Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race...

...just me huhh?

'Dee-W' as it's known to it's friends is the longest non-stop canoe race in the world (125 miles long and has 77 portages).  Starting in Devizes, Wiltshire it finishes at Westminster Bridge in London, opposite the Houses of Parliament. The race has been held annually over the Easter Weekend since 1948.

The Right Honourable, Lord Paddy Ashdown completed the event in 1965 (with his teammate Mr J.E. Lane) whilst still serving in the Royal Marines Special Boat Service and quipped that he could only recall one figure in history who had suffered a more painful Easter!

Paddy's advice for anyone planning to attempt the race is "Train, train and train again. When you think that you've trained enough, train some more!".

Other well known Devizes to Westminster survivors include explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who completed the race in 1998 and 1999, and mountaineer Rebecca Stephens who completed the race in 1998.

Steve Ritson and I completed the Dee-W in 2002 and I officially retired from canoeing the same weekend! 

As we were by no means canoeists, we lacked the technical proficiency to row the light, razor-thin, and fast, yet highly unstable, K1 class.  Our only option was the Klepper canoe (if you've seen the Cockleshell Heroes film you'll be familiar with this military type canoe), very stable to the point of being almost bomb-proof (which was just as well as we got dragged backwards over Wylam Weir whilst out on a training day), but at 120lbs it was never designed for speed.  Coupled with the fact that there are almost 80 portages (basically locks where we'd have to man-handle this beast onto dry land shuffle down the road and get back in the water) on this race we were gluttons for punishment.

Like all painful events I look back with much fondness and scant recollection of the hardships.  In fact I had to go on-line to get details of our exact time.  It would appear the race took us 36hrs.  A lot faster than the 1948 winning time of nearly 90hours, although presumably there canoe was more akin to a rowing boat, but not as fast as Paddy who was almost 10 hours faster.

So if you're looking for a new challenge and you've ticked off the usual Great North Run, Coast2Coast cycle this would be a great event.  Undoubtedly tough but you have a full year of training ahead of you!

We Value Your Comments
31/03/2010

Following feedback from a number of our clients (typically those living further afield or juggling atypical work schedules) we have been trialling 45 minute training sessions over the last four weeks.

The months trial has now ended and from a coaches perspective, the question we ask ourselves for this, and every decision we make at the box, is...

"Are our clients fitter this month than they were last month?"

However, your opinion is what counts, and we will be contacting you all over the next week to get your feedback directly.  Please feel free to be candid as this will help us to provide a better service...however, bare in mind we are likely to ignore any recommendations for less burpees!

Evolutionary Fitness's Junior Athletes In Action
30/03/2010

Congratulations to young Michael Harrison one of our junior athletes who impressed his teachers this week during a school physical fitness test.  The test in question was a sit-up test and involved performing as many sit ups as possible, keeping in time to the beeps emitted from a CD. 

This assessment involves pushing yourself to the point where you can no longer maintain the pace dictated by CD and is quite strenuous.

Not only did he come top in the class but the test actually gave up before he did! 

Michael's PE teacher was astounded, remarking that he'd only ever seen one other person complete the test in it's entirety, and that the other person was much older than Michael.



Believe it or not, this is how we strengthen Michael's abs


Michael informs us that it was a "15 minute" sit-up test, but in the me-lee of sit-ups he'd be forgiven for getting this wrong.  Although we're more than happy to be corrected on this, the longest standard fitness test in common use by schools is the National Coaching Foundation's Abdominal Curl Conditioning Test, which is 9 minutes in length.

This does not detract from Michael's outstanding achievement as this test requires well over 200 sit-ups to see it off!

Although the fitness media is obsessed with sit-ups and crunchees, it may come as some surprise that we don't actually do a tonne of sit-ups at our training facility. 

Rather, we focus on the abdominals key role of 'mid-line stabilisation' as in the above photo of Michael doing a Turkish Get-UP (TGU).  Whilst the arm and shoulder girdle ensures the weight is stable above Michael's head, the only thing which will stop him flopping or folding under the weight as he stands up is the rigidity of his torso (i.e. having strong abs).  

Think about this; would you're abs work harder moving your torso into a sitting position (as in a sit-up), or would they work harder trying to stop your spine being crushed or thrown about under a heavy load (as in a squat with a barbell on your back)!


Evolutionary Fitness's Athletes In Action
26/03/2010

The Brough Law Fell Race is a hotly contested run on the Fell-running calender, and sixty-seven hardy fell-runners lined out last Sunday for the 5 mile event (relatively short by fell-running standards, but the 1250' climb more than makes up for it).

Lee is pictured here last Sunday leading the race. 

If you know fell-running, you'll know that the bald guy over Lee's right shoulder is the Great Phil Sanderson and you normally only ever see his heels during a race (and then only briefly as they disappear over the horizon!).

Indeed Lee did get to see Phil's heels, but managed to keep his nose in front for a further 200m after this photo.  In Lee's words "...shame he left me for dust 200m later...Ha!".

But Lee is being modest as even Phil's dust wouldn't have had much time to settle as Lee crossed the finishing line 155 seconds behind him.

The course all-time record is 00:36:38 (set in 2009) and Lee finished in 00:40:27, placing 5th out of 67 fell-runners .  An outstanding effort, made even more astonishing by the fact it's his first fell race!

Double-Unders
25/03/2010

 

Concept 2 Rowing
18/03/2010

Anyone who has spent more than a few minutes on a Concept2 rowing machine will know that it is a force of nature.  Knowing you have 2000m on it is a very daunting thing indeed! 

So a big congrats to EFs Thurs-night crew who took the 2000m challenge head on.  After 2k it's all you can do to get your feet out of the straps!

A special mention to Vicky's outstanding 8:49:9.  Take a look at the current rankings to see where that puts you.  You may be surprised!  Concept 2 World Rankings

Fitness is a big part of the story but we can shave off valuable seconds with a mechanically efficient stroke.  Take a look at your 'Force Curve' the next time you're on the rower.

The Force Curve is an immediate graphical representation of your force application during the stroke. It shows how your total force varies as you use your legs, back and arms in sequence curing the drive.

A smoother-shaped curve indicates a smoother application of force. The greater the area under the curve, the better your results for that stroke will be.










The Good...







...the Bad







...and The Ugly!






16/03/2010

Between a Rock and a Cold Place

Hard exercise is lot like this icy river crossing.  A little intimidating and rather joyless when it's in front of you. 




Extremely rewarding and actually a bit of a giggle when it's firmly behind you!




Canadian Rockies Winter 2009:  Travelling from the Bugaboos to Roger's Pass.

I actually stumbled across an account of our trip here: British Mountain Guides (BMG) 









15/03/2010

The Humble Box Jump

The box jump is an example of what we do within our little fitness community.

Take a tried and tested world class exercise and coach it to our recreational athletes in a safe, progressive and fun manner.

The box jump is principally employed to develop power but it also develops coordination, balance and intense concentration.

We would agrue that it also develops psychological stength and builds self confidence. Regardless of the box hieght, be it 5'' or 50'', if it's close to your maximum Dynamic Effort (DE) then it takes a lot of courage to step up to the mark and make your leap.






















Start as low as you like and increase the height inch by inch, week by week and think where you'll be a year from now.
















Got high hopes? Here's some inspiration.

Having already used the term 'busy' in our last blog I thought I'd better use a different adjective in the title this week!  Take your pick as once again the gym has been a blur of vigorous activity and personal achievements.  Let's take a look...

In no particular order...

Johanne Carr achieved her 50 unbroken squat target;  Johanne had her eye on this goal for a while and with her long levers (biomechanics speak for being tall!) we knew she'd have to fight for every rep.  Nice job Johanne!


We've have not one, but two Ramp-Up graduates to report; Lynn Bradford graduated with an excellent time of 7:16 (Winter Protocol) having joined us with an initial 11:25 for the same workout just 4 weeks earlier.  Nuha Woolmington also graduates, narrowly missing a sub-ten minute round, with a time of 10:02.  Nuha has seen solid progress and slashed a massive 4:31 off her original score come race day.

So whats a few minutes improvement between friends?  Well, our rudimentary maths reveals that this is a 36% and 31% improvement respectively.  If a recreational half-marathon runner made gains of this sort of magnitude they'd be crossing the finish line half-an-hour earlier!  And that's in a mere 4 weeks of training.  Nice job Lynn!  Nice job Nuha!


New Skill Level Introduced (0.75% Classification; Senior Athlete):  Having attempted/achieved some of our Level 1 goals you will all know that they are demanding tasks for anybody starting out in fitness let alone senior athletes.

No rubber bands and swiss balls; here one if our senior athletes throws weights around like everybody else!

Despite the bar being set very high, some of our senior clients have made huge inroads into, and even achieved some of these Level 1 goals.  However, we feel the need to introduce a new skill level to reward their hard work and maintain motivation, whilst acknowledging the impact of those advanced years (this article is a mine field!)

2000m Row in 9mins26s: Speaking of Level 1 goals, a big well done to Laura with this impressive time.  Easily within the female 9:50 goal.

The 2000m row is a test of our capacity to do work.  More than endurance, it is the ability to work at a high level for a sustained period of time.  Performance over 2,000m on a rowing ergometer is dependent upon the functional capacity of both the aerobic and anaerobic energy pathways, with the relative amount of energy derived from anaerobic metabolism being 21-30%(1). 

In tests designed to mirror the demands of a 2000m race, caloric expenditure has been calculated as 36kcal per minute making it one of the most energy demanding activities ever studied (Hagerman FC. Applied physiology of rowing. Sports Med. 1984 Jul-Aug;1(4):303-26).


500m Row in under 1min55s (Male): Another away we can define our fitness on the rower is by testing speed rather than capacity.  A different kind of 'hurt', this row demands working at your very top end albeit for a much shorter duration.  Michael demonstrated plenty of speed when he crossed the finish line with seconds to spare on his successful 500m attempt.  Nice job Michael!

We know that this is just a few of your personal achievements but rest assured we notice all of your gains (and the hard work that makes it happen)!  Don't be shy, ask us to take your photo and we'll report your achievements to inspire others!

PS. Tell your friends to do the smart thing and get fit!!!





Happy New Year from the EF team!

Whilst getting geared for 2010 it is the perfect opportunity to reflect on the successes of 2009. 

It's all too easy to forget how far you've come over the year and that's why a log-book is the best tool for recording those small victories that mark the long road to success. 

If you haven't started keeping a record, try to remember your personal highlights from 2009.  The stuff that made you walk out of the gym feeling 10ft tall!  Perhaps it was your first pull-up, or rowing 2 kilometers in under 10mins, or the day you achieved a sub-2minute 400m run (a run with a hill!), or the day you lifted a barbell that was heavier than you off the ground!

We asked one of our athletes, Geoffrey, to dust off his logbook and share his highlights of 2009...

Geoffrey is 24yrs old and joined us in August '09.  In his words, Geoffrey had more of an 'armchair appreciation of sport and fitness' before he joined EF.  After a difficult first session that left him speechless for a good 10 mins Geoffrey made rapid progress and we soon realised, with his long 'levers', and high work ethic, he had huge potential for speed. After just 4 weeks we halved his original circuit time, and better yet, he was able to hold a conversation straight after! 

Realising the 'chink in his armour'  was strength based we switched arcs and focused on building this for the remainder of the year.  Looking back to a September entry in his log-book (Geoffrey wouldn't have believed it if it wasn't his own writing), he was able to recall a best effort squat of 30kg for 5 reps.  Now, with a 5 rep squat of more than 3 times that amount, this weight is not too far from his first warm-up set.  It is a similar story too for his PRESS, BENCH PRESS, and DEADLIFT.

Geoffrey's goals for 2010 include a twice body-weight deadlift, a 1.25 bodweight benchpress, and a 100kg squat.

When you determine your goals for 2010 make sure they're specific as possible (actually define the speed you want to run at or the amount you want to lift, or dare I say it...the weight you want to be).  Aim high with your goals; far better to have ambitious goals and fall short, than to achieve modest goals...and who knows, you may just achieve those ambitious goals, now wouldn't that be something to celebrate in 2011!!!

December 2009 Archives